At sunrise, the company of fourteen dwarves, one wizard and one hobbit left the Shire. Bilbo Baggins had struggled wether to come along all night, but as he looked at his cozy and inviting home he realised that these dwarves were longing for a home such as his own. A place to settle down and to grow old. And they did not have a home. It had been taken from them. Bilbo could see the longing in their eyes, also in the deep blue eyes of their leader, the always stern Thorin Oakenshield, although he tried to hide it. There was a sadness to the dwarf king which startled Bilbo, but he did not dare to investigate the reason for it. The king seemed out of place, never smiling and never showing any merryness. He was a strong and confident leader and Bilbo knew that all of these dwarves would follow their leader to Mordor and back if he asked them to. With a deep sigh Bilbo decided that he would do his best to help these dwarves to get their homeland back. Bilbo knew that it would be no easy task, especially since Thorin Oakenshield seemed to dismiss his will to help. He thought him a burden, of that the hobbit was sure.

And as for Belladonna, the dwarf who was named after his mother, Bilbo watched her everytime she was not looking. She was so strong and yet gentle and soft at the same time. The hobbit was fascinated by her and could not understand how she could even be related to the stern and intimidating king. When Bilbo took some time to listen to his heart, he knew that it was Belladonnas presence that made him go with the dwarves.

Belladonna was totally unaware of the hobbits interest in her, but her father was not. Thorin glared daggers at Bilbo everytime he caught the little hobbit glance at his daughter and grinded his teeth in annoyance. The thought that his daughter might be wooed by such a small and weak creature made Thorin feel uneasy. His mother may have been a strong one, but this little hobbit had nothing of the hobbit woman who had saved Branns life. At least not after what he had heard from Brann.

Bilbo just left his home to help you to reclaim yours. Don´t even think of scaring him away, Thorin. Brann told him and Thorin could feel that she meant what she said.

'He is a burden. He cannot fight and he is no burglar. I do not understand why Gandalf wanted him to be here.' Thorin thought and shook his head.

Gandalf will have his reasons. And you do not have to understand why others help you, you should only accept it. His wife whispered into his ear and Thorin could feel her breath moving over his ear, as if she was there. He had to concentrate to not lean into the presense that was his wife.

Bilbo was riding with Gandalf on his horse and Belladonna was riding the spare pony. The first days passed quickly and the company passed Bree and the lands of men swiftly. One night, when the company was resting, Thorin sat down beside his daughter and took her into his arms. They fell asleep for a short while, but Thorin was jerked awake by the word orcs uttered by a slightly panicked Bilbo Baggins. As he jerked awake, he also woke his daughter, who looked around sleepily. Fili and Kili were trying to scare the hobbit by making fun of nightly orc raids, which made Thorin furious. An attack by orcs was no joke and he scolded his nephews for it. Fili accepted the scolding, but Kili was pouting. Sometimes Thorin thought that young Belladonna was more grown up than Kili. But either way, the young dwarves knew nothing of the world. He walked away from camp and heard Balin comfort the young ones. He listened while Balin told them the story of the Battle at Azanulbizar.

Thorins heart wrenched as he listened to Balin. He could feel the pain and the loss of this particular battle, but he also remembered the good which came after it. Brann. He had met his wife on the battlefield. There, with all hope gone, she had been his light, even if he had not realised it then. As he turned around, he could see his company looking at him with big eyes, some of them remembering what their king had been through, others in badly hidden admiration. Belladonna looked at him as if she wanted to ask him a question.

'What is it, my gem?' Thorin asked her softly.

'You met amad at Azanulbizar.' Belladonna knew how her parents had met, but she did not know all of it. 'Did you know that you loved her from that moment on?'

For the first time in weeks Thorin allowed himself to smile. Bilbo watched in amazement how the kings face lightened up at the thought of his wife. He honestly wondered how a woman of the race of men could have captured the dwarf kings heart. Most of the company were nice towards Bilbo, but they still were intorverted and Bilbo did not feel as if he belonged.

'To be perfectly honest, my gem, your mother and I did not get along very well from the start.' Thorins smiled widened as he remembered how he had snubbed Brann for her young age and had almost refused her help. 'It was your uncle Frerin who realised what a precious being your mother was.'

'If uncle Frerin would not have died then...' Belladonna paused sadly and took her fathers hand in comfort. '...Would he have been my father?'

'Ewww...' Kili muttered under his breath and Fili nudged him.

Thorin had to smile at his daughters question. 'I´d rather not think about it, but maybe, if Frerin had not died at Azanulbizar, he would have married your mother instead of me.'

'Would you have let that happen?' Belladonna watched him with big eyes.

'Stubborn and daft as your father can be, of course!' Dwalin joined them and grinned. 'It took you two long enough to find each other. Although Brann was as stubborn as you, my king.'

Thorin, Belladonna, Fili, Kili and the Fundins sat at the fire for a long time that night. Bilbo watched the family and smiled as he saw how relaxed the dwarf king became near his loved ones. In that moment he felt a sting of jealousy. He, Bilbo Baggins, may have a home. But Thorin Oakenshield had a family.

