Author's Note: I DID IT! I was able to get a chapter out before my birthday! I feel so proud of myself lmfao like seriously, I tend to always just upload a chapter when I finish and it's usually either a week+ after the last chapter, but I was able to set a goal for myself and do it lmfao. Thank you everyone for all the comments, follows, favorites and votes! You all are simply wonderful and I'm happy that you guys are enjoying this story!

Just a little clarification, just in case some don't really understand what I'm trying to do, this is a filler story of the past 10 years and what's been going on. It does have a story line to it, but I won't be going day by day on what happens. There will be time skips, and I do explain what has been happening during those time skip, but it won't be going that much into details. If that makes any sense at all haha. I just wanted to clarify in case some don't understand what I'm trying to do.

Also, as a birthday gift, I created a short preview of the new story I was thinking about. It was a birthday gift to me because I got the enjoyment of creating the short preview. So, I sent the preview to two friends that I can easily keep in touch with and depending on their feedback I would love to share it with you and see what you think. I will be posting it as a new story, but I won't be working on it (or updating it) until this story is finished. So, if all goes well then you can expect Once A Rebel, Always A Rebel (Preview) submitted tomorrow on my birthday!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit, all rights belong to J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson. Any characters, references, or places you notice from The Hobbit belong to those two wonderful men. I only own Bellethiel and her kin. Any grammar errors you notice or any that I missed I want to say I'm sorry, but I hope that this chapter is still easy to read. Anyway! Enjoy you lovely readers!

(Third P.O.V)

"Have you heard?" A female's voice whispered quietly.

"Heard what?" Another voice replied.

"The King has fallen in love with an elf!" The other voice called out, causing the other female to let out a gasp in shock.

"You're kidding!" The other female called out. "With an elf?"

"An elf." The first female voice sneered in disgust. "What's so beautiful about a hairless elf?"

"I could've cared less if it was another dwarf maiden...but an elf?" The second voice said, mirroring the first person's disgust.

"An elf from Mirkwood nonetheless." The first female said in a whisper.

"How disturbing...falling for the very people who just stood and watched while our home was burned." An elderly female dwarf mumbled. "I have lost hope in these younger lads."

"Even the young Prince is said to be smitten with an elf!" A different female said.

"You're joking." The first female said in shock. "I never heard about that!"

"You don't think the elder dwarf Prince has an elf maiden as well do you?" The second questioned.

"There's no talk about it, but would that really be such a surprise?" A third woman said. "I mean, the King is in love with an elf from Mirkwood, the young Prince is in love with an elf from Mirkwood. It would be very disappointing if the elder Prince is in love with a Mirkwood elf as well."

"I wish these elves would just leave the kingdom...I can't stand them being here." The second female mumbled to herself. "It's our home. Yes, they fought in the Battle of the Five Armies, but now...they have no reason to be here anymore."

"So what will happen to the King?" Somewhere a bit further from the gossiping females two males were talking to themselves having also heard the rumors and talk of the kingdom. "If he plans on courting the elf, will they even let him take the throne?"

"Who knows...but there's one thing we can count on." A male stated. "If not the King or the Princes...there's always Lord Dáin."

"I suppose you're right..." The first male stated.

"Well I for one don't mind elves being in this kingdom." An elder male dwarf who was walking through the halls in a different part of the kingdom spoke to what one would assume was his wife. "I mean if the King is happy, it shouldn't be any of our business."

"I think the elf is absolutely lovely." The elderly female dwarf said with a smile. "There's a reason that these elves are here...so who am I to question our King."

It wasn't spoken in public, but behind closed doors and in secrecy it was whispered. One would say that it was the talk of the whole kingdom in secrecy. None would dare speak about it in the presence of the King, the company, the elves, or anyone that was known to defend the elves of Mirkwood in fear of it being reported back to the King.

Though, even with the dwarves whispering in secrecy the elves still heard the rumors, the gossip and the whisper in the halls of Erebor. Many of the young elves were furious and wanted to speak up to defend themselves and those that defended them, but they were ordered to avoid confrontation.

The younger elves were enraged at the whispers that went through the halls of the kingdom, but to say that it wasn't affecting the older elves would be telling a lie. To let it get to the older elves means that the words the dwarves spoke were unpleasant. The young ones were immature in a sense that they would possibly lash out and start unnecessary confrontations if it wasn't for direct orders from Bellethiel. But the older elves, they were a different story...they were silent and when they were silent when angered...it always meant bad news. They would not lash out, they would not speak up, or cause unnecessary arguments...you didn't know what they would do and that was frightening enough.

Tauriel was being sheltered from all the rumors and harsh glares the dwarves of Erebor were giving. The dwarves only knew of an elf that Kili had an interest in, but they did not have a name or a face to that name. And it was all thanks to Bellethiel, she made sure that no one knew of Tauriel and made sure Kili understood the situation, so they made sure to keep their relationship a secret from the eyes of the kingdom.

Bellethiel though was getting most of the fire. With her being the jewel in the Kings eye there was many who disapproved of such a reunion just as Dís had said. Out of all the elves that were in the kingdom she looked to be the one to be handling the situation well. She turned her ears away from all the talk, kept her head held high to show that they weren't bothering her and continued on with her business in helping restore Erebor.

