Chapter Seventeen: Healing, Confessions and Courtships
Once everyone was done eating, I got permission from Beorn to set up a couple of tents in his yard where I could catch up with some magical research to catch up on, to which I then got to work healing each member of their injuries, but I left Thorin for last as his injuries were the most severe. I looked over at the dwarves after finishing healing Bilbo and saw Thorin training his nephews, I smiled as I then made my way over to the three all the while being careful not to get in the way.
"Thorin?" I called out, causing the three to turn and look at me, "Can I see you privately for a healing session?" I asked as I then motioned to the tent nearby that I had set up in Beorn's yard. But then the sound of muffled laughter reaches my ears and as both Thorin and I turned, we saw both Kili and Fili both chuckling.
"Go ahead, my lady." Kili said with a smirk as he then motioned to his older brother to follow him.
"He's all yours." Fili followed up, then followed suit with his brother before the two of them then raced off somewhere.
I turned back to Thorin who looked at me with a look that anyone in my home world would use as if to say the very words that Thorin said: "Looks like that's your answer." I giggled at this before Thorin then followed me away from the other and into the tent, I used my knowledge of medicinal herbs that I gained through my life and knowledge from medical books from my world to create medical instruments powered by magic.
But that wasn't the only feature that this tent had. I set up the inside of the tent with three designated areas for different areas of research and development: One area for magical, one for medical and finally one is for agriculture.
I led Thorin over to the medical area where I motioned to the bed.
"Ok, could you remove your coat and chainmail? I need full access to the wound." I said calmly, reaching up the shelves and pulled out a container of healing cream that I had made with medicinal herbs before turning around to see Thorin removing his garments, revealing his hairy but chiselled chest that I could feel myself drooling over. Seeing his abs ripped against his belly. 'Holy crap! I knew Thorin was ripped but seeing it up close makes it so much more real!' I thought to myself before realizing that I was acting like a 13-year-old schoolgirl again by ogling at Thorin's abs. 'No, stop it Amara! You have to focus on healing him.' I scolded myself before watching Thorin sit down on the cot, giving me one of his ever so handsome smiles.
Snapping myself out of my daze and focusing on healing Thorin I cleared my throat before stepping forward.
"Ok, I'm going to start with the wounds on your back. I'm going to apply this healing cream onto your wounds to cleanse them of any infections, but fair warning, it's gonna sting quite a bit." I explained to Thorin who then nodded, I walked around to his back and opened the container before slowly brushing in onto his back.
The sound of Thorin taking in a sharp breath had me hesitate for a second. "Sorry." I said in a meek voice, fearing that I was hurting him more than I intended to.
Thorin slowly shook his head. "It's fine. Keep going." He said, sounding like he was in pain but in a durable sense of pain. I took a deep breath before slowly rubbing in the cream, which worked in cleansing his wounds of any infections, which to my delight were very few-to-none. Once done rubbing the cream on Thorin's back, I then stepped around and began on his chest. Forcing myself to stay focus and not drool like a stupid schoolgirl, once the cream was rubbed in and the wounds showed no more signs of infection, I then placed my hands over Thorin's heart and closed my eyes as I recited a healing spell from the anime 'Jobless Reincarnations':
"May this divine power be rich and nourishing. Offering those whose strength has been lost the strength to rise again! Healing!"
Though my eyes were closed, I could feel the magical energy flow through my body and down my arms to the base of my palm. I focuses on imagining the wounds on Thorin's body slowly closing by themselves as I continued to channel my magic through my palms into his body, feeling the comforting warmth before it soon vanished altogether, at this time I chose to open my eyes and saw that Thorin had healed completely but there were still scars where the wounds were.
As I then tried to continue, I felt two large and coarse hands grip my own as I looked up to see Thorin looking down into my eyes as he shook his head.
"Don't worry about them." He said softly, as he looked at me with a look that I have seen in many women in the Shire and also in movies and tv shows, a look that I could only describe as love and affection. He then placed my hand against his chest while still covering it with his own, our eyes never left each other's as I felt my heart beating so fast that it was hard for me to maintain my breathing.
