Ch.12: The King's Jewel
Thorin approached slowly, the company fanning out on either side of him. From the balcony the quiet laughter of Gandalf could be heard, and the elf lord's smile was small and gentle. Thorin's smile was warm and quiet as he approached, and he moved first to his heir, taking Fili's arm and holding it firmly. They spoke quietly together in Khuzdul for a moment, ignoring the ears of the surrounding elves, all of whom kept a respectful distance but were enjoying the jubilant reunion too much to disperse completely (for even dwarven joy, when pure, is a glad tiding to elven hearts). Fili's face was alight with pride and satisfaction at Thorin's words but Eily forced herself not to listen to them. Rather she held Bilbo's hand happily; the hobbit's handsome round face still glowing with tears and emotion.
The two were still sharing an affectionate smile when Thorin took hold of her arm delicately. She turned to face him so rapidly that she bumped into his broad chest, not realizing his proximity. His laugh was deep and soft as velvet, reverberating in the stones of the courtyard and reflected in the shimmer of tears and joy in each dwarf's eye (for they had not closed their ears to the words he spoke to Fili). He was their pride, this Thorin son of Thrain, this reclaimer king of the old blood.
"Thorin," she bowed slightly, unsure of what to say or how to react.
He took this chance while her thoughts were confused to place his large, rough hands on her shoulders. His grasp was heavy and he smelled of fine oils, but always, always there was another smell upon him, the smell of familiar stone she had recognized the first time he approached her. And it was as she was wondering if all kings smelled as such that he leaned in to place a kiss upon her forehead.
His lips were warm and rough, the kiss a comforting one.
"My lady," he began, pulling his deep gaze down to meet hers, eyes alight, "I am glad to see that you are safe. Durin's blessings, it seems, are upon you and my nephew both. Come, you shall sit at my side at table."
The rest of the company (barring Bilbo) seemed very happy with this arrangement, and Eily and Fili both were given grand reception at Elrond's table.
"My gracious Lord," Gandalf began properly once all had been reseated, "This is Eily, Lady of the-"
"House of Durin, my sister's daughter, under my charge and care," Thorin interrupted, his voice tight and his glare fixed on Gandalf.
Fili went stiff at this, eyes locking to his plate.
Eily's voice caught in her throat, unsure if she could counter Thorin's lie, but Gandalf gave her the subtlest of nods and she sat back, sipping demurely at her wine and wishing she were at the other table with Kili, who was enjoying dinner with the others in the form of song, jest, and mockery of elvish food. Her eyes locked with Bilbo's longingly, and the Tookishness in him bubbled up, causing him to nearly storm the elf lord's table to reclaim her. But Balin in his wisdom talked the fiery hobbit back down into his seat.
The elf lord seemed to accept Thorin's lie without question, welcoming her and praising her on her courage and durability.
"What think you of Imladris lady?" he asked thoughtfully.
"It is a most lovely realm," she responded quickly, pushing her cherry tomatoes to and fro on her plate (she did not care for them in the least, but had never wasted food in her short life and refused to start now), "the stone is ancient and beautiful, but I fear it has little to say to dwarves."
The lord smiled politely, "The stones of Imladris are probably shy to meet a lady of the house of Durin, whose blood is known by the stones of both the mighty Dwarrowdelf and Erebor."
At the names of the great halls Thorin flinched, possibly because they hung from the lips of an elf, or perhaps because both were mighty halls that had fallen. Either way the remainder of dinner was passed in a tense silence with only Gandalf to soothe it.
After dinner Eily and Fili both were shuffled off to be bathed and, as Fili put it: 'reshod like elven ponies.' Really the elves simply wanted to make their guests comfortable by offering them clean attire, but Fili insisted they decline, and Eily was inclined to agree. Dwarven pride did not allow for them to wear borrowed garb no matter how respectful the offer (or more accurately, charity that had not been approved by Thorin), and Eily had to take great pains to explain it to their hosts, who were only trying to be accommodating in their own fashion. She was happy to accept the proper bath though, and basked in the warmth of the waters until they went cold, happy to let the elven salts and oils pull the pain from her joints and perfume her hair.
When she arose from the bath her clothing had already been washed thoroughly, and she made a mental note to praise the elf lord on his thoughtful and speedy house staff. When she rejoined her party she found that Fili had not declined every manner of elvish 'reshodding,' for he too was bathed and laundered.
The entire company (excluding Thorin, who had been called away by Gandalf to discuss details of their journey) sat around a fire in a large courtyard surrounded by fountains. The sun was setting and there seemed to be no elves in sight.
