Chapter Text
Chapter Two
Her brothers kept Bella firmly ensconced in the center of their group as they made their way through the halls of Erebor. They passed numerous other dwarves on their walk, but although Bella heard them, she did not see them, nor did they catch even a peek of her, as surrounded as she was by the Company. She had not even been glimpsed by the pair of dwarves that Fíli had ordered to carry her chests to her room. In other circumstances, this would have bothered her, but today she was grateful as she did not particularly wish to be peered at by those she did not know as if she were some sort of carnival attraction.
By ascending several steep flights of stairs, the group quickly reached halls that were far less populated and then finally stopped near the end of these. Bella thought that she must be very deep within the Mountain at this point. Her brothers parted to reveal a set of doors that made Bella gape.
“Um…”
“Your rooms, Namad,” Fíli explained with a wide grin.
The doors were heavily arched and every single bit of their surface was covered in emeralds. Big emeralds and little emeralds, set across the doors in a gorgeous swirling pattern. Even the doorknobs were two large, round emeralds that sparkled in the light coming from all the torches lining the hallway.
“It looks like…”
Bag End. The doors had been crafted to resemble Bag End’s unique, at least in Hobbiton, green door, but with a dwarven flair. A perfect mesh of two distinct cultures that made Bella’s heart warm.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You haven’t even seen the inside,” Kíli replied cheerfully.
Bella bit her lip, “Are you sure that Thorin-”
“Uncle gave us leave to decorate your suite however we saw fit,” Fíli answered, before twisting the doorknobs and pushing, swinging the gem-laden doors wide open for her.
Bella was greeted by what was obviously a sitting room, one large enough to fit the whole Company, and a few others besides, quite comfortably. It was bedecked in a color scheme of purples and creams. The floor, walls, and furniture were made of light-toned oak and there was a great fireplace of ivory-hued stone and amethysts against one wall. Above it hung what was clearly meant to be a shield, (its reddish-gold tint was perplexing for a moment, until Bella realized that it had been crafted out of one of Smaug’s gigantic scales), and to either side of this were small paintings, one depicting the Shire and the other portraying Erebor. More amethysts were embedded into the ceiling in clusters meant to invoke flowers and the tea set sitting upon a low table, amidst a cluster of plush chairs, was also encrusted with the gems.
Both Hobbitish and Dwarven. Bella was beginning to sense a theme here.
“Oh, it’s so lovely,” Bella praised after taking it all in, “How on earth did you manage to get all of this done in just three days?”
“We’ve been working on it since right after the Battle, Bél,” Fíli revealed, “We… at first we thought that you had died during it, because no one could find you, not even Gandalf at first, and then when the Wizard disappeared on us too… none of us ever dreamed that you were headed to Mordor.”
Bella stared at him in horror, “You thought… but… Dáin didn’t tell you?”
Every single one of Bella’s brothers turned to her in confusion.
“I… I spoke to Dáin when I came to the encampment to check on all of you. He sent me away… he said that you didn’t want to see me,” Bella told them, “So I went back to Dale and… well, I got angry and threw the Ring into a nearby fire. It was the only gold around and I wanted… well, the wretched thing began to glow so I took it back out. Once I read the inscription, I knew what it was and I knew that I had to destroy it. I left for Caras Galadhon, in Lothlórien, that very hour.”
Kíli swore viciously in Khuzdûl, and then spoke in Westron, “I’m going to eviscerate that bastard!”
“He didn’t say a word to us, lassie,” Dwalin said, “And we weren’t angry with you, we were never angry.”
Tears welled up in Bella’s eyes, “When did you find out that I wasn’t dead?”
“The day that word reached the Mountain that Mount Doom had erupted due to the destruction of Sauron’s Ring,” Balin answered, “We were overjoyed at the news, though heartsick at the thought of you facing such peril without us by your side, and very, very proud.”
Bella’s smile was watery, “I missed you all so much, every minute. I left my heart here when I went South.”
“We’re all together now,” Fíli swore, “And this family is never going to be torn asunder again, Namad.”
“Aye!” the rest of them chorused resolutely.
Bella wanted so badly to believe them.
“Let’s finish showing Bella around,” Bofur said after a moment, “We’ve only scratched the surface, so to speak.”
There were two doorways on the right wall, one door was covered in a dwarven pattern of red and brown jasper and the second had copper swirls running through the wood. It was through the latter, the one closer to her suite’s entrance, that Bella was led first, right into a large kitchen.
White marble floors and countertops were expertly paired with cabinets and cupboards and drawers of Linden wood. Shining copper cookware hung from strong dwarfish hooks in the ceiling. The cabinets held heavy silver dishes and the drawers contained ornate silverware.
