The second last chapter is here, friends!

MizunoOujo.1967: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Little Tìr will be all over this chapter, so I hope you'll enjoy that :D

Eruwaedhiel95: Well, it was about time she put Dain in his place, don't you think? :D There will be lots of parents and son stuff going on in this chapter, so I hope you'll like that :)

The EarthSong: I'm really glad you like the name Tìr because I spent so much time trying to think of the perfect one for their baby :D

Nimtheriel: Happy to see you catching up with the story :D No orcs in this one, I'm afraid - actually, there won't be any orcs anymore, I think - but lots of wolf pup instead :D

kaia: Yes, a boy! Yay for babies! :D I actually think that if Dain had continued to insult her and everyone she loves, she wouldn't have needed to give permission to the wolves, she would have ripped him apart herself, probably :D

Thanks to Borys68, kblatz, Amanda, TerraMacMillan, Mhunter, MaxRideandPercyJackson4ever and RagdollPrincess for your reviews! I enjoyed reading them, as always! :)

Thanks also once more to the followers and favouriters! You rock!

So, this chapter is a bit jumpy - you'll forgive me, I hope - since it covers a span of about six years. It's more a gathering of little scenes than anything else, concentrating on little Tìr and his parents, mostly.

Anyway, as I said, this is the second last chapter to this story. The ending is written and finished and will be up next week, probably, once I take a last hard look at it :D

Now, go ahead and read and leave a review if you like, I'd love to hear from you!

"He is so small…"

Kili's voice was nothing more than a quiet murmur, careful as to not wake the sleeping baby in his arms. Tìr was only a few days old, a small mop of brown hair on his little head. His eyes were closed now but when they were open, they were the colour of dark gold. Kili remembered vividly how excited he had been when he had first laid eyes on his son, how proud he had been and how scared of squishing or dropping the little thing with his big clumsy hands when he had first held him.

"Well, he is a baby… They're not known to be very big," Tarya answered quietly from where she was lying next to him in bed, her head resting comfortably on her pillow as she looked up at Kili who was leaning with his back against the headboard. The brunet just smiled, running one finger gently over Tìr's little cheek. The boy smiled a little smile in his sleep, making his father's expression soften.

"He's perfect," he just muttered in reply, turning his head slightly and gazing down at Tarya with a proud smile. She returned it warmly, blinking up at him tiredly. She hadn't been able to move much from the bed since the baby had been born. Oìn said that her old battle wound had caused some trouble during the birth and that she needed to rest in order to restore her health properly. Kili had stayed beside her for most of the past days, partly because he was worried for her and wanted to be with her and partly because he found it rather difficult to tear himself away from his son.

Kili was ripped out of his thoughts when Tìr began to squirm slightly in his arms and he glanced down at the little boy as he scrunched up his face in a small yawn before his eyes opened slowly, dark golden orbs blinking sleepily up at his father. The baby made a small noise as Kili smiled at him.

"Hello there," he muttered softly, though all he got in reply was a little dissatisfied noise. It was only a moment before Tìr began to voice his discontent with a loud cry and Kili quickly shot a look toward Tarya as she slowly brought herself into an upright position, mirroring his as she leaned her back against the headboard. Kili watched with silent concern as she winced slightly while she settled in more comfortably, though he decided not to comment on it. He teased her lightly instead. "He's got your voice."

"Oh, shut up," Tarya chuckled quietly at Kili's jest as she leaned in and carefully took the baby boy from the brunet's arms, smiling softly over his crying as she brought him close to her chest. "He's just grumpy in the morning if he doesn't get breakfast. Much like yourself."

"Speaking of, I think I'll go fetch us something from the kitchen," Kili retorted after he'd shortly stuck his tongue out at his wife. Tarya opened her mouth but Kili cut her off before she could say what he knew she was going to. "I know you're not very hungry but OÌn says you need as much strength as you can get, so your plate will be as full as always."

Tarya just gave a little sigh in reply, though she smiled slightly nonetheless as Kili leaned down to press a soft kiss on Tìr's head, he had stopped crying by now, before he lifted himself and captured Tarya's lips with his for a short but sweet kiss.

"I'll be back," he whispered, pecking her lips once more before he got off the bed and left his wife and son for some quiet morning time.

