Narnerra's chambers were not far from the Great Hall and as she and Thorin made their way along the narrow corridor, Arielle couldn't help but look over at him. Somehow, he looked even more handsome than ever now. Was it because of what happened between them? Or her knowing how he felt about her? She didn't know for certain, but what she did know what that she'd never seen a man as handsome as the one strode beside her, looked over his shoulder and then to her surprise, caught her about the waist to drag her to him for a teasing kiss.
"Thorin, we are going to get caught!"
"Ask me if I care."
"You say that now."
"I mean it now." He set her back and gestured to the door at the end of the corridor. "Narnerra."
Voices floated from the infirmary as Thorin caught the door handle and turned. As she followed him into the room, Arielle's heart stopped when she saw Belle already there, with Narnerra clucking over her like a mother hen.
"You!" Belle just missed hitting Narnerra as she threw a hand out in Arielle's direction. "Your Highness, do you see this? Do you see what this—this—man did to me?"
Thorin stepped around Narnerra, arms folded, and studied her. "It is my understanding the lad was but defending himself after you struck him first."
"A lie!" Belle's curls bounced with her fury and Arielle didn't miss how Narnerra rolled her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "He was rude and impertinent and I demand you sack him at once!"
Narnerra stepped away. "Please, stop screaming in my ear, my lady."
Belle's cheeks went red and she clamped her lips together. Narnerra sighed softly. "Thank you."
Then she turned to Thorin. "What brings you down here, Your Highness?"
"A sore shoulder that refuses to heal." Then, to Arielle's surprise, he gestured to her. "But, take a look at Elen's cheek first. I'm concerned it might have been broken. And his hand as well. It seems," he shot Belle a pointed look, "the lad was forced to defend himself yesterday. And no, Miss Caisys, I will not be sacking him this morning or any other for that matter."
Belle's eyes narrowed, Arielle fought back a groan as she mentally kicked Thorin in the shin, and Narnerra couldn't hold back her look of surprise. "You wish me to examine the boy before you?"
Thorin nodded. "If you would, yes."
"Of course."
Arielle cleared her throat. "His Highness is merely being generous. His should has been bothering him for weeks, but he's been too stubb—" She cast a sidelong glance at him—"too busy to have it looked at before now."
Narnerra nodded. "I think we should look at it first as well." She caught him by the elbow and gestured to one of the four doors along the one wall. "For privacy."
Arielle waited to see if he'd insist she came with them, which would absolutely raise eyebrows, but to her relief, he allowed the healer to steer him toward them. As the door closed behind them, she turned back to see Belle glaring at her.
"How dare you think to come here," Belle growled.
"Am I not allowed to seek medical help?" She offered up a wide-eyed stare. "You did hit me."
"You had it coming."
"Why? Because I wouldn't let you continue to attack Kusela? She'd done nothing wrong. And you know that as well as I do."
"She ruined something of mine."
Arielle rolled her eyes. "Oh, she did not."
"It won't matter, for when I am queen, you and that old prune will be tossed from here. By way of the ramparts, if I have anything to say about it."
"Marry me, Arielle... I have no need for a valet, but I have every need for you."
She bit back a smile. "I will take my chances that I will not be tossed from the top of the city."
"Think yourself special, do you? Well, have I news for you," Belle rose from her chair and stalked toward her, "I care not how much Thorin might think he needs a valet. You will be gone as soon as I am his wife."
Arielle didn't move. She didn't flinch. All she did was say, "Again, I will take my chances."
"You will be sorry."
Arielle let her grin follow Belle as Belle flounced by her and slammed out of the infirmary. But, once the door shut, she let out a low sigh. For a moment, she'd thought Belle was going to hit her again and if she had, Arielle would have had no choice but to really pummel her. And fortunately for her, Elen had taught her how to throw more than one type of punch when they were younger, or so she didn't doubt Belle would be the worse for the wear. Even so, she didn't think either Narnerra or Thorin would think too highly of her starting a brawl in the infirmary.
A soft silence settled over the waiting area. She couldn't hear what Thorin might be saying, or what Narnerra might be saying in return. Not that she tried. It was simply she was concerned over his well-being.
Then the door opened and Thorin emerged, his tunic in his hand. "So, you don't think I need to be too concerned?"
"I didn't say that, Your Highness. Try what I suggested—alternate heat and cold, try to limit too much stress on the joint itself and we will revisit it in another four weeks or so."
He tugged the tunic over his head and when he emerged, said, "Now, if you wouldn't mind taking a look at Elen's hand and his cheek."
"Of course." Narnerra turned to her, her blue eyes friendly. "I heard about what happened." She gestured to Belle's vacated chair. "Sit and let me see."
Arielle moved to the chair and Narnerra carefully tilted her face up. A low hiss leaked through her teeth as the healer probed at the bruise on her cheek. "I beg your pardon," Narnerra said softly, "but I need to be able to feel through the swelling."
From the corner of her eye, Arielle saw Thorin leaning against the desk, arms folded, expression serious. "Do you think it's broken?"
