This fanfic is set back before Thorin set off on his quest to reclaim Erebor; before his father disappeared and his grandfather was murdered by the orcs. A young dwarf prince, he was betrothed to a friend of the family, a dwarf maiden called Melody…

I had only met my prince a few times before I learned we were to be married. All I remembered of him was that he was tall for a dwarf at five feet two inches, with a regal bearing, strong shoulders and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. He was a bit of a dreamboat, actually. All the girls loved him, but none of them could engage him in conversation. It became a bit of a competition to see who could get him to talk, born out of a game of Truth or Dare in the parlour on my sixteenth birthday. But now, at eighteen, I was about to marry a man I'd barely spoken two words to, and to be perfectly honest, it scared the bejesus out of me…

I trembled as I walked down the aisle, draped in the finest silk and emerald stones to compliment my dark auburn hair. I could feel the eyes of all one hundred and twenty guests scrutinise me as I was frogmarched toward my destiny by my father, and it seemed to me that time had stopped, and was forcing me to live through this excruciating moment second by second, for no other reason but to make me squirm. I'm not one to bask in the limelight. I prefer the company of a few, and even better, the company of a good book. I was not used to being the centre of attention. I dreaded the moment I reached the altar and actually had to speak in public!

By the time I reached the front of the room my legs were a quivering mess. I turned and was kissed by my father, who handed me over to my future husband. I forced myself to look up into his eyes, expecting to see an emotional brick wall, which was what we'd come to expect of Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. But instead, I was surprised to find an ounce or two of uncertainty and maybe even fear in his expression. His blue eyes were gentle and earnest, his brows raised a little. When the time came to exchange rings, his hands seemed to shake. That reassured me, somewhat. So I wasn't the only one with doubts and insecurities, going into this union!

His big hands, although rough to touch, were gentle as they pushed the ring onto my finger. His voice, when he finally did speak, was deep, with a gravelly tone that did things to my blood pressure! My friends had all remarked on how lucky I was to be married to such a handsome dwarf – because to be honest, handsome dwarves are few and far between – but up there at the altar was the first time I had a real inkling of what they were on about. My heart beat faster as he leaned forward to kiss his bride, and although it was not what you would call the steamiest lip-lock ever, and was over before I could blink, it still sent delicious shivers up and down my spine!

The festivities were lavish, held in the big hall at Moria, put on by my father's family with no expense spared. I found myself sitting awkwardly beside my prince at our table, trying to think of conversation starters, anything to stop this from feeling so alien to me. But we barely got a chance to speak to each other, as well-wishers kept coming up to our table to congratulate us and shower kisses and hugs on the bride and groom.

One of Thorin's people – a large woman with bosoms like pillows – almost suffocated me in her enthusiastic embrace. I think her name was Aunt Bertha. After she'd left, Thorin chuckled, red-faced and apologetic. 'You'll get used to her,' he said. 'She's always like that. She means well. And she makes the most amazing pumpkin pie.'

It was the longest sentence he'd ever uttered in my presence. I nodded, not knowing what to say in return, and watched as a graceful, slim (well, a good deal slimmer than me) dwarf woman slipped her arms around my husband's neck and whispered something in his ear, something that made his cheeks turn pink at once. I bit my lip and looked away. Who was this woman and why was she so familiar with Thorin?!

'Are you okay?'

I turned at the sound of his voice. 'Oh… yes, of course.'

'I'm sorry about that.' He sighed. 'Ariana can be… provocative at the best of times.'

'Who is she?'

'She's… an old flame,' he said, and although I respected his honesty, I couldn't stop the jealousy burning in my gut. It was irrational of course – he was mine, now, in all the ways he could be. I'd won – by default, as we were betrothed, but how it happened didn't matter. He was mine, not hers. So why did I feel such animosity toward her?

'Do you still love her?' It was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

He blinked. 'Oh… No, of course not! That was a long time ago. She's moved on. She's married, actually.'

That was a relief! 'She still seems to be quite fond of you.' I pointed out.

The end of his mouth turned up in a knowing half-smile that was almost a smirk but not quite. 'Are you jealous?'

'No,' I said, quickly. 'She is quite beautiful, though.'

He shrugged. 'I suppose so.' He glanced over at me. 'You're not half bad yourself, you know.'

Was that an actual compliment, coming from Mr Emotionally Unavailable?! 'Um… thank you,' I stammered. 'As are you. Handsome, I mean.'

He chuckled. 'Well, with that settled, how about we get out of here and find somewhere quiet, to… get to know each other?'

My heart did a double-take. Did he mean… Of course, I knew there had to be a wedding night, complete with the obligatory consummation (which both terrified and excited me in equal measure)… but that was after all the guests had left, surely!

