There and Back Again

Chapter Twenty-Two: Ladies of the Court

"Why am I doing this again?" Thalia asked softly as she tried to get comfortable, she had been unable to say no to Dís when she had shown up that morning shortly after the twins had headed off to their lessons for the day. 

It had been her hope that she might catch Thorin before his meeting with the council that morning but Dis had other plans and had refused to allow her to slip away when she had arrived that morning. 

Bora held back a smile, she did not blame her mistress for being rather uncomfortable in this situation; the ladies that they were dining with were not entirely her cup of tea either. 

Most of them had attempted to court Thorin at one point or catch his attention in hopes of taking the position of Queen when they had all returned to the mountain. 

It was not a secret that most still desired the role that now belonged to Thalia and the most notable was Lady Harga; the daughter of Lord Khîm who thought that she was perfect for the role. 

"It is important for the ladies of the court to see their Queen," Dís stated firmly from her seat, she had planned the lunch that she was throwing perfectly and in time it would be Thalia that would be expected to hold such important functions. 

The ladies that were in attendance this lunch-time consisted of the daughters and wives of some of the more powerful dwarves that held positions in Thorin's court. 

It would do well for Thalia to be seen in her future role instead of hiding out in her chambers, her life was going to change and Thorin had ensured that when he had announced they were betrothed. 

They were the ones that Thalia would spend a lot of time around when she became Queen Under the Mountain; it was them that might one day fill her inner circle and become her close friends. 

A Queen could not hide away or avoid her subjects, she had to be seen doing something and Dis intended for Thalia to be truly prepared for the moment that crown was rested upon her head. 

"They see enough of me... I don't, however, see enough of Thorin," Thalia grumbled quietly so only Dís and Bora could hear what she was saying, she didn't know any of these women and she felt rather self-conscious about how they all seemed to be eyeing her. 

They would no doubt wonder if she was genuinely good enough for their King, she was but mortal and Thalia had no desire for her demi-god status to come into play here; she wished to earn their respect on her own terms.

Dís rolled her eyes, she did not trust her older brother and his betrothed to be alone in the same room as one another; the last thing they needed was another child to be born before they were wed. 

The two women were silent for a moment as lunch was served, there was soft music playing in the background and everyone that was in attendance seemed to be enjoying themselves and quite relaxed. 

"Lady Dís," greeted a voice as a dwarrow approached the table were Thalia and Dís were eating, she ducked into a deep curtsy and kept her eyes down for a moment before rising ever so gracefully. 

The dwarrow slowly rose back to her feet and Thalia could not help but take in the amount of gold that seemed to be woven into her blonde curled hair and that sat around her neck. 

Dís stared at the dwarrow that was before her, she was a little curious about what had made her approach them considering her father's dislike for how things were working out in court at that moment. 

It was no secret that there were few that had openly voiced their disapproval of Thorin's plans to wed Thalia, even less so they had questioned his decision to place his children with her in the line of succession for Fili and Kíli.