Thorin had noticed that the presence of his wife was missing, but he did not think anything by it. It was only when Thranduil asked to speak to him about his wife in private when Thorin knew that something was wrong. He watched the elven king pace up and down in front of the fire place and frowned.
'What do you want to tell me, Thranduil?' Thorin slowly got annoyed and impatient.
Thranduil stopped pacing and frowned back at Thorin. 'I need some time to think about how to tell you this.'
'You had all the time in the world when you came here. Why are you wasting my time?' Thorin snarled. Even after the battle the two kings still despised each other.
'I really want to turn my back on you, but my wife threatened me to never do so again.' Thranduil sneered.
'Your wife is dead, as is mine.' Thorin growled, but then he straightened his back in alarm. Could Thranduil speak to his wife as he could with Brann?
'Yes, yes she is.' Thranduil answered more softly. 'And that is why I am here...I was told...and there is no need for you to know by whom...that your wife will not be able to come back to you. She will wait for you and she will be granted to pass into the halls of your fathers at your side. But until then, she will wait in Valinor. As will my wife.'
Thorin looked at the elven king in shock. 'What? Why? What happened to her?'
'Nothing happened. What shall happen to a person who is already dead?' Thranduil asked dryly. 'But her interference with the fate of those who are still in this world have angered the Valar. Mahal will not accept a human to interfere with his plans. And that he made clear by destroying your wife´s link to the world of the living.'
'So...I will not hear her voice again? Or feel her near me?' Thorin had to struggle to keep a hardened expression. Ironically, Thranduil could fully understand the dwarf´s feelings, for he felt the same way. But of course, he would never admit it.
'Not while you are in this world, king under the mountain.' Thranduil made for the door. 'Oh, and one more thing. Should you decide to quicken your departure from the world of the living in some way, I was told that your wife would turn her back on you and marry your brother, Frerin.'
Thranduil had to fight a smirk as he left the room and left a stunned dwarven king behind.
#
'Have I told you that my mother always called my father her "bear"?' Belladonna told Beorn and smiled at the skin changers booming laughter.
'A nice, small bear your father would make, little dwarf.' Beorn smirked and patted her shoulder. Beorn would accompany Bilbo back to the Shire after the coronation of Belladonnas father, Thorin II Oakenshield, king under the mountain Erebor. Today, he would help Bilbo and Belladonna to pack his belongings and his share of the treasure.
Thorin had offered the arkenstone to Bilbo as a sign of his eternal gratitude, but the hobbit had declined. He did not want the cursed stone, he already had his cursed ring. Bilbo gratefully took the mithril shirt - which had saved his life during the battle - and a small chest full of coins. Thorin had wanted to fill the chest with gold, but Bilbo had declined again. What was he supposed to do with a chest full of gold in the Shire? He would not even be able to pay any merchants with gold.
'I thought that you would follow the little bunny back to his home.' Beorn stated sadly and looked down at Belladonna.
'I wanted to.' Belladonna said hoarsely. 'But I cannot. My place is with my family and with my father.'
'Your stubborness and iron loyalty will make you unhappy.' Beorn told her and hook his head.
'I know.' Belladonna nodded. 'But that is who I am. I am a dwarf and I am stubborn and loyal. What would I do in the Shire? I would be a cast out, a freak of nature and Bilbo would be cast out together with me. I do not belong in the Shire. I belong here.'
Beorn nodded in understanding, but it would break his heart to see the bunny and the princess apart. As they entered the treasury, they ran into Bilbo and the whole royal family, as well as Thorins company. They were all helping Bilbo packing his share of the treasure. In addition, everyone of the company took a thing out of the treasury of which they thought it would suit Bilbo best.
Thorin had given him a golden bead with the Durin runes engraved on it. He had not forgotten that he had accepted Bilbo as his son. The king had offered his daughter to support her new life in the Shire, but in secret he was happy that she would stay with him. It was egoistic to feel that way, but Thorin could not help it. He was Belladonnas father and he would always want his little gem with him, especially now since Brann could no longer be with them.
Fili gave the hobbit a scabbard for his sword, Sting. He also gave Bilbo the small black rune stone, which had belonged to Kili.
'He will not need this anymore.' Fili had whispered and had fought his tears.
Balin surprised Bilbo with a real golden letter opener and smirked while giving it to him.
'May you use it every day when you open our letters to you.' he said and chuckled at the hobbits cocked eyebrows.
Dwalin stepped forward and gave Bilbo an ivory comb. 'It was mine when I still had hair.'
