Lord Mara was sure that the king would finally grant him the honor to be the father of his second wife on this very day. With their heads held up high, Mara and Asif walked to the throne room, snobbing the darves they passed. In their blind arrogance they missed the dark looks the dwarves eyed them with. Dara was not with them. Mara had told his daughter that the king would need to come to her to ask her to be his wife personally. Dara waited in her chambers with her son, the royal heir.

The arrogant lord thought nothing of it as he passed a heavily armed guard at the door to the throne room and pushed the door open to enter. The queen was not present, but the whole court was there, he noticed and smiled grimly. Very good, so everyone could witness his success. The queen probably could not bear his victory.

Mara and Asif bowed as they reached the throne. King Thorin glared daggers at them as usual and Mara opened his mouth to greet his future son in law. But the king did not let him speak.

'Guards!' he yelled and soon Mara and Asif found themselves surrounded by Dwalin, Thorin Stonehelm and many heavily armed dwarves. Asif shrieked and tried to hide behind her husband.

"What in Mahals name is going on here?' Mara demanded to know. 'Is this a joke?'

'Not a joke, lord Mara. Sadly not a joke.' Thorin stood up and walked down the stairs of his throne. 'Where is your daughter?'

Brann walked to Daras chambers together with Dis and Dwana. Nori had informed her that Dara hd not come to the throne room and that she was still in her chambers. Determinately the queen went to fetch the treacherous dwarf herself. She found Dara in her rooms with her son. Dara shrieked as Brann burst through her doors.

'What in Mahal´s name are you doing here? Leave my rooms at once!' she snarled, but Brann only sneered.

'I told you what I would do if you turned up here again, did I not?' the queen launched forward and grabbed Dara by her hair once again. Thror was laying in his craddle and Dis took him in her arms. The small boy heard his mothers shriek and tried to look at her, but Dis quickly walked out of the room, towards the throne room. Brann followed her with an iron grip on Daras hair. She let go of Dara when they entered the throne room and pushed her towards the throne. Dis stood at Thorins side with little Thror, who had stopped crying and eyed the king with a toothless grin. The kings sister nearly felt sorry for the little one not being Thorins son.

'What is all this about? I demand an explanation!' Mara exclaimed as his daughter was shoved towards him by the queen herself. 'You have no right to treat the mother of the kings heir this way!'

Before Brann could react, Thorin exploded, rushed down the stairs of his throne and grabbed Mara by his collar. 'If you dare to call your bastard grandson my son again I will rip your throat open, here and now! Say another word to my queen and it will be your heart!'

Mara looked at the king with wide eyes, but he would not accept defeat. 'Bastard? My daughter is an honorable dwarf, it is you who has acted dishonorable and made my grandson a bastard!'

Thorin was about to smash his fist against Maras nose as Balin stepped forward and spoke. 'Please, my king, assembled court, we will reveal an act of treason today. A crime committed by the lord Mara from Ered Luin, as well as his wife, lady Asif, and his daughter, lady Dara. An act of utter dishonor.'

The court had fallen silent, only Asifs snort and Daras quiet cry could be heard. Balin continued and waved into the dark shadows behind the throne.

'Step forward.' he asked politely and Levek stepped into the light. He did not want to do this to his Dara, but he had been reasonable that this lie was not acceptable for either of them. Now he stood before the dwarf he loved and met her aghast expression. Mara and Asif tried to keep a straight face and the decades of practise showed in their reaction. An outsider would have sworn that they did not know the miner from the east.

'Who is this?' Mara asked arrogantly. 'He wears the clothes of a miner. This is no place for the likes of him.'

'On the contrary, master Mara.' Brann turned towards him. 'He has more right to be here than you.'

Mara jumped at the word master but he did not dare to adress the queen anymore. Asif glared daggers at Levek, but Dara only looked down at her feet.

'We hereby inform the court as well as the council that the young prince Thror is no longer considered the king´s heir. And even more important, his family is no longer part of the royal class. Trickery has forced our king to accept Thror as his heir, but thank Mahal, the real father has spoken.' Balin paused and looked into the shocked faces of the court. 'This intrigue was led by lord Mara and his wife, lady Asif. Lady Dara, the dwarflings mother, will also be charged with treason...'

'This is outrageous!' lord Mara growled. 'You believe the word of a simple miner over ours? This is unacceptable!'

'Treason is a serious crime, my king.' lady Asif adressed Thorin. 'I demand proof. This miner is a liar. My daughter would never lay with the likes of him. How do we know that you have not forced this poor dwarf to support your outrageous accusation. You only run from your responsibility!'

