Chapter Four: Old Friends and New Friends
Torvi woke up early when the night sky was just beginning to lighten with the sun's approach to the horizon. As she moved from her bed a pile of clothes fell off the end of her bed and onto the stone floor. Her room was still a mess as she had failed yet again to finish putting away her belongings. After departing from Fili the previous day, Torvi had returned home with the full intention to finish putting away her things. But when Rorvi returned not long after she began, Torvi abandoned the chore to talk with her brother about his first day. Rorvi was thoroughly excited with his new job as he described everything in detail. It was obvious that he enjoyed it much more than mining to which Torvi was happy for him.
As she became more alert, Torvi rolled out of bed and dug through her pile of belongings until she came up with a pair of pants, her boots, a shirt, and a thick coat. Once she was dressed she grabbed the paper parcel and unwrapped the arrow Geeorn had given to her. It had taken her everything in her power of self control to not go out yesterday by promising herself she would go first thing in the morning. Once she had it unwrapped, she slide it into her quiver with the rest of the arrows she owned. It stood out from the rest with it size and design making Torvi even more excited to see how it compared. She grabbed her bow and strapped it to her back back along with her quiver. Before leaving her room she grabbed a small side bag to carry a few provisions to get her through the day.
Doing her best to not disturb Rorvi or her mother, Torvi quietly opened her door and tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen. She wrapped some bread and cheese in a towel and placed the bundle in her bag along with an apple and flask of water. With her bag packed she grabbed a slice of bread and jam and began eating breakfast before she headed out.
As she finished her breakfast, Torvi heard a door open and close followed by the light footsteps of her mother. Torvi was in the process of putting the jar of preserves away into the cupboard when her mother entered the kitchen.
"Ah Torvi, I thought I heard someone out here." she said in a quiet voice.
Torvi turned around and grabbed the bag she had packed from the table and pulled it over her shoulder. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you." she said as her mother lit a lantern. The room slowly became illuminated as Siv adjusted the flame of the lantern.
As she finished her task, Siv took in the appearance of her daughter. Her eyebrows crinkled together and she frowned slightly at the look of her appearance. "What are you doing dressed like that?" she then noticed the bow and quiver strapped to Torvi's back and understanding came to her face followed by disapproval. "Oh no you don't! You are not going to tramp through the forest and get yourself dirty and hurt."
Torvi was stunned by her mother's words, she had never forbidden Torvi from going hunting in her life. "What?" she asked in a shocked gasp.
"You heard me. I thought I was very clear before we moved here that you would no longer be hunting."
"You said that I was not needed to go hunting, you never said that I couldn't go" said Torvi almost sounding hysterical. Her heart was pounding in her chest at the thought of such a thing being forbidden.
"Well I am saying it now. I said that you would have to make some changes and this is one of them. It is not proper for a woman of your standing. You can't just spend your days dawdling around and doing nothing. You should make yourself useful; work on your sewing or get to know the other dwarrow maids in the mountain. But I will not have you wasting your time on frivolous activities!"
"If anything is a frivolous activity it should be sewing and gossiping with a bunch of silly girls!" shouted Torvi. The sound of a door being opened and quick footsteps came from down the hall as Rorvi appeared looking ready for anything.
"What is going on?" he asked sounding alarmed as he looked between Torvi and Siv.
"Mother is forbidding me to go hunting." said Torvi trying to calm herself down.
Rorvi looked at his mother. "What is wrong with it?" he asked.
Siv looked at him and answered his question. "It is not proper and it is no longer needed. She needs to realize that she needs to start acting like a lady."
Rorvi looked at Torvi who looked frozen in horror as she stood in the middle of the kitchen. Then he looked back at his mother. "What if I went with her?" he tried to compromise with his mother.
Siv shook her head. "No you cant miss your second day of work nor leave early because of what your sister wants." she looked at Torvi. "Go put those away and put on a proper dress. Today you will go with me and visit Dis and some other ladies of court. Perhaps being around them will show you how you should properly behave."
