Later that year, Thror was on his way to dinner with Zial, Gwen, Gimli and Fili and Kili as he could no longer wait. He had wanted to ask Zial the most important question of his life during dinner, but his courage failed him. He pulled her back until they were falling behind and pulled out his final courting present. It was a vial with elven lavender oil. Only one drop was enough to relax either in a bath or in a room lightened with candles. Zial loved this oil, but it was hard to get. Because of king Thorins distrust against elves, Zial had not been able to even speak to elven merchants about it. But Thror had met some elves on the markets of Bree some weeks ago and he had asked them in her favor.

Thror, son of Levek, kneeled down onto one knee and looked up at Zial with big eyes. His breath hitched and he was panting nervously. Oh Mahal, he was nervous. Before he could ask Zial the final question, she interrupted.

'Are you alright? You look awfully pale?' Zial asked worried and kneeled down opposite of him.

'No.' Thror wanted her to stand up again, but Zial did not understand.

'No? Are you sick? Have you eaten anything today?' the princess continued to ask.

'No, I mean yes, I am fine.' Thror stuttered. 'Please stand up!'

'But...' Zial was confused.

'Please, I need you to stand up!' Thror told her and took a deep breath as she did so. As he wanted to ask again, he was interrupted by Fili, who had come back for them. The group stood in front of the dinning hall and looked back at them curiously. Great. So much for privacy.

'Oi, Thror, what are you doing crawling on the floor? Did you lose something?' Fili asked cheerfully and made Thror want to scream. He could not take it anymore and yelled back at Fili.

'For Mahal's sake, can't a dwarf make a decent marriage proposal anymore?' Thror yelled and paled as he saw Filis grin disappear. The crown prince looked down at Thror and then to Zial, who had covered her mouth with both her hands.

Inside of the dinning hall, Thorin, Dis, Balin, Dwalin, Gloin, his wife, Levek and Dara jumped as the corridor errupted in applause and loud cheering. Thorin was about to stand up as he slumped back into his chair, overwhelmed by the happy cheering in his head.

'You look beautiful, my gem.' Thorin smiled at Zial at her wedding day. His daughter wore the dress her mother had worn at her wedding day. It just had to be shortened. 'You look so much like your mother...'

The king of the Blue Mountains had to swallow hard and fought his tears. Even though Brann was still with him in some way, he missed her more than anything else in the world. He could feel her touch his face. He sought comfort in this faint touch, but it was not enough. He needed her, not only her soul and shallow contacts.

'I miss amad.' Zial murmured and tore Thorin back to reality. 'But I cannot even imagine how you must feel. If I imagine losing Thror...I do not even want to imagine it.'

Zial took her fathers hands and squeezed it. The king kissed his daughter and smiled reassuringly.

'It is your big day.' Thorin took his daughters arm and walked her to the throne room where the ceremony would be held. He did not like the fact that Dara was a part of the royal family now, through ther sons marriage, as of she had planned it. But even if she had planned anything like this, it did not change anything between Thror and Zial. They loved each other and they had fought for their love. 'Are you nervous?'

'No.' Zial grinned. 'I am happy.'

Thorin had to smile at his daughters grin, but at the same time he felt remorse. Brann had not been happy at their wedding day, she had been sad and lost and he had done nothing to sooth her all those years ago.

Stop toturing yourself, my bear. Branns voice sounded in his head. You were not happy that day either. You did what was right. You saved me and you gave me a new life. That was more than I could ever have expected from another. I already loved you at our wedding day...I just had not realised it, yet.

And I thanked you for it by sleeping with Dara, Thorin bit his tongue to not speak out loud, but he squeezed his eyes shut in pained memory.

'You are squeezing my arm, adad.' Zial scolded her father. 'Is everything alright?'

Thorin nodded and tried to focus on the present. 'I just thought about your amad and how beautiful she looked that day.'

Charmer. Brann whispered and Thorin could hear her chuckle. I love you, never forget that.

The king and his daughter stepped into the throne room together and both took a deep breath. Thror was already waiting for his bride and smiled as he laid eyes on her. Thorin saw the love in Thrors eyes and knew that he was doing the right thing. He walked Zial to Thrors side and stepped aside. Usually the king would perform a marriage ceremony, but Thorin wanted to watch from the perspective of a father. He had tears in his eyes as Balin spoke the ceremonial words and finally declared Zial and Thror husband and wife.

Our little gem...all grown up...Thorin could hear Branns sobbing in his head and fought his own tears. She looks beautiful!

She looks like you, Thorin thought and heard Brann chuckle. How he missed that chuckle. The king was quiet during the celebration and only spoke to his family and his close friends. He was restless and he did not know why. His little gem had married today, he should feel happy. Since his wife had died, he had no peace, not even in the presence of his family. He felt an urge, an unexplainable urge. Something called out to him. Thorin took his time and looked at his family.

