This is short, but I love it. Really, really love it.

Again, "ûrzud" means "sun" in Dwarvish.

Thank you for your continued interest in this couple. It warms my heart. :)

Knight's Queen: I'm glad I could make you smile! Yes, I do have a special place in my heart for John Standring, but in terms of acting and character, Lucas North is Richard's best, in my opinion. Though I obviously like Thorin, too, lol.

kaia: Yay, you liked the blue dye bit! It made me laugh when I wrote it. XD

girl43: More feels!

Undertaker's Wife: I've actually figured out a way to make Thorin jealous of a male szelemér's attentions towards Talaitha, but it won't come till later, not till they're back in Erebor. :)

Wolfish Pennings: :) :)

Queen of Erebor: I'm so glad you liked the wedding! I have mixed feelings about it-not about the wedding itself, just about the writing. It feels a bit eh to me. As for research, I did do a lot...then I chucked it all and went with mostly my own creations, lol.

Disclaimer: This chapter is rated M for Mature and C for Cavity-inducing fluff. You've been warned. I only own half of Talarin.

Enjoy! I sure did while writing it. :)

Part IV: Sleep-Warm

The morning sunlight bounces off her hair, turning it a fiery copper color. He watches her sleep, listens to her steady breaths that gently flutter against his skin. She is lying on her side, face pillowed into his chest, the palm of one hand above his heart. Her other hand is tucked against her breasts, underneath her chin, and her smooth legs are tangled with his. She is beautiful, and she is his wife, if only by szelemér law. But he is content with that.

She stirs, moving her legs against his and snuggling closer into his warmth. But she is warm, too-deliciously so. Sleep-warm. She smells of lilacs and sunshine and the forest at night. She smells familiar and safe, like home yet not of his ancestral home. It is a new home, a spiritual home rather than a physical one.

It is Talaitha.

It is the woman who is peering up at him through sleepy, green eyes.

Thorin can't help but smile.

"Good morning, my ûrzud."

"Let's not leave this bed today," she says, tilting her head up to reach his lips.

He kisses her slowly, simply. There is no need to hurry now that they're together.

"I am amenable to that," he murmurs against her lips and kisses her again. Her arm wraps around his waist, tugging his lower body closer. He feels himself stirring, hardening, as their flesh touches. Thorin almost allows himself to get lost in Talaitha, until he remembers the night before.

"If you are too sore," he begins but breaks off when he sees her amused expression. "I only mean that our...activities were rather vigorous last night-"

"And this morning."

"-so if you would rather refrain now, I am fine with that."

"Thorin," she says, and he feels like a child being humored. "Part of the fun of staying in bed all day is the sex. Of course I'm sore. But it is a pleasant soreness." She hitches her thigh over his, bringing her core into contact with his groin. "Especially when I remember why I am sore."

He groans and grips her thigh, lightly grinding their pelvises together. "You are insatiable."

"Says the dwarf with the erection."

"I cannot help it," Thorin murmurs, nuzzling into her neck. He nips and sucks a light bruise against her pale skin. "I am helpless to resist you."

Talaitha guides his hand down to her womanhood, where his fingers quickly become slicked with her wetness.

"The feeling is mutual, then," she breathes.

"I will be gentle."

Those are his last coherent words before he captures her lips in a searing kiss. It is rough and passionate, a direct contrast to his hands on her breasts and core. Fingers toy with her nipples, stroke her folds, circle her clit. She takes his hardness into her hand, thumbs over the slit, spreads the translucent fluid gathering at the tip. Her motions mimic his, speeding up and slowing down when his do, building their mutual pleasure. He bucks into her hand when she gives a particularly effective twist, which coincides with two of his fingers finding her internal bundle of nerves.

They look at each other and, without words, guide his cock into her opening. Her soft hiss echoes his groan. He immediately stills, but her hand on his ass urges him to continue, until he is buried inside her and their pubic bones meld. It is bliss. It is heat and texture and tightness. It is familiar, yet he doesn't think he will ever tire of it.

"Move," she whispers against his lips.

He does, carefully at first, then with increasing confidence as her expression relaxes into one of pleasure. His thrusts are long, and with each one, he strikes that sensitive spot on her vaginal wall. Their breaths become pants, warm air ghosting over the other's lips. Fingers scrabble for purchase on shoulders, thighs, buttocks, and hips, unable to decide which expanse of skin to touch. Thorin's finally settle on her thigh, hitching it further onto his hip, while Talaitha's grip his shoulder. They are so close that her breasts are flush against his chest, the hair there teasing her nipples with every movement.

Their breathing grows erratic and mingles with their moans. His hips begin to lose their rhythm, as heat pools at the base of his spine. She clenches around him just as he reaches his peak with a grunt, followed by a deep groan. They mix with Talaitha's cry, as she falls over the edge, her inner muscles squeezing him until he is utterly spent.

They remain joined long after he has softened, sharing lazy kisses and touches. When they finally do separate, it is only for Talaitha to turn onto her other side and for Thorin to mold his body around hers.

They fall asleep like that, cocooned in the warmth of the sun, the blankets, and each other.