I don't own anything, it all belongs to JRR Tolkien, with the exception of my OC and the plot

"I, Amelia Stanson, swear solemnly on my honour and that of my family that I would be faithful to the King Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, and Heir to Durin's line. I swear to be faithful to his line and heirs and to never divulgate the secrets of the Halls to men, elves or any creatures who isn't a dwarf of Thorin's Halls. I swear to bear true allegiance to the King and his kin. I swear never to break the trust put in me and swear my life to my King and his kin. I swear to act in accordance with and in the respect of his laws. I swear to act for the benefits of the King and his kin and never act against the interests of the Dwarves of Thorin's Halls. From this day onwards to the end of my life I take this oath and pledge my allegiance to Thorin Oakenshield, his heirs and successors."

I couldn't believe I was uttering those words. It felt foreign on my tongue. It was awkward to say the least to pledge one's allegiance to a king, especially for someone coming from twenty-first century. This oath had sounded so cheesy, so corny, had I not been the one kneeling on the stones, I think I'd have snickered. Who was I kidding? I would have been rolling on the floor laughing.

I had the feeling those words had a deep meaning in here and I was entirely aware that, were I to break my oath, I'd be in trouble. Real trouble. Potentially lethal troubles if I were to believe the cold sword's tip, which was currently touching the hollow of my throat.

I was kneeling in front of Thorin Oakenshield, looking in his cold blue eyes while he held his sword against my throat.

I had already signed an enormous contract stipulating quite thoroughly what I was allowed to do and what I wasn't. From what I had gathered I had somehow been placed officially under the care of the Dwarves of Thorin's Halls. Thorin was now my King. In all intent and purpose I was becoming something akin to a refugee who just acquired limited citizenship. Hurray.

If I were to be entirely honest though, I had troubles accepting the fact that he actually could order me around and I would have no choice but to obey or risk breaking our contract and my oath, and subsequently sort of forfeit my life.

Dori and Balin had reassured me, saying that they had added a clause in the contract stipulating that all life altering orders from my King were to be approved by my two appointed direct guardians; Dori and Balin. The only exception being a bit of a repetition; in case of me breaking the contract, Thorin could basically do whatever he wanted without Dori or Balin stepping in.

And why had I two guardians? I had asked. Well, to put it simply Balin had been appointed in name of the King and, they had argued, there wouldn't be any tie if they were to discuss my future. Awesome…it really didn't sit well with me that those three men would hold my life in their hands until, and here I quote those bloody contracts, 'a suitor releases me from their guardianship.'

Great…

So here I was.

Saying in as clear a voice as possible my oath, in front of quite an assembly I would say.

And I have to add I still hadn't had time to take a break, or a shower for that matter, since we arrived. Thorin had been adamant, I wouldn't be allowed further into his halls without the oath being spoken and the contract signed.

Troublesome but understandable I guessed.

"I, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, Heir to Durin's line, accept your oath, your allegiance and your presence within my Halls. I accept to become your King and I swear to protect you as one of my people, from this day onwards until your death. You are now welcomed within my Halls."

Had Dori not prepared me psychologically, I swear I would have yelped and crawled backwards at what came next. I simply bit my lower lip and clenched my fist, trying my best not to squeak when I felt the tip of the sword swiftly pierce my skin just enough to draw a few visible drops of blood.

The king then brought his sword to his hand and pierced the pad of his left thumb. He then handed his sword in one graceful move to a younger blond man, who I had been told was his nephew and heir.

"From this day onwards until the end of your life, I accept your oath and bind it in the blood drawn willingly."

He then pressed his thumb under the small wound he had given me. During the whole time his eyes hadn't left mine. I swallowed when he extended his hand to help me stand. I was quickly facing the audience and King Thorin spoke what would be the final words of the ceremony.

"I present to you the Lady Amelia Stanson. She is now under the guardianship of Master Balin son of Fundin, and Master Dori son of Kori."

I jumped slightly at the sudden common shout of welcome that came from the small dozen of men around. Thorin glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and released my hand while Dori and his brothers were coming towards me.

