Stolen Hearts
Bella/NoriPost BOTFA Warning: Unrepentant fluffiness, all the sweetness, totally self indulgent fic. Enjoy!
He was known as spymaster for a reason and he was damn good at his job. Ask anyone, he was always the first to know and always seemed be several steps ahead of everyone else. Everyone, that was, except for a certain, frustrating hobbit lass. Although he was a thief and she the burglar, she had proven to be the better one of the two, managing to steal his heart over the course of the quest. But of course, there was always another crisis of some sort, so he'd never had time to pull the wee lass aside and tell her the truth.
However, the quest was over and things were mostly settled, nothing that he couldn't handle in his sleep. But Bella had been impossible to pin down. Although she had been forgiven and her banishment lifted by Thorin, and didn't he owe the king some lumps for that, she was clearly becoming more and more unhappy. She was losing weight and her eyes grew more and more distant. This was causing him great distress. She should be laughing and happy, settling into the mountain that they had all worked so hard to reclaim. But if things continued the way they were, he was terrified that he would wake one morning to a note that told him she was returning to the Shire and wanted nothing more to do with dwarrow.
He had done everything that he could think of to find out what or who was bothering her. When nothing showed up, he'd even gone so far as to ask her directly. But she had just smiled gently at him, her green eyes warm despite their exhaustion in her too thin face, and told him that it was nothing, that she was fine. He wanted to call her on her lies, but knew that it would only cause her to clam up tight. And despite his brother's accusation that he had no manners, he did know how to treat a lady properly. But oh, how his heart ached to see his One in such distress. And hadn't that been a shock. Some knew who their Ones were right away while some slowly grew into the knowledge. He was apparently the second type, although he knew that he'd been head over heels for the little lass since the Shire. But the knowledge that she was his One hit him while Thorin was dangling the hobbit over the battlements. It snapped him out of his gold sickness and he had almost committed regicide on the spot.
It was only Dori's firm grip on his arm that had stopped him from something that he would most likely have regretted, maybe. Still, this was much better as he could slowly irritate Thorin for years. And if she hadn't survived the battle, then neither would Thorin or Nori. As much as he would've hated to leave Dori and Ori, he was selfish enough and realistic enough to know that he would not be a good dwarf if he'd lost his One. No, much better all around if he just took care of it himself.
It had taken three days after the battle for her to be located, three days in which he and the company slowly lost their minds. And when he had finally came across her stumbling disoriented towards the camp, covered in blood and clearly in shock, it was all he could do not to kiss her. Instead, he had scooped her up and run as fast as he could to get her the help that she needed. It had been a close call and if she had been out for even one more night, then the chances were quite high that they would've lost her.
He shook his head firmly, reminding himself that she hadn't and they hadn't. But that didn't change the fact that she was suffering now and he couldn't do anything for her like a proper mate should. He was so worried, as a matter of fact, that he did something that he tried to avoid doing. He went to see Dori. Most thought that he avoided Dori because of his fussing, but that simply wasn't true. There were a few reasons why he avoided his nadad. First, he didn't want to bring trouble to his brother's house. His brother was strong enough to take care of himself, but the habit had been ingrained when Ori was just a pebble and it was hard to break now. The other reason was that Dori was quite perceptive. He could fool everyone else in the world except for Dori and apparently Bella. He didn't know how the lass did it, none of the others could, but she read him like a book. It made him smile, that his One had obviously studied him closely enough to pick up on his small tells.
But this was why he found himself entering Dori's tailor shop in the middle of the afternoon. He was surprised to find Dori in the middle of a huff. It took a lot to get him to the point of a huff if it didn't involve Ori and it took even longer to get him out of it at times. The mithril haired dwarf glanced up to see who had entered but simply jerked his head for him to come in before returning to whatever he was working on, muttering under his breath.
Raising an eyebrow, he sauntered to the back and made some of Dori's soothing tea before making his way back out to where Dori was working. He set the mug on the counter close enough that he could reach it before perching on the stool across from him. "What's up, nadad? Something wrong with Ori?" The term would let the other dwarf that he was being sincere and hopefully get Dori to open up with him.
Dori kept working on whatever it was he was working on, his fingers moving swiftly. "No, Ori's doing well, unless you've heard anything?"
He glanced up at Nori who shook his head. "No, nothing like that, nadad. I needed to talk to you about something else. But let's get you sorted first."
Resting the emerald garment in his lap, Dori sighed and picked up the mug, inhaling gratefully before taking a sip. "I just don't know what to do, Nori. I'm the eldest and had the most time with amad, I've even done my best to raise Ori like I know that she would've wanted. But I doubt that I will ever truly understand a dam."
Nori arched an eye at this. "Having dam troubles? Are you courting someone?"
Dori sighed, "Dam troubles, yes, courting someone, no." He held up the dress for Nori to see. "This is for Bella, I wanted to do one last fitting before the party tonight. I fitted it to her just last week. I'm having to take it in yet again. She's losing weight again and there's no reason. So I asked her what was going on. She wasn't going to tell me, so I told her that we were worried about her, that she was just going to fade away and disappear. I told her," he swallowed hard. "I told her how our amad tried to hide things from us, at the end. And I begged her to tell me what was going on."
Nori felt fear clench his heart. "Is she ill? Dying?"
Dori shook his head, "According to her, no. She said that she just hasn't been hungry lately."
Nori swore before he could stop himself, but Dori just nodded. "Aye, I've never known a hobbit to not be hungry. So I asked her why. I asked if someone had been bothering her, if there was somebody we needed to take care of."
Nori immediately started running through all the places he could dispose of a dwarf where they would never be found, although he'd have the king's blessing for anyone who dared to mess with their burglar. "Who do we need to hunt down?"
