The Coming of Age ceremonies for an heir of Durin were lavish affairs that had little to do with the newly adult dwarf. Aside from making an appearance at the feasts and publicly accepting the gifts from his family and other noble families within Erebor, Thorin was barely noticed during the weeklong celebration. There was a great feast every evening, followed by a ball that lasted late into the night, and each day began with competitions for hand-to-hand combat, knife throwing, smithing, and all things dwarvish.

Thorin did his duty to appear for dinner each night, and graciously accepted the large war hammer his father gifted to him in front of Erebor's subjects. A war hammer was the traditional gift for a dwarf when he came of age, but Thorin's made him feel bitter about his upcoming situation. When would he have the opportunity to wield his fine new weapon? The husband of the Lord of Moria was unlikely to see battle. As a result of his foul mood, Thorin mostly kept to his rooms during the week. He was scarcely missed by everyone but his sister as there were plenty distractions to keep anyone from noticing the absence of a sullen prince.

While coming of age should have brought him joy and excitement, Thorin had dreaded it all summer. Now he was grown and in just a few short months he would be married to a stranger and on his way to his new home in the west. Thorin felt that his birthday was the beginning of the end of his happiness. On the last day of festivities, the young prince had closed himself up in his room and wasn't surprised when no one even bothered to come looking for him.

It was past midday when someone finally came to visit. Thorin was lying on his bed, absentmindedly flipping through a book when his sister came to sit beside him. He didn't bother to look up and instead kept turning pages without really seeing what they contained. Thorin wasn't angry with Dis; he was just too wrapped up in his own misery to acknowledge his sister. Finally, Dis sighed and began to stroke his hair.

"Why did you not come to the festivities today, brother?" She asked softly as she tucked a stray piece of dark hair behind his ear.

"What does it matter? Apparently I wasn't missed by anyone other than you." He grimaced at his own words; feeling that perhaps he was being a little too childish. However,Thorin couldn't help but notice his older brother Frerin, already on his way to becoming king, hadn't bothered to check on his younger sibling. Thorin had always looked up to Frerin and his inattention stung the sensitive young prince.

"It would have been nice to have you for support," Dis said softly as she tugged one of his braids gently. Thorin could hear the sadness in her voice.

"What do you mean 'support'?" He looked up from his book to see her face somber and crestfallen. "Dis, what is it?"

"My betrothal was announced today at the start of the competitions," she answered softly, still playing with Thorin's braid and avoiding eye contact with her younger brother.

"Betrothal? To whom?"

"Nali, son of Nari. We're to be married in the spring," Dis released his braid and folded her hands in her lap, staring at the floor. Thorin knew he shouldn't be shocked, of course his sister would have to wed; especially considering her younger brother was also betrothed.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Thorin couldn't hide the edge to his voice. He felt betrayed that Dis would have kept this from him. Dis and Thorin had always been close, much closer than he had been with his older, kingly brother; they had never kept secrets from each other and this news hurt. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked at her pointedly. She finally turned and met his gaze. Her blue eyes glittered with unshed tears.

"I would have told you sooner, brother, if I had known about it myself. I-I found out about it this morning." Dis' bottom lip trembled for but a moment before she sucked it in, taking a deep breath through her nose.

Thorin understood her pain immediately. It was not the matter of her betrothed. Nali, son of Nari was a kind dwarf the Durin heirs had grown up with. He came from an ancient and extremely wealthy family. Thorin was confident he would be a good husband to his sister, if not maybe a little too mild for her temperament. What was so troubling was that now with both their marriages officially announced, the siblings knew they would most likely never see each other again. Thorin would travel west to Moria, and Dis would go to the Blue Mountains where Nail's family owned several sapphire mines.

The thought that he would possibly never see his beloved sister after his wedding on Durin's Day, mere months away, was too much to bear. Before Thorin realized what he was doing, he had thrown himself into his big sister's arms, choking back a small sob.

Her little brother's tears proved too much for Dis' stoic resolve and she too allowed herself to weep as she held Thorin close. The pair stayed wrapped together until their sobs died down into sniffles before Dis finally pulled back. She wiped the tears from Thorin's face and kissed his forehead softly, giving him a weak smile.

"Well, there's no use staying cooped up here, wallowing in self-pity. Come on brother; let's go nick something sweet from the kitchen!" Dis wiped her eyes and all but hopped off the bed. She walked to the door, turning to wait for Thorin.

The young prince managed a small smile and nodded as he rose to follow her out of the room. He knew she was putting on this façade just for him and he was grateful. They had precious few months left and Dis had made him realize that locking himself away was not the answer. Thorin decided then, as they walked together to the kitchens, that he would enjoy the time he had left with his family and not squander it on self-pity.

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The following months passed all too quickly but Thorin and Dis managed to spend nearly every waking minute together. They took every meal together, retelling adventures from their youth until long after the food had been cleared away. The pair ran through the halls of Erebor like they had when they were dwarflings, chasing after imaginary dragons and trolls, much to the consternation of their father and grandfather.

Throughout his life, when Thorin felt especially lonely or miserable, he clung to the memories of those months spent with his sister when they were still young and innocent, when life wasn't quite so complicated, as a beacon of hope.

Thanks for all the positive response I've gotten so far! It will eventually get better, I promise!

Thank you to Ella and Jenny for all your help! I love you ladies!