Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit.
King of Erebor – A New Home
An Exciting Night
More than a year passed since the dragon had been expelled from Erebor. The first winter under the Lonely Mountain was spent recovering from their battle wounds with the aid of men and elves. Oh, those months were so comfortable! Fíli knew it was a foolish thought, but he couldn't help longing after those simple times. True, he'd got some nasty wounds on Ravenhill, but the Mountain offered them comfort and space. Back then, only the Company and the more adventurous half of Dáin's soldiers resided here – and men of Laketown occupied some outer chambers, with a few elves staying to help the wounded. Those were months of peace and rest, but when the snow melted, life changed.
When spring came, so came dwarven families, seeking shelter and a better future. Soon, the Mountain was bursting with life, and Fíli found himself with a crown on his head and a lot to do to guide his kingdom through the road of restoration to greatness.
He wasn't afraid of the new task, really. He'd always known this day would come, and considering that Thorin only abdicated, not died, his situation looked far better than he'd ever dared to wish. He was well-prepared and full of ideas. The population continued to grow, and restoration started. Most of Erebor was still in ruins, but day by day, everyone could see the development. People had to carve out their own apartments, but dwarves were sturdy and enduring, and fortunately, willing to forgo some comfort for the sake of a bigger prize.
His mother arrived just after the spring equinox. She was quite impatient to meet her sons again, so when she got word of retaking the mountain, she set out on her journey in just a few days. With "proper organization" and the help of a cartographer, she found her way through Middle-Earth during the winter. It must have been quite an adventure, but she rarely mentioned it; she travelled with other dwarrowdams, like Glóin's wife or Bombur's daughters and they did not want to reveal the details to the jealously protective husbands, fathers and brothers. She had gotten everyone here in one piece, and they should be glad!
Lady Dís, mother of Fíli, was a force to be reckoned with. According to malevolent gossips, Thorin's company set out on their quest because they feared her more than they feared a dragon. It was ridiculous of course, but she handled people with undeniable efficiency. Thus, smelling their dinner, Fíli knew he had to go. Amad always expected them to arrive on time.
He folded up the old map on his desk. He had been studying old maps and descriptions of Erebor lately. The dragon destroyed the inside of the Mountain extensively, causing collapsed bridges, cave-ins and rockfalls; and they had yet to find the main source of water. The web of the subterranean streams had been altered because of the destruction, and while they found a few smaller currents, no one had any idea where most of the water was running now. They knew the approximate place of its source near the top of the Mountain, but couldn't reach it. They also knew where it burst onto the surface, but the old bed inside was completely dry. As far as they knew, there could be a huge body of water stuck somewhere, which would flood the whole city if they moved the wrong rock.
Fíli stood up and stretched. Sniffing the air, he flinched. The smell indicated those weird eastern foods, and his stomach churned. He missed those simple home-cooked meals they used to eat in Ered Luin. Now, they had a professional cook, and foreign realms kept sending them samples of their products as gifts. According to Mother and Uncle, Fíli was obliged to try them all. He agreed, but he had already discovered his intense dislike for eastern flavors – yet, Amad, being in charge of the menu, kept ordering these meals. Unfortunately, no one else complained – most of the Company were grateful if they got invited to the royal table and didn't have to bother with taking care of their own food – and Dís creatively preached either about her views on the joy of learning about different cultures, or on royal responsibilities and privileges, or citing her motherly authority over her son, as a last resort. Probably, she liked weird tasting food.
However, he would keep his complaints about food to himself. Really. There were starving people in this world while he complained about having too much luxury. It wouldn't do; he'd decided. He wanted to be a good king and a good person. He would just let the others eat up everything, and hope for something he could swallow without choking. He pulled open one of his drawers, and picked up a few elven peppermint candies, to take away the taste and calm his stomach at the end of the meal.
He opened the door to the corridor, only to find his mother with her hand raised for knocking. He smiled at her.
"Good evening, Amad."
"Good evening," she answered, and to give purpose to her raised hand, she pulled him closer for a quick touch of foreheads. "Dinner is ready, are you coming?" She looked him over, satisfied with what she saw.
Fíli smirked. "I was on my way, but you know, some lady came knocking and…"
"I wouldn't finish this very funny statement, son!" Dís said with a threatening tone, but laughing eyes. She hooked her hand in her son's arm. "Come."
