Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! A special thanks, as ever, to those I cannot directly reply to:

Hermione Granger – thank you so, so much, you are so sweet :D

Unnamed guest – 5 times? Thank you so much, that's amazing, I'm glad that you like it, and I'm thrilled you like Elza :D

CarlyShi208 – Thank you, and you're 100% right – Ainathiel gave to Nórë are indeed based off of Ariadne and Theseus of Greek mythology! :)

A fun fact for you all - I tried to find Elvish names that mean similar things to Ariadne and Theseus and Ainathiel and Nórë are the closest I could get, haha.

Please forgive any mistakes!

Read, enjoy, review!

Chapter One Hundred and Six # In Sickness and in Health #

Bilbo could not breathe. He could feel his chest rise and fall and he could feel the air enter his nose, but somewhere between his nose and his lungs the sensation disappeared. His heart was fluttering faster than he thought safe, and his skin felt a thousand times more sensitive to every brush of fabric or skin that grazed it.

He had felt similar sensations before when danger was breathing down the back of his neck, something that most hobbits recognised as the sign that fleeing was a good idea, and quickly. But this feeling, this sensation…

Well, it was different.

He could feel his hair falling smoothly through Dís' fingers, and with each stitch of the braid he felt both safer and wildly more afraid. The feelings coursing through his entire being were ones that he had been refusing to acknowledge for months now. They seemed to be tired of being ignored, and there was definitely no ignoring them now.

Somehow, Bilbo managed to keep track of the conversation that Nori and Bofur were having. It was about picking strawberries, and –

"And he swung it into the stone with the loudest crack you've ever heard-"

Wait, they were talking about picks, then, like the tool and – Bilbo was unable to supress a shudder as the princess' fingers brushed the tips of his ear.

She paused. "Are you alright?"

He cleared his throat and tried to sound normal. "Yes, yes. Just a little cold down here, that's all."

"Here you go, lad," Bofur grinned, pulling off his coat and tossing it onto Bilbo's lap.

Now that he had spoken it, Bilbo did actually feel a little cold, so he was happy enough to curl up under the coat. He was less happy with the looks on Bofur and Nori's faces. The poorly hidden smirks were making Bilbo rather uncomfortable.

Then Dís resumed braiding his hair, and it became a whole lot harder to concentrate on Bofur and Nori. His mind began to wander towards a daydream that made his head spin – a dream of a life where the mother of his son was also his –

No, stop right there! He told himself fiercely. No, no, no, no, no. That is impossible. You know that is impossible. Dís was married, she already found her soulmate, it's not like she would ever reciprocate your feelings. She is a friend and you will not jeopardise that.

He coughed and shifted slightly, trying to tune back into Bofur and Nori. Luckily, Bofur's story of a blind miner was one that he recognised, so it was easy enough to nod along.

And really, the little voice of reason spoke up, it would be incredibly uncomfortable for the boys, too. Their family dynamic is already complicated as it is – think about Fíli! He remembers his father, he would feel like I am trying to replace Finn entirely, and that is not true.

But those horrible words kept butting in.

What if…

What if…

What if…

"There," Dís smiled. "All done!"

"Thank you," Bilbo grinned, reaching up to run a hand over his braid. "That's a lot better."

"You're welcome," Dís said softly.

Silence fell again, and it was far from comfortable.

"So…" Nori drawled. "Bofur. How's your love life going?"

"Oh, you know…" the toymaker grinned a grin that Bilbo did not like one bit. "It's here and there. Not all that exciting, I haven't found myself the right lass yet, but I'm ready to start looking. How about you, Bilbo?"

"Me?" Bilbo blinked, feeling himself blush the three dwarves stared at him. "Well, I… It's not as if I have enough time to try courting anyone, is it? Why, I've got Frodo and Kíli to look after, and I'm trying to write a book. It's simply not practical."

Dís glanced down long enough for Bilbo to send Bofur a death glare. The princess' eyes flashed with what looked like disappointment, but Bilbo firmly told himself he was imagining it.

The miner was unabashed. "Aye, but the heart never wants when it's free to want it, does it?"

"I wouldn't know," Bilbo said shortly.

"That's a shame," Nori leant back against the wall. "I think you'd look good with a lass on your arm. Or a lad, if that's what you prefer. It's true there aren't many hobbits around here, but there a couple of young dwarves I could imagine you courting."

This time there was no mistaking the annoyance flash in Dís' eyes or the biting down of her teeth on her lip, and Bilbo's heart did a funny little flutter.

No. He was misreading things entirely. His feelings were not reciprocated in any way shape or form. This was ridiculous.

"Well, like I said, I don't have any time for that."

"Shame," Bofur and Nori said together.

"You'd make a brilliant bride," continued Bofur.

Bilbo sighed heavily and prepared himself for a long wait. "I think you mispronounced 'beautiful.' I would look fabulous in a big flowing dress."


Striding over the paper and pencils strewn over the Company Room floor, Thorin sank down into his armchair with a cup of tea. A wolf was dozing by the empty fireplace, but he did not stir at the king's entrance. Taking a long sip of tea, Thorin gazed around the room that had been so tidy (at least by the standards of dwarven men) until it had been taken over by a dozen odd children.

Dís and Bofur had set up some large toy crates and a cabinet full of art and craft supplies in the far corner of the room, but the king constantly found himself tripping over dolls or toy soldiers. Thorin had been in the bath the other day and pulled a tin solider out of his hair. Dwalin had fallen over an actual toddler just a few days ago. Though Bodin was not hurt, Dwalin had bruised his well leg, meaning that he had to go back to two crutches only a day after cutting down to one.

It was a nightmare, but Thorin would not have it any other way. The happy chaos felt like what a family should be, and he silently loved the noise and life and joy that filled the royal quarters.

More than that, Thorin loved the little things.

