Purple Asters: Flowers have many meanings, these mean romantic admiration of beauty and grace. Alternatively, they are a symbol of royalty and mystery.

P.S. I'm SO sorry, it was an accident. But I very little impulse control for this story. I hope you enjoy it anyway XD

Chapter 12 - Asters

Kíli almost cried when his mother put another stack of papers on his desk.

Fíli was in the forges with Dwalin.

Dwalin was no expert smith but he knew enough and Fíli was skilled enough to work without supervision.

Fíli wasn't unskilled with documentation, but his Khuzdul wasn't good enough to keep up. They all found he was better during council meetings, where everyone spoke and Fíli was enough of an outsider that his voice was important for the different views he had.

Which was nice but the paperwork…

Amad tugged on one of his braids, "Not as much fun as travelling with your uncles?"

Kíli fought off a pout, "How is this even useful? How does this help anyone?"

Dís sat down beside him, "In a normal system, most of this wouldn't be done by us. But Ered Luin is struggling, there simply aren't enough funds to staff scholars and lawmakers. If you notice, our council is extremely old."

Kíli scoffed, "Extremely? That's generous, they're ancient. Half of them are deaf and the other half are blind."

His mother smiled, "They no longer have tradable skills, my love."

"Oh," Kíli said. "Wait– is that why they're upset Ori is Balin's apprentice?"

She nodded, "It wouldn't have been a problem, we're royals, Ori is by all rights, Thorin's brother-in-law. But the Ri family comes from humble roots."

"Was grandfather okay with your marriage to Adad?" Kíli asked.

Amad took his hand, "Your grandfather was very sick, I don't know if he ever remembered my existence. Had we remained in Erebor? My mother would have approved it and that's all that would have mattered as I am her daughter before I am Thrain's."

"Uncle Thorin still loves him."

"Thorin hopes he's still alive."

"I don't think he is," Kíli whispered. "He ran away from Moria."

Amad lowered her forehead to his, "Thorin is king and you are our crowned prince."

Kíli sighed, "Which means we do the paperwork."

She smiled, "Which means we write the laws and ensure our resources are taking care of the most amount of people. We are what stands between our people failing and others exploiting us."

Kíli closed his eyes, "I want better for our people."

His mother pulled him into a hug, "We all do."

oOo

Sonna woke late, and warm.

If that wasn't enough to remind her where she was, then the clean smell of the sheets and the lit lamp did well enough.

The line of Durin had stepped in to help her.

A large part of her regretted not running away sooner.

She had never had 'new' clothes before, and they were so very warm.

Emerging from the bedroom, clean hair neatly braided, and wearing a dress, she felt like a completely new dwarf.

One who would not and could not bow her head in shame for her birth.

Still, she was grateful to the Ri's.

Nori was absent but Dori and Ori greeted her kindly and served his breakfast.

It was a day of rest, that ended with meeting with the Queen Regent who asked for her account of her family relations.

Sonna did not regret that her father was executed in the following week.

And when she was allowed an apprenticeship with the king's cousin's Healer Oin, Sonna regretted nothing.

She regretted nothing until she met the youngest Durin prince.

oOo

Fíli was one of many smiths in the Blue Mountains and he was proud that in the inspection of his work, his uncle excluded, he had passed inspection.

To work in the guilds, not mine coal and the iron ore, your work had to pass a threshold of anonymous jury.

Fíli's work had come in first place much to the astonishment of the old lords who assumed he would know nothing of dwarfism craft.

Thankfully, no one had called his work elvish, though a few of them had muttered that his work was too delicate.

Fíli was equally pleased that the guild had chosen him to do forge crude tools in great quantity.

He wanted to prove to the other dwarrow that he was neither too proud to work, nor too privileged to work long hours.

Dwalin cleared his throat, "You are done for the night, my prince."

Fíli finished the last pitchfork with a scowl, "Please don't call me that."

"We need to stop by the healer's ward, one of my soldiers twisted his ankle on a loose stone. I would like to check on him."

Dwalin was in charge of the Blue Mountain's army, and he was good at his job.

Fíli nodded, now that he had stopped working, exhaustion soaked into his bones.

He followed behind Dwalin wordlessly, more than ready for sleep.

He hadn't realism they had made it to the healer's halls when he saw her.

Her hair was rich ebony, her hands elegant as she wrapped someone's leg in clean bandages.

She never looked up, but Fíli could not pull his gaze from her until Dwalin led him back home.

No questioned it when Fíli went straight to bed, and Dwalin didn't question it when on his check of the walls the next morning, Fíli stooped to pick up wild flowers.

Dwalin did him a questioning look when Fíli asked to make a detour to the healer's halls.

Fíli forgot that dwarrowdams were not comparable to wild hobbit lasses who always accepted flowers and expected a larger quantity flowers and ribbons if they wanted your company.

