CHAPTER ELEVEN – THE HOME OF THE HORSE-LORDS
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
J.R.R. Tolkien
August, 2948 TA
As the sun began to set over the Kingdom Under the Mountain, its inhabitants enjoyed the peace of the night, as they had since returning not five years ago to their long lost home.
The same could not be said for the chambers in the west wing, which at the moment were filled with a high-pitched squealing and the sound of water splashing over stone floors.
"Oh, Thodin," Hayden sighed exasperatedly.
Her eyes trailed from the soaked floor to her son splashing innocently away in the bath. He looked over to her with wide doe eyes and smiled the most innocent of smiles you would have thought him an angel at first glance, but Hayden knew better.
She sighed and lent against the doorframe, a single towel draped over her shoulder with her hair tied in a loose bun. She should have known better than to leave the toddler alone for a few seconds. Her disappearance was his excuse to wreak havoc.
"Why is there water on the floor, Thodin?" Hayden asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Thodin was too mesmerized by the bubbles in his palm to hear her. He blew hard and the foam went flying from his hand to the other side of the bath and he giggled and reached for more to play with.
Hayden sighed and set to work drying the floor with a nearby mop. When she had finished she knew Thodin would be ready to get out of the water, but the sight that met her almost had her in fits of laughter.
Thodin had spread bubbles over his face to form a beard and he looked down at it proudly.
"M'a dwarf, mama," he giggled.
Hayden laughed with him and crouched down over the bath to lift him up onto his feet.
"Hm, look at you," she smiled, poking his nose through the patch of bubbles covering it. "Who do you look like?"
"Dad!" Thodin cried triumphantly.
"You do," Hayden smiled, "But I think dad has a few more years before his beard turns as white as yours."
"Unka Bal?" Thodin asked, pointing to the beard.
"Like Uncle Balin, yes," Hayden said. She lifted him under the arms out of the tub and onto the floor now covered with a dry towel.
She wrapped him up with a towel and began to dry him, while he stood still long enough for her to do so, giggling every so often when she touched a sensitive spot. She spent a little extra drying his thick black hair, which was now almost past his ears. Another year or two and they would be able to braid it.
Hayden pressed a kiss to his forehead and made sure he was wrapped up warm enough in the towel. "Shall we get dressed for bed?"
Thodin nodded and rubbed his eyes with his hand through the towel.
"M' hungy," he mumbled, a small frown creasing his brow.
"Hungry?" Hayden repeated, "We just had dinner."
A small mischievous grin covered his face, "Cookie?"
"A cookie?" Hayden raised her eyebrows, her mouth tempting to lift in a smile, "Have you been good enough?"
Thodin nodded his head adamantly. When he saw Hayden still looked mockingly skeptical he leant forward unsteadily and pressed his forehead against hers, smiling sweetly.
Thorin had told him about dwarven gestures not too long ago, though he had made the mistake of teaching him the greeting of old friends first, which had resulted in Thodin's bruised forehead and Kili's bleeding nose.
Now Thodin was aware of how loved ones greeted each other by touching foreheads, he was prepared to use it to get whatever he wanted, whether it was food or holding one of Uncle Dwalin's axes.
And despite knowing about his little scheme, Hayden just couldn't say no to him. One look from his wide pleading eyes and pouting lips and her heart melted.
"Alright," Hayden said eventually, "But you have to be dressed and in bed first."
Thodin let out a small excited squeal and he was off, stumbling to his bedroom and tripping over his own feet every so often in his hurry.
Hayden wasted no time in following him to his bedroom down the hall. She knew her son too well to leave him alone.
When she entered his room she found him already plonked on the floor with his pyjamas laid out in front of him. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth and his brow was furrowed in concentration and he tried to fit the legs of his onsie over his arms.
"Oh, sweetie," Hayden smiled, crouching down in front of him. "Remember, underwear first."
He stood up and held onto her shoulders for support as she helped him into his underwear and then slipped on his onsie overtop of them.
"Do you need to go toilet?" Hayden asked as she buttoned him up.
Thodin shook his head. He had been quite easy to potty train, so determined he was to prove he could do something by himself. But there had been nights when a bad dream had led to accidents, all of which was Thorin's duty to clean up.
"Cookie now?" Thodin asked expectantly, pushing his damp hair out of his face.
"Get in bed and I'll find someone to get you one," Hayden said.
Thodin made a sound of protest and he mumbled something before running off out of his bedroom and down the hall.