"The elf lord gave us exclusive use of the courtyard tonight. We'll not be disturbed by any elvish nonsense," Dwalin explained, clapping a hand onto her shoulder gingerly, "Come have a sit, we've already broken into the wine so you better get your share before Gloin gets to it."
She took a seat in the congregation in an intricately carved chair, the arms of which mimicked the curve of a woman's body. She rolled her eyes disgustedly as she laid her hands on it (elves). Bombur passed her a very generously sized goblet of red wine before taking a seat in front of an elvish drum. Each dwarf it seemed had found some elvish equivalent of their preferred instrument (though each struggled with the size of the unwieldy and overly ornate things). Kili handed Fili a fiddle, placing his into the crook of his neck gingerly, and one would say he grinned broadly at his brother had the same grin not been fixed into his fine face since their reunion. The two wasted no time in tuning the things, and thus began a long string of song which the elves no doubt found unseemly but the dwarves found unquestionably splendid (though it could of course have been improved if the sound had been wrung from their own instruments and by the acoustic aide of high dwarven halls). They drank and sang and carried on as though this were their realm, and were it not for the silence of the stones Eily could have believed it, for the song of her people filled her with a pride and a joy her mother had never taught her. Tonight was the first night that Eily imagined that her home was not Erebor, but here with her people no matter what mountain they dwelt under.
And despite her lack of beard the wine and song made her feel entirely confident.
"Balin dance with me!" she demanded, half slurring.
The old dwarf tried to wave her away, but her wide smile and the goading of the others brought the old dwarf to his feet. He was surprisingly spry and led her quite well, "You're wonderful Balin! What other dances can you teach me?"
"What? You mean the lady doesn't know how to dance? Balin, step out of the way, this is a task for a professional," Bofur bragged, setting down his flute and strutting his way towards Eily, but he was beaten by Bifur, who took hold of her waist with eyebrows arched in mock seduction and began swooping her across the tile.
Bilbo was a little disappointed he had not been selected for the first dance, but he quickly regretted letting that emotion show as Bofur, for lack of a more feminine dance partner, took hold of the hobbit and began sweeping him across the floor like he was a broom, "This is completely unnecessary! Do put me down! I said put me down PUT ME DOWN!"
So Bofur released the fleeing Bilbo and began to jig merrily between Fili and Kili, who seemed happy to both fiddle and sway about at the same time.
Meanwhile Bifur was attempting to dip Eily.
"Alright ya great fool, move aside before ya drop the poor lass," Dwalin cut in skillfully, taking her waist and hand deftly in his large palms, "Just follow ma lead little one."
Dwalin was truly a skilled dancer, taking her about the courtyard easily and smoothly, a contented, nostalgic smile gracing his thin lips.
"You dance well Dwalin," Fili commented between long pulls of wine, taking a break from his fiddle.
"Of course ya great nitwit! What do ya take me for?"
Eventually Dwalin released her so that Bofur finally could instruct her in a jig, which it seemed she was not so skilled in, her feet coming out from under her numerous times. It was several dances until the music cut out for the players to take a break and so more drink could be passed between them, the fire now the only source of light but for distant elvish lanterns. Eventually chatter began to die down as the dwarves and their hobbit settled into the exchange of stories.
"I have a song," Kili declared suddenly, cutting Dori off in the middle of a rather dull tale involving the keeping of a particularly difficult goat, "Something to celebrate my brother and the lady Eily's safe return." He sat down his fiddle gently, which had been resting in his lap.
"Wait, you're going to sing?" Fili balked. While Kili usually took part in song, he had a weak voice by dwarf standards and knew it, never singing for very long or without accompaniment.
Kili's cheeks were flushed, and he stood on his chair shakily, swallowing tensely and nodding to Fili in confirmation.
"Who is going to sing?" questioned a deep honeyed voice from the darkness beyond the courtyard.
"Thorin," Kili breathed, turning absolutely white and scrambling from the chair, "N-no one. I was thinking about playing something, but I think I may have forgotten my pipe back in our sleeping quarters. I'll be right back," Kili stammered, patting his pockets for effect and turning to leave, "don't let anyone sit on my fiddle brother, I'll play you a song when I return."
Kili brushed past Thorin as he went, and Thorin's eyes turned to watch him go, his forehead creasing in thought. The dwarf king approached the fire, taking up a small bit of wood that had splintered from the logs and using it to light his pipe. He took an experimental puff from it before taking a seat between Balin and Ori.
It was several short songs and riddle games later before Thorin turned to her, "Eily, go see to Kili, he's taking too long to fetch a single pipe."
