I uploaded two chapters at once, so if you jumped straight to this one and got a bit confused, that might be it.
After this chapter, we finally get back into the quest so don't worry lol
All the preparations for the feast had been completed in plenty of time. So when the day finally arrived, the only thing left to do was to get ourselves ready. I was currently in my chambers. They had been fixed up after a few days, so I didn't have to keep stealing Legolas's bed. The room wasn't the same as it had been. Since all the wood had rotted, all of the tables, chairs and drawers were replaced. The fact that the room was different helped me a little. It meant that I could focus more on the here and now rather than reminiscing and thinking about all that I had missed.
Mum was here getting ready with me, along with a couple of maids. She was sorting her dress out in the corner while Emiel styled my hair. Her hands were gentle as they twined intricate braids into my hair. I looked up at her through the mirror. She had a smile stretched across her face.
"I assume this is a little easier than the last time you had to do my hair," I said to the reflection.
Emiel looked up and grinned at me through the mirror. "Oh, exceptionally so, your Highness. You no longer fight each brush stroke or refuse to sit still."
I giggled. She must have had quite a handful trying to get me to look like a 'proper princess' when I was younger.
"Have you got your dress sorted for the feast?" I asked.
"She certainly has," came a voice from behind us. Lanneth, the other maid, was helping Mum into her dress. "Elion had one commissioned for her."
Emiel's face heated up as soon as the name was mentioned.
"Who's Elion?" I asked, intrigued.
"No one, your Highness," she said, shaking her head. "Just a friend."
"Must be a very good friend to have a dress made for you," I heard Mum say.
"Y–yes, he is, your Majesty."
"Oh, those two have been dancing around each other for the past 100 years, your majesty," said Lanneth, seemingly loving the gossip. "And I think you are all done," she said, arranging the bottom of the dress.
It was a deep green colour. With a damask pattern printed onto the fabric. There were many skirts underneath it that helped it hold its shape.
"You look beautiful, Mum," I said. She looked radiant.
"Thank you, Leah," she said, smiling down at her dress. "It's been so long since I've had the chance to wear something like this. It feels good."
"Have you seen your dress, Princess?" asked Lanneth.
My dress had arrived earlier that day. However, it had been placed in the wardrobe, and I was told that I wasn't allowed to see it yet.
"Not yet. Mum told me it would be a surprise."
Emiel finished placing the last braid, looking impressed with her work. "I'm all finished here. So you can go and take a look."
I appraised my hair in the mirror before I stood up. It was intricate and expertly done, with no hair out of place. Impressive.
When I turned around, I finally got a look at the dress. My mouth dropped open when I saw how pretty it was.
It was a deep blue and had a pattern of stars sewn into the fabric. It reminded me of the night sky. The dress was tied at the waist with an ornate belt before flaring out. The outer skirt was split in the middle to reveal a silver skirt underneath.
"It's beautiful," I whispered.
"I knew you'd like it," said Mum. She definitely had an eye for this kind of thing.
Mum and the maids helped me to put it on. When I was finally in it, they turned me to face the mirror.
"Oh, your Highness, it's perfect" Emiel clapped her hands.
It was. I lifted up the skirts and gave a little twirl. I actually felt like a princess in this dress. Which I guess was sort of the point.
"It just needs one more thing," said Mum, who made her way over to a box on the side table. It was made of dark wood with gilded edges. She opened the lid and withdrew a silver circlet that glittered even in the low light.
With the utmost care, she placed the crown on my head.
"Perfect," said Mum, her eyes looking a little misty.
The feast would not start until all of the royal family had arrived. Which meant that we had to make an entrance. Legolas and I went in first, arm in arm, as we made our way through the large double doors. I smiled in wonder as I saw the span of the room. Everything seemed to shine and glint in the light. Reminiscent of stars. People bowed or curtseyed as we passed them.
When I turned my head, I saw that the dwarves were clustered together. Looking a little awkward at the fanfare. They had their own table to sit at, and a few of them were even wearing the new clothes the elves had given them. While some were still as stubborn as ever, *cough* Dwalin *cough cough*.
I gave them a little wave. A few waved back at me.
My eyes searched through the group until I landed on the person I was searching for. Kili's mouth fell open when he finally caught a glimpse of me. I smiled back at him, my cheeks feeling a little warm.
