Behold, the new chapter! I think I'm doing quite well with this 'updating faster'-business, don't you? :D

CordeliaWho: I completely understand the feeling of it being over so quickly after 68 chapters of waiting for it, but in the end… well, it was just one simple wedding, wasn't it? :D I'm glad you liked the wedding night as well, because I have to admit I was a bit nervous about how I should write it. I was quite happy with how it turned out in the end, so I'm glad it wasn't entirely unwanted :)

Angel of the Night Watchers: I'm glad the wedding was worth the wait, I was quite nervous about it myself :D

Thanks to MizunoOujo.1967, The EarthSong, Eruwaedhiel95, EquusGold, MaxRideandPercyJackson4ever, TerraMacMillan and Teshka for your reviews! I'm really happy you all liked the last chapter as much as you did! :)

And thanks to the followers and those who favourited, as always! I appreciate it! :)

Well then, here we go. There will continue to be time jumps through the following last chapters, though I will try to put them into the flow of things, as you'll see in this one :) Hopefully, it'll work out :D

Now read and enjoy! I'd love to hear your comments :)

When Kili awoke the day after the wedding the morning sun had long passed into midday and a content sigh left his throat as he opened his eyes to find his face buried in Tarya's dark hair. She was nestled comfortably in his arms, her back pressed to his front as she slept soundly. Kili slightly tightened his hold on her, one of his hands splayed on her bare stomach as he slowly lifted his head, blinking the sleep away from his eyes. As he looked down at Tarya, he saw the small smile that played on her lips as she slept. It was a moment before his gaze found the marriage braid he'd put in her hair sometime the night before dangling over her shoulder, the engraved gold bead resting calmly on her collarbone. Kili smiled to himself as he leaned back into the pillows, retrieving his hand from Tarya's stomach and bringing it up to fumble with his own braid.

A small noise from beside him tore his attention back to Tarya as she rolled over and came to lie against his side, her head propped up on his outstretched arm. Kili turned his head, finding her blinking up at him sleepily. He smiled at her as her hand reached up and came to rest on his chest, her fingers trailing small patterns on his skin as a yawn escaped her.

"Good morning, azyungâl," Kili muttered, his voice still a little husky from his sleep. Tarya buried her face against his chest, sighing quietly. She murmured something against his skin that Kili didn't quite catch but assumed was supposed to be a 'good morning', as well. He smiled at her sleepy demeanour. "You can go back to sleep, you know. It is perfectly acceptable for us to spend the whole day in bed if we wish."

He glanced down at the Amarok as she lifted her head from his chest, running one hand over her face and stretching slightly, making a cute little noise that he'd never heard before. Kili ran one hand through her hair gently as he went on. "As long as we're there for supper this evening, we can do whatever we wish."

A quiet rumble was all he got in reply and it took him a moment to realize that the Amarok hadn't growled at him but that the noise had come from her stomach. He grinned broadly at her in amusement. "That is, of course, if you can wait until supper."

Tarya just laughed quietly in reply and pushed lightly at his chest before she snuggled against him once more. "Shut up."

That was one of the things Kili came to love most about married life over the coming months and years. Waking up every morning next to Tarya and having these few precious moments in intimate togetherness, laughing and cuddling before their duties of the day would catch up to them.

For him nothing changed much, he still had the same responsibilities he'd had before he'd married Tarya. But for her, as the new princess of Erebor, there were many things that were thrust upon her from then on, duties and responsibilities that came with the title. Kili had thought it would all maybe be too much for her since she'd never been completely in favour of becoming a princess in the first place. But already during the first months of their marriage he came to realize that she could handle herself very well in court, meetings and councils, facing her opposites with grace and respect and an authority that came with reason and convincing arguments. Kili always enjoyed councils more when he was sitting next to her in one, although these were rather rare. For even if Tarya had numerous duties now, she still found the time to train with Borin once per week and made time to visit her friends, as well.

