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Kay thanks bye! Enjoy the chapter! I MIGHT upload another one tomorrow. Might. No idea. I've got some time now that I'm on break. Really need to catch up. Just started work on chapter nine. Needing some inspiration somewhere...
Chapter Five; Ninian, Daughter of Hurush
This morning did not feel quite as rough and exhausting as the last few had been. There were two thoughts that powered me through my morning duties and sent me off toward the next maiden: First being the thought of meeting Leith afterward and having a nice chat about anything whatsoever, and secondly, meeting with my Company.
We had made it a tradition to meet at least once a month, whether it be with mugs of ale or plates of food, to remember those who are no longer with us and to, in lack of a better word, socialize. I always made sure each Dwarf was happy with his living conditions, his job and any other thing that might be bothering him. The rest of the city may slowly forget of their heroic deeds, but I, for one, will not. After what they sacrificed, I took it upon myself to see them all happy.
At last I found myself near the doors of the banquet hall, bowing to a lovely maiden dressed in pea green. Her red hair was up and her gray eyes flashed kindly at my arrival.
"It is lovely to meet your acquaintance, King Thorin Oakenshield." She bowed, her hair swaying as she moved, "Your stories do no justice to you appearance."
"That is kind of you." I murmured, straightening from my bow. Surprisingly, this one seemed normal enough upon first glance, "You know my name, but I'm afraid I have yet to hear yours."
"Ninian, daughter of Hurush." She said with a small smile, "We are of the Firebeard Clan and live under your cousin in the Iron Hills."
"Ah yes, you are not the first from the Iron Hills, and I expect there to be plenty." I rambled on. I could not find the right words to piece together, and it was rather unnerving. I always knew what to say- at least, up until now.
"That is probably true." She agreed, "I recognize a few of them."
"Well Ninian." I interrupted the awkward silence that had fallen as we walked slowly along the corridors, "Tell me about yourself. Do you have siblings? Who is your mother? What do you do to pass the time? Erm, things like that."
"Well, my mother is Rufina, but I'm the only child they have. I was their lucky baby." She began with a smile, eyes glazing as she reminisced, "My parents tried for years for a baby, then low and behold I came along. They never tried again, so I am quite lonely. You have a sister, correct?"
"Yes, Dís. But I also had a younger brother." I explained, hands clasped behind my back as we walked, "Frerin. He was killed in the battle of Azanuilbizar, though, many years ago."
"Ah... I'm sorry for your loss." Ninian placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, "I've lost many in my short years as well."
"The line of Durin is strong though." I continued, hardly noticing the last part of her sentence, "But I shouldn't be selfish. Who have you lost, Ninian?"
"Well, only my past husbands." Ninian shrugged lightly, hardly batting an eyelash.
I stopped in my tracks, brows creasing despite my surprise. Dwarves married once their entire lives, even if their spouse succumbed to disease or war. To find a Dwarf looking to marry again, let alone after having more than one spouse prior was... odd, to say in the least. But this immediately marked Ninian out of the running for queen, as a king could never take a married Dwarf.
"You've been married before." I sighed. Ninian was nice enough compared to some that came before her and it was a shame she could not be chosen. I blinked, wiping the thought from my mind. Even if she had never been married, she was not nearly as interesting as Leith had been in the first few minutes. It was just reassuring that there was more than one "normal" maiden to meet... or at least, had been.
"Oh yes." Ninian said a bit too brightly, "Seven times, to be exact."
"Seven?" I choked. I thought I had heard her incorrectly, and could not understand what could possibly drive a Dwarf, let along anyone, to marry seven times, "What... happened to them, might I ask?"
"Well Swidun fell down a mine shaft, his rope snapped, Oswin got an incurable disease, Kenelm left, I suppose, Roshanak died in a battle against Orcs, Sigihild was eaten by a Warg, Idunn choked to death and Peudhar just did not wake one morning." She said all of this with a quaint smile.
"Hmm." A strangled note escaped my throat, "Well I am sorry to leave you, but I am afraid I have a meeting with my sister. Until the last day, Ninian."
I bowed and slipped away without another word, eyes already searching desperately for Leith. I had seen a flash of sadness cross Ninian's eyes, but I did not feel sorry for her. Quite the contrary, actually: I felt rather cross, and was glad I had an excuse to leave before I could speak my mind. She was a fool for thinking she could take an eighth husband and make herself a queen, only to "dispose" of this one as she had before, no doubt.
