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Sorry this is being posted so late in the day - I could have sworn I hit SEND UP when I checked to see if there were any guest reviews I needed to add on to this before I did. I just got home and saw it still sitting here...waiting. Shame on me!

Well, here it is, THE END...thanks for joining me on this fun ride.

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Chapter 21

Epilogue

(Six years later)

~X~

Fili sat in his study early one morning, looking over reports, most of which had been brought in late the previous night by the owls they had begun to utilize soon after he and Réann had wed. It had taken several years to instigate the program, having to import a number of mated pairs to Erebor and then wait for new hatchlings to be born. They were each assigned a specific pair of dwarves to be their keepers, holding them and feeding them right out of the nest, just as Réann had done with Jareth.

Once they were old enough and ready to carry messages, one of the dwarves would journey to another kingdom, taking the fledgling along with them, in hopes of the bird learning the route they would then be expected to fly. The plan had worked so well, that within the next few years, there were ravens flying by day, and owls flying by night, keeping all seven of the dwarf kingdoms, and a few other places, in constant communication with Erebor.

Thorin had been very pleased with the program and gave credit to Fili and Réann for implementing a truly advantageous plan. Réann kept Jareth on personal retainer for sending her messages alone, making sure to write to her father and brothers every chance she got. However, her letters were not necessary to keep in touch with her middle brother, for Gimrin chose to remain in Erebor, for Amara refused to abandon her lifelong mistress. Thus, after a long overdue courtship, the two had been married – much to Réann and Fili's relief, for they had been the ones who were assigned to play chaperone for Amara and Gimrin. And that turned out to be a full-time job!

Here Fili gave a chuckle, thinking back on the other two weddings that had taken place over the past several years. Oh, there had been many more to be sure, but the two he was thinking of was Nori and Jorhild…as well as Bofur and Estur. Their resident spy had become quite besotted with the Iron Hills lass, and she in turn with him, the two the talk of the mountain as he proudly sported her around on his arm every chance he got.

At first there was a bit of talk concerning his multiple midnight visits to the Lady's Chambers, delivering petitions of love to Réann's maid – something that Gimrin demanded be explained in great detail. But once everything was sorted out, and Jorhild no longer worried that Nori was pursuing her on the rebound, their courtship went rather smoothly. Even several years after their wedding, the amount of goods that continued to be delivered to their chambers never seemed to lessen. But really, it wasn't as if Nori was strapped for money, and apparently he loved spoiling his One every chance he got. Still, Fili often wondered how much of the jewelry that Jorhild wore was bought and paid for…or acquired by other means. It was truly anyone's guess.

Bofur had hemmed and hawed for nearly a year over his feeling for Estur, apparently trying to decide if they were indeed far enough apart by blood before making his intentions known to her and her family. Estur's parents, as well as the rest of her kin, welcomed Bofur with open arms, saying they saw no issue at all, thus blessing their marriage wholeheartedly.

After they were married, Estur moved to Erebor and quickly took up a position in the kitchens with her brother-in-law, the two of them making the mountain famous for their banquets and daily meals. Yet it was Bofur who seemed to benefit the most, not only gaining a very attentive wife, but quite a few pounds as well. Needless to say, he was one very happy dwarf.

They'd also gotten word from Dola recently, the lass finally achieving her master status in her craft, and her services now being in high demand. Fili was pleased that she was happy, never having wished anything but good for her and her family.

Over the past few years, he'd attempted to set his little brother up with a few dams as well, yet none of them seemed to spark his interest. It wasn't until Thorin had asked his youngest heir to take on the dreaded task of being the liaison between Erebor and Mirkwood that Fili saw a twinkle in his brother's eye that made him sit up and take notice. It didn't take long to bully the truth out of him, with Kili revealing that he'd taken a shine to one of the elf maids under Thranduil's rule.

Needless to say, this had shocked everyone…but none more so than Thorin. There had been countless arguments and threats of disinheriting the prince if he didn't reconsider his choice, yet Kili refused to budge. In the end, when nothing seemed to work, Thorin at last threw up his hands in defeat and invited the red-haired elf captain to come to the mountain so he could find out what had his nephew in such a dither.