"Now, the subject of Dain of the Iron Hills concerns me," Balin spoke slowly as they sat in council one day a bit over one year into Kili's and Tarya's marriage. While Tarya was using her few free hours to spend time in the training yard with Borin, exercising with him before the inauguration of the new members of the King's Guard would take place only a few days from now, Kili was sitting next to his brother in council while Balin and Dis sat to Fili's other side. The brunet prince looked up from his cup of water when Dain's name came up, straightening on his seat as he remembered the last time the dwarf lord had been in Erebor and what impacts his visit had had on Tarya.

"What exactly is it that troubles you?" Dis asked, her question raising a few inquisitive murmurs from around the table as some of the rest of the counsellors wondered the same. Balin cleared his throat quietly.

"While Erebor is ever growing more strong and prosper, its alliances of old have not been to this day fully restored. Our friendship with the Blue and Grey Mountains are strong yet I feel that the bond between the Iron Hills and Erebor ought to be renewed in order to strengthen our kingdom."

"And what would you suggest should be done, Balin?" Fili asked calmly, blue eyes focused on the white-haired dwarf in concentration. "Lord Dain's last departure from Erebor was rather abrupt I grant you, but not by any means in ill spirits."

Kili shot his big brother a small look, though he said nothing. Not everyone needed to know what had occurred between the Lord of the Iron Hills and Tarya only a few weeks before his departure.

"That may be true, your grace," Master Gabron spoke up from a place a little further down the table. Kili suppressed a sigh, knowing exactly how frustrating a discussion with the old dwarf could be, as he turned his head to look at him. "However, a union like this would not only reinforce the strength of the kingdom but in time might also ensure its future."

A small frown came to play on Kili's forehead upon his words as Fili sighed quietly next to him, gaze resting heavily on the old dwarf. "You speak of an alliance through marriage," he concluded, finally having caught up to what topic exactly was on the table. Master Gabron just nodded.

"Aye, your majesty. A marriage to Lord Dain's niece, for example, would maybe some day grant Erebor a new heir to the throne. A dwarven child of two kingdoms if you like."

Fili stayed silent for a moment, slowly running a hand over his face and Kili turned his head to look at his big brother. A small crease had appeared between Fili's eyebrows, a clear sign that he wasn't entirely happy with where this discussion was leading, or already had led.

"If I may remind you, we do have prospect of an heir, Master Gabron," Dis cut in from where she was sitting next to Balin who now looked rather uncomfortable as well. Kili wasn't sure whether this proposal had been what the old dwarf had been aiming for when he'd mentioned Dain. "If you remember, Prince Kili and Princess Tarya have sealed their bond in marriage only but a year ago."

"And yet no child has come of their union as of yet," Gabron replied, shooting a small glance over to where Kili was sitting. The brunet prince remained unmoving as the old dwarf shot him a small smile. "I mean no offense, of course, your grace."

The muscle in Kili's jaw jumped slightly as he returned Gabron's gaze, though he remained polite as he spoke next.

"There is no rush," he said sternly, earning the attention from around the table, as his tone of voice tolerated no opposition to his words. "Our kingdom is still young as is our king. Surely, the need for an heir will not become inevitable for some years yet. I, for one, think we should concentrate our thoughts on more present matters, such as the subject of Dale. Bard and his men have begun work on rebuilding the town a few months ago, yet unfortunately their progress is rather slow. If we were to decide to send a few of our own men to help their cause, I'm sure we could alleviate their burden and bring the town to its old glory much faster."

Master Gabron leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he slightly inclined his head at the brunet prince.

"That would certainly be in both Dale's and Erebor's interest," Fili said and Kili met his big brother's grateful gaze from the side before the blond dwarf addressed the matter thoroughly.

As they listened to him speak, Kili's thoughts wandered back to what Gabron had said before. He had never really paid much heed to the fact that no child had come of his marriage as of yet. They had never even really talked about it until now, although Kili was sure that they were both not opposed to the thought of having a child. He knew he wasn't. After all, it was what he'd imagined when he had first asked the Amarok to marry him, to give her a home and a family, to have a little one running around their home, completing it.

