Kaleria had seen the ballroom when all the decorations had been placed, but she hadn't seen it with every candle lit and every drape reflecting the light in different hues. The room looked even more beautiful when it was full of people than it did when Thorin had shown it to her empty. She barely registered that she was walking in front of a majority of the mountain until Thorin directed her toward a set of stairs leading up to a platform, and all eyes fell on Thorin, Dis, and Kaleria.
Dis released Thorin's arm and gestured for Kaleria to do the same. Kaleria stepped away from Thorin to join Dis a few steps away.
Thorin stepped to the front of the platform. "Tonight we celebrate our new friends and a prosperous season. All hail Erebor!"
"All hail Erebor!" The crowd repeated.
The music started again and the cheers rang out as people ran for the dance floor.
Thorin turned around, walking back toward Dis and Kaleria and gesturing for them to take a seat at the long table. Thorin helped Dis into her chair, while a guard helped Kaleria into hers. Thorin took his place in the middle, and food was brought up to the table. They watched the people dancing below as they spun and laughed through each step. Kaleria saw Fili and Kili dancing with two young dwarf girls. She smiled at their obvious attraction to the young princes.
After the food had been finished, Thorin excused himself to speak with the members of his council, who were standing beside the platform looking like sheep shying away from the noise of the festivities. Dis was summoned towards a group of noblewomen, leaving Kaleria by herself at the table. She stood from her chair and searched for a familiar face in the nearby crowd. Her eyes landed on Balin and she joined him by the pillar he was standing next to.
"Lady Kaleria, are you enjoying yourself?" Balin asked, once she was beside him.
"Yes, Master Balin, very much," replied Kaleria.
"Might I say that is a very lovely dress."
Kaleria picked at her skirt, admiring the design. "Thank you."
People moved around the room to speak with friends they hadn't seen in weeks, or try new foods from the buffet table along the wall. Kaleria scanned the crowd until her eyes landed on two familiar faces approaching her quickly.
Hedina, though smaller in stature, pulled Valdrus across the room toward Kaleria. Kaleria giggled at Valdrus and his large frame being easily yanked in her direction, knowing that if he fought his wife on the direction they traveled, he would hear about it later.
As they grew closer, Kaleria took the time to admire Hedina's style. Hedina wore an orange colored dress with gold trim that matched her blonde hair, which was tied back away from her face. Other than her wedding day, Hedina had never looked more beautiful.
"You look gorgeous, Kaleria." Hedina grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
"Thank you," said Kaleria. "You look beautiful, Hedina. I love this color on you."
"Yes, thank you. But, what about this dress? Where did you get it?" Hedina ran her eyes over Kaleria's body.
Kaleria smiled. "Dis had it made for me. I don't deserve a dress this fine."
"Stop that! Of course you do!" Hedina picked up the sleeve and let it fall. "Besides, it matches Thorin's attire perfectly."
Kaleria shook her head. "That's not why she had it made for me."
"But that's why she chose this color. You two are about the only ones wearing blue." Hedina gestured to those around them, who wore variations of green, gray, and brown, but nobody close to them was wearing blue.
Valdrus finally joined the conversation. "Kaleria, you look beautiful as always, but my wife promised me a drink if I helped find you, and I want to cash in before the good whiskey is gone."
"Thank you, Valdrus. And please go get some whiskey. It tastes very nice." Kaleria pointed to the table of liquor.
"We'll talk later," said Hedina before Valdrus dragged her off like she had done to him.
Kaleria turned back to see Balin still in the same spot as when she had started talking to Hedina. Kaleria and Balin stood against the pillar for a long time, watching the crowd as it changed with each new song and each new set of partners. Kaleria glanced toward Thorin, who remained caught in conversation with his advisors. He held a mug of ale and took sips from it to avoid replying to whatever the advisors were saying. Kaleria smiled at the irritation she could read on his face.