Torvi stared at her mother then looked to Rorvi who gave an apologetic shrug and half smile. She appreciated Rorvi for trying to take her side but couldn't take in any consolance from him at the moment. She was devastated. She knew things would change but she was not ready for everything she had ever known to be gone and for her to change her behavior completely and so soon. With a quick glance back at her mother to check if she might look as if she would change her mind, Torvi let out a huff of frustration and stormed off down the hall. She unstrapped her bow and quiver and threw them on the bed. She stared at them for awhile, doing her best to ignore the burning in her eyes that threatened to produce tears. She walked towards her bed and stumbled over a dress that her foot had gotten caught in. Out of frustration she snatched it from the ground and threw it into the open chest. As the dress landed in the chest she bent down and grabbed another article of clothing then another. By the time she had everything in her room stuffed into the trunk she stripped off her clothes and grabbed a dress sitting on the top of the pile and pulled it over her head. Once she had it buttoned and fastened she moved to slam down the chest's lid and paused. Her bow and quiver were still sitting on her bed as if mocking her. Immediately she snatched them up and dug through her belongings until she uncovered the bottom and shoved them in. Once she covered them up with the rest of her clothes she slammed down the lid and took in several deep breathes. Her heart beat fiercely in her chest telling her that she needed to calm down.
Thirty minutes later she came out of her room calm and serene on the outside but still furious on the inside. She had done her best to mentally prepare herself for the start of a long line of bad days but knew that she would have to find a way of coping. As she walked into the front room her mother was sitting in a chair with her embroidery hoop in her lap as she threaded a needle. She looked up from her task as Torvi walked in and gave a satisfied smile which faded as she saw the stoney look on her daughter's face. It was not angry or happy, it was completely free of any emotion.
She was about to comment on the wrinkled dress Torvi had on but thought better about it. Torvi was in a dress and that was a start. "You look beautiful," she said in an attempt to break away the contention between them.
Torvi sat down in the chair next to her and pulled her feet underneath her as she grabbed a book and looked at the cover. "When do we leave to meet with the other ladies," asked Torvi sounding almost too calm.
"In about an hour." she said returning to her needlepoint.
Torvi looked down at the book and opened it up to discover it was a book on medicine. For the next hour she lost herself in learning of various plants and their uses. The hour went by too quickly and Torvi soon found herself surrounded by several ladies all chatting animatedly and discussing the gossip of those who were not present. Her mother prodded her to participate several times but each time she brought up a topic the other women would stare at her as if she were speaking another language then quickly moved on to a different topic. After four attempts with the same results, Siv gave up and resorted to letting her daughter sit in silence. It was only four hours but for Torvi it felt like an eternity. She felt useless as she sat in the circle as they all sewed, knitted, and talked with each other. It took everything in her self control to not roll her eyes every time one of the younger girls closer to her age spoke. The things that seemed to matter so much to them seemed silly to Torvi. The only way she kept herself sane was by listening to the comments of the older dwarrowdam she was seated next to.
Lady Mahuil was an aged widow that had lived through the thick and thin of everything. She was once highly esteemed and still was amongst the older ladies but Torvi could see the lack of respect from the younger girls. Something that made her dislike them even more. Lady Mahuil was very proper but was not one to hold her tongue when certain girls said something that she found idiotic she never held back in informing them. She was an artist when it came to needlework and Torvi had admiration for her work despite her distaste of the craft.
Torvi was positioned right next to her in the circle and Lady Mahuil was quick to notice the oddness of Torvi. She was not like the other foolish girls, she had a smartness and common sense about her which she liked. But her mannerism and properness was all but nonexistent. Despite her manners she liked the young dwarrow maid. Manners could be taught but stupidity was not as easy to fix. As she sewed an intricate scene onto a handkerchief she could not help but be amused at Torvi's lack of skill in needlepoint.
