Rue (A Thorin Oakenshield/Hobbit Fanfiction)

7

"Thorin. Thorin!"

He sat up underneath the covers, shielding the sun from his face with one hand and looking up with the other. Talia was kneeling at his bedside, smiling with a hand on his arm as she shook him awake.

"Happy birthday."

He grinned at his friend, slowly blinking with realization. "Thank you." But the young prince had made up his mind that he did not want to start the morning yet, whatever the celebration was. After winking at his friend, he rolled away from her and onto his stomach, sunlight spilling over his contoured, bare back.

"Wha... Thorin! You have to get up!" Talia shrugged off her shoes as she climbed onto the bed next to him, pulling his arm so that he would have to roll back and face him. "Thror and Thrain have prepared a very special ceremony for you, not to mention a delightful breakfast."

"I was just promoted to the Head of Guard a week ago. Do I really need more celebration?"

"You're the prince. Of course you do." She grinned, looking down at him. Like Talia, he hated excessive attention on himself. "Come on, now." She reached for his arm again, getting ready to pull him up, but she hadn't expected him to pull back. She let out an involuntary squeak as she was pulled under the covers and to Thorin's side, who only laughed at her not-so-graceful movements. "Son of a bitch!"

"Wait." He said, before she could move away again. Talia stopped her wriggling as he stopped laughing, looking up at him. He reached out a finger, brushing the stray hairs away from her face. "As my first birthday wish, I ask that you stay here and watch the sunrise. Only until it crests, then we can go."

"On top of what I already got you? You ask too much, naughty prince." She teased, but relaxed into his arm around her, turning her gaze to the window and the rising sun. Together they lay, Talia now curled into Thorin's side, as they watched the sky transform it's hues in a comfortable silence. Once it had risen above the distant forests visible from the window, she allowed them a few more moments before whispering, "Can I give you my present now?"

"I thought we had to go to breakfast."

She rolled away, waving a hand at him as she stood, rummaging through her tiny pack for the present. Talia turned to face him, holding a box no bigger than one of her hands, adorned with a simple blue bow over it's dark-stained hardwood. Handing it to him, she sat across from him on the bed, watching with a small smile as he opened it. Pulling away the bow and lifting the lid, Thorin smiled when he saw two twin clasps, about the size of half of his pinky. He ran his thumb over the intricate design. It was one of the most beautiful pieces he had ever seen.

"We've been friends for far too long to deny that we are inseparable, Thorin." Talia began as he looked up at her. "Thought it'd be best to make it official."

He could only grin at her sentiment. "Come here."

She moved closer to him as he lifted a comb from his dresser, running it lightly through her hair before beginning the braid. This was perhaps her favorite of the dwarven customs; to profess and solidify any relationship's love, dwarves left a braid in each other's hair. It's permanency and intimacy was cherished by the dwarves, for hair was very personal. The trust and depth the act itself demonstrated strengthened more relationships than anyone could count. Thorin had many more than she, for his father, mother, and siblings. And since he was a prince, he had practice with this sort of thing. She watched his fingers weave expertly through her locks, reaching the bottom quickly and finishing the braid with one of the clasps.

Talia, on the other hand, had only one other braid; for her mother. After combing his hair as well, he could feel her slight annoyance as she tried to remember the knot, furrowing her brow as she concentrated. It took her much longer than he, for the last time she had done it was nearly fifteen years ago.