Tenderness ruled all their gestures. Such as when Katniss hugged Thorin from behind, leading into another passionate kiss when she returned to their bedroom carrying a loaf of bread, fruits and a bottle of wine. Or how Thorin pulled her to sit down on his lap in front of the fire while they toasted their bread by kissing tenderly her neck and giving special attention to where the sword had scratched her skin. Or how they parted the bread and toasted the wine, sharing the drink from two half-broken chalices they'd found lying on the ground, as they exchanged vows of eternal love and companionship before they fed each other.

"Are we married according to your people's traditions now?" Thorin gently asked, removing some breadcrumbs from her chin.

"Yes," she said, adjusting his long hair behind his ear. "I suppose we are."

He grunted in approval.

"And what would a newly wedded couple like us be likely to do now if we were in your homeland?" he asked as he stroked her breasts through the curtain fabric she was still wrapped around.

"I guess… I guess we would take this conversation to our bed."

He made another noise of approval.

"This is exactly what I wanted to hear." He stood up and picked her up in bridal style. "But I have a better place in mind than our bed…" he said, smirking, before he lit a torch that he grabbed from the wall, all while carrying her with a single arm.

She gave him an inquisitive look, but the only answer he gave her was a warm smile. Thorin led them through the wreckage rubble of their bedroom, passing through other areas of the room she hadn't seen yet: the in-suit bathroom and both the clothes and jewellery rooms, until they reached a hidden doorway to a concealed staircase. When he got half-away, he opened another hidden door with a kick.

There was a hot wave of moist air when they entered the stoned floor room, followed by the sound of running water. The room was extremely dark, and she was struggling to see anything that wasn't near the torch Thorin was carrying. He placed her on the floor and asked her to wait as he went around the room, lighting the torches that surrounded the place.

Soon enough, Katniss had a clear vision of the place. It was an underground cave with a natural lake and a weak waterfall erupting from one of its stoned walls.

"Welcome to the hidden water source of the River Running. There is another water source for our people, but this..." Thorin raised his hands as if to embrace their surroundings. "This is for the private use of the King and his Queen."

Katniss opened her eyes wide in surprise before taking his hands and making her way to the lake.

"This seems a bit excessive,"

Thorin chuckled as he wrapped her hands around his arm.

"It is better this way. It can be quite the operation taking members of the Royal family to bathe at the commons pond. Other people can be allowed here too, as long as you or I invite them. I bathed here on occasion with my family when I was a young lad, but I have always dreamt of the day I would be bringing my own Queen here to swim side by side with me."

Katniss gasped when her feet touched the water for the first time.

"It's hot!"

"Aye."

"Thorin, this water is very hot!"

"Thermal waters, naturally heated by the mountain. It is quite a treat having this during the winter. The water from the common's pound is cold, and that is the one we drink from."

Inside the water, he pulled her to where there was a small waterfall. While doing that, he poured some water into some of her most visible wounds, cleaning the blood away from her body and face. On her turn, Katniss did the same for him. She cleaned the dried blood from his temple and from where she had bitten him in the cheek, which was a wound that looked particularly nasty.

"You must ask Oin to patch this one up for you… Sorry."

"I'm sure I will survive."

"My hand is throbbing from all that punching," she confessed, showing him her bruised knuckles. He smothered his chuckle and kissed her hand.

"You brought this on yourself."

"You laugh, but now both my hands are hurting. I really hope I don't need to use my bow for a while."

"Dwarrow people have thick skin, Mizin. We are harder to knock down than you can imagine. You should make a note of that next time you feel the urge to hit me."

When they arrived at the waterfall, he placed her right under the cascade of warm water, massaging her body in a way she had never felt before.

