After Daisy and Fjola had gone home, Fili took the twins from Poppy's arms to let her rest. Dis and Runa wanted to help him to put their clothes on but they soon realised that the younger twin wouldn't fit in the clothes they had because she was much sturdier and look almost like a dwarfling instead of a mixture of a hobbit and a dwarf like her siblings. Fili held her in his arms while Dis rushed to her rooms to fetch some of Dwalis' old bedclothes. He was sure that the baby's size was the reason Poppy had almost died and tears started rolling down his cheeks. This was all his fault; hadn't he gone to the Shire all these years ago, Poppy would certainly be happily married to a hobbit and would have many fauntlings whose births wouldn't have almost killed her.
Soon Dis returned with some clothes for the baby and Dwalin even brought Dwalis' cradle for the baby to sleep him. The older dwarf could clearly see how scared Fili was although he tried to smile when he thanked him. He gasped when he saw how pale Poppy looked but quickly left again to let her rest.
Runa put the older twin in one of the cradles while Dis helped Fili with the younger one. She told him that he had the same size when he was born when she put the baby in her little bed. Fili swallowed but didn't say anything. He went to Poppy and put a kiss on her forehead. He tucked her in under the blanket and sat down next to her.
Runa and Dis realised that Fili probably wanted to rest as well and so they quietly went to the living room.
When the two females were gone, Fili laid down next to his wife and carefully wrapped his arms around her. He fell asleep almost immediately and just woke up when Daisy came to the room to nurse the children. They were hungry and no one wanted to wake Poppy up.
Some time later Poppy suddenly started trashing and screaming in Fili's arms. "Please, you have to save my baby! She can't be dead! Please, help her! Noooo!"
Fili woke up and wanted to calm her down when he realised a puddle of fresh blood between her legs. "No, this can't be!" He whispered and then yelled. "Amad, you have to get help."
Dis heard him in the living room and didn't even ask what was wrong. She immediately ran to her brother's rooms to fetch Fjola.
Meanwhile Runa ran to the bedroom and gasped when she saw what was wrong. She fetched some clothes and water while Fili tried to wake Poppy up.
After a few more moments Poppy finally looked at her husband with tears in her eyes. "Our baby! She wasn't breathing. Her skin was completely blue. We couldn't help her." She sobbed.
Fili asked Runa to bring the baby to her. Then he helped his wife to hold the baby in her arms. "Look Poppy, she's fine! This was just a nightmare. Our baby is breathing."
Poppy smiled at her daughter and tried to put a kiss on her forehead. Then Runa brought her back to her cradle. She never wanted to let her go but she knew that she had too.
Just in that moment Dis, Fjola and Thorin entered the room in nothing more then their bedclothes and a robe.
Fjola immediately ran to Poppy to try to stop the bleeding while Thorin waited in the living room where Fili soon joined him with the twins in his arms. The older dwarf smiled sadly at his nephew and the children and stroked over their heads. "I'm sorry for what has happened to Poppy, Fili. I hope she'll be better soon. But congratulations on two beautiful children. Fjola told me that you saved the little one's life. You can be proud."
Fili nodded deep in thought. "Thanks, uncle."
Thorin just nodded and sat down on the couch to wait for his wife while Fili returned to Poppy's side again.
Fjola was soon able to stop the bleeding again but worried about Poppy deeply. She wasn't sure if the hobbit would ever regain her full strength again and knew that it would probably kill her if she ever had a child again. She had to talk to Fili soon but knew that now probably wasn't the right time since he seemed to be deep in thought. She let Poppy drink another cup of tea that would hopefully let her sleep peacefully for the rest of the night and then left again.
The next morning Fili helped Poppy to nurse the children and then grabbed a bread roll and went to Kili's since he was sure that the children were already asleep and wanted to meet their new sibling.
Meanwhile Runa washed Poppy, brushed her hair and helped her to put a light dress on. Then she even fed her some light breakfast. Poppy felt a bit embarrassed that she couldn't do anything in her own and was glad that Runa helped her.
The dwarrowdam told her that she didn't mind doing all if this and that Poppy would certainly feel better again soon. The latter nodded but worried deeply how her children would react when they saw her like that.
Fili soon arrived at Kili's and Daisy's rooms where the children were eating breakfast with their aunt and uncle. They were excited when they saw their father and bounced in their chairs. The blond dwarf was glad that the children didn't know what had happened yet. He hugged them and told them that they could go to see their mother and siblings soon but he first had to tell them something. He took Vili's hand while Kili carried Peony and Daisy carried Thorin and together with Fili's older children and Runor they walked to their rooms.
