A new chapter, hey! This is a bit of a longer filler/preparation chapter, leading up to the next big event in the story. There will probably continue to be some time jumps from now on, though I'm hoping that they'll seem sensible and logical to all of you!

EquusGold: I'm glad you like my version of Dis, despite her little test of Tarya :) There will be much more Dis in the next chapter, probably, so I'm hoping you'll like that as well :)

Angel of the Night Watchers: There'll be more Tarya/Dis moments in the next chapter, let's hope they'll be equally entertaining as before :D

Demona Evernight: I was very entertained reading your reviews :D I'm glad you like the story, and yeah, I've had some rather evil moments throughout it, I'll admit, though I'm glad you like the story enough not to hate me for them :D Let's hope it stays like that :D

Thanks a lot for your reviews also to Eruwaedhiel95, CordeliaWho, Blackberryjunkie, TerraMacMillan, MaxRideandPercyJackson4ever, Teshka, 0netflixme0, kaia, dragynfyre18 and the two Guest reviewers! I enjoyed reading them all, and I promise: less Pocahontas in this chapter! (Arielle, instead! No, I'm joking :D)

Also thanks to those who keep following and favouriting (that's not a word) this story! I highly appreciate it!

Now, go and read! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and I'd love to hear from you guys!

It was a late afternoon three months after the caravans from the Blue Mountains had arrived in Erebor when Ori was sitting in a secluded corner in the library, nose buried in his journal as he was drawing with all his concentration. He couldn't tell how long he had been sitting on this sofa since he had started the drawing, didn't even know what time it was as he focused all of his attention on the pencil in his hand working on the paper. And so, as he was oblivious to anything happening around him, Ori didn't hear the door to the library open at first and he didn't hear the footsteps approaching him quickly along the large bookshelves.

"Ori," someone spoke, yet the scribe didn't quite realize that his name had been said until he heard a rather annoyed harrumph and the voice became louder and more impatient. "Ori!"

Only now did Ori's head snap up and he became aware of Kili towering over him, standing in front of the sofa and staring down at him with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Ori quickly scrambled into a more upright position, hurriedly snapping the journal closed at the same time. He cleared his throat awkwardly as Kili shot a short confused glance toward the small book before he quickly put it away and stood up to face the brunet prince.

"Kili!" The scribe greeted quickly. "What a… well, what… how can I help you? It's not often that you visit the library, are you looking for something in particular? A book, maybe?"

"A wolf is more like it," Kili grumbled, shortly looking around the large room as if in search of something. "She's not here, is she?"

"Who? Tarya?" Ori asked in slight confusion, making Kili roll his eyes in reply as he looked back at the scribe.

"Yes, of course. Do you happen to know any other wolves?" he answered and Ori shortly frowned, thinking about the possibility of knowing other wolves until Kili cleared his throat rather loudly and pulled him out of his train of thoughts. Ori looked at the prince with a shake of his head, causing a deep sigh to escape from the prince's throat. "I thought she might be here. I'm not quite sure how regularly you two keep your lessons up anymore, but I thought… well."

"She's not here," Ori clarified, giving the dwarf before him an apologetic yet confused look. "In fact, she hasn't been here all day. We only meet for lessons once a week anymore since she's been making such great progress. I was actually thinking of starting to teach her Khuzdul quite soon."

At that, Kili's head shot up and he gave the scribe a surprised look. "Really?" he asked, before a small frown creased his forehead. "Are you allowed to do that?"

Ori frowned slightly before he simply shrugged in reply. "Well, she's going to be part of a dwarven clan soon enough, won't she? I mean, the wedding is to be officially announced to the mountain's folk this week, I was thinking –"

"Yes, yes," Kili interrupted, his thoughts not quite focused on the current conversation as he stroked his hand pensively over his stubbly chin. "I suppose so."

"Why are you looking for her, anyway?" asked Ori after a little pause in which Kili didn't speak, and in reply the brunet dwarf sighed again before he answered.