“The pantry’s not stocked yet, nor the cold box,” Bombur said, “Because I figured you’d prefer to do that yourself, but I did stock the tea cabinet with all your favorite blends, sugar, and some of Beorn’s honey.”
“Thank you, Bombur.”
Through the other door was a study, which was also clearly meant to double as a personal library, as all of the walls were, in fact, bookshelves. The flooring in here was carpet, the first Bella had seen in the Mountain, and was dark gold in color.
Carved into the thick, dark-oaken bookshelves were all manner of forest creatures. From bears to eagles to bunnies, with the occasional fairy or two thrown around, all had tiny jade eyes. The shelves were mostly empty, although about three dozen books lay waiting for her, courtesy of Ori no doubt, on her desk, which had engraved wildflowers around the edges and down the legs.
“Look here,” Kíli waved her over to one of the bookcases that housed a lone tome upon its shelves. Kíli reached up and gave the book a firm yank. To Bella’s amazement, the bookcase swung open, revealing a dimly lit passage.
“It leads to the study that Kee and I share,” Fíli explained, “In case you ever need us and don’t want to deal with the guards. Everyone else has suites in the Royal Wing too, so we’ll all always be near.”
Bella was more relived than she cared to admit.
Bella was next led through a door shrouded in pink and orange gems that she had no name for, although she could tell that they had been arranged to look like lilies.
Her bedroom was shades of Durin blue matched with ebony furniture. The carpet was silver and thicker than that in her study. There were no gemstones in here; the walls were covered in silver stamped pictures of trees, oaks and maples, a shimmering forest. There was a second fireplace, of black stone mixed with silver. The chests given to her by Aragorn were already beside the canopy bed, so Bella set her pack down next to them.
Glóin walked over to the headboard, which also had three silver trees set upon it, and pressed in on the largest one. There was a click and the headboard lifted up to reveal a small crossbow and a dozen bolts.
“Just in case,” he said.
In the corner of her sleeping chamber, was an exquisitely crafted loom of Sugar Maple wood. It was large and looked heavy and had a curved bench attached to it for Bella to sit on, a difference from the loom she had owned in the Shire.
“Bif created the base,” Bofur said as Bella admired it, “And I did the rest.”
“It’s wonderful. I haven’t been able to weave in so long,” Bella replied, “Thank you very much.”
“Anything for you, Bells,” Bofur winked.
Bifur signed a quick, ‘You’re welcome, sister’, in Iglishmêk.
The connecting bathroom sported a floor of black granite, with veins of gold running through it, which had been so heavily polished that it was almost like a mirror. The actual mirror ran the length of one entire wall and was embellished with braided gold and blood-red rubies. The rest of furnishings, including the in-ground, oversized bathtub, were crafted of gold and encrusted with more rubies. There was an armoire with sides of clear crystal that held a wide variety of soaps, perfumes, and bathing oils. The towels were found in the cabinets under the sink and had been woven from spider-silk. They were the softest towels that Bella had ever felt.
Also accessed from the bedroom was a large, empty walk-in closet. Bella hung up her traveling cloak, a gift from the Lady Galadriel, carefully inside it.
“This is all so absolutely perfect,” Bella told her brothers a minute later, “And far more than I deserve.”
“Nonsense, you deserve the best of the best and that is what you shall receive. Let me take your measurements, my dear,” Dori pulled a strip of blue leather, marked with black thread every half-inch, out of his pocket, “You’ll be needing a full wardrobe and I doubt that you’ve managed to stuff one of those into your little pack.”
“No,” Bella admitted, “There has been no time to acquire one. I’ve been on the move since the day following Aragorn’s coronation. I didn’t know where I was going to end up, because no one bothered to tell me, but I figured that I would commission one once I got wherever I was going.”
“There’s no need for that,” Dori replied, “I’ll take care of it right. The few tailors that have arrived have very little work to occupy them right now, so this order should be complete in only a couple of days.”
“I have money, Dori,” Bella said, “I can-”
“As your brother it is my right to see that you’re taken care of,” Dori interrupted firmly, but not unkindly, “Allow me to do this, sister.”
“I’m going to get lots of dresses, aren’t I?”
“For the formal dinners four times a week in the Great Dining Hall, yes, and you’ll need a handful of gowns for balls and festivals and the like as well,” Dori agreed, “But for everyday, you are more than welcome to wear trousers.”
“It’ll likely cause a bit of a scandal amongst the more traditional,” Balin spoke up, “But you saved all of Arda, so I do believe that you are more than entitled to cause a few scandals.”
