New chapter for you lovely people! Thank you very much for your reviews on the last one to nerdalertwarning, Filisgirl251, Erikawaskiki, Mika, purple-pygmy-puff16, Raven with a Writing Desk, quantumlea13 and Aquamarine. I really hope you enjoy this one and what's left in store for Fili and Arinna. Let me know your thoughts!
She could hear the animated chatter muffled through the doors, even before she entered the room. After having been shown to a chamber in the royal wing by Balin earlier, a chamber that was much too big for one person alone, but beautiful and comfortable, she had spent a few hours by herself, not quite knowing what to do with herself, while the thoughts had been whirling in her head. She had sat on the bed, thinking about the moments of her arrival in the mountain and how different it had been from how she had expected it to go. Although, she wasn't really sure what she had expected at all. Fili's voice kept playing in her head, even though he had only said a few words and none of them directly to her. Seeing him again after all this time had shaken her to her core.
"Ready, lass?"
She looked up at Balin, who had come to collect her from her chambers and brought her down here, where they now stood in front of the door to the dining hall. Arinna nodded slowly, all the while feeling her heart thump nervously in her chest at the thought of seeing all her old friends again. Though, the familiar sound of their voices behind the door brought some calm to her mind, as the old dwarf pushed it open.
Their animated talking stopped at once, when the doors swung open, and the druid looked up to see an abundance of familiar faces staring right back at her, her friends all gathered around the long table that stood in the middle of the room. She felt Balin put an encouraging hand on her back as she drew in a deep breath, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her, as she looked at them. They were all here.
Dwalin was sat at the far end of the table, grinning again, as he nodded at her. Next to him were Dori, Nori and Ori, who were staring at her with wide eyes. And then Oin and Gloin, who were already rising from their seats to greet her. Her gaze drifted further to find Bifur, Bombur and Bofur occupying seats on the other side of the table, the latter of which was smiling at her kindly, as she stood by the entrance, smiling tearfully at all of them.
"I hope you've not started without me," she managed to say, her voice breaking slightly, before she saw all of them rise to their feet and within a moment was overrun, pulled into one hug after the other. Gloin was laughing loudly, shaking his head as he patted her on the back rather too roughly in his excitement, though the druid didn't mind.
"Oh, how I've missed you. I almost forgot what a beauty you were, lass," Nori grinned when they parted, causing her to blush and push his shoulder slightly, though she couldn't help her smile as his grin only widened.
"Indeed, you haven't aged a day," Dori said kindly and Ori was quick to agree, before the druid felt herself being picked up, pressed against Bombur's large belly as he lifted her into a big hug. Arinna couldn't help but laugh, as her feet dangled a few inches above the ground, feeling her heart fill with joy as her friends all joined in around her.
They only managed to sit down after quite a while, and Arinna eventually found herself in the seat between Dwalin and Bofur. The food that had been brought in lay all but forgotten before her, as she listened to all her companions tell her of their lives.
She learned that Bombur had become the head chef of the royal kitchens, and that Ori was a renowned scribe and in charge of the great library, which came as no surprise to the druid. She remembered Bombur's cooking with much fondness, knowing from experience what delicious things he could make up with even the scarcest of ingredients. And she remembered how Ori had kept a big journal with him during the whole duration of their journey, and how she had seen him record his thoughts and the tales of their adventure in it whenever he'd had a calm moment – though, in hindsight, those had been awfully rare.
She learned that Gloin had reunited with his family, and that his son Gimli was keen to follow in his father's footsteps, up for any opportunity to prove himself. Bifur explained to her in Khuzdul what it was that he was up to, and Arinna listened while Bofur translated for her, finding that the dwarf was helping out with his cousin's toy shop and that it was him who carved and put together many of the mechanical toys that Bofur sold at the market in Dale.