Thorin looked at her at the exact moment she smiled, and Kaleria averted her eyes toward the crowd, not wanting Thorin to think she had been staring. She was watching a particular dwarf stumble through the dance, when she felt a new presence appear on her other side.
"I have not seen you dance," said Thorin, close to her ear.
"I have not been asked." Kaleria's gaze remained forward, knowing Thorin was standing too close for her to turn around without bumping him.
"Would you dance if someone asked?"
"It depends on who's asking."
Thorin stepped forward and faced her. "Would you dance if I ask?"
Kaleria met his eyes. "Are you asking?"
"Yes."
"Then, yes."
The current song ended and the crowd clapped, signaling the end of another great dance. Groups of people moved away from the dancefloor as new groups appeared. Thorin offered his arm to Kaleria, and she allowed him to lead her out on the floor. The new song began slower than the previous song, more of a partner dance than a group dance. The etiquette of the dance kept them within arms length of each other, and Kaleria lost sight of everything around her.
Her eyes remained locked with Thorin's as they performed each step in the dance. He guided her around the floor with a delicate touch of his hand, like a breeze blowing a leaf through the air. Kaleria's heart fluttered as the steps brought them closer together before moving them apart.
Though it felt like forever, the song only lasted a few minutes. When it was over, Thorin's face finished inches from Kaleria's, his breath warm against her cheek. Kaleria didn't dare blink; she didn't want to miss a second of Thorin's face so close to hers.
The crowd began to clap for the band, and the sudden loud noise made Thorin step away from her. Kaleria's perfect bubble shattered as time started again, moving the groups to the next song.
Kaleria bowed to Thorin quickly, then rushed off the dance floor to put some distance between herself and the king under the mountain. She pushed through the crowd of people, searching for an open space to calm herself. She broke through the doors to the balcony and found herself alone in the dimly lit hallway. Kaleria moved to the railing, taking deep breaths of the breeze that blew in over the gate.
She didn't know why it had become so hard to breathe. The dance wasn't strenuous, and she had hiked mountains and forded rivers before without taking an extra breath. Images of the dance she had shared with Thorin flashed through her mind as she tried to calm herself. As she regained her breath, Kaleria came to a realization: she was falling in love with Thorin.
She had liked him since she had met him, but she had never expected to fall in love with him. She tried to talk herself down, thinking he had a betrothed, or he would want an advantageous marriage. But, as these thoughts came to her, Kaleria knew they weren't true. Dis had never mentioned Thorin's marriage to anyone, and he barely spoke to his advisors, let alone ladies of the court. She knew she had to speak to Thorin and figure out her feelings.
The door to the balcony opened behind her, and she half expected Thorin to be standing in the glow of the doorway. Instead, Kaleria turned around to see Brerrick approaching her.
"Brerrick," Kaleria swallowed the lump in her throat, "what a surprise."
"I saw you come out here, and I wanted to check on you." He joined her at the railing, standing closer than what was likely permitted.
"I'm fine," she lied.
She heard Brerrick take a deep breath, then he faced her. "Kaleria, I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" Kaleria furrowed her brows, curious as to what would make Brerrick so serious.
"I have lived alone most of my life. My mother died and my father didn't have time for me. I haven't had a reason to let anyone else into my life," he reached out and took her hands, "until you."
Kaleria looked down at their joined hands then back to his face. "Brerrick, I don't understand."
"I love you, Kaleria." He squeezed her hands, emphasizing his point.
Her eyes grew wide as she realized how serious he was being. He was declaring his love for her, but Kaleria couldn't accept it.
"Brerrick, I am very flattered," she pushed his hands back toward his body, "but I don't feel the same way."
His face fell only slightly. "Maybe not now, but you could learn to love me. This will help."
He grabbed Kaleria's waist and pulled her into his body as he pressed his lips roughly against hers. Kaleria froze at first, shocked by his action, then attempted to push him off. She placed both hands against his chest and shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled back a step and stared at her.