Tìr squealed with joy as Tarya blew on his tummy, tickling him with the vibration it caused and the funny noise it made. His happy laughter echoed through the room and Tarya giggled at her son's reaction, repeating her action with a smile, making him laugh even more.

"Such a happy little baby," she cooed, tickling the boy's sides lightly as he smiled up at her and laughed, reaching his little hands up and patting them against her face as she smiled brightly at him. She laughed at his joyous squeal as she tickled him again. "And you're the cutest little baby of them all, elska minn! Yes, you are!"

Tarya raised her head as she heard Dis chuckle quietly to herself from where she was sitting in one of the chairs near the fireplace, watching her and Tìr playing together on the soft carpet with a gentle expression on her face.

"What?" Tarya asked with a smile, leaning down and peppering numerous small kisses on her son's face, relishing in the happy little noises that he made in return. As she looked back up, the Amarok saw Dis smiling warmly at the scene before her.

"Oh, nothing," the dwarrowdam smiled. "It's just that… It's so nice, you know. To have these halls filled with children's laughter again after all these years that no life thrived here."

Tarya looked at her mother-in-law silently for a moment before she gave her a soft smile in reply to her words. Dis was such a lovely person that sometimes it was easy to forget how many hardships the dwarrowdam had had to go through in her life. The Amarok's thoughts were interrupted when Tìr reached up and lightly hit his hand against her nose. Dis chuckled at the surprised expression on Tarya's face before she slowly stood from her chair and walked over to the two of them, sitting down on the carpet with them. Tarya sat up as well, smiling at the dwarrowdam as Dis reached for one of the wooden toys that lay scattered around them.

Tarya watched as Tìr rolled onto his stomach now that the attention on him had stopped momentarily before he struggled slightly against gravity as he sat up. The Amarok stroked a hand proudly through his fine brown hair once he was sitting securely on his bottom, staring up at his grandma with wide curious eyes. He was six months old now and had gotten considerably better at sitting up and crawling over the past few weeks and Tarya was waiting for the moment that he would have enough strength in his little legs to stand on his own and eventually make his first steps.

Tìr reached out his hands demandingly as Dis made the little wooden figure move over the carpet as if it were walking and she handed it to him with a small chuckle. The little boy wrapped his fingers clumsily around the little toy wolf, clutching it to his chest with a little incoherent babble that neither Tarya nor Dis understood. Tìr mostly communicated through noises and babbles, though no actual word had yet fallen from his lips.

"He really likes that wolf," Dis stated, giving Tarya a meaningful look with one eyebrow raised slightly. The Amarok just grinned in return as she nodded.

"Aye, it's his favourite."

"Where's my favourite nephew?" Fili exclaimed as he stood from the throne after several hours of hearings with people of the mountain and walked up to his little brother who was just entering the throne hall with a bouncing little baby boy in his arms.

"There he is!" The blond continued as he reached Kili and lifted Tìr out of his father's arms, holding him up into the air before he brought him level with his face, making a funny face at him that made him giggle. He repeated the gesture several times before he hugged the little dwarfling to his chest, wincing slightly as Tìr grabbed hold and pulled one of his moustache-braids rather forcefully. "Aye, you always like doing that, don't you!"

Kili just laughed at his brother's antics with the little boy, causing Fili to look from Tìr to the brunet dwarf with a small grin. "You have no idea how nice it is to see that little smiling face after five hours of listening to people and trying to help with whatever issue they might have."

"I can imagine," Kili just said. "Tìr always manages to cheer anyone up."

"Aye, because he's a little ray of sunshine, isn't he?" Fili said to the little one on his arms with a funny voice that made Kili shake his head in amusement. Before Tìr's birth, Kili had never actually thought about how proud and happy an uncle Fili would make but now, every time he saw his big brother interact with his nephew it brought a smile to Kili's face.

"I was actually about to take the little ray of sunshine out to enjoy some of the sunshine," the brunet prince said then, raising his eyebrows at Fili who was still cuddling with his little nephew. "Since your hearings are over for today, why don't you join us?"

Fili accepted that offer with a bright smile, deciding that his other responsibilities could wait for a few hours at least while he spent some time with his brother and nephew. They went for a walk along the mountain's walls, enjoying the good weather and the happiness that the outdoors always seemed to bring to Tìr. He was like Tarya that way, very at ease and peace in nature even at this young age.

