Blessed 6

A/N: Two updates in one day…aren't ya'll lucky? There will be some stuff that didn't happen in the movie, and I'll be changing some stuff that did because I didn't like it lol.

Chapter 6: Beorn and Mirkwood

Getting down from the Carrock had proven to be a monumental task, and Thorin ended up passing Belle between himself and Dwalin to get her down the tall steps until they reached the bottom. They found a small pond sheltered by the Carrock and they were able to rest a bit and clean up. Thorin refused to remove his armor and such around his company because he didn't want them to see how injured her really was. Belle knew, though, and took it upon herself to drag him off behind an outcropping of rocks on one side of the pond and start removing his armor herself. Thorin's look of amused bewilderment had her fighting the urge to giggle until she had him remove his shirt. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at his well-defined fur-covered chest, her cheeks flushing a lovely shade of pink that had Thorin chuckling softly at her.

"Something wrong Little One?"

"Umm…no…no, no…everything's fine. Oh my…you have so many muscles…"

Thorin couldn't help but flex a bit as her tiny hands reached out to trace along the edges of those defined muscles and run through the soft fur on his chest, and he felt himself growing hard under her tender touches. He gently took her hands in his and pulled her against him, claiming her mouth in a far more heated kiss than the one they'd shared on top of the rock. The little mewling sound she let out had him growling softly against her lips. He huffed softly at her when she pulled back and shook her head to clear it of the fog that had descended form his kiss and his touch.

"I have to clean and dress your wounds Thorin. You can't let them get infected and you won't let Oin do it."

"Very well Little One…you may tend to my wounds. I trust you."

Belle's eyes shimmered at his words and she gently lead him into the water where she cleaned out his wounds as gently as possible, though he still hissed in pain. She ground some of the herbs in her pouch together and spread the paste over his wounds before covering them with bandages and helping him back into his shirt and armor.

"There…shall we return to the company now my King?"

Thorin's pupils dilated and his voice became a deep gravelly growl after she spoke, that voice sending little shivers through her body and making her squirm under the heated gaze he gave her.

"Call me that again Little One…"

"What? My King?"

"Yes…"

He pulled her hard against him and kissed her with such a fierce passion that she felt her body heating up as she unknowingly rubbed herself against his muscled leg. He turned and pressed her against one of the large rocks hiding them from view and began trailing nips, licks, and kisses down her jaw and throat. Belle was squirming against him and mewling softly in his ear which was only making his blood run hotter. Balin's voice reached his ears and he pulled back, very reluctantly, and whispered to her that they were by no means finished with this. Thorin walked out from behind the rocks and headed back to the company, allowing Belle a few moments alone to get herself cleaned up and get her hormones back under control. By the time she rejoined the dwarves she was no longer flushed red but she also couldn't look at Thorin without blushing so she kept her eyes anywhere but on him, something that left him chuckling softly in amusement. Gandalf watched the two with a happy, knowing smile like a grandfather watching his grandchild find love.

"Belle…can you take a look at the food stuff the lads managed to find and make sure it's all actually safe to eat?

"Of course, Bombur. I wouldn't want their eagerness to poison us after all."

"Hey!"

Twin shouts of protest had her giggling at their pouting faces. She knew the meat was safe…just a couple of rabbits, so she checked the roots, berries, and other plants the boys had gathered up in her absence…sorting them into three little piles.

"Alright Bombur…this pile here is perfectly safe to put in the stew, just make sure you wash the roots really good first."

"What about the other two piles Lass?"

"This one will either make us all sick or outright kill us so they need to be thrown out…and the last little one here is herbs I'm going to add to my pouch."

The boys quickly gathered the trash pile up and ran off to dispose of the stuff before racing each other back and ending up in a fight over who won the race. Belle just shook her head at them with a laughing smile on her face at their antics. Thorin noticed the soft look on her face and wondered if she had ever thought of having children of her own. When she finally went to walk in front of him he gently pulled her down onto his lap, despite her squirming protest that she needed to help Bombur.

"Bombur can handle a stew Little One. I need you here with me…in my arms."

She flushed red to the tips of her ears and he let a low chuckle rumble from deep in his chest, which only made the blush worse.

"You seem to be very fond of my troublesome nephews Belle."

"They aren't so bad. I have many Took relatives who are much…much worse. I am growing rather fond of the boys."

"Have you ever thought of having any of your own Belle?"

"I…I have…sometimes…but I doubt that will ever happen."

"Why ever not?"

"I'm not beautiful or anything…"

"What idiotic moron ever told you that?"