I licked my lips. My entire mouth had gone completely dry in a matter of seconds. His beautiful blue eyes were surveying me with an intent that made my knees weak. 'O-okay,' I said. 'Where?'

'My chambers,' he replied. 'Or should I say, our chambers, now. We have a whole suite of rooms at our disposal. And I have the key.' He held up a long black iron key. 'Once I lock us in there, no one will be able to interrupt.'

Lock us in there? I wasn't so sure I liked the sound of that!

'Sh-shouldn't we wait until after dinner?' I asked. 'I mean… won't we be missed? There are the speeches, and…'

'Are you nervous?' he interrupted. 'You don't have to be, you know.' He took my hand and stroked the edge of my thumb lightly, all the way down to my wrist. Then he lifted it to his lips and kissed it, his eyes on me the whole time. I wanted to throw my arms around him right then and there, and taste those lips of his again, but this was not the time or place. Dwarf weddings had very little to do with love, or feelings. They were all about honour, and doing your duty. And the ingestion of gallons of ale of course!

'Come with me,' he said, in that low tone that reverberated throughout my body, as if I were a tuning fork! 'I promise you, we won't be missed. I've been to a lot of these things. They forget about the bride and groom as soon as the kegs are rolled out.'

I followed him down a hallway, up a curving flight of stairs and through a large room filled with sky-high pillars of stone marked in ancient dwarvish. Our suite of rooms was in a hallway at the end of this palatial room. 'Only our fathers know where to find these rooms,' Thorin was saying as he unlocked the door. 'And my father knows better than to try to interrupt us.'

I couldn't help but gaze around in awe at our chambers. Walls were decorated in dwarf art, marble, and of course, stone. There was a huge fireplace at one end of the sitting room. A giant four poster bed could be seen through the open double doors at the opposite end. There were no windows of course, as we were underground, but rich velvet curtains surrounded each large painting of beautiful landscapes, so it was almost as if we had a view.

But the only view I was interested in was of my husband! He was ridding himself of his vestments already. Underneath he wore a simple royal blue undershirt that made his eyes seem that much brighter. I sucked in my bottom lip. I knew it was time for me to undress as well, but insecurity about my ample curves and dimpled thighs gave me pause. He'd been with Ariana, obviously. A woman doesn't get that familiar with a man unless she's known him, in the Biblical sense. And she was… well, how should I put it? For a female dwarf, she made a great elf.

'What's the matter?' he asked me. 'Do I not please you?'

Oh you do, I thought. You have no idea! 'Of course,' I stammered. 'I just… I've never done anything like this before…'

'You can go into the bedroom and change, if you like,' he offered. 'I won't look.'

That sounded like a great idea! I went into the bedroom and found a free-standing mirror in the far corner, away from the doors. I stood in front of it indecisively. I suppose at first glance I did look quite lovely – my dark reddish-brown hair fell in ringlets to my breast, and my ivory wedding gown was soft and feminine, hugging me in all the right places. Or it would, if I had a body I was proud to show off. On closer inspection, the silk just seemed to accentuate every curve, exacerbate every flaw. And there were lots of those. I let out a low groan. I walked down the aisle, looking like this? What an oinker!

'Is everything all right? Are you in pain?'

I didn't have to turn to see that Thorin had entered the room. He stood behind me, all majestic and excruciatingly handsome with that head of dark hair, the short beard and of course, those e yes that could make me do just about anything without a word from him.

'No,' I lied. 'I'm fine.'

'You most certainly are,' he said, putting his huge hands on my shoulders. They fell away, down my arms, and slipped beneath my armpits to fold across each other, around my ribcage. His forearms were huge, muscular appendages, with visible veins and a light sprinkling of hair. He could have squeezed me like a boa constrictor, and crushed me to death with those things, but he didn't. He was really quite gentle, for such a powerfully built dwarf.

'Melody,' he whispered against my ear, and his breath tickled me, making me squirm! 'My wife.'

His lips pressed against the skin just below my earlobe, and his hair fell over my shoulder, the tips swaying against my left breast, both actions causing me to shudder involuntarily. He stopped and looked up at me. 'Are you sure everything's all right?'

I bit my lip. I couldn't lie any longer. 'No,' I said. 'I just…'

'What?'

'I look…' I couldn't finish the sentence. There was a lump in my throat the size of a boulder.

'You look beautiful. From the moment you walked into the Great Hall, I couldn't take my eyes off you,' he said, looking perplexed. 'I couldn't believe I'd been betrothed to such a beauty. I only hoped that you were as lovely on the inside as on the out.'

'You can't mean that, really,' I said. 'You were with Ariana, once. I mean… what would I be compared to her?'

He frowned. 'I knew I shouldn't have told you about her. Ariana is... was… in my life once. Not anymore. I don't want you to compare yourself to her. There is no comparison.'

