Chapter Text
Chapter Eleven
“You need handmaidens,” Dís announced to Bella without preamble as she swept into Bella’s sitting room, wearing a dress of violet muslin studded with amethysts, everyday wear for the Princess, “The Queen-to-be of Erebor should not be doing the dusting and scouring, not even of her own chambers.”
It was just before ten-thirty in the morning and Bella, upon returning to the Royal Wing, after a vigorous workout, and bathing, had decided that her suite needed a thorough scrubbing down.
“The only people who enter these rooms are members of the Royal Family,” Bella pointed out reasonably, at least as far as she was concerned, from where she was standing, on the arm of one of her chairs so that she could polish the mantle of her fireplace, “Or my bodyguards. It’s not as if anyone else has reason to know whether or not I clean my things myself.”
“You will have ladies-in-waiting, eventually.”
“I’m going to ask Lací to be one of my ladies-in-waiting tomorrow, actually,” Bella revealed. “Tauriel is going to ask her sister, Lucí, to be one of hers.”
“That’s wonderful; the Lady Lací will make a fine companion to you,” Dís replied with approval.
“She’s very kind,” Bella said, “And discreet.”
“There are guards besides Arníra and Arnura whose job it is to circulate the Royal Wing,” Dís countered, “And they have already begun to notice that no servants ever seem to enter your suite. Since Dwarrow are not exactly known for being discreet, they have come to the conclusion that you have no handmaidens and wonder why.”
“Perhaps because I like cleaning,” Bella stated.
“Who has been taking care of your laundry?” Dís questioned next.
“I’ve been doing it myself,” Bella admitted easily. “Hobbits need less slumber than Dwarves do and it’s not as if I have anything better to do while your brother sleeps.”
Dís sighed, “You are not meant to be doing your own laundry either.”
“Will the people of Erebor find the nonattendance of handmaidens in my suite to be offensive?” Bella inquired.
“Well, no, but they will think it odd.”
“Dís,” Bella spoke firmly, “I am not a Dwarf.”
“Of course you aren’t,” Dís waved a hand dismissively.
“The people of Erebor are always going to find reason to think me odd simply for the fact that I’m a Hobbit,” Bella affirmed. “A good kind of odd, perhaps, but odd all the same.”
Dís deflated a bit as she was forced to acknowledge, “I suppose that’s true.”
“So then there’s really no harm in doing my own cleaning, is there?”
“My brother was right,” Dís said appreciatively, “He told me that you would not be swayed in this matter, that you could be as stubborn as any Dwarf.”
Bella shrugged and hopped lightly from the chair’s arm to the floor, “He knows me very well, your brother.”
“He told me that you have offered to teach one of your Crafts to the children of the Mountain,” Dís rejoined.
“Gardening, yes,” Bella responded, “Thorin has plans to build a garden for the Dwarflings to use; it will be very grand once it’s finished.”
“You shall make as fine a Queen as has ever graced this Mountain,” Dís declared.
************************************************************************
“I need to warn you, cousin,” Dáin announced, “That there very well may be fallout from Grijak’s family for his execution. They are merchants with considerable influence over the Dwarven clans that live in the far south. Diminutive these clans may be, when compared to the might of Erebor, but they control the wealth of the Harad- the black diamonds and the topaz and the lions that the region is known for.”
Thorin and Dáin were in the former’s study, going over the new trading agreements between Erebor and the Iron Hills to insure that nothing had been overlooked in their creation.
“I am aware,” Thorin assured his cousin. “The situation will be monitored as much as it can be; I have easy contact with King Aragorn, whom I have asked to warn me if Grijak’s kin pass by Gondor with the intention of heading further north. I believe that he will agree to this, for the sake of the Sunrise Princess if nothing else.”
“The power your betrothed has over the Men and Elves of Arda is formidable indeed, Thorin. Not even the White Council holds such sway over so many,” Dáin commented. “And it has never even occurred to her to use this power.”
“She is a gem of unspeakable rarity,” Thorin replied.
