I'm sorry for the delay in updating again. I'm very busy with work and preparations for my big half-year journey to Ireland at the moment, so I hope you'll forgive me if updates come a bit sporadically at the moment… I'm doing my best :)
BooksEqualsLife: Oh my. I don't even know what to say to tell you how much I appreciated your review. So I'm just gonna squeal and say thank you, thank you, thank you! :D I read it and was just blown away, thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really happy that you like the story so much and Tarya (because she's my baby, let's be real xD) and just… Wow. Thank you! :D And to tell you the truth, I have no idea where everyone suddenly got the idea to slap me with fish but I gotta tell you, it's pretty efficient. No one wants to get slapped with a fish :D
Nimtheriel: Well, I like your orc hunter ending, maybe I'll just throw everything else out and make them do that :D And you're right, if you can survive listening to Bombur rhapsodize about cake, you can survive most everything :D I'm really glad you liked the chapter!
mh21: Thank you so much for your review! I really appreciate your words, because it really is rather difficult for me at times to convey things as I want to when writing in a language that is not my own. It always takes time and effort :D I'm glad you like the story and Tarya and my writing (always very nice to hear that :D) and you're right that a character like Tarya might have changed things from canon. I played around with a few ideas from time to time but in the end, I didn't really want to change the story but bring in a different point of view with Tarya, because she perceives many things differently than the dwarves or even Bilbo, simply because of who she is and her own history. So, yeah, that's that :D But I'm really glad that it didn't distract from the story even though you may have liked to see some things differently :)
Thanks to Promise1982, Hiding in the Shadow, Akilah Swiftblade, Borys68, Eruwaedhiel95, MaxRideandPercyJackson4ever, TheShawndaLee, Dalonega Noquisi, kaia, Angel of the Nightwatchers, MrsGooglyBear and Teshka for your reviews! I read them all with great pleasure! :D
And as always, thanks to those who followed and favourited!
Now, go, read and have a lovely day! :)
Three days had passed since Tarya's talk with Kili and their night passed sleeping by each other's side. Not much had changed, and yet Tarya felt completely different than she had on that night. Or more precisely, she was slowly beginning to feel different and that was more than she had ever hoped for when she had woken up from her months-long sleep. It was as if she had been holding herself back, allowing herself to dwell on her losses and her pain and let it define her as she had let herself be defined by the people of the mountain, by Lord Dain. The night spent by Kili's side had been improper in terms of societal standards but it had done her more good than she had experienced during the weeks before. Memories had still tormented her dreams as they had for a long time now every night, and yet she had slept quieter than usual, feeling safe and sound in Kili's arms. Neither of them had cared that their behaviour was improper, and neither had they cared that Oìn had found them the next morning, cuddled up in each other's arms, one of them still half-naked. The healer had merely raised his eyebrows pointedly at them, and had crossed his arms before his chest, staring at them until Kili had finally cleared his throat awkwardly and left the room, though not without collecting his tunic from the floor and pressing a departing kiss on her forehead.
Since then, Tarya had not allowed herself to wallow in self-pity any longer. Instead, she had thrown herself head first into the plans she had made, which had caused her to spend the majority of the last days in the library together with Ori. He had made time for her each day after Borin's lessons and Tarya always greeted the boy kindly whenever they crossed paths, him leaving the library and her entering. The Amarok had never given much thought to the process of learning before, at least not in the way she was doing it now. Of course, she had learned many things in her years, though all of them had been of a rather practical manner than of the intellectual sort. She had learned how to hunt, how to use her claws and fangs in the most effective way to rip open her prey's throat, she had learned how to swim rivers that were cutting across her paths, she had learned to smell and listen to the different traits of wildlife, the forest. She had trained her instincts, and knew when danger was near and when it was better to withdraw from a potential threat if it was too great to fight. Tarya knew how to hide in the shadows.
The Amarok knew that adjusting to her new life meant learning a great many new things, and she had already learned a few by now. She knew how to braid someone's hair thanks to Kili, she knew how to wield weapons thanks to all her companions that had accompanied the journey and taken some time to teach her what they knew, each of them having different choices of weapons and different styles of fighting. Tarya knew how to tie a knot to keep her pants in place on her hips, she knew how to blow smoke rings from a pipe out of her mouth thanks to Fili, and she knew how to eat like a lady thanks to Bilbo.