That had been over a year ago, and the lady Tauriel was now a regular fixture in the halls of the dwarves, so much so that no one hardly took note of her anymore. Fili knew it was only a matter of time before another royal wedding would be held – though he wasn't sure if it would be in Erebor or Mirkwood. Only time would tell.

"Fili?" came a voice he knew well, speaking from the doorway of his study. "Are you almost finished?"

"Yes, my love," he assured his beautiful Réann. "Come in for a moment and sit while I finish reading this one final report."

"Sitting sounds good," Réann nodded, entering and waddling over towards his desk. Fili rose quickly and gently assisted his wife in lowering herself into the chair. She placed a hand over her swollen stomach, giving a sigh of relief as Fili retook his own seat. "I swear, your son is practicing his battle skills today…on my insides!"

"You're sure it's a lad, are you?" Fili asked, his eyes bright with anticipation.

"Today I am," she nodded, flinching as the babe inside her gave yet another solid kick.

"And tomorrow you will once more claim it's a lass," he chuckled, quite used to his wife's back and forth assertions as to what they were having.

"Of course I will," she told him, sticking her tongue out at him in a childish gesture. "I'm the mother, it's my prerogative to change my mind on a daily basis."

"And I respect your ability to do so," Fili smiled, returning to his letter once more. It was soon finished, and filed in the appropriate pile, waiting for his assistant to see that each and every one was delivered to the proper hands. "So, shall we head off to breakfast?"

"Food sounds even better than sitting…although, I wouldn't mind a nice comfy chair as well while I eat," Réann told him, though appeared a bit reluctant to rise to her feet.

"And where might our other little ones be? It's not like them to skip a meal," he pointed out.

"Gimrin took Finly and Breá down to the stables this morning so I could sleep in a bit longer," Réann informed him. "He said he would bring them here when they were finished."

"That was nice of him," Fili smiled, having grown very close to Réann's family, but especially to Gimrin. He and Kili had become tight as thieves, and often got into just as much trouble. But the young Grey Mountain dwarrow had settled down a bit lately, having recently been informed that he too would be a father within the year. Amara was not quite as large as his own wife, but it was now quite evident that she was with child. And just as if they had heard them talking about them, the door burst open and in ran Fili's son and daughter, followed by a rather grumpy looking Gimrin.

"There! You can have them back, Sister," he huffed, waving his hand at the two dwarflings. "Why both you and Amara think I need practice at being a father is beyond me."

"Well, I would say that tone in your voice answers your question quite nicely," Réann chuckled, watching as her daughter raced across the room and crawled into her father's lap. The four year old lass was the spitting image of her mother, with bouncy blonde curls and wide blue eyes that could melt your heart. However, at the moment, those eyes were filled with tears and she quickly buried her face in her father's chest, gripping his tunic tightly.

"What's the matter my little jewel?" Fili asked, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Why not ask your son?" Gimrin suggested, gesturing to the lad who was standing just a few feet from his mother, arms crossed and looking at his younger sister with a scowl.

"Fin?" Fili prompted; eyeing his son sternly. "Why is your sister so upset? Speak!" Fili knew he sounded just like Thorin when he talked that way, but he just couldn't help himself."

"She started it!" came his childish defense - and as he had only seen five summers, he was very much still a child.

"And now I'm finishing it," his father informed him in no uncertain terms. He then leaned down and pulled Breá away just enough so he could see her face. "Can you tell me why you're crying?"

"Fin pulled my hair! Hard!" she wailed, her tears starting anew.

"Is that true, Fin?" Réann asked, shocked by her son's uncharacteristic bad manners. "Why would you do that?"

"She called me a troll!" Finly pouted, looking quite upset by the unfounded claim. "She said I was a stinky old troll that smelled like the pony stalls."

"Breá! Did you say that?" Fili asked, once more looking down at his daughter.

"And that's what I had to listen to most of the morning," Gimrin informed them. "I just hope that when Amara and I have our own, I'll be ready for all this fuss and fighting. I don't recall you and I getting into it as children like these two do."

"That's because you were too busy roughhousing with Duffin to even think about giving me grief," Réann reminded him. "And by the time Taurin came along, you were mature enough to know better." Here she turned and looked at her two younglings. "Which, it would seem, you both are not."