“And value,” Dáin rejoined, warning in his voice. “It is no secret that you, your Heirs, and your High Lords would do anything for her sake. King Aragorn, King Théoden, Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel, Tharkûn, King Bard, and even Thranduil, the tree-shagger, would go to war for her if need be. The former Master of Lake-town will hardly be the last to try to use her; she’s a target for every would-be kidnapper seeking a ransom, Thorin, and for every individual that you have managed to piss off over the years she is the perfect bait to draw you out.”
Thorin grimaced, “I know, believe you me, I know.”
“There have been whispers, regarding your disparagement of the Arkenstone.”
Thorin looked at his cousin sharply, “I am not ignorant concerning this matter, Dáin. Regardless, I stand by what I said; the gem has brought nothing but misfortune to Durinsfolk.”
“It is not my place to disagree with you, cousin, and I’m not sure that I do. Circumstances having been what they were… well. I only seek to advise you of the situation,” Dáin returned. “Now that the festivals and trial have been concluded, I must make for home. I have been away from the Iron Hills long enough, and I must leave before winter sets in fully and the passes are blocked with snow.”
Thorin had been expecting this; a year was a long time to be parted from one’s family, “When will you leave?”
“On the seventh,” Dáin revealed. “In three days’ time.”
“You shall miss the Gwivashazdînmerag,” Thorin noted.
Dáin nodded, “Yes, but to delay another week could be costly.”
“You shall be missed,” Thorin said. “But I do understand.”
“Thank you,” Dáin laid the final section of the trade agreements down, “Everything appears to be in order.” He stood and stretched, “With your leave, I do believe I shall wander down to the kitchens to fetch some of that marvelous oak cake that the Princess taught the cooks to make. I think, perhaps, that I shall miss it the most when I depart.”
Thorin snorted in amusement, “Enjoy your sweets, cousin.”
“I shall,” Dáin called out merrily as he exited.
Thorin was not alone for long though, as Fíli traipsed into his study a few minutes later, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
“Yes,” Thorin declared before his nephew could start rambling.
Fíli blinked, “What?”
“Yes, you have my permission to court the Princess Sigrid,” Thorin told him.
“How in Mahal’s name did you know that I was going to ask that?” Fíli demanded.
“You are not nearly as adept at hiding things from me as you seem to think that you are,” Thorin retorted bluntly.
Fíli opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, “I worried that you might not approve because… because of how a marriage to her would affect the line of succession.”
“You are my heir, Fíli,” Thorin said gently, “As your son shall be yours, whether or not he has the blood of Men in his veins.”
“Thank you, Idad,” Fíli murmured, his voice thick with gratitude and relief.
“You are welcome, my sister-son,” Thorin spoke.
Fíli cleared his throat, “Your scruff is thicker.”
“Bella asked me to cease shaving it,” Thorin explained with a shrug. “She told me that my inability to forgive myself was depressing her and that if I hadn’t managed to do so by the time my beard had grown to a proper length that she was going to seek professional help for my melodrama and angst.”
Fíli laughed freely, “Well, you have to admit, she does have a point.”
“Go make sure your brother isn’t causing a riot of some sort,” Thorin mock-growled. “He’s good at that.”
“You’re never going to let that go are you?” Fíli questioned, “He was only twenty.”
“And yet he still managed to incite an entire town of Men into a frenzied rebellion against their mayor,” Thorin stated wryly. “I’m going to ensure his grandchildren know that story.”
************************************************************************
One of the reasons why Nori had suggested that Dori select a location in the Southern Quarter of Erebor’s Royal Bazaar for the Silver Raven was that all of the buildings in said section were connected by a series of secret tunnels running above, beneath, and in between them. Only members of the Company knew about their existence, or about any of the other secret shafts that made Nori’s job much easier than it could have been otherwise. The other Shadow Shields, all three of them, (Nori had issues with trust, obviously), were not permitted to know about the passageways and they operated on a vastly different level than Nori did.
