It is the night before Thorin and Emma's wedding. As is customary, he spends it while drinking with his friends in one of the smaller halls. It is not an evening that grows so late as other evenings spend with friends and ale would, because Thorin wishes to feel his best at his wedding day. Normally Emma would spend it with female relatives, but as her only female relative is her stepmother and she would rather disembowel herself than spend time with the gasthly woman, she spends it with her handmaidens.
Mead, wine and refreshments have been brought to her chambers, and the evening passes as they did before; trying new things on eachothers hair, talking, gossiping and laughing. But around eleven there is a sharp knock on the door, and they all look up. It would be very unusual for someone to visit Emma now, and Jalila walks to the door, opening it curiously.
She frowns when she sees three dark haired elves, a blonde she-elf and a wizard standing in the doorway.
"Yes?"
"Pardon our intrusion, my lady, but we need to speak with the princess urgently." Gandalf says with a kind smile, while the elves keep their stern look.
"It is the night before the princess' wedding, my lord. I am afraid she can not be disturbed."
"We are aware of the circumstances. Please get her now." One of the elves says in an emotionless yet demanding tone.
Jalila hesitates for a moment, looking at the visitors, but then walks back tot he bedroom where they had been sitting and informs Emma of her guests. Initially, Emma wants to refuse receiving her guests, but then she gets up, puts on a vail and walks to the door, pulling her dressing robe tighter around her waist.
Once she looks into the hallway, she smiles in surprise. "Gandalf! What brings you here on this odd hour? You do know I am getting married tomorrow and not now, right?"
Gandalf wants to say something, but is interrupted by one of the elves:
"Emma, please follow us. We need to leave now."
Emma frowns, looking confused. "Who may you be and where should we go to?"
"I am lord Elrond of Rivendell, these are my sons, Elladan and Elrohir, and this is lady Galadriel, lady of the light. We are here to take you away so you will not have to marry the king."
This is definitely one of the highest ranking strange things she has encountered, a dark version of the fairytales her brother read to her when she was little, and that is counting a confrontation with a dragon. She has no idea what to make of of the elf's odd statement, and is completely confounded with regard to his intentions. Why would and elf of all people want to take her away from her wedding? It rather sounds like an elaborate joke, but knows that can not be as she knows elves to be rather humorless.
"Take me away, from my wedding? Whatever has given you the idea that I should be taken away from it?!"
Lord Elrond sighs. "You are not yet of age, Emma, so you can not marry him."
"And somehow you have gotten the impression that it should be you that has to take me away? Who do you think you are, meddling in my affairs, some kind of stretched out knight in shining armour?!" Emma hisses angrily, and she looks back at her handmaidens, ordering them in her own language to go and fetch Thorin. Jalila quickly walks off, but is stoppped in her tracks by another man, this time a dwarf, entering the royal corridor and stopping at Emma's door. It is Melo, Emma's older brother.
**"Nadad, good that you are here! These men seem to think that I need saving from my own marriage!"
But before Melo can answer lord Elrond, having grown impatient, and insecure of his current position, takes her arm. "You are not of age, and your father has not given permission for this marriage, so you will come with me now!"
"My father has given permission, so let go of me now!" She shrieks, trying to get loose from his grip.
"You are handling this quite badly, my dear Elrond." Gandalf mutters, but it is too late.
"I am your father and I will not have you married to king Thorin tomorrow, so come now."
Emma, still struggling to break free, looks at him for a small moment and then punches him on his nose. The sudden impact and the distinct sound of breaking cartilage makes that Elrond lets go of her and holds his bleeding nose.
"Guards!" Emma yells as loud as she can, and suddenly the corridor is full of people. Guards close in on the wizard and the elves, while Fili and Kili come running from their chambers. Everyone is yelling at everyone now, causing one big chaos with Elrond, whom is still clutching his nose, and Emma, whom is looking utterly lost and confused, in the middle, while Galadriel observes the whole scene. But then a low, rumbling voice cuts through all the others:
"Shazara!" Thorin yells, and everyone immediately falls silent. He walks passed the guards, Melo and the visitors and looks at Emma.
