Chapter Fifty Nine: Truly Realized

Notes: Aw my heart is still all warm from the last chapter! Here we are, going into the finale! See the notes at the end to get details on future projects 😉

The grand hall was filled with music as we all sat down at the large dinner table that was carved just for the occasion. The table was covered from corner to corner with food. Roasted meats, fruits and vegetables, fresh bread, and a wide variety of different sides from the sweet to the savory. The entire room was filled with the best smells in the world and friendly chatter from those closest to us and closest to the crown.

As I sat down in the middle of the table, Thorin bent over from his chair and whispered in my ear, "Am I losing what's left of my mind or were you speaking my native tongue during the ceremony just now?"

"I'm glad I was able to surprise you. I told Balin that I wanted to recite it the same way you would and he helped me learn the lines. Did I butcher the entire thing?"

He shook his head and held my cheek in his hand. "You were utterly wonderful. Thank you, my love."

Fili leaned over Gen who was right next to me and said, "Instead of saying you were going to 'honor' him you almost said you were going to 'son' him, but you corrected yourself. Although it would have been very funny if you were already promising him an heir."

My face heated up as Gen pushed him out of the way and said, "I thought you sounded quite impressive, Lydia. The entire ceremony was beautiful, certainly the most touching wedding I've ever been to."

"Including your own?" Fili teased, leaning on his elbow as he looked at her.

Gen snorted and picked up her glass of wine. "I don't think many would have called it a 'ceremony'. We basically said a few words in front of some witnesses and then went home where we argued about dinner until we went to bed."

While Gen told the unfortunate stories of her early marriage to her husband, I had noticed Dis leaning around Thorin. I looked and saw her eyeing Gen and Fili. I had nearly forgotten about the reveal that Grogur made in front of everyone, though she certainly had not. I wasn't going to touch that with a ten foot pole, it was going to be Fili's job to clue in his mother since the not too well hidden secret was officially out.

To indicate the beginning of the feast, Thorin stood up from his chair with his goblet of ale and a silence fell over the table. He bowed his head, grateful for the cooperation. "I wanted to extend the deepest thanks for the family, friends, and allies who were able to make it here today on such short notice. Your presence and support will not be forgotten anytime soon as Lydia and I step forward into the future together, hand in hand. Now, I ask everyone to raise a glass," everyone grabbed their drinks and followed his lead, "to my breathtaking wife, my forever partner, and our Queen of Erebor. Cheers and make merry!"

Everyone gave one big cheer before tipping back their drinks. I took a long drink as well and then kissed my husband as he sat back down at my side.

We all dove into the food, passing the plates around the table. Bottles of every kind of drink also circled around, keeping our cups full the entire meal. I really tried not to eat like a wild animal, but it was difficult to keep myself from inhaling everything in sight since I hadn't eaten all of yesterday to prevent any additional poisonings. I knew Gen had done the same so she was nearly as ravenous as I was. I made sure to pack down a nice layer of food before tossing more alcohol down my throat. The food had never tasted so good and the wine had never tasted sweeter.

Across from me at the table was Thorin's cousin, Dain, Lord of the Iron Hills. I had not seen him since the Battle of Five Armies, not like we spoke at that time since he was busy threatening the humans and elves. I much preferred being on his good side; he was a jolly fellow with a way with words as he told stories of his battles and travels. Thorin would lean over while he was talking and tell me when he was making stuff up or glorifying certain details. It took everything in me to not laugh at some of his corrections, but I behaved myself.

After we ate our fill, many of us got ready to start dancing as the musicians picked up the tempo of the music. Gen quickly pulled me to the side to roughly sew up the skirt of my dress, not wanting the rip to get bigger and show off things I wouldn't want others to see. It was certainly noticeable and quickly done, but I didn't care at all. I was itching to get dancing, so I didn't care how it looked. After the craziness of the past few weeks, I was very ready to celebrate the hell out of my marriage to the man I loved.

We both rushed out to the floor and I pulled Thorin with me. I yanked him out of a conversation with Dwalin but he didn't look too bothered by the intrusion. "I will give him back later!" I promised, linking my arm with my husband's. I looked up and said, "Well, I might not."

