AN: 10th chapter! And I'll be passing the 30,000 word mark today :). Still, I can't help covet your suggestions and reviews. If you do read the story, do tell me what is it you like reading, and if you are half-keen, do let me know what I can do to improve.
Chapter 10
"I'd appreciate, Balin, if you didn't bring any of this up with your sister."
Balin pulled the pipe of his mouth, concern etched on his face.
"It is a painful subject, I reckon," he agreed sadly.
"But none of her fault," Dain persisted, "I asked her to speak nothing of it, as I wished to do so myself so as to clear her name."
"...that explains why Malin never married, nor has any intention to?"
"Some of it, yes," Dain agreed.
"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done all these years," Balin hastened to say, "And none of the blame lies upon your shoulders, cousin. They were circumstances beyond any of our control."
"I see that she is happy here, and that is all that matters," Dain said, sighing as he sank into the comfortable chair, feet propped up on a stool, "And now I ask for a little favour of my own."
"An exchange," Balin smiled.
"Dena needs no taking care of," Dain said, "She is her own person, grown and more intelligent than I dare reckon. Did you know that she has learned the entirety of dwarven law? And architecture, and trade, and whatever else there is to learn. I never had the time for a proper education myself, having to learn it all on the job, so to speak... At any rate, I think Dena will be of use here in Erebor, and I hope that you may find her a position in which her talents are employed... I had to bring her away, Balin, or my son will never learn how to manage a mountain on his own."
Balin nodded.
"I fear my sister will languish and fade if forced to be idle," Dain sighed, "A favour for a favour?"
"We are kin," Balin stopped him, "And we will do more than necessary for each other. The Lady is more than welcome under this mountain."
"I take my leave in the morning," Dain said, "Though it will not be an unpleasant good-bye. Only Dena will worry about me, she always does. The Iron Hills grow nearer by the day, for the road is becoming well-worn once again."
He blew out his pipe,
"Beautiful place, this. Busy, full of life. Growing, growing, expanding. Not dull at all."
Scratching the itchy spot behind his ear, and burping, Dain proceeded to enjoy his last night in Erebor under the stars, smoking with Balin.
Nori had some serious security issues, Fona mused as she settled down to bed. She heard the click of the pantry lock, and then a heated discussion in the living room.
"I don't see why you have to lock her in the pantry, love," protested Lallek, "She's harmless."
"For her safety and ours," Nori insisted.
The next thing Fona heard was a chest of drawers being pushed in front of the pantry door.
"Fona will die of heat in there," Lallek complained.
"It is cool enough, the coolest place in the house, unlike our sweltering bedroom. If it wasn't your butter would be rancid by now."
"Our bedroom is hot because you have locked all the windows, bolted the door, and left a torch burning the entire night!"
"Sweetheart," Nori began soothingly,
"None of that, Nori."
Lallek was furious. Nori's over-protectiveness was driving her nuts.
"What if there is a fire in the pantry?"
"The walls and shelves are of steel and stone, love. And no, Fona will not suffocate because there are ventilation holes."
Lallek was crying now,
"Living with you is just like living with adad! You promised it would be different, Nori, you promised! I am tired of being shut up with nothing to do. I miss you, but you are gone all day."
Fona tried to shut out the sounds of the domestic quarrel. It was not unlike her home back in the Iron Hills, with parents shouting at each other. Except, Lallek was wailing and Nori was trying to sooth her. They were not on an equal playing field, unlike her strong-willed and iron-fisted forebears. Woe to Fona is she ever got caught in the crossfire.
Earlier that day, Lallek had shown Fona her journal and told Fona their love story. It was all a little sweet, really, if not a bit silly to Fona's unromantic mind.
Lallek's father had been very harsh, and a miser - they lived in the poorest quarters of the mountain and he never let her out to see the sun for many years. Instead, she worked in a laundry to earn money whilst he was a locksmith. Lallek was miserable in their bare and ugly home, never allowed time to spend with friends, until one night she went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of cool water... there she found a thief, raiding their pantry. They fell in love, secretly. Nori stealthily broke in to meet her night after night and soon they were secretly married. He often broke in to her rooms to just to leave expensive gifts, which he taught her how to hide in a crevice on the wall. He was never caught, but did appear one day out of the blue and asked Lallek's father for permission, which was promptly denied. That was two days before he disappeared, and Lallek discovered a note saying he was on a quest to win back a mountain running with gold, and would return in a year's time with enough gold to buy her hand publicly.
