Authors note: here is my first attempt at writing about one of the sons of durin I hope it's good. This isn't the regular girl falls into middle earth. It's a bit different like all my works. Or I hope most of my works are different than the normal. Anyways I hope you read and enjoy and vote and comment.

If you had the chance to change a fate would you? Even if it meant losing everything precious to you? Your new found place, your new found home, and your very life? A heavy price to pay to right a wrong that should never have been. Could you gather your courage and if you could would you?

I wasn't born to this work it was as if I was dropped here for some unknown purpose. Some days I woke up thinking it was for a greater reason. Most days I woke up feeling as if it was all a cruel joke.

Besides I wasn't the type of girl anyone would go looking for. Children after all disappeared all the time. I knew I would just be another sad poster at the front of stores or on the roadsides. Eight year olds go missing all the time.

It had been a normal day like any other before it all fell apart. My sister and I were escaping to on another adventure far from our arguing parents. I couldn't remember exactly when they started fighting but they did it daily. We had a lot of adventures. Both of us dashed out the back door hand in hand.

We didn't hesitate at the overgrown field but darted ahead with courage. The long grass tickled our bare legs and feet as we ran and giggled.

"Come on Mae! Hurry the bogger men will get us!" I cried the smile so big it hurt my face.

Mae's little shriek of terror egged us both onward. Her little hand tightened against my own. We crossed the creek with a splash and more delighted laughter. Then through the last stretch of tall grass and under the fence. My aunts years was always beautiful and that day was no different than any other.

As we skipped across the gravel drive that led to the barn behind the house. The garden they had was pretty between the barn and the house just behind the house. We hurried up the steps of the porch seeing Sybil on the porch swing sketching as always with her pencils, pastels, and charcoals.

"Sybil come on let's play" I cried.

"Yeah we are going on an adventure!" Mae added.

Her cool emerald eyes full of the seven peace I longed for looked to me and then Mae. The sweet smile that followed had stolen many an adults heart. She set about collecting her supplies and stuffing them in an old dark blue bag with a North Star embroiled in it. With her hands still in the bag she raced after us.

We were all brought to a halt half way across the drive way by my aunts voice.

"You girls stop back by for supper. And Sybil take care of the girls your the oldest." She stood in the doorway her tan face smiling in the mothering way my mother never did.

"I will momma I love you" she called

"We love you too auntie" Mae giggled.

"Me too" I added.

"I love all you three to bits "

With that we were off into the woods and crossing the creek and down into our gully. We picked up fallen tree limbs and had epic and well strategized sword fights.

"Ha take that !" I slashed my sword at Sybil the wood connecting with a resounding thwack. It gave Mae a chance at slipping around the back to take her down.

"Oh no you don't Mae!" She cried deflecting the thrust and dancing away from both of us.

After long minuets of fighting we finally called a truce and ran and half climbed up the sides of the gully. Our bare feet sinking deep into the leaf litter. There at the top where the creek found its way to tumble into a waterfall we found our rock. It overlooked a massive cliff side and gave a panoramic view of the untouched forest 40 ft below. To our right was the view of miles of forest and to the left was bare rock left to be weathered by the elements and vegetation growing on it.

"Momma bought you guys these, she knows how much both of you like to write." Sybil handed us the squares of medium green and blue leather after we finally caught our breaths.

Looking inside the hunter green one I found many untouched and unlined pieced of thick paper. It was full of possibility. Pages to get lost in. On the big front flap was the Celtic design of a tree. Sybil had once showed me the same symbol and had called it "the tree of life". I closed the smaller flap over the bigger one and wrapped the leather string around it.

Mae seemed delighted with her own as she stroked the design of a little sparrow on the front.

"Did you get one?" I asked my eyes glittering with excitement when I saw her pull a golden one with the design of a dragon on it.

"She did I'm going to sketch in mine though" she handed it to me and I let my fingers run over the dragons mighty form.

