Alright, here is the last chapter. And thanks for the responses from the previous one - some of your reactions were perfect (Aranel Mereneth). And thanks for those who have reviewed, favourited or followed this story at any point in time. This may not be my best story but I am glad that you enjoyed it. Read on my happy readers.

Chapter 16: In the life you've made

Dis pushed her way to the front of the crowd, terror gripping her rapidly beating heart for fear of what she might see. She had been glad she had stuck Fili and his brother with Dori, not wanting them to witness what she suspected had taken place. As she finally broke free of the gathering of shocked dwarves, she swallowed conscientiously, at loath with the sight before her.

A dwarf laid spread eagle on the ground, blood pooling from a large, newly formed indentation in his head as well as from both his nose and mouth. Dark hair had been torn from the braids which had been previously kept it in check, messed up by the rush of the wind that would have been stirred by the displacement of the air from the dwarf's heavy body as he fell from such a height. His limbs were splayed out awkwardly, and his chest appeared to be crushed in from the impact of flesh and bone meeting cobbled stone.

A coward's way out; Dis was disgusted.

A small wail escaped into the air as another ran forward, kneeling in the pool of scarlet liquid as they beheld the sight before them with shock. The crowd began to disparate as several burly dwarves cleared the area. Thorin appeared by his sister's side.

"Such a cruel way to go," he said with a sigh, observing the scene before him with a wary eye. Dis snorted with contempt.

"A coward's way if you ask me."

Thorin did not shift his gaze from the broken form.

"To be driven to such extremes is a cruel fate in itself, not to mention what those left behind will suffer."

In front of them, the distraught female began to wail to her husband's spirit, praying that he would reach the halls of Mahal. Dis felt herself deflate somewhat at the sight, remembering her own pain at the death of Rhorin, grief striking afresh in her heart.

"Who was he?" she asked, remembering that he had been the one to bump into her only a short while ago while she had been shopping, the dwarfish woman recognising the once startling green colour of those now unnaturally dull, blank eyes.

"A warrior who fought in the battle of Moria," replied Thorin dully, "He was too young to see what he saw take place, the deaths…" He trailed off.

The two watched the sad scene for a while before the elder of the pair spoke again, this time turning to his female companion as he asked a question lurking in his mind.

"Where are Fili and Kili?" he inquired. Dis closed her eyes as Dwalin and several others lifted the lifeless body and guided the grieving widow away as she continued to wail and rub her swollen stomach.

"I told them to wait with Dori. This is not a sight to be seen by such young eyes."

"That is true enough, sister," Thorin replied before the two lapsed back into a silence. It was only a short while before it too was broken by Thorin. "Why must our people suffer so?" he said bitterly. Dis had no answer, though she suspected that her brother did not intend for one to be given. Instead, she decided to change the subject, both siblings finally turning away from the sight.

"You lied to me this morning," Dis said, not kindly, but not frigidly either. Thorin exhaled loudly as he began to follow Dis to where she had left her children.

"I needed some time to be alone with myself and my thoughts," he answered eventually.

"You could have stayed in the house and done so," Dis said, "For you would have been more alone than someplace in these markets."

"Yes," her brother acknowledged, "But in order to deal with my thoughts I needed to get away from them first." Dis stopped, catching Thorin by the arm.

"What are your thoughts?" she asked in a desperate voice, "What do you dream of night after night? And why won't you tell me? I do not want you to end up like the dwarf back there." Thorin smiled wearily down at his sister.

"My thoughts are my own," he said, "But if you must know, they are about everything that has transpired ever since Erebor fell." The exiled king looked into the distance longingly. "I aspire to one day return and reclaim our home from the dragon," he said in a voice which also displayed his longing, "And as for my dreams, they are something which haunt me, but I will not impart their secrets with you. They are something that I would not wish upon my most hated of enemies."

"Why not tell me this before?" Dis asked, "And why the lies this morning?" Thorin sighed.

"I did not tell you because it is not your burden to bare," he said honestly, "And I did not want to push my own problems onto you. In any case, they are something that are mine alone to deal with. And as for me lying to you, that was not all a lie. I was going to go to work later today."

Dis looked up at her brother, not completely satisfied with the reply, but knowing it was the best she would most likely get. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him and gave the dark haired dwarf a brief hug before letting him go so they could continue on to their younger kin. Upon reaching the pair, Dis was immediately asked a question she did not want to give an answer to.

"Momma, what happened to the dwarf on the roof?" Kili asked, blinking up at her as Thorin nodded in dismissal at Dori. Dis floundered around in her head for an explanation as to what had happened without telling the two dwarflings before her what had actually occurred. She breathed a sigh of relief when Thorin saved her.

"He went to a better place," their uncle told them, before sweeping both boys up into his arms. Fili and Kili both giggled as he playfully squeezed them tight, both their minds taken off the green eyed dwarf.

"Help us, mother," Fili cried breathlessly as his uncle decided to turn him upside down. At a half stern, half amused look from his sister, Thorin swung the lad the right way up again.

"Shall we?" he asked, voice rising above the joyful cries of his nephews as he purposely jostled them. Dis smiled.

"Yes, I do believe it is time we returned home," the dwarfish woman said, walking side by side with her brother.

It was not long before they reached the house they lived in and Thorin had taken Fili and Kili into the room in front of the fireplace to play. Dis removed the shawl from around her shoulders and moved to her room, pacing the piece of cloth on the bed when something else caught her eye. Delicately picking it up, Dis stared into the eyes of a female dwarf smiling out from the sketch, her eyes. She smiled to herself as she realised what the piece of paper was. It would seem that Thorin had finished his drawing of her.

Looking back out her room's door and down the hall, Dis' eyes met those of her brother. He shot her a brief smile in the midst of an attack from both her children, before his face too was covered by two small heads of blonde and brown.

Alright, so I have another gift for you in this story; the chapter titles. Go back up to the bit where you can select chapters and read all the titles one after the other in order. It should turn out to be a form of text you recognise (hopefully), though it is not overly good and is not related to the story.

Back to the actual story; what did you think? I know it wasn't my best, but did you like it? Review please.