The dinner carried on in fine fashion – the banquet was freely eaten and talk freely exchanged. Evie felt almost at home in the large dwarven hall, surrounded by those she considered her friends. She had met many people in her travels, and although she had forged close companionships with some of the other healers she had worked with in Gondor, their friendship had always been overshadowed by the trials of their circumstances and she did not feel the easy confidence she experienced when around these dwarves. It was strange, for her to feel so comfortable around a people so different from her own – but then again, they also shared many commonalities. A love for good food and drink, a habit of building into the earth for their homes, an intense desire to protect their kin and their elegant dwellings… The dwarves were much grander in their designs than hobbits were, and much more secretive, that was certain, but perhaps their races were not quite so different as she had always thought. Glancing around the stone halls surrounding her, Evie felt as though she could grow accustomed to this place, to these people, if only she would be offered the opportunity…

As if on command, Belinir raised his voice above the casual chatter floating around the table.

"Miss Took," he began, clearing his throat. Although Fildur's conversation with Dwalin continued on a few phrases more, the rest of the company grew silent at the elder's interruption, as perhaps he had intended for them to do. Evie breathed in, feeling the comforting pressure of Thorin's ring pressed in between her skin and the material of her dress and trying to stay calm. She had expected this…

"How is it that you came to be interested in the fate of Durin's Folk?"

Evie was not surprised by the question, but she was not eager to speak of it before the assembled party. However, if such an explanation would help him better understand her and her family's history, as she hoped it would, perhaps it was best that those around her heard, if they had not already.

"My grandfather was a traveler. He was visiting Erebor and the city of Dale when the dragon Smaug attacked. He did not survive the devastation, and his death greatly affected my family. My father followed the news regarding Durin's Folk after that terrible day, and when he heard tell of the dwarves assembling to fight the orcs at Moria, he decided it was time for him to take action. If you ask my mother she will tell you it was for no reason at all, save the silly idea that our family was linked to the dwarves of Erebor because of what had happened, but my father spoke to me of many more reasons – honor, kindness, solidarity… I believe he went because he understood what it was to have a home and all the comforts which come with it, and that he wanted to help your people reclaim what they could of that lost life."

She paused, unable to keep her eyes from drifting unconsciously to meet with Thorin's perplexing gaze across the table. It was the first time he had looked at her since they had sat down, and she had to catch her breath before continuing to speak as if nothing had happened, even as she shivered. There was so much longing in his gaze, so much wanton feeling… Whether it was for his lost home or for her she could not begin to tell.

"I went with him, and I am told he fought bravely in the Battle of Azanulbizar. Our people are not built for war, as you might surmise," (Dwalin grimaced at this, as if he felt sorry for the fact but was also in agreement with her statement) "but he did what he could." She hesitated for another moment, breathing in and trying to ignore the strange rush of emotions welling up in her chest. She was so anxious about her own affairs; thinking of her father only seemed to exacerbate her complicated sentiments, which were running rampant through her small, trembling heart. She felt strong, she knew she was strong, yet something in her quaked to know that she was here, after all this time, and that things were not so simple as she had hoped they would be. The hobbit had always believed that love and hope could conquer any obstacle – it was what she had been taught in the stories her father used to tell her of princesses and dragons (often quite unlike the very real dragon which had murdered her grandfather). But perhaps that conception of love and its unparalleled ability to make everything bow to its grace was not so real as she had always believed, and that it was not enough for her to come and act as she was. Perhaps it would never be enough. To a dwarf like Belinir –

"Fellin Took, Evangeline's father, was buried with a sword of dwarven make after the battle. Thrain saw to it that the hobbit was honored as befitting someone who had no stake in our affairs yet had sacrificed everything to support our cause. My father, as you know, was deeply affected by the battle, but he would not forget the hobbits who had come to lend us aid. Evie tended to the injured, and saved many lives that day and in those following." The number of deaths had been uncountable, unanswerable… Most of the corpses had to be burned rather than buried, a deeply degrading fate for a dwarven warrior. Those few who had been properly buried had received such treatment as a highest honor.

