"Thorin…"

He could barely believe his own eyes. His One, his Mizin, his Ghivashel. It was like everybody else disappeared from the room, and only the two of them had remained.

"Katniss..."

She promptly stood up and handed her food bowl to Dori without even acknowledging his presence. Her eyes were locked on him, on his muscular bare hairy chest, and all his attention was devoted to her. He increased his pace as he carried on going down the stairs, while Katniss did the same thing, but climbing them up instead. Her baggy eyes informed him that she hadn't been having much sleep lately; her hair was messily braided in her usual style, confirming that she had been on the road. She wore a dirty nightdress, slightly hidden by an enormous green travel cloak.

When they finally met, he couldn't resist the temptation to lift her into his arms and twirl her around as they claimed each other's lips in a passionate, hungry kiss. Her hand was on his hair as he held her by her thighs. Things between them would probably have escalated quickly if it wasn't for the noises of multiple dwarves clearing their throats coming from below. It took Thorin an enormous effort to restrain himself, to have the willpower to put her down and break the magical embrace they were sharing.

"I missed you," he whispered without taking his eyes off of hers.

"I missed you too," she whispered back, and then she gave him a wide grin as she stroked the corner of his chin, grazing at his beard and making him shiver. He had never seen her smiling so happily like that. She took another breath before she could say the words she was dying to utter since she was able to figure out her own feelings, "I love you." He could see some tears of joy beginning to marrow her grey eyes, "I love you."

"I love you too, amrâlimê." And with that, to the despair of the dwarrowmen who were watching them from afar, he kissed her again. And he swooped her off her feet once more, but this time, no cough loud enough in the world would make him stop. His common sense was long gone, and his legs were beginning to climb up the stairs again, with the unique intent to take her to his room, when he heard Balin shouting from behind them.

"The courting contract, Thorin! She needs to sign it!"

He froze on the spot and put her down once again. Katniss gave him a questioning look, but all he did was to offer his arm for her to take it.

It was then that he noticed that an usual yellow paste was covering her hand and its fresh scar.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Snake bite." His worry must have been evident because she promptly added, "It's okay, the elves healed me. There is no permanent damage. I can still shoot."

Thorin felt something clenching his heart when he heard her saying that the elves had healed her. Even though he already knew exactly what had happened, as Bilbo had told him while they were still locked inside Mirkwood's dungeons, he hated that feeling of owing anything to Thranduil or any of his vassals.

"I'm so sorry, Mizin. I failed looking after you."

"This wasn't your fault. It just happened."

"But I should have known better than leaving you alone."

"Stop beating yourself over it. I'm fine."

"But you could have died. And I thought you had, for a moment. And it destroyed me. I can't lose you, Mizin."

"And you won't. I'm not going anywhere," she said, placing her good hand on his bare chest, exactly where his heart was. "You got me. All of me. Right here."

"Can you two hurry up? We don't have the entire day, you know?" Gloin said as he entered the room with a mischievous smile on his face.

Katniss' blushed and closed her eyes, forcing herself to look away from Thorin while he tried to suffocate a chuckle by her reaction. He placed her wounded hand on his arm and led her downstairs, where the rest of the company members were waiting with smug looks on their faces.

"It is a shame Kili is not here to see this. Shall I go and get Fili to join us at least?" Bofur asked.

Thorin nodded.

"Is Kili still not recovering?" Thorin asked with a frown, and then every single pair of eyes laid on Katniss, which made Thorin's frown deepen as he followed their gaze and ended up looking at her as well.

"Kili was poisoned. I brought a friend to heal him. She is probably doing it now as we speak."

There was an overall tension in the air, but no one dared say a word. Thorin noticed the overall agitation, but looked back at Katniss with a decision already made.

"If you think this was a good idea, then I am okay with it. Whoever this friend of yours is… if you are trusting my sister's son's life in her hands, so do I."

"Uncle…"

They both turned around to see Thorin's eldest nephew, Fili, going down the stairs.

"Auntie Katniss! Welcome back," Fili said with a twinkle in his eyes, making Katniss glare at him.

Balin then unrolled an enormous parchment and left it at the dinner table next to a lamp. Ori promptly provided some ink and quill and placed it next to the contract.

"I know that our people have many traditions that are unfamiliar to you. If you would like, feel free to ask one of us to help you to understand or clarify any clauses you find confusing." Balin said, offering her the seat in front of the parchment.

Katniss, however, did not sit where he pointed. Instead, she grabbed the feather and bent down to write her name on the clearly stated place for her to do it. She noticed that Thorin had already signed it, as had Balin as his witness.

"You are not going to read it!?" Thorin asked in shock.

"I trust you. I trust all of you."

Everybody in the room looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"Lassie, it is not a mere question of trust. An affair such as this one, there are many... details you must know! It is less about trusting in us, and more a question of you being aware of your rights, and your duties as well." Balin said.

"I guess you read it, right?" Katniss asked Thorin, who nodded in agreement. "Why can't we… go over some of the details on this contract, somewhere more… private?"

Ori squeaked. Both Dori and Nori gasped in unison. Bofur whistled, and Bombur and Bifur exchanged a smirk. Balin's jaw dropped, whereas Thorin… he beamed at her.

