It's a Hard Knock Life for Us (Thorinduil AU)

XIII • : A Hunch : •

A/N: boY DO I HAVE A LOT OF MOTIVATION,, i'm gonna burn myself out with how much i'm writing but i don't c a r e also shouting out Diamondfleur again and their amazingness go check out them and their Thorinduil rom com,, I made a reference from it in this chapter ;)

Also Thrain and Adaria still have Scottish accents I just don't bother putting like "yee" and stuff you know?? So yeah,, there's that.

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Thranduil's POV

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"You... you made this?"

It was a knight piece from a chess board made of pure silver. It had one flat side, smooth to the touch except for the tangible indentions of a single phrase and name. Engraved into the silver with Thorin's handwriting read: "Check mate ♡". Along the side, flowing with the curve of the horse's neck, my name was carved. At the very top of the horse's head hung a long, thin chain. It was a necklace.

Thorin had just come home from work. He was sweaty, completely filthy, and obviously happy to be in a cooler area. Although snow littered the ground all over Dale, being inside the small building with the furnace burning bright was difficult. It was immensely hot, I knew that because Thorin told me nearly every day he got home from work. Even though he looked like someone had put him in a sauna then tossed soot all over him, he was smiling and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I finished the orders early. I had a lot of free time on my hands so... I made a mold using a knight from a chess board that Hirol dug out of the closet. We play sometimes when it's slow." He let his hand slide up to his forehead, the other one planted against his hip. "Do you uh–do you like it?" His voice was a lot quieter and anxious to hear what I had to say.

I was dumbfounded that he even had to ask. After all, the teary eyes should have given it away. "Did you hit your head or something? 'Do you like it', goodness, Thorin!" I gave him a little shove to the shoulder which gained a laugh from the dwarf. "I love it!" I exclaimed, draping the necklace around my neck. It fell square in the middle of my chest.

He rubbed his shoulder and chuckled, "I'm really glad you like it. Hirol kept asking who it was for." He lowered his voice as he attempted to do an impression of his boss, "'Ooo, Thorin, my lad. I didn't know you had your eyes on a little lady! Who is she?'" His voice returned to normal as he said, "I kept telling him, 'It's for no one, Hirol.' But he didn't believe me. 'You can't hide things from me, Thorin, I've known you since you were a little tyke!' He was absolutely convinced I was in love with some girl from town." A couple chuckles rumbled from his chest. I didn't blame Hirol for thinking Thorin would want to earn the affections of a young lady. After all, he basically had 'package deal' written across his forehead. He was sweet, intelligent, witty, but also strong at the same time. He was a poster child for fitness and, the big kicker, the Prince of an entire kingdom. That brought the ladies in fast: the authority.  Now, I'm not talking from personal experience. The Elves back home never fancied me. I was so quiet they most likely thought I was weird. Thorin had told me all about the hopeless attempts made by women in Dale. So yes, I didn't blame Hirol. No one suspected Thorin, Prince of Erebor, of falling for a mediocre (if not poor excuse for) Elven Prince.