'I knew Dwalin when he still had hair!' Fili exclaimed and for the first time since the battle the company and the royal family burst into laughter.
Gloin handed Bilbo a pair of golden ear plugs. 'You complained about the ones of us who snored during the quest. Of course, I, as one of the few who never snores...' Gloin was interrupted by his wifes loud snort.
'Take them as a gift from us both, from the heart.' Gloins wife told Bilbo and rolled her eyes at her husband.
'My Gimli always says that dwarves snore loudly to protect their women from wild animals!' Gloin smirked. He missed his son and he would wait for the day when Gimli joined them with the dwarves from the Blue Mountains. That is, if he would ever forgive his parents for leaving him at home both times.
Beorn shook his head in amusement. 'That is correct, or have you never wondered why I was out hunting orcs every night during your stay? I simply could not sleep!'
Bilbo held his stomach with laughter as he continued to accept the gifts from the dwarves who had become his family during the past year. Oin gave him a book about herbs and dwarvish medicine, Dori had found a wonderful golden cup for Bilbos tea, Ori had knitted a scarf, Bofur had given him a warm hat and a golden flute and Bombur presented Bilbo a heavy bronze pot for his herd.
Belladonna gave Bilbo a wonderful writing set with Ereborian paper and a golden feather. The ink was the same the dwarves used for their tattoos.
'Write to me. Do not forget me.' Belladonna asked sheepishly and Bilbo took her face into his hands and pressed his nose against hers.
'Never.' he promised.
#
Three weeks later, Bilbo and Beorn made their way south. It had been wonderful past weeks and Bilbos heart was heavy as he turned his back on the Lonely Mountain. They would travel with an armed caravan together with Dis, Fili, Gwen and Niar. They would see to it that Bilbo reached the Shire safely and would travel further south to the Blue Mountains. Bilbo sat on his pony Myrtle, which he had actually just taken because he did not want to part from her and while he rode south, he remembered Thorins coronation.
It had been a magnificent feast. Dwarves, elves and even many lords of men had come to honor Thorin II Oakenshield. Denethor and Thengels heir Theoden excused themselves, but wrote long letters of friendship and offering Thorin a strong alliance with the kingdom of men in the south. Thranduil and Thorin had established a stable but very unpersonal alliance, which would be held up by prince Legolas and princess Belladonna. Donna had decided to serve her father as an ambassador.
On the morning of her father´s coronation, Legolas had turned up on her doorstep and had offered her a token of peace, her mothers flower necklace. The young prince had taken the shattered pendant with the forget me nots and had mended it. Elven glass and an elven silver chain held the flowers that had been the sign of her parents love for so long. Belladonna had embraced a surprised elvish princeling as her father came rushing around the corner. Only the sight of the necklace stopped Thorin from strangling Legolas that morning. With a testing glare, he walked up to the elven prince and took his shoulders into his huge hands - before giving him a dwarvish headbutt. Belladonna gasped, but Legolas managed to stay on his feet, knowing that it was a dwarvish greeting and sign of friendship. But for a moment the elven prince saw only the white light and had to concentrate to focus again. After his eyes had stopped rolling Thorin hummed in appreciation and left for his chambers, smirking lightly. He was only sorry that Brann was not there to see it. She would have been highly amused.
'I heard that your mother still is with you and your father?' Belladonna asked Legolas after her father had left.
'She will forever be in our hearts and dreams.' Legolas answered. As he was able to concentrate again he told the dwarven princess that his mother sometimes visited her husband and her son in their sleep and spoke to them in their dreams. It did not happen often, but every few dozen years. This time she had visited his father and had given him a message for the dwarf king, like she had promised Belladonnas mother. But Legolas was also pretty sure that he had actually seen her right after Thorins headbutt.
Thorin had been devastated as he had learned that Brann would not be able to contact him again until his death. His expression had turned cold and hard and only few remembered how he looked like when he smiled. But he knew that he had to go on and that he had to restore Erebor and lead it to its old glory. His people saw him as Durin reborn, as the king who stood his ground against fate itself and had been victorious. He could not leave his people, at least not yet. Most thought that the horrors of the battle and the grave injuries had changed the king. But no injury was as bad as the heart that had been broken in many tiny pieces.