I knew it. I gulped back a sob, but couldn't stop a tear from escaping each eye. 'Well, that's obvious,' I replied, cattily.

'What do you mean? I meant that she can't compare to you,' Thorin said, sounding annoyed. As if to prove his point, he reached up and cupped my left breast, caressing it through the silk. 'I love these curves. She's all skin and bone. And she's only gotten worse over time.' He stared at our combined reflection. 'Believe me when I tell you I would much rather make love to a woman with a woman's body. Not one that looks like a young boy.' He kissed my neck again, and squeezed my breast. I let myself melt against his strong body, and didn't even raise a protest when his free hand slipped down and hiked up my gown, exposing my pale, dimpled thigh. The hand continued inside my skirts, and folded itself around my lady parts. It was such an alien feeling to me that I gasped aloud and closed my thighs tight, hoping to discourage him. But it didn't. His fingers began to move against the fabric of my underwear, finding the waistband and pushing down into it, touching me in a way I'd never been touched before. His lips trailed down my neck to my shoulder, and the hand on my breast went away, choosing instead to slip the arm of my dress down. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see a naked me in the mirror as my gown fell away, arm by arm, followed by the bodice. Only his hand kept it from dropping to the ground – the hand that was slowly but surely turning my entire body into a puddle of lust. His other huge hand wrapped around my breast again and his thumb grazed my nipple, teasing it to a hard, almost painful point. Held against his body, I could feel his maleness pressing into my tailbone, hard and eager. I couldn't believe that he could find me so desirable – me with my dimples and love handles and thunder-thighs! The hand between my legs slipped away and let my dress fall to the floor. Both of his hands tugged down my underwear, leaving me completely exposed to him in front of that infernal mirror.

'Look at you,' he whispered, his voice fierce with longing. 'How can you not think that you're beautiful? I want you so much.'

'I want you, too,' I said, reaching up to touch his gorgeous head of hair. He kissed my cheek and I turned my face to him, burying my lips in his, my cheek in his short but still somehow soft beard. He tasted of mead and the wedding entrée – roasted quail. His fingers resumed where they'd left off, and I sighed into his mouth, the swirl of sensations almost overwhelming me. Suddenly he stopped kissing me, and his hand went away. I wanted to ask what was wrong but couldn't find my tongue.

Before I knew what was happening he was lifting me in his arms, turning and laying me across the massive bed behind the mirror as if I weighed nothing more than a feather. Then he stood and looked down at me, desire evident in his eyes.

'You haven't been with anyone before, have you?'

I felt obliged to defend myself. 'I have been kissed before. And gone to second base. But no… Not… not that. I'm still a maiden.'

His hair fell to one side as he surveyed me. 'I'll try not to hurt you, then. But if I do… please don't think it's on purpose.'

'Of course not,' I assured him, eager to get on with it! You have no idea how brutal and beautiful he looked, standing over me like that. I wanted him in the worst way. I wanted to look upon his body the way he was looking at me. So I sat up and started to untie his britches.

He laughed. 'What are you doing?'

'I want to see you,' I told him. 'You've been doing all of the looking, so far. When's it my turn?'

He responded by pulling off his undershirt and tossing it aside. 'Is that more to your liking?'

Oh God, yes, I wanted to say! But I was dumbstruck. My eyes travelled over broad shoulders, a powerful, smooth chest with the lightest smattering of hair, and abs I wanted to bury my face in!

'Wow,' I whispered. 'Just… wow.'

He chuckled. His cheeks reddened the way they had when Ariana had whispered whatever it was she had to say in his ear. I was so glad I'd had that same effect on him that I forgot all about his old flame, and resumed the task of untying his breeches, pushing them down his legs. As to the obvious question, let's just say that dwarves aren't small all over! Well, this one wasn't, at any rate! Not that I'd had much to compare it to, mind you!

I took him in my mouth before he could protest, and was rewarded with an almost instant, sexy-sounding moan. My tongue traced the underside of the head of his penis, and moved into the slit. I loved the way his breathing hitched when I did that! His hand closed around the back of my neck and stroked my hair as I took more of him into my mouth.

'Melody,' he said, in that sexy, raspy voice I had quickly grown to love, 'You're going to have to stop, my love.'

I released him reluctantly. 'What's the matter?'

'Nothing,' he said, with a sheepish chuckle. 'It's just that if you kept going, our wedding night would be over before it began.'

'Am I hurting you?'

'No,' he said, 'Not even slightly. Believe me.' He bent over me and kissed my lips, softly. 'Lie down.'

I did as I was told, and he stretched out on the bed beside me. I wanted to pull him to me, wanted to be skin to skin so bad it was like a fire in my gut, but he wasn't about to jump to the main course. He leaned over me and kissed my left breast, his tongue flickering over my nipple as he drew it into his mouth and sucked on it.