It was a few hours later that they were walking back, entering Erebor through the front gate and they had only just gotten a few corridors into the mountain's halls that they came across Tarya walking out of the library. She didn't see them at first as they rounded the corner since she was walking the other way with her back to them. Kili was just about to call for her when another voice beat him to it.

"Ama!"

Kili's head whipped around at the same time that Tarya turned in confusion, his eyes focusing on Tìr who was squirming in Fili's hold, arms outstretched toward his mother who was now approaching them quickly. Kili watched in amazement as his son's face illuminated with a happy smile as she reached them, his fingers wiggling slightly as he tried to reach for her.

"Ama… Amama!" he repeated, struggling against his uncle's hold until Fili finally passed him over to Tarya who smiled brightly at her son before her gaze flicked up to meet Kili's. His smile mirrored hers.

"You both heard that, too, right?" he asked excitedly, glancing between Tarya and Fili, the latter of which grinned at him while the Amarok was busy smothering Tìr with proud little kisses. They had always used the word Ama between them when talking to Tìr, for it resembled the words for mother in both lupine language as in dwarvish, a mixture between 'amma' and 'amad'.

"Aye," Fili laughed, clapping Kili on the back heartily. "I do believe your son has just said his first word."

"You cannot be serious!?" Tarya gaped at her husband, both of them standing in the living room together, engaging in a discussion that was proving to become a fight rather quickly.

"Our alliances with the other dwarven realms are strong, Tarya, as is our kingdom. Meanwhile Khazad-dûm lies deserted. That city belongs to Durin's folk; it is only reasonable to use this time of strength to reopen it. I see no –"

"Those mines are crawling with orcs, Kili!" Tarya exclaimed loudly, neither of them paying attention to Tìr who was sitting on the carpet only a little distance away from where they were facing each other. "I have travelled these lands, long ago. There are terrible things festering in Khazad-dûm, Kili. Dark things."

"Balin thinks it's feasible," Kili answered with a frown and Tarya shook her head at him in frustration as he continued. "And I believe he is right, it is worth trying. And if Oìn and Ori want to join him in this then it is their choice! He has already gathered a little company that is willing to help him reclaim Khazad-dûm, why can't you simply accept that?"

Tarya's gaze only shortly flicked over to where Tìr had now crawled over to a chair and was gripping at its legs before she looked back at Kili who had his arms crossed over his chest. "Because they are running into their deaths and you are doing nothing to stop it from happening!"

"It is not my place to stop them!"

"You could speak out against this! Fili is indecisive of what to think about Balin's plan but he won't listen to me if I am the only one expressing my fears," Tarya tried to reason with her husband but Kili just shook his head at her, shortly shushing his son as Tìr uttered a quiet "Da!"

"If they want to go then it is their choice, Tarya, you won't be able to stop them even if Fili were to disapprove of the plan as well," he said. "And besides, they have nothing that holds them here."

"How can you say that?! Ori has married Glinna only but a month ago!" Tarya cried out, frowning as she ignored Tìr's call of "Ama!"

"And if he choses to leave it is their fight to settle, not ours!" Kili retorted loudly and angrily, shooting her an exasperated look as she simply stared at him darkly. She couldn't understand how he could be so uncaring about what might happen to their friends if they were to follow through with Balin's plan. She had talked to all of them before but none would see reason and simply ignored when she warned them of what she knew was in these mines. She hadn't seen it, of course, she would never have entered Moria when she had travelled through these lands. But she remembered exactly the eerie feeling she had gotten, how the fur on her neck had stood on end and her instincts had told her to stay as far away from that place as she possibly could.

"Please, I do not want to argue with you over this," Kili sighed deeply as he looked at her but Tarya just shook her head, too angry and worried to acknowledge his attempt at reconciliation. It was just as she was about to turn away and leave him standing there when once more, their son's voice echoed through the room, this time louder and demanding enough to make both their heads turn in Tìr's direction.

Tarya's eyes widened as she saw the little boy standing on his small legs, holding himself up with the help of the chair beside him. A broad smile illuminated his round face now that he finally had the attention of both his parents and before either of them could grasp what was going on, Tìr let go of the chair and made a few wobbly steps forward, looking at them for their reaction. Kili was the first one to slip out of his stupor.