Yet, learning how to read and write was proving to be more difficult than her previous lessons. For now, Ori had said, she was merely learning the use of Westron and once she would manage that, he would teach her to write and read in dwarvish runes.
"How are you doing?" she suddenly heard a voice speak calmly from behind her, and Tarya's quill halted on the parchment for a moment as she became aware of Ori peeking over her shoulder to see what she was writing. The Amarok looked down at the wobbly 'R' before her and sighed quietly.
"It doesn't really look like yours does," she muttered, slightly frustrated as she looked from her letters to the ones Ori had written down in a line for her as an example to copy from when she was writing whole words. Each letter was adorned with a small drawing of something that started with it, something that had been rather fun for Tarya, for Ori kept drawing little things for her if she managed to write them down for him first. At the moment, on her parchment were scribbled the words for 'moon' next to which Ori had drawn a small crescent moon hidden partially behind a wall of dark clouds. 'House' had been her next word and again, Ori had drawn a little – very cosy looking – house next to the letters.
'River' was the one she was struggling with at the moment, for she couldn't seem to get the R's quite right yet.
"It does look better already, though," Ori encouraged her as he took a seat next to her by the table. Tarya smiled slightly, silently thanking him for his patience. She knew her own was prone to waning rather quickly. Even Kili had told her so when they had still been on the road and he had done his best to teach her how to use a bow and arrow. Tarya wasn't a very patient person. "You just need to keep practicing, that's all. You've been at it for only three days and see what you are able to do already. I wish all my students were as ambitious as you are."
"Now you're just flattering," Tarya chuckled quietly, returning to her task as she slowly dragged the tip of the quill over the parchment, watching as the dark blue ink spread in a thin line as she carefully moved her hand. She wasn't really aware of her lips pressing together in a concentrated gesture, neither of Ori smiling quietly as he watched her write. The Amarok wrote the word 'river' four more times until she was more or less happy with the form of her R, then she turned towards Ori, smiling proudly and raising her eyebrows at him. "Good enough for a drawing?"
"It was good enough two tries ago already," he grinned in amusement at her perfectionism before he nodded and pulled the parchment closer to himself, using his own quill to draw a small riverbank next to her words. Tarya stared at it in fascination as he pushed the finished work back towards her, a small smile playing on her lips. She hesitated for a moment then, a sudden thought entering her mind as she twisted the quill nervously between her fingers. Tarya shot Ori a short glance before she returned her gaze to the parchment before her, slowly starting to write another word. It took her a little while to get it right, for she took care of writing it carefully and without any mistakes at the first try. Slowly, she dragged the tip of the quill over the parchment, pressing her lips together as she watched the letters gain form before her eyes. Once she had finished, she put the quill to the side and slowly leaned back in her chair. Ori shot her a questioning look before he reached out for the parchment and carefully pulled it towards him to read what she had written down.
'Oakenshield', the words read and Tarya returned Ori's gaze calmly as he shot her a slightly concerned look. But upon not finding any sign of great distress on her face, he slowly averted his gaze and bent over the piece of parchment. Tarya could hear the tip of his quill scratching over the surface as he was drawing and she sat quietly, her muscles tensed slightly as she awaited the outcome. She had not wanted to write the dwarf-king's actual name, at least not yet, not until she was truly ready and able to write it as faultlessly as it deserved to be written. But she would write Thorin's name some day, she knew, as it was engraved on his tombstone in dwarvish letters. If only to show him that she could make something of herself, something more than just 'the wolf'. She was sure he'd know, somehow. And maybe he'd even be a bit proud.
"I wonder where it has ended up," Ori muttered as he drew the last few lines of a very accurate looking shield of oak wood. Tarya glanced over at the drawing, looking at the drawn arm attached to the shield that went up to a broad shoulder and then up to one half of a very familiar face. She was amazed how much Ori could draw just from memory, and how accurate it looked. There on the piece of parchment before her was Thorin, looking out into nothingness as he held his shield tightly in his left hand. "He lost it, do you remember?"
"Yes," Tarya said quietly as her gaze lingered on the picture. "I do. It was during Azog's first attack, wasn't it? After we had just escaped the goblins."
"Oh, the goblins," Ori pulled a face and Tarya chuckled quietly as she looked at him. "Nasty little things they were."
"But weren't their songs just catchy?" Tarya teased lightly, keeping the smile on her face even though she didn't really like remembering what had happened in the goblin tunnels. If she thought too much about it, she could still feel their whips coming down on her back like the sharp bite of a deadly snake. Ori shot her a deadpan look and Tarya just raised his eyebrows at him, amused by his reaction.