He chuckled and kissed the top of my hair as we joined the people who had already started dancing.

Thorin danced with me first to the fast paced music, swinging me around and guiding me through the steps. Being in and out of his arms and getting to be so close to him is exactly what I wanted for the rest of the night, but I knew we both had a lot of people to mingle with. Our alone time would have to wait.

"Are you happy?" I asked him, loving the feeling of my dress swirling around me while he spun me around.

"More than I thought was even possible," he responded, catching me in his arms again. "And you?"

"Over the moon." I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss before I was swept away by Bofur, continuing the dance.

"Got to be better at holding onto your wife, your highness!" Bofur laughed. He spun me around and I saw Thorin just smile and shake his head, joining back into the dance with his sister. "Lydia, do I have to call you 'your highness' now?"

"You probably should in formal occasions. When we're like this though, please don't. I hope me becoming queen doesn't change the fact that we're friends."

"It won't, I promise." The both of us stomped our feet on que to the song. "You've come a long way from crying in a cave, huh?"

I remembered when we were escaping the giants and took refuge in that goblin cave. Bofur had been there for me during one of my lowest moments on that journey. I felt powerless and like a burden to the company, but he helped me not feel stupid for being scared.

I gave him a fond smile. "I'd like to think so. Thank you, Bofur."

As well as dancing with most of the company, I got to meet and dance with several leaders similar to Dain. I was grateful I got to meet them in that circumstance, showing them how I knew a lot of dwarf songs and dances. Many of them were very curious about me, having heard the stories of taking back Erebor but some hadn't even heard of hobbits before since they were from so far east. Since I had displayed some level of courage and ability to drink, one of them was certain that hobbits were very distant cousins to dwarves. I took that as a compliment, but didn't have the heart to tell them how quiet and gentle hobbits normally were.

Eventually I got to dance with Fili, who I was dying to talk to the entire event after the ball had dropped about him and Gen. He was a true gentleman and brought a cup of wine to me when he approached me for a dance. I gasped excitedly and tossed it back, handing the empty cup off to a random person before accepting the dance.

"Bless you, nephew. I needed that."

"Oh please Lydia, I beg you not to call me that," he chuckled.

I lowered my voice and asked, "Have you spoken with your mother yet? She's had eyes on you and Gen like she's a bird of prey."

He sighed as we swayed back and forth. "Can you even imagine how incredibly awkward it is to tell your mother such a thing? It was absolutely awful and I hope it exits my memory for the rest of my life. But don't get me wrong, she generally likes Gen, but I don't think she was excited to receive that information in front of all our closest family and friends." He sighed again. "I think she's going to leave Gen alone; I hope I made her understand that I…I like her quite a bit and I don't want her to interfere. Not to mention, we know the kind of temper your sister has and how sharp my mother's tongue can be, it would be explosive."

I glanced over his shoulder and did a double take before I grimaced. "Well, you might want to take cover then."

He whipped around and saw Gen and Dis sitting together, both drinking wine of all things, and seemed to be talking to each other. He went white as a sheet and abandoned me on the dance floor, hoping to keep anything catastrophic from happening. Though he was so worried about the two of them facing off, it seemed to me that they were having a pleasant conversation. Smiling at each other and exchanging small laughs. Though many fights between women were started with fake smiles and laughs, it was easy to see that they were genuine.

The dance was quickly picked up by Kili, and I was so glad it was a more lowkey song. I always remembered that dancing with Kili was always…full of energy.

"How are you fairing, Lydia?" he asked, his handsome smile easier to see since his hair was tied away from his face.

"It's been such a whirlwind of an event. Not the most ideal start, but it's still been simply the best day of my life. It…feels like the end of something incredible, but the beginning of something even more special."

His expression softened and his smile turned more bitter sweet. "I'm so happy for the two of you. Truly, I am."

I tilted my head. "What's wrong Kili?"