Dori shook his head, slowly picking up the garment again, "No one. When I asked her that, she broke down. She started laughing and then she started crying. It's been obvious that she'd been holding it in for a long time. I did my best, but it took a while to settle her." His face was haunted and Nori knew that being helpless was one of Dori's worst nightmares. Especially when it involved family and he knew that his brother considered the hobbit lass a little sister.
"I'm sure that you did your best. Hobbits are very emotional creatures and if she'd been holding it in for a while, it was due to reach a boiling point. Did she ever tell you what that problem was?"
Dori's hand clenched into fists. "Turns out, she's in love. With a dwarf. She wouldn't tell me his name, no matter how much I coaxed. But she says that the dwarf in question doesn't care for her that way. Sees her as nothing more than a friend."
Pain roared to life and Nori couldn't breathe from it. She was in love with someone. Bella, his Bella, had given her heart away to some cad that couldn't see what a treasure she was, that she deserved to be adored, worshiped. If the dwarf in question had truly loved her and was a good dwarf, he wasn't kidding himself, no one would ever truly be good enough for her, he would have found a way to live with it. But this, he'd give his right arm to take away her pain.
He vaguely became aware of Dori distantly calling his name. Looking up, he saw a concerned expression on Dori's face. Feeling like a dwarfling again, Nori spilled everything, all of it. Dori had even brought him a mug of strong ale at one point which he accepted gratefully. By the time he got everything out, Nori was feeling raw and vulnerable, something that he desperately hated. They sat in silence for several minutes after he finished speaking, Nori sipping at his ale and Dori finishing the last few alterations on the dress.
Finally Dori sighed and set aside the dress after folding it neatly. Then he looked at Nori, determination writ plain on his face. "Well then, there's only one thing for it."
Nori looked at him nervously, "And what would that be?"
"I know that we've never agreed on your previous profession. But now you are going to have to utilize every ounce of thieving skill you have and steal her heart. She's your One, now she just needs to know that you'll make her happy with you, happier than any other dwarf, nadad."
Nori stared at him, gob smacked, "You really think?"
Dori reached out and rested his hand on Nori's shoulder, "We may have had arguments about your profession, but I never doubted that you are one of the most honorable dwarves that I know. I was worried about you being hurt, of losing you, more than anything else."
Head reeling from all the revelations that he had endured, Nori asked, "So what do you think we should do?"
He cringed as Dori got a familiar gleam in his eyes. "Well, to start off, I think you need different clothes."
Nori resigned himself, telling himself that he was doing this for his One.
Nori circled the hall for the third time, growling under his breath. He was a spy master, for Mahal's sake, he should be able to locate one little hobbit. But despite his best efforts, nothing. He was about to throw his pride to the wind and start asking when he caught just the end of a emerald skirt as it whisked around a corner. He grinned and hurried after it, recognizing the dress that his brother had been working on.
It was indeed his elusive quarry, but he hung back, curious as to where she was going. To his surprise, she ducked into a small alcove, one where she wouldn't be easily found or disturbed. His heart clenched at the thought that she might be trysting with someone, but after waiting for several minutes and no one showed up, he decided that she must've needed some quiet and air.
Tucking his hands into his pockets to disguise their shaking he strolled in the alcove where she was seated, a melancholy expression on her face. His heart tightened, his lass should be smiling, not showing an expression like that. She glanced up, sliding a polite mask into place before realizing that it was him and allowing it to fall. She said tiredly, "Hello Nori, I didn't expect to see you. I thought that you would be busy gathering information or whatever it is that you do at these things."
He sat next to her on the bench, closer than was considered polite but farther away then he would've preferred. "Avoid Dori, mostly, hang around the drinks to see what the ale brings up, those sorts of things. Stuff like that."
That drew a slight smirk from her. "Mostly bragging and loud recounting of overblown deeds."
He nodded agreeably, drinking in how lovely she looked in the emerald dress, how it complimented her hair and eyes. She studied him and let out a soft sigh before examining her hands. "You look nice as well. We're matching, it almost looks like we planned this."
Nori wasn't about to tell her that he and Dori had indeed planned it, his tunic crafted from the same material as her dress. Instead he shrugged carelessly, "So what's a beautiful lass doing out here instead of dancing and having fun.
She shrugged, "I'm not feeling very merry, thought that I would get some air."
Although it took every ounce of skill he possessed, he managed to keep the jealousy from his voice as he asked, "Heart woes?"
She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes, "How did you, Dori! I knew that I shouldn't have breathed a word of it to him. And just so you know, it is NONE of your business."
He lounged insolently, disguising how tense his body was, "Oh, I think it is when I see you looking so sad and that's not even mentioning the fact that you're getting so thin that a stiff breeze would blow you away."
She climbed to her feet and he quickly matched her, planning on stopping her before she darted away. But that was not her intention as she placed balled up fists on her hips. "It's none of your business, or Dori's, or Dwalin's, Bifur's, or anyone else that you'd care to name. I'm a grown hobbit and my life is my own. And that includes my love life or lack of one. So what if the dwarf I love doesn't love me back? It's none of your business and it's not like you'd know love if it bit you on the nose."
Unable to control himself, he moved, sliding his fingers under her chin and tilting it up. He breathed, "You're wrong." Before bending down and claiming her lips with him own. He did his best to keep it gentle and chaste, but couldn't swallow his groan at the softness and sweetness of her lips beneath his. She seemed to melt into him for a moment before stiffening and pulling back. Her eyes blazing with fury, she brought her hand up in a sharp crack across his face while she seethed. "How dare you? Am I joke to you? It's cruel to kiss me just to try and prove some sort of convoluted twisted dwarven point."
