Children of Erebor
Chapter 21
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It was very quiet all around as Thorin introduced Jul and Mera to his father and his uncle.
After they had all sat down in the grand dining table, Thorin tried to approach his father on the subject of the wedding he overheard earlier but Fundin had shook his head and quietly whispered to him that they would discuss the matter when their guests left.
Reluctantly Thorin dropped the subject and sat down to dine.
As Jul sat on the right of Thrain, as special guest were placed, she felt uncomfortable and awkward to be sitting so close to the King! She had never in her life dined with such a royal personage!
Oh, granted, she had been in close proximity with Thorin for over a week in the old mine but it never occurred to her that Thorin was royalty as well; to her Thorin was...well, Thorin. She had come to regard him as a friend, not as a Prince.
But King Thrain was a different matter! He was King of Erebor!
She dared not looked up at him once; consciously felt inferior to him.
"Thorin tells me I have you to thank for saving Frerin's life, young lady."
Jul nodded.
Everyone at the table was watching her; expecting her to reply to Thrain expression of gratitude.
But there was none to be had as she remained silent.
"Come, have some of this yeast rolls, it's my favorite. Cook does it the best." He picked up the large basket and offered them to Jul who nodded and reached over to pick one.
Suddenly, Thrain gasped loudly as he stared at her hand when she raised it and he uttered, "Where did you get that?"
"Thrain?" Fundin stared at him in question.
"Huh?" Jul turned to him, as she quickly dropped the roll back onto the basket.
"Father?" Thorin stared at him. "What are you saying?"
Thrain reached over and grasped her wrist and pointed at her finger and looked at Fundin, "This ring, do you recognize it, Fundin, look at it." He turned back to Jul,"Young lady, tell me, where did you get it?"
Fundin had left his seat and came to stand beside her and inspect the ring as Thrain had raised her hand to him, "Indeed Thrain, it's the Stiff Beards sigil ring...rumor has it that it was lost when King Vallor fell and that young fool Ballnor took over the throne eighteen years ago."
Jul, looking pale, began to shift in her seat.
"Come, come, there must be some explanation here." Thrain pressed her. "How did you come to wear this ring?"
Instead of answering the King, Jul shook her head, "How did you know this ring is the Stiff Beards ring?" She watched his expression. "I mean I might be wearing a fancy ring, bought at a jeweler's market...sir." She blushed.
Thrain and Fundin exchanged looks, "There is only one way to find out," Fundin said as he nodded at Thrain who stood up. "Come along young lady."
Thorin frowned, "Where are you taking her, father?" He stood up as well and came to stand by Jul's side.
"We are going to the Durin Library Room, son." He strode away from the dining room, along with Fundin, Thorin and Jul.
Frerin and Mera, who were still sitting at the dining table, watched them leave, "Well, I think they have forgotten about me...us." She turned to face him.
Frerin shrugged as he continued to eat, "They always do. I'm used to it."
"But what do I do?"
"Don't worry, after we're done eating, I'll take you to...um, where do you want to go?" He asked her.
She thought for a while before she shrugged, "I don't know...what's there to see around here? What do you do?"
Frerin grinned, "I'll show you as soon as you're done. Do you like to read?"
She grinned too, "I love to read!" She suddenly looked sad, "Only that I don't have many books at home.".
Frerin leaned forward, "Don't worry, Mera. I have lots of books in my room. I'm always reading. My mother..." He looked sad for a moment before he continued. "My mother is always giving me books. You should see my room, and I have two more rooms filled with books..."
…...
Iron Fists Advisor Tentzen was starring out at the balcony, a book in his hand, when he heard footsteps entering the Library.
Turning into the room, he was surprised to see Thrain and Fundin, as well as two young dwarves.
"Ah! Lord Tentzen, I see you are here reading." Fundin nodded to the advisor.
"Your Majesty!" He bowed to him and nodded to Fundin, "Yes, I was reading about the History of the 7 Clans of the Dwarves. It is quite an interesting book."
Thrain nodded to him before he walked up and before a very large desk with Thorin and Jul.
Fundin had went up to an antique cabinet and after looking for a large book that looked as if it was about to come apart, he picked it up carefully and placed it on the large desk and opened it, as the others saw it was written in their ancient language of Khuzdul, but Fundin began to solemnly interpret the language into the common tongue so all would understand;
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."
Fundin looked up when he was done.
"Seven rings were given to each clan; the Durins or also known as Long Beards, Iron Fists, Stiff Beards, Black Blocks, Stone Foots, Broad Beams, and Fire Beards.
Thrain continued, "All the rings were identical and could not be reproduced. The old gold was made of a strange material." Thrain held up his finger, revealing his ring as he continued. "The First Elf Celebrimborn presented the rings to our seven ancestors, as well as three rings for three great elves; Celeborn, Galadriel of Loth Lorien, and Elrond of Rivendell..."
