Billana blinks, completely taken aback by the question. It isn't that adoption never happens in the Shire, there are times when some illness or accident might take both parents from the world before their time, it is simply rare and usually of faunts no older than fifteen. Even then, the child never gets to make the choice and older children are fostered with family members until they are of age. At least, they are supposed to be fostered, in her case it was decidedly safer for her to live on her own. She really had assumed that Balin had made the claim that he had adopted her purely so he could find out where the elves were taking her. Before she can respond, though she is still looking for the right words, Thorin cuts in.
"Is this really the time?" He asks, looking at them all in exasperation.
"It's the only time we have," Balin replies. "Tomorrow Billana will be of age." Thorin nods, obviously understanding even if Billana does not.
"Then if we could get this done," he prompts. "I would like to make it into Laketown before nightfall." Balin pulls a face.
"I don't understand," Billana admits. "I'd like nothing better than to call you father, of course, but I don't know what I'm supposed to say or do."
"It's easy," Fili says softly, his head next to hers as his arms wind around her waist. "You accept, cut your palm, and clasp his hand. Balin does the rest."
A knife appears in front of her and Billana looks to see Nori holding it out to her. She reaches to accept it and Nori catches her hand before she can.
"Let me," she says, "there would be an advocate if this were happening in Ered Luin."
"Billana is hardly so young that she needs an advocate," Balin replies.
"She might as well be," Nori glares at him, "she said herself she doesn't understand what you're really offering." Thorin clears his throat meaningfully.
"If Nori feels it necessary," Thorin tells them, "and if Billana does not object, of course."
There is something deeper going on here Billana thinks, but it is neither the time nor the place to discuss it. From the glare that Nori throws Balin's way, however, Billana rather suspects that she might be better off not knowing. The female dwarf draws the knife across Billana's palm with one swift motion, the well kept blade slicing quickly and she doesn't show any of the nervous hesitation that Billana might have. She isn't sure how to feel about that, but pushes the thought to one side in favour of allowing Nori to turn her hand and press her bleeding palm to Balin's. She hisses something vaguely threatening to Balin is Khuzdul, who raises an eyebrow at her but doesn't reply beyond a slight incline of his head.
"Before others I have claimed you as the daughter in my heart, now I take you as the child of my blood as it flows into you and yours into me. With this bond I vow to protect you and love you as a father ought, to watch over you and guide you should ever you need it. When I pass from this life and return to the stone, may all my worldly goods pass to you and with this bond of blood may you find me in the halls of our ancestors. I name you now Billana Took, daughter of Balin, son of Fundin."
There is a flash of red from between their joined hands, heat seems to sear into her, but Balin does not release her until the light has faded. Thorin has his eyebrows raised in apparent surprise and even Nori looks grudgingly impressed. When Billana's hand is finally released she expects to see a mess of sticky blood and a lightly oozing wound. Instead she finds that her palm is completely clean, far cleaner than the rest of her all things considered, and there is a fresh white scar across it.
"Looks like Mahal approves," Dwalin comments, slipping his hand into Nori's. "Congratulations to both of you."
Billana feels a little light-headed in truth. She has spent much of her life wishing to know her true father and if not the one who sired her, she has at least wished that Bungo could have seen her as a daughter rather than the unwanted child she had always been. It is almost baffling to think that someone might want her as their own after so long of being told that she was a mistake, a misjudgement, a chain around her mother's ankles and that it would be better if she had never entered the world alive, the better to hide her mother's indiscretion. To not only be wanted, but to learn that Mahal, who created the dwarves and who they revere so highly for it, would approve is nearly too much.
"Walk with me," Balin says to her. Fili relinquishes his hold of her reluctantly and she almost understands how he feels. The endless days together in Mirkwood have brought the three of them closer and it is strange to think that she will once again have to share their company with others. "I think it would be best if I explained a few things to you," he says as they all begin to move and Billana feels something in her drop. Balin must see something in her face, because his expression softens and he glances back at Fili and Kili who are talking quietly with Nori. "You don't need to worry about them, lass, no dwarf would stand between a 'dam and her heart, and it's very clear where your heart lies." She relaxes a little, leaning in to his warmth when he offers her is arm. "I was worried when they approached you, neither of them has ever shown so much as an inkling towards courting and marrying. I should have known it would take someone truly extraordinary to get their undivided attention."
"I'm nothing really special," she mumbles, embarrassed.