Lallek was a bit silly. She tended to exaggerate things and was like a helpless and ignorant child in many aspects, which amused Fona more than it annoyed her. Still, she was very sweet and meek, and altogether endearing. Their story proved to be a subject of much entertainment for Fona, who wished it could be written down in a poem. Fona did not have a mind for poetry, and found it frustrating to compose, though she really did try.
There was once a miserly locksmith,
Whose daughter was stolen by a generous thief
Fona growled in irritation, because she knew that didn't do justice to the story at all.
There was once a thief,
A thief who did not steal gold or gems.
Instead he left a lassie gifts,
And stole her heart...
Fona rolled over on her soft bedrolls, trying to think of a word that rhymed with gems, rather unsuccessfully. Her rather unpoetic mind was more used to practical and sensible things, and soon overworked itself trying to be creative. In the end, Fona fell deep asleep, her thoughts awash with descriptive words she never thought she knew, dangling infuriatingly before her just outside of her grasp.
The next morning,
Kili assumed the house was empty, as the servants had the day off. but he had forgotten about "Urla the Lurker", as she become known as by the kindly but no-nonsense servants. He dropped whatever it was in his hands when Urla appeared behind him, her reflection in the mirror. She was looking for something in that room.
Kili tried to cover himself, but there was no use.
Urla's jaw dropped open when she caught sight of him.
"You really do look elvish," she said, cringing as if that was a bad thing.
"What? No!" Kili protested, quickly ruffling his hair to mess it up again. He had arranged in the elven style with some pomade just out of curiosity... and also to decide if he was "elvishly" attractive. Seeing that his ruse was not working on Urla, he begged, "Don't tell anyone, please!"
"Your secret is safe with me," Urla nodded, and grinned slightly.
"May I sketch you like that?" Urla asked after a moment, "I'll draw you with elven clothes and remove the beard."
"Well..." Kili began to object, and then saw how eager Urla was. He did like to fantasize sometimes about being Elvish, "Why not?"
"Hold your bow up," commanded Urla, pointing at the bow and quiver that Kili had near him, "The house should be empty for an hour. Have any plans?"
"Teaching archery to Ale," Kili mumbled, positioning his hair with a bit of a grin, "Want to come?"
Urla hesitated.
"I think not," she said quietly.
"It's alright," Kili assured her, "Whatever you want."
He wondered where his mother was at that precise moment. No doubt if she knew about their exercise, she would be furious.
Dis kicked up her feet and sank them into the scalding hot herbal water. She nudged Oin, who was asleep (and snoring) next to her on the bench, to give her more room.
"This is heaven," she said, and blew a smoke ring out of her long pipe.
"Indeed," agreed Malin.
"Hotter, hotter," Dori commanded the servant, "More hot water. And scrub harder."
They were sitting out on the balcony, enjoying the spring sun, smoking pipe rings and having servants scrubbing their calloused feet in hot herbal water.
"You are rather silent," Dis commented to Dena, who was gazing off in the horizon. Dis leaned forward conspiratorily, "Homesick?"
"Waiting for Dain's raven," Dena sighed, "I shall miss him."
"And how are the sights of Erebor?"
"Breathtaking," Dena breathed out. She had enjoyed every moment of touring Erebor, whether with others or on her own. She was very sharp in her senses and with a quick intellect, it did not take long for the comings-and-goings of the mountain to become second nature to her.
"And how does it compare to the Iron Hills."
"Erebor is build as thing of beauty, crafted out of the rock," Dena replied, "If this is beautiful, I cannot wait to see Moria."
Here she blinked wistfully.
"I have seen some maps Balin has in his study," Malin said, "I should like to see it."
"I should really like to see it," Dena said.
"I've seen enough mountains," declared Dis, "Lived in more than one settlement in my life. I shan't move an inch, except to renovate our halls. How are our plans, Dori?"
