All rights belong to PJ and JRRT.

Huge thanks to Nikolai and Calenithlon for the actual translations from English to Khuzdul or Sindarin. My Khuzdul would not be as good without them!

Epilogue

Dís arrived with the last caravan of dwarves from the Blue Mountains. They arrived at Erebor mid-summer, nearly twenty-one months after the Battle of the Five Armies. She had planned on arriving in her homeland nearly a full year before, yet she was delayed leaving the former halls in the Blue Mountains and had to winter in the Shire (courtesy of Drogo Baggins and his wife, Primula, in Bag End).

It was late afternoon by the time she had arrived through the gates, and the supplies and personal items had been organised and sent to their respective (new) homes. She smiled as she took in the splendour of the mountain she had been born in.

"My Lady Dís," a strange dwarrowdam called out, and Dís turned at the sound of her name. Approaching the princess was a dam Dís guessed would be no older than 150 years. "I have heard so much about you. Come, King Thorin is expecting you."

The princess frowned at the familiar way the other woman seemed around her, though neither woman had met the other. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forget that people recently arriving from other parts may not have heard of me. Most in these halls call me Gem."

"Gem?"

Gem snorted. "That was Glóin. Then Prince Kíli carried it on and eventually it stuck. Now nearly everyone calls me that."

"You know my son?"

"Yes, ma'am. Both of them." Gem gave the princess a half smile that reminded the older dam of her lost brother, Frérin. Dís shook her head and was quiet for the rest of their journey toward the family dining and living area of the Royal Wing. Dís could hear a lot of rowdy noise and song going on from the other side of the door and saw her companion shake her head good-naturedly. Without even knocking, Gem opened the door and entered the room as though she belonged there.

Dís entered slowly and to the princess, it was truly like coming home. The eight that were in the room did not notice Dís and Gem's entrance. Fíli and Kíli were having a mock battle with Ori; Bofur, Bombur and Bifur were organising dinner and Glóin and Dori were in a heated discussion about finances.

Gem, beside the princess, let out a sharp whistle, calling the attention of everyone in the room to her. "We've got one extra for dinner," she said. "Hope there's enough, Bombur." And it was only then that the dwarves realised who was with their burglar.

"Amad!" Fíli and Kíli exclaimed. The pair of them rushed over to their mother's side.

While the princess was distracted with her sons, Donnabelle (for Gem was, in fact, the hobbit) caught the eye of Glóin and mouthed 'Office?' Glóin nodded briefly and the hobbit disguised as a dwarrowdam left as quietly as she'd come in.

It took Dís a few reassurances and a few double checks of her sons before she noticed she was the only female in the room. She allowed the distraction of her sons catching her up on everything that had passed since they were together in the Blue Mountains three years before. After she'd told them of her tales she could not help herself and asked, "So, could someone explain to me plainly: who is Gem and why is she so familiar with all of you and this area of the mountain? She is not royalty."

"Mother," Fíli responded seriously. "Until we know she trusts you, we cannot say."

"Fíli," Dís warned, just as she had many times in the past. Her tone was one she always used when she wanted her sons to confess something they had done something or were keeping something from her. She thought that if it had worked in the past, it would work now.

"No, Amad. We will not tell you," Fíli returned just as firmly as before.

Dís narrowed her eyes. "Who are you protecting?"

"Namadith," Thorin said from the door. "They have every right to hold to the promise they made to Gem. It is not their place to tell you who she is." The King under the Mountain sent his sister a 'drop it or I will hurt you' look. Dís nodded, yet both siblings knew it would not be the end of their discussion. Not by a long shot. Thorin nodded once and his lips twitched upward slightly. Dís mirrored his expression. And then he took too large strides toward her as she moved toward him. He had his arms around her waist and she threw her arms around his neck. They squeezed each other tightly before he released her.

"Nadad," she whispered as they parted. Running her eyes over him, she gave him a smile. Then her eyes landed on the extra braid he had adorning his left temple. Dís reached up to indicated the braid and beads she had not seen before (yet she knew exactly what they indicated). "What's this?"

Thorin had a tender smile on his face when he picked up on which braid his sister was talking about. "I found someone, Dís."

The princess raised an eyebrow. "And married him, I gather."

"We married on the road. Unofficially, of course."

"The official ceremony won't be until we know it's safe for her," Dwalin added. He'd entered the room when Thorin had. "Hello, Princess."

Dís looked at her brother's best friend and guard. "Safe?"

"Yes," a new voice joined the conversation. "Safe for both me and any children Thorin and I may have in the future." Dís turned to the door where Balin and Donnabelle had just entered. The princess gave Balin a respectful nod and then took in the small hobbit lass that also had a corresponding braid in her hair that reflected Thorin's. Plus some other beads that Dís recognised that placed the hobbit under the protection of the house of Durin. And the small (barefooted with beards on her feet) woman was exactly as her sons had described her.