Legolas led us over to the royal table. He pulled my chair out for me in a very gentlemanly fashion. Then it was Adar and Mum's turn to arrive.
"Well, one of them is gonna have to change," I whispered to Legolas with a grin. Adar's robes were a similar style and colour to Mum's. Except he had trousers underneath. Mum had a crown balanced on her head too. Similar to Adar's crown of Autumn flowers. Only I would describe it as softer. It wasn't as spiky. They looked rather good in their matching couple outfits.
Legolas gave me a confused look but laughed all the same.
They glided into the room with enough grace to make anyone jealous. Once Adar and Mum reached the table, Adar swept his gaze around the room. Then he lifted his goblet and said
"Let the feast begin."
Food was served first before the party could really get underway. The food was delicious, and I somehow managed not to get anything down my new dress. Though it did take more effort than I cared to admit.
Once everyone had finished eating, I found myself on a small stage, looking out into the crowd of people. My hands fidgeted at the sleeves of my dress, nerves catching up with me. Even though I had sung in front of crowds before, this one felt different. I was determined not to slip up: I wanted it to be perfect.
The band started to play the first bars of the melody. On the harp, violin and piano. They had picked up the song remarkably quickly, even with my subpar explanations. I took a deep, steadying breath before I began.
I'm a phoenix in the water.
A fish that's learned to fly
And I've always been a daughter
But feathers are meant for the sky
So I'm wishing, wishing further
For the excitement to arrive
It's just I'd rather be causing the chaos
Than laying at the sharp end of this knife
With every small disaster
I'll let the waters still
Take me away to some place real
'Cause they say home is where your heart is set in stone
Is where you go when you're alone
Is where you go to rest your bones
It's not just where you lay your head
It's not just where you make your bed
As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?
Home, home, home, home
The song felt hopeful. About moving forward and finding a home. It felt like the perfect song to sing. Everyone else seemed to agree, too, as I was met with rapturous applause once I'd finished.
The party went into full swing after that. With jaunty music to dance to and lots and lots of wine.
Legolas was the first person to ask me to dance, and I happily obliged. Unluckily for him, he got to receive the full brunt of my dancing skills. As I had no clue how to do the traditional elvish dances, I decided to teach him some of my own. Which included a lot of spinning and pulling him around. We were both laughing at the ridiculousness of it.
"Right, now you go under my arm," I said, holding our joined arms in the air.
He raised his eyebrow at me. "Surely, you're the one that's supposed to go underneath."
"No, no, it's definitely you," I grinned. "It's…pasodoble," I said, pulling out whichever dance term came to mind first. I had, in fact, zero knowledge of what a pasodoble was. All I knew was it was mentioned when I briefly watched an episode of Strictly Come Dancing.
"That's a made-up word," Legolas laughed.
"No, it's not. Now go under my arm."
Legolas shook his head but gave in, spinning underneath my arm. It was rather ridiculous and awkward as he was so much taller than me.
"Happy?"
"Very."
When we were sufficiently worn out, we decided to have a break. I wandered over to the buffet table, where I found a hobbit nervously shovelling cheese into his mouth. I reached out for the jug of wine and poured myself a cup while looking at Bilbo out of the side of my eye. He was looking off into the corner of the dance floor. The part the dwarves had claimed for their own.
It had taken them a little bit to warm up, but the dwarves could never deny their love of parties for very long. As long as there was plenty of alcohol and a good song, they could make a good go of it. They partnered up and danced amongst themselves. As there was a large discrepancy in the ratio of males to females with dwarves, they tended to disregard gender when they danced together.
Bofur and Fili, however, had managed to find some females to dance with. They sauntered over to a couple of elleths with all the confidence in the world. Fili really laid it on thick with a bow and a kiss to their hand. The elleth looked at Fili curiously, then shrugged her shoulders in a 'what the hell, I'll go for it' kind of way. Then she let him lead her onto the dance floor.
Her friend seemed less impressed but took Bofur's hand anyway.
Bilbo, however, had eyes for only one dwarf. Thorin. He stood away from all the revelry, watching the festivities in a detached sort of way. He nursed a drink, occasionally smiling and nodding at the members of the company.
"You look very nice, Bilbo," I said to let him know I was there.
He wore a tunic of royal blue. Durin blue, one could say. It was accented in gold around the collar and sleeves.
