A/N I am so sorry that I haven't been active. A whole bunch of stuff happened in such a short time and I was working full time while being a student full time so I had very little free time. I am very grateful for those of you that are still here. I am very grateful for those of you who were on this journey of growing and changing that has been reflected in the way I write. I recently reread all of the previous chapters and it's very cringey, but, I feel, that I have developed immensely over the years and I'm so glad that I've been able to share that with you. Thank you so much for being a part of this

The dragon was dead. Erebor was back in the hands of the dwarves. The former Laketown was left burnt and flooded while a new Laketown was built with the gold stored in the mountain. They decided to leave the once great kingdom in ruin and had no plans of repairing it: the broken walls stood as a constant reminder of the disease that gold held over Thorin and how it nearly tore the group apart. The kingdom under the mountain would never return to its former glory. Instead, the dwarves not only built houses to replace the ones destroyed by Smaug, but created a new, larger Laketown and rebuilt Dale. Some of the survivors of the Battle of Five Armies settled in the new Laketown and Dale instead of returning to their former home. Trade between Mirkwood and Dale was restored and better trade developed between Laketown and Mirkwood. There still remained some bad blood between the elves and the dwarves, but it was more because old habits die hard rather than actual hatred for one another. A treaty between the dwarves and the elves was signed as a precaution.

Camellia and Kili decided to take a trip once the rebuilding was finished and the help had gone home. She had to fight to convince the brothers to separate because this was a trip she wanted to take alone with Kili.

"When will you be back?" Fili asked Camellia.

"Whenever we get back." He was not amused. "I'm joking. I'm guessing about six months. I'll write if anything changes." The sound of hooves on cobblestone let her know that it was time to go. Neither Fili nor Kili wanted to separate, but Kili was also really excited to go on an adventure with the woman he loved. A handful of gold was grabbed before they headed off in case they ran short on supplies or if something caught Camellia's eye that she wanted to take back as a souvenir.

They headed north toward Eren Mithrin. The weather was calm this time of year, but it was still colder than that they had faced on any of their journey to reclaim the mountain. The farther north they headed, the colder and worse the storms became, but something about it felt like home. During one evening, about a two days' journey from Carn Dûm or Mount Gundabad, they were more or less equidistant, lights from a city could be seen off in the distance.

"That is where I grew up. A small kingdom in the middle of a frozen tundra." Kili was affected by the bitter wind that cut straight through his clothes to his bones. He was forcing his teeth to stay still despite their insistence to clatter against one another.

"Is...it...always...this cold?" Kili asked between shivers.

"This is actually the summer weather, but don't worry, it'll be better once we get into the city." Camellia unclipped her cloak from her shoulders and made a move to give it to Kili, but he denied her help. "You can either swallow your pride and be comfortable, or hold on to it and freeze." He reluctantly took her cloak. "I hope you can get used to this weather because it's only going to get worse from this moment on. Summer's almost over."

"How can...this...be considered...summer?" "Just wait. Come on, let's get into town." Camellia muttered something in Sindarin, causing Alesdair to start off in a trot through the deep snow. Kili's pony struggled to match the pace of Alesdair, seeing as the snow reaching their stifle. Alesdair cut in front of the pony, leaving a path so they weren't slowed down. The sun was set by the time they reached the small city. There were guards stationed at the towers guarding gate, but they did not stop Kili and Camellia from entering. This kingdom was set in stone walls and the roads were made of a rich copper-coloured cobblestone. A very light dusting of snow was present on the rooftops and ground which was a near polar opposite of the world outside the walls.

"My, you're Keldbak's daughter! I haven't seen you around in a long time!" An elderly woman called out to Camellia as she sat atop Alesdair.

"I went on a little adventure. In all honesty, I never expected to return."

"Who's this young man?" the woman inquired.

"This is my companion, Kili. We have traveled from Erebor. Do you know if my father has returned from his quest? I wish to see him."

"He hasn't left the tower since his return." Camellia thanked the woman and led the way to the small castle in the east end of town.

"What is the tower?" Kili asked her.

"It's the location of the royal housing." Camellia softened her voice, "I wonder why he hasn't left."

"Maybe the battle," she cut him off.

"Don't. I don't want to think of my father as injured." The next few minutes, they spent in silence, only the sound of hooves on the stones filled their ears.

