Thank you all for reading this story. I know that it is taking a long time for me to get to the LOTR chapters. However, I wanted to let people see the years between the Hobbit events and LOTR events. I am pleased to see that for the month of January this story had 400 readers. So thank you all for sticking with me and leaving reviews.
This chapter is going to be set up differently than all the others. Mostly because we are seeing some events that Inara and Thorin's kids will be experiencing. So this chapter will revolve around them for the most part.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit or LOTR events or characters.
Remember: Years are approximate and rounded. 11 years till LOTR events, and 4 more chapters to go till then!
Khuzdul.
Frerin & Durin- 48 years old, looks 24.
Rìka- 40 years old, looks 22. (For her hairstyle do a google image search and look for medieval hairstyles. It is several rows down and in the middle.)
Vân- 32 years old, looks 21.
Maiti- 28 years old, looks 20.
Frerin
It has been well over a year since Fili, the heir of Erebor, had left the dwarf kingdom. With his leaving, a small power vacuum for who was take Fili's place had started. Even if it is only temporary. Some of the council members had petitioned for Kili to take his brother's place till Fili returns. However, Kili refused to take up his brother's place. Instead, Kili suggested that Frerin step into Fili's role. Most of the council members argued against this idea; yet Thorin and Inara agreed with Kili's suggestion. That is how Frerin found himself stepping into a role that he was hoping that he would never have to take.
Frerin is sitting in the council chambers listening to the council members argue about trade prices. The young, dark haired son of Thorin and Inara watches the verbal sparring with barely any attention from his chair at the head of the table. His blue eyes are dull with boredom, and his left foot is tapping softly on the floor. He has tried hard not to fidget since any movement can be seen thanks to the deep blue and silver, royal robes that he has to wear when in meetings.
"My prince." Council member Lorń, a newer member of the council, asks. His calculating blue eyes are searching for the slightest irritation that may appear in Frerin's body language. Even though Lorń is from a noble family, that hasn't stopped his ambition to climb the hierarchy ladder. If this dwarrow, of only 95 years of age, had his way he would be sitting where Frerin is.
Frerin lets out a sigh before addressing the council member. "I take it that you wish for me to give some kind of input on the trade agreement with the Iron Hills."
"If my lord would be so kind." Lorń replies with a smile that is covering his frustration that Frerin had been listening to the conversation. "Some of us believe that we should renegotiate the trade agreement. Especially since we haven't received any new shipments of mithril from Moria. Lord Dain wishes to keep to the trade agreement that consists of us receiving only 50 tons of Iron for more than what he sends to Minas Tirith. Or even Rohan. He would keep us at a lower rate of iron coming in, but keep the price per pound at a higher rate than what he charges the race of men."
"You forget Lorń, that Lord Dain is a cousin to our King." Council member Agni says as the dwarf points a finger at Lorń. "Also that Lord Dain is also a descendant of Durin. He would not forsake the people of Erebor. Nor would he mistreat the relationship between him and our King."
"That may be true Councilor Agni, but the facts cannot be ignored." Councilor Lorń says in a vicious tone that drips with agitation with his fellow councilor. "Not by this council nor by our King. Yet the King sends to us a second heir instead of the first heir."
Frerin becomes furious at the audacity of Lorń to bring up his cousin. "Prince Fili is still in mourning over the loss of his yâsith, his one." Frerin stands up from his chair with such force, that the wooden chair screeches against the stone floor. "Your King, my adad, has seen fit to assign me Prince Fili's tasks. We shall keep to the original trade agreements with the Iron Hills. Hard times are fallen on most of Middle Earth, and yet all you can think about is how much you can get for so little cost."
"Prince."
"Did you not hear me?!" Frerin shouts as he slams a fist onto the table with such force that the three braids in his dark, shoulder length hair comes forward into his face. This show of Frerin's temper causes the council members to jump in surprise. "We keep the original trade agreement with the Iron Hills. As for Moria, no one has heard from there in almost ten years. No one can be spared to investigate whatever the cause is that keeps Moria silent. As for Prince Fili. Can any of you relate to having watched your one die in your arms from an illness that you cannot fight? He has a right to mourn for the Lady Sigrid in whatever way he needs to."
