Chapter 10
The Council
Waking up beside Thorin was the happiest moment that Anira ever had in her life. A night they had spent together, not suffering, or injured, or arguing. Just one night where they could sleep beside one another and not have to worry about what may come in the morning. She was more than ready to have some time to enjoy life instead of fretting about each little thing.
She let out a long yawn, stretching out her arms and her shoulders as best she could before she looked over. A smile crept across her lips when she saw that Thorin was still asleep beside her. He looked beautiful in the early morning light, coming in through the sky lights in the mountain. His hair was tousled around his face, looking almost like he was sleeping upon a birds nest. She found herself wondering then, whose hair was longer, hers or his? She giggled softly and rolled onto her side, leaning forward and kissing him tenderly upon his cheek. She left layers upon layers of kisses, getting closer to his mouth before finally sitting up, leaning over him and kissing him upon his lips.
She heard his breathing pattern change then and she broke the kiss, pulling back so that she could look upon him. His eyes were open and looking like shimmering, blue pearls as he looked up at her. He raised a hand and gently ran his fingers through her silver hair.
"The sunlight makes your hair glow." He whispered quietly before smiling again. "If I did not know any better, I would think I died and was being greeted by an angel."
"I think you exaggerate, dear husband." She whispered quietly before leaning down and kissing him one more time before she sat up, and continued her stretching. She did not even realize that she still did not have any clothing on, until he reached over and traced his fingers up her spine. The gentle contact with his hot skin gave her goosebumps and made her tremble.
"I do not think I exaggerate." He said with a small laugh before he sat up and knelt behind her, layering kisses across her shoulders. He placed his hands upon her arms and caressed them lovingly as he continued to show his affection. "There could never be a more perfect woman for me, than you."
"How could you say that? After how ungrateful I have been for your saving my life?" She asked with a small groan as she turned around to look at him. She grabbed a blanket from the bed and covered her chest as she spoke. She wanted him to take her seriously, with no distractions. "If it were not for you, who knows what torments I would have suffered in the hands of Krystoff!" She protested loudly before sighing and brushing a lock of hair back from her face. "If it were not for you, Thorin, I would have been trapped in anguish, with no hope for escape."
"Is that really how you feel, Anira?" He asked quietly before he lifted a hand and raised her chin gently with his forefinger and thumb. "That is what you saved me from as well, except my anguish was within my own mind. Your light and your love saved me from the darkness within myself. I will not ever be able to repay you for what you have done for me. I was not exaggerating when I called you an angel. An angel is what you will always be, to me." He said tenderly before leaning forward and kissing her tenderly upon her lips, his beard tickling her face as he did so.
"Perhaps it was just fate that we should save each other from darkness." She said quietly before releasing her blanket and standing up. She stretched, not turning to look at Thorin, knowing that he would still be staring at her until she would stop him. She hurried to one of the dressers and pulled it open, frowning slightly before she turned around and looked at her husband.
She was right, he was staring at her. He laughed and let out a small sigh as he stood up and walked to his own dresser with his back to her, pulling a tunic on over his head before putting on his trousers and belt. He turned back around and looked at her before letting out a small laugh.
"Ah, there are no clothes for you here, are there?" He said with a playful look on his face. She only shook her head with a small smile as she looked across the room at him. He quickly crossed over to her and smiled up at her, placing his hands upon her hips. "What are you willing to trade for my services to go get you some clothes?" He asked quietly. His tone was obviously playful. He was doing his best to tease her and he hoped she would not take it too seriously.
"What would a king ask of his queen?" She whispered tenderly before slowly wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him tenderly upon his forehead.
"I would only ask of her what she is willing to give." He said quietly as he looked up at her, trailing kisses across her collar bone as she held him.
"You know that I would give you all I had to give, if only you would ask it of me." She said with a tender smile before looking down at him again.
Then, there was a small knock on the door. Thorin groaned loudly and turned to look at the door, pushing Anira behind himself so that if someone chose to be rude, they would not get an eyeful of his wife.
"Who is it?" He growled angrily as he looked at the door.
"It's Dis." A woman's voice called back cheerfully. The door opened a crack and two hands reached in, placing a neatly folded pile of clothes on the table next to the door.
"Thank you, Dis!" Anira called sweetly, placing her hands upon Thorin's shoulders, squeezing tightly.
"Also, you two really need to stop being so repulsively, sickly, disgustingly in love. You are going to give those of us around you the sugar sickness!" Dis called, playfulness in her voice before the door shut and her footsteps were heard walking down the hall.
"Older sisters never really grow out of teasing." He mumbled to himself softly before stepping aside and looking up at his wife. "Well, for now, you do not owe me any favors." He said with a small wink before slapping her on her rear end. She gasped and cried out in surprise, blushing brightly before glaring down at him.
"I am never going to get used to dwarves." She said with a slightly disgruntled tone as she walked across the room and quickly lifted the dress on over her head.
Dwarfish clothes were different than anything she had ever worn. Their colors were darker shades and their fabric was more stiff and thick. She felt as though the dress she wore may of even been wool, for it itched something awful against her skin. She wondered if she should wear her usual underdress, but decided not to. After all, it was much too dirty to be worn anymore. She reached around the back of the dress and groaned in frustration, not being able to lace it by herself. She looked over at Thorin with desperate eyes.
"Now may be your chance to earn your favor from me." She said with a tender smile. "Could you help me lace my dress?"
"Of course." He said with a small laugh as he walked over to her. He worked quickly and was finished before she could even try to make small talk with him.
"Thank you." She said gently, fixing her hair so that it was above her dress. "What favor would you like in return?" She asked sweetly before turning around to face him.
"I wan't nothing from you. Not today." He said with a tender smile. There was something else upon his face, other than happiness. It looked like nervousness, or maybe even discomfort, but she did not understand why. She reached out to cup his cheek, and he turned from her, walking back towards the center of the room. She nervously lowered her hand and watched him walk away.
"What is wrong, Thorin?" She asked sadly, looking after him. He was fine only moments ago. What on earth had changed his mood so quickly?
