Life under the mountain turned to normal for most dwarves very quickly. Some rogue orcs had been hunted down and killed, the collapsed corridor to the royal wing was cleared and the bodies of the dead orcs burned.

Thorin and Basil needed more time to get used to normality. Little Thror kept them busy and made them focus on things important in life and soon, his parents sicknesses were -not forgotten - but fading. Basil slowly battled her depression with the help of her family, friends and especially her garden. The sun and the fresh air were the best cure for a hobbit, Oin insisted. Thorin once again sealed the treasury and forbid that any golden thing would be brought near to him by death penalty. The dwarves who had been servants to Tauriel had been banished from Erebor, save those who had been threatened with the lives of their families. Thorin knew very well, that fear for the own beloved ones would make a dwarf do anything.

The dwarves of the company lived their own lives; some more easily, others under strain. Dori made Dwalin's life miserable until Ori had enough and yelled at his older brother so that half the mountain heard. Of course, that did not change anything, but Dwalin loved his sweet Ori even more after that and stood his ground against Dori even more. Nori spent his free time in watching the family drama with an amused expression, while Gloin preferred to quarrel with his own wife. His little son, Gimli, had begun his training to be a royal guard and was his father's biggest pride. Oin helped Basil as much as he could and helped her with the planting of dwarvish herbs in her garden. Bofur made so many toys for little Thror, that the wooden soldiers, animals, figures, houses and countless others things almost needed an own room. Bombur cooked his behind off every day, making sure that the queen got her seven meals a day, while Bifur took over the supervision of the mines. Balin and Thorin held council every day and concentrated on political relations to Mirkwood and Dale. All of this would might not have happened if Thorin could rely on his neighbours as friends, that he knew.

Dis stayed for a few months, but she grew restless very soon and decided to travel back to the Blue Mountains. It was Kili's mother, who had kept a small box with Tauriel's ashes. For a short moment, Dis thought about placing Tauriel's ash by Kili's tomb, but in the end, she sent it to Mirkwood. She knew that Tauriel had loved her son in her own sick way, but she could not grace her with the honor of being burried in the halls of Erebor and in the royal burial chambers. In Mirkwood, she would be with her former family. Dis would accompany Tauriel's ashes to Mirkwood on her way back to the Blue Mountains. The broken elf would never be alone again. Despite all that had happened, Dis felt as if she needed to do this, to have closure.

The day Dis left Erebor, Thorin, Basil and Thror said their goodbyes at the gates of Erebor. Dis took Thror into her arms and cuddled him until he shrieked of laughter. He looked so much like Fili when he was a dwarfling that Dis felt her heart wrench violently. But his happy laughter soon made her feel better and even made her smile.

'Erebor´s sunshine, this little one.' Dis remarked and saw Basil nod with excitement.

'I was going for Erebor´s jewel, but sunshine is fine.' Thorin stated dryly and earned a playful slap from his wife and queen.

'Now that Thror is crawling, he often joins me in the garden like a real hobbit.' Basil beamed and Dis had to laugh at Thorin´s sour expression.

'They both come back into our rooms full of….dirt.' Thorin spit out the last word with such disgust that Dis had to laugh out loud. 'Thror even had dirt in his hair!'

Basil remembered the look on Thorin´s face as Thror had stumbled into the tomato bed head first and chuckled. Thorin had almost drowned himself as he had washed out the last crumb of dirt out of Thror´s hair later that day. As Basil had taken a bath after Thror had been taken to bed, Thorin had not been disinclined to his wife coming back dirty from the garden anymore.

'Erebor will grow to the mighty kingdom of old with you as king and queen. And little Thror as the future king.' Dis smiled as she looked at the royal family. 'Keep your allies close, Thorin. Cousin Dain will strengthen your back in the Northeast, Thranduil in the West and Bard in the South. Evil will have to break through defenses of friendship and loyalty if it decides to attack the free folk of Middle Earth. Let´s make it as hard as possible for them!'

'I hope that we will have some peaceful years before that happens.' Basil sighed and pulled her husband close.

'No worries, dear sister.' Dis gave Thror back to them and grinned brightly as she looked upon Erebor one last time. 'I have the feeling that evil will need many decades to recover from the blows given by the descendants of Durin – and a brave hobbit from the Shire.'

With a last warm embrace and a slap on the back of Thorin´s head, Dis, daughter of Thrain, son of Thror made her way to the Blue Mountains, through Mirkwood and Rivendell. She would establish diplomatical relations with the elven lords in the names of Erebor and the Blue Mountains and thank lord Elrond for the help and support of himself and his lovely family.

'I have said goodbye to Fili and Kili.' Dis smiled sadly as she made ready to leave. 'I will not come back.'

'We will visit you.' Basil said before Thorin could say a word. 'From time to time, I need another adventure.'

Basil beamed happily and made Thorin sigh in relief. His wife was almost the old, merry and adventurous hobbit he had met before their quest again. His heart leaped in joy as he took his family into his arms and waved his sister goodbye until she was gone from his sight.

Thror was the first who ran – or rather half scrambled half stumbled - back into the mountain, his parents following on his heels. For many years, the Lonely Mountain prospered and grew to an even mightier kingdom than everyone had predicted. Thorin and Basil had a second little one, this time a daughter, who was Thorin´s biggest pride. Their little daughter was named Dis the second and Basil made sure that she visited her aunt in the Blue Mountains as often as she could.