At this point Frerin is standing with his back straight, and his blue eyes roam over each and every single council member. He knows that they will never see him in the same light as Fili or even his twin, Durin. Yet Frerin will not allow himself to show any kind of fear or apprehension while performing the tasks that his adad and amad gave him.
"This meeting is over." Frerin growls out before stalking away from the table.
Frerin makes his way out of the council chambers in a bit of a hurry. Walking down the maze of corridors that lead towards one of the main stairways to the forges, Frerin doesn't take notice of anyone till his shoulder hits something hard. Turning to see what he hit, Frerin is taken aback by what he sees.
On the ground, wearing a rich purple colored dress, is a copper haired dwarrowdam. Her dress clings to her very curvy body, and the neckline dips so that her bosom is more pronounced. Carefully, the dam gets up from the floor and brushes at the skirt of her dress.
"I apologize, my lady." Frerin squeaks out before clearing his throat. "I should have paid more attention to where I was going. You aren't hurt, are you?"
As the dam looks at Frerin, he can see that her eyes are a hazel color with a hint of a gold tint around the rim of hazel color. He is totally speechless at the sight of this very attractive dam. Never before has he ever given any thought towards the opposite sex. Yet his female has caused something in him to feel a stirring that he has never felt before from the presence of a female. Frerin hopes that, even with just the dark shadow of stubble on his face, that this dam might be pleased with his looks.
"I am alright, my prince." The dam says with a soft smile. She knows who Frerin. It is all thanks to the tales that she heard when she was a child of six years after her adad returned home. Her adad was one of the lucky ones who returned to the Iron Hills after the Battle of the Five Armies.
"Frerin. My name is Frerin." Frerin offers out his left hand in greeting.
The dam gives Frerin a smile at hearing his name. She reaches out to shake Frerin's hand before telling him her name. "A pleasure to meet you, Frerin. Son of Thorin. I am Mina. Daughter of Fafner. We are visiting family here in Erebor."
"Tell me, Mina. Have you seen the forges here in Erebor?" Frerin asks the dam with a smile on his face.
Durin
Rushing towards a small amount of brush, Durin quickly dives down to take cover. Sweat is dripping off the brown stubble on his chin. His mid-shoulder blade length, brown hair is darker than normal thanks to the sweat as well. His two braids at either side of his face are starting to come loose from all the fighting he has been doing. His light brown, cotton shirt and black pants are showing heavy wear and tear as well as being damp with sweat.
"Durin." A whisper comes from across the open field to Durin's right. Hiding behind a large rock, is Brea. She is one of only four dwarrowdams who are currently training to become shield-maidens. Her black hair is pulled back into a tight, single braid that ends just above her waist. The brown shirt and pants that Brea is wearing is dark in color thanks to her sweating from combat. She is older than Durin by almost forty years, but the two of them work well together in battle.
"Brea." Durin gives his surroundings a quick look over before looking back over at her. He can see that her once brown eyes have gone almost black from battle fever. "Who else is still active?"
"About half of our forces have been depleted. We need to finish this and quickly." Brea growls out to him.
"Do you know where they have hidden it?" Durin asks as he grips his sword tightly in his left hand. Unlike everyone else in Erebor, Durin uses his left hand when sword fighting. This has caused him to become something of an anomaly on the battlefield. Because while his left hand is fighting with a sword, his right hand usually has some hidden weapon that his opponents never see coming.
"Same place as always." Brea says with a smile on her face. "You would think that Melik would learn to find a new hiding place for his flag."
Durin lets a low rumble of a chuckle to vibrate through him before speaking to Brea again. "He never was very bright with military tactics." He notices that Brea is trying hard not to let out a belly laugh from his remark.
A sudden rustle of noise causes the two to become quiet as both press into their cover objects.
"I want to skin that half-breed." A voice says gruffly from the other side of where Durin is hiding. "I want to hear him squeal like a pig when he feels my blade cut into his belly."
"Melik. This isn't a real battle. Master Dwalin says this is only a mock battle. So no life threatening injuries." A female voice replies.
"I don't care. For once I will show Master Dwalin that I am the best in our year." Melik's voice rings out before the sound of footsteps move out of the area.
Brea is the first to move from her spot to investigate if Melik has left the area after a few minutes. Seeing that the area is clear, she steps out cautiously from her hiding spot to sprint over to where Durin is still hiding.
