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Wani woke me up again at sunset for dinner, which was nothing out of the ordinary. Wani had gotten my letter to Dwalin but he had yet to come back with anything, which was slightly concerning. I tried to assure myself that I would get the reply during dinner but when that didn't happen I really began to worry, needlessly I told myself but the feeling was rooted so deep I couldn't banish it. That irrational fear of a faceless terror that I always got before things took a turn for the worst.
I woke up the next morning very unsettled. I had had a nightmare but I couldn't remember what it was about. All I knew was that there had been a lot of confusion and fear. I took several deep but shaky breaths in an attempt to calm my beating heart but to no avail so I just sat in the new morning light. Wani was still asleep on her mattress next to me, blissfully unaware of my problem. I tried to close my eyes but all that came to me was the sensation that I was being watched.
For the longest time, I sat in bed thinking about whatever random thoughts came to me. At last, there was a soft knocking at the door.
"You girls up yet?" Came Dis's voice from the other side of the door. Wani stirred and I decided not to answer. I laid back down as quietly as I could, wincing every time the bed creaked until I was back in my sleeping position. By now, the sun was up and it's light was shining into the room through the flimsy curtains. Sure they had worked well yesterday but the sun had been on the other side of the mountain. Now that the light was being directed towards them, they let a good amount through. Dis knocked again, louder this time and Wani opened her eyes.
"She wants us to get up at this ungodly hour?" She whispered to me, "Not happening." She sat up, picked up the pillow, laid back down, and pressed the pillow on top of her head, muffling the noise Dis was making along with the light.
"I'm coming in you two!" She yelled from the other side. I threw my covers over my head and did my best to stay stone still. I heard the door open and footsteps coming closer. "Alright. Up you get Wani!" I heard my friend groan. My body trembled slightly with laughter as she began to complain about the light and how much she needs her beauty sleep. "You too Mereniver!" My covers were yanked off me but I remained still, pretending to sleep.
"Give her a few more minutes." Wani suggested, "She'll wake up when she figured out that her covers are gone.
"We don't have a few minutes." I heard Dis moving around and then the sound of water running. "Help me with this will you?"
"Help you with what?"
"Just come here. She's getting up." Then everything was silent. It was quiet for long enough for me to become slightly concerned. What were they planning? I opened my eyes just in time to see them upend a bucket of cold water on me. It was freezing, chilling me to the bone. My nightgown yielded to the water, becoming instantly transparent and clinging to my body.
"Come on!" I shouted, annoyed that my plan had backfired on me, "Was that really necessary?!"
"Yes." The two of them answered right away. I crossed my arms and sat up just in time, my tail took shape and the lower half of my body became dead weight on the bed. My tail was so much harder to lift when I wasn't in the water. I looked down. The tube top I had did not go down far enough to cover my entire torso, leaving my pregnant belly completely exposed. Wani didn't react but Dis immediately shielded her eyes.
"Do I look that bad?"
"No, it's just that Thorin should be the only one allowed to see you with your condition, with the exception of the healers who check up on you. He'll be jealous if he finds out."
"Then he won't find out. Just turn away and I'll dry off. I'll need a towel for my torso though."
"Why's that?" Even Wani had turned away now.
"Because Lord Elrond warned me not to overheat my body, especially close to the babies. Wani went to the bathroom.
"Is there any way to expand that tube top of yours to get it to cover your stomach?"
"I don't think so. Both Thorin and I have looked into it with great care. If there was a way, we would know."
"Here you go." I took the towel from Wani and dried as far as I could down my tail before drying the rest. Then it hit me. I wanted strawberries. They had to be fresh and sweet and juicy. I repeated my request to Dis and Wani and they both gave me a look.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" Wani asked, sounding concerned.
"Yep."
"Nothing else."
"Ye-no! I want some pineapple too."
"Pine-apple?" Confusion was written all over Dis's face, "Apples grow on trees, not pines Mereniver."
"I know but I don't want a pine apple, I want some pineapple!" Dis looked at Wani, who had her head in her hands.
"Do you know what she's talking about?"
