Kili re-read through the stack of letters that Fili had sent over the past two years. It had only been two years, but it had felt like two hundred. Fili would be back in Erebor tomorrow, but today, Kili and Tauriel would ride out to meet them. It had been two very difficult years for Kili. Not only did he miss his brother, but he realized he was never cut out to be king. How had Fili done it for all those years? He kind of felt bad, dumping it all back on Fili, but he was ready to be done with the responsibility. He would go back to being crown prince and he was just fine with that.

"Kili?" his wife's quiet voice spoke. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep," Kili said, tucking away the letters.

"Excited to see Fili?"

Kili nodded. "How soon can we go, now that you're up?"

"It's awfully early. Don't you want to try and get some more sleep?" she asked.

"I'm too excited to sleep."

Tauriel leaned over him. "Well, it's too early to head out just yet, so how about we occupy our time with some fun before we leave?" She kissed the tips of his ear.

Kili gave a little growl and threw his arms around her waist. "I think that's a fine idea, my love."

Fili was driving the wagon. They were almost home now. There had been a few troubles on the road. Most of the trouble had come in the form of bad spring weather. For travelling purposes, waiting until summer would have been more ideal, but Fili could not wait. One other problem with spring travel was the number of animals with young ones looking for food. Most animals left the travelers alone or at the worst, stole their food from their packs during the night.

Fili really hadn't wanted to travel in the company of others, but to travel so far alone wasn't safe. He was a skilled warrior, to be sure, but he was one. There was safety in numbers. For most of their journey, they travelled with a small caravan of men and dwarves who were, as a trade, entertainers. They had been a jovial bunch to be around, although Fili never completely trusted them.

However, while travelling with the group of entertainers, they had encountered three wargs, a male, his female and a pup. Fili, one of the other dwarves and two of the men had been able to take them down fairly quickly. There had been a few stray orc patrols of four to six orcs. Fili was raging mad with the memories of Hrafn when the orcs had come along and if he had been allowed, he would have taken everyone of them down himself.

When they reached the Mirkwood borders, the caravan of entertainers turned south and Fili's party was met with two elves, who would guide and protect them in the forest. There were still a few weeks of travel ahead, but Fili knew once they got through Mirkwood, he would be able to see Erebor from afar and that gave his travel-weary heart fortitude.

They only encountered one threat during their journey with the elves, a bear in the forest killed one of their ponies, but better a pony than the life of his family.

Now Erebor was in sight. Fili's heart clenched in joy and homesickness when he saw the lonely mountain. It loomed tall and proud over the horizon and each day it grew bigger as they got closer. The elven guards would stay with him until the guards from Erebor arrived.

If all went well, they would reach the gates of Erebor tomorrow afternoon. Fili wanted an early start and so they were off just after the sun rose. A raven found him. Prince Kili and Princess Tauriel were on their way out to meet them. Fili was bouncing in his seat in the wagon. Hana kept laughing at him. Finally at mid-morning, Fili could see two riders on the road - one tall, one shorter. He knew the Erebor guard were close behind, and he thanked the elves and dismissed them. He would be sure to send Thranduil a nice gift of thanks.

Fili just wanted to snap the reins on the ponies pulling the wagon and ride as fast as he could to meet his brother, but he couldn't do that to the ponies who pulled his precious cargo. Kili, however, did speed up and his pony broke into a run.

"Fili!"

He could hear his brother. They were almost here. Fili stopped the wagon, jumped out and ran. The reunion couldn't have been more wonderful. They embraced and held each other for a very long time.

"Kili, Kili, come see my family," Fili pulled on his brother's arm.

Hana climbed out of the wagon. Kili hugged and kissed her cheek. "Hana! You look very well."

"Thank you," she grinned. "Here, help Mailis out."

Kili reached for the little girl who sat in the wagon. She had brown hair, brown eyes and was dressed like a hobbit. There was no mistaking whose child she was. She looked just like her mother. "Fili, she's beautiful." He lifted his great-niece out of the wagon and held her. She looked at him with great curiosity. "She looks so much like Milly."

