Jeweled dolls of Durin

trouble with dwarflings [G]

The problem with dwarflings is they are too curious for their own good and constantly get into trouble. If not kept under extreme supervision, as with all children but especially with dwarflings, they can get into the most hair raising predicaments that would make the toughest warrior blanch. This is a story of such a dwarfling who was no exception..maybe even more. Her name was Tia and she was a mischievious child , always getting into trouble, causing her older brother ,Tohlm ,the most grief of all the family.

" Get back here you little monster" " when I get my hands on you I'll beat you" "not if I don't kill her first" " wait till I catch you then you'll pay" screamed a group of dwarves that was chasing a 14 year old dwarfling who was carrying a squealing 3 year old dwarfling in his arms while running fast as if his life depended on it..cause it did.

" WEEE..Pretty shiny Toto. See pretty shiny!" The girl was so happy over her new found bauble that she had found in the room with pretty things all around in nice little boxes. She kept shrieking in happiness as her poor brother was running from the angry men behind them.

" will you stop squirming Tia..I'm trying to get you back to father...he will know how to fix this mess you've gotten us in to.. again." Tohlm huffed at her while racing down the corridors. Why did she always get into things..she was the most curious child around and it always fell to him to keep up with her.

Tohlm had dark red hair that was pulled back into a half braid, light green eyes and he was tall for a dwarfling..it seemed to run in the family..which was his saving grace cause that meant he had longer legs than the other dwarves and was able to get him and the giggling girl away. After a bit he heard the mens stomping boots fading away as they started to give up chasing them and tohlm was able to slow down finally and put the little girl down .

" Toto" the child giggled at her older brother while holding out her tiny hand showing him her new found treasure." Looky..pretty shiny...seeeee"

"Tia! What the heck were you thinking! You almost got us killed and for what..a gemstone! Why did you destroy the jewelers room!" Tohlm screamed at her as his face got red from being so angry at the girl. As he screamed at her he noticed her joyful smile fade and big tears forming in her pretty eyes that were the color of soft jade. Seeing her tears made him stop and kneel down to take his crying little sister in his arms to comfort her." Oh Tia..why did you do it?" He softened his voice and held the tear filled girl in his arms.

" I just want pretty" she hiccuped and wiped her runny nose on his shirt while holding out a jade stone for him to see." See.. it same as my eyes toto" using her nickname for him.

Tohlm just sighed as he stood up with her in his arms and started walking towards their multi roomed living section in the blue mountain halls. Earlier that day he found her in the jewelers section sitting on the tables knocking over the boxes of gems and tossing them into the air giggling as the gems fell around her like colorful rain. As she was playing, in walked one of the crafters from lunch and found the shop destroyed and a dwarfling sqeualing in joy tossing precious jewels into the air. His scream of outrage echoed down the hall to where the others were eating and brought them running in to the room of horror. Tohlm quickly grabbed Tia off the table and ran out the room down the corridors to safety. Tia quietly sobbed on her big brothers shoulder as he walked back to their quarters passing some craft rooms when he heard a voice echoing from one of the rooms.

" why is the lass crying laddie?" The voice sounded curious but gentle so Tohlm stopped and looked in and saw a man in a strange funny hat looking curiously at the boy holding a girl dwarfling who softly was crying and snotting up his shirt.

" pardon me sir. What did you say?" Tohlm asked.

The man smiled and got up from where he was working picking up the doll he was holding and walked over to him. " I asked why is the little lassie crying." As he got closer the girl peeked out from under her brothers chin to see a man with reddish brown hair and braids sticking up from under a funny looking hat smiling at her. He looked so funny with that hat that Tia started to giggle. " Thats better..a pretty lass like you shouldn't cry but smile. Here's a pretty doll for a pretty lassie..she even has your green eyes." He smiled at her as he placed the doll into her tiny arms and she hugged it . " tank you " Tias eyes sparkeled with happiness at the gift from the nice man. "Thank you sir.. I'm Tohlm and this is my sister Tia..and you are master dwarf?"

" Bofur Broadbeam..at your service laddie" he said while holding out his hand which Tohlm shook." I'm at your service sir...thank you again. I need to get her home and down for nap." With that tohlm walked back to their rooms and as he layed tia down for her nap in her bed she snuggled the doll closer whispering " ofur" and she fell asleep.

Over the next year tia would wander off and tohlm knew he would find her in some kind of trouble or bothering the toy maker while he worked. He swore she wasn't a problem..she was too cute to be a problem and at least she wasn't getting in trouble. He always had a smile for tia and he noticed she never went anywhere without the doll he had givin her...always craddling it and saying "ofur..look..ain't it pretty" bofur smiled at the pretty little girl. Seeing her smile always seemed to brighten his day and whenever she didn't come his days just weren't as bright like a cloud was blocking the sun over him. One day while he was toiling over a complicated piece of toy Tohlm came in looking slightly worried.

" Uhmm.. master Bofur..have you seen Tia around? I can't find her." Bofur looked up schrunching his brows in confusion.

" no I havnt laddie.I've been working alone today." Suddenly tohlm got a scared look on his face " no..she wouldnt..I gotta go!" He ran out the door so suddenly that bofur go worried and ran after him. " what laddie..what you think happened" he shouted as he followed close on tohlms heels.

" I got mad at her earlier cause she was following me around pestering me and I told her to leave me alone and go braid a yeti" Bofur became scared because he knew tia well enough now and her luck of getting into trouble. He knew there was a cave not far from the mountain that had a few yetis in it..they didn't trouble anyone just the wildlife. They ran harder to reach the caves praying for a miracle.

Bofur and Tohlm reached the caves and as they were trying to figure out where to start they heard a sweet voice coming from one of the caves straight ahead singing.

"Hush little yeti don't say a word...Shhhh.. tias going to braid your fur" the childs voice sang softly. They looked in and what they saw gave them nightmares for awhile. There was a 4 year old tia braiding a sleeping yetis hair tendrils and amazingly it wasn't waking it up. Tohlm crept into the cave as quietly as he could behind her and accidently his foot stepped on a bone snapping it loudly enough that the yeti stirred awake and caused tia to schreech from fright. Tohlm saw the beast start to stand and before it could move he grabbed tia and ran for all he was worth.

All Bofur saw was tohlm racing past him holding tia in his arms while she's screaming " wait toto ..snowball is coming..wait for him..Snowball come on boy!" Her arms were stretched out behind the boy as he ran beckining the raging beast to her. Bofur saw the yeti coming for them and his legs took off running right behind the boy. As they got closer to the blue mountain doors the beast turned away and went back to its cave leaving the them shaking from their near death encounter. Suddenly tia started crying " (huff-huff) what's ( huff-huff) wrong lassie..were safe now( huff-huff)" bofur panted out.

" ofur got left behind..yeti has him" and with that she started to wail with big tears falling from her eyes. " ah lassie I'll make you another. How about I make her have your hair and eyes..wouldnt that be nice" he tried to console the child but she shook her head no. " then what..I'll make you anything just please don't cry..your breaking my heart my wee lass" Tia sniffed as she looked at Bofur and said " I want one with brown hair and eyes like you " That was when he knew his heart belonged to the little girl and someday when she was of age he would marry her.

" At your service my lady " and with those words her smile shown out and he knew he was truly lost..for he knew she was his Men andr torak ( my other soul).

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter..I'll try and do more soon but next time she will be older.