"We best end this quick, princeling. I fear that Melik was speaking the truth about wanting to harm you." Brea offers Durin her hand to help him up from the ground.
"Wouldn't be the first time that he has tried to kill me." Durin says with a cheeky grin on his face once he is standing next to Brea.
"Yes, well I don't think that Master Dwalin would want to feel the King's wrath if you were to become injured." Brea says before beginning to walk away from Durin. "Are you coming or no?"
Durin shakes his head before sprinting after Brea. The two make their way through the multiple obstacles in their attempt to find their opponent's flag. They go through tube like tunnels, over streams of water, and climb up an impressive pile of rocks. Once they reach the top of the pile, they see the red flag blowing in the breeze.
Brea, the more experienced of the two, cautiously approaches the flag.
"This is too easy." Durin says as he keeps an eye open for any possible fighters. There really is no hiding places for any of Melik's group to create an ambush, but still Durin can't squelch the feeling that something is off.
"You were right. He truly isn't the brightest of dwarves." Brea says in a cheeky voice and a grin on her face.
As she turns to face Durin, she spots something in the trees that has her sprinting towards the prince. Before she can shout out a warning, a twang is heard through the air of the training grounds.
Durin turns to where the sound came from before feeling a sharp feeling in his right side, in the ribs. He lets out a growl before looking down at where the pain is emanating from. There, halfway buried in his side, is an arrow with red feathers marking it as from Melik's team.
"Durin! Get down you bloody idiot." Brea shouts as she pushes him down so that he lands on his stomach. She covers his body with hers as she screams. "Help! Prince Durin has been injured!"
"M'fine." Durin hisses out at the pressure that Brea's body is placing near his injury.
"You are not fine, prince. There is an arrow sticking out of you." Brea says before screaming out again for help. Her voice echoes throughout the training grounds as she screams for help.
Thanks to the pain, Durin's vision is starting to have black dots to it. He lets out a growl as he tries to drag himself out from under Brea.
"You aren't to move till I can guarantee your safety." Brea says just as the sound help arrives.
"What happened lassie?" Dwalin asks as he pulls himself up to the top of the rock pile. He can already see a small pool of blood forming under Durins' body. "Brea you need to get off the laddie before he bleeds out."
Brea moves off of Durin as Dwalin makes his way to kneel next to the injured prince. He is quick to check Durin over for any other signs of injury.
"What happened?" A familiar voice growls out before the owner of the voice moves to Durin's other side.
Durin blinks his eyes a few times and sees his adad's face, with a worried look, staring at him.
"Adad? When did you get here?" Durin hisses out as Brea and Dwalin cut some of Durin's shirt away to get a better look at the wound.
"I have been watching since after Dwalin sent the teams out into the fields." Thorin says as he tries to keep his son distracted from the pain. "I am impressed with your tactics and battle strategy. Never have I seen three separate assaults done simultaneously as a means to distract an opposing army from knowing that they are being infiltrated."
"I won't risk pullin' the arrow out here, Thorin." Dwalin says with a look of pure anger on his face. "The arrow is halfway in him. If I were to pull it out, we would risk the lad bleedin' out."
"Can we risk moving him?" Thorin asks while trying to mask his worry.
"We have no choice, my king." Brea replies rapidly. "If we don't get him to a healer soon, the prince might bleed too heavily inside."
Thorin nods before looking down at Durin again. Already Thorin can see his son's face is turning a bit white. "We are going to help you up and get you to a healer, Kandith."
Durin nods his head before preparing himself for even more pain before being helped up into a standing position. A scream escapes his lips as his body is lifted from the ground. Durin passes out from the white hot pain in his side just as Thorin and Dwalin move Durin's arms up and around their shoulders.
Rìka
"Now you need to add just a little bit of sugar to the mix, milady." Bombur says as he is carefully watching the brown haired, grey eyed lass.
Standing on the opposite side of the butcher block island in the main kitchens of Erebor, is Rìka. Her pale blue dress is protected by a full front, cream colored apron. The thick medium brown hair is pulled back into an elaborate hairstyle. Four braids from the front sides of her face are pulled back, and then are braided in with the rest of her hair into a single, immaculate braid with a pale blue ribbon tied in. There are several pale blue beads in the braids as well, and at the bottom of the large braid sits a large, silver hair clasp with the sigil of the royal line of Durin on it that Thorin had crafted for her.
