Sigrid and Fili took leave of Bard grateful for the knowledge that their decision had his full support. Fili led the way back to his chamber, deep in the heart of the mountain. As he led her inside, she caught a glimpse of a fireplace, a weapons rack, and a bed in the large space, before he leaned his back on the door to shut it, and drew her into his arms.

"Ah, Sigrid, amrâlimê. That was beautiful, what you said to your da."

Sigrid leaned her forehead on Fili's. "I just told him the truth."

"As did I. You have my heart, now and always." He started kissing her neck, and she leaned into his touch.

"How much time do we have?" she whispered.

They were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door behind them. Fili sighed. "Go away."

Kili's voice called through the door. "Open up, Fili. Mother wants Sigrid, and she wants you to dress and get downstairs to talk to Thranduil. You know we can't leave Thorin alone with him."

Fili rolled his eyes at Sigrid, and turned to open the door a fraction, one arm still around Sigrid's waist. "What does Mother want with Sigrid?"

"I don't know. Probably to welcome her to the family or some such."

Fili sighed again. "I'm sorry, love. I have to go. I'll see you downstairs later?"

Sigrid nodded. "It's all right, Fili, I knew things would be busy today." She hesitated, and lowered her voice. "Does your mother know about us?"

Fili grinned. "Yes, she does. I spoke to her this morning after I saw Kili. She's over the moon."

Sigrid took in a deep breath, and blew it out loudly. "All right, then. I'm off to talk to your mother. Lead on, Kili."

Fili smiled and kissed her. "See? Courage. I'll see you downstairs."

Kili led Sigrid to Dis's room, not far from Fili's, pointing out different rooms and corridors along the way. "Tauriel and I are in there, and that one leads to the furnaces. Here's mother." He stopped and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Kili gave Sigrid an encouraging smile. "Go on Sigrid. You'll be fine. Mother's no dragon."

Sigrid nodded to Kili and opened the door. Dis was seated at a table to one side of the room, looking through the contents of a carved wooden box. She looked up and smiled as Sigrid entered, then stood and held out her arms.

"Sigrid, child. I'm so pleased," she said.

Sigrid crossed the room, and bent to embrace Fili's mother. She was shorter than Fili, with Kili's dark hair, but an exact replica of Fili's laughing blue eyes smiled from her face. Sigrid smiled back, heartened by the kindly welcome.

"Both my sons have been lucky enough to find love, which makes me very happy, and I don't think there has ever been a daughter of Durin that could boast two such unique daughters-in-law." Dis took Sigrid's hand in both of hers. "Now I'm not going to stand on ceremony, I'm much too excited for that. You must call me Dis."

"Thank you, Dis. That's very kind."

"Have you and Fili had a chance to speak with your father?"

"Yes, just now. He was very surprised, to say the least, but he's very pleased as well."

Dis laughed. "Well, with my sons being the way they are, I've learned to cope with surprises. It's a wonder they haven't turned my beard completely grey. The reason I ask, is that if you should wish it, I would be honoured to add a few dwarven touches to your dress tonight, that would be appropriate to the future bride of the future King under the Mountain."

Sigrid froze.

Dis saw her face and hurriedly backtracked. "It's all right, Sigrid dear, I understand if you'd rather keep the news in the family for the moment…"

Sigrid swallowed and shook her head. "It's not that. It's just that I hadn't really put that together before. Fili's going to be King under the Mountain. And I'm…"

"The woman he loves," Dis said gently. "That's all you need to focus on. You'll work out the rest together." She paused, then looked up at Sigrid with a very familiar half-beseeching, half-teasing look in her eyes. "Now, I don't mean to press the issue, but…"

Sigrid laughed and hugged Dis. "I know. Fili explained it to me the other night. Celebrate when we have the chance. Dis, I'd be very proud."

From his seat at the honour table on the dais, Fili looked around the milling crowds in the Great Chamber of Thror, where the peoples of Erebor, Dale and Mirkwood, merry in anticipation of the night to come, were already helping themselves to tankards of ale and glasses of wine. Sigrid was nowhere to be seen. He looked along the table, past Thranduil, Bard and Thorin, and noticed his mother's chair on the other side of Thorin was also empty. Bard leaned past Thranduil to speak to him.

"Fili, relax. She's on her way."

Kili left his seat beside Tauriel and came to stand behind Fili, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Mother has some scheme brewing, I dare say. You know what she's like, she loves a spectacle. Look, there they are."

Fili stood up and looked down the hall. The crowds were parting to let his mother slowly walk towards them, and beside her walked Sigrid. As the two of them passed by, the crowd grew hushed, then groups of Mountain folk started nudging and whispering to each other.

From this distance, Fili could make out that Sigrid was wearing a flowing dress of pale blue, cinched at the waist, and that her hair was done up in an intricate love-knot like the one he had braided for her at the lake. Her eyes were glowing, her skin delicately flushed, and when she looked up at him and smiled, Fili felt his heart would burst. She was beautiful, and he stood mesmerised. Kili eventually gave Fili a little push, and muttered under his breath. "Fili, go down and meet her halfway. Unless you want me to do it?"

Not taking his eyes off Sigrid, Fili answered, "Stay where you are, Kili. I've got this." He walked around the table and stepped down from the dais, and made his way towards the centre of the hall. As they got closer, Fili could see in her hair dozens of tiny twinkling stars, wrought from mithril and white gems, and the cinch around her waist was a sash of the same design, clearly the painstaking work of master smiths at the height of their craft. But it was not Sigrid's beauty, or the gems in her hair or around her waist that caused the folk of the Mountain to murmur amongst themselves – it was a pendant hanging around Sigrid's neck, nestled close to her heart, a pendant also wrought of mithril and set with white gems, but not of a design of stars. It was Fili's emblem.

They met in the centre of the hall, and Fili took both of Sigrid's hands in his.

"Amrâlimê, you're a vision."

"It was Dis's idea," she replied, looking away from Fili's face briefly to smile at his mother.

"I wore these at my betrothal. They need to see daylight every hundred years or so," Dis laughed. "I had the pendant made years ago." She laid her palm on Fili's cheek. "A mother's hope for her son." Fili turned his head and kissed her hand.

"Thank you, Mother."

Dis grinned, her sunny eyes so like her son's. "Well, I've certainly made the entrance I was hoping for. The rest is up to you two," and she headed off through the crowd toward the honour table.

Fili gently touched the pendant lying on Sigrid's breast. "Wearing this is a message that you're betrothed to me. Everyone can see it." He looked around at the crowd, all eyes fixed upon them, and he was reminded of their supper just three nights ago, and he smiled. "Is the crowd bothering you? I could still order them all out, you know."

Sigrid's gaze never left Fili's eyes. "What crowd?" And she leaned in to kiss him.