He didn't get very far though. As soon as he turned out onto the long corridor he collided hard with a dark figure and he staggered back slightly with a frown.
"Where are you off to, lad?" Thorin smirked, raising a curious eyebrow down to his son.
Thodin's face lit up and he cried an excited "Dad!" before running and attaching himself to Thorin's leg, clutching it in a tight hug as if he feared Thorin would disappear.
From Thodin's birth Thorin was adamant he was to be called father or dad, rather than the Dwarvish version "Adad." At first Hayden had thought it was just to please her, to make sure Thodin grew up knowing some of his human heritage, and it was a while after Thodin's birth before Thorin confided in his wife. He had called his own father Adad during his childhood, but Thrain was never the fully devoted father that Thorin was determined to be. So he preferred to be called something different to his own father, to set them apart.
"Oh, thank god you're here," Hayden sighed, leaning out of the doorway, "I thought I'd have to run him down again."
"He would have had a decent head start on you this time," Thorin smirked.
He bent down to wrap an arm around Thodin's waist and hoist him into his arms, balancing him against his chest. Thodin wasted no time in leaning into his father, one hand clutching at Thorin's tunic and the other at one of his thick braids.
"Is that what you ran off for?" Hayden asked curiously, nodding to the letter in his free hand.
"Aye, it is… interesting," Thorin said.
Hayden took the letter from him with growing interest.
"It's from Rohan," Thorin added, bouncing Thodin in his arms.
"Rohan?" Hayden raised an eyebrow, "As in King Fengel of the pompous a-" She stopped herself just in time as Thodin raised his head from Thorin's shoulder to stare at her.
"I'll just read the letter, shall I?" Hayden muttered, stepping aside slightly. "Can you put him in bed?"
"But cookie!" Thodin said indignantly.
Thorin raised his eyebrows and stared pointedly at his wife in silent question.
"Just a little treat," she said innocently. She straightened out the letter in her hand and walked backwards down the corridor, "I'll go get him one…"
She trailed off as she began to scan through the letter, her eyebrows slowly rising with each paragraph.
We are pleased to announce that Her Royal Highness the Princess of Rohan was safely delivered of a son on the sixteenth day of August – Théoden, son of Thengel, of the Royal House of Eorl.
Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.
We invite you to attend the formal naming of the Prince, to be held in Edoras, Rohan on the last day of September.
Yours sincerely,
The Official Hand of King Fengel, son of Folcwine
Hayden whistled under her breath, "Talk about formal."
"They like to stand out, do they not?" Thorin mused.
"Formal naming?" Hayden frowned, "Did we do that for Thodin?"
"It isn't a tradition amongst dwarves – I would have thought you'd know about it," Thorin questioned.
"I suppose it's like a christening," Hayden said uncertainly, "… the end of September. Do you want to go?"
"And do what with our two year old?" Thorin raised his eyebrows.
Hayden frowned and stared at Thodin, biting her lip. She knew it would be too dangerous a journey to take him with them if they were to go, what with the growing orc pack sightings over the last few years. They could always leave him in Erebor with Dís, or even Fili and Dura, but Hayden wasn't entirely comfortable with being parted from him. She hadn't been away from him for more than a day since his birth.
"I don't know if we can turn this down," Hayden said conflictingly, "I mean, it is from Rohan. We didn't exactly meet on the best terms."
"And that was not our fault, was it?" Thorin pointed out.
"Then this is our chance to make it better," Hayden said, "We'll meet Thengel and hope he isn't as much of an ass- I mean, a grouch as his father."
Thorin sent her an exasperated glare, but thankfully Thodin hadn't seemed to notice her little slip up. Try as she might sometimes the words just fell from her mouth.
"What do you think?" Hayden asked, "We could give Fili and Dura some parenting practice."
Thorin scoffed at that and looked uncertainly at Thodin for a moment. "Perhaps… it might be nice to have some time away – just the two of us."
He looked over to her and winked slightly, smirking mischievously.
"Just the two of us," Hayden repeated, "That sounds promising."
He grinned openly now but restrained from elaborating on that conversation topic in the earshot of a mimicking toddler.
"M' hungy," Thodin whined, tugging on Thorin's hair.
Thorin sighed and passed Thodin over to Hayden's arms.
"I'll get him a cookie," Thorin said.
As Thorin made to walk off though, Thodin practically lunged forward and clung to his father's tunic desperately.
"No," Thodin moaned, "No go."