Scrambling to try and figure out where the conversation had gone wrong, he immediately shook his head. "That's not why I kissed you."
Tears were starting to well up in her eyes, "Then why? I, I know that you're not attracted to me, so why bother to kiss me?"
He rolled his eyes, "Not attracted to you? Lass, the whole company knows that I'm sweet on you. I swear to you on Bofur's hat that I'm not lying. I'll even eat the damn thing if you think that I'm lying. I kissed you because I wanted to. But mostly..." He dropped his eyes for the briefest of moments while scraping up his courage before meeting her eyes again and forcing himself to continue. "I kissed you because I love you and it hurts me to see you sad and I damn near died of jealousy when Dori told me that you're already in love with someone. I've been trying so hard to work up the courage to ask if I could court you and because of this I lost you to someone else."
He would've kept going, but he suddenly found his arms full of hobbit lass as she wove her fingers into his beard and yanked down his mouth to hers, proceeding to kiss him thoroughly. It took him a second to process what had happened, but then his brain caught up and he wrapped his arms firmly around her waist, drawing her even closer and plundering her willing mouth. She melted into his embrace, slipping her hands from his beard up into his hair, her small fingers tangling into his braids and pulling him closer. He couldn't contain his groan at the tugging sensation and she nipped at his lower lip before reclaiming his mouth.
He didn't know for how long they kissed before he had to pull back to catch their breath. However, her skin drew him and he kissed and nipped up and down her neck while she shuddered and moaned under his ministrations. Finally, she put her hands on his chest and pushed weakly while she protested breathily, "Nori, stop. We have to stop."
He grumbled but backed off. He would do nothing to make his One uncomfortable, no matter how her thoroughly kissed mouth and darkened eyes made him hungry to continue. "Why, ghivashele?"
She sank down on the seat as if her knees would not hold her. "Because this is not proper and I still have questions, that's why." He moved to sit right next to her and she shook her head. "No, you go sit over there. I can't think clearly when you're near me and I need to have all of my wits about me for this conversation." He expression turned smug and he looked like he was considering doing it anyway, when she added, "Please, Nori."
Cursing silently about his weakness to big emerald eyes, he sighed and moved where she indicated. He grumbled, "That's not fair."
She smirked at him, although she was still breathing harder than normal. "I think you'll survive. After all, if you're going to court me, you're going to have to get used to keeping your hands to yourself, especially around Dori."
He paled slightly and she swallowed hard. Her voice shaky, she said, "Did I misunderstand? I won't hold you to anything if that's the case."
Before she could finish speaking, he was there kneeling in front of her. "No, love, no." He took her hands in his. "You didn't misunderstand. It was just the thought of Dori overseeing our courting. You know how proper he is. I'll never get to spend any time with you." She looked at him hesitantly and he brought her hand up to his cheek, cradling it with his own. "I know that it's going to take time to prove to you that I'm sincere, but I promise you, Bella, no matter how long it takes I will prove it to you and I will love you until I enter Mahal's halls and beyond."
She ran her thumb over his cheekbone as she searched his face, before blushing and pulling her hand free. She said tartly, trying to cover up her relief, "Even if that's true, we still have things to sort out before things go any further."
He reluctantly took his seat again and she suddenly felt cold. However, she pushed it aside. She needed to focus and make sure that she wasn't about to make a big mistake, that he wasn't toying with her heart somehow, although the sincerity in his gaze made her think that he was playing for keeps this time. Pulling out a length of knotted rope to keep his fingers busy, which she recognized as a nervous tic, he said quietly, "Go ahead and ask your questions."
She worked on pulling herself together, dragging her mind away from how amazing the kiss was and how she wanted to kiss him again. The thought caused her to moisten her suddenly dry lips and he muffled a curse. But when she looked over at him, he appeared to be concentrating intensely on a complicated knot. And if that wasn't representative of her thoughts, she didn't know what was. Although she was curious, "You said that the whole company knows that you're sweet on me? So if I asked anyone, they would tell me that."
He winked at her, "Well, you might have to dig a bit, because they don't tell tales, but aye. There's been many a bet if I'd ever get up the courage to tell you. But you're a hard lass to read and none of us could tell if ya fancied anyone or not."
She snorted a laugh. "And here I thought my mooning over you was obvious to everyone." She fiddled with a lock of hair. "How long?"
He was watching her fingers closely. "How long what?"
"How long have you," she fumbled for the right words. "Been attracted to me, cared for me, wished to court me?" She blushed brightly. "I'm being scandalously forward, my papa would spin in his grave if he could hear how shamelessly I'm talking."
He offered her a lopsided grin, his expression soft. "Nothing scandalous about it and there's nothing wrong with wanting to know. As a matter of fact, I'm rather curious myself. The first time I saw you, I thought that you were the bonniest lass that I'd ever seen. Then as we traveled, the way you didn't mind Ori asking a million questions, the little bugger drives me daft sometimes, the way you laughed with the princes but kept them in line, joked with Bofur and discussed treaties with Balin, and your knowledge of teas with Dori, all of these things caught my eye. But the moment I knew that I was head over heels in love with you was when you boldly stood before three trolls and told them not to eat us because we had parasites."
The rubies that had just started fading from her cheeks came flooding back full force. "Nori! I didn't mean to, I mean, I had to do something to play for time, I never meant to."
He chuckled and put her out of her misery. "Oh, aye lass. I wasn't offended. I was impressed. I've seen many a dwarf flinch away from larger armed foes when they're without a weapon. But there you stood, as pretty as you please bundled into a sack after being roughly handled, scolding trolls on the proper way to prepare dwarf. I knew then and there that you were perfect, even if you did fuss about the oddest things sometimes."
She flushed, then looked pensive. "Really, all that time?"
