Valin's Pov...
I was woken by the scent of roasting meat and someone shaking me a bit roughly. Opening my eyes I found myself surrounded by the women that slept in my room with me. "Get up, the ceremony starts soon" Fregya told me as she ripped the blanket away from me.
I sat upright and rolled out of bed. My towel was pulled off of me and I was sent to have a quick wash in the wooden tub. While I bathed, I watched as the women moved around the room, setting out my wedding gown and shoes, some of them left the room and returned with a box. "Hurry up child, or you will look like a prune" one of the older women scolded me. I quickly rinsed my skin before getting out of the tub.
I was dried and dressed in a fresh chemise. "Come on, put this on" Terni said, handing me a lovely white gown. I smiled as I slipped it over my head and Fregya helped tightened the laces at the front.
"Not too tight. Thorin might end up bursting it when he wants to take it off of her" one of the women said with a laugh and the others joined in.
I felt my face heat with a blush at the thought of what will happen later tonight. "Aww, look, she blushes" Fregya teased and I looked down, in an attempt to hide my reddening cheeks. "Does it hurt?" I whispered to Fregya, who was still fixing the laces. "What?" she questioned, having not heard me. "Does it hurt?" I asked louder this time, and all eyes were on me. My face felt as though it was on fire. No one laughed at me this time.
"No, it does not hurt" Fregya said softly. "It will be very uncomfortable when he enters, but I do not think he will hurt you" one of the younger women told me, giving me a reassuring smile. "But if he's anything like his brother, he has a large cock and it may hurt. But only for a little bit" another added and all eyes went to her. "Which brother?" I found myself asking.
"Thrain, he bedded me before I got married. One of the best nights of my life-" she said with a smirk. I looked at her and she shook her head. "But now, I am happily married" she said, moving to the desk and retrieving a bone-comb. "When was that?" I asked her and she came over to me. "It was before you came to the village" she answered and I nodded.
I was told to sit down and knots were combed out of my hair, and Terni opened the box and took out a golden crown.
"It was Thorin's mother's bridal crown" Terni told me and I looked up at her. "Are you sure I should use it?" I asked and she smiled at me. "Thorin wants you too" she told me and I gave a small nod. She moved behind me and placed the bridal crown on my head.
Someone slipped my shoes onto my feet before I was allowed to stand again. I put on a lovely gold necklace, with small rubies and emeralds embedded into it as my only jewelry. "You are ready" Terni said and I smiled at her. "Thank you" I said to all of them and they nodded before a knock on the door sounded. Fregya opened it to reveal Aden. "Valin, it's time" he announced and I nodded. We all left the room and made our way down the hall. The wedding ceremony was going to be in a lovely grove behind the village.
"Did you get it, Aden?" I asked the younger boy who nodded, unwrapping the long parcel he carried, showing me the sword I had made for today. "You look nice" he told me with a small smile that I returned. "Thank you" I told him and he grinned as we continued to our destination.
Thorin's Pov...
I was standing in the grove, before the gothi, waiting for Valin to arrive. There were several rows of benches set out for my family and our guests and witnesses, all of which were currently occupied. Valin wanted to have the wedding ceremony outside because it was different to what her kin were used to.
I stood there, dressed in my finest clothes and my family's ancestral sword on my hip. "The bride!" someone shouted and it immediately became silent as Valin approached. The other women with her quickly found their seats and she stood across the grove with Aden by her side. Everyone stood as she walked down the aisle, she looked beautiful, her hair was left open and as the breeze blew through the trees, it whipped her hair around wildly. It looked like fire.
When she stopped before me, I could not help but smile down at her as she grinned up at me. "You look beautiful, my love" I whispered to her and had the pleasure of watching her cheeks heat with a blush. "You look handsome" she whispered back and I grinned at her before we turned to the gothi. I held Valin hand in my own and the gothi continued.
He took a knife and moved to the animals we had for the sacrifice to invoke the gods of fertility. There were three of them, a goat for Thór, a sow for Freyja, and a boar for Freyr. He began the sacred prayers as he slit the goat's throat and caught some of it's blood in the bowl. He then repeated the action with the other two animals. The bowl was then placed on the horgr (alter) built of heaped stones for the occasion.
He then dipped the hlaut-teinn into the bowl, before using it lightly sprinkle the blood on Valin and I. He also sprinkles some on the guests to confer the blessings of the gods. I then turned to Valin and almost smirked at her. She had tiny flecks of the blood on her face, and if not for it's colour, it could have been her light freckles. "Present your bride with the sword" the gothi said and I released her hands before presenting the sword to her.
"I, Thorin, give you, Valin, this sword, to hold until the time you are to in trust it to our son. Do you accept?" I told her as she place her hands under the hilt and the flat of the blade. "I accept" she said, her voice even as she looked into my eyes. She then sheathed the sword and passed it to Aden, who gave her another sword. She turned to me and offered me the blade.