The Lords and Ladies of the Lower Council would probably be horrified to learn how little privacy they actually had; not that Nori much cared about that, as privacy was a privilege that they had yet to earn. Some of them, Nori had already determined, never would. The Royal Wing was full of secret passages too, but not the kind that would allow Nori to hear through the walls.
When Nori had learned that his little sister had decided to name Lací, daughter of Gudmun, as her first Lady-in-Waiting, he had spent hours following the Dwarrowdam around to ensure that she would be no threat to Bella. Her kindness had impressed Nori, though he would have to keep an eye on her tendency to think the best of everyone until she had no choice not to. It could get her into trouble otherwise. Regardless, she would be a good friend to Bella and Bella’s choice would also, inadvertently, garner the approval of many on the Lower Council as the Lord Gudmun was quite a popular Dwarf. Lucí, with her enthusiasm and her total disregard for the archetypal viewpoints that Dwarrow as a whole held regarding Elves, would also be a good match for Tauriel.
Bella had arranged to meet Lací at the teahouse to discuss the matter because the Dwarrowdam would not be allowed within the Royal Wing until she accepted the position of Lady-in-Waiting. Nori and Bofur had concealed themselves in the narrow passage, though it was more of a crawlspace, really, above the shop, where they could witness everything, while Fíli and Dori provided a visible presence inside the Silver Raven. Fíli, because he was Bella’s eldest brother and being there was both his right and his duty, and Dori, because he was the one providing the tea. Nori and Bofur shared the opinion that bad things always happened to their sister when she was out of their sight, and history would back up that belief, and so they had decided to watch the exchange.
Bofur was not as sure about Lací as Nori was, but then Bofur was wary of all strangers who wished to get to know their sister. Bofur would be amiable and warm to everyone he met, unless they showed more than a passing interest in Bella or Nori or any other member of the Company, at which point the good-natured demeanor that he was known for morphed into cool apathy at best. Such was the jealous nature of many Dwarrow when it came to cherished loved ones. Protocol demanded that Bella had to have ladies-in-waiting, but that did not mean that her brothers necessarily had to like it.
“Bella,” Lací greeted warmly as she entered the Silver Raven. She caught sight of Fíli and Dori and curtsied respectfully to both of them, “Your Highness. Lord Dori.”
“Lady Lací,” Fíli inclined his head toward her.
“Welcome,” Dori said cordially, “The tea will be ready in just a moment.”
“Hello, Lací,” Bella grinned, taking one of Lací’s hands and guiding her toward a table. “I love your necklace. It is another kind of sea creature, yes?”
“A dolphin,” Lací revealed, taking a seat only after Bella had done the same. “It was so lovely of you to invite me to tea.”
“I wished to say ‘thank you’,” Bella explained, “For identifying the Dwarrow who attempted to harm our King.”
“There is no need at all to thank me, Bella, for my honor demanded no less of me,” Lací insisted, as Dori placed a steaming cup of cherry vanilla tea before her. “Although, I have found myself wishing that you will never scare me like that again. I do not know what miracle saved you from that arrow, but I would not like it to be tested for a second time.”
It was generally inferred, and rightly so, that Bella had to have been wearing protection of some kind which had helped to save her when she dove between the King and the projectile meant to kill him, but few, especially when it came to non-Dwarves, would guess that her armor had been painstakingly laced with something so precious as diamonds, over a thousand of them, in fact. Because of this and the spread knowledge of just how much force that the arrow’s strike had possessed, it had been assumed by many that some higher power had stepped in to keep the Sunrise Princess from coming to harm. When Nori considered how unnaturally fast the bruise on his sister’s shoulder had faded, he wondered too.
“I was kept safe by diamond armor, crafted by the King,” Bella divulged, adding honey and cream to her own tea, “Which I wear under all of my dresses. When I’m not in a dress, such as right now, I wear armor made of mithril, also made by the King, though when he was much younger. He told me when he gave it to me that a part of him just seemed to know that his One would be small in stature.”
“That is a comfort to me,” Lací returned tentatively, “But, sharing that knowledge with others may not be prudent, Bella.”