Kili only zoned back into the discussion at the end, when it was decided that a group of dwarven workers would be sent down to Dale to help rebuild the town more quickly, though Balin reckoned that it would still take at least two or three years until Dale would fully be back to its old beauty. It was just when Balin had finished his sentence that a loud knock suddenly sounded from the door and they all turned their heads around as a guard came walking in, a very agitated looking Glinna on his heel.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt, your majesties, milords," the young she-dwarf spoke quickly, wringing her hands nervously in front of her as she stood beside the large stoic guard.

"It's quite alright, Glinna," Fili spoke with a friendly smile. "Can we help you in any way?"

The red-haired dwarrowdam just shook her head quickly, inclining her head at her king before she suddenly hesitated and made an incoherent little movement with her hands. "There has been an incident on the training yard," she said then and her gaze flicked to Kili, making the brunet dwarf stiffen slightly in his seat as he watched her attentively. "They sent me up here to inform you, since everyone else is busy down in the healing chambers. I –"

"Glinna, what happened?" Kili interrupted her quite roughly then, his tone urging her to explain herself quicker. The young dwarrowdam flinched lightly, obviously taken aback by his tone but she hurried to continue.

"It's Tarya, your highness, she's –"

Kili didn't need to hear any more and he almost knocked over the chair he was sitting on as he stood abruptly, quickly crossing the distance between the table and the redhead. He vaguely heard a few other chairs scrape over the hard stone floor but he didn't pay any attention to it as he swiftly walked past Glinna and the guards outside the chamber. He turned left, not running but walking as fast as he could in direction of the healing chambers. A deep frown etched onto his face once he reached the wing the chambers were situated in, the walk having seemed longer than usual. Kili didn't pay any attention to the footsteps behind him that signalled that Glinna was following on his heels, as the doors came into view and he swiftly pushed them open with the force of both arms, making everyone in the room turn their heads toward him upon his entrance.

His eyes scanned the room quickly and it was only a few moments until he found her, propped up on a pallet and surrounded by several people as Oìn was fussing over her.

"What in Durin's name has happened?" Kili called out as he strode over to where Tarya was lying, her gaze immediately flicking toward him and away from Borin who was standing next to her, watching Oìn work nervously.

"Kili," the Amarok greeted him with a bright smile, seemingly unfazed by Oìn's hands fumbling on her exposed stomach. The brunet dwarf shot her a stern look as he reached her, his gaze immediately flicking down to see what Oìn was doing, only to see him wiping away the blood from a cut that ran along his wife's stomach.

"It's nothing," Tarya quickly spoke as Kili opened his mouth, cutting him off before he could say anything. "Just a little accident. I was distracted for a moment and Borin got me –"

"You did this to her?" Kili growled as his eyes shot up to Borin who shrank considerably beneath the prince's angry glare. Tarya grabbed Kili's wrist as he made to move towards the young dwarf angrily, holding him in place as she looked up at him with a small disapproving frown.

"Kili, stop it. It wasn't his fault, I should've paid more attention," she said slowly, slightly squeezing Kili's wrist so he would look at her as she spoke instead of glaring at the young dwarf opposite him. He only did it reluctantly though, his gaze going back and lingering on the cut on her bronzy skin before he finally looked into her eyes. "And anyway, I keep telling everyone that the whole fuss is quite unnecessary but they won't listen to me."

"Well, excuse me for taking care of my princess' injuries, lassie," Oìn grumbled from his spot, making Tarya roll her eyes slightly in exasperation.

"I told you that it will heal within a few hours, Oìn," she sighed as Kili simply followed the scene silently. "It will have vanished by tomorrow, I'm sure. No need to waste your supplies on me."

The healer simply muttered something incoherent into his beard in reply as he ignored her and continued treating the small wound. Tarya made a frustrated little noise but let him go about his business in silence. Kili's gaze travelled over the Amarok's exposed stomach again, a small frown pulling on the corner of his lips as his eyes found the scar on Tarya's abdomen. He had grown so used to it by now that the sight of it brought a strange feeling of familiarity to him, the warmth of knowing that she'd suffered great injury and yet he hadn't lost her because of it. However, now that he was looking at the ragged line on her skin with the words of Master Gabron resonating in his head, he couldn't help but wonder if not losing her to this injury had meant losing something else to it instead.