Thror and Zial were looking at each other lovingly, unaware of peoples eyes on them. Gwen, Gimli, Fili and Kili were drinking together and Dis sat together with Levek and Dara. This was just half his family. Thorin missed his youngest daughter, Belladonna, who was with his kin in the Iron Hills. Travelling had become too dangerous and therefore she had not been able to come to her sisters wedding. Belladonna, Dwana, Thorin Stonehelm and Nain had been part of their lives for a long time and Thorin missed them greatly. There was another dwarf missing, whose fate was unknown to Thorin. Thrain.

Thorins father had disappeared on a quest to Erebor long ago and was believed dead. Thorin had asked Brann if she had seen him in the halls of Mandos, but his wife could not tell. Since her arrival she had not seen another soul. They believed that she was seperated from the others because of her link to the world of the living. But Thorin was sure that Thrain was still alive. He had to be.

'You got to be jocking!' Dwalin paced up and down in front of Thorins desk and glared at the king. 'Thrain is dead! You were not there, you did not see the blood! No way he has survived the attack!'

'And yet, you and Balin went to search for him!' Thorin insisted and sighed. He knew that his friends and family would object.

'Brother, adad is long dead. Why the obsession with the search for him now?' Dis looked at her brother in worry. 'You are going nowhere with this. You do not even know where to look for him.'

'I will travel north to the Misty Mountains, where he was seen last.' Thorin told them. 'I will ask for him on my way north. Maybe somebody saw him.'

'You could ask the orcs who took him.' Dwalin grumbled.

'What about your daughters, Thorin? Do you want to make them orphans?' Dis was furious. 'You are the king of the Blue Mountains, you cannot leave just like that!'

'I need to do this, Dis!' Thorin growled. 'And Zial and Gwen understand..'

'Zial and Gwen try to support you and would agree to every one of your stupid plans! They want you to be happy and hide their worry! Do you think that they have not seen you fade since their mother's death?' Dis voice was shrill in Thorins head.

Why are you doing this? Thorin winced as he heard Branns sad voice in his mind. He could hear her sadness as clear as if he could see her face.

'Listen, I need to do this!' Thorin exclaimed, shuting them all up, living and dead. 'I will not have one more night of peace until I know what happened to my father. Either I will find his dead body or I will rescue him. I will be back as soon as I have answers.'

No further objection came from Dwalin or Dis, neither from Brann, who had become silent all of a sudden. Thorin heard her voice again as he made for the north. He had taken his daughters into his arms and had promised them that he would come back. Dis would rule the Blue Mountains during Thorins absence and Fundins sons would support her reign with their experience. Dwalin had almost begged Thorin to take him with him, but Thorin had forbidden him to follow. He would be the only one who would risk his life for this quest.

How noble of you, my king. Brann snarled. There you are, the king of the Blue Mountains, all on your own, on a suicide mission. How often have you scolded your father for going on the suicide mission? Thrain died on such a mission and now you do the same!

'My love, please...' Thorin could not stand the yelling in his head. 'I need you. I need your support. I cannot do this without you.'

What can I do from here?! I am cursed to watch you run into your doom! Branns voice was teary.

'If you had been a dwarf you would still be at my side and could have stopped me.' Thorin grumbled and bit his tongue. He wanted to kick himself, but he was afraid that he would break his hip by doing so. Why had he said that? He did not want to hurt her, she was the most precious person in his life, even now. 'I am sorry...Brann? Brann? My love, please...'

But Brann did not answer. The sky opened and it started raining in floods. In Valinor, Brann sat at the shore and cried like she had never cried before. Never before had her husbands words hurt her so. She had gone where he could not follow and now he despised her for that.

Thorin wandered the wild alone and bitter. He cursed himself for his words and wished that he could take them back. He had never wanted to hurt Brann and he knew that he had crossed a line by throwing Branns race into her face. She had been from the race of men, cursed with a short lifespan, and she had been desperate about it. The knowledge about leaving her family behind had been torturing her as long as she lived and it still tortured her. And now, he had confronted her with her worst fear. And he had lost the connection to her. Brann had not talked to him in days and Thorin missed her. Her absence was like a hole in his heart, in his very soul.

Thorin had passed Bree a week ago and now he walked through Dunland. A filthy merchant had told him that he had seen a grey haired dwarf with only one eye a few years ago. He had lingered around in Dunland and had left for the Misty Mountains again. Thorin was desperate, but he still had control over his mind. Why would his father journey north alone? Had he thought that he could reclaim Erebor alone?

The king of the Blue Mountains travelled through Dunland for two weeks, but he could not find his father, nor another trace of him. Disappointed and sad, Thorin turned back to Bree. It was raining again, as he entered the city and walked into the Inn, the Prancing Pony. He had never been in that Inn as he and Brann had lived in Bree, but he knew that he would get something to eat and a warm room for the night. He tried not to think about his life in Bree too much, for he missed Branns presence dearly. She had not spoken to him for three weeks and Thorin could understand. His words had been unforgivable. Thorin knew that he tended to get aggressive and harsh with people who dared to oppose his wishes. He knew that he would get annoyed when things did not go his way. But with Brann it had been different. Her love had made him a different dwarf. He had control over his actions and he had barely lashed out at people. Now, he felt as if half of him had died with Brann. He hated it. Sometimes, he even hated himself.