"And this," Fili said, holding up a squirming baby, " is my son, Thorin."

Kili turned his attention to the boy. "He's going to look a lot like Uncle, isn't he?"

Fili nodded. Little Thorin's hair was dark, like Hana's, but his eyes were blue, like Fili's. Like Thorin's eyes had been. "He's a feisty one."

"He's perfect," Tauriel smiled. "May I?"

Fili passed his son to Tauriel.

They rode for a few hours more before making camp mid-afternoon. The brothers sat close together. Mailis was in Kili's lap and Thorin in Fili's arms. They were deep in conversation.

Tauriel and Hana sat near the fire, cooking some food for their dinner. The left their husbands alone so the brothers could talk.

"It's good to see you again, Tauriel," Hana said. "You are looking well."

"Thank you. It's good to see you, too. The Shire agreed with you?" Tauriel asked.

Hana laughed. She was dressed like a hobbit, except for her travelling boots. She knew her skin was tan and her hair a shade lighter than it used to be. "I loved being in The Shire. One spends a great deal of time out-of-doors there, that's for sure. I remembered once, years ago, while I was living in Erebor that I went a full year without seeing the sky and I know I could probably go longer. It's easy to do when everything you need to survive is right there, in the mountain. Every so often, I'd actually have to remind myself to go outside. But the Shire is very different. I loved it, though."

"I could never go so long inside the mountain. Kili has always teased me, but I can't go two days without spending some time outside. Day or night, it doesn't matter, just to be outdoors and in the fresh air with the wind in my face." Tauriel closed her eyes and turned her face into the sun shine that was starting to get lower in the sky.

Hana laughed. "Of course it's different for an elf."

"Also, I spent almost seven centuries living in Thranduil's forest kingdom. When I married Kili, moving into the mountain was the hardest thing I had ever done. As much as Kili teases me, he loves to be outdoors as much as I do, so we go out as often as we can."

Hana looked over to her husband and his brother. They sat flush against each other, happily chatting.

"They are so close," Hana mumbled to herself. She knew Fili had missed Kili terribly during their time away, but to see them together now, she wondered how Fili had gone as long as he had without his best friend.

Tauriel gave Hana an odd look. "Of course they are close."

"You must remember, Tauriel, Fili and I have only been married for just over two years and most of that time has been in the Shire or on the road. I've not seen them together often."

"Oh yes, I had quite forgotten. Yes, there's a bond between those two. Words don't have to be spoken between them for them to understand one another. They watch over each other, protect each other, live for each other. I hope that when the day comes for them to leave Middle Earth, the Valar will be merciful and take them at the same time. One will not live long without the other."

A silence fell between the two women. They continued to prepare the food. The summer evening was warm, but pleasant in the shade of the trees.

"Thorin's adorable," Tauriel was looking at the infant in Fili's arms.

"He's a handful," Hana chuckled, "but he's amazing. And Fili is so wonderful with the children."

"He's always loved children," Tauriel said. "He practically raised Milly on his own for the first two years of her life. When Torsten was born, Fili taught Kili everything he needed to know about being a father."

They watched the brothers and the children, letting the food sizzle in the pan.

Tauriel chuckled. "Did you say you've only been married for two years?"

"It will be three years in just a few month's time," Hana said.

"My, this has been quite the three years for you both."

"When I married Beled," Hana said, "my healer mentor was the closest person I had to family in Erebor. She told me that trials test a marriage and if you can endure those trials and you still love each other when they are over, then your marriage will last forever. Beled and I had one big trial, the death of our son, and we did not handle that one very well. But Fili and I have endured the deaths of his children, two long journeys, a move to a land very different from our own, raised a child who is neither of ours as well had having our own baby. We have endured all of that and I love him more with each day that passes. We will have a good marriage till the end of our days."

"I believe you will," Tauriel said. "I love Fili like a brother. He is the greatest of dwarves with a heart of gold. I am so happy that he has you. You both deserve the greatest of joy."

Mailis played with the beads that hung from Kili's hair. She took sections of his hair in her fists and started knotting his hair together. One particularly painful tug had Kili rubbing at his scalp.