He nodded, "Aye lass."
She offered him a warm smile. "I can't say that I noticed you all that much the first night. I was rather overwhelmed and between Dwalin, Fili, and Bofur, I was in a bit of a tizzy. However, when I noticed you for the first time, really noticed you, it was the night before we reached Bree. You noticed that Bifur seemed to be getting a headache. But instead of approaching him or possibly Bofur, you slipped over and whispered oh so quietly to Dori. Dori had a tea made in moments that helped head off the oncoming headache and you let him take all the credit. But I saw you and I knew then, no matter what show you put on for everyone, you cared deeply for your comrades. It made me wonder how many times you had helped me out without my noticing."
He looked at her, startled. He hadn't realized that anyone had noticed his small acts of making sure that the company was cared for. "Why didn't you say anything?"
She shrugged, "I figured that you had your reasons, even though I didn't know what they were. But I didn't know the truth of my feelings for some time. It wasn't until the goblin tunnels when I saw you look back and stay silent in order to let me escape that I knew how much I cared for you. And it took me until the elven king's dungeons for me to realize that I had fallen hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you. I knew by then that you were honorable to your core, that when you gave your word or your loyalty, it was worth mithril, that you would always put others ahead of yourself. And I knew that there was no way that you would ever want me, a simple lass swept up in a journey much too big for her. So I decided to keep my useless longing to myself. I also promised myself that if we both somehow survived Smaug, I would talk to you about my feelings. But even after the dragon, everything was so chaotic and you were so busy and vital to running Erebor, I thought better of it."
He gaped at her in disbelief and she rolled her eyes at him. "Don't even try to say that you are unworthy because your mother wasn't married to your father or because you're a thief or any other ridiculous nonsense like that. Traveling across half of Arda and fighting all the things that Thorin inevitably pissed off at us gave me a good look into everyone's character and despite what you think, you are made of pure truesilver, pure mithril."
He shook his head, "I have no idea what I've done for Mahal to bless me with you, but I'll be grateful to the end of my days. I just wish that you had said something. I'm sure that Ori has said something about Ones?"
She smiled and her dimples nearly drove rational thought out of his head. "Yes, but hobbits have Ones as well. You know that our maker was your maker's wife, right?"
He smirked, "I had forgotten that." He sobered. "When Thorin was holding you over the battlements, that's when I knew that you were my One. If it weren't for Dori, I would've killed Thorin on the spot for daring to lay hands on you. It was a close thing."
He stared unseeingly at the rope clenched in his hands. He was startled when Bella's hand slipped gently into his, he hadn't even heard her move. "Hobbits are gifted with a dream of their One when they come of age. No one knows what they'll get, it varies from hobbit to hobbit. For me, it was a phrase, and an odd one at that. I knew that whomever spoke that phrase would be my One."
He looked at her curiously, "And what was the phrase?"
She wove their fingers together, "Don't get melted. Those are my favorite lock picks and I want them back."
He jumped at her words, "But I said that to you right before you entered Erebor." She nodded and grinned. "So you went to see Smaug after realizing that I was your One?"
She giggled. "Yes, I was rather understandably shocked. I'm afraid that's why I mouthed off to him a bit. However, hobbits can reject their Ones, so I didn't know if you would care if we were Ones or not. Apparently, it takes traumatic circumstances for us to realize things."
She looked up to find that she had lost him at the news that he was her One as well as the other way around. Then he brought up their combined hands and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. He begged, "Marry me, please marry me, and I'll spend out my days making sure that you're the happiest hobbit in the land."
She chuckled and leaned forward to brush a brief kiss over his lips, tapping him gently on the nose when he tried to follow her back. "Courting first. I deserve some pampering after the frights that you've given me. I know that you were probably just keeping tabs on things, but seeing you flirt with the ambassador's daughter and some other dams made me miserable. However, I think that it shall be a brief courtship, for I find that I want you very much and having seen how precious life can be, I don't want to waste any."
He sighed but chuckled, "Ah lass, I'm going to have to be on my toes to keep up with you. And a merry chase it will be. But at least let me weave courting braids in your hair before we go and approach your family for their blessing."
She frowned at him, "My family would be appalled at my marrying a dwarf, although I don't give two figs about their approval, so I don't see why you would want it either."
He just looked at her patiently and after a few seconds, it seemed to sink in, "Oh, you mean the company."
He nodded, "You're already as dear as kin to all of them. They'll really put me through my paces, but it's only what you deserve, Bella mine."
She colored prettily at his endearment before nodding. "All right, you can braid my hair, but only if we put a courting braid in your hair as well. I want the whole mountain to know that you are mine and no one else's." She hesitated before asking, "Do male dwarves wear courting braids?"
He had already pulled a comb from one of his many pockets. "Aye lass, and I'll wear yours with pride. I'll be the envy of Erebor, I will, to have managed to snag the affections of so charming and brave a lass."
Standing, he gently pulled the pins from her bun, allowing the length to tumble free. She sighed, having worked hard to get it all contained, but knew the importance of hair to dwarves and it's significance. He started working the comb gently through her curls, "I can braid it so that it's not in your way, if that's what you're fretting about."
She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I thought that it was taboo to touch the hair of one who's not kin."
Tilting her head just back far enough for him to brush a kiss over her forehead, he quickly repositioned her so that she was looking forward again. "Aye, but we're courting now, which gives me permission to put in your courtship braid as needed. If I just so happen to tidy the rest of your hair while I'm about it, well, I'm a perfect gentleman and would never disrespect my One."
She murmured mischievously, "Especially when your very proper big brother who can lift a horse without trying will be watching over us, I'm sure."
He laughed ruefully, "There's that too."