"Yes. Pineapples are large yellow fruits. Very exotic and very delicious, a trader from the south came to my village regularly and often had a pineapple or two on him. I decided to buy a couple and make a pie out of them."
"Best pie I've ever had!" I declared, "Except for that apple one.....oh! And the pecan one you make. Those two are better."
"Do you think he will ever some here?"
"No." Wani replied sadly, "He says there's too much evil in the East and the trip would take too long. He makes a detour to get to us anyway, his actual destination is Rivendell. He just got lost the first time and found us first."
"Can we stop talking about trader Whats-His-Face? I want my strawberries and pineapple!"
"Mereniver," Dis said in the sweetest voice possible, "We don't have either here in Erebor. How about you get up, take a bath, and then we can go see what fruits we can find in the kitchen?"
"Nope."
"Mereniver, please? We have to pick out your bridal flowers today."
"We could do that tomorrow as well. You told me we have two days to get the flowers."
"Yes, but if we get that done now than you can have tomorrow off."
"Too bad. I want my strawberries and pineapple."
The two of them tried for another half an hour to get me out of bed but I would not be swayed. I wanted those fruits and I want them now and to my specifications. Finally, they gave up and left the room. As soon as the door closed, I slumped down and pulled the covers back up. Not ten minutes later, they came back with my mom. I looked up when I saw the door open but when I saw that they didn't have my things, I laid back down. Unlike before, there was no yelling, no cold water, and no loud noises. Only the dip of my mattress and the comforting hand of my mother rubbing my back.
"Sweetheart, I know you're having cravings but you need to get up. I know it seems really hard now but once you're up and going you'll be just fine. You just need to take your mind off it. I'll run you a warm bath if you want." She coaxed me.
"Mm-hm." My face was still buried in the pillow.
"Then let's get you up. I'll go back to my room and run your bath, how about you get up and find something to wear for the day? Dad already went down to the forges."
"Fine." I grumble.
"Good. You know where our room is right?"
"Turn right, first left, third door to the left."
"Good. Come over whenever you're ready but don't worry about the soap or accessories. You can use mine."
"Fine." She left the room and I got up.
Wani picked out a light blue dress for me to wear today. I cleaned my ears before going over to my parents' room where my mom and a steaming bathtub waiting.
"Mereniver!" Mom called, "Don't get in just yet, I have something for you." I turned around and found her holding a parcel, "This is for you sweetie. We missed your birthday so I hope this will make up for it. It's from all of us." She handed me the parcel and I sat down on the bed. The box was new, probably made in Erebor, but it was still tied shut with the traditional strings. The knot was rather complex but I knew that if I pulled a certain loose end, it would all come apart. I lifted the lid off and I gasped at what I saw. Two bottles of vanilla scented shampoo and a bar of pumpkin scented soap. Both were rare and very expensive, and my top favorites.
"Oh my gosh! Thanks so much mom!"
"I only wish I've gotten you something more, you only come of age once."
"But these are so expensive!"
"So? It's not like you'll come of age again, this is our way of making it up to you."
"Thanks mom." I gave her a hug.
"You're welcome. I approve of Thorin. I know that even if I didn't, it wouldn't make a difference but I've gotten to know him better since we've arrived here and I can't think of anyone else who is more fitting for you."
"Thanks mom. What about dad?"
"He hasn't told me anything, I think he's having trouble admitting it to himself that Thorin has done a better job protecting you than he ever has."
"And Tunvan?"
"He gave you his permission already, has he not?"
"How do you know about that?"
"It doesn't matter. Go take your bath, it's getting cold." She turned me around and gave me a gentle shove towards the door.
I spent a very long time soaking in the bath, enjoying the hot water and the smooth stone against me skin and scales. I used as little soap and shampoo as I could, trying to preserve the wonderful gifts. I found that my mother was right, just like she was all the time, my cravings went away and I was ready to get going for the day, my nightmare forgotten.
It was lunch time by the time I was out of the bath and ready to go so we just went straight to the kitchens where we found Bombur.
"How are you lovely ladies doing today?" Bombur wasn't a creeper, he was just very polite and kind.
"We're fine." Dis answered, "Is there any chance we might get first dibs on the lunch before it goes into the hall?"