"Who are these people?' I asked them in a whisper

-They are the heads of the major important families and clan. They were here to witness your oath and will now be able to communicate the King's words to their families and kin.

-Oh"

There was nothing else to say and I sighed, feeling all the exhaustion of the trip hitting me at once. I was starting to daydream about bed, possibly some food, and clear water to remove the blood from my skin. I wondered idly if I should fear an infection because seriously, who knows where this man's sword had been.

"Dori, when can we go to your place?' I didn't want to appear ungrateful, but I felt like falling asleep right there.

-We can go now actually. There is nothing else required from you tonight so I suggest we simply tell Thorin we'll be going."

I nodded, extremely relieved to hear that. Nori patted my shoulder while Ori was scribbling madly in his notebook; no doubt he was documenting everything that had just occurred.

"You did well,' Nori said simply to me.

As we were just a few feet away from the king, who was busy talking with Balin and the blond man, I whispered to Nori

"What shall I call him?"

Nori's right eyebrow quirked while he looked at me questioningly, I had to force my eyes away of the strangely interesting sight of his braided eyebrows going up in his hairline.

"The king, how should I call him' I pressed, shaking my head slightly.

-Thorin" A deep voice then answered me, forcing me to face the blue eyes that had been looking at me not too long ago.

"You don't need to use titles unless we're in a formal setting. Balin will explain you later.' He then proceeded to ignore me splendidly and turned to Dori. 'Dori we'll need to speak more about the new trade agreements, come to me tomorrow.

-Aye.

-And keep an eye on your human, I don't want her to wander around the forges and mines unaccompanied."

I was red with embarrassment at first when I had realized that he had heard my questions to Nori, but his last comments had me stunned. I had just taken an oath to him and he didn't trust me. Well I could agree that oath taking didn't mean much for me but still. Even though it was true that such habits were obsolete for me, I would still try and respect them here.

After all I didn't want to be left alone. Still he could have had the decency to trust me at least a bit. Besides, I wasn't a pet that the men would have to walk around with a leash. Who talked like that? Keep an eye on your human? Seriously? And anyway, why would I want to visit mines and forges? What was the point? And why did he specify those places? Were they really that important? I mean seriously, forges and mines, who in their right mind would want to go there?

In my mind, I was hissing and screeching quite loudly at such rude comments. I didn't say a word though, simply too scared to utter anything.

I was really glad when Nori and Ori guided me back through corridors, stairs and bridges but I was so tired I didn't bother looking around. We stopped in front of a small wooden door and Nori produced a gigantic key that was almost as long as my hand. He opened the door widely and made a flourish and a bow to gesture me in.

I rolled my eyes at his antics and entered the threshold gingerly, sincerely curious about seeing their house and not sure what to expect. The first thing I realized was that it was completely dark inside, which annoyed me slightly, especially when Nori snorted. The only light was coming in from the door in my back and the corridor's torches. I heard Nori and Ori rummaging behind me, they made some more noise before Nori lighted a candle and handed it to me.

The warm light allowed me to see that I was in a large room with a relatively low ceiling, even though I probably couldn't reach it even if I stretched, it was low compared to the height of the halls' ceilings anyway. There was a very large hearth on the wall at my right. I could see a large plush carpet on the floor and several comfortable looking chairs with big, plush cushions on each of them. There were some shelves on the far wall and a large wooden trunk not far from me at my left that was just next to a large wooden wardrobe. While I was scanning the room, Ori had been busy lighting some more candles and Nori was already pilling wood in the hearth and readying it to light a warm fire. Overall the room was dark but not gloomy and I found a very cosy quality to it.

Ori gestured for me to follow him and I saw a door on the left wall, which had been partly hidden by the wardrobe until then. There I entered in a large kitchen that obviously served as a dining room too. It was as big as the first room, with just a door on the far wall, next to a basin that served as a sink I guessed, and lots of cabinets, trunks and closets. There were huge cauldrons hanging here and there and what I believed to be dried plants too. A small door on the side opened on the cellar Ori told me.

I hadn't much time to look around as Ori guided me immediately in a corridor with several doors and pointed at each of them.

