The Fifteenth Member (Thorin Oakenshield/OFC)

Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Not much changed in Erebor in the next two months. Johannes had done his trading and departed and no other visitors had arrived since then. Thorin made sure Erebor was running smoothly although he tended to get rather stressed when there was a lot of work to do. Lord Elrond and his children had departed not long after our wedding, having spent a fair amount of the year here, it was high time they got back to Rivendell. I was now five months pregnant and I couldn't hide it anymore. I was losing both mobility and speed rapidly, as well as stamina but aside from occasional movements, the twins were peaceful. My belly was so big it was now impossible for me to see my feet. I was always tired, always hungry, and almost always in a bad mood. Thorin was taking it very well, I often vented my anger in the loss of my immaculate form but he made no comments about it. I always apologized when I was done. I had figured out how to make my crop top expand to cover my stomach so I was more comfortable in the water.

Momo had her kittens not three days after Thorin and I were married. She had five, three females and two males. They had stayed in the safety of their basket for the first month and even now they still stayed in our room. Four of them looked like Momo, a black coat streaked with grays and orange but the fifth was snowy white. All five of them were shy at first but after a time as they became more confident, playful and loving personalities emerged. It was impossible to tell four of them apart so we didn't bother trying to name them and we always described the white one as 'the white one'. The snow was melting and spring flowers were beginning to poke their heads above the soil. As much as I loved winter time, I was glad it was over and I no longer had to wear more than three layers to keep warm.

Tauriel and Kili were to be married within the week and were currently undergoing their month of abstinence. Fili had proposed to Wani yesterday but she had fainted from shock before she gave him an answer. My father had gotten a steady job as a blacksmith and even took on his own apprentice. As Eleanor was getting more comfortable around both myself and Thorin, her personality began to emerge. She was quick and witty, often engaging in a mock argument with one of us. I now regarded her as more of a friend rather than a servant. I was supposed to meet my midwives today and that made me rather nervous. These days, I spent most of my time in private lounges with former members of the Company or else other friends. Thorin kept me very sheltered, especially now that my pregnancy was more than half over, so I did not have many friends among the commoners. Thorin had decided to take the day off to give Fili some practice running the kingdom but I suspected Thorin wanted a break for himself.

At the moment, we had the lounge to ourselves and we were just enjoying the peace and quiet when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" I middle aged dwarf woman poked her head in.

"We're here to see Queen Mereniver?"

"I'm right here."

"Alright good. Let's go to your room." Thorin got up and pulled me to my feet. The woman made no protest to him coming but when we went into the hall, there were three other women waiting as well. Two of them were about the same age as the first one but the third was gray-haired and looked very unhappy to see Thorin by my side. They introduced themselves but their names went in one ear and out the other.

They had me lay down on my bed and expose my swollen abdomen. Against our wishes, the midwives made Thorin sit on the sofa. They didn't even want him in the room, let alone by my side. Every time I made the slightest noise, Thorin leapt to his feet but he was always stopped before he could reach me. The examination took about ten minutes. "Well, everything looks good. Would you like to know the genders of your children?"

"No. We both want it to be a surprise."

"Alright. They still have quite a bit more growing to do, we may have to put you on bed rest for the last month though."