"All this water will leave the mountain and go to the outskirts of Dale, travelling through Esgaroth and passing through the edges of Mirkwood before it feeds the region of Rhovanion until each reaches the Sea of Rhûn. People from different areas will use this water; fish and other creatures will be born, live and die in this river. But before its water gets to see any of that, it gets to wash the King and Queen of Erebor. Or, in other words, If I want to force those pointy ears to drink my piss, I can."

"Thorin! This is disgusting!"

He laughed wholeheartedly.

Before she could open her mouth to protest, he began to play with her core with one of his fingers. Their foreheads were touching, but not their lips. Soon, she wrapped her legs around his torso once more, and within seconds, he was sliding himself inside her as if that was the most casual thing in the world.

Their eyes interlocked in their usual glaring contest, observing each other, not daring to do the first movement until Thorin decided that enough was enough and began to pound her with haste and desire.

"Or maybe I should make them drink our come instead. Do you think this is a better idea, Amrâlimê?"

To that, she moaned and helped him increase the pace of the pounding by angling her hips and providing him with a better grip.

"Good girl," he whispered in her ear before leading them both to under the waterfall, where he finally kissed her ardently, hammering himself inside her drenched and gushing folds as if there would be no tomorrow.

He knew he wouldn't last long on that pace, but after the ordeal she had made him go through, he didn't want to drop the pace.

"Katniss, I need you to cum for me," he purred in her ear, making her squirm. "That's it. Cum on your king. Now."

Her moan intensified when she felt his member exploding inside her. While he was still releasing ropes of cum inside her clenching cunt, she crashed her lips into his, driving him to oblivion and ecstasy, exactly what his soul craved.

Slowly, he felt her slide him out of her and stand up next to him, with her arms still wrapped around his shoulders, and they remained in silence for a long time, looking at each other with unfathomable tenderness.

Eventually, she broke the silence.

"We probably should go face that army outside our doorstep now."

He sighed.

"You are right. But before we go, there are a few things we need to clarify."

"What things?"

"I know you must have stricken some sort of deal with that elf. I need to know exactly what you and Bilbo did when you went there yesterday behind my back."

"I promised to hand King Thranduil the White Gems of Lasgalen."

Thorin's fist clenched immediately, and a growling noise escaped his throat, making Katniss roll her eyes and sigh in frustration.

"Thorin, please. Control your temper. You have an entire mountain full of gems. The ones that Thranduil wants can't be worth more than our peace of mind!"

They measured each other silently for a long moment before Thorin decided to speak up.

"Many years ago, before I was even alive, the elf bespoke a collection of jewels to be made to his wife from our most pure diamonds. The craftsman who worked on that was one of the finest from our race to ever have lived. They agreed on a price to be paid before and another one to set once the jewellery was complete.

"But Lord Thranduil refused to pay what was asked when the work was finished, claiming that was ten times more than what had been agreed. The issue here is the contract clearly stated that the price set beforehand was an estimative, and it pended on other factors such as the purity of the stones and the number of hours the craftsman would put into it, among other things."

"Right… so your grandfather and Thranduil had disagreements on the correct price of these… jewels."

"Disagreement doesn't even begin to cover it. We broke all commercial deals with the elves after that."

Katniss closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Maybe it is time to let this go. Start afresh. Strike new deals."

Thorin frowned and grunted.

"That would be letting them have their way."

"That would be avoiding war, Thorin! Please, you gave me your word that you would do anything in your power to prevent war. Well, here is your chance to prove that you meant that."

He sighed and stroked her face tenderly with a hand while the other fiddled with the golden locket between her breasts.

"My cousin Dain should be here at any time now with an army from the Iron Hills. If we were to have a war, we would be ready for it."

Katniss was about to open her mouth to protest, but he placed a finger on her lips before quickly adding.

"I know you would look absolutely astonishing wearing the Gems of Lasgalen. If you could only see the perfection of these jewels, I am sure you'd agree with me."

"I don't care how they look, and I will not going to wear it anyway, especially if it means war!" she huffed as she cut him mid-sentence. "All I want is for you to make peace with the elves! Can't you understand that?"