"We all match" Mae said

"It's really pretty" I handed it back to her.

"Here I was wanting to show you guys the first sketch in it "

She flipped it open and handed it to us Mae and I leaned our heads together and gasped in surprised delight. It was a sketch taken from a picture we had taken last summer on the forth of July.

"It's really good your getting better" I said handing it back to her.

We each tucked our new journals against us and laid back. Sybil closed her eyes to doze in the cool breeze. Mae and I watched the big blue afternoon sky with its large fluffy clouds.

We all knew the rock was dangerous. I clearly remembered my uncles warnings about it. I could hear his voice there in the back of my mind as we lay there. Despite the many warnings there wasn't a view as good as this anywhere else on heaven or earth. Beauty was sometimes worth the danger.

I glanced over at Sybil's smiling content face. And Mae's dancing eyes soaking up the different cloud shapes. I was more content in the feeling that came with being here than the view. Watching my little sister and older cousin I knew it was a rare gem indeed.

Love and security.

Something I had never felt at home. Ever since my parents had waged war against each other. My eyes closed and my fave scrunched up in concentration as the wind blew my hair about.

'Please let us three never part and if it's possible don't ever let this adventure end'

The only thing different about that day than any other day was that someone was listening.

"Look Mari!" My sisters excited voice drew me from my prayer "it looks like a wizard with a pointed hat. It's gray and everything" she pointed and I had to agree it did look like a wizard with a staff and a grey hat.

It was then the rock began to rumble and groan. It gave way with a lurch from its foundations. Our screams of terror echoed over the open air as we fell. I can't remember crashing into the ground. Maybe my mind forcefully forgot to save me the teams of remembering it.

I do remember looking up through the veil of Sybil's red hair and seeing the unchanged big blue sky. I remember the feeling of small fingers untwined with my own. My blurry eyes closed and I knew no more.

It felt as if I had tracked a thousand miles without moving any at all. When I became aware of my surrounding all is aw was a white empty space full of blinding light. Promises were whispered and tales told and forgotten. The the rushing feeling of a roller coaster came over me.

I woke tiredly and I knew physical pain for the first time in my young life. My face was sticky and my body felt crushed all over. Every breath felt like a knife was taking my sides. My mouth tasted like pennies and almost made me wretch. The nausea and the head ache didn't make any of it any better And all my dry throat could manage was a small whimper of pain as my tears fell.

The big blue sky was still over head with its big fluffy clouds as if nothing was the matter. Out of the sky came a vision of a woman with tousled curly brown locks and wide fearful indigo blue eyes.

"What happened" her hands fluttering over me worriedly.

"I fell" I barely managed

"Bilbo get your father quickly love" she yelled though I didn't see the person she spoke to.

"Mae... Sybil" I whimpered pitifully.

"Hush now little one I have you" her shaky hands cradled my face and I once more lost consciousness.

*********************************
The next time I awoke was I found my self surrounded by blinding sunlight and in a comfortable bed. I glanced about once my eyes had adjusted. I was strangely expecting to awaken in my own bed with Mae beside me and Sybil just across the field.

The room was strange though with an odd circular feel to it. Though I could clearly see it had every comfort a person would need. A comfortable chair with a book case beside it. A want little fire place with another chair before it. Words floated to me through the closed door a strange man and the familiar voice of a woman.

"What was a dwarf child doing in a tree and in the shire" he asked worriedly.

"I don't know I've asked about and there's been no sighting of dwarfs anywhere near these parts. She's very much alone here"

"Fine" he gave a heavy sigh as if the woman had given him a pleading look. She may stay but if someone come for her Bella she will have to go with them. "

"Momma I want to see the dwarf girl" a little boy's voice chimed with excitement.

"No little love for she is very sick and needs her rest. For now go and play until supper is done she will be joining you as soon as she feels better"

The sound of little bare feet running through the house resounded before the sound of a couple murmuring to each other came. The man and woman had argued much like my aunt and uncle did. With respect. I smiled at the memory of it. The pain from my split lip made the smile fade quickly though.