"It might be," Narnerra replied without looking up, "but even if it is, there is nothing I can do for it."
She straightened up. "Now, let me see your hand."
Arielle held out her hand, fighting off a wince as Narnerra manipulated her fingers and a hot sting spread toward her wrist. Thorin tensed, coming away from the desk, which had her silently urging him to remain quiet and still. If he showed too much concern, he'd arouse the healer's suspicions.
But he said nothing, nor did he move, although she didn't miss the tension winding across his shoulders as Narnerra straightened all five fingers at the same time and Arielle yelped. "I beg your pardon," Narnerra said softly. "And while I cannot rule a fracture out entirely, I daresay it's only bruised as well. Ice it until the stiffness goes away, try limit using your hand when possible, and you should be fine as well."
"Thank you." Arielle tugged her hand free and rose.
"Of course. And make certain His Highness does as I've told him unless he wishes to lose use of that arm!"
"I'll do my best." Arielle grinned up at him. "But he is notoriously stubborn at times."
"I promise you both I will try to curtail my stubbornness where this is concerned," Thorin moved to the door and opened it, "so there will be no need to nag me and whatever you do, do not tell my sister."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Thorin ushered her out of the infirmary and once the door was closed behind them, he said, "Did she say anything to you?"
"Belle? Oh, of course. She wants to toss me off the ramparts. She's just so lovely. You chose a winner, Your Highness."
"I didn't choose her. Dis brought her here, remember."
"Well, be that as it may, I certainly cannot say anything to her about it now, can I?"
"No. But I can and I will." He caught her by the wrist of her sore hand, which looked so comically small in his huge one. "Go and ice this while I go speak with Dis."
"What are you telling her?"
"What I've already told her. Belle isn't for me, and that I've found the one who is."
His eyes softened as he said that, and her heart skipped a beat. "Your Highness, anyone could happen upon us."
"As I said earlier, ask me if I care." He gently tugged on her hand to draw her up against him. "Let them."
"Take care, dwarf. You wouldn't want anyone to think you soft."
"I'm not worried about that ever happening." He wrapped his arms about her. "I want to go back to my chambers and see what other mischief we might get up to."
As he spoke, he leaned in and swept a kiss along the side of her neck. The caress left a rush of tingles in its wake, her eyelids growing heavy as he did it again. "But I thought—oh, that feels so nice—dwarves only had sex to make more dwarves?"
"I thought you believed doing this just for fun is just as important?"
She pulled back to smile at him. "I'd hate to make you go against your beliefs, though."
He lifted her easily and said, "Maybe I should learn to be a little more flexible."
"Take care, Your Highness, we won't know what to make of you, if you start showing all these different sides."
"I'll blame it on you." He kissed her once more, then set her down and added, "Go. I'll come find you later. I might need to bathe before supper."
Heat flashed through her. As it turned out, they both fit in his tub, and did so quite nicely. "I'll be sure to be where you can find me."
His chuckle bounced off the walls as they parted ways at the end of the corridor, with her going back toward her chambers, while he turned in the direction of the Great Hall.
Some of Thorin's good mood faded as he caught sight of Belle sitting with his sister, near the hearth on the far side of the Hall. It was closer to Erebor's entrance and as it was another raw, rainy day, the fire warded off some of the dank chill.
"Dis," he greeted, choosing to ignore Belle for the moment. He'd deal with her in a bit, after he cleared the air with Dis first. "May I have a word with you?"
She looked up and smiled. "Of course. Is something the matter?"
"Not at all." He forced himself to look over at Belle. "Miss Caisys."
She smiled and tilted her head slightly to one side. "Good morning, Your Highness. I trust all went well with Narnerra?"
"Narnerra?" Dis looked from her to him, her brow furrowing. "Is something the matter with you, Thorin?"
"Nothing that won't heal in time." He held out a hand to her. "Walk with me a moment?"
"Of course."
He bobbed his head toward Belle. "Excuse us then."
For a moment, he wondered if she was going to ask to join them, for she opened her mouth and looked as if she was about to stand up, but thankfully she remained quiet and where she was.
He waited until they were at the main staircase, leading to the Throne Room, before he said, "There's something I need to speak with you about, something important, and I'd rather not be overheard, nor have it repeated as yet until I straighten a few other matters out first."
"What's going on, Thorin? Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine. Good, actually, for the first time in a long time."
"And where does Narnerra come into play?"
He shook his head as they crossed into the Throne Room. Although it was never a warm, cozy, welcoming room, Smaug's appearance reduced it to mostly rubble of broken stone and melted gold. He knew the others were doing their best to renovate it back to its former glory and although it was still in a state of disrepair, it was coming along nicely. At the moment, the room was empty of workmen, which was why he'd chosen it.
He moved over to the throne itself—a monstrosity of sorts of obsidian, onyx, and jade, with elaborate runes etched into it in gold. The top right corner was crumbled away, but the stone itself was in the process of being polished to a mirror finish. It was built for power, not comfort, and when he sat upon it, he winced. Cold. Hard. How did his grandfather sit here day after day?
