So, we've got Thorin and Thranduil, Bris and Dwalin, Dis and Damaril: three nice, tidy pairings. Trouble is, in the past, some of them have been in love with some of the others – and there are a few problems when all six are gathered together in the same place! Stand back and wait for the explosion!
.o00o.
The Kings and their Past Partners
Pt I
Thorin climbed into bed with a pile of documents. "I'm going to read my letters before I go to sleep," he said, with a warning hint to his voice.
"Good!" exclaimed Thranduil, stripping off and jumping in beside him. "I'll keep you company."
"Oh, no, you won't," was the stern reply. "You keeping me company always amounts to a lot more than just keeping me company and I've got work to do. I would prefer it if you picked up your own letters and sat on the sofa with them."
Thranduil looked sullen. "It's my bed too," he muttered. "And, besides, that sofa is very uncomfortable."
Thorin relented a little. "All right," he said. "But you're to pick up those letters and sit on the far side of the bed. No touching!"
The elf mouthed, "Spoil sport," under his breath but picked up his pile of documents and propped himself up on his own set of pillows with seemingly good grace. However, he was already thinking that this wasn't the end of it and he grinned cunningly to himself.
Silence reigned in the room for a while as they perused their first missives. Thorin stifled a yawn as he read the long and detailed account from Gandalf about the military defences in the North. Then Thranduil gave a little chuckle. The dwarven king glanced up briefly and wondered what he was finding so amusing. Then the elf laughed again and he wished that his own letter were a bit more entertaining. He couldn't resist: "Who's that from?" he asked casually.
"It's from your heir, Young Thorin," was the equally casual reply. The prince, together with his wife, Brangwyn, and their son, little Durin, had gone off on an extended visit to Beorn. Thorin couldn't imagine why, but apparently, it had been a good choice for a holiday because the boy loved Beorn and all his animals and this affection seemed to be reciprocated.
A grumpy dwarf went back to Gandalf's droning communication. Why hadn't he received an entertaining letter from his heir – or Brangwyn, come to that? Then Thranduil folded his first document, placed it in the Out pile and selected a second one. Thorin eyed the letter as it lay temptingly close to his thigh and wondered if his partner would notice if he picked it up. But then the elf let out an amused snort.
"And who's that from?" Thorin almost snapped.
"Legolas," was the brief response, followed by more disbelieving snorts.
Thorin sniffed. "I cannot imagine what is so entertaining about the politics of Mirkwood."
"Oh, it's not about boring old politics – it's all the court gossip," laughed the elf. "You'll never believe what my Lady Glamel has been up to."
Well, he could have a good guess and he was dying to know the details. His lover, however, was not going to reap the satisfaction of his curiosity. And, with determination, he picked up a second letter of his own. It was from Elrond and, although difficult to believe, proved to be even more boring than the one from Gandalf.
Thranduil moved on to a third and was soon letting out gentle sighs. "Aww, sweet," he murmured.
Thorin's head snapped up. "And who's that from?" he snarled.
"Ethril," replied the elf dreamily. "He's writing to say how much he misses me."
Ethril! Thorin nearly exploded. They had only just seen the back of this handsome elf lord who had demanded a night in Thranduil's bed after saving the dwarf's life. And, once he had received his reward – and what a lot of trouble that had caused between the two kings! – he had returned to his exile in Rivendell. Thorin couldn't believe that the elf now had the effrontery to send a romantic letter to Thranduil or that Thranduil should be responding to it in such a soppy way. In a fury, he snatched the letter from his partner's grasp so that he could read it for himself.
It was a list of the barrels of wine which had recently been delivered to the Mirkwood stronghold.
He seized upon the other two. Neither were from Young Thorin or Legolas but were similar household accounts. Thranduil lay back on his pillows and laughed at him.
Thorin screwed up the documents and threw them across the room. Then he swept his own letters onto the floor.
The elven king tutted. "Careful," he said. "You'll have trouble sorting those out later."
"But not before I've sorted you out," growled the dwarf furiously. And he flung back the coverlet and, sitting astride the elf's slim hips, he grabbed him by his silken hair. Thranduil grinned knowingly up at him.
"You think you can manipulate me, don't you?" Thorin barked, tightening his grip on his lover's hair.
"Yes," smirked the elf.
"Then you'd be right," groaned the dwarf and he bent and ground his lips into those of the elven king.
