Evangeline woke slowly, stretching a little before opening her eyes. It took her only a moment to notice that the space beside her was empty, but that her king was sitting on the edge of their bed, looking down at her. She smiled sweetly, blinking up at him and sluggishly rubbing at her eyes.

"Did I oversleep?"

She asked, her brow furrowing as a silent yawn escaped her pink lips. Thorin grinned, shaking his head in the negative.

"No, my love. I awoke early."

The hobbit's grey eyes narrowed as she looked him over suspiciously.

"And have you taken to watching me sleep? I do not think myself remarkable enough to be the focus of the king's attentions.."

She teased him, and Thorin's breath flew from his mouth with incredulity.

"Everything you do is remarkable to me."

He confessed, and Evie's playful mood sobered at the romantic tone of his voice. He leaned over her and she rose to meet him, their lips greeting each other in a slow, expressive morning kiss. This was how she wanted to be awoken, the healer thought, for the rest of her life. She could face her day no matter what it would bring, so long as she began it with Thorin by her side.

"I love you…"

She whispered into his beard, kissing his cheek and then the soft plane of skin before the start of his ear. The dwarf sighed, savoring the way her fingers stroked his cheek as her lips dusted the opposite side of his face. There was inconceivable tenderness in her every motion, and it reaffirmed the very reason he had been staring at her in the first place – every morning that he woke up to find her beside him, he began to realize more and more that she was not a dream, as he so often thought. He spent as much of his day as possible with her – he dined with his wife, they performed administrative and public duties together, he even knew what it was to be entwined with her physically as well as emotionally… And yet no matter how close he felt to her or how real she seemed to be, no matter how many times he heard the others refer to her as their queen or how many changes she had begun to make in his lifestyle (the hobbit had designated a side room off of the dining area to be a salon in which she now held tea time, flowers had begun to sprout up from vases all over the entrance hallways and other more discrete places despite the fact that dwarves did not often decorate with such embellishments, and so many other little differences which were too subtle to note but which reminded him that he now had a partner in his running of the mountain fortress, and a very obstinate one at that)… All this could not quite convince him that she was real, and that they were truly wed. It all seemed too perfect not to be a dream.

"What will you do today, my queen?"

He asked, even though he was already familiar with her assigned tasks for the day, out of the simple desire to hear the sound of her lovely voice, like the melody of a songbird listing out her plans. She went through her schedule, step by step, and Thorin's eyes traced the malleable, tempting curve of her lips as she spoke. She hoped to spend some time in her new garden in the early afternoon, before the audience began. She had started planting a myriad of flowers and surprises there and she was eager to get everything all sorted before spring ended. Eventually her eyes sparkled as she caught him and realized where his intentions truly rested.

"I should get dressed; I must look nice for the audience this afternoon… Are you sure you can't be there?"

It would be the first time Evie had met with petitioners on her own… Usually they did not present any problem too difficult to handle, even so she would feel more confident with the king by her side. Sometimes great decisions would be made at these audiences, and although she could certainly tell the entreating dwarf that she would give him an answer after consulting with the king and their advisers, she did not want to appear feeble or unsure, especially since she was so new to being queen. Yet to appear weak was better than to make the wrong choice, she supposed…

Her worrying was getting the better of her. She heard Thorin's voice in her head, calming her and raising her spirits, and then realized that the real dwarf was speaking as well.

"You will do well today, Evangeline. I trust your judgment and so do our people. Be true to yourself and what you think is best, and I have no doubt you will make the right decisions. You are ready to do this on your own.. I am only traveling a few hours away to the edge of our settlements; I will be back before dinner and you will never know I was gone."

Evie kissed him, expressing in action what she could not say in words.

"There is never a moment you are not by my side that I do not miss you… I feel your absence as if a part of me is gone. I trust you, if you think I am ready for an audience alone. But never think for a moment that my heart does not ache every second you are not with me."