Rìka takes hold of a small wooden bowl that the sugar had been measured into earlier in the preparations. Holding it over the larger bowl that has the rest of the dry ingredients, she carefully dumps the sugar into the bowl.
"Now what?" Rìka asks the rotund, red haired dwarf.
"Next you need to add the cream, butter, and dried apple chunks to it. Then we stir till the mixture is well blended." Bombur says with smile.
"Okay. Then what?"
Bombur lets out a chuckle at the lass's impatience. "You are just like your amad, Rìka. Always rushing to complete things. Cooking and baking is about taking your time so that the food is of excellent quality."
Rìka lets out a sigh and steps back from the island to allow Bombur to check on her progress.
"I am apprenticed to cousin Kili to learn diplomacy. Yet both adad and amad says that I still need to learn to cook. I don't see why I need to know how to do this." Rìka grumbles as she watches Bombur walk away from the island to retrieve the wet ingredients for the batter from the cold box in the floor.
"Diplomacy isn't all about using words and negotiation. There may be times where you will need to feed your guests. That is why the king and queen wish you to learn. Your amad knows how to cook very well. Even if the food she serves is unusual. She also is the one to give me the menu ideas for all of the celebration feasts. Kili has also helped, but only after your amad had dragged him down here to watch her do it. For the last several feasts Kili has been the one to give me the menu ideas."
Bombur lets out a chuckle as he remembers the first time Inara had dragged Kili down to the kitchens to teach him how the food for a feast was prepared. The prince knew already part of his way around a kitchen thanks to Dis teaching him, but Inara wanted Kili to take over the menu ideas for certain feasts to help ease the workload that she and Thorin have with running the kingdom.
"So Kili knows how to do this then?" Rìka gives Bombur a skeptical look of disbelief.
"Aye. He does, lass. Now, let's finish these scones of yours." Bombur says as he walks over with the cool bottle of cream and a slab of butter.
He places the two objects onto the island, and begins to direct Rìka into cutting the right amount off of the slab of butter. He then carefully pours some of the cream into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
"Cut the butter up into tiny pieces and place them into the batter. Then I want you to stir it all together till the batter is smooth." Bombur says as he begins to rewrap the slab of butter to take it and the cream back to the cold box.
She does as Bombur instructs, and soon finds herself stirring the mix with the wooden spoon. As she stirs, the mixture becomes thicker and harder to stir with the wooden spoon.
"Are you sure that we are doing this right?" Rìka asks from her spot just as a small snap echoes in the kitchens. Looking down, she realizes that her batter has broken her spoon
"Are you?" Bombur asks the lass before letting out a belly laugh as she grumbles about not knowing what she is doing. "Broke the spoon have you?" He laughs even harder at the dirty look that Rìka is giving him.
A soldier enters the kitchens in a hurry, which causes the rest of the kitchen staff to pause in their preparations for the lunchtime crowds.
Bombur notices that the lad looks a bit lost, and moves towards the soldier.
"Anything I can help ya with?" Bombur asks as he approaches the soldier.
"The king has asked for the princess to come to the Healing Halls." The soldier says as he now notices Rìka standing near a counter. "It is your nadad."
Vân
Outside of Erebor, in the meadow fields, the youngest son of Thorin and Inara is laying in the tall grass. His long, slightly tan arms lay above his head, bent at the elbows, and crossed at the wrists. His wavy, shoulder length, dark brown hair blows gently thanks to the mid-summer breeze. Deep breaths flow in and out of the muscular, but narrow, chest that is covered by a cream colored tunic. His eyelids are shut over dark brown eyes, which long black eyelashes fan across high cheekbones next to the long nose that he inherited from Thorin. One might think that the lad has fallen asleep. Yet one of his long legs, which is sitting across the bent knee of the other, bounces rhythmically to an unknown beat.
Out of all of Thorin and Inara's children, Vân looks more like Inara's human side than Thorin's dwarf side. Already Vân is as tall as Thorin, but hasn't shown signs of stopping in his vertical growth. There has been talk in Erebor that perhaps Thorin is not Vân's father. However, Vân has shown that he has the strength and muscles of his dwarven heritage; along with Thorins' sense of duty.
