For WritersMonth 2021

Prompt: Bed

A little sketch about disturbing the royal repose. Dog owners will relate.

Thorin Oakenshield felt himself slowly waken from a beautiful dream. He had been forging a perfect sword, the steel flawless, the hilt shaped like a stag, the edge fine enough to split hairs. There was an erratic rumbling sound at the edge of his consciousness, it had pulled him out of the dream. He rolled over and closed his eyes, trying to get the dream back. The rumbling continued.

He propped himself on an elbow. Kaylea's dire wolf was stretched out across the foot of his bed, snoring. Thorin frowned at the animal, Ajax always seemed to begin the evening curled up on his own bed by the fire, only to end up on Thorin's bed by morning.

"Get off the bed, noisy animal!" Thorin told him. The wolf stopped snoring, but didn't move.

Kaylea Wolf stirred beside him. "What's the matter, my king?"

"Why must that wolf of yours always sleep on the bed?"

Kaylea smiled at Thorin's indignation. Ajax liked to stay close and often slept on her bed at her home. The difference was the King's bed was so enormous she never even knew he was there. She liked to tease Thorin about why he needed a bed that could comfortably sleep seven people, he always got so defensive. She still wondered if there was something about Dwarven sleeping habits he hadn't told her.

"Is he bothering you? From half a league away?"

Thorin lay back down, pulling his pillow under his head. "I'll have you know I was enjoying a perfectly wonderful dream, he had to wake me up with his snoring!"

"I'm sorry, my king," Kaylea said, rolling over to face him. "He should know better then to disturb the royal sleep. Ajax, go to your place!"

At her words, the wolf rose and immediately curled up on his own bed, settling down with a heavy sigh.

Thorin smiled ruefully. "I hate it when he does that."

"What, the big sigh?" Kaylea laughed.

"Makes me feel like I'm abusing him, as if I was sleeping in his bed."

"Which is exactly the point. Sometimes I wonder who is really the master."

Thorin took her hand and kissed it sleepily. "I am going to get back to that dream." He pulled her hand against him, closing his eyes.

"Sweet dreams," Kaylea told him. She watched as he drifted off to sleep. He always looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, like all his cares were lifted away.

She felt a slight movement of the bed as Ajax jumped lightly up and settled himself.

With a big sigh.