"I spoke to you briefly of the Council… The Council of Elders." He said gently, wringing his hands nervously, not looking at her as he spoke. "I am sure that we are going to be brought before them today. Rumor of an elf's arrival here has surely spread like wild fire since yesterday evening. They are going to say very cruel, hurtful things to you, Anira. I do not want you to let them get to you. Do not give up the bond that we have. Do not give up on us, no matter what they say, no matter what they try to convince you of."
"Thorin, what makes you think that I would doubt us?" She said with a tender smile as she walked towards him, placing her hands upon his shoulders. "We are the only thing that I am sure I believe in." She whispered into his hear. He lifted a large hand and placed it upon hers, squeezing gently.
"I just hope that love will be enough to convince them to let me keep you." He said sadly. "We should go now… I would rather get this over with as early as we possibly can. The sooner we win our debate, the sooner we can start our official wedding, and be bound to one another by our law, which no one will deny." He said as he turned to face her. A smile crossed his lips again then, as if his mood had completely switched within a manner of seconds. She did not understand this, but she did not care. As long as his mood was happy more often than not, she would not worry about it.
"I think that they will agree to let me stay." She said with confidence in her voice. "I may not be much of a dwarf, but I do know a thing or two about how to carry myself in public. I am very good at pretending to be a decent, respectable person of noble background." She said with a small laugh.
"Now, that, I know is true." He said with a hearty laugh, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles tenderly. This small action gave her the strong desire to undress him and make him go back to their bed. She knew that now as not the time or the place for such actions. She would wait until later for those needs. She sighed and pulled away from him then, walking towards the door. She grabbed the handle and looked back at him.
"Are you coming?" She called gently.
"I was just noticing the dress you are wearing…" He said with a rather dreamy tone as he looked across the room at her. "Dis must have been up all night altering that for you." He said with a small chuckle.
"This? What makes you say that?" She asked curiously as she looked down, grabbing the dress and flaring it out slightly as she looked at him. "How can you tell? I can not find a single spot that makes me think this has been altered. It's really rather beautiful." She said sternly.
"I know, because it belonged to my grandmother." He said with a small smile as he walked to her and slid his hands down her sides, enjoying the feel of the fabric. "I remember, when I was small, she would tell my siblings and I stories. Oh, how I loved to sit close to her, and rub the hem of her skirt with my fingers as she spoke. It always gave me the greatest feeling of comfort and security, to be near to her." He said with a sad smile. "I did not know Dis kept this dress…"
"If It upsets you to see my wear it, I will find something else." She said quietly, cupping his cheek. He turned against her hand and smiled up at her, shaking his head.
"No. I like seeing you in it. I enjoy reliving good memories. I forgot how many of them I have. They all seem to be drown out by the bad."
"You said siblings…" She said suddenly, trying to change the subject. "I have only met Dis. Do you have more siblings?" She said with a tender smile.
"I had a brother… He was killed when Smaug took Erebor. That was when my grandmother died as well." He said sternly. She looked at him sadly and immediately regret her decision to keep talking.
"Perhaps… We should just go see the Council now?" She suggested quietly, not wanting to cause any more problems with Thorin this early in the morning. She did not wait for his reply this time. She opened the door and stepped out of the room and took a deep breath. She looked around nervously before realizing that she had absolutely no idea where she needed to go. She remembered going up several flights of stairs the night before and decided a good place to start would be to go down. She turned down the long hall, looking around at the elegant carvings in the stone and the eloquent decorations that seemed to line every hall. She finally reached some stairs and praised the gods. This whole mountain was so big. She felt that she would never fully understand where anything was.
"Anira!" A friendly voice called from behind her. She turned and smiled brightly as she saw the young dwarf with black hair running towards her. She could not remember if this one was Fili or Kili, but hoped that it would not come up.
"Good morning!" She called back politely, waiving at him. He continued towards her before standing beside her on the stairs.
"May I walk you to the dining hall, M'lady?" He said with a charming smile before offering her his arm.
"That would be very lovely, thank you." She said with a grateful smile as she tenderly took his arm. He was no where near as muscular as Thorin, but she thought that maybe that was something that came with age.
"I heard that you and uncle are supposed to go before the council today." He said with a small smile. "I am sure they will not say anything to you, you know, about your being an elf and all."
"I am a what? How come no one ever told me?" She said, making her voice sound as surprised as she possibly could. He turned and stared at her, looking horrified, like he had just offended her. Did she really not know that she was an elf? If she were raised by humans, it would be likely that she would not know.
"O-oh.. I.. I did not mean-"
"It's alright, dear. I am just teasing you a bit. I am still trying to adjust myself to the humor of dwarves. I fear I am not very good at it, yet." She said with a small laugh.
"Oh.." He said, uttering a nervous laugh himself before nodding. "I think, perhaps, that you are too good at it and that is why I did not catch it." He said gently.
"I would like to think so." She said with a small laugh. "I keep hearing rumor of this horrible Council, looming over my head. Thorin seems to think that none of them will accept our marriage, or let us have a ceremony that respects your laws." She explained gently. "I fear… I do not know what to think…"
"I think that if you just be yourself, they will have no choice but to love you. I do not know how much uncle has told you, but he was one of thee most bitter of dwarves. Hates elves, hates everything about them. But, here you are with me, beneath the Blue Mountains." He said with a small laugh. "If you could win over Thorin, you can win over anyone."
"Do you really think so?" She asked sadly as she looked over at him again. "I am not so sure of anything anymore. The only thing I am certain of… Is that I do love your uncle, with all of my heart. Since the first moment I saw him." She said gently.
"Where did you meet Thorin?" He asked with a small smile, excited that she actually wanted to have conversation with him. He found himself thinking that he would be lucky if he could find a beautiful elf girl to love him one day. The other dwarves would surely laugh at him if they knew, but it did not make him desire it any less.
"In the city my father ruled over at the time." She said with a small smile. "He was working for a blacksmith and he looked so… Perfect." She said with a happy sigh. "Covered in ashes and sweat, shining in the sunlight like a bronze god." She said before laughing. "I am sorry. You probably think me a foolish woman."
"No, I don't think you are foolish. I don't think anyone would think that of you." He said with a smile.
"Why is that?"
"Because… You carry yourself like a queen."
Before Anira could speak to him, she felt a large hand grab hers. She turned and smiled as she saw Thorin beside her. He smiled up at her before looking passed her, looking at Kili.