"I wanted to show her something. She's been spending so much time with other people lately that I rarely got to see her, so I thought I would use these few hours that I have nothing to do in to spend them with her," he said, his face showing a light amount of frustration. "Only I can't seem to find her anywhere."

"Maybe she's with Borin?" Ori suggested, only earning himself a rather dark look from the brunet prince. Kili shook his head, one of his hands absently fiddling with the pages of an open book on the table next to them. Ori hesitated a moment, sensing that after all these months, Borin still wasn't a topic that Kili liked discussing. He gave the prince a small comforting smile before he continued. "Well, then, maybe she's with Bofur. I know he wanted to show her around one of the markets when he found the time."

"Bofur is down in the mines with Gloìn," Kili answered in a quiet mutter, raising his eyebrows pointedly at the scribe to show him that he'd already thought of all these options. Ori hummed thoughtfully in return, scratching his head as he pondered where else the Amarok could be, before he suddenly lightened up, smiling broadly at a rather confused looking Kili.

"Oh, I know! Dwalin's mentioned something about your mother wanting to choose a dress for the announcement ceremony," Ori said before he suddenly hesitated a moment, frowning slightly. "Or at least I think that's what he was saying. You can never be quite sure with the way he grumbles and gnarls out everything that hasn't got anything to do with weaponry or food."

Kili snorted lightly at that comment, before he slowly nodded his head. "She might be with my mother, then. It's worth a try. Thank you, Ori," he said and the scribe simply smiled in reply as Kili turned to leave the library. Before he reached the door, however, the brunet prince turned around mid-walking to look back at Ori with a broad grin on his face. "Oh, and by the way, Ori?"

"Yes?"

"You'll have to tell me who that lass is you were drawing just before," Kili called just before he rounded the corner, grin widening considerably as a furious blush suddenly spread across Ori's cheeks upon his words, turning the speechless scribe almost scarlet.

Kili was still laughing as he exited the library and turned right to walk down the corridor and find his mother's chambers. It didn't take him long to reach them, and he didn't hesitate to knock on the massive wooden door as soon as he stood in front of it. However, the only answer he received was a strange noise from the other side of the door that was followed by a rushed 'come in' only a few moments later. With a frown, Kili pushed the door open, slowly and carefully poking his head into the room to see what was going on. His eyes widened as he became aware of the scene before him.

In the room were gathered his mother who was standing by a large mirror, her right hand pressed to her forehead as an exasperated expression displayed on her face. Next to her stood Delifra, a rather puffy looking grass green dress in her hands and a rather shocked look on her face. Kili frowned deeply at the sight of the two women, slowly opening the door a bit more and stepping fully into the room. Neither of them really acknowledged his presence and as Kili followed their gazes, he saw a third woman who he recognized as Rimma, Gloìn's wife, crouching in front of the large bed on the other side of the room, one hand on the mattress as she ducked her head to see into the gap between the edge of the bed and the floor.

"What in Mahal's name is going on?" Kili asked in utter confusion as he came to stand next to his mother, all the while staring at the crouching dwarrowdam as well. The response to his question was a deeply frustrated sigh from his right, where Dis gave him a sideways glance.

"Your betrothed is expressing her dislike of her wardrobe," Dis muttered, causing Kili's head to whip around so he could direct his confused gaze towards her.

"She… what?"

"Well, you see lad, we were showing her some of the dresses that would be appropriate for the announcement ceremony in three days," Delifra cut in and Kili nodded slowly, his gaze shortly dropping to the dress in the dwarrowdam's hands. He suppressed a snort, understanding quite well why Tarya was opposed to wearing the thing. It looked rather ridiculous. "But she was proving to be rather stubborn about the whole thing, not liking any of the dresses we chose for her."

Kili shrugged slightly, not quite understanding where this story was going. "Yes, she's not very big on dresses. Never has been, really."

