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tolkiendefiled · 3 months ago

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Season 2 Episode 6

Remember how I said the last episode was kind of okay? Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Back when the trailer for the second season came out, I said that the Rings of Power is the worst hate-fiction ever. And boy, did this episode prove me right. It’s like someone said, “Let’s ruin every character,” and then the one rational person working at Amazon was like, “What do you mean everyone?” Almost nothing in this episode is from the books.They’re blatantly copying scenes from Game of Thrones, but worse, damn near none of this stuff is set up. This is exactly what happened in the first season, and at the same point in the season. They want to have these moments of gravitas and emotion, but they never took the time to build up to them, so the moments fall flat.

I feel bad for the actors because they’re really trying. If you watched the episode, you know what scene I’m talking about. The showrunners and writers did them no favors. They’ve got nothing to work with. Take the scenes with the Hobbits. Nori realizes that she’s put the Stoors at risk because the dark wizard is looking for her. Nori tells the leader that her people should leave, but the Stoors don’t want to leave their home, so Nori decides to turn herself in. The show tries to make a big deal of the importance of the Stoors’ home, but this is literally the second time we’ve seen them, and the third time we’ve had any moments with the leader, whose name I’m never going to remember. The actress is doing her best to sell the dialogue, but the scene has no weight because we don’t know anything about these people. This is like showing a random scene from Seven Samurai of the villagers crying. Their performances are fine, but the audience won’t care because they have no connection to these people. You need the scenes of the villagers being helpless and afraid, and then being selfish and shady, for the crying scenes to work. It’s all about context.

Speaking of which, Poppy and Merimac randomly fall in love. Don’t be alarmed, you probably just heard the sound of thousands of lesbians crying out at once. They were certain, absolutely sure, Nori and Poppy were a thing, but now that’s gone. I’m sure they’ll get over it. That said, this is a little fast. These two literally just met, and bruv isn’t exactly running on all cylinders. Then again, Poppy ain’t that bright herself. I bet no one will have a problem with how fast these two fell in love, even though it makes no sense; but if Mr. Nobody had been a woman, well, we’d never hear the end of it. At any rate, because of this, Poppy convinces Nori to stay and fight. Sure, why not? I mean, it’s not like we know nothing about the dark wizard, or his minions, or the Stoors, or what the hell is happening in Rhûn. Just act like this is a big moment. Fuck the context.

Speaking of ignoring context, the Stranger and Tom Bombadil ramble on about the Secret Fire. You might be wondering what that is, and since the show doesn’t bother to explain it to the audience, allow me to mansplain. The Secret Fire is the Power of Creation. It’s what Ilúvatar uses to create life, or more accurately, fëar - a spirit or a soul. This is what allows a creature to have sentience and free will. Other beings, like the Valar, can create other creatures, but those creatures are animated by their creator’s will. They don’t truly act on their own. Only Ilúvatar can impart true sentience onto beings. He does this when Aulë creates the Dwarves, and when Yavanna creates the Ents. This is also why the Orcs are not thought to be created by Morgoth, but instead corrupted by him, because Morgoth can’t create sentient life. So, why is this in the show? Because the Stranger says in his fight with the Balrog that he’s a servant of the Secret Fire, so again, the show implies that this is Gandalf while pretending it’s not.

The issue is that the scene makes no sense in context to the lore, or even the show’s jacked up narrative. We’ve never heard anything about the Secret Fire, and the show has Bombadil speak about it in such a vague way that it’s impossible to understand what he’s getting at. That’s bad for the audience, but it’s worse for the Stranger because he keeps asking for help, and old Tom keeps speaking in nonsensical riddles. It seems like the show is just going in circles with the Stranger, and I think it’s because the writers wrote themselves into a corner by having him not remember who he is or how to use his power. If they commit to him being Gandalf, then he would immediately have to deal with Sauron, which completely breaks the lore since the Wizards don’t arrive until the Third Age after Sauron is defeated. Now the writers need some way to keep the Stranger in the East, so they’re dragging this out, but they’re also trying to claim that Sauron’s on the brink of rising to power, so it doesn’t make any sense why the Stranger would stay in the East. It’s a total mess - one the showrunners needlessly created by changing the order of events. It’s almost like Tolkien knew what he was doing.

Then old Tom takes the Stranger to the keyblade graveyard (attached) to find his staff. This is how you solve the problem of him not going to stop Sauron? Have him spend weeks searching for a stick? Oh no, it’s actually dumber than that. See, the Stranger keeps getting visions of Nori in danger, so he wants to help her, but Bombadil keeps going on about Sauron, and discount Gandalf (the Stranger) is like, “Well, Nori will die,” and so the show has Tom Bombadil completely butcher one of Gandalf’s lines: “Many that die deserve life. Some that live deserve death. Who are you to give it to them?”

The correct line is: “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be so eager to deal out death and judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” The point wasn’t to lecture someone about whose life is more important. Gandalf says this to Frodo to teach him that Gollum may yet serve a purpose, that even if Gollum can’t be changed, it doesn’t mean his actions can’t lead to good outcomes. And that’s what happens in the story. Because Bilbo didn’t kill Gollum when he had the chance, Gollum was there at Mount Doom when Frodo succumbs to the Ring. He takes the Ring from Frodo and, depending on how you want to read it, either accidentally falls or is deliberately pushed by Frodo into the lava with the Ring, destroying the Ring and winning the day. Had Bilbo killed Gollum like Frodo wanted, once Frodo fell to the Ring, Sauron would have killed him, taken the Ring, and overthrown the world. The point of Gandalf’s words is that no one should go around killing people just because they think that person deserves it because you don’t know what part that person may play later on. It’s a good line and great advice, so why would they butcher it and make it into the polar opposite of Tolkien’s point?

Ironically, many of the people who will complain about this line technically agree with Tom Bombadil, that some lives are more important than others. It’ll be interesting to see how they thread that needle without making themselves look like complete hypocrites.

Anyway, Bombadil tells discount Gandalf to choose and then ditches his ass, and that’s the last we see of them in the episode. We basically learned a whole lot of nothing. It begins and ends at the same place. This man is still looking for a fucking stick. Are you kidding me? No, they’re not kidding. They’re committing to the bit.

For example, Celebrimbor is losing his mind over the rings. Literally, he’s going bananas. He snaps at his staff, forgets Short Round’s name (Mirdania), and is completely consumed with trying to make rings for Men. It’s kind of implied that Annatar is messing with his mind, but none of this makes any sense in context to the show. Celebrimbor didn’t have any problems creating rings for the Elves or Dwarves. The show claims that the rings for Men need to be made so that the Men won’t easily fall prey to corruption, but the show never explains why Men would be so easily corrupted, or why Celebrimbor is incapable of solving this problem. Worse, it doesn’t make any sense why Celebrimbor needs to do this when, in the previous episode, Annatar said he’d make the rings himself. Remember, Annatar is Sauron, and Sauron is the greatest craftsman in Middle-earth at this time. He teaches Celebrimbor how to make Rings of Power, not the other way around, so there’s no reason Annatar couldn’t make rings for Men on his own. This is just some nonsense the show contrived to add conflict, but it doesn’t work because it didn’t properly set it up. The show tries to make it as if Sauron himself is as manipulative and seductive as the One Ring, but it’s so obvious what he’s doing that it makes the characters look gullible and stupid to fall for it. No one has any reason to trust Annatar, especially when all their problems began when he showed up.

Now, there is at least one person who knows something’s up, and that’s Durin. Apparently, the Elven smiths ran out of mithril and a new shipment never arrived, so Annatar goes to Khazad-dûm to ask for more, offering King Durin fresh timber for his mines. The king denies him, but it’s just a ploy. He expects Annatar to come back due to the coming war, so now he can charge more for the trade. This is the ring talking. It’s making him greedy. Durin tries to take the ring from his father, but gets knocked away. The show doesn’t explain this, but this is because the ring increases the bearer’s natural powers, so the king is now stronger than the average Dwarf. Durin is broken by his father’s change. Disa tries to get him to turn on his father, but he can’t bring himself to do it.

The scene wants to be heavy and important, and the actors are giving it their all, but we spend so little time with Durin and his father that the moment carries no weight at all. We’re supposed to think it’s tragic that the king is falling to the ring, but we don’t know enough about him to see this as a tragedy. We have no connection to this man. I give the actors credit for their performances, but it would have been nice if the show gave them the screen time to earn the reaction they want.

Anyway, the pair decide to stop Narvi from mining more mithril by Disa singing to call down bats to chase the miners away. This is their great stand against the tyranny of the ring. Whatever.

Back before Annatar left Eregion, a body washed up with a message asking “Where is he,” meaning where is Sauron. This is a message from Adar, who suspects that Halbrand is Sauron and is still in Eregion. He tells this to Galadriel, who continues to prove she’s the dumbest person in the world. Although, to her credit, she at first tries to act like a rational person. Adar tries to get her to talk by sharing his feelings about Sauron. He mentions that Sauron preys on people’s minds to find what they want most, and asks what Galadriel wanted. To no one’s surprise, it wasn’t common sense, but instead an army. Adar says that what he wanted was children, which apparently explains the Orcs, but that raised a question for me. Are these not regular Orcs? I think I questioned this in the first season because they seem to be connected and loyal to Adar. We saw this in the first episode of this season when they stuck with Adar, even though Sauron should be powerful enough to control them. Are these Orcs specifically tied to Adar? Or is this just how the Orcs came into being? The show never bothers to explain this.

Another problem is that the show just makes shit up. Case in point, the crown of Morgoth. This (attached) is the crown from the first episode that Adar used to stab, and not kill, Sauron. Apparently, this is the same crown that bore the Silmarils, and that’s interesting because the Valar turned that into a collar to chain Morgoth at the end of the First Age. So, did that not happen? Did Morgoth not get banished into the Void? The best excuse I can see for this change is that this bit about the crown being turned into a collar isn’t in the Appendices, but the show clearly references and uses things from the rest of Tolkien’s works, so that excuse doesn’t fly.

What makes even less sense is why Adar still has it. See, he thinks the crown should have been enough to kill Sauron, but it wasn’t. Now he realizes that he needs the crown and the Three Elven Rings to do it. Why would the crown be able to do this, or the rings that only preserve? What’s the plan? Use the rings to keep Sauron alive long enough to stab him to death? The crown has no power, and the rings don’t kill things. So what is his plan?

And then, to make it worse, Galadriel initially refuses to cooperate with Adar, but when he returns, she decides to work with him, so she tells Adar all about the Elves’ forces on their way to Eregion, and that Elrond is with them and has her ring. You just told your enemy your whole fucking plan, and revealed your secret weapon! Is he even really on your side? You don’t know! Why would you tell him your whole fucking plan? So, of course, when Galadriel says that they need to wait for the Elves because Adar’s single legion isn’t enough, Adar reveals that he’s got way more troops, and soon, he’s going to have a Ring of Power. This bitch is literally the dumbest person in the world. She’s supposed to be this cunning military strategist, and she just gave away the whole fucking plot.

However, I will give her some credit. She realizes that Sauron’s plan might be to use Adar’s forces as his own, so getting Adar to attack Eregion might be a trap. Okay, fine. Decent insight. Oh, but there’s just one more thing. Sauron is supposed to be a great power, and the Orcs are susceptible to strong wills, so all he’d actually need to do is just exert his will and the Orcs would be his. Technically, none of this should be happening. Sauron should have had the Orcs on his side the moment he thought about them. Then again, I have done this really weird thing called reading the books, and you know nobody’s supposed to do that.

The siege of Eregion happens, and the people fall into a total panic, even though all of these Elves probably survived the First Age, so this wouldn’t be their first battle. I’m not saying none of them would panic, but it is strange that damn near all of them lose their shit. They got me over here like Chucky. You act like you’ve never seen a catapult before.

Meanwhile, Celebrimbor hears the commotion and tries to look, but Annatar blocks him. When Celebrimbor forces his way outside, Annatar traps him in a fake vision of Eregion to keep him from learning about the siege. Annatar talks about the importance of the rings to Celebrimbor’s legacy, claiming that the Silmarils will just be a whisper compared to what Celebrimbor will achieve. Then he gives Celebrimbor mithril dust supposedly created by Narvi, which we never find out how the hell he got, and hands him Fëanor’s hammer.

Now, the way the scene plays out makes it seem like the Nine Rings for Men are the most powerful or the most important rings Celebrimbor creates. That’s the opposite of what happens in the books. The Three Elven Rings are the height of Celebrimbor’s prowess, and that makes sense because they were made last. This is a weird thing to reverse. If I were being as generous as possible, then I could say that the show doesn’t claim that the Nine are the greatest, but instead implies that Celebrimbor outdid himself with the original Three and now can’t live up to his own hype. Either way, it’s total nonsense.

It also begs the question of why Annatar is even there. He’s really not doing anything with the rings. He’s not teaching Celebrimbor new techniques. He’s not making any of them. The Elves are actually doing all the work. So what is he doing? The books made it clear that Annatar taught Celebrimbor how to make Rings of Power. The show just has Annatar there. He’s pointless.

Anyway, Celebrimbor goes back to make rings, and then the assault happens. That’s the end of the episode, but that’s not all that happened in the episode. I saved the bit with Númenor for last because it is the worst hate-fiction I have seen in a long time. I thought I was supposed to be watching the Rings of Power, not some half-ass version of Games of Thrones, but that is the best description of this nonsense in Númenor.

Elendil is brought before Pharazôn to renounce his crime of, I guess, punching Pharazôn’s son, and to pledge his loyalty to Pharazôn as a true king. Elendil renounces his crime, but won’t pledge fealty, so Pharazôn sentences Elendil to trial by the Valar. He will be put to the sea at the mercy of a sea monster, who will either eat him - proving his guilt - or spare him - proving his innocence in the eyes of the Valar. None of this is in the books, but worse, it doesn’t even make sense in the show. Like I’ve said many times in this review, the show never bothers to set any of this up. We know nothing about how the Númenóreans view the Valar or their traditions around them, so when the show mentions something like trial by sea monster, it comes out of nowhere. There’s no context for any of it - from why Pharazôn would choose this method to why it’s even a thing. The best this show offers is that Pharazôn is trying to throw the Faithful’s love of the Valar back in their faces by forcing Elendil to follow this archaic rule, but we know next to nothing about the Faithful or Númenor’s rules, so this falls flat.

They lock Elendil up in prison, and then his daughter comes to plead with him to pledge fealty to Pharazôn. Where in the Game of Thrones have I seen this before? Ned Stark - I mean, excuse me - Elendil obviously refuses to bend the knee, so his daughter brings in the blind queen to plead the case, but he still refuses because it would be against his beliefs as one of the Faithful. The problem is that none of what they’re talking about has even been in the show. For the umpteenth time, we have no context, so why should anyone care about the scene? Also, since when did Míriel and Elendil become a thing? Are they fucking? They better not be fucking. That’s not in the books. That’s way off from the books.

Anyway, time comes for Elendil to die, and of course, the queen takes Elendil’s place. And of course, she’s spared by the monster. The people then chant for her as the queen of the sea, but Pharazôn’s already been made king, so I’m not sure what this is supposed to accomplish. She’s not actually the queen anymore, right? Or maybe not right because this show never bothers to explain what the fuck is going on. That said, this (attached) is a cool shot.

The Númenor scenes end with Pharazôn checking the palantír and seeing Halbrand, and I’ve got to admit that, as much as I think it’ll be a shit show, I kind of want to see what they’re going to do with this. Because in the books, Sauron tries to corrupt the Númenóreans after failing to corrupt the Elves, but it backfires, and eventually Pharazôn comes after Sauron, but the Dark Lord doesn’t have the power to defeat the Númenóreans, so instead he bends the knee, and eventually goes from prisoner to Pharazôn’s advisor. I’m interested to see how the writers will handle this because they already made the Númenóreans hostile to war in Middle-earth, so none of these people would agree to Pharazôn going back there just to get Sauron. Again, this is another example of the show needlessly writing itself into a corner. Unfortunately for the show, there are only two episodes left, so they don’t have enough time to fix any of this nonsense. It’s almost like they should have stuck to the plot of the books instead of writing the worst hate-fiction ever.

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miredinmiddleearth · 2 years ago

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Rings of Power, Ep. 7 Review - RIP

I’ve made it this far...Buckle up, mellon. Time for my thoughts on episode seven:

1. Dang. Everyone survived. Whelp, except that guy whose name I neither remember nor care to remember.

2. Wait, they SURVIVED?! Heat alone would do the trick, but pretending they survive the heat, that’s not snow they’re walking through! The ash would finish off anyone left! Look, LotR doesn’t have the best history with believability when it comes to volcanoes, but Rings of Power keeps professing it is meant to feel grittier and more realistic. So much for that, I guess.

3. The scene where Durin begs his father to help Elrond is actually poignant...and it makes me angry. Here’s why -

Lore/book reason the dwarves awake a Balrog: they were too greedy and dug too deep.

RoP reason the dwarves awake a Balrog: Durin is desperate to help his friend.

Writers, do you not see how thematically misaligned and stupid you are being?!

4. So now we know how the mithril cures the darkness. Apparently you just sit beside it. Wait, that begs the question, why do you even need to mine for mithril? Couldn’t the elves just book a mithril session and hang out int he caves for a bit? Totally cured.

5. Miss Pro-Genocide Galadriel gives a lecture on goodness and letting go of revenge. HA. That’s rich! Have we seen literally any evidence of a mind-change or reason she grew between the last episode and this one? Psh, no. Why would we need such a thing?

6. I actually found the scene where Miriel realizes she’s been blinded quite decent, as well! Amazing! In an ACTUAL display of strength (not whatever fake nonsense we’ve seen the women display prior), Miriel must maintain composure and pretend she can see so she can be strong for her people. They actually did something good?

Don’t make me laugh. The next time we see her, she’s wearing a blindfold, not hiding her blindness in ANY way. Apparently she only needed to fake being strong for a short horse ride.

7. When the heck did they have time to set up camp? At least the show is consistent. They’ll always fail to include what’s actually relevant.

8. Apparently we need to waste time worrying that Isildur, the incredibly vital character from later tales, is dead. Great use of time. Proof upon proof upon proof of the ineptitude of the writers.

9. Galadriel finally said her brother’s name! Her primary motivation, and it only took 7 episodes for his name to get dropped.

10. Celeborn DEAD?! They had me going for a second. But no. Clearly gotta come back (Galadriel says he went away to war and never returned). Still, super stupid. Brother motivates her but apparently couldn’t care less about her hubby. Also, she met Celeborn because he came upon her dancing? Seriously? You couldn’t give them their own meet cure? You had to steal Luthien and Beren’s?

11. Durin is going to mine all the mithril by himself? Great plan, dude.

12. So are we supposed to dislike the dwarf king? Because I don’t dislike him. Mining mithril is not safe. Period.

13. Cool burning of harfoot carts, but unclear how many perished. Unfortunately, I think they all survived. Alas.

14. SIgh. Bronwyn survived, too. Also, watching her fling her arms around her son’s neck reminds me that she was shot through the shoulder the day before. Healed up nice and dandy, apparently. Also, she’s awfully clean for someone that went through a volcanic blast.

15. I laughed the hardest I’ve ever laughed in this show when Nori’s dad gives his brethren a pep talk. He says the harfoots, better than anyone else, “stay true to each other.” I CACKLED. Harfoots stick together? The same harfoots who wanted to leave you behind. Who wanted to take off your wheels and leave you to die. Who didn’t offer a single ounce of assistance when you were injured. THOSE harfoots?! (The laughter continued when harfoot who proposed murder is declared “always right.”)

16. Halbrand survives to show his pretty face another day. HIs wound is infected and he must be gotten to the elves!

Oh wait, he’s fine. Walking around like the wound is nothing. No? He still needs immediate aid that will require a very long horseride? Okay...

17. I know they’re shooting for Disa sounding inspirational and supportive of her husband, but to me she just sounds straight up evil in that speech at the end? SHE sounds greedy and possessive and manipulative. Definitely don’t think that’s what they were going for...

18. Ah. She we’re not just changing greedy dwarvish motivations to helping a friend, we’re adding that a leaf woke the Balrog. What is this, Kung Fu Panda?

19. The introduction of Mordor’s name made me roll my eyes.

Just one episode left. Just one. The end is in sight. (Yes, I know they’ve started filming season 2).

#lord of the rings #lotr #amazon #rings of power #anti rings of power #rop #tolkien #jrr tolkien #the ring speaks #the one ring #rings of power review #rant

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dimdiamond · 4 years ago

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Bagginshield fic list

Yeah, I decided to make one too because there are enough to cause me headaches and I'd like to have them somewhere organized. Please look at the tags before reading them!

Fix-it fics

Desperate magic by BeautifulFiction: Bilbo is left to tend Thorin as he hovers on the brink of death after the Battle of the Five Armies. Is love enough to save Erebor's king, or is this the last farewell?

Lay your troubles down by Avelera: An extended version of "the acorn scene." Bilbo sees his chance to snap Thorin out of his madness, and takes it.

The Riven Crown by BeautifulFiction: The aftermath of war is no laughing matter. Those who died must be honoured, those who are wounded must be healed, and those who remain need food and clothing, peace and sanctuary. With Thorin's life hanging in the balance, it is up to Bilbo and the rest of the Company to rule the rag-tag remnants of Erebor in his place. Then there is the matter of the gold... Can Bilbo save both king and kingdom, or is Erebor destined to fall deeper into ruin?

The Color of Possibility by lindoreda: When Bilbo puts himself between Thorin and Azog's blade, his mithril shirt protecting them both, it isn't long before some dwarves whisper that 'Oakenshield' might not be the best epithet for their king anymore. But for Bilbo, barred from Thorin's sight since the battle, this new epithet only adds to the sting. Spending his days caring for the recovering princes, Bilbo wonders how much more of this he can take, not suspecting his place at the center of a silent divide in the company.

Homesick by Margo_Kim: Five years after they've reclaimed Erebor, Thorin is sick of home, Bilbo is just sick, and neither is handling the situation ideally.

The Road Delivered Us Home by keelywolfe: In the years since Bilbo left Erebor, he has lost his respectability, gained a nephew, and gotten on with life at Bag End. He'd left aside adventure for the comforts and peace of his little Hobbit hole, and for the love of a child who needed him. Though perhaps, adventures can yet find him.

Notices in the Paper by YamBits: Bilbo returns to the Shire after his adventure, newly married, and newly homeless, after his two year absence allowed the Sackville-Bagginses to obtain Bag End. Bilbo and Thorin go to the Tooks for help, and find newly orphaned Frodo Baggins, also looking for a home.

A Royal Guardianship by ladyoakenshields: When Bilbo and Thorin return to the Shire for a sabbatical during Yuletide, they find a reason to retire the throne in Erebor sooner than expected.

The Shire's gems by awkwarng3: Thorin, Bilbo, and Frodo move to the Shire after raising Frodo in Erebor, and Frodo makes a friend.

Time travel fix-it fics

An expected journey by MarieJacquelyn: For years Bilbo has written about his adventures and told stories about his dealings with dwarves and dragons. To most it seemed like fanciful nonsense but to Bilbo it was all very real. A weight followed him home from his travels, one called regret. Now in his final moments Bilbo has a choice to make – go quietly into death’s embrace or go back again and face all the fear and pain for the chance to make things right? Of course, change is a fickle thing and not everything can be done again as Bilbo is about to find out. In the end, it may not only be salvation that he’s fighting for.

Bilbo Baggins, warrior of the Valar by Pallalalo: Bilbo raised his eyebrows. “And you’ve come to the Shire to look for this someone? My, Gandalf, I wonder if you know Hobbits at all. They would tell you that adventures are nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. That they would make you late for dinner.” Bilbo recalled his own words perfectly. It had been something he and Gandalf had looked back on with bittersweet laughter. This Gandalf however noticed his exact words. “Would they now? And what about you, mhm? What would you tell me about adventures?” #The Valar send Bilbo back in time, to the day where Gandalf asks him to join in an adventure. After living a lifetime of regret and suffering, he vows to change things for the better. For Thorin. For Frodo. But will he succeed?