"Thorin." I gasped as I felt like I couldn't hold back my feelings, I didn't care what happened afterwards I was taking my shot. "Amrâl astî. Amlanthi sulla dê astâ." I knew that I was speaking in Khuzdul, the language of the dwarves.
Thorin looked at me in surprise but then a soft smile crept on his face as he looked down into mine, he leaned closer as he then said in a hushed voice: "Amrâl u'astû, Amrâlimê." With these words, I felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest before Thorin then leaned closer towards me until our lips then met with each other.
Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to be swept up in the kiss as a wave of excitement, warmth and bliss washed over me. I had read in many books that during their first kiss, for some girls it caused a feeling like butterflies fluttering in their stomachs while some it was like a wave of excitement that they feel on a special occasion and for others it was like watching fireworks go off on new years eve at the stroke of midnight.
But for me, it was like all those things mixed together.
I felt his free arm wrap around my waist and pulled my body closer to his, I didn't know how long we were kissing but for what seemed like being too soon, Thorin pulled away as I opened my eyes and looked up into his brilliant blue eyes while smiling.
"Guess this means we don't have to walk on eggshells with each other, huh?" I panted as the two of us struggled to catch our breathes.
"Not anymore, Halwûn." Thorin smiled, "In fact, I was planning on telling you my feelings, but you beat me to it."
"How long have you felt this way about me?"
"Long enough to know that you are my One, and I will never let you go." He said as he pulled me into an embrace. "In fact, once we reclaim the mountain and survive the final battle, I will make you my queen." Surprised by this, I pulled away and looked into his eyes.
"But Thorin, other than our friends, won't there be many dwarves who will not accept a human as their queen? Even more so, a magic-user?" I asked knowing that the dwarf race was not very welcoming towards outsiders, and with Thorin being the king of the dwarves all the dwarf lords would not doubt protest to him taking a human bride. "Surely, there are many dwarf lords who were hoping to have you marry women from their families. Moreover, I doubt that they would accept an heir that is only half Durin folk."
It wasn't unusual for lords to want any heirs to the throne to be of full blood race and look down on half-blooded children, I also knew that if Thorin and I ever had children one day they would have a hard time and have to fight twice as harder than full-blooded dwarflings. And with there being a chance that one or more of them will most likely inherit a portion or two of my magic, that would give them even more of both an advantage and disadvantage.
"Aye, there are." Thorin said, as if he knew what I was thinking before lifting my chin with his fingers to have me look at him. "But I do not care about that. You were chosen by Yavanna and Aule as their champion, even when given the chance you never hesitated to join our quest."
Hi looked at me as he grasped my hands in his tightly, but not too tightly as to hurt me on accident.
"You are the bravest, kindest and most wonderful woman I have ever met, Amara. And if the dwarf lords will not accept you then we'll just have to make them." He said as if that was going to be something easy to accomplish, but if the dwarf lords were anything that I imagined them to be, it was going to be a whole other battle than facing ither a dragon or an army of orcs.
"Are you absolutely sure that you want me as your wife and queen, Thorin? Because I do not take things such as marriage very lightly." I asked, wanting to be sure of all this. I loved Thorin from the moment I saw him on the silver screen, and I wanted to be sure that his feeling was as real as my own.
Thorin looked at me softly as he pulled me back into a strong embrace. "I am." He said sincerely, my head resting against his newly healed chest, hearing the soothing sound of his beating heart. Strong and steady. "Halwûn, will you accept this courtship bead as a sign of my intention to make you my wife and queen?" He then pulled out a beautifully crafted hair bead out from his pocket, I remember reading about this in many Tolkien fan sites and fanfiction stories back home.
I felt my heart race with excitement as I felt tears of pure happiness fill my eyes before running down my cheeks as I smiled and nodded to the dwarf I loved.