He fell so far forward Thorin only just managed to catch him as he fell out of Hayden's arm.
"Thodin," Hayden grumbled.
As Thorin straightened up, Thodin wrapped his arms around his father's neck, clinging to him as if his life depended on it.
"Well then," Hayden scoffed, "I'm really feeling the love here."
Thorin smiled apologetically while he rubbed Thodin's back, but he looked secretly pleased.
Hayden scoffed out loud and made passed Thorin haughtily. As she turned to send him a glare he gave her behind a small passing smack and Hayden squealed. She spun around and glared at him, which he returned with an amused smirk, knowing she couldn't do anything about it.
She continued to glare as she rounded the corner, but as soon as he was out of eye shot her face broke into a wide grin.
Just the two of them – she could hardly wait.
Thorin and Hayden arrived in Edoras only a day before the ceremony was due to be held. They travelled in a small group on ponies – the royal couple, Dwalin and two other guards.
They had left Thodin in the hands of Fili and Dura, who as Hayden had suggested, welcomed the chance to experience parenthood for a month. Of course Dís was there to keep a close watch on them, just in case.
It was hard for Hayden especially to leave Thodin behind. It was one thing to say she was going, but another to actually leave him. She had practically held up the group from unnecessarily fussing over him before they left.
"Make sure he has a story before bed," Hayden had instructed, for what would have been the umpteenth time. "And that his bath isn't too hot – oh, and don't leave him in there alone or he'll just wreck the bathroom. And-"
"Hayden," Fili had said, smiling despite himself, "We'll be fine. Just go, or Dwalin will lose it for not keeping to schedule."
After that it had taken Thorin to finally drag her away from their goodbye party. As they had ridden away she ended up with a crook in her neck from the amount of times she had turned to look over her shoulder at Thodin's teary-eyed face.
Too many times that first day of travelling had she thought over leaving too much and suggested that they might go back to Erebor just to see if he was all right. In the end it was Dwalin who snapped her out of it with one of his usual sentimental statements.
"He'll be fine," he had grunted, "He could do better than being spoilt rotten by his Aunt while his parents are away. He might not even want to come back to you when we return."
Needless to say that hadn't helped Hayden in the slightest.
But they arrived in Edoras, unscathed but tired from the journey. Hayden was looking forward to finally seeing Rohan and being around people who weren't dwarves for once.
Edoras was set on a high hill bordering the White Mountains. It was a magnificent sight from afar; a cluster of buildings contrasted against the magnificent mountain range.
If they hadn't been in such a rush to get off the open plains Hayden might have spent all day staring at it, taking in every detail.
They were let in by guards at the gates and journeyed up the hill towards the main hall on the highest peak. People ventured out of their homes to stare at them as they passed.
When she wasn't too busy studying the architecture around them, Hayden observed the people. She noticed a trend of blonde hair and blue eyes, and most men had short shorn beards, not unlike the one she remembered King Fengel having.
They were greeted before high steps by more guards and Thorin took the lead by demounting from his pony first. He approached the man who could only be the head guard and gave him a short bow. Being tall for a dwarf, Thorin reached just below the man's shoulder height.
"King Thorin," the guard said, returning the bow respectfully, "I am Eadburg, your guide for your stay."
Thorin introduced their group one by one, finishing with Hayden. The guard's eyes lingered briefly but curiously on her for a moment before returning to Thorin.
"We have been expecting you," Eadburg said, "You are the last of the guests to arrive."
"The last?" Thorin queried curiously, "I was under the impression we were early."
"Aye, the naming is to take place tomorrow, but most have arrived early to be introduced early to the Prince," the guard said, not without a glint of humour. "I will show you to your rooms now where you can prepare. The King will meet his guests at dinner."
They left their ponies in the care of the guards and followed Eadburg up the great stairs to the hall. It was quite empty, apart from the guards and servants rushing around preparing dinner and rooms for guests. Presumably everyone was preparing for meeting the royals of Rohan.
"Your guards will be equipped to share one room, I presume?" Eadburg asked from his place beside Thorin.
"Aye, I'm sure they will manage," Thorin said. Though it was hard to see, Hayden noticed he found humour in this. Dwalin would definitely have something to complain about when they left.
"So long as we are placed by them," Dwalin added.
"Of course," Eadburg said, with a quick nod of his head.
Hayden looked over her shoulder to send Dwalin a small smirk, to which he replied with a "if we weren't in public" glare. She bit her bottom lip hard to restrain herself from laughing out loud.
