Blessed 5

A/N: Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. I'm very happy that none of you hate me for being gone so long…and that you all stuck around while life kept me busy.

Chapter 5 – Leaving Rivendell

They spent several days in Rivendell while waiting for the moon to be the correct phase for Lord Elrond to read the secret runes on Thorin's map, and it was time that Belle was ever so grateful for. The dwarves all noticed the change in her as she relaxed in the peaceful atmosphere, especially Thorin who found his gaze wandering to her more often than not. The day of the proper moon phase found Belle in one of Rivendell's many gardens, Blissfully unaware of Thorin standing watch from a nearby alcove as she gathered up herbs that she felt they might need later on in their journey. She had a special compartmented pouch that was always securely tied to her waist that she kept her herbs in. The pouch was also waterproof and had been a gift from Arwen, who had merely told her that she would need it later. A pair of loud voices and the sounds of a scuffle nearby had Thorin starting to pull his sword out until he heard Belle's musical laughter filled the garden.

"Elladan…Elrohir! Oh how I have missed you two trouble makers."

"Us?"

"Trouble makers?"

"I do believe we should be offended brother mine…"

"I would be…if it were not true."

The three shared a laugh and the two tall elves lifted the small hobbit into their arms and swung her around, her joyous laughter drawing more members of Thorin's company to the garden.

"We scarcely believe Ada when he told us you had finally returned Belle. We had begun to think we might never get to see your lovely face again."

Belle gave them both a withering look and they attempted to appear innocent…she didn't buy it for a moment.

"What have you two done now?"

"Why does everyone always think we've done something?"

She just raised a single eyebrow and stared them down as they both grinned at her. The sound of another elven male yelling loudly could be heard echoing down a nearby hall and the two holding Belle paled dramatically and gently placed her back on her feet before running full-speed in the opposite direction of the angry voice. They called back over their shoulders as they ran.

"Farewell Lady Belle."

"Hopefully we can see you off before you leave again."

Belle chuckled softly, only for that chuckle to turn into a full-blown roll-on-the-ground laugh as Glorfindel came storming into the garden. His face looked like thunder but that did nothing to stem the little Hobbit's laughter as his normally blonde hair was now a bright shade of pink. The elf froze in place and turned to look at the small laughing female, his own lips twitching madly as he tried to suppress the urge to laugh with her.

"Well now…this is a sight for sore eyes. It has been many years since I last saw you Lady Belle. Pray tell gentle lady…have you, by chance, seen a certain pair of soon-to-be-deceased trouble makers?"

Belle managed to, mostly, get herself back under control and pointed down the hall the two had recently escaped through.

"That way…most likely headed to their father or sister for protection. Do make sure to get them back good…I would so love to see the aftermath."

"Worry not little lady…I will not disappoint you."

As the, temporarily, pink-haired elf stomped off after his prey the little Hobbit found herself laughing again. Thorin and the others couldn't help but join her as they came into the garden.

"Now that's a sight I hope I never forget in all my years. A pink-haired Elf?!"

Dwalin seemed to be the most amused by the sight, if his loud booming laughter was anything to go by, and Belle could understand why. It was rather amusing if she were to be honest…and she made it a habit to never lie to herself. All too soon the moon was high in the sky and it was time to have Lord Elrond read the map that Thorin carried, which neither he nor Balin was thrilled about but they knew it had to be done. Belle stood between Thorin and Gandalf, Thorin still refusing to let her out of his sight for very long, as her Uncle read the runes. When Thorin and Balin started speaking excitedly and accidentally revealed their plan Belle smacked herself in the forehead in exasperation.

"Oh honestly Uncle Elrond…like you didn't already suspect it. Yes…WE are going to take back that mountain so these dwarves and their kin can have their bloody home back…and Yavanna help anyone who dares try and stop us."

They all turned to the small female with wide eyes, Thorin and Balin with no small amount of reverence in theirs, at the impassioned words she spoke. Gandalf smiled like an indulgent grandfather while Lord Elrond beamed with pride, though his eyes were filled with worry.

"Promise me you will be very careful Little Belle, and return to us someday?"

"I will try Uncle Elrond. I can promise no more than that."

Later that night, as Thorin was relaying the map's information to the company, Lady Arwen arrived at the door.

"Belle, My father and Gandalf sent me. You and your friends must leave quickly."

"Why? What has happened?"

"Saruman is here…and he wishes to stop your quest. Lady Galadriel is also here and I believe she is stalling for time. You must go quickly my friend. I have brought a few elves with me to carry supplies for all of you."

Belle hugged Arwen tightly and thanked her for her help, mentally thanking Lady Galadriel as well and was rather amused and discomfited at the same time to hear the Lady answer back in her mind.