"Perhaps I should go Thorin," Fili offered.
"And deprive us of the only remaining fiddle? Nonsense, Eily will go."
Eily did not balk or shrink from Thorin's words, accepting the command of the king was another part of being a dwarf, and since this was the first and only order Thorin had directed to her personally she saw it as his way of making her inclusion with the dwarves of Erebor as official as possible. It did not escape her memory that she had yet to take an oath to Thorin, for as the first of her line she bore loyalty to no king.
But now was not the time for such thoughts, Thorin would be her king, and his word would be her law, "Of course," she nodded, rising and following in Kili's footfalls.
She had only to follow the smell of pipe smoke to find him sitting alone on the floor of a dark hallway far from their chambers.
"You're missed in the circle," she said simply, slinking down next to him and taking his pipe from his hand, taking a small puff. The thick flavorful smoke spun in her mouth; spicy, woody and warm. She exhaled it without verve or technique, and Kili chuckled at her inexperience, taking his pipe back and tasting her wine soaked lips on it as he drew in another mouthful of the familiar leaf. He would be out soon, and that reminder made him frown a little.
"So…" Eily prodded, "Will you be coming back? Or should I say I couldn't find you?"
Kili's frown deepened. She went right to the point, just like his brother.
Maybe it was the wine, or the pipe weed, or just how much he wanted her to know.
"I'm not like them."
Eily did not interrupt, though the statement confused her.
"I want to be. But I'm not. Maybe I'm too young, but so is Fili and he- It's easier for him, he understands things, and he is exactly what he's supposed to be. He's careful, and clever, and I… I seem to always say and do the wrong thing. He's the heir, and Thorin needs him."
At this Kili tossed his pipe into the lawn, frustrated by his inability to communicate what was in his heart.
The ashes and smoldering leaves fell from the bowl of the pipe and across the stone into the grass which then began to smoke with the halfhearted promise of flame.
Kili jumped up and stomped it out with his boot frantically, "You see?" he laughed softly, terribly, "I wasn't even supposed to be here, Fili had to beg Thorin to let me join the company! We're only five years apart you know, but no one questioned that Fili would make the journey to the mountain."
Kili's words were mumbled and twisted, emotion working through them, "And when you… when you fell… it was Fili who… Fili…"
He slumped down again, "The heir and the spare," he whispered bitterly.
Kili felt warm arms wrap around his neck, a soft and battered hand caressed the bangs from his forehead gently, and a curtain of blonde hair fell in around his face as a small nose nuzzled and rested next to his ear.
"It's alright Kili," she cooed, "Fili and I are safe. None of that was your fault."
She knew the contact was entirely inappropriate between a disgraced dwarf such as herself and the noble second heir of Durin's folk, but she could not resist the urge to provide comfort. And though she did not hear all of his words, and so could not understand their full implication, she was certain part of his bitterness rested with her; she was the cause even if he did not blame her.
Kili sighed, she did not understand the darkness that had crept into his heart when his brother's name crossed her lips; a deep, rapacious, and ugly wound had been dealt to his heart weeks before, and it grew more putrid each day. Tears rolled down his young cheeks as he gripped tightly to the hands that held him.
Was this how the damned felt?
He was too young to know and too naive to articulate the question.
"Everything will be alright," she continued, "We shall take back the mountain, Thorin will sit atop the throne, and none of us will be lost ever again."
It was an optimistic lie, the kind one gave to children, she could not possibly promise such a thing with the dangers that lay ahead.
He hated it.
He had left the safety of his home in the Blue Mountains craving uncertainty, aching to prove himself a brave and heroic heir to the mighty line of Durin, to be the deserving son of his great fathers… of Thorin.
But it had been only a few short weeks and already things were not as he had expected, and he had not had the opportunity to show his quality. Rather, and as usual, it was Fili who had stepped up where Kili hesitated, and who wisely contemplated when he so foolishly acted, held his tongue where Kili spoke rashly, and had the proper words when Kili was choking on his own sentiments.
He wanted to do something right, have something that made his claim to maturity and his title of Durin ring true. He was ready and wanting, even waiting for it, for her, for the reason outside himself that would drive him to great deeds as the warriors and kings of old.
But beyond all that he wanted this warmth, this embrace, these hands, this face.
That face.
Again he acted without thinking.
"Kiss me?" he muttered, near inaudible.
She stiffened behind him, pulling away ever so slightly.
He swallowed his heart back down into his chest, for he was certain if he spoke again it would erupt from his mouth and leave him dead and cold on this silent elvish stone.
But she was not moving, was not even breathing.
He could not lose her now.