"And do they still exist? I heard those elves have very long lives." Tentzen furrowed his nose in disgust; he never liked elves even though he had yet to meet one.
Thrain nodded, "Aye, Tentzen. They are very wise too, make no mistake. They are not to be mistaken with those woodland elves from Mirkwood."
"Back to these rings father, how do you know if Jul's ring is the one?" Thorin directed the subject back to the present.
"Ah yes, Jul's ring." Thrain removed his and nodded for her to remove hers as well which she obliged and Thrain held them close and they gasped; the two rings were humming!
"What is this trickery?" Fundin exclaimed!
"It's not a trick, cousin." Thrain said simply. "The rings recognize when it's together, that's why I knew she has the real ring, I felt its vibration when it was near mine. And you did too, didn't you?" He eyed her.
Jul nodded, "Yes, your Majesty."
Pleased to be able to prove the point, Thrain sighed as he returned to ring back to her, with satisfaction but not completely.
"Father, how did you know this is the Stiff Beard ring?" Thorin asked.
"How did I know?" Thrain looked at his son, then at Jul who looked away from him. "Well, for eighteen years, Ballnor of the Blue Mountains have been seeking it." At this, Jul turned to stare at him.
"He has? How?" This time is was Jul who posed the question.
"He has been sending people asking for the whereabouts of the ring." He nodded. "It's not a simple ring, it's very unusual. Many tried to forge it but failed. It's just impossible."
"Because of the strange gold and." Fundin pointed.
Thrain nodded, "Aye."
"Six rings, six dwarven kings have been accounted for except for Bellnor whom his people have yet to accept him as King."
"Why?" Thorin asked his father.
"Because he has not been able to produce the Stiff Beard ring." Tentzen moved to join in, standing next to Fundin. "The Council member has reported to my King and he has mentioned Bellnor is still ringless."
"Who are you?" Thorin stared at him with suspicion.
"I am Tentzen, Chief Advisor to King Thelor II of the Iron Fists." He bowed slightly to Thorin. "You must be Prince Thorin."
"Yes, I am." He nodded, and it dawned suddenly to Thorin when the clan name hit him and he whipped his head to his father. "Wait a minute! Iron Fists! The Iron Fists? The one you made the wedding alliance?"
Thrain frowned at his son, "Well...uh...yes, as a matter of fact, I must discuss this issue with you but not at the moment." He cast a nervous eye at Jul.
Thorin looked uncertainly at her as well and walked up to his father and said, "May I have a moment with you, then?"
"Oh? Now?"
Thorin nodded as he indicated a corner of the room and Thrain sighed as both father and son walked towards the corner.
At the main table, Tentzen began to ask Jul about the ring and how she obtained it.
In the corner, Thrain explained to his son about the alliance between the Durin and the Iron Fists, and his impending wedding to the Princess Telvar of the Iron Fist.
"What? I didn't want to marry her!" Thorin exclaimed. "I have not even met her!"
"I know, my son, but I have signed the alliance."
"How could you do it without my consent?"
"I was looking out for your best interest, and for our kingdom. Our future."
"Best interest?" Thorin glared at his father. "How is it in my best interest? Father, has it occurred to you that I might have chosen a mate? My future Queen?" His voice was slowly rising, and the others had stopped talking and listening in to the father and son conversation.
But Thorin was not paying attention to them as he glared angrily at his father, "My best interest has always been our family, father! My best interest has also been about my future as King. And as the future King, it is my duty to continue the Durin's line. And I have pick a worthy person to be my future Queen. I wanted to wait till the mourning period is over before I declare my intentions. But as it were, you have given me no choice, father."
Thrain frowned, "Thorin, I am still the King. I do not need your approval." His anger over rode all reasons as he had forgotten that he had regretted the deal, "I have signed it and there's nothing I can do to go back on this. The intention is it, you will honor the alliance. You will marry the Princess Telvar when she arrives in three weeks."
"Thee weeks!" Thorin exclaimed loudly. "Father, I have already chosen my futue Queen, and she is Jul. She will be your daughter." He took a deep breath and turned to look and realized everyone in the room had been starring at him, especially Jul who was in shock.
"Jul...I..."
She shook her head, "No. Don't say a word, Thorin. I will not marry you. Not in a million years. You are so...insufferable and arrogant! How dare you? You have yet to ask me if I will marry you. You just assume I will marry you, just because you're the Prince Thorin of the Durins?" She shook her head. "You're wrong, Thorin."
He frowned, "But..."
She held a hand out, "Don't! Don't say another word! Do not come to my home. Ever." She turned to Thrain, "Thank you, Your Majesty for the lunch, and I'm sorry I have to go."
She turned to leave and saw that she didn't know where she was going and Fundin felt sorry for her and stepped forward.
"I'll show you the way, lassie."
"Thank you, my lord. And if you don't mind, I must find my sister, too."
He nodded, "It shall be done."