"What is going on here, are you alright?"
She glances at the visitors, her brother and all the other people in the corridor. "Lets discuss this inside, your highness."
They walk in, accompanied by Emma's handmaidens, and close the door. "Why is Elrond here, Emma?"
"You know him?! They came to the door, saying they want to take me away from here so I do not marry you, and saying that he is my father! I think that wizard of yours has gone utterly mad!"
"Did they hurt you?"
"He grabbed my arm, so I broke his nose." She says, a bit ashamed but also amused.
"Go to your bedroom, I will handle this." He says while trying to hold back a chuckle that comes up at the image of Emma breaking Elrond's nose.
Emma does what he says, followed by her handmaidens, and Thorin walks to the doorway again. He knows a problem when he sees it, and this situation is like a mountaintroll staring him in the face while he is unarmed. He also knows when something can be settled with a sword, and when diplomacy is needed. One common elf could have been settled with a sword. Lady Galadriel and lord Elrond can not. He sighs deeply before opening the door, and then swings it open. He looks at Elrond with his red and swollen nose, and can't help but grin a little. But he quickly composes himself and jerks his head at Elrond, Galadriel and Melo.
"You has best come in. Fili. Get Balin."
While his nephew runs off to fetch his chief advisor, the others follow him to Emma's study, where they all take a seat and sit in silence for a while. Thorin looks at Melo. His soon-to-be brother in law does not look angry, contrary to what he would expected a brother to look when an elf came to his sister and said he was his father, but rather weary, tired and anxious. Elrond on the other hand looks exactly as he would have expected him to look: angry and pugnacious. He doesn't even bother looking at Galadriel; she looks the same as always: a smile that is supposed to look calm and assuring, but looks more like arrogance to Thorin. Thorin knows this is going to be one terribly bothersome night, and he hasn't even taken Emma into account.
He is pulled from his observations by Balin softly knocking the door and entering, taking a seat next to Thorin.
"Elrond, why don't you explain why my betrothed thinks you want to take her away from here to stop the marriage and why you claim to be her father." Thorin says sternly.
"I am her father, and I have not given permission for this marriage, nor do I wish it to take place."
"Do you have any proof of that, you being her father, I mean?"
"I can easily supply you with it, if you wish so, I will bring her mother here." Elrond says with a small shrug of his left shoulder.
Melo looks at Thorin and nods very slightly, indicating to the king that Elrond is telling the truth. At seeing this, Thorin rubs his face with his hands and wants to say something, But Melo already does:
"Lord Elrond, Emma's wedding contract was drawn up and signed in the logical assumption that her father agreed to the marriage, and my father is officially listed as her father. So it remains to be seen if you can still claim her as your daughter. After all, for 63 years you have not made such a claim. Furthermore, if you take her with you against her will and take her marriage away from her, I can guarantee you that she will not want anything to do with you and she will just wait untill she is of age and then leave." He scoffs "She does not like my father and she has managed not to speak more than ten words to him in the past 30 years, even though she lived in the same palace as him. I can imagine that is not something you want, so perhaps it would be better for all parties to see how we can best make this work."
"And what do you suggest?" Elrond asks, not unkind, but also not really willing.
"It would all depend on king Thorin." Melo says while looking at Thorin. "If he still wants her as his wife, perhaps it would be possible for you to stay here for a while and get to know Emma. If you allow her to marry him, of course."
Thorin rubs his beard. He wants her, he needs her. But he can't forget he is a king. He also needs to produce heirs. Heirs that are acceptable to his subjects. He looks at Balin, whom looks back at him.
"I do not know enough about this subject to make an educated guess." The old dwarf mutters.
He has read Thorin's mind, has seen his doubts, but can not help him. Thorin sighs again.