Thorin was close to losing his temper again, but this time Brann stopped him. 'Lady Asif, of course we have more proof.'

The crowd gasped as lord Ravin, leader of the Blacklocks, emerged from the shadows and stood beside Levek. The old dwarf bowed before Thorin and Brann and then turned towards Asif.

'The ladies Asif and Dara visited my people one and a half years ago.' lord Ravin reported unasked. 'There was no special occasion for their visit, but my mother raised me an honorable dwarf and I would never challenge the ladies right to visit whenever they wish. Nevertheless, I noticed that the ladies were looking for something, or better say, someone. They went to the markets and the mines, but I could not tell for what purpose. Today, it seems as if they searched for a male dwarf. One with black hair and blue eyes.'

'That is a lie!' Asif yelled and her face blushed deeply. 'That insolent miner only wishes attention and drags us into this mess! My Dara would never...'

'Your husband has excellent spies, my lady Asif.' lord Ravin remarked dryly. 'But, if you will excuse me, my spies and the spies of the Blue Mountains are even more qualified. We know what your Dara did. We knew all along that she met with Levek as long as you were staying in my humble home. But only now, we know why.'

'This dwarfling...' Thorin pointed at Thror. '...is not my son. He is the son of lady Dara and the miner Levek. And as such he will be accepted.'

'This is outrageous!' Mara looked around, desperate for anyone to help. But the dwarves who had been loyal to him only turned away from him in shame. This intrigue was a heavy crime in the eyes of the dwarves and Mara had brought dishonor over his whole family.

'Do you accuse me of lying?' Thorin asked dangerously. Brann frowned at her husband, unaware of the intent behind the question.

'Indeed, your highness, I do!' Mara snarled and Thorin straightened abruptly and grabbed something from behind his throne. Brann gasped as she saw a heavy sword in her husbands hands.

'Then we will settle this in a duell of honor.' Thorin growled and marched towards lord Mara, who all of a sudden, also had a sword in his hands. Brann could only watch her husband charge at the traitor and prayed to Mahal that he would be victorious. She remembered Maras underhandedness and tried to keep an eye on him during the whole fight. Thorin was a battle hardened warrior and he fought with all the frustration and fury he had felt during these last months. Maras swordarm got weaker with each blow from the kings sword. With one last battlecry Thorin smashed the sword out of Maras hand and the lord stumbled backwards. Mara fell onto his back and held up his hands in defeat.

'Please.' he croaked. 'My wife and daughter are watching, have mercy.'

Thorin paused and Brann felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She saw Maras hand go to his belt and pull out the same small dagger he had already used once to surprise Thorin in a fight. But before the queen could even cry out, Thorin stepped out of reach of the dagger and swung his sword at Mara, cutting off his right hand. Mara screamed in pain and Asif ran towards her husband, crying out. She knelt down beside him and glared at Thorin. The king only looked at her in a mixture of disgust and hate and turned around. In this moment Asif snarled and picked up the dagger with her husband´s hand still around it. Grinding her teeth she sneaked up behind the king and striked out to ram the dagger into the king´s back. A sudden impact made her stumble back and a sharp pain in her chest made her gasp. Behind the king, she could see the queen holding a bow which was aimed at her. And the queen´s expression was one of utter determination.

Dara shrieked as she saw the arrow stick out of her mothers chest. Asif only looked down in shock before she collapsed beside her husband. Mara only stared at his dead wife´s body before he fainted. The blood loss had weakened him and no dwarf had dared to help him. Now, at the king´s sign, Oin rushed to his side and bandaged up his hand.

'You killed them.' Dara whispered and fell to her knees. 'You killed my parents.'

'Their greed killed them.' Balin walked over to her and looked down at her. 'But you, my dear, you will be charged with treason.'

'What will happen to my son?' Dara asked, her eyes flickered to Dis who held the dwarfling.

'Do you even care?' Dis asked coldly. 'You used him. You used him to get your filthy feet into our mountain.'

'He is my son. I love him, I need him.' Dara started crying. 'He is my little boy.'

'My king!' Levek walked forward and kneeled down before Thorin. 'I ask you for this woman´s hand in marriage.'

'You WHAT?' Dis and Dwalin exclaimed simultaneously. Thorin only frowned at the miner and Brann sighed. She had almost seen that one coming.

'I spoke the truth in your favor and against the dwarf I love. All I ask is for you to spare her, so that she can return home with me and my son.' Levek adressed Thorin and this time he held his gaze.

'Lady Dara committed high treason against the king, lad.' Balin said quietly. 'We cannot let her leave unpunished.'

'Dara will be stripped of her titles and rank. She will live her life as a miners wife.' Brann stepped in. 'If she wishes to.'