I'll die to care for you by thehufflepuffhobbit: His gaze landed on Mahal's eyes once more. "You did your best, Thorin." It was tempting to look away; he wanted to deny that with everything he had. It certainly didn't feel as though falling into Gold Sickness and then dying was doing his best. Mahal smirked, as though he knew Thorin's desire to contradict him, and pinched his cheek before walking over to a table. "Aye, I didn't think you would believe me. I'm not lying, it certainly could have gone better. More according to my plan, but I know you really did try." "Your plan?" He didn't know if he should ask, really. Knowing that his Maker had set a course for him, he didn't want to think about the ways he had done everything wrong. There were too many examples of mistakes in his long life, too many opportunities that he had missed that had probably been planned for him from the beginning. Or:Mahal feels like Thorin fucked up his legacy and gives him a do over.

Darker times ahead by Reach4theSky: Bilbo is sailing to the Undying Lands but wary of letting go of the guilt that has been with him for many decade. His most sincerest wish is to go back and change what was done. Before reaching the lands of peace and healing, he dies aboard the ship and finds that his wish is being granted, not because he is the one to wish it but because this is the dwarves last chance to escape a fate of eternal waiting. He finds that not only is he going to be sent back to his younger body, but so is the entire Company of Thorin Oakenshield. Time is a fickle thing and not all the members have their memories returned to them at the same time. The journey on becomes interesting as the dwarves slowly remember and fight for themselves and their kin, yet new hurdles are thrown at them when they realize that more people remember than expected...

Of an arcane binding by Salvia_G: An inexplicable magic ties Bilbo Baggins, hobbit of the Shire, to Thorin, dwarven prince of Erebor.

Legends by DomesticGoddess: The fellowship has set out on its noble quest to destroy the ring and put an end to the threat that is Sauron! Just set out really, barely left the gates of Imladris, but things are going smoothly enough so far. That is until the two most unlikely party crashers fall upon their little fellowship. Uncle Bilbo and the Legendary Thorin Oakenshield?! Frodo just wants to know what's going on but the two of them won't stop hollering at each other long enough for anyone to get a word in edgewise. Suddenly, their little group is joined by Frodo's two biggest heroes and he discovers there was a lot more to Uncle Bilbo's stories than he realized.

Beside myself by bliboboggins: "What are you doing? Just who do you think you are?" Startled, Bilbo turned around slowly. And there, in a familiar patchwork dressing gown, brandishing a fire poker wildly about, was... Bilbo.

Erebor never fell au fics

The hearth doesn't make the home by Moonrose91: For things Bilbo could not change, he was condemned to a life of isolation, with the belief that none could love him. And then a Dwarf came to Hobbiton.

Clarity of vision by Mithen: In a Middle-Earth where Erebor never fell, a shadow remains in the heart of the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo Baggins finds himself drawn reluctantly into a quest that will lead him across the continent--from Bree to Lake Evendim to the icy North and beyond--with a party of five dwarves searching for an artifact that will cure the ailing King Thrór.

Ghivashel by mdseiran: The last thing Bilbo expects when he stays up late one night is company. The strange dwarf and his companion crash into his life and prove unexpected saviours. But the dwarf seems to think he will be joining them on their travels, and Bilbo has no such intentions.

The Song of My Heart by DomesticGoddess: After a failed attempt of trying to carve out a new home in the Blue Mountains for his people, Thorin finds himself beseeching the Hobbit Thain and his council for a place for his people in their bountiful land. An agreement is struck and plans in the works for integrating his people into their land. The only condition being an arranged marriage between himself and one of their family heads. A small price to pay to see his people safe and well fed. Unfortunately, he’s to marry the most disagreeable hobbit in all the Shire who also seems to hold a personal grudge against him. If only he could figure out why his new betrothed hates him so much.

Oak and Mistletoe by HildyJ: After a life dominated by a strange form of sickness, Thorin is sent to the Shire to seek a cure only Bilbo Baggins can offer.

Karkûn shukula - A Cinderella AU by harrypanther: When the Prince of the Shire visits the Kingdom of Erebor, there is great excitement. There are hopes he will choose to marry one of the Royal Family, cementing an alliance that would secure food supplies for the dwarven Kingdom and gain new allies. All eligible dwarves are expected to attend a series of Balls. Unknown to the guests, there is a third royal child, manoeuvred out by his ambitious stepmother, for whom this may be his last chance of restoring his fortunes and escaping his fate…

Alone this Yuletide by Emsiecat: 'Alone this Yuletide? Irritated with prying and nosey family members? I am an out of work blacksmith currently trying to make my way by any means necessary that does not involve my resorting to thievery (prisons are most uncomfortable, I've unfortunate first hand experience). However, if you would like me to be your strictly platonic companion for any social function, but have me pretend that we are in a serious courtship, so as to torment your family and ward off unwanted suitors then I am more than obliging...' After becoming increasingly irritated by overtures of romance from various Shire residents following the death of his mother four years ago, Bilbo is more than ready to resort to desperate measures. That is, up to and including pretending to be in a serious relationship with a certain surly blacksmith currently inhabiting the Bindbale Woods. It's a good idea after all; all they have to do is pretend to be in love over the Yuletide period and Bilbo's family and suitors will surely leave him alone after that. It's perfect! And nothing can possibly go wrong, right? Certainly nothing as preposterous as falling for one another for real...

Modern au fics

Nothing gold can stay by perkynurples: Bilbo Baggins led a rather peaceful life, thank you very much, until an old acquaintance decided to turn it upside down, and he found himself agreeing to take a job that’s… let’s say not exactly up his alley, and might eventually cost him a little more than his treasured cozy lifestyle. Who would have thought tutoring a slightly menacing monarch’s more than slightly overbearing nephew could prove to be such an adventure?

Love-In-Idleness by perkynurples: Taking Bilbo Baggins, a successful movie actor who is only just getting used to the perks and intricacies of becoming A Face People Want To See, and putting him together with Thorin Oakenshield, with his very traditional (read: slightly backwards) ideas about what constitutes Real Art and Real Talent, might very well be viewed as just some clothead’s idea of a joke. But there are jokes, and then there are carefully calculated risks the size of controversial reproductions of classic Shakespearean plays - for Bilbo, it is the chance of a lifetime to prove himself to all those who have ever deemed him too one-dimensional to even attempt stage, while Thorin has the opportunity to get out of the rut that’s been hindering his career for so long now, and shine in a role worthy of his talent once again. That is if the two learn how to share the same space for more than ten minutes without wanting to tear each other’s hair out. The course of true love never did run smooth, after all…

Candid by northerntrash: Thorin wasn't entirely sure why there was a six-foot candid photograph of him hanging in this exhibition, but he was going to wring the neck of whoever had put it there. In which Bilbo is a photographer, Thorin an accidental model, and Gandalf just likes to make trouble for everyone.

How the west was won and where it got us by stickman: Bilbo is a harried 1st year British literature Ph.D. (early 20th century fiction) who happens to have an interest in spatial narrative structures, a lack of time-management skills, and a tiny apartment with a lot of books and very little furniture. He’s stressed, always, and doesn't quite know where he belongs. He tells himself that really, this is, in fact, what he wants to be doing. But sometimes, as much as he loves books, he gets an urge to do something with his hands. Thorin is a disgruntled M.Arch. 1 in his last year who can’t be arsed to shave and frightens his students, and, frankly, his profs, but his work is top-notch so no one can really say much. They can, however, bully him into running a hands-on design workshop on Saturday mornings, which is complete crap, because he’s used to drinking his Friday nights into oblivion so showing up at Milstein at 7:45 the next morning and trying to teach in a room of wall-to-wall windows as the sun rises is not at the top of his list. Besides, no one ever shows up. Except one morning, someone does. [graduate school AU]

Butterfly effect by eyra: Yoga wasn’t for him. Yoga was for interesting people. Luminous people; people who took gap years and spoke a foreign language. People who ate lentils and burned incense and had fantastic, colourful friends with fantastic, colourful lives full of travel and silent retreats and those baggy trousers with elephants on them. Yoga was decidedly not for people like Bilbo, who wore cardigans and ate beans on toast and whose linguistic capabilities stretched only as far as a rusty Spanish A-Level. Just your regular story of boy meets yoga instructor.

Remover of the obstacles by MistakenMagic: "Dis often chided her older brother for being a misanthropist. She did it so often it had become a term of endearment. It was true that Thorin struggled with people; he struggled to form and maintain relationships. Dr. Grey had diagnosed him with this and Thorin hadn’t the heart to tell him this wasn’t a symptom of his PTSD, it was a symptom of his personality. He exercised a sense of apathy with almost everyone he met… But Bilbo was different. Thorin actually found himself wanting to know more about him."

Color outside the lines by andquitefrankly: Kindergarten has just gotten significantly better. Just ask Thorin, who's got the biggest crush on the new kid in class, Bilbo Baggins. With the help of his friends, Thorin knows that he can take back the swings from the 1st graders, show up the K-1 class in the school pageant, and win the heart of one curly haired boy. Yup. Kindergarten is going to be a year to remember.

Bran' New Suit by pibroch (littleblackdog): Andrew's description had been sufficient to recognize him— a riot of honey brown curls, short in stature, a well-favoured face with expressive features— but it hadn't quite been enough to prepare Tom for the sharp, almost painful tug in his gut at the sight of the man. They had never met before, to the best of Tom's recollection, but there was something eerily and inexplicably familiar about him all the same.

Different species au fics

I've grown a hedge around my heart by pibroch (littleblackdog): "Thorin was the essence of so many Buckland oddities, distilled into one misfortunate young hobbit, much to his infinite embarrassment. Built like a stork, his father had said once, in an example of Thrain Brandybuck’s usual tactless humour. All beak and legs." Thorin Brandybuck, just recently come of age, still lives in his family’s smial in Buckland, with his parents and two younger siblings. Thorin is an odd duck amongst his relations and neighbours-- unsociable, grumpy, shy, and awkward. And beyond that, he looks rather strange even for a Bucklander, strongly favouring the thick, dark haired build of his Stoorish blood. It defies all sense and reason why Bilbo Baggins, an exemplar of all the respectable traits Thorin lacked, would ever desire a friendship with him. Bilbo, as Thorin discovers, is not always as sensible as he appears.

In which the dwarves are satyrs for reasons by HiddenKitty What the title says basically.

Bride of the demon king by DomesticGoddess: Thorin is King of the demons, a beast-like race feared by humans. Ever since the demons and humans formed a truce years ago, the humans have sent a young human every year as a tribute to the King of demons. Thorin is tired of having to deal with the tribute that has long since lost its meaning. The only tribute he'd be interested in is the boy he met fifteen years ago on the border of the demon and human realms. Despite his fantasies, Thorin knows the chances of ever seeing the boy again are slim to none, until they're not.

Lost He Wandered Under Leaves by serenbach: Thorin son of Thrain is a struggling blacksmith descended from a fallen line of kings. In an attempt to provide for his family over the winter, he reluctantly accepts an impossible sounding task - to hunt down an enchanted deer that lives in the Old Forest that borders the Shire, and make armour and weapons from its hide and antlers. He never expected to succeed. And he certainly never expected what he found to change his life so completely.

A Dryad's Tale by Bilbo Baggins by Moongazer12: Bilbo is a dryad (think little sibling to ents). Long ago a curse was placed upon him from destroying one of the rings of power. Whenever he touches someone with his bare skin he will make them insane. But despite this, he and Gandalf have gone on many adventures to help protect Middle Earth (What was the point to destroying the ring if something else destroyed it instead?) Gandalf has called on him once again to help on a quest, Bilbo just hopes that they read his amendments to the contract.

The quest but with a twist au fics

King, come at the red morning by Tawabids: Bilbo has heard fairytales of the lost prince of the dwarves, Thorin son of Thrain, who disappeared the day Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain. But he does not believe in fairytales until he comes across the dwarf sleeping in the depths of Erebor, and kisses him back to life. Now Thorin - a hundred and fifty years out of his time - has to confront a world in which his city is empty, his people scattered, his baby brother Frerin is king, two nephews he's never met are missing in action, and a war is brewing right on his doorstep. And as if that wasn't complicated enough he's trapped in the body of an old man and falling stupidly in love with a gossipy, grudging little hobbit.

When the sun rises by Harry1981: Bilbo Baggins of Bag End was not a very respectable Hobbit. No respectable Hobbit had a sword and crossbow hanging in their home, nor did they have Dwarves as family. But Bilbo Baggins did, and all of Shire knew of his husband, blacksmith Thorin Oakenshield. When Bilbo comes home to find his Husband earlier than expected, he learns of a quest to reclaim Erebor. It is a death mission. Bilbo knows that Dwarves are stubborn creatures, and none more than Thorin himself. But nobody said that Bilbo himself was any less stubborn. So he will follow his dearest husband across all of Middle Earth, through plains and mountains and forests, all while hiding the true nature of their relationship (Dwarven politics never helped anyone), brushing off some old wounds (and getting new ones) and finding out new things about the dwarf Bilbo calls husband (and his extended family). Nobody ever said love was easy, after all.

Small, but fierce by DomesticGoddess: As a result of a magical mishap during the trip to the lonely mountain, Bilbo is reverted to a wee little hobbitling. Only in body, of course. His adult mind is still very aware of the indignity of it all (seriously! He doesn't need to be coddled, carried, and fed like a child). It turns out, dwarves love children and there is nothing cuter than Hobbit children. Bilbo soon realizes that he can get away with just about anything in his babyish form and starts taking full advantage of it. Even the grumpy brooding king can't deny the angelic little creature anything he desires (and Bilbo's going to milk that for all it's worth).

Your song like a home in my heart by Nennvial: In Middle Earth, all creatures have a soulmate. Not all have some, but if they do, it is a bond nothing can break, not even death. The more famous story of such a bound was the story of Bren and Luthien, who even defied detath. The way someone can find out that the other is one’s soulmate is through song: when they meet and hear the voice of the other, a song sings in their heart, which feels like home and makes them complete. They may refuse it if they wish to do so, but they hence risk a life of bitter looniness. Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins are soulmates, but they must admit it to themselves throughout their journey to Erebor.

To Dungeons Deep (And Caverns Old) by KingUndertheMountain: Bilbo Baggins was not your average hobbit. Of course, he had the wonderfully groomed and well-taken-care-of hairy feet like every other one of his race, yes, but he was not like other hobbits. He was cursed. Or, as the witch who gave him the enchantment put it, was “gifted”. She had given him the “gift” of obedience – whenever there was a direct command given to him, for example “cook a large meal” or “take a walk”, he could not disobey. Not without a lot of pain and eventual submission.

Chocolate candy one-shots

The world is sleeping (my world is you) by katheneverwrites (mandolinearts): I asked Persephone, “How could you grow to love him? He took you from flowers to a kingdom where not a single living thing can grow.” Persephone smiled, “My darling, every flower on your earth withers. What Hades gave me was a crown made for the immortal flowers in my bones.” - Nikita Gill ---“What do you mean, my friend?” There is a line of thought that surfaces in Gandalf’s mind, but he drowns it before it can take root. Surely not. But Bilbo’s chuckle sets him on edge. The small, gentle god of harvest, nature, and flowers sits up straighter, and in his crown of flowers there is a wire of strong metal, his cloak is suddenly not colorful anymore but the deepest black and he is terrifying, horrific, powerful - “I married Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the World.”

Of seasons by northerntrash: As far as he could tell, he had been kidnapped, which in itself made this week more than a little unusual. In which Bilbo steals away the Lord of Death, and Thorin can't quite bring himself to stay angry about it.

Warm up by paranoid_fridge: On one of their walks, Bilbo tumbles into a stream. They make it back to Bag End and Bilbo demands Thorin warm him up.

Royal Blue And Crimson Red by Mistofstars: Here's what happened before and after Bilbo accidentally eavesdrops on Gandalf and Elrond at night in Rivendell, as they discuss Thorin's quest and his family's history. Oh, and Thorin and Bilbo share a room, of course ;)

I was young when I left home by Margo_Kim: There was a pity clapper somewhere in the third row. Thorin finished his fourth song to polite applause from the people who noticed that the song was finished, but within the smattering of claps was someone beating his hands together like he was trying to rhythmically kill a fly. There was usually one of those, the kind who notices that no one else is paying attention and so is determined to compensate for that regardless of how they feel about the actual music. Thorin ignored him. It was easy to do so—he'd always hated looking at the audience when the singing was done.

A matter of buttons by StupidFatPenguin: “Your shirt,” says Thorin, quite out of the blue, and Bilbo looks down his front to see if there is a spot of tea or jam or anything equally embarrassing spilled on it. He is relieved to find nothing of the sort and looks up at the dwarf with an eyebrow raised in question. Thorin sits mute, his still-smoking pipe forgotten in his hand. He looks on for long moments still, seems almost lost to a thought before he shifts and lifts his gaze to meet Bilbo’s inquiring face. “It is familiar to me. Did you not wear this on the eve we met?” In which Bilbo and Thorin re-enact the evening they met.

The ladder by Milliethekitty27: Inspired from a post made by wheeloffortune-design on tumblr. Tired of his lonely kitchen in Yavanna's Garden, Bilbo Baggins wonders if the dwarven love of being underground is true in death. If so, maybe his dwarves are living (ha ha) under the very land Bilbo is weeding. With that thought, Bilbo goes and asks Hamfast for a shovel.

Love hobbit by HybridOwl: Bilbo Baggins considers himself a bit of a cock up, all things considered. He never made it out of his small highway adjacent town, can't seem to stop chain-smoking, and overall has more to talk about with the plants in his shop than 90% of all the rest of Middle Earth. So when he's reading the morning paper and a love note that can't be for anyone but him pops up, he's pretty sure - almost positive, really - that he's being made fun of. "TO the chain-smoking little stud who collects two metros from Gamgee's Goods every morning, will you be my love hobbit? - Bearded Biker." (heavily inspired by tumblr posts)

Fusion with other fandoms au fics

The Second Time by authoressjean; Sebastian Moran can't pull the trigger on John Watson to save his own hide, and what the hell is it with the doctor, anyway? Then Gandalf shows up, meddlesome wizard, and reminds him none too gently of his past life: as Thorin Oakenshield, leader of a company that had once included a small hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. One that looked decidedly like John Watson. And this would be the perfect chance to make things right with Bilbo the way he really hadn't been able to before he died, and that's when Gandalf tells him John doesn't remember being Bilbo, and to leave him alone. Right. Like that's going to happen.

And sow a star divided in us by MistakenMagic: Short summary: Gays in space! Longer summary: After his first successful solo mission, Jedi Knight Bilbo Baggins, trained by High Council member and full-time nuisance, Master Gandalf, returns to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. During an excursion to the sparring arena, he meets a group of Dwarven Jedi from Ered Luin, a mountainous planet located in the Outer Rim. Young padawans, Fili and Kili, are full of curiosity at this strange, barefoot Jedi, but Master Thorin, who appears to have the personality of a rancor and mental shields like blast doors, is less than impressed.

Comics you should definitely check

Every work by rutobuka, seriously they're criminally cute and they're not still favored by everyone without reason.

Retelling the Hobbit by Mellow_Comics: Bilbo has never been good at telling the "true" story of what happened on his journey to the Lonely Mountain. Now he's trying to turn the tale of his quest into a lighthearted children's book-- a bedtime story for his young nephew Frodo. But what really happened on his journey? And how did it actually affect him? This is a comic adaptation/retelling of the Hobbit! It's framed as a bedtime story that Bilbo is telling a younger Frodo.

For now these are some of my personal favourites! However, I'm sure my list will grow since my reading list has some gems still waiting for me to read, so be certain that there will be a part 2 of this list!

#bagginshield #fic list #bagginshield fic #they're a LOT #they're all great #thank you fic writers #thank you artists

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legolasbadass · 3 years ago

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A Lifetime Apart [1/3]

Artwork by the lovely @gwen-ever

Relationship: Thorin x OC

Summary: Thorin meets his One while still a young prince in Erebor, but their lives are torn apart by their families and the arrival of Smaug.

Based on Alice Tynan’s interview with Richard Armitage in ‘The Vine,’ this fic was inspired by @gwen-ever’s wonderful art for the @tolkienrsb 2021!

Warnings: Angst. Seriously guys, this is really angsty, get your tissues ready. (gwen and I are not sorry lol)

Rating: T

As always, the fic can be read on AO3.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

There is a room in Erebor, a secret place where once their love bloomed in peace. All the memories of that place, where he held her and worshipped her with his lips, were forever engraved in his mind. It was there that, after months of struggling with his feelings, he had realized she was his One.

All Dwarves know that Mahal sometimes creates two of his children from the same stone, bonding them for life. Of course, not all Dwarves marry. Even those granted this honour by their Maker do not always choose to marry, for some value friendship above all other bonds, while others devote themselves to their craft. Still, as a young boy, Thorin had hoped Mahal would deem him worthy, and every night he had dreamt of the moment he would meet his One, conjuring their likeness like an artist who paints a picture and gives it life.

He had also wondered what it would feel like to meet his One. Would he know immediately? And how would he know? Perhaps it would be like in those romance novels his sister liked so much. A tender, all-consuming look from across the room, silently reassuring the other that they had found each other at last.

Perhaps due to long hours in the council chamber, Thorin had become more of a realist as the years went on. He always had to be on his guard, and he learned quickly that he could not trust his desires, for they could be manipulated by advisors and enemies alike. Romanticism was fine for artists but not for princes. The idea of a destined love became no more than a child’s fanciful dream, and Thorin grew gradually less opposed to the concept of an arranged marriage until the thought of it did not bother him at all. After all, his parents had been married for a political alliance and had still grown to care for each other. Thorin knew he would do the same.

At least, that was what he had told himself before he met Rúna, his dear Rúna.

He did not know immediately that she was his One, but from the moment their gazes met, he knew he would never again be the same. Her presence had so bewitched him that he had not realized he was walking toward her until she stood right in front of him. Then, stumbling over his every word, he had thought himself defeated, oblivious to the fact that she felt the same indescribable pull toward him.

“Thorin, at your service,” had been his first words to her.

“Rúna, daughter of Ragni, your highness,” she had replied with a curtsy, enchanting him all the more with her melodious voice.

“I hope you are having a pleasant time, Lady Rúna.” Already, he had loved the way her name rolled off his tongue.

“More pleasant than you, at least, seeing as you have found nothing better to do than stare at me from across the room,” she had replied teasingly.

Blushing furiously, he had attempted to remain formal and composed but, ultimately, had failed miserably. “I had hoped that would go unnoticed, or at the very least, that you would humour me and pretend like nothing had transpired. And just because I was watching you does not mean I am not having a pleasant time. On the contrary, my spirits were lifted by the sight of your fairness.”

Thorin could still remember the beautiful blush that had painted her cheeks. “Forgive me,” he had said hastily. “I did not mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I did not say I did not enjoy it,” she had replied with the most enchanting smirk.

That was how their conversations usually unfolded. Thorin, who always prided himself on being in control and always knowing what to say, would find himself barely able to think. He blamed her low-cut gowns and the redness of her lips for that.

They soon became inseparable. Every day, they would meet in their secret room, a haven where they shared stolen kisses and soft caresses. Âzyungel, she would call him, for she, too, had accepted Mahal’s will. She had accepted Thorin as hers, and in those moments, both of them had believed nothing would ever separate them, for they were destined to be together.

Deep in the caverns of his mind, a voice called out to Thorin, warning him against the intensity of his passion, but he did not listen. He found himself thinking of her at the most inappropriate times, and she haunted the nights he wished he could spend with her. When he closed his eyes, he saw her smile and heard her laughter, clearer than the soft splashing of water against limestone rocks.

What would it be like to spend his whole life with her, his Rúna?

