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And so the wedding plans begin...

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Chapter 79

~X~

At the insistence of Dis, a meeting of all who would be directly involved in the wedding was held the following day in Thorin's council chambers. Of the dwarves, the company and their families were invited, and for the hobbits, it was Marigold and her family, Bergie, Hamfast and all the Baggins…Frodo included. Gandalf was even asked to be present, having been the one who had made this wedding in Erebor even possible.

"So…" Dis began, addressing the room once everyone had arrived. She had wisely set up a small table in the corner for Flinn and Frodo, giving them some paper and colored chalk to draw with. "I have called you all here to discuss the details of the wedding. I know my brother thinks it can all be put together with no more fuss than one would a dinner party, but I am here to tell you different. This will not just be a simple wedding…it will be a royal one. And that, my friends, will require the help of each and every one present. May I count on you for your support?"

"Of course you can, Dis," Sier was quick to speak up. "Just tell us what you need and we will carry out your directions to the letter."

"Well, first of all, I want to hear from the bride and her family," Dis said, turning her attention to the hobbits. "I desire this wedding to not only reflect the customs of our people…but yours as well. Can you please tell me what some of them are, and what you would like to see done?"

"Oh," Menegilda said in a surprised tone. "That is very kind of you, Lady Dis. For I would very much love to see my little girl married with a few of our Shire traditions woven in."

"As would I," Thorin nodded, noting how Marigold's eyes lit up with joy at the offer. "This union will be a blending of two cultures, thus the ceremony should reflect that as well. Please, tell us what you would like to see take place."

"Well," Marigold was the first to speak up. "A hobbit bride usually wears a crown of flowers on her head. Preferably a mixture of asters, forget-me-nots, and ivy."

"And what might those represent?" Thorin asked, knowing all too well that there was a hidden meaning there.

"They are all symbols of love and wedded fidelity," Marigold told him with a slight blush to her cheeks.

"Then those are what you shall have," Dis nodded, turning her eyes towards the group of dwarves to her right. "Dori, will you please escort Master Gamgee to Dale as soon as he can be spared from his duties in the gardens? And make sure he speaks to the man at the flower shop personally."

"I will place the order right away, and even go down and inspect his stock on a regular basis, just to be sure we receive only the best quality blooms," the young gardener assured Dis with a little blush. "I am honored that you would trust me with such an important detail as this."

"Your affinity for plants and flowers is highly spoken of by your brethren, Hamfast, and I want a hobbit in charge of this assignment. Just to make sure there are no mix-ups or misunderstandings," Dis told him. "And while you are there, Dori, see that you order enough bouquets to fill the banquet hall to overflowing. Just double check the meaning of each flower or plant with Hamfast first. For the only marigold I want to see within a mile of Erebor, is the bride herself."

This got a small laugh out of several who were in on the whole flower disaster, causing Marigold to wave off her parent's questioning looks, telling them she would explain later.

"Next, we will need to think about food," Dis continued. "Since none of the produce will yet be ready for harvest, we will need to send out envoys to Mirkwood and some of the closer towns to the south, bartering for supplies. Nori, I want you and Bofur to get on that. Spare no expense, I want the tables overflowing with food and drink. Do you hear?"

"Consider it done, My Lady," the miner said, sweeping off his hat and giving her a bow.

"Bombur, I will look to you to make sure a feast fit for a king and queen will be served that night," the dictatorial princess instructed. "And be sure the menu addresses the needs and dietary preferences of each of our guests, be they dwarf, hobbit, man, or elf."

"Elf?" came several shocked expressions, Dwalin and Gloin being the two loudest.

"Since when are elves invited to a dwarf wedding?" Gloin asked, looking quite outraged by the idea.

"Since it was through the kindness of their race that the bride's parents are here in the first place, you stubborn dwarf," Gandalf huffed, giving the red haired dwarrow a stern look.

"I can understand why one might invite that Glorfindel character, and those twins, they seemed like rather decent folk, but only them. Right?" Dwalin conceded, looking over at Thorin for support. "You are not thinking of inviting Thranduil…are you?"

"Well, brother," Balin broke in. "The Mirkwood king did send a letter of congratulations over the match. If we failed to invite him, he might see it as a personal slight. And we dare not risk breaking our friendly ties with him…not after we have come so far."

"I am afraid…" Thorin cut in, though with a touch of resignation in his tone, "that I must agree with Balin."

Everyone turned and stared at the king, a few of the dwarves with looks of shock and disbelief, while the rest with smiles and a bit of pride.

