Lindin nearly leaped out of his bed as he saw Brann return with a bowl full of soft meat and stew. He gathered all the strength he had left and kissed the healer on her forehead, making her chuckle. Frerin, who had followed Brann into the tent smiled at his brother in law and could not wait to tell Lindin, Oin and Gwen the good news. Gwen was happy for her daughter and Oin patted Frerins shoulder in agreement.

'Take this.' Lindin reached for something inside of his tunic and Brann saw a small bead in his hand. 'I have nearly lost it during battle, one of the orcs had ripped out my braid.' Lindin told Frerin. 'Until Dis can braid it into my hair again you can have it. It bears the sign of Durin and I would be happy if you would accept it.'

Brann looked at Frerin questioningly. The dwarf prince saw her curious look and explained the meaning of the bead.

'Dwarves braid their beloved ones hair and put beads in it. The beads are the signs of friendship, love and family emblems. May I?' he asked Brann sheepishly and grabbed a streak of her hair. Brann nodded and Frerin braided the bead into the streak at the side of her face.

'Now everyone will see that you are my wife to be.' he said proudly and Brann stared down at the silver bead shining in her hair.

As Thorin saw the bead shining in her hair a few days later he frowned and walked over to Brann. The young woman froze as she saw the dwarf prince come close. Thorin took the braid with the bead into his fingers, watching her intensely. He recognised Lindins bead with the sign of Durin.

'Are you sure that you want this?' he asked her all of a sudden. 'Being a member of the Durin line brings responsibilities and sacrifices.'

Brann looked at her feet. Thorins closeness felt threatening in an odd way she could not describe.

'I will bring any sacrifice which will be needed.' Brann stated quietly and looked Thorin in the eye. 'For your brother, as his wife.'

Thorin smiled lightly and let go of Brann braid. 'Then so be it.'

'I am in love with the dwarf prince.' Brann whispered in her mothers ear.

Gwen just smiled and stroked her daughters face. 'I know darling, Frerin really is a nice...'

'Not that one...' Brann sighed. 'The other one.'

Gwen looked at her daughter in shock. 'Prince Thorin?!'

Brann sat down on her bed and buried her face in her hands. She was sure about her feelings towards Frerin. Frerin had her affection and her friendship, but he did not have her love. Brann was not sure if she loved Thorin either, but the feeling she had when she was near him almost drove her mad.

'My dear, what happened?' Gwen sat down beside her daughter and took her in her arms.

'I don´t know. How can I even...? Frerin is so attentive and loving and he loves me. Thorin is...he is arrogant and proud. And I do not think that he even likes me. But everytime I am near him I start feeling butterflies in my stomach and my heart starts racing...and I feel sick. How can I be that stupid?' Brann asked desperatly.

'Love is not stupid, darling.' Gwen murmured and thought about her own love to Branns father. 'And you can not decide with whom to fall in love. The heart wants what it wants.'

'I can´t do this to Frerin. How can I marry him when I don´t love him and feel attracted to his brother?' Brann had never been in such an emotional turmoil before. 'I have to be honest with him. But I do not want to hurt him.'

That night Brann spent hours in the comforting arms of her mother, fearing the future that awaited her.

The next morning Brann did not feel any better. The wether suited her mood, it was raining and it was cold. Brann accompanied the caravan to her old village to get new supplies, she needed the time to think about her engagement to prince Frerin and she needed the distance to arrange her feelings. But as she came back for the camp two days later her fate had changed yet again.

'Brann!' Balin rushed towards the caravan and stopped them in their tracks. Brann could see the despair and the exhaustion in the older dwarfs eyes.

'Balin, what is it?' Brann suddenly realised that the camp was gone. There were merely a few smaller tents left and the medical tent as well as the royal tent were gone. 'What happened?'

'Brann...please come with me.' Balins voice was dripping with sadness.

A cold feeling was spreading through Branns body. 'Balin, where is my mother? Where are the wounded?'

They stopped walking as they reached a huge fire in the middle of the camp. Brann realised in shock that it was a new burial fire. She felt Balins hand on her shoulder and felt her knees buckle.

'The night after you left the orcs of Moria attacked us. We were prepared this time, but this time they went directly for the wounded. The medical tent was set on fire, as well as the royal tent. Frerin tried to protect the wounded and your mother, but...' Balins voice cracked and the old dwarf had to clear his throat. 'Prince Frerin, your mother and the wounded burned to death inside of the medical tent or were cut to pieces by the orcs.

Mother...Frerin, Lindin...Brann sat down where she was standing and felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Everyone she had loved was gone. Her whole family, the dwarves who had become her friends. All gone. There were no tears left, Brann only felt numb and cold.