Vân's mind is pulled out of his meditation at the sound of soft footfalls coming towards him from the left. Just as he opens his eyes and turns his head towards the person, Vân notices that the person is his amad.
"Communing with nature again?" Inara asks as she comes to sit down, Indian style, next to her son. She is wearing brown pants that are wide and flowing so that it gives the appearance that she is wearing a dress if she was to stand with her legs close together. Her shirt is a deep green color that is of a corset looking design. Her brown hair is alight with hints of red from the sun, making it look like her blowing hair has flames dancing in the wind. The only part of her waist length hair that isn't dancing in the breeze is the two thick braids that wrap around from the top of her head to just above her neck, which rests over top the rest of her hair.
"Just listening to the spirits of the land, amad." Vân replies. Ever since he was a child, Vân has always been curious to learn about his "Native" heritage from Inara. He spent countless hours as a dwarfling listening and soaking up as much information that Inara could give, about the Huron and Ottawa cultures and histories. "The spirits are on guard today. Something has them on edge."
Inara gives her son a thoughtful look before quieting her mind to listen to the spirits of Middle Earth. This ability to hear them is one that the dwarves and men of Middle Earth are ignorant of. Some have called it witchcraft or mysticism, yet Inara considers it more of a spiritual connection. Like that of her Huron and Ottawa ancestors had back in her own world.
"The darkness is growing in this world." Inara says softly to Vân. "Heavy waves of change are beginning to move out from the lands in the south."
Vân sits up from where he was lying, and takes hold of Inara's right hand. "Is there any way to stop it from spreading?"
"I don't know." Inara gives Vâns' hand a gently squeeze.
"I worry amad."
The look that Vân gives Inara sends shivers down her spine. "What is it?"
"Our gifts, amad. Why do people fear it?" Vân looks into his amad's face for comfort.
"I see." Inara takes a deep breath before answering her son's question. "For some people it all comes down to ignorance. They aren't comfortable with what they don't know and don't want to know. For others it may challenge them to think differently, and many people are scared to change their way of thinking. Even if it makes them uncomfortable while learning about something new. Then you have those who just want to stay the same because it is all they know and try to force their will onto others. What has brought this worry to your mind?"
"I overheard a few dwarves that came with the caravan from the Iron Hills say that you have possessed adad with some sort of magic to become queen. That you know dark magic and that is why you have lived so long while adad ages. I know that isn't true. Adad loves you for who you are as a person and that you have been touched and blessed by Mahal to age slowly like dwarves do. But to hear them speak so disrespectful of you makes my skin crawl." Vân looks away from his mother to the horizon.
Inara lets out a soft chuckle before wrapping her arm around Vân's shoulders to pull his body to her side. "Don't let a few ignorant words to affect you so. It just shows how ignorant they are about me."
"But their words dishonor you, which dishonors adad and our house. They should be punished for such slander towards you."
Again Inara chuckles at her son. He may favor her family in looks, but his sense of duty is all from Thorin. It is in times like this that Inara is proud that Thorin is the father of her children. Many times in the past she had doubted her relationship with Thorin would ever last or be as good as it has been. Yet seeing her children express traits that they have inherited, not only from her but from Thorin as well, makes her feel proud of how far Thorin and her have come in their lives.
"You cannot force people to change, Vân. Nor can you force your will upon them. Let your knowledge of me and your father wash away any worry you might feel." Inara says before pressing a kiss to her son's temple.
"But those stories can travel, amad. What would happen if the wrong person were to hear about you, and try to harm you?" Vân fearfully says to Inara as he rests his head against her shoulder. "Adad would be at a loss without you. All of us would be."
"Azaghalithuh." Inara says in a solemn voice. "The darkness already knows who I am and what I have become. Your father would have the whole mountain fight to keep me safe from it. But sometimes the darkness doesn't come in physical forms." Inara fiddles with her necklace that has powerful protection spells embedded in the tear drop shaped rose quartz gem that hangs from the silver chain. Both Gandalf and Radagast said that the gem and protections would help keep her from being seen by the darkness.
"Like what caused Théodor's death." Van says softly knowing full well that today would have been his dead nadad's 44th birthday.
"Yes." Inara replies just as the sound of rushing footsteps approach them from Erebor.