"Here's Dori's room and study. Then it's Nori's and then mine. Here we have a second cellar and then it's your new room. It's a bit dirty as we used it as storage and for friends. Tomorrow we'll have to put some order in there.' He explained while I followed him in and he continued 'You have some shutters that are closed right now, you'd be able to open them during the day if you wish."

I nodded absentmindedly, looking at what was to be my room. It was small. It was longer than it was large. There was enough space though, to have the bed at the far right corner, against the right wall and with a small bedside table next to it. There was an impressive mess of clothes and blankets on the bed as well as various unidentified objects on the floor and in the corners.

"We'll have enough space to put a trunk or a small wardrobe here' Ori said pointing at the foot of the bed 'and if you wish we can have a small study table and chair there, and we could add some shelves or cabinets too."

He seemed to pause and then blushed slightly.

"Well, you're a girl so…I guess you'd like to have a washbasin too. Mama used to have one in her room."

His cheeks were pink and he was fidgeting, avoiding my eyes. Ori really was a nice and considerate person. I smiled softly at him though he still refused to look at me.

I could imagine what the room might look like while he had successively pointed at the right corner of the room and then gestured at the walls. He had been looking at me with expectation shining in his eyes before becoming suddenly shy at the mention of the washbasin and his mother.

"It'll be perfect Ori." I reassured him.

To be honest it was small but I had the feeling that I could, with their help, transform it into some very cosy place. I heard steps behind me and turned to look at Nori and Dori

"So you like it then?' Dori asked

-Sure! After some small changes I bet it'd be the best around!" I was enthusiast about this whole topic and I let them witness it shamelessly.

Nori smirked and Dori smiled. They were both pleased to see me like this, I could easily tell as much. Meanwhile Ori had gathered the clothes that occupied the bed and quickly got out of the room. I became suddenly serious as I looked Dori in the eyes.

"I really ought to thank you. I understand what happened today was quite big, though I'm unsure why. You all did a lot to help me and I don't know if I could ever repay you for your help.

-You won't need to. We explained countless time already" Nori started to say while shaking his head.

I interrupted him, my voice calm and steady which surprised me.

"But you're wrong. I know you said that it was your responsibility to take care of me, but it's really not. It's not your fault I ended here and you could very well have let me in this first village we were in. Nothing forced you to take me in, but you chose to do it and for that I can't thank you enough."

I saw Dori attempting to cut in but I stopped him by raising my hand. I wanted to at least finish this.

"I don't know how or when or even if I'll be going back to my home. I might very well be stuck here, especially as no one can understand or explain where I come from and how to go from here to there. So what I'm trying to say is that, you taking me in, it is a big deal for me. So…thank you. I'll try my best not to shame you and not to bother you. I'll try to learn your ways and adapt…

-You don't have to forget who you are in order to live here. Thorin would not ask you to forget about your home. You are welcomed here and soon you'll feel better. Dwarves are not a very welcoming race, but when we swear to protect something or someone we mean it.' Dori finally managed to say.

-We promised you not to leave you alone, to protect you and to take you under our care. So we'll see to it that, if you can't find your way back home then you'll find a home within this realm.' Nori's words made tears well up in my eyes.

-And I wish to thank you for that."

The two men gathered me in their arms as I felt a few tears roll on my cheeks. They patted my back and told me not to worry. I was already calmer when Ori's voice came from the corridor.

"Can I come in with the clean blankets now?"

We all chuckled at hearing his muffled voice from behind a mountain of linens and blankets held in his arms.

That night I slept peacefully. My heart was still broken at the simple idea that I might never go home; but the words and promises of my new friends were like a calming balm on my pain.

The following morning I awoke to the clatter of plates and cutlery and laughing voices. I managed to light a candle with the little ember that Dori had put on mosses in a small metallic bowl on the bedside table. I quickly put on the dark green dress that Dori had bought and opened the door to my room a little. The volume of noise was surprising and I took a second to marvel at the fact that my room was almost soundproof.