"Perhaps we should ask Elrond. We know a dwarf and an elf can have a child, Emma is the living example of that. But we don't know when, as we don't know how fast elves or half-elves mature. You do not have a hundrerd years to wait untill she is able to have a child." Balin continues.
After a moment of doubt, hesitation over involving Elrond in his doubts and showing them to Melo, he nods.
"We would need a little more information to assess the situation." Balin says, diplomacy beaming off him.
While hearing the conversation between Thorin and Balin, a cloud falls over Melo's face. This whole thing had the potential of ending Emma's marriage before it had even begun. He just doesn't know if he should be happy about that or not. He knows his sister had feelings for Thorin in the past, but they seem to have radically changed. They spoke openly about a lot of things, but her feelings towards Thorin is one of the very few things she kept to herself, so he has no solid clue.
"We need to know whether a union between Thorin and Emma could blossom in a short term." Balin continues, clouding his words to a point only elves would get it.
"You want to know if my daughter, whom I do not wish to see married, can have his children, or he won't marry her?!" Elrond fumes
"I believe cooperation is the best way to go to keep all parties happy. Melo has made it quite clear that if you stop this marriage, Emma will not talk as much as one more word to you. And I personally believe that she will also blame you if Thorin decides not to go through with it."
It seems that Balin has left his diplomatic ways and just pointed out the way things are in a very clear manner. Elrond also seems to get it, though resistantly. He clenches his jaw and says through gritted teeth:
"it would depend on whether she has come of age yet. Physically."
All now look at Melo. "Well?" Balin says.
"You do realise you are speaking of my sister, right?!"
"So you do not know?" Balin asks, a bit impatiently.
"Off course I do not know!"
Balin gets up and opens the door to the antechamber. He sticks his head around it and orders one of the servants to bring Emma to the study.
A moment later she enters, looking at the people in the room, but deliberately not at Elrond and Galadriel.
**"Namad, they need to know if….eeeeerm….if you…..eeeerm…"**
Balin's patience is completely worn out. He has had enough of this whole thing. He gets that Thorin wants Emma, but the difficulty it is creating is out of bounds. Not to mention the money Thorin is spending on all of it. He wants to go to bed; the time that he could drink all night or go days without sleep has passed. He is old and does not have an unlimited amount of time to spend on these things, so he cuts in.
"We need to know whether you are physically an adult yet."
"Am I what?!" She blurts out, unable to believe these questions are actually being asked.
"Have your bleeds started yet? Is your body able to have children?"
Although most of her expression is hidden under her vail, it is clear to all that Emma's face is a mixture between confusion and anger, flushing bright red. And that is exactly what she is feeling. Somehow a conversation to get rid of a mad elf has turned into a discusion about her being able to have children. Which means that her ability to be a good queen is being discussed. Which means her marriage, that is supposed to be happening tomorrow, is uncertain. Although she did not admit it to anyone, Thorin the least, she does want to marry him, deep inside somewhere. And now this elf is ruining it, and embarrassing her in the process.
**"Really, nadad? I am being diminished to a producer of heirs?! The elf is completely coockoo, get him out of here, tell them I am a dwarf and get this over with!"**
**"Have a seat, namad."**
**"I do not need to have a seat, I need you to fix this!"**
**"Sit."** his command is spoken in a friendly manner, but she knows it is a command nonetheless, so she sits down in a chair as far away from Elrond as possible.
He knows they are being observed by everyone in the room and that the elves outside are probably listening in, but he also knows he can not do this to her with everyone watching them; it is embarrassing enough as it is.
"If you would please give my sister some privacy, I will call you back when our conversation is done." Melo says.
Everyone gets up, glad to be able to skip this no doubt embarrasing moment. When the room has cleared, Melo starts again:
**"Listen. If you are able to have children, I think everything can go ahead as it was planned. I will make sure the elf doesn't bother you too much, and in a couple of months, this will all be forgotten."**
Emma chews on the inside of her cheek, trying to keep herself from either lashing out in anger or bursting out in tears.