"We are going around in circles."

"I agree. And you should drop it."

Her glare was firm but gentle. Thorin sighed.

"You leave me with little choice on the matter. This is what you have asked for your Ûrzudel, and you already gave your word to the elves. Tell me exactly what Thranduil promised to give you in exchange for the gems."

"I asked for all the belongs we had in our possession when they arrested our company."

"Anything else?"

"I requested some help to restore the vegetation around the Mountain and Dale. Elves are good with plants, correct?"

He closed his eyes and was unable to prevent a grunt of frustration.

"You are naive. The elf was able to see through this, and he fooled you like a rabbit caught in a snare. You could have done so much better. The other dwarrow clans will see me as weak - a coward running away from combat."

"We both know that is not true!"

He shook his head but looked determined, as if he already had made peace with his decision.

"Maybe I can still add some points to benefit our people. I will have Balin draft a formal contract to confirm this deal with the elf formally. But I would appreciate it if you leave all the negotiations with me from now on. We must consider the interest of our own people when making deals with outsiders, and you are giving way more than what we are getting, Amrâlimê."

"Preventing war is in the interest of your people, Thorin! And that is priceless."

"Of our people," he said, gently touching her chin and placing a chased kiss on her lips. "You are one of us now, Mizin; you are my wife, my One. You are the rightful Queen Under the Mountain, Katniss, and it is time to take charge of what this truly means. It is time for you to start acting more like a leader and less like a survivor."

Thoring played with his bead on her hair while she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her to his lap again before he carried on speaking.

"Now, tell me the halfling's role in all this."

She sighed

"I believe you already know that Bilbo handed the Arkenstone to Bard. I must add that what he did was completely selfless. He claimed that sodding stone as his fifteenth share of the treasure and gave it to Bard to help you see reason. And I must add that he did all that with my blessing."

"He handled the most beloved gemstone of my people, The King's Jewel, my jewel, to my enemies."

Katniss saw a glint of the darkness that had taken home in Thorin's eyes for the past few weeks return, and that was enough to push him away and take a step back from him.

"What is the matter?" he frowned.

"Your eyes!"

"What about my eyes?"

"They went black again! I saw it!" she was now swimming slowly away from him.

"What?" he carried on frowning as he began following her.

"Your eyes were pitch-black when you were struggling with your gold madness…"

"Were they?"

She nodded and turned around to face him.

"And now?" He reached her and held her by the waist.

"They are blue…" Katniss got hold of his chin and looked deep down into his eyes. "I can't lose you for this gold nonsense again,"

"I am here, Mizin. I am not going anywhere," he said, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Then promise me you won't go anywhere near that blimming hoard!"

"Katniss, how can a King be deprived of being near his kingdom's treasures!?"

"Just promise me, Thorin! Please!"

He sighed in frustration. But the pleading look on her face was too great for him to ignore.

"I give you my word. I won't visit the hoard for the time being. Satisfied?"

Katniss kept studying his eyes for a while, and although she saw honesty behind them, she still struggled to relax her semblance.

"And are you going to agree to Bard's demands? Will you give them Bilbo's share of the treasure and allow the people from Lake Town to take shelter here through this winter?"

An uncomfortable silence surrounded them, where Thorin avoided looking her in the eyes, but Katniss looked expectant with both her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"I saw children, elderly, women, and injured people needing our help just a few miles from our doorstep," she hissed, starting to lose her patience. "And must I remind you, they are only there because we sent a dragon to burn their homes! So, If you don't think this is enough reason for…"

"I will allow them inside the mountain. And their gold will come from Mr Baggins' share of the treasure."

"Good. Because this is the minimum that any decent–"

"I will grant them temporary exile until their home is rebuilt, but only after Dain's army arrives. We will need more of our own inside the mountain to protect our treasure."

Katniss rolled her eyes and shook her head but nodded in agreement in the end.