I'd never liked my breasts before, never saw a need for them, but just now I was glad I was so well-endowed! His rough palm cupped the breast as his mouth let go, and he squeezed gently. He did the same to the other side, and then moved down, kissing my ribcage, his hair and beard tickling my skin to the point where I almost had to push him away. His lips delved into my curves, awakening sensations I never knew existed. Especially when they travelled down south, between my thighs! My eyes jolted open and I gasped. He stopped what he was doing and kissed my inner thigh, instead. 'I'll work up to it,' he promised, with a wink. I let my head drop back down against the comforter and tried to control my breathing. My heart was racing. I didn't expect this. My mind was full of thoughts like, what if it tasted bad? Worse still, what if it smelled? I just couldn't relax. My body tensed up and I considered closing my thighs to him. But he was so gentle and his kisses so soft and lingering that I couldn't help but wonder what they would feel like there, on my most private of places. I soon found out, and the feeling was so incredible that I forgot all my insecurities and let go; my thighs quivering as his tongue flickered over my clit and his lips closed around it. I turned my head and panted into the comforter, my chest heaving with the effort of not crying out. I reached down and tried to pull him back up to me because it was just too much to take. He relented after a while, flicking his hair over his brawny shoulder.

'What?' he asked; when he saw the look on my face. 'Did I do something wrong?'

'No,' I said, finally finding my voice. 'That was… I don't even know how to describe it.'

He grinned. 'Well it was pretty good from my end, let me tell you.'

'I don't believe that,' I said, dubiously.

He raised an eyebrow. 'Well, it was. I'm not in the habit of lying, Melody.'

'Okay,' I said. 'I guess it's a guy thing.'

He chuckled. 'It probably is. I don't expect you to understand it. But you are beautiful. I know you don't think so, but you are.' His eyes met mine and I fell so deeply in love in that second that my heart almost hurt. It wasn't just his pretty eyes or his sexy smile or that voice that made my stomach do a backflip. It was all of these things and more. He was such a gentleman, but now I just wanted him to fuck me.

I reached down and curled my fist around his cock. 'I think you're beautiful, too,' I told him. 'I want you, so much.'

It was all I had to say. He rolled onto me and, bracing himself with one arm, wrapped his big hand around mine and showed me how he liked to be touched. When he'd had enough of that, he removed my hand and entered me. I was a virgin no more. It hurt, but in a good way. I was so turned on by that point, the pain barely registered. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him close, my hands wandering over his sinewy back and shoulders, loving the feel of his muscles moving under the skin. Each thrust was raw and powerful and made my knees tremble. I felt the first stirrings of orgasm after only a few minutes. Could this be possible? My friends had said that their first times had been painful and that they were just relieved to have that over with. Yet here I was, about to have my second Big O in as many minutes! Was I dreaming? I wanted to pinch myself, but at the same time, if I was asleep, I didn't want to wake up!

I wanted to kiss him again, but I didn't want to taste myself on him, so I kissed his shoulder and neck instead, pulling the skin in between my teeth, nipping him in the process. If it hurt, he didn't mention it. He was too intent on driving me to distraction with the thrusting, which he'd put a slight angle on, and now each time there was a friction that almost sent me over the edge. I clutched his shoulders and made a strange noise that was half a sigh and half a moan, and collapsed back against the mattress as my orgasm took me. Thorin came soon after, and lay over me, sated. I played with his hair, loving the feel of our bodies intermingling and never wanting him to get up, and leave me. I could have lain there forever, with him inside me, but that was not to be.

'Oh, shit,' Thorin murmured. 'We should probably get back to the wedding feast at some point.'

In the throes of passion, I'd forgotten all about the fact that we were the guests of honour downstairs! 'Oops,' I giggled. 'Do you think they'll know what we've been up to?'

Thorin rolled off me and chuckled. 'No… Not if we're really good actors. I'll just tell them I took you to the war room to show you my family's coat of arms.'

I giggled. 'Not to mention your broadsword.'

He grinned. 'You better get dressed, or I might just have to re-acquaint you with it.'

'Is that a promise?' I teased.

He laughed. 'I've created a monster. You're insatiable, woman.'

I'd never liked being called 'woman' before, but now I loved it. Coming from him, it wasn't demeaning or misogynistic. It was sexy as hell! It made me want to pull him back onto the bed for another round, but we had a responsibility to our guests to at least be present while they guzzled our wine and beer and made passes at each other. I smiled at my gorgeous new husband as we headed down the stairs, a devious plan cooking in my brain. A way to keep him occupied while we sat up there overseeing the festivities. Yep… he'd created a monster, all right!

The End