"Oh yes," the scribe said, rolling his eyes at her with a small smile. "Very neat, indeed. In fact, I think they are going to be the classics of our time. No longer shall we be singing of the misty mountains cold, but of the many ways a man can be tortured down in the deep of Goblin Town."
Tarya grinned at his sarcastic reply, though she had no time to answer as suddenly a distinct harrumph sounded from behind them and they both flinched rather violently, their heads jerking around at the same time to see none other than Dwalin standing there, one eyebrow raised grumpily.
"You know, for a legendary wolf-creature that spent her life hiding from humanity in the woods, you are quite easy to track," the warrior said gruffly, as he always did. Tarya smiled slightly, knowing exactly why he was there and what he was getting at.
"I wasn't hiding," she answered him casually, though they both knew that wasn't quite true.
"Tell that to the maids that have been looking for you for over an hour," Dwalin replied without hesitation, his arms crossed firmly over his broad chest and one of his eyebrows still raised pointedly at her. Ori awkwardly cleared his throat beside her as she returned the bald dwarf's gaze calmly.
"Clearly they were not thorough enough," the Amarok said, narrowing her eyes as Dwalin rolled his at her. She went on as soon as he opened his mouth, interrupting him before he could even utter a word. "I am not letting them put me in that thing."
"It's a dress."
"It's torture."
Dwalin sighed deeply, making sure that she could hear him exhale his breath across the whole room. "Tarya, the coronation starts in only but an hour or so," the warrior answered her, sounding slightly annoyed that he was the one that had to discuss this with her, for Tarya could see that he clearly did not care whether she wore that dress or came wrapped in a blanket. "You have to get dressed."
"I am dressed," the Amarok shot back, making a pointed gesture with her hand to her attire. Tight black trousers were coupled with a nice dark green tunic and a black leather jerkin that Bofur had given to her. Tarya thought that that thing was already tight enough, she wouldn't squeeze herself into a dress again as she had been forced to do at Mirkwood Palace once before.
"Appropriately," Dwalin said with a pointed look that turned into a stern one, as she didn't move to stand up and follow him back to her chambers. "It is Fili's coronation today and for the whole population of the mountain this is a day to celebrate our new king and the future that he brings the people. It is very important and everyone is putting up their best appearance to honour this day. It would only be appropriate for the future wife of Prince Kili to follow this tradition as well."
Tarya stared at Dwalin for a moment as he looked back at her grimly before she exchanged a short look with Ori who was still sitting by her side. The scribe raised his eyebrows in a gesture of not knowing what to say and Tarya looked back at Dwalin, a grin slowly starting to spread on her face.
"The maids told you to say that, didn't they?"
She chuckled as Dwalin's arm fell from his chest and he threw them up in an exasperate gesture. He rolled his eyes with ostentation. "Mahal, khael, they are driving everyone crazy with their nagging! Would you please just wear that thing so that this mountain my have some more peace and quiet before the celebration?"
"No," was Tarya's simple answer and Dwalin sighed again, dropping his hands as he looked at her for a moment. He seemed to be thinking of what to do next, how he could convince her but Tarya just crossed her arms over her chest and stared right back at him. After a few moments, Dwalin just shrugged and one second later his whole demeanour had changed from a stern one into the casual one Tarya was used to.
"I'll just tell 'em I didn't find you. They can shove their fancy dresses up their pretentious arses if you ask me," he grumbled and nodded at her as she just grinned at his vulgar statement while Ori shot him a slightly scolding look before the warrior left the room, still grumbling quietly but so that they could hear it.
"But if you're not in the throne room in an hour, I'll personally come and force you to wear a dress for a whole week," Dwalin said and pausing shortly at the door he shot a look back over his shoulder towards them. "Both of you."
"Stop making that face."
"I'm not making a face," Fili retorted as he shot a short glance over to where his brother was sitting on a chair next to his large wooden table that was splattered with parchments, documents and letters that he still had to read and answer to. Kili was splayed out in his chair, arms crossed loosely over his stomach as his legs were spread out and crossed casually at the ankles.
"Yes, you are," the younger dwarf answered calmly, raising an eyebrow at his blond brother. "It looks as if you really needed to go to the loo, and let me tell you, that is not the right look for a king."
