'I have sex with you a lot in my head.'

'A little more tight please.'

The maid behind her hesitated, the strings of the corset laying useless in her hands. She seemed unwilling to pull any harder.

'But my queen… are you sure?' she inquired softly. 'It's only a council-meeting…'

Enya turned around, her glare burning through the poor girl's soul. 'YES!' she snapped. 'I believe I just told you what I want! Or are you deaf, lass?'

The maid lowered her head, her gaze fixated on the floor. 'I'm sorry my queen, it isn't my place.'

Enya held her breath as the girl was restraining her body further. Jesus! How did the women in middle earth breathe? She groaned in frustration and grabbed her waist. Why was the clothing etiquette in Erebor so damn complicated? Sometimes she craved for her favorite denim shorts and a black tank top, but Thorin wouldn't even allow her to wear trousers in court. Oh, those days on the road, when she could wear whatever the fuck she wanted and Thorin was all hot and bothered because he was madly in love with her but refused to act on it.

Stubborn bastard.

Enya glanced into the mirror at the maid who was still working on her corset and bit her lip. It wasn't the poor girl's fault. Enya had been, and still was, on edge and it had nothing to do with her maid or the dress. To be honest she craved for Thorin's touch. The agony of not being able to feel his fingers caress her skin made her restless. It had been exactly nine days, eight hours and fourteen minutes since their last lovemaking and she already considered twice to give up their bet. How she ever had survived the whole trip from Bag end to Laketown without making love to her king, she didn't know. The past nine days had been torture. She couldn't last without him.

Thorin, on the other hand, seemed quite indifferent about the whole affair. He went about his own business like nothing happened and behaved like his own grumpy self. Not touching her seemed far too easy. Enya couldn't stand it, he was getting away relatively sound and she was… well…

She would say fucked but in this case: really unfucked. The whole thing was ridiculous and she regretted daring her king in the first place.

But there she was, randomly snapping at a chambermaid, who probably only wanted to give her some advice. No, it was indeed not the girl's place to tell her queen what to do, but the least Enya could do was appreciating the effort. There was no need to punish someone who just tried to be kind.

'No, I should be the one to apologize.' she admitted softly and heaved a sigh. 'I have no right to scold you like that. You're just doing your job.'

She watched herself in the mirror, trying to decide if the dress she chose to wear today maybe was a bit too much. She knew Thorin normally would never allow her to wear something this bold outside their private quarters, but she didn't care. A dress was a dress, and this particular one was gorgeous: a mermaid gown in a deep blue color that suited her eyes, embroidered with black roses all over the fabric. The low neckline left her collar bones bared. The rest of the dress complimented the shape of her body by hugging her hips and buttocks, only to flare out below the knees. To top it off, she had ordered her maid to tie her up in one of her favorite corsets: a black underbust design that was embroidered with the same pattern. Her black court shoes matched the dress perfectly. The heavy sapphire earrings, crafted by Thorin himself, completed her look and would definitely remind him of something.

Thorin was going to hate her for making him mad with desire.

'Mad with desire, eh?' her mind commented. 'Then we know just what to do, babe. Let's go and tease our king… just for a bit…'

Enya winked at herself in the mirror. It wasn't fair that he got to roam around Erebor without suffering too. No. She was going to break his will, until he finally would give into her.

'Do you think it's too much?' she asked.

The maid's cheeks quickly flushed into a bright red color. 'No, my queen. I just…' She awkwardly shuffled her feet. 'I don't want to hurt you by straining you up further… And with a waist like that… you will distract all the nobles… Like I said… It's just a… council-meeting.'

A smile crossed Enya's face. 'You think so?'

'Yes, my queen.'

'Good.' She smirked. 'Because that's exactly the thing I was going for.'

This dress certainly did what it was designed for. Enya smiled coquettishly as she entered the council room. The discussion that had been going on before she opened the door had stopped, and every single noble present just sat there in silence, ogling her like she was the most exquisite curiosity in middle earth. She tucked a lock that had sprung free from her loosely braided hair behind her ear. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip as she ignored the stares and moved through the room.

'I'm sorry I disturbed the meeting.' Enya told lord Whitheart, who had been speaking before she let herself in. She had no doubt he had been complaining about goat related matters anyway. 'I was delayed. Please, do continue.'