I took a few tentative steps in the dark corridor, choosing to blow the light of my candle as the door to the kitchen was clearly visible and I left it on a small table which was already covered by countless unlit candles. I took a small peak in the room and marvelled for a minute that so few people could make so much noise.

I could easily recognize Dori, Nori and Ori among the group, but there were a few new faces. There was a man who was laughing loudly, leaning on the table to avoid falling from the wooden bench. He had dark braided hair and an impressive moustache. I could see the back of a massive ginger man sitting at the end of the table and with a plate full of various foods in front of him.

Then there was another ginger man, with an impressive beard that I had seen briefly the previous day, talking with the king. He was sitting, his arm thrown around the shoulder of the man next to him. That second man had dark brown hair and a small, finely braided beard that was decorated with beautiful beads.

Then there was a younger man, probably younger than Ori, who had a growing ginger beard and who was laughing with the first man I had observed.

"Ah, here she is!' Dori's voice suddenly said and I jumped slightly 'Come on in, Miss Amelia, come and have breakfast with us."

I pushed the door as the silence grew in the room. I felt strangely nervous to meet all these people. Yet I stepped in and joined the three brothers on the bench facing the one with all those new faces.

"Here is the Lady Amelia, who prefers to be called simply Amelia." Dori said while I sat.

I blushed under the gazes and cleared my throat before speaking.

"Hello, pleased to meet you all."

They seemed surprised by my greeting and it reminded me of the time I had met the three brothers. How long ago had that been? Barely two weeks? It felt like decades had passed since. Dori's voice stirred me from my thoughts and I listened to him.

"Amelia comes from a far away land and their customs are quite different from ours, or from the ones men around have."

They all nodded as if this simple sentence could explain the oddity that I, apparently, was. Then the first man I had seen winked at me and said

"I'm Bofur, and this' he pointed at the large man who hadn't stop eating 'is my brother Bombur, at your service."

Bombur gave me a warm smile before continuing to munch on a large piece of ham.

I nodded slightly at both of them when Ori asked me.

"Aren't you hungry? Do you want sausages for breakfast?

-What?' Nori interrupted 'You said there wasn't any sausage left." He pointed an accusing finger at his younger brother who didn't seem impressed.

"If I had cooked what we had left, you would have eaten all of them and Amelia wouldn't have the possibility to have some." Ori bluntly stated and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Bofur laughed heartily while the other ginger and the man next to him laughed too. Nori glared at his younger brother and I finally laughed loudly.

"It's fine Ori, I'll have some if there's enough for your guests and brother too.

-Don't worry about us Amelia' the man, Bofur, said. 'Ori just cook one for the lass."

It was obvious he had said that just to annoy Nori. Ori nodded and went to cook the meat while I winked at Nori. I don't know where it came from, but between the brothers' antics and Bofur's laugh, I simply felt good that morning. For the first time in what seemed an eternity, my home and family were far from my thoughts as I simply tried to enjoy the present moment.

The ginger man in front of me cleared his throat loudly and I looked at him when he bowed his head slightly.

"I'm Gloin, at your service.

-Pleased to meet you' I answered, bowing my head similarly to what he had done.

-This is my wife, Danà, and our son Gimli' He continued.

-Pleased to…wait what?"

My head, which was bowing already, snapped back up and I starred with eyes wide as saucers at the man or woman in front of me. He or she dared to wink playfully at me.

Thank god I hadn't offended them, I thought, struggling to close my mouth and gather my wits. Now that they had pointed it, I could see that her face was more finely defined than the others, her nose smaller, and her beard seemed thinner and softer too. Still, a bearded woman? Really?

They laughed cheerfully at my surprise and I quickly muttered an apology for being so openly rude.

"Don't worry lass' Bofur said 'It's quite rare that humans can discern between men and women in our race.

-Still, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.

-T'is fine missy. Don't worry." Her voice was a tone graver than I had expected, but it was still clearly a woman's voice.

"That's why some men believe dwarves are born from the mountain rocks' laughed Bofur.

-Dwarves" I repeated, still stunned.

