Happy New Year Everyone!

Thorin was on his way back together with Dwalin and Dorn as he heard a wooden rumble inside of the house. Terrified, the royal blacksmith ran to the door and rammed it open. The noise of playing children came to his ears and he saw Fili and Kili run around in the kitchen while Brann was chasing them. Dis sat in the armchair by the fire and was snoring quietly. Thorin had no idea how she managed to sleep in this noisy surroundings, but he guessed that she must haven been more tired than he had expected. Dwalin and Dorn had followed him closely and while Dorn seemed highly overwhelmed by the dwarvish noise level, Dwalin was about to join the chase.

Brann was about to turn as she bumped right into Dwalin with full force. The smaller, but sturdier, dwarf did not even stumble, but Brann went sprawling on the floor. Dorn could hide an amused smirk and Thorin chuckled at the sight but rushed to his wifes side to help her up. Dwalin saw the look Thorin and Brann exchanged and lifted his eyebrows right up to his mohawk. In the Blue Mountains Brann had mostly looked upon Thorin with a mixture of fear, respect and interest and Thorin had barely looked at her. Now, they were losing themselves in each others eyes and the soft touch added to the loving impression. The dwarf warrior had never expected Thorin and Brann to actually get that far.

'There you are! Is everything alright?' Brann asked Thorin and looked at Dorn and Dwalin. 'Dorn, thank you so much for accompaning Thorin.'

Dorn nodded. 'No problem. I will let you enjoy your family reunion.' he smiled and thanked the gods for his two calm and gentle daughters. He would have gone insane with two boys such as Thorins nephews.

After bidding him goodbye Brann turned to Dwalin. 'Are you insane getting yourself into trouble from the start? We were worried!'

Dwalin did not know wether to be amused or irritated by her open scolding. 'Happy to see you again too, girl.' he grumbled and to his relief he saw Brann blush slightly. That was the girl he knew.

'We are happy that you are here.' Brann told him softly. With a look at the still sleeping Dis she gestured Dwalin to follow her. 'I will show you to your room.'

Dwalin followed Brann to the room closest to the smithy and cocked his eyebrow as he entered the simple, but comfortable room.

'This chest is for your weapons and armory. You will not need those here.' Brann explained. 'If you need anything else, please tell me.'

Dwalin watched the young woman in surprise. Brann had turned from a shy and silent healer to a more confident and open woman. Thorins queen. His queen. She had shown great confidence and strength in the Blue Mountains already, but here she seemed more herself. This was her home and she owned the place.

'Thank you.' Dwalin was unsure of how to call her. He had always called her girl but this seemed somehow unfitting now.

'What happened?' Brann asked him worriedly. 'Why did you get into an argument with the city guard?'

Dwalin shrugged his shoulders. 'They said something dishonorable about the towns blacksmith and his wife. I could not let that go unpunished.'

Brann smiled at the dwarf with the mohawk. 'Let them talk. Nothing they could ever say will effect us.'

'They were talking about you. Nasty things.' Dwalin muttered. One of the rangers had talked about his comrade who had supposedly been on his way to seduce the blacksmiths wife.

Brann could guess what they had talked about. 'Have you told Thorin?'

'Not yet.' Dwalin shook his head and his mohawk.

'Then please refain from doing so.' Brann asked him. 'He would just get upset and its really not worth mentionning.'

Dwalin looked at his queen closely. 'Do not underestimate the men, girl. They tend to take what they desire. Thorin is an honorable dwarf, he would never touch you against your will. Don't think that the men in Bree will act the same way.'

'I know.' Brann blushed as she thought about Thorin and that he actually touched her now. 'But Thorin...I do not want him to get in trouble. Because of me.'

Dwalin watched Branns cheeks go pink and began to feel uneasy. It was obvious that Brann and Thorin had made some remarkable progress in their relationship and Dwalin had the dull feeling that their visit had interrupted something important.

'Just promise me that you will be careful.' Dwalin murmured and Brann nodded, as Thorin entered the room.

'What keeps you so long? The room is not that big to inspect.' he watched his captain of the guard and his wife closely. 'Is something wrong?'

Brann quickly shook her head and led both dwarves out of the room again. 'Everything is fine.'

Dwalin looked as if he wanted to say more and Brann already worried that he might talk to Thorin about the ranger as he told her something she would never have expected.

'I will need an additional bed. A smaller one.' Dwalin muttered and looked at Thorin and Brann sheepishly.

While Thorin merely slapped Dwalin on the shoulder Brann frowned surprised. 'Another bed? We thought that you would come alone. Your...wife...or your...woman can sleep in the bed with you.' Brann stuttered.

Thorin smiled at her lovingly and decided to tell her what he had also just known for a few hours. 'Dwalin has a daughter. Her mother was from the Iron Hills and died recently. She sent her daughter to the Blue Mountains to her father. She is twenty years old.'