"That's what she told us, as well," Dis answered, her gaze still set on the crouching Rimma who hadn't said anything yet. "Which was when dear Rimma over there thought it would be a good idea to comment on it."

"I only said that if she didn't like any of the dresses, she would well have to attend the ceremony in her birthday suit," Gloìn's wife spoke up from where she was still kneeling in front of the bed, her gaze now set on the rest of the dwarves in the room. "How should I know she would take it so literally? Stubborn lass."

Now Kili's frown deepened considerably, and he first shot Rimma an asking look before he directed his gaze to his mother who just raised her eyebrows at him pointedly. The brunet's gaze slowly wandered back to the gap between bed and floor then, before he finally realized what the three women were talking about. Kili's mouth opened in a silent question but he didn't need to ask it as it was answered beforehand by a small growl that sounded from underneath the bedframe, causing Rimma to stand up and take a step back.

"Tarya?" Kili uttered, walking up to the bed and crouching down to see beneath it, all the while ignoring the looks he got from the three women in the room. And indeed, out of the shadowy darkness between bed and floor, two golden eyes were gleaming at him out of the face of a large dark wolf that was curled up comfortably beneath the bedframe. Kili's eyebrows rose almost up to his hairline as he looked at the Amarok, before he slightly tilted his head, giving her and her chosen hiding spot a once over. "Quite dusty down there, isn't it?"

All he got in reply was a low huff as Tarya turned her head away from him, placing it comfortably on her paws. Kili shook his head with a small grin, shuffling slightly so that he was in a more comfortable position.

"If you could convince her to come out of there and try on this dress, that would be fantastic," Rimma grumbled quietly from beside him and Kili shortly glanced up at her, an amused smile on his face.

"I don't think it'll fit her now," he remarked, shooting a glance over to the puffy green dress in Delifra's hands and grimacing slightly. "And quite frankly, I think she wouldn't hesitate to bite me if I tried to stuff her in that thing."

A dark grumble from underneath the bed confirmed his statement, making Kili's smile widen slightly. Contrary to the dwarrowdams in the room, the brunet dwarf found the whole situation quite funny and with a broad grin he leaned down again, peering under the bed at Tarya. "How long are you planning to stay down there?" he asked, and received a quiet look and a twitch of her right ear in reply. Kili nodded slowly. "Well now, you see, there are three options. One, you come out, stop being stubborn and try on more of those horrible dresses –"

"Oi!" Rimma uttered in a slightly offended tone of voice but Kili ignored her.

"Two, you stay down there in the hopes of my mother and her friends eventually relenting – which, let's face it, could take a while – and you let your fur collect enough dust to serve as an actual duster," he continued, earning himself a not very amused rumble from the black wolf. The dwarf just smiled in reply. "Or… you could come out of there and come with me instead, since I've been meaning to show you something – which, I think, would be your best option."

Kili watched as the wolf's ear twitched once more, her golden gaze set intently on him for a moment before she shifted slightly and slowly moved forward in a ducked position. Kili moved back from the edge of the bed and stood up as Tarya reached it and made her way out from underneath it, shaking her fur slightly as she came to a full stand next to the brunet dwarf. The prince smiled slightly as Tarya moved past him and slowly trotted over towards the door without even sparing the dress or dwarrowdams so much as a glance.

"Wait, what about the dresses?" Delifra asked hesitantly as Kili followed the wolf, making him turn around. "She hasn't decided on any of them."

Kili's gaze followed Delifra's hand as she motioned to a selection of dresses laid out on the bed. The young dwarf frowned slightly, shaking his head as he saw three colourful puffy dresses, all with a corset lacing and intricate heavy-looking embroidery. He sighed quietly before he turned to look at his mother and giving her a serious look.

"Amad, these are not dresses that Tarya would wear. They look awfully uncomfortable even from this distance."

"They are absolutely appropriate for an occasion as important as the announcement of your wedding," Dis replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she returned her son's gaze. Kili sighed again, shooting a small glance over to the black wolf sitting by the door, observing the conversation silently.