"I, Valin, give you, Thorin, this sword, to signify that you now hold the power of guardianship and protection over me. Do you accept?" she asked and I took the sword from her. "I accept" I told her, my voice sure and strong. "You may now exchange finger rings" he told us and Thror gave Valin each other's rings.
I placed Valin's ring on the hilt of the sword she gave me and I then offered the ring to her. She nodded and I took her ring off the sword and slipped it onto her finger. I was happy to see her old husband's ring was now gone. She then took my ring and placed it on the hilt of the sword and offered it to me. I nodded and she smiled as she slipped it onto my finger. We then joined hand on the sword's hilt.
"I, Thorin, promise to you, Valin, that I will always love and protect you. I will lay my life down for you and if any man threatens to take you from me, I swear to cut him down. I vow to love any and all children you bare me, and I vow to protect them with my life as well. I vow this as your husband, lover, and father of your children" I spoke, loud and clear, ensuring that all heard me proclamation to her.
"I, Valin, promise to you, Thorin, that I will always love and fight for you. I will lay down my life for you and if any woman threatens to take you from me, I swear I will cut her down. I vow to vow to love any and all the children I bare you and I vow to protect them with my life as well. I vow this as your wife, lover and the mother of your children" she said, her eye shining with unshed tears.
"You are now husband and wife in the eyes of the gods" the gothi announced and the crowd cheered for us. I leaned down and kissed her then, she responded to the kiss eagerly and I felt myself smile into it. The cheers got louder before someone shouted, "Save that for the wedding night, Thorin!", and we pulled away from one another, grinning like fools.
"Bring the horses!" I called and some of the young boys brought horses for my men and myself. I quickly mounted Bree, when Valin looked at me confused. "Where is Vana?" she asked and I smiled down at her. "This is the bruð-hlaup, my love" I told her and her looked confused before she understood what I said. "Bride-running?" she said and I nodded. "The last ones to get to the feast area, must serve ale to the other party" I told her.
"If this is a race, would I not need a horse?" she asked and I smirked. "Only the men get horses, those are the rules" I told her and she huffed before I turned Bree around and joined the other mounted men a few paces behind Valin and the women she was prepared by. All except Terni. "Ready?!" Aden shouted and Valin and the other women grabbed the hems of their skirts. "Steady!" Aden shouted again and they took one step forward. "Go!" Aden shout again and they took off running.
I laughed as I nudged Bree's sides and he took off, the other men following after me. We overtook the women in seconds and continued on. I looked back to see Valin, one hand held up her dress so she would not trip over it and the other holding the bridal-crown in place, a wide smile on her lips as she laughed.
Valin's Pov...
I could not help but laugh as Throin rode past me. He and the men had already entered the walls of the village and would be in the open fields at the back, waiting. Once I had made it across the field, I ran through the gates and was met by cheering. Laughing, I went to the head table where Thorin sat, smirking at me, his cup already in hand waiting. "Ale, wife!" he proclaimed and everyone laughed and celebrated for him.
I took up the jug and filled his cup, but before he could drink from it, I took it and downed the contents myself. This earned me cheers from the women. I put the cup down, smirking at my husband. Filling the cup again, I handed it to him. "Ale, husband?" I teased and he took it, downing it in a few gulps before slamming the cup onto the table, the crowd roared at the action. He then pulled me into his lap and lay a kiss onto my lips.
"Bring the mead!" Thrain called and a servant girl came forth with a bowl-like vessel with handles on both side in the form of wolf heads. I stood and took it from her. I turned to Thorin, who remained seated and presented the cup of mead to him. I handed it to him and recited one of the formal verses Terni had taught me before. When he took the cup, he made the sign of the Hammer over it, moving the hand in a T-shaped pattern, consecrating it to Thor.
Before bringing it to his lips, he made a toast to the All-father, Odin and then took a drink of the mead. Smiling, he offered it to me and I made a toast to the goddess, Freyja before drinking some, myself. Once the cup was empty, it was taken away and we were seated. A gothi, came forward baring a stone hammer. I sat still as the gothi handed the hammer to Thorin, who lay it across my lap and he asked the gods to bless my womb.
When the blessings were over, the hammer was taken away and Thorin leaned over and captured my lips with his. Smiling into the kiss, I cupped his bearded cheek and tried to deepen it. I felt Thorin's teeth nibble on my lower lip and I allowed him into my mouth. His hands snaked around my waist and pulled me closer to him. "Save something for tonight, brother!" I heard Thror, Thrain and Nikhil shouting and broke the kiss off.
My cheeks red with a blush, I had forgotten we were in the company of the entire village and more. Everyone laughed at my embarrassed look but Thorin simply moved my hair to the side and kissed my neck, causing a shiver to travel through me. "Let the feast begin!" he called and all cheered as the food and drink was brought in. I suddenly felt his breath on my ear.
"I cannot wait to have you to myself tonight, Valin" he whispered to me and I felt my body grow heated at his words. Neither can I.
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Here you go!
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XxNikkyxX