I was hoping to sneak this in on Valentine's Day, but it needed work. So, here it is, romance lovers! At last, at last! Much praise and gratitude to those who have waited for years for this moment. I salute your perseverance!

Chapter 88

Mahal, it was hot. Sweat ran down my neck underneath my hood. I wore linen under my mithril mail and black woolen clothes over, so I was a hot sausage casing ready to burst. I couldn't move though lest she hear me, so I continued to crouch on cramping knees. Just then Potilla stopped swinging and instead banged on the wooden railing of the training ring.

"Using the railing as your guide around the ring, are you?" she said. "I'll find you fast enough now!" Moving as quietly as I could, I crawled away from the wall. She had found me out and was coming fast, swinging her axes as she went. If the worst happened, at least Thorin would know that I fought for him, that I had fought for the honor of his house. I clenched the dagger and tried not to sneeze at the overpowering stench of perfume mixed with sweat coming my way. Her odious relation gleefully egged her on. Kili said nothing. I was praying perhaps my last prayer when I felt an ax sweep over my head.

My time had come. I made a horizontal arc with the dagger and caught the edge of something. She cried out, and I used her confusion to grab hold of her leg and slash again. One ax hit me on the arm as she fell on her side. We rolled over and over in the dirt, kicking and scrambling for the advantage. I lost my dagger in the struggle. Would she find it? I kicked at her leg, and she screamed and bit down hard on my wrist, but the mithril held. Her hands went around my neck, and I started choking. Giving a heave, I rocked her back and forth, using my weight as leverage. Somehow, I managed to roll on top of her. The dizziness faded. I straddled her stomach and grabbed her other ax. She fought me for it, but my weight turned out to be a third weapon.

"Get off, you fat sow," she panted, "get off. I can't breathe." I wrestled the ax from her and threw it away. My dagger was in the dirt next to me. She stopped struggling when she felt its blade on her cheek.

"Shut your face before I carve you a new smile," I said. A giddy surge of energy flooded through me. She kicked out but my two stomachs kept her immobile. "Kili?"

"I'm here, Areen," he said with studied ease. "Sounds like you have everything well in hand as I knew you would. I'll light a torch when she yields." He couldn't have sounded prouder. His undertone was filled with tender love and enormous relief.

"Very well. Potilla, do you yield?" She screamed and thrashed again, and I accidentally jabbed the point of the dagger into soft flesh. I felt a sick pang as the tip slid in and knocked against what must have been her teeth. I pulled it out at once and patted her face, trying to find out how bad it was. I was about to call for bandages when I remembered that we weren't done yet. "Uh, do you yield?" Potato Bug said nothing, so I shifted myself until I sat heavy on her chest.

"You can yield or be crushed to death. Your choice." She choked out a few obscenities. A spray of iron spit hit my face.

"I yield," she said at last. Kili must have lit a torch because Potilla's cousin gasped, "Potilla, your face!"

"Now," I said, still sitting on her, "you, your family, and your minions will leave Erebor at once, never to return."

"You have no authority to order that!" she croaked. A hot reply was on my tongue, but before I could speak, a voice colder than glacial ice filled the arena.

"But I do."

Mahal, it was Thorin.

I scrambled off Potilla in record speed and stood before him both proud and guilty. It was a strange pairing of emotions, and they jostled each other for position. I had won! I had proven myself and had defended the honor of his house and mine! I had deceived him and involved his beloved Kili in my duplicity. I had broken my promise and shown myself rash—not that that was any great surprise—but I had defied his authority.

Not sure what to expect, I stood with my head down, listening to his heavy footfalls approaching. He took hold of my chin and turned my head this way and that before wiping Potilla's blood from my face. His touch was careful yet clinical.

"Are you injured?" he asked. I shook my head, and he grunted. "You've had a long night. Kili will take you back to your chambers to rest." His voice deepened when he stepped away and addressed Potilla. "Lady Potilla, you heard the Noble Consort. You, your kin and servants—and anyone else who shares your views—will leave Erebor at once."

"But, but, my lord," she spluttered. "It's not yet first light, and travel isn't safe."

"I don't care. Get out now. Kili, see to it at once. Throw them out the gate if need be."

And with that he left. Kili called for guards and gave them their orders. Potilla's cousin sobbed on the way out. I was left standing in the ring feeling neither the flush of victory nor the relief that it was over. "Kili? Are you there?"

"A minute, Areen." After he took care of business, he came over and took me by the arm. "Let's get you back to your chambers before the mountain wakes."

I changed in a side room so I wouldn't give Erebor something else to gossip about. Even so, I had questions, chief among them Thorin's odd behavior.