"Other Hobbits of course. By Hobbit standards I'm considered rather odd and unsuited for marriage. My feet are too small, I don't eat nearly as much as other Hobbits so I'm not as round as they are, and I'm always reading about adventures and other races."

"All of those things are what make you perfect in my eyes Little One. You are exactly as you were meant to be, and those who cannot appreciate that do not deserve you."

Belle felt herself melting at his sweet words, happily surprised that he could be so tender when he was normally so rough and grumpy with everyone. One of his hands was still wrapped around her waist and the other had begun to gently rub the back of her neck, which made her feel warm and safe, sheltered in the protective circle of his arms.

"I…would love to have children of my own someday."

"I never thought I would find my one, and never thought I'd have a chance to have children of my own so I was content with my nephews. Now, though, now I have found you my little treasure. I vow to you…here and now…that once we reclaim our home I will make you my Queen…and I will give you little ones of your own to spoil."

"Thorin…"

She pressed her lips to his, trying to convey how his words made her feel as her own words had utterly failed her at that moment. He kissed her back, gently exploring her mouth with his tongue and holding her tenderly. The rest of the company politely looked elsewhere, Dwalin forcing the boy's heads to look away when they stared in open-mouthed shock. Later that night Belle volunteered to scout out the location of the Orcs following them, much to Thorin's rather loud displeasure, but he eventually agreed to let her go when she presented an argument too valid to ignore.

"I'm the smallest and quietest of all of us…They will not see or hear me Thorin I promise."

When she returned she seemed rather unnerved and shaken, and hearing her describe a great hulking bear sniffing around nearby had them all willing to follow Gandalf's latest crazy plan as they ran towards a nearby house. They barely made it in time to shut and lock the door as the bear crashed into it, scaring Belle rather badly as she clung to Thorin's arm. They all settled in for the night and tried to sleep, Belle curled into Thorin's side and he refused to let her go far from him…not that she minded of course.

The next morning Belle woke to find a rather enormous bee sitting on her nose and she squeaked in fear before relaxing as Thorin's rumbling chuckle vibrated against her back.

"Calm Little One. The bee will not harm you. It has been exploring each of us in turn…I suspect it has never seen anything like us before."

Belle calmed her racing heart and studied the little creature just as it studied her. It was nearly the size of her face but seemed gentle enough, it even allowed her to pet it which made her giggled at the little humming sound it made. Thorin soon led her to the large table everyone else was at so they could eat, sitting her on his lap when he realized she'd never be able to reach the table from the size of the chairs unless she stood up the entire time. She blushed at his actions but soon saw the logic of his decision, though she knew he just wanted her close as well. The large hairy man that was talking to Gandalf made her very nervous but Thorin's arms made her feel safe and she knew he and the others would never allow anyone to harm her. The large man's gaze rooted to her arm and she tried to hide it out of instinct, but Thorin stopped her with a gentle hand.

"Do not hide what you are Little One. Be proud of it. It is an honor."

"I know…I just….worry how others will react."

"I know Little One, but none of us will allow harm to come to you."

She smiled softly at him until Beorn spoke in the low deep tone he had and made her jump slightly.

"You are Blessed by the gods who made us all. That is a heavy burden to bear for one so small."

"Burden?! This mark is no burden. It is a mark of honor and favor, as Thorin said. The Valar gave me precious gifts and I do not consider that to be a burden in any way. Yes some people might want to use my gifts for their own benefit but I can tell them apart from those who genuinely care for me. I hear them in my head sometimes, the Valar…they speak to me and give me advice to help me. I will NEVER, ever, consider that to be a burden."

The tiny female had taken the large man aback, unused to being scolded by anyone in a very long time. He looked at the small woman in a new light and saw the fierce loyal heart she carried and the love she had for the company she kept. He only hoped the dwarves would be as loyal to her as she was to them.

"My apologies Little Bunny. I did not mean to offend you."

"Bunny? Oh I give up."

She sulked in Thorin's lap, pointedly ignoring his amused chuckles behind her until he rested his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled her neck, making her sigh softly and lean back against him. His arms wrapped around her middle and hers rested on top of his as the rest of the company took offense on her behalf for her being compared to a rabbit. She laughed softly at the faces Fili and Kili were making as they argued with the man who was easily 3 or four times their size.

"Boys…it's fine. I've been called much worse after all."

"Who would dare insult you Aunt Belle?"

"Yeah…tell us…we'll knock their teeth in."

She laughed out right at their words and shook her head, feeling Thorin's chest rumbling against her back as he fought to suppress his own laughter.

