Where she is right - The story of Dís, daughter of kings.

30

When Gesa came to work one week later, she found the door closed. Alarmed she opened with her own key quickly and found Winni in her bed looking peacefully asleep. But when she stepped closer and gently stroked her old teacher's cheek it was clear that Winni had gone.

Many took part in the death of the old midwife. In almost every family she was well know and respected. Dwin was very sad and Dwalin paid for a sumptuous funeral without making a fuss about it and both were grateful to the queen for providing the impetus for Winni's last visit just in time.

Alwa herself was meanwhile on a visit to the Iron Mountains where she had travelled to the funeral of Ama. The dawning winter and her advancing pregnancy would make travelling soon to difficult, so she spent some time now with her family. Thorin had insisted that she went in the closed carriage to protect her from the weather and from any riding accidents. He could not accompany her and had sent next to her guards and secretary, Dori and Brit with her.

Thus the Queen of Erebor arrived with a large entourage at the gates of the Iron Mountains. Dori dismounted and opened the royal carriage with great gesture. Alwa got out and was frightened at first to see the many, many onlookers who had gathered to see "their" seeress, who now was the Queen of Erebor. Loud cheers and jubilations rose. Dori offered her his hand, pressed it gently and nodded at her reassuringly. Gratefully Alwa smiled at him and walked at his arm along the carpet, warmly covered in a lush silver fox fur coat, but barefoot, like always and like many of the dwarves present remembered her. Dáin and Veri welcomed their visitor to her old home and they went in together.

Dáin was always up-to-date concerning the news and rumours of Erebor and he kept the official part of the welcoming short, so that Alwa did not have to stand too long in the draughty hall. He was curious. According to his sources his confused former subject had not only turned into the seeress, she was expected to become, but she had also grown dear to his cousin and carried his child. And this bond was supposedly unusually happy for such an arranged relationship.

Alwa was glad Dori stayed by her side and kept the conversation going because that was nothing she was fond of. While Dori was chatting and joking with Dáin and Veri, she stood still, breathed the familiar air and felt the familiar well-trodden stone beneath her feet. Everything spoke to her "at home", and yet something important was missing. She closed her eyes. Her mind wandered back to Erebor, to Thorin. So she stood there immersed in herself and the bystanders, especially Dori, who always kept an eye on her, looked at each other with a sympathetic smile.

The royal couple invited the guests to dinner into one of the comfortable drawing-rooms. And as a surprise Veri had asked Alwa's family to join them too. So her parents and her brother Dan were waiting for them already. Kan was away on a trading journey. Although the reason for her visit was a sad one, she greeted mother and father joyfully and thanked Dáin and Veri for the wonderful homecoming.

Dan welcomed her happily with a hug and whispered:

"Is it true, what one hears, little sister?"

She nodded.

"And when will it be time for you?", he asked, seeking for an unpretentious expression on his face.

But he had never been a good actor and it did not require the gift of prophesy to see clearly that Dan did not really want to know the day of birth but the day of conception.

"At the end of Súlimё", she replied softly and could almost see how Dan recalculated quickly in his mind, "and before you rack your brain, dear brother: Yes, our son was conceived in the morning after the bond."

Dan gasped infuriated and clenched his fists.

"I knew it! And he promised not to do that! Just you wait!", he growled indignantly.