"Thank you for taking good care of my wife, lad. I appreciate you keeping an eye out for her while I am not around." Thorin said with a small smile.
"Of course, Uncle." Kili said with a smile before slithering his arm away from Anira as he hurried to continue walking down the stairs. Anira watched him go and giggled to herself as he ran down the steps two and three at a time.
"He is a good lad. He is still a child with his head in the clouds, but he has a loyal heart." Thorin said gently as he watched his nephew head down the second flight of stairs.
"The council is expecting us." She said tenderly. "Kili told me that we should go sooner than later."
"Ah… So I was correct. The rumors of my marriage have spread like wild fire." He said with a small chuckle.
"Everyone in the world seems to know how against getting married you were. Are you really surprised that they all are so surprised? They all probably think that I am a witch who has put a spell on you." She said nervously.
"Do not worry so much. They are going to love you, just as I love you. There is no doubt in my heart that we will make it through this."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because, I believe in us. Do you?"
"You know that I do."
"Then, do not worry. As long as we both believe in each other and what we have together. No force on earth is strong enough to tear us apart."
They finished their long walk down the stairs in silence after that. Both of them knew better than to show their weakness or their nervousness. If they were going to survive this, they needed to flawlessly pretend to be strong. She could feel people staring at her from every direction. She was over a foot taller than Thorin, and everyone else. Of course, she knew that she stood out, but she wished she could blend in. She would give anything at that moment to be able to shed her skin and be invisible.
Her discomfort did not show on her face as she walked. She stood, tall and proud and carried herself the way a woman of high class should. Thorin seemed to be impressed with her, his hand never leaving hers as they walked. They entered the dining hall and each ate a small bit of breakfast. Breads, fruits, what ever was left over from the morning. They did not realize how late they had slept until they saw the hall being cleaned after the mornings serving.
After they ate their food, Thorin lead her down a winding series of hallways that seemed to lead to the heart of the mountain. Deeper and deeper they went and the world around them grew darker and darker. There were torches hanging on the walls, just to give enough light to see by. She felt as though she was being lead to her death. For all she knew, she might have been. She held Thorin's hand more tightly and he would always reassure her with a tender squeeze.
Anira felt as though it had been ages that they had been walking. There was no sunlight now, just darkness and stone. There were two large doors before them, elegantly carved with dwarfish runes that she could not read. She looked over at Thorin. She knew where she was and she wanted nothing more than to run away as quickly as she could. She was not ready for this, but as she looked at Thorin, she knew she could not run. She was looking at everything she had ever wanted. No force on earth was going to take that away from her. Not in this lifetime. The doors began to open and she took a deep breath. She was ready to face the council, and not let them take her happiness away. If she needed to start a war to keep her marriage, she would start a war.
"Thorin, Son of Thrain, Son of Thror, enter the chamber." A deep, husky, female voice called from inside of the dark room. Anira could not see a single thing now that the doors were open and it made her nervous. Thorin squeezed her hand, kissed her knuckles, and released her before he walked into the chamber. He walked differently now. He was confident, with long strides. He was capable of carrying himself like a king after all. She smiled to herself before looking down at the floor. The large doors closed after Thorin entered and she closed her eyes. She was so afraid of what would happen in there while she had to sit and wait. She also knew that trying to force her way in with him was likely not to end well.
"Anira!" A different female voice called from behind her. She turned around quickly to see Dis and her two sons walking towards them.
"Dis." Anira said with a small sigh of relief before running to the woman and hugging her tightly. "I do not know if I can do this, Dis." She whispered frantically. "I am so frightened right now. I do not want to disappoint Thorin. What do I do?"
"You calm down." Dis said gently, petting the girl on her back softly. "You stay calm, and you carry yourself like you have all morning. You are going to be his queen, one way or another. I know my brother and I know how stubborn he can be." She said with a small laugh. "He would rather forsake all of Erebor, than have to lose his happiness again. Between he and I. You can not lose this fight."
"You?"
"Me, Fili and Kili are here to do our best to sway their minds as well. Anyone was welcome to this, but we were the only three who had any contact with you at all, other than Thorin, of course."
"No one will say it, but you coming here with Thorin was the best thing that could have happened to us." Fili interjected with a small smile.
"Why is that?" Anira asked nervously.
"Because, you give us hope. After everything was lost twenty years ago, no one has really been themselves, but people have started again. When Thorin moved on and let it go. When he found love, a light in the darkness. People realized that it was alright to move on." Kili said with a small smile.
"I just hope that your council feels the same way." Anira said gently before finally releasing Dis and looking back towards the door.
"Do you have any idea what you are going to say to them, dear?" Dis asked.
"I am going to tell them the truth, no matter what they ask." Anira said sternly as she stood up straighter and turned to face the door.
"Good plan." Dis said with a small smile, patting the girl on the back gently. "I think you will be fine."
The doors of the chamber opened again. There was only silence and darkness from within. Anira's heart raced in her chest as she stared into the abyss that was the Council Chamber.
"Anira. Enter the Chamber." A deep, manly voice called this time.
Anira took a moment to gather all of her courage before holding her head high and walking into the chamber. She entered and kept walking until she heard the doors close behind her. She stood still and stared into the darkness, wondering if this was going to be their way of killing her. It would be easy, in the darkness, beneath the ground. She was not a warrior and had hardly no elven skills. She wondered if they knew that. No, they probably did not. None of them had any idea that she was raised by Dunedain, not elves.
The room began to fill with light, slowly, so that it did not hurt her eyes. She looked around, blinking as her eyes adjusted. She was only a few feet to the right of Thorin. He looked positively enraged, but he was silent. He was holding his hands in front of himself. His knuckles were white with effort. She wanted to touch him, to calm him down, but she knew she could not. Not yet.
There were at least two dozen large, pillar-like objects that surrounded herself and Thorin, in a circle. There were only seven council members present. She wondered if that was because of all the death within Erebor. There seemed to be so few of them everywhere. She could not tell who were men and who were women, for they all were dressed in eerie, black robes and hoods. All that was visible were their noses and their beards. That, in this race, was no where near enough to decide if one was a man or a woman. Until they spoke to her, she would do her best to stay gender neutral, not wanting to offend anyone, especially not here.