The sheepish little smiles he got from Nelly and Bróin when he caught them in the food cupboard, the colourful picture Sam had left on his desk, the shy hugs he would get from Frodo when Bilbo told his nephew to bid the king goodnight…

There was a hesitation that he did not like, particularly among the hobbit children. They were a little afraid of him, and though he would never admit it, Thorin was more than a little upset about it. The younglings seemed fine around Dain and Dwalin, yet the king was still tiptoed around. The smiles he received were shier, the hugs fewer, the conversations littered with 'sir's no matter how many times he reminded them that to them he was simply Thorin.

A knock on the door dragged him away from his thoughts. He looked up.

"Your majesty?" Kyrri stood in the doorway with a young woman at his side. "This is Noa, daughter of Fulla. She wants an audience with you, says it's an emergency."

Nodding, Thorin stood up. "Enter."

"Your majesty," the girl curtsied quickly but deeply and raised her eyes to the king, "I have come from the school – young Master Gamgee has taken ill and he really needs to be taken home, but I cannot find any of his guardians."

Thorin frowned deeply. That did not sound right. But first things first – "Is the lad alright?"

"The school healer thinks it may be a stomach bug, or mild food poisoning – nothing that some fluids, rest and affection can't cure, she said – but she isn't certain." Noa's blue eyes betrayed her concern.

"Have you checked Bofur's toyshop? He is usually there at this time of morning."

"Aye, my lord, and his quarters, the library, the main kitchens and the homes of all the hobbits. I cannot find any of them, nor any other members of the company, as it says on Master Gamgee's records."

"Really?" Thorin immediately ran through the company in his mind.

His nephews should be in the training arena at this time of day. Dwalin was definitely in the training arena with Óin, trying to rebuild the strength in his leg. Balin, Ori, and Glóin were in negotiations with the council reviewing the kingdom's finances, and Dori, Bifur, and Bombur were in New Dale for the day to secure stocks for their shops. Nori was always hard to find, but Bofur was fairly predictable, and if he was not in his shop in the mid-morning of a weekday…

"I cannot find the princess, my Lord, nor the princess or Lady Marta. I do not know who else can take the boy, but it won't do him any good to stay in school."

"I will bring him home," Thorin said. "Kyrri, I want my armour polished by the time I get back."

The guard nodded, replying in the same code without missing a beat. "Do you need it immediately, my lord?"

Thorin paused. Was this an emergency? "No, but I would be happier were it done soon."

"Very well, my lord, I will get right to it," Kyrri bowed.

"After you, Miss Noa," Thorin gestured to the door.

She led him quickly towards the school. He could tell that she was flustered – she probably did not expect the king to come himself, but Thorin would not send a stranger to pick up a sick child. That would never do.

The king strode into the foyer of the school, and immediately the three dwarves standing there leapt to their feet, bowing deeply.

"Your majesty!" the headmaster, Ragnarr, stepped forward to greet him. "What a surprise, an honour!"

Thorin bowed his head briefly. "I have come to collect Master Gamgee, I hear he is unwell."

"Yes, of course, my Lord. Follow me!" to his credit, Ragnarr did very well in covering his surprise.

They walked through the bright corridor to a little room occupied by a healer and a rather miserable looking hobbit.

"Hello, Sam," Thorin said gently.

The little boy looked up in surprise. "Mister Thorin?"

"Aye," Thorin crouched down before Sam's seat. "Now, Bofur and Bilbo are a little busy at the moment, so I have come to take you home. Is that alright with you?"

After a moment Sam nodded, wiping his nose with his sleeve. Thorin yanked out a handkerchief and passed it to the child, who blew his nose and then held out his arms tiredly. Thorin lifted Sam up, settling him on his hip. It did not seem to matter to the hobbit that he was with the least familiar of the company dwarves. Sam rested his head on Thorin's shoulder and kept his arms locked around Thorin's neck. He felt very warm – Thorin hoped that the boy was not running a fever.

"What are the symptoms?" he asked the healer.

"Started with complaints that his tummy hurt. Then there was diarrhoea and a little vomiting. I'm not overly concerned, it seems like a bug that will be shaken with rest and fluids, but I've never treated a hobbit before," the healer pursed her lips. "Keep a careful eye on him, try to keep him hydrated and if his symptoms get significantly worse take him straight to the healers. Most children bounce back from things like this but you can never be too careful."

Thanking the school staff, Thorin left the school and made his way back towards the Company Room as quickly as he could.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Sam gently.

"Yucky," the little hobbit shivered. "Like… like there are snakes in my tummy and some of them are squeezing and some of them are just, just, bleugh!"

Eternally grateful that the child was using sound effects and not actually vomiting on his shoulder, Thorin rubbed Sam's back gently. "Alright then. That does not sound very nice."

"'t isn't," Sam sniffed. "Where's Bofur?"

"I do not quite know," Thorin kept the slight worry out of his tone. "But I'm sure we'll find him soon."

"Has…" the boy swallowed. "Does he not want me anymore?"

Thorin stopped in his tracks. "Not at all, Master Gamgee, of course he still wants you. He's just gone on a, uh, daytrip. But we don't know where he's gone. You wouldn't happen to know, would you?"

Sam shook his head. "No. But he's coming back?"

"He's coming back," agreed Thorin. "Certainly."

They had almost reached the Company Room when Thorin heard a sound he had not heard in sixty odd years, not since Kíli came down with the stomach flu. The unmistakable, hacking sound of a child retching.

"Uh oh," he muttered as Sam begin to shake. "Hold on, little one!"

The king looked around wildly. To his disbelief (and relief) a cleaner was walking by with an empty bucket.

"Wait!" he ordered, feeling a little sorry for the cleaner when he jumped half a foot in the air.

"M-my, your majesty?" the dwarf stammered.

"Your bucket-"

It was too late. Sam choked, and then vomited over the king's shoulder. Lovely. Thorin patted the child's back, grimacing at the shocked cleaner, and waited until Sam had finished. The child began to hiccup, then cry.

