Date: TA 2941

Thorin: 195 years old

Lina: 192 years old

A/N: Please check the poll posted at the top of my profile page! It's very important!

The members of Thorin's Company were in high spirits. A week of making camp early and sleeping late had done wonders for the morale in the group. Even Thorin seemed to be relaxing enough that someone other than his wife could coax a smile to his lips.

Fili was being steered by his slightly put out younger brother. The response to Fili's letter had just arrived and was being devoured as the dwarf was attempting to walk. Kili had his hands full trying to keep his beloved older brother from hurting himself. Lina's young nephew finished the letter and looked around, his expression anxious. A look a relief—that was the only way Lina could describe it—crossed his face when his eyes landed on her. Kili was left to entertain himself as his older brother made his way to his aunt's side.

"What's on your mind, youngling?" Lina asked as he reached her. Fili chewed on the side of his lip for a moment, unsure of the words he was to use. The line breaker waited patiently. Whatever was going through Fili's mind, it was important, and likely involved his attachment to Kitta.

"Do you think Uncle Thorin would be upset if I wished to choose my own bride, not let the councilors choose one for me?"

Lina hid a small smile. Obviously Fili, at least, had been reading the old histories of the kings of the dwarves. Unlike Thorin, neither his father nor his grandfather had married for love. Both males had married females carefully selected by their father and his councilors, intended to produce strong and healthy heir. The marriage of Thrain had at least blossomed into some form of love. From what Lina had read, Thror had not been in love with his wife. In fact, neither had been interested in marriage at all. Their union had been a formality to preserve family lines, nothing more.

"Once we retake Erebor, that will make Thorin king. All of the traditional rules will apply, won't they?" Fili looked worriedly at his aunt.

"It is likely the old traditions will be put back into practice," Lina admitted softly. Fili's shoulders slumped. He said nothing more, simply returning to his brother's side.

"What was that all about?" Thorin asked, approaching his wife.

"I'm not entirely certain, but I have a strong suspicion that Fili is considering Kitta as his wife."

"And?"

"A lot of things will change when you become King-Under-The-Mountain," she answered. "Old traditions will resurface, old ways of ruling. In Belegost it is understood that you are the leader of our people, but the council still rules in the absence of a throne. Rebuilding the kingdom of Erebor comes with expectation that the same society will be rebuilt there as existed before Smaug."

Thorin was silent for a long moment, contemplating what his wife had said. She was right. Even in the smaller, less structured colony of Belegost the dwarves who had not been part of the wanderings had pressed for a more traditional society. The archivists and historians still were adamant in their refusal to list Lina as Thorin's wife. Among the reasons they listed were her lowly status in Erebor prior to the wanderings and Thrain's rejection of the union. The dwarves generally accepted Lina as Thorin's lifemate, but Lina doubted they would ever consider her their Queen in Erebor.

"You doubt her lineage would pass muster before the people?"

Lina laughed, "After putting up with me, I doubt they will have an issue with Kitta. She's socially acceptable as the wife of a prince, born of noble, albeit relatively low, parents. I don't know of a single dwarf with a word to say against her."

Thorin simply smiled, watching his nephew reread the letter from Kitta. His wife gazed up at him for a moment.

"He is afraid you will disapprove of Kitta, or at least allow the council to choose someone else for him."

At this the dwarf looked bewildered. His blue eyes went wide with surprise, an expression even Lina rarely saw.

"Why is he afraid of my disapproval?"

"Why didn't you stop to help me the first time you saw me?" Lina pointed out, "You were afraid of your father's disapproval. Fili has spent more time with you than his own father. He looks up to you and wants nothing more than to impress you."

"You are his uncle, his mentor, and his king. Haven't you noticed how hard he tries to impress you? He has fought for your attention and approval since he was very young," Lina continued.

"So he has," Thorin agreed. His gaze softened as he watched his eldest nephew tenderly slipping the letter from Kitta back into his pack. Without saying another word to his wife, Thorin moved over to join his nephews. Lina hoped he would be a little more patient with Fili on this matter than he had been on others in the past. Kitta was important to Fili. Even Thorin would be able to see that.

Lina found herself being looped into a sudden round of betting between Dwalin and Nori. They, like a number of the Company, had noticed the way Bofur looked at Nes. The subject of this bet was, obviously, Bofur and Nes. The exact terms, as Lina soon discovered, were based on when Bofur would finally make an overt move on Nes. Dwalin wasn't sure Bofur would ever get up the courage to do more than watch Nes and do little favors for her. Nori was betting sometime after Erebor had been retaken. Lina threw in her lot, betting on the reunion of the two companies outside Erebor.