Kaleria wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "You can't force someone to love you! Not like that!"
Brerrick balled his fists. "I don't understand. I thought you liked me. I gave you that dagger. I thought my intentions were clear."
"Take the dagger back! I don't want it. I can offer you friendship, and nothing more." Kaleria held her shoulders back, trying to make herself seem more confident than she felt.
Brerrick looked like he wanted to respond, but he bit his tongue and retreated down the hallway away from the ballroom.
Kaleria took a moment to compose herself. She knew she was expected at the party and she planned to go back. She needed a minute to process what had happened while she was on the balcony. When she thought she could return, Kaleria entered the ballroom.
After their dance, Thorin had watched Kaleria disappear through the crowd, leaving him alone on the dance floor. When he regained his wits, he moved back toward the platform, poured himself a large cup of ale, and drank it quickly hoping the liquid would soothe him.
Thorin had stood close to Kaleria before-he had escorted her plenty of times-so why did he feel so different after their dance? His heart beat faster as if he had run up the side of the mountain, and his palms were slick with perspiration. His reaction resembled the few times in his life in which he had been nervous, but Thorin didn't understand why he was nervous.
He had learned those dances from a young age and could perform them at any time. He had grown used to the crowd since being back in the mountain. The only reason he could be nervous had something to do with Kaleria. Flashes of their dance raced through his mind as Thorin tried to come up with any ideas on why Kaleria made him nervous. He remembered how close her body was to his, and the way her hand felt in his. She smelled of lavender and every time she would spin the scent would intoxicate him.
Then the answer became as clear as the water that flowed through the mountain: he was falling in love with Kaleria.
Thorin remembered being impressed by her from the first moment he met her. He remembered his overwhelming urge to protect her. He remembered staring at her after he had awoken from his sickness, amazed by her beauty even after a fitful night of sleep. It all made sense in that instant; he loved her.
Thorin put his cup down and hurried in the direction he had last seen Kaleria walking in. Soon the doors to the balcony appeared, and somehow he knew she would be out there. Thorin smiled as his hand grasped the handle and he pushed it open until the sound of voices on the other side made him stop.
He peeked his head around the edge of the door to see who was speaking without interrupting. At first he saw Kaleria, and his smile brightened. His smile turned into a frown quickly when he saw Brerrick holding her hands. Thorin watched from the door, unable to hear what was being said, but intelligent enough to guess. His suspicions were confirmed when Brerrick pressed his lips to Kaleria's in a passionate kiss.
Thorin pulled back quickly, not wanting to see another second of Kaleria kissing the dwarf Thorin despised more than any other. His heart, that moments ago had been beating rapidly in excitement, now beat rapidly with a rage he hadn't felt since fighting Azog in the battle for the mountain. He balled his fists to channel the energy away from his body, but the pain, the hurt, and the anger wouldn't be quelled by a few deep breaths. He stomped back toward the platform and sat heavily in his chair. When no one had asked if he needed anything, Thorin exploded.
"Can someone get me a damn drink!?"
Multiple servers moved to gather different options for the king. The first one to reach him poured a shot of whiskey, but Thorin took the bottle from the server and downed most of it in one drink.
Dis appeared at Thorin's side, placing a hand on his shoulder to let him know she was there. "Perhaps you should quench your thirst with something else, brother."
Thorin took another long swallow. "It wouldn't help."
"Can I ask what's wrong?" Dis faked a smile to ensure those around them everything was alright.
"No, you can not." Thorin grumbled.
"I can't help you if I don't know the problem."
Thorin stood quickly, knocking the chair to the floor, causing others to look at him and Dis. He squared up to his sister, bringing his face close to hers. "I don't need your help. I don't need anyone."
Thorin left the platform with many pairs of eyes watching as he walked across the room and out the door he had entered through earlier. Dis didn't know what had happened to make Thorin change moods so suddenly, but she would get to the bottom of it. She wasn't about to watch her brother fall into sickness again.