"It's alright," Thorin soothed. "It's alright, there, there." He turned to the cleaner. "My apologies, Master Dwarf. You may return to your duties. Kindly inform the Cleaner's Guild that there is a slight spill that needs attending to at their earliest convenience."

"Of course, your majesty," the dwarf bowed deeply and ran away in the direction of the Cleaner's Guild's meeting hall.

"I'm..." Sam choked. "Sorry!"

"Don't be," Thorin murmured, walking around the puddle of vomit and climbing up the stairs to the royal wing. "It's alright. These things happen when you're ill, don't they?"

Sam nodded, shivering.

Kyrri met Thorin at the top of the stairs. "My lord, no-one has seen your sister, nephews, the hobbits or Lords Bofur and Nori all morning. What's more, Lord Jari, Ehren, Bragi, Soren and Lady Marta, Lady Thora, Lady Runa, Lady Aria and Miss Elza are unaccounted for as well. No one knows where they are."

"Alright," Thorin kept his tone light, warning Kyrri with a glare to do the same. "Kindly inform Dwalin and fetch me Miss Arna."

"The serving maid?"

"Aye, the serving maid." Thorin nodded. "Daughter of Gyra, I believe."

The young woman was Dís' favourite serving maid, and Thorin knew that his sister often sought Arna's help with matters such as tea parties and clandestine plots to embarrass him.

As Kyrri left, Thorin looked down at Sam. The child was shivering, miserable and his clothes were speckled with – well, Thorin did not want to think about that.

"I'll tell you what," Thorin said. "How about a nice warm bath? We'll get you all cleaned up, and into some pyjamas. Would you like that?"

Sam nodded, and Thorin walked straight into his own quarters. The pool like baths in the homes of most residents of Erebor were always full and always warm – during his grandfather's reign someone had had the ingenious idea of diverting the heat from the forges via a series of pipes that worked with the plumbing – Thorin did not know exactly how it worked, but he was very grateful that it did work.

He helped the little hobbit out of his clothes and into the shallowest part of the bath. What was a comfortable seat for Thorin came up to Sam's shuddering chest when the boy stood. Unlike Frodo, Merry, Nelly and Pippin, who were infamously terrible when it came to bath time, Sam was perfectly well behaved – although that may have been because he was ill.

Scooping the now clean halfling out of the bath, Thorin found the warmest towel he could find and wrapped up Sam.

"Now, I'm just going to find you some pyjamas. Do you need to relieve yourself?"

Sam shrugged dejectedly.

"Well, the toilet is just there," Thorin said needlessly. "I will be back shortly."

Sam nodded and Thorin strode into his bedroom. He quickly pulled off the layers of clothing from his own torso and threw them into the laundry basket, pulling on a clean tunic. He knew that somewhere in here was a trunk full of the clothes that he and his siblings wore as children. The king knew that admitting he had kept a hold of them would open him up for merciless teasing from his treacherous kinsmen, but now was not the time to worry about such fickle matters.

It was hard to find something to fit the little one, but eventually he found a one-piece suit with a detachable flap at the back, which would be very useful should the little lad need desperately to visit the bathroom, and a deep hood. It had been Frerin's, once upon a time. Shaking it out to dispel any dust and memories clinging to the fabric, Thorin flung it over his shoulder and grabbed a pair of fluffy socks.

He helped the little hobbit into the pyjama suit, and then held up the socks.

"I know that hobbits do not like anything on their feet, but I do not know if the same goes when they are ill. Would you like to wear these?"

Sam reached out and stroked the fluffy socks, before nodding and putting his thumb in his mouth. Thorin helped the boy put the socks on. Then Sam grimaced.

"I have to… I have to…"

"Toilet or bucket?" Thorin asked immediately.

"Toilet."

Thorin picked up the child, undid the poppers to detach the bottom of the suit and deposited Sam onto the toilet just in time. When the unpleasant business was done and the child was clean and warm, Thorin took him to his little used kitchen and set Sam on the counter while he filled a large mug with water. Taking the child in one arm and the mug in the other, Thorin walked back into the Company Room and sat back down in his armchair.

"Now, what would you like to do while we wait for Kyrri to come back?"

Sam shrugged shyly, his eyes trained on the floor.

Thorin did not know what to do. He had looked after sick children before, of course, but they had been his nephews. They had trusted him completely and were not afraid of him at all. So how did you help a child who thought you were terrifying?

And where were Bofur, Bilbo and Dís? Since Sam's father was a world away the trio were his primary guardians, though Bofur took point. For that matter, where was everyone? Kyrri was taking his time to return, and it made no sense that half the people in Thorin's life would suddenly up and disappear. Were they in danger? Surely if they were he would have heard something about it – it would have to have been a huge attack and even in a city as large as this someone must have heard something?

A soft sniffling in his lap made him look down at Sam, who was beginning to cry.

"What's wrong, little one?" Thorin asked, before cursing himself silently. What did he think was wrong?

"I feel nasty," Sam whimpered. "An', an' I miss my Mama and my Papa."

"I am sorry," Thorin hesitated, but then began the stroke Sam's hair. He had no idea what to say to that. "I miss my Ama and Ada too."

What?

Where had that come from?

Sam turned his tearful face up to Thorin. "Where are they?"

Quenching the unpleasantness in his own stomach, Thorin cleared his throat. "They are both dead now."

"How?" Sam whispered. The tears were still coming but the sobs had stopped. This was not a conversation that Thorin wanted to have with anyone, but the boy was so vulnerable and sorrowful that once again the king could not help himself.

"My mother died when the dragon came so that her children could escape, and my father disappeared many years ago."

Fresh tears welled in Sam's eyes. "I'm s-sorry. Your Mama… your Mama died like my Mama?"