"I understand that you want it all to be perfectly traditional, amad, but you can't force Tarya into something she doesn't want. That would be a struggle that you can't win. She already said that she was fine with the announcement even though she never feels quite comfortable being the centre of attention of so many people. Please don't worsen her discomfort by making her wear something like this," Kili said, nodding towards the green dress in Delifra's hands. "Let her chose herself. Even if it has to be a dress, I'm sure if you let her make the decision, you'll find something beautiful in which she may feel perfectly comfortable as well."

Dis looked at her son for a moment before her gaze flickered to the large wolf in their company, her mouth slightly drawing askew as Tarya made a soft sound at the back of her throat, almost as if to say 'please'. The she-dwarf sighed as she unfolded her arms from in front of her chest and nodded slightly.

"I suppose that would be acceptable," she muttered and smiled slightly as Kili answered her words with a broad grin before he nodded and walked over to the door. Tarya scurried out of the room as soon as the door was slightly ajar and Kili followed her quickly as she trotted a few metres down the corridor.

Tarya more heard than saw Kili follow her as she trotted along the corridors towards her own chamber. The way wasn't long and it only took a couple of minutes until she reached the door. Without waiting for Kili to catch up to her, she stood on her hind legs and pushed the door handle down with her paws, falling into the room as the door sprung open.

"Impressive," she heard Kili grin from behind her as he followed her into her chamber, closing the door behind him while she trotted over to her closet, lifting her paw and scratching slightly on the wooden surface as she shot the brunet dwarf a look over her shoulder. Kili raised an eyebrow as he came closer, silently opening the closet as Tarya turned around and walked over to the bed, jumping on top of it before she wriggled her body underneath the blanket.

The Amarok felt warmth flow through her veins, enjoying the familiar feeling as she closed her eyes and let her body morph back into its human form. Beneath the blanket, she felt like in a cocoon of warmth as her body glowed with her transformation, and it wasn't long until she felt the fabric of the fur blanket soft against her naked skin instead of her fur. Slowly, she pulled the blanket back enough to peek her head out of her cocoon, spotting Kili still standing by the closet and smiling over at her softly. Tarya felt her cheeks heat up slightly at his gaze as she snaked one arm out of the blanket surrounding her, straightening out her dishevelled hair with one hand.

"You're beautiful," Kili smiled warmly as he watched her and Tarya felt her heart give a little flutter as she slowly returned his smile.

"Your reaction to my transformation is quite different to that of your mother," the Amarok muttered with a small chuckle as Kili raised his eyebrows questioningly. "I believe her exact words were 'Dear Mahal, what is going on!'"

Kili grinned at that as he nodded in understanding before he grabbed a set of clothes out of the closet and walked over to her, seating himself on the edge of the bed next to where she was huddled in her large blanket. "I suppose that's a legitimate reaction to seeing one's daughter-in-law turn into a large wolf for the first time," he said, giving her a little nudge with his shoulder. Tarya just smiled in return, nodding slightly before he continued, holding out the clothes to her. "I got some trousers for you."

Tarya laughed at the cheeky grin he sent her before she took the clothes from his hands and put them in her lap, following Kili with her eyes as the dwarf stood from the bed. She smiled as he cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to her forehead. "I've got something to show you," he murmured as he pulled back, smiling down at her with warm eyes. "Get dressed, I'll wait outside."

Tarya just nodded as he let go of her face and quickly got dressed in a pair of dark trousers and a blue tunic after he'd closed the door behind him. After a quick search for a pair of boots, she swiftly put them on before she joined Kili outside her chamber where he was waiting, leaning against the wall opposite her door. She smiled as she walked over to him and he pushed himself off the wall, reaching out to take her hand before he pulled her towards him and pressed a short kiss to her lips.

"I've missed you these past days," the dwarf said as he pulled back, reaching one hand up to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. Tarya smiled in return, her fingers slightly curling into the fabric of his shirt.