"Anira." A woman's voice called lowly. Anira looked up, watching to see whose lips moved. "Are you aware of what our law dictates about marriage ceremonies?"
"I am quite aware. Thorin explained them to me during our travels." Anira said confidently.
"Than, you know that dwarves can not marry elves." The woman added sharply. It was easy to see that there would be no mercy from these people.
"I believe, that it is law, only because it was never an option in the past." Anira said with a strong tone.
"Excuse me?" A man's voice called from above. Anira turned towards the voice and stayed strong. She did not notice, but Thorin had turned and was staring at her. He wished they had more time to talk about this before arriving. They should have planned what they were going to say.
"Elves and Dwarves have always been distant from one another. Forest and Mountains. Vast lands, but none very close to one another." Anira added as she began to speak. "I am not from the forests, or the rivers, or the valleys. I come from no land of elves and am an elf only by blood. I do not have any skill in medicine, archery, weaponry, or magic." She said sternly. "Above all else, I am a Dunedain, like the family who raised me as one of their own."
"I do not see why this would give us reason to permit your marriage." A different man barked sharply. "Even if you do not find yourself to be an elf, you do not find yourself to be anything like a dwarf. Our laws are clear. Marrying outside of the race of dwarves is absolutely forbidden!"
"But, why!" Anira shouted angrily, loosing her temper as she glared up at the room of council members.
This one comment had released a hell that Anira had not been prepared for. The next three hours felt like years, and the Council said absolutely everything that Thorin warned her they would. They called her a witch, a floozy, a horrible, black-hearted woman who only wanted him for his status. She would not ever let him have an heir, for it would mean she would be stuck here for the rest of her eternal life. They tried to convince him that it was her black magic that made him love her, and that his feelings for her were not true or real. There was even a point in time when absolutely all of them, including Thorin, were screaming at each other in their own language. Anira had only stopped talking and listened to them, trying her best not to cry. If their words were hurtful when she understood them, she could only imagine what cruelty they were saying in their own language. The arguing went on until Thorin was red in the face and had threatened, multiple times, to just leave the Blue Mountains and allow them to run their people without a king or authority figure. He would gladly step aside if it would save his marriage. Of course, the Council did not like this at all and went straight back into their arguments about Anira being a witch.
Fili and Kili entering the chamber was not much help at all. Simply because they were men, the Council was convinced that Anira had tainted their minds with her sexual nature and black magic as well. No matter what either of them, or Anira, or Thorin said, the Council was convinced she had magic to make people like her. She was finally fed up with their cruel allegations.
"If I had this magic you speak of, why would I not use it to convince you seven to like me? We would have left this chamber hours ago if I indeed had magic, do you not agree?" She said with a tired, frustrated tone as she looked up at them. Despite her anguish and heart break, her presence never faltered. She did not cry and she did not lower her head. She stood strong, and confident before them.
Her words had finally silenced the council. They whispered back and forth to one another, as if none of them had expected such a comment. Thorin looked over at Anira and gave her a slight nod of approval. She smiled and nodded her head in return before facing the council again.
"We are going to ask one more person for their opinion of you before we make our final judgement." Thingol, the leader of the Council said hoarsely before the lights went out again. The doors opened and Dis was called into the room. She entered with a fast pace, obviously fed up with having waited outside for over three hours while the Council stayed stubborn. Ah, the stubbornness of dwarves, utterly unmatched by anything else on earth.
The lights slowly came back and Anira looked over at Dis. It was obvious that Dis was completely infuriated with the actions of The Council about this entire situation. Anira wondered why. It was not like laws could just be changed over night.
"Dis." Thingol said loudly as he sat up straighter in his chair. "What do you think of this union?"
"I think…" Dis said gently before looking over at Anira and Thorin with a smug smile before looking back at Thingol. "I think that there is no point in you rejecting their marriage on the basis that she is only an elf." She said sternly. "I mean, after all, they have already been married by the laws of Wizards. Ratagast the brown saw to that." She said sternly. Anira turned and looked at Dis, obviously confused, and slightly angry. Confused, because she had no idea how Dis knew about that. Angry, because she herself did not think to tell The Council about her marriage. She had not thought they would care about the laws of wizards.
"They have already… What?" Farila, the woman who spoke most, said indignantly as she looked down at them. "Without permission of The Council, you married anyway! Thorin, you know better than to disregard our laws so willfully!"
"I also know that you never would have given me permission to marry her." Thorin said sternly. "She makes me happy. Why are you all so determined to take her away from me, after everything I have done for you and our people. Why do I not deserve to have happiness as well?"
"We are not trying to rob you of your happiness. We only want what is best for our people." Farila said sternly.
"I do not understand why this is still going on. Thorin and Anira have already sealed their bond with their flesh. Even if you do not allow them to marry, our laws will not allow either of them to be with anyone else, ever. They are bound to one another by more than just law." Dis snapped sternly as she stared up at The Council. If she could see the absolutely horrified looks upon Thorin's and Anira's faces as they looked over at her, she would probably laugh at them.
"Why do you know this, Dis?" Thingol asked sternly as he glared down at her.
"I may or may not have had a hand to play in it, but, that is not against any of our laws. I simply… Made sure that nothing you could do would tear them apart." Dis said with a proud smile.
"All of you are dismissed. We will reveal our final decision after we discuss what has been told to us." Thingol said sternly as the doors opened again.
All of them hurried out quickly, not wanting to be in that room any longer than they had to now. Anira was the first to leave the room, practically running into the hallway, her arms wrapped around herself comfortingly. She felt as though she was going to start crying, or be sick, or both. She had such good control over her emotions within the chamber, but she could not contain them any longer. She heard the footsteps of Fili, Kili, Thorin and Dis behind her. Once the doors closed, her knees went weak and her legs gave out. She did not hit the ground, for Thorin caught her by her shoulders and pulled her back against himself. He slowly sank to his knees, holding her in his arms as she began to sob. She leaned against his chest, crying into his shirt as he held her. He whispered soft words in his own language, trying to sooth her despair.