Lord Whitheart swallowed hard as she passed him. After the battle of the five armies, the young dwarf had been one of the first lords to return to Erebor. The moment he had laid his eyes on his future queen, he had been smitten and this puppy love had resulted in hilarious and embarrassing encounters in the corridors of Erebor. And although Enya liked the guy, she often did everything she could to avoid him. Thorin often made fun of her admirer and joked that one look at lord Whitheart's face was enough to tell if his wife was around.

Thorin was sitting at the head of the table, eyeing her meticulously too as she moved closer. His chest was heaving up and down rigidly, almost mechanically. The closer she came the clearer it got that her appearance was intriguing him to say the least… His pupils were dilated, his knuckles turning white as he held on to the chair's armrest. She deliberately pursed her lips slightly and tilted her head. It gave her an innocent air, that is, if she could keep her face straight.

'My king, my apologies.' She breathed while curtseying shortly.

'I'm not sorry at all, you breathtaking bastard…' she thought. 'I'll fuck you up, as if it's the last thing I'll ever do…'

'You're forgiven.' Thorin rumbled, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Enya inclined her head and sent him a sweet little smile. She knew he always was (distracting dress or not) grateful when she showed up here, for he once told her that her presence made those court meetings tolerable. Little did he know, today she would make it a little bit more exciting than usual… She took the empty seat at Thorin's right. Dwalin, who sat next to her, handed her a goblet filled with wine. He winked at her and poured himself another one, tugging it down in one go. Enya sipped from her wine and her gaze shifted from the table towards the pretty features of her king.

Damn, was it her clouded mind or was he looking especially fine today? The sapphire blue tunic complemented his eyes and the red mantle he wore, combined with the heavy golden crown on his head gave him a majestic, godlike appearance. Could this dwarf be even more divine?

Enya took another sip from her drink and her mind revisited a pleasant memory from a few months earlier. Thorin had asked her to come to this exact council room, wearing nothing but a coat and the sapphire earrings and necklace he had crafted for her. Ha, if the council only knew what they had done on this table... She glanced over at her king, who was still eyeing her intently. A smile crept over her face and she arched an eyebrow, while slowly trailing a finger over the edge in front of her. Her other hand fondled one of her earrings, her fingers stroking the outline of silver.

She was sitting on the edge of the wooden table, watching the love of her life on his knees before her. As a king Thorin refused to kneel for anyone, but his queen. Two pairs of flashing blue eyes met, both unwilling to turn away before the other did. Her body tingled, aching impatiently for his touch, but he didn't move an inch. Thorin waited, just continued to watch her with that panties shredding stare of his.

Except in that particular case, the panties had been already gone, laying cold in their bedroom. There had been nothing to stop him and yet he refused to give her what she wanted. Then his fingers stirred, the slight movement making her stop breathing altogether. He began caressing her skin, so slowly it made her squirm.

Up and down. Up and down.

Her body started to tremble uncontrollably and it had nothing to do with the coldness in the room. A weak protest escaped from her lips when Thorin traced the curve of her thighs down to her knees.

'Not what you want?' he purred. 'You must tell me what you want, uzfakuh.'

'Please.'

Her voice was no more than a whisper, but it was enough. He reached forward and the exact moment his tongue touched her core she-

Thorin heaved a strained sigh and shuffled in his seat, pulling Enya into reality again. She blinked. Her lower lip was plump because she had been biting it so ferociously. Her king gazed directly at her (whether he had taking his eyes off her for a moment anyway she didn't know), his eyes lighting up in recognition. He took a gulp from his goblet and then shot her a what-are-you-doing-blueheart-I-need-to-focus-not-fucking-you-in-my-mind glance. Enya hid her mischievous smirk and took another sip.

Oh yes, her plan was working. By the way his fingers were tracing the outline of his cup Thorin told her was getting more and more distracted by the minute, his thoughts definitely there where hers had been moments ago.

'As I was trying to tell you earlier, my king…' lord Whitheart continued, shaking both of them up. 'We have to settle the disputes among the shepherds. The situation is spiraling out of control.'

'Thank you, master Whitheart.' Thorin replied absentmindedly. 'We are aware of the problems. Master Balin and I are working on it.'