She hummed contentedly as his fingers and the comb worked soothing through her hair. "So, tell me honestly. Is it coincidence that we have matching outfits?"
He chuckled, "Oh no, not at all. Dori told me about your conversation, although he said that you were very canny about not letting the name of the one that'd caught your eye slip. That's when I broke down and told him about you being my One. He told me that if that were the case, I would have to use all of my thieving skill to steal your heart. Then he helped me come up with a matching tunic as well as a few other suggestions. A canny one is Dori, although many miss it with his fussy ways."
She peeked up at him. "So Dori wouldn't be opposed to our match. I thought that he might object to me caring for you, that's why I never told him your name."
"Amralime, he likes you more than he likes me. If he thought he could get away with it, he would adopt you himself. Be glad that he didn't pursue it, he'd hover over you worse than Ori."
"Why, we went on the journey together, surely he knows that I can take care of myself."
"Lass, we all went on the journey with you and I can only say that it's a miracle that you didn't die on the quest. I'm fairly sure that some of the silver in Dwalin and Thorin's hair rest squarely on your dainty shoulders."
She pouted, "The trolls weren't my fault, besides, I kept you lot from getting eaten."
He started weaving a portion her hair, "After almost getting ripped in two right in front of our very eyes. Then you got lost in the goblin tunnels."
She shrugged, "I managed to find my own way out, although I'm still miffed that Thorin had thought that I would be so willing to run out on all of you."
It was Nori's turn to shrug, deliberately relaxing his fingers from where they had involuntarily tensed. "He was rather harsh on you after the thunder battle. Not to mention that most dams would've shaved his beard right then and there. I don't think he knew what to make of you. Plus he'd just had a terrible fright thinking that half of the company had been turned into jelly."
"Surely it couldn't have looked that bad. I mean, near certain death, yeah, but we all made it."
His voice was dry, "From our view, it looked like you had been smashed between the giant and the mountain. I was certain that we had lost all of you. Between you and Ori, I thought that my heart would stop. And then you were dangling there and there were too many for me to get to you. If I hadn't been so grateful to Thorin for pulling you up, I would've given him what for for yelling at ye like that. And then I thought that you might escape, only to see you fall. My heart almost stopped so many times."
She reached back and ran her hand reassuringly up and down his arm. "After that wasn't so bad."
"No, you just had to chase our glorious leader and face down a warg that could eat you in a single bite."
She rolled her eyes, "I've told you, I wasn't thinking, my body just moved before I even realized what I was going to do."
He gave her hair a playful tug, "I know, but I'll probably never forget it, a wee lass standing so bravely before a fearsome enemy. Azog looked right baffled too, he did."
She laughed quietly, "I was baffled by it, once my brain caught up. That and I was pretty sure that I was going to die, gruesomely, very shortly."
Nori remembered his distress, seeing his lass facing the white orc and his brothers dangling desperately from Gandalf's staff. He had frozen, not knowing which way to go and when both had fallen, he had thought that his indecision had cost him both. Then he was plucked from the tree like a child by a giant eagle and his heart had broken and hoped at the same time. Because if he had lived and the others hadn't, he didn't know how he would live with that. But if the others had somehow been rescued. As they flew, he strained his eyes to see around him. He'd let out a sigh of relief when he saw his brothers perched together on an eagle. But his heart still pounded frantically until he saw a small figure huddled on an eagle right next to him. He'd yelled her name and she shakily raised a hand to wave at him, keeping her face buried in the eagle's feathers. His heart, which had been in his throat, settled back into it's proper place and the pounding had eased slightly, although he knew that it would take time for it to believe that they'd all managed to survive.
Then there was Mirkwood and the giant spiders, although somehow she had been the only one to escape the spiders at that point. Then the weeks in the dungeon, seeing her get paler and paler. Not to mention the crazy barrel ride down the river, after which she decided it was a good time to mention that she didn't know how to swim. That had shaved a few years off his life right then. Then there was the oily advances of the master and Alfrid. Oh, and she entered the lair of a fire breathing dragon and decided that it would be a good idea to converse with it. Frowning, he secured the braid with his bead and then turned her to face her.
He muttered, "Upon further thought, it was indeed a Mahal blessed miracle that you did not die and I'm not going to let you out of my sight. Maybe even tie you to me somehow." Before she could protest, he swooped down and claimed her lips in a heated kiss. This time she melted fully into it, allowing her arms to steal up around his neck and tug him closer. She sighed contentedly and he used that to deepen the kiss. However, before his hands could start exploring the willing hobbit before him, his brain foggily noted the sound of footsteps coming closer. Noting their familiar cadence, he groaned before jerking back and spinning her back around.
She said startled, "Nori, what?"
He murmured, "Shush, love. Dori and Ori are coming this way, undoubtedly looking for us. If you want to see me again anytime soon, we have to get ourselves under control."
She ordered, "Braid my hair." Reaching into a hidden pocket, she pulled out a small mirror and quickly fixed her appearance, although she couldn't do much to fix her kiss swollen lips, but she quickly slid on some gloss in a neutral color that would draw attention away from them. Taking deep breaths, she calmed herself, the blush in her cheeks dying back. Slipping it back into her pocket, she heard the footsteps that Nori was talking about. Raising her voice ever so slightly, she said firmly, just the barest trace of laughter in her voice for Nori to hear. "You need to fix it so that it doesn't come undone while I'm dancing. Hobbit hair is notoriously difficult. Also, I do not want pointy hair like yours. Just a pretty braid, if you please."
Nori gave a gentle tug on her hair in admonishment for her teasing when they heard Dori's voice, "Bella, is that you?"
Turning and winking slyly at Nori, she said sweetly, "I'm here, Dori."
