After Thorin's return, Laurelin and him slowly slipped back into their quiet, daily routine. It was mostly the same routine as before Thorin's departure : during the day they both worked (Thorin in the forge, and Laurelin in the house), and then in the evening Thorin had his bath, and then they both ate dinner together. Always together. Whenever Laurelin siad she had no time to eat, Thorin insisted and said he would eat nothing as long as she would not sit at the table with him, and in the end Laurelin always yielded. And once the meal was over and the table cleared, they both spent their evenings together. On cold nights they were sitting inside, playing cards or other games or reading a book together, but when the nights were warm they went to sit outside in the grass, behind the house, to watch the bats dance gracefully in the sky and to listen to the song of the crickets. Laurelin loved those moments, and she loved all the evening smells – the subtle and delicate smell of mountain flowers in full blossom, the strong smell of newly cut grass slowly turning into hay, the smell of dew and earth and life. Laurelin always felt so alive in these moments. She truly felt part of this world, as if she belonged to this place – not because her house was here, but because the mountains themselves had accepted her. It was a strange thought – a silly thought, even – yet every time she gazed at the old grey mountains with their snow-covered peaks, she couldn't help but thank them for letting the folk of Durin live here, in peace and quiet. But what she liked even more than the smells and the beauty of the Blue Mountains, was Thorin's presence at her side. He was never far. She could feel his closeness when they sat together on the blanket, and it made everything even more beautiful.
A few things had changed, though, since Thorin had returned from his journey.
He was now even more mindful of Laurelin as he was before. He constantly made sure she had everything she needed, everything she wanted. And he talked to her more, too – at the beginning opening up had been hard for him, because it was not in his nature to complain to other people avbout this or that problem, but with time it became easier nd easier for him to talk about such things with Laurelin. She always listened to him and tried to offer him her advice, and she always found a way to make him feel better. He came to confide his fears and his most intimate thoughts to her more and more often, when they were alone together, in the evenings. He also asked for her opinion about more trivial matters, like the weapons he was forging or the small decisions he had to take as a King. It was important for him to know what Laurelin thought about it, because she always gave him good advice. Her wisdom soon became indispensable to him.
But there was also another change in Thorin's attitude towards Laurelin : he touched her more often, now. Sometimes, when he was worried about Laurelin, or when he talked with her about very important – or very personal – matters, he took her small hand in his and kept it there for a long time. He liked feeling the warmth of her skin against his. It always made him feel better, even after a hard day of work – like a soothing balm on a burning wound. After a while, touching her became so natural to him that he did it without thinking. His hand just reached out on its own to find Laurelin's, as if they were made to be linked together.
Laurelin, on her side, never denied him this small pleasure. She knew he needed it, and she also enjoyed this pysical contact whenever it happened.
Slowly, their bond grew stronger and stronger. Each moment they spend together was like a new threat that strenghtened their friendship.
A few weeks after Thorin's return, as the hot summer turned into a warm, glowing autmun with fiery red trees and silvery mornings bathed in fog, Thorin came to see Laurelin one morning. She was peeling potatoes for the midday meal, and she was quite surprised to see Thorin in the house when she thought him busy in the forge.
« I need to go and see Balin. » he told her, showing her a perfectly rolled piece of parchment. Laurelin recognized Master Balin's elegant handwriting. « Can you please see that the fire doesn't go out in the forge ? »
« Of course. » she answered, wondering what could be important enough to get Thorin to leave his work. But she didn't ask, though If Thorin wanted her to know about it, he would talk about it soon enough, she knew it.
« Do you need something from the market ? » he asked. « Since I won't be far, I can get you a thing or two, if you need. »
« Oh no, my King, I've already bought everything I need yesterday. »
And even if she had needed something, she would have gotten it herself. She wouldn't have asked it of him. The idea that Thorin himself – that she still saw as her King, in spite of the growing tenderness between them – had to go and buy things for her, as if he were a mere lowborn lackey, was inconceivable.
After saying good-bye, Thorin left the house and Laurelin went about her own business for the rest of the morning. When Thorin came home at last, he just wolfed down his meal and hurried back to the forge, to finish the sword he had been working on before being interrupted. He didn't stop for hours and hours, and night was almost falling when he reappeared in the kitchen, looking exhausted but quite happy. He bathed quickly, then they ate together the hearty dinner Laurelin had prepared : roast meat seasoned with herbs, vegetables from the garden, and a heavy loaf of dark bread with cereals. It was simple food, but it was good and they both emptied their plates in no time.
Afterwards, since the nights were starting to get fresh, they chose to stay indoors. As usually, they sat in front of the fire, side by side. Very close to each other. Thorin enjoyed this closeness with Laurelin, and they played dice for a while, chattering and joking and laughing and enjoying themselves after a long day of work.
After two games, though, Thorin got up again.
Puzzled, Laurelin looked up at him ; usually they playing much longer than just two games, but maybe he was very tired tonight ?
« I'll be right back. » he said with a strange smile on his lips.
When he came back, a few minutes later, he had something in his hand. A small parcel wrapped in green leaves, and bound with sisal ropes. Laurelin recognized where it came from at once . She oftenv vivited Udwig's shop, and knew the woman used such leaves to wrap her cheeses.
« I... I told you we don't need anything from the market, didn't I ? » she asked, trying to remember the conversation they had before Thorin had left the house.
In fact, they still had almost half a wheel of cheese in the pantry. It would be enough for several weeks.
So what is this all about ? she wondered.