Days later, right after an incident with three trolls, the worth of a family became clear to everyone. Kili tried to save Bilbo from the trolls who had snatched away their ponies for lunch, but the company was captured after all. The hobbits cleverness got them all out of their misery, but Thorin did not thank him for it. On the contrary, he blamed the hobbit for having brought them into this mess in the first place.

'It is thanks to Bilbo that we got out of their pot!' Belladonna scolded her father after they had moved away from the others. Thorin was her father and she would not disrespect him in front of the others. But he was in a bad mood since Gandalf had told him to seek help from the elves. Thorin had not taken this advice well and after an argument, Gandalf had left the company, only to come back to turn the trolls into stone. 'Thanks to Bilbo and Gandalf, who you almost scared away with your hatred for elves!'

Oh no, bad topic. Bad, bad topic.

Thorin rolled his eyes at his wife´s remark. 'I already told the wizard, that I will not seek help from the elves. They have betrayed us as we needed them and I will rather bite of my tongue than ask these tree shaggers for help!' Thorin grumbled at his daughter.

Language, dear husband. This is our little gem. Thorin clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. And stop being so tense, you´ll get a heart attack before you reach Erebor.

Thorin held up his index finger to his daughter and turned around. Belladonna smirked as she realised that her father apparently had to talk to her mother first. 'Tell her, I love her!' Belladonna told him merryly and chuckled at his groan.

'Brann...this is not funny.' Thorin scolded his wife, but Brann did not let him finish.

Tell our gem that I love her, too and then listen to me carefully. Thorin knew that tone and he knew that he was in trouble. I know that the elves of Mirkwood betrayed you and your kin as the dragon came and I understand your hatred for them, I really do. But lord Elrond of Rivendell is a wise and honest elf. He is half human, you know...Go to Rivendell. Please, Thorin. Only lord Elrond will be able to read the map. How do you even want to enter the mountain without knowing how? Swallow down your pride, Thorin. And apologise to the hobbit.

Thorin took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that his wife was right. But he could not. Growling into his beard and telling Belladonna that her mother loved her back, Thorin stomped off to camp. He found Bilbo standing with Gandalf and clenched his teeth. He managed to nod at the hobbit, but he was not able to do more. But apparently, Bilbo understood and gave him a smile. In some way, the hobbit reminded Thorin of Brann. There was the same gentleness and kindness in their actions. But it was exactly this painful reminder which made Thorin push the hobbit further back. Growling into his beard, Thorin met with Gandalf who had realised that the trolls must have come out from a cave nearby. It was worth investigating. In the nearby cave, the company found old elven swords and a few riches, which were buried by Gloin as a longtime deposit. Thorin found himself a beautiful blade with a wooden handle and Gandalf also took one of the swords from the dusty shelves.

Belladonna tried not to breathe too deeply, for the stench in the cave made her sick. She looked down as she followed the others out and stepped onto something hard. She picked it up and realised that it was a small blade, bigger than a dagger, but still small. It was clearly of elvish make and the young dwarf wondered why the elves would even forge a blade that small. Maybe for a child? Belladonnas heart wrenched as she thought about how the trolls could have gotten their filthy paws on such weapons. The idea of them killing innocent elven children made Belladonna angry. But in the next moment Belladonna knew what to do. She picked up the sword and looked for the hobbit.

'Master hobbit, I believe that after these events, you would want to be able to defend yourself.' Belladonna smiled and gave him the sword.

Bilbo paled at the sight and wanted to return it, but he was interrupted by Gandalf. 'It is an elven blade, it will glow blue when orcs and goblins are nearby. It is a beautiful gift, Bilbo Baggins. You should keep it.'

Bilbo swallowed heavily, but before he could thank Belladonna for giving it to him, shouting and loud crashing came to their ears.

For the love of the Maker, are these rabbits pulling a sled? Thorin blinked a few times before he focused on the sled and the animals which pulled a wooden plank and a funny looking man dressed in brown. The man looked like chewed on and spit out by nature itself and his gaze was unfocused. Gandalf introduced him as Radagast the Brown. Great. Another wizard.

Gandalf led Radagast away to calm him down and to gather the information Radagast brought. The company watched from afar and Brann snorted.

Why are they standing over there? This information concerns all of us. I will go and listen.

Before Thorin could react, Branns presence was gone and he tried to not look too distracted. Nobody but Belladonna, Fili and Kili knew that he could still talk to Brann and he preferred to keep it that way. But soon, Thorin noticed that Radagast was nervously looking around, scanning his surroundings for something. Gandalf looked back at Thorin with a sly expression on his face and smirked. Could they feel Branns presence?

'I...there is something here...it feels like the Necromancer, only more faint and not evil.' Radagast looked around in irritation. Gandalf distracted him with a deep pull out of his pipe and the weed served his purpose. The brown wizard calmed down. But the weed apparently had a different side effect on the wizard. 'Gandalf, there is a lovely lass standing at your side. But I can see through her...'