Thorin kneeled in the middle of a small tent at the rim of the camp. His hands were pressed into fists and his knuckles turned white. The orcs had lost the battle, but the dwarfs had lost it all. Thorin himself had lost his grandfather, his father, his brother and his brother in law. Other dwarves had lost all the male members of the family. Other lines were completely wiped out. There was nothing what could soothe the pain the the dwarves hearts, only bitterness and defeat.

'Thorin?' Dwalin had entered the tent quietly. 'We are ready to leave...everything has been packed and the dwarves are already leaving this Durinforsaken place. Lets go home.'

'Where is our home?' Thorin asked bitterly. 'Our home has been taken from us, as was all hope.'

'You are our king now, Thorin.' Dwalin sighed. 'Don´t let our people see you like this.'

With these words the warrior left the tent and let his words sink in. Only moments later Thorin emerged from the tent, his face an emotionless mask. The dwarves he past were bowing before him and he took his place at the head of the caravan heading back to the Blue Mountains.

'Dwalin...where is Brann?' Thorin had looked for the young woman everywhere, but he had not seen her in days. The healer had collapsed after she had heard of her mothers and Frerins death. The death of Lindin had also shaken her up. She had saved his life twice only to lose him to an additional assault.

'She is with Oin.' Dwalin frowned. 'The lass is not taking it well. Pale as death and more skinny than ever.'

Thorin nodded and continued marching towards their temporary home. It took the dwarves weeks to reach the Blue Mountains and during all those weeks Thorin could not think of anything to tell his sister Dis. He had no idea how he should tell her that he and her sons were the only family left.

Dis stood on the balcony of her room in the Blue Mountains, holding her dwarfling in her arms, Fili. Her husband, her brothers and her father, grandfather and king had been gone for months now and Dis worried deeply. Messengers had returned to the Blue Mountains, bringing word of a great and costfull battle which had cost them the life of their king, Thror. The dwarven princess stood in her balcony every day, looking for them to return. She was pregnant with hers and Lindins second dwarfling and the birth was not long ahead. She had told Lindin that it was a son before he left for Moria. Dis could feel it, she could feel the determined and playful kicking inside of her and knew that this dwarfling would be a handful. Sighing deeply she turned away from the balcony as she saw a movement in the corner of her eye. As she looked north she could see the caravan head for the Blue Mountains. Rushing to the gate as fast as she could Dis felt her heart sink. The caravan had been awfully small.

Thorin immediately looked for his little sister as they passed the gates of the Blue Mountains. The moment he had dreaded for the whole journey home had come, he had to tell his sister that he was the only one of their family who had returned. As he saw Dis stand at the gates, holding his little nephew in her arms he realised that she already knew.

Dis could see the pain and grief in her brothers face. She could neither see Frerin nor Lindin and Thorin was wearing the armor of the king, which could only mean that their father was dead as well. Dis felt her knees buckle and the only reason she did not faint was that she feared to let go of her son, her precious dwarfling, the only thing left of Lindin.

Brann walked at the end of the caravan, not paying attention to anything around her. The last weeks had past like a dream, a bad dream with no chance of waking up. She had set one foot before the other, walking the whole day, till her feet were bloody. Unlike the dwarves she was not used to march for days, or even weeks. As the caravan stopped, Brann looked up and saw a huge mountain rise above her. There was grey and massive stone wherever she looked, only little green and even less sun. The Blue Mountains. Brann felt more lost than ever. This was her new home, although it felt more like a prison. Oin looked at the young woman with a worried expression. She had gotten frail and thin during their journey. He had to talk to Thorin. She was his responsibility now that his brother had died. Brann still was wearing Frerins braid. The dwarves would know to whom she belonged. In the dwarven culture it was tradition for male members of the family to look out for the women of their kin. In this case, if Brann would have been a dwarf, Thorin was supposed to take her as is wife to replace Frerin. Oin took a deep breath and gently took Brann by the arm and led her into the mountain.

'Who is she?' Dis looked at the pale young human woman who had come to the Blue Mountains with the dwarves.

'This is Brann, mylady Dis.' Balin told her. 'She is a healer. The people of her village came to our aid and paid a heavy price. Her family was cut down by orcs.'

'Why is she wearing Lindin bead?' Dis eyes flashes dangerously.

Balin looked at Thorin who frowned. 'Frerin asked her to be his wife. Lindin gave him this bead to put it into her braid.'

'She is Frerins woman?' Dis was more than surprised. Then she looked at Thorin. 'Then you know what you have to do.' with these words she turned around and left, not before glaring at Brann one last time.

His sisters words had hit Thorin like the swing of a warhammer. Until now he had not realised what Frerins engagement and his death had meant for Brann and himself. With a shocked expression he turned to Balin who gently patted his shoulder.

'Don't worry, laddie. We are home now. There are other decisions which have to be made in prior.' the old dwarf murmured. And he was proven right.