Apparently my brain had decided now was a good time to finally pay attention to their weird comments. I think it was the bearded woman who finally convinced me to give a little credit to their talks and claims. They were all silent as I looked at each of them in turn, my gaze returning quickly to Danà though.

"You believe you're dwarves" I said in a whisper.

They stayed silent for a second before Dori spoke.

"It's because we are dwarves Amelia. We told you that already.

-I'm sorry I just thought… I mean you don't look like dwarves."

That stunned them and Nori was the first one to speak after that.

"What do you mean? What did you expect us to look like?

-I don't know. Shorter to begin with"

That made them laugh some more and Bofur exclaimed in between laughs

"Are you saying you think we're tall?

-Well, where I come from we call dwarves some humans who are really short. Being a dwarf is not, it's not a race and there are very few of them.' I hesitated, unimpressed by their laugh.

-Well I can assure you we're dwarves alright' Dori said, patting my hand.

-But then, those other things you said about elves being real, is it true too?"

That put a damper to their mood. They looked gloomy suddenly when Dori answered.

"Yes they exist, but we aren't really on friendly terms with them."

I nodded, understanding this was a topic for another time even though I had to admit I was curious. Would elves look like what I pictured or will they be something else entirely? Trying to forget about elves for now, accepting these people were dwarves was tough enough, I looked back at the little family in front of me and said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Then you all have beards, even children' I was astounded as I glanced to the round face of Gimli.

-I'm not a child' he protested before adding ' I'm 60 already".

Sweet mother of…What?!

I startled at this information so violently that I actually jerked and fell from the bench. Too stunned to actually register the pain coming from my back as Bofur booming laugh resonated in the room. Ori quickly came to help me sit up as I squeaked a little 'what?' Dori and Ori were patting my back, hovering over me worriedly when Nori finally decided to answer my question.

"Dwarves have a long life span. That's the reason why we're used to our humans' partners dying before us. T'is not because we kill them."

Had Nori been close enough, I'd have kicked him in the shin or slapped him to make his mocking smirk and playful glint in his eyes disappear. He had apparently a good memory and remembered clearly one of our earlier discussions.

They all laughed though I could feel they didn't mean it in a bad way for me. They were just amused at some of my words and I didn't think they were mocking my ignorance. My gaze turned toward Ori and I asked the question I had on my mind.

"But then, how old are you?"

Nori's smile softened, obviously remembering our little chat in the shop back in Beinne.

"I'm 93" Ori answered proudly, making my head spin.

I glanced toward Nori and he simply said

"144"

I couldn't believe it. One of my hands was now permanently fixed over my widely open mouth and I turned, disbelievingly toward Dori, the oldest brother.

"I am 162 my dear.

-Holy crap!"

I couldn't help it and my curse both surprised and amused the dwarves around.

"I can't believe it. It's impossible." I muttered while my brain was struggling to register all those information.

I suddenly had the urge to poke Dori in the shoulder to make sure he actually was alive. If elves and dwarves existed, why not ghosts too? Right? I resisted this urge though; I didn't want to offend anyone here.

I had huge difficulties to wrap my head around those facts. The worst part being that I realized how far I actually was from my home and its familiarity. I hadn't simply stepped into a sort of retarded part of the globe or not even into a time hole that had brought me back to medieval Europe.

Nope.

That would have been way too easy.

I was apparently in a whole other world.

"There, have some chamomile, it'll sooth you."

Dear, sweet Dori. I gave him a shaky smile when I took the warm cup from his hands. The silence was quickly broken by Danà who gently told me.

"Dori asked me whether I could show you around and help you adjust to life here. If you so wish we could go see the seamstresses so that you could buy proper clothes and then I'll show you to the market."

I nodded, smiling softly but not trusting my voice to speak yet. Though I did glance curiously at my clothes, wondering what was wrong with them again. She apparently understood my gesture and answered my unasked question

"Your clothes are fine, but obviously human made. It'll help you fit in to have clothes cut in our fashion. Your lack of beard will be quite the beacon to you being human already."

I looked at her with wide eyes and she laughed

"All dwarves women have beard Amelia, not just me.' I really was too astounded to even try to reply.

