Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise.

A/N: I know that I said I was trying to revise, but this chapter was half way written so... Anyway usual stuff, I apologise if I have missed any mistakes, I must reread each chapter 4 or 5 times before I upload it but I still find mistakes when I go back over it after it's been posted. So sorry again.

Chapter 7

Thrór POV

We had barely been in Ered Luin for a year when I had decided that it was a good idea to reclaim our lost homeland of Moria. It was rich in gems, mithril and other minerals that could help us survive. The only problems was that it was infested with orcs and goblins. This battle would likely be suicide for many of the line Durin and our Longbeard clan, we were weak and few in numbers, so many of us had either perished in the dragonfire or settled along the road. We had the support of the other clans in Ered Luin and the Blue Mountains, but this battle would be costly.

I was just thankful that my family had made it out of the mountain, most of us in one piece. Although I was ashamed of the way I had behaved before and slightly after the mountain had been taken, I don't think my grandchildren had completely forgiven me, well one had purely because she didn't really know the truth yet. I turned my head and watched Ariana, my youngest and most beloved grandchild sleep soundly across the room from me. It had been a minor miracle that she had survived the kidnapping and wounds at the base of the mountain, the dragon and then the fever that had consumed her within hours of leaving our home. She had woken after seven agonising days briefly, before falling unconscious again for another seven days.

After those fourteen days, she had slowly begun to heal and it was only just before we managed to reach Ered Luin that she had found the strength to sit up for small periods of time. She had spent her ninth birthday on the road and we had no presents to give her, nor grand cakes and she had simply smiled and said that she had never needed gifts in the first place, that all she wanted was a family she could say was hers. Needless to say she had made a few cry at that. We had just celebrated her tenth birthday the previous week, there was a small cake that we had managed to get and Thorin and Frerin had worked together to make her another, slightly larger sword and Dwalin had worked with Thrain to make her two throwing axes. She had been delighted by that, but had again said that she didn't need the gifts, although she loved them.

I turned at a sound and saw Thorin walked past the doorway and head down from the room he shared with Frerin and Thrain. The house we were in was small, but it was functioning. I sighed, knowing without seeing Thorin's face that it would be set in a heavy scowl. He had been the one to see me at my worst those last few days in the mountain and he had seen me in my shame after the dragon had arrived. I would be surprised if he ever truly forgave me for what I had done. I hoped that my bout of sickness did not make him fear taking the throne when it was his, I also hoped that in seeing me like that he knew better than to be entranced the way I was.

After we had fled the mountain and begun our journey to Ered Luin, we had turned to the Elves for help, even though they had abandoned us at Erebor. Once I was clear of the gold sicknesses influence, I had understood why Thranduil hadn't risked his kin, truthfully I wouldn't have either. Dragons were difficult beasts to kill. However, when we had entered the Greenwood and asked for aid, he had turned us away and refused. I had seen him freeze when Thorin had asked for something to ease Ariana's fever and I thought we would at least have gotten something from him, but he had ignored us. That would break Ariana's heart to know, as she had come to adore the Elfking and his kin.

I sighed and rubbed my temple, I had forbidden any of them from mentioning it to Ariana, she would break if she knew we had been abandoned, that she had been abandoned. She stirred in her sleep and turned over, cracking her eyes open slightly, smiling softly when she caught sight of me sat in the candlelight. "I am going downstairs briefly, khuzdith. I will return soon." She nodded and settled in to sleep again, her body still had moments of weakness, her legs still healing slowly. Oín assumed that it was possible the blade had minutely caught her spine and affected her limbs as she was still so weak in her walking.

I watched her a little while longer, making sure she was truly asleep before heading down the stairs. Dis was curled up between her new husband Vilí and Thrain. I was glad that at least one good thing had come out of leaving our home, I had never seen Dis as happy as the day she began courting with Vilí and I knew that she had found her one, that he would treat her well and love her over all else. Frerin was sat next to Thorin on the arm of his chair. I sighed and sat down in the remaining chair, suddenly feeling every one of my 322 years. "Adad?" Thrain asked from across the room.

I looked up at them, this conversation was going to be difficult, I thought before addressing Vilí, "You will protect my granddaughter for me? Give her somewhere safe to call home?" I asked him and he nodded, tightening his arm around Dis. "Grandfather?" She asked and I smiled over at her. "I will not ask your husband to come on this campaign, he is needed here. He knows the people, the way the mountains work. He will help you and Frerin -" I stopped as Frerin jumped to his feet, "Excuse me? I am coming with you." He said loudly and I stood, shaking my head. "Thorin is coming and Thrain, they are directly in line for the throne. Fundin, Dwalin and Balin are also coming. Who am I going to leave Ariana with then if you come? I know that Dis can look after her, but I would feel better and have a clearer head in battle knowing that another of my kin is watching her." I paused and let him process what I was saying.

