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Chapter 11
*Dis*
She let the tea steep a little longer than normal. She needed a strong brew to awaken her soul. After leaving Thorin alone last night with Mistlynn's unforgettable entrance, she had gone back to the feasting hall and enjoyed a couple more dances and several more glasses of wine as she caught up with Dain and Sindri. An extra boost of vigor was needed for this day.
She had been most pleased with how the night had played out. Seeing her brother laugh and dance, truly enjoying himself had nearly brought tears to her eyes. He had seemed a century younger, before all that death and responsibility had been heaped upon his young shoulders. Their talk in the courtyard had been enlightening as well. She was shocked when he said that she was stronger than him, although that sentiment could not be farther from the truth. That was high praise coming from him. She knew her brother held her in high regard, but he had always been a dwarf of few words, especially after the death of their mother.
It pained her to see him afraid, vulnerable. He had always been the strong unmovable pillar in her life, a resilient and impenetrable stronghold not unlike the mountain he ruled with an iron fist. He had always been her protector, her respite from the cruelty of the world; he stepped in and raised her boys and supported her when her Vili lost his life. He would never understand how much she cherished and appreciated him for his strength and selflessness. She could only hope that her words had been enough to soothe that fear, to encourage him to pursue something that would bring him happiness, for once in his life think of himself and put himself first.
An abrupt knock sounded at her door, interrupting her thoughts jarringly. She winced slightly before regaining her poised composure. Never show weakness, especially if it came in the form of a hangover. "Enter." She called out briskly.
The door opened and the white-blonde head of Mistlynn poked in. She had her hair braided half up and down, and she was wearing a pair of breeches, a flowy white tunic and a leather bustier of her own design. "Sorry I am late." She smiled brightly before stepping in shutting the door. "I got caught up in my workshop. Ori rescheduled our lessons for later this afternoon." She chuckled as she approached swiftly with a very confident sway to her hips as an irresistible zest radiated from her. "And just how are you fairing my friend?" she teased, her green eyes bright.
A suspicious smirk teased Dis's lips. "What has you in such a fine mood?" Her eyes scanned over her, and she quickly spotted a certain braid tucked behind her delicate ears. Dis jumped to her feet and rushed to Mistlynn, her eye wide and eager to confirm what she hoped and suspected. She touched the braid and lifted it gently with her fingers, an elated smile brightening her face as she saw her brother's bead firmly clasped on the end of the intricate braid.
An uncharacteristic squeal left the raven-haired princess as she pulled Mistlynn into a bone crushing hug, hangover immediately forgotten. "Oh, he did it! Mahal be praised! He did it!"
Mistlynn was laughing at her friend's reaction and hugged her back tightly once she was able to wiggle her arms free.
"I finally get a sister! I've been waiting for so long! Do you have any idea how long?" Dis giggled as she shook her to emphasize the point. "You guys were beginning to pain me! It was so excruciating to watch!"
Mistlynn blushed a deep red. "Was it really that obvious? Half the time I couldn't tell if he was glaring at me or offended by my very existence!"
"Oh, you were driving him mad, but not for the reasons you think! I'm sure he made it abundantly clear to you last night, eh? Judging by that betrothal bead and your blush." Dis teased, her face still beaming with joy.
"It's so surreal still. I woke up thinking it must have been a dream! But when I woke up my room was full of flowers. I've never seen or even smelled such amazing flowers before!" Mistlynn was gushing, thankful she was able to celebrate with someone other than Luna.
"I always knew he would spoil his bride-to-be, and you certainly deserve it my dearest!"
A series of urgent knocks pummeled Dis's door before it burst open as Fili and Kili rushed in. "Amad! You will never believe what I heard from Bombur, who heard from Brienne, who heard from her maid that Uncle bought out the entire flower market and had it delivered to…" The words rushed from Kili's mouth before he noticed that Mistlynn was standing next to his mother, both with joyous smiles on their faces. "Mistlynn!" both princes exclaimed in unison before hugging her.
"When is the wedding?" Kili asked eagerly.
"They haven't discussed that yet!" Dis chided, shooing her youngest off.
"A little bit soon to be discussing a wedding, isn't it?" Mistlynn chuckled nervously as she rubbed her palms against the side of her legs.
Dis, Fili and Kili all stopped talking and stared at her. She shrugged her shoulders awkwardly, "I mean, weddings are a simple affair in my kingdom. We perform a handfasting ceremony in front of our family unit and closest friends. We don't normally have the means to support a feast afterwards."
"Well, that sounds so… intimate and romantic." Dis tried to smile encouragingly but was fighting with herself how exactly to explain what a royal dwarven wedding entailed.
"That sounds absolutely awful." Kili was blunt, earning him a punch in the arm from Fili and a scolding look from his mother, "I'm sorry, I can't think of any other way to describe that! You know who you are marrying right?"