“Those old farts could use some shaking up anyway,” Nori added with a grin.
“Language, brother,” Dori chided.
“You’re wearing boots,” Ori pointed out hesitantly, as if unsure whether or not he should bring the topic up, “I thought that you hated shoes.”
“I broke my ankle in Mordor,” Bella explained, lifting her right leg slightly, “It’s mostly healed now, but I still have to rewrap it every morning and the boots help keep the bandage in place all day. It was rather ridiculous really; I managed to get all the way through Mordor and destroyed the Ring without injury and then I slipped on a patch of loose gravel while running back down the slopes of Mount Doom.”
“I’ll commission some nicer boots for you,” Dori decided, eyeing Bella’s man-made shoes with the disdain of someone who could craft something far better in his sleep.
“If anyone has anything negative to say to you,” Fíli insisted then, “You come to me immediately, Namad. I won’t have people speaking ill of you in this kingdom.”
Bella nodded her head in agreement. She knew better than to argue about this. If her brothers had any reason to believe that Bella wouldn’t come to them if she had been insulted or threatened, they’d just knot bells in her hair so that they could follow her around everywhere.
“You haven’t put much weight back on, Bella,” Dori said in disapproval as he took her waist measurements, “You’re as thin as you were in Laketown.”
“The Ring… it did a lot of damage,” Bella admitted, “I was worse than this a month ago. I can’t… feel hunger anymore. The Lord Elrond said that this side effect of carrying the Ring would eventually fade away, but I usually forget to eat unless I’m reminded. It drove Gandalf up a wall, as you can probably imagine.”
“We’ll remind you,” Kíli responded with a seriousness she rarely saw from him, “Dinners are taken in the Great Dining Hall or in the dining room here in the Royal Wing, either way we always eat together for dinner and breakfast too. You’ll never be alone for lunches, which we usually take wherever we wish to. We could even go on picnics if you like, once spring returns.”
“I’d like that,” Bella said softly.
“I’ll set up a diet plan,” Bombur declared, not a trace of his usual shyness present, “You’ll need to monitor your food intake for a while so that you don’t make yourself sick. I’ll have my cooks add lots of vegetables to the menus. I’ll go make you some soup for lunch, something hearty, and brew some of that raspberry tea you love so much.”
“Do you have a dress with you?” Balin asked as Bombur marched off, “We won’t have a formal dinner until Monday, so the tailors will have time enough to make you garb for it, but you’ll need one for after lunch.”
“Why?” Bella wondered curiously.
“The presentation, lass,” Balin revealed, “You have to announce yourself to the King in the Throne Room during today’s Court Session.”
Bella was sorry that she asked.
“Oh,” she answered weakly, “Right, I probably should have expected that.”
“I’ll be with you the entire time,” Fíli reassured immediately, “We’ll walk together and I’ll present you to Thorin, as my sister who has come to stay in Erebor. All you have to do is smile and say, ‘Thank you, Your Majesty’, when he welcomes you. After that we can come back here and can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you like.”
Bella nodded, “I brought a dress with me from Gondor, but I don’t think that wearing it to be presented to Thorin is a good idea.”
“Why?” Glóin wanted to know.
“I’ll show you,” Bella went over to her pack and retrieved the dress she spoke of from her pack. She carried it back to them and held it up so that they could all see it.
“Oh,” Óin said, “Yeah, definitely don’t try wearing that.”
“It’s… um… very elfish,” Bofur offered.
“It was made by elves,” Bella illuminated for them, “For Aragorn’s coronation at Arwen’s request.”
It was a thing of beauty, the gown, all sparkly and a rich silver-grey in color. But Bella could hardly wear it before the King Under the Mountain. Thorin would take one look at the clearly elven dress and throw her back out of Erebor.
“If Thranduil ever comes to visit,” Balin said wryly, “Then wearing this dress would be a good idea, but until that day comes, I suggest keeping it in your closet, lass.”
“You have your dress that was made in Laketown,” Bofur proposed, “You never got the chance to wear it and it’s certainly appropriate to wear for a presentation. It’s in the ebony chest by the foot of your bed.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant!” Bella beamed at him, “I’ll do that.”
This solution seemed to make the others very pleased as well. Bella did not have the time to ponder too much on why before Kíli asked, “So, what did you do to make Thranduil like you so much? Because, as far as anybody else knows, he hates pretty much everyone who’s not an elf and even then it’s a toss-up.”