They entered the dining room together.
"All hail the King!" they heard Bofur's usual toast. Fíli could never quite decide how to react, but a smile and raising his own cup worked just fine. Someone had already filled one for him, and now pushed it in his hand.
"Cheers!" he replied to Bofur, and gulped it all down.
It was a very bad idea. It was a foul eastern concoction. Were there no proper plants in the East?
When he fought down the urge to violently throw up right here, right now, he focused on the scene unfolding before him.
Dwalin was pulling out the chair for Dís – he knew his manners in the presence of a lady.
"Thank you, Dwalin," she thanked him regally with a warm smile. "Bofur, I see your new boots are still unfinished?" she inquired with fake politeness. Bofur was swinging on his chair leisurely, his dirty boots propped up on the table between his plates and Nori's. He reddened swiftly at Dís' comment, pushed himself into a proper sitting position and mumbled his excuse incoherently. Just in this moment, everyone could hear Kíli's loud belch and vindictive cry:
"Ha! Heard that, Nori? I told you I can be louder!" For emphasis, he jumped up from his seat and tried to let out another to further prove his point. Nori, having a little more sense than Kíli, pretended to have heard nothing and fetched back his knife from Óin, who stole it for the purpose of picking his teeth with it.
"Oi!" protested the healer.
"You can't clean your teeth with it," Nori stated.
"But you're always picking your nails with it! It's… it's its purpose!"
"It's mine," Nori shrugged nonchalantly, starting to clean his nails with it. He expertly flicked the dirt onto Kíli's plate, while the unsuspecting youth realized his previous mistake and waited for his mother's retribution.
"I can't hear you, you know," said Óin, playing out the deaf card, and stealing Kíli's fork to continue on his teeth. "It's quite rude, speaking quietly so I can't hear!"
"He said it's his!" Bofur shouted, when Nori wisely stayed silent. Fíli saw Dwalin hiding his laughter; he was fussing with Dís' chair and he was clearly not in a hurry of getting within her sights. Dís remembered him, though:
"Dwalin, sit down, please. You too, Fíli," she said. This time, her pleasantness was genuine. Dwalin sat down on her left side, while Fíli on her right. Usually, they formed the barrier between the Lady of Durin and the rest of the Company. "Shall we?" she asked, and then, nodded to the kitchen maid to bring their food.
They ate in silence. Fíli didn't mind it – since becoming king, he learnt to appreciate every moment, when no one pestered him. Looking up, he saw Dwalin stuffing his face; probably to hide his grin. They both knew how much Dís hated abominable table manners. It shows a lack of respect, she claimed. For a long while, she was the one feeding them, so they learnt to cope. Others (notably everyone else) not too much. When her Ladyship first invited the whole Company for dinner, everyone ended up on the corridor before the meal even arrived – so great was her disgust seeing their behavior. She tried to educate them on proper table manners: some responded better than others, some not at all. Usually, she corrected them before or during they ate, but tonight, her silence implied a later, longer lecture. Everyone was trying to lay low, afraid to draw the lady's displeased attention on themselves. Fíli suppressed his grin too; he and Dwalin greatly enjoyed seeing the others groveling themselves back into her good graces.
There might be some fun tonight, after all; Fíli decided.
Only the food… the silence led his thoughts back to the food on his plate. He carelessly pushed around the minuscule amount he was willing to eat. He felt Amad's hand patting his knee under the table. He looked up and she gently shook her head – thanks to his general good behavior, he never got corrected publicly. He laid down his silverware for a moment and pretended to drink.
"I bring good news," Dís announced abruptly. Her sudden cheerfulness implied she was truly happy, but it did not necessarily bode well for everyone else. "As you must know, I am in regular contact with Lady Vera, Lord Dáin's wife from the Iron Hills. You know, how it is… friends spilling out their souls and all… We started brainstorming and we came to the conclusion of reviving an old tradition! What say you, my kingly son, will you support us?" she turned to Fíli. Fíli froze.
"Please, tell us about it."
"Gladly!" she squealed. Fíli had no idea that Amad was capable of producing such a girly sound, but Dís continued with clear enthusiasm. "We will organize the Spring Tour of Love this year, in Erebor. Isn't it great?"