With a sigh, Thorin sat down at a small table for two in front of the fire. He ordered a small dinner and an ale and sat back to enjoy a smoke. The waitress was busy and it took a while until Thorin got his meal, but he did not mind. He knew none of the people in the Inn, it had been too long since Brann and himself had lived in Bree. As his meal arrived, Thorin put down his pipe and began to eat hungrily. He missed Bomburs cuisine and hoped to eat a descent meal again when he was back home. Hungry, Thorin bit into the bread, but stopped chewing as he felt a familiar tingle down his spine. A soft breeze touched his forehead and he could hear Brann again.

Be careful, Thorin. The breeze moved over his face from the right and then from the left. Thorin turned his head to the right and saw a thin man with a beard sitting in the corner of the Inn, watching him with a murderous glance. As he looked into the opposite direction he saw another man watching him with obvious dark interest.

Thorin did not want to fight in a crowded room full of innocent people, but he would defend himself. As the men stood up and focused on him, the dwarf king reached for his sword. But before he could react, an old man clad in grey sat down at the table in front of him. Thorin froze in surprise, but Brann recognised the man.

Gandalf the Grey. He was the one who...helped us. Please, be polite. Thorin almost smirked as his wife told him to be polite. She knew him way to well. So, this was the wizard who had helped Brann to remain in Mandos Halls. The wizard who had made it possible that Thorin did not lose Brann completely. And Thorin had just done his best to destroy the wizards efforts.

'Am I interrupting anything? I am Gandalf the Grey.' the wizard introduced himself merrily. The two men in the corners recoiled at the arrival of the wizard.

'I know who you are.' Thorin nodded at the old Istari. You could say 'thank you', you know? Brann scolded him.

'Well, this is a fine chance.' Gandalf did not give Thorin the chance to say anything. 'What brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?'

Thorin was reluctant to tell the wizard why he was wandering the wild. But this Istari had done alot for Thorin and Brann and the dwarf king trusted him instantly.

'I travelled to Dunland in search of my father. I was told that he was seen in the wild a few years ago.' Thorin told the wizard, who sadly shook his head.

'It has been a long time since the last rumors concerning Thrain reached my ears, Thorin.' Gandalf answered.

'He still lives, I am sure of it!' Thorin stated firmly. But Gandalfs face was sad as he spoke to Thorin.

'I saw your father die, Thorin.' Gandalf told the dwarf king. 'He was imprisoned in Dol Guldur. I found him a year ago. He died in my arms, there was nothing I could do for him anymore.'

Thorin sat back in shock and took a pained breath. 'So he was alive all these years? And he died in that place?'

'There was nothing you could have done, Thorin.' Gandalf saw the grief and despair in the kings eyes. 'I was only able to find him because I could walk through the magical barrier around this evil fortress. This place is full of dark magic. Full of foul things, such as orcs, wargs and goblins. And a powerful presence which troubles me. But this was not all, some of them attacked me on my way south. They thought that I was a simple vagabond.'

'I am sure they regretted that.' Thorin remarked and tried to hide his desperation over his father's death. At the same time he was relieved. Now he knew. His father was dead and he could move on. His wife was quiet again, but he could feel her presence. Still, he did not know why Gandalf was telling him all this.

Gandalf noticed his confusion and smirked. 'I found this in the hands of the orcs.' the wizard told Thorin and gave him an old piece of leather pergament. 'This is black speech.'

Thorin pulled back his hand at the wizards warning. 'What does it say?' he asked hoarsely.

'A prize is promised...for your head.' Gandalf informed Thorin, his voice hard.

Thorin looked at the wizard in astonishment. Why would somebody want to kill him?

They killed Thrain and now they want you. Branns voice broke and Thorin could feel a soft pressure on his arm.

'They are after the line of Durin.' Gandalf muttered. 'But thats not all what bothers me.'

Thorin was no fool, he could see that the wizard wanted more than chat and warn him. This was not about him. 'This meeting was not by chance, was it?'

'No, it was not.' Gandalf did not even loook guilty, now that his intention was revealed.

'Unite the seven kingdoms of the dwarves.' Gandalf told Thorin. 'Unite them and fight evil. Begin with reclaiming Erebor.'

'Erebor?' Thorin frowned. 'My father died on a futile quest to reclaim Erebor. The mountain is lost, Gandalf. It is a dragon's home now.'

'The dragon worries me, he has been under the Lonely Mountain long enough.' Gandalf muttered. He had to tell Thorin the truth, he would not use the dwarf king as a puppet in his games and plots. 'If the dragon sides with evil in Middle Earth, we will all be doomed. This evil presence in Dol Gulsur will reach out for the dragon sooner or later.'

'The seven dwarf kingdoms will only follow the one who wields the king's jewel, the arkenstone.' Thorin said bitterly. 'And this jewels lies under tons of gold and this dragon, Smaug.'

'And that, my dear friend, is why we need a burglar.'

I changed the meeting between Thorin and Gandalf a tiny little bit...I hope that it is not too confusing. If it is, please tell me! From now on, I will try to combine my story with PJs Hobbit. I always disliked Gandalfs dishonesty towards others. He will be more honest in this story.