Disclaimer: I own nothing! I can only wish that I did.
A/N: A big thank you to those who have reviewed already, you have no idea how grateful I am. This is the only completed chapter I have at the moment, but I do have the next chapter almost finished and then ideas for others after. I am, fortunately, a stress writer so the next few days will hopefully yield a few more chapters as work is bit tense at the moment :) Also as a final point it will be build up to the Hobbit storyline as I want to get the back story in for Ariana and the Durin line.
Chapter 1
Thorin POV
I stretched and stood from my seat, finally finished reading over all the documents father had given me that morning. Many of them pertained to adopting Ariana, the little child who had come into our lives. She was still a long way from being fully healed, but the wounds that she had sustained before she arrived at the foot of the mountain were now only memories. I shuddered at the memory of those injuries, how anyone could hurt one so small and gentle was beyond me. I quickly left my room and made my way down towards the training grounds, knowing I would find the newest member of the Durin line there. I nodded as my friend and cousin moved up beside me, "Balin. How are you?" I asked and Balin smiled, "Better now that those papers were finally passed. Your father and grandfather were very difficult to deal with in the council chambers as of late." I chuckled, knowing what he meant, as we walked out onto the training grounds to the sound of giggling.
I looked across the training field to find my new sister, sat on the fence watching Dwalin train the newest recruits for the guard. Balin shook his head, "Of all the people in the mountain, she picked my brother." I chuckled, it was hard to imagine why the small, easily scared little girl had picked our fiercest guard, who bellowed often and looked like he was always one step away from starting a fight, but there was no one I would trust more to protect her. I watched as one of the recruits made a rude gesture in Ingleshmek to another, while gesturing towards Ariana. I growled and went to react, my vision turning red, but needn't have bothered, Dwalin had seen it. "You boy!" He snarled out at the recruit and stalked towards him, the boy paled and nodded his head, "Pick a weapon, let's see what you have learnt." Dwalin growled out, picking up his axe that was resting on the fence near Ariana.
It turned out that the new recruit hadn't really learnt anything in his time with Dwalin, as he was soon on his back with Dwalin's axe pressed to his throat. "Get up you pathetic little troll. Pair off all of you, run the drills again and if I see one more person focused on the princess and not his drill, he will be washing every guard uniform in the mountain. Now get to it!" Dwalin roared out and I glanced over at Ariana, but she seemed to have no fear of Dwalin's roar. Dwalin walked backwards until he stood next to her and she smiled over at him, nodding her head, almost as if to say thank you. I heard Dwalin scoff as Balin and I approached the pair. "Don't be thanking me, little miss. They had no right to say what they did about you." I held in a chuckle as Ariana rolled her eyes, "I know you didn't understand what he said, but I won't allow it." Dwalin replied and I pressed a finger to my lips as I silently moved behind Dwalin, catching Ariana's eye. "Not at least because I would skin you if you didn't defend her." I said quietly into Dwalin's ear.
Dwalin jumped at the sound of my voice, his hand going to his axe, but he left it were it was as the training grounds rang with the sound of Ariana's laughter. I smiled, Balin's chuckles joining hers as Dwalin turned to her, a hand over his heart. "You knew he was there and didn't tell me? Little miss how could you?" He said, pouting and she giggled, reaching over to pat his mohawk, in apology. Dwalin nodded, "Alright you're forgiven." She gave him a smile, which he returned quickly, before turning back to the recruits who were now standing still. "Who said you could stop? Keep going." He bellowed out and Balin shook his head. "It's like he only has two volumes." He muttered and Ariana giggled, before waving at me.
I nodded my head, moving to stand next to her. She smiled and leaned against my shoulder, gesturing with her hands over at the recruits. I shook my head. "No I will not tell you what he said. Just know that it was rude." She sighed and I turned to look at Balin, "I think I will speak to Father about teaching her both Ingleshmek and Khuzdul." I said in Khuzdul and Balin looked shocked before nodding. I knew why, as I was very stubborn in the belief that our language was ours and no outsider should know it, but Ariana had wormed her way into most of the mountains hearts, with her eyes brighter than any emerald we could mine and her smile that lit the halls. I shook my head as I realised I was sounding like one of those poems Dis liked to read. I stood beside Ariana and Balin as Dwalin finally roared at the recruits to get out of his sight. I shook my head, "They are going to be no good to us if you scare them like that."