'A daughter?' Brann was astonished. 'You have a daughter? And twenty? Thats smack in the middle of dwaven puberty isn't it?'

Dwalin nodded and Thorin looked at his wife with a worried expression. Three more dwarves were alot to handle, but four and one of them in puberty. But Brann was full of surprises.

'I'll get you a bed, father.' as Dwalin paled she chuckled. She would love to see Dwalin handle a dwarf, a female dwarf, going through puberty.

'Are you alright with this?' Thorin asked Brann as Dwalin had left to get his daughter. They were sitting down on their bed and enjoyed the few moments of peace. Dis was up and getting the two dwarflings to bed.

'Of course I am.' Brann nodded. 'And besides, I would never send any of your kin away. They are my family too now.'

Thorin leaned into Brann and kissed her softly. 'I love you, woman.'

'I love you more, my bear.' Brann whispered.

'Watcha doin'?' a small voice made them jump and Thorin pulled back his hand which had caressed Branns thighs. Fili stood in the door and grinned.

'Fili!' Dis called out for her son and scolded him. 'Your little brother is already in bed. You said you would always watch out for him. Off to bed, you rascal.'

Fili stormed away to Dis room, nearly knocking over everything in his way. Brann smirked at Thorins frown. 'You better get used to it. The peaceful and silent times in our home are over.'

Thorin burried his nose in the nape of her neck. 'You think so?'

'Hmmmmm and little chance for maritial duties.' Brann grinned as Thorin looked at her in a shocked expression.

'We will find time for that even if I have to take my wife to the forge for some privacy.' he growled and made Brann laugh. As Brann stood up from the bed Thorin pulled her back, so that she was standing between his legs. His hands moved to her back and her bottom and he nuzzled her breasts through her dress.

'Stop this.' Brann chuckled, but her hands moved through his mane. As they heard the front door open and close Thorin growled irritatedly and Brann removed his hands from her body hesitatingly.

'Do I have my own room?' a girls voice made Brann frown. 'This house is tiny!'

Oh dear. Brann took a deep breath as she entered the living room. A young dwarf girl stood in the middle of the room, her hands pressed into her hips.

'Are you the maid?' she asked Brann without sounding mean, she only sounded honestly surprised.

'Dwana!' Dwalin roared behind her and made both of them jump.

'Uncle Dwalin is back!' Fili came rushing out of Dis room, Kili stumbling after him on short legs. Dis ran after them with an irritated groan and Brann could hear Thorin slam his forehead against the doorframe in despair. Brann had to smile at the chaos and decided to make an end to it before Thorin threw them all out.

'ENOUGH!' she yelled as loud as she could and looked into six astonished faces. She stepped towards Dwana and smiled warmly. 'I am Brann and I hear that your name is Dwana? At your service. And no, I am not the maid. I am Thorins wife.'

Dwana looked at her with huge eyes. 'You are the queen of the Blue Mountains? But you are no dwarf!'

Dwalin rolled his eyes in despair and Brann felt Dis and Thorin tense. 'No, I am no dwarf. Is this a problem for you?'

Dwana seemed to think about it for a while. 'We will see.'

Dwalin and Thorin were opening their mouths to say something but Brann held up her hand. 'Fili, be a dear and take your brother to bed. Dwalin, you can show your daughter to your room. Dis, I would love to introduce you to our neighbours.'

Thorin grinned as he watched his wife take command and walked over to her as the others moved into their rooms as told. 'And what shall I do?'

Brann smiled at him warmly. 'Who am I to give commands to the king of the Blue Mountains?'

'You are the queen. My queen.' Thorin took her onto his arms and kissed her temple. 'I will do whatever you want.'

'Is that so?' Brann cocked an eyebrow at him and grinned. 'I am afraid that we can't do what we both want, so why don't you go to the forge with Dwalin and I will introduce Dis to Dorn and Elsa.'

Thorin hummed his agreement and kissed his wife before turning to the door. Brann walked to Dis room and peeked inside. Thorins nephews were fast asleep and Dis was rubbing her temples.

'Are you alright?' Brann asked her sister in law. 'We can postpone the meeting with our neighbours if you want.'

'No, now is a good time.' Dis sighed. 'I am sorry about Dwana. Her mother was from high birth and many of the dwarven nobles frown upon dwarven-human relationships. Dwana seems to be very much like her mother.'

'And you did not like her mother?' Brann smirked.

'Her mother was a bitch.' Dis grinned and looked into the bed to make sure that her sons did not catch her ranting. 'She was arrogant and ignorant. She was only interested in the pretty things in life.'

'Then why was she interested in Dwalin?' Brann moved her hand to her mouth. 'I am so sorry, that sounded horrible!'

She was relieved as Dis burst into laughter. 'Nobody understood why she was interested in Dwalin, not even Dwalin himself. But she did love him. At least for a while. As Dwalin followed our grandfather to the south she did not follow him or wait for him. She stayed behind and she did not even tell Dwalin about his daughter until now.'