"And that marrying my uncle means you become Queen of Erebor. The first Queen since our Great Gamul Amad! That's reason enough for a huge celebration!" Fili added, not sure if breaking it gently to her was the right approach or not.
Dis nodded, agreeing with her sons. "We won't make any permanent decisions until Mistlynn discusses with Thorin what they want. It's their wedding after all, not yours."
"She's going to be our aunt! We just want to celebrate one of the few good things that has happened to our family since we reclaimed Erebor." Kili grumbled, before looking at her directly. "By the way, I am so glad you're his One. I was so scared he was going to marry someone old, and strict, and scary."
Fili laughed loudly while Dis tried to smack Kili again, who dodged it. "Bite your tongue! Your uncle is not old, Kili!"
"Could have fooled me!" Kili shot back as he crossed him arms over his chest.
"Stop it, Kili." Fili scolded as he pulled an uncomfortable Mistlynn into a side hug. "Don't worry about it. No matter what happens it will be great. My Amad knows how to throw an amazing party, whether it be small or big."
It was at that moment Thorin walked into the room, not at all surprised to see his family and his fiancé standing together. "Hhm. Now I can only imagine what this is about. I've been looking for the lot of you all morning."
Dis rushed to him. "How dare you not tell me you proposed! I only found out because I saw Amad's bead in her hair!"
"You're not my keeper Dis. I had every intention of telling you after you awoke this morning. Not my fault you slept in." He cocked his eyebrow challenging her.
"Please tell me you guys are going to have a big wedding." Kili begged, walking up next to his mother.
"Well, that is something I am going to discuss with my fiancé, not you Irakdashat. Don't you have your own maiden to go woo?"
"The wooing has been done, now I'm just waiting on a certain kingly uncle to give me the go ahead to plan my own wedding, Thank you very much. Until then, I plan on living vicariously through yours."
Thorin just shook his head, breathing in deeply while closing his eyes for a moment to pray for the sake of his sanity,
"Looks like I'm the favorite nephew again." Fili grinned, trying to get Mistlynn to laugh and help her relax.
"Enough now." Thorin grumbled, unable to help the smile that was teasing the corners of his mouth. He was looking at her now. "Has their incessant meddling changed your mind?"
Her laugh was lighthearted, and all the nervousness melted away. "They have only proven that I made the right choice."
Fili tried to subdue his smile as he stepped aside so that Thorin could approach her, granting them a small measure of privacy. "Thank you for the flowers. They were so beautiful! When I awoke, I thought I was still dreaming. I've never seen so many! How did you do it?" Her eyes twinkled, making his smile brighten.
He picked up her hand and tenderly kissed the back of it. "I have my ways." He teased.
"Ah, there are the two lovebirds!" Balin walked into the room. "The news is traveling fast; we must get ahead of it."
"The entire flower market Thorin, truly? "Dis laughed. "I'm not surprised all of Erebor is buzzing with the news."
"I had no intention of keeping it a secret." Thorin winked at Mistlynn before he put her hand on his arm before turning to face the others in the room. "What would you have me do Balin?"
Balin smiled fondly at Mistlynn. "First, I would like to congratulate the lady. I am truly happy for you both."
She beamed, her cheeks flushing a rosy hue. "Thank you Master Balin."
"Now we must discuss a date for the wedding. Sooner rather than later I gather?" his eyes twinkled. "The sooner we can get invites sent out to our neighboring kingdoms the better."
Thorin felt Mistlynn's body freeze next to him as he nodded. "I have a feeling you have a date already in mind, my friend." Thorin could see the silent conversation between Dis and Balin, he wanted to ask Mistlynn what had caused her to react in such a way but now was not the time.
"I think the last day of summer would be perfect. Gives us 6 weeks to prepare everything and give Mistlynn a proper overview of Erebor and what her duties as Queen will entail."
Dis nodded, agreeing with Balin. "I agree. It's a good amount of time for Dori and I to teach her what she needs to know and get her fitted for her wedding gown and new wardrobe."
Thorin felt Mistlynn's hand clench his arm slightly. He looked down at her to see slight trepidation in her eyes. "6 weeks is not a very long time. I fear I won't be able to learn all that I need to in that time. I was thinking next spring would be a good time?"
Thorin raised his eyebrow in surprise as he turned to look at her. "You want to wait that long?"
Mistlynn shrugged nervously. "6 weeks just isn't much time Thorin. I feel like there is still much for me to learn about your kingdom and your way of life in general. I do tend to stand out in a crowd don't you agree?"
Thorin processed her words for a moment before adverting his eyes and looking at Balin and his family. "Could you give us a moment?" He asked, his tone neutral.