A beaming smile stretched Thorin's lips as he put the parcel into Laurelin's hands.
« Open it. » he said cheerfully.
Curious, Laurelin didn't lose any time to obey. She opened the knot with her deft fingers, then she softly unwrapped the leave. She gasped in surprise when she saw what was inside : not the cheap and common goat cheese of the mountains, as the one they still had in the panty, but rich and creamy cheese made with cow milk. Very few people could afford to raise milk cows in the mountains, because these animals were not made to live at such an altitude, on steep rocky mountainsides – so cow cheese was terribly expensive. Laurelin smelled it, and sighed in delight.
« It smells wonderful. » she said, trying to guess how much it had cost.
« I was sure you would like it. » Thorin replied, looking fondly at her.
Laurelin wrapped it in its leaf again and put in the pantry, where the cool air would keep it fresh for a long time. Then they spent the rest of the evening playing, warmed by the fire as much as by the pleasure of being together.
Once they were too tired to concentrate on the tiny numbers written on the dice, they cleared the game away and they just sat there, on the thick and comfortable sheepsking, watching the fire. For a very long time, Laurelin had been unable to watch a fire, because it used to remind her so strongly of her parent's death, the day Smaug had attacked Erebor. But as the years had gone by, she had learned to overcome that old fear, and now the fireplace had become her favourite part of the house – even more so when Thorin was sitting next to her, like he was tonight. They didn't talk, but it was a very comfortable silence. Laurelin felt good, and contented.
Suddenly, without saying a word, Thorin put his arm around Laurelin's shoulders. He hadn't really decided to do it. Not consciously, anyways. He had just been so relaxed that he had allowed his arm to do what he had unconsciously wanted – but not dared – to do for a very long time. It was a very natural, very spontaneous gesture, full of tenderness.
Utterly surprised, Laurelin looked up at him, and they shared a long, affectionate look.
After a while she relaxed in his arms and cuddled against him, against the warmth of his strong body. She realized at once that it was a good place to be.
Thorin watched her for a moment, surprised to see how quickly and how comfortably she had settled herself against him, as if she had unconsciously been waiting for this to happen. As if she had found her true place where she wanted to stay for the rest of her life.
He sighed, then he breathed in her smell.
He looked out of the open window at the dark sky filled with sparkling stars. A few birds were still singing, and a dog barked in the far distance. The air was full of the delicate fragrance of the lilac trees standing in front of the house.
This night was perfect, he reflected, as his eyes fell back on Laurelin.
This moment was was perfect.
On the next morning, Laurelin greeted Thorin with a beaming smile, and she explained to him that she was about to prepare a very special meal with the cheese he had bought for her. Thorin couldn't help but smile as he was faced with her joyful mood. He had hesitated for a very long time before buying the cheese, because he wanted to buy something that would really make her happy, and now he was glad she enjoyed it. Seeing her smile was wonderful.
He spent the morning working on arrow heads, but when the bells rang in the village, at midday, he was even more eager than usual to see what Laurelin had prepared. The smell coming from the kitcen was delicious, in any case.
« I hope you will like it, my King. » she said, looking both very pleased and a bit anxious. « This cheese was probably so expensive, I just hope I didn't spoil it... »
« I'm sure you didn't. » Thorin said reassuringly.
They sat at the table together, and they ate the pie Laurelin had prepared. When Thorin used his knif to cut the crisp and golden crust, a thick white cream poured out of it. It was stufed with meat and mushrooms and molten cheese, and the smell was just divine. Thorin felt his stomach rumble loudly. He served Laurelin the first part, then he put another one into his own plate. He had never been so impatient to start eating.
And when his plate was empty, he realized the pie had been even better than what he had expected by smelling it.
« This was the most wonderful meal I've eaten in a long time, » he said. « I just hope it wasn't too much trouble for you to prepare it. »
« Oh no, it was easy enough. I'm just not used to using such expensive products. It was new, to me. I was terribly afraid I would make a mess of it. »
« You did wonderfully, as usual. You're an amazing cook, Laurelin. »
« You shouldnt have bought such expensive food. » she said, feeling a bit ill at ease because she knew he had bought it only for her, as a gift.
« I wanted to buy something special to make you happy. » he explained, shrugging. « Something that you do not eat every day. »
« There would have been more important things to pay with this money. »
« What good is there to work hard every day and earn money, if you can't use this money to please the people who count for you ? »
Laurelin didn't know how to reply to this question, so she just smiled.
« Thank you, my King. » she said once more. « It did make me happy. »
In truth, what made her really happy was not the cheese in itself, but the fact that it came from Thorin himself. His gesture had touched her. Some woman may want jewelry and expensive furs, but Laurelin needed no more than a piece of cheese to be happy – as long as it came from the right person, of course.
Slowly, weeks and months went by, without any noticeable changes. Every now and then, Thorin came home with other small surprises for Laurelin : dried and salted hams, rare fruits or vegetables coming from other parts of the world, cakes and pastries stuffed with sugar and cream, and once he even brought her a small shrub to plant in her garden.
« It will produce very tasty berries, in autmun, » he told her, and Laurelin hurried to plant it in a shady spot of her garden.
Every time, Thorin was so happy to see her smiling that he could barely contain his enthusiasm. He was proud to be the one who brought this smile on her lips, and taking care of her always left him with a deep, heart-warming feeling of satisfaction.
After so many years of taking care of Thorin, Laurelin now deserved to be taken care of, and he liked the idea of being the one who did it.