He opened his mouth but hesitated, and he did that two or three more times before he managed a few words out. "I don't want to seem opportunistic…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…asking for the queen to sway the king when they've only been married a matter of hours."

"Come on, spit it out!" I urged, shaking his shoulder.

"Okay okay." He took a breath. "I'm only so hesitant because I know how much Thorin is against it, but now that you two are married, maybe there's a chance. Since he was allowed to marry outside of dwarves, maybe I would be able to court someone who also fought in the Battle of Five Armies and should also be considered a hero."

Ah, Tauriel, the wood elf that had caught Kili's affection during our journey to Erebor. I knew that occasionally Kili would travel out into the world to see her. He would always come back very quiet, I imagined he missed her terribly. I understood Thorin's distaste for elves, but he could not deny the fact that they fought on the same side during the battle, even if it didn't start that way. There was very little difference between Tauriel and I, being outsiders that fell for powerful dwarves and fought for them. I couldn't blame Kili for being nervous to bring this up to me though when his uncle had made his opinion very clear on the matter.

I reassured him, "I'll speak with Thorin. I can't guarantee anything but he will have to at least hear me out now."

He visibly relaxed as if he had just dropped a hundred pounds off his back. "I can't put into words how grateful I would be, Lydia. Thank you dearly."

After several more hours of dancing and conversing and drinking, exhaustion hit me like a stone wall. I finished one dance and looked over to Thorin, who was looking over to me at the same time. He looked just as tired as I did. With a simple nod, we knew it was time for both of us to retire for the evening. I thanked Dain for the dance and made my way across the room while Thorin tossed back the last of his ale.

The two of us bid everyone a good night, knowing many of them would still be partying until breakfast tomorrow. A few of them wolf whistled and shouted for us to 'enjoy the rest of our evening' in a very suggestive manner. I bit my tongue, not wanting to add fuel to the fire by saying that I had been mentally undressing him all day. Beyond the fact that I knew that would embarrass Thorin endlessly, declaring such a thing in front of other leaders probably wouldn't have been the most ideal either. I reluctantly stayed demure and decided to keep the raunchy language for when the two of us were finally alone.

I was caught off guard though when Thorin swept me off my feet, bowed his head to the party, and walked us out of the Great Hall into the much quieter walk ways of Erebor.

I tossed my head back and kicked one leg up in the air. "We did it, Thorin! I can't believe we actually made it!"

He laughed and adjusted his hold on me to accommodate my wiggling around. "We did indeed. Do you feel any different?"

"Strangely I do, I feel more…realized. How about you?"

"I think 'realized' is the right word. Like we're walking the path of destiny and we made it to a pivotal point."

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "Ugh it's disgusting how much I love you."

Since he was carrying me he was in the perfect position to lift me closer to him so he could kiss me back. I instantly felt the shift from us being playful to feeling the heat envelop us. I ran my hands up into his hair and tilted my head to the side, pressing my lips against his. I felt his grip tighten on me as he stopped walking which only made my heart pump faster.

He let go of my legs and I barely had my balance before he had me pinned up against the nearest wall. His body pressed against mine and he consumed me with every kiss that became more and more frantic. I couldn't hold back a needful whimper and that only ignited him more, lining my bottom lip with his tongue. I parted my lips and accepted him into my mouth which caused both of us to groan and fall apart.

My brain swirled inside my head, taking in every sensation as his hands found their way to my body. I leaned into his touch and pushed his coat off his shoulders. Even with his heavy coat off, there were still another three shirts underneath.

"You dwarves and your damn layers," I muttered against his lips, yanking frantically at the strings of his vest. "Starting tomorrow you're only allowed a maximum of two layers, this is absolutely ridiculous."

He pressed kisses into the side of my neck and responded in his gravelly voice, "Whatever you wish, my lovely wife."

Goosebumps rippled over my body and I had to press my thighs together to try and control the effect he had on me when he spoke like that. "Oh I don't think we're going to make it back to our room. No when you're talking like that. You are king, you're allowed to make passionate love to your wife wherever you wish, right?"

He leaned back and cocked his eyebrow. "And who exactly would I get in trouble with if we got caught?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, Balin maybe?"