**"Tell me, Emma."**
**"Yes."**
**"Yes what?"**
Embarrassment is definitely taking the upper hand now, and she feels a blush creepng up her neck and cheeks.
**"Yes I can have children. Now can I leave?"**
**"Since long?"**
**"What?"**
Now Melo is also turning red, highly uncomfortable with having this conversation with his sister.
**"Have you…eeeeh…been able to..eeeerm..you know…since long?"**
She looks away, fixating on some pattern in the rich carpet that lies on the floor. **"Three months."**
**"Three months?!"** Melo thinks for a moment, rethinking the sanity of letting Thorin marry Emma, since she has only so recently became physically adult. **"Are you sure you want to do this, Emma? I mean, perhaps it would be better to wait a couple of years or something…"**
**"You were supposed to get rid of the mad elf, and now I have to discuss my private affairs and you doubt my marriage?! I have had enough of this, I'm going back to my room!"**
She wants to get up, but Melo gently takes her arm. **"Wait, namad, has anyone..eeeh….explained you what to expect?"**
**"Expect from what?"**
He sighs. She might know a lot about a lot, but in this she seems to be quite innocent. **"From..eeeh. the wedding night."**
He had not believed it was possible for her to turn even redder, but he now sees it is very possible. **"The governess, she said.."** Emma pauses, too ashamed to go on.
**"I am sorry I was not there when everything as arranged, namad, I truely am. Now don't feel ashamed with me."** he cups her jaw and pushes it up, so she looks in his eyes. **"What did she tell you?"**
**"To lie on my back and do what Thorin wants."** Emma whispers, trying to avoid lokking in his eyes.
**"That's it?!"**
Emma nods
**"Do you want me to find someone who can prepare you better?"**
She nods again
**"Go to your room then, but don't go to sleep yet, I'll come by later. And don't worry, I'll fix this."**
Emma gets up and leaves the room while Melo calls the others back in.
"There is no impediment in that area, though that is recent." Melo says to Balin.
"Then I think we can come to the conclusion that having this wedding is in all our best interests."
Elrond clears his throat, demanding the attention.
"I do have some demands. She will have an elf accompanying her, always, and she will spend at least an hour per day with me, learning about the elven way."
Melo looks at Thorin, whom nods. "That is fine, but you will have to follow Emma's schedule and not interfere with state business, and she has a say in what she will learn. And you will mind the royal etiquette."
Elrond nods, and Melo gets up. "I'll ask Emma if she can agree with this."
After softly knocking of the door, he enters his sisters bedroom.
**"Emma, are you here?"**
**"Nadad."** the way she calls him brother is not a question, nor a warning, but a bit more like an ascertation; simply stating the facts and therewith judging Elrond's claims to be worthless.
**"We have talked. Everything can go ahead as arranged if you agree to spend an hour a day with Elrond, learning about the elven way, and always have an elf escorting you."**
Emma crosses her arms and frowns her brows.
**"You have gone utterly mad, nadad! I do not care what he or father or anyone else has told you, I refuse to believe it. And I am certainly not spending my time with him!"**
**"Come on, you can choose what you want to learn or do. And you will have an escort all the time anyway, so what does it matter if one of them is an elf?"**
She crosses her arms and shakes her head. **"No."**
**"Namad…."**
**"No."**
Melo sighs and goes back to the study.
"She does not want it, and I'm not going to make her, sorry Thorin."
"Then you sign for her."
"That's basically the same as forcing her. I'm not doing it. Get my father if you want someone forcing her to do this, but it won't be me."
The men sit in silence for a while, untill Thorin yells at Emma to come and join them. But he does not get an answer, and yells her name again. One of her handmaidens comes into the study.
"I am sorry, my lord, but she can not join you at this moment."
"And why may thet be?"
Jalila starts blushing. "She..eeeh…she might have left the bedroom through the passageways."
Thorin gets up. "Where did she go?"