"Emulhekh!" A soldier says as he comes to a stop near the mother and son.
"What is it?" Inara asks as she and Vân rise up from where they were sitting.
"It's the prince. He has been injured."
Maiti
In the Healing Halls of Erebor, a few female members of the royal family have taken over one of the private rooms to help one of their own.
"Easy, Mudùmel." Dis says from her adopted nieces' side. She keeps her long red dress out of the way by holding some of it with her free hand. Ever since Thorin had told her over a year ago that Maiti had become blind from the illness, Dis has taken it upon herself to see to the lass's rehabilitation.
"You mustn't push yourself so hard." Tauriel says from Maiti's other side. Like her mother-in-law, Tauriel has also made it her mission to help Maiti learn to live with her blindness. The elleth is still wearing her dark blue sentinel outfit and black pants, having come from her rotation on the ramparts earlier that morning.
The young dam in the middle of this lets out a growl of frustration. "I need to be able to take care of myself." With the loss of her sight, Maiti has become more irritable and quick to anger than ever before. This has caused many to joke about her temper coming from her having red hair, which today has been pulled back in a single, thick fishtail braid.
"And you will in time, Mudùmel." Dis says in a comforting tone. "But you must be patient. Not only with learning but with yourself as well. It took your adad many years to remember where I lived when we lived in the Blue Mountains. It just takes time to learn, and everyone learns at their own pace."
"It is taking too long." Maiti says as she tosses away the highly decorated walking stick that Karys had made for her.
"You can't give up." Karys says as she goes to fetch the walking stick from the other side of the room. Not only was it a walking stick, but if necessary it can be used for protection as a staff as well. That was one of the reasons why Karys asked Dwalin and Thorin to help reinforcing it with dwarven steel at the ends and in the middle. The wood part of the stick has been engraved with Khuzdul runes of protection.
"This is pointless. I will always be a burden to my family." Maiti says in frustration as she wipes away a few stray tears that have escaped her now clouded hazel eyes.
"You are not a burden to your family." Dis growls out at the younger dam.
"No dwarrow in his right mind would ever want a damaged dam for a wife!" Maiti shouts as she stomps her foot onto the stone ground.
"And they would be bloody fools!" Dis yells back in frustration.
Tauriel smiles to herself at the display of the two stubborn dams before her. In all her years of living in Erebor, Tauriel has learned to accept the loud, boisterous, and sometimes obstinate behaviors of dwarves.
"Perhaps we should take a rest for a short time. Try again when everyone has calmed down." Tauriel says in an attempt to give a much need time out for the two frustrated dams.
"I agree. Maybe we can go see Adad and Fergys in the training grounds, Amad." Karys softly says to Dis as she helps guide Maiti's hands to the walking staff.
Dis lets out an angry huff of breath before looking over at Tauriel. "She is all yours then. See to it that she eats something."
"I will." Tauriel says as she watches Dis and Karys leave the room before looking down at Maiti. "You should not antagonize her. She will eventually catch on that you know, very well, how to use your staff."
Maiti lets out a chuckle and a grin appears on her face. "But it is so much fun causing her grief."
Tauriel lets out a light laugh at the audacity of the young dam. "I see you have learned a few tricks from Kili then."
"I have. He has been the one to teach me how to fight using my staff. Amad has been helping me learn on how to rely on my other senses as well." Maiti chuckles out. "Besides, I still wish to be a warrior."
"And you will someday. Come," Tauriel says as she takes Maiti's hand. "Let us find some food to eat before your temper gets too hot."
Both laugh at Tauriel's teasing and leave the private room to enter the main Healing Halls. However, Tauriel's laughter dies away as she sees Thorin and Dwalin bringing an unconscious Durin through the main doors. Right away she can see the arrow sticking out of the young dwarrows' side.
Maiti, noticing that Tauriel had stopped laughing and gone tense, tugs on the elleth's hand.
"What is it?"
"Thorin and Dwalin have brought Durin here. He has an arrow in his side." Tauriel says before pulling the young dam with her towards where Thorin and Dwalin are headed.
"How bad is he?" Maiti fearfully asks as she is pulled by Tauriel to who knows where.
"I don't know." Tauriel answers back to the dam. "What happened?"
