Morsha watched her daughter train with her axes. Senka was a very skilled fighter and she was eager to learn. Deep in her heart Morsha was incredibly proud of her daughter, but she could not show it to her. Everytime she looked into her daughters face she saw Thorin. The deep blue eyes, looking at her lovingly or in the case of her daughter full of doubts. Morsha knew that her daughter suffered under the broken heart of her mother, but as hard as Morsha tried, she could not help it. Musing, she walked to the library of the dark elven city. Trailing her fingers over the backs of the books, Morsha remembered her days in Rivendell. She had felt at ease in the beautiful city, even though their whole lifestyle was different. Maybe it had been Thorins presence that made her feel warm and welcome. And the presence of his company of dwarves. Thorin had introduced Morsha to his company the day after they had spent the night together. His nephews had grinned from one ear to the other and the other dwarves had reacted curious towards the dark elf. Morsha had to duell Dwalin first before he would even look at her, but after she had fought him to the ground twice he finally gave in. Of all the dwarves in Thorins company Morsha had liked Dwalin the most. The huge dwarf was honest and forwards, but he had also disappointed Morsha the most. He had not even tried to fight Thorins madness and he had done nothing to prevent Thorin from almost killing her in Erebor.

Morsha had stopped in her tracks. She looked up to the book she had grabbed while she had lingered in the past. It was the same book she had chosen in Rivendell as she had met her love, Thorin.

Morsha sat by the fire while the dwarves were cooking a delicious stew over the fireplace. Bilbo moved closer to her, watching her carefully.

'You have been watching me all day, master hobbit.' Morsha grinned as she looked at his caught expression and decided to tease him a bit. 'You should know that Thorin is very obssessive. He might misinterpret your gaze.'

Bilbo blushed, but got her sense of humor. 'I was just wondering. You are a dark elf...you also live under the earth like the dwarves?' As Morsha nodded he continued. 'Why are the dark elves feared so much?'

Morsha flinched slightly at his honest question and Thorin looked at Bilbo with such a dark expression that the halfling shrunk in his chair. Morsha had to smile.

'Dark elves have chosen a different path in life than the other elves, the wood elves and grey elves for example. Elves usually cherish light and the fair things in life. They love music and art and enjoy their peaceful life. The dark elven culture is martially and tough. Most of the dark elves are warriors. The ones who are not have magic skills. Our council of seven leads our paths, they are powerful sorceresses...like the lady Galadriel of Lothlorien, only that they use black magic. We are feared because people believe us to be evil. We are feared because we could defeat any other culture in battle.' Morsha blinked at Dwalin who grumbled in his beard.

'We haven't had any dealings with the dark elves in the last millenium.' Balin stepped in. 'Who have you been fighting in the past?'

'Orcs, goblins...Haradrim.' Morsha told them. 'Mostly Haradrim. They have a problem with cultures dominated by women.'

Dwalin snorted. 'Well, they are not the only ones.' At Morshas cocked eyebrow he grinned. 'I still can't imagine that men would let their women rule over them.'

'Well...our men aren't complaining.' Morsha laughed at Dwalins astonished expression.

'Are the men looking after the children?' Ori asked curiously. 'Isn't that...biologically impossible? I mean, the babies need their mothers...to feed them...' he turned red up from his chin to his hair line.

Morsha grinned. 'The women take care of their babies in the first months after the pregancy. Afterwards the children are taken care after by their fathers or the rest of the family. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, older siblings.'

'Just like uncle Thorin took care of us back then.' Kili exclaimed.

Morsha looked at Thorin with a questioning look. Thorin cleared his throat. 'My sisters husband died in battle as Kili was a few months old. Dis, my sister, is a strong dwarf. But these two are a handful.' He looked at his nephew lovingly. 'Only causing trouble and mischief as they were little.'

'Well, you did a great job, then. I see two wonderful young dwarves who have become great and honorable warriors supporting their uncle in his royal responsibility.' Fili and Kili blushed at her words and Thorin could not tear away his gaze from the woman who had captured his heart without that he had noticed it himself.

Thorin had told her about his quest. Morsha admired the dwarves courage. To slay a dragon was nearly impossible. Dragons were mighty enemies, even the Duredhel had avoided to fight them in the past. Thorin had led his people to the Blue Mountains and had offered them a new and prosper life at their new home. And now he tried to reclaim his lost kingdom. The loyalty of the dwarves to their king impressed Morsha deeply, but she knew that Thorin had earned everything his dwarves offered him.

Later that evening Morsha sat down beside Thorin who smoked in a quiet corner. They sat together in silence for a moment before Morsha spoke.

'Is it worth it?' Morsha asked.

Thorin frowned at her questioningly. 'What do you mean?'