I found Leith waiting outside the library as I thought she would be and garbed in light blue, a fitting color for her complexion and eyes. Her smile immediately lifted my heart, but apparently my own smile was not true enough.
"Ah, what happened with this one?" Leith chuckled as I neared, "Even your wrinkles look exhausted."
"Well," I murmured, rubbing beneath my eye subconsciously, "She was fine. Kind. Caring. But..."
"But...?" Leith prompted, her head tilting in question. Was that a twinge of surprise I saw cross her face while I spoke?
"She has been married." I let the words sink in before I finished my sentence, "Seven times."
"Oh, but she must be lying!" Leith gasped, eyes widening.
"What would compel her to lie about whom she has married to a king who might make her a queen?" I questioned, shoulders slumped.
"Perhaps she did not want to marry you?" Leith considered, her lower lip disappearing beneath her teeth.
"She appeared to be too happy." I argued.
"Well, what happened to each of them? Surely she cannot be divorced from all seven."
"Oh no," I chuckled darkly, "All seven either disappeared or died."
We stood in an extremely uneasy silence, Leiths eyes searching my own.
"Well, there goes another one." She laughed awkwardly, rubbing at her arm nervously, "At least the decision will not be difficult to make."
"Yes." I sighed, "At least."
"Well, I should not keep you from your sister and Balin." Leith insisted, reaching for the library handles.
"Ah, there will not be a meeting until later tonight." I said lightly, holding my hands up to stop her, "I am meeting with my Company for a drink."
"Sounds exciting." Leith nodded, "I guess I shall be on my way then."
"But you may come, if you would like to." As before, I would rather have Leiths presence than not, "Dís will be there as well, and would make good company if the others become rowdy."
"If you do not mind, my l-" She stopped herself, biting her lip with a shake of her head, "Thorin. If you do not mind, Thorin, I would love to meet the rest of your company."
A bar deep inside of Dale was the choice for this evening. Though most of my men would rather keep to the inside of Erebor, there were few places large enough to meet, yet rowdy enough for our liking. If I recalled correctly, the name of the bar was 'The Red Scale', newly named after the reforming of the city.
Leith and I were the last ones there most likely, as I had taken my time walking with her. I was in no hurry- I enjoyed our Company meetings, but I did not want to rush Leith in too quickly. They were a rowdy bunch that showed few manners when drunk, and I hoped that my being late would hold them off on their ale escapades.
"'The Red Scale'." Leith murmured as I held the door open for her, "Any relation to Smaug?"
"It would seem so." I chuckled, following her through the door.
The tavern was moderately filled- not too crowded, but there were still a few seats open here and there. Our group had reserved the room in the back, just in case the noise became a problem for the rest of the customers. Fights were the last thing we needed.
I led Leith back to the room, dodging in and out of tables, seats and drunkards. Leith was the only women in sight, minus the serving girl of course, and if I was not quick enough, she was bound to draw unwanted attention.
Opening the door to the back almost completely shot my ears, as the sound was a one eighty turn from the quiet men of Dale who enjoyed their ale in silence.
"Took your time, did ya, laddie?" Óin called, the rest of the Dwarves cheering and raising their mugs.
"Because I found someone I would like you all to meet." I called over the ruckus, stepping aside to let Leith through the wooden doorway. Luckily they all remembered their manners and the scraping of chairs against the wooden floor filled the room as they all stood.
"What a surprise." Balin said warmly, "You forgot to mention you were bringing a friend, Thorin."
"But I wanted to meet you all so badly." Leith interjected before I could open my mouth, "I wanted to thank you for what you did. Reclaiming Erebor, that is. My family did not live here as some of yours may have, but I can see it in the faces of the people, the happiness, you brought them all. A happiness I have yet to see anywhere else in Middle Earth, especially in Ered Luin. And now that I am living here, I am very grateful. Because I am happy."
Leith's speech caught all of us off guard, and a silence soon fell over the room. It was not surprising, hearing such words come from her, but I never knew how she felt toward the others.
"I do not mean to shower you with praises if you do not wish it." Leith began to stutter nervously when no one spoke, twisting at her skirt, "Or disrespect anyone in showing up uninvited, I- I just-"
"No." Bofur shook his head with a mustached smile, his hat flaps bouncing against his braids, "We all appreciate it, we really do. We just aren't hero's, miss, and you need not treat us as such."
