*Thorin POV* 2 DAYS LATER*

It has been several days since Thorin has seen his nephew, Kili, within the family quarters and almost as little of his other nephew ,Fili. The only reason Fili has been in spotted more is because of the extra meetings he has attended in Kili's place...taking up the slack in his brother's absence. Thorin would growl in vexation each time he saw Fili sitting in Kili's place once again..taking note of his youngest nephew's neglecting of his duties. It was bad enough that Fili had his own royal duties to attend to but now he was working overtime to take on Kili's duties also. After each meeting whenever it ended, Thorin would try to have a talk with his golden nephew about this but the second the session was over Thorin would get surrounded by the council to clarify the meetings particulars...watching as Fili disappears out the door before Thorin can corner the young man to talk to him about this. For some reason Thorin could not pin down his Heir for a talk, it was like Fili was the wind...one moment there and the next he was gone in a flash with no sight of him to be seen anywhere.If the young man wasn't his Heir, Thorin would have had his Spy Master Nori training Fili as his apprentice, but Nori's talents, while good skills to have in the service to the throne, were not acceptable for a future King of Erebor to have.

In Thorin's eyes , Kili should be attending to his own tasks , not Fili...yes, he realized the why's of his youngest Heirs absence but negligence of ones own duties was unacceptable for any royal. Admittedly, Thorin, was unsure how long Kili was going to stay as a royal...he was not unaware of Kili's undecided plans of whether he would stay as Prince of Erebor or if he would abdicate his position entirely...which led Thorin to contemplate about all the paths his youngest nephews actions had set before him. One path was familiar and well traveled from others who had taken this route through the many generations before him, but it held the risk of losing Kili forever if it was traveled upon. Thorin was coming to realize that Kili was going to be unshakable about not giving up Bofur and marrying the Princess instead...he was stubborn about this..just like someone else Thorin knew..himself...this made Thorin take a look at the other path before him. It was foreign and uncharted, its untraveled trail shrouded in a mist of uncertainty that led to some unknown future that no one has seen before, at least not in the last several hundred years...but this road held a sliver of hope that Thorin would not lose Kili down on it. If Thorin took this veiled path then that means he would have to change every law..every tradition, the very way of life that Dwarves lived within this mountain just for one single Bearer...and his nephew.

~Both paths sit before him..which one should he choose..which choice was the right one?~

As Thorin paced in front of a large mahogany desk that sat in his personal office based off of the royal quarters...deliberating upon each path before him, his steps echoing loudly in the silent room...he felt a headache blooming behind his temples.

"Argghh...Durino shirumund! (by Durin's beard!) This khakfe (shit/crap) is giving me a gorez grik'bund. (beastly headache)"he reached up to massage his aching temples as he growled in annoyance...not hearing the door to his office opening to let his intruder in unnoticed until they spoke.

"I have to agree ....brother." a deep feminine voice spoke over his growling and he spun around in surprise to stare at the woman who entered nonchalantly into the room with an elegant grace that spoke volumes about her.

"Dis? Wh...what in Durin's beard are you doing here?" his blue eyes caught the sight of a dark elegant eyebrow rising over her own piercing blues to gaze at him with blatant displeasure upon her bearded face. Her black hair was pulled back into a single traveling braid that trailed down her back with a single braid on either side of her temples to hang down...caressing her bearded cheeks and chin as they swayed with each step she took closer to him.

"I am here because I found out my brother is being a derfrauli ukratin (horses ass) by putting politics before family."she saw him bristling at being called a horses backside but before he could muster a breath of anger at her insult she quickly cut him off as she loudly scolded him. "I have been gone less than six months and I come back to find out that you blindly and foolishly have turned your back on one of the most valued beliefs of all Dwarven kind...fing our ONE! Of all things Thorin. Finding our other half that Mahal has created specifically for us and you decide to ignore THAT! He is my son, who found his ANDR TORAK! (soul mate)" Thorin could hear the fury in her voice and he lowered his head because he knew she was right. "You stupid...idiotic...orc for brains, WAZZOCK! (foolish dwarf)" nher voice rose in pitch in her fury as her eyes blazed a blue fire at her brother who just stood there with head hung low...she took a deep breath to continue berating him but his words that were barely a whisper halted her ranting.