'Your people have build themselves a new life. A life of peace and plenty. They have to thank you for it. Why do you risk your life and the lives of your nephews and friends to reclaim a kingdom long lost?' Morsha saw the pain over the loss of his home cloud Thorins eyes.

'The dragon took my home and my peoples riches. It is my duty as their king to reclaim the mountain for my people. I will not let my peoples legacy fall into the hands of men and elves. No offense.' Thorin smirked at Morshad frown.

'So its because of the gold?' Morsha asked. 'Is gold really that important to you dwarves? That you would hold it above the worth of a peaceful and happy life?'

'Gold is an important part of the dwarven culture, Morsha.' Thorin explained. 'Not only gold. The riches the mountains give to us are cherished and are the pillars of our existence. Gold, gems, iron, ore, silver, mithril. All of these things are gifts from the earth to us. Erebor was our home and we mined the gold and gems the mountain gave us. Our gold and gems have been to everybodies benefit. Erebor, Dale and all the cities in the near vicinity have grown to powerful trading cities thanks to Erebors gold. I will not leave the city to the dragon Smaug. Not as long as there is life in me.'

Gold. Morsha had lost everything that was dear to her to gold. Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dwalin and the dwarves of the company as well as a happy life at the side of the dwarf she loved with a child they both loved. Morsha would have left her old life behind to start a new life at Thorins side. But she had not expected that her future would crumble before her eyes as soon as they had arrived in Erebor. Morsha could not forget and she could not forgive. She could see Thorins mad eyes as he caressed the gold in his treasury. He had not even heard her call out his name. He had not even reacted as she had kissed his cold and numb lips. She had tried to prevent him to go to the treasury. No words reached him and she had ended in offering him her body for distraction. Their lovemaking had been quick and rough, no passion or love had been in Thorins eyes as he had looked at the woman laying underneath him. One of these cold nights had produced Senka. She was no child of love. Morsha wanted to scream as the brutal truth hit her as painfully as Thorins hands had grabbed her in his madness. Morsha jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

'You seem pained.' Serja watched her friend with a worried expression. 'Are you thinking about him again? Why are you doing this?'

'Leave me alone, Serja.' Morsha growled. A plan formed in her mind. Morsha commanded a regiment of dark elves. She had the councils approval to lead them into battle. They only needed an enemy.

Thorin walked down the corridors of his mountain. He walked down to the treasury. For a long time he had avoided this step. Now he stood on the stairway leading into the piles of gold and gems and he felt nothing. Nothing but bitterness. He had just sent away another kings daughter. For five years kings and lords had sent their daughters to Erebor, hoping that they would catch the eye of the King under the Lonely Mountain. But no dwarf lady could reach Thorins heart, many of them had been beautiful and all of them were suitable queens. But Thorin could not forget his dark elf. He had searched for her, but no scout could find a sign of the dark elves. The dwarven scouts who supposedly had found a trace of dark elves had never returned to Erebor.

'You cannot stay unmarried forever, Thorin.' a deep voice behind him made Thorin jump. Dwalin had followed him and stood beside his friend and king, staring down at the riches of Erebor. Thorin had raised Erebor to its old glory, if not even to newfound glory. The dwarven kingdom had risen to one of the mightiest kingdoms in Middle Earth, at eye level with old cities of men as Minas Tirith or Edoras. Thorin was especially proud of the fact that no elven kingdom could approximate with Erebors might and influence. All the dwarven kingdoms stood together. The dwarves of the Iron Hills, Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains and Erebor formed a strong alliance and this alliance should have been supported with a marriage. But Thorin declined everytime. No dwarf woman could fill the deep and agonising gap Morshas banishment had torn in Thorins life.

'I can and I will.' Thorin muttered. 'I have met my One. And I lost her. Because I was weak.'

'You are the mightiest king in the history of Erebor, Thorin. You are strong and honorable. You have defeated the curse of Durin in the end.' Dwalin tried to reassure Thorin.

'It was too late. Too late for Morsha.' Thorin said quietly. 'Her love cured me. As I realise what I have done to her I did not care about the gold anymore. I do not care about all this now either. I would trade in all the gold in Erebor to get her back. To tell her that I am sorry. To tell her that I love her and that I want her at my side again.'

'She probably does not want you to find her.' Dwalin told him. 'All our messengers travelling to the south have not come back. One of our messengers was found dead by gondorian rangers. His braids were cut of and his body was mutilated. It could have been Haradrim, but it could also have been the dark elves. Maybe he got too close to Morshas home.'

'Morsha would never have done this.' Thorin exclaimed furiously.

'You should have seen the look on her face, Thorin.' Dwalin said sadly. 'Something inside of her had broken as you have banished her. I have never seen eyes as cold as hers as she left us. I have never seen such coldness in a womans eyes.'

The captain of Erebors guard had a bad feeling about Morsha. He had loved her like a sister, but he also feared her. There was nothing more terrible than a womans wrath.