The next years past in the blink of an eye. Thorin and Brann watched their princesses grow up to beautiful young dwarflings and ruled over the Blue Mountains in peace and prosper. They could not believe how fast their gems grew up. As the years past Middle Earth became a more peaceful place. The attacks and assaults by orcs grew fewer, thanks to the alarm system established between the dwarves and men.

Thengel married lady Morwen from Lossarnach and they had a son, Théoden, who would rule over Rohan after his father. Denethor also married. He married the lady Finduilas from Dol Amroth and soon, she gave him the long awaited heir, Boromir. Brann smirked as she read the news. Denethor must have been so proud and happy that he was spared from daughters. Thorin and her had visited both marriages and congratulated their friends and allies to the birth of their heirs. Brann loved to travel and see places in Middle Earth that she had never dared to visit on her own. Minas Tirith was a beautiful city and Brann spent hours glancing up the white tower of Ecthelion.

But one thing still troubled Brann. The birth of their twins had been ten years ago and she had not gotten pregnant again since then. In Minas Tirith she could see Thorin glance at Denethors little son and she could see the longing in his eyes. The fact that she could not give him the heir he wanted pained Brann deeply and she looked for the fault in herself.

One evening, Thorin found his wife standing at the edge of Minas Tirith big balcony, staring towards the sea. He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her cold body. Brann jumped slightly, but then she leaned back into his warm body.

'I will never understand how you manage to sneak up on me everytime.' Brann smiled and snuggled into her husbands arms.

'I only manage if you are not paying attention.' Thorin nuzzled his wife´s fair with his nose. 'What is wrong with you? You seem sad since we arrived here. Do you miss our home?'

'I miss our gems and our family and friends. But thats not...It is nothing.' Brann sighed. She knew that Thorin would not accept this answer. And she was right.

'Tell me.' Thorin turned her around in his arms and looked at her with a worried expression. 'Please. I cannot bear seeing you like this.'

'I should not worry, we still have plenty of time...' Brann murmured, but Thorin did not know what his wife was talking about.

'Plenty of time for what?' he asked and cupped her face in his hands. 'You are shivering, my love.'

'I...plenty of time to have a son. An heir.' Brann looked at Thorin and saw him understand. 'I love Fili and I am sure that he will make an excellent king one day. But you want a son. I can see it when you look at little Boromir.'

'Brann...' Thorin was relieved that it was such a little thing that troubled his wife. He had been afraid that it would be something that he could not change. 'My love, look at me.'

Brann looked into her husband´s eyes and took a deep breath.

'I love you. You gave me two beautiful daughters and I could not be happier.' Thorin assured her. 'I would like a son one day, too. But if that never happenes then I will still die a happy dwarf, because I have you and our little family. You mean the world to me, Brann. You and our little gems.'

'I love you, too.' Brann smiled and kissed her husband on the nose. 'I wish that I could give you a big family. Lots of dwarflings.'

'You still can and its not like we are not trying.' Thorin smirked as he saw his wife blush. After all these years, she was still shy about their love life. 'We could try today, if you like?'

Brann chuckled as she felt the kings hands move down to her bottom and laughed as Thorin lifted her up and walked back all the way to their chambers, not caring if anyone could see the royal couple of the Blue Mountains act like love struck teens.

It seemed as if the Valar had blessed Thorins and Branns love that night. As they returned to the Blue Mountains, Brann was feeling sick and unwell. Brann had always wanted to see the sea and so Thorin and the delegation made a detour through the south of Ered Luin, where the ruins of the old dwarven cities Belegost and Nogrod stood. In the war between the elves and dwarves the cities had been destroyed and represented the eternal dwarven hatred against elves.

Brann stood on a cliff which led from the ruins of Belegost into the deep blue sea and fought her nausea. She knew that she was pregnant again and she was very happy about it, but the constant nausea and the loss of appetite took a toll on her. After she had thrown up for the gizillionths time today, she sighed and looked back to the ruins of the ancient dwarven city. Belegost and Nogrod must had been beautiful cities in the past ages and Brann regretted that they had been destroyed by a war caused by greed and ignorance of both elves and dwarves. Now, the ruins loomed over them like dark shadows, but the land was still beautiful. The mountains ended in the sea and the waves crashed against the rock and cut deep into the land with every year that passed.

Brann slowly walked back to the shore and straight into the arms of her waiting husband. 'There you are! I was worried sick!' Thorin exclaimed and earned a dark glare from his wife.

'Oh? You are worried sick? I am sick!' she growled and stopped walking instantly. Oh no. Mood swings. But as she turned back to her husband, Thorin was grinning at her.