-After you're done adjusting to this place, in a few days maybe, I'll take you to meet my brother' Gloin said gruffly 'He's one of the few healers we have, he'll decide whether to take you as an apprentice or not after talking with you.

-Thank you' I answered after several minutes spent attempting to clear my throat 'I'm thankful for your help.

-Don't worry, it'll be in our interest to have another trained healer.

-Is it that rare? To be a healer I mean?' I asked turning instinctively towards Dori.

-Well, dwarves are miners, merchants, crafters, smiths. We like to build things with our hands and we have a close affinity to the earth and its jewels." He said calmly and seriously

"So you have few people bothering to learn how to heal, right?

-Yes. It is not usual for a dwarf to choose such a career.

-Then I'll have to do my best to be useful." I simply said while munching on some bread.

I realized then that there was a sausage in front of me and I hadn't even seen Ori come back with it. I smiled to him while I happily ate the meat, playfully glancing at Nori who glared at me. I swear his love for sausages was disturbing.

I laughed softly, silently thanking him for making me laugh when I really felt shell shocked and slightly down, and cut the remaining part of the meat in two. Then I simply took the untouched part and put in his plate.

A very heavy silence fell. Even Bombur had stopped to eat and was staring at me. Glancing towards Nori I saw his cheeks slightly starting to redden.

"What? What have I done now?" I asked nervously.

Was it considered rude to give a bit of your own food to someone else? Had I done something potentially offending? Way to go Amelia. First day in your new place and you're already the oddball who offends everyone, I admonished myself.

Dori cleared his throat quite loudly and reassured me.

"Nothing. It's nothing don't worry."

But this time I wasn't buying it. I looked at Bofur's cheeky grin, Danà and Gloin's surprised yet highly amused faces and Ori's red face while he was avoiding looking at his brother. I turned toward Dori and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Alright, what is it? Last time already he reacted like this. What have I done?'

I heard Nori choke and cough loudly behind me when various voices spoke at the same time.

"Last time? What last time?' Bofur asked leaning on the table, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

-You really haven't done anything bad.' Dori repeated before Danà interjected.

-You're not helping her Dori. What if she does the same in front of someone else? Or worse, does it to someone unaware of her situation?"

Nori's coughing fit redoubled and Ori was impossibly red while Bofur laughed loudly and Dori sputtered an incomprehensible answer. I was stunned by their reaction and turned my gaze to Danà. I could have bet she was my best shot at understanding the situation. The men were obviously too shocked by whatever had happened.

"What did you mean by last time?' Bofur insisted

-Don't answer that!" Nori squeaked between two coughs.

Unfortunately I had already opened my mouth and the words were flowing out before my brain registered his warning.

"I asked him to braid my hair and he point blank refused even after I insisted."

There was a short silence before Bofur, Bombur and Gloin exploded in fits of uncontrollable laughter. Danà was eyeing Dori with a 'See, I told you so' look on her face while Dori was apparently deeply embarrassed. His embarrassment was nothing though compared to his brothers'.

Ori's face was purple. How could someone really turn purple? I quickly shoved a glass of cool water in front of him and encouraged him to drink it while glancing at Nori. Nori was avoiding looking at me and was almost as red as his younger brother had been minutes before. He wasn't coughing anymore though, which I wasn't sure was a good sign or not. Was he still breathing?

I waved my hand in front of him and he pushed me away, not even looking at me. I frowned. I would have lied if I said it hadn't hurt me to see him reject me and my concern like he had just done.

This situation was starting to piss me off.

Ori wouldn't look at me. Nori was apparently angry at me. Dori was speechless and that stupid Bofur was still laughing. At least Bombur and Gloin had calmed down a bit. Right now, Bofur's laugh wasn't cheering me. I wanted him to shut up so that someone, probably Danà, could explain to me what was happening.

I glared at the laughing dwarf, making him laugh some more.

That was it.

I had been patient enough. I grabbed back the glass of water I had put in front of Ori and that had been left untouched and swiftly threw the whole content to the dwarf face.

