Summary: Some things are secret only in that no one knows the truth.
Dis Color fic They were not made for one another as others were but Dis always thought that made the love they shared all the sweeter. She never wanted or needed to find her Color's maker, not like her brothers had, but there he was staring at the orange that bloomed where he gripped her hand to help her up.
Becksibee mentioned they were curious about Dis and Bard's Matches so I decided to provide answers, I am about to Begin on Bard's, I hope to finish that tonight but it may be posted later depending on how writing it goes.
Yellow-Harmed in happiness (Like Bumblebee yellow)
Silver- When you feel nothing when you harm someone/Shock
Orange-harmed in worry
Gold- Harmed for love
Red- harmed in anger Blue- harmed in sadness
Black- harmed in madness (Insanity)
Green- harmed in fear
Purple- harmed by complete accident
White- harmed with pure intentions -
Dis had never wanted her colors to come, in this she was an oddity but Dis had never cared for the way Dwarrows revered their matches, she'd been witness to too many Broken ones. She'd come of age when while on the road, scared of meeting her Color-maker knowing what would happen to her when he left her. Knowing that she'd become less of herself if he died before she did and how he'd be less if she left him and so while her brothers had whispered eagerly about the One that would make colors bloom and remain upon their flesh she'd avoided being hurt by any other.
It had been a relief when Dwalin revealed his come home with a swash of red and green along his cheek, he'd stared in shock when she'd said something and for a time she'd helped him hide the mark with some of the cosmetics her father still insisted she keep. But finally she'd been able to train and spar with someone other than her brother's without fear of gaining her Colors.
It had been a moment of foolishness that had had her meeting Fili and Kili's father. She'd just wanted to be alone for a moment and so had snuck out from their home and wandered through the markets of men.
She'd been caught and threatened and suddenly there had been another Dwarrow at her side as they fought their way out. He'd asked after her and offered to spend time escorting her around safely should she wish to return, and had slapped her back painfully before walking away.
She'd been terrified of finding yellow blooming over her shoulder when she returned home and had searched with a desperation and felt only relief when her shoulder was as bare as it had been before.
But she had taken the Dwarrow up on his offer, it couldn't hurt, she'd thought, still so young and new to the understandings of love, and they had become friends and then more and she realized too late that a part of her would die when he did.
She hadn't understood then, he wasn't her Color-maker, how could she feel so much for him, she could hardly imagine her days without him and so when he offered marriage she'd accepted after asking after his own Color-maker.
They had died, he told her, at the beginning of Smaug's rampage, they had been a guard at the gates and his colors had burned away when his Color-maker burned under Smaug's flame, now all that was left of the colors was burn scars where his colors had been.
For Dwarrow their colors would fade out and take the traits of how the other half had died, Did had seen too many burns upon her people's skins but some, some had twisted bones formed by their Ones dying in cave ins or dead looking limbs from their Color-maker suffocating, another thing that terrified her able meeting her Color-maker, or perhaps her Color-maker was dead already, there was no way for a Dwarrow to know though she knew that other races knew when they lost their Color-maker before they met.
But she'd not been able to refuse, she wanted him, his Color-scars did not worry her and he had promised if she found her Color-maker he'd step aside, at the time she had not had the heart to tell him sha never wanted to meet her Color-maker.
And so they had wed in secret with Thorin officiating and lying about the Color-blooming, many Dwarrow never got married unless they were Color-makers for one another an the Royal line only married if they were Color-makers but Thorin had understood that Vili had made her happy in a way he'd never seen her since the Fall of Erebor and so had promised to keep their secret.
It had been a surprise that they had welcomed Fili within those first five years, it was nearly unheard of, even for Color-matches and Dis remembered Thorin's worry should any find out that she and Vili weren't color-makers.
Little Kili had come along, a surprise as well, she carried small and hadn't noticed until she was beginning her labors and her little shock had entered the world quiet and wide-eyed and she had loved him just as she had loved Fili.
Then her Grandfather sought out Moria and her Vili had left her, Thorin had carefully helped her make color-scars on her arms after bring her news of Vili's death and then they had spoken no more about it, and she wonder, if this was how much it pained her to lose Vili, how would she survive the lose of her Color-maker, how had her Vili survived his Color-maker's death?
Dis had never expected to ever see the Halls of Erebor again, never again, she'd thought, but Thorin had done it, had managed with a company of just Thirteen Dwarrows and a Hobbit to take back the Mountain but the victory was bittersweet for Thorin.
Yes, he'd returned them to their home, yes, he'd found his Color-Maker but it was stained, stained with black and absence.
Bilbo Baggins had given Thorin color upon his wrists when he'd attempted to kill him for Betrayal, a betrayal done for the life of his people. And then after the Battle Bilbo had fled to the west, thinking his Color-maker dead, Hobbits' colors faded when they lost their match but there was so little information about cross-species Color-Makers that they hadn't been sure how the loss would present itself.
Then the Shire had Fallen and Thorin had brought his Hobbit's people in and taken care of them even thinking that his Color-maker was gone and then Bilbo had arrived, with four little ones that the kept as theirs soon to add another.
Sometimes she heard Thorin wishing for a daughter and Bilbo would smile secretively and Dis wondered if even Hobbits had things about their race that they kept Secret.
Dis hit something solid and fell, breaking out of her review of the past.
A hand caught her hand in a tight grip before she hit the ground and she grasped it and looked at the Dwarf that she had run into but he was not looking at her face but where her hand was gripped painfully by his and the orange color that travelled around his hand on her skin and the silver that bloomed on his own skin.
Dis waited for him to look up at her after she steadied herself.
"You're my Color-Maker." He whispered reverently.
Dis stared at him and wondered what she should do.
"We should talk." Dis said finally, "There are some things you should know."
It was easy to speak to her Color-maker, easier than it had been with Vili but the longer she spoke with her Color-Maker the more she realized how much sweeter that had made her love for Vili.