A Stark Predicament

Chapter 100 The Preparations

Later that day, Thorin had Balin announce that Thorin wanted all the Dwarves to gather in the Great Hall so that Thorin could make his proclamation. It didn't take long for all the Dwarves of Erebor to make their way into the Great Hall. There was excitement in the air as the Great Hall filled with Dwarves; it wasn't often that King Thorin made announcements to the entire mountain.

Once everyone had arrived, Thorin stood up, and the hall went quiet. They looked at Thorin expectantly, “My people, today is an auspicious occasion. As you know, next month is our Yule holiday; I had thought to forgo this year's celebration due to insufficient supplies to sustain us through the winter. But thanks to our future queen and her family,” Thorin said with a smile as he looked at Alina, “We will be able to celebrate the Yule holiday.”

All of the Dwarves cheered. They had not been able to celebrate Durin's Day in the Mountain, so the Yule holiday was what they were looking forward to doing. Thorin held his hand and waited for the Dwarves to settle down, “There will be some new traditions added to our festivities this year.”

A murmur went through the crowd. The Dwarves wondered what new traditions would be added. As a race, Dwarves were unaccustomed to change; it was hard for them to accept it. But with Thorin's One being human and from a different world, some Dwarves were finding it more comfortable to accept change, especially those from the Iron Hills who knew what Alina and her friends had done for them.

Once again, Thorin held his hand, “From here on out, we will add some traditions from my future wife's homeworld.”

Thorin then explained what traditions would be added to their holiday. He told the Dwarves about the decorations, the trees, and the gift-giving. Thorin had decided that at the end of the twelve-day celebration, the gift exchange would occur. The Dwarves talked amongst themselves and found adding these traditions quite pleasing. Slowly, people started clapping and cheering their approval of the change.

Thorin smiled. He knew that these new additions would go over well with his people and that it would be something they would look forward to seeing. After making his proclamation, Thorin Dismissed the Dwarves. The Dwarves left the hall talking excitedly about what they could do as gifts and how the gift exchange would occur. Also, what decorations would they use for the mountain? They would have to speak to their future queen about it; they were sure she would have some beautiful ideas.

Several Dwarrow and Dwarrowdams waited for Alina to finish talking with Princess Dîs and Natasha Romanoff. As soon as Alina finished her conversation, she was swarmed by the Dwarrows, who had many questions for her. Alina gladly answered their questions and suggested what they could use to decorate their homes. She went as far as to provide decorations to show the Dwarrows what her people used on Earth. Alina informed them that if the Dwarrows wanted, they could each have a small Christmas tree in their homes to decorate as they saw fit.

“We usually place the wrapped gifts underneath the Christmas tree until the gift exchange day. Since there will be so many people involved, I think it would be better that each family do that in their homes and then come to the Yule party,” Alina explained. The Dwarrows and Dwarrowdams agreed. They were very excited about adding this new tradition.

As the Mountain prepared for the Yule holiday, Thorin, Dwalin, Logan, and a few Iron Man suits went out to find suitable Christmas trees for the Great Hall. They traveled a few miles from the Mountain to find the perfect trees. Thorin wanted the first yule back in Erebor to be perfect for him and his people, but also Alina. He didn't want his mate to become homesick, so Thorin would do his best to make it as unique for her as possible.

Thorin and the others went deep into the forest, and as they walked, Thorin questioned Logan about what kind of tree was used for Christmas trees.

“Either pine, fir, or spruce trees. They can be anywhere from five to eight feet tall. It should have dense branches and good shape, color, and fragrance. The needles should look shiny and green—not dull or brown—and no needles should fall off when you do a pull test on branches,” Logan answered.