Date: TA 2879

Thorin: 133 years old

Lina: 130 years old

The gates of Belegost appeared at the dwarves crested the hill. Their journey was nearly at an end. Lina walked quietly beside her friend, Kira. The pair had talked little since the journey home had begun. In fact, few of the warriors spoke at all. They were happy to have gold, true. But their hearts ached with the loss of their six companions.

While the merchants had completed their business, the warriors had carefully embalmed their dead, to prepare them for burial upon the return to Belegost. Word had been sent back to the city to have six tombs ready for their return. Lina's hand was heavy as she wrote the names of the dead, noting the final moments of each and listing the possessions they had brought on the journey. Once more she felt that twinge of guilt. Was the gold really worth the lives of her kin? The answer was always "yes." Lina remembered all too well the poverty her people had struggled under. She remembered the starving children as they wandered the wilderness. There had been no gold or silver to save them then. The dead warriors had chosen the gold knowing they might die in the pursuit of it. Still she sometimes wondered.

The bodies of the dead had been carefully wrapped and laid out in one of the wagons. In addition to the bodies of their dead and the gold, the dwarves also brought back one special prize: the pack mother's head. The dwarves would see the creature their kin had died defeating. At least the burden on their hearts might be lighter knowing the killer was dead as well. The surviving dwarves all had their own scars to show as they told the tale.

Fili had taken a slash across his chest. His armor had taken the brunt of the blow, but the warg's claw had managed to cut through it. The wound had been simple to treat, but he would have a scar for the rest of his days. Lina had simply buried her face in her hands, unsure whether to be amused or exasperated with the youngling's joy that he would have a battle scar.

Kira's wounds, as those of the other melee warriors, were numerous, but shallow. They had taken most of the slashes with their much heavier armor and shields. Those that had not been killed had relatively little damage. Most had only scratches and bruises. Kira's wounds would fade into the rest of her scars and become almost invisible.

Lina's own wounds were minor. Her upper left arm had a slash that had to be stitched shut. A few smaller cuts showed over the collar of her leather breastplate. The most painful of the wounds was a sprain in her wrist which made holding her hammer properly difficult.

Two of the wounded were being carried in another of the merchant wagons. These had taken damage to their legs which prevented them from walking or riding. However, even these were relatively minor and would heal relatively quickly.

The gates of Belegost opened to the caravan. Just inside the gates a crowd was waiting. The families of the dead stood to one side, waiting to receive their loved ones. Lina had made certain to have Thorin notify the families. Once the wagons had rolled to a stop, Dwalin and Gloin began to lift the bodies from the back of the wagon. Each was laid out before their family, their belongings placed beside them. Lina gave what comfort she could to the grieving. Each family received what gold had been the allotted share of the deceased.

The dwarves of the caravan, the warriors in particular, had divided the gold up as they thought best. Half of the total was set aside to be placed in common coffers for the benefit of the city of Belegost. The other half was divided up. The warriors agreed to give the merchants some for the use of their wagons and for their part in getting the dwarves prepared for the attack. Each merchant's share, however, was far smaller than what each warrior received. The shares among the warriors were equal, including those of the deceased. It was the best they could come up with.

Kili appeared from the crowd behind Thorin and threw himself at his older brother in excitement. Lina smiled at her young nephews' antics. Fili was just as excited to see Kili, and, if her ears did not deceive her, Lina heard Fili's promise to show Kili his battle wound.

The youngling's exuberant greeting spurred others on to greet their own loved ones. Most greeted siblings or friends, Gloin was met by one of the prettiest dwarves in the city. Thorin smiled as he folded Lina in his embrace. When his wife had sent word they had encountered a warg pack, he'd been worried. It was not a worry that she could not take care of herself, but the worry that a husband has when his wife may face some danger.

"I am glad to see you are safe, my love," he murmured against her ear. "I have missed you these long days since you left."

"I missed you too," she whispered, smiling up at him. "We have a few more things to unload."

Lina pulled away to help Dwalin lift the pack mother's head from the wagon. The sight of the monster's head sent shock waves through the gathered dwarves. Even Thorin looked surprised at the size of the creature's head. Kira lifted down the massive bag of gold. Both items were presented to Thorin, as the city's leader. He directed the warg's head be mounted as a testament to the power of his people and the gold taken to the treasury.

Once the wagons had been unloaded and the bodies taken away, Lina rejoined her husband.

"Fili managed to get a wound?" he looked curiously at Lina.

"He got knocked over by a warg and the claws went through his armor. Those knives he keeps everywhere came in handy. Though he now has expressed interest in learning to wield two shorter blades instead of one long blade," she paused. "He did himself proud in that fight. It was his quick thinking and skill that brought the pack mother down for us to finish off."

Thorin smiled at that. Fili was coming along nicely then.

"How long before Kili is clamoring to go on his own adventure?" Lina asked her husband as they entered their bedroom.

Thorin chuckled, "He is already. The moment he found out Fili was going, he wanted to go too."

"Of course he did." Lina placed her pack and purse of gold on the table. She began to remove her armor, setting each piece on the stand as she did so. Thorin's hands quickly joined hers, helping to divest her of the rest of her gear. Once she'd been stripped down to the loose shirt and leather breeches she wore beneath her armor, Thorin turned her to face him.

"Let me look at your arm," he requested. Hiding a smile at his needless worry, Lina held her arm out for him to examine. The area around the slash was not infected or hot, and the wound seemed to be stitching together just fine. It did hurt to mess with it though. Thorin's hands stilled as he accidentally pulled at the sensitive flesh.

For a long moment the pair stood silently. Lina watched her husband as he ran his hands tenderly over her body. He was unusually quiet tonight. Well, quiet was normal for him. He tended to brood rather more than most dwarves. However, this silence puzzled Lina. His brow was knit with concentration and concern.

"Why did you go after the wargs?" he asked finally. Lina raised an eyebrow at the question.

"We were offered gold for the job. That's something none of us had seen in years. What dwarf won't brave impossible odds for their treasure?" Thorin's face cleared as he smiled ruefully. Lina knew he would have done what she did. The lure of gold was just a little too strong for dwarves who had known poverty for far too long.

"I understand," he told her gently. "But every wound you earn in battle reminds me of the days I spent waiting for you to awake after the Battle of Azanulbizar. It shouldn't frighten me, but it does." His large, rough hands gently tucked a wayward strand of her hair behind an ear.

"You bring out a very protective side of me," he informed her. "I know you don't need protecting. I've watched you do more damage with one swing of your hammer than I do with ten swings of my sword and axe. I still want to keep you safe from harm."

Lina's face turned pink under his attention. It was nice that he recognized her skills. But sometimes it was nice to be reminded she was a woman. At least she didn't mind it when Thorin was the one doing it. He was the only one who could get away with saying anything like that simply because Lina knew he was not putting her down. He was not denigrating her. It was his way of showing affection for her.

"You can do something to protect me," she told him slowly. He looked surprised at her words.

"How?"

Lina smiled playfully, drawing one finger down the side of his face.

"Well, I am wounded. I need someone to protect me while I sleep. Preferably someone big and strong," she purred, kissing the tip of his long nose. A slow smile of understanding spread over his face.

"I think I can manage that," he answered. With that he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to their bed. "I can protect my treasure."

A/N: Hey guys. First, I just wanted to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. Your messages make my days so much better! Second, I will be doing my best to get chapters posted each day. However, something very serious has come up in my life. If I don't get a chapter up for a day or two, it's not because I'm not writing the story anymore. It simply means this issue has escalated. I will still try to keep the schedule I have set as much as possible. Thanks for understanding.