"Tìr!" he exclaimed with a bright smile as he crouched down. "You're walking! Mahal, you're walking! Keep going, my boy come on! Come to me!"

Tarya watched with a smile as the little boy continued in his tracks, placing one foot in front of the other as he slowly but surely made his way over to where Kili was holding out his arms to encourage him. It was then that the Amarok swallowed her anger for the time being at least and decided to simply enjoy this special moment with the two loves of her life. There would be enough time later to discuss matters further, she thought as she walked over and sat herself down next to Kili as she mirrored his actions and encouraged her son to walk the whole distance.

As Tìr reached them, falling clumsily into the awaiting arms of his father, Kili lifted him up and whooped his success, praising the little dwarfling who laughed happily in return.

Tarya felt Kili's gaze on her when Tìr was finally contentedly sitting on his father's lap and she took one of his small hands to put a few little kisses on it. "I'm so proud of you, elska minn," she beamed at her son who smiled in return, obviously proud of his successful first walk.

"You know I would never leave, right?" Kili muttered eventually, looking at her earnestly as she raised her gaze to his eyes. "Just because I support their plan doesn't mean I would follow them."

Tarya simply looked at him for a moment before she inclined her head.

"I know."

Kili was walking down the halls in the direction of the mines in order to check in on the inspection that Gloìn was leading when suddenly the sound of a loud scream stopped him in his tracks as he passed the kitchens. The brunet's brows furrowed as he instinctively rushed toward the sound and pushed open the doors to the kitchen halls, gaze scanning the room for any possible danger before his eyes found Delifra, standing by a table with a shocked expression on her face.

"Is everything alright?" Kili asked as he approached her slowly, his gaze still roaming around the room to find the source of her agitation. However, he stopped abruptly in his tracks when the dwarrowdam raised her gaze and eyed him with an angry glare. The prince's eyebrows shot up in confusion.

"You!" she hissed, making Kili's eyes widen slightly as she pointed a finger at him accusingly. "Where is your son?"

Kili frowned slightly at her. "He's with Bofur."

"Then how come my honey rolls have mysteriously vanished? Again?" Delifra answered angrily, pointing the finger that had been aimed at him to the big empty plate on the table before her. Kili just shrugged, though as Delifra glared at him he suddenly caught slight movement from the corner of his eye and he could have sworn he saw a little dwarven boot disappearing beneath the edge of a long tablecloth that covered one of the many tables in the room.

"Well," Kili started, bringing his gaze back to Delifra with the most innocent expression he could muster. "Maybe you simply misplaced them?"

"Misplaced them?" she narrowed her eyes at him, grabbing one of her wooden spoons and pointing it at him. "One does not simply misplace a whole tray of honey rolls, Prince Kili. You know as well as I that your little boy is behind this! Tìr, the peacemaker! Really, troublemaker is more like it!"

Kili suppressed a grin as he held up his hands defensively, though Delifra simply huffed in annoyance before she sent him a scowl and stormed past him, quickly leaving the kitchens no doubt in order to find the little honey roll thief.

The brunet dwarf waited for a moment until he was sure that she was gone before he brought his gaze to the table that was covered in the large tablecloth. The room was completely silent and only the sound of Kili's footsteps sounded through the kitchen as he approached the table slowly.

"Well, whoever snatched those honey rolls did quite a good job of not being caught," he uttered pensively, pretending to be talking to himself as he rounded one side of the table. "I wonder how they did that…"

Kili grinned and shook his head as he heard someone snigger quietly beneath the table, the sound muffled as if tried to cover up by a hand in front of the mouth. With one swift movement, Kili lifted the tablecloth and bent down to peer beneath the table. As he had anticipated, he found Tìr sitting there, legs outstretched and several honey rolls piled up in his lap while his cheeks were round with the large chunk he was chewing from the one he was holding in his hands.

"Got you!" Kili grinned at his son's wide-eyed expression. He had undoubtedly been under the impression that he was being very stealthy. Tìr stopped chewing, his round cheeks dusted with a thin sheet of powdered sugar. His astounded little face made Kili laugh shortly as he crouched down to look at him properly, levelling his son with a mildly scolding gaze. "Now, that was not very nice of you. Stealing Delifra's pastries like that, you know how much work she puts in them."