Dori looked up from his sketchbook, where he had busily drafting designs. He held up a design for a hall, but Dis pursed her lips,
"Too flat," she said, "Plain. I want it to be whimsical, on several dimensions."
Dori mused, tapping the chalk in his hands on his cheeks, smudging them,
"I think I have an idea."
"You should have been an architect, Dori," was Malin's reply.
"Studied it on my own time," Dori said, "But now with Nori's business to run for him, I've hardly got any. But Princess Dis is our biggest cliente."
"Stick to the designs, Dori," Dis commanded airily, "You work magic with them."
"I should be interested in seeing your sketches," Dena said, "I studied architecture myself."
"Indeed..." Dori looked up, interested,
"Built some halls in the Iron Hills, nothing of note though," Dena sighed, "We are also purely functional instead of aesthetic. My grandfather had a utilitarian bent that Dain inherited."
"So unlike King Thror," Malin added, "Who had such an eye for beauty, and profit as well."
Dis smiled, memories of her megalomaniac grandfather and his penchant for balance and symmetry in design, besides grandeur.
"So Nori has given up on being a merchant?" Malin asked.
"Completely," sighed Dori, "It was a fruitless effort to reform him. He remains bent on solving crime, but thanks to the King's sponsorship isn't doing too badly. I'm passing the business to Ori when he's learned enough."
"How is Pearl?" Dis asked suddenly, "I wished she came..."
"Dwalin took her to get matching skin-marks again yesterday," Malin sniggered, "They so love body art."
"Not my taste," Dis replied, "But interesting, none the less."
"Pearl is literally covering herself with them now," Malin shook her head, "Her previous husband disliked them, but Dwalin can never have enough."
"But where is Pearl now?" Dori asked, looking up from his sketchbook.
"With Ghiza," Malin nodded, "Talking baby talk."
Pearl loved to slip across the halls to Gloin's home and spent long afternoons chatting with Ghiza and admiring the new baby. They definitely had lots of discuss now, about babies and such. Malin did not usually take part in these discussions, supposedly inexperienced as she by right out to have been.
Life under the mountain was slowly spiraling out of control. Thieves, troublemakers, and just plain revengeful dwarves took opportunity of the chaos to do whatever they wished, and avoid punishment. it did not take long for the murderous troublemakers to strike again.
"I don't understand any of it," sighed Balin, burying his face in his heads. Thorin looked grim., having just heard what happened..
Two hours earlier, Ale stumbled into the healing rooms, two other dwarves helping to bear Kili's unconscious weight.
Ale's dress was in rags and her hair in a tussle, but Kili looked far worse. Gryel, standing about sniffing out trouble, noticed her at once.
"Daughter!" he called out and took hold of her, ignoring the prince, and scolded in concern "Is this what you do on your day off? What did I tell you about..."
Ale burst into tears, blubbering.
"We were simply going to the training fields, when in a corridor three masked dwarves attacked us."
Gryel turned pale, and he whispered, clutching Ale as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him.
"Did they... touch you?"
Ale bit her lips and shook her head wildly, gesticulating towards Kili.
"If they do anything to you, I will have slice off their fingers piece by piece and slit their throats... slowly..." Gryel growled. He caught sight of Ale nursing a bruise on her arm.
"Broken wrist, hmm?" He tsked unhappily, "TAGH! My daughter is wounded."
Kili was in far worse a state. In trying to protect Ale, he had gotten serious blows.
"They pulled his hair and beat him with clubs," Ale cried, "Pummeled him until he fainted, but Kili didn't let them get near me. There were too many of them; they were so large."
"Unbelievable," muttered Tagh, who was examining Ale's hand whilst Elekh and Meru were all over Kili trying to assess the damage, "The King will be furious."
"They said," Ale added, "When Kili told them the King would have their heads, they said that they could do anything they liked, and no one would find them."
Gryel folded his arms and sank into a chair. With so little to go on, the "Urla" case was yet unsolved. Any dwarf under the mountain could be guilty, and now this. More troublemakers.