With a start, Thorin realised that the little hobbit was right. Bell Gamgee had died for her children and friends in a battle that should never have come to her door, and so had Una.

"She did," Thorin had to swallow a lump in his throat. "But I know that she loved me very much, as your mother loved you. And as your Papa still does."

Sam lowered his eyes and sobbed again. "I don't think that he loves me that much anymore."

"What makes you say that?" Thorin frowned heavily.

"Because, because I ran after Frodo and Bilbo and I, I chose them and when I said g-goodbye he didn't, he didn't look at me he just hugged me and asked me not to and cried and I went anyway because I, I know that it's easier without so many kids and…"

"Hush now," Thorin put a finger under Sam's chin and raised his face. "From what Bilbo and my sister have told me, your father loves you very much. And you will see your father again. Of this, I am sure."

Sam sobbed and pushed his face into Thorin's tunic. The king hummed under his breath so that he did not make anything worse with words, marrying dwarven and hobbit lullabies the way that he had for Kíli after the Battle of Five Armies.

Kyrri knocked on the door after a short while looking very flustered, with Dwalin, Óin and a serving woman beside him.

"Ah, thank you Kyrri. Come in, everyone," Thorin beckoned. "First things first – Óin, we have a sick halfling here. The school healer believes he's just got light food poisoning or the stomach flu, but I'd rather have your opinion."

"Symptoms?" Óin replied, striding over and crouching by the child. "Hello, Samwise."

"Hello, Mister Óin," Sam sniffed, and then sneezed.

Thorin quickly relayed what the school healer had told him, and Óin nodded.

"Well, I'd lean towards stomach flu, but it's hard to know for certain. He needs to be kept comfortable, and hydrated."

Thorin pointed at the pyjamas, then at the mug in the hobbit's lap.

"Oh? Glad to see some of my sense has been wearing off on you, laddie!" Óin beamed.

Thorin raised his eyebrows. "I would not go that far, Óin."

"We'll keep an eye on the lad, he'll be fine."

Thorin nodded. "Now, Miss Arna, do you know where my sister is?"

Arna curtseyed. "No, your majesty, but I have a slight idea. She was having a tea-party with the hobbit ladies, and Ladies Dana, Marta, Thora, Runa and Aria, along with Miss Elza. They had plans afterwards in an old, unexplored part of the mountain. The princess required nine packs of equipment for abseiling and tunnelling."

Thorin resisted the urge to bury his head in his hands. Just. "I see. And did they tell you where they were going?"

"No my lord. Only that they were following a map that originally belonged to Lord Bofur, I believe."

"I see…" Thorin puzzled over this for a moment. Sam took a little sip of water. "Do you have any other information as to their whereabouts?"

"No, my lord."

"Very well. You are dismissed – but I will appreciate your silence regarding this matter. Kyrri, you may return to your duties."

"Of course, your majesty," she curtseyed deeply and left. Likewise, Kyrri bowed and returned to his post at the doors of the royal wing.

Thorin looked at Dwalin and sighed heavily. "We have a minor problem."

Dwalin scoffed, hobbling in on his crutches. "More like a miner problem. I'd put money on it."

Thorin looked at Sam. "Do you know anything about a map that Bofur had?"

Sam paused. "Um… he had a lot of old maps that he'd look at with Nori. There was one that they talked about a lot, a lost part of the city, they called it. I don't know where it was, though."

"A lost part of the city?" Thorin frowned. There were tales regarding lost sections of Erebor, but what kingdom was without myths? Surely Bofur and Nori knew better than to take off after a fairy-tale?

"That's what he said," Sam raised his eyes to Thorin's. "Is Bofur in trouble?"

"I haven't decided yet," Thorin said dryly. To his relief, Sam giggled.

"I don't think there's any need to panic," Dwalin said, easing himself into the chair opposite. "Mahal, it feels good to rest my legs. They'll show up sooner or later. It's not unlike, well, any of them to go off exploring."

"True," Thorin rubbed Sam's back. "But if they have not returned by the end of the school day we should send out a search party."

"A search party?" Sam sounded worried.

"For Thorin's sanity," Dwalin's eyes were twinkling. "We're the only three dwarves off duty – if the parents and guardians aren't back by schools' end we'll have to deal with all fifteen of you ourselves."

Again, Sam giggled, but that put another thought in Thorin's mind.

"When school does end, I think it would be good time for you to have a nap. We don't want anyone else getting the flu, do we?"

Sam's face fell a little and shook his head. "It feels yucky."

"Gimli could help," Dwalin suggested, clearly thinking about looking after eight dwarflings and seven baby hobbits with only a half-deaf healer for help.

"Nay, his father has him in the finance negotiations," Óin chuckled. "If that lad ever becomes a banker I'll kiss an orc."

Thorin winced sympathetically. He was very glad that he was excused from the finance negotiations – the council would present their findings to him later, and the meetings were horrifically boring.

"Thorin?" Sam said softly. "Do we, do we have to worry?"

"No," Thorin said firmly. "Not at all."

"Will you… will you tell me a story?"

"What sort of story?"

"A happy one?"

"Alright, a happy one. Once upon a time, there was a young dwarf called Dwalin."

That wiped the smirk off of Dwalin's face.

"And he decided that he wanted to have a little adventure…"


Ehren, son of Joren, was many things, but, subtle was not one of them. So when he and Jari shone their lights down a hole to see Dís, Nori, Bofur and a very braided Bilbo, his very first instinct was to ask who the lucky lass was. The question was on the tip of his tongue when they pulled their friends out of the hole, but something stopped him.

He was not sure if it was the way that Dís had to clear her throat to seem her usual assured self, or if it was the way that Bilbo avoided meeting the princess' eyes, despite the fact that he kept looking at her.

Ehren, son of Joren, was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He recognised their behaviour, and he could not believe his eyes. Something had happened down there, something that had Bofur and Nori smirking like school-yard bullies with a league of blackmail material. Bilbo and Dís both looked very uncomfortable, so Ehren did the only thing he could do.