The footsteps moved quicker and both Dori and Ori were there, looking slightly combative for whatever dwarf would steal away with their sister without seeking their permission first. The shock on their faces had her biting back a giggle, but she quickly rearranged her face. "Dori, Ori. Nori was helping me to fix my hair. Were you looking for me for some reason?"
Dori recovered quickly, nodding approvingly at Nori. "You were rather upset earlier, I just wanted to check on you. And Ori said that he hasn't seen you for a few days, so he decided to tag along as well. What are you doing hiding out here instead of dancing?"
"I'm sorry, Ori. I've had a lot on my mind lately. I just needed a moment, Dori. It was rather hot in there and I just needed a moment to compose myself. But as you can see, Nori was keeping an eye out for me."
Dori nodded, absently signing a different suggestion for her hair to Nori. He said warmly, "Nori's a good dwarf. He'll always have your back, no matter what."
Catching on to Dori's scheme, Bella had to bite back a smile. Turning to hand Nori one of the jeweled pins that he had removed, she discreetly signed to him a wager to see how long it took for his brothers and the rest of the company to notice her braid.
His eyes lit up and he signed, "Terms?"
She chewed on her lip in thought before noting his eyes hungrily following the motion. She then offered him the slightest of smirks, making his heart race and blood boil. "No interference or drawing attention to the braid. If they notice before the end of the night, you get a good night kiss after you walk me to my room, no witnesses."
His eyes widened before he frowned and she cheekily handed him another pin. "And if they don't notice?"
"No kiss." He started to pout but she continued, "However, I am not entirely mean, so I'll dance the final dance with you."
He sighed and accepted her terms, knowing that he would have to keep the racier wagers until after they were wed. She carefully schooled her features and turned her attention back to where Dori was still extolling Nori's qualities to her. She smiled at him, warm with just a hint of tiredness and said mildly, "You're such a good brother, Dori. I really appreciate your listening to me earlier as well as this lovely dress. Did you make Nori's tunic as well?"
This flustered the dwarf but he quickly regained his composure. "Yes, I did. I thought that the color would compliment his coloring, not many dwarves have coloring like he does. Speaking of earlier, are you any better?"
She sighed deeply, propping her hand on her chin, "It will either work out or it won't. It's just one of those things."
Dori glanced at Nori, his eyes hard, but Nori just shrugged and kept his attention on Bella's hair, making sure to get it just so. Ori piped up next, "I've missed you in the library. When are you going to come back and help me out?"
She had to change her shudder of suppressed laughter into a shrug, knowing that he wanted to figure out what dwarf she had her eye on. "I've been rather down lately, I'm sorry. I'll be there tomorrow. Probably not early with this party, but I'll be there."
He smiled quietly at her. "Good, I have some new books that I've been wanting to show you."
Nori finished up and took a step back. "There, all done, that should hold up right nicely, even if you should take a twirl round the floor with Kili."
She did laugh at that. "I adore the lad, but seriously, he has more energy than skill. I don't know how Tauriel endures it." Dori extended a hand and she allowed him to help her up. However, he seemed more focused on her dress and fussed over it, making sure that it fell just so. She looped her arm through his and kissed his cheek, knowing that his fussing was just his way of showing that he cared. Ori gaped at them, but Dori just smiled at her and led the way back to the ballroom.
As the evening wore on, Bella and Nori were having great fun with their wager. Bella was lively, dancing the dances were they switched partners rapidly but making sure that she didn't participate in any of the one on one dances, especially with any of the company. Nori, under Dori's watchful eye, played the part of doting suitor trying to catch her eye. Whenever, she took a breather, he would be there with a tidbit or a drink for her.
Bella had the most fun with that, as she faked several emotions throughout their encounters. One time she was shy, another she was giggly, then she was distant. She had been hoping for sad with that one, but she was too happy entirely and so couldn't quite manage to pull it off. During one dance she overheard something of interest and made sure to search out Nori immediately after the dance, passing it on.
He had to disappear for several dances to deal with it, but then suddenly he was back again. She had been standing on the sidelines watching Kili haul Tauriel around the floor, that boy seriously needed to learn some restraint before he gave his partner whiplash, when she was grabbed and whirled into the dance. She looked up to give the person the rough edge of her tongue and possibly the flat of her hand as well, only to find Nori laughing down at her. She grumbled but allowed him to whisk her fully into the dancers.
Keeping a disgruntled expression on her face, she murmured, "All handled then?"
He rolled his eyes, "A dwarfling has more cunning and discretion then those two idiots, it was veritable child's play, love."
She couldn't help the tiny grin that crooked her lips, "It doesn't help that you're a genius in your own way, dear heart. Any rumors about us?"
He shook his head, "Plenty of rumbles of concern about you and Dori and Ori are driving me near daft to find out who you have your eye on. That's not fair is it?" He spun her away and then spun her back in as the dance called for and she giggled, "And you don't care for my pain at all, do you, you heartless wench?"
She brushed her hand teasingly along his arm, peeking up at him through her eyelashes, "Oh course I'm a heartless wench, you stole mine ages ago, o clever thief."
He found his eyes softening, "Nay, I am a terrible thief, because I tried to steal my heart back, but managed to steal one much more valuable. So by one standard I am an awful thief and by the other, I am most successful indeed."
Her expression suddenly schooled itself into the neutral friendliness that she had shown everyone of late and murmured, "Fix your expression, Dori's heading this way."
Nori's expression instantly morphed into his charming rogue expression, but before he could reply, Dori cut smoothly in, ignoring his brother's disgruntled expression. Dori was naturally skillful dancer and they made three circuits of the floor before he spoke. Finally he said, "You're not fooling anyone, you know."
She looked up at him curiously, "What do you mean?"
He looked down at her, "You're in love with Nori, why didn't you just tell me that earlier?"