Torvi et out a string of curses under her breath as she tangled her thread into a knot which she then managed to get her finger caught up as she tried to pull it apart. Her fingers ached from the numerous times she had stabbed herself and already had small droplets of blood staining the handkerchief in her hands. She was trying to stitch a simple design but her skill in sewing extending to sewing on a buttons which usually fell of the next time she wore the article of clothing. She was just about to throw it to the ground and storm out when Siv, noticing her daughters closeness to snapping, announced their take of leave. Never had Torvi been so thankful for her mother as when she uttered those words. She was so eager to depart that she had failed to say goodbye until her mother mentioned it.
The week passed and Torvi was eager to hear from Kili again for his return. It had been an eternal week of boredom to which despite her mother's encouragement did not improve with time. Each day Torvi was subject to four hours of pointless chit chat and sewing. Lady Mahuil had taken it upon herself to try and teach Torvi needlepoint but there seemed to be no improvement. It was a blessing that Lady Mahuil enjoyed a challenge because any other person would have deemed her a hopeless mess.
After each eternal gathering Torvi was always too restless to stay still and had would make an excuse to her mother for her need to leave the house. Most of the time she announced her intention to go the library or the market as she knew her real intentions would displease Siv. Instead of doing what she had said, Torvi had made it a habit to go exploring. Many times she would wander around corridors, poking her head through doors and exploring unoccupied rooms. There were several occasions where she found herself lost but she was getting better at navigating the mountain and learning to back track her steps. Each day Torvi became more and more aware to the massiveness of Erebor. Many sections of the mountain had still yet to be repaired and reused despite the several years that had passed since Erebor had been reclaimed.
On one particular day, Torvi was headed home and had decided to make a detour through the market so that she could pick up the dresses she had ordered on her second day. She was making her way through the grocery section of the market when she heard her name being called.
"Torvi?" came a voice from her left.
Torvi looked around for a moment looking for the source of her name. As he eyes wandered around the area she noticed a butcher's stall and behind the front table was a large dwarf with dark curly hair. He had a white apron that was stained with blood and was wiping his hands off on a cloth as he walked out into the street. Torvi's eyes lit up with excitement as she recognized the man.
"Jorra!" she said as she quickly made her way over to the stall.
"So it is you lassie! I was hopin' you would walk by some day. Ever since I heard ya family had travelled to the mountain I was hopin' to run into to you!" He said as he untied his apron and threw it onto the counter.
"It is good to see you again my friend," said Torvi, grabbing his hand as he offered his. As soon as she gave his hand a hardy clasp he pulled her in for a hug. Torvi had know Jorra for many years. He had been the butcher in the Iron Hills that she made most of her dealings with when she went hunting. They had become good friends over the many years of business up until he left the Iron Hills. He had been one of the first families to leave for Erebor when it had been reclaimed making it several years since they had seen each other.
"It is good to see you as well lassie and doing so well." He said as he took her in. "Come join me for awhile he said as he made his way back to the table and pulled a stool out for her to sit on. Torvi was more than happy to oblige and took the seat and began talking with Jorra as continued his work while they conversed.
Fili was in the market with Thorin as they inspected the goods being traded within the kingdom. For the past week they had done nothing but focus on trade and economy ever since Kili left for the Mirkwood. He was expected to come back today but a raven had been received that morning letting them know that Kili would be delayed another week as negotiations were not going as smoothly as they had hoped. As a result of this Thorin thought it would be best to see what the markets where bringing in and out of the mountain in an effort to come up with more options of tact in case Kili needed more to work with.
They had just finished looking at weapons and armor and were now walking through the grocery section of the market. As far as Fili was concerned his day had been utterly boring and uninteresting. That was until he caught sight of a certain dwarrow maid. At first it seemed normal as he watched Torvi make her way toward the butcher stall but when she greeted him like an uncle it peaked Fili's interest. He watched the two from across the other side of the street while Thorin spoke with the baker managing the stall they were currently at.