Nori liked her even more at that.
‘She’s got common sense, at least,’ Bofur signed in swift Iglishmêk in the dim light of the tunnel.
“Oh, I know,” Bella assured Lací in a wry tone of voice, “I’ve been lectured, at length, about this very topic. But I trust you and because I trust you, my eldest brother has something that he would like to ask you, since I can’t do it myself, apparently.”
“Lady Lací, daughter of Gudmun,” Fíli began in a stiff, formal voice, only to alter his tone to something a bit more pleasant when Bella kicked him lightly in the shin, “My sister has expressed her desire to name you as her Chief Lady-in-Waiting if you are willing.”
“It would be a most profound honor to serve the Princess in such a way,” Lací responded, a bit of shock coloring her voice.
Bella smile became a truly radiant thing, like sunshine bursting through clouds, “I was told that it is customary to provide you with a gift to welcome you into the service of the Royal Family. As per tradition, my eldest brother made you this.”
Bella slid a small object wrapped in butter yellow silk over to Lací, who accepted it graciously. Lací unwrapped it and gasped, “Oh, they’re beautiful.”
They were beautiful, the ear cuffs that Fíli had crafted. Gold with tiny suns, roses, and leaves of yellow, red, and green crystal, they were a symbol that Lací’s fealty would from now on be, first and foremost, to Bella, even before that which she owed the King. It was an ancient custom, designed to safeguard the women of the Royal Family lest the King’s mind was turned against them, either through magic or gold lust or simple caprice.
Lací fixed the ornaments into place and then rose from her chair and moved to kneel before Bella, “With Mahal as my witness, I do pledge my loyalty and friendship to you, Your Highness, for all the years of my life.”
Bella pulled Lací up into a tight hug, murmuring in lilted Greentongue, “Trwy ras y wraig gwyrdd, efallai y byddwn bob amser fod yn ffrindiau.”
Nori understood enough Greentongue to know that Bella’s words were some sort of blessing.
There was a knock at the door of the Silver Raven, making Nori tense up. It swung open to reveal Balin, who looked both apologetic and a bit apprehensive, which was not a combination that Nori liked to see upon the other’s countenance.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Balin spoke up, “Although, I see you’re about finished, which is wonderful. Rangers have arrived at the Mekhêmel and have requested to speak to you, Namaduh. Apparently, they bring news for you from the Shire.”
Well, damn.
************************************************************************
Only once the Rangers had been properly thanked for their service and sent on their way back to Dale, (Thorin had offered the Men accommodations and sustenance, of course, but they had respectfully declined), did Thorin get the chance to seek Bella out. He had not missed the hesitance in her movements as she had accepted the letter they had carried from the Shire, nor had the trepidation in her countenance, as she had gazed upon the small, red oak chest that the Rangers had presented to her, escaped his notice.
He found her in her study, an oval frame clutched in her hands as she stared at the picture it held. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, making her eyes seem fuller and brighter. The chest was ajar at her feet and the letter lay, opened, upon her desk.
“Ghivashel?” Thorin questioned gently.
“I thought that I’d never see these things again,” Bella admitted in a rough whisper, “I didn’t dare to hope…”
“The letter contained good news then?”
“Good and bad,” Bella cleared her throat. “Half of it was exactly what I expected it to be, but the other half of it contained things that I never would have anticipated. You can read it, if you like.”
Thorin picked up the letter without pause and began to read.
Dear Bella,
I am well aware that, given the circumstances of our estranged relationship, you probably have no desire at all to hear from me. I could not in good conscience, however, leave these words unstated, or unwritten, as the case must be.
News of your deeds in the east and south has reached the Shire; the Rangers have spread the knowledge of the Dark Lord’s defeat and the demise of the Fire Drake, as well as the pivotal roles you played in both of these astonishing affairs, far and wide across Eriador and, at least I suspect, the rest of Arda as well. Thank you, dear cousin, for your bravery and selflessness. Thank you, for saving us all from calamity.