"Well, I'm off duty," Gimrin said with a happy grin. "I'm going to go find Amara and get some breakfast. I think I've earned it." And with a wave he headed out the door, leaving the parents to settle this little squabble.

"Would you care to tell me why you said such naughty things about your brother?" Fili questioned his lass.

"He wouldn't let me help feed the ponies their apples," Breá said in her most pathetic little voice, hoping to garnish some sympathy.

"She kept squealing every time their lips touched her hand and was scaring them," Finly protested, reaching up and brushing a lock of his golden hair from out of his eyes.

"Is that true?" Réann asked her daughter.

"Well…it tickled!" Breá explained.

"And you thought calling your brother a name would fix that?" Fili asked.

"Ummm…no?" was her halfhearted answer.

"And you thought pulling your sister's hair was the proper response for a son of Durin, and future king?" Fili challenged his son.

"No," was his more definitive answer, though he said it with his eyes lowered to the floor.

"A true warrior and honorable dwarf would never resort to such childish methods when words could easily solve the issue," the crown prince informed his lad. "And no son of Durin would ever harm a lass. Understand?"

"Yes, Adad," Finly agreed, knowing he was in the wrong.

"Yet, neither will I stand for any daughter of mine using name calling just because she can't get her own way, is that understood, Breá?" Réann added.

"Yes Amad," she too nodded.

"Although…" Fili spoke up, rubbing the whiskers on his chin thoughtfully. "If I recall, your mother called me a troll once too."

"She did?" Finly gasped, looking at his mother in shock. "When?"

"Fili!" Réann hissed. "This is not the time nor the place."

"Oh, but I think it is," he disagreed. "It would be a good lesson to our children on how not to act, wouldn't you say?"

Réann just rolled her eyes and shook her head, knowing the story would be told no matter what she wanted.

"Tell us, Adad! Tell us!" Breá begged, her tears and pulled hair now completely forgotten.

"It happened even before your mother met me," Fili said, launching into his tale. "She had come here to Erebor to see if I was someone she might want to marry."

"And you were, weren't you!" Finly stated proudly, seeing the evidence of that before his own eyes.

"No…not at first," Fili countered. "She came to the mountain with her mind already set that I was not someone she would like. And in a letter to her father, she described me as a troll prince, with manners to match."

"She said that to Grandfather Darmin?" Breá asked, covering her mouth in shock. For even though they loved him dearly, their mother's father was not someone who let them get away with anything, and especially not name calling. "Did he wash her mouth out with soap for that?"

"He should have," Réann broke in, not liking how this was making her look at all. "But what your father is leaving out is that I had quite a fair amount of evidence to support my assumptions. And once I found out what your father was really like, I apologized for what I had written…and said about him."

"And she wouldn't have said such things to me at all, except she had it in her head that I was Dwalin…for some odd reason," he told his children, doing his best to hide his little grin.

"Why would she think you were Uncle Dwalin?" Breá asked, looking highly confused.

"You know…I have no idea," Fili said doing his best to look innocent. Still, it didn't stop him from receiving a stern glare and a growl of frustration from his wife.

"Oh, you have no idea, do you?" Réann huffed. "Remind me to use that excuse the next time you ask me where your socks are…or your dinner!"

"Hold on, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," Fili backpedaled, turning to his children, eager to confess. "Your mother thought I was Dwalin because I told her that's who I was. It was all a case of mistaken identity, and we got it straightened out in time. Just like we did the whole troll name calling mix-up."

"Did Amad saying she was sorry make you stop being upset with her?" Finly asked hopefully.

"Yes, though I forgave her long before that, because I loved her very much and knew she didn't really mean it," he smiled, giving Réann a little wink.

Finly seemed to think this over for a moment, and then he turned to look at his sister.

"I'm sorry Breá, I didn't mean to pull your hair…at least not so hard," the little lad told her repentantly.

"And I don't really think you're a stinky troll," she confessed, looking sorry as well.

"So, are we friends again?" Finly asked expectantly.

"Yes," she grinned; all resentment forgotten.

