Thorin and his loyal company sat down around the hobbits table and discussed their quest. As Thorin told his kin that no other dwarves would participate on that quest he could see the same disappointment and despair in some of the eyes looking back at him as he felt himself. They were on their own. Not even their own people believed in them. But he did. And Brann did. As long as the company was loyal and true, they would not fail.

But there was still one matter to be settled. The hobbit. Bilbo Baggins was his name. He seemed surprised to be called a burglar. In fact, Gandalf had not told him anything and the wizard had planned to burden them with a hobbit who was not even burglar material. Thorin was furious. But the wizard insisted on taking Bilbo on this quest and finally Thorin gave in. The wizard would have his way, but he would not garantee Bilbos safety, nor would he be responsible for his faith.

You do not mean that. You are a good dwarf and you will take care of him as you will over every single member of this company. Give him time.

Thorin closed his eyes as he listened to Branns soft voice. He could feel her sympathy for the hobbit and sometimes he felt as if he saw Bilbo through the eyes of his wife. He saw a small creature, soft and gentle, with a comfortable home, ready to risk so much for strangers as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Thorin did not understand the hobbits motives and he knew that he never would.

He gave...his name is Bilbo... Bilbo the contract and watched the hobbit pale as he read it. At the end the poor hobbit fainted and Thorin rolled his eyes.

Hobbit down! Hobbit down! For goodness sake, Thorin, do not roll your eyes, help him you brute!

Thorin slightly lowered his head at his wife´s shouting, but he helped Gandalf to carry the hobbit to his armchair. He would not come, he would not come for sure. Thorin watched the hobbit walk through his hobbit hole after he woke up again and sighed. Balin was with him while the rest of the company settled down in the living room. They talked quietly and Thorin felt pride and love for the loyal and honorable dwarves who accompanied him on this mission. This dangerous mission, which could end in the death of them all.

Oh dear...

Thorin was about to ask Brann what she meant to tell him, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Even Gandalf looked surprised and Thorin counted again. Thirteen dwarves, one wizard and one hobbit. They were all here. Master Baggins went to open the door and the company did not even dare to breathe. Who could this be?

'Master Hobbit? Belladonna, daughter of Thorin, at your service.' a female voice sounded from the door.

Thorin and Bilbo repeated the name of the visitor at the same time, Bilbo was whispering it in surprise, Thorin almost roaring it.

'Excuse me, master hobbit, for the trouble.' Belladonna said quietly and Bilbo was about to ask what kind of trouble she meant as Thorin stormed to the door and slammed it close behind the visitor. The poor hobbit froze as he saw the kings furious face, but he could also see endless worry and disappointment in his eyes as he lookd at the young female dwarf.

'What in the name of Durin are you doing here?' Thorin growled at Belladonna. 'Why aren´t you safe with Dain in the Iron Hills? Does he even know that you are here?'

'I came to support your quest, adad.' Belladonna tried to stay calm, but she was nervous. She had never seen her father that angry.

Calm down, you will get a stroke...Brann told Thorin and a soft breeze moved over the king´s temple. But Thorin was far beyond calm.

'Your place is in the Iron Hills, with Nain and Mya!' Thorin almost yelled.

'I know where my place is, adad.' Belladonna frowned and all of a sudden the similiarity between father and daughter became obvious. 'My place is with my family. Zial and Gwen might follow your order although their hearts tell them differently, but I am free to do what my heart tells me. Amad did it the same way.'

'Brann also never followed uncle´s orders...' Thorin heard Kili whisper behind his back and took a deep breath.

'I order you to return to the Iron Hills, or to the Blue Mountains, but you will not accompany me on this quest!' Thorin growled at his daughter and tried to fight the urge to pull her into his arms. This was his little daughter. He had not seen her in years and now she was standing in front of him, all grown up.

'I am your daughter and not one of your soldiers, you cannot order me around!' Belladonna grinded her teeth.

'Calm down, both of you.' Balin interrupted and laid a hand onto Thorins shoulder. 'Please come, princess. You must be hungry and tired.'

Balin looked at Bilbo with an apologising expression and led Belladonna to the living room. There, she sat down in one of the armchairs and faced the company. Fili and Kili seemed happy to see her, but the other dwarves looked confused. Bilbo stood in the doorway, eyeing the female dwarf curiously and with an utterly confused expression. Bombur gave Belladonna a bowl of the same soup he had given Thorin before and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

'Now, lass.' Gandalf sat down beside the young princess. 'Tell me, what are you doing here?'

'I am here to support my father.' Belladonna repeated and looked at the wizard in distrust. 'I have as much right to be here as any of you. This is my fathers home we are talking about. The home of Durin´s Folk. My home. I will fight to reclaim it.'

The grey wizard looked into Belladonnas eyes and saw the same determination in them as in her fathers. Determination and longing. Longing to finally belong somewhere. He could in fact see it in all the dwarves eyes.