"Of course milady! Almost everything is out already, help yourselves!"
After a hearty lunch, we made our way to the royal gardens. It wasn't far from the royal hallway but I had never been to this part of Erebor before so Dis had to lead the way. The gardens were separated from the rest of the mountain by a set of closed doors made of glass. Inside, I could see the ground was grass save for a small stone path. It trailed idly, never going quite straight. Bushes of flowers of every possible color and shape lined the path. Further in, I could see trees, some with fruits on them and others without. There was a significant change of temperature when we went in. The air was warmer and much more tangible.
"Why is it so hot?"
"Because otherwise, most of these plants would die."
"I mean how?"
"You saw the pipe holes in the hot springs right? Well, they channel the steam from the warmer pools up here, creating this environment and the glass ceiling gives the plants enough light to stay alive. You'll find the gardens are larger than you think and that it gets warmer the further you go in. We have more exotic plants in the back. It took thousands of years to get the garden to the right for the plants, it was before the feud between elves and dwarves began."
"So elves helped build this?"
"Yes. Feel free to explore you two, I'm going to keep watch and make sure Thorin doesn't try and sneak in. I wouldn't put it past him and these gardens are so big you could get lost in them if you have no sense of direction like he does."
"Dis! He's your brother!"
"So? It's true. You'll experience it soon enough. Now go find yourself some flowers.. There are no lilies unfortunately but we have just about any other flower you can think of. Just no roses though."
"Why not?"
"They have thorns and the council will probably find some sort of fake 'hidden threat' if you pick those."
"Alright. Thank for the advice." With that, Wani grabbed my hand and started running down the path.
"Wani! Slow down! We have tons of time, there's no need to run."
"Uhhgg! You're so boring! We never had anything like this when we were children and I want to feel young again!"
"Well go ahead but I can't exactly run around and play chase like we used to."
"What wh-oh yeah. Sorry. Can't we still play hide and seek though?"
"Wani, we're full-grown."
"So? It's not like we can't play anymore. Come on, this will be a good way to explore. If we're going to spend the next two days in here, lets at least have fun."
"Wani..." "
Please? Please please please please please please please!!!! I'm just going to keep asking until you say yes!"
"Alright! Fine! I'll hide first, you count to a hundred."
"Ok! Go!" She sat down on the ground like we had done when we were little and covered her eyes with her hands. "One, two, three...."
I hurried down the path. The ground was soft but not squishy and when I looked back, I saw that my flats were leaving imprints in the grass so I slipped them off. I decided to head towards the trees, the bushes and clusters of flowers were too small to hide me but I took the time to look them over anyway. Most of them were flowers that grew around my hometown, they were rather common with large defined petals. They would be nice decorations in our room but they weren't suited for wedding flowers. As I went farther away from the door, just as Dis said, the air became warmer and the plants became more and more exotic. I heard Wani shout that she was coming but I ignored it. Wani would probably see my abandoned shoes and go the other way. The trees became tall and thin, their only leaves were near the top and they looked like giant fans. Near the back, it was unbearable hot, so much so I broke out in a sweat. The plants changed as well, they had spines on them. They grew like giant flowers with hard green leaves like petals, the only major difference was that they had tiny spines on them. In the center of the leaves, there were tiny yellow buds, some of them in bloom, others not yet. Finding no real flowers here, I turned back but instead of retracing my steps, I went to the left. It wasn't long before I ran into Wani, I saw her climbing one of the trees and went to stand at the base. When she started her descent, I spoke up.
"Find anything?" Wani shrieked and dropped down the rest of the way. "Mereniver! How many times have I told to not scare me when I up in a tree?"
"I don't know, several hundred? Did you find any flowers that I might like?"
"Yep! Follow me!" I followed her through a maze of bushes, back towards the front and stopped in front of several large flowers. Their stems were as tall as I was, some even taller! They had small yellow petals and a huge, round, brown center. "Ta-da!"
"Uhhhh, Wani I don't think these are bridal flowers."
"Why not? They have 'Mereniver' written all over them!"
"And I think they're lovely, just not for my wedding."
"Ok." Wani hung her head.
