The Dwarf Prince

Chapter 21: When All is Said and Done

"This is good, right?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean..." Alithia gestured to the two of them. "What we have going on here. This is good?" she asked, biting her lip insecurely.

"It's better than good, Thia," Fili answered, giving her a quick kiss. "I couldn't ask for more."

Fili and Alithia were lying down on the grass beneath a tree right outside of Erebor, marveling at the night sky. Half a year had passed since the Battle of the Five Armies, and in that time, many things had happened.

The Kingdom of Erebor was now in its full glory, being led by the rightful king, Thorin. It took a lot of work, but the dwarves worked together. Dain and his Iron Hills dwarves were now staying in the mountain along with the other dwarves, working to keep the mining of the mountain going. 

The dislike that Thorin had carried towards Alithia was now gone. After the war, Thorin had apologised for his mistreating of her and thanked her for her contribution to the Company. Alithia's efforts in fighting in the war on his side didn't go lost on him, and the dwarf especially thanked her for saving Fili's life. Thorin gave her a share of the treasure from the mountain because of her help in the Company.

"I believe this is long overdue," Thorin had said as he placed a brown satchel in her hands. When Alithia had peered inside, she saw the white gems of Lasgalen, the gems her father so desired. Thorin had also apologised to both Fili and Alithia for trying to separate them and had come to accept Alithia as one of his kin.

Kili had come to take his relationship with Tauriel more seriously, and the two of them went for a trip to travel Middle Earth together. 

Alithia and Fili had gone back to Rivendell to take back Maximus, Alithia's horse, and to pay a visit to Elrond. Elrond, of course, welcomed them with open arms, inviting them to a grand meal as he asked them of their ventures. It was no surprise to Alithia when Elrond began to interrogate Fili over the meal, asking him of his intentions with her. This caused Alithia to groan in embarrassment, and the elf lord merely chuckled and told her he was only jesting (although he did pull Fili aside to talk to him after the meal).

A share of the treasure had gone to the people of Laketown. The remaining townspeople built a new life for themselves in a small town near another lake. Bard became the leader of the race of Men, and he lived happily with his three children in a humble home.

Alithia had returned home for a visit after a month of staying with Fili in Erebor. Scared that Thranduil would be angry that she had left home for good, she told him about the white gems in her possession the second she met him, hoping it would please him. But Thranduil merely put the satchel of gems on the ground and embraced her tightly. Her visit lasted a month before she eventually returned to Erebor to be with Fili, leaving Mirkwood with the promise of coming back for a visit every few months.

Now, as they lied in each other's arms on the grass, the two finally felt at peace. There was no one stopping them from being together and there was no threat of a war. They could live out their lives together, something both were grateful for.

"It's more than I can ask for too," Alithia agreed, smiling gratefully at him.

Fili gazed into her eyes, a smile making its way on his face as he marveled at her beauty.

"I love you, you know that? So much," he said, leaning in to kiss her. Alithia smiled into the kiss as she kissed him back passionately. When they broke apart, Fili's hand cupped her face lovingly, his other hand at her waist to pull them closer. 

She smiled because she knew she had found the one. She had found the love of her life, and she was so grateful it was him. She would never have thought, back then when she first accepted the invitation to join the Company, that she would meet the love of her life. They had gone through a number of obstacles and faced many problems, but they had made it through. Together. And for that, she was grateful. And so, with the upmost passion and truth, she told him, Fili, the one she loved, the one thing she believed with all her heart:

"I love you too."

Author's note:

And it is done! I can now officially saw that The Dwarf Prince has been completed! If you stayed for the epilogue, thank you! It's just a short little chapter to close up the story. To everyone that has been supporting me, I want to say a big thank you. I could never have done it without you, and the support from you guys gave me the motivation to write.

A special thanks to @Anula137  for the support throughout the story. I know it's weird to call you out like this (in which case, I'm so sorry) but your support meant the world to me :)

So, this is it. The final chapter. Thank you, everyone, for reading, for voting and for supporting my story. And as this book comes to a close, I only have one last thing to say to you: Always Keep Fighting.

-Wyatt