Chapter Seven

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By now the whole of Erebor and the rest of Middle-Earth knew that King Thorin of Erebor was officially betrothed to a young elf maid from Rivendell with origins in the Mirkwood realm of her people, and the day had finally come for them to tie the knot. Thorin knew that Briella was by nature shy and would not normally approve of such a spectacle but as the King of Erebor, he had no other alternative but to put on a day that his people would always be remembering with the fondness that they would when he had reclaimed Erebor.

"This is it Briella; it's the day you go from being a Greenleaf to an Oakenshield" she thought to herself as she waited for the doors leading to the palace's rather large and opulent chapel to be opened and when they were the only thing she could focus on was Thorin, everything and everyone else around her seemed to fade into nothingness, but perhaps subconsciously mainly focusing on Thorin was what she needed to stop herself from freaking out or running, the latter not being an option for her because she was every bit as in love with Thorin as he her.

Once she reached the King's side, she accepted his outstretched hand and took the last couple of steps to bring her side-by-side with him, entwining his arm with hers and keeping throughout the ceremony a rather firm hold on her right hand, only letting go when the time had come for them to exchange rings that had been made of the purest gold in Erebor's mines, but still looked to be similar in appearance to the One Ring of Power which had indeed made a reappearance but it was of no concern to the Dwarves as it wasn't amongst their people.

The ceremony and ring exchange was deliberately lengthy and yet it managed to keep all in attendance paying close attention, especially as Briella began saying something to King Thorin in her native elvish, something he had been teaching himself since she first arrived at Erebor all of those months ago so he knew precisely what she was saying to him, as did the wizard Gandalf who was watching from the back of the hall, making sure that he was not to be seen by anyone, leaving just as quietly before Thorin leaned in and sealed their vows with a gentle kiss.

News of the marriage spread through Middle-Earth like wildfire, with each member of the by now well and truly defunct company either sincerely happy for the returned King Under the Mountain or sceptical of his choice of mate, though nothing in the outside world mattered to Thorin at the moment, the only focus he had was on his new wife who looked, he quietly thought at least, beautiful in her white dress that was very appropriate for women of her age and in this particular point in time as she again was covered from the shoulders right down to her ankles.

Shaking his head as he walked out the door and out of the palace, Gandalf was amazed to have witnessed something he believed would be a rare occurrence indeed; the marriage of a dwarf king to a simple elven maid, even though nobody but Thorin and Briella knew that her maidenhood had been given up to the man she loved and who she knew loved her as much in return, but much to their shared disappointment, the first time they made love did not result in the hoped for heir/s, but Briella knew she was still young enough for it yet.

"That is something that is not going to be seen again at least not in my lifetime" muttered Gandalf as he walked the road to Saruman's abode, the white haired and clothed wizard on the border prepared to meet his old friend upon arrival. "Indeed it is not likely to be seen for a millennia at least" Saruman said, as if somehow reading Gandalf's thoughts, "King Thorin has pledged himself to a smiple yet from what I hear lovely looking elf maid who at one time lived not only in Mirkwood but also in Rivendell as one of Arwen's many maids".

The party went on well into the night with Briella entertaining Thorin with a few dances she had learned in her former home of Rivendell under Arwen's watchful eye as there was really no telling how the male elves would behave around someone they deemed to be beautiful in appearance. Finally the King and his new Queen retired to what was now their shared bed but because they were far too tired to even think about it, they fell asleep in the other's arms, Briella's head on her husband's chest as he had an arm around her shoulders and her arm.

They woke the same way the following morning, Briella feeling his brilliant pale blue eyes on her as she tilted her head up, smiling somewhat as he brushed her hair from her eyes and face. "Good morning my darling Queen Briella" he whispered as he leaned in to give her a gentle kiss, "Good morning my darling King Thorin" she replied with a slight hint of a giggle that he so loved to hear from her, especially first thing in the morning before she very quickly and quietly settled back down in his arms again, happy just to be held quietly.

With Sauron defeated and Smaug before him, it seemed as though peace had finally been brought to the whole of Middle-Earth and as far as Thorin was concerned, it could not have come at a better time as he gazed down at the new Queen napping in his arms where she seemed to want to be and he was not about to deny her that simplest of feeling, especially as it made him feel particularly protective of her in return, even if she had proven to be very adept at swordfight in the mock battles she had engaged in with Kili.

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