Hours passed in which they all talked, caught up and reminisced about old times. It was as though no time had passed at all, the druid thought, just like when she had sat together with Bofur the day before. They were keen to learn about what Arinna had done after she had left the mountain and she told her own story for a long while, only occasionally getting a forkful of food in her mouth in between. She had just finished her story, when the door opened suddenly and she looked up together with the others, her gaze falling on a short woman standing in the doorway.
There was no mistaking that she was a dwarrowdam and of regal standing, as far as her heavily embroidered dress and the jewellery around her neck, on her fingers and woven into her hair went. She had long dark hair, which was braided into several intricate plaits. A small amount of fluff adorned the sides of her cheeks and her chin, and she was looking at the dwarves gathered at the table with fierce blue eyes. Blue eyes, which pierced Arinna's heart, looking so much like her brother's, like Thorin's eyes.
"Lady Dis!" Balin greeted the dwarrowdam, rising to his feet as she took a few steps toward them. The others followed suit and Arinna did the same, bowing slightly as the woman's gaze wandered over the companions and finally came to rest on her.
"Oh, please, sit," Dis muttered, waving her hand slightly as they relaxed in their positions. Her piercing blue eyes were still set on the other woman in the room, who tried not to shrink beneath her intent stare. "I do not wish to interrupt your dinner. I was told that my son has invited a guest to stay and was merely curious to see whom it might be. We don't often get to entertain guests in the mountain."
"And indeed, never such a special guest as this, in any case!" It was Dwalin who spoke and answered her, clapping one hand on the druid's shoulder as he addressed the dwarrowdam proudly. "Dis, may I introduce to you Arinna of Evendim."
Dis' eyebrows rose in surprise and she shot Dwalin a short look before her eyes fell on the druid once more. "Arinna of Evendim?" she repeated, her voice softening slightly. Arinna bowed her head in reply. "The druid who joined my brother's quest, the one you have all told me so much about?"
Dwalin just nodded, patting Arinna's shoulder slightly as the dwarrowdam shook her head in disbelief.
"It is an honour to meet you, Milady," the druid uttered, fidgeting slightly as the dwarrowdam rounded the table in a few swift steps, coming to stand before her. She took a small breath as she returned Dis' gaze, finding it hard to stomach the familiar blue hue of her eyes. Yet, she smiled slightly at her. "You have your brother's bearing."
Dis smiled, showing a small dimple in her cheek, which sent a small pang of recognition through the druid's heart. Though she hadn't seen it in years, she knew immediately that Fili had inherited his mother's smile.
"Please, call me Dis," her opposite said and Arinna gave a small nod, returning her smile with a small one of her own. Dis reached out and grasped her hand as she spoke. "I am very glad to meet you, my dear. I have heard a lot about you."
Arinna hesitated slightly, not sure what to make of Dis' words. Did she mean that she had heard of the part she had played in Thorin's quest, or was she perhaps aware of the part she had once played in her son's life? The druid could not tell, though the dwarrowdam's kind smile slowly pushed that thought out of her mind.
"You'd think Fili would have mentioned your arrival," Dis said, shaking her head as she looked from the druid to the rest of the dwarves. "I had to find out from one of the guards, would you believe."
"Where is Fili, anyway?" Gloin chimed up loudly, his voice slurring slightly, as he raised his eyebrows. "This is an extraordinary occasion and we don't even manage to get the whole Company together at one table."
"Oh, he usually keeps to himself for supper," Dis answered with a small sigh, while Arinna stayed quiet, giving the druid's hand a small squeeze before she let go and took the seat that Dori was offering her. "Even I can count myself lucky that he makes time for our daily breakfasts. Don't take it to mean anything, dear."
Bofur cleared his throat slightly as they all slowly took their seats again. Arinna looked over at him questioningly, thinking that he had wanted to say something but the hatted dwarf shook his head slightly, giving her a smile instead.
"Be that as it may," Dis continued. "I am delighted to have you as our guest. How long are you planning to stay?"
"Oh, I… I really don't know yet," Arinna muttered, clearing her throat.