Brann hated Dara, but even now she would not force another dwarf to marry another, if not out of free will. For Dara, the life of a miners wife would be hard to bare, but maybe she would learn to appreciate the important things in life. Friendship, love, affection and family without a title, piles of money or a rank. Brann seriously hoped so. And it would be that or death.

Thorin looked at Balin and his wife and frowned. Levek had demonstrated honor and strength and he would be rewarded.

'Fine.' Thorin adressed the court before he sat back down on his throne. 'If there is no objection from either the court or Dara, daughter of Mara, I will hereby declare this matter closed. Dara, daughter of Mara, do you wish to accompany Levek to the east?'

Dara had not spoken a word during the whole discussion. She looked at Thorin and then to Levek. She looked broken and devastated and Brann hoped that she would not react rashly and unreasonably.

'I accept.' Dara only answered. 'I will go to the east. With my new husband.'

'Then so be it.' Thorin nodded at Balin, who would settle everything per contract.

It was finally over.

Mara died the next morning in the infirmary. Traumatic fever had take its toll on the dwarf and nothing Oin could do would reduce the fever. The former lord and his wife were brought to Ered Luin to be burried. Dara stayed in the Blue Mountains and watched the delegation with her parents bodies leave. She had bid them farewell this morning and had shed many tears. Now, she could not cry anymore. She held Thror in her arms and rocked him back and forth. Her little boy. As her mother had initiated Dara into her intrigue, Dara had been reluctant. She wanted Thorin, but she had never wanted to pull a dwarfling into this mess. Leveks dwarfling. Against all odds, Dara had liked the gentle and friendly Levek. It had not been difficult for her to spend time with him, nor to lay with him. At first he had reminded her of Thorin, but the difference between them was stricking and soon Dara had been able to see the dwarf Levek really was and not the king she tried to see in him. And now he had saved her life. He loved her, despite of all that she had done. She had used him, she had taken their dwarfling from him and she had denied her relationship to him. Levek was hurt, that she could tell. But she would do anything to make it up to him, that she swore.

Now, that Dara was merely a miners wife, she somehow felt free and light. At first she had thought that her devastation had won over her spirit, but she realised that it was something else. There was only one more thing she needed to do.

'Enter!' the queen called out and froze as she saw Dara standing in the doorway. She was alone and Dara could see her gaze flicker to her daughters rooms and back to Dara. The queen thought that Dara was there to hurt her dwarflings and Dara felt filthy and guilty for the first time in her life.

'I...forgive me...I only wanted to...please, may I enter?' Dara swallowed as Brann called out for Dwana. As the courtlady appeared the queen asked her to stay with the princesses and walked out of the room with Dara.

'You will not enter these rooms as long as I am queen.' Brann stated coldly and looked at Dara. 'What do you want?'

'Please, I understand your hatred towards me.' Dara started and winced as she heard the queen humm in agreement. 'But please, hear me out.'

Brann crossed her arms in front of her chest and cocked an eyebrow at Dara. 'Speak.'

'I know that what I did was unforgivable. And I do not ask you for your forgiveness. I just wanted you to know that I am sorry and that I will live with the knowledge of my crimes until I die.' Dara took a deep breath. 'But you...instead of demanding my head you spoke in my favor. The king would have executed me for my treason, I am sure of it. But you showed mercy. Why, I will never understand.'

Brann knew that Dara was not the only one who did not understand it. Sometimes, she also asked herself why she had been that merciful.

'I will start my life anew. At the side of my husband and our son.' Dara straightened her back. 'And I have you to thank you for it.'

'The only thanks is due to your husband, Dara.' Brann frowned. 'He fought for your life, not me.'

Dara lowered her head. 'You have been Thorins queen from the moment you stepped into his life. I did not want to see it, but now I do. For all that its worth - I am glad that he has you.'

Brann could not hide her surprise anymore and her dismissive composure losened up. What she saw was a whole new side of Dara. She wanted to hate her, but she could feel her hatred diminish. Still, she had nearly ruined Thorins and Branns life and the queen could not easily forget that.

'Do you love him?' Brann asked the former lady.

Dara only sighed and frowned. 'I do not know. He is a good dwarf and he saved my life. He loves me, but I am not sure if I can love him back. And I hate myself for that.'

'You deserve nothing less.' Brann stated coldhearted. 'But for his sake and the sake of little Thror I hope that you will learn to love him.'

Dara swallowed hard and bowed one last time. As she turned away, Brann watched the dwarf leave and for some reason, a warm feeling mixed with the relief of finally being rid of this nightmare.