The kiss was aggressive and deep and when Thranduil finally managed to tear his lips away, it was only to murmur, "Punish me."
Thorin's member was stiff and swollen and straining to mete out punishment and so that seemed like a good idea. His assault on Thranduil's smooth, alabaster body was vicious and tender all at once and the elf clasped him tightly and passionately to his breast as the pounding threatened to drive him through the bedhead. The mutual climax was scream-worthy and Thorin lay for a long time upon the elf, panting and sweating. Finally, he rolled away.
"You know just what to do every time, don't you?" he complained grudgingly.
"And aren't you glad," returned Thranduil as he yawned and began to nod off.
Thorin forced himself to stay awake and reached for the pile of letters on the floor. He would do his duty before he slept himself. He picked up the first one from the untidy mess and then was pleased to see it was from his sister, Dis. At least this would be a chatty one about her new life with the elf-lord, Damaril, whom she had married not so long ago.
Thorin liked Damaril: he was an elven courtier who had a lot going for him, a former member of Thranduil's stronghold who had set out to travel Middle-earth some time before, hoping to find someone to love; and he had found that love in Dis. The two kings had attended the wedding in Ered Luin and Thorin had been satisfied that Damaril was genuinely in love with her and that she wasn't just a substitute for Thorin because she looked so much like her brother.
And that was the only problem, wasn't it? The elf lord's obsession with Thorin was similar to Ethril's obsession with Thranduil – except that the noble-hearted Damaril had taken the honourable way out and had removed himself from the court because he knew that his lust was wrong. In Ered Luin, he and Thorin had had a heart-to-heart and he had honestly admitted that, although the lust remained, his love was all for Dis. It seemed obvious to Thorin that, if he didn't want to break his sister's heart should she find out about this, the best thing was for him to keep out of Damaril's way.
"No!" he yelled as he began to read the letter. He shouted so loudly that a startled Thranduil jerked awake and sat up in bed. "Whassup?" he asked blearily.
"Dis and Damaril are coming to stay!"
"Oh, no," groaned the elven king, leaning back on his pillows and shutting his eyes. "Not more unrequited love. I don't think I can stomach it."
.o00o.
Pt II
"And to make matters worse," sighed Thorin as the two kings got dressed the following morning, "not only will I have to avoid Damaril but Dwalin will have to avoid Dis if he doesn't want to stir things up with Bris."
On a previous visit to Erebor, Dis had struck up a relationship with Dwalin which had nearly ended in a marriage. It was Dis who had pushed for it, and Dwalin, not wishing to hurt her, had allowed himself to be pushed. Balin had eventually brought it all to an end when he had taken Dis on one side and told her about Dwalin's life-long love for his king. The relationship had finished on an amicable note. Dis had met Damaril and had discovered what true love was all about and Dwalin had met the lovely tattoo artist, Bris, whom he now loved deeply and as well as he could under the circumstances. Neither Bris nor Damaril knew about these other passions in their partners' lives.
And now they were all going to be thrown together. Disaster bells rang.
"When are they coming?" asked Thranduil.
"Sometime soon," was the reply. "I'd better go and warn Dwalin."
The elf touched Thorin's shoulder as he was about to leave. "You don't have feelings for Damaril, do you?" he asked rather anxiously.
"Of course I don't," said the dwarf, kissing him gently on the lips. "You must help me keep out of his way and not leave me on my own with him."
Thranduil gave him a searching look but said nothing more.
Down in the dining hall, Thorin found Dwalin eating breakfast on his own. "Where's Bris?" he asked.
"Having a lie-in," the big dwarf grinned. "I gave her quite a hard time last night. You know, she's great fun in the sack: she's got these piercings on her labia…"
Thorin squeezed his eyes shut and raised one hand. "Too much information," he winced.
"Really?" grinned Dwalin amiably. "Too much information about sex is never too much for me. But I suppose you know all there is to know, having slept with Thranduil for years now." He eyed his king optimistically, hoping for a reciprocal share of information. When it didn't come, he sighed and laughed. "You're too much of a prude these days, Thorin."
The king grinned back. "And you seem to have lost all of your former reserve, Dwalin, since taking up with Bris."
"Well, she's so blunt and open about everything – you can't help being that way when you have to tattoo and pierce men's rude bits – that I suppose I've picked up a more relaxed attitude from her."
Thorin became serious. "Is she your One?" he asked.