Fili rolled his eyes as he averted his gaze from his little brother and turned back to look at his reflection in the mirror. Dark brown trousers were accompanied by a very regal looking royal blue tunic adorned with little gems here and there that were making it unnecessarily heavy in Fili's opinion. A beautiful fur vest was covering parts of the tunic and Fili's hair was freshly washed and braided, a task in which Kili had been of aid, as well. Normally, it was always their mother who would braid their hair, though seeing as she had still not arrived in Erebor, Fili had asked his little brother to help him with it. Braiding a dwarf's hair was something intimate, something that one only did with those that were close to one's heart. To Fili, this had always been members of his family, be it his mother, his uncle or brother. He knew that Kili had someone new that was allowed to braid his hair, Tarya, and though he didn't quite understand why, he was slightly envious of his brother for this sometimes. Not because he was jealous that Kili had Tarya, but because he had someone. He had found his One and had someone to talk to, someone he loved that did not belong to his immediate family. Fili sometimes wished he could talk to someone, be as close to someone as Kili was with Tarya. But as the heir to the throne, finding a woman had never been the priority. Between lessons with Thorin, training with swords as well as words of diplomacy, there had never been time for much else. And now, of course, as he was becoming King under the Mountain, there would be even less time to think about such things. But Fili didn't complain. He had his little brother, Tarya whom he considered a little sister, and his friends. Just sometimes, sometimes he wished there was someone out there for him, as well.
"Oi!"
Fili snapped out of his musings with a small flinch as his brother's voice pulled him out of his trail of thoughts.
"Are you even listening to me?" Kili asked, and it was only then that Fili realized that he had risen from his position in the chair and was now standing behind him, looking at him through the mirror.
"I'm sorry," Fili answered, clearing his throat quietly as he turned away from the mirror to look at his little brother. "I was lost in thought. What did you say?"
"I said it's time to go," Kili said with a smile. "You wouldn't want to miss your own coronation now, would you?"
Fili felt the nervous knot that had built in his stomach early in the morning tighten slightly at his brother's words. But he didn't say anything, just nodded to tell Kili that he'd understood. He couldn't bring himself to move, though, and it was after a few seconds of silence that Kili spoke again, more serious this time as he looked at his big brother in understanding.
"It'll be all right," the brunet said, giving Fili an encouraging nod upon seeing the nervous expression on his face. "You'll be fine."
"How could I be?" Fili muttered quietly, sighing deeply as the words escaped his mouth. "I am not ready, Kili. I don't think I'll ever be."
"You are ready," his little brother replied, his voice full of a certainty that Fili wished to have. "As ready as you'll ever be. You were prepared for this all your life, Fee. Thorin taught you everything you needed to know, everything he knew."
"Which is why he should be sitting on that throne, not me."
"But he is not here anymore," Kili said quietly, though the softness did not disappear from his eyes and neither did the encouraging tone of his voice waver. "And we can't change that. But he'd be very proud of you, I know that. He always was." Fili shot his little brother a doubtful look but Kili just smiled and continued. "You'll be a good king, Fee. You'll be fair and wise and just, kind and strong. Because that's who you are, that's who mother and uncle raised you to be. You're my big brother, and as you have always been there for me, you will now always be there for your people."
"Whenever did you become so good with words, brother?" Fili inquired with a small smile, unable to deny that Kili's words had actually calmed him down a bit. Kili just grinned in reply, taking a step back to give his big brother a once over before he nodded slowly.
"Good," he said. "We've taken care of your looks, now you just need to remember your text and not stumble when you walk up the steps. Should be easy enough, right?"
Fili just nodded as they made their way to the door. Kili kept talking merrily. "I mean, just try not to do it like that time when you fell down the hayloft while you were trying to make a speech standing on one of the hay bales about how pie should be free for everyone."
The blond dwarf sighed in exasperation at the memory and shot his brother a wary look as he added as an afterthought, "Well, I guess it could be said in your defence that you were rather drunk that night. Though I must say, even though it is a noble goal to make pie free for everyone, you should not abuse your power now that you are becoming king. Really, pie makers need to make their living, too, Fili."
"Oh, would you just shut up, please?" Fili growled, torn between annoyance and amusement at his brother's teasing. Kili just snickered quietly to himself as they exited the room and walked down the empty corridors together. They met no other dwarf on their way to the throne hall, and it was only when they neared the tremendous doors that led into the hall that Fili realized that it had been because all of the people of the mountain were already gathered there. The humming of hundreds of voices coming from the throne hall was filling the air as they approached Balin and Dwalin who were already waiting for them in front of the closed doors. Balin greeted both brothers with a kind smile and a short nod, patting Fili's arm encouragingly as he came to a halt next to him, staring up at the tremendous doors to the throne hall. The hall in which he would be crowned king in a few moments by the old white-haired dwarf himself.