"Here are your rooms," Eadburg said. He pointed to a large wooden door to the left of the corridor and another on the opposite side. "I'm sure you will be able to decide who sleeps in what room."
With a slight smirk and their thanks, Eadburg left them to their own defenses.
As if on cue, Hayden and Dwalin split in separate directions – Hayden to the right, Dwalin to the left. They practically bashed the doors down in their rush and examined the room inside, ignoring Thorin's exasperated sigh as he slumped against the wall.
Dwalin laughed triumphantly, "I've got the view."
"What? No!" Hayden cried. She had been sure she had chosen the better room. She stalked over to his side of the corridor and peered into the room. Sure enough, it was larger than the one she had chosen by far.
"Come on," Hayden huffed, "I'm the royalty here – I should get the best room."
"Better luck next time Queen," Dwalin said, purposely lingering on the last word. He held the door open for the two guards and followed them inside, sending her one last triumphant grin before slamming the door shut.
"Must you do that every time we travel?" Thorin sighed.
"Hey, I'm not the one who started it," Hayden said indignantly, walking begrudgingly into their room and throwing her bag on the bed.
"Actually, I believe you were," Thorin said.
"He challenged me," Hayden said haughtily. She lowered her voice and put on a thick accent to mimic their Captain of the Guard, "'I have a knack for choosin' the best room.' He was practically asking for it."
"That was four years ago," Thorin sighed, collapsing down onto his back on the bed, "Let it go."
Hayden slinked towards the bed and leaned over him so that he was trapped between her arms, her hair falling over his shoulders.
"Never," she said determinedly, but still smiling sweetly.
She lent forward to nudge his nose with hers and pressed a kiss to it. His arms came up to wrap around her waist and pull her down flush against his body.
"We are expected at dinner soon," he murmured.
"We have time," she smiled suggestively, "Who needs baths anyway?"
"I'm sure King Fengel would not appreciate having a smelly dwarf in his House," Thorin smirked.
"A smelly dwarf and his Queen, though," Hayden pointed out, "My appearance will make up for it."
Thorin grinned and quickly flipped her over on the bed so he was on top leaning over her.
"You are quickly becoming the most stuck up Queen Erebor has ever had," he said.
Before she had a chance to reply his buried his face in the crook of her neck, pressing soft kisses to her skin and scratching his beard over her. Hayden laughed and tried to push him away, but he merely growled and pressed further into her.
"Stop, or Dwalin will here us," Hayden said.
"Perhaps that will finally teach him to stop requesting a room beside ours," Thorin smirked.
He did lift slightly off her though; enough for her to suddenly feel and see his obvious arousal from their proximity.
"Hello King Thorin," she smirked, raising her eyebrows, "Surly it hasn't been that long?"
"Long enough," Thorin murmured, his voice now a low growl. He had a habit of staring at her like a predator in hunt when he was in the mood, which was what he was doing at that moment.
He was about to crawl further over her on the bed when a knock came from the door. They both turned in unison and sighed.
"Don't move," Hayden said.
She slipped out of his grasp and went to the door, ready to give Dwalin a piece of her mind for his timely intrusion. But it wasn't Dwalin at all.
"Queen Hayden, it has been too long," Ecthelion smiled warmly, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Lord Ecthelion," Hayden said, forcing a smile, "It's nice to see you."
With the hand that was hidden behind the door she gestured a small wave to Thorin briefly and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her and smoothing down the back of her hair.
Ecthelion stepped into a low bow and smiled graciously, "How do you fair, my lady? I hear your son is growing fast."
"He is, too fast for my liking," Hayden smiled.
"No second one on the way I see?" Ecthelion chuckled.
There might have been if you hadn't interrupted-
"Not yet, I'm afraid," Hayden said, "How are your children? Oh and your father – Balin told me about his illness."
"He is not improving, I'm afraid," Ecthelion said heavily, "But we still have hope."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Hayden smiled apologetically.
"But my children a fairing well, thank you," Ecthelion said, "I have brought Denethor with me for the naming. My wife stays behind to care for our daughters."
"I'd love to meet him," Hayden said enthusiastically.
"And he you, my lady," he said, "He is off training at the moment, but I'm sure you will meet at the dinner tonight."
"Yes, that's supposed to be quite the event," Hayden smirked lightly.
Ecthelion joined in her humour for a moment, before looking behind her with an expectant glance.