"i don't know, my lord, but she changed into her training clothes."
**"SHIT!"** Melo curses, and then turns to Thorin. "Where could she have gone?"
But Thorin's answer is interrupted by Elrond, who hisses: "You have told her to leave!" he hisses at Melo.
"Stay calm! There is no use in telling Emma to leave, as I can not marry her now without additional permission anyway." Thorin says. "We'll look for her together, but I think I know where she is. Come on."
The three men get up and leave Emma's chambers, and Thorin orders some guards to follow them, as does Elrond with his sons. They leave Erebor trough the front gate, going up the path that Emma takes when she goes running in the morning, lighting their way with lanterns. An hour later, they arrive at the plateau where Emma normally turns around and see her sitting there, looking at the starts. Melo wants to walk up to her, but is stopped by Thorin, who signals them all to stay back as he approaches her.
"I though you normally train in the morning." He says when he is standing next to her.
She does not look at her, but keeps staring to the sky. "Normally I do, your highness." She says.
"Any specific reason you have chosen this time of night to go running?" he asks dryly.
"None whatsoever, your highness. Would there be anything else or did you bring half of Erebor here to enquire after my training habits?"
Thorin looks back and nods at the men waiting to leave them. As they have done, Elrond under protest, Thorin sits down next to his betrothed.
"Tell me what you want, Emma."
"Whatever pleases you, pleases me, you highness." She says
"By Mahal, would you stop being so sarcastically polite and just tell me what you want!" he utters loudly.
It is silent between them for a moment, him taken back by his own outburst, her a little surprised.
"Sorry." He says. "I did not mean to be so harsh. But for the time you have been here, you did not give your opinion about any of the important decision that had to made, regarding your life, I may add. So what do you want? Do you want to go to Rivendell?"
"No."
"Do you want to go back with Melo?"
"No."
"Do you want Elrond to stay here?"
"No."
"You can not say no to everything, Emma. If you do, Elrond will deny approval of the marriage, and I am not going to take the risk of marrying you possibly without approval from your father."
She stays silent, looking at the stars again.
"Or do you not want to marry me?" he asks softly, but she stays silent.
"Tell me." He urges. "Do you, or do you not want to marry me?"
Finally, she tears her gaze away from the stars. "Fine. Let them stay here then." She says, and she gets up.
When she stands, he sees her transform from the insecure, unhappy girl that has been confronted with things she did not want nor need in the unreachable princess; her back is straight and her shoulders are pulled back while she holds her head a little up and her eyes have turned darker and harder. He chuckles on the inside, it is all just an attitute, a mask that she uses to hide her true self from the world. But he has to admit, as he sees her walk past the man that claims to be her father, his sons, the guards and her brother, that she does it well. None dare stop her or talk to her, but step aside to let her pass and follow her.
While they walk back, Melo goes to walk next to Thorin.
"Thorin, it turns out that my sister is…eeeh….quite innocent when it comes to…eeeeh….marital relations. Do you perhaps have a female relative that could….eeeeeh….prepare her for the wedding?"
Thorin's head jerks to Melo. "Seriously, the night before the wedding?! It is the responsability of your family to make sure she is properly prepared!"
Melo shrugs apologetically. "I was away on business when everything was arranged, I did not know of this before just now."
Thorin sighs. "No, I dont have a female relative here; Dis will arrive tomorrow, and I do not think it would be wise to rouse one of the noble women for this. It would create gossip."
"Then perhaps you could…eeeeh…take this lack of…eeeh…knowledge into account?"
Thorin nods, and they continue the walk down in silence. When they reach the entrance of Erebor, Emma turns to Melo.
**"You sign for it, I find it a waste of time. I'm going to sleep."** and she keeps walking, not even looking back to see if he heard her.
Melo closes his eyes for a moment, and then says: **"I can take you away from here, from everything, if you want."**
Now she stops and looks back, with a sad smile that none can see. **"No, you can't and I don't think I want to. Goodnight Melo."**