"But…Thranduil?" Dwalin asked again, as if still unable to believe what he was hearing.

"It would indeed be an insult, should I extend an invitation to Glorfindel, Elladan and Elrohir, and not to Thranduil," Thorin explained. "Besides, have we not also asked him to every Durin's Day celebration since the taking of the mountain?"

"Yes…but he never comes!" Gloin protested, still bitterly angry at the elf for taking them all prisoner many years ago. "He always manages to be away or something, saving us from having to suffer through his presence."

"And perhaps it will be the same this time," Dis broke in, trying to keep the peace. "Yet…an invitation will need to be sent, regardless. There is no avoiding it."

"Agreed," Thorin said, waving his hand towards the paper Dis was writing on, indicating that the elf king's name be added to the list. "Balin, I want you to personally oversee the wording of the invitations…there can be no mistakes, lest we have a war on our hands over some perceived insult."

"Aye, I will see it done," the older dwarf nodded. "I could use Ori's help, however, for his hand is much steadier than mine these days." When the shy scribe's face lit up with excitement, everyone knew he was fully on board.

"Oin, I would assign you a task as well, but I fear that you are already overtaxed as it is," Dis nodded to her elderly cousin. "Just make sure that everyone in the mountain is as healthy as can be expected for the ceremony. I would hate for anyone to miss out due to illness."

"I will personally see that every sniffle and scraped knee is tended to immediately and with dwarf efficiency," he nodded, giving the princess a wink.

"Are there any other traditions we need to know about, my love?" Thorin asked, wanting to make sure that all his bride's dreams became a reality.

"Well, there is the first dance we would share, as well as our first bite of cake," Marigold suggested, appearing in deep thought.

"Oh, yes…the cake!" Esmerelda spoke up. "While our wedding was a bit rushed, and Saradoc promises that we will have a big party to celebrate when we return home, even we had a small cake with a carving on top to share with the guests."

"While cake is an expected staple at any dwarf celebration, what is this about a carving on top?" Thorin asked, looking down at Marigold questioningly.

"It's nothing really important," Mari insisted, suddenly feeling as if they might be expecting too much. "Just little figures carved in the likeness of the bride and groom that sit on top…there is no need, really."

"Nay," Thorin stated firmly. "If it is hobbit tradition, it shall be done!" He then turned to Bifur. "I am certain our resident toy maker could carve a fine facsimile of the two of us to sit upon a cake. One, I am sure, Bombur will happily create for us."

When the two cousins nodded in happy agreement, Thorin was pleased.

"Yet, if we are to mix a bit of dwarf tradition in with that…what say we take Bifur's carvings and cast them in gold!" came Gloin's suggestion. "I might not be as skilled at the forge as you, Thorin, but every dwarf worth his salt knows how to work with metal. If Bifur is willing to team up with me, I think we can have a very fine set created to sit upon your cake!"

"That sounds lovely!" Esmerelda said with a clap of her hands. "Yours will truly be the wedding of the ages!"

"What about me?" Dwalin asked, looking a bit put out that he had yet to be given an assignment.

"You are to be the one who stands up for me, and will walk whomever Marigold chooses as her maid of honor down the ailse," Thorin reminded his kinsman.

"Yet there I am stumped!" Marigold whined, looking from her aunt to her sister-in-law with concern. "I had planned on asking you both to serve in that capacity…Bergie here in Erebor, and Esme in the Shire. But now that you are both here in the mountain…I am torn!"

"Why not have both?" Menegilda suggested. "Remember when Holly Proudfoot got married and she could not choose between her five sisters, so she had them all stand up with her? If she can have five maids of honor, you can certainly have two."

"Or…maybe three?" Marigold asked a bit sheepishly, looking over at Sier with hopeful eyes. "If I am to have multiple bridesmaids, I would love it if Sier would also be willing to stand with me on my special day."

"Oh, Marigold," Sier said, placing her hand over her heart in surprise. "I would be honored! Thank you!"

"Wonderful!" Marigold squealed, grinning from ear to ear. "It is settled then, I shall have all three of you!"

"Does this mean I will be required to find two more dwarrow to escort them?" Thorin laughed, enjoying the happiness in his bride's eyes.

"Oh…yes, if you could, please," Marigold asked, squeezing his hand and batting her eyes at him for good measure.

"Easily done," Thorin nodded, turning to his nephews. "Fili, you will walk with Sier, and Kili, you shall have the privilege of escorting the lady Esmerelda."

"Perfect, Uncle!" Kili grinned, liking the idea of being part of the wedding very much. "It will be our pleasure."