"But is yummy," the dwarfling babbled around the food in his mouth, causing Kili to chuckle quietly.

"I know they're yummy but you have to ask her before you take one," he said a little more sternly now, knowing that he shouldn't encourage behaviour like this. Mahal knew how much trouble he and Fili had caused during their childhood, and though Kili couldn't deny that his son's antics amused him greatly, he was his father and couldn't always let him get away with it. "Do you understand that?"

Tìr's eyes widened slightly at his father's stern look before he nodded quickly, having the decency to look sheepish. Kili nodded in satisfaction before his stern expression turned into a smirk as he ducked beneath the table to sit beside his son. "Good," he said, "But since it's already too late to do anything about it now, hand me one of those, will you?"

The dwarfling smiled brightly as he quickly reached for another honey roll and basically shoved it in Kili's face, making the brunet chuckle as he took a bite. They sat there in comfortable silence, simply chewing, for a little while until Kili nudged his son's shoulder slightly. "How did you manage to sneak away from Bofur, huh?"

Tìr just shrugged slightly in reply, dapping his little fingers in the powdered sugar that covered his snack. "Bofur sleepy," he uttered and Kili rolled his eyes slightly. Leave it to Bofur to fall asleep while watching his son. He'd have to talk with him about that.

It was then that suddenly, the doors to the kitchens sprung open again and before Kili had time to use the tablecloth to cover their hiding place again, Delifra was standing in front of them, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she scowled at them.

She huffed as both dwarfs shot her the same innocent puppy-eyed look, their mouths stained with powdered sugar.

It was late when Tarya finally entered their chambers, her limbs tired and her head throbbing with a slight headache. All she wanted was to fall into bed and forget this day, feeling exhausted from the repetitive discussions she'd witnessed in council.

However, as she closed the door behind her, her face fell slightly as she saw the many toys that were scattered carelessly across the room, a small wooden sword lying forgotten beneath a table and several books lying upturned on the floor. The Amarok sighed deeply as she walked further into the room, though she stopped abruptly in her tracks at the sight that unfolded before her.

There, in the middle of the room, lay Kili sound asleep on the floor. His legs and one of his arms were stretched out away from his body while his other arm was wrapped loosely around the dwarfling who was slumbering as deeply as his father, splayed out on his chest. Tarya's eyebrows rose slightly at the scene before her, a small smile coming to play on her lips as she observed the two. There was no doubt that while she had been in council, they'd had a rather eventful afternoon.

Quietly, she made her way over to her son and her husband, her feet carrying her almost soundlessly through the chaos on the floor. Smiling, she crouched down next to them as she arrived at their side, one hand reaching out and stroking gently over Kili's cheek. His stubble had grown slightly during the last years, leaving him a little more beardy much to his delight.

"Kili," Tarya whispered when he didn't stir, tapping his cheek lightly until his eyes slowly fluttered open. She watched as he glanced around in confusion for a moment before his gaze focused and his eyes found her, his arm tightening slightly around Tìr who kept sleeping soundly on his chest. Tarya smiled at him. "It's late, minn màni, let's go to bed."

Kili just nodded slightly, slowly bringing himself into an upright position, all the while keeping Tìr safely in his arms. The dwarfling had only stirred slightly until Kili was standing up, his small hands burying themselves automatically in his father's tunic as Kili carried him over into the child's room, which had been added to their chambers for Tìr's birth. Tarya followed quietly, watching as Kili put their son to bed, pressing a small kiss to his forehead as he covered Tìr with a blanket.

Without a word, she reached out her hand as Kili came back to her and he took it without hesitation, following her tiredly as she led him to their own bedchamber.

"What about the mess?" she heard him ask with a small sigh as he shot a glance back over his shoulder but Tarya just shook her head, pulling him with her to the bed where he let himself slump down on the edge unceremoniously, rubbing one hand over his face.

"That can wait until tomorrow," Tarya simply said, coming to stand in front of him between his legs. Kili looked up at her as she stroked one hand softly through his hair, letting out a content sigh at her touch. His hands found their place on her hips, keeping her close to him as she kept combing her fingers through his brown mane. "I talked to Glinna today. Ori has sent for her."