Something changed in Thorin's bright blue eyes, and Evie was captivated by their new expression. His thick brows curved inward, creating wrinkles at the top of his nose which made the hobbit want to kiss him there. The impulse was defeated by a greater one, however, as Thorin's lips enveloped hers and his arm bent around her waist, pulling her flush against him. There were few things in all Middle Earth she loved more than the feeling of his arms around her, and the closeness of their bodies when he held her in this way, as though they were only two pieces of a whole. She breathed his name and they both knew that if they did not separate immediately neither of them would begin their routines on time, but it was too hard to bear the thought of letting go of one another. Instead Evie tugged on her husband's collar, pulling him down into the bed with her. He lay beside her for a moment and she curled against him, savoring their shared intimacy for just a few minutes more. He kissed her temple, and Evie's fingers toyed with the clasp of his tunic in completely innocent indulgence.

"Next time you survey the settlements, may I come with you?"

She asked quietly, and smiled as she felt his lips move against her forehead,

"Of course. I will tell Veili and he will make the arrangements."

"Thank you…" Evie spread her hand out on his chest, feeling him breathe in and out beneath her touch. "Thorin?"

"Yes?"

He asked, his fingers stroking the slope of her arm, covered by the thin fabric of her nightgown.

"Good morning."

He grinned, one of his rare, toothy smiles which delighted her to the core.

"Good morning, beloved."

.

.

Evangeline took a deep breath, knowing exactly what needed to be done without more than a moment's hesitation. Even so, she was silent for a minute or two in order to give the impression that she was considering all sides of the situation (which, of course, was her practice – yet in this particular case it was clear that a more detailed evaluation of the farm in question would need to be enacted before a final decision could be made).

"We will send an impartial scout to examine the damages and he will report back to us with his assessment. If it is true that Kildar's pigs were loose two nights past and have damaged your crop and the scout can judge that the evidence supports this, we will take action and see that you are compensated. And, even more importantly, that Kildar builds a better pen for his animals."

Hemdel's mouth was a thin line as he listened to his leader's valuation of his story, and at the end he nodded in acceptance. Things could have gone better for him, but what she had decided was fair, he supposed. It would not return his crops and he would be infuriated should the scout decide against him in the matter, but he doubted such a thing would happen. He was sure it was Kildar's pigs; the blind fool was always leaving their pen in a sorry state when the rainy season came and never fixed it or kept it up when storms weakened the boards holding it together. He bowed, lowering his head in agreement.

"Thank you, my queen."

He took a few steps back before turning and leaving the hall. Once Hemdel had passed through the massive open doors, Gwothir, the porter, announced that there were no more supplicants waiting. Evie thanked him for his services for the day, and asked if he would send her well wishes to his wife and children, who would surely be glad to see him earlier than usual, since the audience had not run long (a rarity, as the hobbit was beginning to find). Gwothir thanked her and went on his way, leaving the queen alone in the colossal reception room.

It was then, sitting on her throne and watching the last petitioner leave the hall at the end of the day, that it hit her. Evangeline smiled, leaning back in her seat and truly looking around the hall for the first time in months. She admired the unique stone of the pillars stacked along the walls, the vaulted expanse of the ceiling, the great arch which formed the entrance to the immense space… She felt truly comfortable here. She recalled the first time she had sat in this chair, felt the high back of it and placed her hands on the arms of the throne with the stoic fear of a stranger. She had attended to what she thought a queen should look like and act like, but what did she know of such things? The dwarves were teaching her, petition by petition and conversation by conversation, just what it was to be a queen. To care for her people, and to truly feel that they were her own. To truly feel that she belonged.