On the day of the coronation, Gandalf had placed the heavy crown of Durins Folk onto Thorins head and he also put a lighter crown on Filis golden head, crowning him as the new king of the Blue Mountains. Fili would have another coronation when he came back to Ered Luin, but this one would secure his position in beforehand. Dis had tears in her eyes as she watched her brother and her son crowned as kings of their kin. She still thought of Kili every day, every moment. The fact that he had looked so happy in death only lessened her pain little. She still missed her little dwarfling. After the death of her husband and grandfather, as well as her father, Dis had never thought that any loss could pain her as much again. She had been so wrong. Also Fili was not the same as before. The death of his little brother had made him grow up in the blink of an eye. There was no trace of the formerly merry and mischievious dwarf in Fili anymore. He looked like his uncle, stern and hard, as he gazed upon the crowds in front of the throne in Erebor.
The Durin family stood there, on the day of the coronation, looking like the statues guarding the newly reclaimed dwarven city. The same coldness which showed on the stony guards, showed on the faces of the royal family.
One week after the coronation, there was reason for some merriment. Thorin wed his daughter Gwen and Niar from Ered Luin. They had decided that they did not need to court as long as normal, for they already knew each other for so long. The fact that his daughter had thrown up in front of Niars feet had been a rare source of amusement for Thorin. After a long talk - which could be better described as sparring - Thorin gave Niar the permission to wed his daughter. Their bond would also seal the alliance between the Blue Mountains and Ered Luin, since Niar was a lord´s son from the higher class of Ered Luin. At least this could ease Filis reign over the south.
Thorin had tears of joy in his eyes as he saw Gwen walk down the isle to the throne. She did not wear a white wedding dress, she wore her finest armor and her weapons. Niar did not complain, he looked upon his bride in adoration and love. He also wore his armor and his sword. The king of Erebor wished that Brann was there with him, but he hoped that she would at least be able to see her daughters wedding from afar. The arkenstone had been returned to its rightful place above the throne, but the curse was officially broken. Neither Thorin, nor Belladonna nor another Durin felt influenced by its warm gleam and no gold found its way into either of their hearts ever again. Thorin spoke the traditional wedding words in Khuzdul and rolled his eyes as Niar finally kissed his daughter. The king growled quietly as the kiss endured, but Gwen only chuckled. That day, life was good.
Bilbo smiled on his pony as he rode away. Belladonna had looked beautiful on her sister´s wedding day. She had worn a simple ruby dress with a high collar and long sleeves. She had been clearly uncomfortable in it, but to Bilbo she had been the most beautiful dwarf in Middle Earth. He was afraid of her fierce warrior sister Gwen, but he liked Zial. Thorins oldest daughter - although they still had not figured out which one of the twins had been born first - was very much like her mother, even more than her sibblings. Belladona was a perfect mix of both her parents, combining their best traits. A part of Bilbo had wanted to stay in Erebor with her, but the other part of him felt drawn to the Shire. He still was a Baggins, a Baggins of Bag End. He belonged to the Shire, as Belladonna belonged to Erebor. Maybe, as an ambassador of her people, Belladonna would be able to visit him one day. Bilbo knew that he would wait for her.
Bilbo had been terrified by Dwalins daughter and her husband, Thorin III. He had never seen a more martial couple in his life, even Gwen and Niar were looking harmless compared to them. Dwana was still cutting her hair to a mohawk and Bilbo had chuckled violently as he was told that Dwalin had sported a haircut just like this one as a young dwarf. Thorin III was a stern looking dwarf, but Bilbo soon realised that he had a good heart. The way he looked after his wife and their dwarfling, Nain, made Bilbos heart warm up for him. Also, he was undeniebly loyal to Thorin II. He would be a great king one day.
At Erebors gate, Bilbo had said goodbye to his family of the heart, the company of Thorin II Oakenshield. He had taken everyone of them into his arms once again, even Thorin. The king had backed away as Belladonna had walked to Bilbos side and had granted them some privacy. He had tried to persuade the hobbit to stay, but Bilbo had declined. Thorin had then reassured him that he would be considered a dwarf friend forever.
Belladonna had laid her forehead against Bilbos and had closed her eyes. This was the only gesture showing their bond and both knew that they would not be able to form such a bond with another person ever. None of them had said a word, for they was no need for it. Belladonna walked back into her father´s consoling arms as Bilbo, her aunt, her cousin and her sister rode away. Like her father, she felt them take her heart with them.
Bilbo turned around one last time as Erebor began to face away in the darkness of the evening. He knew that they were still standing outside, watching the caravan move away with their loved ones. Bilbo, Dis, Fili, Gwen and Niar also paused and looked north...while Thorin, Belladonna, Zial and Thror looked south. As the first stars began to sparkle in the deep blue sky, the two groups turned around to beginn their new lives.
Next: Epilogue.