Bella wrinkled her nose, “It’s all Aragorn’s fault. He just had to pull that stunt at his coronation, and then Elrond and Galadriel just had to feed into his insanity by coming up with the title, Aurrîs, which roughly translated means, the Sunrise Princess. Thranduil, in all his wisdom, decided that he couldn’t be outdone by a Lord, a Lady, and a King of Men, and declared himself my Amath, my Shield.”
Balin whistled lowly, “That is remarkable, indeed. An Elf does not declare such often, and to my knowledge, Thranduil never has before.”
“It rendered even Gandalf speechless for a few minutes,” Bella shrugged, “I suppose that Thranduil decided that hating me, when he had to protect me at all costs due to his oath, wasn’t worth the effort. He had his pet elk follow me around the entire time I was in his kingdom, you know, it got a bit creepy toward the end.”
Bombur returned soon after, with a large tureen of thick venison and mushroom soup. Behind him was a pair of similar looking dwarrowdams with light brown hair and whiskers braided intricately. One carried a large tea service; the other was bearing a platter of cheese scones.
The dwarrowdams, introduced as Arnura and Arníra, nodded respectfully at the Company and Bella before leaving.
“They’re members of my Guard,” Dwalin explained to Bella, as they dined in her sitting room, using her new dishes, “Two of my best and most trusted. They’re tasked with guarding the Royal Wing.”
“Bella,” Fíli said, “Until the caravans from the Blue Mountains begin arriving, wandering alone in the Mountain could be very dangerous. Although we don’t intend to ever leave you on your own, and have taken steps to ensure that we don’t have to, if there’s ever an emergency, go to Arnura and Arníra, just so that you’re not alone.”
Bella’s first instinct was to argue, but then she noticed how tense Fíli was. Was the situation in the Mountain really that dire? Were her brothers in danger? Was Thorin?
Remnants of the nightmare that spurred her into coming back to the Mountain swirled up in her mind’s eye. Bella suppressed them ruthlessly, conceding, “Alright.”
Her brothers looked reasonably surprised and relieved by her swift yield to Fee’s request.
“But if you think that I’m going to hide away in here while you all are off doing something dangerous then you’ve got another thing coming. I’ll find the guards and then I’m coming after you.”
They looked significantly less relieved, but also distinctly unsurprised.
Lunch came to an end and Glóin urged, “We’ll take care of the washin’ up. You go take a nice soak; you’ve got about an hour before the presentations start today.”
Bella scampered off to her bathroom to do just that. With great determination, she scrubbed off every trace of the road, getting as clean as she could possibly be. She did not have to worry about the water becoming murky, for fresh water was constantly being pumped through from one of the many hot springs, diverted from its natural course through the Mountain via dwarven plumbing, and the dirtied water was flushed out continuously. Not even the elves had such ingenious systems.
After drying off with one of her divine new towels, Bella immediately put her bracelets back on and rewrapped her ankle. She carefully brushed out her strawberry-blonde curls and then made her way into her beautiful new bedroom.
She opened the ebony chest by her bed and was not surprised to find not only the dress but also all of the other gifts from her brothers that marked her as their sister. The layered purple satin dress, that came all the way down to floor, had sleeves that stopped just before her elbow, and was embroidered with silver, had been made for her by Dori, Nori, and Ori. The razor-sharp dagger, with its silver hilt and matching sheath, was from Balin and Dwalin. From Óin and Glóin, Bella had received the shiny belt made up of silver dwarven knots. Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur had presented her with a thin silver rope necklace with a tiny amethyst pendant dangling from it. All were covered in the three most dominant Khuzdûl protection runes, just like her bracelets.
Protected Sister. Protected Heart. Protected Soul.
Ori had let it slip months and months earlier, after the dragon had been reclaimed but before everything had gone completely pear-shaped with the Arkenstone, that, traditionally, the runes were supposed to go on the sides of the gift not typically seen by others. The underside of a bracelet or on the inside of a dress. Bella’s brothers had made the decision to break from convention because they believed that the runes’ visible for all to see presence would provide Bella with extra security. It had warmed Bella’s heart to learn this then, and the knowledge would now provide her with the strength and courage to face Thorin again.
The dress went on first, the belt was secured around her waist and the dagger tucked into it next, and then Bella placed the necklace around her neck.
She had just finished lacing her boots, which she was rather glad no one would be able to see, when there was a knock at her door and, after Bella gave her permission, Fíli entered the bedroom. He was carrying a small, square chest made of walnut, which had dwarven patterns carved into its top and sides, and a purple silken pouch.
“What are those?” Bella asked, curious.
“Gifts,” Fíli grinned, “You look beautiful, but I’ve come to fix your hair.”
