Loyalty, Honor, and a Willing Heart

Chapter 11 - Cotion of Ponfusion, Booster

Thorin was getting impatient with the slow pace of the moon. He was eager to read the hidden signs in the map and then hit the road again, but there was also a good feeling in staying at just one place, and he wondered how it would be like to settle down at Erebor and grow a family, like his sister did at Ered Luin. But then he would have to have someone at his side to grow a family with, wasn’t it so? Then, why to wait? Fili was finding his way into settling down with someone, and he was so much younger, why couldn’t he?

He could ask her. She was not used to dwarven ways, she didn’t know it was the woman who chose the man, he could ask her. The worst that could happen was if she said “no”, and then he would have his heart broken to pieces, but he could try again until she said “yes”. One of the good things about being a dwarf was that none thought it strange of one insisting on a matter until getting it settled. After all, he was being the most respectful and protective he could, making it clear to her that he thought of her as his jewel, and to the others that that jewel was found by him alone and that he would keep her faraway from any greedy looks.

Anyway, he could seek for counsel with Balin, who was not married but was his best adviser. Thorin just didn’t know how to explain what he was thinking without actually saying who was the one he was interested in, as there was no other dwarf woman in a hundred miles range or more. Maybe he could approach the matter in a philosophical way, but then most probably Balin would ask him what he was babbling about and demand him to speak clearly.

His flow of thoughts was interrupted by Kili, who approached him gingerly with his sheepishly smile in his face. What was wrong with his nephews that day?

“Having a nice day, Uncle?”

The mature dwarf looked at his nephew thinking what in Durin’s name he meant with that.

“Now that you mention it…”

“Uncle, I’m so happy that you agreed to all that Fili told you this morning…”  Thorin got a feeling that somehow he would regret things sooner than he thought of. “That I’ve come to thank you for being really moved to allow our family to grow from now on.”

“What a weird talk, lad, just spurt it out like your brother did this morning, would you?”

Kili muffled down.

“Sorry, Uncle, it is that sometimes you seem to be so angry at her that I thought you really didn’t approve her in our Company at all.”

Thorin thought if the one he was just wondering about understood the real meaning of his feigning being angry at her. Was he being so harsh to Lily to show his strong feelings that he might be misunderstood? She was not born dwarf, after all. And now his nephew was talking about what, actually?

“What do you mean, son?”

Kili stared down, but uplifted his eyes as he spoke.

“You treat her so harsh sometimes, that anyone would think you don’t like her, Uncle. I am sorry to say. But I’ll be bold enough to say that I don’t care, and that I’m in love with her nevertheless!”

“You what?” Thorin was out of himself, but Kili hold his step.

“I’m in love with her, no matter what you think about her.” Kili was bold now, he did hold it back for too long. “We are spending lots of time together, and we treasure every moment and every passing day together, Uncle Thorin, you cannot imagine what it is like to be with her, she is really special, she is not like any other girl I’ve known, she approves who I am, and I don’t care if you put her to her edge, she is strong enough to bear it with no complain, and so will be I!”