'My beautiful and moody wife!' he grabbed Brann by her waist and lifted her up into his arms. As he let her down he looked at her belly. 'I gather that there is a little someone inside of you making your life miserable until he - or she - will bless us with yet another dwarfling?'

Brann smiled and nodded and held on tight as Thorin swirled her around with joy. There they were, the king and queen of the Blue Mountains, below the ruins of Belegost, celebrating the upcoming birth of yet another dwarfling. At night the crashing waves swallowed the sound of their lovemaking and the moon shone on their bodies, blessing their love.

Thorin and Brann stayed at the sea for another week, until the morning sickness had passed and Brann could travel without throwing up. They were eager to see their dwarflings again, as well as their family and friends and to tell them the good news.

Thorin took Branns hand as they saw the Blue Mountains from afar and smiled at his wife. They did not let go of each others hands until they had reached their mountain in the evening and were greeted by their daughters at the gates. Zial and Gwen ran towards their parents and jumped right into their waiting arms.

'Adad! Amad!' they screamed and Brann nearly lost her balance as Zial wiggled in her arms.

'Be careful, my gem!' Thorin exclaimed and steadied his wife. 'You would not want to hurt your little brother or sister?'

Zial and Gwen only looked at their parents with big eyes for a moment and then burst into shrieks of joy, waking up the whole mountain.

'Well...' Brann yelled to her husband, both covering their ears. 'I guess that´s a way to tell eveyone.'

Their family and friends were delighted to hear the good news and Bombur managed to throw a midnight snack onto the table for everyone. Brann quickly found out that the smell of red meat and ale did not go well with her pregnancy, but she managed to eat a few bites of chicken. She looked around at the dwarves sitting at the table and sighed happily. This was her family. All of them. Subconsciously her hand moved to her belly and caressed the youngest member of this merry gathering. This dwarfling would be love by so many and Brann felt like the luckiest woman in Middle Earth.

Days later, Thrain, Thorins father asked to speak to Thorin and Brann. The old dwarf looked at his pregnant daughter in law and frowned deeply.

'I need to speak to you and I need you to not interrupt me.' he told Brann and looked at Thorin during the interruption part.

'What is it, adad?' Thorin sat down and gestured his father to also join him by the fire. Brann sat down in the same armchair as Thorin and made Thrain smile.

'I have taken a long time with the decision, but I have finally made up my mind. Seeing you two together, with your dwarflings and another one on the way makes me so happy.' Thrain sighed. 'I have been trying so hard to ignore the voices inside of my head, but they won´t leave me. On the contrary, they have gotten worse.'

Thorin frowned and stiffened beside Brann as he watched his father play with the ring of power on his finger while he was speaking.

'I will go on a journey north. I will try and reclaim the dwarven city of Erebor, our home. I have spoken to Tharkun, you also know him as Gandalf the Grey, and he supports my mission. The dragon worries him greatly and he wishes nothing more than this threat to be gone from Middle Earth.' Thrain paused and looked at his sons aghast expression. 'I know that you do not approve, Thorin. I know that you think that this is madness, but I have to try to reclaim our home. For me, for you...for all of the dwarves of Erebor. The Blue Mountains are not our home, as much as we wish for them to be. I can´t ignore my heart any longer, Thorin.'

Thorins body was completely strained as he listened to his father and only Branns hand on his arm kept him from interrupting his father. As Thrain was finished he gave Brann a glance and the queen let go of her husband´s arm. The moment her hand left his arm he started yelling.

'I thought that you had become reasonable about this! You cannot reclaim Erebor! This is madness!' Thorin exclaimed and nearly knocked Brann down of the armchair as he stood up abruptly. 'And Tharkun! Has he come up with some clever plan how to kill the dragon, Smaug, or does he just send you to this suicide mission all alone?'

'I will not be alone, my son.' Thrain said and leaned back in his chair. 'Some dwarves are still loyal to me.'

'Who have you talked into this mess?' Thorin asked and paled as his father told him.

'Balin and Dwalin will come with me, as well as Dorn and some armed dwarves from the guard.' Thrain remained calm.

'Balin and Dwa...why on earth would you do this to them?' Thorin started pacing. 'They have always been loyal to you, to us, but sending them on a suicide mission does not do them justice! Dwalin has a daughter he needs to care for, for Mahals sake!'

'Dwana has a husband who cares for her.' Thrain answered calmly. Brann wondered how these two dwarves could be father and son. As calm as Thrain was, so hotblooded was Thorin. 'I have made up my mind, Thorin. And Balin, Dwalin and Dorn will accompany me.'