“My hair’s hardly broken, Fee,” Bella replied.
“No, but it is a bit shorter than the last time you were here,” Fíli commented lightly.
Bella answered his unspoken question, “The ends of my hair got a bit singed in Mordor. I had to cut them away and it’s only now beginning to grow properly again. It’s about the length it was when I left the Shire.”
“Well, it’s still long enough to braid these in,” Fíli said, holding up the plum-colored sack.
Bella cupped her hands together and Fíli poured twelve silver, rounded beads into her palms. Each one had the name of one of her brothers embossed in Khuzdûl and also a pretty rune that she did not recognize.
“What’s this one?” Bella asked.
“Bél,” Fíli revealed, “Your name in our language.”
“Oh,” Bella’s eyes watered, “I would like very much to wear these, Fee.”
Fíli smile was soft and pleased, “Sit at your dressing table and I’ll braid your hair, Namad.”
It didn’t take very long. Fíli was quite adept at plaiting complicated patterns, like the one he was fashioning out of Bella’s hair, unlike Kíli, who, Bella had noted, still wore no braids in his hair. Which was actually a bit concerning considering…
“Why doesn’t Kíli have Tauriel’s bead in his hair?” Bella questioned as Fíli placed the last of her new beads in her plaited locks.
“Thorin forbid it,” Fíli replied, “Until we have more dwarrows that we can truly trust within the Mountain, Kíli and Tauriel cannot be seen as anything more than friends. The situation is tenuous right now. Fortunately, thanks to the bargain Thorin made with Aragorn, Amad will be here in about a month and a half with about two thousand of our people, and Dáin and his men will be able to return to the Iron Hills.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t just eloped.”
“They probably would have if… if we hadn’t all been mourning you,” Fíli admitted, “And after we discover that you were alive, they wanted you to be there when they married.”
“I’m sorry,” Bella repeated quietly.
“You’re not to blame,” Fíli tone brooked no argument, “Dáin, on the other hand, needs to watch his back.”
“Do try not to start a war,” Bella said.
Fíli smirked, “Well, you know that we dwarves are quite a hot-tempered lot. War may be unavoidable.”
Bella huffed at him, grudgingly amused.
“One more thing and you’ll be ready,” Fíli told her, retrieving the flat box that he had carried in earlier and passing it over to her.
Bella set it in her lap and then opened it, inhaling in surprise when she saw its contents, “Fíli, this is a…”
A tiara. An exquisitely forged diadem of twisted silver and amethyst was nestled against black velvet.
“Fee,” Bella murmured with a frown, “I can’t-”
“You can,” Fíli disagreed immediately, “You are a princess, Bél, amongst men and elves of Arda and even if you were not, you would still be a member of Erebor’s royal family because of Kee and I. It’s expected, Namad, for you to wear a crown of some sort at all formal occasions.”
“I was banished, Fíli.”
“That does not change that you are my sister. Even before Thorin recanted your banishment, you still would have been considered part of Erebor’s royal family, despite your exile, according to dwarven law. Harming you would have still been considered a high crime, punishable by death. Only the King… he’s the only one who would have been exempt from such.”
Thorin had struck her on the battlements, after Fíli and Kíli had stopped him from throwing her off of them. Bella could still feel his hand around her throat sometimes, choking her as he raised her up.
“Anyway,” Fíli continued, “Thorin has retracted your expulsion from the Mountain and thus has restored all of your rights to you, which includes your right to wear a diadem.”
Bella was still frowning, “I have to wear a crown to every formal event, including the dinners in the Great Dining Hall?”
“All of them,” Fíli confirmed.
“Very well,” Bella conceded with a sigh, “It’s not that the tiara’s not beautiful, because it is, immensely so, Nadad, but…”
“But you’re not used to things like this,” Fíli finished for her, “I know, Namad. Kee and I aren’t very used to them either and we’ve been princes all of our lives.”
“Did you and Kee make this?” Bella asked, lifting the delicate diadem out if its box.
“Kíli did the metalwork and I set the gems,” Fíli nodded, “We have several more almost finished, but we wanted to get this one completed first.”
“You made more than one?” Bella questioned incredulously.
Fíli gave her a bemused smile, “Of course we did. You can hardly wear this one every single time. I mean, Dori would happily have a hundred purple dresses made for you if you wished it, but I imagine that you’d eventually grow sick of the color, Bél.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Bella admitted.
Fíli took the tiara out of her hands and placed it atop her braided hair, “There, now let’s go get this spectacle over with.”
************************************************************************
As statements went, Balin acknowledged as he and the rest of Bella’s brothers took in her lovely appearance, it was hardly a subtle one.