"You ready, laddie?" Balin asked quietly, so the guards who were standing nearby and waiting to open the doors couldn't hear. Fili took a deep breath, feeling his clothes weigh heavy on his shoulders. He glanced at his little brother for a moment then, and upon seeing Kili's never-fading smile, a bit of courage filled his heart at last.
"I believe I am, Balin."
"Very well," the old dwarf smiled, nodding towards the guards. "Let's not make them wait any longer, then. After all, everyone is very excited."
Fili didn't respond to that and only stared blankly as the doors swung open slowly and with the distinct deep noise that came with opening such large stone doors. He didn't really realize what was happening as they started to walk past the many dwarves gathered in the throne hall, leaving a narrow trail between the masses for them to pass through. Fili also didn't know when exactly they reached the large stairs that led up to the throne that had been without occupant since they had arrived in Erebor those few months ago. To Fili it seemed like an eternity had passed, like he had lived a whole life since the demise of Smaug, the mountain's former resident. Now there was nothing left in the throne hall of the dragon, only beauty remained. Fili admired what dwarven craftsmanship, endurance and patience had done to the place that had once reeked of dragon and had been nothing more than broken pieces of a lost kingdom.
"We are here today to celebrate the age of a new king," Balin's voice suddenly pulled Fili out of his thoughts and he hadn't even realized that they had climbed the stairs and were now standing right before the throne, Balin talking to the masses while he was standing next to him silently, trying to look more regal than he was feeling inside. "We are here to crest Prince Fili, nephew of Thorin II, heir to the throne, with the crown of his forefathers so that he may reign over Erebor as his great-grandfather has done before him. Our kingdom was lost, and our people dispersed. But we have found home again and home this mountain shall remain for all of us until the day we move on to the halls of our forefathers."
Balin's voice rang loud over the crowd but not as loud as their cheers. Fili flinched slightly upon the noise, hoping that no one would notice. Kili muttered something from where he was standing one step further down and a bit to the side, and though Fili couldn't make out the exact words over the noise he was sure that it had been something that was meant to encourage him. It took a moment for the crowds to quiet down again, and it was then that the ceremony truly began. Balin motioned for the blond dwarf to come stand before him, a kind smile on his aging face as he asked him to kneel down. Fili knew what was going to happen and his heart fluttered nervously in his chest as he glanced down at the floor for a moment.
"Prince Fili," Balin started then and the blond dwarf took another deep breath, bracing himself inwardly before he finally looked up at the old dwarf before him, giving him his undivided attention. Balin graced him with another smile for it. "We will now hear you say your oath."
Fili simply nodded in reply and Balin continued swiftly, his voice echoing through the hall as he spoke loud and clear.
"Will you, Prince Fili, solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of Erebor to the best of your judgment and abilities, protect and care for the citizens of your empire as long as you shall reign?"
"I solemnly promise to do so."
"Will you protect this kingdom of old, the kingdom of your forefathers, and its people against any harm or threat that may cause our days to darken in the future?"
"I will," Fili repeated, loud and clear, the sound of his own voice slightly strange to him as it echoed off the walls of the throne hall. Silence hung over the crowd as the ceremony took place.
"Will you to your power cause law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?"
"I will," the blond dwarf answered again and out of the corner of his eyes he could see Dwalin approaching the two of them as they spoke the last words of the oath, carrying a large grey shimmering crown in his hands. The crown made of mithril that had once adorned king Thror's head. Fili swallowed tightly.
"Do you swear unto Aulë, the spirits of your forefathers and the people of your kingdom to keep your oath whatever may come?"
Fili waited shortly before he answered the last question, though not intentionally, rather because he needed a moment before he made the final step. He needed just one tiny moment of silence to himself before he could become king. Everything was quiet around him as he shortly closed his eyes and took a last deep breath, releasing it as he opened his eyes and looked up at Balin who was now holding his great-grandfather's crown in his hands, ready to put it onto Fili's brow.
"I swear."
Balin smiled again, bright and kind as he lifted the crown over Fili's head.
