Thorin smiled gently down at his young sister, who was standing at his side. Dis fidgeted in her elaborate gown that their mother had stuffed her into. "Dis." The young girl looked up at her eldest brother, her eyes wide and innocent as a five year olds typically were. "Stop playing with your dress."
"It itches," she whined. Her small hands moved all over the dress, scratching and rubbing the material wildly. "And it's uncomfortable."
"Just focus on the fact that the less you move, the faster we can get through this, and the sooner you can get out of your dress," Thorin told her. "Besides, you look lovely in it."
Dis' nose scrunched up. "You're only saying that to get me to stand still, aren't you?"
Thorin chuckled. He turned his attention forward once again. "You caught me."
"I think she looks like a troll," Frerin commented with a mischievous smirk, who was standing on the other side of Dis.
The young dwarf girl whirled on her other brother. "Be quiet, Frerin!" she shouted.
The other boy put on a look of complete innocence as he shrugged. "What? I am only stating what I see," he said, slight smile still on his face. He always did like to tease his little sister.
Thorin sighed. "Frerin. That's enough."
The fourteen year old's brown eyes shifted to his older brother. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true," he said in defense.
"Frerin," Thorin warned.
Frerin was about to respond with a retort, but was quickly silenced by their father. He stood to Thorin's left and peered over at his children, his expression stern. "Be quiet, all of you," he scolded, before turning his attention forward once again.
Thorin inwardly smiled as he saw Dis and Frerin instantly straighten themselves, directing their gaze forward and standing with good posture. Though, for a brief moment, Dis turned to Frerin and stuck her tongue out at him defiantly, before returning her gaze forward once more. The other boy offered nothing in response, only his brow furrowing. He knew better than to say something in response when their father was watching.
Thorin directed his gaze forward as well. Today was a special day. This day, King Thranduil was coming to pay tribute to Thrór, King Under the Mountain. His blue eyes shifted to his grandfather, who was sitting proudly on his throne. Secured above his head was the Arkenstone, the heart of the mountain, its jeweled depths emitting a light glow. A miner had discovered it not a week ago when he was working deep within the earth. It had quickly been presented to the king and mounted upon the throne. Thrór had taken it as a sign that his rule was divine. Now, it appeared that word had spread quickly throughout Middle earth as the King of the Greenwood came to pay his respects.
Thorin directed his gaze forward once more, focusing on the grand stone walkway before him. As he looked, he immediately saw a group of approaching figures. They were clearly elves, their stature tall and proud- or perhaps it was arrogant.
The alliance between the dwarves of Erebor and the elves of Mirkwood was long standing, but strained. At its best, they tolerated each other. The deep distrust spanned back generations- it was practically inborn. Thorin didn't hate elves, but that didn't mean he liked them- well, there were a few exceptions. After meeting the elf girl, the prince actually began to question if elves were as bad as they were portrayed to be.
Thranduil gracefully strode forward, an armed escort close behind, until he stood before King Thrór. He inclined his head respectfully. The two kings began to exchange greetings, but Thorin barely heard them. He managed to offer a nod in greeting as his grandfather introduced each of them, but his gaze remained riveted on a particular elf standing at Thranduil's side. It was only when the elf king turned to him to introduce him that he realized that it was who he thought it was.
Thranduil gestured to his side. "This is my brother, Leyandril."
Thorin straightened slightly in surprise. His brother? Then that meant that the elf girl was niece to King Thranduil. He saw Leyandril's gaze shift to the young dwarf prince briefly to offer a slight nod in greeting, perhaps acknowledging that he knew he was there, before looking back to the two kings. Thorin definitely was going to have more than a few questions to ask him later.
In truth, Mirkwood was not that far from the Lonely Mountain. But, as an honored guest, Thranduil and his escort were invited to spend one night in their halls, enjoying the hospitality of the dwarves. Any sort of positive interaction between the two races was instrumental in further solidifying their alliance.
Thorin walked down one of the long halls that carved their way through the mountain, intending to head to his room. He wished to seek out Leyandril and question him, but didn't. He didn't wish to intrude upon the king by mistake. But, by either some twist of fate or sheer luck, as the prince rounded a corner, he almost bumped into Leyandril.
Instantly, a friendly smile was on the elder elf's face. "Prince Thorin. I had hoped to run into you, though not so literally."
Thorin chuckled. "It's quite alright. I had been hoping to speak with you as well."
"I thought as much. I saw the look upon your face when King Thranduil introduced me as his brother. You must have many questions," he smiled.
"Only a few."
It was Leyandril's turn to laugh. "Well, any questions you have, I would be more than willing to answer."
Thorin considered it for a time, deciding which question demanded an answer first and foremost.
The blond haired elf's smile widened slightly. "Come now. Ask me what I know you are dying to have an answer to," he said, his tone playful.
Thorin's expression grew mildly somber. "How is she?" he asked finally.
Leyandril's expression softened, the smile remaining on his face. "She is well. We receive letters from her each week," he told him.
The dwarf prince nodded. "And her magic?"
Leyandril visibly hesitated, the smile fading. After a brief moment, he sighed and crossed his arms across his lean chest. "From what I discerned from her letters, they got her there just in time. Her powers developed so rapidly that she couldn't control them at first. Luckily, Lady Galadriel was able to suppress them long enough for her to get some training. She has also mentioned that as she has stayed there, new powers have arisen. She is presently concentrating on learning to control them," the male elf informed him.
Thorin looked to the other with an interest. "New powers? Like what?"
Leyandril shrugged, still keeping his arms crossed. "She has not specified." All at once, the smile was back on his face. "Perhaps you can ask her yourself the next time you see her." Thorin looked at him, his expression perplexed. "She told me about your arrangement. I must say, I understand why you did it. But you do realize, by not exchanging names, you made it just that much more difficult to reconnect in the future."
"We both knew that when we agreed to it. Besides," a light smile played on Thorin's lips, "it appears that our lives are more intertwined than we previously realized."
"Indeed." Leyandril glanced around briefly. "Would you mind showing me back to my room? I seem to have lost my way. All these halls look the same."
Thorin chuckled and gestured down the hall. "Of course. Right this way."
A/N: Sorry if this chapter was boring. I just wanted to show a little bit of the interaction between Thorin and his siblings. In addition, I also wanted to have Thorin learn a little more about Arinya. I promise future chapters will be less dull….hopefully.
As always, thanks for the reviews!