A/N: The character of Bella-Dis was initially based on Oberyn Martell (ASOIAF) and a hint of Merida (Brave). She looks essentially like her Mother in face, with stubble befitting a young dwarf, but has more of Thorin's personality. Let's see how that plays out for her...
Bella-Dis
When I was small, my favourite story was of how my Mother saved my Father from the Pale Orc. In all the songs Uncle Bofur would sing to me, it was always some Dwarf Lord saving a princess, but in this story, it was my own Mother standing guard over a man when he was too weak to protect himself. There he lay, unconscious, helpless, and just when all seemed lost, she appeared and saved him, driving her own blade into his attacker. I hadn't believed it at first; Uncle Balin heard my misgivings only about 3 words in:
"But she's so small!" (I hadn't thought, at five years old, that she was taller than me, in fact, I was to grow about a head taller than her as an adult).
My Father had knelt before me.
"You should never judge a warrior by their size, Bella," He had told me, "I made that mistake when I first met your Mother." And he looked over my head at her with a smile I only ever saw him give her, no one else.
She, my Mother, was Beatrice Baggins by name. By title she was Beatrice, Daughter of the West and Queen of Erebor. My Father was Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain. All the Lords bowed to him when he walked by, and gave Mother courteous nods and addresses of Your Grace. I couldn't wait until they did that for me. When I told Uncle Balin and Uncle Dwalin how excited I was to be Queen one day, they both laughed. Out of all my Uncles, I think them and Uncle Bofur were my favourites.
"You truly are Thorin's daughter," Dwalin told me.
Of the company that travelled with my Father to reclaim Erebor, I wasn't related to most of them. The only two I shared any blood were my cousins, Fili and Kili, the sons of my Aunt Dis. She was there when my Mother gave birth to me, which is why I was named partly for her. After she had drank a flagon of wine once, I asked her to tell me about it.
"I never knew your Mother to have such strength for a Halfling!" She roared, "By my beard she was bloody frightened at first; she told me she had never known such pain. I grabbed her by the shoulders and told her,
'Listen, every woman in this room has given birth, we all know your pain. There is no one better to give birth with than us. You have nothing to fear.'
"And so she screamed. We all knew the sound- no one better. When I finally pulled you yelling even louder from her, she had fallen into a sleep. I had never seen any woman loose so much blood during a birthing, but at first I feared not. It was when we couldn't wake her that I began to fear. Thorin was waiting outside; when he had asked if he could sit by her bedside during the labour, we all told him no. Women are not allowed to fight in the armies of either Erebor or the Iron Hills; the men have their battles and we have ours, which have no place for them.
"I had never seen such a look on his face when I told him Beatrice had fallen into a sleep and couldn't be waked. I don't even like to think about it. I have never feared your Father, but I feared for him that day, how he would live upon losing your Mother. Weeks went by, and we had to spoon soup into Beatrice's mouth to keep her nourished. Thorin was with her every waking moment, turning deaf ears to matters of state. It fell to Balin to rule the Mountain whilst the King would not, but there was no one that objected- you have always known and seen how Beatrice is loved by the people, as you will be, I do not doubt. When she finally woke, I was lucky enough to be there. It was I who saw her thin fingers close around Thorin's; he had fallen asleep at her side as he did so many nights, and it was I who saw him look up and see her eyes open, looking at him. It was I who saw the King Under the Mountain weep."
I was named Bella for my Mother's Mother, Belladonna. Her people, Hobbits, are simple, earthly people living in the Western region of Middle Earth called The Shire. Mother used to go back there regularly when I was still a babe in arms, although I can never remember what it looked like, staying in Erebor. Being half dwarf and half hobbit, I was always confused as to why I liked staying so close to Father's roots, hoping it would not hurt my Mother's feelings. It never seemed to.
"There's more of your Father in you," She once told me, "Half Hobbit you may be, but you are dwarf to the bone."
To her sorrow, and that of the Kingdom, we all found out how true her words were.