Epilogue:

"Momma, Papa, wake up!"

I heard Kili groan as our six-year-old son bounced up and down on top of our bed. If measuring by human appearance, he looked to be about three years old. Because of his mixed heritage, he aged very similarly to Kili and I had; that is, very differently from a human. I opened my eyes and smiled at my beautiful, beautiful boy. He grinned back, brown eyes sparkling happily. His brown hair hung messily about his face, flying around as he continued to jump on Kili. He was careful around me though; ever since I told him about the baby I had in my tummy, he was always careful not to bounce on top of me.

Kili grumbled and sat up, and then caught up his son in his arms, hugging him close while the little boy cheered with glee. I closed my eyes and snuggled down into the blankets, resting my hands atop my swollen stomach. The baby kicked at my hand, and I smiled. "Momma, Uncle Fili sent me to find you! Auntie Kída is having her baby!"

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up as quickly as I could, throwing off the blankets. Kili leapt from the bed and ran over, handing me a cloak and sliding my boots on. I moved for the door as quickly as I could, moving more at a waddle than a run, while my son raced on ahead. "Kirin, wait!"

Kili walked beside me, his hand on my arm, helping me hurry along. "I feel like an Oliphant," I muttered. Kili let out a strangled laugh. I could feel him shaking. Fili and Kída were expected to bear heirs and had risen to expectations brilliantly. They had two sons right now and were about to have another child.

I have suffered three miscarriages since mine and Kili's marriage sixteen years before. When I first conceived Kirin, I was terrified that something was going to wrong, so when I found out that my baby and pregnancy was going to be alright, I had sat on the bed bawling my eyes out. Despite the Valar blessing me with the ability to bear children, Kili and I still had to deal with the fact that we were different creatures; dwarf and elf. So when I finally conceived… Kída had noticed my absence at a meeting and rushed over immediately to find out what was wrong. She and I had sat together, crying, until Kili had come home. When he saw his wife and sister-in-law sobbing on the bed he had immediately leapt to the worst possible conclusions and had immediately left again to find his mother and brother and check to make sure they were alright, sending out ravens to Mirkwood and the Dúnedain to check on Maladernil and Legolas. When he came back several hours later after finding out that everyone in our families was alright, utterly confused, I broke the news to him. He had stared at me, eyes shining, before a brilliant smile crossed his face and he scooped me into his arms, laughing and crying. When Kirin finally came, we were overjoyed. We had thought that he would be our only child, but it seems that the Valar had different plans, since less than six years later I had discovered that I had conceived again. Kili was frantically trying to keep me from anything sharp, blunt, or… anything other than pillows, really. He adored his baby boy, and I knew that he would adore this child as well.

I entered the delivery room, where an exhausted Kída lay holding a small, blanket wrapped bundle. Fili stared down at his child, love shining in his eyes. The baby had reached up and wrapped its tiny hands around one of the king's fingers. Fili looked up and smiled at his brother and I while Kída nodded us over. "It's a boy," Kída murmured, beaming. I gasped, eyes widening.

"Congratulations," I whispered, trying not to wake the baby. I leaned over to see him wrapped up in a little white and gold blanket, blonde fluff on his head and the edge of his jaw. "He's beautiful."

As I turned to smile at Kili, a sharp pain cut through my abdomen. I gasped and doubled over, my arms wrapping around my stomach protectively. "Kili—"

He placed his hands on my shoulders. "Aeyera? What's wrong?"

I didn't move, but took deep breaths. After nearly a minute without any more pain, I straightened up. I gave him a weak smile. "I'm alright, I just—" I cried out as another wave of pain hit me, and I sank to the ground, holding my stomach. "Kili—" Tears rolled down my cheeks. "Kili, the baby—"

Hands lifted me up and set me down on a bed. Contractions continued to hit me at strange times. Kili didn't let go of my hand. "You're going to be alright, Aeyera. Alright? Listen to me. You're going to be fine."

"The baby," I whimpered. "Kili, I want my baby." A scream tore from my throat, and I hung onto Kili's hand as I tried to sit up to alleviate the pain. I whimpered, pressing myself against the bed.
"Momma?" I turned my head to see Kirin peering over the edge of the cot, his wide brown eyes filled with fright.

I moved my hand and brushed through his hair, gritting my teeth as another contraction hit. "Hello, baby."

"Are you alright?"

I took a deep breath, biting back tears. I didn't want him to see me like this. "Momma's just hurting, baby." I let out a weak cry as Oin entered the room.

"Alright, Aeyera," he told me. He had gotten a new ear trumpet since our arrival in Erebor, but his hearing had worsened. "I need you to sit back and relax as much as you can."

I obeyed, my eyes and jaw clamped shut. I could barely think through the pain. "Aeyera," Kili's soothing voice reached my ears. "I love you. You're going to be alright, I promise."

"You're going to have this baby sooner than expected," Oin announced.

"But it hasn't been nine months—did something go wrong?"

"I don't know, but your wife is going into labor now, Kili. I need you to look after your son, alright?"

Kirin was crying. He wanted to hug me, but Fili arrived and pulled him out of the room to see his new cousin. Kili stayed with me. Two midwives arrived, coaching me through the actions of childbirth. I had had Kirin, but it had been six years, and this one was far more painful than the first. Finally, after hours of labor, I finally had my baby. I lay back, tears still pouring down my cheeks. Oin and the midwives cleaned off the child and then handed the wrapped bundle to me. The baby was wrapped with a white and silver blanket, and light brown down covered its tiny head.

"It's a girl, Aeyera," Oin smiled proudly. I stared up at him with wide eyes, and then looked down at the baby girl with teary eyes.

"Hi, baby," I murmured. "You're so beautiful."

Kili was staring, dumbstruck, at the little girl, and then he knelt down and kissed me. His beard had thickened considerably in the last few years, and it tickled my skin. He then looked down at the little girl and kissed her forehead. "She's so beautiful," he murmured.

"What's her name?" Oin asked.

"Kiyera," Kili answered instantly.

"It's beautiful," I said, smiling down at my baby.

"Momma?"

Fili and Kirin peered into the room.

"How are you?" My brother-in-law asked.

I smiled brightly at him. I was exhausted, but I was so, so overjoyed. My baby was beautiful and perfect and healthy. "I'm doing well," I answered softly. Fili nudged his nephew gently into the room, following after him.

"Kída's asleep," he told me, shutting the door behind him.

"Kirin," I murmured, staring down at my baby. "Come meet you baby sister."

He ran over to the edge of the bed. Kili lifted him up to kneel on the edge, and his little hands pulled the blanket away from her face. He stared down at her in awe. "What's her name?"

"Kiyera," I replied softly.

Fili smiled down at me. "She's beautiful, Princess."

"Hi," Kirin told his little sister, taking her hand gently. "I'm your brother. I'm gonna protect you, okay?"

Kili and Fili looked up at each other and smiled knowingly. They were five years apart, just like my kids. I smiled and held my babies close. Kirin wrapped his arm around my neck, holding Kiyera's hand with his other one.

"I'm so proud of you," Kili whispered.

I thought back to the struggles I had gone through before our marriage; how confused I had been. I was so glad that my eyes had been opened. If I hadn't… I never would have had such beautiful children or had such an amazing husband. I hadn't had an episode in over a decade, and whenever my mind started to slip, Kili was always there to catch me.

"I love you," I murmured, feeling his arms wrap around me. Kiyera opened her eyes. They were green: exactly like mine. She smiled up at me, her little face lighting up.

"I love you too."