"No more running off on your own," he told Ale, "For your own sake. Lady Malin will agree."
Ale wanted to protest, but she just nodded.
"Stick with your spearing friends," Gryel advised, putting his arm around her, "The barkeep and his kin. They are good folk. I can see it in them."
He had come to like this lass of his very much. She had spirit, she did. And she made a very good servant as well. Ale and Gryel had been cautious in their relationship, as they were new to this father-daughter dynamic. Gryel never knew he had a child, let alone a daughter, and Ale, well, she had trouble accepting the fact that she was an illegitimate offspring. Nevertheless, Gryel had come out of his shell, and she couldn't help being drawn to him because he was such a good storyteller with a real colourful past.
Bofur ambled over to where Bifur was sitting quietly in the corner, contemplatively carving an intricate piece of a wooden butterfly toy.
"Working your magic, I see," Bofur commented gently, and then teased, "Or thinking about a certain little lassie?"
Bifur looked up and glared and Bofur out of the corner of his eye. With one hand he made a disgruntled sign.
"You've been awful distracted lately," Bofur continued teasing, "Is it because she wants to learn the bow as well? With a certain dashing young prince?"
Bifur shook his head.
"Oh, come on," Bofur teased, "I know you don't think you're courting material, but anyone can see a handsome dwarf when they see one."
Bifur gave Bofur as sideways look.
"C'mon," urged Bofur, "I've never seen you get close to a lass before. Don't you want children of your own?"
Bifur glanced at the two tiny Bomburlings stuffing their faces with whipped cream pie across him at the table. He jerked his chin in their direction,
"Handful," was all he said.
"But such a joy," said Bofur wistfully.
"Misa will come back to you, I know it," Bifur said abruptly, before retreating back into quietness.
Bofur sighed, "I'm gonna get an ale. Want one?"
Bifur looked down at his craftwork.
"Busy," he signaled,
"Okee then," whistled Bofur, and sauntered away.
Bifur looked contemplatively down at the butterfly and wondered if he would be any good with making dolls.
Fili was in the study with Gimli, studying mine production charts with Drof and her husband, the chief miner. Floi dashed in.
"Fili," he said urgently, "I need help. I need to speak with you urgently in private."
"Come, come" Fili said as he led Floi through to another section of the royal library, "Surely I am not one to give counsel on domestic problems."
"I need help," Floi persisted miserably, "Grof has not been well. She had been moody, shouted at me once. She has kept me at an arm's length, and yesterday, I noticed she was bleeding and asked her to see a healer. She become angry and called me an idiot."
"An injury...?" Fili stared at Floi.
"No... she was bleeding..." Floi couldn't finish his sentence because it was rather uncomfortable to explain, so instead he coughed suggestively.
Fili looked confused,
"Surely your amad will understand what's happening."
"Amad slapped me and said she was ashamed of my impertinence," Floi complained. He looked terribly bewildered and grasped Fili's hand, "I don't know what's going on. Is Grof with child?"
"This is a feminine problem," Fili crossed his arms and leaned against a bookcase, closing his eyes and thanking Mahal he wasn't married, "You're so intelligent Floi, why don't you read a book on female health? And no, I've never heard of pregnant 'dams bleeding. Vomiting, fainting, growing fat, yes, but not bleeding."
Fili turned to the bookshelf around him and searched for something. He didn't know what to look for, just anything remotely related to feminine health.
"Ah here," he picked up a very dusty, very old tome, "Try this one."
Floi brushed some dust away and read the runes on the cover. He paled.
"I'm not sure if its very updated," Floi choked, his eyes widened in fear.
"Unless you want to ask Oin about it?" Fili suggested.
"No, no, " Floi took the book as if it were a bitter pill he must swallow, or a dreadful orc he must face in battle, "I will read it. Thank you, Fili."
"Save your thanks," Fili said, trying to hide a laugh, "I'm not sure I'm even helping. Wait till Gimli hears of this..."
"No! Please!" Floi begged, cheeks turning red, "You're my friend, Fili. I don't know who else to ask who won't laugh at my predicament."
Fili laughed heartily, some dust on the bookshelves displacing and landing on his shoulders,
"Good luck, Floi," he snorted and walked away.