"Of course." Balin nodded. "I'll be outside." He left the room, followed by Dis, Fili and Kili quickly. Kili shot them a wink before he shut the door.
"Is there any other reason other than you think you will not be prepared in that time?" Thorin asked, his tone gentle as he held both of her hands in his.
"Thorin, of course not." Mistlynn stressed, squeezing his hands with hers comfortingly. "It's just a lot you know, everything is changing so quickly. I've only been here a couple months. Not to mention my being from a kingdom no one here knew existed until I showed up unannounced. Some of your people may not like the idea of you marrying me, I am a quarter elf you know. We cannot ignore that fact. Even you knew that when we first met, and you were not happy about it either."
Thorin groaned as he released her hands, and rubbed his over his face and pushed back through his hair as he closed his eyes. "I knew that comment was going to come back and haunt me. It was disgusting of me to even call you that, I had no right! I was frustrated and confused by my feelings for you I didn't understand why you were under my skin so quickly. I was desperate for anything to keep you at a distance. But it doesn't and will never excuse me calling you that foul word. Please forgive me for that."
Mistlynn shook her head, stepping forward to put her hands on his chest, imploring him to understand. "That's not what I meant. I've already forgiven you. It's not like you were wrong, it is what I am and others have picked up on that fact. Most seem fine with it, but I know that others in your council are not going to be as understanding."
"You're my One, M'eudail. The council has no standing when it comes to that; and if anyone dares question it, they will be removed from my council and will not be welcome in Erebor. I will not stand for it."
"I will not have you tear apart your kingdom for me. You've worked too hard to build it back."
"I've worked too hard and lost too much in my life in the name of duty, I will not lose you because some old goat feels your lineage is lacking, which it isn't!" He sighed, taking a step back from her.
He paced for a moment before stopping and facing her again. "I am not as young as I used to be. I just accepted I would never find my One, that I would never have a love or family of my own. And now that I have found you, I don't want to wait any longer. I know it seems fast, but we have felt the pull, we know that we were meant to be together, to belong to one another. I want to start our life together as soon as possible."
He approached her, his eyes locking onto hers. He slid one hand along the curve of her waist and pulled her closer to him while he pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear before cupping her face. "But if you are uncomfortable with our wedding and your coronation being held so soon, I will wait. But I am afraid I cannot promise you a small wedding; it would be rude of me to not invite my people or our allies to witness our union and celebrate with us."
Mistlynn looked deeply into his eyes, her own turbulent with many emotions. Thorin sighed, removing his hand from her cheek, and taking a step back. "You don't have to make any decisions today. I don't want you feeling pressured."
Mistlynn shook her head, instantly missing his closeness. "No, Thorin. That's not necessary." She ran her hands up his chest and rested them around his neck. "Six weeks is enough time for me to acclimate. I am a fast learner, after all." She smiled coyly at him before rising on her tiptoes to capture his lips with hers. She felt the tension leave his body as he gave in to her kiss. They savored the taste and feeling of one another for a moment, before she pulled back, a breathy giggle escaping her lips. "You talk as if you're at death's door, Thorin. You are not that much older than me."
"I am 72 years older than you." He grumbled, his lips forming a slight pout as he brooded at her words.
She threw her head back, a beautiful laugh filling the room around her before she jumped up against him, forcing him to catch her as he stumbled back into the back of his sister's armchair. "Mahal knows I'll keep you on your toes, force you to keep up with me. You are in your prime you silly dwarf, I've always known I wanted someone more … mature."
Her light voice turned sensual before capturing his lips again, surprising him once again at her assertiveness. She bit his bottom lip teasingly than soothed it with her tongue, making a growl rumble deep from within his chest as he gripped her backside tightly with one hand while burying the other into her luscious platinum curls. He fought to keep his composure as she dominated the kiss as her legs wrapped around his waist tightly. He managed to pull back from her lips, desperately trying to focus on anything else other than her lips latching onto his neck directly under his jaw. "Another reason why we should get married quickly, you keep testing my resolve you minx."
She giggled, still peppering his neck with kisses before claiming his lips for one final kiss before returning to her feet and stepping back, her chest heaving as she savored the look of her fiancé absolutely wrecked and wanting while leaning against the chair. "Should we inform them of the good news then?" She giggled, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
Thorin laughed breathlessly as he attempted to stand and adjust himself. "They are probably leaning against the door trying to eavesdrop."
Mistlynn helped him straighten his tunic, allowing him to see the nervousness that flittered across her face before her mask slipped back into place. "Please tell me if you feel like your overwhelmed. I will help you navigate all of this."
She nodded, taking a deep breathe. "I know you will. And I know you sister, nephews, and everyone else will help as well. I just have to stop overthinking it."
Thorin leaned down and kissed the hair on the top of her head. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his embrace. It was at that moment she felt like she could take on the world.