Thorin glances towards where he heard Tauriels' voice. He takes note that Tauriel has Maiti with her as the two approach.
"He took an arrow during a mock battle." Thorin says as he and Dwalin continue towards one of the other private rooms in the Healing Halls. "We didn't remove the arrow as a precaution as to if any internal injuries have occurred."
The king and his general enter the private room carefully, and make their way towards the open bed. Tauriel and Maiti follow them into the room. However, as soon as Durin is placed on the bed, Tauriel lets go of Maiti's hand.
"I will tend to him." Tauriel says as she rushes to Durin's aid.
"Are ya sure lass?" Dwalin growls out as he backs away to allow Tauriel to get close to Durin's injury.
"I have treated many who had been shot with an arrow. Kili included." Tauriel says as she begins to tear Durin's tunic away from the wound.
"Adad?" Maiti asks from where she is still standing near the door. She hears footsteps coming towards her and feels a hand take hold of her hand that Tauriel once held.
"He will survive, Mudùmel. Durin is strong." Thorin says as he cups Maiti's face, not realizing that his hand has Durins' blood on it till he swipes his thumb on her cheek. "Let me help you get cleaned up."
"I don't need to bathe yet, adad." Maiti replies softly.
"Not a bath. Just your cheek." Thorin says as he tugs gently on Maiti's to lead her to a chair. He leaves her to sit in the chair as he moves to get a cloth and a small bowl of water.
During this time, Inara and the rest of her children, except for Frerin, arrive to the private room in the Healing Halls. Inara is the first to notice the blood on Maiti's face, and rushes over to check on her blind child. The other two children, Rìka and Vân, are called by Tauriel to help with Durin.
Thorin makes his way over to where Maiti and Inara are at. "I have water and a cloth to help clean the blood off your cheek, Mudùmel."
"You put it there, adad, so you can clean it off." Maiti says as Inara takes hold of Maiti's hand and sits in a chair next to her daughters.
As Thorin cleans the blood away, Maiti can feel the cold, wet cloth leaving goosebumps on her skin. Yet she doesn't complain about the temperature of the water or of the few drips that have slid through her peach fuzz at her jawline.
"Amad?" Maiti asks as she squeezes Inara's hand.
"Yes?"
"Will my nadad be alright?"
"He will be. Tauriel is taking good care of him." Inara answers as Thorin pats Maiti's cheek gently with a dry towel.
"There. The blood is gone." Thorin says softly to Maiti as he moves to pull another chair over to sit next to Maiti.
Maiti turns her face towards Thorin's voice. "I wish to seek retribution on whoever harmed my nadad. That person will face me in battle, adad."
Thorin chuckles softly before pulling Maiti into his chest for a hug. "You will have to wait your turn then because I have the first right to retribution." He gives Inara a smile over Maiti's head and can tell that Inara is already planning for the utter destruction of whoever shot Durin.
The embrace comes short as soldier enters the room without knocking.
"Emulhekh. I need you to speak with you." The soldier says quickly to Thorin.
"What is it?" Inara says as she gets up from her own chair beside of Maiti's.
"It is the young prince, Frerin." Is all the soldier would say before exiting the room.
"What is going on now?" Thorin grumbles out as Maiti moves out of her father's embrace. "We will be right back."
"Alright." Maiti says softly before hearing the footsteps of her adad and amad leave her.
She sits there, listening to the sounds coming from the other side of the room for a time till Thorin's bellow is heard from the Healing Halls.
"Where is he? FRERIN!"
Maiti lets out a chuckle knowing that her oldest nadad was in big trouble if adad was yelling for all of Erebor to hear.
I enjoyed writing this chapter for you all. It is to help set up where exactly the children will be when the events of LOTR happen. I am not sure how I managed to, but I had to correct the ages, again, of the children. Not sure how I get the ages so messed up, but I am human and I make mistakes.
In the next chapter we will see Fili and Sigrid's children coping with not having their parents around. No Fili isn't dead. He is still trying to find his way in a world without Sigrid. Don't worry, at the end of next chapter, we will all find out where Fili has been for so long. (Look for this chapter to be posted by this weekend.)
Cookies to those who can figure out why Thorin is angry with Frerin. That boy just can't seem to keep himself out of trouble.
Reviews are welcomed, cherished, and loved. Even the negative ones.
Selene