Oh, totally. Did he even know what the poor dwarf lord was talking about? The glazy looks in his eyes told her he wasn't thinking about goat herding matters.

Right now she wasn't keen on talking about goats too, since the topic was very unsatisfying and very unsexy. But no, lord Whitheart clearly wanted to have this issue all sorted out. Enya groaned internally as the dwarf lord opened his mouth again to disagree with his king. Thorin noticed and sat up straight, his blue eyes suddenly flashing with annoyance. He had just said he would handle it, so who would be so bold to assume the king wasn't true to his word?

'Thank you my king, but I would like to point out too…'

Oh dear god. Leave it up to lord Whitheart to spoil her fun and smother any sexual tension with his blabbering about goats. Enya heaved a defeated sigh and settled in her chair. Her mind zoomed out of focus, leaving the boring nasal tone of the dwarf lord's voice in the background.

A few years ago when they were reestablishing Erebor, Thorin had appointed "puppy love" lord Whitheart to manage all affairs concerning the herders. The dwarf loved the meadows almost as much as he adored goats, so they thought it was a perfect solution for everyone. Alas lately the herding folk had become increasingly violent regarding each other, and unfortunately their king. Poor lord Whitheart wasn't capable at all of managing them, leaving it to Thorin and Balin to solve the difficulties again. From all the kingly duties, Thorin hated goat disputes the most. He had confided in Enya once that if he'd ever had to endure another feud about those damn animals, he would flee the kingdom.

Well, she would definitely flee with him. Of course she loved goats, but she didn't like the problems they brought with them.

'I suggest we use a considerable amount of force to bring down the uprisings.' A dwarf lord from the other side of the table opposed.

Enya tilted her head and barely refrained from rolling her eyes when she saw who was speaking to them. Talk about another mood killer... If that wasn't Elmilynn's father, lord Steelstone, always sticking his large nose in business he should stay far away from. Or being present in meetings where he wasn't wanted. The guy had only been staying in Erebor for a few weeks, but already he had weaseled himself into the council. Just like his precious daughter, there was something off about him.

'You suggest reprimanding the ones that are responsible for the violent outbursts?' Balin said with his friendly voice, but his eyes were flickering dangerously. He too seemed to be suspicious of the Steelstone family and treated them with extra care.

'Not exactly.' lord Steelstone smirked. 'I merely suggesting we should set out an example. If they can't be persuaded to settle their differences in a civilized manner, we will make the decision for them.'

'That's a bad idea.' Enya's mind commented. 'It will only outrage them even more… He must know this.'

'Ye're wrong there.' Dwalin countered. 'We need their alliance.'

'There are enough cattlemen in middle earth.' Lord Steelstone scoffed. 'I'm sure we can find others.'

'Others?' Lord Whitheart reacted, completely appalled by the mere suggestion. 'No, my king! Although my men aren't the easiest dwarves to deal with, they sell the finest wool. Not to mention the quality of the milk-'

'Oh shut it.' Elmilynn's father scolded. 'You and your goats can't handle the situation and you know it. Why don't you go back to the bushes you came from and leave ruling the kingdom to the real leaders.'

'We're Durin's folk and we're honorable dwarves.' Dwalin muttered. 'We don't go around backstabbing our kin like-'

'Thank you for your concern, lord Steelstone.' Enya interrupted Dwalin before he could really start a rampage. Subtlety wasn't exactly her game, but Dwalin was way worse. 'I think we've handled this topic quite explicitly.' She said. 'Our king will, as he already said, handle it.'

'I'm sure he will, my queen.' The dwarf lord replied solemnly while glancing at her bodice. Enya arched an eyebrow. Really? Men always seemed to be unable to notice anything a woman had to say when she was wearing something that distracted them. It was infuriating, unfair and she was inclined to tell lord Steelstone to behave himself in a more gentlemen like manner, but instead she pursed her lips and waited.

'I know my collar bones are quite fair, but my eyes are up here, you idiot.' she thought irritably as she refused to show any sign of weakness and back down. She smiled coldly when lord Steelstone's eyes met hers again and held the dwarf's gaze as another noble changed the topic to other pressing matters. Enya felt in no way intimidated by the piercing stare and held her ground. Eventually, after what felt like a very long minute, lord Steelstone seemed to remember his manners and finally averted his gaze.

