Hey again I know I'm coming very fast with these updates, but I have the time so I choose to type. I hope that I'm not overwhelming anyone. Anyway sorry if I am and if you want me to slow down just lemme know...Again thanks to all me lovely reviewers, favourites and follows...A FEW MORE WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED! Anyway I'll stop jabbering and get on with this chapter.

DISCLAIMER-I DINNA E OWN ANY OF THIS EXCEPT MY OC'S AND THE PLOT LINE. THE PRIVELEDGE OF EVERYTHING ELSE GOES TO TOLKIEN AND JACKSON AS THEY'RE LEGENDS SO DON'T JUDGE THEM!

Chapter 5- The Bliss before the Blizzard, The Calm before the Storm

"I have a present for you lass."

Anne lowered her flute and looked to Dwalin. The warrior looked nervous and she smiled. It had been several days since the party and Dwalin had been awful secretive since. He fiddled with something behind his back and coughed for Balin's attention. The white-haired dwarf nodded and smiled warmly to his brother.

"So ye finished 'em then?"

"Finished what?"

"Aye I did, took ma time with them, dinnae rush these things."

"Rush what?"

The brothers looked at the brunette and chuckled. Then Dwalin pulled a small box, that fitted snugly in his palm, from behind his back. It was just a plain, wooden box and the dwarf placed it carefully in Anne's hands.

"What's this?"

"Just open it lass..."

Anne opened the lid of the box and gasped. Inside were three beads. One was a dark red and bore Dwalin's sigil, the other was a cream and held the mark that Balin had, as for the third it was a deep green and was carved delicately. Anne picked up the green bead and studied it. She smiled as she recognised the mark she'd created for herself etched into the stained metal. She looked up at Balin and Dwalin from her place on the floor.

"Why?"

"'cause you're part o' the family now...this tells ev'ryone who's yer..."

The dwarf didn't finished as Anne jumped up and hugged him. She hid her face deep in his neck and he chuckled and rubbed her back. Balin put his arms round them both and hugged them. When they all pulled away Anne wiped the few stray tears that had escaped and looked at her family.

"Will you do my braids?"

Dwalin felt the lump in his throat and nodded soundlessly. He wove, with such care, as Anne knelt in front of him. Clipping his bead at the end of her nine-strand braid, Balin's at the end of a braid near the back of her hair and her own bead fastened by face on a long braid. Anne smiled at herself in the mirror and marvelled Dwalin's braids. The dwarf quickly wiped his eyes and cleared his throat as Balin lit his pipe and gave the girl a tight hug.

"Just remember to keep them clean for when you go out on your hunting trip tomorrow. I'll teach ye later how to do the different braids."

With that the burly dwarf left the room and Balin looked at her braids. Anne tried to identify each type of braid. Her bead was on the end of an identity braid, Balin's was on the end of a family braid and Dwalin's hung on a braid that was for a father to give to their child. A warm feeling crept into Anne's chest and she smiled after the large dwarf...no...she smiled after her father.

…

"There you go Petal all done with those braids."

Nori had spent hours weaving Daisy's long locks into various braids. Dori and Ori had given her some small blue and black beads that had their sigil's carved into them. Nori clasped his own dark orange beads into her hair before checking her braids that held four of her own purple beads at the end. Her sigil consisted of the dwarven rune that meant flower. Nori patted and planted a kiss to the top of her head before handing Daisy the mirror he'd given her.

"Oh they're amazing."

She turned and hugged her favourite member of her family. She didn't mention to Nori that she loved the fact that he'd put his beads on the end of parent braids, she'd already accepted him as a father-figure since she'd arrived.

"We all love you, you know that?"

"'Course I do Nori. I love you all as well. I love you and Ori and Dori and this mountain and this place."

Nori chuckled and squeezed his adopted daughter.

"Granted it ain't Erebor, but yeah Ered Luin is a home of it's own."

Daisy sat back and looked at the thief.

"You've barely told me of Erebor...what's it like?"

The thief sighed and scratched his head. What to say about Erebor...what wasn't there to say? He started from the very beginning and Daisy sat and listened with such interest.

"I would like to see Erebor one day..."

"Well Petal...maybe one day you will...who knows what the future holds for us. We can only hope."

A chuckle came from the door and the pair turned to look at Dori who was holding two cups of chamomile. He handed one to Daisy and kept the other. Nori narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"What?"

Dori shook his head and sipped his tea. Ori, from his place by the fire sketching, lifted his head.

"You've never spoken so deeply before."

The thief growled and Daisy leaned an arm on his knee before resting herself against his leg. Absent-mindedly Nori stroked her hair and sighed.

"Never had the reason to, brother."

Dori chuckled and patted his younger brother's shoulder before sitting in his armchair and peeking at Ori's drawing.

"Well I'm glad you still have that side Nori."

Daisy lifted her head.

"He's always had that side...he just hides it very well."

"That he does pet, that he does. Oh and mind you be careful tomorrow, we don't want you getting hurt tomorrow on your first hunting trip."

Daisy huffed.

"I'll be careful, I promise alright?"

Nori looked down at the girl as she fiddled with one of her new braids.

"Good...we just don't want anything happening."

"But nothing's gonna happen Nori. Thorin's taking me, Anne, Bifur, Holis and Molis out. We'll hunt for a bit then be home just after sunset...nothing will go wrong...I mean it's Thorin!"

Dori sighed and nodded, Ori went back to his sketch and Nori looked in his jacket for his pipe.

"We'll just look after yourself."

…

"Ooh look at this Fili, Flower and Squirt have proper braids, beads and everything!"

"Flower's got more than you brother."

Daisy chuckled and fiddled with one of her braids. They were on their way to sparring and Anne and Daisy had been showing each other their new braids. Kili chuckled and tugged one of Anne's braids, Fili looked at the beads and admired the craft that had gone into them.

"Dwalin must've been working on these for AGES!"

Anne nodded and yelped when Kili tugged on the braid too hard.

"Sorry Squirt!"

Daisy chuckled and tucked her braided hair behind her ears. The four approached the sparring arena and Daisy turned to her friend.

"Looking forward to our first hunting trip tomorrow?"

Anne beamed.

"Duh! I've been waiting for this for ages!"

Kili and Fili looked at them. Their usual cheery grins had been replaced by more cautious faces.

"Mind you're careful out there?"

Anne huffed and Daisy groaned.

"Not you too!"

"Honestly what do they think we're gonna do? Die or something?"

Anne chuckled, but stopped when she saw the serious looks on Fili and Kili's faces.

"We just don't want anything happening to you."

"Yeah we don't know what we'd do without our little sisters."

Daisy smiled warmly at them and wrapped her arms round them in a tight hug. The brothers returned it and Anne squeezed in.

"We promise we'll be careful."

"And we also promise that we'll come back in one piece."

Kili chuckled.

"Oh we don't mind if you're missing a leg, just means we can keep a closer eye on you!"

Daisy slapped his chest playfully.

"Oi!"

"I'm kidding, kidding!"

Kili laughed and wrapped an arm round Daisy's shoulders, he gave her a loving squeeze and Fili chuckled. Anne linked arms with her friend and the two girls and the the two brothers walked down for their training. Dwalin had finally recovered, even though his eyes were still faintly red, and smiled warmly as the four approached. A warm breeze floated through Ered Luin as they began their training. By the end they were all worn out, sweaty, grimy and, for Daisy and Anne, ecstatic for the next day...their first hunting trip.

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