A loud sneeze woke Oda in the morning. Kili had caught a cold and lay in his bed - dying as it seemed. Fili rolled his eyes at his whinning.

'Oh come on, Kili.' he sighed. 'It can't be that bad. Don't be such a sissi.'

In the evening he was laying at the side of his brother, he had also caught the cold. It wasn't bad, but Dis was kept busy.

Oda visited them as the contagious phase was over and brought some pudding.

'You know...' Kili told her with a mouth full of pudding. 'Now that I have almost recovered everything tastes better. Even this vanilla pudding is just marvellous.'

'Good.' Oda smirked. 'Its caramel.'

A few weeks after Fili and Kili had recovered the Blue Mountains were covered in snow. Oda hated winter. She hated snow. And she hated being cold. At night she cuddled up on her furs in front of the fireplaces. As she walked to the mountain to visit her sister she ran into Thorin.

'Your majesty.' Oda bowed her head.

'Lady Oda.' Thorin looked at her and Oda suddenly felt warm. 'I suppose you are on your way to your sister?'

At Odas nod he offered her his arms and Oda gladly took it. The ground was frozen and it had rained at night, it was incredibly slippery.

'Hey! Wait up!' Fili and Kili ran towards them and Thorin rolled his eyes. He had not been alone with Oda, ever. His nephews or his sister or her sister had been there all the time. Suddenly Oda slipped and clung heavily to his arm. As she tried to stand up she slipped again and leaned against him, her other hand on his chest and her face close to his.

'Hold on, Mylady.' Thorin mumbled and saw her nod.

Oda could feel his muscle bound arm through the thick layer of his clothes. Thorin stood steady as an oak and did not struggle. Oda felt clumsy as she tried to pull herself up and felt Thorins hands on her back. Her feet just did not find any grip and Oda clung to Thorins collar to pull herself up as she saw him smirk. Suddenly they heard someone cry out and heard a loud ripping. As they turned around they saw Kili hold his stomach, laughing. Fili sat on the floor with an astonished look.

'What was that sound?' Thorin asked his nephew.

'Well either my sinews tore or...' Fili stood up and Kili nearly died of laughter. Filis pants were torn from the fall, exactly at his bottom.

Oda felt Thorin chuckle, she was still hanging in his arms. She had to laugh at the sight of Filis torn pants and lost the remaining strength in her legs. Thorin pulled her close and walked down of the icy ground. At last, Oda had hard ground under her feet and stood steadily on her own feet. But she felt warm and secure in his arms and did not want to let go. Thorin did not have the attention to let her go either.

'It is quite frosty tonight, isn't it?' a cold voice made all of them jump. Ragnor stood at the entrance of the mountain and watched the three dwarves and his soon to be wife. Oda parted form Thorin, feeling cold instantly. She walked over to Ragnor and greeted him.

'I had no idea that you were still here.' Oda told him.

Ragnor looked at her with his light blue eyes. The tall lord towered her and clenched his teeth.

'Looks as if this dwarf was...leaning.' he told her with a scold.

'Leaning?' Oda frowned at him. They walked away from the dwarves and Oda looked back to them with an apologising expression.

'Yes, leaning.' Ragnor was serious. 'I do not mean hugging. Leaning is alot different than hugging. Hugging involves arms and hands, he was leaning. His whole body moved closer, like this...' Ragnor moved towards Oda, urging her against a wall. 'Leaning devotes wanting and accepting...'

'Mylady Oda.' Dwalin appeared out of nowhere. 'Is the lord bothering you? It seems as if he is...leaning.'

Ragnor laughed quietly and parted from Oda. The laughing changed him and he seemed nicer to Oda.

'Thank you master dwarf.' he smiled at Dwalin honestly. 'I wish you a nice evening, Mylady.' with these words he left them. Oda watched him leave and wondered. He was walking towards the royal wing, not the guest wing.

'The lord spends alot of time with your sister lately, Oda.' Dwalin told her. He had guessed what Oda had been thinking. 'The two seem quite fond of one another.'

'You are well informed, master Dwalin.' Oda smiled at the dwarf with the mohawk.