She sighed and glanced away before meeting his eyes again, "I didn't think that you would approve of a hobbit lass for your brother. How can you tell?"
Pleased that she wasn't about to deny it, he said soothingly, "You glow around him, like you're lit from the inside with glow rocks. It's clear to see that you think that the sun and moon sets in his eyes."
She smiled crookedly, her eyes tender, "That's the truth of it, it is. I couldn't help it, he's just so wonderful. As wonderful as he is aggravating."
Dori let out a small chuckle. "It's good to know that you aren't totally love addled, lass. I wouldn't know what to do with a soppy female on my hands."
She looked at him speculatively, "How do you think that Nori would react to a clingy needy soppy female?"
Dori threw his head back and actually chortled, "I would pay good money to actually see that." They did another turn of the room before he was finally able to get himself back under control. He studied her carefully, trying to judge what her reaction would be to his next words, "So, would you be willing to give him a chance?"
Unable to keep her happiness at bay and her loss would be a win anyway, she turned her head just enough that he could see her braid. She thought that he would scold her for leading them on or the impropriety of not discussing it with them first, but a warm smile crossed his face. "So that's what the scamp was doing with your hair and why you two have been dancing around each other all evening. A wager of some sort, I suppose."
She smiled up at him, "Yes, a small one. If you all didn't notice, I would dance the final dance with him. If you did, we would share our happy news with the group immediately."
He frowned at that, "And why wouldn't you want to share your happy news."
She laughed lightly, "I love all of you to pieces, but you lot are nosy and inquisitive and very helpful. Sometimes when a relationship is new, it's something precious to treasure just between the two of them. But I've decided that I don't care after all and that I want you all to share our joy with us."
He grinned ruefully at her explanation, "It's only because we care about you, lass. We just want to see you happy."
She smiled up at him, "I am happy, happier than I ever thought that I could be, especially earlier. Let's go tell them now."
He nodded at her and they slowly made their way off the dance floor.
Nori watched impatiently on the sidelines as his brother whisked his lass around the floor expertly. They looked like they were having a very serious discussion until Dori threw his head back and laughed heartily. It was all that Nori could do not to stare at him. He'd never thought he'd ever seen his brother laugh in so carefree of a manner. Then they were smiling at each other, then Dori frowned. It was driving Nori crazy wanting to hear what they were saying. He was tempted to grab a dam and dance so he could get close enough to hear, but the only dam that he wanted to dance with was Bella.
Suddenly they were making their way off the dance floor directly towards them. He started to panic, not knowing if he should hold his ground or disappear into the crowd. He dithered for a moment until he met Bella's eyes. They were so warm and filled with love that he knew that he wouldn't be able to move, even should another dragon appear and threaten to eat him whole.
When they reached Nori, Dori let her go and she moved over and took his hand, weaving her fingers with his. She leaned in close to him and whispered, "He knows, he saw the braid. However, don't say anything about the kiss."
He raised an eyebrow, silently asking why not.
She squeezed his hand and murmured, "Do you really think that you'll get to claim your prize once your brother knows what the prize is?"
His eyes widened slightly, he hadn't thought of that, "Good point, so what did you say that it was?"
"That we'd tell them immediately about us instead of waiting a few days like we'd planned."
Nori nodded, appreciating the fact that his lass was so clever. Clearing his throat, he said loudly enough for Dori to hear, "You knew that they'd have to know sooner or later and they're good dwarves, they'll be happy for us."
She smiled up at him and started tugging him through the crowd, "Oh, I know that they will, they're nosy and overprotective, but they really just do want our happiness. That's where we're heading now, to tell them the news."
He let out a sigh of relief and pulled his own braid forward so that it was more obvious. It had been painful to see her dance with all of the dwarves and not have it readily seen that she was his. He reached over and pulled her braid more prominently forward as well and murmured, "That's better."
Instead of calling him on his possessiveness, she just squeezed his hand tighter and chuckled. Goodness, he loved this lass.
Bella didn't protest when he rearranged her braid so it was more visible. He had done his own first, something that pleased her greatly. It meant that he wasn't ashamed to be courting her, although he was the one that had asked to court her, so why he would be ashamed she didn't know. But on the other hand, this still felt almost unreal, like a dream that she would wake up from and be alone once again. It took all of her strength to not turn around and beg him to reassure her that this was real, merely squeezing his hand tighter.
When he squeezed her hand back, she sighed in relief. This was real, there was no way that she could've imagined this happening. He was here and she was here and soon all of their friends and family would know as well. It had been both a lousy day and a wonderful day as well. She couldn't imagine anything better and somehow it just fit her and Nori. All of these crazy wonderful things were them.
And then they were there with the company and being overwhelmed with congratulations, although the dwarves were also saying something quietly to Nori as well that had him looking with a mixture of amusement and rebellion on his face. Kili tried to pull her into a dance but she laughingly refused, causing him to pout adorably. This was her crazy family and she loved them all.
The rest of the evening passed in a merry blur until she finally had to plead exhaustion near dawn. Dori allowed Nori to walk her to her room with strict orders to not linger. As soon as they were out of sight, he wrapped his arm around her waist and tucked her into his side. She snuggled happily into his side, feeling so incredibly content that she couldn't believe it. They didn't talk, just strolled slowly towards her room, enjoying each other's presence.
As they drew closer to her room, he murmured, "You're going to be taking better care of yourself now, lass. No more not eating or sleeping, right?"
She murmured sleepily, "What do you mean?"
He pulled her fractionally closer, "Don't think that you're fooling me, amralime. You are much, much too thin. There are dark circles under your eyes, you clearly aren't sleeping. I hope that it was just uncertainty about us. Is there anything else troubling you, any worries or anyone bothering you that we should be aware of?"