I wish I could tell you that the rest of the Shire is as grateful as I am, that you would be welcomed as a hero should you ever choose to return to your homeland, but this would not be true and could, in fact, be devastating to you.
Your uncle, the Thain, is immeasurably furious with you, Bella, and has issued a warrant for your arrest should you set foot in the Shire or even tread near its borders. He has already signed the order for your execution as well, an act that has the support of the majority. They have been convinced, you see, that your actions, however noble, have placed our people in grave danger from outsiders. Your uncle insists that you have called far too much attention to Hobbits and so must pay the price for ‘your boldness and immodesty’, which are his words, not mine. He’s also convinced everyone that you’ve eloped with one of the dwarves you so ‘scandalously’ ran off with and have violated both the sanctity of our laws and committed the ‘most profane sacrilege against the Green Lady’.
I must hope that you are as safe with the Dwarrow you have claimed as your kin as the Rangers have assured me you are, because to return to the Shire would mean your death, cousin. I cannot imagine that the Thain would risk drawing more attention to our people, the very crime he has judged you guilty of, by sending anyone to try to force you back here, so I believe it is safe to say that you shall be safe from his lunacy as long as you keep your distance, as disheartening as that may seem.
I cannot express fully how deeply ashamed I am, both by our people’s appalling behavior in the present, there is no excuse for their disdain and cruelty, and because I have had to come to terms with the indisputable fact that their past callousness, and my own, drove you to desperately seek family and love and home with another race. The Rangers have assured me that Erebor is grand and beautiful, but all I can think of is how cold it must be to live in a Mountain where winters are harsh and food does not grow as it ought, to be so far removed from the green growth and blooming life that Hobbits need to thrive. I shall not dare to beg your forgiveness, but I do offer you my most sincere apologies and regrets. I am so sorry for how deplorably I treated you, Bella Mira, for ever acting as if you were less than perfect the way you are. We were such close friends as fauntlings and I spurned that friendship for the sake of respectability, which is an ephemeral thing and, I have discovered, not worth much at all when compared to love.
Not everyone in the Shire believes as Isumbras Took does, I hope that shall be a comfort to you, if nothing else in this letter is. Your loyal neighbors, the Gamgees, wish for me to thank you. It was they who managed to secretly procure your parents’ portraits and your mother’s silver, ring, and glory box for you; they are sorry that they could rescue nothing else, but at least you may know that Lobelia was livid about the theft of the silver. My fiancé, your cousin, Primula Brandybuck, as well as your cousins, Esmeralda and Paladin, are also firmly on your side.
May your heart ever be full of inextinguishable light and golden laughter and indomitable love. May your spirit ever sing of freedom and joy. May the green earth of our Mother ever provide. May Yavanna ever be with you, in good times and bad.
Stay safe, Cousin,
Drogo Baggins
“The things they sent you,” Thorin spoke, carefully keeping his anger in check, “They belonged to your mother?”
“Yes,” Bella replied softly and nodded toward the chest. “This was my mother’s glory box. She kept my baby clothes and her wedding dress in it. The Gamgees managed to smuggle my mother’s silverware, her wedding ring, and my parent’s portraits into it as well. I wish I had a way of thanking them, but I do not dare send a letter, lest I get them into serious trouble with my uncle.”
“They took your home from you,” Thorin stated and he knew at once that he had not managed to conceal his fury from her this time.
Bella looked up at him, “They took Bag End, yes, but you are my home, Thorin, and they could never take you from me. They have neither the means nor the fortitude to even attempt such a thing.”
By Mahal, it was very difficult to sustain his righteous wrath when his beloved said such things to him.
“They had no right,” Thorin maintained.
“Perhaps not,” Bella shrugged, setting the portrait carefully on her desk. Bella looked very much like her mother, Thorin noted, except for the coloring of her hair and eyes, “But they are half a world away and there is not much that you or I can do about it, short of declaring war. Which you may not do, by the way.”
