'There is a dwarf messenger at our gates, general Morsha.' a dark elven guard reported and watched Morsha frown. Everyone still remembered what Morsha did to the last dwarf messenger found and their gates.

Morsha clenched her teeth and looked at her daugther. Something in Senkas eyes made her take a deep breath. 'Send him away.'

'Forgive me, general. But the dwarf said that you might not want to see him and told me to tell you his name. His name is Balin, son of Fundin.' the guard exclaimed and waited for Morshas outburst.

'Balin?' Senka reacted faster than her mother. 'The advisor of my father?' she turned to Morsha with a pleading look on her face. 'I want to see him.'

Morsha looked at her daughter and sighed. Nodding slowly she decided to grant her daughter her wish.

Balin waited in the hall of the dark elven city. The female dark elven guards had separated him from his own guards and he could only hope that they were still alive. This city reminded him of a dwarf mountain, minus the mines. He wondered how many riches lay below this mountain undetected and unspoiled. His thoughts were disrupted by a young she-elf who entered the hall. She looked at him curiously and Balin frowned as he saw her piercing blue eyes. The elf looked familiar to him. She had dark curly hair and apart from her elf-like look her hairline was different. Her hairline went down the side of her face, down to her jaw, like a...beard. The middle of her face was bare, but this elf definetly was part dwarvish. It struck Balin as he looked back into her eyes.

'By Mahal!' he exclaimed weakly.

'I seem to look like my father?' the young dark elf murmured as a greeting. 'What gave me away, master Balin?'

'You do look like your father, lass.' Balin stammered. 'But you also have alot of your mother in you.' Balin quickly calculated back. 'You must be twenty five years of age, am I correct? So you have reached the elves legal age. Congratulations, my dear.'

'It has been twenty five years since my father banished my mother from Erebor, that is correct.' Senka stated through clenched teeth.

Balin closed his eyes in defeat. 'He never knew...how is your name, my dear?'

'Her name is Senka.' a cold female voice made Balin jump. He had not recognised the voice and his eyes widened as he turned around and faced Morsha. Balin took a long look at his kings love. Morsha was still breathtakingly beautiful, but her eyes irradiated a cold fury which made Balins heart stall.

'Morsha...' Balin had to say her name out loud. He felt as if he did not know the woman standing in front of him, although he did.

'Why are you here, master Balin?' Morsha asked him, her voice without any emotion. She watched Balin swallow hard and then open his mouth.

'I am here to invite you to Erebor.' Balin felt cold shovers run down his spine. It was not even Thorin who had invited her to Erebor, it had been queen Ariel. Suddenly Balin feared for his life. He also knew that he was betraying Thorin in that very moment, but he had to do as his queen ordered.

'On whose orders?' Morsha looked at him menacingly. Somehow she knew that Thorin had nothing to do with Balins visit.

'Queen Ariel of Erebor sends you her regards and wishes to see you.' Balin told Morsha and watched terrified as Morshas face turned into a grimace.

'And why is that, master Balin?' she snarled. The mention of Thorins queen made her furious.

'I do not know, lass.' Balin answered honestly. 'Thorin...if he knew...' Balin was at a loss for words.

'If he knew what?' Morsha moved close to Balin, towering him. 'That he has banished me and his unborn child? What then?'

Balin swallowed hard, Morsha had changed and not in a good way. 'He sent mesengers out to search for you after the Battle of the Five Armies. He wanted you back.'

'Then he should have come himself, instead of hiding behind his gold in his mountain.' Morsha sneered at Balin, her voice dripping in hatred and ...pain, Balin realised. 'You will leave now, master Balin, before I decide to send you back like I did Oins son.'

Balin paled at her words. 'That was you? You did this to Orin...and Oin?'

Morsha turned around, her eyes flashing with hatred. 'Yes, indeed. And I had planned to do that to every dwarf who sets foot inside my home.'

'Mother, please.' Senkas quiet plea reached Morsha and she looked at her daughter who stared at them with huge eyes. Thorins eyes. 'I want to go to Erebor.'

Morsha had not expected this and hissed surprised. Balin looked at Senka closely. She was exactly like her mother was as he had met her in Rivendell. A nice and gentle elf with a good heart. It pained Balin to see that Durins curse had not only destroyed Thorins future with Morsha, but also Morsha herself.

'I cannot let you go, Senka.' Morsha sighed. 'I will not let you go alone and I cannot accompany you.'

'I want to get to know my father.' Senka asked her mother. 'I am of legal age now. I can do whatever I want.'

It was the first time that Senka defyied her mother, but Morsha had to smile sadly. She knew that she had no right to forbid her daughter to leave. She looked into her daughters determined eyes and nodded.

'Alright, you may leave. But master Balin will stay, as a guest, to assure your safe return.' Morsha looked at Balin who nodded in agreement. He had seen that coming.

Thorin was beside himself with rage as he returned to Erebor and found out what his queen had done. Dwalin had greeted him at the gate and had told him that Ariel had sent Balin to the South to search for Morsha. Dwalin feared for his brothers life. Thorin stormed into the royal chambers fuming with rage.

'How dare you woman! You sent one of my most loyal advisors into his sure death!' he grabbed Ariel by her arm and looked into her hard eyes.

'If she is the love of your life then she would not kill him, would she?' Ariel stated between clenched teeth. Thorin was taken back by her words. He stared at his wife unbelievingly. 'You still love her, do you? After all these years, after a quarter century you still love her.' Ariels voice broke. 'Is this the reason why we still do not have an heir? Is there something within you that hinders you to produce an heir with me?'