Thorin thought with utter surety that he would soon know when they announced to their families their intent to wed. At first, everyone was overjoyed. Rúna came from a wealthy and respectable family, so the king had no objections to his grandson’s choice — not that any of that mattered to the couple. Ale and Dorwinion wine flowed freely as the news travelled through the mountain. The prince had chosen his princess.

Thorin and Rúna welcomed their families’ approval, but they secretly longed to be alone once more. When at last they found themselves in the comfort of Thorin’s chambers, they drank some more wine between languid kisses, committing the moment to memory. Fingers braided hair then caressed the skin they hastily revealed, their cheeks tainted with the soft glow of love.

That night, like their hearts forever bound, their bodies became one. Thorin was gentle, attentive to her every need, and even afterwards, he continued to bathe her in tenderness, scattering kisses all over her skin as they murmured promises of eternal love to each other, bodies entangled.

Rúna fell asleep to the soft lullaby of his heartbeat beneath her cheek, and though she never doubted for a second his sincerity and devotion, those promises were never fulfilled.

Rúna knew they should have been patient, and although she was usually very sensible, she had not known how to resist her handsome prince, especially not when his body had promised her glorious passion, now and for the rest of their lives. Besides, it was not as though premarital relations were unheard of. However, princes had to follow much stricter rules. And these rules had been carelessly ignored. And as the days went on, Rúna knew she would not have the luxury of keeping their transgression a secret, for inside her bloomed the product of her and Thorin’s love, but also the cause of their demise.

Even if it had not been for her growing belly, her morning sickness and alarmingly fluctuating moods would have given her away. And they did. She had never seen her parents so furious, and their disappointment pierced her heart. Her father shouted about her stained reputation and their ruined bloodline, leaving her in tears as she tried to scramble away in search of Thorin even as she knew it was hopeless.

She knew they would separate them.

King Thror, with the support of Thorin’s parents, banished Rúna from Erebor, never to see her beloved again. She tried to fight them, indignation festered inside her like a poisoned wound, the unattainable promise of Thorin’s love shattering her heart into a million pieces, but it was hopeless.

They did not inform Thorin of this, for it was their firm intention never to let him know about the bastard child. Instead, they told him she was bedridden while they conjured up a more permanent plan. And so, unaware that his One had been taken from him, Thorin brought flowers to Rúna’s door every day. He hated every moment he was forced to spend away from her — it felt unnatural — but he consoled himself by thinking that they would spend their whole lives together.

Then the dragon came.

Thorin had been out hunting in the woods with his siblings when a strong wind began to rattle the treetops. Then a roar like thunder split the sky, and the blood of Thorin’s veins froze when he heard a shout from afar.

“Dragon!”

Rúna.

Without so much as a glance at his companions, Thorin bolted toward the mountain, fear clogging his throat.

Refusing to believe this was real, he did not even stop when the gates loomed above him, riddled in flames, but the screams piercing his ears grounded him to the bitterness of reality. The air was wrought with the stench of burning flesh and the sorrow of a broken people. All around him, children cried in fright, and mothers wept while the distant ringing of useless steel announced their defeat.

No help came from the Elves that day, nor any day since; a betrayal Thorin never forgot. Even if there had been survivors still clawing for breath inside the mountain, they had no means to reach them.

Rúna.

Thorin searched for her everywhere, shouting her name until his lungs burned, but when the moon appeared, and she was still nowhere to be found, Thorin knew it was hopeless. Grief crashed over him like a hurricane.

He had lost her.

He wanted to tear the sky open and demand retribution from Mahal himself, but all his remaining strength he used to remain on his feet. He had to be strong for his people — what remained of them. His family had miraculously survived, but even that could not have filled the gaping hole where his heart had once beat.

Rúna, his dear Rúna. The memory of her lips against his turned to ash in his mouth. When he had last kissed her and held her, he had done so thinking he would have a lifetime to keep loving her. But she was now no more than a memory.

He forced himself not to think of that, for his people needed him now more than ever. Only once he was finally alone did he let his tears run free, and all through the night, he sobbed into his pillow, his only comfort the memories of their secret room, untouched by fire and blood. Thorin held onto those memories all through the years, never forgetting, never forgiving.

—

Khuzdul translations:

Âzyungêl: Love of Loves (used here to refer to the Dwarven belief in a single, destined soulmate)

Taglist: @lathalea @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @mcchiberry @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @i-did-not-mean-to

Let me know if you’d like to be added to my taglist!

#trsb21 #tolkien reverse summer bang #the hobbit #the hobbit fanfic #thorin fanfic #thorin x oc #thorin x reader #thorin x you #thorin oakenshield x oc #thorin oakenshield x reader #thorin oakenshield x you #a lifetime apart

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everythingsinred · 3 years ago

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Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt. 6)

Last time, we talked about Natsume's growing crush on Mikan. As the festival continues, his feelings will only grow. Today we'll discuss how these new feelings will affect him, and particularly how they have the potential to create tension in his friendship with Ruka.

Chapter Twenty-One

Mikan is guilty for not having already gone to Iinchou’s haunted house in the latent ability class area. So they end up going together. Although Mikan is easily distracted and wants to try everything in the latent area, Natsume is strict on going straight to the destination with no tangents.

Iinchou lets them in right away without having to wait in the hour-long line. Mikan puts on airs about being a country girl and, just like she’s unafraid of bugs, she’s also not afraid of ghosts. Except she totally is.

Ruka and Natsume don’t seem particularly scared of the haunted house so far, but Mikan is, and she clings to Ruka, desperate not to be left behind, even if it means she hurts him with her grasp.

The person who posted these TokyoPop scans forgot a couple pages so for the longest time the beginning of the chapter was so confusing to me...

Natsume looks behind to see them and is jealous, yet again. Just like with Tsubasa, Natsume is unhappy with his fate to be the bad guy in general. He goes out of his way to look bad to protect people and as a result will not be the one clung to. It’s different from Tsubasa though, because this isn’t some nameless middle schooler that Natsume can take his anger out on: this is his best friend, somebody he’s never felt anything but affection for. Natsume doesn’t want to hurt Ruka; he’s just sad that the situation is so messed up.

Lucky for Ruka, Natsume gives up before there can even be a competition.

It’s for the best this way, after all. For Ruka to be happy, for Mikan to be with somebody kind who deserves her, and even for him, because maybe this way Mikan won’t be used against him like everybody else he cares about.

Natsume makes this decision without talking to anybody and before anyone can even figure out that there’s a choice to be made in the first place.

Then they run into a crawling hag and nobody’s immune to the terror that being chased after by that demon brings. All three of them run for it, but they end up in a new spooky room, which freaks Mikan out so much she screams and faints, foaming at the mouth, causing Natsume to fall and twist his ankle and for Ruka’s rabbit to run off. He chases after it, leaving Natsume and Mikan alone. Iinchou breaks whatever causes the electricity to run in the building and now they’re trapped alone in the dark, unable to get out.

Mikan tries to figure out a way for them to escape, but climbing the wall is out of the question since Natsume’s ankle is twisted. He suggests that he blow up the wall, but Mikan is adamantly against that idea because the latent students worked hard to make the mansion. Natsume acquiesces. That’s fine. He doesn’t mind spending more time with her. It just means she’ll have to stay in the dark for longer.

She is very clingy when she’s scared, and although he complains he doesn’t really make any moves to get her off. I mean, why would he? This is exactly what he wanted, though he did only get it because he was the only person around that she could cling to. There’s a moment where he spooks her, perhaps so she would hug him more, but then she whines for him to stop scaring her and the panels are quite sparkly. Natsume is distressed about his new crush and the effect it has on him. Really her whining and puppy-dog eyes are not any less powerful on Natsume than they are on Ruka. He’s just better at hiding it.

He looks at her softly and then has a moment where he looks almost peeved to have felt so fond at all... but it won't last. These days he has more affection for her than irritation.

Mikan tries apologizing about getting angry with him at Anna’s cafe, but he pretends like he has no idea what she’s talking about. To me, this cements that Natsume wants to look bad to her in particular. He doesn’t really want her to figure out that he’s kind deep down or that he’s selfless 99% of the time. He doesn’t want her to think he cares at all because it’s best for him to continue being the same jerk he has been for the past twenty chapters. He’s okay with her hating him, because that way she won’t become the new Ruka, used by the academy as a pawn to get him to jump through more hoops.

She tries to make him smile and that’s another big deal. Most people think Natsume is cool for being so unaffected. His fans think he’s the man, a tough guy who frowns all the time. Even Ruka’s approach to this issue was to stop smiling too.

Mikan’s approach is to tell jokes.

Of course, it doesn’t work, and the jokes aren’t any good, but Mikan is trying something nobody else has done: instead of looking up to him or going down to his level of misery, Mikan’s trying to lift him up. She wants him to smile and be happy and that sets her apart. She’s immature and childish and that brings out the childishness in him too. And like I mentioned a while ago, childishness in Natsume is a good thing. With her, he can bicker and argue and tease like he used to before he came to the academy. She has no idea what he’s going through and her mood changes so quickly she can’t even stay mad or upset. She’s just a joyful and loud girl who rubs off on everyone she meets and Natsume is far from being an exception.

He can just mess around like a kid for once. He doesn't have to be serious around her all the time.

Thus, the next important thing in regards to analyzing their relationship is that the last page of the chapter has him teasing her and then smiling at her reaction. We’ve only seen Natsume smile twice before: with Youichi for a brief moment, and then with Ruka on the cover for Chapter Sixteen (Natsume's evil smile when Mikan gets bullied by middle schoolers doesn't count as a real smile). This officially adds Mikan to the incredibly short list of people who can make Natsume smile. She’s angry with him, arguing, but being able to let go of all his darkness and just tease a girl and have her act with such strong emotions is enough to make him happy. And that’s what this is: Natsume is happy.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The musical creates some tension between Natsume and Ruka, as expected, because liking the same girl can make rifts between friends. On the other hand, this isn’t your typical love triangle. Usually in love triangles, the two guys are already positioned against each other. Though Natsume and Ruka may be opposites in many ways, they are not rivals at all. They love each other, and that love is not at all damaged by the conflict of falling for the same girl; it just becomes tense between them.

In fact, the beginning of the chapter has some Class B pals eagerly going backstage to find Ruka before the somatic ability class musical. When they find him, Natsume is the only one to not laugh at or tease him, and seems to be the only one really concerned with Ruka’s feelings about being cast as Snow White.

When the sticky ball incident occurs, there’s a lot more damage done than there is in the anime. In the anime, some cast and crew get stuck, but ultimately nobody was in any real danger of being hurt. In the manga, there were potentially catastrophic consequences for the blast and a lot of equipment got damaged in the process. A somatic child playing one of the seven dwarves is about to be hit by a stagelight when Natsume rushes to get him out of the way, resulting in them getting stuck together. If Natsume hadn’t stepped in, that kid could have gotten really injured, at least.

As a result of Natsume’s heroism, Narumi suggests that he dress up as a forest friend. When Natsume refuses, the child is to be kicked out of the play, and the seven dwarves will be changed to six. Natsume sees the kid pout and with absolutely no more need for convincing he goes to get changed into a cat outfit.

This is noteworthy because the cat outfit is humiliating (not that Natsume hasn’t worn similar things in official art… just saying) and it’s something he truly does not want to do, but he does it, even though he doesn’t even know the kid. It’s some random somatic kid, not Ruka or Youichi or even Mikan, and yet he goes out of his way to do something truly selfless so that the kid can perform what he’s practiced. Natsume is kind in quiet ways, and not just with the people he cares about. Like with Anna, Natsume puts the needs of someone he isn’t close to in front of his own reputation.

Now, Natsume is in a horrible mood, embarrassed to be seen in the costume, and Ruka is confused why he’d even bother, until he sees the smile on the little kid and everything snaps into place for him. Mikan is a very intuitive and emotional girl who can sense things about all sorts of people, but when it comes to Natsume, nobody knows him better than Ruka, who can tell right away the motives for any of his actions.

I work at a restaurant and kids Natsume's age will be like, "I don't want a kids' menu" and act all grown up and then see how big the adult portions are, so they end up eating the Cub Pancake anyway LMAO. Do you want extra whipped cream and chocolate chips, Natsume?

Onto the actual NatsuMikan portion of this analysis, at long last, Mikan is overjoyed to see how adorable he is in his costume and she is the only one who won’t hold back from saying so because she’s not scared of him. I’ve seen someone complaining that Natsume says “Don’t call men cute,” but I always found that line funny because Natsume is a literal ten-year-old boy… He is not a man at all. It’s the sort of thing you’d expect a kid to say, especially one who wants to be a grown-up as soon as possible, which makes the line endearing to me, but that’s my personal feelings about it. (Like the above caption, I find it very amusing when little kids pretend they're all grown up.)

Anyway, Natsume is as much an idiot as he is in the anime, volunteering Mikan to be the prince, even using one of his three wishes to make it happen. This is all motivated by his feelings of humiliation, and he’s taking it out on her, arguing that he doesn’t want to wear the outfit for no reason so the show has to go on no matter the cost--but this will bite him in the ass sooner rather than later.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The chapter begins and Mikan is very nervous about playing the prince, particularly about looking the part as she is very uncomfortable with her hair down.

This is actually the first time we see Natsume’s feelings about it, but he’ll only make it more clear in about ten more chapters. Here, Mikan wonders if she should put her hair back up and Natsume snaps, “No!” before walking away in a huff. It’s a small scene, and it’s even told through tiny text, but it’s enough to let any reader paying attention know that Natsume also thinks Mikan looks cute with her hair down. Yes, he’s embarrassed to have said anything, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t say it.

Don't worry about him, he's just in a bad mood.

Natsume mainly observes, and nothing noteworthy happens. He eventually goes and gives his line and his aura alone is threatening enough to discourage anyone from laughing or “aww”ing.

The next important moment is when Mikan sees the stage direction to kiss the princess directly on the lips. Narumi says it’s because he’s trying to make up for the loss of sizzle due to the accident, but knowing him, there’s probably more to it. Naru likes stirring the pot and causing drama, although I can hardly tell what his motives are half the time. Truly, I believe he is the most mysterious character in the whole story.

Natsume does not allow this to happen, so he throws something at Mikan’s head--some random box thing--and Hotaru shuts off the lights.

Natsume does something kind of selfish here. He didn’t want them to kiss, so he stopped it. The fact that he grabbed the first thing he saw meant it was a sudden choice to chuck it. I wonder if he had any intentions of just toughing it out and dealing with it, but eventually jealousy won out and he did the selfish thing.

When I say selfish, I don’t mean “bad”. I just mean that for once Natsume is acting based on what he wants, rather than what will make somebody else happy. When it comes to this kid in particular, I actually want him to do selfish things more often, because he very rarely does. He’s been selfless and heroic enough for one day, having saved a kid from getting injured and then wearing that embarrassing costume. He’s allowed to have done this one thing for selfish reasons.

It’s not like it was a bad thing to do either. It would have only benefited Narumi, and possibly the somatic class to have a spicy musical kiss, but it wouldn’t have been good for Ruka or Mikan. Having their first kiss under such conditions, especially when Mikan was just doing the class a favor by acting in the play to begin with, would have been sad. Natsume essentially saved her from the consequences of his own actions, because it would have been his fault if they’d had no choice but to go through with it.

Moreover, like I said earlier, Ruka can simply tell what Natsume’s motives are from a single look. It’s more obvious in the anime, of course, but I still think manga!Ruka is aware that Natsume intervened. He knows Natsume better than anybody, and he’s too smart to think that box came out of nowhere.

This is just the beginning of a long-standing tension between them, one that they will dance around and pretend isn’t happening for quite a while before actually addressing it properly. For now, they have undiscussed feelings and jealousies that will go unchecked and unresolved for some time, building an even deeper divide between them. After all, Natsume and Ruka have enough of a gap on account of Natsume’s missions and his general feelings of not being able to fit in with anybody. This only broadens the gap.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The dance will be very fun to analyze from Mikan’s perspective, but we’re not nearly finished with Natsume’s, so that will have to wait.

For now, we’ll discuss Natsume’s softening, which Permy points out bitterly on account of being surrounded by closet fans. Previously, she says, they were terrified of him, and why wouldn’t they be? We talked ad nauseam about Natsume’s first thirteen chapters of misery and coldness. He was a scary and unkind guy, definitely unapproachable. Even his admirers in Class B were scared of him, equal parts affection and terror. In a very short time, Natsume has softened and it’s obvious. He even dressed as a cat for the somatic musical! His reputation for being cold and dangerous is softening and the girls who used to fear him are now flocking to him to ask if he’s willing to accept their last dance proposals.

But with all this talk about romance and dancing, Mikan feels left out and can’t relate. Her frustrations only grow when some girls start gossiping about her and she ends up taking it out on Natsume, saying she would never ever wanna dance with Natsume for the last dance. He brushes this off, but he still pouts, obviously affected and a little hurt. Their relationship was on the rise, after all. They were starting to hang out more and were bickering often, something Natsume doesn’t make a habit of doing with most people. But just because Natsume is feeling more fondness for her, that doesn't mean she feels the same way.

He expects this in some way, of course, because it's partially his intention. He expects that she would only tolerate him after everything that happened with them, but that doesn't mean he likes the feeling of rejection.

They're so cute when they pout!

Having a crush is bad enough, but hearing that girl shout that she’d never wanna go out with you is even harder, even if you were maybe purposefully making her angry with you to try and protect her. It would be a tough emotion to bear, especially for a kid unversed in romance. He proceeds to be just as huffy as her.

And as twisted as it is, I’m happy for him.

Natsume was cold and mean and difficult to talk to before he fell for Mikan. Now he’s way more approachable and expressive, willing on occasion to show an emotion that isn’t rage, like hurt or grumpiness or amusement. He can now sit at his desk and pout, something he wasn’t doing before, like a kid throwing a fit.

At the actual dance, Natsume is still hurt, still pouting. It doesn’t help that Mikan glares at him upon spotting him. It’s interesting to see how much this affects him. One girl said something harsh in the heat of the moment and he is taking it so personally. Of course, he gets hurt or angered by many things. Upperclassmen bully him and call him a murderer and he simply uses his alice on them to shut them up. He keeps his face straight, moves on, and forgets it. Naturally, the hurt and resentment sit there in his gut to torment him, because he’s a kid and they’re awful things for anyone to hear, but he’s not acting like that here. Here, he’s grumpy and pouty. His feelings are hurt but they don’t come with urges to punish like being called a murderer does.

And it’s obvious he has no genuine hard feelings because Natsume then shoves Ruka onto Mikan, since Ruka was being transparent about his gaze. He goes on to dance with someone else, anyone else, because Mikan made it clear that she too would rather dance with anyone else, just as long as it wasn’t him. He’s clearly still in a bad mood, though.

He's so used to not getting what he wants that he will do all of Ruka's work for him, so that Ruka can get what he wants.

Later, when Mikan and Natsume are singletons in the middle of the dance floor, they notice each other. Here would be a perfect opportunity to dance, but she made it clear she hated the idea, and he’s not about to embarrass himself to ask. Hence, he huffs again, pouting because there’s no way he’ll ask her to dance once she’s said such harsh things. They stand in silence for just a moment, until he finds some other girl to dance with and leaves Mikan all alone.

They’re both grumpy over the way they’re being treated by the other. Natsume is being immature and petty with his feelings, almost childish (heehee it's all I want for him!). With all the dark and depressing divide between Mikan’s academy life of fun and laughs and Natsume’s life of secret missions and physical abuse, he’s somehow found a way to wedge himself into hers. He’s taking something so minor so seriously. He’s been on the front lines, used his alice to hurt enemies and been hurt by enemies and dangerous ability types alike. He is literally dying and he’s aware of it! But he’s still pouting because the girl he likes was a little mean to him.

But the dance with the girl obviously wasn’t much fun, because Mikan quickly finds him again, away from the party, along a secluded path by some trees. He’s in a pouty mood and obviously needs some time alone with his thoughts.

It shows that he’s done some thinking because he doesn’t even mention her angry words from earlier.

Instead, he just calls the whole festival stupid.

We’re reminded here of a scene from way before they liked each other, when the festival was first announced. Then, she also found him playing with a dog, all on his own, using anger to mask his feelings of hurt. He said the same thing back then, that the whole thing was stupid and it was dumb to get all worked up about it. He’s doing it again now, but it’s a little different this time. Their relationship has changed, improved. They actually care about each other now, and although Natsume starts off just talking through his anger, he eventually turns honest.

The truth is that these periods of childishness will always have to end. It’s just an extended version of the dodgeball game. No matter how much emotion he puts into these experiences, they will be overshadowed by his real life. Now matter how much fun he has, he will always have to stop smiling and go kill himself on Persona’s orders. And even more honestly, the more fun he has, the harder it will be on the people he has fun with. It’s not enough for the ESP and Persona that Natsume completes his missions and does all his work; they find pleasure and relief in his constant misery. The second he cares about something, they use it against him. His joy is never meant to last and will always have consequences for the people he loves.

I hate tumblr's 10 image limit. I hate it. I despise it. I abhor it. I cannot come up with a caption. So instead I'll say again. I hate the 10 image limit.

And so he explains, for once, that he’s simply different from everyone else. The festival is something that doesn’t belong to him. He’s merely been an observer this whole time. He’s never actually been a part of it. And then he tells her that she should stay in the light, stay out of the dark. He calls her naive, but it’s not as much an insult as it used to be.

She is childish and loud and optimistic and annoying and a little sweet and even though he hated all these things about her before, he now realizes that these traits are things to be protected. The more she mingles with him, the darker her life will be. After all, her light is not the only thing that’s contagious: his darkness rubs off on people too, and in his mind it will only hurt her to be involved with him. She should stay in the light--in the shiny, sparkly side of the manga, where everyone is concerned with sports and coming up with ideas for the festival--and keep out of the dark--where there’s murder and blackmail and danger and death. It’s bad enough he can’t keep Youichi or Ruka out of it: Youichi is already in the DA class and Ruka came running after him. He can’t distance himself from them. The most he can do is protect them and raise their star ranks or keep them off of dangerous missions. But with Mikan he has a chance to really protect her, prevent her from being used against him at all. Ideally, she’ll stay away and he won’t need to worry about her as much.

And he wants her to be safe and gone, so when she asks what he means, he changes tactics and decides to be rude and mean instead, telling her to get lost and insulting her. She gets angry and it almost seems like it’ll be another bickering match, where they will both be childish and hurl insults at each other, but he doesn’t take that path.

She is complaining about how he doesn’t seem to know that she has a name, thank you very much--and then he calls her Mikan. He concedes to her demands. He does what he perceives to be the mature, adult thing, ending the argument so she will leave for good. When she has nothing left to argue about, she will have no choice but to walk away, and she does, once he makes it clear that his last command is for her to stop complaining about what he calls her.

Natsume chooses to do the selfless thing again, and gives up the first thing in a long time that made him happy. He barely had any time with her at all, but he lets her go, because she can only continue to be sunny and cheerful away from him. He’s giving up before anyone can tell that something was around for him to give up.

He has no idea how much one word has affected her.

Conclusion

Natsume is a selfless kid. He gives up on what he wants very easily, but especially because he knows that the second he gets what he wants, those things could be destroyed, just by association with him. He just wants the people he loves to be happy, even if it means he could never be.

In the next segment, we'll talk about what Natsume is willing to do to protect Mikan, even if it means being cruel and hurting her. NatsuMikan is the living embodiment of the "break her heart to save her" trope, and I very much adore that trope with my whole heart, so we're going to be having a LOT of fun with the next essay!

Also, disclaimer: I'm not smart. I refuse to take responsibility for any mistakes I make in these essays. There also are no mistakes. I've never misspelled a word in my life.

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lesbiansforboromir · 4 years ago

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once again you made me deeply emotional over boromir. i don't have the fellowship (much less the english edition) at hand, so i can't even re-read my fav parts with him. any particular boromir-related stuff you may share?