"Likewise, minn máni," she muttered, sighing quietly. She had been so caught up in preparations for the upcoming ceremony, kept busy by Dis and the other ladies that always had something to discuss with her or prepare with her when she was not in training with Borin or studying with Ori, that she had barely had any time to spend with Kili.

The brunet dwarf smiled as he pulled her in for another slightly longer kiss before he broke away and used his hold on her hand to pull her with him. Tarya fell in step beside Kili as he led her along a few corridors, guiding her further into the royal wing as far as she knew. However, there were no chambers occupied in this part of the mountain since it had been damaged rather badly by Smaug. But as Kili pulled her along now, Tarya's eyes widened slightly as she realized that there must have been work put into these parts lately, for the damage was much less noticeable than it had been a few months ago or even when they had first set foot into the mountain's halls almost a year ago. It was hard to believe for Tarya that so much time had passed since they had reclaimed the mountain, but it was the end of August now and in about three months already Durin's Day would be upon them, the day that the secret door had opened for the Company the year before.

"Where are we going?" the Amarok asked eventually as Kili rounded another corner and led her up a set of stairs, though all she got in reply was a grin he shot her over his shoulder. Tarya simply resolved to follow him down the next corridor when he suddenly stopped abruptly in front of a door, and she bumped into his back with a light huff.

"We're here," the brunet dwarf announced with a smile and Tarya merely raised her eyebrows questioningly as she looked at the closed door before them.

"Where's here?" she asked, turning her head to look at him as he reached for the door and opened it, at the same time using his free hand to cover her eyes with it. "Kili?"

"Just wait," he murmured as he came to stand behind her, guiding her slowly over the threshold, now with both hands over her eyes. Tarya reached up to put one hand on the dwarf's forearm, looking for something to hold on to, as she couldn't see where she was stepping. "One more step… wait… alright."

Tarya heard Kili close the door behind them with his boot before she felt his chest press against her back and his warm breath next to her ear as he removed his hands from her face, and she blinked against the dim light in the room. For a moment, she just remained silent in front of him as her gaze wandered over the large chamber, before she finally spoke up.

"It's a chamber," she stated, not quite knowing what kind of reaction Kili was hoping to see from her. She looked up to him as he moved around her, giving her a big smile that had her raise her eyebrows in question.

"It's our chamber," Kili clarified, the smile still playing on his face as he observed her reaction. Tarya's mouth formed into a small 'o' shape as she nodded, again letting her gaze wander around. The room was large, with high walls that had beautiful hangings on them. There was a fireplace on one side with a very comfortable looking couch and a few armchairs before it, while on the other side there was a table around which were set seven chairs. Carpets lined the floor and Tarya followed them with her eyes to find another door that led out of the room. She shot Kili an asking glance but he just smiled and nodded for her to go and find out herself what was behind it. Tarya felt his eyes on her back as she slowly moved through the room, carefully pushing open the door to reveal a large bedchamber behind it. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw how beautiful and cosy it looked, a large bed standing in the middle of it while closets, commodes, a dresser and soft carpets gave the room a homey feeling.

Tarya heard Kili follow her quietly as she stepped into the bedchamber, frowning slightly as she realized that it was slightly brighter in here than in the common room. However, she didn't have time to dwell on that thought as Kili stepped past her and walked over to one side of the room to open yet another door that led into a bath chamber lined with beautiful green stone and multiple torches on the walls to illuminate the room. As Tarya stepped up to Kili who was standing on the threshold of the door, she saw that many small gems were embedded in the green stone, and she could only imagine how beautifully they would reflect the light if the torches were lit. She looked up towards the brunet dwarf beside her, opening her mouth to say something when he cut her off with a grin.