"Thorin, what's going on?"
He looked up at her. Her forehead was furrowed, worry lines creasing between her brows. She'd aged since he'd last seen her before leaving to reclaim Erebor. Of course, her sons also did their best to age her as well, so... "Nothing you need worry about. I swear it, Dis. I'm fine. I went to see Narnerra for a sore shoulder. That's all.
"But, I did need to speak to you about Belle." He met her gaze, his hands resting on the arms of the throne, fingers relaxed. "I will not be marrying her."
"You've already said as much," she replied, coming up onto the dais to stand before him. "And I cannot say I blame you, as she's become insufferable the last few days. Have you seen your valet? She did that to him."
"I know." He took a deep breath, and then added, "There is something else you need to know as well and it concerns Elen."
"Oh, no. What did he do?"
"He did nothing." He smiled up at her, took a deep breath, and said, "But he is not a he, either."
Dis' eyes went wide. "What?"
"The lad you know as Elen Farran is in fact a woman named Arielle Farran. His twin. And," he held up a hand as Dis opened her mouth, "before you go storming off to confront her, know this. I've know about it for a while now, and she did not deceive for reasons you probably think."
"It's not possible, Thorin. I know fully well I interviewed a young man."
"Yes," he nodded, "you did. And you would have had said young man, had he not broken his hand the night before he was to report here. Arielle took his place to keep the job for him."
"But... that means..." Dis stared at him, then covered her mouth with her hand, which muffled her, "she dressed you, Thorin. She undressed you!"
"More than once, yes."
"She needs to leave, then. She cannot stay on. What if everyone else finds out?"
"Well, that's going to be a bit of a problem, for everyone will find out sooner rather than later," he braced himself for her reaction, "for I plan on marrying her."
"What?"
It was an almost breathless whisper, and he grinned at the amount of shock she managed to shove into one single word. "Oh, don't look so surprised," he told her with a chuckle, "you said yourself it's time for me to settle down and so, I'm going to settle down."
"With Elen."
"No. With Arielle." He couldn't help but smile as he added, "I'm in love with her, Dis. She makes me happy. I think I make her happy."
"But... she's an Elf."
"And of Man. I know." He shook his head. "And I don't care."
"Thorin..." Dis drew in a deep breath and he braced himself for her list of reasons why it was so terrible an idea. But then, to his surprise, she said, "You do seem a bit more at peace than you had only days ago."
He couldn't hold back his grin and when he wiggled his eyebrows at her, she burst out laughing. "You did not sleep with her!"
"Do you really wish me to answer that?"
"Oh, my... Thorin!"
"What?" He chuckled as she sat down on the edge of the dais. He rose from the throne to sink next to her. "I love her, Dis. I plan on marrying her. I think being horrified over what comes down to timing is silly."
She nudged his shoulder with hers. "You... I cannot believe you. Grinning like a madman at me this way."
"What? You have two children, baby sister. You know exactly why I'm grinning."
She slapped her hands over her ears. "I do not want to hear this! You're my brother!"
He nudged her back this time. "It's been a long time since I've been able to torture you."
"Oh, please stop, then. You've had your fun." She lowered her hands and shook her head at him. "Belle is going to be furious."
"I will deal with her next. She will have to get over it."
"I don't think she will so easily." A soft sigh rose to her lips and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "She's had her eye on you since we were children, Thorin. First Frerin, then you. All she could ever talk about was my big brothers. I think you are fooling yourself if you think she won't put up a fight."
"She can put up as big a fight as she wishes." He draped his arm about her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "It won't matter and I'll gladly toss her out of here for what she did to Arielle."
"Tell me, did she break it?" Dis gestured to her own cheek.
"Narnerra didn't think so, but it's entirely possible." His gut twisted slightly. "So, I suppose I should go and deal with Belle. Then, I'll go out to Dale and ask her brother for formal permission to marry his sister."
Dis' eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. "You are serious about this, aren't you?"
"I am. Would you expect me to not be serious about this?"
"No. I don't suppose I would. But, take care where Belle is concerned."
"Dis, I've gone beyond taking care." He hesitated for a moment. "Although I don't suppose I can actually tell her why just yet."
"I will speak to her about putting her hands on the staff, you go to Dale and get your permission—not that you need it, seeing as how you are a king, mind you."
"I know I don't have to do it. It just seems the right thing to do." He rose and held out a hand to her. "And thank you."
She let him tug her to her feet. "Go."
They parted ways then, and Thorin made his way out to the plains. What had begun as a miserable day had morphed into something far more pleasant. The rain gave was to what was finally a summer day— brilliant sunshine, warm breeze, not a cloud in the sky. He knew he didn't have to call on Elen, didn't have to ask him for any sort of permission, especially considering they'd already made love—though it would probably be best to leave that part out—but Thorin just felt he should. Of course, should Elen say no, then Thorin might have to play his I'm the king card. And if all else failed—
It wouldn't. It couldn't. He'd waited far too long to find Arielle. He certainly was not going to lose her over a stubborn brother. Not if he could help it.