"You're all right?" he asked quietly then, directing his gaze back to the warm gold of Tarya's eyes. She shot him a calm smile, lightly intertwining her hand with his.

"Of course," she said, her mood bright despite of her situation. "Just a little scratch."

It was four days after her little accident that Tarya was walking down a corridor near the healing chambers, intending to give Oìn back one of the salves he'd forced upon her even though she'd insisted that she didn't need it before she would go up to the throne hall to witness the inauguration of the new King's Guards later. Her small wound had healed completely by now as she had predicted and she was looking forward to finally seeing Borin becoming a member of the guard after all his months of hard and incessant training.

A small smile was plastered on Tarya's face as she reached the door to Oìn's study that was slightly ajar. She was about to push it open and enter when suddenly the sound of voices from inside the room halted her in her tracks. It wasn't so much the fact that someone was already talking to OÌn that stopped her from making her presence known but that it was Kili who was talking to the healer and the strange tone of his voice as he spoke.

"Impossible?" she heard the dwarf basically hiss at the healer, making Tarya frown where she was standing hidden from their sight behind the door. Kili rarely got angry, the Amarok knew, but he sounded less than happy with whatever they were talking about.

"Well, maybe not impossible but… difficult. Improbable, I'd say," Oìn answered and though Tarya couldn't see him, she could imagine the placating expression that accompanied the tone of his voice. Tarya flinched slightly as she heard a thump, and only when Oìn uttered a quiet 'lad, please' did she realize that Kili must have knocked something over in his anger. It only added to her confusion.

"And you did not think of telling us? Of telling her?!" Kili growled in return, and Tarya's frown deepened. She still couldn't figure out what their conversation was about, though she was quite sure now that it somehow involved her.

"To be honest, lad, when she woke after all those months after the battle, I was just happy that she was alive. She was lucky enough to have survived at all and I did not think of how that wound might have affected her in other ways straight away. And when I finally did, I could not bring myself to give her the hurtful news," Oìn said in a quiet rumble and Tarya's fingers gripped the small container of salve tighter in her right hand as her left slowly found the place on her abdomen where her battle scar lay underneath her clothes. Her eyes widened as Oìn continued. "After everything she had lost, to then tell her that she most likely has been robbed of the possibility to become a mother, as well, it… it was not something I could do, laddie."

For a moment, Tarya felt completely numb, any of her thoughts halted by what the healer had just said. Her grip on the small container in her hand loosened and she almost dropped it before she caught herself, quickly pressing her free hand over her mouth to stifle the shocked noise that threatened to escape her. Tears stung in her eyes as a painful, heavy silence reigned in the room behind the door for a long moment and it was only when the Amarok was sure that she couldn't hold back the tears any longer that she turned away and walked back the way she had come, the container all but forgotten in her hand as she slowly, numbly, made her way through the dark corridors of the mountain.

Tarya had never truly realized how much she loved the thought of having a family with Kili until the moment that the fantasy was shattered into pieces in front of her eyes. She had never really thought about it, not consciously, not even when he had first asked her to marry him the night before the battle. But there had been the possibility. The faint image of a child with dark hair and soft brown eyes appeared in Tarya's mind as her feet carried her forward, even though she had no idea where exactly she was going. Her sight was slightly blurry and her cheeks wet from the silent tears that fell from her eyes as she walked.

"Tarya?" she heard someone utter as she passed the person's form, though it didn't register with her for a moment as she kept walking. "What… Tarya!"

The call of her name finally ripped her out of her trance rather roughly, and she blinked quickly to clear her vision at least a bit. Her free hand came up to wipe at the wet tracks on her cheeks as she heard footsteps approaching her quickly from behind. Tarya took a deep breath, slightly clearing her throat before she turned her head to look at the person at the same time they reached her.