"You are most welcome Blessed One. Go now child, your journey will not end here. Go, and know that the light of Earendil is always with you."

The company packed quickly, none of them wishing to meet the wizard that Belle described as 'a grumpy old man with a stick up his arse', nor did they wish to have their quest halted in its tracks by him. By the time they were all packed and ready to leave it was nearly sunrise and Arwen saw them to the border of the city.

"You cannot take the safest path as it would go far too close to Orthanc, this path should be safe enough so long as you stay out of the caves. Please be careful my friend. I nearly lost you once, it would break my heart to lose you so soon."

The two women hugged again and the company set off up the trail and out of Rivendell, Belle only paused for a few moments to look back one more time, in case she never got to see it again, and was rewarded with the breathtaking sight of the sun cresting the valley walls and spilling golden light over the valley.

"Come Belle, we must not delay."

"Coming Thorin…I just…wanted to take one last look…just in case I…never see it again."

"You will see those halls again Little One…I will make sure of it."

She just gave him a soft smile and hurried to catch up to Bofur as the dwarf began telling another of his, most likely made-up, stories. Thorin watched her for several long moments, allowing Balin to lead for now as he knew the Misty Mountains better than Thorin did. Eventually they reached a very narrow pathway and had to cling to every piece of rock available, and to make matters worse it was pouring rain. Belle couldn't even use her power to stay dry because all of her concentration was busy using Mahal's gifts to keep herself rooted to the rocks as much as possible. She couldn't help the terrified little shriek that escaped when they all noticed the stone giants throwing boulders at each other, not even noticing the worried looks Thorin kept throwing her way. It wasn't until it moved to stand up that they all realized they were standing on the knees of one of the giants, the company being split in two as it moved. Half of the group made it to safety as the giant moved close to the sides and they were able to jump off, but the rest of them, Belle included, were not so lucky. The giant was hit and fell into the side of the mountain, Thorin felt his heart plummet into his feet, believing Belle and one of his nephews to now be dead, only to breath a sigh of relief at seeing the second half of his company lying on the ground gasping for air. He immediately embraced both of his nephews until Bofur's worried voice caught his ears.

"Where's Belle?"

Bofur was halfway over the edge before anyone could grab onto him, though his brothers quickly grabbed a leg each, and reaching down to try and help the clearly terrified Hobbit.

"Grab my hand Lass."

"I can't. Bofur…if I let go…I'll fall. I'm barely hanging on as it is."

Thorin had heard enough and grabbed a small edge so he could swing down and push her up to Bofur, almost falling himself before Dwalin pulled him back up.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar there."

"She's been lost ever since she left home…she should never have come."

Thorin's words were said more out of fear and worry than anything else, but he saw how they hurt Belle and wished his stubborn pride would let him take them back. They managed to find a dry cave, despite Belle's quiet protest that caves weren't safe in the mountains. Thorin had Dwalin check for any sighns of habitation and, finding none, they all settled in for the night. Thorin's refusal to allow a fire caused everyone to groan and Bofur looked at the shivering Hobbit next to him with concern…at least he did until she produced a tiny little flame in her hands to warm herself. The rest of the company looked over at the sudden glow, and Thorin scowled at her for not following his order, until he looked closer and saw how she was shaking from the cold and decided to allow the tiny little flame. Bofur watched in amazement as the water that still clung to the hobbit began to run off of her like tiny little rivers and he heard Balin chuckle softly as he and Oin came over.

"If only the rest of us could do that Lass…I believe we'd all feel better."

"I can get all of you dry if you'd like. I'd have to do one at a time but it would be better than one of you catching a cold."

They all quickly agreed, none of them wanting to be cold and wet any longer than necessary, and eventually only Thorin was still wet as he refused to even look at Belle. He felt shame for snapping at her like he did but he was too stubborn to apologize. He looked up as he saw her small feet come into his view, she had told them Hobbit feet were normally much larger and hairier than hers and his company had been quick to assure her that her feet were quite lovely, causing the poor thing to turn bright red and hide them back in her boots.

"Thorin? Would you…would you like me to get you dry as well?"

He gave a short nod, still not trusting himself to speak, and startled slightly when she laid her hands over top of his. He watched as she drew the water away from his body and into her hands before throwing the little orb of water out into the rain.

"There…all dry."

When she turned to walk away his hand shot out and gently wrapped around her wrist before pulling her down into his lap, earning a startled little squeak of protest from the now bright red Hobbit. Thorin buried his nose in her curls and whispered softly into her ear.

