'What is uncle Dwalin doing on the floor?' a small dwarfling interrupted the peace in the infirmary. The blond little fellow looked at his mother with big eyes. 'Is this my brother?'

Slowly Brann freed herself of Thorins arms and instantly felt cold. She walked over to Fili, Dis firstborn, and lifted him up onto the bed so that he could take a look at his little brother.

'He looks like uncle Thorin.' Fili exclaimed and made Dis chuckle.

'Your uncle Thorin was already born with a beard, Fili dear. It seems your little brother will take a while to grow one.' and Dis was right, little Kili would take a while to grow a beard indeed.

While Dis enjoyed the quiet moment with her sons Thorins gently pulled Brann aside.

'Thank you for your help. Again.' Thorin muttered and pointed to Dwalin. 'Should we get him into one of the beds?'

Brann smiled lightly and nodded. 'It probably would be best.' She did not know how, but somehow she and Thorin managed to liftt the huge dwarf onto one of the beds.

'We need to talk.' Thorin told Brann after he had nearly broken his back while lifting the huge dwarf up. With a last glance back to his sister who was under the care of Oin, he guided Brann to his room. As he closed the door behind them he could see that Brann watched him with big eyes, shivering lightly.

'Are you afraid of me?' Thorin asked and frowned at her, only causing her to back away further.

'Sometimes.' Brann whispered. She was afraid, but not primarily of him, more of the feelings he awoke inside of her. But this was something that she would never tell him.

Thorin sighed and looked at his feet. This was not easy, for neither of them. Brann had been Frerins woman and the death of his brother had torn a huge gap into their lives.

'You should know something about the dwarven culture. We are very protective of our women, Frerin told you that.' at her nod Thorin continued. 'You should know that a dwarf does not utter a promise that easily. Frerin proposed marriage to you and now he can't fullfill his promise. But I will.'

Brann was not sure if she had heard him correctly. She could not imagine that Thorin was actually...

'I will take you as my wife on behalf of my brother, like dwarven tradition demands.' Thorin took a deep breath and looked at Brann, who watched him petrified.

'You will...' Brann felt many things at the moment, but one feeling was stronger than any other. Fury. 'Did you even think about asking me first? How dare you decide over my life as if I was your slave!'

Thorin looked at Brann in total shock. He had not meant to hurt her, all he wanted was to protect her, after all what she had done for his family. But Thrains older son was not only proud, he was also stubborn and hot headed. And he said all the wrong things.

'Listen, I do not want to marry you either...' he realised how wrong he was after the words were out.

'Fine! Then why do you?' Brann was too furious to remember her manners. 'Your dwarven tradition may force you to marry someone you do not love, but I am no dwarf!'

'You may be no dwarf, but you were ready to marry my brother. You did not love him. So whats the problem now?' Thorin growled at her, regretting his words as he saw her pained face.

His words would not have hurt so much if they had not been true. Brann felt the pain about Frerins and her families loss which hit her like powerful waves. The enormous pain made her heart numb and suddenly nothing mattered anymore.

'Whens the wedding?' she asked quietly.

'In two months. At Durins Day.'

The two months passed in no time and Brann felt more lost with every single day that their wedding drew nearer. She had not spoken to Thorin since the birth of Kili and had spend most of her days in the infirmary or with Dis. Dis had of course noticed the rift between her brother and Brann, but all her words towards either of them did not help. Dis smirked as she thought about her talks with Thorin and Brann.

Thorin was hurt in his pride because Brann had repulsed his offer of marriage and he could not understand how the young woman could refuse to marry, now that she was alone. Thorin was king now, it was an honor to marry a king. Even if the king did not have an own mountain.

Brann was still furious that Thorin had decided to marry her, without even asking her. She had agreed in the end because she knew that she needed to settle in in the Blue Mountains. In addition Brann felt lost and the loss of her family made her indifferent to her future. Brann still felt attracted by Thorin, but she also feared him and she did not know how to behave when she would be his queen. She was a simple girl, her father had been a lord, but a lord of a small village. In some way Brann felt honored to become a queen, but she would have wished it to happen under nicer circumstances.

The wedding itself was simple and small. Only few dwarves objected to the marriage, most of them remembered what Brann and her family had done to help them on the battlefield in front of Morias gates. They had seen Frerins bead in Branns hair and supported the dwarven tradition that the males of a family had to follow to protect the women who were supposed to join their line. Balin was the one who married Thorin and Brann. The old dwarf smiled at the young woman as she entered the great hall in her wedding dress. Although she had not put alot of thought into her wedding outfit, Thorin had to take a deep breath as he saw her enter. Brann was wearing a simple white dress and silver jewelry. He had wanted to give her jewelry to wear for their wedding, but her rejection had made him distance himself to her before the wedding.