"Are you on your way to the throne hall?" Borin asked as he came to a halt next to her, already fully clad in the heavy armour of the King's Guard and a bright, excited smile playing on his youthful face. Tarya blinked shortly in confusion before she realized that the inauguration would start in only a few minutes. Her mouth opened shortly, though no sound fell from her lips as her gaze strayed from her friend's form and down the corridor where people were filling into the throne hall slowly.

"I… uh," she muttered hoarsely, directing her gaze back to Borin who looked at her expectantly, though his brows were slightly furrowed as he was obviously not oblivious to her shaken state. "No, actually. I'm sorry, Borin, I don't think I'll be able to attend."

In addition to her already troubled mind, Tarya now felt guilt weigh her down as she saw the young dwarf's face fall slightly upon her words. "Oh," he said, nodding slightly at her. Tarya sighed quietly, giving him an apologetic look.

"I'm very sorry," she said genuinely, feeling her hands shake slightly as she glanced down at the floor for a moment before she brought her gaze back up to Borin. "I just… something… I'm afraid I am not feeling too well, is all."

"Oh, well then," Borin uttered quickly, his expression growing more compassionate as he returned her gaze. "I understand, of course. It's just… Well, it would have been nice having you there. You know, since you're the one that got me to this position in the first place."

Tarya smiled faintly, touched by his words even if her emotions were too chaotic at the moment to truly show it. "You have worked very hard for this, Borin, you've earned it. And I'm very proud of you," she said and with a short sideways glance down the hall, she added, "You'd better go now, or you'll miss your own inauguration."

Borin just smiled thankfully, hesitating shortly before he made a step forward and hugged her briefly. Tarya was too surprised by his action to really react, and so she simply patted his back a bit clumsily before he pulled back, gracing her with another of his bright smiles before he excused himself and quickly strode down the corridor to the throne hall. Tarya stood there for another few moments, watching Borin's back retreat until he had vanished from her sight before she turned around herself and slowly made her way up to the royal wing. She didn't really know what to do with herself, her thoughts and emotions whirling and whooshing within her like waves of a turbulent sea, but she knew that she needed to be alone for now.

In the end, her feet had carried her to her own chambers and out onto the balcony where she let herself slump down onto the small stone bench that stood near the bannister and allowed her to look out over the lands before Erebor. It was autumn and the wind that blew around Tarya was rather cold but the Amarok didn't really take notice of it, her body rigid on the bench and her gaze set straight forward and yet unseeing. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there; the cold wind had long dried the tracks of tears on her cheeks, when she heard small noises from within the chambers and familiar heavy footsteps trailing through the rooms. Tarya didn't react, didn't even turn her head when she heard him step out onto the balcony behind her.

"There you are!" Kili exclaimed as he approached her and Tarya looked up at him shortly as he came to stand in front of her, gazing down at her with a small smile that highly confused her. She knew what he had found out today and she had expected him to be in a similar mood as she was. But yet, here he was, his mood seemingly as good as always, though a small concerned line had appeared between his eyes. "You weren't at the inauguration, Borin told me you were not feeling well. Is everything all right? Is it your wound? I told you to take it easy for the first few days."

Tarya suppressed her frown, instead just staring at Kili silently for a moment before she slowly shook her head. "No, I just… I didn't feel like being among so many people."

She observed as Kili smiled at her in understanding as he nodded before he reached his hand out and stroked it lightly over her cheek. "It's mighty cold out here, love, why don't you come inside and warm up a bit?"

His smile broadened slightly and it was then that Tarya realized that he had no intention of telling her. She could feel it, could see it in his face that he was not about to share with her the news he'd gained from Oìn only a few hours earlier. She felt her stomach drop slightly, a faint nauseous feeling overcoming her as she realized that he would rather leave her in the dark about the fact that they could not have children instead of telling her the truth.