Thorin had to sit down in the armchair again. He was shocked and disappointed by his fathers decision. 'Your fifth grandchild be born in a few months and you want to leave?'

'I need to leave.' Thrain sighed. 'Believe me, it pains me to not be here when your third dwarfling will be born. But I have to do this. I will have no peace until I have tried.'

And he did.

The small but feisty group of dwarves and one man left the day after. Dwana said goodbye to her father and uncle and tried to be brave and not shed any tears. Thorin, Brann and their dwarflings hugged Thrain goodbye and tried to make this parting easier by wishing him well, although they knew that the risk of him not coming back was high.

'Take care of your adad and amad for me, alright?' Thrain told Zial and Gwen, who looked at him with big sad eyes. The princessed nodded and hugged their grandfather before he turned to Dis and her sons and took them into his arms.

'Take care, my daughter.' Thrain whispered to Dis. 'You are my pride and my sunshine. Don´t ever give up, you are the strongest dwarfwoman who I have ever met. Well, besides your mother.' Thrain smiled. 'The line of Durin depends on strong females like you.'

Dis only nodded and smiled at her father. 'Come back to us. Promise me.'

Thrain parted from her with a heavy heart. 'I promise.' he said and knew that he may not be able to keep that promise.

Thrain, Balin, Dwalin, Dorn and a handful handpicked dwarves made their way north. They looked back to their families and friends until they were out of sight.

Eight months passed until the Blue Mountains heard the news of Thrains quest. Thorins blood froze as he heard what had happened to his father and his company. He had sent out scouts weeks ago and they had come back with horrifying news. The scouts reported to him that the remains of a dwarven camp had been found in the Misty Mountains and that it had been completely destroyed. They had found four dead dwarves and Dorn. The carpenters throat had been slashed open and the dead dwarves had been hacked to death by orcs. They had also found some dead orcfilth in the camp. There was no sign of Thrain, Balin or Dwalin and Thorin could only hope that they had survived the blood bath. He had to tell Dwana that her father, as well as his own, were missing. He found Dwana in the royal chambers at Branns side. The queen was big, but not as big as during her first pregnancy. This time she carried one dwarfling and it felt easier. Dwana was about to feel the dwarfling kick as Thorin came in.

'King Thorin! The little one is really gentle! Even the kicks are soft!' she stated merrily, but her smile faded as she saw Thorins expression.

'What happened, Thorin?' Brann asked, for she had also seen the frown cover her husband´s handsome face.

'I have news...from my father´s quest.' Thorin said quietly and told dwana to sit down. She did with shaking knees. 'Our scouts found the remains of a dwarf camp by the Misty Mountains. Dorn and the armed dwarves are dead, cut down by orcs. No sign of Thrain, Balin or Dwalin.'

Dwana gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Brann frowned and walked towards Thorin. 'What do you think happened to them?' she asked Thorin.

'They could have been taken by orcs...' Thorin sighed. 'Or they might have followed them to avenge their dead. Our scouts lost their tracks a few miles into the mountains.'

A quiet knock on the door made them turn. Thorin Stonehelm came in and immediately went to his wife to comfort her. The king had asked him to come, for he knew that Dwana would be shaken up by the news.

'What do we do now?' Brann asked her husband and king. 'We cannot leave them to their fate.'

'I have already sent out an armed bataillon of dwarves. Ered Luin sent some as well.' Thorin told them. 'They will find them.'

And they did. Two months later, the dwarves returned with Balin and Dwalin. Thorin and Brann barely recognised them. Balins hair had gotten white during the journey and Dwalin showed bald spots on his head inbetween his mohawk. Both were weak and famished. Oin, Dwana and Brann rushed to the infirmary to tend to the two missed dwarves and Thorin listened to the report of his scouts. They had found the Fundin brothers in one of the Goblin caves deep down in the Misty Mountains. There was no sign of Thrain and there was no hope either. The king´s father had been taken by the orcs who had attacked the camp and had killed Dorn and the other dwarves. Balin and Dwalin had tried to follow them, but they had lost them after a few weeks of hunt.

Thorin grew pale at the thought of his father imprisoned by orcs. He was about to launch a rescue party as Balin held him back.

'Believe me, laddie. He is dead for sure.' the old dwarf sighed.

'How can you say that?' Thorin asked his advisor. 'As long as we have no body, he could still be alive.'

'The orcs who took him wounded him badly.' Balin told the king. 'They have cut of his ring finger and took the ring of power and dragged him away. There was no sign that he was still alive. Dwalin and I only found blood. Lots of blood. I am sorry, Thorin.'

Thorin had to sit down on his throne. His father was gone. Probably dead. He had lost a family member. Again.