Bring Me With Her

Feared Confrontation

Talia was trying so hard not to smile in Thorin's arms. It had been the fourth time she nearly tripped over her own feet that day, and Thorin was finally able to catch her with anticipation. The two of them had been traveling through Emyn Muil for two days now, and the fog was just now making it that much more difficult for Talia to remind herself to look down at her feet every now and then. The young woman raised her brows as her Dwarf smirked. "I was gonna catch myself, you know, just like I did the other three times." she snorted.

"But you didn't." Thorin stated.

"Yeah, I know. You ruined it." Talia retorted, bringing a laugh from Thorin. The Terran rolled her eyes. "Are you gonna let go now?" she asked.

"So impatient, Ghivashel...and harsh." He snuck in that last bit as he let go of her.

The young woman turned around at that comment. "Harsh?" She shook her head with an innocent smile. "I'm not harsh. I'm a sweet angel from heaven above." she chirped. Talia laughed as Thorin deeply furrowed his eyebrows.

"An angel?" he asked, causing Talia to let out a giggle.

"Of course." she smirked, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around Thorin's neck. The young woman narrowed her eyes as he kept his expression. "You do know what an angel is, right?" she asked. Thorin opened his mouth to speak, but Talia had her answer when he quickly closed it. The young woman smiled. "They're heavenly creatures from up in paradise. Some people say they're the most beautiful creatures you'll ever lay your eyes on."

Thorin smirked at that. "And what do they do?" he asked.

Talia shrugged her shoulders. "They're mainly messengers, but I've heard others say that they're our own personal, special guardians. But that last part really just depends on what you believe in." she playfully told him, pulling him down to lightly press her lips against his.

"Tell me more about Terra." he said with a smile.

"What do you wanna know?" she asked, releasing him so they could continue walking. Talia took Thorin's hand in hers, smiling as she did. If they weren't in such an ugly place right now, Talia could've sworn that it felt like they were taking a stroll down the street, just the two of them. She really did love having him there with her. Not only did they have their alone time that was long overdue, but Thorin also served as a great relief of the stress she had been feeling. She didn't know how she would've kept herself off the edge without him.

...

Thorin blinked at Talia's question. There was...only one thing that he really wanted to know about the ways of Terra. He held his breath for a second before he released it, refusing to admit how nervous he was about how she would take it. Thorin nearly swallowed the question back down, but he couldn't. He had to know. "How...how does a man propose marriage to a woman?"

Talia's eyes were on him immediately, and he let out yet another breath he didn't realize he was holding when her lips formed into a smile, a wide smile that she was trying to hide ever so slightly. "Well...it's actually pretty simple." she began, a small blush blooming on her cheeks. "The traditional scenario is that a couple will go out somewhere special, and sometimes even on a special date, you know, like their anniversary of being together or on a holiday. When the time is right, the man will get down on one knee and present his woman with a diamond ring and then...he asks her." she concluded shyly.

Thorin smiled at her answer and cupped her cheek, preventing her attempts to hide her face, which had only gone from pink to red as her explanation had gone on. "Why diamond rings?" he asked with curiosity.

His Talia shrugged her shoulders. "The classic slogan that we have is "A Diamond is Forever". It's supposed to resemble how marriage is forever."

The Dwarf king nodded and stroked her cheek with his thumb, trying not to widen his smile at her resistance. "Why do you hide from me, Ghivashel?" he asked knowingly.