As he watched Torvi sit down on the stool the butcher had offered her he became even more intrigued. Soon he became eager to be with her and talk to her as he watched her light up with obvious pleasure as she animatedly spoke with the butcher. He had not seen her since the day he found her in the training grounds and ever since he had been eager to speak with her again. While walking through the armory the other day had ran into Rorvi and spent the evening at the tavern with him. They caught up on the many years that had past and what was new with each of them. The whole time Fili spoke with Rorvi there was a constant itch in the back of his mind to ask about Torvi. Despite this eagerness he knew Rorvi would think it odd and thought better of it. Now, as he watched the two converse, Torvi started to stand and give another handshake to the butcher as she began to make her departure. As Fili watched his feet began to move, taking him closer to where Torvi was saying goodbye.
"Fili where are you going?" asked Thorin as Fili started walking away.
"I am going to say hello to a friend," he explained doing his best to sound casual.
Thorin looked behind Fili's shoulder to where he saw Torvi beginning to walk away and noded. Thorin smiled to himself as he watched Fili eagerly walk towards Torvi. He was not completely familiar with Torvi now, but he had always liked her as a child. She was good to Kili and she was always willing to challenge what she thought was wrong. However he was not sure if she was the same person she was as a child but by the stories he heard from Dis during the ladies hours, Torvi seemed to be different than the other girls her age. A fact he was happy to hear about, as his opinion of many of the younger noble ladies was not high. Too often he felt that they had a mentality of entitlement instead of a desire to work for what they earned. Perhaps when he was a young man of Fili's age he would not have noticed this but after spending the majority of his reign as a blacksmith he felt that all dwarves should not think anything below them. He had been worried about Fili when he saw how upset he had been about the request to spend time with some of the dwarrow maids his age. But now, as he watched Fili's eager strides to catch up to Torvi, he got the impression that perhaps he did not need to worry as much.
"Torvi," said Fili as he caught up with her.
Torvi turned around searching for who was calling after her this time to be surprised for the again when Fili came into view. She gave him a friendly smile as he came up next to her.
"Hello Fili, what brings you to the market today?" she asked politely.
"Thorin and I are making our rounds and seeing how business and trade is faring within the mountain." he said. "How are you?"
"I am fine," she said through a tight smile but their was something missing in her usually bright eyes that Fili saw. Something that told him she was not being completely truthful. "How is Kili? Did he get back alright? I was hoping he would stop by or send a note to meet up when but that was two days ago and I have not heard anything."
Fili gave her a sympathetic smile. "I am sorry I should have sent you a note as soon as we got the news. Kili's trip to Mirkwood has been extended. Unfortunately, things are still a little rocky between us and the elves and an agreement has been difficult to achieve."
"Oh," said Torvi sounding disappointed.
"Are you sure everything's all right?" asked Fili looking at her more concerned.
Torvi looked up at him and gave him another not so honest smile. "Yes. I guess I was just looking forward to having some time with Kili but no matter. You have no need to worry about me. You have more important things." she said as she nodded to where Thorin was standing who was now busy speaking with a farmer while occasionally glancing over in their direction.
Fili followed her gaze then looked back to her. "Oh he is ok, in fact he is probably happy that I am talking to you."
Torvi cocked her head to the side and looked at him questioningly. "Why is that?" she asked.
Fili felt his stomach flip as he realized what he was talking about. "Oh," he said as realized he did not mean to speak so openly. "He has just been encouraging me to...um...speak more often to the nobles my age."
"I see," said Torvi, still confused.
Fili cleared his throat. "Who was that dwarf you were speaking to earlier?"
"Who? Oh you mean Jorra?" she said pointing towards the butcher's stall. Fili nodded. "He used lived in the Iron Hills in the same village as me before Erebor was reclaimed. We used to worked together before he left to come live here."