In the following days Thorin was crowned king of the dwarves of Erebor and a mourning period was proclaimed. Captured in his kingly duties Thorin could not be at his sisters side as much as he wanted and missed the growing friendship between her and Brann. At the beginning Dis had hated the young woman who was wearing her husbands bead and had stolen her brother Frerins heart. She had despised all for what the young woman was standing, the memory and grief she awaken in Dis was too painful. But one day Balin told Dis what Brann had done for Lindin and how she had fought for his life various times. Branns mother had died together with Frerin and Lindin. Dis felt her heart open towards the young woman and soon they were spending their days together, sharing their grief and their loneliness. One day Dis could no longer watch Brann fade away.

'Seriously, Brann, you have to eat. You are merely a bag of bones.' Dis shook her head at Branns little appetitte.

'I am not hungry.' Brann stated quietly.

'You are a healer, you should know better than that.' Dis scolded her. 'My brother will never touch you if you are frail like this.'

'Frerin will never touch me again.' Brann stated bitterly, not getting what Dis was saying.

'No dear, he won't.' Dis told her sadly. 'But I was talking about Thorin.'

'Thorin?!' Brann had buried her feelings for Thorin deep in her heart and had almost forgotten all about them. 'Why Thorin? I was engaged to Frerin.'

'In our culture a promise like an engagement involves the whole family. Now that Frerin is no longer with us it is upon his brother to take care of you. A duty he had severely neglected lately.' Dis told Brann who had paled with every additional word.

'You mean that Thorin has to marry me, now that Frerin is...gone?' Brann whispered. At Dis nod Brann had to sit down.

Dis took her hand into hers and squeezed it firmly. 'I have to go to dinner, I have to eat because I carry responsibility not only for me, but also for Lindins boy. I cannot succumb to my grief like you do. Will you at least accompany me?'

Dis words awoken something inside of Brann and suddenly the young woman felt something she had not felt for a long time. Hope.

Thorin looked up from his plate as he saw Dis enter the dining room, Brann following her like a shadow. Guilt plagued his mind. He had not spoken to Brann since the day before Frerin had died. It had been weeks ago. He silently greeted his sister and watched Brann as she started eating. The young woman forced herself to eat, so much was obvious, but it seemed as if each others company helped Dis and Brann. The two women had become close and Thorin was about to ask Dis about how her pregnancy was going as his sister groaned in pain and held a hand to her stomach.

'Dis!' Brann was at her side immediately. Dis stood up, but collapsed after a few steps, her hand pressed into her abdomen.

'She is in pain, get Oin!' Brann called out.

Dwalin came rushing to Dis side. 'What kind of pain?'

'The one that HURTS!' Brann glared at Dwalin and Thorin would have sniggered about her response if it would not have been his sister grinding her teeth in pain. 'Her water broke, she need to get to the infirmary right now!'

'Lindin...LINDIN!' Dis cried out for her dead husband, too much in pain to remember that he was not there.

'For Durins sake, do not just stand there, help me!' Brann snarled at Dwalin who hurled Dis up into his arms and carried her to the infirmary. Thorin and Balin followed them and soon Oin joined them as they rushed to the infirmary.

Oin and Brann prepared cloths, bandages and warm water for Dis and Thorin, Dwalin and Balin surrounded the dwarven princess. Brann frowned at the sight, normally only the father of the child had the right to be in the birthing room. But given the circumstances she figured that it was alright. Balin was soon sent out by Thorin to replace him in council and rushed out of the infirmary, gladly running from Dis pained cries.

Brann examined Dis belly and pushed Dis dress up over her bend knees. 'The child is heading the right way, it shouldn't take much longer. You have to push, Dis.'

The sister of the dwarf king started pushing and her screams echoed in Thorins mind like torturing flashes.

'I can see the head. You are doing great, Dis! Push!' Brann encouraged Dis.

Dwalin walked around beside Brann and looked down curiously. He had never witnessed a birth before and was not ready for the sight of it.

'Oh Durin, he is huge! Dis, how are you doing this?' Dwalin paled.

'NOT helping!' Brann snarled at him and watched as his eyes rolled back into his skull and the huge dwarf fainted and hit the ground like a tree.

'You got to be joking!' Brann did not know wether to feel irritated or amused. She could not fight a small smile of amusement which was seen by Thorin who felt relieved that the young woman could still smile after all she had been through.

After moments that felt like days Dis gave birth to a small dwarfling which she named Kili. Tears fell down her cheeks as Brann gave her the small dwarfling wrapped into soft covers. Dis wished for her husband to be with her and share her joy about their second son.

'He is here with you, Dis. He will always be with you.' Brann whispered and hugged her friend, tears burning in her own eyes. Suddenly she felt strong arms around her waist, wrapping themselves around Dis and herself. Thorin stood behind the two women and for a moment he held all what was left of his family in his arms.