Every inch of her person, from the beads in her hair to the embroidered hem of her vibrantly purple dress, declared her to be the beloved sister of Erebor’s High Lords and Heirs. The meaning of the protective runes she was covered in could not be misconstrued.
As Bella’s eldest brother, Fíli had been the one to braid her hair for the event, and the design he had chosen, well, not subtle indeed. Not all braids held meaning in dwarven culture, in fact, most were merely for decoration, but the plaits that Bella was sporting, they were the plaits that a Warrior Princess would traditionally wear upon her triumphant return home to her kin. A symbol of victory and bravery.
Balin doubted that Fíli had told Bella what her braids meant, likely to keep her from fighting him about them, because Bella’s sense of self-worth was abysmally low. Balin thought that Fíli had chosen well, regardless. Only the most foolish of dwarrows would be unable to comprehend the message that her attire and braids sent out to all.
I am a treasured member of Erebor’s Royal Family, a princess and a fighter; give me grief at your own peril.
Only the very, very stupid would even think to come after Bella following this demonstration.
Like the others, Balin very carefully pressed a kiss to Bella’s forehead to help steady her nerves. Time had not decreased Bella’s aversion to being the center of attention. Many times during the course of the Quest had Bella blushed and stammered whenever the eyes of the Company had fallen upon her. She had grown into her own amongst them, had gradually come to view their consideration of her as something to derive strength from, Balin knew, but her disdain for being under the scrutiny of strangers had not lessened. Balin then entered the Throne Room, along with the rest of the Company, to await her and Fíli’s entrance. Balin positioned himself in a place where he would have a clear view of Bella and Fíli walking towards the throne and also where he would be able to clearly perceive the reactions of those watching. It would be good to note the faces of anyone who looked upon Bella with disdain so he could make sure Nori kept an eye on them.
Everyone stared as Fíli and Bella crossed the threshold into the Throne Room, the latter on the former’s arm, and looking every bit the royalty that they both were. Bella did not look nervous, but her face was completely blank and her fingers were white where they clutched at Fíli’s emerald and ruby encrusted doublet, a sign that Bella was attempting to hide some very intense emotions. Fíli, for his part, looked confident and bold, his eyes daring anyone to make an issue of his sister’s presence and his head held high beneath his golden crown.
Thorin, well, Thorin looked as impassive as Bella. Time was, Balin had always been able to read his King, but Thorin had perfected an emotionless mask shortly following the Battle that Balin could not see past. Perhaps if he had been able to be around Thorin more often, but no, the other had buried himself in his duties as a King and the reconstruction of Erebor and had held everyone at arm’s length.
Fíli and Bella closed the distance to the throne quickly. Fíli bowed and Bella curtsied as one.
“Your Majesty,” Fíli announced, “I, Fíli, son of Vali, Crown Prince of Erebor, present to you my sister, Bella Mira Baggins, who seeks to take refuge in the safety of your Kingdom.”
“Welcome back to Erebor, Your Highness,” Thorin spoke, loudly enough for everyone to hear him.
Well, Balin certainly hadn’t expected that.
For Thorin to refer to Bella with the honorific in such a public situation, well, he had permanently declared that her status as the Sunrise Princess would be recognized in Erebor. She would be a princess in more than just technicality amongst the dwarves of Arda.
Dáin looked horrified.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Bella replied in a clear voice, although Balin did not miss how much more tightly she was clinging to Fíli’s arm.
Fíli, for his part, looked stunned and his surprise would only grow at the next words that Thorin uttered.
“I owe you my thanks, and that of my people,” Thorin said, “For not only did you provide a great deal of help in reclaiming this kingdom from Smaug, you also risked your life to defend it and the rest of Middle Earth from the Dark Lord, Sauron.”
“You’re… welcome,” Bella managed, her blue-green eyes wide.
“You shall be welcome to remain in Erebor for as long as you desire,” Thorin continued, “And everything you require to live comfortably here shall be provided for you. You need only ask for anything and, if it is within my power, it shall be done.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Bella repeated, looking a bit faint now.
Fíli must have noticed this as well because he spoke up, “With your leave, my King, I shall escort my sister to her chambers. She has had a long journey with little chance to rest.”
Thorin inclined his head in agreement, “Very well, my nephew, see that your sister is taken care of.”
Fíli bowed again, and Bella barely had the time to remember to curtsey, before Fíli was all but dragging her from the Throne Room. Balin would have been more concerned with the lack of decorum on Fíli’s part, had he not still been reeling from all that had occurred. The rest of the Company also looked like they could have been knocked over with a feather, so astonished were they.
