The next day, I begin packing up for my journey.  Dwalin, Gloin, and Bofur have agreed to come with me while the others decide to stay and work on cleaning up the mountain.  Quite a bit of destruction has taken place, between the dragon that resided here for sixty years and the war that took place outside our front door.

As soon as we have ponies and enough supplies for the journey, we bid goodbye to the remaining dwarves and head out.

The journey is long.  We pass over long stretches of plain and rock.  Our ponies trod along diligently, even though they're obviously tired.

What makes things worse is that the entire time, I feel sick.  Every morning, I wake up and go away from the camp to throw up.  I don't know what's wrong with me, but something is.  As soon as we get to the Blue Mountains, I'll see a doctor.

I don't tell my male companions about this, though.  They have enough on their minds, and it's probably not life-threatening.

We journey for another week before reaching the Blue Mountains.  When we arrive, Gloin hugs his wife and son, Gimli.  Bofur greets some relatives and tells them about the adventure while Dwalin does the same.

I immediately find my mother and Dis, Thorin's sister and Fili and Kili's mother.

"Nossa, my darling!" my mother exclaims, enveloping me in a tight hug. 

"Hello, mother," I reply, hugging back.

"Oh honey... I was so worried... I heard about the battle," she rambles.  I smile lightly and place my hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, mother."

"Nossa, how are Fili and Kili?  And my brother?" Dis asks.  At these words, my heart shatters into a million pieces.

"Fili and I got married before the battle," I begin, my voice tight.  "I accompanied him, Kili, and Thorin into the fight."

Dis and my mother have gotten very worried and sick expressions on their faces.  Dwalin comes up behind me.

"It's okay.  I can tell them," I whisper.  The burly dwarf looks skeptical, but nods and walks off.

"Fili, Kili, and Thorin all fought bravely.  They... passed during the battle," I choke.  Dis' eyes fill with tears and her knees go weak.  She grips my mother's shoulder for balance, sobs emitting from her lips.  Mother's hand flies to her mouth and her eyes fill with tears as well.

"Kili asked me to give this to you," I say, tears spilling out onto my face.  I reach into the pocket of my travelling coat and pull out Kili's token. 

"Nossa..." Dis sobs.  She takes it in her hand and holds it to her heart.

"My family is gone.  My entire family," the dwarf cries.  My mother takes Dis' arm.

"Come dear, let's get you some tea."

We walk to Dis' home and sit down.  My mother wipes tears from her eyes relentlessly as she makes some tea and serves it.

"I'm sorry, Dis.  I am so sorry.  I couldn't do anything," I sob.

"I don't blame you, Nossa.  I really don't," Dis replies, stifling another sob and wrapping her hands around her cup. 

We sit for a while, the only sounds being that of the occasional sniff or mournful sigh.

"Mother, I wanted to ask you about something," I say finally, wiping tears from my eyes.  "During our journey here, I was getting sick every morning."

"Maybe you have a flu," Mother suggests.

"That's not it.  I feel fine for the rest of the day and..." I rub the back of my neck awkwardly.  "That time hasn't come this month."

The two dwarf women watch me for a moment, almost as if they're evaluating me.

"You haven't... done anything with any male dwarves, have you?" Mother asks warily.

All of a sudden, it feels as though the world has stopped spinning.

"Actually, I have.  Fili and I, on our wedding night." My eyes widen.  "Oh God.  I'm pregnant, aren't I?"

Smiles break across the tear stained faces of Dis and my Mother.  Dis starts sobbing again as she gets up and hugs me.

"Oh Nossa, oh Nossa," she cries.  My mother hugs me next.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother!"

"Now there is an heir for the throne of Durin," I say, tears welling in my eyes as I gently touch my stomach.

"On that topic, who rules the mountain now?" Mother asks quietly.

"That's another thing I forgot to mention," I say.  I smile lightly at the two.  "I'm the Queen Under the Mountain."