Chapter 4: Time in Erebor: For all to know

This takes place during chapter 5 of the main story

"Mama."

Blinking my eyes open, I come face to face with Theodore. My son pouts at me from over the edge of the pillow, reaching out for me to pick him up. His chubby fingers do little grabby motions and who am I to tell him no? I lean forward slightly only to be tugged back. Blinking more rapidly this time, I become aware of the presence at my back and arm around my waist. Ah... right. Peeling back the covers gently, I make sure my husband is decent before letting our son into the bed.

He's dressed in something similar to his under clothes. Shifting my legs I find them tangled in his thicker ones. The light clothing between us is softer than I would have thought. It's not the same one he wore when Erebor was reclaimed. It doesn't scratch my skin at all. But... the way they fall across his toned body gives me an awakening itch that I can't scratch in the presence of a child. Swallowing my desire, I breath deeply.

Confirmation achieved, I stretch my arm out and allow Theodore to climb in at my front. He does so quietly, cautiously glancing over my shoulder with a deep frown. He stares at his slumbering father, seeming to be extremely displeased by his occupancy in my bed. I suppose it is a new idea; knowing you have a father is different from seeing him magically in bed with your mother. I offer the boy a small smile, which he returns quickly. Slipping beneath the covers, he snuggles into my chest; fisting my shirt in his tiny fist and falling into a light doze. I'd do the same except for the distant pounding I hear at the edge of my consciousness.

I can't tell what time it is but I feel like I've slept for ages. I listen for a few minutes but the sound has stopped. Yet the moment I start to drift away, the pounding from overhead becomes more insistent and my eyes snap open in realization. Slapping my husband's hip lightly, I huff out a laugh at his grumble. He sucks in a breath and mumbles something unintelligible at my back.

"Thorin..."

"I love you."

"I love you too but Thorin..." he blows out a breath that tickles the nape of my neck. Covering it, I turn slightly and continue to whisper "Thooorin, you have to get up."

"As king, I retain the right to decline." wrapping himself tighter around me and burying his face in my hair, he starts to fall asleep again. Goodness gracious, he's too much. I slap his leg a bit harder. He growls softly but raises onto one elbow to glare down at me "Thia, what-"

"I think someone is knocking on the door. Your door." pointing up the ceiling, I grimace softly "Upstairs."

"My... door..." we lay in silence for a moment, both listening to the insistent pounding from upstairs. He groans, only the way someone who knows they are late can, before leaping from the bed "I overslept."

"That doesn't sound like you at all." Slowly crawling out of bed so not as to wake Theodore, I follow Thorin out of the room. Surprisingly, he heads toward the fireplace rather than the front door. Watching him search the stones, I frown softly "Are you... alright?"

"Perfect, my love." turning back to me, he pulls me into a quick embrace. The hunger in his eyes is only matched by the one I can feel in my own "There will be a meeting of the counsel tomorrow. You will come."

"I will?"

"The children as well. I will present you all before them so we may put this matter to rest." he presses his forehead into mine imploringly "You are my One, my wife, and my queen. Tomorrow others will know this fact. Until then..."

His lips brush mine and I lean in for more but the pounding, now paired with shouting, is becoming too much to ignore. They'll break down the structure soon enough. Thorin offers me a half smile before slipping through a passageway hidden in the very wall. I stare at it blankly as it closes without a trace.

"Well... that's new."