Evie was surprised to hear Thorin finally speak, and to come to her defense. She thanked him with her eyes, but he largely avoided meeting her gaze.

"Our Evie is an incredibly talented healer," Telchar chimed in; also ready to support his friend. "And she was the one who, as I am sure you already know, led us to Ered Luin."

Evie had little more to say, and she tried not to blush as her friend praised her. Belinir, it seemed, was not so easily satisfied.

"And how did that come to be?"

He asked, pursing his lips. He had nodded as if in approval when she shared the story of her father's sacrifice, but it appeared the elder dwarf's interrogation was not over. Evie was unsure how to reply to his newest inquiry without revealing how indelicate the whole situation truly was, but knew her silence would be even more damning.

"Thorin and I met again in Gondor, and as we spoke of Durin's Folk and his desire to find a safe place for your people to settle, I thought to suggest the Blue Mountains as a possible location…"

"It was all done very properly."

Dwalin cut in, and Evie tried not to look too thankful for his interruption and clarification. She felt like she was tripping on her words, unsteady as the world spun around her faster than usual.

"We are very fortunate that you did so," Dis joined the conversation, directing her most charming smile towards Belinir's area of the table. "Ered Luin is a wonderful home for us. I am pleased you finally had the opportunity to come and visit us, as it is largely due to you that we have been able to settle here at all."

Evie felt color rushing to her cheeks as she sensed the general agreement of the other dwarves. She did not feel as though she had done them so great a service, yet the approval lighting up so many of the eyes which were focused on her made her heart swell. Had she truly been able to make a difference? Even Belinir looked half convinced, although his brow was still a knot below his forehead and his lips refused to curve any way but down.

"And where have you been the last few years, then?"

He asked, and Evie found solid footing in a retelling of her experiences traveling, healing the sick and the wounded. She spoke for quite a while, about the people she met and the things she saw. Inevitably she explained what had happened in Gondor, the tale of the rangers fighting the Harad and the horrors she had seen.

"I have no grand stories to tell, as much as I wish I did… My time in Gondor was spent healing the injured – poisoning is a terrible way to die."

She acknowledged sadly, her eyes betraying the hollowness she felt in her heart. It reminded her of why she had come, of what she had to live for, although the possibility of that future seemed to be at a moment of trial, like a candle flickering in the wind – one strong gust was all it would take to snuff it out. But that fragile, beckoning light held true for her still, and she prayed it would be kindled by the hopeful flame of another rather than extinguished forever. She glanced over at Thorin, who looked as if he was participating in a staring contest with his plate.

"Poison is the weapon of cowards."

Dwalin affirmed, setting his mug of ale down on the heavy wooden table with a loud thud. Some foam from the drink clung to his beard, but he took no notice of it, nor did anyone care to inform him of its presence.

"I agree," added Telchar, who looked slightly ill at ease. Perhaps he was still upset by Evie's reappearance and the guilt it brought back for him, despite her unbidden clemency. She treasured his support all the more for his complicated feelings towards her.

"Death of any kind is a terrible fate," Dis announced, and no one argued with her. "It is only one who has known death who can truly appreciate the fullness of life. It is not the dead we should speak of, but the living. You have performed wonders saving all those lives, Miss Took. Your work should be celebrated – let us focus on that. On those you saved."

"Aye, that is something we can all drink to!"

Balin seconded, and Dis' lips pulled up into a smile.

"To life. And what makes it worth living."

Fildur began a toast, raising his glass. The rest of the company mimicked the motion, and Evie's eyes met Thorin's as they all touched glasses. There was nothing cold in his destabilizing blue gaze – if anything, there was a strange hint of sadness. But why? Had something changed? Perhaps she was right in thinking, as Dis had led her to believe, that he still wanted to be with her, but that there were other forces holding him back? Whatever it was, Evangeline dreaded discovering it. Almost as much as she feared that such a conversation would never come, and that she had traveled all this way simply for dinner and would not be offered the chance to truly speak with Thorin Oakenshield.