Fili, Kili and Dis could only look on as Thorin tried to calm the crying woman. None of them could stand to see Thorin lose her now, not after they saw how much happiness she had given him in such a short period of time. Dis was so enraged by the behavior of The Council, that part of her wanted to storm back into their chambers and give them a real piece of her mind.
"I do not want to be made to leave, Thorin." Anira sobbed as she clutched his shirt. She was like a child now, completely weak and exposed.
"No one is going to make you leave." Thorin said quietly as he stroked her hair. He kissed her tenderly on her head and smiled. "No one is ever going to take you away from me. I do not care what The Council says. Yes, they are the enforcers of our laws, but I am still rightfully king." He said sternly. "I will banish them if I have to, to keep you here."
"No." Anira said sternly as she sat up, pulling away from him. She wiped the tears from her face before she looked at him. Her eyes were hard and unwavering as she shook her head. "No one will be banished for me. I do not care what they have done to us. There will be no banishment."
"Anira…" Thorin said softly as he reached for her, slowly standing up. "Alright… We will find another way." He said with a small smile as he helped her to stand, kissing her knuckles again. He could tell that she liked when he did this, so he made sure to do it as often as possible.
"Thorin, Anira." Thingol called from behind them. They all turned to look at the seven elders and Dis went pale. She knew that if they came up with a decision quickly, it was almost never a good sign. Quick decisions meant that they all agreed on their stance before they even began talking. After how everyone was absolutely against Anira being here, she could only assume that it would mean they would make her leave. She could not bear the thought of her brother feeling the sting of loneliness yet again in his lifetime. He did not deserve such pain.
Anira and Thorin stood tall, holding hands as they faced The Council, not ready to hear their decision. A smaller, older dwarf walked towards them. All seven of them removed their hoods in unison. The dwarf walking towards them was an elder woman. She stood before Anira and smiled up at her with a toothless grin before taking Anira's hand within her own. The touch was warm and friendly, almost comforting. Anira could feel her heart racing as she looked down at the woman.
"Anira. We humbly welcome you to the remaining line of Durin." The elder woman said with a tender smile.
Anira stared at the woman, with her eyes wide and her jaw agape. After the last three hours had been spent in utter misery, with no light at the end of the darkness, she was approved. She would be allowed to stay here, with Thorin and the rest of his people. Tears swelled in her eyes as she leaned down, wrapping her arms around the elder dwarf tightly as she began to cry. Dis, Fili and Kili were clapping and cheering behind them as Anira began sobbing. She had never cried so hard from happiness before and it felt good.
"Thank you…" Anira whispered quietly before releasing the woman.
"Thank you. I am sure that you will lead us to greatness." The woman said gently before stepping back and going back to the rest of the elders. They walked in a single file line, back around the chamber, disappearing from sight.
"I wonder what finally swayed their decision." Thorin said softly as he grabbed Anira's hand, squeezing again.
"I do not know and I do not care. We can be married, Thorin." Anira said with a bright smile before she leaned down and kissed him again. "Though… I know almost nothing about the ceremonies of dwarves. You told me a little… But I am going to need help." She laughed gently.
"That is where I come in, Anira!" Dis called happily as she stepped closer to them. "While he prepares the ceremony, I will help you make your dress." She said sweetly. "When should we start?"
"What better time than now?" Thorin said excitedly before releasing Anira's hand. "I will go tell the rest of our people the good news, and that they should start preparing for the seven day celebration!" He said with a cheerful laugh before he walked off. Kili and Fili followed after him, hoping they could help him prepare.
Dis lead Anira back to her room, showing her all of her sewing supplies. She also explained that not many dwarves could sew, at least, not well. Their hands were so large that it was hard. Dis had been graced with slightly smaller hands as well as her love and skill for sewing. She had Anira stand up on a stool as she grabbed her measuring tool.
"I am going to make sure that you look absolutely radiant at your wedding. Elf and all, every dwarf man here will envy Thorin." Dis said with a small smile as she began to take measurements.
"I can not help but feel like you have planned almost all of this. Is this why you were so determined to push Thorin and I passed our awkward longing for one another last night?" Anira asked gently as she looked down at the woman.
"Well… It was a part of it, yes." Dis said softly, nodding. "That, and anyone with a working pair of eyes could see how badly you two desired one another. Why had you not consummated your love before last night?"
"I think it was because of the fight we had on one of the first nights of our marriage. There is a lot I do not care to explain, not right now, but I believed that he only wanted to be with me… So that he could have an heir that would live through all of the ages and secure his blood line forever." She said tenderly. "I was blind to think such a thing. He is a good man, who truly loves me. I wish I could have understood that sooner."
"It does not matter. You understand it now." Dis said with a small smile. "You are going to be wed by the laws of our people. This has not happened in all of history. You two are going to change the way we see everything."
"I do hope you are right." Anira said softly.
The next week was hell for Anira and Thorin. Due to the marriage ceremony, they were not allowed to see one another at all until their wedding day. Both of them did their best to keep busy, but nothing seemed to help as time dragged on. Thorin was busy preparing their ceremony, making sure there would be enough food and drink for every dwarf within the mountains. Wedding ceremonies were always large and elaborate when ever dwarves were involved. Anira spent most of her days with Dis, who was steadily and impressively creating her wedding dress. It was hard to believe that the woman had started from scratch and was going to be done with the elegant gown within a week. At first, Anira thought this to be a near impossible task, but as Dis worked, she realized that it was really going to happen.
When the dress was completed, it took Anira's breath away. It was not white. She and Dis agree'd that white was not the best of options. Though their marriage was pure, they had already been bound. The fabric was a deep, forest green color that hugged her form. There were celtic knots, embroidered into the sleeves with golden thread. Anira had never seen such lovely work in all of her life. It was needless to say that she was completely impressed. The dress made Anira look as though she belonged with the dwarves. The dark color made her pale skin shine even brighter, but that could not be helped. She did not mind that she looked different from the others. Growing up in Mardok helped her to accept being different than those around her. As the dress was close to being finished, Anira grew more and more impatient. It had only been days, but it felt like weeks. She missed Thorin something terrible and he was all she could seem to talk about. She was actually quite surprised that Dis had never hit her upside the head, or gagged her to silence her words. After all that time together, surely Dis was fed up with hearing about her brother.