"Oh, you are, lass, even if you don't realise it," he assures her. "I'm proud you accepted my offer of family. As for why now, which I can see you want to know, I've made the claim once before others including Dori, and it is one I suspect I will need to make again when we enter Laketown. It is something I had intended on asking you when we were at Beorn's, but with one thing and another I felt it was too soon and it was only when we managed to get the date out of our reluctant bargeman that I realised how close I was to losing the opportunity to do it properly."
"Properly?" She tilts her head.
"If I were to have made you the offer tomorrow, when you are of age, you would no longer be a child and I would not have been able to declare you daughter or give you the ties of blood which will better protect you inside the mountain. You would have been recognised as a member of my family in name only," she traces the new scar on her palm with her finger. It has an odd feel to it, a sort of tingle when she touches it and she mentions it to him. "Aye, it will," he agrees, "should anything happen to me any healer will be able to detect the blood bond and the nature of it to validate my claim. You are my heir now, Billana, all of my worldly goods and titles will be yours upon my passing."
"I wouldn't know what to do with anything like that," she tells him, at a loss for anything else to say and he laughs.
"I forget, sometimes, that you're not a very small dwarf," he replies, "you have certainly shown enough stubborn tenacity to put even the most stone headed of us to shame." He looks meaningfully at Thorin who either doesn't hear him or isn't listening. "Just because you will be of age tomorrow, Billana, does not mean that my duty to you as your father will end. As guardian any need to care for you or protect you would have been over, no matter what my wishes to the contrary might have been. As your father, while you will be free, of course, to go your own way, I will always be able to come to you for any reason. Including if those two idiots some how push you too far or make you uncomfortable, or if Nori shares a few too many stories that you would rather she didn't."
"You two haven't been particularly close," she says, keeping her voice soft. She knows that dwarf hearing isn't as sharp as hers but Nori always seems to have a way of knowing things that she shouldn't. "But if she and Dwalin are-" she pauses, groping for a word, "whatever they are, I would have thought you'd get along better than you seem to."
"That," Balin says after a tense pause, "is a long story and the result of a poor judgement on my part thirty years ago." Billana raises her eyebrows. "Dwarves are very good at holding grudges, and the one Nori holds isn't unwarranted I'll admit, no matter what she got out of it in the end."
It isn't very enlightening, but Billana suspects that Balin would rather not talk about it and really it isn't any of her business. At least, it isn't so long as it doesn't cause any problems. They are now, however, nearly entirely across the bridge and about to encounter the Men who guard the only foot entrance into the town. They lounge indolently against their hut, spears held loosely and complaints about the cold audible with the way that sound carries oddly over water. They are wrapped against the weather, which is definitely cool for the end of September, and Billana suspects that their lack of observation comes from unwariness born of boredom rather than malicious negligence. They come to attention very quickly, however, when a younger guard looks their way and alerts his companions.
"Here's something you don't see often round these parts," one of them says to the other as he looks at the Company. "Dwarves."
"If we may pass," Balin says, "we simply wish to replenish our supplies." Fortunately, the twins had managed to salvage their packs, and while they might still be a touch damp, they contain enough of the Company's belongings and additional gold to add weight to the request.
"Strangers are to go straight to the Master," the younger guard says, "those are the orders."
"That can hardly be encouraging for those with coin to spend," Balin observes.
"We don't give the orders," the older one shrugs, "but it will be our necks if we don't follow them. You're all welcome to turn back if you don't want to see him."
Thorin visibly bristles at the idea that he needs permission to trade in this town, which he knows from Kili and Billana badly needs the trade and the reestablishment of the dwarven kingdom to the north. This is very likely to be part of the reason that Elladan and Elrohir had not wanted them to pass into the Mannish settlement and her own instincts are screaming at Billana that this is a bad idea. Nevertheless, according to the others, and she supposes that they would know, it is over a month until Durin's day and the Lonely Mountain is still a little over a week's travel ahead of them. None of them really want to spend the better part of three weeks searching for the hidden door and avoiding the notice of the dragon, and so stopping somewhere was always going to need to become an option. Laketown is the only place nearby.
"Very well," Thorin sneers. "Take us to him."
This, Billana thinks miserably, is a mistake.
A.N: This was supposed to be out far sooner than it is. I'm sorry for that, a combination of studying and an epic sickness bug prevented me from getting much of anything done. But here we are. Getting there slowly.