"All set there?" Kili's voice was strained. "Let's get you back to your chambers like he said." We headed back in silence until I couldn't stand it anymore.

"He's furious, isn't he? I'm so sorry I got you into this." He didn't answer, and I felt worse. "Kili?" He sighed.

"I've never seen him like this," he said. "Never."

"I shouldn't have involved you, Kili."

"I never would have forgiven myself if I hadn't helped." He chuckled then. "You did me proud, Areen. You did me very proud."

"I was a goner otherwise."

"Anything for my sister."

"So now what? What do I do about Thorin?"

"I don't know, but he'll come around. I'm sure of it."

Only he didn't. He didn't come down for breakfast and sent word shortly after that he would be tied up with meetings for the rest of the day. Potilla and her miserable family and friends were sent packing, and I didn't hear anyone sorry to see them go. After an evening of handwringing, I went in search of him, but I couldn't find him. The next day was the same. On the third day, I went down for breakfast and found the company waiting for me. Kili had fessed up.

"Lass, why didn't you tell us you were in trouble?" Dwalin asked. "We could have helped." Nori walked over and hugged me tight.

"You took a big chance, Areen," he said solemnly. "Things could have ended differently."

"But they didn't, Nori. All's well."

"True enough. Wish I could have seen her face!" A chorus of ayes resounded.

"Good on you, Areen!" Bofur said.

"Aye, all's well except for Thorin," Balin said. "He's acting broody. Very unlike himself."

"Why?" I asked.

"To lick his wounds," Fili said. All chatter stopped.

"What wounds?" Ori asked. "If anyone, it's Areen who has a few nicks and bruises."

"As usual," Nori added.

"So, what should we do?" Ori said. Dwalin stopped him from saying more.

"I'll not say it again," he said. "We know what not to do." He was right. This was my problem.

"Thanks all the same, Ori. I'll figure this out. Fili, I'd like to talk to Della. Is she available? I know she's with Frerin now." I heard the smile in his voice when he answered. It was almost like he was hoping I'd head her way.

"Of course, Areen. In fact, she's eager to talk to you. I think you'll find her insights useful."

Della had tea and oatmeal muffins waiting. Frerin was playing with blocks and trying to build a fort. He told me that it was Erebor. A wooden dragon that Bofur had carved was trying to storm the gates, and miniature warriors were preparing for battle. Of course, Thorin, Fili, and Kili were out in front.

"Good morning, Areen," Della said. "Fili told me that you might want to talk to me. I hope you don't think me presumptuous to have food prepared."

"Not at all. You know how I am."

"So, what can I do for you?"

"I think you already know what."

"You're here about Thorin and want to know why he's acting this way."

"Yes." She fell silent, and I wondered if she was weighing her words. I didn't want that. I needed the plain and maybe ugly truth. "Speak your mind, Della, and don't spare my feelings. I know that I messed up and that he's mad at me. Hopping mad. Well, maybe not hopping."

"Yes but, in truth, he's hurt. You're his wife now, and he didn't protect you. He must be furious at himself for not doing more sooner. You nearly died. Now you know it's true. You could easily have died, and he would have lost you without ever knowing what had happened until it was too late."

"But he found out. I don't know how, but he did."

"Yes, he's unusually clever." My bottom lip jut out. I fought Potilla for his honor, and now he's sulking about Erebor acting like I'd done something shameful. I burned with indignation. Della wouldn't have it though.

"I see you're feeling like the injured party here, my dear, and I certainly understand, but there's more to it. Has it ever occurred to you that Thorin is in love with you?" In love? No.

"No, it hadn't. We have an agreement. Nothing more than best friends." Then I remembered the gifts. A silver flute with a dedicated teacher if I wanted. The outings to see pink azaleas. Even from the start, the furniture carved without corners, and the treats he took such pains to procure for me. My face turned the color of rubies, and Della snorted. "Maybe he's just trying to be nice and make the best of our situation?"

"Mm. You sound like you're trying to convince yourself. This is one time where sight makes all the difference. I wish you could see him with you, Areen. He hovers around you, and he often reaches out only to pull back. And then there's the look on his face. He's besotted. If you gave him reason, I believe he'd declare himself straightaway. As it is, he's been doing everything he can think of to win your heart. His declarations at your betrothal and wedding were sincere."

"But he told me it was play-acting." Then a thought occurred to me. He never said that he was play-acting. Mahal.

I grew more and more uncomfortable thinking that I'd missed so many signs, but picturing it from where Della stood revealed all the efforts he'd been making. Was it true? If so, I understood why he didn't say anything after my horrible reaction to his proposal. How humiliated he must have been!