"I- I have no token, nothing to offer," he stammered quickly, "but I wish to court you. I- I want you-" his mind was pounding, his heart searching. Or was that backwards? He couldn't tell.
His hands held hers against him, and he prayed this moment would not end, because at least if she held him silent forever she could not reject him as she surely would.
How could he have been so impulsive? To ask to court her with no token of devotion to offer? How presumptive, how disrespectful, how reckless, how foolish, how childish and sickening and needy and everything he didn't want to be but knew he was.
She took long breaths now, slow and shaky.
Had he been sitting here a moment or a millennia?
"Kili. Kili!" The voice was loud, barking as though irritated but from far away.
Eily's arms slid away from him like sunlight behind cloud, and he knew when he turned she would be gone.
"I'm here uncle," he called.
He heard Thorin's heavy footfalls against the stone, "I thought you lost but I did not think I would find you dreaming in the grass. Come back to the courtyard, Fili wishes you to relieve him at the fiddle; it seems you are the superior bowman in more than one respect."
Thorin was smiling, his affection apparent in his eyes. He was at his ease this night.
Kili, plainly, was not.
"You are troubled?" Thorin asked, "Fili and Eily are returned to us, you should be celebrating with the others. I know this place and its… foreignness makes you yearn for home, but rest easy nephew, we are together again and soon enough we shall sleep in the halls of our fathers."
Thorin thought these words all that were necessary, and Kili wanted to believe it also, but his fiery heart knew better.
In truth Kili both knew and did not know what would ease him, but he assured himself that he would try again, and next time he would be properly prepared.
He would win her.
He would claim her.
And he would do it properly as a son of Durin, not like a sniveling child in the grass. He only hoped his display had not made her revile him irreparably.
Kili stood, wiping the tear tracks from his face, brightened with an avaricious determination.
"Yes uncle, you're right," he strode back to the fire with new confidence, with something to prove.
Thorin shook his head and smirked, the emotions of young dwarves were much more profound and tumultuous than other races could ever understand, it was what allowed them to cling to lovers and grudges over long lifetimes into death and beyond, and made them as strong as the earth they wrought and worked.
"You can come out now," Thorin said distantly, not taking his eyes from Kili's back, which had fast faded into the dark of the corridor.
Eily slipped from behind the large pillar, soundless not intentionally but as a result of how heavy her heart felt, "Thorin," she dipped respectfully, hands knotted into her torn skirts.
Thorin held out his hand to her, a soundless gesture to join him under the moonlight.
She approached him slowly, "I am sorry I did not send him to you sooner I-"
Thorin silenced her as she got within reach with another light gesture of his hand, "Kili is young and zealous, and sometimes he becomes erratic. He does not control those impulses as well as befits his station, but he will learn. Every son of Durin is as ardent, especially in youth. Kili has yet to be properly yoked."
"I do not think that 'yoking' Kili is the best way to encourage him to be the leader you wish him to be," Eily said thoughtlessly.
"It is not my wish to quell his enthusiasm, but he must learn. He is a dwarf, not some intemperate man or elf; he must learn to be steady."
"Maybe he is just another kind of dwarf," Eily cursed herself the moment she said it. Who was she to counter the King Under the Mountain in regards to his own kin?
Thorin sighed tolerantly, "You sound like Fili, always making excuses for him. But you and Fili both are young, yet you do not behave as Kili does. Like his elder brother and his mother before that you admire his spirit, but I do not have that luxury if I am to reclaim our homeland."
Eily lowered her gaze respectfully, and though they stood abreast Thorin nodded to acknowledge it, "It is good that you understand, we must consider the repercussions of every step on this journey. That is why, for the time being, I think it best if you stayed close, and treated me as your uncle."
Eily felt a strange knot in her stomach, "But why? I do not think the elves-"
"You are still too young to understand the treachery they are capable of. Do not mistake me, I am grateful for the Lord Elrond's help, but you would be shocked to see how quickly his aide would turn against us if he knew our aim, or who you are."
Eily was confused and somewhat outraged at the notion of being held captive by elves, "I have no value to any elf, nor is it their concern if we should retake the mountain."
Thorin nodded, "No, it is not their concern, but they are meddlesome by nature. And the concept of a lady born of stone and fire, as ancient as them… it is best they never know. So can I trust this to you?"
His gaze turned to her, soft and blue as velvet, quiet and patient.
"Yes," she said, "Of course."
Thorin smiled knowingly, "When we retake the mountain, this loyalty shall not be forgotten," at this he stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled from it a delicate golden chain, at the end of which hung a square diamond the size of her fingertip, woven intricately into a cage of gold.