She didn't object when he took her hand and pulled her up, following him silently as he led her from the balcony into their bedchamber. Tarya felt her cold skin sting slightly with the sudden warmth of the room but she didn't say anything as Kili rubbed his hands down her arms to warm her up before he led her into the living room and positioned her in front of the fireplace. The whole time, he kept talking to her, his voice cheerful and warm all through dinner and up to when they were both back in their bedchamber and getting ready for bed, even though Tarya didn't say much in reply to any of his words.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, still fully clothed as Kili discarded his tunic and his boots and Tarya looked at him as he shortly came over to her and pressed a small kiss to the side of her head before he turned and made for the bath chamber. It was then that Tarya couldn't hold it in anymore, and though the words that left her mouth next were directed more to herself than anyone else, they stopped Kili abruptly in his tracks.

"You're really not going to tell me, are you?"

The brunet dwarf turned on the threshold to the bath chamber, bracing one arm on the doorway as he looked at her questioningly. "Huh?"

Tarya let her head drop, running one hand over her face as she sighed deeply. She hadn't actually planned for the words to come out but now it was too late to turn back, for Kili was still looking at her, waiting for an answer. As she looked back up at him, standing a few metres away from her still in the doorway, she saw his eyebrows raised slightly, a small smile on his face to encourage her to elaborate. The Amarok took a deep breath before she slowly began to explain herself.

"I intended to give Oìn back his salve today," she stated quietly, seeing as Kili's gaze flicked from her to the small container that stood on a little table near the balcony. Tarya couldn't remember having put it there but then, her mind had been rather absent when she'd entered the chambers earlier. Kili opened his mouth to utter something but Tarya cut him off, knowing what he was about to say. "I know it's still there. I took it back."

"Why did you take it back?" Kili asked in confusion, crossing his arms loosely over his broad chest as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. Tarya gave him a sad look, the corner of her mouth shortly lifting without any mirth.

"Oìn seemed busy enough arguing with you. I suppose it slipped my mind after witnessing that," she said then and saw any hint of a smile fall from Kili's face as his eyes widened slightly in realization. He stared at her for a long moment before he dropped his head, a deep sigh escaping his throat as he leaned more heavily against the doorframe.

"You heard that, huh?"

Tarya didn't answer and it took Kili a moment before he brought his gaze back up to look at her. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he started to nod slowly. "Aye, I didn't… I didn't intend to tell you," he admitted quietly then and Tarya just lowered her gaze in return.

"Why not, Kili?" she asked, her voice rising slightly, though she tried to keep calm. She wasn't really angry with him but disappointed. And most of all, she was sad. "If I hadn't accidentally been there and heard it myself, would you never have told me at all? If at some point I had come to the idea to go to Oìn myself, would you never have told me that you knew the whole time?"

"I didn't want you to get hurt," Kili said but Tarya just huffed slightly in return. Her emotions were turning into chaos inside her as she listened to him.

"You can't protect me from everything, Kili," she said matter-of-factly and heard him sigh deeply in return, his form growing more rigid as she looked at him. She saw his fists clench shortly and the muscle in his bicep twitch as he tightened his arms across his chest.

"Only because you don't want my protection doesn't mean I won't give it to you anyway," he answered, almost sounding angry now and Tarya looked up at him with a small frown as he scowled at an invisible point at his feet.

"It doesn't change anything, Kili," Tarya uttered in reply, giving him an exasperated look as the muscle in his jaw clenched. She tried to speak with reason instead of letting her feelings overtake her. "I would have got hurt either way. You trying to shield me from the fact that I can't have any children would only have delayed the pain of finding out, nothing more."

However, she wasn't expecting Kili's reaction as he suddenly slammed his fist against the doorframe next to him, making Tarya's eyes widen as he raised his voice.

"Then I could have spared you this one pain at least, even if only for a while!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the walls and making Tarya flinch. She shot him a questioning look but Kili just turned his head away, his expression angry as he briskly pushed himself from the doorframe and strode out of the room without sparing her another glance, leaving the Amarok sitting there by herself, staring at the thick wooden door as Kili forcefully slammed it shut behind him. For a long while, she just kept sitting motionlessly on the bed, trying to comprehend what had just happened. From within the other room, she heard an angry outcry before she flinched again as she heard something shatter with a loud noise.