"Yes, and since I get to walk with my own wife, my pleasure will be doubled," Fili laughed.

"As will mine," Dwalin added in, placing his arm around Bergie and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hmmmm," Saradoc hummed questioningly. "I suppose, if it pleases Marigold, I will allow my wife to serve as bridesmaid. But only if you promise to behave yourself, Prince Kili. I am starting to see that hobbit lasses can easily fall under the charms of handsome dwarves…and I will not see my new bride stolen away from me." Everyone could tell he was merely joking, but his words did garnish him a little swat from his wife.

"Oh, no, not me," Kili laughed, holding up his hands in mock defense. "I will be the picture of decorum, Master Brandybuck. I am in no way interested in taking…or stealing…a wife. Your wife will be returned to you after the ceremony, and with my blessings."

"Well now," Esme said with a chuckle. "I am not sure if I was just insulted or not."

"I'm thinking not," Saradoc laughed, taking hold of her hand and giving it a little kiss. "And as long as you promise to save all your dance that night for me, I am content."

"Of course, my love," Esmerelda said with a smile. "Just make sure that you don't drink too much at Thorin's bachelor party the night before, or you will be sleeping it off in the corner, and not dancing at all."

"Bachelor party?" Thorin questioned, unacquainted with the term. "What is that?"

"Dwarves do not have bachelor parties before they wed?" Bilbo asked, looking somewhat aghast. "And here I thought such a gathering would be quite fitting for dwarves."

"It is a party where all the males gather to celebrate the groom's last night of freedom," Saradoc explained, a wily grin spreading over his face, possibly recalling his own pre-wedding festivity. "Every hobbit has one."

"And now, so will Thorin!" Dwalin interjected, liking the sound of this very much.

"Hear, hear!" Fili and Kili both agreed.

"But…what happens at one of these things?" Ori was quick to ask, looking as if he were eager to write down a list of anything someone suggested.

"Usually the job would fall upon Dwalin to arrange the festivities," Drogo broke in. "Yet, since he is unfamiliar with the custom, Rory and I will arrange everything, everyone else will simply need to show up."

"Sounds good to me," Dwalin laughed, enjoying the idea of a party he did not need to do anything for, except attend.

"And of course we will be arranging Marigold's bride's night," Prim assured everyone. "Thorin can't have a party without us lasses giving one for Mari as well."

"Absolutely not!" Bergie nodded, followed by a hearty cheer from Ilin and Dena, who were always up for some fun. Yet when the hobbit noticed all the worried looks from the males, she did add, "Yet, it will hardly be a night of drinking, like I am sure yours will be. We will talk, laugh, offer gifts and advice, and mostly make sure everything is ready for the following day."

"Is there a traditional gown you will wear, my dear?" Dis asked, looking over at her soon to be sister-in-law.

"No…I mean I will wear my best one, but we do not usually have a special outfit," she looked up at Thorin. "Do dwarves?"

"Normally I would say no," Thorin admitted. "The groom would usually just wear his finest clothes as well, but I fear for a royal wedding…it will be expected. Would you be averse to wearing something from my culture for the occasion?"

"I would be delighted!" she beamed. "If it pleases you, Thorin, I will wear anything you like." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she found herself blushing, for it did sound rather suggestive. But thankfully, Dis plowed right on, not allowing anyone to dwell on what had just been said.

"Excellent! And I have just the thing! I am sure you will love it, Mari," she assured her, giving the hobbit a wink. "Now, is there anything else?" Dis asked, looking over at the hobbits questioningly.

"Well, what about a ring bearer?" Menegilda spoke up. "I mean, if dwarves use rings in their ceremonies."

"We typically do not," Thorin informed her. "And yet, I am fully aware of the significance a ring holds in your culture, so I will provide one for Marigold to wear, as well as a marriage bead for her hair."

"I think your beads are a lovely tradition," Marigold's mother smiled, reaching up to touch the other two tiny orniments in her daughter's braid.

At the mention of a ring bearer, Marigold had turned and looked over to where Frodo and Flinn sat drawing pictures and talking quietly. "Might I have multiple ones of those as well?"

"You mean use both Frodo and Flinn?" Prim asked, a look of pride spreading over her face.

"Flinn could carry the marriage bead, and Frodo the ring," Mari suggested.

"I am sure Frodo would love to be a ring bearer. What do you think Flinn would say, Sier?" Prim questioned.

"Only way to know for sure, is to ask them," she grinned. "Flinn, Frodo, could you please come over here for a moment?"