FUCK ok I’ve got a migraine and a passion and I do not know how to use either of them but I’m gonna use this ask to talk about something I’ve been thinking about for months, not kidding on that one.

Galadriel... was the direct cause of Boromir trying to take the ring- HEAR ME OUT.

There are some very important things to remember about Boromir when you’re considering his actions and motives.

- He explicitly came on the quest assuming it would lead them all to Minas Tirith, because that’s where he needed to get back too. It’s very clear, he and Aragorn are literally going because Minas Tirith is on the way to Mordor. And every detour and every delay of the Company amps up his frustration and worry.

- He left Gondor with the certainty that his city would be besieged VERY soon and that they would not be able to break it. His trip to Rivendell is desperation based in it’s entirety, he’s looking for anything that might help.

- He knows absolutely none of these people from adam and whilst he very much wants to trust them, they have yet to win his loyalty or faith in ANY capacity. I’m sorry! I know everyone wants the Fellowship to be that good good found family foundation but it simply isn’t that for Boromir and never has been.

Okay so when they finally leave Moria and Gandalf’s dead, everyone’s grieving and miserable. They are also worried, Gandalf was their guide and as much as Aragorn’s a tracker he doesn’t have Gandalf’s expertise. Then again, Moria had been entirely Gandalf’s decision in the first place, claiming there wouldn’t be many orcs in there at all in an argument he has with Boromir about how dangerous the mines would be in comparison to the Gap of Rohan. Indeed, if Bilbo hadn’t given Frodo the mithril shirt then Frodo would be straight up dead and it would have been Gandalf’s decisions that caused it.

So at this point Boromir’s faith in Aragorn’s ability is pretty low. And no one else in the Fellowship has any interest in leading. Boromir deferred to Aragorn’s judgement because Aragorn’s more knowledgeable of Eriador and also just... a dude who needs to be in control, it’s easy to tell. But now Boromir’s not so sure Aragorn’s up to it, since he seemed to rely on Gandalf so much.

And then Aragorn tells them all they’re going to go through the Golden Wood. Now Boromir knows from the Rohirrim and Gondorian legend that the Golden Wood is Strange And Scary And Dangerous And Men Who Walk in Never Walk Out Again. And he says this, politely. Aragorn tells him he’s foolish for fearing it and essentially that if people got hurt in the Golden Wood then they deserved it. Again, despite the general discourtesy of these comments, Boromir chooses to believe Aragorn’s judgement.

The next thing that happens is they are accosted by Haldir, treated like possible enemies or spies (despite Haldir admitting that Elrond had already told them they were coming) and a day and a lot of dwarfphobia later Haldir is threatening Gimli with death. No I’m not joking, Haldir says there’s a law dwarves can’t come into Lothlorien without a blindfold. And when Gimli gets justifiably angry about this and wants to go back if he’s being treated this way, Haldir says he WILL be killed if he tries to leave. Weapons are drawn! The only reason this de-escalates is because Aragorn suggests they all go blindfold because ‘it is hard on the dwarf to be so singled out’. I cannot express to you how soon this happens after Aragorn assures everyone that Lothlorien is safe. I also cannot emphasise enough how Gimli does absolutely nothing to deserve this, he’s polite and kind as ever until Haldir instigates it.

So again!! Another mark against Aragorn’s reliability! And then we come to the CRUX of the matter, the meeting with Galadriel and Celeborn.

A lot happens here, some of it very funny in terms of Galadriel’s treatment of Celeborn, but the important part is at the end where Galadriel mind-interrogates all the fellowship but Aragorn and Legolas. Again, this isn’t subtext, in-text it says interrogate. And the fellowship discusses it afterwards. Gimli, Sam, Merry and Frodo all agree that ‘Galadriel offered them a choice, to go back home where they would be safe, or to continue on with the quest though there may be far greater perils ahead’.

But that couldn’t have been the choice she gave Boromir. Because he can’t go home to be safe and sound away from the evil!! He lives there!! This has been Boromir’s fight his whole life, it has never BEEN a choice for him. And from this moment on Boromir’s manner changes dramatically. He questions Frodo about what Galadriel asked him, he expresses concern about Galadriel’s motives, he says he believes she was TEMPTING HIM (remember that for later), concerns which are, once again, sharply and cruelly dismissed by Aragorn.

There is then a MONTH of a time skip, we get descriptions of the how the other fellowship spend their time in Lothlorien. Gimli and Legolas become friends. Everyone else grieves Gandalf and has a lovely time in Lothlorien... apparently.

But Boromir has never had any real positive feelings toward Gandalf and did not show any real grief at his loss initially. And whereas the rest of the fellowship seems respectful and awed by Galadriel and Celeborn, Boromir replies to their questions at the end of the fellowship’s stay in Lothlorien with what I would call veiled anger. `As for me,' said Boromir, `my way home lies onward and not back.' Which is a callback to the interrogation, the stark difference between the motivations and priorities of the rest of the Fellowship in comparison to Boromir. Which became VERY obvious to him in that moment. So I would posit that! Boromir did not have a good time at all! Boromir was stuck somewhere he felt unsafe and unwelcome and every extra second they spent in Lothlorien was yet another moment he was away from his currently-at-war home!!!

Anyway just before they leave the fellowship is privately discussing what road they should take when Boromir makes a slip of the tongue, where he’d always been articulate and clear before.

‘But if you wish to destroy the armed might of the Dark Lord, then it is folly to go without force into his domain; and folly to throw away-’ He paused suddenly, as if he had become aware that he was speaking his thoughts aloud. `It would be folly to throw lives away, I mean.'

It is very obvious to Frodo what he actually meant here, and this is where essentially Frodo’s inner monologue lays it all out!

Frodo caught something new and strange in Boromir's glance, and he looked hard at him. Plainly Boromir's thought was different from his final words. It would be folly to throw away: what? The Ring of Power? He had said something like this at the Council, but then he had accepted the correction of Elrond.

The important points in this section are that 1: Boromir has started thinking about the Ring of Power as something usable. 2: He did not think this before now, he had accepted Elrond’s words. This is ‘new and strange’. Something changed here.

And of course it did! Boromir doesn’t trust any of these clowns anymore.

Boromir’s advice, priorities and concerns have been almost entirely ignored and derided throughout the fellowship, even from the very moment he arrived in Rivendell! And after nearly freezing on a mountain, being chased by wargs, dragged through a mine of Orcs, a Balrog, threatened by supposed allies and then mind invaded by some elf he’s told to be in awe of, whatever will he had to trust and stay faithful to Aragorn’s decisions is barely hanging on.

And Galadriel didn’t just invade Boromir’s mind, she was tempting him! He says so himself! And considering the circumstances and how he speaks about it, the only logical conclusion is that she is tempting him with the ring, because Boromir’s shown no sign of conflict or interest in the ring before now. So Galadriel was the one who put that concept into his mind in the first place. It’s Galadriel who initiates Boromir thinking again on whether this was in Gondor’s best interests. And Boromir recognises she’s trying to manipulate him!! Which is fucking heartbreaking!!

'To me it seemed exceedingly strange,' said Boromir. `Maybe it was only a test, and she thought to read our thoughts for her own good purpose; but almost I should have said that she was tempting us, and offering what she pretended to have the power to give.’ (--) `Well, have a care! ' said Boromir. `I do not feel too sure of this Elvish Lady and her purposes.' `Speak no evil of the Lady Galadriel! ' said Aragorn sternly. 'You know not what you say. There is in her and in this land no evil, unless a man bring it hither himself. Then let him beware!’

Do you see?? Do you all see?? Am I making any sense at all?? Well I make sense to ME so lets continue- Here, you see how Aragorn puts all the blame on Boromir again? The twisted knot Boromir is in at this point is unfathomable and EVEN STILL! Boromir resists! For a very long time! This is what I mean when I say any characterisations of Boromir being overemotional or somehow out of control get at me so much, NEVER has a man had so much self discipline in his wholeass life. Boromir’s entire civilisation could be being bulldozed by Minas Morgul at this very moment and yet he takes everything that’s thrown at him without malice and internally continues to desperately hold onto his integrity.

But that’s what’s at stake! His integrity! Because now he’s grappling with what seems like a choice to either keep faith with the fellowship, stay with them and go where they go despite how much his country needs him, or potentially do something drastic in order to bring a the powerful weapon Gondor seems to have ALWAYS been looking for home to finally actually save his people. Because that’s what Galadriel offered him! And whilst he doesn’t trust her, it’s also in his head now as a logical thing to want! He doesn’t trust Elrond either at this point, so why should he believe what he said about the ring! It’s obvious everyone has boundless ulterior motives!!

Oh! Here’s a good place to try and explain my theory of how the ring’s temptation actually works. The Ring can control people one of two ways. The first we see with Frodo and with Boromir, it takes FULL control of their actions for a split second when they are vulnerable. For Frodo it made him put it on on Weathertop. For Boromir it made him attack Frodo. However this effect is exceedingly temporary and the person effected immediately comes back into themselves and recognises that what they did was outside of their control.

The other way is often thought of as this like pervasive constant pull to the ring that effects you even just by being around it, wearing you down etc. But I don’t think that’s what happens. I think, in order for the ring to start exerting real dangerous persistant power over you, you have to know it’s power and logically want it. You have to come to that conception yourself, you have to think about it.

And I have a lot of reasons for this but where it pertains here-!! Boromir is a fine, reliable and solid member of the fellowship RIGHT up until Galadriel’s mind meld. It’s not gradual, he goes from making jokes, carrying Hobbits and fighting Balrogs to BARELY being able to control his speech and biting his nails and staring at Frodo creepily. There is barely any easing into it and it starts with Galadriel!!

And you know what! There’s an even more sinister layer to this because like... WHY was Galadriel doing this mind stuff in the first place? An immediate obvious answer would be to test the fellowship, to make sure everyone was solid enough to carry on, to ensure the folk who continued were focused. But... If that’s the case... and Boromir’s test was the Ring... like... he obviously failed that test right? She was reading his mind! And she does it again before they leave! If we’re to assume that Galadriel’s mind powers are greater than Boromir’s ability to deflect them then... surely she would have known! That this turmoil was in him! And if she KNEW then why didn’t she say anything to anyone? To Aragorn?? But I don’t think yall are ready for that discussion yet tbh and I have to stop typing or I’ll go blind.

TL;DR Boromir didn’t want the Ring until Galadriel tempted him with it and made the idea of it saving Gondor a possibility to him.

#galadriel critical #boromir #erran vs tolkien #UGH that was good to get out even though I am CERTAIN it's incomprehensible #tolkien #lotr #gondor #I've got so much boromir meta built up in me cus I've been too out of it to do any real writing #and so many asks I wanna answer right!!#chats #HHHH #Anonymous

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witcher-and-his-bard-archive · 4 years ago

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Geralt hates Novigrad. The people here are short-sighted and stubborn and don't care to learn any way than their own. Which means it's a bad place for anyone who's different - especially a Witcher. Even the Elves here hate him. The dwarves are a little better, but Geralt puts that down to Zoltan's influence rather than any learned compassion.

Today, the entire city could burn around him and Geralt would probably smile. It's the first day they've been back in civilization in weeks, which is the only reason they're in Novigrad to begin with. Oxenfurt is an extra day's travelling and both he and Jaskier are in need of a bath and a warm meal that doesn't taste like smoke. And good company, if he's lucky. Jaskier, he knows, will be gone for the night - it's easy enough for him to find a bed to warm in any city they visit - but Geralt is already dreading his visit to the brothel.

Passiflora is the only place that will take him any more, and then he's sure it's only because he and Jaskier know Marquise Serenity personally. He's been told in no uncertain terms that he's not welcome in the others. On occasion, there will be a lone girl waiting at the Golden Sturgeon, but it's always a gamble whether she's a prostitute or a pickpocket in disguise.

And if, by chance, he's welcomed inside, it's always a toss-up whether any of the girls will take him, then even less likely is that he'll get what he really wants. Geralt can't even count how many years he's been settling for sex that's only halfways satisfying - and paying for it, at that. Because those who do show an interest - falsified, or no - take one look at his cock and want to ride it or want him to fuck them with it and Geralt takes what he can get. He never asks for a man and he never asks anyone to fuck him, even though he'd be willing to pay extra for it.

But these past few weeks have been exhausting and the wear of being achingly aroused every night and not finding any satisfaction is getting old. He wants and he's not getting it from where he wants, so he'll try his luck at the brothel.

It doesn't go well.

He's had his eye on someone since he walked in - a slim, dark-haired man with bright eyes and bows on his trousers. When Geralt arrived, he was talking animatedly with another man and something about him reminds him of Jaskier. He shouldn’t approach for that exact reason, but he wants to. If he can’t have what he really wants, this is the next best thing.

He's only just approached the young man when a firm hand closes around his bicep. Geralt turns, instinctively ready to defend himself and the guard backs down.

"Only the women," he warns and Geralt sighs. They're protecting their men, he knows; he can't imagine a lot of men who fuck men are gentle when they're paying for it. In fact, he's heard stories first hand, so he can hardly blame them. And when a raven-haired woman approaches, stroking his arm and promising to take care of him, Geralt relents yet again.

She's soft under him and fucking her is better than his hand alone, but it's nothing like what he wants. It doesn't last long and Geralt makes sure she comes before he leaves, but as he heads out into the street he's feeling worse.

He resigns himself to another night of lying awake wondering who Jaskier is with this time - if he's lucky. If he's not, he won't have to wonder. Inn walls aren't thick and it's nothing for him to pick up on Jaskier's voice after years of attuning himself to it. Another reason he doesn't like towns; he's nearly always forced to listen to Jaskier getting off with whichever lucky bastard catches his eye.

It could be him, he thinks sometimes, but even Jaskier isn't that tolerant. He would probably be disgusted if he knew the things Geralt thought about him, the things he does lying awake and listening to him fuck someone else. And Geralt couldn't blame him for any of it. Shame and guilt rise in him even thinking about it now.

Guilt-ridden and miserable, Geralt makes his way back to the inn. At least he won't have to worry about Jaskier finding out about this because he'll be off somewhere else finding his own enjoyment. It's not that he would mock him for striking out, but sometimes Jaskier's protectiveness of him is overbearing when Geralt would rather just forget about something altogether. And this is definitely one of those things he'd like to pretend never happened.

The innkeeper follows him with his eyes as Geralt makes his way up to their room and he's acutely aware of the impact Jaskier's presence has on his life. No one trusts him without the bard at his side to sweet talk them and convince them that Geralt isn't a threat. Alone in a city, he feels unprotected and open and raw. Even the walk to their room feels far further than it did this afternoon.

But when he shoves the door in and stomps into the room, Jaskier is sitting there waiting for him. Alone, which is unexpected.

"Geralt?" he asks, "Is everything alright?"

Fuck. This is the last thing he wanted to happen. He was so sure Jaskier would be out enjoying himself that he never planned for the eventuality that he would just be here.

"Fine," he mumbles, dropping onto the stiff mattress. What he wants now is a hot bath and sleep, not an interrogation, but neither a bath nor sleep seems likely now. After a moment, Jaskier comes and settles behind him on the bed.

"Did they turn you away?" he asks gently.

Geralt huffs but can't bring himself to turn around as he mumbles a no. It's not a lie, not when there are times he's been barred from entering brothels altogether. Behind him, Jaskier huffs, clearly unimpressed and Geralt is expecting him to launch into one of his rants about respecting Witchers, but he doesn't. Instead, Jaskier's hands come up to hover above his shoulders.

"Can I?" he asks and Geralt grunts in lieu of response. Jaskier takes it as a yes, sliding his hands over Geralt's shoulders with a hum of disapproval. His fingertips press into a knot and Geralt forces himself to relax as Jaskier works it out.

"Was it the woman you saw then?"

"No," Geralt says a little too quickly before realizing that's not going to be a good enough answer for Jaskier. "She was fine."

"Fine isn't good, Geralt. Especially when you're paying for good. Was she too handsy?" he asks.

Geralt can feel the irritation creeping up his spine and he wants to rip out of Jaskier's hands and flee from the room. He wants to leave the inn altogether and forget and Jaskier would be okay here if he left and went to sleep in the forest tonight. It's a bit of a walk, but with Roach he could find somewhere to sleep before it gets too late.

Jaskier's hands lift from his shoulders and Geralt turns to look at him.

"Too timid?" Jaskier suggests.

Geralt looks away. Even if he could find the words to tell Jaskier what went wrong, he wouldn't. How do you tell someone you wanted to fuck a man who reminded you of them, regardless of how the situation went down. He still wanted it, still wanted Jaskier, but was willing to settle for the next best thing.

"You can tell me," Jaskier whispers and Geralt can feel his body shift closer so he's almost right against him. Geralt's shoulders slump and he can feel the fight leave him.

"Nothing really," he mumbles, "just not what I wanted." Even as he's saying the words, he curses himself for being too candid with Jaskier, but the idiot bard has a way of pulling things out of him whether he wants to admit it or not.

"Anything I can help you with?" he offers. Geralt's breath catches and he's certain it's obvious enough that Jaskier can hear it. Geralt says nothing. "Whatever it is you're after, I promise you it's not new to me."

Even in Geralt's wildest fantasies, he's never considered outright asking Jaskier for what he wants. But Jaskier's voice is so soft and genuine in his ear and right now, a small part of him wants to. It's been so long and Jaskier is offering. But he can't and he won't.

Jaskier, however, is not one to give up so easily.

The hands on Geralt’s shoulders slip forward, playing along his collarbone over the fabric of his shirt and Geralt does his best not to let it get to him, but it's hard. Jaskier's touch has always been a curse for him, softer and kinder than he deserves and yet something of a constant in his life, doing his best to test Geralt's patience and resolve. And he's treading into dangerous territory here. Geralt is already pent up and frustrated and likely to do something stupid to keep Jaskier from touching too much.

Jaskier is his only friend and Geralt won't betray that trust under any circumstances; he can't bear to lose the one person who treats him like a regular man. But Jaskier has never been one for worrying about things like sex and the consequences of who you sleep with and maybe-. No. He can’t.

"Tell me what you want darling, I'll be happy to help. Do you want me to touch you?" Geralt's pulse quickens but he says nothing. He doesn't want to encourage this and he knows Jaskier will only go so far without his explicit permission. "I could use my mouth. I'm very good with my mouth."

Geralt has no doubts about that and his blood rushes south remarkably quickly at the prospect. He's overheard Jaskier's lovers praising his mouth and he knows for a fact that Jaskier can make a man come with his tongue alone. And that's an incredibly tempting prospect.

"Or if you don't want me to touch you, I could talk you through it," he pauses and Geralt can feel Jaskier's breath against his ear, hot and damp as he leans in and whispers, "I know you're good at taking instructions." Fuck.

Jaskier's voice vibrates through his body and Geralt has to try harder than he should to keep from reacting. When he doesn't respond, Jaskier continues. His hands fall from Geralt's shoulders, settling on his hips.

"Or maybe that's not what you want," he muses, slipping his hands up Geralt's sides, "I know you like being touched, even if you pretend not to, hm? Maybe you could fuck me. Would you like that?" Geralt's breath is unsteady despite his best efforts, his traitorous cock pressing hard against his thigh.

"Gods, I bet you'd fuck me so well, wouldn't you?" Jaskier hums and brings his hands around to Geralt's back, sliding up to his shoulders. His thumb brushes against Geralt's neck and Geralt's eyes drop shut. Any given day, he thinks, if Jaskier genuinely wanted him to, he would. But this isn't like that and Geralt is stronger than his desires.

"Geralt," Jaskier chides, the soft lilt in his voice replaced with soft frustration. "You don't have to hold back like this. It's just me," he adds, softer again. "After everything we've been through, this would hardly be a hardship for me.”

“I know you,” he continues, his voice a light hum, “you get all quiet when I’m right. When you want something but you don’t think you deserve it.”

But- Geralt thinks, and Jaskier shifts behind him, pulling his mind back to the present. Geralt finds himself leaning when Jaskier pulls away, seeking the warmth of his chest. There's a light huff of a laugh and then Jaskier is behind him again, thighs pressing in on either side of Geralt's hips, hot breath in his hair. On his knees, Geralt realizes.

"What if I fuck you?" Jaskier asks, fingers slipping around the front of Geralt's neck to tip his head back. Unbidden, a soft sound escapes Geralt's throat and it doesn't escape Jaskier's attention. "Oh. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Mm, darling, I bet you'd make the sweetest sounds with my cock inside you. You'd look so pretty laid out for me- or maybe I'd have you in my lap so I can see your face."

Geralt can feel his composure slip with every word as Jaskier describes in detail all the ways he would fuck him. This isn't normal, he realizes, and maybe it is just Jaskier being himself and being very liberal about who he has sex with, but Geralt doesn't have sex with his friends. Well, he tries not to. Currently, Jaskier is making it difficult for him to say no, even if he knows he should.

And Jaskier is still mumbling against his ear all the filthy things he wants to do to him- and Geralt's thoughts come to a halt at that. The idea that Jaskier wants any of this is absurd to him and yet. Jaskier huffs softly against the side of his neck , pressing his nose behind Geralt's ear. His hands slip over his hips, down his thighs to push them apart and his hand is so close to his cock. If he moved, even just an inch, Jaskier's thumb would rub against him, but he knows if that happened, it would be the end of any discussion.

"Jaskier," he breathes. His head drops back against Jaskier's shoulder inadvertently. Already, he's barely in control of his own body and he realizes somewhere deep in the back of his mind that he wouldn't lose control so easily if he didn't want this so badly.

"Tell me," Jaskier hums, skirting the bulge of Geralt's erection with his thumb, "I'll give you anything you want. Or tell me no and I'll stop." Somehow, the prospect of Jaskier's hands leaving him is worse than whatever repercussions they might face otherwise.

Jaskier's nose presses against the back of his head and Geralt can't find the words to tell him no, wouldn't want to if he could. When Jaskier's fingers brush over his cock, Geralt groans out loud. Jaskier is pressed right against his back now, and he drops his head, nosing at Geralt's neck.

"What do you say, darling? Do you want that?" he pushes his hands down Geralt's stomach, hesitating at the hem of his trousers to give him a chance to say no. A chance to stop this. But Geralt is too far gone now to think about telling him no and Jaskier's hand is a soft relief where it slips down to palm over his clothed cock.

Geralt grits his teeth and bites his tongue as Jaskier squeezes around him; he's not used to being in a place where he's comfortable making too much noise, and most of his lovers prefer him quiet anyway. But Jaskier is different and Geralt should have known.

"You don't have to try so hard, Geralt. You don't have to hold back any longer, it's just me and I want to hear you." He presses his lips to Geralt's neck and lifts his hands to tug at his shirt.

Jaskier makes quick work of getting him out of his clothes and once Geralt is naked, and only feeling a little bit exposed, he lays down on his stomach. But Jaskier quickly eases his discomfort, climbing back up on the bed and settling himself between Geralt's legs. His hands run up the backs of his thighs and Jaskier sighs.

"I was right," he hums, "you look so good like this." His hands move up, squeezing Geralt's ass and his cock aches under him. Jaskier's fingers are so close to where he wants them, just one little move and he could be inside him.

Then all at once, he's gone and. Geralt looks up and finds him crouched over their packs, digging through one of them until he pulls a small bottle out and rises to his feet.

Geralt has seen him naked before, of course, it's inevitable when you travel with someone for as long as they have. But this is different. Jaskier is hard, first of all, which isn't something Geralt expected to have quite the effect on him that it does. His cock juts from his body, curling up like an invitation and Geralt has never wanted to touch someone so badly in his life.

Jaskier catches him watching and crosses back toward the bed. One hand drops to Geralt's ass, squeezing firmly before slipping up his back. He pushes Geralt's hair back from his face, brushing his fingers down his cheek and smiles at him.

"How could anyone not love you?" he whispers, taking in Geralt's confused expression, "you're so beautiful. So good for me, Geralt." Geralt's eyes snap up to his immediately. Oh, that's something. Jaskier just grins at him and climbs back up onto the bed behind him.

