With Thorin's and Fjola's kiss the official ceremony ended and everyone went to the newlywed couple to wish them all the best for the future. Meanwhile several servants rearranged the hall into a room to dine and dance. When everyone was seated at a long table, Thorin stood up and thanked his family and friends for having stayed with him through his madness again. Then he looked at Fjola and thanked her for accepting him the way he was.
After dinner Fjola and Thorin started dancing. Kili and Daisy, Lili and Runor, Vili and Dis, Tulip and Bilbo and Ruby and Fili danced as well. Bofur even asked Runa if she wanted to dance with him. Everyone in the room smiled when they saw how tightly Thorin had pulled his bride against his chest and how he kissed her all the time; they had never seen him that happy.
Poppy sat in a comfortable chair next to the dance floor and watched Thorin and Peony play with their toys. But suddenly Vili stood in front of her and asked her to dance with him. Poppy sighed because her feet hurt and she simply wanted some rest but she didn't want to disappoint her son and so she agreed.
Fili frowned when he saw Poppy dancing with Vili although she looked quite tired. He picked Ruby up and asked her if she danced with Vili because he wanted to dance with Poppy. The blond girl agreed and so they went to Vili and Poppy. Ruby pulled her older brother away from their mother and Fili pulled Poppy into his arms. He lifted her feet on top of his boots and slowly moved around the hall. Poppy smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him. Then she put her head against Fili's shoulder and closed her eyes. Fili kissed the top of her head and slowly moved around the room until he finally helped Poppy to sit down again.
Fjola also noticed how tired Poppy looked while she danced with her new husband and went towards the hobbit. Poppy told her that she was just a bit tired and needed some rest. She didn't want Fjola to worry about her on the evening of her wedding. The dwarrodam nodded but asked Fili to inform her if something was wrong with Poppy.
After a few more hours Poppy finally asked Fili to bring her home. The blond dwarf agreed and stayed with his wife and youngest son until they had fallen asleep. Then he returned to the party because he had promised Poppy to enjoy the evening. He continued to dance with his children and drank several mugs of ale with his friends, Kili and Thorin.
Some hours later Thorin and Fjola left the celebration to retire to their rooms. Everyone smiled at the couple except for Dwalin. He winked at Thorin and wished him a lot of fun now that he finally didn't need a chaperone anymore.
Thorin didn't say anything but simply left with Fjola in his arms. When they had finally reached their rooms, he kissed her as passionately as never before in his life. She caressed his beard and looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. Thorin started to pull off Fjola's wedding gown when she bit her lip. The dwarf realised that, although his wife was a healer and midwife, she was probably a bit scared of their wedding night since she had never been with a dwarf before. He kissed her again and continued to undress her and himself as slowly as possible. When they were both naked Thorin carefully put Fjola onto his huge bed and smiled down at her. He kissed her again and then trailed his fingers and lips all over her body. Thorin felt like he'd go mad any second but he wanted Fjola to enjoy their wedding night and so he tried to be patient. When she finally relaxed and started to moan, Thorin couldn't hold back any longer and started to make love to his wife.
Later they kissed and continued to explore each other's body until they finally fell asleep in each other's arms.
After their short honeymoon Fjola visited Poppy, Runa, Daisy, Dis and the children again. She liked their company and since she still worried about Poppy she wanted to see her. The hobbit was happy about their visitor and so the females and Fili, who had just come home from council, sat down together for afternoon tea while the children played together.
Fili had pulled Poppy into his arms on the couch and stroked her huge belly. Poppy leaned her head against his shoulder and whimpered everytime the child kicked her.
"Poppy, I know that you are in pain. Is there anything I can do to help you?" Fjola finally asked.
Poppy shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I just need a lot of rest, that's all."
Dis looked at her daughter-in-law sadly. "Has it been like that every time you've been with child, my dear? You seemed to feel better even when you carried Thorin despite your difficult living conditions back then."
Poppy shook her head again. "No, I've been quite tired when I was with child for the first time but it was easier with Tulip, Ruby and Thorin."
Fili looked towards Fjola and his mother. "We think that Poppy might carry twins again. Everything feels like with Vili and Lili, even when the baby kicks her."
Fjola nodded. "Two babies would also explain the size of Poppy's belly."
"Yes, this is the only explanation that makes sense. I guess I will have to spend a lot of time on the couch or in bed until I give birth although I'd like to go for walks. But my feet hurt even more when I walk on the hard stone instead of the soil and grass back in Hobbiton." Poppy explained.
Fili looked at her again. "I can carry you onto the balcony. You can enjoy the sunshine there as well."