"You worked for a butcher?" he asked. Fili was astonished by this, he knew from Rorvi that things were a struggle for them but he could not imagine Torvi working in a butcher shop.
Torvi shook her head. "No, not exactly worked for him. I would provide him with game whenever I went hunting."
"Hunting." he said sounding impressed. "So you were more of business partners. You caught the game and sold it to him."
"Yeah something like that," she said, leaving Fili with a feeling that there was more to the story. "Anyway, when Erebor was reclaimed he moved his family here not long after so it has been quite some time since I have seen him. So it was nice to see a familiar friendly face. I have to admit there are not a lot of familiar faces in this mountain and far fewer friends." she said.
"Perhaps you could consider some of those new faces as friends," came a voice from behind Torvi.
Torvi caught a small disapproving frown as Fili looked behind her to the source of the eavesdropper. Torvi turned to see a young dark haired dwarf standing just a few steps away. As she turned to see him he came closer and joined them. Instantly, Torvi recognized him as the son of one of the families she had meet the first night in Erebor.
"Forgive me for eavesdropping but I could not help but overhear. Your highness," he said giving a small nod of acknowledgment to Fili. Who in return only gave a even smaller nod of acceptance. Torvi could sense something was not right between the two dwarfs she was standing. The tension became even heavier as the new arrival turned to her and gave her a dashing smile. "Lady Torvi if I remember correctly?"
"Just Torvi" she said giving a small dip of a curtsy.
He gave her another smile of perfectly white teeth. "Torvi it is then. We met at the dinner last week. I am Ferin."
Torvi nodded. "Yes I remember you and your family. Your parents are Ferer and Drane if I remember correctly?"
"You memory is as good as your looks," he said making Torvi feel slightly awkward but still flattered to the complement. "I have been hoping to run into you sometime soon. I wanted to apologize for any offense you might have taken from my mother's behavior on the eve of our meeting. She is not exactly the most sympathetic or warm person towards people she does not know. But I wanted you to know that not all of my family is like that." he said politely.
"No offense was taken but thank you all the same. Perhaps you are correct in saying that I should befriend some new faces." she said giving him a smile. "After all, what is the point of new beginnings without new friends and acquaintances." She added. Although she was still not sure about how she felt towards him. He was handsome but that was all she really knew about Ferin.
"I would be honored with a friendship with someone such as yourself." Ferin replied.
Fili could not help but roll his eyes at Ferin as he spoke. Ferin's entire family was notorious for being two faced and manipulative. He was not happy with the fact that Torvi seemed to like his compliments as they spoke together. It took everything within him to not let out an exasperated snort every time he spoke. He was not even following the conversation between the two as he watched Torvi's face for any sign or signal of what she thought about Ferin.
"Fili we need to move on," came Thorin's voice as he put a hand on his shoulder.
Fili had been so absorbed in watching Torvi that he had not realized that Thorin had joined them. Both Torvi and Ferin each broke their conversation as Thorin made his presence known.
"Torvi," said Thorin giving her a nod and a smile. "How are you settling into Erebor?"
"Very well thank you." she said giving a small curtsy at his approach.
"Good. Holden says that Rorvi is adjusting well to his apprenticeship. I hope he is enjoying the work as well."
"Oh yes. It has been almost all he has talked about since starting."
"Very good." said Thorin as he turned his attention to Ferin. "Ferin," he said. "What brings you to the market today?"
"Your highness," he said giving a small bow. "I had the day off and was actually hoping to run into Torvi here. I have been eager to get to know her since you speak so highly of her family." he said. Thorin did not smile at this reply but gave a nod to Ferin as he looked at him. He searched the younger dwarfs eyes carefully before turning back to Torvi. "I must appologize but I will need to take Fili away from you. We have a lot to do but perhaps you two could finish your conversation some other time" he suggested.