All her life, Evie had been a traveler. She had followed in her father's footsteps and started off on her adventures at an extremely young age. Now that she was older, and perhaps a little wiser, the hobbit looked back on those journeys and realized that as wonderful as they were, and as surely as they had led her to where she was now (what if she had not wandered into the back of that blacksmith shop all those years ago?), her fantasy of a life of adventure had been just that – a story she wanted to enact into life. For despite all the fond memories she held close to her heart of her expeditions with the men of Gondor or her voyages across so many of the roads of Middle Earth, never certain where she would end up, there were other memories which tormented her when she least expected it – of battlefields littered with corpses, the screams of the injured as pain surged through their wasted bodies, the twisted figures of men as they wheezed their last ragged breaths and poison devoured their insides… And through it all, she had been alone. Yes, there had always been others around her, her traveling companions, her fellow healers, but none who truly connected with her. None who cared for her more deeply than anyone would for an acquaintance. It was only now that Evangeline realized how important it was to share life's successes and struggles with others. To create a community. To care.

The Shire had never felt like home to Evangeline Took. She loved its quiet simplicity, its rolling hills and well-trod footpaths, but she had never felt truly happy there. She had always wanted more – to explore every corner of Middle Earth and to make a difference in the lives of others. The hobbit had never been willing to settle for the common order, for the untroubled life of Shirefolk. Westfarthing had been her family's home, but it had never quite felt like hers. Neither had any of the other places she had stayed – everywhere she went she was a visitor, a stranger, a wanderer from the west… Even after spending years living in Gondor and lending her services to its people, she had never been welcomed as a citizen. She had never been one of them.

But now, here in the dwarven halls of Ered Luin, she belonged. She was a part of something greater than herself. Not only was she a part of it, she was a leader. A queen. The responsibility fell heavily upon her, but it was allayed by the support she felt from those around her. Although she acknowledged that it might take some time before all of Durin's Folk accepted her in full, and there would always be a few who would not, she was generally well known and even well liked. She was proving herself every day to the dwarves she served, with every small measure of justice she enacted or remonstrance she fulfilled. Every day was a new adventure here, and she never even had to leave the main fortress. Things would grow and expand with time, she was sure, and when they did she would be ready. For now, however, she would take things day by day and put faith in the belief that as long as she did her best and remained passionate about every detail of her people's welfare, she would earn their respect and their trust. Perhaps, one day, she might even earn their love.

There was a sound near the door of someone approaching, and Evie's grey eyes squinted to see who could possibly be entering so late and unannounced.

"The audience has concluded for the evening, but if you return in a few days' time we will have ano –"

Her words dissolved into charming laughter as she realized that it was not simply one of the dwarves of Ered Luin who had come to see her, but the king himself. He was still in his riding garb, which was simple and rather unassuming for the visage of a ruler. Evie stood and stepped down from the platform on which the thrones reared proud and tall above the general assembly area, presenting Thorin with the lovely image of two little feet dashing down the steps toward him as his wife lifted her skirts and nearly tumbled down to his side.

"My king…"

She grinned, wrapping her eager arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. The dwarf smiled into her lips, holding her close.

"Well?"

He asked, and Evie scrunched up her nose at his brazen attitude. He certainly wasn't one to run around a point he wanted to make.

"How did it go?"

He urged her, his gaze daring her not to look away. She rose to his challenge, her grey eyes meeting his blue ones squarely. She did physically retreat from him, however, and took a step back as she thought up a reply.

"It went well..." She affirmed, one of her hands moving to rest on her other elbow. The blonde looked away for a moment, suddenly hesitant. Under Thorin's inspection she felt less confident than before, even though she knew he believed only the best in her. Perhaps it was that pressure which made her self-assurance cave in upon her; that perhaps she was not so great as he supposed.

"I think." The blonde added, her stormy silver eyes suddenly focusing very intently on a nearby tapestry. It was of a king standing tall atop his mountain, with rich designs of mines blooming out beneath his feet, all overflowing with precious metals and gems which almost glimmered in the candlelight. She absentmindedly wondered what threads they had used to create such a dazzling effect before realizing that it did not matter.