I sighed, "Frerin, I am very aware at your skills with a blade and axe, you are capable in battle. I know this, but your brother must come with us as the eldest. Dis is capable of defending herself, but not in the way you can. Ariana is weak, still healing. She is a target because of me. I need you to protect her, she will probably not understand right away why we are doing this, she is young. I cannot stand for her to lose everything apart from Dis if we fail." I told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder as understanding dawned in his eyes. If he went Ariana and Dis would lose everyone, but each other. He nodded, "I do not like this, but I will do it." I squeezed his shoulder.

Thorin stood and approached me, "If we win back Moria, if we can get a foothold in a mountain nearer to Erebor, I want you to promise that you let Ariana train to fight, she is already skilled with her daggers and a small sword, but I want to train her beyond that. I want her a force to be reckoned with." He said and I nodded, "Even if we don't get Moria back, you can train her. In fact as soon as she is cleared by the healers, Frerin can start to train her. Make her into a proud dwarven warrior. I just wish we were still in Erebor." I sighed, thinking back to the present I had made for her.

Thrain cleared his throat as we all sat back down, "And why is that adad? You sound like it is more that just because we would be in our home." I nodded, "I had made Ariana a gift, one that she would not be able to use until she had grown to her full height. I made her a blade similar to the one I wield, but with styles from all our swords." I told them, finally telling them part of the reason I had spent so much time down in the forge, the other part of the present was a secret that would now never be discovered. We all froze at the scrape of feet on the stairs and turned as Ariana slowly walked down them, her face pale as she clung to the railing. Her eyes swung around the room until they landed on Frerin.

She stumbled across the room, throwing herself at him, shaking and began to cry. Frerin looked around at us worriedly, before stroking a hand down her hair, the thick braid Throin had done, starting to unwind. "Shh sweetling, what's wrong?" He said softly, sinking to the floor with her and rocking her slightly. She curled her thin arms around him, "You died. I saw it, there were these monsters and they … they cut you in to pieces, laughing as you screamed. Then one cut of your head and shook it at me. Don't leave me Frer'." She pleaded, her voice breaking as her tears became more violent. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, "I am never going to leave you Ariana, never. You will always have me." He told her and she looked up at him, watching his eyes. She nodded, curling her hands into his braids. I frowned at the scar that curved around her left eye, it didn't really detract from her beauty, but it shouldn't have been there.

The filthy Ironfist swine that had tried to take her from me should be glad they were already in Mahal's halls for I would gladly tear them apart again, just to never see that scar on her face. She had noticed one day on the journey when we were helping her bathe in a river, she had looked at it closely and we had all held our breath, fearing her reaction. Instead of tears, she had shrugged and carried on weakly washing her face. When asked why she hadn't cared about it, she had smiled and said "I am already scarred, what's one more?" Dis had turned away crying at that and Ariana had apologised so many times for making her cry. Ariana had never mentioned it again, but we were all aware now of what she thought of her scars.

I focused back on the scene in front of me and found that she had fallen asleep again, curled up in Frerin's arms, with her hands fisted tightly into his braids. She looked so innocent as she slept, so young and I sighed heavily. "Adad? What's wrong?" Thrain asked and I nodded down at Ariana. " I wish that this had not happened to her. I would even gladly give her to the elves if it meant she had a stable and safe childhood. We are limited in offering her that now." I said, not in the least because we were going to go away to war soon. "Where I can I will help you give her the life she deserves. I know that it is a great adjustment for you all to go from Erebor to here, but I can help you still find a way to do everything she loves, just here." Vilí spoke up and I smiled over at him, nodding my thanks. "When will we be leaving adad?" Thrain asked and I sighed, "Two weeks, maybe just under."

I spent the next two weeks arranging everything with the dwarrows willing to come to battle with us, many were Longbeards and the rest were simply those that wished to have a chance to have a better life if we won. I watched as my grandchildren spent more and more time together, Ariana practically clinging to Thorin whenever he left the house and when she couldn't find him, she was generally with Dwalin and Balin. It broke my heart that I would have to tear her away from them, that I would have to take them away and not be able to say that they would come back to her.