'How did you even get here, lassie?' Balin asked curiously and glanced at Thorin who was breathing deeply to calm down.

'I heard about this quest and I read my fathers letter, which he had written to uncle Dain.' Belladonna started. 'I already knew that the dwarves of the Iron Hills as well as the other clans would not support my father and I could not understand it. This dragon took our home and he took it unpunished. The dwarves judged the elves for not helping them, but now, they do not even help themselves. I will not sit by, while my father goes on a quest to slay a dragon and reclaim our homeland.'

'You are too young, Donna.' Fili interrupted. 'Gimli is older than you and he had to stay behind. Your older sisters stayed behind. They know their duty.'

'Their duty?' Belladonnas frown got deeper. 'And what is that? Sitting at home, waiting for the fathers, uncles, brothers and sons to come back to them? Doing nothing while the male members of our family and society risk their lives? Uncle Dain had no choice, he needs to protect his own home. But the other dwarven lords have turned their backs on us because of my mothers blood. I will show them that the human blood in the line of Durin is nothing but honorable and strong!'

Thorin stared at his daughter in shock. This was not the gentle little princess he had kissed goodbye so many years ago. He suddenly realised that he had missed her growing up. He had neglected her in his grief for his dead wife. This was an unforgivable thing to do.

'Dain would never have let you come.' Dwalin stated with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

'No, he would not have.' Belladonna nodded and took a deep breath before she looked at her father. 'I dressed up as a mere soldier and followed him. Nobody knows that I am here, not even Nain.'

Bilbo looked at the female in surprise. She did not have a beard, like the other males, but she had long sideburns, which suited her. He had never seen a female with facial hair before and could never have imagined it being somewhat attractive. The girl looked very much like her father. Long raven black wavy hair, fierce expression and strong build. But she had brown, warm eyes and a smaller nose than her father and Bilbo was curious to know if these were traits from her mother. She seemed as stubborn as any dwarf, but her temper was not that rash.

Thorin had been silent all this time. He had spoken to his wife, unnoticed by the others.

'What do you say about this?' Thorin scolded her in his mind. 'Your stubborn daughter causes nothing but mayhem!'

Oh, now she is my daughter? She is your daughter as well and this stubborn trait of hers clearly comes from your side of the family!

'I will not let her accompany us.' Thorin swore, but Brann chuckled at his words.

I do not think that you have a choice, dear husband.

'We will see.' Thorin grumbled and stepped forward into the light of the fire. He looked at his daughter and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

'You will go back to the Blue Mountains and stay with Dis and your sisters.' Thorin stated calmly. 'The wild is no place for a female.'

'With all due respect, adad.' Belladonna looked at him lovingly. 'I will not go back. You can take me with you or I will follow you on my own. The only way you can get rid of me is bringing me back to the Blue Mountains yourself and put me in chains. And as I know aunt Dis, she will free me as soon as you turn her back on us.'

Fili and Kili nodded in agreement and Thorins look darkened.

'This quest is an important one. I will not risk it for the life of my stubborn daughter.' Thorin bit his tongue as he heard his own words. He did not mean to hurt his daughter, but he would not be able to concentrate with her around. Her presence would endanger the sucess of the mission.

'I can take care of myself.' Belladonna lifted her chin proudly. 'Aunt Dwana thought me how to fight. I could take anyone of you.'

Thorin violently shook his head, but Belladonna was not finished. 'I will go with you, wether you like it or not.'

And with this, the discussion was over. Thorin did not know what to say and the company did not dare to oppose Thorin Oakenshields daughter. The king knew that he had no chance but to take her along and he hated it. Grumbling in his beard, Thorin turned his back on his daughter and went out for some fresh air.

For once, I am not happy about our daughters stubborness. We raised them to have a free and strong will, but not to be stupid.

Thorins eyebrows moved up to his hairline. 'Are you saying that you agree with me?'

Of course I agree with you. But there is nothing we could do about it. Our little gem is here now and she will follow you, regardless of the dangers.

'If something happens to her I will never forgive myself.' Thorin muttered. A light pressure was building against his head which reminded Thorin of Brann pressing her forehead against his own. Would you forgive yourself if anything happened to the other members of the company? To your nephews? Take care of our little gem, Thorin. She is part of your company now.

In the meantime, Belladonna sat in front of the fireplace and sipped on the tea the hobbit had brewed for her. She looked at the small creature with curiousity and noticed that he looked back at her with the same curious expression.

'I have never seen a hobbit before.' Belladonna told him and earned a smile.

'And I have never seen a female dwarf before. Well, not that I know of.' Bilbo smiled at her and tilted his head. 'Especially not one with such an interesting name.'

'My mother chose that name for me. She named me after a hobbit lady she met when she was living in Bree with my father.' Belladonna told Bilbo and watched him closely.

'Your mother named you after a hobbit?' Bilbo looked at her with big eyes.