"Well, you are a long way from home," Dis replied gently. "It is a long journey back to Evendim. You must make sure to stay for a while, yes? You are more than welcome."
Arinna inclined her head slightly, looking up at the dwarrowdam with a grateful but uncertain smile. "Thank you, Milady, but I really wouldn't wish to intrude."
"Nonsense," came the prompt reply, a smile plastered on the woman's face. "And I told you to call me Dis. In fact, why don't I give you a tour of the mountain tomorrow? It's sure to have changed a lot since you've last seen it. For one, it does not smell so much like dragon anymore. Why don't you have breakfast with me tomorrow and we get an early start?"
The druid felt her breath hitch in her throat at her words, thinking back to only moments ago, when she had said that Fili always had breakfast with her. She shook her head slightly, feeling a sudden fear rise within her at the thought of being there with them. Dis' smile fell slightly as she saw the druid's wide-eyed gaze. She was about to say something, when Bofur spoke up from beside them.
"Maybe it would be best to let Arinna sleep in tomorrow morning," he offered with a small glance toward the druid. "Today has been a long day and she must still be weary from her travels. Perhaps, a tour in the afternoon would be better?"
"Of course," Dis nodded, giving the woman before her an understanding nod. "I did not mean to ambush you like that, dear. Of course, Bofur is right, you need your rest. I will move some things around and come meet you after midday, then, yes?"
The druid could only nod, somewhat dumbly, as Dis gave her another bright smile. She patted her hand slightly before she turned back toward the rest of the company, conversation now once more beginning to flow. Meanwhile, Arinna looked over at Bofur with a sigh, sending him a grateful nod that he acknowledged with a small smile.
Dis was already sat at the large table in her own dining hall when the door finally opened and she looked up to see her son walking in, clad in a dark blue tunic and a pair of simple black breeches. It was strange to see, for he was usually clad in a more regal attire. Dis couldn't help but wonder if he had forgotten to change his clothes after his daily training session in the morning, although it was rather unlike him.
"Good morning, dear," she greeted him as he came closer, and Fili made a short detour to her side of the table to press a small kiss to her cheek, before he took his own seat opposite her.
"Good morning," he muttered, folding out his napkin while he looked at the full plate before him. Meanwhile, his mother kept her gaze on him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the tired look in them.
She frowned slightly. "Did you sleep well?"
Fili looked up at her question, feigning a small smile as he gave her a nod. Dis merely looked at him with slight concern. "Are you sure?" She asked. "You look rather tired this morning."
"No more than usual," Fili replied with a small wave of his hand, before he grabbed his knife and fork and ate a few mouthfuls of egg and bacon. Dis watched him for another moment, frowning slightly, before she began to eat, as well, though at a much slower pace than her son.
"Are you in a hurry, Fili?"
Again, the blond dwarf looked up at his mother's question, clearing his throat slightly at the pointed look she gave him, her eyebrows raised questioningly. He shook his head, putting down his cutlery for a moment to take a sip of water. The truth was that he felt rather out of sorts this morning and that he was indeed tired. He had barely slept at all, having spent the whole night thinking of those few minutes in which he'd seen Arinna. A few minutes that had seemed to throw him off completely, even after all these years.
"Fili?"
"Sorry," he uttered quickly, his mother's rather confused and concerned voice ripping him out of his thoughts. He tried to give her a more genuine smile as he spoke. "I'm in no hurry, just hungry."
Dis gave him a small nod, still watching him closely. Fili was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable beneath her piercing gaze. "Well then," she said, motioning toward the food that was spread on the table for them to eat. "By all means, help yourself to some more."
Fili just nodded and loaded some more food onto his plate, although he didn't truly feel that hungry. But he didn't feel as though he could back out now, so he shovelled another forkful of bacon into his mouth and gave his mother another small smile. Dis merely shook her head slightly, and for a while neither of them said anything more, as they both ate in silence. Fili had almost finished his overloaded plate when his mother finally spoke up again, and he almost choked on a piece of cheese at how unexpected her chosen topic was.