Enya narrowed her eyes. Like his precious daughter, she didn't trust the guy at all. There was something about him, about the cunning way he ferreted himself into the right places… Of course everyone in court had to be hungry for power in some way, but the Steelstone family seemed a bit too well equipped. Whatever their next move would be, Enya was sure she was going to explore their backstory for a bit. Because people like this usually had a lot to hide…

When Thorin finally was able to wrap the meeting up, Enya was disappointed with the progress of her plan. To be fair, it wasn't the dress nor Thorin's lack of attention for her physique. She had a fine start, promising even, but then… She watched lord Whitheart exiting the room quickly, no doubt to get a hold of poor Balin who had disappeared a few moments earlier.

He would never know he and his goats were excellent contraceptives.

She suppressed a giggle and drained her wine. No matter. There were still nineteen days left, with plenty of other occasions to drive Thorin mad. Maybe she should take a long, hot bath tonight, conveniently rubbing body oils all over herself when he stepped over the threshold... Or if she could get him to chase her through Erebor and maybe accidently end up in the treasure room… She grinned and stood up from her chair. She had to get out of here before Thorin would be able to stop her and question her motives.

But before she could make herself scarce, his baritone voice made her stop in her tracks. She looked around for the much needed support in the form of Dwalin (or anyone, really) but there was nobody left but her and Thorin.

Damn it.

She turned on her heels and smiled serenely.

'My beautiful queen, what in Mahal's name were you doing?' he purred.

'I was merely attending the meeting.' She replied softly.

'Really?' Thorin inquired, moving closer to where she was standing. 'You might have been here, but you weren't exactly taking part in the discussions, were you?'

'But that's just how the nobles like me, right?' She simply told him. 'Smile and be pretty?' she arched an eyebrow. 'I did manage to avoid a rampage.'

Thorin smiled at her affectionately. 'Yes, that was just in time, my queen. But other than that, when we're not talking about what the nobles or I want, I'd say you had other motives than simply engaging in the courts' politics.'

Enya grinned and she tilted her head slightly. 'Speaking about the king's desires… Would you say you're tempted to repeat what we did last time?'

The atmosphere in the room changed. Thorin inhaled sharply and Enya bit her lip in an attempt to hide a wicked smirk.

'You naughty, naughty girl…' he told her, his voice sounding smooth as silk. 'You really think it would be that easy?'

'Usually it's more than enough.' Enya said casually, ignoring the pleasant shivers that were running up and down her spine. 'I bet you were considering abandoning our arrangement altogether and throwing me on that table again, instead of my coat now letting the dress decorate the floor…'

Thorin narrowed his eyes. 'So you think I'm that superficial?'

'You tell me.' She shot back. 'I'm not the one who needs to prove a point, am I?'

'Oh, but you do.' Thorin said. 'You're trying your best to make me lose. This dress, for instance... is enough proof.'

Their eyes locked, a battle of wills playing between them. To any other breathing being in the universe he would come across as terrifying in his kingly robes and that fatal glare, but to her he just was… The dwarf she fell in love with the moment she had laid her eyes on him. She took a step forward and reduced the distance between them to a few inches. She had to be careful not to touch him. Because if she did, she would fail. And she didn't suffer already for nine days, nine hours and some minutes to lose this bet.

But damn he was so fucking tempting! His breath fanned her skin and the familiar heavy scent of tobacco, now combined with rich wine invaded her senses. Oh, how she would love to reach out and touch that strong jaw… Trail a pattern of kisses along his throat, travel all the way down and show him what he'd been deprived of all those long, lonely days...

'King Thorin, I'd like to-'

The door was pushed open and the chirpy voice of Elmilynn disturbed their moment.

Oh heck no. Not again. That bitch wasn't allowed just to storm in here and disturb the perfect moment between them. Enya turned around to face her newly found nemesis.

'Elmilynn. Mind your own business, will you?' she sassed.

The dam stood frozen in the doorway and blinked a few times. Enya heaved a sigh. 'In other words…' she hissed. 'Fuck off, or I'll make sure to reduce you into a pile of ash.'

