Author's Note: SO…this is a fix-it fic that takes place after a successful conclusion to BotFA. The Durins all make it. Oh, and Bilbo is Bella – a female Hobbit. I've got a new addiction.
Asters & Amethysts
Asters – talisman of love
Bella hummed to herself as the embroidery needle moved in and out of the fabric in a quiet rhythm. The light glinted off of the golden thread as she created yet another petal in the chain of flowers she chose to decorate the hem of her dress. Each stitch needed to be perfect. Though she would only wear this dress once, she knew it would be a memory she would treasure for the rest of her life…and a keepsake to pass on to a future generation.
Mahal and Yavanna willing.
She finished one petal and moved to the next. Each step, each tug of thread slipped through her hands in such an easy fashion. Granted, her adopted brothers had done the hard work when it came to her dress. Nori scrounged the fabric – from where, only the Valar knew…and Bella refused to ask. This one time, Dori forbear making any inquiries as well. Instead he worked with one of her old dresses to create a one-of-a-kind ensemble which would reflect both her Hobbit heritage and the Dwarf culture she would marry into. Ori assisted wherever necessary – from making sketches for Dori to bargaining in the marketplace for the little things that let her make the dress hers. Even if it meant she used Dwarvish methods to do it.
Like her gold thread.
In the Shire, her thread would have been a golden color. In Erebor? Oh, no, that would never do! Gold thread turned out to be just that – gold drawn out fine into a usable thread. They blended something into it to keep it from breaking at such a thinness, but she did not care. It allowed her to add an extra touch to make the dress more hers, more his. She wanted these flowers to be symbolic of the life she would share with Thorin. Asters – talismans of love in flower lore – created with gold, a symbol of perfection.
Her lips curved into a gentle smile as she smoothed the material under her fingers. The white color with its creamy lace overlay gave it a look of age – in a good way. It seemed like a treasured antique waiting in someone's closet for the perfect moment. Dori's original plans called for crystalline patterns, but once she'd explained the importance of flowers in Hobbit heritage, he scrapped the entire idea and began again. Now she let her fingertips drift over the lace, picking out each bloom and blossom, tears pricking at her eyes as she read the message written in the petals. Bella looked forward to teaching its meaning to Thorin when their long-awaited day arrived.
Her life had been directionless before Gandalf dropped thirteen Dwarves on her doorstop. Now she could not imagine a life without them. Home once meant a place, somewhere she felt comfortable and welcome. Now? Now home meant a family – people who made her life complete.
Amethyst – sign of peace and prosperity
Thorin polished the mithril setting, making sure each scratch disappeared under his careful scrutiny. He hated risking damage to the precious metal, but the previous stones would never due for the new Erebor – or her queen. The shield lay before him on the table, its blank center piece waiting to be filled with material depicting Bella's coat of arms. Each queen possessed her own and he knew Balin would work with Dori and Bella to create a perfect one for her, but the shield, the setting of her banner – that was his to perfect.
He could remember seeing his mother's banner as it hung in the main entrance, but he wanted Bella's in the throne room next to his. Without her, the Dwarves of Erebor would not yet be in their homes. They would still be wandering the lands of Men, scraping around in the dirt for copper coins. If his banner deserved to hang with honor, how much more was she owed? The weakness of his bloodline, of his family, brought the dragon. Leading the charge to retake Erebor for his people – it was his responsibility in penance for the errors his family wrought with their gold-sickness.
Bella volunteered.
Of all the Dwarves who might have joined his cause, only twelve stepped forward – and most of them family. Too many others hid from him or refused outright. Some remained traumatized from what they lived through that day while others held onto too many anxieties which came from living in the world of Men among strange folks. Most of those he approached – those in power and with numbers at their command – they refused to face the dragon for his mountain. Even his cousin, Dáin Ironfoot, advised him to reconsider his plan. Thorin could still feel the anger that coursed through his veins when the majority of his kin turned him down.
When so many Dwarves turned away, this peaceful, comfort-loving Hobbit volunteered.
Thorin can still remember Bella's reply when he pressed her, demanding to know why she had returned to the quest instead of going home when she escaped the goblin caves:
"Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right... I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong, that's home. That's why I came back... 'cause you don't have one, a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."
It humbled him – the thought of it would never fail to humble him. She chose to sacrifice an opportunity to return to her own home in safety for the remote chance of helping him win his. Another, more recent memory stood out even more: Bella standing in front of him, her hands on his cheeks, as she accepted his proposal to make the reclaimed mountain her home.
Without her, there would be no Erebor.
Without her, his people would not have this chance at peace and prosperity.
Without her, Thorin himself would never again know the peace he craved.
So yes, amethyst would be a perfect choice for Bella's shield – and it would hang in the throne room where it belonged.