Dwalin smiled. "I think she might be. At least, I can't imagine life without her. I miss her when she's not here – like now."
"And does she know about me!"
Dwalin looked startled. "By Mahal, no! You and me, well, we're sort of different, aren't we? You're my king and my friend and my, umm, sort of crush. I love you and you love Thranduil and it's all kind of packed away in its own neat little box. Wouldn't want to upset her, would I, with any silly talk about a 'special relationship'."
"And does she know that you nearly married my sister?"
Again, the startled look. "No, that's something else I prefer to keep close to my chest, otherwise the poor girl is going to think she's somehow third choice – which would be far from the truth. The love I feel for her is deep and true so I hope that you're not thinking of rocking the boat." And he eyed his king suspiciously.
"It's not me who might rock the boat, Dwalin," said Thorin, "but Dis herself. She's coming to visit with her new husband in a few days."
His friend looked worried but then his brow cleared. "Well, if she's coming with her husband, that's all right then, isn't it? She won't want to rock the boat either."
Thorin looked doubtful. "You never know with women – they always react unexpectedly. And I bet that Bris will sniff out something. Just warning you to be careful, that's all, if you want to keep your secrets."
Dwalin nodded his thanks but it was a rather worried dwarf that finally took Bris a breakfast tray up to their rooms.
.o00o.
On his way back to his apartment, Thorin crossed paths with a messenger from Dis. He entered his rooms rather glumly. "They're coming tomorrow," he told Thranduil, plonking himself down on the sofa. Thranduil sat down next to him and put an arm about his shoulders.
"Did you manage to warn Dwalin?"
"Yes, and he's not exactly thrilled either, especially since Bris knows nothing about his relationship with Dis. Nor about with me, come to that. He didn't want her to be upset."
"I can empathise with that," said a tight-lipped elven king, remembering how he had first discovered about the love between Thorin and his right-hand man. "I think he's wrong to keep it a secret. It'll all end in tears, you know, just as it did for us. Didn't you advise him that honesty was best between couples?"
The dwarven king sighed. "I understand his motives and he can only do what he thinks is right."
"What about Damaril? Does Dis know why he left Mirkwood? That it was all because of you?"
"I don't think so – he's just trying to protect her, like Dwalin is trying to protect Bris." Thorin rubbed a hand across his face wearily.
Thranduil was silent for a moment. Then: "You're not trying to protect me as well, are you?"
Thorin looked puzzled: "From what?"
"Well, you've never told me what happened between you and Damaril after you helped him back to his rooms, that time when I nearly throttled him." The hand around the dwarf's shoulders was anxiously twisting his lover's hair.
"We managed to squeeze in a good fuck before I returned to you!" snapped Thorin angrily.
"And," Thranduil ploughed on, ignoring the sarcasm, "you said you kissed him goodbye the next day when he left Mirkwood. Was that on the forehead?"
"No, if you must know, it was on the lips," was the irritable retort. "And very nice it was too. He's a good kisser."
The elf's hand tightened on a hank of hair. "Does that mean he's better than me, then?"
"Thranduil!" snapped Thorin, jerking his hair away and standing up. "This isn't helping!"
No, and it wasn't helping Thranduil either.
.o00o.
Pt III
Dis and Damaril arrived the following day with a small retinue of Ered Luin dwarves. Damaril and some of the dwarves had never been to Erebor before and they looked around in appreciation and wonder. Dis gave a smug smile as her husband exclaimed at its marbled beauty: this was one of the reasons for the visit – she wanted him to see the wealth and grandeur in which she had grown up, to show that she was worthy to be even the wife of an elf lord.
Thorin ran forward to greet her as the company dismounted. He was genuinely pleased to see them both even if he was worried about the whole thing kicking off. She was looking even more young and beautiful than she had appeared at her wedding. "Marriage suits you," he whispered in her ear as he flung his arms about her. Then, he grasped Damaril warmly by the arm and the elf lord gripped him back tightly.
And yet, it seemed to Thranduil, who followed closely after, that the grasp lasted longer than was absolutely necessary. "Damaril," he said, nodding brusquely; and then he turned to give Dis a brotherly hug.
Standing on the steps were Dwalin, Balin and Bris. Dis dragged her husband forward to introduce him to the brothers as the friends of her youth. "And who is this?" she asked curiously, turning towards the strapping, good-looking dwarf woman.