"Aye. That would be my pleasure."

She nodded and folded the contract.

"Bofur and Bifur, clear my room for Lady Katniss to use. It is my wish for our future Queen to have the best room in the house. Run a bath for her as well, come and fetch her with me when it is all ready. Dori, find something appropriate for Lady Katniss to wear in Lake-town and for her to travel with us and leave it in her room. Fili, go and get me a clean shirt."

"Oh, can I have some food as well?" Katniss quickly added, making some of the dwarrow men chuckle.

"Here we go, Lassie," Bombur said, passing the stew bowl back to her "I will make you some more. Any special requests?"

"I'm not fussy, you know me…"

"Aye, that we do!" Bombur said with a fatherly smile.

"Balin, make a list of all the provisions you believe we might need to ask for the city Master during tonight's dinner. Check if it is appropriate for Katniss to accompany us or not."

"Of course, my friend," Balin answered with a warm smile.

"I trust you all to look after each other while me and Lady Katniss… get acquainted once again."

After he said that, many dwarves exchanged small giggles and Katniss' cheeks went pink. Thorin gave her a smug look as he enjoyed the way she looked when she was feeling embarrassed.

"Now… My Lady? If you would like to follow me…?" Thorin said, offering his arm for her to take once again.

"Of course," she said, recomposing herself and smiling back at him as she held his arm.

The Erebor's heir then guided her to a small chamber that was used as an office. Even though the room wasn't big, it possessed two comfortable armchairs. As they entered the room, Katniss turned back to close the door, but Thorin held her hand, preventing her from doing that. Instead, he guided her to one of the armchairs as he seated on the other.

"Don't you want to…"

"Aye. I do. But we need to discuss this courting contract. And you must promise me you will never do this again."

"Do what?"

"Signing things without reading them. We can't have the future Queen of Erebor giving her word like that for things she is not even aware of. If spoken words hold your honour, the written words are bidding. There is no coming back from what has been agreed on written parchment or sculpted in stone."

"Thorin… as I said, I trust you. And there are so many things we could be doing instead of talking about a contract..." she said, removing the long cloak and kicking the dirty sleepers she was still wearing to the other side of the room, before she brought her feet to the couch as she sat leg crossed and started eating her stew as if she was at home. That sight was enough to make him shiver, though he quickly recomposed himself.

"I'm glad you know that I mean you no harm. But at the same time, you have no idea how many have been betrayed by those who they love the most throughout history."

"All right… I will be more careful next time."

"Good. This brings me peace." There was a long moment of silence where they held one of their famous glaring contexts. But with Katniss biting her lip and playing with the contract as she ogled his bare chest, ensured that he was the one who was getting more worked up by it. He looked away from her and took a deep breath to try recomposing himself.

"This contract you are playing with, it serves as engagement and prenuptial agreement, but can also serve as a temporary marriage contract if the union happens to be consummated before the public ceremony and the signing of the final wedding vows."

"By that you mean... if we have sex before the wedding ceremony?" she asked with a smirk. Meanwhile, Thorin shifted uncomfortably in his armchair as he peered into the distance at the half-open door to see if anyone was listening to what they were discussing.

"Yes, Mizin, I'm glad you are following it," he said, relieved that nobody else seemed to be watching them. "So, as I was saying... the contract goes over some of your rights, some of the things you are already entitled to just by signing it, others that you will only have once we… consummate the union, what happens to you if I die, if you die, if you have children, if you are…"

But Thorin stopped at once when he saw Katniss standing up from the chair and slowly walked towards him with a teasing gleam in her eyes. She then gently closed the door before she decided to sit on his lap, hugging him with her legs and looking him in the eyes.

"This contract is boring…" she said as she started stroking his hairy chest, which was still on display, and touching his forehead with hers, making him growl.

"Miss Everdeen… you are playing with fire."

"I guess they called me 'The Girl on Fire' for a reason…"

"If you carry on doing this… I don't think I will be able to control myself," he said, automatically placing his hands on her hips.

"Then don't," she whispered.

That was enough to prompt him into smashing his lips against hers in a passionate, starved kiss, which she responded with the same eagerness. Soon her hands were travelling between his chest, busying themselves by playing with his nipples, and stroking his the same time he was holding her tightly by the hips with one hand and messing her hair with the other. She then decided to work him up by opening her legs even further and forcing her hips against his crotch, the thin fabric of his pants and her elven underwear was all that prevented their skin from touching down below.

He broke the kiss so he could look her in the eyes as her hips made circular movements, making him thrust harder. The sly smile she gave him was proof that she knew exactly what she was doing to him, and she was enjoying every second of it.

"Katniss…" He growled. "If we were to do this… there would be no coming back."

All she did after hearing that was increase the friction.

"Do you understand what that means?" he held her hips fiercely, forcing her to stop.

"I know what it means," she said before she narrowed the gap between them just so she could whisper in his ear, "I don't want to wait anymore. I'm ready to do this. To be your wife. I'm ready to be your queen, Thorin Oakenshield."