There Fili asked his children to sit down on the fur in front of the fireplace with him. He told them that they had two new sisters but that their mummy was very tired and fragile and needed lots of rest. They could see her but they couldn't cuddle and play like normally. He also told them that they had to be really careful not to hurt her belly. The children looked quite worried and promised their father to be really careful. Then they went to the bedroom where Poppy held the older baby in her arms with Runa's help. The children went to the bed and sat down next to their mother while the dwarrodam took the baby.
Poppy smiled at them weakly and whispered. "I'm so happy to see you."
The children looked at their mother with tears in their eyes. They had never seen her like that and they were scared that they might lose her. Lili told her twin brother that their mother looked really sick and pale and then the little boy started crying. Although he loved his whole family, he still shared the closest bond with his mother and he couldn't imagine living without her.
Vili's tears made Poppy cry as well. She wanted to comfort him but she couldn't even take his hand. "Vili, come to me."
The little boy carefully crawled towards his mother. He curled up next to her and buried his face in her hair. "Mama, we need you! Don't leave us." He sobbed.
Poppy tried to be strong for her children and looked at her husband with pleading eyes. Fili understood and went to her. He helped her to embrace Vili and then she put a kiss on his forehead. Then she looked at Lili, Tulip and Ruby. "I won't leave you, I promise! I will be fine again soon."
Finally the children smiled at her and hugged her carefully after Vili had calmed down. Then Lili asked. "Can we meet our new siblings now?"
"Of course! Fili answered with a smile and fetched both babies from their cradle. He put them on the huge bed next to Poppy for the children to see.
Meanwhile Daisy had sat Thorin next to his mother. He was happy to finally see her again but he was also quite interested and wanted to touch them too. So the hobbit helped him to sit next to his younger sisters.
Kili, Dis, Runa and Runor as well as Thorin and Fjola, who had just arrived, stood a bit further away and enjoyed watching the children with the twins.
The children carefully touched their younger sisters and looked at them with interest. One of the babies had dark hair and grey blue eyes like Poppy while the other had Fili's golden hair and blue eyes. Also one was quite small and had larger feet with hair on them while the other was big and sturdy with smaller and hair free feet. Then Ruby said. "They look really different! One looks like Papa and the dwarflings and the other like Mama and the hobbitlings."
Poppy smiled at her daughter and Daisy giggled. "Ruby, hobbit children are called fauntlings."
"That's a weird word." Ruby replied. "I like hobbitlings much more."
Fili smiled at her. "I never understood why they are called 'fauntlings' either. But you are right! They look very different." He swallowed and looked at his children again. "So, would you like to chose names for your sisters like we promised you?"
"Yes!" The children cheered and Lili ran to their room to fetch the list. Fili read the names again and watched Poppy who smiled at her children although she looked very tired.
The children discussed the names and in the end they decided that they wanted the older twin, that looked more like a hobbit, to be called Iris. For their younger, more dwarvish looking sister they chose the name Azalea.
Fili and Poppy agreed and told their children that they liked these names a lot.
A few minutes later Dis asked the children if they wanted to play with their new siblings in the living room or the nursery because their mother needed some rest. They nodded and kissed Poppy on her chest before they followed their grandmother. Since Poppy had fallen asleep almost immediately everyone else except for Fjola left as well.
The dwarrodam examined the sleeping hobbit again. She seemed to be a bit better but she still worried about her deeply. So Fjola decided to talk to Fili now. She went to the living room where everyone else was sitting. "Fili, can we talk in private?"
"Of corse!" Fili answered with a frown and asked Fjola to come to one of the children's rooms with him. "Is Poppy going to die?" He asked immediately after the door closed.
Fjola shook her head. "No, if there are no unexpected complications she should be fine. But I worry that she will never be the same again. I'm quite sure that the blood loss and the emotional turmoil she was in after the birth have taken their toll on her body. She will be more fragile and frailer than she used to be."
Fili looked at his aunt with tears in his eyes. "What does that mean for our everyday life?"
Fjola sighed; she didn't want to tell her King what he had to do but she also knew that it was her task as a healer and midwife to deliver bad news. "Poppy can live normally. She can cook and bake and play with her children just like she used to but-" She took a deep breath. "I know that I can't forbid anything but you shouldn't have any more children. I'm quite sure that being with child again would leave her very sick giving birth would kill her."
Fili swallowed and held tightly onto the back of Vili's chair. "Thank you for telling me the truth, Fjola. I really appreciate that. I will talk to Poppy once she's better. I'm sure it will make her very sad but I won't risk losing her."
Fjola patted Fili's upper arm and then left him. She wanted to talk to Daisy and Kili as well because she also worried about the second hobbits safety.