Thorin was doing a spectacular job of preparing everyone for the marriage ceremony. Everyone liked the idea of song and drink and cheer for at least a week. It had been so long since anyone had decided to marry. The last official marriage anyone could recall was before they lost Erebor. The banquet hall was completely set, with enough room for everyone who chose to arrive. They were already starting to set out food and drink. The large, long table was decorated with small flowers and candles, making it look nice, but not terribly fancy. Thorin did not feel a need to overly decorate. After all, while everyone else was celebrating this union, he and Anira were likely going to be nowhere to be found. He smiled to himself as he watched the people happily wandering around the hall. He found his mind wandering to his wife, wondering how elegant her dress was going to look, and wondering how fast he could get it off of her once they were again bonded.
"I think that your dress is finally ready." Dis said with a proud smile as she stood back and looked upon Anira. "Shall I go see where Thorin's preparations are? If he is ready, you may yet get to be married today." She said with a bright smile.
"I would like that, very much, Dis." Anira said sweetly as she stepped down from her stool and then sat down upon it. "I will wait here and try not to ruin my dress between now and when you come back." Anira teased.
"Oh, I bet you think you are funny." Dis said, crinkling her nose. "Don't you ruin that dress!" She warned sternly, with a playful smile before she turned and quickly left her room. Dis hurried down the long corridors and many stair cases, humming to herself happily until she arrived in the banquet hall. She smiled and walked over to Thorin, standing beside him. He did not seem to notice her, so she decided to tease him a little.
"Looks like you are almost done with your arrangements." She said with a small smile.
"That I am. I hope my sister manages to finish my brides dress before the end of the day. I would much like for our celebrations to start today."
"Yeah… About that dress…" Dis said with a small sigh. "It probably is not going to be done with another month. I just can not seem to get it to look right on her. I promise it is going to be-"
"Wait, another month!" Thorin said in shock as he turned and stared at his sister. "What on earth are you talking about? I can not see my wife for another month?"
"Thorin." Dis said with a laugh as she put an arm over his shoulder and kissed his cheek tenderly. "Her dress is ready. I just wanted to see your reaction."
"You are not funny." He said lowly, unable to stop the smile from crossing his face.
"When should I bring her down to the ritual hall?" Dis asked gently as she leaned against her brother. He sighed and placed a hand on hers and looked around, trying to see how much longer he thought it was going to take.
"Lets see…" He said softly. "I think that in about two hours, I should finally be ready. Thingol has even offered to officiate our ceremony. I thought that to be rather big of him, seeing as he was the one who was most opposed to this union." He said with a small laugh.
"That is big of him. I am glad he is willing to put his own biases aside and accept her as one of our own. I just hope that more of our people are also capable of that. I would hate for people to mistreat her here." Dis said gently.
"You say that as thought I would let people mistreat her here." Thorin said with a small laugh as he looked at his sister. "Go keep my blushing bride company. I will be ready within the next couple of hours. I will send someone for you when we are finally ready."
"You should think about bathing first, and putting on nicer clothes." Dis suggested with a playful smile. "You smell like dirt and your clothes are stained and disgusting." She stated frankly.
"Fine.. Fine…" He said reluctantly as he turned and walked with her, leaving the banquet hall. "I will go prepare myself. I think that Fili and Kili can keep an eye on the arrangements down here."
"Are you sure about that?" Dis asked with a laugh.
"No. I'm not, but I am going to trust them regardless." He said gently before squeezing her hand. He let go of her and began walking up the flights of stairs that lead to his bedroom.
Dis went back to Anira and they talked for the remaining time. Dis did her best to calm Anira, who was obviously nervous now. She did her best, but could not help but to laugh. She remembered when she was that excited about her own marriage, all of those years ago. The happiness that surrounded her made her miss her husband, and made her more thankful for the two, wonderful sons she had been graced with. Fili and Kili were so much like their father. That was really the only thing keeping her going after all of these years.
"Dis, I feel like I am going to be sick." Anira whined nervously, crossing her arms over her stomach, rocking back and forth.
"Why? You are already married to him? What is different about it now?" Dis asked tenderly.
"There are going to be other people now! When we married with Ratagast, it was right outside of his little shack in the woods. Only Thorin and I were there. There was no real ritual or right. He bonded us only after hearing our love. That was enough for him. I am so afraid that I will do something wrong, or that I will do something that makes your people look down upon me. I do not want to shame Thorin just because I am uneducated in the ways of dwarves." She protested quietly.
"Calm yourself, Anira." Dis snapped sharply. "My brother loves you. That is all that matters. Stop your fussing."
"You are right…" Anira whispered quietly as she looked down at the floor. She decided that she should just stop talking. Dis was growing short with her, and Anira could not blame her for her feelings. She was being rather hard to live with.
There was a knock on the door then and Anira felt her stomach doing flips within her body.
"Yes?" Dis called gently before she stood up and walked to the door. She opened the door and smiled when she saw Fili and Kili.
"Thorin is finally ready." Kili said excitedly as he tried to see passed his mother. He wanted to see how Anira looked in her dress.
"Stop your peaking." Dis said tenderly as she pushed Kili back. "You get to walk her down the isle, having an absence of a father figure. Do not mess this up." She warned with a playful smile. Kili smiled brightly and nodded in agreement. Dis stepped aside and let the boys walk into the room. Anira stood up nervously, wringing her hands together nervously so that she would not twist the sleeves of her dress. She did not want to go to her wedding with wrinkled sleeves.
"Anira… You look absolutely stunning." Kili said with a soft tone, scanning her body for a moment before finally looking at her face.
"You are lucky Thorin isn't here." Fili whispered, elbowing his brother in the ribs playfully. "He would have put you in a head lock again."
"You need to watch your wandering eyes, Kili." Dis said with a tender smile before kissing her son upon the cheek. "She's your aunt, so your crush on her is a little bit disturbing." she teased.
Kili went bright red, but did not say a word after that. He walked to Anira and politely offered his arm to her again. She stood up and smiled, grabbing his arm gently. He walked swiftly, actually making it rather hard for her to keep up with him. She was so nervous, she could feel her heart within her throat as they walked. There were lights and beautiful arrangements of candles and flowers all over the mountain.