"Oh, Mahal. Does everyone else think so? They do, don't they?" What a mess.

"Think about it, Areen. In all his long years, Thorin Oakenshield has never once, not once, shown serious interest in anyone anywhere, and here he goes and suggests that the only reason to keep you here honorably is to marry you. Sounds suspiciously like love to me." I remembered my conversation with Dwalin. He was trying to tell me.

"It couldn't be something else?"

"Do you want it to be something else?"

"Della, I … no, but how could he be interested in me that way? He's king, and I'm, well, and I'm, well..."

"A princess. Check. His wife. Checkmate. Trust me. He doesn't do anything without a reason. He married you because he wants you. Fili and I noticed signs of his regard early on. Frankly, I give him a lot of credit for self-restraint. If I were to judge, I'd say he's waiting for some sign from you. After everything with Lord Boron, well, he's not going to press you. So, the question is, do you love him?

At last, something easy.

"Yes, yes, I do. I feel stupid, but I'm crazy about him."

"Well then, there it is."

"There what is?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Now, my dear, I must get on with my day, and you with yours. All will be well."

I went about my day distracted. I needed to talk to Thorin and make things right, but, once again, he wasn't at the evening feast. Kili told me glumly that he had gone to Dale on some "important" matter and would be back late. I reminded myself that it was my fault and to be patient. It grew so late that I fell asleep. Sometime later I woke and put on my fluffy robe. I was chilly with nerves. I paced until I couldn't stand it anymore and opened the door.

"Thorin? Are you there?" A slight creak of the chair betrayed him. "Can we talk? Please?" He stood but said nothing, and I felt my way toward him. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I'm so sorry that I involved Kili. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He was silent. "Say something. We need to talk this out." He stayed stubbornly quiet, and my frustration rose. He wasn't helping one bit. "We can't go on like this forever." Still nothing, although his breathing grew louder. "Thorin, this isn't fair." Not a peep. "I know I'm wrong, and I'm asking you to forgive me. I want to explain."

The slightest scoff, and I pushed at him. So much for making things right. My hands landed on his chest, and he grunted and stumbled back. I followed and began shoving him with every angry sentence. "How dare you ignore me! They insulted you! They insulted Frerin! I couldn't let it go. Would you have let it go?" My fists balled, and I began beating his chest. I couldn't help myself. My pent-up fear, embarrassment, and anger had found its outlet. With every blow, he backed up. "Aren't you the least bit proud that I held my own? That I won? I won, and what do I get from you? At least yell! At least be angry! That I can deal with!" He snorted like a bull and finally let loose.

"You could have died! How dare you take such a risk! You deliberately defied me! You deliberately deceived me!"

"Oh? And what was I supposed to do? Be a coward and never lift my head again? Would you have done that? Besides, you take risks all the time. Who rushed out injured to fight orcs?"

"That was to save your friends!"

"Oh, don't tell me you wouldn't have done it anyway! You'd charge into someone else's war if you could just for the practice!"

"That's ridiculous! I fought for honor and the sake of my people!"

"So did I!"

Kili and Fili were walking back to their chambers when they heard shouting. Concerned, they moved in to listen. Their eyes widened, and they looked mutely at each other until they caught the gist of the conversation. Kili was alarmed, but Fili grinned.

"Should we do something?" Kili asked.

"Absolutely not," his brother replied with a wide smile. "Keep moving, Kili."

We kept yelling at each, and I pushed and shoved him backward until he banged against something. I pushed harder, and we both fell backwards. I landed on his chest.

"Where are we?" I had lost track of time and space.

"We're on my bed." Oh. I stared into the darkness and laughed. This was too ridiculous. We had come to a place that we should have been ages ago if not for my blindness in more ways than one, and I rolled my eyes at the irony.

"I surrender. Do you?"

"I don't understand," he said, still grumpy. I decided to show him and kissed him on the lips. "What's the meaning of this?" His voice was hesitant and even shy. I kissed him again, but he didn't respond, and I squelched a fear that maybe I wasn't any good at kissing.

"Areen," he said, his voice deeper than it ever had been before. "I don't want gratitude or a peace offering."

"This isn't either."

"I know what Della and the women told you that day. I don't want obligation."

"This isn't obligation." I shifted on my side, and he did the same, but he made no move to touch me.

"What is it then?"

"Kiss me and find out. Kiss me, Thorin, and not on the cheek."

He groaned then and pushed his forehead against mine. His hair fell forward and brushed against my cheeks. Slowly, ever so slowly, he wove his fingers into my hair and tilted my head back. His nose rubbed mine, and our breath mingled. It was divine.