With Bellethiel so kept together, she was setting an example for her fellow comrades...to just take it no matter what because fighting back and causing unnecessary fights and arguments is not worth it. She stayed strong and ignored all the talk and gossip. But, there's only so much one person can take no matter how old they are.

And...this went on for a couple of months.

Balamaethor and Beriohtarion's condition were still a mystery to all the healers that were assigned to them. They reported to Bellethiel that their wounds were healing up just fine, but due to Balamaethor's head injury there was a possibility that when he hit his head he could be suffering from something they couldn't fix with simple herbs. And as for Beriohtarion...they were puzzled as to why he wasn't waking up when all his wounds healed up perfectly. Bellethiel though...believed that it had something to do with his twin brother still unable to wake up...she couldn't explain it.

The moment Bellethiel woke up she was ordered to stay in bed by Thorin, but the elf was stubborn. She would fight and struggle all the way until Thorin agreed that she could move about as long as she took it easy, and that's exactly what she did.

Everyday Bellethiel would take things slow, going out for walks and speaking to the elves, working her way up to finally getting out of bed for long periods of time. She relieved her niece of leadership duties and took over giving out orders while being the one elves went to for new orders and reporting in on new information.

Dale became a suitable living condition for the survivors of Esgaroth and they instantly moved out of the kingdom. It was one thing Thorin did not have to worry about any longer; the only thing he had to worry about was providing provisions and helping hands for Bard to fully restore Dale. Esgaroth would come later after Dale had been restored.

The Company, Thorin, the elves and Bellethiel were always busy whether it is business with Bard, with Thranduil, with Dáin, restoration details for Erebor or Dale, or keeping the peace between the elves of Mirkwood and the dwarves of Erebor in the kingdom.

It didn't help that Bellethiel was also worried deeply about her nephews. They were having trouble giving them the food and water that they needed, their injuries and wounds were completely healed...they just weren't waking up. They were beginning to lose hope that they would ever wake up, and that scared Bellethiel the most. But she always kept hoping and praying, to Eru and the Valar that they would forgive her and give her back her nephews...her sons.

The thought that her nephews weren't waking stressed her out the most. Out in the open she didn't show it, but behind closed doors...in her personal time she wasn't eating very much, only the bare minimum to keep her going and she didn't sleep much. This greatly concerned Thorin, her friends and her niece. They spoke to her about it, all voiced their concerns, but it still didn't lessen her stress, and all they could do was watch out for her even if she didn't ask for anyone to. Thorin was always there for her, looking out for her as she had watched out for him.

(Bellethiel's P.O.V)

I sighed, I wasn't feeling too well. Maybe today I should've at least attempted to get some rest instead of going out for a walk and attending to some business. The light from the sun shining in through the kingdom burned my eyes so I took to sticking to the shadows on this particular day. Not to mention I didn't want to deal with any of the staring eyes and the whispers behind my back...it would seem that dwarves tend to forget that no matter how far they think they are or how quiet they think they're being elves have a very good sense of hearing.

I was headed to the area that Dís had taken me when I had gotten lost, it's a place I've always went to when I wanted to be alone.

'I'm only adding on to the list of Thorin's problems...' I thought sighing sadly. 'I should try and not worry anyone else...'

I arrived close to the balcony and I was going to come out of the shadows until I heard more whispers headed my way.

"What is he thinking...?" I heard a voice call out. "I think something is wrong with the King..."

Instantly, I moved to hide back in the shadows, holding fast against the stone walls and listened in carefully.

"To think that an elf would capture the eyes of our King..." I heard another female voice.

"Do you think he's bewitched?" The first voice whispered out. "Maybe she's an elf witch. One glance and he fell under her spell."

"You don't think the whole company is under her spell do you?" The second female voice questioned. "Maybe they all are under her spell..."

"Is there no way to break her hold on them?" The first voice questioned. "Maybe once we do the King will come to his senses and send them away."

"Then what about the young Prince?" The second voice questioned. "Surely, the elf he's smitten with isn't a witch as well."

"Maybe the one who bewitched the King is the same elf that the young Prince is in love with." The first voice said. "I mean we've never seen the elf that has caught the eyes of the Prince, they could be one and the same."

"The nerve of the elf trying to inch her way into the royal family." The second voice said in disgust. "First the King and then the Prince? If she had any sense she would just take the rest of the elves in our kingdom and simply just leave."

'Breathe...' I thought as I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breathe. 'It won't get to me...their words mean nothing...'

I was about to turn and leave the scene, not wanting to listen in any more until another voice added in that caused me to stop and turn back.

"Such disrespect will not be tolerated, I'm sure you two know this." A male's voice added in, and I knew that voice after travelling with them for the past two years.

I peeked around the corner and saw Dwalin with his arms crossed across his chest, glaring at the two dwarf woman in front of him with Dís standing at his side with a look of disgust on her face.

"Master Dwalin! Lady Dís!" The two female dwarfs gasped in shock as they bowed to the two in front of them, looking embarrassed at being caught.