'I am the captain of the mountains guards, it is my job to know everything.' he blinked at her and walked past her. 'I do not think that it would be wise if you visited your sister now, lady Oda.'

Oda smiled thankfully at Dwalin and walked to the great hall to stand by the fireplace. The mountain was cold and Oda felt her toes and fingers freeze.

Far over the Misty Mountains rise
Leave us standing upon the heights
What was before, we see once more
Is our kingdom a distant light

Fiery mountain beneath the moon
The words unspoken, we'll be there soon
For home a song that echoes on
And all who find us will know the tune

Oda recognised Thorins voice, the deep baritone send shivers down her spine. She moved towards the smaller hall where Thorin sat at the fire with his nephews.

Some folk we never forget
Some kind we never forgive
Haven't seen the back of us yet
We'll fight as long as we live
All eyes on the hidden door
To the Lonely Mountain borne
We'll ride in the gathering storm
Until we get our long-forgotten gold

We lay under the Misty Mountains cold
In slumbers deep and dreams of gold
We must awake, our lives to make
And in the darkness a torch we hold

The fire reflected in Thorins eyes as he stared into the flames. Oda could not help but stare at the handsome dwarf. She wanted to move her hands through the thick mane of his and brush her fingers over his beard. She wanted to kiss his lips and ...lean into him. Oda smiled as she thought about Ragnors words. She wanted Thorin, Ragnor was right about that.

'Sit down with us, Oda.' Fili waved to her. Slowly Oda walked over and sat down beside Fili. She looked at the huge armchair Thorin was sitting in.

'That was my fathers favorite chair.' she remembered. 'He liked to sit here, especially in winter. The mountain can be terribly cold.'

'Tell us about your father, Oda.' Kili asked his friend. 'I barely remember him.'

'Well he was like me, brown haired and with a flat bosom.' Oda joked and earned a laugh from the brothers and a smirk from Thorin. 'He was a proud and strong man, but more a diplomat than a warrior. If he was still there maybe we would still have our kingdom...' closing her eyes she bit her tongue. 'I am sorry, I should not have said that.'

Thorin nodded slowly. 'Do not apologise, mylady. I understand your feelings about the past...events.' with a deep sigh Thorin leaned back into the chair. 'We are the ones who should apologise.'

Astonished Oda lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. As he smiled at her she forgot all about the wrong his people inflicted upon hers. She knew that it was wrong, but she could not help it.

Fili was the one who saw the gazes between his uncle and Oda. He gave Kili a nudge and gestured him to leave with him. Kili understood and the two brothers sneaked out of the hall.

'We forgot, we promised mother to come back early this evening.' they shouted as they retreated from the hall.

Thorin cleared his throat. 'I believe that it should be safe for you to visit your sister now, Mylady.'

Oda nodded and stood up from the warmth of the fireplace. 'It was a beautiful song, your majesty. Good night.'

'Wait!' Thorin called after her and rushed up to her.

Oda turned around and looked at Thorin expectantly.

'I will escort you to your sister.' Thorins stated firmly. 'I do not want lord Ragnor to beset you again.'

'We will be married soon, he can beset me all he likes.' Oda stated dryly.

'No man should ever pressure a woman to submit to his will.' Thorin exclaimed strongly.

'Your grandfather made us bow to his will.' Oda stated grimly.

Thorin nodded sadly. 'You should know that most of us did not support his plan. But he is...was ...our king. Dwarves stand loyal to their king and follow him wherever he leads.'

'Even if he leads you wrongly?' Oda asked Thorin.

Thorin did not know what to answer. That was in fact his worst fear. That he would lead his people into misery. Oda looked at him intensivly.

'You are doing well, Thorin. Your people admire and respect you. As well as mine do. They do not hold you responsible for what your grandfather did.' Oda stated softly. 'Our people are very much alike. We have lost our homes and have found it here in the Blue Mountains. Now we have to find a way to exist side by side.'

'We will. I will do everything in my power to ensure that the Blue Mountains will be a home to us all.' Thorin promised her.

'It won't be my home for very long anymore.' Oda sighed.

Oda stopped in her tracks and looked at the dwarf king. She had to ask him one last thing.

'Can you give me one reason why I should not marry lord Ragnor?'