"Areen," he said, his lips hovering over mine, "you must, you must know I would never touch you unless …"

"Unless you knew for sure that I loved you, so please, please touch me now."

"I could have lost you, and if I had I would have followed you to the Halls of Mandos."

"Don't spoil the moment." We touched each other with gentle hands and felt each other's face, running light fingers over eyes, cheeks, and lips. Both of us were smiling.

"I'm in love with you, Areen. I'm in love with you, body, heart, and soul. Mahal, I pray you want this as much as I."

Could she love him? Did she? He breathed hard through his mouth when he felt her trace his ears and down his neck. Whatever her motives, he could stand it no more, and closing the gulf between them at last, he brushed his lips against hers before deepening the kiss. She opened to him, and the anxious knot in his gut dissolved. Moving down, he dipped his head and ran his lips on her skin with one hand supporting her head and the other holding her firmly by the hip. He took his time, periodically stopping to check her expression, but there was only pure delight. Moving his hand up from her hip, he splayed it on her chest and ran it down slowly between her breasts. "Beautiful, beautiful." She stroked his face with bright tears in her eyes, and he carded the length of her hair with his fingers. "As black and glossy as a raven's wing." A gentle finger traced around one eye. "Eyes like a mossy riverbank." His finger stroked her mole. "A little mole that teases to distraction."

Rolling over, she hooked her hand around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss. Her hands stroked him now with a possessive urgency that both excited and soothed him.

"Areen … your touch …" He surrendered to her fingers that seemed to know just how to please him. "I'm … yours … you … how do you …?" Finally robbed of all speech, he dropped on his side and lay like a fallen warrior, closing his eyes to savor the sensuous strokes of her fingertips on his chest, shoulders, and abdomen. After a last, lingering kiss, she pulled away and caressed his face.

"I know why you didn't tell me how you felt," she said, bracing herself on her elbow. He rubbed his knuckle across her cheek.

"Haven't I anyway?" She was quiet before murmuring agreement.

"Yes, you did. I thought it was a role, something you had to do. I didn't know it was real."

"You didn't want to know. It scared you, but I've never been anything but honest with you, Areen."

"I know that. I know. It just seemed too incredible that you. I mean you, King Thorin Oakenshield, and everything that goes with that would be interested in me, a blind girl of small reputation who walks with a limp."

"Not anymore."

"You know what I mean."

"I do. I wanted to make you understand, but how could I? You'd been through so much, and to burden you with my attentions on top of everything else. It wasn't to be borne."

She cupped his neck and stroked his beard, and he turned his head to kiss her palm. "I see that now, but you are the one from my dreams, Thorin. It was you all along."

He searched her eyes. Despite her reassurances, he still harbored a lingering fear that some misplaced motive drove her to do this. "Tell me you love me, Areen. Tell me that you're in love with me."

"I'm in love with you. With all my heart I'm in love with you."

He groaned and kissed her ever deeper until both were gasping. "I confess that when we were in the mine, I wanted to hold you. I wanted to touch you."

"A lot of things happened in that mine." She traced his lips. "It's where you and I became us." He smiled at her choice of words, but she was right.

Reaching up, he ran his finger along her shoulder. She laid there in all her lush beauty with her thick, black hair streaming out behind her. He could hardly believe his good fortune. His wife was in love with him, and he shook his head at the irony of it. Sitting up, he tugged his tunic over his head and hastily undid the laces of his breeches. Her hands found his taut stomach, and she traced its muscles. He hesitated and then reached for the tie on her shoulder. She smiled with eager excitement as he tugged it loose.

"A smile that lights up the room," he said with a kiss on her bare shoulder. He reached next for the tie on the front of her gown. "Hips that swing like a bell, skin like cream, and a body that makes me pant with desire …. Are you sure about this, Areen?"

"Completely. I trust you, Thorin." He stroked the curve of her cheek, and his tear made a dark blotch on her satin nightgown.

"To thee I gift my heart," he whispered hoarsely, "to thee I give my life ..."

"To thee I give love true and forever be your wife."

"I meant it then."

"So did I."

"Let me show you all my love, my love."

"Show me anything and everything."

Together they explored the delights of love, and cries of pleasure, exhilaration, and bliss echoed down the hall, but no one was awake to hear. They were utterly alone, ending as they began.

I hope that this chapter satisfied everyone's romantic imaginations! I won't be writing an epilogue, but just imagine Areen and Della pregnant at the same time, Kili appointed as envoy to the Grey Mountains, Arif finding love, Frerin doing well, and the everyone else being their lovable selves, or not. Let your imaginations take flight! Anyway, enjoy and please review! I waited a long time to post the final chapter, and I'd like to hear your thoughts.