"That is fine, I understand." she said. "I am sure the two of you have a lot more important things to attend to. It was good seeing you again." she said to Fili.
Fili noded and moved with his uncle farther down the market isle. He looked back to where he had left Torvi and felt a small flare of anger to see Ferin say something and offer an arm for her to take. He wrenched his attention forward before he could see her accept it, missing the look Torvi gave in his direction before hesitantly accepting Ferin's arm and walking the opposite way.
Thorin watched his nephew closely as he noted the sour attitude that he seemed to develop since speaking with Torvi. He had a suspicion that this new mood was caused by the fact that Ferin and Torvi were getting along so well when Thorin had approached the small group of younger dwarves.
"Torvi seems to be getting along with Ferin," said Thorin. "I am glad to see that she is getting acquainted with other families of the mountain." he paused to catch a glimpse of Fili. Fili let out a humph and shook his head but said nothing. "You do not approve of her making friends."
This made Fili look up from the ground in front of him that he had been silently glaring at. "I do not think Ferin has any intention of being just friends with Torvi."
"And what is wrong with that?" asked Thorin, doing his best to keep from smiling. He himself did not like the Ferin's family family and while Ferin seemed to better than his parents, there was something he did not trust about the lad. There was something insincere about the way he presented himself. "Torvi is of age and has been for several years. Ferin has good standings and is a fierce warrior. He would provide well for her."
"Torvi is too good natured for him, he doesn't deserve her. He may have fooled you into thinking he is better than his parents but he has not fooled me. He does not go after anything unless it is a benefit for himself."
"Perhaps you have someone else in mind who would be better suited?" suggested Thorin as he watched Fili in the corner of his eye. "Since when did you become so concerned for the well-being and happiness of Torvi?" Fili's head snapped up as he looked to Thorin. Thorin had stopped walking and was facing him now with his eyes raised and mouth sloped in a knowing smirk. "You wouldn't be holding any interest of your own would you?"
"Of course not," said Fili almost too quickly. "She is Rorvi's little sister. If anything she is like a sister to me and I am only looking out for her to help my friend."
"Ah, because you were always like a brother to her before she returned to Erebor." said Thorin with the slightest of sarcasm in his voice. Fili opened his mouth to say something but the words would not form in his mouth. Thorin smirked as he hummed knowingly before continuing to walk to their next destination. Fili was left with no other option than to follow behind his uncle in silence. With only the jumbled sounds of market to fill his ears, Fili soon found there nothing to distract him from pondering what Torvi was doing with Ferin and if she could see past his erroneous mask or not.
Torvi felt a small twinge of panic as Fili left her alone with Ferin when he departed with Thorin. She did not even hear what Ferin had said as he offered his arm until she looked back from where Fili was walking away and saw him standing there expectantly. With one last small glance she saw Fili's retreating back as he and Thorin were swallowed up by the busy market crowd. Hesitantly she accepted Ferin's arm and gave him a small smile as he began leading the way and politely chatting with her.
Torvi was not sure of what to think of Ferin. He was polite to her but she could the small hint of contempt written in his eyes anytime someone of less fortune come too close. When he spoke with shopkeepers he addressed them in the most polite ways but there was always an air of superiority in his voice that Torvi could not tell if it was real or of her own imagination.
"I understand you grew up in the blue mountains in the same village as the royal family?" he said as they made their way from the market to the living quarters.
"We did for the beginning of my life, but we moved to the Iron Hills before I even reached the age of twenty. It is there that I have spent most of my years." she replied.
"But you still have a close relationship with the royal family." he added.
"I suppose you could say that but it is not a firm as before. My mother is still very close to Dis and visits with her everyday. Unfortunately, I myself am not as familiar with them anymore."
Ferin's face morphed into an expression that Torvi could not interpret. "That is not what I gathered from observing your interactions with Prince Kili at the dinner awhile back and again with Prince Fili today in the market just before I joined you," he said factually. "The prince seemed very close to you, if it is not too bold of me to say. You would not happen to be reaching a courtship with him would you?"