"But where is King Thorin? Surly he did not let you leave the safety of Erebor without his company?" Ecthelion mused.
"No, he's here, he's just-" Hayden was interrupted mid sentence as the door behind her open and Thorin stepped out, wearing his thick travelling coat.
"Ah, here he is," Ecthelion grinned, extending his hand enthusiastically to Thorin, "Good to see you, King Thorin. I was just wondering where you were."
"Unpacking," Thorin said, a little too quickly for Hayden's liking. She covered her hand with her mouth and cleared her throat.
"You must be overheating in that coat of yours," Ecthelion commented, "I was just talking to my Captain about the humidity in Rohan. Never get this weather in Minis Tirith, nor in Erebor I expect."
"No no," Thorin said, "My clothes are merely… dirty from the travel. I do not think my wife will disagree in my having a very long bath."
Ecthelion laughed heartily, "Aye, fair enough. I best be off to try force my own son into cleaning up. I hope I will see you both at dinner?"
"Of course," Thorin smiled.
Ecthelion smiled and bowed his head once more before leaving down the corridor. Thorin practically groaned and fell back through the door into their room, removing his coat immediately.
"You were meant to calm down – I gave you enough time," Hayden said, nodding significantly to the tent in his pants that he clearly hadn't managed to calm.
"I apologise I cannot turn it on and off at your leisure," Thorin said, "You think I enjoyed wearing that coat? I practically lost weight sweating."
"And he probably thinks you're a nutter," Hayden added with a growing smirk, "Your clothes were dirty – really?"
"I'll have you write me a script next time that I can follow," Thorin muttered.
"I might just do that," Hayden smirked, "And we can take it with us everywhere we travel-"
She broke off with a squeal as Thorin tackled her to the bed with an impatient growl, which was where they stayed until Dwalin came knocking impatiently on their door for dinner and they scrambled around to make themselves presentable.
"You could have at least braided your hair," Dwalin muttered to Hayden.
"Thanks, mum," she scoffed, looking over her shoulder to stare at him, "Since when do you care about my hair style?"
"Since you've got obvious bed hair," Dwalin commented.
Hayden muttered a curse under her breath and began to smooth down her hair before Thorin took her elbow.
"You look fine," Thorin murmured to her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before leading her into the dining hall.
It was filled with guests, all mingling and waiting for dinner to be served. Hayden noticed a few familiar faces, but most of the people were probably just Rohan dignitaries.
There was a distinctive line in the crowd leading to where the Princess obviously was with the baby Prince. It wasn't an official line, but you could tell who was eagerly awaiting meeting the new heir.
Thorin was eager to head straight for the food rather than waste time mingling, but a young man with shoulder length black hair intercepted them on their way.
"Pardon me," he said, his voice surprisingly deep for his age. "You are the King and Queen of Erebor, are you not?"
"Aye," Thorin said, restraining a look of impatience, "I am King Thorin, son of Thrain, and this is my wife, Queen Hayden."
"A pleasure to meet you," the man said, bowing slightly, "My name is Denethor, son of Ecthelion. I believe you know my father?"
"Of course," Hayden smiled, before Thorin could speak, "It's wonderful to finally meet you."
"I hope my father was not too brazen when he spoke of me," Denethor smiled, "He has a tendency to do so."
"Not at all," Hayden said.
"Are you enjoying your time in Edoras? This must be quite different to what you are used to," Denethor said, not impolitely.
"Very much, so far," Thorin said, squeezing Hayden's arm subtly. She resisted the urge to kick him in the shins.
"You're welcome to visit us if you ever want to see Erebor," Hayden offered, "I know it's a long way from Minis Tirith but it's quite worth it."
"I may take you up on your offer, Queen Hayden," Denethor smiled gratefully, "That is if my father allows me some time off from my studies. He is determined I become the most knowledgeable Steward that ever lived."
Hayden laughed and even Thorin managed a chuckled.
"I should get back to my father – with my mother not around no one else can keep him off the ale," Denethor said, "If I do not speak to you again tonight then I hope to see you at the naming tomorrow?"
"We will be there," Thorin said.
With another quick bow Denethor made off through the crowd, with Hayden staring after him in a slight state of shock. If her time in Middle Earth had taught her anything it was that no one's character was set in stone, and Denethor had only proved her that.
If she ever did live to see the War of the Ring, she hoped she would remember him as she had seen him now; young and carefree. The Denethor before he descended into madness.
"Oh, look," Hayden said, "The line is shorter now."