The two lads lifted their heads and smiled, hurrying over as asked. They stood politely and looked up at their mothers, always eager to please.

"Would you and Frodo like to be in your Uncle Thorin's wedding?" Sier asked, looking down into their angelic faces.

"In the wedding?" Flinn repeated, looking rather perplexed. "Do…do we have to marry Marigold too?"

"No, of course not," Prim laughed. "You and Frodo would be carrying the marriage bead and the ring. It is a very important assignment and one a pair of brave sword brothers like you should have no trouble with at all."

"Oh, yes!" Frodo said, jumping up and down in excitement. "We can do it!" He then turned to Flinn and placed his hands on his shoulders, looking at him in all seriousness. "Please say yes…it will be oh, so much fun!"

"All right," Flinn nodded, his friend's exuberance contagious. "We will do it!"

"Then it is all settled," Dis said, looking down at the list she held in her hand. Everyone seemed to have an assignment, and from years of being a princess, Dis knew that delegation was the key to success. "In one month's time we will have a wedding to end all weddings, uniting Erebor and the Shire in a royal union."

"Wait!" Bilbo said with a gasp, his hands going to his head as a look of horror sprang to his face. "Who will perform the ceremony? Thorin is the king…but he can't preside over his own wedding!"

"Oh, you are right," Dis said, looking over at her brother with wide eyes. "Who could we get?"

"I…I am not sure," Thorin muttered, looking as if he had just swallowed sour wine.

"How about asking Mister Gandalf to do it?" Frodo spoke up, pointing at the grey haired wizard who was sitting quietly in the corner, smoking his pipe.

"Yes, he could do it, couldn't he?" Flinn asked, turning and looking up at his uncle. "Didn't you once say that after a king, a wizard is the next best thing?"

"You did say that, Mister Thorin," Frodo nodded. "Remember, when you and Mister Gandalf made us sword brothers?"

"Yes…" Thorin nodded thoughtfully. "I did indeed, Master Baggins." He then looked over at Gandalf questioningly, noting that the wizard had a warm smile on his weathered face. "What do you think, old friend? Are you able to preside over such a ceremony?"

"A wizard is called upon to wear many hats, my dear king," Gandalf said, rising to his feet and giving Thorin a sweeping bow. "And I would be more than happy to oversee the joining of you and Marigold in matrimony. It will not be the first time I have been called upon to perform such a function…but I promise that yours will bring me the greatest amount of joy."

"Now it truly is all settled!" Dis laughed, her expression one of pure relief. "For a moment there, I thought we might have to ask Dain to do it! And oh, could you just imagine how that would have gone?"

At the idea of the loud, boisterous, and often crude leader of the Iron Hills taking on such an auspicious assignment, everyone burst out in laughter, with only a few of the hobbits who had yet to meet Lord Dain looking confused. Yet given time, even they would understand the ridiculousness of such an idea.

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Later that day, Thorin and Dwalin made their way down to the forge room, finding an unused station with a furnace, tools, and anvil. It was time for the two to set to work. Thorin had already crafted Marigold's wedding bead…but he knew he had one more piece of jewelry to create.

"I have been meaning to fashion Bergie that ring I promised her," Dwalin said, sifting through the endless chunks of raw materials that lay waiting to be used. There were jewels there as well, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, all at their disposal. "I just have not seemed to have had the time, what with trying to get you and Marigold fixed up, and then the announcement of the babe and all."

"Well, I for one, will not be caught unprepared on my wedding day," Thorin announced, picking up a fine looking nugget of pure gold and checking the weight in his hand. "I also need to broach the subject of the bride price with Rory…though after Bilbo's reaction to your offer, I worry I might have a fight on my hands."

"Then best have it done and over with before you stand before the whole assembly of Erebor," Dwalin told him. "It would look rather poorly to be going toe to toe with a little hobbit over such a thing. Get it settled sooner than later."

"Agreed," Thorin nodded. "So…what will your ring look like?"

"I am going to keep it simple, do it up in silver and make it resemble the clasp she wears now…just solid is all," Dwalin mused. "Though, I don't think I will give it to her until the bairn is born. She has been complaining lately that her fingers are swelling, so it might be best to do the final sizing then. How about you?"

"Gold," Thorin nodded, apparently approving of the chunk he held. "It is after all, part of her name," he mused. Thorin then grew silent, looking at the hunk of precious metal with an odd expression.

"Do you feel anything?" Dwalin asked, eyeing his cousin suspiciously as he continued to stare at the nugget in his hand. "Any…longings?"