Her whisper made every single hair on his body shiver, and he knew that was already not coming back from this. They were going to be wearing each other's beads before the end of the day. However, there was another consequence that could occur, one even more important than his titles and all the gold in Erebor. And Thorin needed to ensure that she would be fine with it, as she had shown some concerns about it before.

"What if… what if Mahal decides to bless us with children?"

She immediately stopped teasing him and looked deeply in his eyes. For a moment, he was certain that she was going to back down. That, until she took a deep breath, and said with a sweetness he didn't know existed inside her.

"Then let them come."

That was all the permission he needed to let all his restraints go at once. He kissed her lips again, but this time, instead of a mad rush, there was a contained calm now that they knew their union would eventually be consummated that day. Slowly, as Thorin kissed her neck, he started undoing the lace that held the front of her nightgown together. He looked eye level with her just in time to see the thin fabric of the dress falling down her waist, displaying her small breasts to him for the very first time. And he couldn't take his eyes off them.

She bit her lips, which drove him mad, and soon, he couldn't no longer keep his hands to himself. He started again to kiss her neck, and slowly move his way down to her chest until he reached her breasts. Katniss couldn't help but let small sighs of pleasure escape her lips as she felt his stubble scratching her soft skin. He bit, licked, and suckled her nipples, making her call his name. Her lust was such that she saw herself spreading her legs open again, intending to rub her core against his crotch for the second time that day. However, he prevented her from doing that by sliding one of his fingers to her warm folds and started playing her as if she was his harp.

"Thorin…" she pleaded, lost in the new sensations of having him touch her like that.

"Are you enjoying this, Mizin?"

"Yes..." she answered, nearly breathless.

"Good," he said before he decided to increase the speed of his touch, to see how she would react.

However, before he could do anything, the door of the room was slammed open, revealing Fili, who was holding a shirt, and Bofur, who carried a tray of food. Both dwarves jumped after being forced to witness their King and soon-to-be-Queen in such a compromising position. Katniss suffocated a scream of shock and promptly stood up and covered herself with her gown again. Thorin, on the other hand, was beyond furious.

"Have you not learned how to knock!?" Thorin shouted at the two dwarves, who seemed to have been frozen in the doorway.

"But... no horseshoe…"

"The bloody elves confiscated the damn horseshoe!" Thorin shouted at them. It was not like he had even thought about placing that on the office door in the first place, but he was never going to admit that.

"What's the matter, Laddie?" Balin's head appeared behind Bofur. After a quick glance at Thorin's and Katniss's state, it was clear for the white-haired dwarf what had happened.

"Thorin, calm down!" Katniss urged, touching his shoulders gently. "Why don't we… just go to our bedroom?"

There was a moment of silence where everyone in the room tried to register what she had said. Our bedroom. Not mine, not yours, but our.

Thorin grunted at the others, but he nodded to her in agreement. Katniss and the other two dwarves sighed in relief.

"Right… Balin, forget what I said earlier about checking if Katniss should attend tonight's event. I want you to try to reschedule tonight's dinner with the Lake-town's Master and the prominent families of Esgaroth instead. If this is not possible, be ready to attend that with Fili on my behalf. If that is the case, send them my apologies and explain our current situation."

Balin nodded.

"Don't forget that Durin's day will be upon us before we know it, Thorin. I know both of you are already in a very advanced stage of your courting, but… considering the need to reach Erebor before that day... don't you deem it would be wise to postpone your union until we reclaim the mountain?"

"I don't want to wait anymore…" Katniss quickly said, before Thorin could even open his mouth. The Erebor's heir reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I am well aware, Balin. And that is why we won't have the seven days of Sanûrzud, as is the tradition. I will make up for her once we get Erebor back and things there have settled down."

"All right, my friend. One hundred and seventy-one years can spare a day." Balin gave him a gentle tap on his shoulders. "Especially a day that would be spent here, anyway. Even with the agreement on the provisions, they will still need to deliver it, and that is likely to take some time. I know that the city Master and the important families of Esgaroth will want to see the future King of Erebor, but I will try to strike a deal with Fili on your behalf."

Thorin nodded, and then he snatched Katniss and carried her bridal style, making some of the present dwarves to wheeze and choke. Her cloak and slippers remained forgotten on the floor, and as they left the small office, they heard the gasps and whistles from their other companions that had missed what had happened in there. Thorin trotted proudly as Katniss curled up on his lap, snuggling as she tried to bury her flushed semblance in his hairy chest.

"I don't have a horseshoe on me anymore, but… do not dare to interrupt us."

"Don'cha worry, I will getcha one for yeh," Dwalin shouted from the other side of the room, signing things with his hands that made him feel uncomfortable and some of the others to crack up a laugh.

Many gasps followed that statement, but he did not allow himself to feel intimidated by it. And he turned around to climb up the stairs back to his room, carrying his One in his lap, leaving several of his companions gaping and beaming behind them.

"And that, Laddies… was the shortest engagement in our history," Balin said with a silly smile on his face.

A/N: Sooo... please let me know your thoughts. Should I share some of the details of what happed on Thorin's and Katniss's first time, or should I keep that between my beta and me? And btw, thank you again, Bru!