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Chapter 18
~X~
Jade had been very grateful for King Thorin's offer of his office, and the privacy this afforded her and Brayden. She wasn't quite sure how she was going to explain all this, but she knew she would have to do some fast talking to convince her cousin she was in full possession of her right mind. Once they had both taken a seat on the small divan, she opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm sure you're very confused by all this, and to be perfectly honest, I was as well…but please be assured that this is being done with my full consent," she told him, doing her best to look confident.
"But how did this come about…and how did you end up in Erebor of all places?" Brayden demanded. "The last letter I received from mother said you had gone to the Blue Mountains, but after that neither she, nor I have heard anything. Why did you leave Jade? Was our little village no longer enough for you?"
"I promise that I did write, to both you and your mother, yet it would appear that my letters were never received," she told him in an apologetic tone. "As for your other question…well, after you left for Rohan, and your mother remarried, I no longer felt needed, so I decided it was time to seek my own kind."
"Oh, Jade!" Brayden moaned, reaching out and engulfing her in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Forgive me for not thinking of your feelings in the matter. If I had known how you felt, I would have…" Here he stopped, not quite knowing what he had planned on saying.
"You would have what? Taken me with you? Not gone? That's foolishness," she chided him, extracting herself from his embrace with a shake of her head. "You have your own life, dear cousin. I would not have expected you to drop everything and come running, nor would I have wanted you to. It was time I struck out on my own anyway, and discovered my dwarven roots, which is what I did. I first went to Ered Luin, since it was the closest dwarf kingdom I knew of, and that's where I met the Lady Dis, King Thorin's sister…and Prince Fili's mother."
"Yes…Prince Fili…your intended," Brayden repeated, not sounding very happy about it.
"She took me under her wing, taught me so much about my heritage, and has treated me with such kindness that I will forever be in her debt." Jade couldn't help but let her respect and awe for the dam shine through in her words and tone.
"Not so indebted, I hope, that you feel obligated to marry her son," he demanded.
"Of course not!" Jade huffed. "What do you take me for, a simpleton? In fact, until I came to Erebor, I had never laid eyes on either of her sons, for Fili has a younger brother as well, Prince Kili."
"Was he the dark-haired dwarf who was standing next to your…betrothed?" Brayden asked, recalling the handsome looking dwarrow who appeared to be limping and using a cane.
"Yes, that was him," Jade nodded. "He was recently injured in a rock fall," she related, choosing not to mention that she too had been caught in the same cave in. "But they say he will make a full recovery."
"Well…I'm glad of that," the man admitted, for though he was suspicious of the dwarves' motives where his cousin was concerned, he truly did not wish them ill.
"Anyway, when Erebor was reclaimed from the dragon, Smaug, and the orcs that wished to take over were defeated – a battle which Fili and his family fought in – Dis chose to journey back to her homeland, to the Lonely Mountain."
"I heard many tales of the Battle of Five Armies," Brayden said with a hint of awe in his voice. "It took a great deal of bravery, and skill, to come through such a war alive."
"Yes, but none of them were left untouched by scars – both of the physical nature, as well as of the mind." Even if Fili had not told her such things outright, she knew them to be true. "Yet, retake the mountain they did, and made the men of Dale and the elves of Mirkwood their allies in the process. That's what brought your king to Erebor, was it not, the hope of friendly relations with the dwarves?"
"Yes, and it would appear that he was successful," Brayden smiled. "Yet, regardless of that, if you are not happy here, or in any way being coerced into this marriage, I will take you away this minute, regardless of what it might do to diplomatic relations!"
"Oh, Brayden, you haven't changed one bit," Jade said with a wistful smile. "Still the young, hot-headed man I watched grow from a little lad."
"Don't you go reminding me again that you once changed my nappies," he huffed. "We appear to be of similar age you know, and it just feels wrong that you're literally three times my senior. Still, that won't stop me from tossing you over my shoulder and storming out of here if you don't convince me of your willingness to stay."
"Then rest assured, Cousin, that I do indeed wish to stay," she stated in all seriousness. "I am happy here, everyone treats me very well, and of my own free will I have chosen to allow Prince Fili to court me. Yet, that does not mean I will eventually say yes, for that is to be decided by me, and me alone, once we have had more time to get to know each other. He has only presented me with one of the customary courting gifts, and there are still two to go. If I choose to take him as my husband, I will accept the third…but until then, I can break off our courtship at any time."
"Well…that is good to hear," he nodded, at last feeling his worry ease a bit. "Just make sure that you don't let him pressure you into anything, him being royalty and all. I'm sure he's not had much experience with people telling him no."