"Leith." She breathed, smiling back to Bofur, "My name is Leith."
"She was the first maiden I met," I explained, taking a seat in an empty chair at the end of the table, Balin on my left and Leith taking a seat to my right, "You all remember Balin's idea for finding a queen."
"As if we could forget!" Bombur exclaimed, his great gut jiggling as he laughed, "So, what are the chances of you choosing the barbarian?"
"You told the others." I sighed to Balin, the rest of the Company guffawing.
Balin merely shrugged, a laughing glint in his eyes.
"That young one may make a good wife," Glóin was hardly able to contain himself, "In forty years!"
The ruckus began again as hands slapped the table and clapped shoulders, sloshed ale and held rumbling stomachs.
"Entertaining as usual." I chuckled with a deadpan voice when the noise had died down, "However, I think it is unfair that you all know Leith and she has only met a handful of the rest of you." I began to signal to the Dwarves closest to her and going down and around the table, "Here we have Dori, Nori and Ori, they are all brothers, and of course you have met Ori in the library, Bofur and Bombur, they, too, are brothers, with their cousin Bifur. He will not say much, as you might tell by the ax in his forehead. If he has anything to say to you, we can translate. Next are my own cousins, Oin and Gloin, and then Balin, who you have also met and-..." I paused as I surveyed the table, "Where is Dwalin? And Dís for that matter."
"She was not feeling so well." Balin explained, glancing to the others quickly, "Dwalin went to escort her home."
"I see." I said after a moments hesitation, not exactly enthralled by the idea of my Dwalin walking Dís home. I trusted my sister and my cousin, but she was royalty and others were bound to talk if they misunderstood Dwalin's intentions, "I will go check on her then. Perhaps next time, my friends."
"Oh no, I will go check on her, Thorin." Leith stood from her chair, the rest of the Dwarves hurrying to their feet as she rose, some chairs falling over in their haste.
"Are you sure?" I was surprised she would take such a chore- she had only met Dís once and did not know how fiery my sister could be when she was ill, "Do you even know where she resides?"
"Of course!" Leith smiled, something hidden behind her eyes, "She has invited me over before."
"Oh." I felt my mouth form into a circle as I watched Leith leave with a bow to the others. I only realized after she had left that I should have escorted her back to Erebor. She seemed to have settled in the last few days, and her cautious side all but disappeared.
"On a first name basis, eh?" Glóin chuckled, winking my direction.
I said nothing but simply raised my brows, closing the discussion after a few moments of laughter.
"Well, what of today?" Nori called down the table, "Does this Leith have some competition?"
"Hmm." My throat rumbled as I reached for the ale the others had placed before me, but held off on bringing it to my lips, "She has been married before."
My ears expected laughter, but they had all fallen silent instead.
"No one knows the whereabouts of one of them, and the other six supposedly died in accidents." I finally took a swig of the golden liquid, awaiting a response of some sort.
"You've got to be joking!" Dori exclaimed, leaning back in the wooden chair, "Seven husbands?!"
"And all of them mysteriously dead or gone." Bofur added with a shake of his head, "Disgusting."
Few words were exchanged afterward, and instead we drank our cares away. Even I drank a few too many. By the end of our fun, we were all swaying and chuckling on our way back to Erebor.
I still had it in mind to check on Dís, despite what Leith had said. She was my sister, after all, and sending Dwalin or Leith to keep her well was not a brotherly thing to do.
I cursed myself under my breath as I stumbled against a pillar, my vision blurring under the alcohol. Only a few more halls and steps and I would be to my sisters living quarters.
The steps were more difficult than I had perceived in my drunken state, and there were multiple times I almost rolled all the way back to the level before.
I groggily told myself this was the last time I would drink so heavily, but wondered how long it would take to break that promise.
I had finally reached the ornately carved door of Dís' room, and held up my fist to knock when it suddenly swung open, the hinges creaking lightly.
Instead of my sister, I found Leith, staring back at me with a similar look of surprise mirroring my own.
"Thorin. I didn't expect you to be back in Erebor so soon." She said, pushing me gently back a few steps as she shut the door behind her.