Geralt turns his face into his pillow as soft lips press against his calves. He stiffens at the intimacy of it, but Jaskier soothes him with soft touches and even softer kisses that creep slowly up the backs of his legs. When he reaches the swell of his ass, Jaskier’s fingers dig into his skin, squeezing and pushing Geralt's cheeks apart. Geralt's done this before with other men who meant significantly less to him than Jaskier does, so he's not quite sure what makes him anxious about it now. Maybe because it's been so long since or maybe because this is a huge step in their relationship that he never would have made otherwise.

But whatever it is, Jaskier is efficient at helping him relax again, leaning over and breathing soft words into his ear. Geralt knows he doesn't deserve them, that Jaskier is just trying to placate him, but when Jaskier’s cock settles against the back of his thigh, Geralt can almost believe it. Tentatively, he pushes back against him, letting Jaskier's cock slip between his thighs and he gets an appreciative groan in response. Jaskier drops his head, pressing a kiss between Geralt's shoulders.

"That's it, love."

Jaskier runs his hands down his back, settling again between his knees and Geralt feels his breath before anything else, hot against his skin. Then Jaskier's mouth is on him and Geralt sinks into the bed, pressing his hips back. He feels the huff of Jaskier's laugh, but it doesn't stop him from running his tongue over him, pressing against his hole. Geralt moans despite himself, trying hard to remember that he doesn't have to be quiet.

It proves to be difficult as Jaskier's tongue pushes into him and the sounds fall from his lips unbidden. But he's allowed, he reminds himself, no one is going to hear him but Jaskier and he's safe here with Jaskier.

His tongue pushes deeper and Geralt's thighs part seemingly of their own volition to give him better access and Jaskier appreciates it if the way he hums around Geralt's hole is any indication. It spurs him forward if nothing else and Geralt's cock jerks beneath him, neglected and aching.

When Jaskier gets his fingers involved, he goes slow at first, running one slick finger around his hole before pushing in. And Geralt groans into the pillow. One of Jaskier's fingers is the same damn size as his tongue and he tells him exactly that. Jaskier just huffs and kisses his back, pushing his finger into him before drawing back and adding a second. But Geralt is already keyed up beyond words and he doesn't have the patience for slow and steady. He pushes his hips back with a needy moan and Jaskier doesn't hold back.

He slicks both fingers and pushes into him, thrusting a couple of times before pushing deep and seeking out that spot inside him. Geralt shudders with the first pass of his fingers and Jaskier is persistent, rubbing up and thrusting against that spot until Geralt is arching off the bed, hair damp with sweat and sticking to his skin.

"Fuck Geralt," Jaskier breathes, readjusting to lean on his elbow. He bites the flesh of Geralt's ass and kisses the marks from his teeth. "You have no idea what you do to me," he huffs, his words muffled by Geralt's skin, "I can't believe no one will have you like this, you look so good, so good for me."

"You don't mean that," Geralt mumbles, but Jaskier climbs up over him, his fingers still buried as deep as they'll go and he presses his mouth to the back of Geralt's neck.

"I do. You're beautiful," he breathes, "you're a good man, Geralt. You're soft and kind and caring, even if you pretend not to be. And you deserve to know that. You deserve so much more than what you get out of life. Let me give it to you."

Geralt is torn between horrific embarrassment and a surge of arousal because if anyone's opinion actually matters to him, it's Jaskier's. Something warm blooms in his chest and he sighs as Jaskier kisses his neck.

"Let me show you how much I want you," he hums. He withdraws and thrusts in again, quickly picking up the pace until Geralt is moaning obscenely under him, canting his hips into the mattress because he can't help himself any longer. All the while, Jaskier's voice is in his ear, whispering sweet things that he wants so badly to believe.

"Beautiful," he whispers, "perfect. Mine." The last one slips out much more quietly than the rest and Geralt isn't sure he's supposed to hear it but it does something to him that he can't quite explain. And more than ever, he wants to be good for Jaskier, wants to be soft and kind and beautiful and more than that, he wants to be his.

Never once does Geralt ask for anything, but Jaskier seems to know exactly what he wants and Geralt might think he was reading his mind if he didn't know better. He doesn't let up until Geralt's panting turns to muffled warnings, his hips pressed up impatiently.

"Jask-" he mumbles and Jaskier hums against him, panting hard.

"Do you want to come like this?" he asks.

"Want your cock," Geralt huffs and Jaskier lets out a low, desperate groan against his shoulder.

"Fuck, I've waited a long time to hear you say that." Jaskier's fingers slip from his body and he grips Gerlt's hips with both hands. Breathing hard, he kisses his way down Geralt's back, sitting back to kneel between his thighs. He shuffles for a moment before pressing his cock into the cleft of his ass and Geralt thrusts his hips back in his impatience.

Jaskier's cock feels better than it has any right to and Geralt knows he shouldn't be so needy when Jaskier is trying to help, but he's waited so long for this. And he's wanted Jaskier for even longer than that. Jaskier slicks him up with two fingers before working over his cock. Geralt can hear the slick slide of skin on skin and he turns to try and see him, craning his neck, but all he can see is Jaskier's arm moving. He grumbles in disappointment, but Jaskier just pushes his cheeks apart and presses between them.

His cock is slick and hard as it presses into Geralt's body and he shuts his eyes, arching his back with a soft groan. Jaskier gives him a moment to adjust but Geralt takes him easily, lust and impatience winning out over caution and he rocks his hips back onto Jaskier before he's even fully inside.

"Oh, fuck," Jaskier gasps. He surges forward, catching himself with one hand as the other smoothes up Geralt's spine. "You really wanted this, didn't you?"

Heat prickles at the back of Geralt's neck and he’s thankful for his hair covering the only part of his face that isn't pressed into the pillow. He shouldn't want this, shouldn't want Jaskier, but-

"Why didn't you just ask me?" He asks. Geralt grumbles at him and Jaskier leans low over him. "Don't be embarrassed, love, you're incredible like this." He presses his nose to Geralt's ear, humming softly. "I've never wanted you more."

He gives a quick thrust of his hips and a whole other kind of heat licks up Geralt's spine. Just the thought that Jaskier wants him at all, in any context is enough to have him breathless, but then Jaskier pushes all the way into him and Geralt very nearly whimpers. Then he pulls out completely and Geralt leans up to look at him, worried he did something wrong.

But Jaskier has his bottom lip trapped between his teeth and the look he gives Geralt is hot and oddly possessive. He shuffles back out of the way of Geralt's legs and gently nudges his hip, gesturing for him to roll over. And Geralt isn't about to deny him anything when he looks like that, so he readjusts, propping himself up on his arms. He doesn't miss the way Jaskier's eyes roam over his body before he's shuffling close again, shoving his knees under Geralt's thighs and pressing him back against the mattress.

This time, when Jaskier sinks into him, he doesn't hesitate and Geralt's glad to be on his back where he can watch Jaskier's face as he squeezes around him. Jaskier keeps one hand on Geralt's hip as he rocks into him, using the other to map out his chest and waist, fingers slipping lightly over places Geralt didn't even realize were sensitive like that. But what's worse is his voice, constantly telling Geralt how good he is and Geralt wants so badly to believe him. The words sear through him like hot iron and he thought that with all his training and composure it would take more than a couple of words to take him down, but he's learning he was very wrong about that.

Jaskier falls into an easy rhythm, his words equally as arousing as the cock slipping in and out of him, and Geralt reaches for him, aching to touch. Jaskier wraps both arms around his waist and hauls him up into his lap, letting the fingers of one hand slip down to where his cock presses into Geralt's body. Geralt just looks at him with wide eyes and Jaskier grins back at him.

"I'm stronger than I look," he whispers. He shifts under Geralt and gives a sharp thrust of his hips, hitting that spot inside him again and Geralt drops forward against him, pressing his head into Jaskier's shoulder.

"Oh," he moans, shifting to wrap his legs around Jaskier's waist.

"Good?" Jaskier asks and Geralt huffs a muffled mmhm, reaching back to brace himself on Jaskier's knees. "Good. So good for me." He slips his hands down to Geralt's hips, holding him steady as he rocks up into him and Geralt lets himself relax into it.

Jaskier doesn't expect anything from him, wants to fuck him, wants to make him feel good and Geralt lets him for maybe the first time in his life, surrendering control entirely to someone else. Because he trusts Jaskier and because Jaskier does make him feel good, mumbling that he's doing so well and just like that, darling. And when he gets his hand down between them, clever fingers winding around his cock, Geralt almost comes undone right there. His hips buck hard into the dry heat of Jaskier's palm, shaky as he withdraws and pushes forward again with intent.

Jaskier pauses then leans forward over him, pressing their foreheads together. The angle is awkward, and a little uncomfortable, but Jaskier lays him down again, stroking him slowly as he works his hips quickly. Jaskier holds him down and fucks him hard, snapping his hips hard as Geralt mumbles into his neck, nearly incomprehensible. When Geralt comes it's with soft wine, too overwhelmed for anything more than that.

Jaskier continues, fucking him through the aftershocks, pressed up against Geralt's chest with his legs around his ankles. And when he comes, he presses his face into Geralt's shoulder and Geralt runs his fingers through his hair, still unable to speak.

After a moment, Jaskier pulls out and Geralt shifts a little unwilling to admit how much he dislikes losing the feeling of Jaskier's cock inside him. He's not entirely sure what to do with himself now because this was never supposed to happen between them. It was a fantasy - a very far-fetched one, at that - and yet, here they are, Jaskier sweaty and panting next to him and so beautiful Geralt can't help but smile despite his bewilderment.

He's trying to consider what to say - should he thank him? - when Jaskier pushes himself back into a sitting position and moves to lift Geralt's head gently into his lap. He brushes his fingertips along his cheek, runs his fingers through his hair, and Geralt finds himself worrying less. His eyes are heavy, his body still thrumming with a pleasant numbness and Jaskier's fingers are soothing.

"You can sleep," Jaskier whispers, "I've never minded if a lover falls asleep on me, just means they enjoyed themselves."

A lover. Geralt turns the words over in his head and decides he likes the way they fit. Likes the idea of being Jaskier's lover. Blinking up at him, Geralt reaches up, curling his fingers around the back of Jaskier's neck and guiding him down. It has to be an uncomfortable angle for Jaskier, but he doesn't complain or pull back and when their lips brush together, he lets out a soft little sound and shifts to adjust his position. His mouth is soft and wanting and his fingers slip around the back of Geralt's head to keep him close.

And then, seemingly in an instant, it's over and Geralt is left staring up at him, unsure all over again. But Jaskier smiles at him and brushes his thumb over Geralt's cheek.

"You really are so beautiful," he mumbles, as though to himself. "I don't deserve you." Geralt huffs and turns away from him, but Jaskier just tips his head back. "I want you to know you can ask me for anything. I wish you'd come to me earlier, you shouldn't have to suffer because of the ignorance of others."

"I'm not going to do that to you-"

Jaskier laughs, soft and gentle. "Do that to me?" he asks incredulously, "darling I've been waiting my whole life to hear you say you want me. You could come back every night and climb into bed with me and I'd still want more."

He's not sure why exactly, but Geralt blurts out, "he reminded me of you."

"What?"

"The whore. The reason I was... irritable when I came back. They wouldn't let me talk to him, but he reminded me of you."

"Oh? You went to a prostitute who reminded you of me?" Geralt mumbles but doesn't confirm nor deny. "Geralt I love you, truly, but you are a bit daft sometimes. Why on earth wouldn't you just come to me in the first place."

His heart beats much faster than it should and Geralt does everything he can to ignore the nonchalance with which Jaskier says he loves him - because the idea is absurd. "I didn't think you'd want me."

"I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you, all dark and moody in your corner." He flashes a smile and Geralt turns away to keep from saying too much. Jaskier ducks down and kisses his cheek. "But sleep now, we can talk about it in the morning."

Geralt forces back the urge to protest, to assure Jaskier that he's wrong about him. But he knows it wouldn't do him any good and Jaskier is persistent - maybe there is something to the things he's always saying. Geralt settles, lets the stress seep out of his body as Jaskier's hands move over his shoulders. He shuts his eyes but still manages to pull Jaskier down into a soft, slow kiss.

It lasts longer this time. Jaskier doesn't pull away despite the discomfort he must be feeling and if anything, when Geralt hesitates, when he gives him a chance to stop, Jaskier presses forward. And Geralt thinks, as Jaskier's tongue sweeps over his bottom lip, that if the next couple of days are like this, the rest of their stay in Novigrad might not be so bad.

#geraskier #geralt x jaskier #jaskier x geralt #the witcher #rex writes

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ruthoakenshield · 4 years ago

Text

Thorin, Fili, Emma and the Unusual Arrangement - Part 1

This tale is for 18+ readers only.

If smut, angst, fluff, backdoor entry, oral (m&f recieving), and threesome offend you, do NOT read below the cut!!!

In this Alternate Universe Hobbit tale, Thorin and Company find an injured Dwarrowdam in the wild who is alone. They take her into the company and heal her, insisting that she stay with them so she stays safe. During the quest, Thorin, Fili and the Dwarrowdam find themselves in an unusual arrangement out of necessity and by the will of the Dwarven god, Mahal. What is the unusual arrangement? Will the arrangement work out? Will the line of Durin survive the Quest and reclaim Erebor?

(I do not claim ownership of any of Tolkien’s characters, languages or places, nor do I claim ownership of Tauriel’s character. )

You had been traveling with the Dwarves of Erebor for three months now. With them 24/7. You learned their habits, their nervous ticks, and their different personalities. You were finally accepted by them despite being a Dwarrowdam. They were incredibly protective of you, especially when you all entered towns or villages or encountered other races. They would push you to the center of the cluster.

Each night while on the road, they made sure you stayed warm. You were allowed to do what you liked, and at night, if you got cold, you were welcomed by any of the Dwarves to cuddle and keep warm. None of them ever taking advantage of you or touching you inappropriately. They would each take turns letting you cuddle and share body heat with them each night. You often woke to them curled around you, spooning you, their morning wood against your back. They never said anything about it as if it happened all the time and wasn’t because of your body being there. You always pretended to be asleep and waited till they got up and moved away before ‘waking’ and getting up for the day. Whenever you had to stay overnight in a tavern, you were told you’d stay with Thorin though. It was the one thing you were not given a choice on.

This was unnerving for you and Thorin knew it, but he refused to leave you in a room by yourself where they couldn’t protect you. The two of you would share a bed during those times, but he always insisted you sleep under the sheets and he on top. He slept on the side closest to the door with either his back to you or he lay on his back and would tell you that you were welcome to cuddle against him should you get cold. But inevitably, you would wake up in the morning to him spooning you, his member hard against your back and you tucked safely in his strong arms, your head nestled under his chin like he did when it was his turn to keep you warm on the road.

He never acknowledged it at first. Just like the other Dwarrow, and always quietly got up, and pulled on his boots, outer tunic, gear and his fur lined vest and slipped out of the room to get things ready for the day, leaving you to get ready on your own. Dwalin or Kili & Fili were always outside your door when you opened it to leave, making sure no one assaulted you while their King was not in your presence.

You began to notice, as you traveled with the Company that Fili seemed drawn to you more so than Kili, and Fili would often be the first one to greet you in the mornings with a cup of your favourite tea, regardless if you were on the road or in a town or village. Thorin too seemed to be drawn to you more after the first night he kept you warm on the road, taking more of an interest in you, making sure you were warm enough at night, and talking with you as you traveled, or training you with your sword.

He knew of your hidden arsenal from when they found you injured on the road, but had apparently forgotten about it, as the other Dwarrow had also seemed to have forgotten about it since your outer clothing provided a cushion that it couldn’t be felt through them, except for your sword strapped to your back all the time and the hand axes at your waist. You hadn’t needed to use the other weapons you had hidden on you since that attack and you supposed that since you never take them or your clothing off, and never have needed to use them, the Dwarves must’ve forgotten you had them.

The first time you entered the village with the Dwarves, though, you were forced to share a room with Thorin and suddenly sharing a sleeping area with him seemed so much more…. Well… intimate, then when you shared a sleeping cot and blanket on the road. Suddenly you felt uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do.

------flashback------------

“Why do you not undress for the night?” he had asked you. “I always sleep in this, Thorin. Have you ever not seen me sleep in this?” you indicate your clothing and sword sheathed to your back, your hand axes at your sides.

He chuckles, “No, Lass, the only thing you ever seem to remove is your boots.” He replies. “Why do you sleep like this?” he asks sitting down to pull off his own heavy, steel toed boots, then stands and begins to undress down to his night shirt and night pants.

You blush and look down at your feet as he does so. “Before I met up with you, I had no other protection. I learned quickly to keep my weapons on me at all times, even while I slept.” You explain, as you sit on the edge of the bed.

“Isn’t that terribly uncomfortable?” he asks, looking at you with a raised eyebrow and a frown.

You giggle, “I got used to it. I had gotten to be a light sleeper and have caught several goblins and curious trash pandas trying to pull my sword from my back, or my axes from my hips.”

“The goblins never survive that attempt, the curious trash pandas, I just scare, and they run away.” You chuckle.

“Well, humor me and for one night, remove your weapons and sleep restfully and comfortably. I will not take advantage of you; you have my word.” He says.

You sigh, knowing he will not relent until you do. You unstrap your sword and lean it against the side of the nightstand. You peel off your boots, lined with your throwing knives. Then you remove your outer clothing, being careful of the patches, working the flaps from the under clothing out carefully from the openings in your over clothes.

Thorin had noticed the first time they found you that your clothes seemed to have been patched in quite a few places and wondered why you wore clothes so tattered. Then Oin opened your blouse to check and treat the wound to your arm and side, and they saw the harnesses strapped to your body. Only he, Balin and Oin saw them though, Oin had made everyone else go find other tasks to do. Thorin had forgotten about the harnesses you wore under your clothing. He never felt them when you slept beside him.

His eyes opened in surprise, when you began to flip the patches up on your legs, and you began to pull out your arsenal of knives, daggers, and all manner of throwing weapons. He didn’t realize you wore them there as well! You worked your way up both legs, pulling the weapons out of the hidden sheaths strapped to your skin under your clothes, assessable only from the hidden openings through your clothing.

He began to blush when you pulled a beautiful jewelled dagger from the center of your back at the waistline, and then a curved, small dagger from sheaths under each of your breasts, and daggers out from your upper arms and forearms, under your sleeves. It took you a full 5 minutes to completely disarm, as far as he could tell.

“How many weapons do you have on you, Lass?” he asked, chuckling as he watched you with fascination. “Enough.” You reply with a smirk.

“You have more weapons hidden on you than even Fili does!” he exclaimed when he looked at the pile on the nightstand and floor. “No wonder why you do not remove them when you go to bed!” he chuckles.

“Is that all?” he asks once you appear to have finished. He wondered what you’d look like without the clothing on. He wondered how many sheaths you had strapped to you and what kind of harnesses you used to keep them all in place.

You grin. “That’s all you will be finding out about any time soon.” You quip. Earning a raised eyebrow from him. You just grin and lie down facing the wall.

“Emma.” Thorin says. You turn, “Yes, Thorin?” “Get under the covers. I will lay next to you on top of them.” He tells you.

You nod and pull them down under you and then climb under them. Pulling the bedding over the top of your frame, you face the wall once again, and he climbs in next to you. You hear him blow out the candle and the room is engulfed in darkness with only the moonlight coming in through the window’s cracked shutters.

You feel Thorin turn onto his side and he tells you “Good night, Emma.” Which you return to him with a “Good night, my King.” Making him smile.

You laid there for quite a while, listening to his breathing until it evened out and you knew he slept. You sighed. Never had you ever slept with a male alone in a bed like this, and though you trusted him, you were not comfortable with sleeping right next to him in a bed, but you had no choice.

You lay there trying to remember the things your Mother taught you about males on your ‘coming of age’ day, and all she taught you about joining with them. You were not about to reveal to him where your Mother had trained you to hide one last weapon as a last resort against an attack on your honor.

The dagger, your last resort, was a special Dwarrowdam’s design she helped you craft specifically to fit inside you and taught you how to behave to retrieve it should you be stripped of your clothing and need one last resort. She trained you how to contract your muscles to hold it and it’s sheath in place so it would never fall out. It took you months of practice, but you don’t even bother to think about it now except in times like this. It stays put regardless, if you are swimming, riding ponies, walking, running or fighting.

All Dwarrow women are trained for this and no unmarried Dwarf knows of this. Husbands are sworn to secrecy about it with a blood oath and are cursed if they ever mention it to anyone. As far as you knew, none of the living lineage of Durin knew about this except Dis, since she was a woman, and Dain, since he was the only one married, and neither were with you here.

No one knows that weapon was there inside you except you. Your Amad told you never to reveal it unless you were attacked by someone intending to rape you and you had lost all other weapons. The only other time you were allowed to reveal it was to your future Husband on your wedding night, before he takes you to be One with him.

You began to think about the Adulthood ceremonies for the men. You had heard some young Dwarrow boasting about what they had learned and how they learned it when you still lived in Erebor before Smaug had attacked. You assume Thorin had his Adulthood ceremony where he was trained to please a woman by his Father. You wondered if Kili and Fili and Ori had had that training yet. Probably not. You wondered what Thorin will do when that time comes. How will he instruct his Nephews? You knew it was usually a specially chosen Dwarrowdam of the person teaching the young man who was the one they practiced on. But how could ANY of the Dwarves in the Company instruct the boys? The only ones who were married were Gloin and Bombur and their Dams were not here, and there were no other women traveling with the Company except you!

Then you realized you were the ONLY Dwarrowdam traveling with the Company and that you might be called upon to be the one to allow the Dwarf teaching the youngsters what to do with a woman! You shot up in bed in a cold sweat, startling Thorin. He sits up quickly looking around for an enemy. When he sees none, he looks at you puzzled.

“Emma, are you all right?” he asks quietly.

“I-I I’m sorry, Thorin. I did not mean to startle you awake. I just… I’m sorry.” You say and put your head in your hands and cry silently.

He frowns. “What is it, Emma?” he asks gently, as he rubs your shoulder, feeling the straps from your harnesses under the threadbare shirt.

“I-it’s just, it’s just…” you trail off, ashamed. “What is it, Emma?” he says gently as he takes your face in his hand and turns it to his, wiping your tears with his thumb. You see the concern on his face as the moonlight shines on him.

“I’ve never slept next to a male in a bed, alone, this close before, not like this. It was always cuddling to keep warm on the road with your company and we were all in one big group together. I was just thinking about what all my Amad had taught me at my ‘coming-of-age’ ceremony, and I realized Kili, Fili and Ori, must be close to that age where they are considered an adult and are taught such things. I guess I just realized I’m the only Dwarrowdam traveling with you all and…well… I guess I freaked out a little.” You explain quietly, red faced and horribly embarrassed.

Thorin chuckles softly. “Lass, do not worry about such things. Yes, you may be asked, but we would not force you be a part of that if you were not willing. We would find another way to teach them what they would need to know.” He tells you.

“Come now, Sweetheart, lie down and try to get some sleep. No one will dishonor you on this trip by forcing you to be intimate. What you do with your body we leave up to you. If you decide to share yourself with those in my company, no one will frown upon it. You have been an honorable Dwarrowdam, and all of my men respect you and will not force you to do anything you do not wish to do.” He tells you as he gently moves you to lie down again, this time on your back.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, to lay next to me, I will move to sleep on the floor.” He tells you as you look up at him. “Oh! No, Thorin! I don’t want you to sleep on the floor! You’re my King! I should be the one to sleep on the floor!” you say wide eyed.

Thorin chuckles. “I would not have it said that the King made the only Dwarrowdam in the company sleep on the floor so he could have the comfortable bed. How about we compromise and share the bed? Would you allow that?” he asks as he sweeps a strand of hair from your eyes.