Everyone nodded obediently, although nobody understood her meaning.
"It is a very old tradition, to help dwarves find their One. The Spring Tour means single dwarrowdams leave their homes and travel to another dwarven kingdom or settlement. They stay there for a period, meeting the locals, and if they succeed, they marry. If not, well, they continue their travels. I really wouldn't bore you with the details, but go on, ask, and I will clarify."
No one asked, not even Ori. Fíli himself wasn't even sure if he was still breathing. Not even Óin complained about his deafness – apparently he had a grasp on the topic.
"All right," Dís smiled brilliantly, ignoring the shock of her companions. "I will clarify anyway. Vera and I discussed in length the repopulation of Erebor and the overpopulation of the Iron Hills before we came up with this idea. She has already approached quite a few dwarrowdams of various standings, occupations and ages. They would happily participate in the program, and help in the restorations here. Also, I think they would like to marry, and marry well."
Finally, Dwalin found his voice. "That's an interesting idea, Dís,"
"I am so happy you agree! Thank you, Dwalin! I hope you'll find a beautiful and caring lady for yourself!" Dís exclaimed. Dwalin looked confused.
"What? Why would I…?"
"Why would you participate?" Dís artfully raised an eyebrow. "Because you can find the love of your life, naturally! Oh, it's so exciting!" She clapped her hands. When no one responded, she added with a strict expression: "I expect all of you to join in. You are the cream of Erebor's society right now, so you need to set a good example."
She returned to her food, silently smiling to herself. She looked truly excited, and no one dared to contradict her – even though no one felt any particular desire to… to… marry. Even thinking of the word made them shudder. Fíli himself hated the idea, personally, and hated Amad for forcing him into it. The others, he understood. But him too? He behaved. Perhaps he will get a free pass if he just quietly skips those… those… whatever they should do there. What in the name of Mahal would they even do there?
Bofur regained his senses first.
"Dwarrowdams!" he exclaimed cheerfully and raised his cup. "To the dwarrowdams!"
The others cheered half-heartedly.
"Come on, lads! What could go wrong with dwarrowdams coming to entertain us?"
Oh, Bofur, Fíli sighed. He noticed Amad trembling; she did not want to burst out laughing, but her merriness alerted Fíli.
"Yeah, well, ask Thorin!" Dwalin growled. There was a time, when Balin set out to find a wife for Thorin. Obviously, he failed. Few heard the whole story, but they saw fit to share it with Fíli as a word of advice on how hard it is to find a queen. (Especially if you are Thorin.)
"Well, he isn't here!" Kíli stated the obvious.
"Well, then you can tell us!" Bofur encouraged Dwalin.
"Why isn't he here?" Fíli asked. Thorin rarely missed dinner. After the battle, he came back as a changed dwarf. He was going on and on about living a better life in the future, a hobbit style life… with comfort and food and merriment and such. He rarely missed a family gathering, and never without a word.
"They found the stream," Nori answered.
Fíli snapped up his head. "What stream?"
"The one everyone's looking for."
"Who found it?"
Nori shrugged. "Dori was called to help organize. Everyone around panicked."
Thoughts swirled in Fíli's head.
Panic. Dori was called. Thorin is there. I'm here, picking on eastern food. I'M the King!
It was always Thorin. When someone wanted something, they asked for Thorin's support. When they needed advice about reconstruction, they asked for Thorin's opinion. When they found the stream the whole population of the mountain was looking for, they went to Thorin! And he never, not once turned these dwarves away: he went and took care of everything. Fíli might be wearing the crown, but as long as Thorin dwelled here, he wouldn't stop being their leader.
Fíli decided to do the adult thing and swallowed his anger. Thorin was a living legend, he deserved respect and love, and Fíli wasn't jealous. Never. (Not now, anyway!)
He leaned back in his chair, considering the new information.
"Is it dangerous? Did anyone get hurt?" he asked.
"Didn't hear," Nori shrugged.
"Well, I guess they can deal with it," he stated. "I will see what happened after dinner."
Nori eyed him curiously. Dís shot him a questioning glare too.
"Well, isn't it an exciting night?" Dís exclaimed cheerfully, raising her cup. "To the stream and to dwarrowdams!"