Dwalin just laughed and after securing his axe's away from him, swung Ariana up into his arms. She giggled and held onto his braids, looking so much smaller than the six years she had told us she was. Although she had not spoken since the day she had arrived here, her expressions and gestures were easy enough to understand most of the time. Surprisingly Grandfather and Dwalin were the best at reading her, but the rest of us weren't so bad. "Why are you carrying her brother?" Balin asked and Dwalin scrunched his face up. "I bet that she couldn't beat me across the training grounds and she did. So this was what she wanted, I think it bothers her to be so small when we're so big." He said looking down at her and she rocked her head from side to side, like it was true but it wasn't. "It scares you as well doesn't it, because you can't see who is near you." I said softly and she nodded, curling her hand deeper into Dwalin's hair.
We moved as a group up towards the throne room, the council meetings were over for the day and grandfather liked to see Ariana as often as he could, something that she didn't seem to mind. "I wouldn't worry too much Thorin, you namanith bites. Hard." Dwalin said showing me his hand, where there was a nice round set of teeth marks embedded in the flesh. Ariana ducked her head and hid it in his shoulder. "Now why did my namanith bite you?" I asked as we walked, Dwalin chuckled. "Well after she beat me, I think I moved too suddenly as I went to tickle her for beating me and she bit me. It was my own fault, but she has some reflexes this one." He said tickling her sides, before yelping slightly as we entered the throne room. "What on earth are you making that noise for Dwalin?" Adad asked his, as Balin and I laughed, bowing before my grandfather.
I smiled and helped Ariana down from Dwalin's arms, she nashed her teeth at him and Grandfather began to laugh loudly. "You bit him? Givashel that isn't nice." He said gesturing for her to come to him, Ariana darted up the steps and let grandfather hoist her up to sit on the arm of his throne. "Namanith, tell him why you bit Dwalin both times." I urged her and she blushed, looking over at Dwalin, her eyes wide. Dwalin shook his head, "Don't apologise, I'm not hurt and I deserved it." She seemed appeased at that and turned to grandfather, wiggling her fingers and then pointing to her sides. "Your ticklish?" Grandfather asked and she nodded, turning at the sound of Frerin's chuckles. "Oh, namanith you shouldn't have told me that." He said as he approached her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She tilted her head and looked at Frerin and then me, before looking back at grandfather. "Namanith means little sister, Givashel means treasure of all treasures. They are in Khuzdul, the language of our people, if you would like I'll have Balin or Thorin teach you?"
Ariana stared at grandfather before smiling widely, turning at the sound of Dis' laughter, "Oh namanith, you have them all wrapped around your little finger don't you. Look their all about to melt just from your smile." Dis teased as she walked up to the throne and in a show of male pride we all straightened up and scowled. Dis snorted and rolled her eyes, but it was true we all lost our bluster as Ariana's giggle sounded through the cavern. "Is it just tickling that causes you to bite namanith or do you just bite in general?" Dis asked and Ariana looked at her, rolling her eyes. She gestured to us, then shook her head, but nodded when wiggling her fingers at her side. "So with us its just if we tickle you?" I guessed and she nodded, shooting me a grin. She then waved her hand towards the door and then nashed her teeth while touching a finger to her arm. "But with anyone else its if they touch you?" Frerin said and she nodded.
We all chuckled, "Well it's not really a surprise. Thrain used to bite a lot as a child." Grandfather said mischievously and we all laughed at the look on adad's face. "Father. I did not, not half as much as Thorin did as a youngling." I stared at adad as everyone laughed, "I never bit anyone." I grumbled as Dwalin roared with laughter. "Its ok Thorin, Dwalin still bites people. He never really grew out of the habit." Balin said dryly and Ariana giggled, making Dwalin's scowl lessen. Frerin grabbed Ariana suddenly and swung her over his shoulder, "Come on then namanith, lets get you out of here before someone bites someone else. Shall we go and see how the mines are doing today?" He asked and Ariana pulled his braids, before nodding. As Frerin walked out of the room, she waved from her position on his shoulder and we all waved back. As we all dispersed from the throne room, many of us forgot about the biting conversation over the next few days.