As the Company made camp, Nori tried to get the others to join in the wager. Even Bilbo seemed to be getting into the spirit of the Company. His bet had Bofur making a move on Nes the day the two females left the Company to go their own way.

The dwarves began to settle in around the evening's fire. Bofur and Bombur, as usual, were at the cooking pot. Bombur appeared to be eating more than he was putting into the pot. More than one Lina caught sight of Bofur giving his brother a sharp rap across the knuckles with his spoon, trying to protect at least some of the meal for the rest of them.

Lina glanced about her. Thorin was still in deep conversation with Fili. Kili had, at his uncle's behest, gone off to chat with Bilbo. Nes, however, was sitting by herself, out of Bofur's direct line of sight.

"What're you doing?" Lina asked, settling down beside Nes. The assassin was surrounded by wood shavings and discarded pieces of wood all carved in the vague likeness of a hair claw.

"My hair claw broke when we fled the goblin tunnels," Nes answered slowly. Her attention was focused on a tiny piece of wood at the apex of the space between the two tines of the claw. If she

could just get that piece off, the rough claw would be finished, at least as far as completing its purpose. Instead her knife twisted wrong, snapping the claw in half. With a growl she tossed the broken pieces aside. Her smallest knife was too big to carve the piece without breaking it.

Nes slouched against the boulder behind her, her arms folded over her chest and her face dark. Her companion watched her with interest. The assassin rarely showed much emotion. Certainly she'd never shown this sort of behavior before.

"What's troubling you, Nes?"

"Our company hasn't been heard from since they left us to go north," she replied. Lina saw the concern in her eyes. Kes was the only being in the world Nes truly cared for. She was loyal to Lina, even friendly on occasion. Her brother, however, had been her only companion for so long. The concern was for his safety, not necessarily that of the rest of the company.

"If something had happened to the company, to Kes, would you know?" Lina cocked her head, interested in the answer she might receive.

"If he had died, I would know," Nes answered firmly. "When he is dealt near fatal blows, I can feel those. I can't imagine I would not feel his death if it came to that."

For a moment, the pair sat in silence, pondering the fate of their company. Lina had instructed her animal handler to send word if they ran into trouble on the way, as well as when they reached the fortress. She supposed it was possible they had sent a bird, but the bird had become lost and confused while Lina and Nes had been in Goblin Town.

"When Fili sends his reply to Kitta, I'll have him ask her if any birds showed up there. It is possible that the bird may have returned to Belegost," Lina told her companion.

Nes shrugged noncommittally. Her mind was still far away, wherever her brother was. Her gaze wandered over the pile of wood scraps surrounding her. With a sweep of her hand, Nes scooped up most of the pieces and cast them into the fire. Lina watched silently as the assassin stalked off into the growing darkness. Nes might return at some point during the night.

The next morning, as the dwarves were gathering their belongings for the day's journey, Lina gave Fili the note she had written to Kitta. Hopefully the younger female would have at least heard something about Lina's company. If the parting of the ways weren't only a few more days away, Lina doubted Nes would still be with Thorin's Company. The assassin was becoming more anxious by the day.

"Lina?" Nes appeared before her commander, a look of absolute confusion on her face. In her hands were three hair claws, each slightly different from the other. All were of the same wood, but the carvings were what differentiated one from the next. The carvings were based on the tattoos adorning the assassin's body.

"Where did you get those?"

"They were lying on my pack after breakfast," Nes answered. She turned one of them over in her hand.

Lina glanced around at the dwarves as they were pulling on their packs. Her eyes lighted upon Bofur at the same time Nes's did. The toymaker was being lifted onto his larger brother's back, sound asleep. There were a number of small bandages on his fingers and palms. Concern shone on Bombur's red face as he draped his brother across his back and lifted their packs.

The two females shared a look. Nes looked down at the beautifully carved hair claws in her hand, then up at an unconscious Bofur. A small sigh escaped her lips as she used one to hold her hair in place. The other two were tucked into the pouch at her waist.

As the group began to move out, Lina made a quick count of her companions. A tiny smirk made its way onto her face. Nes had taken up a protective position, guarding Bombur and his sleeping burden. It seemed the assassin was softening.

A/N: So sorry for the long wait guys! I haven't forgotten about this story, but life has blown up on me a bit. I am trying to figure out exactly which plot I want to pursue with this story. Please vote in the poll I've posted. If you have strong feeling one way or another I would love to hear them. It'll help me decide which way to continue the story. Thanks ever so much!