The King and The Baker

Chapter 19

"Keep your back straight!"

"It is straight!"

"Straighter!"

Ora pulled herself so tall that she yelped and her back began to ache. She felt a few of the joints in her neck crack and strain, causing her to flinch and frown.

Dis simply sighed from her end of the table, "Now you look like you have a lemon in your mouth and a carrot up your bum."

Ora let out a loud laugh and instantly slumped a little. She hadn't spent much quality time with Dis, but over the past week she'd been meeting her every day for etiquette lessons. Not that Ora was making much progress, the only thing she'd gained was a sore back and neck, and the occasional stinging hand from whenever Dis would slap her for picking up the wrong fork.

What she hadn't being doing, however, was seeing much of the king. In the past eight days she'd seen him twice, and one of those times was literally a passing through the halls as he was on his way to his study and she the bakery. She would never tell anyone, because it seemed childish and definitely selfish, but she almost wished he wasn't king just so she could actually spend some time with him. Of course, she'd never say that to anyone, she'd accepted his duty and station when she accepted his propose for courtship, and after all, she'd rather see him occasionally than not at all. No matter how much it hurt.

But today she was going to see him, he'd promised to help her carry the flour from the docks in Dale back up to the Mountain and despite the notion being trivial and laborious she was so excited.

"Come on," Dis' loud, demanding voice pulled Ora from her thoughts, "Let's try again, blondie." One thing she'd very quickly learnt about Dis, even though she was pure blue-blood, when she wasn't in the public eye she hardly acted like a princess, and it actually made Ora feel very comfortable around her. Dis could take a joke (and give a few back) unlike Thorin, who would just sit there with a disproving look on his face. It was now very clear to Ora where Fili and Kili got their troublesome behaviour from.

Ora sighed and straightened up, rolling her shoulders as she did so in an attempt to loosen out some of the pain.

"Sore back?" Dis inquired, sounding far from concerned.

"Yes." Ora scoffed.

Dis snickered, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Ora growled at that comment, bad mood spiralling. Dis just laughed.

For the rest of the afternoon, Dis got Ora pushing her bones to the absolute limit.

"It's because you're old." Dis sighed after a long silence.

Ora's eyes popped and she gasped loudly, spinning on her heel from where she was walking up and down Dis' front room, "I'm not old!" She fumed, puffing out her chest and standing at full height.

Dis suddenly grinned and clasped her hands together, "There we go! That's the posture I want!"

Ora's fury popped like a balloon, but she kept her stance, frozen like a statue. "This?"

"Yes! But don't pull that face, you look silly."

Ora instantly deflated with a groan, and rolled her neck until it cracked. "This is far more difficult than I thought."

Both Dis and Ora jumped when the front door suddenly swung open.

"Mahal!" Dis squawked furiously, marching towards her brother and king who leisurely strolled into the room, eyes already set on Ora. "Do you not know how to knock?! I'm trying to set an example-"