Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings are property of Tolkien enterprises and Peter Jackson productions, and all information was gathered either via the internet or the book. Any corrections to misinformation in this story is appreciated greatly. Enjoy!
And so, the days passed like so:
Johnna would wake up, do her chores around the orphanage and high-tailed it out of there before anyone could stop her. She would run as fast as she could all the way to the place Thorin had deemed their spot and would wait for him. Some days he was a no show, because he was a prince and it would be weird if he snuck out EVERY day, but others, his company was the only thing she looked forward to.
The first few of their meetings, they spoke solely of Johnna's world, and not much else. But as the weeks progressed, Thorin began to delve into the legends and teachings of Middle-Earth, predominantly Dwarf oriented (for obvious reasons).
It was on the second month, a particularly snowy winter day, when Thorin traveled to their spot, and found no sign of his companion anywhere. He searched around the area and found no sign of the girl. He huffed, slightly worried at her tardiness for she was never late, and decided it was his turn to wait, if only for a few moments.
Ten minutes into his wait, and Prince Thorin had just about given up and was about to head back when he heard someone running towards him through the snow. His head snapped in the direction the noise came from to see Johnna, panting and hurrying as fast as she could through the snow, carrying a small box.
"What is it you carry Miss Johnna?" Thorin asked as she stopped in front of him. She looked up at him, a smile on her face as she shoved the box into his unexpecting hands.
"Merry Christmas Thorin!" She exclaimed
The Dwarf was quite confused, not knowing what a Christmas was and why it should be merry. He looked in his hand and found a small box wrapped in what looked like old cloth and small nails.
"Well, open it!" Johnna urged
"First tell me what a Christmas is." He demanded
"Christmas isn't a what, it's a holiday. December 25, the day Santa comes around and gives you gifts and it's a time all your relatives come and kiss your face and make food that sometimes looks icky, but is actually not bad...not that I've ever tried it, though. And every year, my mom lets me pick a gift out for my older brother Marty, but since they aren't here…" She drifted off a moment, a sad look shining in her brown eyes before she turned back to Thorin "I picked a gift out for you! Or, well, tripped over a gift for you anyway."
Thorin gave her a look Johnna was very used to at this point: the look as if she had grown a second head. He decided against asking her who Santa was and opted for opening his gift first. He carefully took the nails from the fabric and unfolded it to unveil a very unimpressive, very dull looking rock.
"You are giving a dwarf a rock." Thorin asked, a skeptic look turning onto the girl.
Johnna rolled her eyes and turned the rock over, revealing a cave of shining blue crystals that of the like Thorin had never seen before. They glittered and shone in the bright winter sunlight, a rainbow showering over the white snow covered grass.
The young Prince's eyes grew in astonishment, not quite knowing what to say. A note hidden in the cave of crystals caught his attention, and unfolding it revealed crude, almost unreadable handwriting that said:
"thanx four be in my frend :) merry crismas!"
He looked down at Johnna, no words coming from his mouth. It was odd how the gift made him feel, for out of all the gift his father and grandfather and people had given to him, for some reason or another, this one seemed more important.
"You don't like it?" She asked, crestfallen. "I knew I should've given you something else! You probably have a bajillion geodes in that moun-"
"I like it." He said, putting the rock and note into his pocket "Though I wouldn't go so far as to say I could be your friend." Thorin sniffed looking away from the girl so she wouldn't see the undeniable smile on his face.
"And why not?!" She exclaimed, stomping her foot.
"Because dwarves and humans can't be friends, for dwarves are strong and grounded, and humans are sneaky and think to much of themselves."
"Look who's talkin'." she mumbled. Thorin decided to ignore the comment.
"Though, maybe human girls are not so bad as everyone else." Thorin looked back at Johnna to see her smile again, noticing her teeth were coming in.
Thorin may just have found himself a friend in a human, and he found himself not minding as much as he should.
As a late Christmas gift to you all, two in one day! Huzzah!
This is kinda just kiddy fluff, but it's also important, so remember this chapter!
The next one may or may not be slightly more angsty, but when a kid is separated from her parents, what'd you expect? I hope you all enjoyed this, and for all of you who have reviewed: OH MY GOSH YOU'RE ALL SO LOVELY. Just4me, Ellie's imagination world, Abyss Prime, Jovie Black and Dis Thrainsdotter, this chapter is dedicated to all of you!
And to the 14 followers: don't be so shy! I'd love to hear from you guys as well:) I reply to all!
The response for this has been so overwhelming, I didn't think anyone would like it! I'm VERY glad I was wrong:)