The door to the palace was a large solid oak door with a intricate carving of a snowstorm and frozen waterfall. A large golden lion head knocker gleamed in the little bit of moonlight that shone through the clouds; Camellia's hand looked juvenile when she reached up to knock. A tall pale man with waist length pale blond hair answered the door. Had it not been for the height of Alesdair, the man would have not seen Camellia. Kili was not noticed atop his small pony.

"Camellia," he greeted her. "What are you doing here?"

"I need access to the royal stables. We plan on staying for a few days."

"We?" With a small gesture of her head, the doorman noticed Kili.

"Can you enlighten my father of our presence?" Camellia asked as she grabbed the keys from his hand and started toward the stables in the back.

Once the horses were in stalls with food and water, Camellia lead Kili through the palace to her father's room. Her fears were realised when she entered the room and saw her father lying in bed, chest bandaged up. She rushed over to his bedside and dropped her her knees.

"Oh, father, what happened?!"

"Nothing too serious. Nothing to worry about."

"If it's not that bad, why are you stuck in bed?" Keldbak turned his head from his daughter to Kili.

"How have you been, Kili? Camellia dragging you all around Middle Earth?"

"It was my idea to come here," Kili responded. "I wanted to ask you something," His response shocked Camellia for he had not expressed to her that he had any questions for her father. Before she could voice her surprise, Keldbak spoke.

"Daughter, go make sure all of your bags have made it to your room. This young man and I have some things to discuss."

"But, father..." He waved his hand, dismissing her from the room. With a sigh pushed through her nose, Camellia exited the room. Nothing had changed in her since her departure, aside from her bed being made, which was something she never did. All of their bags were here, unpacked, and put away, so she had nothing to do. If she walked into her father's room, she knows she would be interrupting something, but as to what they were talking about, she had no clue. It had been a little over an hour before there was a knock at her door. Kili walked in and slowly closed the door behind him.

"Did you disclose the entire history of your family tree?" A chuckled left his lips.

"No, that wasn't it."

"Then what the hell took you so long?" He said nothing, just grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed and on to her feet. Kili lead her around the town, asking her about the sites and history. They stopped in the center of the town's square.

"I have one last question to ask."

It's been over eight months now since Camellia and Kili left Erebor. No letters came, signaling a delay in their return. Where had they gone? What were they doing?

"Shouldn't they be back by now?" Ori asked, the lack of the fiery red-head and the youngest brother made for a fairly boring town.

"If we don't hear from them soon, I'm going to go find them and bring them back," Fili said. He missed his brother something fierce.

"Don't get your breeches in a twist just yet," Balin called as he entered the room, "they sent a letter."

"Ooh! What does it say?" Bofur asked. One by one, the dwarves gathered near to see what the envelope held. Balin untwisted the twine that held it closed and pulled out a second envelope. Beautiful calligraphy graced the parchment before them:

"To Thorin Oakenshield and Company"

On the back, a vibrant white wax stamp sealed them from the contents inside. An embellished design of snow flurries graced the wax seal. "Well? What's inside?" Ori asked, full of anticipation. Balin broke the seal and pulled out the parchment inside. Everyone was quiet for a moment as he silently read through the letter. A wide grin overtook his face.

"Well laddies, it seems that we have a wedding to attend."

People from all over Middle Earth sat in attendance as Camellia prepared herself to walk down the aisle. Woodland elves, dwarves from the Blue Mountains and Iron Hills, one hobbit, and the people of Laketown gathered in the Great Hall, awaiting a blushing bride. With one big breath, Camellia started out down the aisle, a blush pink dress adorning her silhouette. Flowers were weaved through her hair. Kili was breathless at the site of her floating down the aisle. He's only ever seen her in fighting attire, covered in bruises and dirt, never in something like this. She was glowing and the moment she stood in front of him, he could have sworn he was in a dream. She has never looked this beautiful before. The ceremony went by in a blur. Everyone was drinking and dancing together in the Great Hall as if there had never been a battle at all. As if there was never a dragon. It was a merry feast.

As the night wore on, the smaller and smaller the party became before it smoldered out like an old fire. Everyone was heading to bed before they had to head home in the morning.

"You know, after a night like this, all the fighting, all the hate and anger Thorin and I threw back at one another, the injuries and the dragon's rage, I can't say I would change a thing." Camellia said as she crawled into her large comfortable bed.

"So, you don't regret running away from home and getting into trouble with a bunch of dwarves you didn't know?" Kili asked as he pulled her closer to him.

"You mean, running away from home and getting into mischief with family?" He chuckled."I can honestly say that I regret nothing."

The End