"I met Arinna of Evendim last night," Dis said casually and looked up sharply as Fili suddenly began to cough, frowning at him as he slapped his palm onto his chest a few times, struggling to swallow a piece of food. She raised her eyebrows at him as he calmed himself with a sip of water.
"Have you?" Fili asked, unsure of what to say. His mother gave an enthusiastic nod.
"Yes," she said, smiling brightly. "I'm afraid I rather interrupted her dinner with the old Company, but when one of the guards told me that you had invited a guest to stay in the mountain, I just had to see for myself who it might be. I gather you've housed her in one of the royal chambers?"
Fili just nodded, still unsure how to respond. Although, he had somewhat expected the companions to greet the druid with a great feast, the fact that his mother had been present came as a rather unwelcome surprise. He felt a small knot build in his stomach at the thought of the two of them together, though he wasn't exactly sure why. He had never told his mother about the nature of which his relationship with the druid had been. He had not been wearing his courting braid anymore when she had arrived in Erebor about a year after the battle and so had never had to explain himself. And for the better, he thought. He had barely been able to think about her then, without his heart almost bursting from the pain, much less talk to his mother about her, or anyone for that matter.
"That's good," Dis continued with an approving nod. "I'm surprised you didn't mention it to me yourself."
"I didn't get the chance," Fili answered quietly upon his mother's asking gaze. "Her arrival was… unexpected, to say the least. And I had other things to attend to."
"She did not announce that she was coming?" Dis inquired with some surprise. "I would have thought she'd have written a letter or something of the sort. It's a long way from the Hills of Evendim. Although, I suppose as she does not live there anymore, perhaps Erebor wasn't as far as one would think."
Fili looked up at his mother with a small frown, unable to hold back his question. "She does not live in Evendim anymore?"
Dis frowned slightly upon her son's obviously surprised expression. She looked at him for a moment, trying to read the thoughts behind his pale blue eyes, though without much success.
"No. She's been travelling with a man called… Senias, I believe she said his name was, for the past four years," Dis explained what the druid and the others had relayed to her the night before, not missing how her son's expression darkened slightly upon her words. She continued casually. "Apparently, they travelled around, offering their healing services to people in need. He's a druid, as well, you see. And I must say, Fili, I find her rather pleasant to talk to. She seems a lovely young woman. I'm actually giving her a tour of the mountain later."
"Yes, well," Fili muttered, emptying his cup of water as he shook his head. He could tell that she had already found a soft spot for the druid in her heart. "I wouldn't get too attached to her, if I were you. She has a tendency to leave as unexpectedly as she turns up."
The frown on Dis' face deepened at the harsh tone that Fili's voice had suddenly adopted. "What do you mean? She told me that she is going to be with us for a while."
"I'm just saying," Fili uttered dismissively, as he got up from his seat, only glancing shortly at her before he averted his gaze, avoiding the question as he spoke. "Don't expect too much."
Dis watched as her son made for the door with only a muttered goodbye toward her, the frown still playing on her face as the door fell shut behind him. She repeated his last words in her head, the phrase striking her as an odd thing to say. It wasn't as though Dis expected a whole lot from the druid at all, she was merely happy to meet one of the additional members of her brother's old company, having heard a lot about the hobbit and the druid over the years. Although, thinking about it now, the involvement of the hobbit had always been discussed more freely. In fact, the more she reflected on it, it now seemed to her that none of the old companions usually spoke of the druid when Fili was around. Most of the information that Dis had gathered on her had come from the others, and very rarely from her own son.
She shook her head slightly, dismissing the thought for now, as she let out a small sigh and finished off the last of her plate. She placed her knife and fork neatly on top of it, before she poured herself another cup of water, beginning to think about which parts of the mountain she wanted to show the druid in the afternoon.
