It was five days since the birth of Kili and Arien's dream. Five days that had, despite the grief of the aftermath of the battle, passed quicker than she expected. She'd heard from Oin that dwarvish children learned language incredibly quickly, so she wasn't at all surprised when Kili began speaking to her as if he was four years old. Fili was already able to speak as if he were an adult.

Fili and Kili were incredibly close, so close that they were already giving their mother hell. Arien had never seen a pair of children so bent on pulling pranks and being cheeky. Dis was exhausted. She'd hardly had any sleep since Kili was born, or any free time. Which was why Thorin had offered to put his nephews to sleep that night so Dis could have some time to rest and talk to Arien. He leaned against a tree with each boy on one knee, the red sunset casting his handsome features into sharp clarity. Dis sat beside her with her knees tucked under her chin.

The Princess caught her smiling as she watched Thorin, unable to stop thinking about him, about how happy she was.

"Enjoying yourself?" Dis asked, smirking.

"Yes," she said, not taking her eyes off the king. "I do not know what I would have done if he had died. Or if I had lost him."

She turned her head to find Dis watching her.

"You really care about him, don't you?" the Princess said.

"I love him," Arien answered simply. "He is... everything to me. King, lover, protector, advisor, confidant, friend..."

Dis smiled. "Then I am happy for you. Both of you. My brother is an honourable dwarf."

"I know," she murmured. "I think I am the luckiest girl in the world. I know I am."

It felt like Dis was giving her her permission and approval, as if saying that she had no problem with her and Thorin. There was now nothing in the way of them, no Thror to tell them they couldn't be together. No one to tell them they could not get married if they wished. Suddenly she realised that there was nothing she wanted more. To spend her life with Thorin, to know he loved her always...

"Dis..." she said quietly. There was no answer. She glanced to her left. Dis had fallen asleep.

Arien smiled quietly. She wouldn't wake her. She stood up and walked to the edge of the hill they were on to watch the sunset. She wouldn't bring up marriage, not yet. Right now, she wanted to savour what she had, wanted to savour him. But she would always love him, no matter what. No matter the armies, the mountains, or the forests that separated them.

She turned her attention to the horizon, to the setting sun turning the autumn grass to a beautiful pale golden as she sat on the edge of the hill and stared out at the landscape. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves on the trees behind her and lifted the strands of her hair. Her elven ears picked up the sound of Dis's breathing where she lay behind her, asleep from the exhaustion of caring for her sons. The sound of Thorin's rich, beautiful voice wafted towards her on the warm breeze. She had never felt so peaceful, so content. So at peace with herself, with the world.

And yet...

The sun set in a display of reds and oranges and golds. To anyone else, it would have looked spectacular and beautiful, but to Arien... to Arien it looked like fire engulfing a mountain beneath the light of the moon peaking out between the clouds. She was so absorbed in the memory of violence and destruction and grief that she didn't hear him come up behind her, didn't even notice him until he slid his strong arms around her. She was prevented from jumping out of her skin only by her training.

"I suppose you think that's beautiful," Thorin murmured, quietly enough so as not to wake his nephews. Arien didn't need to look at him to know what he meant.

"You know I don't," she answered.

"Every time I look at it," Thorin whispered, his voice cracking. "I hear the screaming of my people."

"You've done honourably by them, Thorin." Arien turned to face him, gripping his chin so he would look at her. "You have built a life for them here, through your own labour and hardship. No one could have done more."

He shook his head, eyes glistening with silver as he laced his fingers in her own and brought her hand away from his chin, gripping it tightly even though he looked away again.

"Too many of them died. It was my duty to protect them, and I let them die." Thorin's voice was filled with grief and sadness, his throat bobbing as Arien squeezed his hand tightly, turning back to the horizon. She would sell her soul never to have him look like that again.

"You had no choice," she said quietly. "You were..."

But she stopped talking as Thorin used his free hand to gently move her hair to the side, letting it rest against her shoulder. As he ran a finger down her spine, giving her the most wonderful tingly feeling all over, the pure maleness of his growl rumbling against her skin. Her head fell back against his shoulder in an effort to hold in her moan as his finger slid lower, her body going liquid and molten in all the right places at his touch.

"You are... so beautiful."

The words were ground out through gritted teeth, and Arien knew why. Thorin bent his head, kissing her neck, her jaw, her ear, his tongue flicking the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

"You are mine," he growled into her ear, each word laced with male possessiveness.

Even her ear went molten at the warm, familiar breath that brushed it. At his words.

Thorin lifted Arien's hand that he held and guided it up to his chest, right atop that raging heartbeat. She dreaded it stopping. Thorin licked her jaw even as she dug her nails into the strong muscles of his forearms to stop herself from crying out. He slid a hand under her shirt, exploring up her torso until he reached...

Arien gasped, turning her body towards him and shoving him to the ground. He gripped her hips, turning her over so she lay with her back pressed against the cool grass, his warm, familiar weight on top of her.

"Please," she moaned.

The word seemed to make him freeze. Slowly Thorin climbed off her. She reached for him, letting out a sound that might have been his name or might have been a whimper.

"Later," he told her hoarsely, though his eyes glowed with simmering lust. "I can't risk Dis or Fili or Kili waking." He smirked at her. "But then, my Queen, I get to find out just how much I can make you beg."

Arien's toes curled as she, damn her, shivered all down the length of her body at the promise in his words.