That seemed to convince the little bitch to make herself scarce. Enya rolled her eyes as the door was yanked into its frame.

'I can't believe I said that out loud…' she mused. 'I really didn't mean to be thát rude.'

'You did.' Thorin ensured her. 'Don't tell me you actually regret it.'

Enya licked her lips and swirled around to meet his gaze again, a smile plastered on her face. 'Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Who can tell?'

'If I didn't know you better, I would say our agreement is frustrating you…' Thorin smirked. 'And you're taking it out on our poor loyal subjects.'

'I wouldn't dare to do such a thing…' she replied haughtily. 'I take my king's orders very seriously and I'm proud to fulfil my duties as queen. In fact, I do have responsibilities right now. If you feel excuse me.-'

'No, I wasn't finished yet.' he purred. 'Now, are you going to behave yourself or do I need to spank you?'

Enya scoffed. 'Making empty threats, are we my king? We both know you're not allowed to give such punishments.'

'For now, maybe. I'll just add it to my to-do list then, just like eating you out on this table again.' Thorin told her matter-of-factly. 'But can you wait another 19 days, uzfakuh?'

'Easily…' she answered and waved dismissively while averting his gaze. She knew she would blush if she looked at him and to hell she would give him that satisfaction.

'The real question is though… can you?'

'I hate him!' Enya raged. 'He's a stubborn bastard and he-'

'So he hasn't properly banged you yet?' Nin inquired matter-of-factly while she gave her queen a glass of Bourbon. It was late at night and they were sitting in the private library of that very same king, enjoying the warmth of the hearth.

'No.' Enya heaved a sigh and took a sip. 'Hmm.' She murmured, already distracted by the burning sensation of the liquor on her tongue. 'I can't believe us dwarves don't brew anything stronger than wine or beer…'

'Well…' Nin mused. 'I do not regret you taking this with you from your hometown. Nor do I regret getting acquainted with it…'

Enya didn't listen to her friend, her own thoughts already diverting again to her One and their bet. 'He didn't even raised a finger to touch me.' She complained. 'Can you believe it?!'

Nin shrugged. 'Well honey, don't forget you challenged him to accept this outrageous bet... Now you got to suffer the consequences...'

'Oh, I hate you too.' Enya whispered vividly. 'Very much!'

Her lady-in-waiting chuckled. 'Hey, don't blame me for your own reckless ideas, will you?'

'Fine.' Enya said, putting her glass on the reading table besides her. 'But you have make it up to me for being shamelessly audacious again.'

Her best friend arched a brow. 'Try me, my lady.'

'Well...' Enya replied and she smirked when there was a short knock on the door.

'Come in!'

The door opened and Fíli, Thorin's eldest nephew walked in. Nin shot her queen a nervous glance and Enya winked. She knew her friend had a not-so-secret crush on the golden prince, and she was determined to make them acquainted.

'You asked for me, auntie?' Fíli teased as he neared the two ladies.

Enya grinned and stood up from her seat to give her nephew a hug.

'Yes.' She told him and she gestured him to sit in her seat. 'Nin, this is Fíli, prince of Durin and the first in line for the throne. Fee, this is Nin, my lady-in-waiting and dear friend.'

The prince took Nin's hand, kissing it softly while sending her a dreamy gaze. 'I've spotted you in court before, my lady. It's nice to finally be introduced to you.'

Nin looked like she was going to break into nervous giggles, her face almost the same vibrant red color as her hair.

'I've got a task for the two of you.' Enya told them.

Fíli slouched down in the chair and watched his aunt mischievously. Nin took the opportunity to mouth a panicked 'WHAT DID YOU SAY!' at her friend.

'Does my uncle approve of the schemes we're about to set up?' the golden prince inquired.

'Oh… let's say he's blissfully ignorant.' Enya whispered. 'And I'd like to keep it that way.'

'Whatever you say, auntie.'

'For fucks sake, Fíli.' Enya groaned. 'How many times do I have to ask you NOT to call me auntie?'

'But you are.' Fíli grinned. 'Would you beg to differ?'

Enya made a face. 'I'm younger than you. And we're drifting away from the topic I wanted to discuss.' She said while pacing in front of the hearth. 'I trust you two know the Steelstone family?'

Nin and Fíli nodded.