Thorin took a step closer to his wife and looked at her, truly looked at her, for a moment. His gaze was not appraising in the conventional sense; he admired the lush color of her gown and the delicate sweep of her golden hair across her forehead, braids weaving through each other in a complicated design of true dwarven fashion... Her cheeks were flushed pink from his attentions, and even though he had seen her in nearly every state she always seemed to surprise him. For as capable as Evie was, she was rarely confident (other than when she was challenged, and then nothing could stop the fierce little hobbit from proving herself). He wondered why – perhaps it was because of her unique situation as a hobbit adventurer, as a ruler of another people, as someone who was ready and willing to do whatever she could for others (a rarity in such a world)... He loved her for all that she was, but sometimes he wished that this marvelous creature, who had so much unbounding faith in others, might have a little more faith in herself.

"I do not feel like a queen…"

She confessed, wringing her hands. It was a nervous gesture which was uncommon to her, and Thorin could not stop himself from taking one of her dainty hands in his and squeezing it gently.

"I feel no more a king now than I did when you first met me… Nor did I consider myself a blacksmith then. You are many things, Evangeline Took. Brave. Caring. Honest. You are equal to any challenge offered you, and many to which you volunteer. Do not restrict yourself to a mere title."

The brave king's brow narrowed a little as he spoke, and it was clear that he had not thought out these words before they so eloquently escaped his lips. Evie looked up at him with mingled surprise and delight dancing in her warm grey eyes, and her hands wrapped more tightly around his.

"That is perhaps the wisest advice I have ever been given," she mused, tilting her head to the side as she looked up at him. "While I think we value titles, and for good reason (they help us remember who we are – king, husband, brother, friend…), I do think that perhaps sometimes one can become too deeply enamored with an idea of what that title means. Your words hold a heavy truth, my love, for a title should be there to raise us up and not to weigh us down."

She smiled as she gave him an amatory title, and the dwarf kissed the smooth plane of her hand as if in response.

"You are quite right, beloved."

And so the title fit the individual, and not the other way around. It was something she had taught him, just as much as he had learned it himself. Thorin had never considered himself only a prince, or a blacksmith, or a son, a brother, a warrior… These were all words, and they were important, but he was a sum of them all and refused to be molded into someone else's idea of what he should be. He would set a standard, rather than be set by it, although this was something the ruler had to remind himself of from time to time. When selecting a bride, for example. Before, when his people thought of the word 'queen,' they most certainly did not craft an image of the small blonde hobbit who stood before him. Yet now, in the midst of their growing civilization and their slow climb back into prosperity, all made possible due to this feisty Halfling, perhaps their idea of all that a queen could be was now different. Evangeline was already beginning to prove what a queen was, rather than conform to their idea. And Thorin had cause to believe that she would keep correcting their assumptions with each passing season, as both the queen and her people came into their own. It was their time, their turn to thrive and to dedicate themselves not to cruel survival, but to true happiness and contentment.

Thorin Oakenshield had been searching for a home, and although he had begun to fashion one out of rock and stone in the Blue Mountains and although he had every intention of returning to Erebor to take vengeance on the dragon Smaug and reclaim his rightful kingdom, he realized that the very idea of home, in and of itself, was much more than all that. He had found a home with Evie, and it would travel with him wherever he went, as long as her love went also. And that, he realized, was what he had been missing all these years. Not a dwelling, not a fortress, but life's only true comfort – finding a home in another person. He knew the complications of their relationship were only beginning, but somehow they would find a way forward. A way to break free from titles and expectations. A way to share this sense of peace and happiness with those who needed it most, the dwarven wanderers who had forgotten what it was to be taken care of and treated with kindness and respect. They had lost their homes, but Thorin was feeling more and more certain that he and Evie could help them find another.

.

.

.

.

.

Author's Note: Thank you all so so much for your patience! I know I haven't updated for a while… To be honest I've just had a lot going on in my life lately, and this is a big time of transition for Evie and Thorin so mapping things out is taking more time and consideration than I imagined before. In any case, I hope you're still enjoying my little story, and I look forward to hopefully hearing from some of you about what your thoughts are! Some big changes are coming just around the corner for Evie and Thorin, and now that they're an established couple it has been interesting and challenging for me to explore the hurdles they will now face in married life. (and impending trouble in the name of two little nephews! )