He kept his mouth shut and let Jari do the talking.

"We haven't met anyone else, but the quake wasn't too bad. We were hoping nobody got hurt."

"We're fine," Dís smiled gently as they began walking through the corridor that Jari and Ehren had been in. "There's no harm done here. But it would be wise to reach the other women before they begin searching for me, or we will be down here forever."

"Well, if we-"

"Dís? Jari?"

Ehren had never seen Jari jump so high.

"Aria?!"

"Over here!" a hand poked out of a hole in the wall and waved at them. "Dís, is that you? Are you hurt?"

"Aye, lass, it's me. I am fine."

"Oh, thank the Valar! I was so afraid you'd taken a statue for me, so to speak!"

Dís laughed. "Not at all, my dear, I'm fine."

"Listen, we can't exactly walk through the wall so stay put, we'll find our way to you." Jari said sensibly.

"Alright," Aria said. "But Jari?"

"Yes?"

"We beat you."

Ehren sniggered as Jari went bright red.

"You shouldn't even be down here," Jari replied shortly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, neither should you," Aria laughed. "Just hurry up, my dear snail."

Ehren put a hand on Jari's arm. "Face it, my friend, she will forever be running circles around you."

"Damn right I will!"

Ehren grinned, but covered his mouth with a hasty cough at the look on Jari's face.

"Goodbye, Aria. Stay put!"

"Goodbye, brother mine!"

"This way, lads, Lady," Bofur said, nodding at Dís.

"Ehren," Jari said evenly.

"Mmh?"

"Don't smile at my sister that way."

"What way?"

Jari glared at him. "The way that you look at any woman you wish to spend time with. She's seventy two years old."

"So's Kíli, more or less," Ehren pointed out before holding up his hands. "Alright, alright! I promise not to smile flirtatiously at your sister. Unless she flirts with me first."

"Ehren!"

"I'm joking!" he sniggered, diving out of Jari's reach and making his way to the front of the group.

This turned out to be a mistake, for when they found the room with the women in his mother saw him first.

"You daft dwarf!" she shook her head, grabbed him by the collar and yanked him into the room. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Amad, I'm fine," he smiled reassuringly.

She slapped him on the arm. "You're a fool. You nearly got Dís killed."

"Killed?" Ehren's eyes widened and he spun around to look at Dís. "You didn't say you were nearly killed?"

"Did you not wander why she had joined your group of companions?" his mother asked incredulously.

"Uh…" come to think of it, Ehren had simply accepted the princess' presence from the moment they found the group stuck in a hole. "Jari?"

From the way that Jari was blushing, he had not thought about it either.

"You should see your face," Aria chuckled. She was sitting, cross-legged on an old, altar like table. Now that Jari had mentioned flirting with her, Ehren was taken aback by how pretty she was. He had not noticed before – he had known Aria since they were children – but she had come into a womanly figure, and her hair –

Damn it. Now that he wanted to flirt with her he could not. Life was so unfair.

"And you will see Dori's when I tell him about this," Jari replied.

"Pfft," Aria waved her hand. "I was following the instructions of the princess. He can't argue with that, and neither can you. Checkmate."

Jari shook his head, but he was smiling now. "You're incorrigible."

"You're insufferable."

Bofur glanced at his watch. "Well, it's nearing the second hour – we'd best make our way back to the rendezvous point."

"After you," Dís gestured, but Bofur paused.

"You're have the map, Dís."

"Don't worry about a map," Ehren scoffed. "I know the way back to the rendezvous point."

"Oh, now we're in trouble," Aria sang.

"I remember it too," Jari sent her a look, but it was more playful than anything else. "Follow us."

And they returned to the dark tunnels, following their earlier footsteps with cheerful chatter until –

"Did you hear that?"

"I think your elf-like ears are doing you a disservice, Bilbo. I didn't hear anything."

"Shut up, Bofur," Bilbo said, his face pale. "I hear screaming."

Taking several steps forward, Ehren frowned, straining his ears. "Oh, Mahal, I hear it too. That's Soren!"

"And Paladin!"

"This way!" Ehren yelped, running through the tunnel and brushing his hands against the wall. Finally he found a fresh tunnel, and the screaming grew infinitely louder. "Side tunnel!"

He darted into it, his feet splashing in some shallow water that ran beneath his feet. A terrifying glow was strengthening ahead, and the screams grew clearer by the second.

"Saradoc, no!"

Ehren pumped his arms to run faster, faster, faster, and he knew that the others were doing the same. Aria was catching up with him.

Then the end of the tunnel came into view and Ehren realised with a surge of horror what was about to happen. His sudden halt and cry of warning were not enough to stop himself – and the dwarves and hobbits behind him – slipping into the fate that had already been served to his closest friends.


Nelly's favourite part of school, without a doubt, was lunchtime. The lessons were fun and all but the teachers could be strict and boring sometimes, and at lunchtime you got to run around in the playground, which was like a mini version of Hlín's Arena. Apparently you used to be allowed to run around in Hlín's Arena, but too many people 'played hide and seek' and did not come back to class.

There had been a dampener toady since Sam had gone home ill, but because the healer said he would be alright their spirits were lifted by noon. This particular lunchtime was proving to be a great one, because they had been given curry for lunch, and curry was one of her favourites. Another reason that lunch was so great was that at lunch they got to play with everyone. She liked her class, and she was with Merry, Bróin and Ehren's cousin Ren, but it was more fun when everyone played together. They could play bigger games.

Like right now – they were showing the dwarves how the professionals played with skipping ropes. Pearl was on one end holding two ropes, Frodo was on the other and they were twirling them both in opposite directions. Merry was in the middle, but it was Nelly's turn next.