"Oh, thank you," said Bilbo, who pulled at his shirt. "Your mother picked this out for me, actually. I found it in my room with a note. She said that the colours were perfect for me. It fits quite nicely too."
I gave a quick glance over to Mum, who danced with Adar. I had a sneaking suspicion that she knew who favoured those colours, and it wasn't Bilbo.
Bilbo was back to shovelling food into his mouth.
"Are you okay, Bilbo? you seem a bit nervous."
"What? Yes, I'm fine, perfectly fine," Bilbo murmured. "It's just," he twitched his nose. "Do you think Thorin seems a bit lonely over there?"
I looked back over to see Thorin in the same place he had been before. "He does a little," I said. "Though I don't think it's for lack of trying on the dwarves' part."
"Maybe they just weren't persuasive enough," Bilbo straightened himself up. "He deserves to have a bit of fun every once in a while."
Then he turned to me, eyeing the cup in my hands. He reached out for it, and I handed it over with no resistance.
"What's in this?" he said, staring into the cup.
"Some kind of honey wine, I think."
"That'll do," he said before swiftly downing the contents. He slammed the cup down onto the table and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Then with no further preamble, he pushed himself away from the table and strode purposefully towards Thorin.
All his liquid courage seemed to fade away as soon as Thorin clocked eyes on him. He smiled at Bilbo, which consequently made the hobbit go bright red. He then appeared to be asking Thorin something. Though because of all the music, I couldn't hear what was being said. At first, Thorin appeared to shake his head, but Bilbo was persistent. After only a little more persuasion, I saw Thorin sigh and place his goblet down. Then he held his hand out for Bilbo to take.
"I can't believe that Bilbo actually managed to get my Uncle to dance," came a voice from my left.
"Kili," I said with a smile. I hadn't managed to actually speak with him yet.
My breath caught in my throat when I fully took him in. His hair was freshly washed and combed, with his courting braid fully on display. He was decked out in shining new clothes. A long tunic, the same deep blue as my dress, that cinched in at the waist with a silver belt. On closer inspection, I could see that it was even detailed with the same star pattern. The shirt was open at the neck to reveal a silver shirt underneath.
All I could say was that he was one hot dwarf.
"Kili, you look incredible," I said, astonished.
"Me?" he scoffed. "Have you seen yourself, Leah? You took my breath away when you walked in."
I felt my heart flutter.
"I assume it was my Mum that gave you the clothes."
"Yes, Ellen handed them to me a few days ago. She told me that you would like them," he said with a knowing smile.
Mum was correct, as always.
"Am I still allowed to call her Ellen? I assume I've got to call her Queen now."
"No, you can still call her Ellen when it's just us. But probably best not to call her by her first name when my Adar is around."
Adar did not need further ammunition against Kili. I was still annoyed at him for the scare a few days ago. Mum apparently scolded him for it, but I doubt it was very convincing. Neither of them could stay angry at the other for long. It was like they were having a honeymoon period again, where they could find no fault with the other.
"That sounds sensible," he nodded.
Kili smiled wide before bowing and extending his hand out towards me. "Would you do me the honour of dancing with me, Princess Leah?" His voice had a regal tone to it.
"Why, of course, Prince Kili," I said, my tone equally grand, as I placed my hand into his.
Kili straightened back up, placing a ghost of a kiss on the back of my hand, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Then he pulled me onto the dance floor. Right into the centre of the room.
The music was slower than it had been before, which meant that we didn't have to set a quick pace. It suited me perfectly. "My dancing skills still haven't improved much since the last time we danced," I said.
"Well, if you let me lead, then we should be fine."
The people around us seemed to melt away. Kili was my only focus, and I couldn't stop smiling at him. His grin didn't seem to leave his face either.
"I like the crown," Kili remarked. "It makes you look very majestic."
"I like it too," I shifted my head a little. Feeling the weight of it. "Though it does feel a bit odd on my head."
"You'll probably get used to it."
We danced a few more steps. "Do you have a crown, Kili? You are also a prince, after all."
Kili pondered for a moment. "Not really. We aren't a particularly rich kingdom. After Smaug attacked, our people had to work harder for everything. Crowns and such weren't high on the priority list."
The statement made a lot of sense and accurately described the dwarves' suffering since Smaug. It made me sad that they had struggled so much.
"Fili and I made our own once, though."