"So be it. May Mahal grant you the courage and the strength to rule just and wise. And may Durin show you the path you must walk and guide you through the times that lie ahead. In the light of this day and the blessings of the Gods, I now proclaim Fili, nephew of Thorin II Oakenshield, First of His Name, King under the Mountain."
Fili heard the crowds cheer as the weight of the silver crown settled heavily on his head.
Tarya couldn't remember ever having seen as much to eat and drink as she had on this day. After having spent the ceremony mingled in the crowds together with Ori and the rest of her companions, she was now sitting at a long wooden table between Kili and Bofur, near the middle of the table. They were only seated on one side of it, so that they were all facing the hall in which many more large tables had been placed by now in order to celebrate. There was plenty to eat and drink on each of them and everywhere dwarves were cheering, chatting, drinking and having fun. Tarya liked the view. She liked seeing everyone so happy, and she was glad that they were so accepting of their new king who still looked slightly uncomfortable in his skin if one dared look too closely. Tarya had looked closely and Fili had given her a small smile upon her questioning look. She couldn't even imagine the thoughts that were probably racing through the newly crowned king's head.
"Here, lass, you haven't even tried the potatoes yet!"
Bofur's voice pulled Tarya out of her thoughts just in time to see him cram her plate with said potatoes until she quickly said that it was enough. It was already too much by that time, though. Bofur didn't seem to care and simply reached the bowl of potatoes further down the table as Tarya dug her fork into one of the mushy round things.
"You ought to try," Kili muttered through the food in his mouth next to her. "They're really good."
Tarya just nodded but instead took a sip of the wine Gloìn had filled her glass with a while ago. She couldn't quite decide whether she liked wine yet or not. It was just as she put her glass back on the table when a clattering noise sounded suddenly from somewhere down the other end of the table and Tarya looked past Kili curiously only to see Dain standing up, a cup of wine raised in one hand. He waited until the crowd in the hall quieted down enough for him to speak before he uttered his first words.
"This day demands a celebration like no other," he stated loudly. "Not only have we been blessed with the reclaim of an old kingdom but with a new king, as well. May the seven kingdoms unite once more under the rule of the mountain king, and may we all live to see Erebor back to its glory of old in no time!" He raised his glass even higher and Tarya merely copied what everyone around her was doing as she raised hers as well, staring at the dwarf lord curiously as he finished his speech. "Under this new reign let us come to a new age but let us not forget that in our tradition and our history lies our worth. To King Fili! Long may he reign!"
Tarya just watched as around them dwarves cheered shortly in agreement to Dain's words before they gulped down their respective cups of drink. Tarya took a sip of her own wine as another dwarf rose to hold a speech, a member of council that she had seen before but didn't know and had never actually spoken to. He spoke about the importance of forming a permanent council for the king and of never taking for granted what Fili, together with his uncle and the rest of the company had accomplished to reclaim the dwarves' biggest kingdom. Tarya listened quietly as two others followed his example, one of them she knew, the other not. Both said similar things, such as making the kingdom prosperous once more, rebuild the empire that had been lost so long ago. And all were hoping on Fili to bring them back to their glory of old again. The blond dwarf just sat there, silent except for the occasional thank you after a speech had ended. Tarya watched Fili as his eyes seemed distant and his face was a strange mask of politeness and earnestness.
It was after the sixth not very different speech that Tarya glanced at her cup of wine before she slowly pushed her chair back and stood. The chair slithered slightly across the floor with a small scratching noise. Both Kili and Bofur shot her confused looks when she stood, gripping her cup tightly in her right hand. Her fingers were sweaty as the crowd noticed her standing, and slowly their chatter quieted down again, though this time it was accompanied by little murmurs here and there.
"What are you doing?" Kili whispered to her left where he was sitting beside his brother who also sent her a questioning look. Tarya just took a deep breath before she raised her voice, trying not to let the nervous tremble in it hear.
"I am Tarya, daughter of Arkin and Kauni, child of the Amarok," she said loudly, causing more murmurs to appear upon her words. Tarya wasn't sure whether everyone had known of her identity. Probably not, she thought, as she caught a few shocked gazes in the crowd. She cleared her throat quietly as she tried to overcome the nervous feeling that the fact that everyone was staring at her caused. And then she took a deep breath, and just said what she needed to say. "There have been many speeches tonight, and I am sure some of you will not be too pleased that I am starting another one just as you thought you could drink in peace."