"You haven't seen the best part yet," he said as he took hold of her hand and pulled her back into the bedchamber. He asked her to sit down on the bed, which she did, as he crossed the room and gently pulled on one of the wall hangings. Tarya's eyes widened as it gave way and she realized that there was an opening in the wall, and she quickly stood up. Kili's grin widened as she walked up to him and he held the curtain open for her as she stepped outside onto a balcony. Tarya was speechless as she looked out over the woodlands and fields that surrounded the mountain, feeling the warm wind playing with her hair as she heard the sound of the River Running faintly from where it originated beneath the mountain, seeing it flow south into the valley towards the Long Lake that shimmered with the late sunlight in the distance.

"I… this…" Tarya stammered as she turned her head to look at Kili over her shoulder. She shook her head with a bright smile as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, leaning his chin on her shoulder as she brought her gaze back to look over the lands before her. "This is beautiful, Kili. Truly, I… I don't know what to say."

Kili hummed quietly next to her ear in reply, his arms tightening slightly around her as he sprawled his hands over her stomach as he pressed a small kiss to her temple. "I know you've been very busy with preparations these last few weeks, and I know that you were not entirely comfortable with all that is thrown at you at the moment. You're nervous about the ceremony, and I understand that," Kili spoke and Tarya stayed silent, though she nodded slightly at his words as she laid her hands on top of his on her stomach. "So, I just wanted you to see what this is all leading to in the end."

"A huge chamber with a beautiful view?" Tarya asked with a small smile, hearing Kili chuckle slightly into her hair as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Yes, but the important thing is that it is our chamber. Our beautiful view. Our life together," he said.

"I like the sound of that," the Amarok muttered with a smile, squeezing Kili's hands before she turned around in his grip, looking up at him. She reached up her hand and stroked it lightly over his cheek, causing his eyebrows to rise ever so slightly with a smile. "I suppose the whole hustle and bustle is not so bad, then. As long as I know what I'm doing it for. Or whom, rather."

Kili smiled warmly and Tarya returned it, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to place a soft kiss on his lips. The brunet dwarf returned it eagerly, pulling her tighter against him as the kiss deepened and grew more intense. Tarya smiled into their kiss as Kili lifted her slightly, pressing her flush against him before they eventually broke apart and Tarya leaned in to place a few soft kisses on his cheek and down to his neck. Kili chuckled quietly before he carefully put her back down on her feet, though he kept her as close to him as before. The Amarok leaned her head against his chest, her arms wrapping around his middle in a gentle embrace. Kili leaned his chin on top of her head and she could hear him sigh quietly as he looked out over the lands before Erebor.

"I am looking forward to it, you know," Tarya muttered eventually into the comfortable silence between them and Kili pulled back slightly so he could look at her questioningly. Tarya smiled up at him. "Marrying you. I don't want to be a princess, still, and you are right, your mother and her friends are pulling on my nerves. And I know that this is only going to get worse after the wedding has been officially announced because then they'll torment me with preparations for the wedding itself, and I am nervous about all of it, but… I am looking forward to marrying you, Kili. I just want you to know that."

The dwarf smiled and pressed a short kiss to her forehead before he answered. "I love you," he merely murmured in reply and Tarya silently took his hand and pulled him over to the balustrade of the balcony, placing herself with her back to his front and pulling his arms around her, intertwining her hands with his on her stomach once more. Kili took a step closer, effectively trapping her between the balustrade and his body, though Tarya didn't mind. She enjoyed the warmth that emanated from his strong chest as she looked toward the horizon, smiling silently to herself.

"I wonder how many more times you'll turn into a wolf just to avoid having to deal with my mother…" Kili suddenly mumbled into the wind and Tarya couldn't help but laugh out loud at his words, feeling his chest vibrate against her back with his own chuckle. Tarya's laughter slowly turned into a grin as she leaned back and rested her head against Kili's shoulder, giving him a sideways glance.

"I can't tell," she said with mirth in her voice as he returned her gaze, grinning broadly. "Though it was quite funny to watch them try and coax me out from under the bed. Delifra even tried to bribe me with a piece of sausage at one point."

Tarya smiled as Kili's laughter echoed over the balcony.