"You are right Namad (sister). I was being foolish and wasn't thinking about KIli. Forgive me sister....I only thought of making an alliance of two kingdoms, not of him." she narrowed her eyes briefly until she saw him slowly sink down onto the top of his desk...covering his face in shame with his large hands. With a deep sigh she quelled her anger and went to him to wrap her arms around his shoulders as she nestled her head against his in comfort..hearing his soft whisper in her ears."Achrachi gabilu (I am sorry)."

"Oh Thorin. I know you were trying to do what you thought was best for Kili. You have always tried to do your best for him and Fili. After my beloved husband dies, you were there for them when they needed a father the most...but you have forgotten Nadad (brother) that they are no longer children but grown men that can make their own choices now. You, Thorin, have taught them to always do the right thing, be their own man, no matter how hard it is...you helped to show them what it means to be a true son of Durin. Don't try to cage a noble bird by clipping his wings, but allow him to fly and show all Khazad (dwarves) what kind of man you have helped to raise. A man that we both know is kind, full of courage and strong of will...someone to be trusted in doing what is best for his people. Someone like you big brother." she released him from her embrace and grasped his shoulders as she spoke, seeing him raise his teary eyes to hers with a quavering smile.

"I do love them Dis...I love them as if they are my own sons and not my nephews. I would die for them." seeing the love in his eyes warmed her heart and she knew there was still hope of fixing this mess her brother created.

"YUCK! Thorin!" she faked gagged at him. "That's gross...my brother ,is my sons daddy? Ewww." she laughed as she pretended to be nauseated ...earning her a chuckle from her theatrics.

"You are one sick woman, Dis, but i love you little sister." she stopped her fake retching as he reached out to pull her back into his arms in a affectionate hug. "Alright, little miss Princess who knows it all...what are we going to do? How can I make it all right without causing hostilities between Erebor and the Blue Mountains? And not lose my nephew-son?""she gave him a smirk as she looked up..a mischievous twinkle was in her blue eyes.

"I found the perfect solution to our problems...all it needs is one more thing to make it all complete." she whistled loudly and suddenly the door opened once again to give entrance to someone new...Thorin's eyes went wide in shock at the sight before him. "May I introduce to you , Mahal's answer to our prayers." he listened as Dis laid out her plans to Thorin..by the end he felt hope blooming in his chest that this might actually work. Now all that was left to make this plan complete was Princess Pharyn's arrival tomorrow.

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*NEXT DAY*FILI POV*

Fili was strolling down the halls towards the royal quarters, smiling in good humor about all that had happened when he went to visit Kili and Bofur in the Ur family quarters shortly ago. Watching the two of them together, the way they gave each other sweet smiles...soft touching of the hands as they periodically reached out to give a loving caress along an arm or leg..even the sweet, sappy, googly eyes they gave to one another gave testament to the love they shared for the other. On the outside Fili would fake gag at all the saccharine sweet gestures and words, but on the inside he sighed in envy. Fili desperately yearned to do the same things with the one who held his heart for a long time, but he knew it would be impossible to do so. His love was out of his reach since the day they had met many years ago...when he saw him as a young boy back in Ered Luin.

It was a beautiful spring day and all the dwarflings of Ered Luin were out playing a game of kickball through the fields, laughing in childish merriment. Fili was in charge of the ball as he kicked the ball before him trying to keep it away from the others...the sun was shining down onto his blonde hair, making it glow golden under the sun as he ran. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he spotted a flash of ginger fire off to the edge of the field where he was playing at with the other children. Fili slowed down to look at what caught his attention...it was a younger boy standing shyly off the edge of the field, his gingered strands were gently blowing in the wind as his brown gaze followed the other children's enthusiastic playing. He looked uncertain and scared standing there, like he wanted to join them but was unsure if he would be welcomed in the game. Fili stopped kicking the ball to gaze at the young boy...a feeling of wanting the boy to come join him made him pause...barely aware of Kili rushing past him to steal the ball as he laughed loudly at his brother. As he stood there staring at the boy, those brown eyes focused on his blues and widened in nervousness...his hands , covered in finger-less gloves, began to fidget together in worry. Slowly Fili began to approach the boy...seeing how those browns shifted side to side in his agitation , Fili tried to radiate calm at the boy hoping the youngster would not bolt away. Fili drew within ten feet of the child, when suddenly a older dwarf came up to the child and grabbed the dwarfling's hand to tug him away...but not before glancing at the golden dwarfling with his silvery gray eyes as he spoke softly at the gingered boy.