Dwalin blushed a little and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Bris, who had been looking forward to meeting the king's sister, noticed his discomfort and wondered at it.
"Umm, this is Bris, my companion."
Ah, so this was Bris, thought Dis. Thorin had mentioned her; but she had not expected her to be so striking and, for some reason, she felt a stab of irritation. However, she gave the woman a gracious nod then felt even more irritated when Bris returned her aloof stare with a cool and level gaze.
I wonder if she knows that her lover and I were once an item, thought Dis. And she felt like throwing the calm authority of the dwarf woman out of kilter with that interesting piece of information. She would have to work it into the conversation somehow, she decided vindictively. And then she shook herself and wondered at her dog-in-the-manger attitude. She was happy with Damaril; why shouldn't Dwalin be happy with Bris? But she gave the big dwarf an especially warm and rather over-extended hug anyway.
Thorin noticed all this rather uneasily and broke up the happy reunion by ordering servants to show his guests to their rooms. He sighed with relief as they went their various ways.
They all gathered together once more down in the dining hall for an evening meal. At first, the conversation was a bit stiff but, after a few glasses of wine, they began to loosen up. Dis' focus was all on Bris who noticed this and wondered why.
"So," smiled Damaril, trying to be nice to the members of the party he didn't know, "do you do anything creative in Erebor, Bris, or are you just a lady of leisure?" A guffaw ran around the group and he raised an interested eyebrow.
"I'm a tattoo artist," she grinned. "And," she added, glancing up and down the long table, "I reckon I've tattooed or pierced half the cocks in this room – and some of them are sitting closer than you might expect."
Thranduil, who absolutely adored Bris, chuckled and gave her a cheeky wink. Dis was slightly taken aback at her blunt response and Damaril had to try very hard not to show how shocked he was. Dwalin gave his lover a kick under the table.
"Don't mind her, sir," he said. "She's a dwarf talking about very common dwarven practices. She doesn't mean to offend."
Bris glared at him but Thranduil stopped any argument in its tracks with a shout of laughter.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that she caters solely for dwarven practices. It's become quite a popular elven practice in Mirkwood these days. Bris seems to spend half her life there, trying to meet an overwhelming demand." Then he sat back and waited for the response. This was turning out to be quite an entertaining evening.
"What!" exclaimed Damaril. "Are you saying that some elves want tattoos?"
"And other more exotic things. It's become quite a trend with young people," said the elven king.
"And just in case it's worrying you," added Bris with a grin, "then let me reassure you that elven cocks are very similar to dwarven ones."
Damaril turned a little pink because that was the very thought that had immediately run through his mind. And his glance slid sideways to Thorin, as he wondered if the dwarf's cock was also pierced or tattooed. The thought gave him quite a frisson.
"You're looking at the wrong king," guffawed the dwarf woman, noticing this, and his blushes grew deeper.
"Furthermore," added Thranduil, leaning back in his chair and enjoying himself no end, "all the young elves have a crush on Bris. What they wouldn't give for a tumble on the tattoo couch! But she holds them off with her basilisk stare."
"I didn't know this!" snapped Dwalin.
"We'll talk about it later, dear," she replied, giving him a reassuring pat.
Damaril felt even more shocked that all these young elves had developed a passion for a dwarf until he realised that there were two dwarves in the room that he fancied himself and that one was his wife. Even worse: one wasn't. Thranduil noticed his expression and leant towards him with the pretence of kind concern.
"I expect you're feeling very confused," he said. "But, you'll soon get over it." Yes, he was really enjoying the evening – and he was especially enjoying his rival's discomfiture. And he nodded amiably in Bris' direction. What a treasure!
"And that reminds me, Bris," he continued, "do you mind travelling back with me to Mirkwood when I return? I have a list of elves who want your services. They've asked me to discuss their requirements with you."
She nodded her consent and he moved to sit next to her. The meal was coming to an end and Thorin, seeing his partner still deep in conversation, decided to go back to his apartment. Dwalin, similarly, left his partner to it. Damaril yawned and said he thought he would have an early night. Dis, who had just ordered a second helping of dessert, nodded but left a little later after she had finished.
All the chess pieces were now on the board and in position.
.o00o.
Pt IV
Thranduil and Bris finished their discussion and then had a drink together. The dwarf woman stared moodily into her glass then, looking up, said: "What isn't Dwalin telling me about Dis?"