She didn't quite know how much time had passed when there was no more noise coming from the living room, and she finally got off the bed and slowly walked over to the door. She opened it carefully, peering inside the room on the other side. The light was dim, the room only illuminated by the still burning fire in the fireplace. For a moment, Tarya thought Kili had left their chambers completely, before she suddenly saw his dark silhouette crouched on the floor a little distance away. Kili's back was leaning against the wall and he had drawn his knees up to his chest as his face was buried in his hands. Tarya felt a sting of pain in her heart upon seeing him this way and she slowly made her way over to him, carefully letting herself slide down the wall so that she was sitting right next to him. He didn't give any reaction to her presence and the Amarok sighed quietly before she slightly leaned into his side and put one hand on his upper arm, his skin warm beneath her palm.

"Well, at least Dain won't have to worry about a half-breed heir anymore then, that'll please him," she murmured quietly in a lack for something good to say. Kili stayed quiet for another moment before he answered, his voice muffled by his hands still over his face.

"Don't say that," he muttered into his palms before a long silence stretched between them. It was only after a while that Kili spoke again, his voice hoarse with emotion as his hands slid from his face and landed limply on his knees. Tarya could see the few tear tracks on his cheeks that he didn't bother to wipe away.

"I wanted to give you a family," Kili murmured quietly, and Tarya felt her heart constrict at the unusually low, sad tone of his voice. "I just… After the battle, I swore that I would let no more harm come to you. Ever. I felt like I should have been there to protect you then, but I wasn't and you suffered great hurt because of it. And now… now there's this pain again and I can't do anything against it. I promised you everything and… and I failed you…"

Tarya squeezed his arm softly as he trailed off and stared at an invisible point at the wall opposite them. She watched him for a moment before she silently reached up and put her free hand on his cheek, turning his face towards her so that he would meet her gaze. She looked at him softly as she saw the pained look in his brown eyes.

"Kili," she began with a soft smile, slightly shaking her head at him. "You have given me everything. You've given me love, a home and a family. I have you, my loving husband, and I have Fili and Dis. And Dwalin, Bofur, Ori, Gloìn, and Balin and Oìn. My family is bigger than I would ever have imagined possible."

Kili slightly drew his mouth askew, though he didn't resist as she gently stroked her fingers over his cheek, giving him a warm look. "None of the hurt that came to me in that battle was your fault, minn màni, please do not think such a thing," she spoke and Kili lowered his gaze, leaning into her touch ever so slightly as he sighed deeply. "And neither is this. Neither of us is at fault here, Kili, and neither of us can do anything to help it. It is simply the way it is, I suppose. I would have loved to have your child and it saddens me deeply that it is not meant to happen. But there is still so much that we have, Kili, so much love between us."

"But is it enough?" Kili asked quietly, his voice not much more than a whisper as he looked at her searchingly, sadness still etched into every feature of his youthful face. "Are you happy? Even without a little one running around our feet?"

Tarya gave him a soft smile. "You'll always be enough, Kili," she said genuinely. "At the moment I am sad. But my sadness will pass with time, as will yours."

The dwarf just looked at her silently for a moment then and Tarya returned his gaze calmly before she shuffled closer to him and nudged him slightly so that he lifted his arm and she could lean into his side while he wrapped it around her almost automatically. There was a silence between them then, though not a tense one as there had been before but rather a calm one. It gave them both the time to follow their own thoughts while silently sharing the hurt between them. Tarya leaned her head against Kili's shoulder when his hand gently began to rub up and down her upper arm and he leaned his head against the top of hers in turn. Neither of them needed to say anything in that moment, for they both knew what the other was thinking.

There was hurt between them and yet they both knew that they would overcome it with time. They had each other, after all, and that had always been enough to overcome whatever fate decided to throw in their way. Tarya had no doubt that it would remain that way.