Dwarrowdams seemed to have higher standards.

oOo

Sonna swore her heart stopped when she looked up from the book Healer Oin had given her.

All dwarrow knew how to read their own language, that didn't make her very good at it for lack of practice.

But when she saw the golden haired prince, she lost any bit of frustration with her studies.

She barely heard the introductions as Healer Oin introduced her and Lord Dwalin introduced Prince Fíli.

She knew two things then, that he was her One and that she would never be suited to him.

Being a ward of the Durin line was one thing, but becoming a Durin was quite another.

When he held out flowers to her, they were a starburst of purple around a bright center of orange gold.

"Asters," Prince Fíli said, as if that were an explanation.

She didn't reach for them.

She didn't dare.

He cleared his throat, "My dah—my adoptive father– taught me to always welcome new family. They also have healing properties."

He was lying.

Probably not about the healing properties, but defiantly their meaning.

They meant more than that to him. She had heard of men from poor families wooing girls with flowers.

But they were dwarrow, and Sonna could turn him down without insulting the royal-line who wouldn't consider anything less than the finest jewels or weapons as a courting gift.

She forced herself to laugh, "Oh, for a moment there I thought it was a courting gift. I would have been disappointed to get weeds from a dwarf whose beard hasn't even grown in yet."

She saw his expression drop, the pain in his ice blue eyes. His gaze fell and she watched, helpless, as he physically recoiled from her.

He was a prince, she was a nobody, it could never be between them.

oOo

Blessedly, neither Dwalin nor Oin brought up his humiliation.

Fíli felt like a fool of the highest order.

He felt rotten.

But he didn't dare show that feeling to his family. This was something they could fix.

Sure, for the first time in his life he had a crush on a lass.

But she had made it quite clear that she would have welcomed his advances as much as Dah wanted Lobelia over for tea.

Fíli knew he shouldn't feel hurt, it was just a crush after all.

Still, he found it impossibly hard to settle that night.

Eventually, he got up and lit a lamp so he could write a letter.

Dear Dah,

I miss you.

I don't want to return to the elves or Rohan. I love it here with my Amad, uncles, and brother. Having my brother back is like having myself back. But I do miss you.

I know I owe you more but it's late and I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve if think to hard about this.

I did something stupid. I gave a lass flowers, which is apparently undwarfish enough to be insulting. She made it clear my advances were unwanted. I feel stupidly upset, after all, I know nothing about her.

But I also realised that I've been foolish about not reaching out to you. I'm– I am still mad, but mostly at Glorfindel. I don't want my family to learn the truth about all that happened because they hate the elves.

Dah, the elves let the dwarrow starve. They gave them nothing, no aid, no shelter, no spare fabrics, or medicines that we both know they have.

They betrayed the dwarrow of Erebor and abandoned the men of Dale, they let Smaug keep the mountain.

Glorfindel is not alone in his deception.

But I know that you've always done the best you could by me.

I love you.

Your Son,

Fíli

He wrote a less intimate letter to Estel and wrapping the two together. The next morning, he instructed the raven to go to the rangers, knowing that Estel would get it to where it needed to be.

oOo

Thorin dreaded the Ranger's arrival, knowing the last days of autumn were passing and all too soon, he would returning home.

He missed his family, but he felt as if his heart was being split in two.

No matter where he was, he would be incomplete.

Estel made himself comfortable, welcoming the swarm of faunts who babbled animatedly to him in swelling rise of voices and laughter.

Thorin, however, did not miss the message the Ranger slipped Bilbo, nor the wide eyed expression of hope that crossed his One's face.

Making his excuses, Bilbo retreated to his room, letting Esmeralda take over his kitchen.

It was unlike his hobbit to retire early, especially when they had guests.

But no one else batted an eye.

When he missed supper and then dinner, Thorin was beyond concerned.

However, Saradoc merely waved his concerns aside, taking a tray to Bilbo's room.

Estel smiled at him, "Don't worry, it's good news."

"From who?" Thorin asked.

Or demanded.

For a moment, Thorin swore the Ranger's eyes twinkled like that of the wizard.

"Someone very dear to him."

Thorin felt his heart plummet.

Suddenly, leaving was no longer such a hardship.

oOo

Bilbo's current room was among the smaller rooms, though he kept one of the rooms with a window.

Paladin and his wife had the biggest.

It only seemed fair to Bilbo as he still hadn't let anyone move into Fíli's room despite needing the space.

Bilbo had compromised by putting his library in the room.

Back in his own room, he sat curled up on the bed rereading the letter over and over again.

It was in Sindarin and Bilbo was doing his best not to smear the ink with his tears.

There was a knock on his door that he did not answer.

Saradoc took it as an invitation anyway.

Bilbo hugged his knees.