"You do him wrong to think so little of him, Brayden," Jade scolded. "Fili, as well as the rest of his family, lived in exile for many years, forced to survive on their wits, skills, and hard work. None of them are spoiled in any way, and they are more than aware of what it means to be denied simple things like food, shelter, and dignity. Fili would never discount my wishes, nor would he press his advantage. You have my word on that."
"Fine, I will cease thinking ill of him…for now," Brayden conceded. "But that does not mean I approve of him either. He will need to prove his worth to me before I will hand you over willingly."
"Hand me over?" Jade scoffed. "You make it sound like I'm a trinket, and that you somehow have ownership of me!"
"Well, I am your closest male relative, and it's my duty to see that you are cared for, is it not?" he demanded.
"Yes…and no," she debated. "Yes, you are my closest male relative, but no, I don't need you to take care of me. I can certainly take care of myself! In fact, who was it that protected you from that bear? Or pulled you out of the river?"
"I was only a child at the time, not the grown man I am now!" he huffed. "And by all rights, it is now my responsibility to look after you, in order to pay you back for what you did for me in the past. Thus, I will remain in Erebor and observe the actions of this prince to ascertain whether he is worthy of such a treasure as you."
"All right. But I'm only saying yes to this because I've missed you so much and look forward to catching up," Jade told him, a wide grin spreading over her face. "Now, if we are in agreement, how about we rejoin the others and see about getting you set up with a place to rest and freshen up. I am willing to bet you will be dining at the king's table tonight, and we can't have you showing up looking like a scruffy lad from the Dunlands."
"Bite your tongue, woman!" Brayden balked. "I am a Rider of Rohan now, and a skilled warrior in my own right. I assure you, I will not be embarrassing you, or anyone else."
"Good, and let's keep it that way," she smiled, standing up and taking his hand as he rose as well. "Now come, I can't wait to show you off." And out they went, ready to face the eyes of Erebor.
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After Jade and her cousin had emerged from Thorin's study the two of them headed off to see to Brayden's guest quarters, Fili spent the rest of the day thinking about what Thorin, Kili and Dwalin had said about his efforts to truly court Jade. He needed to find out if everything she had done and said thus far had all been part of their ruse, or if there was some nugget of truth amongst it all. He would like to think he had done much to sway her affections towards him, but for all Fili knew, he might be driving her away instead. Was he coming on too strong…not strong enough…or chipping away at the wrong stone completely? What was Jade thinking? What did she want? Fili could only hope the answer was him.
Taking extra time to prepare for dinner, he arrived early, wanting to make a good impression on her cousin, not wishing to get on his bad side in any way. Until now he only had to worry about impressing Jade, however, with her male cousin in the picture, Fili knew he had to up his game. He could feel both Thorin and Dwalin's eyes on him, watching and assessing his every move now that they were keenly aware of his new feelings for Jade. Fili only hoped he didn't embarrass himself in front of everyone.
When Jade and Brayden arrived, followed by Falsted and the other men who had rode with them. Each were given a place of honor and served a veritable feast of food and drink. Thorin and Dis took up the duty of conversing with Falsted, him being the highest-ranking member of the party, leaving Fili to see that Brayden was taken care of – as was his duty.
"Would you care for more ale, Sir Brayden?" Fili questioned, holding out the pitcher for the third time since the man had sat down.
"No, thank you, Your Highness," he declined politely. "Though very delicious, I fear that dwarven ale is far stronger than I'm used to, and I do not wish to take leave of my faculties. Besides, I have not seen my cousin in quite a while, and I wish to remain alert as long as possible to hear of her latest adventures here in Erebor."
"You may speak of such adventures later, Master Brayden," Kili spoke up, leaning forward as he eyed them both with a wide grin. "What we wish to hear about are stories of Jade from before she came to Erebor. What was she like as a child? Was she a quiet lass, or prone to mischief?"
"KILI!" Jade huffed, giving him a scolding glare. "I hardly think that is proper dinner conversation, and none of your business besides!"
"Come now, Cousin," Brayden told her with a laugh. "You aren't ashamed of your past, are you? Though I can think of a few very entertaining tales I could share with your friends concerning your, shall we say, misadventures."
"You wouldn't dare!" she seethed, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Oh, but I would," he countered, her glower not fazing him a bit.
"Excellent! Then do tell us!" Kili prompted, rubbing his hands together in glee. "We would love to hear anything you have to say."
"I must protest!" Jade squawked, not liking how they were ganging up on her.