"I…apologize…for my harsh words earlier. I should not have said such things to you. I was…afraid…you had almost died Belle."

"I didn't though…thanks to you."

She gave him a gentle hug and tried to get up only to have the stubborn dwarf refuse to let go of her waist. He placed her next to him and tucked her smaller body protectively against his side, smiling softly when she huffed at him and then settled in to sleep against him. Bofur took first watch but Thorin couldn't sleep anyway. His mind marveled over the small woman that lay against him and how forgiving she was, how special she had already become to him. He had no idea that his two oldest friends, Dwalin and Balin, were watching him with amused and hopeful looks as they whispered to each other.

"She'll be goof for him I think."

"Aye, but will he be good for her brother?"

"I think so. She can keep him calm and level-headed…and if that fails she can stand toe-to-toe with him and scream him around to her point of view."

"Ha! More likely the feisty Lass would just kick him."

The two in question were oblivious to the conversation taking place about them as Belle slept peacefully in Thorin's arms, her head resting on his chest as he watched her with soft eyes. Bofur kept stealing little glances and trying not to make any happy sounds over the sight. He frowned as he noticed a blue glow coming from Belle's hip.

"Thorin? I hate to do this but…we need to wake the lass up."

"Why?"

"Her hip is glowing…"

Belle had woken at Bofur's voice and looked down at the little sword on her hip and felt her eyes go wide, right before Thorin started yelling at everyone to wake up as the sand began sinking in a line around them. It was too late as the floor gave way and they fell down a tunnel and landed in a heap, Thorin making sure Belle was protected from the fall. A swarm of nasty goblins descended on the company who fought like hell to get away but their weapons were back up at the top of the tunnel. The goblins started pulling them away and Thorin tried to get to Belle but he noticed her duck down and the goblins walked right past her. He let out a tiny sigh of relief, thinking she'd be safe now if she could get out of there.

Belle waited until they were out of sight before pulling her sword and trying to follow them from a distance, only to be ambushed by a straggler. The two of them fell off the walkway and down into the darkness of the mountain. Belle was lucky enough to land in a pile of massive mushrooms that broke her fall and, luckily for her, hid her from the view of the creature that found the goblin. After a lengthy battle of riddles in the dark with a deformed and, frankly, crazy creature she watched the company run past where she and the creature were standing. She knew she had to get past the thing to follow her dwarves, yes they were hers now, but she couldn't bring herself to kill it. Instead she ran full speed and used it's head as a launching platform to jump out into the passageway, but it grabbed her bracer and tore it from her arm. As soon as she hit the dirt she took off running down the mountainside after her dwarves and stood just outside of their gathering place to listen in, secure in the knowledge that the little ring she'd found kept her invisible.

"Where is Belle? Where is she?"

A short argument ensued between the dwarves and Belle had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud until Thorin spoke.

"They did not see her when she dropped to the ground…they went right past her. With any luck she was able to find the passage they used to go to the cave and grab our weapons. Hopefully she is on her way back to Rivendell where she will be safe from those creatures."

"No…she's not."

Belle took of the ring and stepped out form behind a tree, smiling softly at the relieved looks and sighs let out by the company members. Thorin's weighted gaze locked onto hers and she felt her breath lodge in her throat.

"I couldn't have just left…I made a promise and I intend to see it through…whatever the danger may be. I do miss my home, my books, my cozy fire, and my garden especially…that's home to me. That's why I couldn't leave you guys…because you don't have a home…that bloody dragon stole it from you…but I will do everything I can to help you take it back."

Thorin stepped forward as if to embrace her, only to stop short at the sudden howling of wargs from above them.

"Out of the frying pan…"

"…and into the fire. Run!"

Belle groaned at Gandalf's words and they all ran down the mountain side and right out onto a cliff, where Gandalf promptly sent them all up into the trees. Belle came to the base of one and looked up at the high branches helplessly before an armored arm reached down and pulled her up into the tree, pushing her up ahead of him until they were high enough to be safe. She looked over her shoulder at Thorin as he came to sit behind her on the branch and smiled softly at him.

"Once again you save me, Thorin Oakenshield."

"Always Belle…I will always save you."

They both froze as a pale orc on a white warg came into view and pointed it's mace at Thorin.