She shook her head dreamily, "No, just need to be with you. I'm so relieved about everything. I never thought that I could manage to catch your eye. I'm nothing special, you know. Not brave, not overly clever, not even really that pretty. I'm just me, plain, boring, spinster mad Baggins."
Nori sighed, "Those relatives of yours sure did a number on you, didn't they, lass? You are brave, braver than any other dam that I know. For do you know of any other dams that crossed all of Arda to face down a dragon? What would you call that?"
She smirked up at him, "Foolishness? I still don't know what drew me from my home."
The twinkle in her eyes caused him to tighten his arm on her, trying to keep himself from kissing her senseless right then and there. "Fate, lass, fate. We wouldna have survived without ye."
She loved when the mountain burr crept into his voice, a tiny shiver coursing through her. She allowed huskily, "Perhaps. What about the rest?"
He offered her a heated smirk. "Minx. Still, I feel in an indulgent mood, my lass said yes to my suite today, so I'll humor you. Let's see what was next. Oh yes, not overly clever. Well, you outwitted the trolls, but they are rather dull witted, I give you that. And you strengthened relationships between the dwarves and the elves of Rivendell, but Elrond's people are fair and open minded, so that might've been a fluke. Again, you outwitted a creature that wanted to eat you this time, but he'd been stuck under the mountain for Mahal only knows how long, so maybe his brain was mush. Then you dealt with Beorn, out witted Thranduil, outsmarted Thorin, and saved us all. But most of all, you keep me guessing and on my toes. Only me brothers have ever been able to do that, lass."
She frowned at him, unable to entirely disguise the mirth dancing in her eyes, "So you want to court me because I'm smart and remind you of your brothers?"
He shivered and mock scowled at her. "Thank you very much for those mental images that I did not need, contrary hobbit. Moving on before I have to drown myself to save my sanity. Not even really that pretty." He sighed, "Now that one, I actually have to agree with."
They had reached her chambers and she pulled abruptly away from him, her happiness suddenly deflating slightly. She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter if he thought she was pretty or not, he still loved her, but she couldn't deny that it stung nevertheless.
He allowed her to pull free but stayed right next to her, crowding her space. She took a step back and he followed her, making her frown as she took another step back. Before she could realize what was happening, he had backed her against the door. He propped his forearm on the door above her head and leaned in, creating an intimate bubble around them. "You are not very pretty. Your eyes put emeralds to shame, they shimmer with light and life, they sparkle with joy and gleam darkly when sad. And when you're upset or angry, they spark like fireworks. I can't wait to see what they look like when we kiss."
She stared at him, wide-eyed. He continued on, reaching out with his free hand and wrapped one of her curls around his blunt forefinger. "Your hair is rightly the envy of any dwarves. The curls alone are fascinating and dazzling. But the color, oh the color, copper that shines so beautifully no matter what the light, but so soft and warm unlike the metal. It glows, a living metal." His voice dropped lower, became huskier. "It is lit within by a fire and in just the right light, sunlight or lantern, when your hair catches it just right, you can see tiny threads of red fire and molten gold. Hidden treasure, only discovered through careful observation. And I've been examining very carefully."
She struggled to breathe, disbelief and hunger warring within her. His gaze dropped to her lips and a soft groan escaped him. "And your lips, ah lass, those lips are enough to drive a dwarf insane." He traced a finger over them gently, the rough callouses a startling contrast. "A pretty little pink bow that makes me lose my mind when you pout so prettily and makes my heart race when it curls up into a sly smirk. And the joy when you smile, it just takes my breath away." His voice dropped another octave, "Mahal help me, I cannot begin to count the number of watches and sleepless nights I spent wondering if they tasted as sweet as they looked."
He traced her courtship braid lightly, "You, dearest Bella, are not very pretty, you are breathtakingly beautiful beyond compare."
She said softly, her voice a husky, breathy whisper, "I think it's time to make good on our wager. After all, I did lose. And I would hate for you to never find out the answer after spending so many hours thinking about it."
He hesitated, carefully studying her face before, slowly leaning in and claiming her lips, his gentleness a direct contrast to the heated hunger in his eyes. He kissed her slowly and softly, before pulling back a few moments later.
She breathed, "Did that answer your question?"
He nodded and said hoarsely, "Sweeter than I could've ever anticipated."
She smiled and said quietly, "Good." Then she reached up and buried her fingers in his hair, pulling his lips back down to hers and kissed him heatedly. He froze for a second before his brain caught up and he kissed her back, pressing into her until she was backed completely against the door. She tugged firmly on his hair and pressed up into him, trying to get as close to him as physically possible.
He gave a pleased growl and deepened the kiss, drinking her in, although he ruthlessly kept his hands still on her waist, not letting them roam like they wished too. He finally pulled back when he couldn't put off the need to breath any longer. He rested his forehead against her as they both panted, trying to catch their breath. He breathed, "Wow."
She murmured back, "Wow."
He groaned, "I need to leave, Bella. We've only just started courting and if I don't go now, I won't have the strength to walk away."
She smiled and gently caressed his cheek. "I understand, dear heart. Go. I'll see you in the morning."
She opened the door and stepped back into the room, shutting the door softly after smiling at him. She heard him whisper, "Sweet dream, sweetest Bella."
She couldn't help the giddy smile the spread across her face as she went over and flopped down on her bed. She loved Nori and he loved her back. She tried to scowl but couldn't quite manage it. If only the sly dwarf had given her any indications. But that wasn't quite true was it? He had showed that he cared in several small ways, she had just been so caught up in her own angst that she had missed the signs. Well now, that wouldn't do at all, she had to think of a way to make it up to him. She was looking forward to it.