Emma has known him almost all her life. He wasn't always there, or rather, he was rarely there, but he embodied hope to her.

Growing up, she had always been very unhappy. Her father, a high dwarven lord, had never gotten over the death of her mother, whom had died giving birth to her. He had never let her forget what she had done, and blatantly favoured her older brother, his heir, over her, and later her younger half-brother, neglecting and emotionally abusing her.

No one had ever told her how to spend her day, no one was interested enough to force her to study, but she was interested enough by herself. She sat in the back of the room when her brother had his lessons and asked her brother's fighting masters to teach her in the evenings. They had taken pity on her, and had let her train the bow with the guards. At first, everyone had laughed at her, the frail, small girl, without a beard. But then they saw what she could do, especially in boxing and bow-shooting, and they put some effort in her. She stayed petite, but her muscles grew, though she didn't become bulky but lean, and so did her mind, fueled by all the books she read.

The neglect and abuse from her father, and later on also from her stepmother and half-brother, was softened somewhat by the love she and her older brother had for eachother. He made sure she could follow all the lessons she wanted without their father knowing about it and cheered her up when she was feeling down, and she in her turn sometimes took the blame for his transgressions and adviced him in all sort of matters when he got more responsability in the ruling of the kingdom.

But when she was about the equivalent of a teenager, she did not think she could bear anymore. She withdrew in her shell, even contemplating suicide sometimes. Her father and his wife slowly tried to take as much as possible away from her. When she starting maturing and turned into a very pretty woman with the face of an angel, they forced her to wear avail that covered her hair and her face, except her eyes, so no one would she her beauty. But then Thorin started to visit her father's estate. Even though her father's lands were quite far from Erebor, even having a language of their own, they still belonged to Erebor, and as he was the prince of Erebor, it was his duty to visit all his grandfather's lords from time to time. But when he visited her father, he did not just inspect, he took her out riding, talked to her, somehow made her feel better without knowing it. He felt like an older brother to her at first. Off course he had seen the way her father treated her, and he was the one that told her to start keeping her head high, even if it was only a mask. He was the one that told her not to let anyone humiliate her, he was the one that told her to become more proud of herself and never show weakness to anyone.

She had listened to Thorin and, brought on by the years of abuse she had to suffer, she became closed, detached and proud. She did not let anyone get close, and everyone that offered her insult or, in her view, humiliated her, regretted it. She had not spoken to her father for years, ignoring his snarls and staying away from him as much as possible.

She adored Thorin for what he had done for her. She imagined herself and Thorin getting married one day. He would take her away from her father, away from her gloomy home, and he would make her completely happy. Despite the age difference and her being not much more than a young teenager, she knew he was her One, just as he knew she was his'. Nothing untoward happened of course, he knew she was too young yet, so marriage or even a declaration of love was out of the question, but they knew, as only dwarves know when they have found their other half.

But then Smaug came, and she did not see Thorin for decades. She heard stories of course, of how prince Thorin became Thorin Oakenshield, but she never heard anything from him. Untill the day the letter came. Thorin wrote to her father that he was going to take back Erebor and restore his kingdom. He wanted her father's help; his armies. With the downfall of Erebor, her father proclaimed his land a kingdom, ruled only by him, and no one had protested. But without the backing of Erebor, the downfall of her father came, and he had no standing army worth the name. He only had some guards to protect his estate and the small kingdom, no soldiers he could send to help Thorin.

She desperately wanted to leave their home, see something of the world, and see Thorin again, and as her father did not want to send his sons, she persuaded her brother to have her father send her instead. After much talking, her father caved to his firstborn, and she was allowed to go, even though she was a mere 60 years old, accompanied by a guard she knew and liked well, so it wouldn't look like her father only sent a woman, and instructed to keep her vail on at all times.

And there she was now, sitting on the edge of a small hobbits chair, the guard waiting outside. She had been the first one to arrive, and the welcome she got was a bit strange. The hobbit had not been expecting her, nor did he seem happy with her in his house, peering at her covered face intensely. But his attention was quickly turned away from her when other dwarves knocked at his door, eating his food, plundering his supplies. Everyone ate, like pigs, and when the dishes were cleaned and everyone was seated again, there was a sharp knock on the door, and the laughter stopped. It was Thorin. Her face started to glow a little bit, but she hid all her emotions, as she had done so well over the past decades. His attention went to the hobbit, who was supposed to be the company's burglar, although he knew nothing of it himself.

Then, after much talking and debate, both she and the hobbit were given a contract. It felt strange, her father had already written to Thorin with his consent, so why did she have to sign a contract? She quickly read through it. She was to do everything Thorin ordered, and no one would be responsible if anything happened to her, but if the company was to succeed, she would get a rather handsome reward. The contract clearly stated that she, and not her father would get it. She saw it as a way out, as means to escape her father. If the company would succeed, she would have enough funds to take care of herself; perhaps they would even let her stay in Erebor. So she signed without further ado.

The hobbit, although many tried, could not be persuaded. He did not want to leave his home, especially not to go dragon hunting with a bunch of rowdy dwarves led by the most grumpy dwarf he had ever laid eyes on. So it was decided that she was to take up the role as burglar, as she was a lot more light footed than the rest of the dwarves.

The next morning, everyone set of, starting what would become the journey of their lives.