You stare up at his handsome face and his deep blue eyes that are studying your face, patiently waiting for your answer.

“Very well, my King.” You say quietly, lowering your gaze to his chest and night shirt that is untied and revealing his dark chest hair. You wonder what it feels like. Is it coarse or soft?

He smiles at you kindly. “I will not touch you inappropriately unless you wish it.” He tells you. Then lies down on his back, puts his hands behind his head and closes his eyes. “You are welcome to cuddle against me should you get cold.” He tells you without opening his eyes.

You lay there next to him and think about all he told you. His earthy, and musky scent surrounding you as you lie there. You realize it is a comforting scent and it calms your nerves now. You notice the room is getting colder now that the night has progressed. You can tell Thorin is still awake. “Thorin? Aren’t you cold without any blankets on you?” you ask.

“I will be fine, Sweetheart.” He tells you. You shiver and pull the blankets up around you. A half-hour later you are still cold. You turn on your side, facing away from Thorin and scootch up to his warm side. You feel him chuckle and he turns onto his side to face you. His chest against your back.

“Here, let me keep you warm.” He whispers and wraps his arm over your side and holds your hand. The two of you fall asleep with your King spooning you, and you wake to Thorin letting go of your hand and moving to sit up. You felt his hard on just before he moved away from you and you bit your lip realizing again just how big he was when hard.

You wondered how any Dwarrowdam could take that size into them. Your Mother never explained that. You realize that most of the Dwarves who kept you warm would wake up with hard ons and they all felt large like that. Are all Dwarves large like this or is it just these Dwarrow? You wonder. Regardless, you are grateful they never took advantage of you and treated you with honor.

Thorin pulled you out of your thoughts. “I’ll leave you to get ready, Emma. Hurry, though, we need to be leaving as soon as possible. We’ll have breakfast here then head out.”

You roll over onto your other side and see he is dressed and pulling on his boots. You climb out of bed and sit on the edge. When he stands, you say, “Thorin?”

He stops and looks over to you sitting on the edge of the bed looking at your feet. He comes over and kneels down in front of you. “Yes, Emma?” he asks.

“Thank you. For understanding about my fears, and treating me with honor. Many would not have.” You tell him, unwilling to look him in the face.

He caresses your face. “You are a treasure to our Company, Sweetheart. Your honor is safe as long as you stay with us. I will make sure someone guards the door now, when I leave. So you can re-arm yourself and change clothing if you wish without worry. No one will come in on you dressing. When you are ready, come out and join us downstairs.” He tells you and gives you a kiss on your head. “Hurry now.” he tells you and grabs his travel pack, weapons, and heads for the door.

Once it is closed, you hear him call for Dwalin, and you assume he has Dwalin guard the door for you.

You change into clean clothing and re-load your weapons into their proper holsters and harnesses. You sigh, realizing it was nice to be able to remove them for once and sleep with only the one inside you. Once you’re ready, you head out and open the door. Dwalin is standing right there and moves to the side once he hears the bolt slide and you open the door.

He looks at you and gives you a kind grin. “Sleep well, Lass?” he asks. You shrug. I’m not used to sleeping in a bed any longer. It took me a while to finally fall asleep.”

He raises his eyebrow. “Don’t worry, Thorin was perfectly honorable and left me alone. We just talked till I was finally able to fall asleep.” You tell him.

He chuckles and pats your shoulder. “Very well, then, Lass. Ready for some breakfast?” he asks.

You nod and he follows you down the hall and down the stairs. You join the Company for breakfast then everyone heads out.

-----back to present time-----------

The Company often stopped near water sources when they could find them on the road. You were always invited to join them for a swim, but always declined and waited till they had finished. Then once all of them were settled for the evening, you would grab your bag from your travel pack and would head to the water source to bathe.

Whenever you did, you always felt a pair of eyes on you, though you could never see who they belonged to or where they were. They never showed themself to you.

You were careful to keep your back to the wooded area. You let your hair down out of the braids first and your long, dark hair always covered your body, so arms and legs and glimpses of your ass were all they saw. Your hair went down to just below your butt cheeks. It was long, sleek and jet black, though you had noticed some strands of silver starting to appear at your hairline around your face. You knew your age was somewhere between Fili’s 80’s and Thorin’s,190’s but that was not much for Dwarves.

You carefully unbuttoned your blouse and slid it off. You set it at your feet and then began to remove your many harnesses. Your best friend helped you design the harnesses for your journey to the iron hills with the caravans and was insistent on you having as many weapons to defend yourself as she could fit on you within reason. When you got separated from the caravan during an orc attack and just decided to wander on your own for a while before meeting up with the company, you were glad you had the means to defend yourself.

You knew you were littered in bruises from sleeping on the weapons and battling goblins and orcs and wargs. You had a few scars from them too. Luckily, they healed without infection thanks to Oin.

You felt the eyes on you as you slid off the harnesses and weapons from your arms and then your chest. You began to unlace your pants and kicked off your heavy boots, bending to set them next to your pack and pile of harnesses. You slid off your pants carefully, so you didn’t catch the multiple openings on the handles of your weapons. You shivered as the cool air hit you when a breeze came up.

You placed the pants next to your dirty shirt. Then you began to unbuckle all the harnesses from your legs. Leaving the one from around your waist that held the dagger at your tailbone for now.

You grabbed your soap and the dirty clothing and went to the water’s edge next to a large, bumpy rock. Taking your dagger from your waist band with, you jammed it into the sand by your knees.

Quickly you washed your pants and your blouse then draped them over a nearby bush to dry somewhat. Then you placed the dagger back in its sheath, removed the harness from your waist and left it on the bumpy stone by the water so you could grab it if you needed.

Wading out slowly into the cold water, you could feel your breasts and nipples tighten. You hated bathing at night, but it was the only way to be certain the entire company of Dwarves would not see you naked, though you suspected at least one was spying on you. You knew Thorin would never leave you unattended, not even to bathe.

You ducked under the water once it hit your waist, swam out a little further and then came up to wash your hair. You lathered the soap and got your har all sudsy and rinsed it out as you swam around under the water. Once it felt completely rinsed, you moved to the shallows and washed your upper body, then sat down on a rock at the shoreline and washed your legs and feet.

You ducked behind a large boulder at the water’s edge to remove the weapon from yourself and wash your privates and the sheath. Once it was all clean, you reinserted the sheath containing the dagger carefully back inside your tight cave and adjusted it till it sat properly, then you swam back out into the water and just relaxed for a while, leaving the bar of soap on the stone by your dagger.

----------

Thorin watched as you took down your hair and he marveled at it’s beauty and length. His breath caught as you dropped the blouse from your frame and he saw for the first time, all the bruises as well as the harnesses you had on you.

Seeing your arms and legs and torso all caged with leather straps and sheaths for your arsenal of weapons turned him on. He was impressed at the ease of getting them off and how it seemed to be a well thought out system. But it bothered him seeing the sheer number of bruises you had from those weapons pressing against you as you slept and fought.

He tried not to gasp when he saw your naked form kneeling at the water’s edge washing your clothes. A glint of something between your thighs caught his eye as you leaned forward to rinse the shirt you had washed. “What could you have there, that would glint like that?” He wondered. He knew some Dwarrow pierced themselves and wore jewelry all over their bodies to increase pleasures when it was shared with a Dwarrow, but this didn’t seem to be a piercing. He was curious now.

He watched as you waded into the water and swam out, washed your long, luxurious hair and then moved closer to bathe your body. “Mahal!” slipped from his lips in a quiet whisper when he saw your naked form from the front briefly. You were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He was hard instantly and wanted you desperately. But he had promised you none would lay a hand on you to shame you. That it would be left up to you if you chose to share yourself with anyone.

He quietly stroked himself as he watched you dry off and marveled at how easily you put the complicated looking harnesses back on. He came quietly when he saw you bend and pull a clean pair of patched pants out of the bag and began to work them up your legs. He let out a quiet moan at the sight of your round ass facing him with the glittering object between your thighs catching the light of the moon.

You pause for a moment, listening and he bites his lip hoping you didn’t hear his moan. You continue to dress, and he quietly cleans himself off, tucks himself into his trousers and laces them back up, then moves away and circles the camp once he is certain you are dressed enough to defend yourself should you be attacked.

Thorin makes it back to camp from the opposite direction of the lake, carrying firewood he picked up along the way. He drops the pile by the cooking fire and then goes to sit where he left his pack.

“Where’d you go, Uncle?” Kili asked.

“To scout around and make sure there were no goblins or orcs or any such unsavory things nearby. And I collected firewood as I did so.” He tells his Nephew as he lights his pipe.

Dwalin just raises an eyebrow and looks at Thorin, not believing him for a moment. Dwalin decides not to say anything though. “Where’s Fili?” he asks instead.

Kili sighs, “He went to look for firewood too.” He’ll be back soon.” He says.

Thorin frowns. He was just going to get up to go look for Fili, when Balin comes and sits down by him.

“Thorin, we need to talk.” He says. “Fili is officially an adult next month. What are your plans for teaching him ‘the ways with a woman’?” he asks quietly.

Thorin growls. “I am not sure, Balin. It didn’t occur to me that Fili would be considered an official adult during the quest.” He said rubbing his chin. ‘I have no Wife nor Dwarrowdam to teach him by.” What do you suggest?” Thorin asks.

Just then you come walking back up to the campsite, your hair leaving damp streaks down your back. You have it up in a low bun with a stick through it holding it in place, because you realize you forgot the hair oil in your travel bag. You dig around in it and growl when you can’t find it in the pocket you remember putting it in. You groan when you see a hole in the corner of the pocket and realize the bottle must’ve fallen out.

“What’s the matter, Lass?” Dwalin asks when he hears you cursing in Khuzdul. “My pack got a hole in the pocket that I kept my hair oil in, and it must’ve fallen out while we traveled today. Now I have nothing to smooth my hair with so I can get the knots out of it.” You growl.

Thorin looks up when he hears this and sees you frowning. He pulls his bag over and digs through it. “Here, Emma.” He says and tosses you a full bottle of hair oil. You catch it and look at him stunned. “But…” you start to say, but Thorin interrupts. “Do not worry, I have more Emma, take it and use it so your hair doesn’t get all snarled.” He tells you.

You look down at your feet and quietly say, “Thank you, Thorin.” Then you head back to your pack and dig out your comb and hair ties and pins, then head back to the lake to comb out your hair and re-braid it in privacy.

Thorin’s eyes follow you as you move about camp then head back towards the lake. Balin takes note and grins. Once you were out of earshot he quips, “Has a certain Lass caught the King’s attention?” he asks with a knowing grin.

Thorin looks at Balin for a moment then clears his throat. “Balin…” he says in a warning tone.

“Thorin, someone needs to have the talk with Fili. She is the only one who can help you to teach him! We have no other Dwarrowdams available. Fili is your Nephew, so it is up to you to teach him.”

Thorin growls quietly so none of the other Dwarves hear. “How am I supposed to teach him, Balin, when I haven’t had a female yet, myself aside from my own coming-of-age day!”

Balin just chuckles. “Well ya have one there… you seem to fancy her, and you have a month to convince her to help you and learn what she likes and doesn’t.

Thorin growls. “Balin she realized this would happen and talked with me about it. She was quite upset. I promised her we would not force her into this and would find another way if she was not willing.”

“Well, Thorin ya’d better start thinking how else yer gonna teach Fili about pleasurin’ and lovin’ a woman and joinin’ with them without hurtin’ her. Ya know darn well how large the Dwarrow of Durin are, and how it takes more preparation to enter a woman, so we don’t hurt her! Ya went through the training even if you’ve not had use for it till now.” Dwalin teases as he sits down next to Thorin with his pipe in hand.

Thorin groans and rubs his face feeling outnumbered and ganged up on.

“Go talk to her, Thorin. Tell her how ya feel. I see ya watching her constantly since we found her. Yer always making sure she is warm and protected. Fili has picked up on that and is showing an interest in her too. Haven’t ya noticed he brings her peppermint tea every morning? He heard her say it’s her favourite. Fili asked Bombur and Bilbo to show him what Peppermint looks like so he can find some for her tea every morning since!” Dwalin tells Thorin.

Thorin groaned. “Great.” He says while rubbing his face. I will talk with her about it but not tonight. Let her be for the night.” He tells them.

-----------------

You’re sitting on the rock by the lakeshore looking out at the water. Running the oil through your hair as you finger comb out the larger knots, you again feel eyes on you. You glance around but see no one. You cautiously go back to oiling your hair until all the larger knots are out. You smile as the breeze picks up the scent of the oil. It smells like Thorin, which makes your heart skip a few beats.

Picking up your comb, you start to section off your long locks and begin to comb out the smaller snarls. Once it is all combed out, your hair just shines and is so glossy. You ponder how you want to put it up this time. You decide to just do a large six strand braid. You section it off and begin to braid it. You have to pull the length over your shoulder and finish the braid. Then you tie it off.

Glancing down at the bottle from Thorin, you put the cap back on it and pick up your semi-dried clothes and comb and take them and the bottle of oil back to camp. When you get halfway to camp, you run into Fili, who has an arm full of wood.

“OH! I’m sorry, Fee! Here let me help you!” you exclaim as you literally run into him and he drops the wood with an astonished look on his face.

You chuckle when you see his face get red and he bends to pick up the pieces of wood. “It’s fine, Emma.” He tells you. “I got it.” He says as he hefts the last piece back into his arm. “May I walk with you back to camp?” he asks.

You nod. “You may.” you reply. He stops for a moment. “Why do you smell like Uncle?” he asks. You giggle. “I lost my bottle of hair oil. It fell out of a hole in the pocket I had it in, in my travel bag. I needed some hair oil after washing my hair and Thorin gave me a bottle of his to use. Otherwise, my hair would be in knots by the end of the trip.” You explain.

“Is this your bottle?” he asks sheepishly as he pulls a bottle from his pants pocket. “I found it on the path this afternoon when you were at the front of the line talking to Uncle. Kee and I were at the back and I hit it with my toe, the noise caught my attention. I picked it up and opened it, and it smelled like you.” He explains as he hands it back to you. “I figured it must’ve fallen out of your pack.” He told you.

“Oh! Thank you Fee!” you reply and give him a kiss on the cheek and a big hug. He stands there surprised for a moment, then hesitantly hugs you back.

You two come walking back to camp talking and you head to your pack. You put the bottles in a different pocket then dig around for a needle and thread. You find some and then look for some fabric to use as a patch. You growl realizing you haven’t any sturdy cloth to patch the hole.

“What’s the matter, Em?” Balin asks, seeing you getting frustrated. He comes over and squats down.

“I have a hole in my bag’s pocket and I thought I had some sturdy fabric I could use to patch it, but it appears I have used all of it up to patch my clothes.” You explain.

“Here Lass.” Dwalin says as he comes over with a section of leather. “Will this work? Let me see this hole in your bag.” He asks.

You point at the good size hole and he holds the leather over it. Nodding he cuts off a section and then pushes it into the pocket and slides it over to cover the hole. “Hold it there and stitch around the hole, then sew along the edge of the leather so it doesn’t catch on the things you put in the pocket.” He tells you.

You nod. “Thank you, Dwalin.” You reply.

You start to sew the patch into the pocket around the hole first, then around the perimeter of the leather patch.

Balin watches you and when you are finished, he praises your sewing skills. “Where’d ya learn to sew like that, Lass?” he asks.

“My best friend back in Erebor was a seamstress. She escaped with me from Smaug’s attack and went to the Blue Mountains with the rest of the Dwarves. She taught me to sew all kinds of things. I made my sheath for the sword I wear, and other things as well.” You explain.

Balin nods. He asks, “May I see the sheath you made?” he asks. You nod and take it off.

Balin chuckles when Dwalin teases you. “Are ya actually taking that thing off fer once?!? How can ya stand sleepin’ with it on?” he asks.

You shrug and hand it to Balin to look at while you put away your sewing supplies. He notices immediately that the back part is heavily padded and that there’s even padding where the handle rests against your back. He sees the stitches are well done and that it is high quality leather work. He examines the tooling, and despite it being extremely worn and faded, it’s pattern and coloring is still recognizable.

He nods and hands it back to you. Dwalin chuckles and shakes his head as you put it back on and strap it to you.

Thorin watches the exchange and all he can think about is seeing you at the lake and how badly he wants to join with you and make you his. He suspected from the moment he first saw you injured from the Orc attack that you were his One. Now, he wants nothing more than to make it reality. But he is worried about Fili and how he will react. Why is he also pursuing you when he has not even been deemed an adult fully yet?” Thorin ponders these things for the rest of the night.

That night it is particularly cold, and he looks across at you shivering in your bed roll. You had chosen to cuddle with Bofur, but he had rolled onto his other side and was not cuddling you any longer. Your damp hair has frost settling on it, making it almost completely white, and he can see your breath escaping your trembling lips. He gets up and comes over to you and quietly squats down by you. You are shivering violently and mumbling quietly. He can see in the firelight your lips are turning blue.

He puts his hand on your shoulder, releases the buckle for the sword attached to your back, and leans it against your pack. Then he just decides to pick you up, bedroll and all and carries you back to his bedroll. He lays you down on top of his bedroll, lays down next to you and pulls you flush against him. Then tosses his fur lined coat over you and covers you both with his heavy blanket.

After a few minutes, you stop shivering and nuzzle your head under his chin and quiet down. You both fall asleep all warm and cozy.

That night, Thorin dreams he is visited by Mahal. In his dream, he sees Mahal creating three beings, two Dwarrow and a Dwarrowdam. The Dwarrowdam’s spirit is split into three pieces where as the other two Dwarrow’s are split only in two. He hears the Dwarrowdam cry out when her spirit is torn form her and he feels pain also as his is torn from him. The other Dwarrow also cries out at his spirit being torn from him.

Mahal gives each of the two Dwarrow a piece of the Dwarrowdam’s spirit, which calms and soothes the pain, and she is given a piece of theirs in exchange.

Then Mahal sets them in three different places / times on Middle earth. One in Erebor, and many years later the Dwarrowdam is also placed in Erebor, then Smaug’s attack happens and the second Dwarrow in his dream is placed in the Blue Mountains many years later. Suddenly Thorin wakens to Fili’s angry voice.

“Uncle! What in the name of Mahal are you doing?” Fili angrily says. Thorin opens his eyes, blinking from the sunlight. He frowns and looks up at his Nephew, who is holding a cup of tea and looking pissed at him.

“What do you mean, Fili? I was sleeping, why is that bothering you?” he asks quietly, trying not to wake you up.

“It’s not what you are doing, it’s who you are sleeping with.” Fili says angrily, but quietly as he plops the tea down by your head and storms off.”

You stir, but Thorin holds you close, and you fall back to sleep for a little while longer. Thorin frowns, thinking about his dream and then Fili’s reaction to finding you sleeping with his Uncle.

Thorin sees Balin is awake and Thorin slowly works his way out from behind you so as not to wake you. He leaves his blanket and fur coat covering you and he shivers in the morning air for a moment then goes to stand by the fire as his body adjusts to the sudden change in temperature.

He walks over to Balin, who smiles and hands him a cup of tea. Thorin sits down next to him seeing they are the only ones awake besides Fili, who wandered off towards the lake. “Someone is unhappy you moved in.” Balin says quietly.

“I only brought her into my bed roll because she was shivering so bad last night. Her blankets are not thick enough for these temps.” He replies. “She will probably be upset with me for doing so, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her laying there shivering all night, especially with her wet hair. It was getting frost on it and I didn’t want her getting sick. Her lips were turning blue when I picked her up, Balin” Thorin adds.

Balin hums, thinking. “Thorin, have you thought that perhaps she is Fili’s One?”

Thorin nods, “I have, but I suspect she is my One as well. Can a Dwarrowdam be two Dwarves’ One?” he asks.

Balin looks surprised. “Well, I’ve never heard of it happening, but I suppose if Mahal wished to do that, he could. It would make things incredibly awkward though. The two Dwarrow would have to be incredibly close and willing to share her between them. Not to mention trying to figure out which Dwarrow Fathered her children. Why do you ask, Thorin?”

Thorin tells Balin of his dream and Balin hums, deep in thought again. You need to talk to both of them, Thorin, and soon. Fili is your Heir, and your Nephew, if this isn’t taken care of quickly, it could cause a rift in the company that could destroy this quest and your kingdom.” Balin warns. Thorin nods. “Where did he go?” he asks Balin.

Balin points out towards the lake. Thorin nods and gets up. “Will you talk to her Balin, see if she feels the same way we do about her?” he asks. Again, Balin nods and watches as Thorin goes to try to straighten things out with Fili.

You wake up a while later and are immediately confused. Sitting up you see the familiar tea in Fili’s cup that he has been leaving for you lately. You smile and pick it up. You sit and wrap yourself in Thorin’s fur lined coat and his blanket. Smiling at his strong, musky, pine and tobacco scent lingering on them. You contentedly sip on the tea, looking around for Thorin.

Balin greets you quietly and comes to sit near you. “Did ya sleep well, Lass?” he asks.

“No, Balin. I was cold and having strange dreams last night. How did I wake up here when I went to sleep over there by Bofur and the log?” you ask confused, and sip your tea.

Balin chuckles. “Apparently Thorin saw you shivering last night. He said your hair had frost on it since it was still wet when you fell asleep. It got pretty cold last night, and he couldn’t stand seeing you shivering. He said he saw your lips were turning blue when he checked on you and decided to pick you up and brought you to his bedroll so you could share body heat and be warm.

Fili saw you sleeping with his Uncle this morning, and got upset and stormed off after leaving you your tea.” He informs you with a cautious look. You frown and sip your tea, trying to figure out why Fili would behave like this.

“You said you had strange dreams last night, Lass? Would you like to share them with me? Perhaps we can figure out what they mean.” He tells you, giving you a kind smile and a raised eyebrow.

You describe seeing a large being, who made two Dwarves and you. You tell him you felt like the being ripped out your soul and tore it in three equal pieces, putting one back into you, leaving you feeling strange and lonely.

You watched as he took the souls of the other two Dwarrow and tore each of theirs in half, giving them each one half of their souls back, and then giving each of them one piece of yours.

Finally, the being gave you each of the remaining halves of the two Dwarves souls, so you had a piece of each of them and they each had a piece of you but not of each other’s.

Then you describe how the being placed one of the Dwarves into the Lonely Mountain, and many years later you awoke there, and then you see him place the other Dwarf in the Blue Mountains many years after Smaug’s attack.

Somehow the three Dwarves find each other and the two male Dwarves share the Dwarrowdam. The older Dwarrow marries her first, and shares her with the younger who seems to be his Heir, but not his Son.

When the older one dies after a long and fulfilling life, the younger one assumes the throne and marries the Dwarrowdam he had been sharing with the older Dwarrow. They ruled together until the end of their days. She bearing him heirs and numerous Dwarrowdams.

The three of them were buried all together under the mountain in the same tomb room. When the younger Dwarrow and the Dwarrowdam finally died of old age.

Balin sits there listening to you tell him of your dream and is stunned. It is almost word for word what Thorin’s dream was except for the last part. He suspects Thorin’s dream was interrupted by Fili waking him.

Balin hums. If this is Mahal trying to tell them what he has done and why, then Balin decides he needs to talk with Fili and see if he has had this same dream. “Lass, do not be upset by what all has happened and your dream. I suspect Mahal has done something very special and unusual with you and Thorin and Fili. But I need to talk with Fili. He is not yet fully considered an adult, and so can’t initiate any kind of courtship, where Thorin can. I have a feeling Thorin may need you to help calm Fili and teach him the ways of the world of women.” He tells you cautiously.

You look at Balin for a moment in disbelief, then fright. “What?!? Balin how can I?” you squeal in fright quietly, so as to not wake everyone else. “I have not ever been with a male in that way! I know no more about those things, than Fili does!” you say quietly with tears in your eyes. “Thorin promised me he would find another way, he promised he wouldn’t make me do this!” you say as you begin to cry quietly.