"Sorry," Fili reached over and untangled the toddler's fingers from Kili's hair. "She thinks she can braid. I can't tell you the amount of time we've spent combing knots out of her and Thorin's hair from her braiding attempts."

Kili chuckled. Fili opened his pack and pulled out a bag of wooden blocks and handed it to Mailis. She pulled out block after block and handed them to Kili.

Thorin reached out a hand to the blocks.

"Mailis? Would you give Thorin a block?" Fili asked.

Mailis took one of the blocks from Kili's hand and held it out for her brother. Thorin grabbed it and shoved it at his mouth.

"It's remarkable," Kili said, "to be here, with you, and see you with these two small children whom I don't know. I haven't seen Mailis since she was three weeks old. I'm happy for you, though. These two are amazing, but then, you've always been good with children."

Fili chuckled. "I learned how to take care of children by spending my life taking care of the toughest child ever."

Kili smacked his brother's arm. "I wasn't that bad. And, just be glad I didn't have a twin, like Klin and Keil."

Fili groaned just thinking about what living with two Kili's might have been like. "This one," he bounced Thorin, "is a handful on his own. He's not as busy as you were. You have always been a bundle of energy, but he is, well, I guess the best word to describe him is intense. When he is happy, he is very happy. When he's upset, the world knows of his displeasure. He cries like it's the end of the world. But, he'll study something for a long time or he'll work at something. One day, he was determined to get to a toy Mailis had left out, just beyond his reach. One of the other children might have cried about not being able to get to the toy, but Thorin, he worked hard. I watched him as he eyed the toy for a while, then he started to move. His legs would start kicking and his arms would get to reaching. He spend a good long time moving his body, until he finally managed to scoot himself within reach of the toy."

"Determined?" Kili asked.

"Very. I think when the time comes for his schooling, he will need exceptional instructors who will be able to handle that intense determination. He'll need someone who can fuel the intensity and teach him control over himself. I believe he will be very much like his namesake."

"Uncle Thorin was the best," Kili spoke quietly and reverently. "Fili, have you considered he could be Durin, reborn and returned to us?" Kili looked at the small baby, who was happily chewing on the block.

"The thought crossed my mind once, but no, I don't believe he is. I can't explain it, but I just don't feel that. I am wondering, though, if he is Uncle Thorin, returned to us. Come back to haunt us and make sure we're taking good care of Erebor."

Kili laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me if he did that."

Young Thorin threw his block across the camp and let out a wail. Kili jumped in surprise. "Good arm," he chuckled.

Fili bounced the baby in his arm. "Just watch out when he starts weapons training."

"I'm so glad your back, Fee. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. It was good for me, to get away. I still miss Milly and Hrafn. Not a day goes by that my heart doesn't ache for them, but it's better now. It doesn't hurt so much anymore. It's odd to be raising Mailis and thinking of her more as my daughter than my granddaughter. I will probably never know what it is like to be a real grandparent. I'll just have to live vicariously through your grandchildren."

"You are welcome too," Kili smiled, giving Mailis a hug in his lap. "Not that there are any grandchildren yet, but I don't think many years will pass before Torsten and Agli announce their first."

"Any chance they'll stay in Erebor after Torsten is released from his duties?" Fili asked.

"I'm not sure," Kili shrugged. "They will certainly return to the Glittering Caves so they can visit her family, but as for living there? I'm not sure."

"I guess I can ask them. If they want to stay in Erebor, I'm sure we can find a good position for Torsten, worthy of his status and talents."

Kili nodded his approval. "I would like it if they stayed."

Fili grinned. He looked at the mountain in the distance. Erebor. The Lonely Mountain. His home. "It's going to be so good to be home. Any chance on delaying my first council meeting a day or two?"

"It's already been done. Your first day back officially is in six days," Kili smiled.

The sun was setting and the mountain changed colors in the twilight. Fili held up his son.

"Look Thorin. Do you see that? That is Erebor. It's our home and the greatest dwarven kingdom in all of Middle Earth. One day you will be its king and you will be a great king."

Tomorrow, Fili sighed happily. Tomorrow he would be home.