"As do I," Fili intervened, not at all pleased with how distressed Jade appeared over this. And while he would have dearly loved to hear such tales of her past, he would not see her in any way put upon. "If Jade does not wish for such tales to be told, then I must insist this conversation end here and now. It is her past, and only she has the right to share them."
Fili had meant every word, and even though this seemed to upset Kili, it appeared to have impressed Brayden.
"I commend you on your defense of my little cousin," he told the prince with a polite nod of acknowledgment. "Yet, I assure you, the only reason Jade is protesting is due to her modesty, not because the stories I would tell were embarrassing. She has always been reticent to have her fine deeds made public, but I assure you, she has nothing to be self-conscious about. Nor would I ever attempt to humiliate my cousin in any way."
"I'm happy to hear that," Fili admitted, liking this man more and more as the dinner went on. "Still…I must insist that any stories being told be done with Jade's full permission."
"Please Jade!" Kili begged, giving her his best puppy dog look. "It would make my injured leg feel so much better."
"That is not going to work on me!" Jade insisted, trying to hide her little grin at the dark-haired prince's pleadings. Yet, in the end, she was unable to resist, and with a huff, she waved her hand in Brayden's direction, giving him permission to speak. "Fine…go ahead, but don't you dare attempt to make things out to be more than they were, understand?"
"I am a warrior of Rohan, and we only speak the truth!" Brayden stated, doing his best to act insulted by her command. "Thus, I will not add, or leave out, a single detail."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Jade moaned.
"That's what I was hoping for," Kili grinned, once more leaning forward, not wanting to miss a word.
"Now, I fear that I am unable to tell you much of how my cousin was as a child, seeing that she was already mostly grown by the time I was born," Brayden began. "Still, I will tell you of the time that she saved not only me, but several other children from our village from a vicious, man-eating bear that was determined to make a meal of us all." At that, Brayden launched into a fantastic tale of how Jade had bravely stood between a bear five times her size, and a group of terrified children. Risking her own life in order to spare them a horrible death. "Thankfully, a group of hunters came to our rescue before there was any bloodshed, but to this day, me and many of those in our village owe our lives to Jade and her bravery."
"I wasn't brave," she protested, her cheeks turning pink from such praise. "I was just as terrified as the rest of you. And the bear was not as big as you said."
"I don't believe the size of the predator matters in this case," Fili insisted, gazing at Jade with great admiration. "The fact that you placed yourself in danger in the protection of others is the true sign of courage. You are to be commended."
"The whole village did just that, singing her praises and celebrating her bravery," Brayden said with pride. "They even gifted her the bear's pelt as a reward for her heroism. I believe it held a place of honor in front of the family fireplace for many years after that." He turned to Jade with a questioning look. "What ever became of it?"
"I gave it to your mother when I left for Ered Luin," she explained. "I couldn't see me taking it along, and I never really felt like I deserved it anyway. So, I was happy to see it go to someone who might use it."
"What else did she do?" Kili pressed, having thoroughly enjoyed the first story and now eager for more.
"Oh, many, many things, Prince Kili," Brayden laughed, proceeding to tell several more tales of Jade's brave deeds, from saving him from the river, to how she had gone on multiple trading expeditions with her father, making friends wherever she went. All the while Jade kept breaking in and protesting when he made the situation out to be more than it was, but in the end, everyone was laughing and enjoying the man's stories…none more than Fili. "And that is why I will never ask her to cook me up a chicken stew again." Brayden finished, putting his arm around Jade and giving her a warm hug. "She was just too kindhearted to kill the wretched hen, even if all it ever did was chase everyone around and peck at their feet."
"So…if it wasn't chicken," Ori questioned in a curious tone. "What kind of meat was in the stew?"
"I never asked, and I made Jade promise to never tell me," Brayden said with a shudder. "I ate it, so I would rather remain oblivious to its contents, thank you very much."
This once again had them all laughing, causing Thorin, Dis, and Falsted to pause in their own conversation and look over at the group with interest.
"It would appear that young Brayden is finding your nephew worthy of his cousin's attentions," the man of Rohan stated with a smile. "I admit that until our ride here, I have not had the pleasure of spending time with the lad myself, but from what little I know, I admire him. He has shown a fine character."
"Good, for I feel the same way about my nephew," Thorin responded.
"As do I," Dis added. "And it would be prudent if they found common ground now, should they ever find themselves related in the future."
"Your acceptance of the Lady Jade's rather uncommon upbringing is a testament to your people, King Thorin," Falsted continued. "Brayden told me of how she had been found by his relatives and raised among men. She is a brave lass to have struck out on her own to reconnect with her dwarven roots."