Sara got up on the bed, putting an arm around his shoulders.

Bilbo didn't realise he was crying until Sara offered him a handkerchief.

He exchanged it, giving Sara the letter.

Sara huffed, "You know I can't read this, right?"

Bilbo laughed, "He says… He says he's happy but that his family doesn't like elves."

"He wrote in elvish," Sara said dryly.

"He was upset."

"Why?"

"He gave a lass flowers. She didn't like them."

Sara snorted, "Of course, she's a human. Although, I don't think your dwarf would mind if you gave him flowers."

"The faunts beat me to it, I think."

"But it's never the flowers, it's who they're from."

Bilbo sighed, "When did you grow up?"

"When I had a faunt of my own. Speaking of which, you know you're not too old to plant a garden of your own."

"I think we have plenty faunts in this household."

"As well as your Heartsong,"

"He's going home, and I will not uproot Frodo, not again."

Sara sighed, "Why is your life so complicated?"

Bilbo smiled, kissing Sara temple, "I'm just happy that Bag End is no longer quiet."

Sara laughed, "Pippin Took lives here now, you'll never know quiet again."

As if on cue, a knock came at the door, and three heads peaked into the room.

"Uncle Bilbo?" Frodo asked, two faunts under his arms.

Merry went ahead of Frodo, "Mama said to find you."

"Pippin woke up from a nightmare of dumping a stolen wheelbarrow of mushrooms over a cliff," Frodo explained.

"The travesty," Bilbo said, pulling back the covers. "Come, let's let your poor mothers sleep."

The three faunts needed no more encouragement to snuggle down into the bed between Sara and Bilbo.

Bilbo was able to carefully fold Fíli's letter into his book on the bedside table.

He curled around Frodo who wasn't so little anymore. But between families, hobbits remained rather cuddly.

oOo

Dwalin gave him a strange look when instead of a raven, a magpie landed on Fíli's shoulder, with a message tied to its leg and cawing for treats.

Magpies were just as smart as smart as crows, and maybe they weren't as clever as ravens, the could speak.

And the spoke the Green Speech best out of the three.

Fíli was expecting Bilbo's letter.

It broke his heart when he learned of Uncle Drogo and Aunt Primila's passing as they were the only ones Bilbo had truly been close to back home.

He was worried by the news of the darkness growing in the Misty Mountains, horrified that so many hobbit families had left their smials to move away from Bree.

But that wasn't wholly unexpected as rumours of the growing darkness were prevalent everywhere.

No, what surprised him was the letter from Saradoc Brandybuck.

At one point they had been best friends.

Dear Fíli,

You have been well missed, my friend. Your father was devastated by your leaving, but your letter has helped chase some of the grief from his eyes.

Why won't you come home, at least to visit? Uncle Bilbo never explained why you left. I know why you both left the Shire all those years ago, but things are different now.

For one, I have a son now. His name is Merry and his best friend is Pippin Took. They are the bane of the Shire and I love him more than anything. My wife, Esmeralda would be offended, but she feels the same.

Where have you go Fíli? Are you happy? Come home, at least to visit.

You're Old Friend,

Saradoc Brandybuck

Fíli didn't realise until then how much he missed Sara.

But he remembered the heated conversation he had overheard, it had been the last time they visited the Shire together.

"Yes, but he's a Took, and that stands against him," Uncle Drogo argued.

"This is an outrage! He's a Took? The only reason he is in line for Thain is because he is a Took," that was Paladin's voice.

Sara clapped a hand over Fíli's mouth to keep him from speaking, pulling him behind the raspberry bush near the open window.

"But your son…" Uncle Drogo began, he tone implying he did not agree with the gossip. "You've been labelled a disturber of the peace. Bag End is cursed and no one would trust their life to Bilbo Baggins."

"Because I have a son!?" Dah sputtered.

"Because you are unwed and because you left. You went east of Bree," Aunt Primila stated.

"As my mother did!" Dah had shouted.

"But she came back!" Uncle Drogo interjected. "Bag End stands empty–"

"I never wanted it anyway."

"Lie, that is a lie," Uncle Drogo said.

"Then you take it," Dah had responded.

"It's too big for us," Aunt Primila said. "And I'm not moving from Buckland, not now, not ever."

"My son and I are returning east," Dah stated.

"Why?" Paladin Took asked. "You've never been one to admit defeat."

"It's not for me, if the choice is between my son and Bag End, I'll choose him every time."

Sara had hugged Fíli tightly, knowing that this would be goodbye.

Fíli shook himself from the memories and wrote two letters returning letters that night. One to Bilbo and one to his old friend who had grown up.

A friend who had started a family of his own, while Fíli was still trying to figure out who he was.

oOo

AN: Thoughts, requests, sea lions, or feedback, pretty please?