As tradition dictated, Merry began the chant, but the others quickly joined in. "Cinderella, dressed in yella, went upstairs to kiss a fella, by mistake she kissed a snake, how many doctors did it take? One, two, three, four-"

Merry tripped and fell out of the ropes with a scowl. "Dammit!"

"Don't curse Merry, your Mama will be angry," Nelly grinned. "Not everyone can be as good as me."

Merry raise his eyebrows and stuck out his bottom lip. "I'm out of practise! As if you could do better!"

"I can so! But I'm gonna use a different chant!"

"What chant?" Pearl frowned.

"One I'm gonna make up!"

"Can you do that?" Vinca asked in awe.

"Mmhm. Pearl, Frodo, start swinging please!"

Her sister and cousin obliged, and Nelly bounded in and started jumping. "Merry, Merry is quite smelly, and he thinks he can beat Nelly! Up and down and up I go, I know something you don't know! One, two, three, four…"

She got to fifty three before she tripped. Nelly took a low bow to the round of applause, and not just from her friends. She had drawn a small crowd, and she loved it.

"Do you really know something I don't know?" Merry frowned.

"Yep," Nelly grinned. "Vinca does too."

Her sister went pink. "I do?"

"Mmhm, but you're not allowed to say anything!" Nelly sewed her mouth shut with her finger to show how serious she was. "We promised."

"Aw, Nelly, that's just mean!" Bróin whined, his eyes alive with curiosity. "You can't tell us then not tell us!"

"Can so," she sang, skipping out of his reach when he tried to tug on her hair. "I know something you don't know!"

"We'll have to wrestle it out of you!" Bróin roared, charging towards her.

She dodged easily, but Bróin was used to her speed now and his arm snapped out to the side, surprising her. Nelly landed on the ground with a thud and Bróin sprang on top of her. She pushed up with her arms, wrapping her legs around Bróin's waist and trying to tip him over.

"Tell me!" he ordered, grinning evilly.

"Never!"

"Tell me or I'll spit in your face!"

"Ewwww!" the others chorused.

Nelly winced, but steeled herself. "Go on then!"

"No!" Vinca wailed as Bróin puffed his cheeks up like a hamster. "No, it's a secret, we can't! Dís said we can't, and we can't we can't we can't, so stop it both of you!"

Nelly looked up in surprise. Her sister sounded genuinely upset – in fact she was shaking and on the verge of tears. Bróin noticed too, and he scrambled over to her.

"I'm sorry, Vinca. It's alright, I won't make anyone tell the secret."

"Good," Vinca sniffed.

Bróin glanced over his shoulder and raised half his mouth in a grin. Nelly returned the look – it was their code for 'I'm gonna get you later.'

"What do you want to play?" Pearl asked her sister soothingly.

"Pirates!" Frodo gasped. "Let's play pirates."

Vinca nodded, sticking her thumb in her mouth. "Pirates are good."

They quickly divided into pirates and sailors and began attacking each other with the wooden sticks that Ren had found yesterday, stashed beneath the see-saw.

Then Seren, who was in look out in the crow's nest (what Merry said they had to call the climbing frame's tower if they were going to do things properly) cried out.

"No dirweg! Mistress Noa is coming, Mistress Noa is coming! No dirweg, no dirweg!"

Nelly gasped, looking around for somewhere to hide her stick. She had only just hidden it behind the swings when Mistress Noa appeared, frowning heavily up at Seren.

"Miss Seren, are you speaking in elvish?"

"Aye, Mistress Noa," she nodded. "It's our special code."

"Indeed?" the dance and combat teacher raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. If we use elvish, none of the others will know what we're saying. It's tactical."

Mistress Noa smiled. "You're right, it is rather tactical. I would tell you to continue, but unfortunately, I must talk to you all. That is our lovely hobbits, the children of Bombur, Ari, Ren and you, Seren."

They all stood in front of their teacher, who crouched down to their level.

"Now, I must ask you a very important question – do you know where your guardians are right now? One at a time please!"

"Mama and Papa are at work, but Auntie Thora is at a tea party with the princess," Seren said.

"Mama's at the tea party and Papa's with Kíli and Fíli. It's the same with Merry's parents," Pearl said.

"Bilbo's probably in the library," Frodo added.

"And Dori took the twins to Dale for the day and Aria's at the tea-party. I think Jari's probably at work too."

Now, Nelly had long since perfected her 'true innocence' face. Her parents and Nori could sometimes see through it, but she knew that she had Mistress Noa fooled. Unfortunately, Vinca looked like she was on the verge of tears, and the teacher noticed.

"Vinca? Do you have something to tell me?"

Vinca opened her mouth.

"No!" Nelly shook her head. "Vinca, you promised!"

"Promised who?" their teacher frowned.

"Princess Dís," Nelly jutted her chin up.

"Oh, my!" Mistress Noa put a hand on her chest. "She must trust you very much, if she is sharing secrets with you."

Nelly nodded. "Yes, she does, and I'm sorry but we can't break that trust!"

"I understand completely," Mistress Noa agreed. "But can I ask one question?"

Nelly nodded suspiciously.

"Are they on a secret adventure?" she whispered.

Nelly paused, glancing around at her friends. Then she nodded slowly. "I can't say anything more."

"But they did have plans?" Mistress Noa asked. When Nelly nodded she smiled. "Thank you, Nelly. You are true of heart indeed. I will see you in class."

"What was that about?" Frodo frowned as their teacher walked away.

"I don't know…" Nelly frowned. "I don't know how she knew, or why…"

"Sam," Vinca realised. "If Bofur and Dís and Bilbo are all-" she went bright red and looked at Nelly.

"They know there's an adventure, we can tell them that much. No more."

"If they're all 'venturing, who picked up Sam?"

Nelly paused. "I don't know. That's probably why she asked…"

"Oh well, we'll find out later," Bróin waved his hand dismissively. "Is there any need to be scared? No? Good. Then I vote we take up our swords and board the enemy ship! Mwahahahaha!"