"Azog…it cannot be…"

The pain in Thorin's voice had Belle laying her hands over his arm in a small gesture of comfort, earning her a soft smile from the dwarf king. The trees they were in toppled until they were all stuck in one tree. Gandalf had them start throwing flaming pinecones at the wargs, though Belle preferred to just throw actual fireballs at them, and soon a barrier of flames stood between them and the creatures. The last tree fell until it was dangling over the edge of the cliff and Belle watched in horror as Thorin stood and ran towards the pale orc. She let out a soft cry as she watched him get bitten and tossed like a rag doll. When one of the orcs was going to take Thorin's head off she reacted on pure instinct, flying at it with her little sword and stabbing it to death. She turned to face a shocked Azog, her little blue sword raised in front of her and a fierce look on her little face. The pale orc glanced at her arm when he noticed a soft white light coming from it and his eyes widened at seeing the word Blessed scrawled across her wrist in black speech.

"Bring her to me."

Belle swung her little sword wildly to try and keep the orcs at bay, and was highly relieved when several other company members joined the fight. She closed her eyes for just a moment and sent out a call to Manwe's eagles, begging them for aid. All too soon she found herself on the ground as the pale orc and his white warg advanced on her, the orc speaking to her in black speech. She understood him, thanks to one of her gifts, but she wished she couldn't. He was telling her all of the horrid things he would do to her…how he would torture her and make her suffer…how he would break her and make her do whatever he wanted. She nearly cried in relief as the eagles descended on the orcs, fanning the flames with their wings and dropping orcs from the cliff. They also picked up the members of the company and deposited them on the backs of other eagles. She crawled over to Thorin, who was unconscious and badly wounded, and curled up on his chest as one of the eagles lifted them gently in its claws to carry them away. She laid her head over his heart to listen to the steady beating, reassuring herself that he was still with her. Fili and Kili's cries made her wish they could hear her but she couldn't muster enough breath to yell loud enough to reassure them.

The eagle gently deposited them on the top of what they called the Carrock, each one's mental voice brushing against her mind as they tried to reassure her and comfort her. Gandalf was the next to land and he swiftly moved to Throin and whispered healing words. Belle had moved off away from the Company as the pale orc's words kept running circles in her head. She was shaking, and she knew she was, but she couldn't stop…just as she couldn't stop the tears falling down her face. Thorin came to with a harsh gasp of air and the first words he spoke were Belle's name, asking if she was alright. The last he'd seen was her standing between him and Azog with her tiny sword in hand.

"She is here, and she is alright."

Thorin stood and looked at her, saying her name in an almost growl, only to freeze when she actually turned to face him. The entire company felt their faces fall at seeing the tears on her face and how badly she was shaking. Thorin rushed to her side and pulled her into a tight hug, holding her to him to try and still her shaking. She finally lost control of her emotions entirely and began crying into his chest as the rest of the dwarves looked on sadly.

"What is it Belle? What has caused these tears?"

He could barely understand any of the muffled words she sobbed out and looked to his company for help. Dwalin was the one to speak first.

"During the fight the pale one had her pinned to the ground under his warg and was saying something to her in their tongue…I've no idea what but I think she understood it."

Thorin looked down at Belle who nodded against him and he held her tighter. He asked her softly what he had said to her and she relayed the words, calming just enough that she could speak clearly again. What she said had all of the dwarves, even sweet little Ori, growling in anger and ready to march out to kill the pale orc for daring to threaten their little hobbit. She smiled softly as she heard of them call her theirs in one form or another. Bofur and his brothers were claiming her as their sister, as were the Ri brothers, the rest claiming her as their friend…all but Thorin who was simply claiming her as his. She looked up at him and smiled softly at his words, only to melt against him as he claimed her lips in a soft but passionate kiss, which had the company cheering and coin pouches changing hands.

"Thorin?"

Belle's soft questioning voice had Thorin giving her such a soft, warm look that she felt all the way to her little toes. He held her in his arms still and didn't seem to be interested in letting go any time soon.

"You are mine Belle, as I am yours. You are my light, my treasure, my happiness. You are mine to protect, cherish, and care for…so long as you'll have me Little One."

"Oh Thorin…"

She couldn't even form words as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, tears of happiness coming from her now instead of tears of fear. She looked over his shoulder and pulled back as she spotted a massive mountain peak in the distance.

"Thorin? Is that…?"

Thorin turned to see what had gained her attention and felt his heart swell with longing at the sight of Erebor, his home…and hopefully their home soon.

"The Lonely Mountain…"

"Erebor…our home."

Belle smiled up at him as she entwined her smaller hand in his, and Thorin felt hope rise within him such as he'd not felt in many long years. Hope for a better future and a better life, not only for his people but for him and his One as well. He knew Belle was meant to be his and he would treasure her for as long as he could have her.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that. Thorin and Belle are getting rather close now. Next chapter will be Beorn's home and on into Mirkwood…that's going to be so much fun because I have plans for that. –Rubs hands together and cackles before blinking innocently.- Enjoy my loyal readers.