'This hobbit lady was there in times of need and my mother never forgot.' Belladonna smiled. 'She told me that the small lady was a fierce and strong one. Very unlike a hobbit if the rumors are true.'

''How did they meet?' Bilbo sat down next to Belladonna and frowned. His mother had never told him that she had met dwarves before, but she had told him about an incident with a young woman and some ranger many years ago when she and Bilbos father had just barely been adults.

'My mother was attacked in the woods between Bree and the Shire. She killed the attacker, but my aunt Dwana, who was with her was hurt and they needed help. The hobbit lady was fearless and helped them instantly. Her friend...his name was...something with a B...he rode back to Bree to get help while the lady stayed with my mother.' Belladonna watched the hobbit pale and frowned. 'Is everything alright, master hobbit?'

'This hobbits lady´s friend was Bungo Baggins. They married many years later and they had a son. Bilbo Baggins.' Bilbo told her slowly.

Neither of them had noticed Thorin coming in again. The king looked at the hobbit with an unreadable expression. So this was the son of the hobbit who had been at his wife´s side all these years ago? This was the son of the hobbit his daughter was named after?

If this is her son then you must promise me to take care of him as well. As if he was our son, Thorin! Brann told him and he knew that she meant it.

'Bilbo Baggins?' Belladonna looked the hobbit up and down. The hobbit had not introduced himself to her, since her father had started yelling at her immediately after her arrival. But she had heard the others call him by his name. 'You? You are the son of the hobbit lady who I was named after?'

'It is a small world indeed.' Gandalf smirked as he watched the young dwarf and the hobbit who gaped at each other. 'It seems that Belladonna Took had indeed left a big impression before she left this world.'

'I am sorry for your loss.' Belladonna told Bilbo who only nodded sadly.

She is also dead, then. As is the hobbit lad who was with her. Thorin felt Branns sadness as if it was his own and it irritated him. He had not known them and although he felt high gratitude towards the hobbits who had helped his wife he could not feel utterly sad about the loss of people unknown to him. This evening had turned out to be worse than he had ever expected. He would be burdened with this hobbit boy and would have the responsibility for his daughter´s life, as well as his company of dwarves. Thorin feared that he would lead them all to their deaths. He could not bear the thought of losing anymore people close to him. He could not bear to lose another family member. He simply could not.

You should sleep. This might be the last night in a bed for a long time. Do not fret over things you cannot change anymore. Brann spoke softly. Thorin closed his eyes and relished in his wife´s voice. Sometimes he thought that her presence was the only thing keeping him sane and focused. What an irony, that he had thought that he was going mad the first time her heard her voice after her death.

But the king would not be able to sleep. He looked at his daughter and the hobbit and sighed. He did not want them here, on this quest, with him. He wanted his daughter safe and the hobbit peacefully in his home. Neither of them deserved to be ripped out of their peaceful life like this.

Talk to her. She is our gem and you have done nothing but yell at her since she arrived. Brann scolded him. I know that you missed her dearly. Do not let your pride control you, Thorin.

Thorin sighed and walked to the fireplace. The hobbit saw him coming and politely made room for him. Belladonna looked up at him and Thorin was struck by the sad look on her face. He had to remind himself that Belladonna was still a teen and not mature enough to understand his concern.

'My gem.' Thorin sat down beside his daughter and smiled as her arms tightly wrapped around his neck. 'You have grown up.'

'Not enough for your taste.' Belladonna stated sadly and sat back. 'I am no little girl anymore, adad. Even if I have not reached legal maturity I am no dwarfling anymore. I decide what to do with my life. And I decide who to support and how.'

'How do you want to support me?' Thorin asked calmly. He did not want to tell her that he thought her a burden. A burden because she would have all his attention and he would look after her more than the others of the company.

'I am a skilled fighter, even if I do not look that way. I can handle a bow, an axe and a sword. And I can track down every living being. If you would have followed me to the Shire you would not have been lost. Twice.' Thorin frowned at the chuckles in his head. Brann was definetly amused. 'I will not be a burden.'

'If something would happen to you...' but Belladonna did not let her father finish.

'It would be unbearable to you, I know. But on the other hand you laid this burden upon all of the female Durins. Aunt Dis, Zial and Gwen had to stay behind and worry wether you, Fili and Kili will ever come back. They had to stay behind and wait until they hear a word from you. They fear that they will never hear from you again or that they will never see you again. This is a burden most of the females must take and I am not ready to accept this.' Belladonna looked at her father in determination.

Thorin had never thought of it this way before. He realised what high amount of worry, fear and sorrow he inflicted upon Dis and his daughters with this quest. The realisation must have shown in his face, for Belladonna took his hand.

'Aunt Dis and my sisters are strong, they will do their duty. And I will do mine.' Belladonna smiled and her father and knew that she had won the argument. Even if her father would not like it, he would take her to Erebor. At his side.