'Especially their precious daughter Elmilynn?!'

Nin nodded again, but the golden prince furrowed his brows. 'Do you mean that raven haired girl with the squeaky voice?'

'Yes.' Enya agreed grimly. 'That's the one.'

'What do you propose?' Fíli asked. 'As far as I know, she and her family are fairly new to the court.'

'I don't trust that lot.' Enya told them. 'There's something about them that makes my gut turn. And it's not-' she eyed Nin warningly for a moment. 'just the fact that I think dear Elmilynn is trying to seduce our king.'

'Uncle would never betray you.' Fíli said in a quite determined tone. 'I have known him all my life, and I can tell you uncle Thorin is loyal to the ones he loves.'

Enya nodded vaguely, ignoring the serene stare Nin was sending her. 'I know that.' She muttered. 'But it's not him I'm worried about. It's her. I don't want him to get into trouble.'

'Women have their ways.' Nin agreed. 'We should protect our king at all times.'

'Well, whatever your motives…' Fíli smirked. 'I'm in.'

'Please try to find dirt on them.' Enya ordered. 'Nin, you know the inner circles like the back of your hand. Find out where the Steelstone family came from, see what Elmilynn has been bragging about to the other ladies. Fee…' she smiled at her nephew-in-law. 'See what you can learn about lord Steelstone. Who's he connected with? What does he do in his spare time?'

'I got your back, auntie.' Fíli said lazily. 'Should I inform my brother? You know he's going to find out anyway.'

Enya shook her head. 'As much as I love Kíli, that boy can't keep his mouth shut. Thorin will have it out of him before this day is over.'

'Fair point.' Fíli mused as he took Enya's glass from the table and sniffed it carefully. He too had gotten familiar with his aunt's taste in liquor. 'Although I have to say that Tauriel's presence is leaving him quite distracted.' He continued. 'He spends all his free time with her.'

'And he should.' Enya beamed. 'I hope Thranduil will give his permission to marry them anytime soon.'

'I wish uncle would stop postponing his visit to Mirkwood and face Thranduil already.' Fíli said while taking his first sip of Enya's drink. 'Is this your famous Bourbon, En?'

'Yes.' Enya told him as she nicked the glass from her nephew's hands again. 'As for Thorin, I'm on it, but you know him. if he doesn't want to do something, no one can convince him otherwise…'

Nin shrugged. 'Even king Thorin can't argue that an alliance between the dwarves and the elves would come in handy someday…'

'Yeah, tell his stubborn ass that.' Enya groaned.

'The hatred for the elves goes deep.' Fíli told the ladies. 'They betrayed us.'

'And then they fought alongside us.' Enya remarked. 'What's in the past is in the past. As I've been telling Thorin, we have to turn the page and start over.'

Fíli smirked. 'You know, sometimes I forget that you didn't grow up in middle earth, but when you say progressive stuff like that you sound hopelessly naïve…'

'Oh shut up, you insufferable idiot.' She retorted with a smile and thrusted the drink back into his hand. 'I've got things to do, so I'll see both of you again when you've got something to report.'

She didn't wait for an answer and strode for the door, leaving her nephew and friend alone.

When she retired to their chambers, Thorin wasn't there. The servants had kept a fire going (she had stopped telling them it was a waste of their time, because that only seemed to offend them) and it left their bedroom warm and comfortable. Enya sat down armchair near the fireplace and watched the flames devouring the logs while she tried to relieved the strings of her corset. Her body ached from wearing it all day and she longed to take it off, but there was no way in hell she would manage that alone. The knot resting between her shoulder blades was so tightly strung her fingers slipped away every time she tried to loosen it up. Enya winced when her fingers fumbled fruitlessly over the knot again. She should have asked Nin to help her out, her chambermaid even, but it was almost midnight now and she didn't want to bother either of them.

Besides, Nin probably had better things to do at this very moment, considering Enya left her friend and Fíli alone in the library. She smirked, remembering the things that had taken place in that reading room even before they had conquered the lonely mountain. And when she regarded after… Enya heaved a sigh. She hoped there would revive a romance between those two lovely dwarves. She'd like Fíli to finally find love, true and generous like it was supposed to be. All his life he had known the daunting prospect of taking over the lead once the inevitable happened and his uncle would die, leaving no room for something bigger than frivolities or short-lived romances. After all this time she knew her nephew well and he once had confided in her that he sometimes fantasized about a simple life. Honest work and a family. The joy of not having to endure the blathering and complaints of the nobles.