Her brown hair floated down her back in cascades and the veil she was wearing covered her eyes. Brann had wished for a veil, so that the wedding party could not see the tears gleaming in her eyes. She had imagined her marriage to be a more happy gathering, a ceremony to which she would be led by her father or mother. Now, she had to walk down the isle alone, inside a cold mountain, among dwarves. But she did not want to hurt Thorin more than she had already did. She had seen the hurt in his eyes as Brann had protested against his marriage proposal. Although she was furious about his dominant behaviour she also felt strangely safe. The dwarves took her with them to their home, making the Blue Mountains her home, too. They cared for her and tried to make her stay as comfortable as possible. That, Brann knew, was not understood. Other men would have forced her in their beds long ago and would possible made her a concubine or even less. The dwarves were honorable and loyal. They stood by the promises they gave.

As Brann arived in front of Balin she looked at Thorin for the first time and she could see the same turmoil in his eyes as she was feeling at the moment. Thorin was not in love with her and he married her out of responsibility, to give her the home she needed. Brann felt a sting as she remembered their last encounter. She had been nothing but shocked at his proposal and had refused his help brutally. But Thorin had not been so sensitive himself. His patronising and dominant bearing had awaken Branns fighting spirit. They had had the worst beginning of a marriage that Brann could imagine. She did not hear Balins wedding speech, nor did she pay attention to anything else. As their hands were moved together and Balin spoke the ritual wedding vows Branns mind snapped back to the present. Thorin lifted her veil and placed a soft kiss on her lips. It was an emotionless brush of his lips on hers and it lasted not more than a second and Brann felt relieved that the ceremony was over. As they were about to move to the dining hall for the celebration, as Brann began to feel nervous. Her mother had told her what happened between a man and a woman in their wedding night and many nights after. Brann was still untouched and she hoped that it would not hurt as much as her mother had warned her. Thorin was a hard warrior and Brann thought that he would take what was his without any gentleness. At dinner she tried to calm down and drank a few cups of ale more than were good for her, hoping that the alcohol would numb her senses enough for her to get the night over with. But the dinner was over too quickly. The wedding party parted and Thorin and Brann were led to their chambers where they closed the doors in front of two heavily armed guards. The married couple had not spoken a word the whole evening and Brann was not drunk enough to feel unconcerned about this fact. As she cleared her throat to speak she felt Thorin distance himself from her.

'Do not worry, my queen. We will not spend much time together. You are my wife now, that means that you are under my protection and care. Your responsibilities as a queen are a few, Balin will inform you about what is important.' Thorin stated as a matter of factly. 'You do not need to fear my touch nor my presence in our bed. I will sleep in the chamber beside this one. There is a door between the rooms. You will have your privacy here, my queen.'

Brann was too shocked to speak. She had not expected Thorin to retreat and not demand his right of a wedding night. Neither did she expect that their marriage would be such an formal act without any further involvement. It was a contract, nothing more. She should have been happy about it, but she felt more lost than ever in the royal chambers next to her husband. She felt new tears burn in her eyes as she watched Thorin leave and close the door to her room behind him.

'Brann! How are you?' Dis smiled at her new sister in law as she visited her and her nephews. Dis hoped that the wedding night had not been too distressful for the young woman. She knew that dwarf men were very rough and usually very built and had feared that Brann would have gotten the wrong impression in her wedding night. She looked at Brann expectantly and feared for the worst as the young woman looked onto the floor.

'Oh no, don´t tell me he was too...did he hurt you?' Dis could not believe that her brother was that insensitive towards the young woman. To her surprise Brann shook her head.

'He did not hurt me. He never touched me.' Brann stated quietly and suddenly felt ashamed. She knew Dis for mere weeks, but she was the only dwarf in this mountain to whom she could talk. Dis was her family now.

'What do you mean with he never touched you? Didn´t you...?' Dis was speechless. She didn´t know what to make of it as Brann spoke.

'I know I should feel grateful and honored to be Thorins wife and I should be thankful that he does not force me to do anything.' Brann blurted out. 'But that does not feel right. Nothing feels right.'

Dis nodded in understanding. 'You need time to get used to your new life at my brothers side. Thats understandable. Thorin and you will also get used to each other. In some cases love comes later in a marriage.'

Brann remembered that her mother had told her the same. She closed her eyes as she felt tear burning in them and took a deep breath. She did not want to shed anymore tears, she had to be strong. She was the queen of the Blue Mountains now.

'How can we get used to one another when we do not even see each other? We have seperate rooms? Thorin already told me that we only need to show ourselves as a married couple on official occasions.' Brann was at a loss. 'I know he does all of this for me, but...I...'

Dis understood Brann dilemma. But she also knew that the months to come would be crowded with official meetings and trade negociations, all on which Branns presence as queen would be an obligation. Maybe, if Mahal was merciful, Thorin and Brann would learn to life together as husband and wife through the harder times.

