Chapter 1

The door was thrust open as two pairs of footsteps entered the bedroom quickly. The last one through the door closed it forcefully and stood still with their hand gripping the handle until their knuckles turned white.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

Thorin turned and glared. "What do I have to say?"

"Yes," replied Kaleria, fists balled at her sides. "You disrespected me in our council meeting in front of those men and your sister."

"I had to gain order over the meeting and you were still arguing with Grollin." Thorin started toward her.

Kaleria straightened her back. "You chose to gain control by yelling at me?"

"I am your king!"

"And I am your wife!"

They stood face to face, neither one backing away. The Durin temper had flared in Thorin, but the Marzel temper burned just as bright in Kaleria. Thorin glared down at her until her words sank in and registered in his mind. She was his queen, and he had disrespected her in front of the entire council. He had chosen his power and image over the love of his life.

His anger dissipated like the steam that rose from the forges. Thorin took a step back, giving them both space to cool down.

"You're right." He spoke so softly she barely heard him. "I should not have yelled at you in front of those men. You are my queen. I am sorry."

He dropped his eyes to the floor like he did when he wasn't certain of what else he should say. Seeing him react in this way and hearing his apology, Kaleria let go of her anger toward him and calmed herself.

She stepped forward and closed the distance between them. She placed her hand on his cheek and directed him to look her in the eye.

"Thank you for your apology." She replied.

Thorin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Kaleria. You must know that."

Kaleria squeezed his torso tightly. "I love you, Thorin Oakenshield."

Thorin loosened his hold on her to press kisses to her cheek until he reached her lips, then he claimed them as his own. She was the first to come up for air.

"My king," the old nickname rolling off her tongue, "what brings this on?"

"I must make amends." He kissed her again. "And give my wife the appreciation she deserves."

Thorin lifted her from the ground and carried her to their bed where their passion burst into flames, threatening to burn them up from the inside.

—-

The next morning at breakfast, the royal family took their seats at the table as they had done since Kaleria had moved to the mountain. After their marriage, Kaleria had insisted that nothing change in their interaction with the family. Dis remained between them in the seat she had been in long before Kaleria had arrived. She appreciated Kaleria more for her insistence that nothing would change when she joined the family.

Except now she wished she had switched seats so she didn't have to be in the middle of longing gazes and poorly hidden smirks.

Dis wasn't one to shy away from an opportunity to tease her brother. "You two seem to have patched things up since yesterday. Last I saw you, Kaleria was nearly ready to rip off your head, Thorin."

She smirked at her brother, who quickly pulled his Durin scowl on her. Fili and Kili stopped eating and stared between the adults across from them, unaware of what had transpired the day before.

"What happened?" Kili asked before receiving an elbow to the side from Fili.

"Your uncle and I," started Kaleria, " had a disagreement during our council meeting yesterday, but we talked it through and we reached an understanding."

"You certainly did," mumbled Dis into her cup before she took a sip.

"That's enough, Dis," growled Thorin.

Kili looked at his brother, dumbfounded. "What am I missing?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," said Fili, lifting his fork to his mouth.

The group fell into silence as they finished their meal. The boys dismissed themselves to go train with other young warriors, and Dis hurried after them, coming up with some excuse to leave the table quickly. Thorin and Kaleria remained in their seats as the only ones left in the room.

"My sister should mind her business." Thorin grumbled.

Kaleria smiled. "Well, if you hadn't been so obvious, she wouldn't have suspected anything."

Thorin's face contorted in surprise at her accusation. "Me obvious? What about you and your glances every minute?"

"I couldn't help myself," Kaleria stood from her chair and moved toward Thorin. She waited for him to scoot away from the table before taking a seat in his lap, her arm draped around his neck. "I was admiring my handsome husband with his striking eyes and his majestic hair. How could I resist?"

Thorin couldn't focus beyond her hand stroking the side of his face and the feel of her sitting in his lap. "Who knew when I brought you to my mountain you would become the temptress of my desires?"

He placed his hand at the back of her head and brought her lips down to his in a long, slow kiss.

Thorin had not known such happiness in his life. Every year older he faced new challenges and nearly died from most of them, but he could never thank Mahal enough for bringing this woman into his life. He would kiss her all day if he could.

Kaleria broke the kiss first, turning her lips away until his lips pressed into her neck instead. She knew exactly what her husband was thinking. "As much as I would like to stay here with you all day, we have duties to perform."

Thorin groaned into her neck, then released his hold on her. "Why must you be the logical one?"

"One of us has to," Kaleria teased, "and since you've lost your self control, it falls to me."

She got to her feet and walked toward the door, with Thorin trailing behind her. He opened the door for her, but stopped her before she walked through. He cupped her face and kissed her once more.

"Stay out of trouble, my love." He said.

"You know I can't promise that," she replied, smiling.

Thorin chuckled, then pressed a kiss to her forehead and released her. Kaleria left the dining room and headed off to start her day in the healing rooms, visiting patients and lending a hand where she could.

Thorin watched her until she was out of his sight, struck stone still at his luck that she had chosen to spend her life with him. After Dis had married at a young age and Fili was born not long after, Thorin had put the possibility of marriage out of his mind. He never thought a woman could love him and all his flaws. Kaleria was unlike any woman he had met before, and though she had seen him at his worst many times, she still found it in her heart to love him. Thorin knew he was the luckiest dwarf in all of Middle Earth.