Thorin sat down on the edge of their bed. His head felt as if it was going to burst. This was all his fault. He had tried to hide his past before his queen and now she had taken things into her own hands. If he only had told her who Morsha was...Thorin shook his head. He had lost his love a long time ago. His queen had sent Balin into a fortress of dark elves, not knowing if Morsha was even there. There was no excuse for that.

'Maybe you are unable to produce an heir?' Ariel asked further and flinched as Thorins deathglare hit her.

'With all due respect, aunt Ariel, I think you are wrong.' Kili had appeared in their door. At Thorins questioning dark look he only flinched a little. 'Our delegation is back from the dark elven city in the South. And you should see who they brought with them, uncle.'

Thorin watched his nephew and saw that he was unusually pale. Without a further look at his queen he stood up and followed Kili to the gate. Balin was nowhere to be seen, but the two armed dwarves had brought a visitor who was standing beside Fili. Thorin felt his heartbeat slow down as he approached the visitor. He knew that it could not be Morsha, for the stature was more burly and the dark hair was curly. Plus, the dark elf carried a sword and no axes. As she turned around Thorin felt as if he had been hit with a war hammer. He looked into Morshas face, but into stunning blue eyes like his own. The growing hair at the side of the elfs face caught Thorins attention. The she-elf was clearly half elf and half dwarf. And she looked like...

'Father.' the dark elven maiden walked over to him, her eyes as wide as his own. 'Senka, at your service.'

Thorin heard Ariels sharp hiss behind him and watched his daugter frown at his queen. It was obvious that she swallowed down what she wanted to say, for it had no place here.

'Senka.' Thorins voice nearly broke. 'Why didn´t she tell me?'

'I believe that you banishing my mother might have something to do with it.' Senka told her father harshly. Now that the first shock was over and she stood face to face to the dwarf who had broken her mothers heart she could not hold back her fury.

Thorin opened his mouth to answer, but Dwalin stepped into the conversation. 'Where is my brother?' he growled at the she-elf. His worry about Balin was greater than his respect for Thorins privacy.

'Master Dwalin.' Senka looked at the huge dwarf, who almost reached her size. 'Your brother is fine, he is with my mother. He will return to Erebor if I will return home safely.'

'Morsha kept him as a hostage?' Thorin whispered. 'Why would she think that I could...' The brutal realisation hit Thorin in full force. Morsha had suffered under his cruelty as he was mad from Durins curse. He had not only broken her heart but also her trust. By keeping Balin as a hostage she made it clear that there was nothing bonding them anymore, only the half elf standing in front of him.

'She won't hurt him, master Dwalin. You have my word.' Senka told the captain of the guard. The dwarves of the company who were present were painfully aware how much Senka resembled her mother. But still, Dwalin did not trust her.

'Our last messenger wasn't so lucky. Oin still mourns the loss of his son and the mutilation of his dead body.' he watched Senka and his fears were supported as she swallowed hard and did not answer. 'Your mother did this, did she?'

'Dwalin!' Thorin could not imagine Morsha being so cruel. Not the gentle and loving Morsha he knew. 'Morsha would never...' but a look into his daughters face told him that he was wrong. Thorin felt his knees go weak and cursed the fact that he could not sit down anywhere.

'Let the lass arrive properly first.' Oin had arrived at the gate and watched Senka closely. No emotion was to be seen on the dwarves face. Senka could not even tell if he heard what her mother did to his son. 'It was a long ride. And she met so many new family members. She must be exhausted.'

Thorin nodded weakly and reached out for his daughter. She flinched as he touched her arm, but as she saw his hurt expression she relaxed a bit. 'I will show you to your room, Senka. My daughter.' he said slowly. The dwarf king guided his daughter to the royal chambers of Erebor and glanced at his queen one last time before he turned back to his daughter.

'We will talk later.' he grumbled and did not miss Ariel flinch at his hard tone. He was not sure wether to be grateful or furious about this turn of events. His queen had sent Balin away behind his back, to search for a woman who not seemed to be the woman he had fallen in love with twentysix years ago. Now his loyal advisor was held as a hostage and Thorin felt incredibly guilty. Durins curse had done far more damage than anyone could have expected. Everyone Thorin loved had been affected and the people closest to him had to suffer, even now after all these years.

He cleared his throat, realising that he had walked at the side of his daughter silently for minutes now. 'How long will you stay?'

'Don't worry, father. I will not bother you for long.' Senka murmured. She did not flinch this time as Thorin hold her back.

'You are my daughter, you would never bother me.' he whispered. 'I only wish I had known of you sooner.'

'What would you have done, then?' Senka asked him. 'Would you have sent more messengers towards the south instead of coming yourself?'

Thorin frowned at his daughter. 'I am the king of Erebor I can´t just...leave and...'

'Try to get back your family?' Senka continued bitterly. 'You claim that you loved my mother, but you did nothing to repair the damage you have done. If you had been there yourself, asking for her, then maybe my mother would have given in. She loves you, she still does. I can hear it when she speaks of you.'

Thorins heart wrenched in his chest at his daughters sad voice. He had done everything wrong. First he had broken Morsha under the influence of the gold sickness and then he had believed that nothing he could have done would have changed anything. His daughter made him realise that he had been wrong once more.