And then with a roar from the pirates, their game commenced once more. By the end of the school day, Nelly was buzzing. They had learnt all about hand-to-hand combat in Mistress Noa's class, and she could not wait to show Nori and Mama her moves!

But Mama was not waiting at the school gate, and nor was Nori.

It was Mister Dwalin.

"Alright, munchkins," he yelled when he caught sight of them, making a couple of nearby dwarflings jump. "Hobbits, Bombur's brood, Ari, Seren and Ren you're with me!"

Sharing a curious glance with Bróin, Nelly skipped over to the crutch-bound warrior. "Hello, Mister Dwalin."

"Hello, Nelly," he winked at her, before doing a quick headcount. "We got everybody? Good. Now, everyone pair up! No squabbling!"

While everyone else grabbed at each other Nelly shook hands with Bróin.

"Good. Now, two at a time, in a straight line, quick march towards the Company Room!"

Confused but amused, Nelly did as she was told. She and Bróin were at the front, obviously, and Dwalin stood at the back.

"I feel like a soldier," Bróin put on a serious face and held his arms dead at his sides.

"Me too," Nelly giggled, copying him.

They marched all the way back to the Company Room, where Óin was waiting with a huge try of snacks. Gasping in delight, Nelly dove forward, but Dwalin stopped her.

"Halt! Don't break formation!" then he grinned. "Until I tell you to. Off you go."

"Formation?" Óin raised his hairy eyebrows.

"How else do you expect to get this many overactive rugrats here in one piece?"

"Well it didn't work very well, did it?"

"What do you mean?" Dwalin looked offended.

"Laddie," Óin laughed. "You forgot the toddlers."

Dwalin's eyes widened. "Kakhuf inbarathrag!"

"Kak-huf in-bara-thrag," Nelly said slowly, turning to Bróin, who was sniggering. "What does that mean?"

"Goat tur-"

"Don't you dare finish that word, Bróin, son of Bombur!" Dwalin warned, his face bright red. "You, uh, you're not to mention to your parents that slip of the tongue, alright?"

"Alright, Mister Dwalin," they chorused.

"Right, uh, I'm going to go and get the wee ones, you all stay here and be good for Mister Óin!" Dwalin stammered, taking off on his crutches with some muffled mutters that Nelly was curious to hear.

Unfortunately, her sneaking out of the door was blocked by the king.

"Oh! Hello, Mister Thorin!" she gave him her best 'aren't I a little angel?' smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hello, Nelly. Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," she smiled and he nodded.

"Good. You know better than to run away when your friend is sick, don't you?"

Damn. Nelly was not prepared for a guilt trip from an adult. "Yes… Sorry, Mister Thorin."

"For what?" he smiled slightly. "You weren't going anywhere, were you?" Without waiting for a reply, he walked into the centre of the room. "May I have your attention, all of you? I received word from your teacher Mistress Noa that you've been sworn to secrecy regarding a certain adventure that certain adults are having at the moment. However, since the school day is over and they are still unaccounted for, I would like to know how much you know. Just in case something went wrong and there have been delays."

"Are they in trouble?" Vinca piped up.

"No," Thorin said. "We simply need to know where they are."

Nelly sighed. Better that she was a no-good-dirty-rotten-tattletale than her sister. "Fine. I'll tell you everything."


Since she was a girl, Esme had been terrified of drowning. Her fears had only increased with Kíli's arrival in the Shire, and they had multiplied tenfold when Drogo and Primula passed. She had refused to learn to swim when Kíli had coaxed the others into the water, and now she regretted that decision more than ever.

Esmeralda Brandybuck was drowning. It had all happened so fast, the screaming, the running and then sliding and falling and then her whole body had been enveloped in water. Now she was trapped in a sea of glowing water and flailing limbs. Fourteen full grown dwarves and hobbits splashed around her, but she could not reach the surface. She was trapped beneath legs and feet and the water was crushing her and she was going to die and –

A warm hand wrapped around her leg and gave a sharp tug. The next thing she knew there was a pair of arms around her waist and she was being pulled away from the group, then upwards.

Her head broke the surface.

Esme took a deep breath, but there was water in her lungs and she coughed and spluttered for a moment before she was finally able to breathe.

"You're alright," Bragi's soothing voice told her. "I've got you, lass."

"Th-thank you!" she coughed, holding onto Bragi's arms for dear life. "P-please get me out of here!"

"Right away m'lady," Bragi said, completely calmly. He swam slowly to the surface, but did not disturb the water too much so Esme's head remained happily above the surface. Bragi lifted her onto the edge and Esme scrambled backwards, panting, until she felt her back against rock.

"Hello!" Kíli was calling gleefully. "Glad you could join us!"

The shocked and half-drowned dwarves and hobbits all made their way to the edge and clambered out of the pool, with the exception of Ehren, who looked like he was trying to drown Soren, who was on the verge of hysterical laughter.

"What the hell is going on?" Nori cried, but his eyes were dancing. "We thought you were being murdered!"

"Murdered?" Kíli's eyes widened. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"You were screaming," Bilbo said bluntly, wringing out his hair beneath the – braid? That caught Esme's attention. Why was Bilbo wearing a braid?

"Only because Bragi's a demon when it comes to water tag," protested Kíli.

"Esme," said a soft voice. "Are you alright?"

She smiled as best she could at her husband as he sat down next to her and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Never better."

"At least the water's warm, eh?"

She snorted. "Ah yes, at least I nearly drowned in an oversized bathtub instead of an icy lake."

Saradoc kissed her soaking curls and pulled her a little closer. "Nobody would let you drown."

"I should hope not," she murmured, leaning against his bare chest and looking around the cavern for the first time. "This place is beautiful…"

"Isn't it?" Saradoc breathed.