"Shut up, will you?" I snapped.

Well that did it. I believe he was so shocked by my reaction that it killed his laugh immediately. Ignoring his wide, surprised eyes, I turned to Danà and calmly asked her.

"Please, what is it?"

She didn't wait a second before answering.

"Well you just told him you'd be agreeable to his courtship and the braid was just you asking him plainly to court you."

What?

"I'm sorry. Courtship? What?

-You asked him to marry you. Sharing his favourite meal is an old way to confess your interest. Asking a man to braid your hair is like asking him to marry you.' Bofur's good mood had apparently survived the water.

-I…' I turned towards Nori with wide eyes. 'I proposed to you? Twice?!" I shrieked.

Looking at all their faces I could see they weren't joking, even though that damn smirk was still in place on Bofur's face.

An awful wave of dread, shame and embarrassment overpowered me and I couldn't stand being in this room any longer. I quickly and swiftly stood up and rushed back to my room, closing the door behind me and praying for the earth to open beneath my feet and swallow me.

I leaned on the door with my back and hit the wood repeatedly with my head, cursing myself, dwarves and their stupid customs.

I sighed and went to sit on my bed, pulling my knees to my chest and my arms around my legs. I let my head fall on my knees, closing my eyes.

For a short while I had been happy and had forgotten my situation, but it had all came back to hit me in the face. I had made a fool of myself without even knowing it. In some rational part of my mind I knew I was probably overreacting but another, prominent part was whispering incessantly in my ears.

I had realized in the short time I had been with them that the brothers had a very different sense of propriety than mine. Apparently it was the case for their whole culture, seeing as how they still used and believed in obsolete concept akin to middle aged chivalry, with all their honour oaths and blood willingly drawn or whatever.

I couldn't be certain, but I was almost positive that asking a man to marry you after having met him three days before was not considered proper in this place. Furthermore I had said that loudly to everyone and I had apparently even confessed some inexistent feelings in front of his friends and family.

I was extremely shy when it came to such matters and I was an ardent believer in the concept of privacy. Knowing the meaning of what I had said and done was a terrible blow to my pride and personal beliefs. I had put myself on display without even knowing it.

Shameful wasn't even close to describe how I felt.

I whimpered feeling tears burning my eyes.

I wanted to go home more than ever. I could never face those people ever again and I had nowhere to go. With a groan I suddenly realized that I even had thrown a glass of water at the face of someone I had just met.

I started to mentally kick myself, thinking about how I could possibly sneak away from this place, definitely. I was clearly overreacting, but at that precise moment I wasn't really in control of my mind and actions anymore.

I sniffed, ashamed at my own reaction when I felt tears slowly falling on my hidden cheeks.

Why, oh why was I such a cry-baby? I hadn't cried once during all the difficulties I faced in my studies. I didn't cry because of my loneliness during my years at school and uni. I hadn't even cried when I learn of my failure in those last exams.

I hated feeling so weak, but I couldn't seem to control my feelings properly since I had put a step in this blasted land.

I was just about to stand up and prepare a backpack to leave, already planning to wait for the cover of the night. My heart hurt thinking of abandoning the three brothers so ungratefully after all they'd done for me.

My brain and heart were fighting a raging, silent battle and were leaving me quite befuddled and hesitant.

Then I heard a strong, confident knock on my door. I startled, looking and feeling aghast as it slowly opened with a low creak.

A/N: You can't believe how happy I was to see that some people enjoy this story as much as I do. So HUGE thanks to everyone one who reviewed/favorited/followed. Really thank you for your support.

Now, I know the brothers' age isn't specified, yet i'm going a bit AU here, especially for Ori, because the only thing we know about their age is that they're 50 years older than Fili and Kili. Well, sorry to anyone who is offended by Non-Cannon but well...I guess this whole story is AU anyway so...

The oath was partially inspired by a British oath of Allegiance.

That aside I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I only posted it because all the reviews made me so happy that writing was fairly easy today. :) Thus the update earlier than I expected.

Once again, give me a few days maximum to update the next chapter, if I'm motivated though, I might post it tomorrow.