Torvi was beginning to feel uncomfortable with Ferin's constant questions about her relationship with the royal family. The more she thought about it, their entire afternoon of conversation seemed to revolve around her and her family's relationship with the King's family. "Oh no, not at all. Fili and I are just friends. In fact it has been a recent friendship since my family and I arrived to Erebor. I am not even sure you could even call it a friendship. I am close to Kili but I can only assume Fili speaks with me because of that fact and his own friendship with my older brother. I can assure you that it is nothing even close to consider as a courtship."
She watched him closely as she gave him her answer trying to read him. "Well that is a relief to hear," he said. "I must admit I did not think I would have any chance of getting to know you if you had the affections of a Prince." He came to a stop under the archway that opened up to the long line of homes. "It is to my dismay that I must leave you here. I have some prior arrangements that I must attend to." He held out his hand for her's and gave a gentle kiss on her knuckles as she extended her hand to him. "If you would allow me to, I would love to call on you sometime." He paused waiting for an answer then continued when she gave him a half smile and a nod. "I look forward to our meeting again but until then I hope you will be well." With this said he gave her a bow before tuning to depart back down the hall they had recently come from.
Torvi watched him leave before making her way back to her home where he mother was busy preparing supper. Torvi, who was eager to distract herself from the uncomfortable feelings Ferin had left her with, began to help her mother with the meal. Not long after, Rorvi came home and the three of them sat down to eat and enjoy a quiet evening together.
Siv already gone to bed earlier, leaving Rovi and Torvi alone in the parlor as they laid on the floor playing an old dwarven board game. Rorvi moved one of his pieces as he spoke. "I ran into Fili earlier today, he said you spent some time with Lord Ferer's son."
Torvi did not take her eyes off of the board as she moved her own piece and answered him. "I did. We met in the market and spent a few hours together this afternoon."
Rorvi's head snapped up from the board as he looked at his sister. "You know, Fili warned me about him. He said that that you should not be left alone with him, he is not as honest as he seems." He replied sternly.
This time Torvi met Rorvi's eyes and rolled her own as she saw his typical protective brother expression. "You don't need to worry Rorvi. I think I can make my own judgements and there is something about him that I do not trust. While he his charming, I definitely won't be letting my guard down around him anytime soon."
Rorvi looked slightly relieved but did not relax his shoulders completely. "Well I am glad to hear that but either way I don't want you spending time with him alone."
Torvi rolled her eyes. "Rorvi," she said exasperatedly. "If it were up to you I wouldn't be allowed to talk to any male dwarf until I was 170 years old."
"Make that 180," he said jokingly as he let out a small chuckle. "I can't help it." He said with a shrug. "It is my brotherly duty. Besides it is not that bad, I have no problem with you talking with Kili or Fili."
"Gee thanks, I feel so privileged." she said as she moved another piece ending the game in victory. She smiled as Rorvi frowned at the board as he realized he had just lost.
"Only the best for my little sister," he said replacing his frown with a wide grin. He gave a large yawn and stretched his stiff joints from laying down on the floor for so long. "Anyways I am off to bed. Holden asked me to come in an extra day tomorrow so we can finish an axe handle he was showing me how to a make by using a new technique." With that said he got up and stretched again as he stood. "Goodnight little sis, don't stay up too late." Torvi rolled her eyes and ignored his comment as she began to put away the game before going to bed herself.
Hope you are all still enjoying the story and as always thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this story. It is appreciated and really helps me. I hope things are not moving too slowly I am just trying to get everything set up and characters introduced. To give you an idea for Lady Mahuil if anyone watches Downton Abbey it is based off of Violet Crawley (The character played by Maggie Smith) that inspired this character. I was watching it while writing this chapter and I just kind of added her in. Until next time I hope you continue to enjoy!