From that perspective, the lad didn't really differ that much from his uncle, or his auntie for that matter. Thorin and Enya thought about that too, and they had talked about going on an outing soon. Thorin had said he'd like to be together, out in the open, without being confined to their private quarters in Erebor. She had giggled he probably had a lot of dishonorable thoughts on his mind, which earned her a affectionate smack on her buttocks followed by his hands dragging her to the bed.

Ugh. Enya groaned. In retrospection they seemed to make love all the fucking time, which right now left her even more frustrated. It wasn't fair.

But first, she had to get out this restraining piece of clothing. They said patience was a virtue, but she didn't possess it. She wanted it off. Now. Enya stood up and walked towards Thorin's writing desk. She took his letter opener and reached behind her. It might be a waste, but cutting the strings was her only option. She was just about to test the sharpness of the knife when the door opened and Thorin came in. He no longer wore his mantle or his crown, but just the sapphire blue tunic, dark breeches and comfortable boots.

Finally, her knight in shiny armor. If there was one person in Erebor who could untie knots with extreme patience, it was her dwarf king.

'I didn't know you were still up.' he remarked, watching her curiously. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm trying to loosen up the knot, but it isn't working.' She replied. 'Care to lend me a hand?'

'Of course.' He took a step forward to help her out, but then stopped and shook his head. 'On second thought: I can't, my queen.'

'Really?' she whined.

Thorin narrowed his eyes. 'Clever trap, but I'm not falling for it.'

'Fine.' She answered, feeling defeated. She then proceeded to cut the strings.

'You sure you're willing to ruin your favorite corset?' Thorin inquired while filling a glass of wine and he retreated in the armchair she left moments ago. 'You could just ask one of the maids to help you change.'

'At this hour?'

Thorin chuckled at her remark. 'I'm sure they'll make an exception for their beautiful queen.'

'Well maybe their queen doesn't like to be surrounded by strangers-'

She was cut off by the sound of a soft pop when the string broke. Enya moaned in ecstasy at the sudden given freedom to breathe normally. The letter opener landed on the floor with a loud clang. She threw the piece of clothing away and started unbuttoning the dress, cursing the tailor for placing the them on the back. But the further her fingers slid down, the more she felt Thorin's eyes burning on her backside.

'Enjoying the view?' she asked while throwing him a cheeky glance from over her shoulder.

'It's especially fine tonight.' he agreed in a soft purr.

'Mmmhmm?' she murmured while pulling the sleeves from her arms, leaving the dress to hang on her chest. She then turned.

Thorin was still watching her, his desire for her visible through his breeches. Oh god. She wanted to curl up on his lap like she often did after another exhausting day, and kiss him until their lips hurt.

But it didn't matter what she wanted. Or what he desired. Fact was, tonight they both wouldn't get any.

'Always happy to please you, my king.' She breathed while clutching the dress against her chest and she made her way towards the bathroom.

A soft, low groan woke her from her slumber. Enya stretched her legs under the silk blanket, the fabric running smoothly over her skin. Oh, she had such a nice dream. She had been on the beach, on a summer evening. The sand under her feet had been a pleasant temperature and her belly ached from laughing too hard at one of Kíli's jokes. What Kíli did in her dream she didn't know. Dreams were unpredictable.

A shiver jolted through her body and her hands reached for the silk fabric. The blanket had slipped down below her ass and Enya pulled it up to her chin again, shivering lightly. The pink babydoll she'd decided to wear tonight was just to mess with Thorin's mind, but not really practical in terms of keeping her warm.

Who needed practical when you could drive the love of your life insane by rubbing body oil all over your legs and butt cheeks? She smiled softly against her pillow while her mind traveled to the events that took place just hours ago. Once she had gotten out of the dress, she had refreshed herself with a hot bath. Of course the servants, who normally would provide her with boiling water had gone to bed, she had used the available running cold water (yay for dwarf engineering!) to heat her bathwater herself. After that she entered their bedroom in her babydoll, telling Thorin all the steam made the room stuffy, and that she needed to breathe. She then got out her body oils and started to pour it over her legs, patiently massaging the liquid into her skin. Thorin surely knew what she had been trying to do, but to her annoyance and delight he had said nothing, but just watched her from their bed. His expression had been calm, his body relaxing after a long day, but the burning stare in his eyes told her everything she wanted to know. He craved her and was solely relying on his self-control to refrain himself from touching her.