Radagast tried to focus on the shadow he was seing and Gandalf chuckled. Of course the wizard knew that Brann was there, he had personally captured her soul in the Halls of Mandos. Brann gasped and rushed back to her husband, hiding behind him although she knew that nobody but the smaller wizard could see her.

But before more happened a loud howling cut through the forest. Bilbo paled and looked around. 'Was that a wolf?'

'No, that was no wolf.' Bofur frowned and in that moment a warg came crushing down the nearest hill. Kili shot him with the bow and Belladonna impaled her sword in another wargs eye, which had come running from the other side. Thorin and Dwalin took care of the rest and the two wargs were dead before they could utter another howl.

'So much for the younger ones being a burden.' Belladonna muttered and grinned at Kili.

'Warg scouts. That means an orc pack is not far behind.' Thorin exclaimed and Bilbo was looking as if he wanted to run home.

It was clear that they were hunted, but not even Gandalf knew why. Radagast proposed to distract the orcs and wargs with his sled, while the company could flee. Indeed, his rabbits outran the wargs and the wizard managed to distract them long enough for the dwarves to leave the forest. But soon, one of the warg scouts had tracked them down. The company fled into the underground, led by Gandald. Of course, the wizard followed an intention. They had found the secret path into Rivendell, the home of lord Elrond and the last elven fortress in the West. He led the company on, none of them noticing that the orcpack that had hunted them got cut down by elven riders coming to their aid. They had reached Rivendell only moments later. Thorins frown deepened, but he accepted this turn of events. Deep in his mind, he knew that they had no other choice than to ask lord Elrond for advice.

Its beautiful. Thorin heard Brann whisper. The dwarf king grumbled and glared at the elven city which got his wife´s praise. It was beautiful indeed, but Thorin would rather bite of his tongue than admit it. He felt a slight slap on the back of his head and knew that Brann had read his thoughts. As they arrived at the gates, Thorin heard Brann gasp. Lindir!

Thorin glanced at the elf who had caught his wife´s attention. He came forth and welcomed Gandalf to Rivendell. The blasted elf only spoke elvish and the dwarves could not understand him. Lindir. Brann had once told him about an elf with this name, but Thorin had only remembered because the name was so familiar to his brother in laws name. This was the elf who had tried to help Brann find a way to stay in the halls of Mandos! Now Thorin remembered. He looked young for an elf who was supposed to know alot about afterlife, but then again, what were a thousand years for an elf? But Thorin knew that he owed this elf his gratitude. To the shock of his company, Thorin walked forth and bowed his head in front of the young elf.

'Master Lindir, I am Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. We seek to speak to your lord Elrond.' Thorin managed to say without grinding his teeth too much.

Oh my goodness, you should see the faces of your company right now. Priceless! Brann chuckled and Thorin fought the urge to turn and look. He focused on Lindir who looked down at him.

'King Thorin.' Lindir looked at Thorin with an unreadable expression, but then he smiled. 'Your wife spoke very highly of you.'

'Of course she did.' it was Dwalin who interrupted the moment.

Lindir only shook his head lightly and looked back at Thorin. 'You are most welcome in Rivendell, but know that my lord Elrond is not here.'

Before Thorin or Gandalf could ask where he was, a horn sounded and the company turned around to see a group of riders approach the gate. Lindir must have given them a sign, because the riders rode more slowly when entering the city and had lowered their weapons. Their leader, a middle aged elf with wise eyes dismounted his horse and walked up to Gandalf, ignoring Thorin at first. Thorin clenched his fists at his side and took a deep breath as a soft breeze grazed his face. He knew that it was Brann who tried to calm him down and held back a snarky remark. The elf lord talked to Gandalf and only then turned to Thorin.

'Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror.' Elrond greeted him politely.

'I can not recall that we have met.' Thorin remarked dryly. Again, he felt a slap against the back of his head.

'I met Thror when he was king under the mountain.' Elrond informed him, showing no sign of irritation at Thorins rude behaviour.

'He never mentionned meeting you.' Thorin stated arrogantly and tried not to flinch as a harder slap hit the back of his head. With time, Branns slaps became stronger, too.

Lord Elrond only smiled at Thorins remark and started to speak in his mother tongue again, knowing too well that the dwarves would not understand him. This time, Gloin joined the conversation.

'Did he offer us insult?' he exclaimed and held up his axe. Of course he would think that the elf lord insulted his king after his own rude behaviour.

'No, master Gloin, he is offering you food.' Gandalf exclaimed at the end of his patience.

'Oh. In that case. Lead on, then.' Gloin answered and Thorin swore that he could hear Brann slap her forehand with the hand. Dwarves.

Many of you, my dear readers, have hoped that Branns presence, plus the fact that Bilbo is Belladonnas son and Belladonnas presence in the company might change our favourite grumpy dwarf, but I still made him grumpy. Of course, his family being there does help a little, but Thorin is still Thorin ;)