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You slid your hand on your pregnant belly, thankful that the baby had worn itself out and wasn't kicking anymore. The first kicks had been magical, but as the baby kicked more and more, the less magical each felt. You bit grumpily into a strawberry. Your child was to be born any day now, and you were encouraged to sit still and just relax for the last few days, but you had been sitting down and relaxing for a year now! Your patience was running out, you wanted to be able to sleep without a mountain or pillows or go for a walk without having to run to the bathroom all the time. You loved your child so very much already, but you just wished that they would be born already.
Sighing, you turned your attention back to the camp around you. You had been told that they had spotted Dwalin making his way down from Ravenhill with the three Durins and the hobbit, and you had been relieved that he was alive. Now you were fidgeting, your good foot jumping up and down, your other one resting. You gave it a glace, knowing that if it wasn't hurt you would be able to go to meet your husband halfway. But thanks to an accident you had gotten into when you were younger, the bone hadn't healed correctly and you had walked with a limp ever since. - - -
Flashback It had almost been too easy but that didn't mean you didn't feel bad. You needed every penny if you were to make it through the upcoming winter, and when you couldn't find work, you had to pickpocket the money from the constant parade of travelers that passed through your city. You didn't take much, only a few coins from each one and then you dropped it to the ground, making them think that it had simply dropped out of their pockets. Now, you had made it away with six coins after pickpocketing two people. It was enough that you could buy yourself bread. You hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and the sun was sinking below the horizon. And your stomach was rumbling, empty, so you hurried to the bakers to buy a loaf of bread from the baker before they closed up their shop.
You made it just before he closed his shop, and he gave you the bread for five coins instead of six as it was part of an older batch and not very fresh anymore. But you couldn't care less, you ripped a piece of it and wolfed it down. As you made your way towards the abandoned stable you slept with, the child you knew too well came running to you, smiling. She handed you an apple and then skipped back inside her house to her mother's waiting arms. The door closed after them and the warm glow in the yard disappeared, making you realize there was no one in the clearing anymore. You sighed and walked to the pile of hay you usually slept with, pulling your blanket out where you had hidden it after waking up. You dug out your own pouch you had for money and dropped the coin you had acquired today into it. You had been saving to buy a new dress for months now, hoping that when you had it, people would hire you easier. You didn't need to worry about your shoes, you were a hobbit after all.
- Dwalin sighed. This was the eleventh complaint he had received this week about a thief that was working in the busiest marketplace. The thief only took a few coins, but it still upset the customers of the forge he and Thorin had been working on for the past month, and Dwalin was starting to tire of the complaints. Most of the people that had lost money were wealthy enough that it didn't affect their lives in the lightest, but he had had enough of the complaints. He had tried to catch this thief before, but he had never succeeded, he had never even gotten a good look at them.
But this evening, he had changed his strategy. He waited until the thickest crowd had cleared, and he sat down on a bench, seemingly polishing a blade while in reality, he kept a sharp eye on the clearing. He sat there for a while before he noticed someone sneaking around in the crowd. He kept his eyes on them, not staring but keeping tight track of where the figure was going, and soon witnessed the figure sneaking a pouch of money out of someone's pocket, picking a few pieces out of it, and then dropping it onto the floor and retreat into the shadows, but not before Dwalin got a look of their face. A small smile twisted the corners of his lips upwards. He hadn't caught the thief before because he had been looking for a male when in reality, it was a small woman. A hobbit.
When the sun was setting, he was still sitting in the clearing, this time in a different spot that was hidden in the shadows. He didn't have to wait long when the small hobbit lady sneaked out of the shadows and towards an abandoned stable. She disappeared into the alleyway and Dwalin made his mode, following after her. Just before she could slip inside, he grabbed her arm, firm enough to hold onto her but careful not to leave bruises. She turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of him, and she tried to tug herself free, without success. "Y-Yes?" Her voice was shaking, and she was still trying to tug her arm free from his grasp. Dwalin sighed, there was no use beating around the bush. "I know you've been pickpocketing the people on the clearing. While you don't take much, it needs to stop." He tried to keep his voice level and stern but he tried not to scare the lady any more than he already had.
He shifted his weight from one leg to another, but something about the gesture seemed to have frightened you as you squeaked and started crying. "P-Please, I know it's w-wrong. I-I swear I w-will n-not do it a-again, ever." Shocked and surprised, Dwalin let go of your arm and you slunk onto the floor into a small crying heap. Dwalin had expected you to deny his accusations, or even be repulsed or insulted by them. But not this. He felt a small twinge of pity towards the small, crying figure next to his boots.