"Bellethiel is a friend of ours, a friend to many of us...and to call her a witch after all she did for us will not be permitted." Dwalin growled out.

"If it wasn't for Bellethiel and her kin, many would probably be dead! We wouldn't have our kingdom!" Dís scolded. "You can guarantee that my brother will hear about this!"

"But why would the King choose an elf? After the betrayal of Lord Thranduil 60 years ago, it seems disrespectful to us that he would fall for the captain of the very Lord that betrayed us." The first female voice argued.

"She could even be bewitching the Prince!" The second argued. "I mean, we've never seen the other elf captain...who's to say that this elf that our King is smitten with is not the same as the elf that the Prince is smitten with?"

"Are you accusing Bellethiel for being with my brother and my son?" Dís questioned, her voice rising in volume.

"Not accusing." The first voice called out. "We just cannot fathom that our King would fall for an elf..."

"I'm here to tell you, that while travelling with the lass, I can say that she is no witch. The lass can't even use simple healing herbs." Dwalin said with a slight chuckle and I couldn't help but let out a huff in amusement.

"Everyone thinks we can't hear the talk, but we do...we advise you to tell everyone that this needs to stop." Dís said with a glare. "Our elf friends are trying their hardest to not to let it get to them, but we are a different story. After everything Belle has done for our people, did for my family, I will not tolerate such talk about our friends!"

"You may not know it yet, but the lass has done amazing things for all of us." Dwalin questioned. "Besides, why would it matter if our King is smitten with an elf? It shouldn't matter and it's none of your business who our King chooses, unless you think there are other lasses better suited for our King."

"If our King decides to take an elf as his Queen..." The first female voice said, with a bit of strain in her voice. "then some of us must question his decisions as a King. What good will marrying an elf do for our people? If it was to strengthen the alliance between Mirkwood and Erebor, then it would be with someone of royal blood."

(Dís P.O.V)

These...these dwarves have...have some nerve!

"You question my brother?" I growled out glaring at the two who wouldn't even try and see reason behind the reason that our elvish friends were here.

"Yes, we do." The second female stated firmly. "And we're not the only ones."

"And I think...that is enough." A female voice spoke up. "I have heard enough and this is where I draw the line."

I was a bit surprised at the new voice and Dwalin and I turned to see Belle walking our way. She held no emotion on her face; her eyes were so different from when I had spoken to her on the balcony. It held no mirth...nothing, her gaze was hard, her head was held high and her shoulders squared. Her attention was solely set on the two dwarves in front of me, and though her appearance surprised me...Dwalin seemed unfazed by Belle's sudden change in attitude. I've heard of my sons mentioning how Belle usually is, but only rarely does she act this way unless it was a really serious matter.

Belle came to stand behind Dwalin and I, and I looked to see that the two female dwarves had shrunk away just a bit at the unfeeling eyes staring them down.

"How long were you listening for lass." Dwalin spoke out after a few seconds of silence, though it already seemed like he knew the answer to that.

"Long enough." Belle stated and I knew she had heard the whole conversation.

"Leave these two to us Belle." I said as I turned to look up at the elf. "They're not worth your time."

"As much as everyone wants to believe that they are being discreet and secretive, dwarves seem to forget that we elves have very good hearing." Belle stated in an even tone. "We hear everything everyone talks about in these halls even if they think they are a fair distance from us. Now, under my command, I have told everyone to simply ignore the talk around the kingdom, avoid any dwarf that looks at them in a funny way, and to simply go about their business with no problems."

Belle stepped forward, gently squeezing in between Dwalin and myself before standing right in front of the two female dwarves.

"Now, I have put up with all the talk as best as I could. All of my kin have been biting their tongue and keeping their mouth shut, but I think that I have found my breaking point." I watched as Belle leaned forward, bending at her waist, with her hands clasped behind her back as she talked down to the two dwarf woman, her figure towering over them even when she was bent over. "You may slander my name, drag it through the mud, but I will not stand idly by while people question if Thorin is a good King or not. Question his decisions and his ruling. Your King had done so much for all of you, building life for all his people in the Blue Mountains after losing Erebor to the dragon, returning to the mountain to reclaim Erebor for his people and almost losing his life. All of it just for his people to have their home back."

Belle never raised her voice, which seemed to be the worst thing. I've heard of what Belle was capable of when she was angry...when someone stepped over the line. I couldn't see what Belle was doing, but judging from the reactions of the two dwarf woman...she wasn't holding the kind expression on her face like I've always seen on my elf friend.

"Thorin is and will be a great King for years to come. I will not tolerate you two, or anyone speaking so badly of Thorin." Belle said evenly. "So, here are your two options. The first option you can take is allow Dwalin and Dís to report you two back to Thorin, and you will repeat exactly what you had said and your fate will be decided then and there. Or, you can take my option. Which is you two get off scot-free, but with the condition that you cease all this talk of questioning your King. If you hear anyone else questioning the Kings decision then you will defend him. Feel free to keep talking badly about me, but do not speak badly of your King."

"Belle, you can't let this keep going." I argued. "They have to be made an example...all this ill talk about you and your kin has to stop."