"You did?" my heart warmed at the thought of them with their homemade crowns.
"Yes, we wound branches together and added bits of shiny metal we found around the home" He laughed. "They were quite good actually, considering we were only 30 and 35."
"I think you would look good in a crown," I mused.
"Well, when this is all over, you will have to help me pick one."
When it's all over.
It seemed so close yet so far away. All sorts could happen between now and then. At this moment, dancing with Kili, it was easy to forget that there were battles looming. People that needed saving. If I dwelled on those thoughts for too long, I knew that I would start panicking.
Later. I would think about everything later. For now, I was going to concentrate on what I had in front of me. A happy, healthy family and a partner that I loved with all my heart.
"I love you, Kili."
"I love you too, Leah." His eyes were intense, and he leaned forward, looking very much like he wanted to kiss me. A moment that was shattered when Kili suddenly backed up half a step with exceptionally wide eyes and a squeaking noise that he probably would never admit he made.
"Mind if I cut in?" Adar's deep voice sounded from behind me.
"No, no, of course not," said Kili, with exceptional speed. "Thank you for the dance Leah," he said with a bow of his head. Then he turned tail and left with hurried steps.
"You don't have to be so mean, you know," I said, turning.
"I do not know what you are implying. I'm simply asking my daughter to dance," he shrugged with a nonchalant air.
"Yes, I'm sure that's all you were doing," I said, holding my arms out for him to take.
Adar took the lead and began to move us around in slow circles. "Your Naneth tells me that you are displeased with me."
"A little," I said.
"I will not apologise for wanting to find out the type of person this Kili is," he said.
I raised my eyebrows. Starting off an apology with 'I will not apologise' did not seem like the best route to go down.
Adar saw my look and smiled. "However, I will admit that there were other methods that I should have pursued first. I should have informed you,"
"Yes, that probably would have been better," I sighed. "Did you find out what you wanted to know, at least?"
"I did. From what I saw, his feelings for you are genuine. He cares about you deeply." He paused. "The way he looks at you reminds me of the way that I look at your Naneth. So I at least know that he sees you for the brilliant person you are."
Then Adar grinned. "He also stood up to me, which I found rather admirable. He was clearly terrified of me, yet he stood his ground when you were involved."
"So, do you like him?"
"Like is a strong word."
"Adar," I groaned
"I do not dislike him. But if you ever tell anyone, I will deny it most ardently," said Adar, looking at a spot over my shoulder.
I smiled. That was high praise coming from him. "Thank you, Adar."
Adar returned the smile before looking back over my shoulder. I saw his eyes turn icy. "You're glaring at him over my shoulder, aren't you."
"Of course not. What kind of Adar would I be if I did that."
I just laughed and shook my head.
"I do still think you could have chosen someone taller."
"Not when I am this short," I said. "Also, Kili is considered to be tall for a dwarf."
Adar gave a deep laugh. "Is he now?"
The song changed to something more up-tempo. Adar tried to accommodate it. My feet, on the other hand, did not. They got tangled up in one of my many skirts, and I nearly tripped up. Adar was there to stop me from falling.
"I'm not very good at dancing," I admitted, cheeks warm.
"Yes, I did see what you were trying to teach your brother earlier. Dancing may be a strong word for it."
"Hey!"
"You could always stand on my feet like you used to when you were younger," he offered
"I'm probably a bit too big for that now."
Adar's smile grew into something more thoughtful. "You are right," he looked at me, a mixture of happiness and sadness in his eyes. "You have grown into a fine and beautiful elleth. It pains me greatly that I was not there to see it happen."
"Oh, you didn't miss much really," I said, trying to downplay it, "Just a lot of crying and teenage mood swings."
"You sell yourself short, tithin ven,"
Adar using his old nickname for me gave me an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Of all the love that he poured into it, reminding me of how happy we were. It also reminded me of what I had lost. All those years that I had spent thinking that I would never see him again. Never hear him call me his 'little one'.
But now we'd found him again. Through battles and orcs and death, we had made it here. And sometimes, I felt so overwhelmed by that sheer fact.
I felt the telltale pricks of tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. My mouth formed a wobbly smile. "I'm so glad we found you, Adar," my voice cracked.
"I'm glad too," he said, voice tight.
Then he drew me in for a hug and cradled my head to his chest.
Home-Gabrielle Aplin