"He really outdid himself. Everything looks amazing." Anira said gently before the smell of food filled her nose and made her stomach growl. "It even smells amazing."
"It has been over twenty years since anyone has had a real wedding ceremony here." Kili said gently as he looked over at her. "Thorin wanted to make sure that absolutely everything was perfect. After all, what better way to start our lives over, than with a beautiful wedding?"
"I did not realize this meant so much to all of you." She said quietly.
"The only reason he is going through with this ceremony is for his people. He doesn't think it necessary, since you are already married by wizard law." He said with a playful smile.
He slowed to a stop as the stood before the large, wooden doors that lead to the ritual room.
"Are you ready?" Kili asked gently.
"As ready as I am going to be." Anira responded quietly before Kili reached out and pushed the doors open. The room was large and long, beautifully lit with torches and smelled like flowers. At the end of the long isle, stood Thorin. He wore bright blue, royal robes that looked clean and new. His hair was brushed and his beard was trimmed. He looked absolutely perfect and she could not believe that this man was hers.
Thorin smiled brightly when he saw her walking towards him. The dress that Dis had made for her was truly spectacular. It hugged her form, but did not make her look sickly thin or disproportioned. It was absolutely perfect, flowing around her ankles as she walked. Without any decoration in her hair or make up on her face, her beauty dimmed the brightness of the sun. He felt as though he was the luckiest man in all of Middle-Earth.
The marriage ritual itself was very short and sweet. Thingol, head of The Council, officiated their wedding. He had a bright smile on his face the whole time. For someone who was so against their union, he seemed to be positively tickled pink to officiate their bond. The ceremony was short and sweet. Anira was thankful that she did not have to remember any vows. She simply had to repeat Thingol and do as he instructed her. Thorin did the same and at the end, they stood, facing one another, hand in hand. Thingol closed his book and smiled, telling them that they could kiss to seal their bond. Anira was skeptical, but Thorin did not hesitate. He placed his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her down to his level as he locked his lips on hers. She trembled and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him lovingly. She could hear all of the people who had witnessed their bond, cheering in their background.
The marriage ritual itself was not the best part, or the highlight of their celebration. The celebration that engulfed them then lasted a full seven days. There was nothing but good song, good food, love and cheer that surrounded everyone. All of the dwarves would congratulate Thorin and Anira. She was surprised at how many of them came bearing gifts. How did they all manage to pull together these nice things within only a manner of days since her arrival. She did not question it. She thanked them all, kissing them upon their foreheads or hugging them tenderly.
She was fairly disappointed, however, at the fact that no matter how much ale or wine she drank, she did not fall into the drunken stupor of everyone else. Thorin, on the other hand, did. There were several occasions where she found him, laying upon the floor, smoking his pipe and talking with other dwarves who were also laying upon the floor. When asked why he was down there, his response was simply that it was the only way the room stopped spinning. There were other times, where she had found him, dancing upon the large tables, drinking and singing dwarfish songs with friends, and his nephews.
Though she enjoyed the celebration, Anira felt like an outsider at her own wedding. She sat, talking with some of the women who had stayed sober. Most of them were either holding children, or were bearing children. They all had good conversation, most of which was giving her advice on how to make her first pregnancy easier. After all, Thorin was supposed to be a king. He would need an heir before he passed to the next life. The idea of having a child still frightened her some. They had only been together for a little over a month, now. She did not want to think about having children, not yet. They had at least a few more years until she would have to decide what to do.
Days passed this way, with Thorin drinking until he could not stand and Anira watching, laughing at him as he did so. Despite how out of place she felt, she had an eerie sense of feeling as though she had finally found her home. No one gave her dirty looks now or treated her poorly or differently. Everyone had been absolutely kind to her and approved of her marriage to Thorin. There were even a few women who expressed how envious they were that he had married. Anira had never realized just how desired Thorin was amongst his own people. But then again, he was a king. What did she really expect?
"Anira." Thorin called as he stumbled towards him, a mug of ale in his right hand. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. She laughed and stood, holding him up.
"You are drunk." She said with a small smile, kissing him on his forehead.
"You are beautiful." He said, slightly slurring his words as he looked up at her. Anira rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What are you doing?"
"I am just thinking that we never danced after we married." He said with a smile as he set his mug down on the near by table. "I think that you should dance with me before we disappear from this party."
"Oh, really? I'm not disappearing anywhere with you until you are sober." She teased gently. He frowned at her statement but seemed to ignore her as he placed a hand on her waist and took her free hand with his own.
"I am sober enough." He protested gently as he began moving with her. Even in his drunken state, he was a rather impressive dancer. It was like no dance she had ever seen, but those around them began clapping their hands and singing to help cheer them along.
"If you say so." She laughed playfully as she began dancing with him, swaying with the song and losing herself within the sound of the music and the clapping. Thorin could not help but smile as she began dancing on her own. He released her and just watched her. He could not believe how fluid her motions were and how naturally dancing came to her. All eyes were on her, but she did not seem to notice it. One by one, others began joining her, dancing around her. Few stayed to the outside of the circle of dance, still singing their song and keeping time with their hands.
Thorin interrupted her dancing after almost an hour. He grabbed her hand and lead her through the crowd skillfully. He could not contain his desire for her any longer. Now that his alcohol was wearing off, it was getting harder and harder to hide. Anira giggled and followed after him, placing her hand upon his shoulder as she followed him out of the banquet hall and up the stairs, leading towards his bedroom. She could not help but smile at how eager he seemed now. He was practically running up the stairs and she thought he would be exhausted before they even reached his bedroom. She never would have thought him to have this much energy. She followed him, running up the stairs behind him until they reached his room. He threw his door open and pushed her inside, shutting the door behind himself. He grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her, roughly, his teeth clashing with hers as he slid his tongue between her lips. He tasted strongly of alcohol, but it did not bother her.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly and held him close, twining her fingers in his hair as she kissed him. She could feel his hands behind her, unlacing her dress. She was surprised at how skillful he was, even when intoxicated.
"Thorin, slow down." Anira whispered between kisses as she pushed him away slightly, laughing tenderly. "We have time. Everyone else is busy and distracted. Why do you rush so?"