Then Dis added. "And we will help you with the children even more than we normally do. So you can rest as much as you need to."
"Thank you!" Poppy smiled at her friends and family and asked Fili if they could spend some time outdoors.
Poppy spent most of the next few weeks either in bed or on the couch in their living room. The children were sad that they couldn't play with her as much as normal but they understood that their mother was more fragile and less mobile because of their new sibling. They often cuddled with her and petted her belly though. When Fili was at home they often spent hours in their huge bathtub where Fili rubbed his wife's sore muscles and feet.
A few weeks later Poppy laid on the couch when she suddenly felt pains that felt like contractions. She waited a while until she was sure that her child wanted to be born and then she told Runa. The dwarrodam sent a guard to fetch Dis, Fili, Kili and Fjola.
They had already talked about Fili's wish to stay there for the birth and after many discussions that this was no place for males of any race Fili was finally allowed to be there. Since he couldn't look after his children while Poppy gave birth Kili had suggested that he, Bilbo and Dwalin could look after them in his rooms while Thorin would stay in council.
Soon everyone arrived in Fili's rooms and while Daisy, Fjola and Dis helped Poppy to their bed, Fili and Kili packed a few of the children's toys and then the brunette dwarf left together with his nieces, nephews and Runor.
Fili waved at them again, took a deep breath and slowly went towards the bedroom, where Daisy just helped Poppy to put on a light nightgown. The blond dwarf looked a bit lost and so his mother told him to sit down next to Poppy's head. She told him that he could hold her hand, stroke her hair or cool her neck and forehead with a wet cloth. Fili nodded and went to Poppy. She smiled at him encouragingly and so he kissed her before he did as he was told.
During the next few hours Poppy's contractions increased a lot and although she tried to be strong for Fili she couldn't stop whimpering and screaming any longer. Soon Fjola told her to push.
Fili held Poppy's hand tightly and was astonished about how brave his wife was. His fingers hurt because Poppy squeezed them tightly and he couldn't even imagine how such a small female could bear so much pain. The hobbit continued to push and after a loud scream a small dwobbit finally left her body.
Daisy quickly cleaned the baby with a towel and handed her to Fili. "Congratulations, you have a little daughter."
Fili smiled and showed the tiny girl with the curly brown hair to his wife, who smiled brightly.
Meanwhile Fjola examined Poppy's belly and frowned. The baby that was still in the hobbit's womb seemed to be much bigger than the one she had just given birth to. The dwarrodam didn't say anything but prayed to Mahal that he kept mother and child safe.
Soon another contraction hit Poppy's body and she tried to push again. Just as Fjola had feared Poppy had huge problems to push the second baby out of her womb.
Fili tired to whisper encouraging words into Poppy's ear while he held her hand but he saw that she got tired and didn't have much strength anymore. She also looked pale from blood loss. He looked at his mother, Fjola and Runa and saw how worried all of them looked. He was sure that they worried that Poppy might not be able to birth the second child and that both might die during the birth.
As the time passed Poppy got more and more tired. She started crying and sobbed. "I can't do this anymore! It hurts too much. I want to stop."
Fili squeezed her hand and put a kiss on her sweaty forehead. "You have to continue, my flower! You can't give up now! Think of the children, we all need you." It almost broke his heart to see her like this but he tried to be strong.
Dis, who held her youngest granddaughter in her arms, smiled at her son and silently told him that he was doing very well. Poppy had to fight and needed all the support and encouragement she could get.
The hobbit continued to push with all the power she had and screamed loudly. Then the baby finally moved within her body. "I can see the head, Poppy! Just a few more pushes and it's over." Fjola said.
Poppy pushed again and then Fjola put her hand in front of her mouth to suppress a scream. She realised that something was terrible wrong and signed to Daisy and Runa that they should make sure that Poppy wouldn't see her baby when it was born.
So Daisy and Runa stood next to Poppy and encouraged her to push once more. Poppy did as she was told and finally the second baby was born as well.
Runa, Dis, Fjola and Fili looked at the much sturdier baby in the midwife's arms in shock. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and the skin had turned blue.
Fjola quickly cut the umbilical cord and tried to help the baby breathe. But it didn't work; so Fili rushed towards his youngest child to try to save the little one's life.
Meanwhile Daisy had pulled Poppy into a tight embrace to make sure that she didn't see the baby. But of course Poppy knew that something was wrong because she couldn't hear her baby cry. She started to shake in Daisy's arms and screamed. "I want to see my baby! What's wrong with my baby? Please I want to hold my baby!"