“Come here, Lass.” Balin says as he opens up his arm for you. You come over to him and bury your head into his soft beard. He holds you and lets you cry for a bit. “Lass. I myself have never had the pleasure of a woman’s company in that way other than my coming-of -age day, which was a VERY, VERY long time ago. But I have been taught about it like all Dwarrow are, we are told it is something incredibly special and pleasurable with the right person. If Mahal has indeed made you both Thorin’s and Fili’s One, you have nothing to fear. They will both treat you well and will do their best to not hurt you. Thorin has had his training, and though he has never used it, to my knowledge, he will be gentle with you. Just keep the lines of communication open with both him and Fili. If either of them does something that you do not like, then don’t be afraid to tell them so and suggest they try something else.” He tells you.

“Now, you have 3 choices, Sweetheart. 1) You can let Thorin know your feelings for him, and let him get some practice in ahead of having to train Fili, or 2) You can wait and all three of you would have to learn together, which would be very embarrassing for Thorin and Fili both. Or 3) You can do nothing, and not tell either one, and refuse to help Thorin teach Fili. It would make it very hard for Thorin to teach Fili how to pleasure a female, and could potentially make their relationship very strained, it also could potentially destroy the unity of the company and the kingdom depending on how Fili and Thorin choose to handle all this.

We all want you to be happy, and comfortable, Sweetheart. You are loved by all of us, but the love that Thorin and Fili seem to have for you is deeper and stronger than anything else the rest of us have towards you. It is left up to you, but you need to talk with both of them and tell them of your dream and your feelings for each of them.

Just understand that Fili is off limits for you until the day intimacy and women are explained to him and he is trained to pleasure a female, and fully deemed an adult. If you do not wait, you shame him, disqualify him from being Thorin’s Heir, and you dishonor him, Thorin & yourself.

Understand, dear Emma, that without this training, Fili could greatly hurt you since he has no idea what he is doing and had no training yet.” Balin warns you.

You shudder and nod. “Okay, Balin.” You say quietly, then stand and walk back to Thorin’s bedroll. You lie down, cover back up and lay there thinking about what Balin told you. You ask Mahal if he really intended you to belong to two Dwarrow at the same time. And why Thorin and Fili. You pray quietly that he gives Fili and Thorin some kind of sign to clarify for them what is going on and what his will is.

You cry quietly a little more, afraid of what your future now holds. Not wanting to destroy the unity of the company and the Dwarves’ kingdom, but afraid to give yourself to the King and the Crown Prince at the same time. It’s unheard of and never been done before. Why you three? Why now? How will Thorin and Fili explain this to everyone? You know nothing of being royalty and ruling anyone! You wonder if it would be better if you just grab your things and slip away quietly, thus eliminating the problem.

You quietly get up, leave Thorin’s fur lined jacket and heavy blanket on his bed roll. You pack up your belongings and bedroll and bring it back over to your travel pack and put it away where it belongs on the pack. You take your blanket and wrap it around you and tell Balin you are going to go for a walk to think and try to figure things out. Forgetting that you do not have your sword on your back since Thorin had removed it the night prior.

Balin tells you to stay nearby in case Thorin comes back and wants to head out. He is worried about you and fears you will run now that you realize the danger your presence has created in the company unintentionally. Balin prays to Mahal to work things out quickly so this doesn’t affect the quest to reclaim Erebor.

---------meanwhile----------------

Thorin follows Fili’s tracks and finds him sitting on the large, bumpy rock by the lake where you had sat to comb out your hair. Fili had tears in his eyes and was holding a comb in his hands.

He turned when he heard someone approaching, tucking the comb in his pocket, and growled to see it was Thorin. “What do you want?” he grumbles.

“I want to talk with my Sister’s beloved Son, my Heir.” Thorin says quietly. “I know you are upset with me and frustrated. I know you are still a month away from the day when you will be fully considered an adult, and it seems you are struggling with the emotions you are feeling. I remember feeling the same way.” Thorin says as he approaches his Nephew and the stone. He sits down on one of the stones nearby.

“Fili, have you had any dreams of Mahal?” he asks quietly. “Dreams where you see Mahal creating Dwarrow and how he makes their Ones?” Thorin carefully asks Fili.

Fili is quiet for a few minutes, looking out to the lake. Finally, he replies, “Yes, Uncle. Though I do not understand it. I thought a Dwarrowdam and a Dwarrow are only meant for each other. How can a Dwarrowdam have TWO male Dwarrows be their Ones? And Why would Mahal do that?”

“I do not know, Fili. I can tell you what I dreamed; though I believe I was not allowed to finish my dream because someone decided to wake me up before it finished.” Thorin replies looking up at his Nephew with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry, Uncle.” Fili answers, feeling bad he woke his Uncle from a dream that Mahal gave him to try to tell him something important.

Thorin explains to Fili his dream and Fili immediately realizes it is the same dream he had and fills Thorin in on what the ending of his dream was. They are both stunned and are quiet for a while.

“Uncle, do you think we were the Dwarves being formed in the dream and that Dwarrowdam was Emma?” he asks quietly.

“I don’t know, Fee. We will need to talk with her and see if she has had the same dream. If she has, then I’d say that seems to be the case.” Thorin says, as he rubs his beard and ponders his thoughts on sharing Emma with his Nephew.

“It’s never been done before, that I know of, but would seem to make sense. You are my Heir, and Mahal only knows how long we all will live. I do not plan to have any children as I am content to have you as my Heir; but you, will need to have children with a Dwarrowdam to continue the line of Durin. Emma is not quite exactly between our ages. But she most certainly will outlive me. And is still young enough to bear you children and help you raise them, if this is the case.” He tells Fili.

“Uncle, do you think she will agree to this?” he asks. “I know I can’t touch her in that way for another month yet! How will this work?”

Thorin thinks. “I have been trained in the ways, but never had the opportunity to use it beyond that and practice it. I don’t know how I am expected to train you when I have not the experience, Fili.” Thorin admits quietly.

“Emma would have to be willing to join with me during this upcoming month so we can figure things out between us and then when your time comes to be shown and declared an adult, we can show you what we have learned. After that, we would just have to share her and all of us learn together since this kind of relationship has not been done before, that I have knowledge of.

If this would be acceptable for you, I am willing to talk to her about it.” Thorin offers. “I do not know how else we can make this work.” He tells his Nephew. “All I know is that we will have to figure out ways to share her in all aspects.”

Fili thinks about this whole situation. “I will do whatever you see is the best way, Uncle. I am sorry I got so upset. I thought the dream I dreamed was just my mind playing tricks on me. I didn’t realize Mahal had sent it to all three of us.”

“We do not know that for sure, Fili. We still need to talk to Emma about all this.” He tells Fili.

“Okay, Thorin, let’s go talk to her.” Fili says, getting up and waiting for Thorin to get off the rock he was sitting on. Thorin stands and steps away from the rocks.

Fili hops down from rock to rock till he is on the beach, then he follows Thorin and heads for the camp.

They get to camp, and everyone is up and milling about, waiting for breakfast. Balin is off to the side, thinking about this whole ordeal, wracking his brain if he remembers ever hearing if something like this ever happened before. He wishes he had access to Erebor’s library right now.

He looks up when Thorin and Fili enter the camp.

“Where is Emma?” Thorin asks after looking around and not seeing her. He sees her backpack and sword are still laying where her bedroll had been the night before and he immediately gets a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Thorin glances to his bedroll and sees his fur lined cloak and blanket are sitting on his. His heart drops and he begins to worry.

#thorin oakenshield #king thorin #dwalin #thorin fanfiction #middle earth #the hobbit #kili durin #balin #alternate universe #the hobbit au #Fili Durin #Emma #coming of age #training #lessons #practice #smut and fluff #angst

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sunnyrosewritesstuff · 3 years ago

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12. All About Bilbo from the POV of...Thorin

And FINALLY I’m done. Thank you guys so much for all the notes/comments/reblogs/etc. I appreciate each and every one of you. If you haven’t been keeping up and want to see all 12 POVs, you can click on the masterlist here or I may just go ahead and post them to AO3. Please enjoy the long awaited Bagginshield conclusion. 😉

***

Thorin knew after the battle, after laying in that healing camp, after finally being free to have thoughts not consumed by his treasury, there was only one edict he could make as his first one as king: the hobbit had to stay in Erebor. An advisor, a cook, a gardener, he did not care what occupation he took. He would invent a position if he needed to! He just needed Bilbo by his side if he were to be of any use to the mountain. Of course, convincing the hobbit of this was easier said than done.

In all fairness, Thorin could have gone about it a lot better than all but demanding he stay. The hobbit ranted and raved, he seemed on the verge of lashing out physically (which Thorin would reluctantly admit he would have deserved), and he spent several long agonizing nights in Dale. Finally, Bilbo came back to inform Thorin that he would be returning to the Shire, he would be allowed six months to make his choice, and Thorin would respect it. Balin had to remind Thorin it would be within his best interest to accept. Thorin couldn’t argue with that. In fact, he needed Bilbo to know just how much he appreciated him before he left.

It was their first real conversation since the Battle. Thorin made his apologies and explained just how much the hobbit’s unconventional wisdom was needed both in his kingdom and to the king personally. In return, Bilbo expressed his fears during Thorin’s goldsickness and why exactly he turned over the Arkenstone. It was far from fixed, but it did go a long way towards regaining their former friendship. The hobbit would cite it as what finally convinced him to come back just under two years later. It should have been the happy ending Thorin had been waiting for. He never would have guessed just how wrong he was.

“I’m going to kill him.” Thorin growled.

“You’ve said that before.” Balin reminded patiently.

“This time, I’m really going to kill him. Whose idea was it to make him ambassador to the elves anyways?”

“I believe that would be...yours, Your Majesty.”

Thorin had no energy to deal with Balin’s misplaced amusement as he marched towards the hobbit’s room. He pounded on the door making sure this time that the sneaky burglar couldn’t claim not to hear him.

“I’m not answering if you’re going to be in a mood, Thorin Oakenshield.” Came the muffled response.

“You approved further negotiations after I told you I would not go to that despairing Mirkwood if my life depended on it!”

“Yes, I remember the conversation vividly.” Bilbo sighed.

“Then why…!”

“Your Majesty, if I may?” Balin interrupted. “Perhaps the hall is not the appropriate setting for this discussion.”

Thorin glared at his friend and advisor before turning that look onto the door before him.

“Let me in.” He ordered.

“Only on your word that you will quit raising your voice to me.” The hobbit conditioned.

“I will raise my voice if I please! I AM KING!”

“And with that winning attitude, who could forget?!”

“By Mahal.” Balin swore softly, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Thorin silently fumed as he glared at the stone before him. Any that claimed dwarves were the most stubborn creatures on Arda clearly have not met Bilbo Baggins. Thorin took a deep breath to center himself before trying again.

“Master Baggins, will you please let me in so we can discuss this in private?” He all but hissed.

It was silent for a moment before the door swung open to reveal the curly haired hobbit who was currently sitting as the bane of Thorin’s very existence.

“There, was that so hard?” Bilbo answered snidely.

Thorin’s fists clenched at his side, and Balin rolled his eyes before turning to go the other way.

“I’m done with the two of you. Fetch me when you’ve figured it out or someone’s dead.”

Thorin gladly slammed the door on the traitor, leaving him and Bilbo alone. However, now that he had the hobbit before him, he found himself unfortunately speechless. He loathed that. As if his mere presence could steal all Thorin’s words away. His rather impromptu first words upon their meeting came to mind. Clearly, he was wrong about this burglar of senses.

“I’m not apologizing.” Bilbo began, crossing his arms. “They asked for a show of good faith from Erebor, and frankly I couldn’t see a reason to fault them.”

“You couldn’t?” Thorin raised a mocking eyebrow. “Clearly you remember our last stay in their wooded halls differently from me.”

Bilbo’s eyebrows furrowed with a scowl. “See! That’s exactly what I’m talking about. If you want this alliance to work, you’re going to have to bury past slights. Goodness, I couldn’t even imagine what the Shire would be if we held onto grudges the way dwarves do.”

“And I can’t imagine the state of my kingdom if I allow flippant hobbits to not hold people accountable for their actions!”

Bilbo pointed a finger at him. “You’re shouting.”

“A'lâju Mahal (Shame of Mahal)! You are...irritating!” Thorin bit back.

“So you’re saying people shouldn’t be forgiven?”

Just like that, the fire that had been steadily building in his breast was snuffed out. Still, Thorin Oakenshield did not bend completely.

“I believe there is a difference when that forgiveness is desired.”

“And I think Thranduil fits the bill...in his own way.” Bilbo shrugged under Thorin’s disbelieving look. “He’s let his son go, he’s lost Tauriel to Dale due to his actions, he’s gotten back the gems he’s been denied. I think he’s ready to make amends. I’m not saying we have to pretend he’s not hurt us. I’m just saying, it would be a good show of...neighborly airs to meet with him and see what he has to offer.”

There was logic in the hobbit’s words, even if Thorin did not want to hear them. And that simple thought probably was the single summary of all their hard feelings as of late. He turned to leave before he had to accept any more difficult truths.

“Fine. Have it your way.” He spat.

The long disappointed sigh that followed him cut quicker than any blade.

***

The journey to Esgaroth where they would spend the night before continuing into the dreaded woods the next day was...tense to say the least. Even Dwalin was uncomfortable, and that was saying something. The inn was a welcome sight if only to get an ale and free Thorin of the abrasive atmosphere surrounding the hobbit. The man who owned the inn was tripping over himself to welcome the King of Erebor, and when Thorin was finally allowed peace in his own room, he was reluctant to leave. However, that ale was calling his name, and he waited long enough that surely the hobbit’s final meal was complete to avoid any awkwardness.

That was too little credit to the brilliant burglar. He waited until Thorin was sat down at the bar halfway through his ale before he appeared at Thorin’s elbow as if out of thin air.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Bilbo demanded. “In fact, what possible excuse could you have to be angry at me if you are in fact angry?”

Thorin was choking on the amber liquid that had rushed down the wrong pipe.

“Well, you see…” He edged around his persistent cough.

“Need I remind you, I’m only doing the job you gave me. Going back further than that, I’m only here in Erebor because you insisted I be.”

“If you would just let me…” Thorin growled only to be interrupted again.

“Is this some sort of punishment for taking the Arkenstone? You lure me back with words of forgiveness and then argue with every single decision I make when I’m only trying to help…”

“IT’S BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! You confounded creature!”

Thorin nearly sighed in relief to finally see the hobbit’s mouth had stopped moving. It was as he took in the widened eyes and nervous stance that his words were able to catch up to him. His hands shook as his eyes darted around the significantly quieter room.

“You love me?” Bilbo whispered.

Thorin didn’t want to have to deal with this in front of all these men and dwarves, especially Dwalin’s irritating smirk. Grabbing the hobbit’s hand, he led him into the hallway where it was a little more private.

“You love me?” Bilbo repeated once they were alone.

Thorin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was one secret he had hoped to hold onto for a little while longer. Not that he was never going to act on his feelings, just he was waiting for a little more time to pass. For the chasm between them to be bridged stably once more. But they hadn’t been able to stop arguing! He certainly didn’t expect Bilbo to accept him right now, but he also would not lie to him.

“Yes.” He answered, holding steady for the ire that was sure to erupt.

Instead, the hobbit all but flung himself at the dwarf king, his mouth immediately meeting Thorin’s. It was abrupt, it was warm, it was wet, and it was wonderful. When Bilbo pulled away it was to utter a phrase he never even allowed himself to hope to hear.

“Thorin, take me to bed. Now.”

The dwarf’s jaw dropped at the invitation and the open lust dilating the hobbit’s pupils.

“Wait. Now?” Thorin repeated, his mind whirling but not connecting.

“Now.” Bilbo asserted as he wrapped his arms around Thorin’s neck to kiss him again.

“Shouldn’t we...discuss...this?” Thorin persisted through their kissing, rather stupidly in his opinion.

One that seemed to be shared by the hobbit if his sigh and impatient glare were anything to go off.

“Discuss what?” Bilbo demanded. “I love you. You love me. I’ve bloody been waiting for you to do something about it for months. Now are we going upstairs...or would you rather we postpone until after our meeting with the elves?”

Thorin all but slung the hobbit in his arms making his way as quickly as he could to his bedroom. The sly, conniving, extremely frustrating hobbit. And finally, finally he would be his.

#follower event #all about bilbo #bagginshield #thilbo #bilbo baggins #thorin oakenshield

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rainydaymiddleearthimagines · 3 years ago

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Destiny Calling: Chapter Eight

You sat on a rock, watching over the hobbits. You had been guiding them now, walking through what Gimli accurately described as "A labyrinth of stone.". There was one slight problem with your skills though. You were so unfocused it often led you to have to stop. The hobbits didn't mind it, they were just happy to have a guide leading them in the right direction. "Gandalf!" Frodo gasped, leaning up. You looked over, Sam also leaning up. "Frodo, are you alright?" You asked, your voice gentle as you did. "Yes... It was... It was just a dream." Frodo muttered. He laid back down, falling asleep soon after. You looked at Sam who was still sitting up.

"Sam? Can you not sleep?" You asked. He shook his head, getting up and sitting next to you. "What do the stones say?" He asked. "We're taking the right path... I'm only worried of the dangers ahead." You muttered. "Do you not know a safe way?" He asked. "There is no safe way to Mordor." you admitted. He gulped and you sighed. "I did not intend to add to your anxieties, I apologize Sam." you said. "Aragorn being so far away has affected you hasn't it?" Sam asked. You nodded sadly. "Is it foolish to say I miss him?" you asked, handing Sam Lambas bread. He took it. "I miss someone at home too." He said. "Who, pray tell, captures the mesmerizing gaze of Samwise Gamgee?" you asked with a smile. He chuckled.

"Her name is Rosie... Rosie Cotton." Sam admitted. "You seem fond of Rosie." you said. "I've not voiced my feelings... But when I get back, I will." He said. "The journey has changed you, hmm?" you asked. "Yes. Very much so." Sam admitted. "I wonder what it will be like when I return home." you pondered. "Aragorn will probably marry you." Sam said. You chuckled. "He's asked me before." you admitted. "You said no?" Sam asked. "I actually said yes, my father was the one who said no." you admitted. "Does Lord Elrond not like Aragorn?" Sam asked. "No, he does. But my father's relationship with him is very strained." you explained. Sam nodded, looking at the mountains around you. You looked at Frodo who was sound asleep. "Do you think Frodo will be alright after all of this?" Sam asked. You knew the truth was probably no. You didn't want to scare Sam so you simply replied with "I don't know Sam. I don't know."

Sam eventually went back to sleep, you waking them up as the sun rose. The walking annoyed you to no end, you internally questioning yourself of how much of this you could take. Sam tied a rope to a rock, all of you climbing down into the mist. "Can you see the bottom?" Sam asked you. "No! Don’t look down, Sam! Just keep going." You answered. A box fell from Sam's bag. "Catch it. Grab it Mister Frodo!" He said. Frodo grabbed it, just as your feet touched the ground, Frodo falling. He landed in your arms. "Careful!" you gasped. "Mister Frodo!?" Sam called. "Good news Sam, we found the bottom." you said making Frodo laugh. Sam climbed down to you and Frodo. "Bogs and rope and goodness knows what. It’s not natural. None of it." Sam muttered, looking at his surroundings. "What’s in this?" Frodo asked, holding up the box. "Nothing. Just a bit of seasoning. I thought maybe if we was having a roast chicken one night or something." Sam replied. "Roast chicken?!" You and Frodo asked in unison. "You never know." Sam shrugged making you chuckle. "Sam, my dear Sam." Frodo laughed. "It’s very special, that. It’s the best salt in all the Shire." Sam said in a "matter of fact" tone. "It is special. It’s a little bit of home." Frodo said with a smile.

You looked at Sam's rope. "We can’t leave this here for someone to follow us down." You said. "Who’s gonna follow us down here? It’s a shame really. Lady Galadriel gave me that. Real Elvish rope. Well there’s nothing for it. It’s one of my knots. Won’t come free in a hurry." Sam sighed. He yanked on the rope, it loosening and hitting the ground. "Real Elvish rope." Frodo snorted. You tried your best not to laugh but you couldn't resist. After all of you recovered from the rope incident you walked ahead, Frodo and Sam on each of your sides.

"So, what is the Shire like?" You asked. Sam perked up. "Oh it's much larger than most people think!" Sam said. "You've never been?" Frodo asked curiously. "No, me and Aragorn never saw reason to go." You admitted. "Well, Sam is not wrong, it is really big compared to what most people believe it to be." Frodo agreed. "But it's beautiful! Flowers everywhere!" Sam said. "You say that because you're the gardener." Frodo chuckled. "And a darn good one too!" Sam said proudly. "Is it true you live out of holes?" You asked. "More like we live in the sides of hills." Frodo corrected. "Can I ask you somethin' Miss Y/n?" Sam asked. "Of course Sam." You answered. "What is the other elven city like?" Sam asked. You sucked in a breath.

"Sorry-" "No Sam, it is quite alright." You assured. "it is quite large and the other elves are very pleasant... Unless you're not elven, in which case they tend to be quite hostile." You stated. "My uncle said it was beautiful..." Frodo said. "Oh it is. It is almost like it is autumn all year round though and unless you're gifted with the ability to speak with nature it is far to easy to get lost in the nearby woods." You explained. "Yes, Bilbo mentioned that." Sam nodded. "He's been?" you asked. "Oh yes. Though according to him, he was imprisoned there." Frodo said. "...And escaped? How pray, tell did he manage to do that?" you asked surprised. "Barrels." Sam and Frodo said in unison. "Barrels?" You asked. "He smuggled himself and the dwarves in barrels." Frodo said. "Dwarves- what in the world did your uncle do- Why was he out there to begin with?" You asked. "Uhhh... That's complicated." Frodo said. "eh?" You made a confused noise.

You all walked until nightfall, you looking at the stars. You wondered if Aragorn was safe, wherever he was. Your heart was practically aching, you missed him so much. You sighed, bringing your knees to your face as you sighed, poking the dirt with your fingers while the hobbits slept. The next morning finally came, you all walking through the sharp and dangerous rocks of Emyn Muil. You looked forward. "Mordor..." You muttered, seeing the dark lands. "The one place in Middle-Earth we don’t want to see any closer is the one place we’re trying to get to." Sam said with a sigh. "Do you think Gandalf meant for us to take this way?" Sam asked. "He didn’t mean for a lot of things to happen, Sam. But they did." Frodo muttered. "We cannot lose hope now you two. We must press on." You said to them. Frodo seemed to lock onto something in Mordor, collapsing to the ground. "Frodo?" You asked, kneeling to him. "Mister Frodo? It’s the ring, isn’t it?" Sam asked. "It’s getting heavier." He nodded. He clutched the ring, his breaths slowly relaxing. "What food have we got left?" Frodo asked. "Well, let me see." Sam said, going through his bag. "Oh, yes. Lovely. Lembas bread. And look! More lembas bread." He said, pulling out the bread wrapped in large leaves. He broke off a piece of it and threw it to him and threw another piece to you.

You bit into bread. "Say what you will about my grandmother but she has the best bread." you said, earning laughs from the two hobbits. "I don’t usually hold with foreign food, but this Elvish stuff, it’s not bad." Sam said. "Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?" Frodo asked, smiling. "Those rain clouds might." Sam said with a sigh.

You all walked, following a very odd, yet specific path before you stopped. "What in the world is that smell?" Sam asked. You felt like you were being watched and you remembered one other time you felt like this. "Let's... Keep walking." you muttered. It wasn't long that night came, Sam and Frodo both sleeping soundly. You sat on a rock, sharpening your blade.

Gollum.