The following months were hard on Brann, but she showed her worth as she prepared to stand her ground at Thorins side, as his queen. She talked to Balin and Dis and informed herself about the royal courts rules and traditions and she spend much time in the library to learn more about dwarven culture. In the lonely nights she started to sew a whole new wardrobe. She had asked Thorin for some fabrics, matching his own. Most were dark blue or dark red and Brann started to conform her own robes to Thorin tunics. She knew that it was important to at least portray the image of a strong and unified royal couple, even if it was just on the outside.

In the first months of winter the first delegation from Ered Luin arrived. Balin and Dwalin greeted them at the gates and escorted them to the throne room of the Blue Mountains. Thorin paced in front of his throne, waiting for the delegation to come. He was lost in his thoughts and did not notice Brann taking the seat at the side of his throne. Brann wore the queens crown today, a heavy ring made of silver and with a dark blue emerald on the forehead. Her dress matched Thorins tunic and she had sewed dwarven runes into the collar with silver yarn. From Dis she knew that jewelry was of big importance in the dwarven culture. It symbolized wealth and prosperity and therefore Brann had put on a heavy necklace, bracelets of silver and a silver belt to underline her husbands and kings power. Thorin himself was clad into a dark blue tunic a heavy mithril belt, his crown and a silvery fur. As he turned to the throne and laid his eyes on his queen Brann could see a short spark of pride in his eyes and felt relieved. It seemed that she had done well.

The lord of Ered Luin paid his respects to the royal couple of the Blue Mountains. He was surprised to see a human woman at Thorins side, but as he heard of the Battle of Azanulbizar he bowed his heads in respects before Brann and Thorin. Brann did not say a word during the whole meeting, but she bowed her head graciously and listened to the mixture of Westron and Khuzdul the dwarves were speaking. She had not yet learned Khuzdul and she doubted that the dwarves would ever allow her to speak the ancient and secret language of the dwarves. She had looked for books to learn the language on her own, but she had not been successful. Many delegations arrived over the day and Brann felt exhausted as she went into her chambers to change her gown for dinner. Taking a deep breath she straightened up as she opened the door to walk to dinner. She nearly bumped into Thorin who stood in front of her door with his fist held up to knock.

'My queen, you look...wonderful.' Thorin looked Brann up and down and smiled at her for the first time since they had arrived in the Blue Mountains.

'Thank you, my king.' Brann answered quietly and saw Thorins eyes widen lightly at the mention of his title. 'You look...handsome.' Brann wanted to kick herself silly as soon as the words had left her mouth, but Thorin chuckled quietly at her blushing cheeks. He offered her his arm and together they walked to the dinning hall.

'I should warn you, dwarven feasts are very loud and cheerfull.' Thorin told her after moments of silence.

'You mean, unlike our wedding dinner?' Brann asked him openly.

Thorin frowned slightly at the mention of their wedding. 'Was the wedding dinner not to your liking?'

'It was, my king. It was fitting the circumstances.' Brann knew how this sounded in Thorins ears and stopped dead in her tracks. She took Thorins callous hands into hers and took a deep breath. 'I am sorry, I did not mean to sound that ungrateful.'

Brann looked into Thorins eyes and saw them soften at her apology. The king also took a deep breath and Brann waited for him to find the right words.

'Our wedding didn´t happen under the happiest circumstances.' Thorin stated calmly. 'Neither of us had planned this the way it happened. But I hope that you are happy here, my queen.'

Brann was far from happy, but she nodded nevertheless. She was safe and protected and she had found friends in the Blue Mountains, friends and a sort of family. That was all what she could ask for in her situation.

There is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.

The landlord keeps a little dog
that is mighty fond of jokes;
When there's good cheer among the guests,
He cocks an ear at all the jests
and laughs until he chokes.

They also keep a horned cow
as proud as any queen;
But music turns her head like ale,
And makes her wave her tufted tail
and dance upon the green.

And O! the rows of silver dishes
and the store of silver spoons!
For Sunday there's a special pair,
And these they polish up with care
on Saturday afternoons.

The Man in the Moon was drinking deep,
and the cat began to wail;
A dish and a spoon on the table danced,
The cow in the garden madly pranced,
and the little dog chased his tail.

The Man in the Moon took another mug,
and rolled beneath his chair;
And there he dozed and dreamed of ale,
Till in the sky the stars were pale,
and dawn was in the air.

Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:
"The white horses of the Moon,
They neigh and champ their silver bits;
But their master's been and drowned his wits,
and the Sun'll be rising soon!"

So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
"It's after three!" he said.

They rolled the Man slowly up the hill
and bundled him into the Moon,
While his horses galloped up in rear,
And the cow came capering like a deer,
and a dish ran up with the spoon.

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.

With a ping and a pang the fiddle-strings broke!
the cow jumped over the Moon,
And the little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the Saturday dish went off at a run
with the silver Sunday spoon.

The round Moon rolled behind the hill,
as the Sun raised up her head.
She hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For though it was day, to her suprise.

A cheerfull song and the sound of cheering dwarves reached Branns ears as they reached the dinning hall. That evening she got to know a totally different side of dwarves.