"To life," the hobbit elaborated, "May we never forget the importance of every day, the value of good company," (a nod travelled around the table as Evie spoke, thanking her hosts) "and the blessings not only of prosperity, but of sharing it with others."

It was why she had come, wasn't it? And it was true. Not only for her and Thorin, but for Dwalin and Telchar and now even Balin and Dis – she was surrounded by dwarves who had shown her great and unexpected kindness. It was something she was innately grateful for; as often as there was a Nrerir or a Belinir (whose scrutinizing stare directed at her from across the table could not go unnoticed), there was a Balin or a Dis.

"What do you think of Ered Luin, Miss Took?"

Fildur asked her, as the conversation lulled.

"It is absolutely incredible what you have accomplished in only a few years. I have not had the privilege of seeing the other strongholds of the dwarves," (she mentioned no names – although she was eager to elicit a reaction from Thorin, the one she sought was not that which would respond to a name like Moria or Erebor, and the only other she could think of was the Iron Hills, which were far from Ered Luin and might spark a similar reaction from his sister)

"Yet I cannot imagine this place being far behind them in craftsmanship or grandeur."

"It is all the work of Thorin; he insisted we take our time with every stone. He wanted it to be somewhere we could feel comfortable, somewhere which felt almost like the grand halls of our fathers. It is not Erebor – I do not think such a fortress could ever be replaced – but I do believe we can be very happy here."

He finished, taking a long swig of ale. Evie watched as Thorin's grip tightened on his own mug at the evening's second mention of Erebor, and she secretly wished there was a way she could comfort him.

She remembered their discussion of Erebor, by the fireside while they were traveling together; the crushing intimacy of the moment, of their emotional and physical closeness… How she longed to regain that sentiment she could not express in words. The feeling of his fingers against her lips as she kissed his hand, the burning need shining in his eyes which promised her he was experiencing the same paralyzing desire she sensed pounding in her every heartbeat… Now he was to her left, sitting at the head of the table and completely unreachable despite their proximity. They had come so far since that evening on the road, yet she was not so sure they had moved forward as much as they had retreated from the dream they had both realized.

"Durin's Folk have come together to build Ered Luin. There is still much to be done, but the growth of the settlements in and around the mountain has been impressive."

Thorin spoke for the second time, and Evie couldn't restrain a smile at his ability to dodge Fildur's compliment. She imagined he must be a very great leader, just as she had predicted he would be, to have such kind and loyal subjects.

"The kingdom reflects the king, no doubt."

The hobbit supplied, watching as Thorin looked away from her, nodding graciously. The line of his noble jaw was set, and Evie felt as if their positions had been mirrored – she had always been the one to look away, to be unable to face him, but now it was the dwarf who avoided her gaze. She supposed the role reversal was not quite so strange as it seemed – she only hoped it was a sign of the difficult position they were put in and not of his disinterest. The blonde tried to keep her eyes off him; if she looked too long it might catch the notice of Belinir, whose critical gaze was so often on her, yet it was a difficult thing not to look at the dwarf whose image she had been dreaming about for so many long years. Evie sighed, returning her attention to her food as the conversation shifted in other directions. After dinner she would approach him and ask if they could talk, perhaps privately if that was at all possible. She knew it was probably not, but she had to try. Besides, he was a king. If he wanted to talk to her, he would find a way. Or, at least, she hoped so. She had found her way here, and now it was for him to take that last step towards her and bring the two erstwhile wanderers together at last.

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Author's Note: Here's the next bit! There is just a little more to do and then my very favorite scene is coming up… I can't wait! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, it will be a little shorter and I should have it done in the next day or two. It's been a challenge and a delight to start writing for some of these dwarves, both of my own creation and from Tolkien lore. I hope you are enjoying meeting them! Nothing like some food to bring people together…