"That would be a very bad idea Kili. I am, unfortunately, related to her. Loeblia Sackville-Baggins…horrible woman really…married my cousin. I try not to speak ill of others but she more than deserves it. She stole my mother's best silverware once. I, of course, stole it back and left her a nasty surprise in return."

"What kind of nasty surprise?"

"I replaced her shampoo with an herbal mixture that causes a person's hair to fall out rapidly…left her bald as a newborn baby until it grew back."

The dwarves all gave her horrified looks and resolved to never truly anger their little Hobbit…ever.

"Remind us to never get on your bad side Aunt Bella. That'd be a fate worse than death for a dwarf."

"I would never do that to any of you…I am not that cruel…though I might dye your hair and skin funny colors if you try to prank me boys so be warned."

Both of them gave her wide-eyed looks and shook their heads, vowing to never prank their future aunt in case she followed through on that threat. Thorin finally lost the battle against his laughter and gave Belle a fond look.

"If I'd known that was all it would take to make them behave their childhood would have been much easier on everyone."

"As I told you before…I have cousins that are much…much worse."

They spent almost two whole weeks at Beorn's house while Thorin healed from his wounds and the company took a much needed rest before the journey into the Greenwood, or Mirkwood as it was now called. Belle was not looking forward to the trip at all. She had met Thranduil once when she was a child and the Elf King had visited Rivendell with his son. The man had been very interested in her and her markings, which was when her mother had begun having her wear the bracer as it made her nervous. Belle only hoped they didn't have to deal with the elf in person. Thorin seemed especially unhappy about being anywhere near said elf king, though with the way the elf had treated Thorin and his people after the dragon's attack she could completely understand. She could not understand why Thranduil had refused to even offer them food and healing as basic courtesy would dictate for allies, reluctant or not.

All too soon they were preparing to enter the cursed forest and Belle felt a knot of dread and fear settle in the pit of her stomach like a lead weight and had a great deal of trouble even getting her body to go near the place. She stayed close to Beorn's horses, the animals nuzzling and comforting her as they felt her distress. Gandalf and Thorin both noticed how pale she'd become as they drew close to the entrance of the forest and Gandalf knelt down in front of her.

"Belle. What is wrong my dear? Why are you so pale?"

"This place…it's sick Gandalf. Horribly infected with darkness. They don't want me going in there…and I can't say I disagree."

"Who doesn't want you going in there? The Ponies?"

"They're horses Thorin, not ponies…very beautiful horses…and no not them. Yavanna and Mahal are whispering in my head that it's too dangerous in there. There are dark things in that forest that would kill me for what I am."

"We will not allow that to happen Little One. I will protect you I promise. Even if it means my life I will protect you."

"How can you protect me if you get yourself killed silly? Think about that one for a bit hmm?"

Thorin smiled softly as she laughed a bit at that, happy to see some of the color returning to her cheeks. Gandalf left them as they went in and Belle was none-too-happy about it…at all…and she made sure the wizard knew this…loudly. Gandalf winced as the irate little female scolded him as if he were a child, much to the amusement of her dwarves who did nothing to help the wizard.

As they went through the forest Belle stayed as close to Thorin as possible, eventually clinging to one of his hand in an effort to keep herself from bolting back down that path and into the sunlight again. Knowing that the orcs that hunted them would probably be waiting there to take her to Azog was the only thing that kept her going forward, that and Thorin's strong arm around her shoulders. Eventually they got lost…they were disoriented, hungry, tired, and grumpy. They kept trying to go to the elf gatherings to beg for food only to have lights doused and be left scrambling in the darkness. Belle tried to go alone at one point to the elves but met the same result even as she cried and begged for them to help her.

When Belle came back down from climbing a tree to figure out where they were and how far they had left to go she was shocked that her dwarves weren't there, until an enormous spider tried to wrap her up in its webbing. She managed to wiggle her sword free and stabbed it in the gut several times, killing it and freeing herself. She slipped on her ring as more spiders came by and she followed them back to the heart of their webs, horrified to find 12 wrapped dwarves hanging from a branch…and wondering which one was still out there lost in the darkness. She distracted the spiders and led them away from the dwarves before doubling back to free them all. The spiders came back and were even more angry but elves soon interfered, saving the dwarves before arresting them…which angered Belle but they still couldn't see her due to the ring. She followed them into the elven kingdom and looked up to see Thranduil standing before his throne with Thorin standing in front of him looking more than a little angry. The rest of the company was lead away to the dungeons immediately and Thorin growled softly, though she could see worry in his eyes as he scanned the group and didn't see her.

"And here are your companions…13 dwarves in my kingdom…I do wonder at your purpose here Thorin Oakenshield. Why did you attack my people in the forest?"