She nodded and without a backward glance she and Fundin left the Library.
"What have I done?" Thorin uttered as he blindly sat down and bury his face in his hands.
…...
As Fundin led Jul out of the Library, he suddenly had a thought.
"My lady..."
Jul faltered in her steps and turned to him, "Lord Fundin, I'm ... I'm just a commoner, I'm just Jul."
He shook his head, "No, you're not. You're a Stiff Beard, and you're a Princess."
She raised her hand to halt his speech, "I beg your pardon, my Lord, how can you be sure of who I am? Just because I'm wearing a ring does not prove I'm a Stiff Beard; there has to be some other physical proof. People will not believe just based on a ring. It's just a ring, anyone can wear a ring."
"Face it, you are who you are, Princess. It's time to acknowledge your true identity."
They continued their way, Jul went on, "What if my father stole this ring from the people that it belonged to? And killed them to hide our identities?" She glared at the elderly dwarf.
"Why would your father, if it's true, would do that?"
She shrugged, "I don't know, maybe to get away from the real problems." She looked away.
Fundin studied her. "Are you? Running away?"
She turned back to watch him and shook her head, "No, I'm not." She looked down. "I wish I was." She sighed. "My life was simple before those bandits came and killed my Grandpy and took my little sister. And since then, my whole world has not been the same."
"Life has a way of turning upside down, and sometimes it will right itself." He nodded. "When my wife died, I had not wanted to go on, I begged Mahal to take me as well." He lowered his head. "She died giving life to my little Ria, and my daughter needed me, as did Balin and Dwalin." Jul stared at him in awe, he nodded. "Aye, I knew then that I had to grow up, and stop being selfish." He smiled at her.
She returned his grin, "You had to grow up?"
He nodded, "Oh, you should see, I was hiding in my bedchambers for weeks! I didn't sleep, nor bathe" He wrinkled his nose for effect, causing her to laugh. "No one dared to approach me, well except Thrain." He nodded. "He came into my room, and knocked some good old fashion sense in me, and told me to grow up. And that my children needed me." He sighed, "After I buried my wife, I never looked back. And now, I am grateful to serve my King." He said proudly. And then he sighed, "And I owe a lot to my Ria, she was born without her sights. It takes much to take care of a wee one with a special need. But I would not trade anything for her, I love her more than anything, as did her brothers."
Jul nodded. "It's a lovely story, my Lord, but I don't see how this affect me."
"It doesn't." Fundin waved his hand around. "I'm telling you in hopes of giving you some perspective that life in Erebor is not all as it is. We all suffer the same tragedy."
Jul nodded; she now understood what he was trying to tell her. "Thank you for your valuable lesson, my Lord. I do miss him, even though he was not my real Grandpy but he was."
"Blood or bond, family is family." He nodded.
She nodded with him, "It is, I will never forget his kindness to me; he saved my life, in more ways than anything."
"Jul!"
She turned around and smiled, it was Mera.
"Where have you been?" She was walking down a long flight of stairs with Frerin, both holding a stack a books.
"We were looking for you, are you ready to leave?"
Mera's face fell, her shoulders slumped, "So soon?"
Jul nodded, "We've been here long enough, Mera. I'm sure these people have things to do. Come, we have things to do as well."
"Aw...but I have these books to read, Frerin has let me borrow them."
"Actually, she can keep them." He smiled. "I have read them many times already."
Mera turned to him in surprise, "I can?"
He nodded, "Oh yes!"
Mera beamed, "Thank you! You're so wonderful!"
Frerin blushed, "Oh, it's nothing much, they're just books."
Mera shook her head, "Just books! Frerin, they cost a lot!"
Frerin shrugged, "It didn't cost us..." Fundin nudged hard at Frerin and shook his head, "Oh...er, they're …."
Fundin grinned, "Mera, they're gifts to you."
Mera smiled and nodded, "Thank you, I'll treasure them always."
Jul began to walk down, "Let's go, we're late."
Mera frowned, "What's your hurry?"
"I have things to do at home." She continued on, and turned to Fundin and Frerin, "It's been a...pleasant day. Thank you." She spotted the large and tall front door and smiled. "I'll see the way out. Thank you, again." She waved at them and grabbed a stack of books from her sister and hurriedly out the Great Hall and the Guards opened the large double doors for her, she didn't look back as Mera tried to follow her as fast as her small legs could catch up to her as they head towards the stables.
"Are they running away?" Frerin asked Fundin as they watched them leave, the double closing.
Fundin sighed, "Indeed, young Prince, you could say that."
Frowning and confused, he continued, "Why?"
"It's a long story."
"I have all day, Uncle."
The older dwarf raised his brow at his nephew and shook his head, "Perhaps another time. You're too young to understand." He turned to walk up the stairs.
Frerin sighed as he was left alone, "I hate being young." He turned around and left for his room.
…...
End of Chapter 21