Balin and I decided that we would both teach Ariana Khuzdul and Ingleshmek. For one who didn't speak and who had not been born in our culture, she picked it up incredibly quickly, rarely making a mistake and always remembering exactly what we had taught her previously. When we informed grandfather he simply beamed with pride and had nodded, I had felt a little twinge of jealousy that I never gotten such a show of pride from him. I then felt ashamed, for even I had been filled with pride at Ariana's learning abilities. However, even I could see the positive influence that Ariana was having on grandfather, instead of spending his time wandering near the treasury, he was taking Ariana down to the forges and teaching her about the different techniques needed within each area of our crafts.
He had even begun to use the forges again himself, insisting he would be the one to forge Ariana's bead to show the mountain she was of the line of Durin. Ariana still spent time down with Dwalin training, but whenever I asked what they were doing he shook his head and ignored the question. It was just as summer was fading in to autumn, at the beginning of the ninth month that Ariana seemed to change. "Namanith, what's wrong?" I asked her, watching as she signed with shaking hands that it was the day of her birth in two days. I watched as she closed in on herself when I frowned and realised she had probably never had a good experience for her birthday. I forgot that we were in a busy part of the mountain and hoisted her up into my arms, wrapping her in a hug.
I felt tears hit my neck, just above the collar of my tunic and inhaled sharply, clearly this wasn't the reaction that she was expecting. I frowned and walked back towards our chambers and tugged open her door, moving over to the chair by the fire. I sat down with her in my lap and brushed her hair back from her face. "Why didn't you tell us namanith? Mahal little one how have others reacted to make you fear telling us?" She flinched at the anger in my tone and tried to squirm off my lap. I tightened my hold and shushed her, "I am not angry at you namanith, I am angry at every person who has ever hurt you and wish that I could take my sword to their head." I pressed a kiss to her forehead, drying her tears. She curled up against my side as I continued to stroke her hair, thinking about the short time scale we had to plan a little party for her.
I knew that we were all making gifts for her, that we were going to give her as a whole at some point to welcome her to the family and I vowed to speak to father and grandfather as soon as possible. I looked down to find Ariana fast asleep against my chest and I stood carefully, moving over to the bed and laying her down upon it. Despite trying to remove her boots without waking her, I failed and she stirred. I stroked her head back, murmuring, "Shh go back to sleep namanith. I am needed with father and grandfather." She nodded drowsily, before curling up under the furs on the bed. I smiled slightly before walking quietly out of her room and down towards the throne room.
I paused in the doorway and saw that my father and grandfather were in between petitions. I strode down the walkway and bowed, "I have an issue to discuss with you." I told them and the both sat up at my serious tone. "Have you found out what it troubling our ghivashel?" Grandfather asked and I nodded, "It's her birthday in two days. She was afraid to tell us, so Mahal knows what the other animals she's lived with have done to her on her previous birthday's." I spat out and father nodded, "I'm sure we can persuade the cooks to make us a small feast of her favourite dishes that we can have up in the private dining hall. And we can keep it small so she isn't overwhelmed." Father said and grandfather nodded, "We'll let Dwalin and Balin know and then is a good time to give her the gifts that we have been making for her." He said and I nodded, "I'm going to get back to her, I left her sleeping." I bowed, when grandfather waved me away already looking like he was planning the party out in his head. I paused on my journey back to Ariana's room to grab a book, settling in front of her fire to read until she woke up.
A/N PART 2: At the moment I am undecided who I will put Ariana with, I am thinking of Thranduil, for shits, giggles and a very annoyed Thorin, but I am also contemplating Bard. If you have a preference I would love to know :)