- - -
You were brought out of your thoughts by a pair of arms that picked you up and squeezed you into a tight hug. You let out a squeak of suprise but quickly hugged the burly warrior back, ignoring that he was covered in mud and blood and all other sorts of grime. Dwalin wasn't a man of showing his affection publicly, so you refrained from jumping onto his neck and kissing the daylight out of him.
When Dwalin placed you back down on the ground, you leaned sligtly backward to inspect him for any injuries. You ran your hands on his arms, and he let out a chuckle. "I am uninjured, love, don't worry. How about our little one, did he give you much trouble?" He asked, hand running across the bump on your stomach gently, a sharp look in his eyes. He had been extremely nervous to leave you when you were this late in your pregnancy. While he was a dwarf and you were a hobbit and your kinds had completely different durations of pregnancy, your midwife had said that it wouldn't be long until the baby would arrive. You shook your head gently, placing your hand over his as it rested on your stomach. "They have been still and quiet. And no signs that they would like to come to this world today, you don't have to worry." He gave you a smile, placing a kiss on your nose as he relaxed visibly.
The two of you ventured inside the mountain, you were looking around in awe as you entered the mountain for the first time. The city was stunning, nothing like you had ever seen before. "We are going to live here?" You asked him, unsure that you would be allowed to live here. Dwalin let out a small laugh and nodded while pointing towards a hallway. "Yes. Thorin and I talked on our way down the mountain and he agreed that you should live with me. We are married, after all, there are no limitations. Our house is that way." Your eyes lit up at a mention of a house, and he pulled you along, walking for a while before stopping at the end of the hallway, next to a sturdy wooden door. Even after years of standing there, unused, it looked to be in good shape. With a glance to Dwalin, you pushed it open, ignoring the creaking hinges.
Your house was unbelievable. Tall stone walls, and a roof that was filled with veins of silver, running across and over from each other. All the furniture that was there was broken and dusty, but you could see that the space was beautiful and could fit any furniture you wanted! The kitchen was massive, and the cabinets and the working surfaces were low enough for you to reach. You couldn't wait to cook there. The house also had four bedrooms. You frowned and turned to Dwalin. "Why are there four bedrooms?" A smirk appeared on his face and he grabbed your waist. "For the children, of course." You almost choked on your own breath. "C-Children? You want more children?" You stared at him with wide eyes and he let out a small laugh. "I know he hasn't discussed it but I have always wanted a large fami-" He was cut off by your lips on his. The kiss was long and you pulled away at the last minute to catch your breath.
- -
Life in the mountain surprised you, you found yourself enjoying it much more than you anticipated in the beginning, and all your worries about not fitting in were forgotten long before. When the word of your skills in the cooking spread, the people in the kitchens were quick to approach you and offer you the position of the head cook. You had been stunned but had accepted, and now your days were spent making sure things in the kitchen worked as they should. Dwalin was head of the guard of Erebor, a reason why he had had the first pick of the houses when you had arrived. Your son Drolin was now a handsome young dwobbit now, that, unlike his father, had a way with the ladies from a very young age, a fact that you teased Dwalin quite often about. When he started courting you, he had no idea how to behave around you. You also had a cat called Mormur, a fat ginger tom that liked sleeping on people's laps. You yawned as Wera, the only girl of the triplets that had been born not a week ago suckled at your breast.
"Do you think we can have even more children?" Dwalin's voice sounded from the kitchen, and he appeared in the doorway. You glared at him. "I just pushed three of your children out of me in one day! I have no intention of doing anything that might result in more children in quite some time!" You whisper shouted at him, not wanting to upset the girl in your arms. Dwalin gave you an apologetic smile. "I know, and I love you so much." You rolled your eyes softly and handed Wera to her, who wrapped her tiny hand around Dwalin's finger.
While the boys, Hurum and Dunli, in addition to Drolin, had inherited most of their father's features, the little girl was like a copy of you. The fact that made her Dwalin's princess and made him overly protective of her, especially when she ended up being the only girl you ever gave birth to. All the children following her were sons. You already pitied the poor dwarrow that had the courage to approach her and ask for her hand. Dwalin would not go easy on them, not when it was about his princess. Dwalin was a good father and loved all his children equally, but there was always a special place in his heart for Wera.