"As in gold sickness?" Thorin questioned, looking up at his cousin with a sad smile. "Nay…I do feel a deep longing, but it is not for any gold of this kind. It is for my Mari. And I know now that I would gladly give away every bit of treasure in this mountain if she but asked it of me." He then gave low chuckle. "If only she had been with us on the quest…things might have gone different when I entered the mountain."

"A dam tagging along on the quest?" Dwalin scoffed. "Now, wouldn't that have been a story worth telling!"

"Aye, that it would," Thorin laughed, taking off his fine tunic and replacing it with a leather apron. "Shall we get to work, old friend?"

"With pleasure," Dwalin nodded, picking up a pair of tongs and a hammer, turning them over a few times. "It feels right good to have such things back in my hands."

"That it does," Thorin agreed, hefting his own tools to get the feel of them. "Yet I can think of one thing that would feel even better."

"Yes, but she is not your wife yet, Thorin," Dwalin warned with a sly wink. "But it won't be long now."

"Thank Mahal!" the king said with a grateful sigh.

Well, it won't be long now, Thorin! The wedding is just around the corner.

Did you laugh or give a loud groan when you read that Frodo was going to be the ring bearer? Come on...how could I have passed that up? It is priceless!

Oh boy, Bachelor party for Thorin! I am shocked that dwarves knew nothing about this...it is sooooo right up their alley! ha ha.

Now everyone has a job, Gandalf is going to marry them (did everyone remember that line from back when Thorin and Gandalf made them sword brothers?) and elves will be invited to the wedding! Should prove very fun.

Guest Reviews:

Aranel Mereneth: ha ha, as you wish. The elves will be back for the wedding you know...hee hee. And I am glad you enjoyed the Rory/Thorin talk. They are good now...I think.

Feu d'Argent: OH yes, always better late than never, ha ha. I am also writing for Phantom of the Opera fandom, and since the original book is public domain, I have published three of my "Erik" stories on Amazon and Kindle. It is a lot of fun, and I wish I could do the same with this one, but it is still copyrighted, so no dice. I will probably just get a book privately published for my own pleasure though...however, I think with how long it has become I will split it into three books. ha ha. If you want to look me up on the FF Phantom site, over there I write under the name Fantomphan33. I looked up Arthur Darvill, but just can't see it. I see Rory as being a stout, middle aged hobbit with a round belly and cury hair. But you can imagine him any way you like. NO ELOPING FOR KILI! NEVER. As for the coats...they are wash and wear, they are going to be good as new and worn again, trust me. A few wiggly worms is not going to ruin Kili's coat for him. He probably keeps worse stuff in the pockets himself. ha ha. Would you care to see his orc eyeball collection? ha ha. I think it is funny you two tried the bowing scene. But I bet you would have LOVED having Martin Freeman there making faces at you! Yes, Dwalin wanted more sympathy, but he also didn't want Bergie mad at Thorin either. So he got the best of both worlds...little sympathy and a little loving to make up for it. Part two is indeed winding down. We have only a few things left to take care of. I am writing chapter 85 now and imagine only like five or six more before this section is done. Then off to write Kili's tale. I can easily see Kili's part being 40+ chapters as well, thre is a lot of action, mystery, battles, sneakyness and all around heart string pulling moments that will bring you to tears! (or at least it makes me cry just thinking about it. ha ha) So stay tuned girl!

sorrellkaren: Again, I do want to ask. Is your 'PM reply function" turned off on purpose or do you not know about it? I am fine either way, just asking. And yes, let's hope that Thorin finally has his act together where hobbit/dwarf traditions and stuff are concerned and there will be no offending of Rory...or Marigold. ha ha. Oh yes, Fili and Kili will never fully grow up, and even if the twins are thousands of years old, they still love to goof off as well. No, I just didn't want Bergie to go all ninja on Thorin this close to the wedding, ha ha. Dwalin has enough to worry about with the baby on the way. Thanks!

abc: Wine works wonders when guys are bonding. ha ha. I am doing my best to keep them at a safe distance. But they will be back TWO more times...for the wedding and to take the hobbits home. So watch out! Yep, Thorin likes an elf...but it had to be a totally awesome elf like Glorfindel to get the job done. ha ha. And as you can see from this chapter, Dis has everything under control with the wedding! Just stay out of her way!

dojoson41: Whoohoooo, I have started a saying! Do I need to plant a flag in it and claim it as mine for all time? Nahhh, I will be generous and share it with the world...or at least the world of Middle Earth. ha ha.