For a moment, the elf thought that it was his duty to lie, but he hesitated too long and she was onto him straight away. In the end, he sighed and said: "Dwalin didn't want to upset you but there was a time when they had a bit of a fling and nearly got married. Everyone knew it was wrong for them and, in the end, they realised that too. And now she's really happy with Damaril and Dwalin with you."
Bris looked relieved. "Is that all? The silly boy! But, I must admit that, from all the looks I keep getting from Dis, she's finding it hard to let him go."
"Yes, women are funny that way," Thranduil grinned. "But, he's all yours now, don't you worry."
"Yes, he is, isn't he?" said the dwarf woman smugly.
.o00o.
When a knock came on his door and Damaril entered rather hesitantly, Thorin's heart sank. This was just the situation he was keen to avoid. Where was Thranduil when you needed him? But he felt obliged to offer the elf lord a drink and, when he returned with a couple of glasses, he found his brother-in-law out on the balcony, studying the stars. "Lovely, clear night," Damaril sighed. And then he fell silent.
"How are things?" asked Thorin to fill the void.
"You mean, between me and Dis? They're wonderful, really, and I haven't thought about you for months."
"That's good," murmured the king.
"But, as soon as I knew we were visiting Erebor, then thoughts of you began to return." He put down his glass upon a table. "I have fought it and these feelings make no difference to my love for Dis."
"That's good," muttered Thorin again, feeling vaguely uncomfortable. Thranduil, help!
They were standing face to face and the dwarven king could see the struggle that played out across Damaril's features. He watched in fascination as the elf's head kept dipping forward as if he were some nodding child's toy. And then, like a powerful magnet irresistibly drawn to another, the elf's lips plunged down and locked upon Thorin's whilst his arms shot out and around the dwarf's waist.
Thorin was fixed to the spot, stunned by the power of the kiss. He raised his hands to Damaril's chest, ready to push him away. He didn't have to because the elf lord suddenly broke away of his own volition as Thranduil's voice drawled across the room.
"Couldn't keep away from the expert kisser, then, Thorin?" he asked. "I see you needed another trial run."
He sounded quite calm but Thorin could hear the underlying violence in his tones. "I think," he said meaningfully, turning to Damaril, "that Dis is doubtless waiting for you."
"Yes, oh, yes," stuttered the elf lord, getting bad flashbacks to the time that Thranduil had nearly throttled him when he had kissed the dwarf once before. And he hurried from the room, giving the elven king a wide berth.
Thranduil made no attempt to stop him but kept his focus on Thorin. When he heard the door bang behind him, he moved with predatory grace towards the dwarf whilst the dwarf stumbled backwards.
Thorin finally came up against the balcony wall and was forced to make a stand. "Now, stop it, Thranduil," he said, holding up his hands, "and listen."
"Stop what?" asked the elf. "I haven't done anything – yet - although I'm done with listening."
"If I remember correctly," was the angry retort, "it was only just recently that you spent an entire night in bed with Ethril. And, all I've done is kiss Damaril."
"So, it was you who kissed him," hissed his lover, seizing him by the collar. "You whore!"
"Yes – no – I mean, he kissed me. He caught me by surprise."
"Ah," growled Thranduil, pulling him close, "you were studying his technique so that I could reap the benefit? Show me," he said and ground his lips against those of the dwarf.
.o00o.
Meanwhile, Dis was paying Dwalin a visit. "Umm," mumbled Dwalin, reluctantly inviting her in, "Bris should be back in a moment."
"I don't think so," said Dis. "She was still deep in conversation with Thranduil when I left the dining hall. So…I've come to have words with you."
"Words?"
"Yes," said the dwarf woman angrily. "I backed out of our engagement after being told that you were all Thorin's – a man's man. But now I find you in a relationship with another woman. How do you explain that?"
"Er…" stuttered the big dwarf. How could he say that he hadn't loved her but that he loved Bris?
Unexpectedly, Dis flung herself upon his broad chest and began to cry. "I feel like such a reject," she wept. He hesitantly put his arms around her to comfort her and she lifted her face for a kiss. And, at that moment, Bris banged into the room.
"I suggest you remove yourself from my partner's arms and from this room," she snarled. Dis scurried away and Bris turned on her lover.
"I think you've got some explaining to do," she said tartly.
.o00o.