"Come Ori. We need to get back to Nadad (brother)..it's lunchtime. "with a sigh of regret and a sad look in those brown eyes the child walked away, leaving Fili there as his heart gave a swift pang of loss. At that time Fili did not understand the pain he was feeling was because he had met his soulmate...he would later discover the meaning of it whenever he once again met the young boy but this time all grown up at Bilbo Baggins home at the start of the journey in reclaiming Erebor. Ori, third son of Ri, was the love of Fili Durin, future prince of Erebor, life and the one person he was destined to forever be apart from. Fili knew he could never be with Ori because he was a man and unable to bear future Durins which was a must since Fili was the next in line to sit on the throne. So for three years now Fili remained silent as he watched his love secretly from a distance...always yearning to be with him. With a sigh of remorse over how his life had come to this point...it looking like it would be Fili who would be marrying the Princess now since Kili was definitely off the market.

Finally Fili reached the door to the royal family quarters...jolting his thoughts of the past and back into the present. He knew beyond these doors his uncle could potentially be waiting on him, ready to pounce the moment Fili entered with an angered investigation of where Fili has been for the last few days and why he was avoiding him. Thorin would be correct...Fili was avoiding his uncle because he did not want to hear anymore of how Kili had failed the throne because the young prince refused to marry anyone other than his "One". While Fili had surrendered his hopes and dreams of being with his love for the throne, he would be damned before he allowed Kili to sacrifice his own happiness to a unrelenting, cold, and unloving throne. Fili was willing to take on the burden if it meant Kili was free from the cruel chains that go with the position of Heir...he refused to see his sweet and loving brother caged to the dictates of some unyielding and antiquated elderly men who can not evolve with the changing of times..always rooted in their traditions as if made of stone. While many people wanted to believe Dwarves are like the stones they live in, what they did not realize was that Khazad (dwarves) were far more malleable than stone for a dwarf has the ability to adjust to their surroundings...that is what makes the Khazad stronger and more formidable than other races.

Fili quickly shook his head to clear his bitter thoughts before opening the doors before him and likely having to face the Durin inquisition. Holding his head high he entered but quickly came to a halt at the sight of Thorin pacing back and forth in agitation in front of his door that led to his personal office...hands held behind his back with his head down , not noticing Fili's presence there in the room. Taking a deep breath, Fili cleared his throat before speaking to his Uncle, who twitched in surprise at his Heirs sudden arrival.

"Uncle...What is going on?" Fili softly spoke as he drew closer, noticing how Thorin's blue eyes glanced to the door of his office...Fili's curiosity grew as he approached the older man. " Uncle Thorin?" he peered at him waiting for a reply...with a deep sigh Thorin turned his blue gaze onto his nephews and then his deep, smooth voice filled the room.

"Fili...your mother is here...in that room." he noticed Fili's eyes lighting up in pleasure at getting to see his mother again, but before the young man could take a step towards the room to greet her, Thorin had to get a weight off his chest first. "Wait...before you go in, there is something you should know." those sharp blue eyes of the Prince focused on him. " Several things that need to be said first. Princess Pharyn is here also...in that room with Dis..." Thorin saw Fili narrow his eyes in anger but before the young man could speak he implored him to listen to him first. "Wait...hold on for one moment. Let me finish son of my sister. I know you are offended by all that has been said these past few months and I want to apologize to you. I am sorry Fili that you have been dragged by me into the middle of this conflict I have caused by thinking I know what is best for your brother and forcing you to defend him from me. I was wrong in this and was being a stubborn fool...not being your Uncle like I should have but as your ruler." Fili stood there in shock at his uncle's admission..never had the man admitted to any wrong doing...well except for that one time to Bilbo during the journey to Erebor." Fili, I realize I have not been a Khazad that you can look upon with respect lately. I find that I really want that again...I want to be someone you can look on with pride once again. Please Fili." suddenly tears began to form in Thorin's eyes and Fili found his own azure's mirroring his uncles. With a watery smile Fili reached out to pull Thorin into his arms and lovingly crushed his uncle close to him...feeling the same force being returned in kind by the man who has been his father figure for most of his life.