"They will also need to return what is rightfully mine! My jewel, my Arkenstone. Mine." Katniss noticed his eyes changing colour for a second time, and she pushed him from their embrace and hasted to swim outside the water. She was drying herself with the fabric of the curtain she had pulled from their bedroom, and she saw Thorin leaving the water with a frown on his face.

"Katniss, what is the matter now?"

She checked his eyes. They were blue. She bit her lips.

"Your eyes. They changed again."

His frown intensified.

"What colour are they now?"

"Blue."

"Thorin…" she bit her lips. A suspicion came to her mind, and she wondered whether she should voice her new concerns to him or if that would only make things worse.

An uncomfortable silence arose again. Katniss began walking backwards, but Thorin approached her, preventing her from leaving the small lake by holding her by the wrist.

"Katniss, what is the matter?"

She let out a shaky breath but mustered herself quickly.

"It seems… every time I mention the stone, that shadow comes back to your eyes, and I see a glimpse of your gold-sickness. Thorin, I am scared. I am scared that you will go mad again when that thing returns to the mountain…"

He frowned, released her arms and left the lake and began pacing. She gave him a worried glance but was relieved to see, even from the distance, that his eyes remained blue.

"Thorin…" she was about to say something, but he cut her off.

"You will not mention this to anyone," he paused for split second, carefully considering his words. "We will need to ask for advice on how to proceed. Tharkûn might be the only one who can help us, but until then, we will not mention the… stone."

She immediately left the lake and rushed to hug him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead and got hold of her chin, leveling his gaze with her own. .

"We probably should keep going. The armies…" he said, and she nodded.

After that, he got hold of the torch before opening the door, and rushing up the staircase together.

—-

Katniss got dressed and ready quickly. Thorin, on the other hand, was forced to pay another visit to the royal armoury to find a suitable replacement for his damaged suit of armour.

Only when they were both ready for a public appearance did they return to the rampart's gate. They held hands when the cold winter breeze hit their cheeks. After a quick glance at her surroundings, Katniss noticed that the army outside remained there, although now they seemed to be resting rather than standing at attention. The sun's position in the sky informed her they had approximately three or two hours before sunset.

Every member of the company bowed as they walked through them. Katniss noticed that Fili and Kili couldn't hide the mischievous sparkles in their eyes, which made her cheeks burn. The memory of what she had been doing the last time she saw Thorin's eldest nephew was still well-vivid in her mind, and she was now certain that the entire company knew exactly what they had been up to.

She tried to brush off her embarrassment and looked at Bombur instead, throwing the bag of supplies she had managed to get from her brief visit to Dale towards him. And while Katniss discretely went to request for the dwarf to make super for the company, Thorin went ahead to address everybody else.

Elven and man warriors immediately stood up in their respective formation stance. The tension surrounding them was palpable and undeniable. Thorin looked down to the place where Bard and Thranduil were standing.

"I will be honouring Mr Baggins' and my wife's deals."

There was a collective breath release. Thranduil was unable to prevent an almost imperceptible grin from erupting from the corner of his lips. Bard didn't even pretend to hide his relief.

"I would like to host a parley meeting here in the mountain, where we will negotiate the finer details of this agreement and ensure this is well documented and signed by all parties."

"A written agreement and some clarification sounds reasonable. But why can't the King Under the Mountain come out of his lair and negotiate outside with us? We have plenty of wine and good food," Thandruil taunted, a sly smirk adorning his regal face.

Thorin's eyes went wide and he twisted his lips murderously. Katniss' colour drained from her face as she looked at Thorin, certain that he would back away after Thranduil's provocation.

Thorin grunted with a frown, looking like he was swallowing coal before he finally answered.

"Be ready to receive our delegation in the course of one hour."

But before Thorin had a chance to turn his back away from the crowd and start a conversation with his men, the sight of a third army, led by his cousin Dain, came into sight.