"We did not attack them. We were lost and starving…we went to beg for food. Was there another out there? Did they find anyone else?"

"There were 14 of you then? Pity…the last must have been eaten by the spiders. One less dwarf in the world."

Thorin growled low in his throat and tried to attack Thranduil only to be held back by his guards. Belle placed a hand on his wrist, squeezing gently to let him know she was there even if he couldn't see her, and he visibly calmed somewhat. Thranduil gave him an odd look and continued to question Thorin, refusing to acknowledge his answers and calling him a liar and a thief, something that made Belle so angry she could have stabbed the arrogant elf. When the elf said he was offering his help in exchange for some gems that had been given to Thorin's grandfather as an alliance gift Thorin's answer had her blushing at his language and giving his arm a light tap in reprimand. She did managed to sneak over and set a small rock in the elf king's path and had to bite her lip so she didn't laugh as he tripped and face-planted on the stairs leading to his throne, Thorin had no trouble letting his booming laugh free which made her smile. Thorin was lead down into the dungeons, thankfully close to his company though they were a bit scattered. As soon as the elves left them all alone Belle took off the ring and leaned against the bars so she could feel Thorin's warmth and reassure herself of his safety, and he seemed to be doing the same with one hand tangled in her curls and the other pressed against her lower back.

"Are you hurt Little One?"

"No…are you?"

"Nothing that won't heal on it's own Belle."

"I'll find a way to get us all out of here…I promise."

"Just stay safe Little One…please?"

"I'll try."

After a week in the dungeons the dwarves began noticing that Belle was getting thin and looking very tired. It was Thorin who finally got her to tell him what was wrong.

"I don't sleep much…it's hard to find a safe place that no one will walk through…and I can't sleep with the ring on…it just bothers me."

"Are you eating Belle?"

"I steal scraps where I can but it isn't much…I'll be fine."

Thorin would hear none of that and told Balin to spread the word down the cells that each of them would save a small portion of their meals for her…they were all too happy to help her and it made her feel warm and loved.

"As for sleeping…I want you to return here to me each night Belle. You will sleep here next the bars of my cell and I will wake you if any of the guards come down here. I will feel the vibrations in the stone long before they get close enough to see you."

"Alright…thank you Thorin."

As it was it took another two weeks for her to figure out how to get them all out, but she knew they weren't going to like it…and she was right. They were all making so much noise that she turned to Thorin, her eyes pleading with him until he got them all to shut up and get in the barrels...grumbling the entire time. Kili stuck his head out and gave her a questioning look.

"Now what?"

"Now you lot hold your breath and go for a ride."

She pulled the lever and watched them all drop down into the river below before realizing she'd forgotten herself. She walked backwards along the trapdoor as a group of elves advanced on her slowly, obviously trying not to frighten her, only to freeze in shock as the door opened and she started to slide backwards until she fell into the water with a splash. She flailed under the water, trying to find the way up and failing due to not knowing the first thing about swimming, until a strong arm reached in and pulled her up into his barrel with him. She looked up to see Thorin smiling at her as they all let go of the stone cavern walls and started riding the current.

They got stuck when the elves closed a small gate and stopped the barrels but Belle managed to sneak out of hers and open the gate again, narrowly missing getting hit by an Orc's arrow thanks to the woodland prince's interference. She thanked him and then jumped off the bridge to be caught by Thorin before hitting the water. They had to fight a bit as they went but the current eventually allowed them to outrun the orcs…for the time being. They pulled themselves to shore and began trying to wring themselves out a bit until the noticed a man standing on a nearby rock, leveling a bow at them. He shot Kili's weapon out of his hand and warned them not to try it again and Belle whimpered softly, burrowing into Thorin's side. The man's harsh gaze softened as he spotted her and he apologized for frightening her.

"I cannot allow criminals to enter Esgaroth."

"We're not criminals. The so-called king Thranduil had us arrested because we got lost in that cursed forest and tried to beg his partying people for food…which they denied us I might add. Does that sound like criminal behavior to you?"

"No…it does not. Thranduil has become reclusive and suspicious of others in the past years. I am not surprised by what you say, though I am shocked that he would treat a female in such a manner, especially one marked by the Valar."

"He um…didn't exactly know I was there…I stayed hidden."

"A wise move it would seem."

Eventually, between Balin and Belle, they were able to convince the man to smuggle them into Lake Town…Esgaroth's new name. Unfortunately they ended up being smuggled in barrels of fish, something Belle was very much not happy about…at all. Though the man, Bard he called himself, did apologize to Belle for having to use that method so she wasn't as angry as she could have been.