I spent most of the evening sat in silence as I watched Thorin and Frerin tell stories to Ariana and Dis. I watched Thrain speak openly to his children about their amad and I watched as my family grew tighter together than they were before and it made me question what I was doing, was I really willing to tear this all apart over a mountain If it did not reflect poorly on my family, on my line, I would suggest that they all stayed here and let me march off to battle. I was old, I had wronged them greatly and if I died they would still have each other, but I knew that my son and grandson were just as stubborn as I was and would not back away from a fight, especially not if it meant that we could win back a homeland.

Not one of us mentioned how Ariana seemed to know there was something big about to happen, that she seemed to subconsciously know that many of us were leaving. We just indulged her need to be constantly around us, I had the feeling that they were all waiting for me to broach the subject with her, but I was also dreading it. How could I look down into the face of a child I had promised to keep safe and happy and break her heart, tell her that I was taking away so many people that she cared about and not promise if they would return to her.

It soon became the last night left before we marched and I knew that I would have to tell her tonight, that I would have to prepare her as best I could. I slowly made my way back to our house after the final meeting with those that would march with me tomorrow. I delayed as long as I could before moving into the house, finding Thrain with all my grandchildren there, along with Fundin and his sons and Vilí. Ariana was curled up in between Balin and Dwalin listening as they told her a story, clearly about them as dwarflings. Thrain was watching all his children, his eyes slightly glassy and I realised that I was hurting him more than he let on.

Ariana glanced up as I walked in and smiled widely over at me, although it dimmed as I struggled to return it. "Mizimith, may I talk to you up stairs?" I asked her and everyone's eyes rested on me as she nodded and walked up the stairs before me, her steps slightly quicker than they had been two weeks ago. I watched as she curled up on her bed, drawing her arms around her knees and watching me with her bright eyes. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked and I froze, before shaking my head strongly. "No, you could never do anything wrong mizimith. I just have something to tell you." I said wondering how to break it to her. "We are going to battle, your father, Thorin, Dwalin, Balin and I."

"Achrâchi gabilu, givashel. Zu lukhudûn." I watched as Ariana stared at me as I spoke, the words translating in my mind and in hers. I am sorry, treasure of all treasures. You are my light. "No." She told me, understanding that I was saying goodbye; saying it like I meant not to come back. I looked over at her sadly before sitting down heavily onto my bed. "Yes my darling girl, you must accept this, it is highly likely that not all of us will return from this battle. I want you to remember a few things though. Fear doesn't have to make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind. Be who you are, not who the world wants you to be. Actions prove who someone is, words just prove who they want to be. And most importantly the thing I want you to remember most is that you are loved, beyond everything. I am forever thankful that you came into our lives that day. You gave me more time with you all." I told her pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She simply shook her head, "Never say goodbye, because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting. I don't ever want to forget you, or adad or Thorin or Balin and Dwalin. I have a true family for the first time in my life and I feel so lucky." Her words caused my eyes to tears, she spoke like we had given her the world and I supposed to a child who had lived like she had before she had arrived at our gates we had. She clambered up onto the bed and curled up into my lap. "I know there are reason's you are leaving, I don't want to hear them. I trust you would not leave unless you had to, but please be careful." She asked me and I sighed. "I will try my little treasure, but I cannot promise you. Battle is unpredictable and we truly don't know the numbers of our enemy."

She looked up at me and twisted around the token she had given me all those years ago, "Here little one, keep this with you, for if I can I promise to return for this. This is now my most treasured possession, because it was made by you. Keep it and know that I will be fighting to come back to you for it." I told her and she began to cry. I wiped away her tears and shushed her, rocking her slightly. "I have to go tomorrow, we need to claim back our home. If we can win back Moria then we are closer to winning back Erebor. I will be closer to giving you a home." I told her as I rocked her, jumping slightly when she pulled sharply on my beard.

"I have lived without a roof over my head before, I have lived in places that should have been a home, but weren't. And that was because the people in the house weren't home. Buildings, mountains and such aren't home to me, people are home to me. If you stay then I will have a home, just as much as I would if we had the mountain back." She told me and I blinked at her, such wisdom from someone so young made my heart hurt and my fingers itch to behead the ones who had made her learn such wisdom. I sighed, nodding my head and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I know this is how you feel, but for us as a race a home is also the roof over your head. I am sorry that you have learnt to feel differently." I told her hugging her close.