Thorin stood, signaling the end of Court for the day, and turned to Balin, “I need to speak to you and Dáin at once, Balin.”
Balin and Dáin followed Thorin to the King’s study and Thorin’s purpose for ordering them there became quite clear when Thorin suddenly turned on Dáin in anger.
“You knew that Bella Mira Baggins was alive,” Thorin sounded as furious as he looked, “You sent her away, in my name, after the Battle and did not deign to tell me about it. My Company, my nephews, mourned her for months and, all along, you had the power to ease their grief and yet you did not.”
Dáin, for his part, did not bother denying it, “She is a traitor, Thorin! They shouldn’t have been mourning her in the first place!”
“You had absolutely no right to decide that,” Thorin thundered, “None, Dáin!”
Dáin looked terrified, and Balin couldn’t blame him, he had not seen Thorin so angry in a very long time.
“My kin and friends were so distraught that I feared I was going to lose one or more of them to grief!” Thorin shouted.
Oh, so Thorin had been paying attention to them while he was busy trying to work himself to death. Good to know.
“Mahal help me, Dáin,” Thorin decreed, “If you and your men show the Sunrise Princess even the slightest amount of dishonor, you will not like the consequences. Do you understand?”
Dáin nodded weakly, “Yes, Thorin.”
“Good, I’ll see you in the practice ring tomorrow morning. It’s been quite awhile since we sparred, cousin,” Thorin snapped, “Now get out!”
Dáin sprinted out of Thorin’s study.
Balin watched his King take several calming breaths.
“Forgive me, Balin,” Thorin eventually said, “I needed you here to ensure that I didn’t just kill the bastard.”
“How did you find out?” Balin wondered.
“Kíli,” Thorin replied, “Not that he came right out and just told me. I overheard him cursing Dáin out in Khuzdûl and asked him about it. It took a bit, but I managed to get him to give me the whole story. He thought that, perhaps, I too had known that Bella was alive, and it took more time than it should have to convince him that I wouldn’t have been able to keep that a secret.”
Balin understood in that moment, (and he chided himself for not seeing earlier), why Thorin had truly allowed Bella to return to the Mountain, why he had ordered the Arkenstone locked away, why he had been so furious with Dáin. Because Thorin had not said that he wouldn’t have kept Bella’s fate a secret, but that he would not have been able to. Like it would have been impossible. Thorin had grieved for Bella too.
Thorin was in love with Bella.
Maybe this shouldn’t have been a surprise. Dwarves only love once in their lifetimes, after all. But he and the others had come to assume that Thorin had never really loved Bella at all, that he had been merely infatuated with her, because why else would he have upheld her banishment after the gold-sickness had been overcome?
It had been a source of great friction between Thorin and his Company, the King’s refusal to hear a word about allowing Bella back into Erebor. Even after they had learned about her feat in Mordor, he had rebuffed all of their attempts to persuade him to change his mind, burying himself in work to avoid them all. And then, he had recanted her banishment in an instant, without providing a good explanation as to why he had done so, because Fíli had privately revealed to the Company that Thorin had no intention of allowing anyone to go near Khazad-dûm.
Balin was still missing something vital.
Thorin noticed his staring and raised an eyebrow, “What is it, Balin?”
“You do love her,” Balin blurted out before he could check himself. Thorin paled a bit and Balin continued, “Why would you keep her away if you love her?”
“I don’t wish to speak about this,” Thorin replied harshly, his face becoming like the stone, “I’ll see you at dinner.”
The King stomped away as quickly as he could, his speed just under what would have been called running by any who observed him.
Balin needed to speak to the others. This, this was a game changer.
************************************************************************
“Absolutely not,” Kíli snapped as soon as Balin had finished speaking, “He’s never touching her again.”
Balin had not been able to speak to the others until much later that night, after Bella and Thorin had both retired to their respective rooms. Dinner had been an awkward affair. Thorin had spent the whole meal glaring at his plate as if it were Azog reborn and Bella had been so unnerved by Thorin’s glowering that she’d barely touched the food put before her. Every attempt to break the silence had failed and eventually everyone had simply resigned themselves to a deathly quiet meal.
When Balin had finally gathered them all together, the information he shared shocked everyone, save one.
“You knew,” Balin realized, looking directly at Nori.
“Well, yes,” Nori shrugged, “I’m surprised you didn’t until now. You and Dwalin are around him more than anyone else.”
“Thorin has kept us at bay for some time,” Dwalin replied, “I knew he was upset about somethin’, I just figured it was because of Fíli and Kíli not speakin’ to him.”
