Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters whose names cannot be found in any published text or film.
Nora's dreams are filled with color. Not the kind that gave her a severe case of motion sickness on the way to see Tulkas and Aulë, thank goodness, but similar to the sky she saw once she was there. Come to think of it, this place looks almost exactly like that room did...
"Actually," says the voice of Aulë behind her, "this time, you really are dreaming. I simply guided your subconscious here." Nora smirks, but doesn't turn around. She doesn't need to. Since she's still in wolf form, her acute senses detected him before and can tell where he is now. Instead, she stares at the sky, admiring the clear view. Why am I here? she thinks, guessing he'll understand her.
"A thought crossed your mind two days ago. You figured that if you weren't going to stay, the dwarflings shouldn't give you a name." She nods, remembering when she arrived at the home of the Durins. "Whether they give you a name or not, you must stay with them. Do you understand, child?" She nods again, but wonders why. "That answer will be revealed in time. For now, just remember what I said." As he finishes his response, his voice becomes muffled, like it's trying to pass through a fog. Within a minute, a thick fog really does appear. It covers everything, making it impossible to see anything. After a minute, the fog changes color and becomes so thick, it's as if her eyes are closed. hang on...her eyes really are closed. And that color looks like what she would see if a light was shining through her eyelids. Hmm...
Nora becomes aware that she's awake...and very warm. Why is she so warm? She opens her eyes and starts to pant. She lifts her head and looks behind her, and sees a blanket covering her. Huh. That's odd. She looks around and sees that she's still in Fíli and Kíli's room, but that in and of itself is not what gets her attention. In the corner by the door is a hiddle of four sleeping people: the Durins. Dis is leaning against Thorin, who is leaning against the wall, and the boys are curled up in their arms. Tear streaks cover Dis, Fíli, and Kíli's faces, but what surprises Nora is the single dry tear reflecting off of Thorin's cheek.
In all the movies and books Nora can remember, she can't recall ever seeing or reading about Thorin crying. However...the movies did suggest that Thorin had a soft spot for his nephews and cared a great deal about them. If they were right, then the tear can be easily exlained as a combination of shock, fear, and relief from last night.
Inwardly smiling, she silently slides out from under the blanket, stands, and stretches. The stiffness taken care of, she quietly leaves the room. She goes downstairs to look for a way to get the front door open without waking anyone, but doesn't see how she can. She goes to the kitchen, but sees no door besides the one that leads to the cellar. Seeing no other option, she makes sure no one can see, then closes her eyes. She focuses on growing hands, becoming slightly taller, and losing her tail. After a moment, the young dwarfling reaches for the handle of the door. Luckily, it's completely silent as it turns. She pulls the door open just a few inches, then changes back into a wolf. She gently nudges the door open a little wider with her snout, then slips outside. She walks around to the side of the house and squats.
After relieving herself, she goes back inside. Making sure no one can see, she turns into a little girl, silently closes the door, and turns back into a wolf. She heads back up the stairs and is about to re-enter the boys' room when she realizes something: her leg doesn't hurt. She just went down the stairs and back up without a second thought or a limp. Hesitantly, she tests it out by putting her weight on it. Nothing aside from a bit of soreness, as if she'd only sprained it.
So...a magic bag, shape-shifting, and now super healing. Wow.
Nora walks back into the room and stares at the little family. It occurs to her that while she may know the story of the Durins like the back of her hand, she knows next to nothing about the characters, themselves. Dis's husband was never actually mentioned in any of the books or movies. The only thing that hinted at his passing was the fact that Thorin was the closest thing to a father that Fíli and Kíli had. Now, she knows that their father's name was Firon, and that he died twenty-four years ago. At this point in time, Fíli and Kíli are nearly thirty and twenty-five, respectively. Fíli would've been five years old, but he's a Dwarf, which would've put him in the mindset of a two-year-old human. Kíli would've been a newborn babe. That would mean that neither of the boys were old enough for any memories to stick when their father died.
Thorin's story was pretty clear in the movies. He was a young adult when Erebor fell to Smaug and at the battle of Azanulbizar (the battle of Moria), he watched his grandfather succumb to madness, his father went missing during the Azanulbizar, and the fate of his people was thrust on his shoulders. Add that to comforting a grieving sister and raising two nephews, and you get a Dwarrow who bravely handles far more than his fair share of life's struggles.
Then there's Dis. She was a princess of Erebor, the wealthiest kingdom in all of Arda. As a member of a wealthy family, she would've grown up in a privileged and easy life. As a princess, she probably would've had expectations and responsibilities on her shoulders. As the youngest of three, she would've been given a bit more slack than her siblings. Since those two older siblings were brothers, she likely would've been doted on and a bit over-protected. Then, however it happened, she met and fell in love with Firon. Nora has no idea if he was a miner, a warrior, or a nobleman. She has no idea when they married, or if they met before or after Smaug attacked.
Come to think of it, she has no knowledge of the Durins aside from what was narrated in the books and movies. Sure, the fanfiction stories helped her to gather a picture, but all of them were based on the imaginations of the authors, and not what actually happened.
Just as she decides to try and investigate into their past, there's a knock on the front door.
Author's Note: Any ideas for what life would be like in Ered Luin? And try to say Azanulbizar five times fast. I'll bet only 5% of you can! lol