"Well, I thought I'd check on Dís." I slurred, trying to keep my head from fogging.
"She is alright." Leith insisted, not moving from the door. A twinge of anger burned through my gut.
"Why won't you let me in?" I grumbled, trying to push by her.
"Well for one, you are drunk, and secondly, your sister would rather talk to Dwalin now, and not you." Leith held firm to her spot in front of the door, face revealing nothing.
"Dwalin?" I mumbled, "Why Dwalin?"
"Your sister has been feeling lonely, Thorin." Leith sighed, "She enjoys his company."
"Am I not company enough?" I could not comprehend whether Leith meant friendly company, or perhaps something more.
"She values your friendship, Thorin, and mine, but would like Dwalin instead, for the moment." Leith explained, a look of annoyance flashing through her blue eyes.
"Lonely, you say?" I grunted, eyebrows furrowing.
"Since the loss of her sons, of course." Leith insisted, "Would you not feel the same?"
"Feel the same?" I whispered, taking a step back to balance myself, "I may not have lost sons, but I lost my nephews, Leith. I feel the same as my sister, and who better to comfort her than I?"
"Can you not leave your sister alone for one minute?" Leith flung her hands in the air, exasperation dripping from her voice.
"My sister is married." I growled, it becoming clear to me why my sister enjoyed Dwalin's company so well, "She does not need Dwalin. It is against the law."
"Her husband died at your side and you waited two years to tell her of his death." Leith held an accusing finger pointed toward my face, growling the words out. Dís and she must have been speaking to one another, "She lived in hope for two years that Airíli would come back only to have you tell her her hope was in vain. She has lived many years without her husband. Why can she not be happy once more?"
"You would not understand." I snorted, turning from her and making my way back to my room, "You are not a royal. If commoners want to remarry after their husband has passed, so be it. Let them be shunned from society, but to have an heir of Durin do so? She will bring dishonor to my name."
"Thorin, your sister should be more important to you than your own image!" Leith exclaimed from behind, no doubt following closely at my heels, "When Airíli died the only thing that kept her from death was her two sons, and now that both of them lie beneath her feet, she has no one left to live for."
"What about me?" I roared, twisting on my heel and grabbing at Leith's wrist, "Am I not good enough for my sister? Why could she not tell me this to my face instead of sending you?"
Leith ripped her wrist from my grasp, cheeks flushed in anger.
"She knew you would react like this." She rubbed at her wrist, hurt apparent in her eyes. Had I grabbed her that tightly?
"I guess it was a good thing I did not send the other maidens away." I growled, unable to find any other words for Leith, "Good day, miss."
Fatigue and blurriness forgotten, I trudged away, back toward my room and away from the infuriating women left standing in the halls.
My sister, under any circumstances, would never be allowed to be alone with Dwalin again. Let her be lonely. I will lock her in her room if that is the only solution. And Leith. Who had known she would mettle in affairs that did not involve her? How long had she and my sister spoken? What had they said about me behind my back?
I placed my hand on my cool, steal door nob, my anger melting slowly. I could feel an ache in my chest that did not settle well.
What had I done?
The image I had awoken to after the battle was burned to my mind. I watch feebly as a thought played out, eyes closed as I tried to bare it. I was watching the burial of Dís, driven to take her own life as she felt alone in the world with a brother who would not allow her to be happy.
I pushed my forehead against my door, angry tears at the corner of my eyes.
How could I be so foolish? And the things I said to Leith... This drinking was the cause of it.
I wished to return to Leith, to apologize, beg if I must, for her forgiveness. To take back the words I had thrown out so carelessly. But in my condition, I would only make matters worse. I shakily opened my door and stepped in, hopeful to make amends tomorrow afternoon.
Pronunciations;
Ninian- "nin-ee-ann"
Hurush- "who-roosh"
Rufina- "roo-feen-uh"
Swidhun- "swid-un"
Oswin- "oz-win"
Kenelm- "ken-elm"
Roshanack- "rosh-ann-ack"
Sigihild- "sig-i-hild"
Idunn- "i-dun"
Peudhar- "pew-dar"
There we go! We've got some conflict. Maybe Leith isn't as perfect as Thorin thinks...
I'd love some feedback everyone! c:
And what do you think is going on with Dís and Dwalin, eh?
Don't forget to leave you thoughts!
~The Penned Tekrid