Nori rolled his eyes, “You mean to tell me that none of you noticed that he has worn the braid and bead he took from Bella around his wrist every single day since the Battle?”
Balin felt a bit foolish for having missed that and he could tell that everyone else did as well.
“None of you are ever joining my Shadow Shields,” Nori determined.
“He always wears long-sleeved shirts, even in summer,” Kíli protested, “How were we supposed to have noticed?”
“By using your eyes,” Nori said dryly.
“It doesn’t matter if he loves her or not,” Glóin declared, “He struck her, shamed her, tried to kill her. He’s not goin’ to be courtin’ her again.”
“He was gold-sick,” Dori reminded.
“Doesn’t matter,” Bofur retorted, “Gold-sick or no, striking your intended is an offense punishable by exile at the very least. He only got away with it because he’s the King.”
“Even when it was clear that the madness had faded,” Bombur added, “He never once showed any sign that he was sorry for what he had done.”
“He buried the Arkenstone away in the vaults,” Balin pointed out.
“To keep it safe,” Bifur signed.
“That’s what he told Dáin,” Fíli chimed in, “But I think it’s clear now that what Thorin tells Dáin cannot always be relied upon as fact. He may very well have had another, more important reason.”
“What if,” Ori spoke up hesitantly, “What if she forgives him?”
“Well,” Dwalin spoke after a long moment, “I suppose it would be better for her to be Erebor’s Queen than for her to marry anyone else. What if she found some tosser outside of the Mountain and went to live with him?”
“She won’t,” Fíli said with certainty, “She loves Thorin. Hobbit hearts are stirred only once in their lifetimes. If he asked for her to, she would forgive him. Thorin is the only one she would ever consider marrying and even that took a great deal of convincing on his part the first time.”
“Why was she so reluctant?” Óin asked, “Did she doubt, as we have, that Thorin loved her back?”
Fíli shared a loaded look with Kíli. Balin had a feeling that he was not going to like the answer to Óin’s query.
“No,” Kíli admitted, “She was sure of his love until… well.”
“Bella cannot have children,” Fíli said.
“Which we knew,” Bofur replied, “We’ve known that since early on, when she told us that she’d never had a moon bleeding and never would.”
“Yes,” Fíli explained, “But because she cannot have children, according to Shire Law, she’d forbidden from marrying. Her people would… they would execute her for even daring to try.”
There was a long moment of silence, which was broken when Glóin growled, “I’ll bash all their heads if they come anywhere near her!”
Thus followed a long discussion where it was detailed all of the unpleasant things that the Company could do to anyone, Hobbit or otherwise, that tried to hurt their Bella.
They were only reminded of their original reason for meeting when Kíli turned to his brother with a new question, “Thorin won’t dare court Bella without your permission, not after what happened. You won’t give it to him, right, Fee?”
Fíli was silent for just a bit too long.
“Fee!” Kíli protested hotly.
Technically, Balin knew, Thorin didn’t need Fíli’s blessing, despite the fact that Fíli was considered the head of Bella’s family according to dwarven law. Dwarves were quite well known for marrying despite their family’s disapproval of their chosen. But after the dreadful business with the Arkenstone, if Fíli ordered Thorin to stay away from Bella, Thorin would. Balin might have been taken aback by the revelation that Thorin’s heart had been claimed by Bella, but now that this truth was known, Balin didn’t doubt that if Fíli declared that his uncle was a threat to Bella’s well-being, Thorin would cede to his nephew’s decision.
“I certainly wouldn’t give Thorin my permission if he came to me right now,” Fíli told them all, “He has so much groveling and apologizing to do before I would even consider… but if Bella forgives him and wants to give him another chance… I’m not going to tell her no.”
“He’s not good for her!” Kíli argued.
“We don’t have the right to decide that for her, Kee,” Fíli said firmly, “Not anymore, probably not ever again. Thorin’s not the only one who was affected by the gold. We were not so deeply under its thrall that we would have hurt her, but we were still too blind to realize that we should have intervened long before Bella was forced to steal the Arkenstone.”
“He hurt her.”
“You think that we didn’t?” Fíli challenged.
Kíli, at last, fell silent.
“She forgave us,” Fíli said, “Although we have done very little to earn that. Above all else, our sister deserves to be happy, and if she decides that Uncle will make her happy, then I’m not going to stand in her way.”
When exactly, had Fíli grown so wise, Balin wondered, when had he become such a natural leader, unafraid of making the hard decisions?
“And if the gold-sickness comes back? Bofur demanded.
“Then we protect our sister,” Fíli stated simply, “No matter what the cost.”