"Good. Now, if that's settled, and you two have learned your lesson about behaving badly, what say we go get some breakfast before your uncle Gimrin eats it all?" Réann suggested, doing her best to rise from her chair. When she was on her feet at last, she gave a twinge and grabbed her stomach.

"Is the baby kicking you again?" Fili asked, walking over with Breá still in his arms.

"Yes, I think he's trying a few moves I've seen Dwalin do when training new recruits," she huffed, looking down at her stomach with a stern glare.

Finly moved closer to his mother, placing his hand on her belly and getting his face really close.

"You listen here, Naddith," he informed the babe inside. "Stop kicking Amad. Sons of Durin are posed to treat dams with 'spect. That means you have to be nice. Adad says so, and he knows everything."

Réann couldn't help but smile at her son's words, looking up at Fili with a raised eyebrow. He just grinned in return, shrugging his shoulders as if to say, 'I'm not going to argue with him.'

"Thank you, Fin," Réann said, reaching out to ruffle his hair affectionately. "I'm sure he'll listen to you."

"I hope so, Amad," Finly agreed, slipping his hand in hers as the four of them headed for the door. "And I'm glad that you married Adad anyway…even if you use'ta think he was a troll."

"I'm glad I did as well," Réann answered, knowing in her heart she spoke the truth. "But, as long as we're telling stories of the past. Have I ever told you about the time your father climbed out of a toilet down in Esgaroth?"

"Réann!" Fili barked out in protest, his children's squeals of laughter and pleading to hear more nearly drowning him out. "Will you ever tire of repeating that story?"

"I'm afraid not, my love," she smiled, leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheek. "But if it makes up for it, I'll never stop loving you either. You're the dwarf Mahal chose as my One…no matter what you might have been calling yourself when we first met."

"But the only thing I want to call myself now is…yours. Forever and ever," Fili assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he guided his family towards the dining halls. Yes indeed, for a political scheme he had originally detested – that of forcing him to choose a wife – Fili was completely and deliriously happy with the ultimate results. Very happy indeed.

The End

And there you have it folks, the end to another story. Did the look into the future make you happy? To see that Fili and Réann had kids and a wonderful marriage...as well as Bofur and Nori finding love as well?

I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. You are all such a supportive and encouraging group, I almost hate to leave and go play in another fandom for a while...but I must follow my muse. That isn't to say that the Mandalorian forum will hold my attention forever, and you never know when I might show back up in Middle Earth.

Again, thank you for ALL your kind reviews and comments. I treasure each and every one. Please hit "follow author" to be notified when and where I will show up next.

"May the wind bear you to where the sun sails and the moon walks."

Guest Reviews:

Please note - if you send in a guest review for THIS chapter, I will add it to the end of the list as they come in, so check back.

Travelbug: (for 19) Your review came in exactly one minute after I posted chapter 20, so this one missed being answered there. I'm happy you liked her family's reaction, and of course Dwalin liked hearing he was a hit with the ladies. I'm sure he will speak of this many, many times over mugs of ale and bore both Balin and Thorin to tears with it's retelling. ha ha. Glad you like all my stories, but you are welcome to favor Enthralled all you want. ha ha.(for 20) I'm happy that you enjoyed the wedding, I did try to make it short, but sweet. Fili IS a romantic! And I think you're the only one who caught Kili's little mention of him preferring red-heads. ha ha. As you can see, I fleshed that idea out a bit more in the last chapter. ha ha. I just didn't have the time to give him a full blown romance...If you want to read that, you can always check it out in Little Son of Durin. ha ha. Thanks again!

Guest Reviews for Chapter 21

Travelbug: Awww, thanks, you always say the nicest things. I do want everyone to know what happened a few years down the road, and not just leave you at the honeymoon night, never to know if they had kids, etc. I also decided that one short paragraph or two about Kili's love life wouldn't be a bad thing. So there it is. ha ha. My next adventure will be the Mandalorian, but after that, who knows. Reading the entire Little Son of Durin is a bit of a challenge, so yeah, just hit the highlights if you want to get a Fili, Kili, or cute little Flinn fix. ha ha. Thanks again for all your wonderful reviews. T.O.W.G.