He considered that for a moment and said, "Or my sister." He reluctantly pulled away from me, handed me his coat, then picked me back up into his arms. "We really shouldn't risk getting caught by our family. That would be traumatic for everyone involved."

I slid his coat on and giggled at being back in his arms again. "I suppose you're right…" I couldn't keep myself from teasing him, even though I agreed we should wait until we had some actual privacy. I nibbled at his ear and his neck, whispering the dirtiest thing I could think of. Seeing blush rush to his face only encouraged me more.

He growled, "You are in so much trouble once we get back to the room."

"I count on it," I whispered back.

The floor of our room was covered in our layers of clothes. The only thing on us that didn't get flung about was Thorin's crown and his mother's jewels that were nicely placed on the table close to the door of the balcony. We had knocked over furniture doing the shuffle, running into chairs and I had accidently kicked one of the nightstands over. We were acting like we had never touched each other before and that had led to a complete disregard of anything that got between us and our marriage bed. If the bedframe wasn't solid carved wood that had already experienced the worst of our physical activities, I would have been worried about that as well.

The servants had done such a great job cleaning the room from the events of that morning, including getting the blood washed off the floor. I felt a little bad that we had just made everything a mess again.

I was cuddled into Thorin's soft chest hair and covered with a heavy blanket that trapped in all our heat. I watched the sun start to edge its way over the horizon and make streams of light that cut through from the balcony. The snow glittered like diamonds and everything was completely silent except for our steady breathing.

I knew Thorin was awake as well from his lack of snoring, but I didn't want to break this moment. It was just utterly perfect. We laid there for a while longer, watching the run rise higher and higher, changing the sky from orange and pink to bright blue.

In those moments, I was flooded with thankfulness. I was so grateful to Thorin and Gandalf for convincing me to leave Bree. My life there wasn't going anywhere so I needed to go on that adventure whether it was incredibly dangerous or not. To think if I was just a little more afraid I would have missed out on making lifelong friendships, going to the most incredible places I would ever see, and making the best memories of my life. I didn't know the world could be as incredible as it was, and getting to experience it with friends was where I was meant to be.

As Bofur mentioned at the feast, I was not the same hobbit I used to be. I had grown from the love and loss I experienced. I had known myself better then, than I had my entire life. I knew what I wanted and needed, my feet were on the ground but I wasn't afraid of greater things. I wasn't afraid anymore.

Thorin's voice was low and gruff, cutting the silence. "I can tell your thoughts are loud, my dear. What are you thinking about?"

I smiled. He knew me so well. I told him what I had been thinking about, about growing a lot as a person during our journey and fulfilling what I needed in my life.

He nodded in understanding and said, "Almost my entire life was spent in pursuit of getting Erebor back. Becoming a true king and leading my people. There was happiness that came with completing that journey. But this," he kissed my temple and I leaned into it, "feels like soul fulfilling happiness I didn't even know existed."

I wound my fingers in between his and sighed contently. "All I ever wanted was to feel safe and at home somewhere. And this right here," I rubbed my face against his chest, "is the stuff dreams are made of."

I felt his rumble of laughter. "If your true happiness comes in that form, consider it yours, Lydia. I have a similar joy…" His hands began to wander and I leaned into his touch.

Oh yes, this is where I was meant to be.

End of Book Six: The Time After

Final Notes: Here we are at the end It seems like it's been quite a journey we've went on together, and yet it seems like it went by so fast! Don't worry, even though the main story is over I am considering writing some one shots based off this fanfic. There might even be some "spicy" content that I'll upload tomorrow, but since this site doesn't allow explicit content you'll have to check out my AO3 if you're interested!

And of course, a huge thank you to everyone who has made it this far. All the love and the comments I've received so far has been so much kinder than I could have ever expected. It truly warms my heart that this story I wrote, this silly little fanfic I started back in college, has meant something to other people.

This won't be the last you'll see of Lydia Barclay, but I look forward to working on other projects that I may also upload one day (hopefully not taking years like this one). Until then, thank you so much for the support!