Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian

When his wielding of the sword became easy and didn't require any strain of thought Thorin looked around for a new challenge. The one that would be his own.

He was a dwarf. He didn't needed to look much further. They were craftsmen. They were miners. They forged swords and melted gold. It was unbecoming for a dwarf to be clueless about the craft that made them what they were.

That's why he descended down into the mountain and asked which job was the most demanding and most basic to be done. That led him to the furnaces. He could see older dwarfs and he knew that they were mocking him behind their beards full of braids. But he persisted, sweating in the heat burning up by the big furnaces keeping the flame alive. That's how he earned his first respect that wasn't given to him by right of his birth.

Soon those bearded men took him in and showed him the trade. He learned everything about melting the gold and making coins and jewelry, he even tried with the shaping of diamonds and sapphires, but that didn't inspired him. He didn't have the patience, or the skill to shape anything breath taking. The thing he enjoyed the most was blacksmith's craftsmanship. Objects of steel captured his attention more effectively than those made of gold. He didn't quite understand the glimmer of excitement when his grandfather watched his gold, or possessiveness his father showed of jewelry.

Casting melted steel into mould and banging of the hammer witnessing how shapeless ore became something sharp and dangerous brought peace to his mind.

Down there by the furnaces while noise of hammers filled the air, in the silence of working he found his first friends, he learned how to just be beside them without need to cast big shadows. Everything was dark anyway, lighted only by the fires.

His life soon had a rhythm. The days were neatly divided between his duties by the throne, wielding swords in training areas and forging ones by the furnaces.

It was when they started to make big mould of his grandfather, he wanted to have golden statue of himself. He thought it would show their prosperity well, it seemed sound at the time. That was the time Thorin first started to wonder about company for himself.

He established good relations throughout the mountain. There were dwarfs he called friends. He wasn't lonely. Not by far. For dwarf company is something you get in a crowd while drink is pouring and songs are sung. Brothers and friends were enough for the majority of dwarfs for most of their life. But there were times for breeding.

Although dwarfs weren't the most comfortable sort to speak of such things, and were the ones to postpone such responsibilities for as long as they could, the time would come that it became inevitable. They needed children to continue their work. Breeding for dwarves was slow process and it needed to put thought into it. Because of their long lives there was no hurry. But his sister Dis was persistent in her desire to produce children.

Grandfather tried to reason with her saying that there was enough time. Father told her she was young but she just clapped her hands and said that mother was young too and now she was gone.

"Preposterous" grumbled grandfather "we are already talking of the mountain having three generations at the same time. There is fear of greed for power to arise in you children. Besides, wouldn't your brother have the first right to ask for such a thing. Will you impose on him your offspring as heir to our throne?"

"I'm not interested in throne, but in children" Dis turned red from rage.

"That's not yours to be interested in, but your children would look upon this throne and desire it for themselves. They would think it's theirs to take, to inherit. Your brother should have the right to have children first."

"But there could pass the whole millennia before he desires children, even more for a wife, maybe not even then" she cried out desperately and Thorin found himself dumbfounded by her statement. It was true he never considered either, but he was so young still, he expected to be introduced to whomever his father found suitable for making an heir. But he never considered it to be his choice that he needed to desire a wife.

"True" their father spoke up "less and less young people think of breeding needs these days. Women are scarce to find. It seems theirs numbers are decreasing every year. Soon there could be less than one female for three dwarves. I doubt we would be looked upon kindly if we took one female for our clan while withholding one. There would be rioting if we, dwarves, weren't so work oriented, if we were like men there would be blood on these halls. But we're not and devoting yourself to your work is nothing to be ashamed of" he directed his speech to Thorin. "If your mother didn't have such a nice, golden, streak in her braids, you two wouldn't be here today. Father" he turned to Thror "when Dis decides to do something there's nothing we could say that she would listen. If you persist she could run off to the Iron Hills and mock us from there. I think it's best to leave it to these two to work it out between themselves. Thorin she would listen too, even angry she can't fight him."

"No one can" said Thror watching his grandson with approval. It was the first sign that his defiant nature wasn't taken as a bad omen, but something to be useful for the future.

With that they withdrew taking their long coats and beards with them.

When they were alone there were silence. It was a comfortable kind of silence. Thorin noted to himself that between his new activities he didn't have much time for his sister. He had neglected her in his pursuits.

"Is there someone you wish to wed or are there just children on your mind?" Thorin spoke up after while not lifting his gaze knowing she wouldn't be the one to speak first. Especially because they left her to her little brother like he was her master.

"Don't be rude" she banged him on the head. "I'm not a goblin to dig my young out of the mud. Of course I have someone in mind."

"Does he have you in mind?" Thorin still didn't look at her, holding himself still, imagining his hands griping the sword as he cornered the coward that would lead on his sister just to run off and hide before responsibility of keeping her as princess should be kept.

"He does" she straightened herself up offended. "What do you take me for, like I would expose myself to this if I wasn't sure? I would expect you would know me better than that, but maybe you forgot who I am."

Thorin finally looked at her, her golden braids on her chin, defiant look in her blue eyes. He smiled at her softly. He could always be gentle with her, she didn't expect him to be someone big.

"I'm sure you've chosen wisely" he said quietly.

"You wouldn't mind?" there were a hint of insecurity in her voice and he let his smile widen. She valued his opinion, and she needed his approval.

"I think it is a great idea" he said decisively "I wouldn't mind not being the youngest anymore. Besides you're right, who knows if I'll be ready for such a thing? Your children will be from the line of Durin and I'll consider them as my own."

"Oh brother" she threw herself on him and he hugged her feeling small kind of relief because she took that burden upon herself. There was one less thing for him to worry about.

After some time when all necessary steps were made he was introduced to her future husband. He was right, she choose wisely. Her husband seemed like man easy to love, simple, good humoured, with a smile on his features and genuine fondness in his brown eyes. It was the first time Thorin considered that he might be in need of something like that, of companionship.

The thought stayed with him and in the days that followed he felt it like an absence. He shook it off saying to himself that it was just because Dis found herself someone to accompany her through life replacing Thorin by her side. That was down side of having sister. Being so few in numbers they felt the urge to marry, to establish a new bond for themselves. Dwarves with brothers were fortunate ones, having companionship for life, not needing to get entangled into more complex relations where more than just sitting by each other and exchanging words from time to time is needed.

That more was something that would produce anxiety in Thorin, and in most dwarves it would cause uncomfortable squirming. Between dwarves that was like dancing around fire armed with axes and pikes trying to examine your opponent to know what kind of conflict is required to establish order of power. Lifelong feuds started that way causing flaming hatred that could be passed on generations to come. He'd have to remember to advise Dis in having more than one child. Only children were the unfortunate ones in dwarfish society. Having your sister married meant that you knew rules of engagement in close being with another dwarf. Not having siblings meant that you would be too sharp and too soft in the wrong time. Luckily he wasn't so unfortunate.

Looking around, examining his surroundings for companion, someone to sit comfortably by the fire, he took his sister as example of someone he could stand. But he found no one in sight to be remotely close to her persistent, stubborn but again kind nature. Closest he could find wasn't really a companion, but more a friend. Balin, old warrior, advisor, and his swords instructor was easy to talk to and Thorin decided he didn't need anything more than kind ear and wise words.

Soon enough there was a dragon feet above him and there were was no time for those kind of thoughts. There were more pressing matters to attend to.