There were a few laughs that the Amarok hadn't expected but she didn't let them get her off course, as she continued, her voice not as loud as the others' had been and yet ringing through the room clear enough for everyone to hear.
"When I first came across the company of Thorin Oakenshield, I did not know who they were and where they were going. I did not know of the importance of their quest or the heavy burden that had been left upon their shoulders ages before. I did not know of the fate Erebor had suffered or what its people had gone through during the years. However, as the weeks I spent with the Company turned into months, and I came to see them as family rather than a bunch of strangers, I learned. And I came to understand and admire the strength of Durin's folk." Tarya paused for a moment and took a deep breath as she let her gaze wander over the crowd that was now listening silently to her words before she glanced over at the guests seated at the table. "I once asked Thorin what Erebor was like, long before we even came close to the mountain. I remember quite clearly what he told me. He said that it was beautiful, and in the middle of the night he illuminated the dark with the pictures he drew with his words. He told me of great halls and mines, hand-carved into the stone and reaching down further than the roots of the mountain itself. As he talked, I could see this kingdom coming to life before my eyes only through Thorin's voice. And yet, I never quite could imagine what it truly looked like until I came here and saw it for myself. How beautiful these halls once were and how beautiful you all have made them again."
Tarya smiled slightly as she glanced down at her cup of wine that she still held firmly in her right hand, thinking back to the night that she had spoken to Thorin about Erebor in Mirkwood. It had been a time when her mood had been at its worst. "Those who spoke before me are right when they say that Erebor will rise to its full glory again, and they are right when they say that it is a grand empire that shall bloom once again. But if I learned one thing from what Thorin Oakenshield told me about this mountain, then it is this: Erebor is not only a kingdom, it is a home."
Tarya felt a warm hand envelop her free one, and she didn't have to look to the side to know whom it belonged to. Kili sat silently as everyone else, listening to her as she spoke, squeezing his hand slightly as the words fell from her lips. She didn't care what all these people might think of her speech; she wasn't doing it for them. Her words were for Fili, and for Thorin.
"It is a home fit for kings as much as it is for commoners. It's beauty lies not only in the precious gems that line the walls or the riches that lie beneath it. Erebor is not only valuable because it once was a glorious empire. No, it's Erebor's people that make it unique and it's Erebor's people that will make this mountain a true home again, thriving with life as it did once before. Home was everything Thorin was ever looking for. Everything he wanted to reclaim was the home of his forefathers and his people. And I think there is no one better fitting to continue his legacy than his own nephew." Tarya turned away from the masses then and in the completely silent hall she addressed Fili directly, quietly, giving him a warm smile as he stared at her with wide eyes. "If you focus on what you've left behind, you'll never be able to see what lies ahead. And ahead lies a great future, King Fili, one that would make your uncle very proud."
The silence in the hall continued on for a short moment in which Tarya saw Fili swallow hard before he smiled, genuinely smiled with crinkles around his eyes and all, and nodded at her. He discretely nodded his head in the direction of the cup still held in her right hand, and Tarya quickly took the hint, having completely forgotten that she had yet to mark the end of her speech. She cleared her throat and raised her glass, her eyebrows rising of their own volition as the crowd in front of her followed her example. She couldn't quite believe her eyes as she saw people smiling at her, many of them, genuinely smiling at her like none of them had done before.
"Here's to King Fili," Tarya said, unsure of how one actually finished a speech. Kili gave her hand another encouraging squeeze and Tarya smiled. "Here's to home."
The echo of her words rang through the hall, repeated by dozens and dozens of dwarves and Tarya couldn't help her smile broadening as she took a sip of her drink before she sat back down, long before the crowds had stopped clapping and cheering. The Amarok glanced over at Kili as she placed her cup back on the table and saw the brunet dwarf smiling brightly at her, and she didn't protest as he shortly lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. Tarya just smiled and used her free hand to continue eating, as did the rest of the guests. She didn't say much else during the evening, at least not in such a way. Tarya talked to her friends for the rest of the night, and she ate and drank, and she laughed until she started yawning and flopping down in her chair more often than not. Kili gently took hold of her elbow when he noticed how tired she had become and led her out of the hall, and though many of the guests had left already, there were yet just as many still celebrating on. Tarya was asked to dance by a few drunken dwarves as she walked by them with Kili, though he pulled her closer to him and walked a bit faster each time. It wasn't as if Tarya wanted to dance with any of them, she didn't actually know how to dance anyway, but she appreciated the requests even if they were drunken ones.