A small smile came to play on Kili's lips at that and he nodded slowly. Balin and his companions had departed for Moria – although against Fili's and even more so Tarya's wishes – only a year ago after many months of preparations and though their quest had apparently been a success, Tarya still worried for her friends sometimes.

"That's good," Kili said quietly, pulling her out of her thoughts as he took her free hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I'm sure Glinna and Ori will have a happy life in Khazad-dûm."

Tarya said nothing and merely gave Kili a small smile as he stood from the bed, leaving him standing only a few inches from her, though he quickly closed that distance as his hands moved from her hips to her waist and he pulled her against him. Tarya sighed as he leaned in and placed a few kisses down her neck, his breath ghosting warm against her skin.

"I've missed you today," he muttered, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around her as Tarya leaned against him. "We both did."

"I had to discuss some matters with Master Gabron," she murmured, slightly tilting her head to give Kili more access as he continued to explore her skin with his lips. She felt him groan slightly against her skin.

"Don't tell me."

"I have to," Tarya smiled in amusement at his obvious disliking of the old dwarf but Kili merely shook his head as he pulled back from her to look into her eyes. Tarya's eyebrows rose slightly as he slipped one of his hands into her dark hair, pulling her head closer to his.

"No," he grinned lightly, suddenly seeming much more awake than he had before. He caught her by surprise as he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, though her arms wrapped around his neck almost instinctively once she caught up with him. Kili's grin had broadened considerably when he pulled back and looked at her. "It can wait until tomorrow."

Tarya didn't argue with that, all too happy to capture his lips with hers again and wrapping her legs around his waist as he lifted her off the floor.

"Don't go running too far ahead!" Kili called after his son as the young dwarfling walked in front of him and Tarya through the forest. His little dwarven boots left faint footprints in the muddy ground. Though it was summer, it had been raining a lot the past days and it was only now that the sun was shining again through the treetops that they had managed to take Tìr for a little walk. Kili watched with a smile as the dwarfling trailed along the bushes, running his fingers along the leaves every now and then.

As he shot a sideways glance at Tarya, the similarities between her and their son struck him once more. He always found it amazing how big an impact nature had on the both of them. They seemed at ease in the outdoors, sometimes even more than they were within the halls of Erebor. With a small smile, Kili reached out and took Tarya's hand, gently pulling her to a short stop and against him. She was smiling when his lips met hers and Kili brought his hand up to her cheek to hold her in place, sighing slightly as they kissed.

"What are you doing?" a small voice suddenly sounded from beside them and Kili pulled back with a smile, seeing Tìr standing next to them, his fingers buried into the fabric of the leg of his trousers.

"I'm kissing your Ama," Kili said with a playful grin towards Tarya, which had her rolling her eyes at him. Tìr only hit his leg softly in reply, and Kili frowned as he looked down at his son and found him shaking his head.

"Not you, Da," the little boy said dismissively, his dark golden eyes fixed on a point in the bushes a few metres away from them. Kili stiffened slightly as Tarya straightened, focusing her gaze on the spot Tìr was now pointing at. "Him."

Kili's hand flew out to shield his son protectively as all of a sudden, as if Tìr's words had been a cue, a large dark brown wolf came walking out of the bushes, shaking its fur slightly as it stepped into the light. Kili had learned enough about Amaroks over the years to recognize this wolf as one of Tarya's kind and though he knew that the animal most likely meant no harm, he still reached for the sword that was attached to his belt out of reflex. Tarya's hand was upon his as soon as he touched the hilt and as he looked at her, she lightly shook her head at him before she crouched down to be on the same eye-level as Tìr as she looked at him.

"How did you know he was there?" she asked him quietly while Kili kept a close eye on the wolf. It didn't move, simply watched the scene out of curious brown eyes.

"Smelled him," Tìr said with such a matter-of-fact voice that it made the corners of Kili's mouth twitch upwards. He didn't even sound as if he were very confused by it; he was merely stating a fact. Tarya smiled warmly at her son, reaching out for him and Kili watched silently as Tìr let go of his leg, walking over the few steps and taking his mother's outstretched hand instead. She nodded her head in the direction of the wolf.

