Billa had no clue as to what she could have possibly done to warrant this reaction.
All she had asked was if the wedding could perhaps tie in some hobbit traditions.
She had always dreamed of getting married in The Shire. As she had grown older she had realized that was only becoming more and more unlikely, after all - who would want to marry her? But then she had met Thorin, and as rough a start their relationship had, it was all worth it in the end.
And if that meant that she wasn't able to get married under the Party Tree, then so be it.
She knew what the mountain and the kingdom meant to her husband to be, and she was going to respect that. But if she was not going to say her vows in the open air, then the least she wanted were flowers woven into her hair.
That's all she said, she had simply asked if she could wear flowers in her hair - in addition to the jewels that would no doubt be there.
She and the Lady Dís had finally started the wedding preparations, and right now they were speaking with the council to get their approval for a date.
Well, that's what they were meant to be speaking the council about. Dís had promised to try and keep the preparations from overwhelming Billa.
It is a very sad moment for them when they must say that she failed.
The dwarves were progressively getting louder and louder as they tried to shout over one another. While most were against her, there seemed to be a few that were voting for incorporating hobbit traditions.
It was Dís who had pulled Billa aside, and brought her into a smaller adjoining chamber. She sat down next to her, and pulled her close.
It was Billa who spoke first.
"I've known all along that this wouldn't be simple, no wedding ever is, and this isn't even a normal wedding. I don't know the dwarvish traditions for a wedding ceremony, all I know are hobbit ones. And from what I can tell, they're very different. Not that I was really expecting anything else."
"Oh, Billa dear. This can't be easy on you. I know for certain that it won't be easy for anyone. There hadn't been an official bonding ceremony in the line of Durin for over a century. The last one held was my own, and even that wasn't held in these halls."
"Oh, Dís, I didn't know."
She knew that Fíli and Kíli's father was dead, but she had never thought of that in relation to their mother.
"There is no way you could have. But you know now, and I'm sure you realize how that will only make the commotion raised by planning such an event that much worse."
"Ah, I see. Yes, that I do."
"Billa, I would like for you to do something for me. I want you to tell me how you picture your wedding to Thorin. You are to speak until one of those irritating dwarrows currently arguing over something as trivial as a simple remark, comes through those doors and demands our presence."
And that is something she most definitely could do.
So she did.
Billa told her of how she used to giggle over the thought of Thorin going through a traditional hobbit ceremony in The Shire. She went on to describe what the other hobbit's reactions would be, especially once they found out he was a king. But they wouldn't, as titles are handled so very differently in The Shire.
The other hobbits would whisper behind their cups of tea how uncivilized dwarves must be if they didn't have family names, and simply referred to each other as dwarf son of dwarf. They would make the mistake of referring to her as Mrs. Oakenshield, and what a laugh she would have when that happened.
She then told Dís her fears of a foreign ceremony under the mountain, one where she would have no idea what was happening. The vows would no doubt be in Khuzdul, which she technically wasn't even supposed to know the name of. She would have no idea what was being said, and she supposed there would be thousands of subtleties that she would have no way of being aware of. What if she did something that only ended up doing something that brought shame and embarrassment to them without even knowing. Such a scenario frightened her, but she knew that she'd go through with it in a heartbeat.
For Thorin.
Before she could go on, she was interrupted.
"Namad, you understand why we cannot have a hobbit ceremony in your Shire. And I understand why a dwarven ceremony would intimidate you, it frightened even I, and this was all that I knew. You mentioned earlier braiding flowers into your hair, alongside the jewels. Tell me how this would work. It is not only you marrying a dwarf, Billa, but my brother is marrying a hobbit. Explain your hobbit traditions to me, and I will promise to incorporate at least some of them into your wedding. This is supposed to be a happy day for you, not a frightening one."
She was right.
Of course she was.
The common sense had to go somewhere, Thorin obviously didn't get any.
Wasn't this what she wanted? Something familiar to latch onto?
Yes, yes it was.
"In the Shire, flowers are a huge part of a wedding. Well, they play a part in everything, but in wedding they're especially important. I don't know if dwarves have something like it, but we have flower language. That's part of the reason why flowers are so vital."
"We have our braids, and our clasps, and our jewels. Our crests are important, but that is something where the meaning is hardly hidden. Your chain, the one that Thorin gave you, is another example."
"Yes. Well, in a wedding, flowers are both worn and used as part of the ceremony itself. The bride will wear a crown made up of the traditional hobbit wedding bouquet. Pear Blossom, Heliotrope, and Blue Violet. Often times, almond blossoms are also used."
"Were you marrying into any other line, I am sure that could be arranged. But you shall be wearing the crown that Thorin forged for you as his queen. The one you wore to the feast was merely the one marking you as his intended. Perhaps we could braid them in?"
"Oh. I forgot about that. I suppose braiding could work, actually, that would work out rather nicely, I think. I told you what the bride wears, but the groom will do something very similar. Rather than a traditional arrangement, the groom will wear a crown made up of blossoms that represent him. Oftentimes, it is the bride that makes the crown for him."
"You and Thorin are going to be separated a week before you are wed. Flowers are short living, and Thorin will be braiding his own hair, would it be possible for you to select the blooms you wish to be used and trust him to braid them in?"
"Yes, that would work out quite wonderfully, I'd think. This is so surreal. Back in Hobbiton, I never actually saw myself getting married. But here I am, planning my wedding, to a King no less! This is the moment that so many hobbit lasses wait years for, and now I finally get the chance to pick out my Groom's Blooms."
"Groom's blooms?"
"That's what they're called, it sounds ridiculous, but the name just kinda stuck."
"Do you have them picked out already, or will you need more time?"
Billa felt her face flush before she could do anything to prevent it.
"I chose them a long time ago."
Dís shot her a smile, shaking her head fondly.
"And what have you chosen, Billa dear?"
"Amaryllis, Angrec, Borage, and Gladiolus."
'You said they have meanings, did you not?"
She could feel her face getting redder.
"I did, yes. And since I know you're going to ask, they mean pride, royalty, courage, strength of character, honor, and conviction."
"Very suiting."
Before anything else could be said, they heard a shout in the council chamber, and then silence.
Shortly after, there was a knock at the door.
Their very lovely conversation had unfortunately reached its end.
*namad - sister