An hour later and all the dwarves had discarded their wet items of clothing, and were now standing in various points around the house, with blankets covering them, their bodies trembling with the cold.

Erica cradled her small, sleeping son close as she watched Tilda and her father hand out blankets to those who had not yet received any, and she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to see that it was Sigrid, and she smiled at the small comfort her sister was trying to offer.

It was a well-known fact that since Legolas had been born, Erica did not handle drastic changes very well, or a lot of people in the same place, at the same time. So, it was safe to say that she was not very comfortable with the situation she currently found herself in.

She scanned the room and let out a deep breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. She closed her eyes in a last attempt to try and calm herself.

No one here is going to hurt you. They are not like the people of Laketown. They do not know your past.

As her eyes were shut and her mind elsewhere, she did not hear, nor see, the dwarf that was approaching her until he spoke, and tore her from her mantra.

'Tis a bonnie wee lad you've got there lass.'

Erica's eyes flew open and focused on the dwarf standing in front of her. He was smaller than some of the others, although not as small as the one with the large feet, and had a long white beard that forked at the end into two different points.

She opened and shut her mouth like a fish out of water, unsure of what to say to him. In the end she settled for murmuring a small 'Thank you.' as she pulled the little bundle of fabric closer to her bosom. He chuckled at her and she looked at him in confusion.

'It's alright lass, no one here will hurt you,' She spluttered, trying to find the words that would least offend him but he just laughed at her again, 'I can see it in your eyes, you've a fighting spirit. No sane dwarf would try and place harm on you or your babe. A mother's wrath is known to be the worst.'

His eyes twinkled in amusement and she couldn't help the smile that formed on her pink lips as he walked over to join his kin. She looked down at Legolas. He was wrapped up in one of her shirts so that only his face was showing. She knew that his pointed ears would draw unwanted attention from the present company, as she was aware of the bitterness the dwarves felt for the elves, and so she had thought to cover them.

She gazed down at her son, her heart beating painfully in her chest as it fought to soar in his bright blue skies. The love she felt for the tiny elf was unconditional, and she knew she would die for him if she needed to.

She hoped it would not come to that, but as she listened to the conversation which hummed around the room, she thought it possible that she might have to.

'-loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast.'

'Ha ha ha! That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more.'

She frowned. She knew the story of her ancestor and his failure to kill the dragon, but why the dwarves were disproving it, she could not understand. Erica watched carefully as the leader of the company strode up to her father. She strained to hear what was said but was disappointed when she found she could not.

Her father swept down the stairs in an obvious search for something, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the small group of dwarves that formed soon after he left.

She stood up when she started to feel her bottom half go numb and walked over to where Bain and Tilda were standing. She was glad to see that they too were watching the dwarves in suspicion.

When her father came back, she watched as he placed a package on the table and smiled, amused, when all the dwarves migrated around it, like bees to a honey pot.

'What is this?'

She blinked when the leader spoke, surprised at the deepness of his voice, and her eyes widened when all the other dwarves joined in, yelling at her father that the weapons they had were 'not good enough'.

Her attention was stolen by her son however, when she heard him make a small whimpering noise. He opened his big blue eyes and looked at her in discomfort.

'Are you hungry ionneg?' She whispered, careful not to let the dwarves hear. Legolas wriggled uncomfortably in her arms, and she knew that he was about to throw a tantrum. She rushed out of the room and into the bedroom she shared with her sisters, where she pulled the top of her dress down and began breast feeding him.

Even though his elvish blood made him age faster, Erica did not have the means to feed her son solid food yet and so she still had to feed him milk. She didn't mind really. She rather enjoyed the experience, as it made her feel closer to him, and she did not have to worry about taking food from the rest of the family.

She smiled down at him and tapped his nose.

'Happy now, penneth?,' she asked, her face crinkled with amusement, 'You were ready to start quite the little fuss weren't you? Hm.' she hummed at him and smiled when his eyes focused on her.

She rearranged him so that he could drink from her other breast when he started to whimper again. Looking out of the window in the small room, she frowned at the darkness. The sky was black. There were no stars, no moon, nothing. Erica looked over to the Lonely Mountain, it's large presence menacing against the cold night sky. She had a bad feeling about this.

And when she had a feeling she was usually right.

So when she walked back into the main room to find none of the dwarves present, and her brother and sisters sitting there alone...she knew that the wheels of something big, something bad, had been set in motion...

Aah! Sorry this chapter's so short but I kinda like ending my stories on cliffhangers *laughs evilly*.

I hope you like the story so far because I get really excited writing it which means shorter update time for you guys! Woo!

Elvish translation:

ionneg - my son

penneth - little one

Thanks for reading,

kingofsmirkwood x