'Thats so sad. Dwalin needs to...this will not be easy.' Brann murmured. For none of us.

The rest of the day was as chaotic as the beginning. Dis and Elsa liked each other from the start, but Brann and Dis could not stay long because Fili and Kili were awake and drove Dwana mad.

'Can I help with something? Father said that I have to make myself useful.' Dwana muttered.

Brann frowned at that, but she nodded anyway. 'You could cut the potatoes and vegetables for the stew. Knives are over there.'

Dwana began chopping the vegetables, grumbling in Khuzdul and Brann smirked. A few moments later Thorin and Dwalin entered, sweaty and dirty from the forge. Brann was happy that she had put an extra tub into Dwalins room. The water was cold, but she had the feeling that this would not bother him. She had to turn around to hide her blush as Thorin walked to their room and stripped out of his tunic. She jumped as Dis took the spoon out of her hands and shoved her into the same direction.

'I'll handle dinner. You go tend to your husband.' she blinked at the young woman and grinned as she saw Dwana roll her eyes.

Brann rushed to their bedroom and closed the door behind her, only to see Thorin sitting in the tub, cursing and mumbling about the cold water. She sneaked up to him and laid her arms around his shoulders, kissing his hair.

'Let me do this.' Brann asked and took the sponge out of Thorins hand to move it over his body. 'Don't take this the wrong way, but I love looking at you. And I love touching you.'

Thorin chuckled and he felt his face heat up. 'How could I take this the wrong way?'

'Well, you could think that I only feel attracted to you because of your looks.' Brann told him sheepishly.

'And this is a bad thing?' Thorin teased her. 'I am known for my good looks.'

He had barely finished the sentence as both burst into laughter and Brann playfully threw the sponge at him. Water splashed everywhere as Thorin moved and threw the sponge back at his wife, missing her by only inches.

'You arrogant...' Brann let out a quiet shriek as Thorin tackled her to the bed.

'So? You also love me because I am arrogant?' Thorin teased her and nibbled at her neck.

'Its a part of you. You would not be Thorin if not for that insufferable arrogance.' Brann answerd honestly.

'How can you say this and still not sound insulting?' Thorin wondered and captured her lips in a kiss.

'Because its not an insult.' Brann stated as a matter of fact and took a deep breath as she felt him harden against her. She groaned irritatedly since they had no chance to give into their needs in this very moment. Thorin did not seem to have similar concerns, he was nibbling his way down her neck. As Brann was close to giving in a hard knock at the door made them jump.

'Dinner is ready!' Dwana yelled through the door.

'This awful brat!' Thorin cursed.

Brann laughed quietly and pulled herself from the welcoming warmth of her husbands arms. 'Don't let her bother you. She is a teen, she is supposed to be difficult and insufferable.'

'And I already thought that I was the only insufferable dwarf here.' Thorin remarked dryly and kissed his wife before he got dressed.

'Not anymore, my bear.' Brann whispered and smiled before she opened the door and tried to look as innocent as possible. She knew that there were probably red marks all over her neck, but this was her home and she would not hide Thorins marks beneath layers of cloth. She regretted her decision as Fili looked at her.

'Did uncle bite you?' he asked innocently and made Dwalin as well as his daughter roll their eyes. It was amusing to see how much father and daughter were alike altough they had not spent alot of time together so far.

'Well...' Brann was unsure what to say as Dwana barged in.

'Didn't you know? Dwarves bite their beloved ones to mark them as theirs.' Dwana stated dryly and although she was not totally wrong in this case, the tone in her voice was far from friendly. 'Ouch! For the love of Durin!'

Kili had crawled over to her and had sunk his teeth into her arm. Now he proudly looked at the teeth marks of the few teeth he had, which were merely the two front teeth and the two ones below.

'Mine!' he exclaimed happily. Brann chuckled and immediately saw the stricking resemblance to Thorin in the little dwarfling. She wondered if Thorins and her future child would also be like Kili. If they would have a child. Brann was unsure how to feel about a dwarfling of her own. It would mean another change in their lives and she was tired of changes...but a small dwarfling...maybe with Thorins eyes...she sighed slightly and shook her head. They stil had plenty of time to think about things as children in the future. Now all they had to worry about was to ever get near to one another long enough to even have a chance of private moments with all those people in their house.

Dwana tried to glare at him, but as Kili grinned at her with his four teeth she could not help but smirk. Dwalin seemed embarrassed by his daughters manners and stayed silent all evening, only glancing at Dwana and Thorin once in a while. Brann watched the group of dwarves around her intensly. She had experienced dwarves to be a very merry gathering at dinner, but it seemed as if everyone at this table was occupied with problems and worries. Dis was awfully silent and had dark rings beneath her eyes. Dwana and Dwalin definetly had unfinished business to handle. Thorin and Brann had had their own problems as they had come to Bree. It seemed that their home had become a place for lost souls.