Thorin wisely decided not to mention that he had, in fact, been considering it. “You have given up so much, Sanâzyung.”
“I have gained far more than I have sacrificed,” Bella countered. “I have a family who loves me and I have you. You, my brothers, my sister, and my friends are worth so much more than the trinkets that I had to leave behind in the Shire.”
“You forsook all that you knew,” Thorin rejoined sotto voce.
“And I have never regretted it,” Bella declared firmly, reaching out to gently tweak his betrothal braid in affection.
“Not even when I was being an arrogant sod?” Thorin wondered.
Bella smiled at him, “Not even then.”
“I would give you the world,” Thorin told her, pulling her close, “If you wished it.”
“There is only one thing I desire at the moment,” Bella announced as she melted against him, weaving her arms around his neck.
“What is that?” Thorin asked.
“For you to make love to me,” Bella responded.
Thorin’s eyes widened a bit in surprise, “Are you sure?”
They had rushed into sex the first time, spurred to be so intimate by the looming threat of the dragon. They had not even been courting when Thorin had originally taken Bella into his bed. It had been wonderful, Bella had ruined him for anyone else ever again, but their hastiness had led to an unintended consequence. But then, what was history but a series of unintended consequences?
They had meant to reassure each other of their love with the intercourse, but had instead used sex as a mere outlet for their fears and frustrations. They had used it as an alternative to talking, with disastrous results. It had not bonded their souls, as it was meant to bind couples together; rather, it had been their only means of communication. The lack of true, meaningful connection had led to doubt… and doubt had left Thorin’s mind susceptible to the illness of his forefathers.
Thorin had resigned himself to waiting, though for how long he would be waiting he had not been sure. He had been the one to initiate the intimacy before and he had gotten it very, very wrong so it seemed only right that it be Bella’s decision this time.
Bella raised an eyebrow at him, “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t, dear heart. This isn’t because of these things,” and she gestured at the chest, “Or the letter. I want to be One with you.”
Thorin smiled and lifted Bella into his arms in a swift and dramatic sweeping motion, making her giggle in delight, and carried her into her bedchamber over to the bed, “As you wish, Kurdûh.”
************************************************************************
The aftermath was like this: their limbs entangled, the sheets twisted around their bodies, and Bella idly running her fingers through Thorin’s chest hair, both of them utterly sated and completely at peace. Everything was as it should have been all along, their souls singing in harmony.
And then Bella’s left wrist was accosted by a sudden, powerful heat that made her gasp and sit up.
“Bella?” Thorin questioned in alarm, “What’s wrong.”
Bella didn’t reply, too caught up in watching as a beautiful wreath of leaves and flowers appeared on her skin, glittering in a way that ink simply did not.
“What is that?” Thorin demanded.
“It… it hasn’t happened since the earliest days of the Settling, the last time was right after the Shire was founded,” Bella murmured, touching the mark on her wrist lightly, reverently, before tracing the edges of the tiny, shimmering green oak leaves and miniature, sparkling crimson roses that made up the wreath in wonder.
“What hasn’t happened?” Thorin asked, his voice laced with real concern. Bella could hardly blame him for his worry; after all, it was not everyday that one witnessed the pale skin of their betrothed’s wrist suddenly become so altered.
“Did you know anything about Hobbit lore and magic before you met me?” Bella questioned. “Rumors that perhaps you dismissed as fanciful?”
“I had heard a few tales,” Thorin responded slowly. “Though I did not believe most of them, there have always been whispers concerning the connection that Hobbits have to the magic of the earth, stories of how the association went beyond a simple penchant for growing things and was more of an affinity.”
“Hobbits do have magic,” Bella revealed. “We pour our spirits into the earth simply by moving upon it; that is why our lands are so fertile, why we have never feared not having an abundance of food. The Shire is the single most fruitful place in Arda for this reason.”
“Thranduil remarked to me,” Thorin told her thoughtfully, “That he was surprised by how quickly the land around the Mountain was healing; he had believed that it would take much longer to recover when he looked upon it during the summit in Dale. You’re healing Erebor, just by being here.”