"That she is," Thorin agreed. "And I have found nothing within the lass' character that I disapprove of, leaving me more than pleased at my nephew's intent to court her. She would make a fine addition to my family, as well as a future queen of Erebor."
"Yet, do you not ever wonder where she comes from?" Falsted pressed. "Who her family was or where they were going?"
"Of course we wonder," Dis replied with a sigh of regret. "As does she. Yet thus far, nothing has led us to discovering the truth."
"If she has not been able to ascertain that information with the help of my sister, I fear she might never learn the truth about such things," Thorin told him, giving Dis a smile of pride. "For my sister is nothing, if not tenacious, and I for one trust her investigative instincts more than most. If the truth is out there to be had, Dis will find it."
"Then it is fortunate that the young lady found herself in such fine company," Falsted complimented. "And I for one believe she couldn't have better friends in all of Middle Earth." He then raised his mug of ale to Thorin and Dis in a salute, downing the contents, as the king followed suit.
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The days passed quickly, with Brayden spending as much time with Jade as he could, yet knowing that he would not be allowed to tarry much longer and must soon return to Rohan.
Unfortunately, this didn't afford Fili any opportunity to get Jade alone in which to talk about his feelings or his unanswered request for a kiss. Still, he wouldn't begrudge her the time spent with her cousin, enjoying how often she smiled as she and the young man conversed and reminisced. Fili was patient. He could wait.
On what would be Brayden's final full day in the dwarf kingdom, he asked Fili to go out riding with him, under the guise of doing a bit of hunting. The crown prince saw through such a ruse immediately, yet agreed to the outing nonetheless. So, Fili found himself on the back of a pony, with a bow and arrow strung across his back as he and Brayden headed out in search of a stag.
"You know why I asked you to join me today, do you not?" Brayden asked, once they were far enough into the woods to have complete privacy.
"I suspect that you wished to speak with me where no one else could overhear," Fili admitted. "Or might you intend to kill me and hide my body? Wanting no witnesses to the act?"
This had Brayden laughing, enjoying the prince's good sense of humor.
"I truly hope you are joking and that you never dreamed me capable of such a thing," the man stated, once he was able to control his mirth. "For I fear that even if I have the height advantage, you are far superior to me when it comes to skill with a weapon and battle tactics. I fear I would be the one in need of a burial should I ever be foolish enough to challenge you, Your Highness."
"Don't sell yourself short, Brayden," Fili argued, not disagreeing with him, yet not wanting the lad to think himself inferior. "I'm certain you can hold your own in a fight."
"Oh, I can!" he insisted. "But I was referring to the fact that Jade would certainly murder me in my sleep if I ever dared to interfere in her courtship like that."
This now had both the males laughing together, lessening the tension that had grown between them as they rode.
"Then why exactly did you wish to get me alone, if not to do me bodily harm?" Fili joked.
"To tell you that I approve of you, Prince Fili," Brayden confessed. "Jade is special to me, and not simply because she is my adoptive cousin. There has always been more to her than meets the eye, and I pity the fool who ever dares to underestimate, or under-value, her worth. From what I've observed, you are no fool."
"And I would never treat her so callously," Fili broke in, wanting to make his point clear.
"That is indeed good to hear," Brayden nodded. "Her parents named her Jade because of her vibrant green eyes, but also because she was as a precious jewel to them. Everyone in our village came to believe the same thing. I just want you to realize what a treasure you are getting in Jade."
"I have come to appreciate many things about your cousin," Fili assured him. "And I'm certain I will continue to discover more and more of her fine qualities as time goes on. Yet, I promise that I will never take her for granted, nor will I treat her as anything but the amazing dwarrowdam that she is. You shall never have cause to seek retribution for any of my actions, this I swear."
"I'm happy to hear that, for as I stated before, I doubt I would be able to take you in a fair fight," Brayden reminded him. "Still, for Jade's sake, I'm willing to fight dirty. Don't forget that."
"I won't," Fili solemnly stated.
"Well, then, since we have all of that out of the way, and you and I are in agreement where Jade is concerned, what say we see if we can indeed find a stag to feast upon during my last night here in Erebor," Brayden suggested.
And kicking their mounts into a full gallop, the two of them headed deeper into the forest.
Well, it looks like Fili got Brayden's stamp of approal at last. But come on, did anyone doubt he would?
And Brayden, for all his protiective traits, wasn't such a bad guy after all...and Kili enjoyed his stories.
Now, it's up to Fili to prove to her that he wants this courtship to become real...will he at last get the chance to do it?
Tune in next time to find out.
No Guest Reviews this time.
*sad face*