"Are you afraid of him, elska minn?" she asked, observing him carefully as he shook his head after having thought about it for a moment. Kili shortly caught Tarya's gaze then as she looked up at him, giving him a reassuring look before she reached out her other hand toward the brown wolf. Kili took a deep breath as the animal moved forward, large paws leaving large footprints on the ground. His instincts were telling Kili to draw his sword and protect his family against this creature but he trusted that Tarya knew what she was doing. After all, Amaroks had been seen around the mountain for some years now and never had there been an attack on anyone.

Tìr reached out a hand toward the wolf without any sign of fear, smiling as it grumbled quietly, gaze scanning the little boy closely before it came to rest on his dark golden eyes. "Nice to meet you!" The dwarfling stated cheerfully in what Kili could only assume was a reply to the wolf's grumble. "I'm Tìr!"

The wolf grumbled again, low and friendly this time and Kili watched with a small amazed smile as it inclined his head so that Tìr's hand could reach it, stroking gently over the dense fur. Kili's hand dropped from the hilt of his sword as he watched the scene, completely speechless by how naturally his son got along with this huge animal. Of course, they were his kin as they were Tarya's and Kili naturally knew that his son was of two worlds, but it was amazing to see how easily and effortlessly Tìr seemed to put these two worlds together even though he was only but four years old.

As the wolf pulled back from Tìr's touch, Tarya's smile was bright but her gaze astonished. Kili couldn't know what had been said and understood between the three of them but he found out soon enough, for when the wolf finally turned and vanished into the bushes again and he lifted Tìr up into his arms, his son threw a proud little smile at him that had Kili raise his eyebrows questioningly.

"He called me a prince," Tìr exclaimed and Kili shortly hesitated before he glanced at Tarya who was sending him a meaningful look. He held her gaze for a moment before he smiled and looked back at his son.

"Well, you are!" he grinned at him, making Tìr's smile broaden. "You're our little wolf prince."

A loud thud sounded through the room, causing Tarya to flinch slightly and wake from her slumber, though she was too tired yet to bring herself to open her eyes. She knew what was coming, anyway.

"Da!"

"Da!" Tìr called, repeating himself, as he got no reply from Kili whose arm was wrapped tightly around Tarya's middle, his face buried in the crook of her neck. "Daaaa!"

Tarya felt hot breath tickle her neck as Kili sighed deeply, a sign that he was slowly waking up.

"Your son is awake," she murmured with closed eyes, feeling the mattress dip ever so slightly near her feet as Tìr climbed onto the bed. Turning her head slightly on her pillow as she stretched her body silently, her limbs slowly gaining some energy, she felt Kili mumble against her neck.

"Before sunrise he is your son."

"Da, come on! Wake up!" Tìr demanded loudly, annoyance clear to hear in his voice. Tarya opened her eyes abruptly as she heard a dull thump next to her, only to see her son sitting on his father's legs with a pillow in his hands. With an amused smirk, Tarya turned her head to look at Kili and from the baffled expression on his still sleepy face there was no doubt that Tìr had just smacked the pillow right onto his head. "You promised!"

The arm around Tarya's waist retracted as Kili brought it up to run his hand over his face, groaning quietly before he spoke, voice still husky from his sleep. "Alright, alright. I'm up. I'm…", a yawn interrupted his sentence, "… up."

As Kili groggily drew himself out of the bed to get dressed for the day, Tìr took the place he had vacated, snuggling into Tarya's side as she reached out her arm for him to come closer. "Do you think I'll get as good as Da?" he asked quietly, voice full of excitement. Tarya smiled down at him, running her fingers gently through his mane of brown hair.

"If you practice enough, you'll become a master archer in no time, I have no doubt," she assured him and Tìr's smile grew in return, adjusting the small bow that was slung over his shoulder with a proud expression. It had been his sixth birthday only a few days ago and Kili had gifted him with his first bow, which he had been working and whittling on for several weeks beforehand.

"That's what Uncle Dwalin always says," Tìr answered. "Practice makes a master."

"And if Uncle Dwalin says it, it must be true," Tarya smiled. "After all, everything I know about weaponry, I learned from practicing months and months with him."

