The Heiress of Durin
Chapter One
"She's so weird" Bellarina hid her face. Ever since she had started taking lessons at Balin's small school, everyone had rejected her. "She doesn't even look like a dwarf!" Another girl hissed. "And she has no mum." The last one said. That was it, Bellarina knew, she'd had it. She cleared her throat and left her desk calmly, walking quickly inside the school building. She was not eating lunch outside today, she knew that. "Look at her hair and eyes. They're so stupid and strange." One boy proclaimed, pointing at her. They did not know she could hear every word they had said. She stormed through the short hall, tears springing to her eyes. Bursting through the door, she startled Balin, and went to sit at her desk. She let the tears fall. "My my, lass," Balin said sympathetically, "What's got you in such a fuss?" he waddled over to her desk, sitting in the one next to her. "I don't belong here. I have no friends, and everyone hates me. I can't focus on my lessons with people hissing at me behind my back." She sniffled. "Alright lass. I'll talk to your father." Balin decided, "But just remember this. You are the final heir of Durin, a future queen, and one day they will all respond to you. They are just jealous of your beauty and skill." Bellarina dried her eyes and smiled up at him. The glow in the room made both of their hair look golden, but in truth it was white. Balin's was white with age, and Bellarina's was white with birth. "Can I please go home, Mister Balin? I finished my day's work." She asked, her eyes pleading. She handed him all of her homework and paperwork assigned for the day. "Alright, little one. I'm sorry that this happened, but I've told you before I believe private lessons are a better choice." He reminded her. Bellarina nodded, and with that began to make her way to the forge.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of metal against rock was deafening as she stepped into the stuffy forge. The other dwarves working there greeted her; she came here often. She searched the steam filled room for her father, and finally found him near the back, shaping a dwarfish dagger. She stood beside him, watching with care. "I thought you had school today!" Kili said, taking his eyes off his work for a brief moment. He began hitting it once again. "Balin let me go early." She stated, pausing, "I can't stay there anymore, Da. Even Balin knows what the other kids say about me." Kili looked at her sympathetically and nodded. "Very well. I heard Bofur was looking for you," he told her, "Go to his shop and see if he's there." Bellarina smiled and ran out of the forge, heading straight for the shop that she loved so dearly. "Mister Bofur!" she called, running into the dusty room. Bofur sat in his wooden rocking chair, carving into a piece of pine. "Ah, there you are lass! You think you could help me?" he questioned, gesturing to the pile of unpainted woodcarvings. Bellarina beamed and nodded, picking up her paintbrush and the paint palate. She sat on the floor near the drying rack, painting with precision and details that she had learned from Bofur. "How are your family members?" he asked, not looking up from his work. "I don't know about Great Uncle Thorin. I don't see him as much. Uncle Fili and da are still working their boots off in the forge." She told him, finishing one carving and starting on the other. "You know your da, when he was little, always helped me with my woodcarvings, as did your grandmother." He said with pride. Bellarina looked up and then back down. She loved hearing new things about her grandmother, who she never got to meet. She died of the plague before Bellarina had been born. Hours passed in comfortable silence. The glow of the setting sun at last hit the windows of the shop, alerting its residents that it was time to go home. "Thank you for the help!" Bofur called as she walked towards her home. "You're welcome!" she replied. She broke off in to a run, realizing she needed to get home faster then she intended. She burst through the door and ran into the kitchen. "Chicken and potatoes should be good enough." She concluded, and quickly went to work. Thorin, Fili, and Kili all worked in the forge, and when they got home they always had quite the appetite. She stuck two chickens into the oven, and quickly peeled twenty potatoes, chopping them into little squares. She moved in a rush, tossing the potatoes into the boiling water and keeping her eyes on the clock. They'd never asked her to cook dinner, but she felt it was her duty, seeing as they paid for her living and eating expenses. At last all was cooked, and she set the table just in time. Thorin, Fili, and Kili and came through the door noisily, roaring in laughter about this and that, making sure to wipe their mud-covered boots on the mat. "Rina!" Kili called, making sure she was home. "In here!" she replied, "Dinner's ready!" The boys thanked her for it, and began to eat in their crazy Dwarfish way. They all shared their stories for the day, one about how Bellarina spilled paint on Bofur's hat, and how Fili burnt his hand, and how Kili and Thorin did many more swords than their daily goal. Bellarina addressed his hand immediately. Being a gifted healer, she knew how to take care of the many cuts and burns that her family would bring home after a long day. "Master Balin talked to me today…" Kili began, seeing Bellarina's face darken, "It's not true, what any of them say. You are a princess-to-be and they need to learn some respect. So I'm going to talk to their parents after dinner." "What! No! That'll just make it worse!" Bellarina shouted, forgetting her manners. "No need to shout, little one." Thorin chastised, "I believe it is a good choice. Anyone who dares insult the heirs of Durin should know they've made a huge mistake." Bellarina let her head fall onto the table, hitting it repeatedly. There was no changing her father's mind. He was as stubborn as all the rest of them were. She lifted up her head, beginning to eat again. "You're doing the dishes when you get back." She hissed, finishing her dinner and picking up her plate. "Alright." He agreed, and everyone stood, taking their dishes to the kitchen.
Bellarina put on her white nightgown, looking out her window. It was open, with the summer breeze pulling at her hair and skirt. She walked to her bed, making sure to turn on her music box that lay on the bedside table. Next to it was a picture of her mother, Kalya. Kalya had been an elf, and how their parents met was a long story that she was not allowed to hear. The melody of the box filled her room, an old song that had been around for many years. Thorin used to sing it to her when she was a little girl, but now, being almost twenty-six, she was too old for such stories. "Far over, the misty mountains cold," he would sing, "To dungeons deep and caverns old." Bofur had helped Fili and Kili create a music box in the shape of the Lonely Mountain, with Smaug wrapping himself around it. It was beautifully made. Bellarina sighed, taking out her braids and letting her long hair fall. Her bed was rough against her skin; the wool blankets made her itchy. She once again pulled her only book from its drawer. Though she had gotten it twenty years ago, it had no scratches; she had taken the best care of it. As she opened it her father walked in, smiling at the familiar sight. "I see you're going to bed," he said, "Well I'm going to talk to the families now. Goodnight sweetheart." "You're doing to dishes remember!" she called after him, getting an eye roll as a response. Bellarina felt the soft pages of the book once again, calling back memories of when she had first received it. She and her father shared the same birthday, December 16th, and he had gotten it for her 6th birthday. She turned off the light, letting sleep take her troubled mind.