"Hey, it's ok. We just don't know what we're looking for yet. Don't get all down and out just because I said no to the first pick, Dis will have to approve my flowers anyway."
"Your flowers?"
"I thought that's what we were looking for."
"Oh! I meant could I use those flowers?"
"You can if Dis approves it and if it goes with the color you chose for your dress."
"They won't." Wani admitted, "I picked dark purple."
"Yeah.....no way then." I laughed.
"Let's check out the tropical section." Wani suggested.
"And which way if that?" It was an honest question, there were no walls anywhere close to us and it seemed neither of us had any idea of how to get out. My best friend shrugged.
"I dunno, let's go this way." She pointed to her right and off we went.
We didn't find any flowers that screamed 'wedding' and we were beginning to lose hope. We had gone through almost the whole garden and we still couldn't find anything. We ended up back by the entrance where Dis was still standing guard.
"Ah. There you two are, I was starting to worry. What did you find."
"Nothing."
"Have you looked absolutely everywhere?"
"Not really...."
"What do you mean?"
"We've just sort of been wandering around."
"Well that won't do at all. Did you find the secret garden?"
"What secret garden?"
"There is a hidden clearing in the that corner of the garden." She pointed in the direction we had just come from. "Thorin thinks it's his secret place but it's really not. There are plenty of choices there. I thought for sure you were going to pick the daffodils!"
"I don't even know what those are."
"Well, come on! I'll show you." Dis lead us to a flower bed hidden well behind the rose bushes. The first thing I saw was that they were yellow and that particular color just didn't go along with white. I repeated my concern to Dis.
"I see your point. Oh well, come on." She took us to a dense cluster of trees. We had seen this before but we figured there wouldn't be anything good in them. Our progress was slow, tree roots made the ground very uneven and tripping was inevitable. I was very lucky I didn't fall down. Before long, the trees thinned out and I saw that there was indeed a rather large clearing. It was very picturesque, small waterfall and stream, large smooth rocks around that, green grass and tons of flowers around the border. It took a moment for me to recover but when I did, my eyes fell on one bush in particular. It was near the waterfall, just close enough to get caught by the spray if the wind blew the right way. The leaves were dark green and they looked very smooth but it was not the leaves that held my gaze. It was the flowers. They had five petals that spun out from the center. They ranged from whites, bright oranges, yellows, and hot pinks. There were a few that looked like they had little flaming stars in them!
"What are those Dis?" I pointed to them.
"The bright ones are called flames of the sun."
"The ones right next to the waterfall?"
"Yes. Do you like them?"
"They're lovely. Do you think Thorin would like them?"
"I'm sure he would but we can't pick them now, it would be best to pick them on the day of."
"Ok. Wani, do you see anything you like?" I looked and found that she was no longer by my side, rather by a flower bed on the other side of the river. There were so many flowers there they took up almost all the space in the little area but they were every color imaginable, some even faded into white. Wani had taken an eye to the solid pinks, reds, and whites. She had even picked a few of each color and arranged them in a miniature bouquet.
"I like these. They'll go wonderfully with my dress."
"Ok, what about Arwen and Tauriel?"
"They agreed on a minty green color, I think we should bring them here and ask their opinions, it took them forever to come to a conclusion." Dis said, "I never thought the day would come when I wanted elves to not tear each other to shreds, those two are like fire and ice." Wani laughed at her comparison.
"You got that right. I thought they were going to rip at each other's throats!"
"Well then why don't we pick for them?"
"Good idea Mereniver, you're the bride after all and that means that you get final say. Which ones do you like?"
"I'm thinking some of the ones that fade into white. The dark pink ones are pretty."
"Ooooo! Mereniver, look at these!" Wani was near the back of the flowerbed. She plucked a flower and came back as fast as she could without trampling the flowers. She leapt over the river and gave me a dark purple and white one, only this one was different from the others. The tops of the petals looked like they had been lined with lace, they were all jagged but even I, a perfectionist, thought it was perfect.
"I think we should go show it to them separately and see what they think. If they both agree, then we'll use them."
"And if they don't?"
"They'll use them anyway because I like them." I replied without a second thought.