You looked up, pretending to be oblivious to the creature climbing down the rocks as he spoke to himself. "They’re thieves. They’re thieves. The filthy little thieves. Where is it? Where is it? They stole it from us. My Precious. Curse them, we hates them! It’s ours it is, and we wants it." Gollum said, climbing down the rocks. Then he reached for Frodo and was met with a blade. "Lay a single finger on him and I will cut it off." you hissed. Frodo shot up, Sam and him scooching back.

As cruel as it may have seemed, you put the elven rope to use, tying it around the creature's neck due to Frodo's insistence that you leave Gollum alive. You walked, Gollum yelling and crying. "It burns! It burns us! It freezes!" You sighed at this yelling. "Oh by the Valor do you ever SHUT UP!?" You snapped. Gollum stopped walking, Sam yanking on the rope and making Gollum fall. "Nasty Elves twisted it!" Gollum spat, looking at you. He turned to Frodo and Sam. "Take it off us!" Gollum begged. "Quiet you!" Sam hushed. Gollum let out another yell. "It’s hopeless! Every orc in Mordor’s gonna hear this racket. Let’s just tie him up and leave him." Sam suggested. "I think Sam is correct, this is extremely annoying and my sanity is deteriorating very quickly." You said. "No! That would kill us! Kill us!" Gollum wailed. "It’s no more than you deserve!" Sam snapped.

Gollum rolled around, squirming to get the rope off. "Maybe he does deserve to die. But now that I see him, I do pity him." Frodo admitted. Gollum hushed at the sound of this, looking at Frodo on his knees. "We be nice to them, if they be nice to us. Take it off us! We swears to do what you wants. We swears!" Gollum pleaded. "There is no promise you can make that I can trust." Frodo said. "We swears to serve the master of the Precious. We will swear on…on the Precious!" Gollum said before hacking out a noise similar to his name. "The ring is treacherous. It will hold you to your word." Frodo said. "Yes on the Precious. On the Precious." Gollum said, inching closer to Frodo. "I don’t believe you!" Sam yelled, forcing Gollum back. Gollum attempted to run away, Sam yanking back on the rope and pulling Gollum back. "Get down! I said, down!" Sam shouted at Gollum. You sighed. "Sam!" Frodo yelled. "He’s trying to trick us! If we let him go, he’ll throttle us in our sleep!" Sam said. Gollum coughed, grabbing at his throat.

You stumbled, Sam looking over his shoulder as you dropped.

Visions bombarded you, war being the subject of the vision. It was Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn, fighting a battle. A banner soon filled your mind, one of a horse... Then you suddenly returned to your normal state, Frodo standing next to you. "War." you whispered. "What?" Frodo asked. "War is brewing in Rohan..." you muttered. Sam turned. "Do you wish to turn back-" "No... I-I promised you I'd help see this through." you muttered. Frodo looked over at Gollum. "Maybe he can lead us through the Marshes. You made a comment saying it was dangerous." Frodo recalled. "Frodo... I do not trust him." you admitted. Still, Frodo was right, even if you were being guided by nature itself you didn't have confidence in the marshes. "You know the way to Mordor?" Frodo asked. "Yes." Gollum responded. " You’ve been there before?" Frodo asked. "Yes." Gollum repeated, this time more anxious. Frodo removed the rope and you sighed, closing your eyes. Sam shook his head with a frown. "You will lead us through the Marshes, and anywhere else we may need guidance." Frodo said. Gollum nodded.

He was weirdly quick, rushing across the rocks as you all tried to keep up. He rushed off, taking a moment to talk to himself. "To the gate, to the gate! To the gate, the master says. Yes!" He muttered. Another version of himself seemed to take over. "No! We won’t go back Not there. Not to him. They can’t make us." He said, hacking out his name again. "But we swore to serve the master of the precious." He said, feeling guilty. "No! Ashes and dust and thirst there is and pits, pits, pits. And Orcses, thousands of Orcses. And always the Great Eye watching. Watching." He said. He turned to the group that was distant before screaming and running off. You all followed, running after him. "Hey! Come back now! Come back! There! What did I tell you? He’s run off, the old villain. So much for his promises." Sam sighed. Gollum popped up behind a stone making you gasp in surprise. "This way. Follow me!" Gollum said. You and Sam exchanged a look, sighing before following the creature.

You ended up taking a break. "Why we stop?" Gollum asked, looking at you who was sitting upright against a rock with your eyes closed. "Y/n watches over us at night, she needs rest." Sam sighed. Your face was so peaceful when you rested. If only Aragorn was here, you'd probably be sleeping better. Your heart missed him terribly, every time you closed your eyes you could see him. "I think she misses him." Sam muttered looking at your sitting figure. "Elfie misses someone?" Gollum asked. "A friend..." Sam sighed. "She misses friend?" Gollum asked. "Yes." Frodo muttered. Frodo too, thought of Aragorn. He always felt some sort of levity when looking at you and Aragorn together. You two were the sliver of light in a very dark time. Truth be told, you didn't need rest. You wanted to see if there was another vision. Another hopeful message or outcome. Instead you were met with darkness and silence.

It took about thirty minutes before you sat up. Sam looked over. "Let's go." you muttered, clearly deep in thought. You followed Gollum through the mountains before finally seeing the Marshlands. "See! See! We’ve led you out. Hurry, Hobbitses, hurry! Very lucky we find you." Gollum said. Sam passed him. "Nice hobbit." Gollum said to Sam. Sam walked alongside you, accidently slipping his foot into the water. "Ooh! It’s a bog. He’s led us into a swamp!" Sam gasped. "Swamp. Yes, yes. Come master, we will take you on safe paths through the mist. Come hobbits come. Real quickly. I found it, I did. The way through the marshes. Orcs don’t use it, orcs don’t know it. They go round for miles and miles, come quickly, swift and quick as shadows we must be." Gollum said.

You walked for a while in silence, trying to listen to nature to be met with silence. This unsettled you to no end. Nature was always talkative. Never this silent. "I hate this place, it’s too quiet. There‘s been no sight nor sound of a bird for two days." Sam muttered. "No, no birdses to eat, no crunchable birdses. We are famished, yes! Famished we are, precious!" Gollum said before picking a worm up out out of the ground. He ate it making you gag. "Here." Frodo said, tossing him a piece of Lambas bread. He took it confused. "What does it eats? Is it tasty?" He asked. He at it before choking and spitting it out, making you all jump. "It tries to chokes us! We can’t eats Hobbit food! We must starve!" Gollum wailed. "Well, starve, then. And good riddance!" Sam huffed. You had put it together earlier why Frodo was so lenient to Gollum. He was terrified the ring was going to turn him into Gollum.

"Oh, cruel hobbit! It does not care if we be hungry. Does not care if we should die!" He cried as you went through your bag. You pulled out a jerky like food. You knew Aragorn had a tendency of leaving somethings in your bag and this was definitely his. "Not like Master. Master cares. Master knows. Yes, precious. Once it takes hold of us, it never lets go." Gollum said. He reached for the ring but you stopped him, handing him the food. "It's meat. Not something any of us eat, maybe you'll like it." You said. He looked at it, taking a small piece and eating it. He seemed to actually like it and you handed him the rest. "Elfies gives us good food. We thinks the elfies is good." He said. You sighed and stood up, pulling your backpack back onto you.

You all made your way through the swamp, Sam looking into the waters around you. "There are dead things, dead faces in the water." Sam said. You looked in the waters too, seeing the armor. "Elves... There are... Elves out here." you breathed. "All dead. All rotten. Elves and men and orcses. A great battle long ago. The dead marshes. Yes, yes that is their name. This way. Don’t follow the lights." Gollum warned. Sam slipped, nearly falling into a hole before you gripped his cloak, pulling him up. "Thank you." He breathed. "Careful now, or hobbits go down to join the dead ones and light little candles of their own." Gollum said, unsettling you. Frodo wandered off, looking into the waters. He saw an elven corpse. He leaned forward, falling into the water. You gasped, sprinting over and yanking him out of the water. Gollum stood next to you. "Gollum?" Frodo asked. "Don’t follow the lights." Gollum repeated, this time more sternly. "Gollum." Frodo called. "Mister Frodo, are you all right?" Sam asked. He nodded slowly.

Night soon came, you sitting against a rock with your eyes closed. You didn't actually fall asleep, despite feeling strangely tired you were very alert with Gollum near. "So bright. So beautiful. Our Precious." Gollum said, making you open one eye. Frodo leaned up. "What did you say?" Frodo asked. "Master should be resting. Master needs to keep up his strength." Gollum muttered. "Who are you?" Frodo asked him. "Mustn’t ask us, not it’s business." Gollum said before hacking again. "Gandalf told me you were one of the river folk." Frodo said. "Cold be heart and hand and bone, cold be travelers far from home." Gollum sang in what you assumed to be an attempt to block Frodo out. "He said your life was a sad story." Frodo said. "They do not see what lies ahead, when sun has failed and moon is dead." Gollum sang. "You were not so very different from a hobbit once. Were you? Sméagol." Frodo asked, earning silence from Gollum. "What did you call me?" Gollum asked. "That was your name once, wasn’t it? A long time ago." Frodo asked. "My name? My name? Ss… Ss… Sméagol." He asked, genuinely not recalling his own name.

The smell of blood filled your nose and you felt the dread. You leaned up, opening your eyes. "What's wrong?" Sam asked, groggily before the loud scream from a Nazgûl. "Black Riders." You muttered. "Hide! Hide!" Gollum yelled. Frodo let out a yelp, grasping where he was struck with the Nazgûl blade.

You hid under a bush with Sam and Gollum. You motioned for Frodo to run. "Come on Frodo, come on!" Sam called. "Hurry, they will see us, they will see us." Gollum said panicked. "I thought they were dead." Sam said to you as Frodo laid next to you. "You cannot kill a ringwraith." You whispered. You watched the wraith fly overhead, your heart pounding. "Ah! Wraiths, wraiths on wings!" Gollum yelped. You noticed Frodo reach for the ring. "They are calling for it, they are calling for the Precious." Gollum said. You stopped Frodo from putting the ring on. "We're still here Frodo... it's alright." You whispered. the Nazgul flew away. "Hurry hobbits, the Black Gate is very close." Gollum said after you all climbed out from under the bush.

You all walked, following Gollum before you fell again, this time being sent into a shock. You were practically blinded, a white light filling your eyes. You heard a voice, barely audible at first. Distant. Very distant. "Y/n" It called. You knew the person's voice you just couldn't remember. "Y/n." The voice repeated. "Rohan is in danger. This is the start of many wars, people need you. Turn back now." it said. "I can't." You whispered. "You can. Reach the river on your own. A boat is waiting. If you run without stopping you can make it before the orcs do." The voice said. Then you realized who it was.

"Gandalf, how are you speaking to me?" you asked. "I am not yet dead my girl." He said, his face coming to light. You breathed. "You want me to go to Rohan, why?" You asked. "Because the further into Mordor you go, the more corruption kills." He said. "The corruption is killing you. Why do you think you feel exhaustion?" Gandalf asked. A good question. "Aragorn needs you. Rohan needs you. We need you." Gandalf said before your vision returned to normal, Sam hanging over you.

"Are you alright? You just fell back! I was worried." Sam said. "Gandalf is still alive." You said. Frodo turned around. "What!?" He asked. "He's alive... War is coming to Rohan and... Something bad is happening, I can feel it." You breathed. You wondered if you should turn back. "Go." Frodo said. You looked up. "What?" You asked. "If there is war in Rohan and Gandalf is alive, it's most likely that Aragorn will be in the center of all of this. You deserve to be with him through all of this. Go." Frodo said. "But-" "Y/n, he's right. You should go, you've looked more exhausted here than anywhere else... This is destroying you. You don't think we can tell but we can." Sam admitted. You sighed. "Any messages you want me to send to them?" You asked. "Yes. Good luck." Frodo said. You nodded. "Elfie remembers the way?" Gollum asked. "I do. Thank you." you nodded to Gollum before tossing him the rest of the meat. He took it before you hugged both Sam and Frodo. "If you two weren't so damn stubborn, I would've marched into Mordor with you." you said. "We know." Sam said before hugging you again. "Don't let us down Frodo. Fight strong. Keep your hope." you said softly. He nodded before you turned around, looking at the area you just came from.

"Alright." You told yourself. "Here we go again."

#aragorn #aragorn imagine #aragorn x reader

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pure-kirarin · 4 years ago

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The rose left unwatered Part 2 (Law x f!reader)

A/N : Hi there ~.~ Part 2 is ready ! I was so surprised with the nice feedback I got on part one, wow, I am so pleased. I will do my best for updating ;w; ! This chapter was nice to write, it follows the events of the Dressrosa arc (with modifications) so if you’re not there it might be a bit of a spoiler. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter and please let me know if you like it ! Part 1 Part 2 :

A few days have passed, normally, days passed without nothing exchanged but stealthy looks, as if that night never happened. You acted casually but you called him now by his first name, making sure to pronounce it in that peculiar way that is specific to you. Law was immersed in making plans so he didn't have much time to re-think about your interaction even though you were never too far, always in the corner of his visual field, always in some corner of his mind. By this time, Law's plan was going well, Doflamingo retired from being a Warlord and you were heading to Dressrosa. Once arrived, you split into teams, and when nobody expected it, you said quite casually ;

-Hmm...I'm actually bored so I'll go with Robin, Law and Usopp if that's okay.

-That's definitely not okay said Usopp, hiding behind Zoro* what if she betrays us ?!

You pinch the bridge of your nose and just add « Well...if I wanted to betray you guys, wouldn't it be safer for me to stay on the ship ? Also, It wouldn't be that hard for me to take you down if I really wanted to... » you said with a cocky smile

-Don't say such things Usopp ! Says Luffy with a pouty look, (Y/N) is our friend !

-Don't be mean to (Y/N)-chan ! Adds Sanji, hitting usopp with his fist.

Usopp gives in and you and the strawhats split into two groups, yours is charged of giving Ceaser to Doflamingo. You put on a venetian-carnaval looking mask to hide your identity. The mask was white with golden arabesques decorating it.

Law was surprised that you wanted to join them for the first time. Since you joined the strawhats as an unofficial member, you have never taken part in any kind of fighting, no one has ever seen you fight. Robin was curious about why you wanted to join, she had a little enigmatic smile, her eyes going from you to Law.

Once in Greenbit, you decided that you, Robin and Usopp would go explore the forest while Caesar and Law will stay further in case something happened. This is when you were all captured by Tontattas -the dwarves that lived in Greenbit- and stitched to the ground.

-Hey...(Y/N)...Why won't you use that « extraordinary power of yours » and save us ?!

-Hmm...Don't wanna, you said while yawning, stuck to the ground as well.

Usopp started crying in fear but then made up that story about being a descendant of Noland, the legendary explorers that Tontattas happened to worship. You then, or more like, Usopp and Robin decided to help the Tontattas to execute their plan to make some light on Dressrosa's secret ; the fact that Doflamingo was controlling everyone in the city and staying on the throne by using one of his family member's ability and turning everyone who tried to rebel into toys. You honestly weren't interested in this part of the plan, your thoughts were with the surgeon. Since the plan failed and Doflamingo only pretended to have retired from being a Warlord, you now knew that Law was in heavy waters ; having to face not only the Navy but also the Heavenly Demon. You wished that Law would just escape as you knew that Doflamingo can be pretty dangerous. The idea of him dying made the knot in your stomach grow. You didn't want him to die...Not now. You wanted to save him. You knew that only you could do it.

The DenDen Mushi started ringing suddenly and Usopp picked up. You were hanged up on the line, waiting for news about Law, expecting that he would be there with Luffy or the others. I really want to see him right now, you thought to yourself. A sharp sound was heard through the speaker ; a loud bullet noise followed by Luffy's voice

-Hey !!! Tra-o why are you fighting mingo ??!

-HEY ???! What was the gunshot ???? Did Doflamingo shoot Tra-o ?? Said Ussop, as if he was adding fuel to the fire that was burning your whole being.

Your heart almost skipped a beat, almost escaping from your ribs ; Law got hit by the bullet ? You heard screams of pain and you assumed the worse...You felt that monstrous pain. And then came the remorse, the poignant weight of « what ifs » ? of « what if I stayed with him ? » you could've done something for sure, you that were doomed with such devastating power. « Why did I even have a power if it's not to save people I care for ? » you were surprised, caring, you cared for him and you were ready to go there, to be there for him. Suddenly, you felt nothing as some tears were rolling down your cheeks, tears of sorrow, with nothing but nausea at the back of your throat. You let out a shriek that made everyone look at you with terror ;

-LAW ! You screamed...Wait for me I will....I will...save him I will...I will bring him back to life if I need to...

You took the denden mushi off Usopp's hands and screamed into the snail ;

-Leave Law to me ! I will be there in seconds.

- We are counting on you (Y/N) aded the captain

-(Y/N) said Robin, but that's basically impo-...

-Porta Ermetica ! As you rose your hand, a violet looking gate the same size of a door appeared. You set entered into it and it disappeared as it was never there. This transported you directly to the palace, where Law and Doflamingo were fighting. Trebol, one of Doflamingo's family was also there. You didn't pay attention to both of them, you jumped on Law's body holding him by the shoulders delicately, as if that touch would break him. He was all covered in blood and he has also lost an arm.

-Who do we have here ? Another brat ? We don't have time to waste with y'all ! - Said Trébol.

You looked back at him with such anger in your eyes, your conqueror haki was so strong that it made Trébol collapse at Doflamingo's feet. That was the extent of your ability. A terrifiant ability that you didn't have the control of.

Doflamingo looked at you in both awe and bloody anger, how dare you ? On the other hand, he felt that your presence was very familiar, bingo, how could he forget the scent of an old lover ? He didn't take you lightly at all. He was curious as why you were there, but also careful.

During this time, Law was really taken aback, he never thought that you had this kind of power, and above all, conqueror haki. His mind was blurry after fighting restlessly against the heavenly demon. He started to understand your high bounty and why you were so hesitating to fight...

But so much more was left unanswered and so much more was left unsaid. He couldn't help but feel a mixture of shame and relief, why were you fighting for him ? You that hated fighting so much. But seeing him in that state, coming to save him, it didn't please his ego and he cursed you inside for it.

-(Y/N)-ya..Why are you here ?!

You looked at him with nothing but tenderness in your eyes, putting your finger on his lips

-Shh..You're injured....We will talk later.

Doflamingo was looking at this scene, puzzled yet amused, seeing how you got fragile at the sight of the surgeon. He then started laughing in his usual evil laugh as he looked closely at you, recognizing you. How could he not ? You both shared the same story. You both knew the government's hidden secret, their hidden trasure that could shake the whole world if it came to be known. Except that he got the government in the palm of his hand because of his bloodline, and that you were tracked and targeted because of it. He knew the kind of powers you had, he knew and it made a shiver of excitement shake his body. Raw power, untamed power.

-Fufufu~ My, my, isn't it (Y/N)-chan ? Long time no see...

-Doflamingo...I have no intention of fighting you...You know very well what I'm capable of...I'm just here to get him back. You said as you pointed to Law with a movement of your chin.

Doflamingo got closer, holding the gun in his arm. You stood up to face him and took off your mask, your eyes met his. Your eyebrows were frowned and you were boiling up with anger. You only had one desire ; to punch him, but you wanted to get out of here as fast as you could.

-Come on, don't frown this much...It will make you age prematurly. He gets close from your face putting two fingers on your eyebrows. He wasn't scared of you, he knew your « peaceful » temperament and he knew how to pull your strings. You slap his hand away and say in a firm tone, wanting to end this as soon as possible ;

-So, here is the deal, I take Law and I go away...And I won't interfere with your...little business. End of the deal. You say, pointing to the birdcage that is closing around the island.

Doflamingo looks at you with a half-moon smile then answers ;

-Why are you in a hurry ? Don't you want to remember the nice old days ? I have so many questions for you, my dear (Y/N)

-We don't have anything to talk about ! Also we both know that we don't want to fight.

-I was a little bit surprised to see you here...he says, ignoring your words...Really surprised. I was looking for you for quite a while, and all this time you were with the strawhats ? Why them ? Why, when I asked you to join me. With my power and yours we could destroy the world government. Listen to me, I know that we both know their little secret, if we join our powers we will...

-Enough...Enough Doffy. I will never ally myself with someone who shares your blood !

-But that didn't seem to bother you...Back in the days. He said, teasing, his voice getting lower, two fingers holding your chin up.

-I don't care about the past. I don't want to follow your path. I am an enemy of the gods as well. I will follow their will. You then took a step back.

The veins on his forehead became prominent as he felt blood pump into his veins. He clenched his fist and added

-Again ? Don't tell me you believe in such fairy tales as well ? What is up with the « D » ? Look at him very well (Y/ N)...He is one of yours too, is that why you try to save him so badly ? What did he do with that measly name of his ?

-(Y/N)-ya !! Law screamed, shocked by this amount of revelations in such a little time, this has nothing to do with you just....Just go away !

You were surprised, Law was...he was a D as well ? He didn't tell you though...At this moment,

At this very moment, you heard quite a big crash coming from down your feet. It was Luffy who had beaten Bellamy and came to fight Doflamingo. You looked down and said ;

-Luffy...I'll leave it to you from here.

-(Y/N) ! Sure ! I'm going to kick Mingo's ass.

-Do you know where the others are ?

-They're there, at the top of the hill.

You then turned to Law and he was still processing your interaction with the heavenly demon. You then got down to where he was sitting and said ;

-I am sorry but..I think that I will have to carry you.

-...

At this point, Law wasn't able to say anything or to protest. What was there to say ? This movement alone was what hurt his ego most, but he remained silent, nothing, not a single word out of his blood-covered lips. You bent down and held him firmly as if you were carrying a princess. The funny scene made Luffy laugh from afar but the murderer look from Law's face made him stop and focus on his fight. You were shaking a bit, his blood pearling on your arms, on your dress, on you. You didn't lock eyes oh no, you weren't brave enough, as if those dim eyes would have petrified you if you looked in them.

You murmured a spell and the purple dimension appeared again. It seemed as if it swallowed you both as you stepped inside of it.

You carried Law tight in your arms and your heart was throbbing inside of your chest. Fuck, you thought, you felt weak, you got weak, you that has sworn to yourself not to bend down, not to get emotional, not to get attached. But you have grown attached to the straw hats and now to the Surgeon. Why did you care if he died ? So what if he died ? So what if you would never ever see him around on the Sunny go ? So what if you never heard his low voice calling your name ? So what if you never ever got to feel his voice deep in your ears and his hands on your body ? You chrugged, keeping him closer to you, not wanting to let go of him. He seemed to have lost consciousness from his blood loss and for that moment you were a bit thankful that you didn't have to face his eyes. What would you say to him ? Hell, you didn't even know how to justify this to yourself.

You bring him to the top of the hill where the others were. Meanwhile, Robin and Usopp have accomplished their mission and returned all the toys into humans. There were also some people that you didn't know but you didn't care, all you cared about was Law. Robin came closer to you, worried.

« -(Y/N). What happened to Law ? My, his arm...I wonder if he will lose all his blood and die. »

Robin's words worried you, Robin always had such a pessimistic way of expressing herself and in other situations you would've laughed but you were in no mood to laugh. You looked quite worried bending down and looking closely. You felt so exhausted and confused, you would've preferred staying on the ship. You suddenly felt nausea and faint, fingers shaking, vision blurry. « I just want everyone to be alright...I want him to be okay... » you softly murmured before loosing the last fine thread that connected you to consciousness. Suddenly, your body felt as light as foam, your eyelids as heavy as moutains and you fell into the soft embrace of unconsciousness.

--------------------- I swear there will be more law x reader interaction in next chapter owo so brace yourselves. See you next time~ T A G L I S T @transparentobservationpaper @ shadowserpent4444 @lolli-ace @zumoshikio @its-me-ya-boi-lisa @soul-stealer-reaper

#law x reader #Trafalgar law x reader #one piece x reader #onepiece x reader #donquixote doflamingo #doflamingo x reader #onepiece fanfiction #one piece imagines #one piece

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