"Of course Uncle. I forgive you and so will Kili...in time." Thorin didn't cringe at his Heirs words..instead the dark haired man looked into the younger man's eyes with a certain roguish twinkle in those cerulean eyes. "Uncle? Do you know something I do not? Something your not telling me?" his only answer was a deep chuckle as Thorin let go of Fili and gestured towards the closed door behind him.

"Aye." Fili cautiously went to the door and opened it...he staggered back in surprise at what laid on the other side of the door...barely hearing his mother's words of greeting as she sat behind Thorin's desk with a pair of dwarves seated before her in separate chairs facing her.

"Thorin...it is finally settled and preparations need to be put into motion for the celebration. Oh Fili. So glad you could finally make it. I received your letter and I believe we need to have a serious talk young man." she smiled at Fili's confused face as he entered before directing her attention back to her brother briefly. "King Thorin, I believe you have some business to take care of immediately ...so off with you now. Let me and Fili entertain our guests." she waved her hands at Thorin for him to scram away, which he did with a smile on his face...hearing before the door shut her words to her son. "Fili, I want you to meet Princess Pharyn and Prince Fain...." then silence as it closed behind him, sealing the rest of her words from him.He had a mission to attend to and someone was not going to be happy at all...no they were not...not at all.

*5 DAYS LATER* KILI POV*

It had been a week since that horrifying , yet glorious day when Kili discovered Bofur was carrying his child and not once did Kili leave Bofur's side for longer than a minute...eating and sleeping by his loves side. His older brother even helped him in staying by gathering a small pack of his clothes and personal necessities for him, so he did not have to leave Bofur alone. Yeah, Kili, could have waited for Bifur or Bombur to come home, then go back to his own quarters, but Kili genuinely wanted to stay with his pregnant lover as much as possible. Another reason Kili did not want to go back to the royal quarters was because of his Uncle Thorin. Kili refused to hear what the man had to say anymore, knowing how upset Thorin was about Kili's decision...even Fili encouraged him to avoid the family quarters for a bit and let Fili take care of stuff until Bofur was fine again. Kili didn't argue with his older brother for once...both knew how Thorin could be when pissed off over something. So Kili did as Fili asked, even spurring his older brother to do the same as much as he could when opportunity presented itself.

Things seemed to be fine until a few days ago when something in Fili's demeanor changed...he did not seem as wary or looked as beaten down anymore, he appeared to be in a feisty mood as he laughed more whenever he visited the Ur household. Take the other day, Bofur was laying on the couch with his fee propped up on Kili's lap as he rubbed Bofur's swollen achy feet...easing away the tension within them. Fili was sitting in the chair across from them both, pouring himself more tea from the hot kettle...those blue eyes twinkling in amusement as he watched the two love birds there. When kili asked him what was so funny, Fili just shrugged his shoulders as he remarked.

"Princess Pharyn has arrived and is running around in a tizzy , like a whirlwind, trying to make sure everything is perfect for the wedding to come." Kili scowled at him for bringing that subject up...feeling Bofur tensing up next to him he quickly sought to comfort his beloved.