We sat in silence for a little while longer before we moved back downstairs to find the room silent and everyone looking at us. Ariana darted over and sat between Thorin and Thrain and clutched both their hands, "I won't make you promise to come back, any of you, but I want you all to try. I need you to try and come back to me, because I don't know what I will do if I lose you all. I know that I will still have Frerin and Dis and Vilí, but I need the rest of you as well. Gajum ma serêj, please don't leave me, not for good. I didn't fight to stay alive to lose you so soon afterwards." She said and Thorin wrapped and arm around her, tugging her close to his chest, Thrain keeping a tight grip on her hand.

Dwalin and Balin came and knelt in front of her and grasped her free hand and arm, "I am sure your grandfather has said the same thing, that he cannot promise to return, but like him and like you wish we will fight with every breath in us to come back to you. To lose everything is a terrible thing and not something we would wish on someone so young." Balin said and Ariana smiled down at him. "Aye, we will all fight to come back. Balin and I will make sure you have at least Thorin to come back." Dwalin added gruffly and Ariana, frowned but nodded. The talk turned to general topic's after that, discussing things that would not cause any distress to anyone, things that eased some of the tension in the room.

I sighed as that night our living area was transformed into a giant pile of sleeping dwarrows, Thrain, Fundin and I stood at the side of the room watching as all of them curled up in a heap as if they were all dwarflings who had had a nightmare. Ariana was curled up in the middle of the pile, Thorin's chest her pillow and Dis and Frerin on either side of her, Vilí behind Dis and Dwalin and Balin curled up near her feet, I looked closer and found that Ariana's feet were actually wrapped up in Dwalin's tunic. Frerin had complained for all of a breath that his face was too near his brothers crotch for his liking before shutting up and dealing with it, I think realising that he could lose Thorin to this battle.

I nodded my head to the boys as I climbed the stairs, old and weary in a way I hadn't felt before. I kicked off my boots and just sat on my bed, letting my head rest in my hands. I was truly destroying my family. I looked up as a weight settled next to me, "Adad, you aren't making us do something we don't want to do. Thorin and I are prepared for this. The others are just as tough and Ariana understands as best she can, that being said I'm sure she will kill us again in Mahal's halls if we die, but she understands why we can't say we will come back." I looked up at Thrain and nodded, "I know, but I still can't help but feel that I am doing wrong in taking you all with me." I said clasping his arm in my hand. Thrain patted my hand and looked at me, studying my face. "We are old enough adad, we have lived well. If by dying we get to let them live well and perhaps a little safer then that is worth dying for." He said standing and walking out of the room.

I slept poorly that night, waking often in cold sweats, images of Thorin and Thrain dying in front of me. I moved down stairs as quietly as I could in the early morning light to find the pile of dwarves awake, Balin and Dwalin already gone to get ready to leave. Ariana was sat in Thrain's lap, braiding his beard and fastening the clasp that Dris had forged him at the base. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and rested his brow against hers, breathing her in as she stroked her hands through his unbraided beard. Thorin walked down behind me and he looked regal in the little armour we had. I would dearly have loved to have had him at least in mail of mithril, but again we were not in Erebor.

Breakfast was a nearly silent affair, Ariana barely speaking only signing for things she needed. All too soon it was time for us to meet with the assembled dwarrows that were marching with us. Ariana clutched Thorin and my hands tightly, walking along with her head held high and a barely noticeable limp. When we reached the head of the contingent I bent down and hugged her tightly. "Remember mizimith, I will be back for that token." I whispered and she nodded, pressing a kiss to my forehead, before turning to hug Thrain, then Thorin and finally Dwalin and Balin.

Frerin then lifted her up into his arms and hugged her to him tightly, all three of my grandchildren had tears in their eyes, but were proudly watching as we turned and walked away from home and towards the mines that should be home, but were overrun with filth. I turned back to find the dwarf that had journeyed with Oín, Dis and Frerin to save Ariana was stood a little way behind her. "I asked him to stay back. He adores Ariana and will protect her with his life. Between him and Frerin she will be well protected." Thrain murmured, easing my heart just a little. "As long as she is safe, I am happy." I murmured back and we soon settled into the rhythm of the familiar battle march.

A/N:

Mizimith - Little jewel

Khuzdith - Little one

Nadadugmil - Older brother (previous chapter)

I think I've included all the other translations, if I haven't then please let me know. Also let me know what you think of this chapter, I can't quite work out it I really like it or not. Also the next chapter will be the last one for this timeline, Ariana is next and hopefully that will be a little easier to write as she is mine :)