Tìr looked at her wide-eyed as he nodded slowly, though he didn't have any time to respond. As Kili stepped out of the bath chamber, fully clothed and his face still a little wet from the cold water he had undoubtedly splashed in his face to wake his spirits, Tìr shot up from his cuddly position and scrambled off the bed, however not without placing a sloppy kiss on Tarya's cheek before.

"Will you come watch later, Ama?" the young boy asked her with excitement shining in his golden eyes and Tarya just nodded with a smile before Tìr scuttled out of the room, eager to get going. "Come on, Da!"

Kili shook his head to himself with a small smile as he went and retrieved his old bow from the same box that Tarya's daggers were kept in, though she hadn't really used her weapons in years now. As he walked back around the bed, Kili made a little detour and Tarya smiled as he came to her side and leaned down, capturing her lips in a fervent kiss.

"Good morning, my love," he murmured against her lips as he pulled back, grinning as she looked back at him rather breathlessly.

"Good morning to you, too," she smiled then and Kili was about to go in for a second kiss when he was cut off rather harshly by his son's voice coming from the living room.

"Daaaa!"

"Aye, I'm coming! I'm coming!" Kili called back, slightly tilting his head at Tarya as she chuckled merrily. He kissed her again, a quick peck against her lips before he straightened himself, throwing her a last wink before he left their bedchamber to catch up with his son.

Tarya loved having her two boys around, although she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the few moments that she had all to herself just as much sometimes. It was in these moments that she would sometimes sit down with a piece of parchment before her and start to write, though she never finished and in the end always ended up throwing her draft out, for it was not nearly good enough to use.

However, as she began writing that day, she found herself no longer trying to get everything perfect and adequate. She simply let herself write what she felt and her thoughts flow into her writing as she brought the words down on paper. Tarya didn't know how much time had passed when she was sitting in front of one large parchment as she wrote down the last word. She stared at the product of her work for several long moments until a knock on the door ripped her out of her thoughts.

"There you are!" Dwalin rumbled as she called for him to enter, sending her a greeting nod from the threshold. "Are you coming to see how the little one is faring with his first archery lesson?"

Tarya nodded quickly. "Aye, I am. I didn't know he had told you about it, though I shouldn't be surprised. The boy tells you everything," she chuckled and Dwalin just gave a little shrug in return, though he was smiling when his gaze suddenly fell on the parchment before her. He raised his eyebrows questioningly at her.

"Work?"

"Not exactly…" Tarya muttered, giving the paper before her a last look before she determinedly pressed her lips together and quickly folded it before she placed it in a nearby envelope. Taking the wax stamp that Kili usually used for messages to other dwarven realms or trade partners to seal it, she placed it back onto the table before she got up and walked over to the large warrior with a small smile on her face.

"I'll take care of this later," she said, following Dwalin down the hall. He just nodded and didn't dig any further.

"I'll wager the lad accidentally hits someone with an arrow by the end of the day," he said instead and Tarya laughed at his bold statement.

"Now don't be mean, Dwalin. It may be his first try but if he takes after his father, I'm sure he'll do just fine!" She answered amusedly as Dwalin shot her a pointed look. He nudged her shoulder slightly as they walked in the direction of the training yard.

"I remember your first try at archery almost hit me in the leg," he grumbled and Tarya looked at him with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, it's been years since that happened, Dwalin, get over it already," she stated dismissively then and laughed as he shoved her slightly, mumbling something incoherent under his breath. Dwalin shook his head as they exited the mountain, a small smile playing beneath his bushy beard.

Tarya smiled as she felt the sun of late spring warm her face, taking a deep breath of fresh air as the training yard came into view. She could see Kili and Tìr from the distance, both highly concentrated on what they were doing and thus not noticing their approach. Tarya watched as Tìr shot an arrow and hit the target, causing Kili to cheer him enthusiastically and encouraging him to try again.

As she leaned her arms on the fence around the yard, placing her head on them to watch her two boys, she exchanged a small smile with Dwalin who was mirroring her stance beside her with the difference that his head was not leaning on his arms.

It was then that Tarya took a moment to appreciate everything that she had been blessed with. She had suffered losses, yes, and pain along the way but what she had been given in return would never fail to make her happy.

As she watched her husband and her son laughing together, she knew that every part of the path that had led to this had been worth it in the end.