"Tarya," Kili chastised lightly as he kept her upright by her upper arm after she had managed to trip once more. "How much did you have to drink tonight?"
"Not much," Tarya answered, a bit surprised by the slightly slurred way the words came out of her mouth. She raised her free arm, and signed a small distance with her thumb and forefinger. "This much."
She leaned her head heavily on Kili's shoulder as he shook his head, murmuring to himself. "I should not have let you sit next to Bofur. He always has one over the eight, what made me think he wouldn't make you part of it."
"Absolutely," Tarya replied, though she wasn't sure what she actually wanted to say with that. She felt strange, slightly dizzy but in a good way. She felt light.
"I feel light." And apparently, she had the need to communicate most every of her thoughts at the moment. Tarya doubted whether that was such a good thing. Kili sighed audibly, shaking his head again as he manoeuvred her through the corridors. Thankfully, they were mostly empty, for no one really lived in the royal wing except them.
"That's because you're drunk, my love," Kili muttered as he guided her past a corner and down another long hallway. Tarya wrinkled her nose.
"I have never been drunk before," she stated. "It's quite fun. I've had a little taste of wine, I think, when I was rummaging through a camp of some rangers once. But it wasn't as fun as this. Quite disgusting, really. Not very nice at all."
She heard Kili snort quietly next to her as he shot her a sideways glance. "I take it that was when you were still a wolf?"
"Why no, it was that one time when I was a squirrel." She rolled her eyes at the brunet dwarf, although her quiet giggle diminished her serious face quite quickly. "Of course, it was."
"Well, let's just try not to get you drunk too often, shall we?" Kili replied as he opened the door after finally having reached Tarya's chamber. She leaned heavily on him as he pushed the heavy door open, though he didn't seem to notice much or care, for he just wrapped his arm a bit tighter around her waist as he manoeuvred her inside, closing the door behind him with his foot as his hands were busy keeping her balanced. Tarya giggled again, not quite knowing why. But she wouldn't complain. She didn't see anything bad in having a few drinks; after all, it had loosened the dwarves enough to listen to her speech and actually care for her words, at least that was what it had seemed like. With the warmth of the celebration and the food and drink and cheerful chatter, at least some of them seemed to have warmed up to her if ever so slightly. That was enough for Tarya at the moment. She didn't need all of them to like her at once; it was enough if they regarded her as more than just an unwanted intruder in their mountain.
The Amarok was ripped from her thoughts, flinching slightly as Kili made a snapping sound with his fingers before her face. Her gaze shot up at him and her eyebrows rose slightly, not having realized how close they were standing together. Kili raised one of his eyebrows pointedly. "Have you even listened to a word I've said?"
Tarya hesitated shortly, thinking about it, and then shook her head. "I don't think I did," she answered honestly. "I'm very sorry, Kili. What did you say?"
She heard him sigh silently before he shook his head with a small smile, shortly glancing down at the floor before he looked back up into her eyes. "I was saying that it was nice, the feast, what you did. What you said." He trailed his thumb lightly over the spot where he held her on her elbow. "I never realized that you and uncle spoke of Erebor. It was very good to hear what he thought of it. What you think of it. I think Fili needed to hear that, too. He's always been burdened with the future of a kingdom, but now that everything happened all at once, he didn't really have much time to come to terms with being… well, king."
Tarya watched Kili for a moment, taking in his serious expression and sobering slightly herself. She gently placed her hand on his upper arm and smiled at him as he looked at her silently. "There is no one better fitting to be the next King under the Mountain than Fili. And not simply because he is Thorin's heir but because he is kind and strong, and honest. You both are, Kili. And you'll both be fine with the responsibilities thrust upon you by fate."
Kili looked at her silently for a moment before suddenly a bright smile came to play on his lips. He pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her tightly, and Tarya merely leaned her head against his chest as her arms wrapped around his middle almost out of instinct.
"You would make a good princess, you know," he murmured into her hair. Tarya merely shook her head but he continued anyway. "You're inspiring, Tarya, and you don't even know it. I am not sure if you realize it but your speech tonight was the only one that moved the people enough to cheer not only for a new king but for themselves, for the home they are going to build here."
"I was just saying my mind," she muttered against his chest and felt him nod, his chin slightly grazing the top of her head.
"And you inspired them," Kili replied quietly, his hands moving lightly over her back as he spoke and Tarya thought about his words in silence. "They did not just cheer your words, Tarya, they cheered you."