"So, now we know that no one's hurt, who wants to join in tag?" Kíli called from the middle of the pool. "It's great fun!" When everyone paused the puppy dog eyes came out. "Please? We have time, come on! How often do you get a chance like this?"

"I'm not getting in there." Esme shook her head. "Nope. Not happening."

"There's no better way to learn," Paladin began.

"Not a chance," she interrupted with a scowl. "I've already almost drowned once today, I'd rather not go through it again."

"You can't swim?" Aria looked surprised.

"No," Esme sniffed. "Those who enjoy swimming are seen as odd in the Shire."

"Pfft, like that's stopped you with anything else," Saradoc teased gently.

"Hobbits have an alarming proclivity for drowning," she protested. "I'm not going to be one of them."

"It's funny, because you can't get Merry out of the water." Paladin pointed out oh so helpfully.

"I'll watch, though," Esme wiggled into a more comfortable position.

"I'm up for a swim," Jari shrugged. "I'm already soaked to the bone."

"Me too," Aria grinned, already shrugging off her coat.

"I would," Bofur grinned. "But I've got to get back to the upper levels in time to pick Sam up from school. Another day, for certain."

Ah. "I didn't think of that, what time is it?" Esme asked.

"Time to make a move," Dís smiled at the look on the faces of the young parents. "I'm happy to watch the young hobbits for the afternoon. Perhaps we can bring them down for a look – when we've stabilised the tunnels."

"Are you sure?" Ellie asked, her hand hesitating on her coat's clasp.

"Of course," said Dís. "Though we'd better make a move now, lest Thorin be left to care for the little ones on his own – everyone else is working today, I believe."

"Now that is a sight I'd like to see," Dana chuckled. "I'll help you, Dís."

Marta, Thora and Runa all stated their wish to return to the city, while Nori shrugged, yanked off his tunic and coat and took a running leap into the pool, splashing Fíli and Paladin.

"Bilbo!" Kíli swam over to the side of the pool and rested his head on the stone side, blinking up at his father. "Come play with us. Please."

Bilbo lasted a record breaking five seconds before smiling and sighing. "Fine."

"Yes!" Kíli whooped, turning to the only person yet to have decided. "Elza? What would you like to do?"

Esme looked up at the woman who was gazing almost longingly at the water. Esme recognised that look – she had caught it in her reflection when she had spent the afternoon with Ori and his friend Mette in the library. It was the look of one who liked those they were with and wanted desperately to belong, the look of one who was not sure whether they were wanted or not.

"Stay," Esme said with a smile, gesturing to Ellie and Aria. "We're heavily outnumbered, we can use all the women we can get to balance out masculine stupidity."

Paladin rolled his eyes. "Now, if I'd said the same thing about women she'd be in the pool to drown me right about now."

Elza smiled. "Alright… if you don't mind."

"Of course we don't, the more the merrier!" Fíli enthused.

"If you have not returned by six o'clock we will send a search party down to look for you," Dís said sombrely. "And take care in the tunnels. Do you think you will find your way back to where we descended?"

There was a long pause.

"I'll take that as a no," Dís rolled her eyes, pulling the rolled up maps from her bag. "Here, I'll put them where they won't get splashed."

"Will you be alright?" Kíli and Bilbo asked together.

Dís smiled. "Give me a minute to memorise a route and we will be."

Ellie, Aria and Elza began removing their outer layers, settling in their leggings and undershirts.

"Come on, Esme," Saradoc smiled slightly. "Don't you want to come into the water in as pretty a place as this."

"No thank you – and if you push me you'll be in Merry's room for a month!"

Saradoc chuckled. "Let me know if you change your mind."

Then he stood up, leapt onto a nearby rock and slid down into the water with a whoop and a splash. Esme picked at her fingernails. It looked fun…

"Look, Esme," Kíli said, slapping her sniggering brother. "Don't laugh, Pal, it's not funny! Look, if you just take a deep breath like this-" the dwarfling filled his lungs and mouth with air "and hold out your arms you float like a little boat."

"I said no!" she scowled, clinging to the nearest tree with her arms and legs.

Really, this was ridiculous. If she could traipse across the whole world and fight in a battle she could swim in a pretty little pool.

If Kíli Baggins could face kittens, she could face water.

She slowly pulled of her coat and tunic and gathered her hair into a ponytail. "Saradoc?"

He looked up, his eyes widening in delight when he saw her.

"If you let me drown," she stood up on trembling legs. "I will give you such a haunting you'd wish you were never born."

"I won't!" he held out his arms. "Come on!"

Ellie took a deep breath, stood on the edge of the pool, and jumped.

Chuckling to himself, Bilbo looked at Dís. "That's a first…"

"It's a day of firsts, it seems," Dís' cheeks went a little pink as she spoke, and she looked away from Bilbo to gaze up at the cavern. "I never thought I'd see Durin's Stars in the flesh…"

"They are beautiful," Bilbo admitted.

"If you took away the maniacal youths I'd think this one of the most peaceful places on earth…"

"Perhaps you could come down here on your own one day," Bilbo murmured. "Or I could come down with you." Then he raised his voice. "I'll see you all at dinner."

The hobbit walked away from the princess as quickly as he could, ripping off his outer clothes and propelling himself into the water with more force than necessary, hoping that Dís had not heard him, but praying that she had. Warm water enveloped him and he opened his eyes to the light blue glow. The back of his hair was swaying but the braid felt tighter than ever.

Bilbo thought of the braid and he wanted to sing, and he also wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

He did not see the hopeful light in Dís' eyes as she smiled, waved, and walked away.

Phew! That was a big'un! I really hope that you enjoyed it, I'll do my best to update ASAP.

I'd like to take a moment to apologise to Samwise Gamgee – I spent the last weekend in bed with a tummy bug and it got rid of my writer's block, hahaha.

Please let me know what you think if you can, I'm quite proud of this chapter so I really hope that you like it!

Thank you for reading, please have a nice day.