Dis laid out the black, red, and blue dresses on Urla's bed.
"Counsil Pearl was such a dear to have these altered for you," Dis commented, "Such pretty, pretty dresses, aren't they, Urla?"
The black dress was not dull at all, but terribly intricate and expensive. Urla had never even thought about wearing something like this before... she had always just lived in leather work-aprons and tunics.
"There are lovely," breathed Urla.
In the last two weeks, she had come a little out of the timid shell. Urla had a naturally bubbly personality that had become quite deflated by recent, tumultous events, not in the least the revelation that the prime suspect, Kru the father of Fona, had nothing to do with the series of crimes that destroyed her life. He had only been responsible for a solo plot to kill or at least immobilize Dain Ironfoot with various kinds of poisons. Of course, Balin had arranged for him to be extradited to the Iron Hills to be tried and sentenced.
Urla didn't know who caused the acid explosion that disfigured a large portion of her body, or killed her parents. She didn't know why they would do such a thing. However, she bravely decided to move on.
"Come, dear," Dis urged, "Pick one to try on. You can wear it to dinner tonite with the family."
"The family" could mean a number of things, Urla knew, anything from small royal family to including a host of noble cousins and honoured Quest members (and their kin). Tonight, however, it just meant the King, Dis, and her two sons, which was quite enough. Urla had been quite overwhelmed by Dis's expansive and expensive wardrobe, so Dis sought to remedy the situation and cheer Urla up with new clothes.
"The black one?"
It was a question, but Dis was already helping Urla out of her sweet red day-dress.
"Wait," commanded Dis, "Let me fix your bust-strings. You have such a lovely figure, Urla, you should accentuate it more."
The black dress had soft, shimmery sleeves, long but see-through. They covered the scars on Urla's forearms perfectly.
"Thank you," said Urla, and held her breath whilst Dis attended to her. Dis had always wanted a daughter, or, more likely, a life-sized doll to dress up and take to parties. Either way, she seemed to be enjoying herself.
"I do not necessarily like black as a colour for a lass," Dis commented, "But it suits you. Now, let's take a look. Oh, yes - it really suits you."
Of course, Urla submitted to Dis's fussing as she tugged at the dress and took a great deal of time to figure out which pins, laces, ribbons, shoes, chains, and gems went best with the black dress.
"Kili must be back," Dis heard the large door outside creak open, "Let's see what he thinks."
"Kili! Come and Urla's new..." Dis poked her head out of the door, stopping short when she saw Kili's face...
"It's nothing, amad, just a weapons training," Kili said quickly, "May I be excused from supper tonight?"
"I will have Dwalin's head..." began Dis.
"It's not Dwalin, he can't train because Pearl says it makes him stink," Kili mumbled and sauntered to his room, "And yes, I've seen a healer."
"Well!" Dis exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips, "If that isn't a state of things. He'd better get some rest."
"No."
"Please," begged Lallek at lunchtime, "Our gardens are so safe. You never let me leave the house, and I am itching to be outdoors in the spring."
"If I weren't so busy protecting you from the murderers about this mountain," Nori growled, "I would bring you to the lake outside."
"I have lived here for two years and never seen it," Lallek complained, pouting. She hated to be cooped up in the springtime. She blinked her large, sad, brown eyes at Nori and pleaded sadly.
"Fine," Nori said, glancing at Fona, "But ensure that it is safe."
Lallek smiled a little triumphant smile. Fona's brow lifted, and she understand it was her duty to make sure Lallek and Dhori were all right.
"What could go wrong, Nori?" Lallek rubbed his arm to comfort him, "What could possibly happen?"
Nori planted a small kiss on her cheek.
You don't want to know, he thought sadly, You don't want to have seen half the things I have seen. Caressing her hair and ruffling it much to Lallek's mild irritation, he basked in the sweet naivete that characterized her. Innocence - Nori had never known what it was like to be innocent or protected as a child. He had grown up away from his brothers, cared for by an unwilling and negligent grandfather (who happened to own a public house). From a young age, he had seen things no child should ever see, or many grown-ups ever would.