I had the strange sense that I wasn't at home or anywhere like it anymore. The door opened and pulled me from my musings the lady from before came in with a tray with a teacup and a tea pot. Her bright smile tender and immediately calmed my nerves.

"Your awake are you feeling well?" She asked sitting beside the bed in the chair and placing the tray on the table beside her. She picked up the teacup and stirred it with a sure movements.

Her eyes looked up and I nodded shyly too uncertain to talk.

"Oh poppet don't be shy." She ran her fingers down my cheek "now tell me your name. I'm Belladonna Baggins."

"My names Merina but you can call me Mari"

"It's so good to meet you now drink this it will help keep the aches away. You were very badly hurt when you fell from the tree."

I took a deep sip of the slightly sweetened bitter drink.

"I'm going to check your splint and bandages love so hold still and finish your tea" she said as she fluttered about me.

As she worked she asked me if I had been with my family before and if I had been separated from them. Where I was from. All I could reply with was simply "I don't know. I can't remember"

"Oh poor dear. Sometimes the memories come back and sometimes they don't. But don't fret you are welcome in my home for as long as you want to be here." She gathered up her tea tray and gave me one last smile before adding " now rest the tea should help you sleep and I will bring you some food when supper is ready. "

After belladonna left I dozed lightly in the bed feeling the effects of the tea begin to work. Through my half open eyes I saw the door open and a little boy dart in and close the door quietly. His legs were dirty with mud but it was his feet that seemed far larger than anyone's feet I had ever seen before.

He slowly approached my bed side and I gave him a tired smile that he returned.

"Hello miss dwarf" he said quietly.

"Hello" I returned.

"My names bilbo will you play with me when you get better like momma says?" He asked.

"My names Mari " I mumbled smiling drowsily at making a new friend.

I fell deeper in my doze as his little hand grasp mine and his thumb stroked back and forth over the back of my hand. I fell asleep for the first time since I had fallen.

The weeks passed by and everything began to make sense. The idea of not being in my own world cemented in my mind. I asked again and again if there had been two other girls found near me or with me. The answer was always the same, no only I.

Once I was on my feet nearly two weeks after to awoke the first time I was able to get a grips on where I was from. I found myself becoming very sullen at times as I came slowly to terms with all that had happened. Though Bella and her family were more than welcoming and began to feel like family as the months passed.

I didn't understand why they had called me a dwarf until I saw my first human. That night as I sat in the bath I took stock of an important fact I had missed. My body was portioned differently. where once the beginnings of a slender and long limbed body was there now was the beginnings of a shorter limbed one (I would later find a curvier figure forming as well). I cried myself to sleep that night because in fear of no longer being myself. Later the same week we visited Bella's father and he remarked that I was quite petite and somewhat longer limbed than most dwarfs he had seen. And I also saw my self in a mirror for the first time since coming here. I saw that the face was still mine and I was still essentially me.

It took quite a while to get used to.

Belladonna and her family as well as the rest of the shire was short creatures like me that were hobbits. I came to very much like hobbits in the weeks and months that followed. Especially little bilbo. He would manage to get me out of every melancholy mood I found myself in. Day by day I found myself becoming the best of friends with bilbo.

And the weeks and months became years and we grew older as did Bella and her husband. Everything became more normal the world for me was righting itself. Like all natural things the passage of time brought death to Bella and her husband. It was a very sad day and something that made the need for adventure a little less in bilbo's eyes. It was only with bilbo that I felt at home even in the shire surrounded by people I had know. For more years than I had in my previous life.

I never forgot my littler sister and my older cousin. Mae and Sybil were always there as was the hope of finding them and being reunited one day. The hope dimmed to a faint ember I've the years but still it burned.

My normalcy was back. It felt like the endow everything innuendo how it was just the beginning.