"Yes, Thorin. I have loved you for so long, I can't imagine myself with anyone else." I said as Thorin then embraced me once more before he began to braid my hair with the bead, the feeling of having Thorin's fingers slide through my hair was surprisingly pleasurable and comforting. I sat on the cot in the tent Thorin worked, as it reminded me of the times my hair was braided by my father and grandfather as a child.
Once Thorin was done, I looked down at the bead in my hair and smiled.
"It's beautiful." I said, the craftsmanship in the bead was evident in the details. I looked back up at Thorin. "Should we let the others know? Or do you want to wait and see how long it takes them to notice?" Thinking about how the company would possibly react to the news of Thorin and I being a couple in the midst of a dangerous quest.
"Given the fact that Bilbo was the one who told me to tell you how I feel, I'm guessing that most of the company already know how we feel about each other." Thorin chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck, as if he was nervous.
"That's a valid point." I said with a giggle; Bilbo was always the observant one. Soon Thorin pulled me towards him before leaning in and kissing me with even more affection and passion that it left me breathless as I pulled away.
"I'll never get tired of doing that." I panted with a smile on my lips.
"Nor I, Amrâlimê." Thorin replied as he then pulled away and began to put his shirt and armour back on, I smiled as I watched his muscles for a brief moment before clearing up all the tools I used and put them all back in their rightful places in the tent.
Once we were done, Thorin held out his hand to me. I took it without hesitation as we exited the tent and made our way towards where the company were gathered for lunch. Dwalin then saw us and motioned to us.
"There you two are. What took you so long?" He bellowed, causing everyone to turn to face Thorin and I. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I looked around and spotted Bilbo who looked like he was proud of something.
"Wait a minute, lads." Bofur's voice called out, causing everyone to become silent before he then pointed to me and asked. "Lass, what is that in your hair?" I looked to the side and saw the courtship braid hanging on the side of my face with the courtship bead hanging on the end, I felt my cheek grown hotter as I then turned to Thorin.
Thorin then told everyone that we were now officially a couple, which had many of the company groaning or cheering.
"Come on, boys. Pay up." Fili said and both he, Kili, Dwalin and Bofur then accepted small pouches of coins from the others while Bilbo and Balin sat in the corner minding their own business.
"Were you all taking bets on our relationship?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow before Dwalin then cheered out.
"Just on when Thorin would finally pluck up the nerve to tell you how he feels, lass."
I then let off a giggle before I then turned to Dwalin with a smug look on my face. "Hate to disappoint you, Master Dwalin. But I'm the one who confessed my feelings first."
This caused many of the other company members to cheer and such, Thorin and I took our seats near Fili and Kili and the two young dwarves then leaned closer to me.
"Does this mean we can start calling you Auntie Amara?" Kili then asked, I knew he was just messing around, but I wasn't going to take it lying down.
"Only if you want to wake up tomorrow with a bald head and face."
"You wouldn't! Would you?" Kili asked me, looking like a frightened child.
"She would, after all she's done it before." Bilbo then said, as I could tell he was recalling that one time during my first month in the Shire when I first met Lobelia. How I had cast spell to make her lose all her hair save for her eyelashes and eyebrows overnight.
"Come on, Bilbo. Even you have to admit that she had it coming." I whined; all the dwarves turned to me in shock at the fact that I had done such a thing. As in the dwarven culture, to cut off someone's hair or beard was considered the greatest of sins/punishments, greater than death itself.
Bofur asked, curious. "Who had what coming?"
"Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. She's a vile shrew of a woman that has been trying to get her hands on Bag-End since before Bilbo was even born." I said as I then began to explain the tale in full, we all enjoyed our time of peace as it was going to be a while before we leave again. But I wasn't going to spend it wastefully, I planned to drill all my martial arts knowledge and skill into the dwarves even if it was the last thing I do.
The forest of Mirkwood was our next stop and there were many things in those woods that I wasn't looking forward to.
Spiders, elves and orcs... Gods help me.
Translations
Amrâl astî. Amlanthi sulla dê astâ - I love you. You mean everything to me
Amrâl u'astû, Amrâlimê - I love you too, my love
Halwûn - Sweet One