"Be at ease kardunah (my heart). I will not marry her...you are the only one I will wed. Why my brother finds this funny is beyond me." Kili turned his brown eyes onto his brother who just smirked as he plastered an innocent look onto his face and he growled in annoyance at him. " You are supposed to help me deal with this...Nadad (brother)...not laugh at this calamity. If we can't find a solution to this, then Bofur and I will be leaving Erebor. Maybe we would head to Rivendell or maybe make our way down to Rohan to Helms Deep to make our home there." Fili looked like he was going to object but Kili quickly spoke on. "Fili, we can't live here under Uncle Thorin if he is going to try to force me to marry the Princess. I will miss you beyond belief brother, but Bofur and our child is more important now...I'm sorry." fili reached out his hands towards both Kili and Bofur who grasped his in return within their own.

"Please don't make any rash decisions yet , my naudad (brothers)...let's first see how this goes. Before it comes to that point, I will personally whisk you both away from here...Behl'kestaz (hell), I may even join you. So don't worry yet...I promise you will have warning before it comes to that." his tone was reassuring to both men...Kili was surprised to hear his brother may join them in leaving, but he didn't comment on it at this time. Now Kili was having to rethink about remaining silent at that moment because here he was making his way down the hallways with Fili towards the throne room after being summoned by the King. At first Kili was going to refuse but Fili convinced him to go...telling him he would be there by his side the whole way. Kili was mollified briefly but again he made to refuse because he didn't want to leave Bofur , even though he was cleared by Master Oin to get off of bed rest now...but once again he was deflected by Bifur.

"I will stay here with Bofur. You go see what King Thorin wants. Remember, the Ur family is with you on whatever you decide. Your family now." he clapped Kili on the back who sighed in defeat but gave a welcoming smile to the badger haired man. So here he was stomping his way down the corridors to go and listen to what his stubborn arsed Uncle had to say with a stoic Fili in tow. Eventually they came to the great door that harbored the entrance to the throne room beyond them...standing next to the doors was Dwalin that opened the portals for the two Princes when they drew close to him. As the massive doors parted Kili saw Dwalin give Fili a wink out of the corner of his eye, curiosity wheedled its way inside as he made a note to himself to ask Fili later about it. Looking forward Kili could see his uncle, the King, seated upon his throne staring at his two heirs as they entered the room...both men walked down a long path between a crowd of Khazad that had gathered within this massive hall. As they passed the gathered men and women, both men could hear whispering coming from them but they could not make out any words.

Finally they drew close to the dais where sat a forbidding Thorin on his throne...his face was emotionless and rigid..his robes he wore were of the finest cut which indicated the gravity of this summons. Kiliu would have turned around at that moment and stormed out of Erebor with his beloved in tow if it wasn't for something in Thorin's eyes...there was a sparkle within....it was the same glint he had when they were younger and the three of them had gotten into some amusing mischief that had earned the three of them a scolding from Dis. That look gave Kili the fortitude to step close to his uncle to hear whatever he had to say...suddenly feeling Fili's hand wrapped around his to give his younger brother's hand a light squeeze before letting go to move into his position at Thorin's side. Kili stood there before the King, his head held high as he waited for the King Under the Mountain to speak. After a few moments of those intense blue eyes peering down at him, making a cold dreadful feeling slither down his spine, he finally raised a hand to silence the room, for his voice to be heard loud and clear.

"You, Kili, second Prince of Erebor, have been summoned before your King for judgement today over your actions this past week. You have been found guilty of defying your King and circumventing your duties as Prince of Erebor. How do you plead to these charges before you?" Thorin's deep voice was ponderous as it boomed through the great hall...a soft murmur could be heard as the charges were called out. Kili stood there listening to his Uncle with narrowed eyes...his stomach churning in both fear and anger at his uncle there before him. Kili glanced at Fili for a brief moment and saw his head bowed down to where Kili could not see his features so he did not know what his brother was feeling in that moment...he took a deep breath to respond.

"If by choosing to be with your "One" means defying your King, then I am guilty. I, Kili, the second Prince of Erebor, am guilty of choosing my true love over another who is not." he stood with his shoulders back and waited for Thorin's verdict...seeing something sparkling within those blue depths that left him slightly confused.

"Love? Let's see about that. GUARDS! Bring him in!" as Thorin bellowed out the doors opened and there stood Bofur with Bombur and Bifur at his side...fear on his beloved's face as they were led by Dwalin,towards where Thorin sat...a smile on his face.