She felt like a cold blade had just severed her spine as he took her hand tenderly into his, placing the necklace into her palm.
She stared dumbly at the glittering thing until he used his free hand to gently tip her chin up so that their eyes would meet.
Her king stared her down, her fierce; black bearded, virile king. His eyes were the calmest of waters as his well-shaped lips perked up into a somber smile, "It pleases you?"
She swallowed stupidly, her mouth arid as the sands of the Haradrim. But Thorin simply chuckled, his voice a rumbling and sensuous symphony, "I am glad."
His hand now moved to hold her blushing cheek in his palm, "Though I have little to offer now, you shall be draped in gems and silks when I retake my kingdom. With the daughter of a First Mother at my side, seated beneath the Arkenstone itself in the wealthy halls of my forefathers, no one would dare question the providence of my reign. Our heirs will rule under the mountain onto the ending of the world, with armies vast, and wealth ever flowing. You will be my crowning jewel, and I will keep you forever."
Eily's mind raced, this could not be. But what right had she to deny her king? Was this not her destiny? To fulfill her mother's lack, to reclaim her honor? And what better way than to take the hand of the first heir of Durin? She respected him, even loved him...
But it was love for a sovereign, not a lover.
And Thorin did not love her, he saw her as an object, an arcane totem with which to assert his dominance over the other six dwarf lords. A gem to set into his crown.
The King's Jewel.
"You will understand…" she whispered, "If I do not answer where I stand."
Thorin's smile was self-assured, "Of course," his hand moved from her face to gently finger the braids in her hair.
Braids she had replicated from Fili's example.
Fili… Kili?
"Your Majesty," Eily stuttered quickly, "I should mention before I accept you as a suitor that your nephew has already approached me about the matter of courtship."
Thorin's brows knit together, "Oh?" He did not seem angry so much as amused as he began to undo her braids with his strong fingers, "I had not heard?"
"It was only recently proposed."
Thorin's eyes examined her closely, and for the first time his gaze seemed like more than that of a concerned leader. They were now the discerning eyes of a craftsman, assessing the material he was about to work with. As his strong hands smoothly braided her hair the thought of his hands working her like warm clay made her shiver with both sickness and excitement.
"I see no token of his," Thorin purred, somehow sensing the filthy nature of her discomfort and reacting to it instinctively.
"H- He did not supply one, only a promise t-"
Thorin rolled his eyes in amusement, "Kili knows the ways of our people as well as you or I. If he gave no token, I cannot take his claim seriously. Which means there is nothing barring you from accepting me."
Eily's eyes briefly revealed her heartache before covering the emotion with a wall of pristine calm. Kili would never challenge his uncle's claim to her, and to reject Thorin as a suitor was to risk losing her place in the company and among the dwarves of Erebor as a people. Her acceptance was tenuous as it was, but this only made matters worse, "I think..." she stammered, mind reeling for an excuse, "I think that I must find a proxy."
"A proxy?" Thorin was rubbing the tips of her hair between his thumb and forefinger absentmindedly.
"Yes. In place of my elders. It would be improper for me to accept you without consulting any family."
Thorin's eyes narrowed discerningly. It was true, no proper dwarf lady could accept a suitor without the consultation of an elder. It was a matter of propriety, and could be the difference between wielding the influence of the First Mothers or having his courtship ignored by the other dwarf lords.
"Indeed," he acquiesced, "You may select a proxy from our companions, as every one has my trust and respect."
"I will name him on the morrow, but for now I think it has been a trying day, and we should save this conversation for another time."
"Of course my lady," Thorin bowed slightly before offering her his arm to escort her back to the courtyard where the others were preparing to adjourn to their beds.
It did not escape Fili's attention that when Thorin escorted Eily back to the circle that her hair had been braided by hands far more skilled than her own. But then nothing concerning her escaped his attention nowadays.
It was terribly annoying.
But not so annoying as the bit of thin gold chain that hung from her belt pouch. The instant his eyes met the twinkling band she rushed to shove it back into the pouch, smiling with a brightness he knew to be false.
"Bilbo!" she cried, rushing to him and disturbing the hobbit's leisurely smoking, "One last dance before the night ends!"
Bilbo sat down his pipe and stuffed his thumbs into his jacket pockets proudly, "Very well, I think you'll be happy to know I'm one of the best dancers in the Shire, so long as the tune isn't too fas-"
"Kili!" Eily roared, "Make it a fast one!"
**Author's Note: Thanks as always for your patience and for reading! Hope you had fun with this new chapter! As always suggestions and reviews are welcome!**