On their journey south, Basil once stopped by the Shire to visit her remaining family, her cousin Primula and her husband Drogo, who now owned Bag End. Primula was pregnant and promised to write Basil and inform her about the new hobbit addition to their family. When little Frodo was born, Basil back already back in Erebor and bounced through the royal chambers in a happy dance as she read the letter.

Thorin never got goldsick again. Even once, as a golden goblet was placed on the royal dinner table by mistake, he did not fell affected by it. It seemed that his family gave him the strength he needed to ignore the call of the gold. Who needed gold, when he had the love of a family?

Bofur and Ori wrote many songs and tales about the royal couple of Erebor and spread the news about the brave hobbit queen who had saved a whole kingdom -twice. The book was sold in every corner of Middle Earth and Thorin was the first who bought one and placed it in their own little library. He often read out of this book to his son and daughter, who seemed to love books as much as their mother. Basil always blushed when she heard her husband read of their adventures in his rich and deep voice and leaned against the doorframe, watching her family with a happy expression on her face. She kissed Thorin dizzy as she was told that Thorin had send two books to the Shire. One for little Frodo and one for Basil's cousin Lobelia, who would probably not be very amused.

Many dwarves, elves and men came to Erebor to honor the royal couple and risk a glance at the unusual royal couple. Thorin had made Basil a smaller throne besides his own, to demonstrate that his wife and queen was on the same level as he was. To Basil's surprise, no dwarf questionned her right to sit at Thorin's side. Dain had told his own tales about the brave hobbit, long before Basil had returned to Erebor. In fact, Dain was Basil's strongest supporter and everyone who said one tiny thing against the hobbit queen had to fear to get acquainted with Dain's warhammer.

Sadly, time flew by and the age difference between dwarves and hobbits showed. Basil aged faster than the dwarves did and by the time her son and daughter were halfway through their dwarflinghood, Basil faded away.

Fifty years after the recapture of Erebor by Thorin Oakenshield, queen Basil died of old age. The grief over her death almost killed Thorin, but he had their son and daughter who held him in the world of the living. Basil´s body was burned, her ashes filled in a small box and placed in her garden. Thorin sat in the garden every day, no matter if it rained or snowed. When the sun was out, he would have a picnic in the middle of Basil´s tomatoes, strawberries, rasberries and herbs with Thror and little Dis. They honored their mother by not giving in to their grief and hold up her memory by looking forward.

The company soon broke apart as well; Balin, Oin and Ori left for Moria to reclaim it. Dwalin, who stood loyal to his king, would not part from him in his grief and even parted from his beloved Ori.

As Dis predicted, evil began to spread again after Basil´s death. The golden ring which Basil had found on the quest and had kept hidden in Bag End called out to his old master and called the wringwraiths to the Shire. The wraiths killed Primula and Drogo and left Frodo orphanaged. Frodo was spared because he was spending his time with Gandalf in the woods. They came back to find the door to Bag End broken and Frodo`s parents dead. Gandalf, who knew exactly what the wraiths had searched for, found the ring in Belladonna Baggins´ old glory box. Frodo, his friend Sam, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took brought the ring, which turned out to be the One Ring, to Rivendell, where lord Elrond had called in a council of all free folk of Middle Earth. Gimli came as ambassador and representative for the dwarven lords and also volunteered to accompany Frodo to destroy the ring. On this journey, he became best friends with prince Legolas, who was the elven representative. Gloin´s face became as red as his beard once was as he learned about his son´s friendship to this elf of all people. Thranduil seemed to take it easier, but as Legolas and Gimli visited Erebor after the War of the Ring, he could not hold back a comment.

'Lord Gimli, a dwarven lady who claims that she is your mother but sounds like your father, asked for you.' Thranduil stated dryly and almost got chased out of the mountain by the same dwarven lady.

Erebor had also changed after the War of the Ring. Thorin had died in a last glorious battle. While Gimli and Frodo´s fellowship fought at the Black Gates, evil forces had broken through the northern defenses and had attacked Erebor and Dale. Thorin and Bard´s grandson Brand fought side by side and as Brand fell, Thorin stayed by his side. Thorin died under the sun and looked up to the mountainside to Basil´s garden as he left the world of the living.

Thorin´s son Thror was too young to be king, so Dain Ironfoot sent his son Thorin Stonehelm to Erebor as a steward until Thror would be old enough to take over.

It was Thorin´s and Basil´s daughter Dis, who had an idea to unite her parents in death. She was a jeweler´s apprentice and took her parent´s ashes to melt and press them into one beautiful diamond. In the end, a diamond with green and Durin blue shadows in it appeared and was placed over the throne of Erebor, where the arkenstone had once been. The arkenstone was buried deep inside of the treasury, banned from every living eye. Now, the ones honoring the royals of Erebor would look upon Durin´s diamond, which symbolized the great love between the greatest dwarven king and his queen.

Dwalin, who was still captain of the guard of Erebor despite his old age, was the last survivor of Thorin´s old company. He had not given in to grief, although he had lost everyone he had once held dear. Balin, Oin and Ori had died in Moria – Frodo´s fellowship had found their bodies. Thorin and Basil were gone and Dwalin was alone. He watched over Thror and Dis as if they were his own dwarflings and stayed loyal till the end.

Dis died twenty years after the War of the Ring. She never came back to Erebor, but as she died, the first people she saw in Mahal´s Halls were Fili and Kili, who helped her up and squeezed her in a loving embrace. Thorin and Basil were standing nearby, smiling at the long awaited family reunion. Basil was granted access to the dwarven halls and she happily had an eye on Frodo, who was granted to sail to Valinor by the elves. Sooner or later, everyone would be reunited – in death. But death was really just the beginning.

The End

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