Enya moaned softly when she felt her shoulders tingling as they defrosted a little again. Her mind was floating and she was ready to drift into sleep again, when…

'Enya.'

The call was even lower than normal, guttural, and her body reacted immediately, rousing her from her rest again. She opened her eyes. What time was it? It couldn't be near dawn yet, since the room still was pitch black. Did Thorin need her? Why didn't he light a candle? Oh god this stupid bet… she would kill him if something was wrong and he still refused to touch her… She sighed and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes, but her movements were still slow and clumsy.

Ugh. Her body might be awake, but her mind was too drowsy to function. On the other hand, the shuffling next to her meant Thorin was definitely awake too. He was panting softly, murmuring words under his breath she couldn't yet comprehend. She frowned. Was he in pain… or…?

'Thorin?' she breathed. 'Are you alright?'

His answer came in a strangled growl. 'Mahal. Y-yes.'

But his breathing was getting more ragged, uneven. What on earth was going on? She prickled her ears. She couldn't turn over and touch him, so she'd better create some light and see for herself what was happening.

'Fuck.' Thorin whispered. 'Ah! Yes!'

A flame shot form her hands and lit a candle. The room glowed in the pretty orange light and Enya turned.

'What?' she mumbled, trying to comprehend what she clearly just witnessed.

Thorin was laying on his back, his left arm comfortably folded under his pillow. The blanket was casually draped on his hipbones, leaving his abdomen bare and tempting. Thorin had a cloth in his right hand, with which he no doubt had been wiping himself clean just moments ago. He sent her a lazy and satisfied smile.

Oh my fucking god. He hadn't been in pain. The bastard.

'Did he just?' her mind babbled, just as baffled as she was.

'No. No fucking way.' Enya hissed. 'You just did not?!'

Thorin grinned, obviously being very pleased with himself. 'You were present, were you not?'

'I WAS ASLEEP, YOU AWFUL CHEATING… RULEBREAKER!' she raged.

Thorin's smug smile only seemed to get bigger and Enya threw away the covers. She jumped from the bed, snatched her dressing gown from the floor and quickly put it on.

'I can't believe you… you…' she spluttered. 'I dared you! You…'

'You might have been asleep, but we were in each other's presence.' He rumbled. 'I didn't break any vow.'

She knew he was right, and that made her livid.

'NO!' She shrieked while throwing on her boots. 'That will NOT do! HERE I AM, SUFFERING LIKE A FOOL, WHILE YOU ARE!' She didn't finish and clenched her jaw instead. 'Has this been your escape route all along?!'

'Uzfakuh…' His voice was more gentle now. 'What else am I to do when I'm deprived from you?'

Oh hell would freeze over before he was going coax her into that bed again. Enya breathed heavily, shaking from the adrenaline surging through her system. Flames licked her palms, ice crackled as it grew around her boots.

'No.' she growled. 'I refuse to warm your bed tonight.'

'Enya.' Thorin said. 'You're overreacting.'

'Overreacting?' she scoffed. 'Really? That's what you're going with?'

Thorin groaned. 'Don't.'

'Don't what?' she retorted. 'Exist? Be a woman with feelings?' She made her way to the door, the ice around her splintering into pieces as she went. Her hand gripped the latch and she paused.

'Maybe you'll find dear Elmilynn willing to find you another loophole for relieving yourself.' she told him curtly. 'But I'm sure as hell not going to wait for that joyous event.'

She slammed the door behind her and stalked through the corridor towards the guestrooms, leaving tiny icicles behind. She felt humiliated, hurt even, but above all so angry she could easily light Erebor up in flames. Yes, Thorin had found a very clever loophole in their arrangement and it stung that he denied her the erotic view, but to be fair that wasn't precisely why she reacted the way she did.

It was because she had been too caught up in her suffering to come up with that idea herself.