“Maybe,” Bella blinked in surprise, “Though it’s rare for a single Hobbit to have such a great impact on the earth.”
“You cannot claim that you are not the most singularly inimitable Hobbit to have ever lived, Ghivashel,” Thorin remarked.
Bella felt herself blush, felt her cheeks and ears heating up, “Were there any stories in particular about Hobbits that caught your attention?”
“I always enjoyed the myth that Hobbits can grow their children in cabbage patches if they so desire,” Thorin related in a dry tone.
“Oh for the love of Yavanna,” Bella sighed, “It happened in a cabbage patch once.”
Thorin inhaled sharply, “Bella, are you telling me that the legends about such things are true?”
“Partly, at least,” Bella admitted. “It is not a choice, though, as we can only create fauntlings in such a manner with the blessing of the Green Lady. It has been hundreds of years since the last time, as I said, but there have been many occasions in Hobbit history in which our Mother induced one of her sons or daughters, with the help of his or her spouse, to grow a child in the way that she used to first bring Hobbits into Arda.”
“The first Hobbits were grown?” Thorin inquired.
“Yes,” Bella nodded, “Deep in the heart of what is now known as the Fangorn Forest, did the first fifteen Hobbits spring from the earth at the will of our Mother. It was there that the first seven couples and the Heartbridge were taught the secrets of the earth, protected by the Ents and the Fae as they grew and learned. The first seven families, the Tooks, the Brandybucks, the Bagginses, the Proudfoots, the Bolgers, the Underhills, and the Hornblowers, were given the tasks of multiplying and spreading out across Arda. The first task my people have fulfilled admirably; the second, however, was eventually deemed too dangerous and so the Shire came to be settled.”
“Why was the fifteenth Hobbit called the ‘Heartbridge’?” Thorin wanted to know.
“That knowledge has been lost to time, but, considering what we have recently discovered about Durin and his Queen…” Bella trailed off meaningfully.
“Ah,” Thorin understood. His eyes widened then and he gasped out in realization, “The mark on your wrist…”
“Is the Mark of Yavanna Kementári,” Bella confirmed. “It means that, when the time is right, I shall be able to weave a tiny part of your soul and mine into a Soulseed and then we will be able to plant it. The seed shall eventually blossom into a child or children.”
“By Mahal,” Thorin breathed. “When the time is right?”
“Do you wish to explain to your sister that we purposely had children before we were married?” Bella said pointedly. “Also, I can hardly explain it, but it doesn’t feel safe to grow a child until the White Wizard has been defeated. There is something screaming in my soul to wait.”
“I… I think that I can feel it too,” Thorin revealed.
“I want you to promise me that Fíli will remain your Heir,” Bella requested, “Even if we have a son.”
“Of course he will,” Thorin assured. “What do you mean if we have a son?”
“I’m well aware that the Dwarven gender ratio is skewed,” Bella replied, “But Hobbits do not have that problem.”
“If we are blessed with a daughter,” Thorin murmured, “I hope that she looks just like you.”
“You are a hopeless sap,” Bella sighed, “And I love you so terribly much.”
“You are my heart and soul and spirit,” Thorin rejoined, “My perfect match in every way and I shall love you until the very end of time, my Bella.”
“Till the end of time,” Bella smiled at him, blissfully happy, “And beyond.”
************************************************************************
Translations
- Ghivashel – Treasure of all Treasures; Beloved
- Sanâzyung – Perfect Love
- Kurdûh – My Heart
- Adad – Father
- Amad – Mother
- Idad – Uncle
- Imad – Aunt
- Namad – Sister
- Namadith – Little Sister
- Namaduh – My Sister
- Nadad – Brother
- Nadadith – Little Brother
- Gwivashazdînmerag – Harvest Festival
- Trwy ras y wraig gwyrdd, efallai y byddwn bob amser fod yn ffrindiau – By the grace of the Green Lady, may we always be friends (Greentongue)
- Mekhêmel – Great Gates
THE END