"So you must be Donnabelle, the hobbit my sons have written so much to me about. But I thought you died."

Donnabelle shook her head slightly. "No. I was wounded badly during the Battle. I don't remember much about how I got from the field to the tents of healing. I just remember being in a lot of pain and losing a lot of blood. Those that looked after me and nursed me back to health during those first two weeks did not know who I was and these loveable idiots didn't recognise me when they came searching. All they saw was a small, wounded girl-child. By the time I was coherent enough to realise what had happened, these dwarves were already morning my 'death'."

"We thought it was safer for Belle to remain hidden once we realised she was still alive until there wasn't the same level of danger levelled at her," Thorin added quietly as he moved to Donnabelle's side. He wrapped one of his strong arms around her waist.

Dís looked at her brother's movements and hid a smile. She knew her brother well and knew he rarely offered physical comfort to anyone. And for him to openly show his affection and claim in such a way meant that he'd found a keeper. But she did not let her humour at the situation distract her from her confusion. "But why?"

"Dáin called me a Shire-rat when he discovered I was married to Thorin and pregnant with his child before the battle. If the Lord of the Iron Hills did not accept me as the King under the Mountain's wife, then it was more than likely others would feel the same." Donnabelle's voice was hollow as she answered the question. Dís closed her eyes at the pain that laced the younger woman's voice – she, too, had lost a child before she had Fíli.

"I'm sorry," Dís said.

"There will be others," Thorin responded, unable to look at his sister. His voice, too, had the same pain and hollowness to it that Donnabelle's had, yet his voice was rawer than his wife's was. Dís felt her eyes tear up a bit; by the fear in Thorin's voice, the couple had been trying to get pregnant and he feared that perhaps they never would. The princess knew herself that getting pregnant took time, yet she also thought that something could have happened in the battle itself that prevented Donnabelle from conceiving now.

Balin caught Donnabelle's eye and gave her an encouraging smile. He mouthed 'Tell him.'

The hobbit nodded, bit her lower lip and ran her hand over Thorin's hand on her waist. She shyly looked away from everyone. "We should probably eat the food before it gets cold," she suggested. The company nodded and made their way to the table. But the hobbit stopped Thorin from joining the others at the table. He frowned and looked down at her.

Dís sent a questioning glance in her brother's and sister-in-law's direction before Balin gave the princess a smile.

"This time, I think she's got the right idea."

"For what?"

"Last time she told us, we were a little enamoured with the gold and we were trying to find the Arkenstone," the advisor responded. "We left her to deal with everything on her own for two weeks before she yelled at us about the gem Thorin gave her."

Dís smirked. "Bet he loved that."

"He didn't," Balin chuckled. "But it did knock some sense back into us all."

"Wait… 'Gem'?" asked Dís. If the princess remembered correctly, Donnabelle wore the same beads as the dwarrowdam that brought her to the royal wing and had very similar hair colouring... and ear shape, if she recalled. But that didn't make sense, did it? "Is she Gem?" When silence met the princess' question, Dís knew her guess was right and asked, "How is that possible?"

"A family gift," Donnabelle answered. "Perhaps one day I will explain." She smiled over the gathered company. "There is one title that kurdula will be adding to his growing list in a few months. Dashat, uzbad-dashat, nadad, iraknadad, bâha, idad, uzbad, umral…" she trailed just as Fíli and Kíli shoved their hands over their ears at the last title the hobbit mentioned. The rest of the company started laughing at the two princes and their reaction to not wanting a mental picture of their uncle being anyone's lover, even if that someone was their aunt. Donnabelle giggled and shifted closer to Thorin. Laying her head on his shoulder, she placed her hand over his heart as her free arm slid around his waist.

Thorin smiled as he slid his arms around her and laid his cheek on top of her head. Dís thought the pair of them looked wonderful together. Never before had she seen her brother so content. Whatever Donnabelle had told him before had lifted his spirits. She frowned slightly before she felt her eyes widen. Glancing down to where Thorin had his hands over Donnabelle's stomach, she tried piecing things together. "No," the princess breathed with a smile on her face.

The dwarven king's smile widened at his little sister. She had guessed. He waited until Fíli and Kíli had withdrawn their hands from their ears before he added his soon to be new title, "Adad."

The End

AN: well, that's it for this tale.

Khuzdul used in this chapter:

"Amad" is mother

"Namadith" is "little sister"

"Namad" is "brother"

"Kurdula" is "my heart of all hearts"

The titles of Thorin in order as Donnabelle lists them: "Son, prince (translates as king's son), brother, cousin (who is male), friend, uncle, king, lover…"

And Thorin's last word of 'Adad' means 'father'.

There are three one shots that go with this:

'When Donnabelle Met Frerin', 'Eleven Yellow Roses' and 'The Journey Home'; as well as a collection of short stories, they can be found under the title 'Snippets of a Domesticated King'.