On trembling legs, Dis ran back to her apartment. She had honestly thought that Bris had been about to attack her. She was feeling very guilty too and just wanted to get back to Damaril's loving arms. Damaril had got back to their rooms only moments before, also feeling guilty and rather shocked by his behaviour. How stupid of him to risk all that he had with his beloved Dis just for one kiss. They practically fell upon each other with an overwhelming feeling of relief.
So, that's those two sorted.
But, back in Thorin's apartment, things were getting nasty. The dwarf's torn clothing was lying scattered on the floor and Thranduil was fucking Thorin hard up against the balcony wall. The dwarven king was struggling in his grasp, furious that his lover had such a poor opinion of him, whilst the elf was trying to satisfy his own anger with a cruel assault. He came on a deep groan and flung the dwarf from him. Then, fastening his breeches, he marched from the room. Thorin crept to the bed and curled up in a despairing little ball.
.o00o.
Down in the stables, Brangwyn and Young Thorin, her husband, had just arrived back from their trip to see Beorn. The Prince had gone on ahead, carrying a sleeping toddler in his arms, and now Brangwyn mounted the stairs tiredly and lugged a couple of heavy bags down the corridor. Suddenly, like a miniature whirlwind, Thranduil swept past her, nearly bowling her over.
I could do without this, she sighed. But she dropped her bags and, racing ahead of the elf, she blocked his path at the head of the stairs.
"Get out of my way!" he growled, as the dwarf woman stood in front of him with folded arms. Brangwyn ignored his order.
"Whatever you think he did, he didn't do it. Whoever you think he fucked, he didn't fuck. Whatever betrayal you think he has committed, he didn't commit. Whoever you think he kissed, he didn't kiss."
"Well, mistress know-it-all, you'd be wrong there," the elven king responded with a snarl. "Damaril's visiting and I have just seen them kissing with my own eyes."
Brangwyn held her ground. "And what did you do about it? Listen to his explanation? Discuss it like a grown-up?"
"No, I fucked him up against a wall and now I'm going home."
Brangwyn's face fell. "You didn't! How cruel you can be sometimes, Thranduil."
The elf blinked as if he had just woken from a bad dream. Then his shoulders sagged as all his anger drained out of him. "Go and tell him that you're sorry," she continued quietly. "It's not too late to patch things up." Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.
For a moment he rested his chin on her hair. Then: "Without you, dear friend, our relationship would have finished long ago." He kissed her on the forehead and headed back to Thorin's apartment.
He entered their bedroom quietly and a knife twisted in his heart when he saw Thorin, lying on the bed and looking so small and vulnerable. He noticed the bruises on his shoulders and buttocks where he had grasped him so viciously and the knife twisted again. Silently, he got undressed, then tucked himself into the dwarf's back.
"Damaril really did take me by surprise," Thorin said quietly.
"I know," replied the elf. "And I'm sorry to be such a fool." He fingered the bruises on his broad shoulders carefully. "Do these hurt?" he asked.
"Yes, a bit. But, I believe a lot of little sucky kisses would soon cure that."
Thranduil grinned and began to kiss and suck the bruises on those great shoulders and then he worked his way down to Thorin's buttocks. His lover groaned and rolled over onto his back. "Ah," murmured the elf, "I see there's somewhere else in need of my attention." And he gently sucked Thorin's swollen cock into his mouth.
Five minutes later, the dwarf was snuggling sleepily into his chest. "All better now," he sighed.
"Well, I hope so," said Thranduil, "but, I was obliged to tell Bris about Dwalin's relationship with Dis."
"And did you tell her about me and Dwalin," Thorin grunted, burying himself even further into the elf's body.
"By Eru, no! I think if she knew about that, she'd be thundering on your door by now!"
….There came a violent thundering on Thorin's door…..
.o00o.
LOL, well, I don't think they will be getting much sleep tonight - but, doubtless it will all be sorted out in the end. It was a bit of a bedroom farce this time with everyone popping in and out like yo-yos, but, I hope you enjoyed it.
If you haven't read them, then we get stories involving Damaril in The Kings and the Dancing Lessons and The Kings and the Unexpected Letter. Dis and Dwalin first get together in The Kings, Dwalin and Dis. And there are quite a few involving Bris but we meet her initially in The Kings and the Tattoos.
I can't think of a new story-line yet but I'm sure that another will come along in the end! If you keep reading and indicate your enjoyment, then I'll keep writing.