"Because." Thorin said sternly, grabbing her hand and placing it on his hardened manhood. "It is throbbing for you…" He whispered before kissing her again, grabbing her dress by the shoulders and sliding it down her body. She pulled back from him and laughed as she hurried over to the bed, sitting down on the edge.
"I am still above making love on the floor. Come here." She said sweetly as she continued to slid her dress down her body. He growled playfully before hurrying over to her, kissing her roughly again. She could feel her lip start to bleed as his teeth hit hers. She groaned and broke the kiss.
"What?" He whispered impatiently as he tried to kiss her again. She scooted back upon the bed, making him get onto the bed to follow her. She smiled and took her chance, she pinned him down on the bed, kissing him deeply as she undid his belt, removing it from him. He groaned, rocking his hips against her touch as she touched him. She took his belt and tied it around his wrists before then tying his wrists to the headboard of the bed frame.
"I think this will be much better." She said tenderly as she got up on her knees and continued to slide her dress down her body. He groaned beneath her and flexed his hands against his belt. He could not believe how tight her knot was. It was actually quite impressive. He was not going to get out of this very easily. She had used a dwarfish design to restrain him. He was impressed, and frustrated. He wanted nothing more than to lift his hands and cup her supple breasts, or hold her hips so that he could thrust himself into her again, but he was completely at her mercy now. He liked the excitement of not being in control.
"What on earth are you doing?" He asked with a small chuckle as he looked up at her.
"I am going to make sure you remember this night." She said sternly as she tugged his trousers down. She reached down and gripped his hard manhood firmly, causing him to groan and shift beneath her. She smiled and lifted her dress up to her waist. She lined up his manhood with her womanhood and dropped herself down upon him. She gasped and cried out softly in pleasure as she began to move up and down, placing her hands on his chest as she felt him go in and out of her. She could hardly believe that it had hurt so much the night before. She was not even sore now and only volts of pleasure coursed through her limbs.
"I will remember every night with you." He said between moans, bucking his hips up into her, causing her to let out small, indignant squeaks. He wanted nothing more than to sit up and take control of her, make her moan, make her scream. He wanted everyone in the whole mountain to know that she was his. He struggled harder against the bonds, but could not break himself free. Her knot really was quite impressive. He could feel the fabric burns forming on his wrists, but he was actually enjoying this.
"You had better." She whispered before she leaned down, kissing him tenderly as she continued to move on him. Harder and faster as the night drug on, until they were both shivering from cold sweat and nearly exhausted from the effort of their love making. She could feel that he was close, that he was going to finish, and she stopped. She pulled herself off of him and sat up on her knees. His eyes went wide as he stared up at her, completely sober now.
"What are you doing? Don't stop." He groaned indignantly as he watched her.
"I don't know if I want to continue." She said sweetly as she kissed his cheek.
"You are a cruel, unusual woman." He growled, leaning up to bite her ear. "Continue, now, please."
"No. Not until you ask me nicely."
"Ask… Ask you nicely?" He groaned as he laid his head back upon his pillow. "Please, please continue."
"I don't know if that is nice enough."
"Anira, what in Durin's name is wrong with you!" He groaned then before closing his eyes tightly. He was about to attempt to be nice, again, when he felt himself enter her. He groaned, unable to control his own orgasm as his seed released itself inside of her. His body jolted a little before relaxing back against the bed. He still flexed his hands against his belt.
Anira giggled slightly, trembling as she felt his seed inside of her. She leaned down and kissed him tenderly.
The next morning was one of thee most difficult mornings that Thorin could remember. His body was exhausted, he felt sick, his head was throbbing. He sat up and held his head, trying to suppress his desire to vomit or go back to bed. He looked over and could not help but smile. Anira was asleep beside him, haphazardly covered with blankets. Even now, when he felt absolutely miserable, just looking at her gave him a sense of joy and happiness. He stood up and went into his bathroom. He was going to try to bathe the smell of alcohol off of himself. He hoped that it would make him feel better. He filled the tub and entered it, hardly remembering to remove all of this clothes first. After a long while of relaxing, he was starting to feel better. He looked down at his wrists and he laughed before rubbing them. He vaguely remembered being tied up, but the rope burns were definitely proof of it.
When he redressed and left the bathroom, he was pleased so see that Anira was awake and dressed, brushing her hair in front of the mirror.
"How are you feeling?" She asked gently. "You drank an awful lot the last few days."
"I feel." He said with a small groan as he walked up behind her, kissing her shoulders again tenderly. "Like I was hit with a tree branch. Repeatedly." He laughed.
"Well, perhaps in the future you won't drink so heavily. Well, at least for not seven days straight." She laughed.
"I suppose we should go downstairs and see what we can help clean up. Seeing as it was our wedding that caused such a mess." He said gently.
"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." She said with a tender smile before turning around and kissing him. "Are you ready to go?"
"That I am." He said tenderly before he took her hand and lead her out of his bedroom again. They walked down the flights of stairs, having small conversation about different events that happened during their wedding. From Kili dancing like a woman, to Dis punching a drunk dwarf for touching her. As they got closer to the banquet hall, they were completely surprised at how clean everything was. Nothing smelled disgusting or like alcohol. Once they entered the hall, they realized that everything was already completely clean.
"Is… This a normal thing?" She asked him nervously.
"Not that I am aware of. Ah, Kili!" Thorin said loudly as he saw his nephew. "What in Durin's name is going on here?" He asked.
"Oh, Hello, Uncle!" Kili said with a bright smile as he walked towards them. "Oh, this? People have been cleaning since last night. As soon as people realized you two were no longer here, they started cleaning." He said with a smile.
"That was very kind, but I feel guilty for not cleaning up after our party." Anira said with a tender smile.
"Do not fret." Kili said with a small laugh. "We were all more than eager to help. This was the happiest and most united we have been as a whole since Erebor fell." He said before his eyes fell upon Thorin's wrist. "Uncle, what happened? Why do you have burns?"
"Kili, Lad." Thorin said with a small smile before placing a hand on the boys shoulder. "When you have a good wife, you will understand." He said before winking slightly. Kili had an awkward, worried look on his face as he looked back and forth between Thorin and Anira. He decided it was best not to question them. He only turned, without another word, and went back to what he was doing.