"Must we introduce ourselves? It is not as if he will remember meeting us," Thorin said, looking longingly over to the food.
"It's the principle, darling," Hayden said. She tugged on his arm until he had no choice but to follow her through the crowd.
They didn't have to wait long to see the Prince. Soon enough they were approaching a couple who could only be Prince Thengel and his wife, who was holding a small bundle in her arms.
"Ah, you must be the royals from Erebor," Thengel said immediately upon seeing Thorin and Hayden approaching, "King Fengel told me you would be attending."
He didn't say it in a manner that was unkind, but there was an arrogance behind his words that threatened to show itself. He sounded too much like Fengel for Hayden's liking.
"I am King Thorin, son of Thrain," Thorin said, bowing slightly, "And may I present my wife, Queen Hayden."
"It's nice to meet you," Hayden smiled.
Thengel stayed silent, but it was his wife that spoke up.
"Oh, but it is a privilege to meet you," she said, "We have heard the tale of how you reclaimed your home from the dragon. I thought it was marvelous."
Thorin's jaw tightened slightly at her lighthearted tone but Hayden knew she didn't mean any offence by it, so she gave a small thank you in return.
"I am Fæger, wife of Prince Thengel," she introduced, "And our son, Théoden."
Hayden smiled and hesitated in taking a step forward, "May I-?"
"Of course – please, come," Fæger encouraged, stepping forward to meet Hayden.
She held the bundle up to Hayden, revealing the small face of the newborn. He was wriggling slightly in his wraps, his blue eyes darting curiously but never truly focusing and his tuft of blonde hair sticking up at different angles. Part of her just refused to believe she was staring at the Théoden – the King of Rohan she had always loved and admired in the stories.
"Oh, isn't he just gorgeous," Hayden smiled, "And look at his hair – Thorin, remember when Thodin's hair was like this?"
Thorin merely smiled and nodded.
"You have a son?" Fæger asked curiously.
"We do – he turned two in June," Hayden said, "Take my advice and savor the time before he can walk."
Fæger gave a small laugh and gazed curiously at Hayden for a moment. She held out her arms, offering her the bundle.
"Would you like to hold him?" the Princess asked.
"Thank you," Hayden smiled, taking the baby gently into her arms.
She rested him in the crook of her elbow so she could see his face clearly. She moved his blankets slightly down his chest and as she did so, his hand caught her finger and gripped it tight. Hayden's breath caught in her throat and she felt her heart constrict at the memory. It seemed like just yesterday it was her newborn son wrapped up in bundles of cloth, clutching her finger for warmth.
Tearing her eyes away from the newborn, Hayden cleared her throat and gently passed him back to his mother.
"I might just run off with him if I hold him for much longer," Hayden laughed.
Fæger smiled radiantly and, if Hayden wasn't mistaken, even the corners of Thengel's mouth turned up in a small smile.
"Congratulations," Thorin said, "He will make a strong King."
Thengel raised himself proudly and nodded to Thorin, "Thank you. Thank you very much."
"We'll leave you be," Hayden said, "Congratulations, again."
With that, they left the couple alone with their newborn son. Hayden wondered slightly in front of Thorin, her mind on other things, until he caught her hand and brought her back to him.
"What was that?" he asked, cocking a curious eyebrow.
"What?" Hayden asked.
"That look you had," he said, "When you were holding the Prince."
Hayden tightened her grip on his hand and smiled.
"You remember when Thodin was that small?" she sighed, "And now he's walking and talking…"
"As all children learn to do over time," Thorin smiled.
"Do you think he's ready?" Hayden asked.
"For what?"
"To be an older brother?" she asked hopefully.
Thorin's face dropped and his eyes darted down to her abdomen, "Mahal, you're not-?"
"Oh my god Thorin, no," she laughed, "But… I want to be. Is that okay?"
"Okay-?" Thorin said, shaking his head and smiling, "It is more than okay, my love. Though I must say I am disappointed you decided to tell me here."
"What's wrong with Rohan?" Hayden frowned.
"I mean here," Thorin said, gesturing to the hall, "Where I cannot possibly have you the way I want to right now."
"Then just promise me you will tonight," she smiled, stepping into him to press a chaste kiss to his lips.
"You have my word, as King," he said, dipping into a low extravagant bow.
And he certainly did keep his word. They made love three more times while they were staying in Edoras, and each time they both hoped with all their hearts that they had conceived a second child to welcome into the world.