A/N: Set to be wayyyyy before he joined the company! So he's roughly only a hundred in this and the reader is about ninety. (Live laugh love age gaps)
From what I know about dwarven culture with their hair and courting, braiding another person's hair is seen as highly special and something only your partner does for you. You'll see that in the following
Enjoy!
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Dwarves were excellent blacksmiths. It was practically in their nature. While Bofur wasn't profound in the trade, he could still appreciate the craft. So long as he didn't have to do it himself, that was. He never really took the time to master the trade like all of his peers.
One day, while working in the mines, he swung his axe funny and, upon impact, chipped it heavily. A loud twang sounded, echoing starkly throughout the hollow mines. Bofur blinked. Had he hit a diamond? He lifted his arms, turning from side to side to look at the ground. There was nothing that he could see.
"Oh!" Exclaimed he, spotting something. Quickly, he bent down and picked it up. This was his first find of the day! Only, it wasn't a diamond. His brow furrowed, and he flipped the thing around in his hand. It didn't even feel like stone. Come to think of it, it kind of felt like the blade of his axe. The realization hit him harder than his mom did. He gasped, holding up his axe. It was the blade of his axe!! A good hearty chunk of it, too!
"Damn it all!"
He couldn't exactly fix it on his own. Nor did he want to. That would take way too long. So, he decided to go to the nearest forgery. It belonged to the L/Ns. He knew them to be great blacksmiths, and for a low trade cost. When he got to the forgery, he was surprised to see the lack of customers, as it was normally pretty busy here. Though it was probably just the time of day. Maybe today they were closed?
The lack of a person working out front made him uncertain. With that same uncertainty, he stepped inside the forgery.
"Hello?" He called, looking around. Nobody. Though he could hear the sound of metal being pounded. He wandered a bit deeper in, following the noise.
"Helloooo?" He called again, peeking his head around a corner. There sat a dwarf with h/c hair, their back to him, shaping a freshly heated weapon. He stepped around the corner, effectively stumbling over himself as he did. In his fumble of the foot, he dropped his axe. The clatter of it hitting the stone floor caused you to freeze mid-swing.
Slowly, you lowered your arm and turned your head to look back. Bofur instantly ducked down and picked up the broken axe. He grinned awkwardly, looking like a guilty child. You set down your instruments and turned around fully on your stool. Bofur's face dropped. If you weren't the most beautiful dwarf he'd ever seen, then he would never know what beauty truly was.
"Hello," you said, wiping your hands off on your apron.
"H-Hi. Uhm! Ahem, hello."
"What can I do you for?"
Bofur's eyes went wide as pies. "Sorry?" He sputtered.
"How can I help you?"
"Oh! Oh, right, yes."
You walked over to the man, watching curiously as he pulled the broken chunk of his axe from his pocket. He held up the chunk and the axe.
"Ye see, my pic broke while I was off in the mines, y'know, mining as one often does. And well, I suppose I must've swung funny cuz' this chunk here came clean off."
You hummed, looking over the piece in his large palm. You reached for it, your eyes flicking up to his.
"May I?"
"Oh! Yeah, yes. Go for it, lass."
Needing no further confirmation, you took the two pieces and gave them a better look.
"And I suppose you want me to fix it?"
"If you could, I do."
"Alright. Small job. I won't charge you."
Bofur blinked, stunned. No charge? As in no fee or trade? He stood there, his mouth agape, as you turned back around to resume your work.
"Are you sure?"
"Mhmm. Come back tomorrow, and I'll have it done."
He could hardly believe the deal you just cut him. Still flabbergasted, he forced his feet to take him back home. Had you been flirting with him? That had to be it. There was no way you would have made that offer if you weren't. He knew a thing or two about dwarven women, and they were very straightforward and upfront. Just like you had been in your conversation. He dwelled on the thought his whole way home, and by the time he got there he was in the highest spirits he'd probably ever been, grinning and singing songs of love like a madman.
"Ohhh sweet moon, say you hold her heart for meeeee! Hold my to hand hersssss and bless us beeeee!" He sang out, bursting through the door. Bombur, hearing his brother from the kitchen, quirked a brow in what would surely turn into amusement. Bofur sang and danced his way into the kitchen and pulled his brother into the merriment. Bombur laughed rather quickly, allowing it to happen.
"What's got you so happy?" Laughed the redhead.
"Love dear brother!"
"Love? Since when?"
"Now! I met the most beautiful creature in all of the world!"
Bombur shook his head, laughing a little more heartily. "And who'll that be?"
Bofur froze. He had completely forgotten to ask your name, with how enraptured he'd been with you. He was gobsmacked. How idiotic! What kind of fool goes and does something like he just did?
"I- I forgot to ask," gasped out Bofur. Bombur cackled instantly.
"You what?!"
This was horrible! Sometimes he got ahead of himself, sure, but never this bad! He spent the rest of the evening getting teased relentlessly by his brother and beating himself up for his own foolishness. The next morning, he was up bright and early. He washed (which was not a frequent custom for dwarves), took extra time to untangle his hair, and did all the work. Everything he could possibly do without going over the top and giving himself away. Come late morning, early afternoon, he went on over to your forgery. When he got over there, you were again the only person working. This time, however, you were out front. You perked up upon seeing the approach.
"It's you! Here," you held up a finger and ran into the forgery. A moment later, you returned with a smile and his axe in hand. Extending an arm, you handed over the tool to him. "There you are. All fixed"
Bofur marveled at the axe. The blade was slightly bigger and very finely sharpened. Along the heel where some rather intricate, nicely done engravings. A touch of your handywork, no doubt. He ran his fingertips along the blade, feeling the evidence of its remaking. Yet somehow, it wasn't bad. It actually wasn't very different as you kept it true to its original design and make. His eyes flicked up to your face, a scoff of astonishment parting his lips.
"This- Wow."
"I hope you don't mind the detailing I added. I thought it could use a little more touch of life."
"No, no! Not at all. I like it. Love it, in fact, it's grand."
Pride bubbled in your chest, a tinge of warmth hitting your face. "Wonderful. Let me know if you have any trouble with it again, and I'll have no problem putting it right."
"O' course! Only, I have to say I doubt that. With craftsmanship like this? Aye, lass, I say I'd be surprised if it ever broke at all."
"Great," you chuckle lightly, your smile growing fonder, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you." With that being said, you turned around to head back into the forgery. Panic hit Bofur instantly. He couldn't let you go now! The two of you had barely begun to talk!
"Wait!" He blurted. You stopped, turning to look back at him curiously.
"Yes?"
"It's just that! Er- I haven't caught yer name there yet, lass."
"Oh! Sorry about that. It's Y/N."
"Y/N," he breathed out. Pretty name, befitting of a pretty girl like yourself. "I'm Bofur. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise."
After that interaction, there was one thing he was sure of: he had to see you again. He had a slight problem doing that, though, as he had no excuse to. The man practically flew home and tore apart his quarters looking for something, anything to get him back over there. Then it hit him: he could just do the same thing as the last! Being the very mature and wise dwarf he was, he went and broke every single tool or weapon in his possession.
When he returned to your forgery the next day, you were mildly concerned to see him back so soon. He very proudly presented one of his now broken tools for you to fix, and you briefly wondered if he was just bad at handling things or if the tools he had were extremely poorly made.
"Another?"
"Yep!"
"Uh-huh... You do realize that I am going to have to make a trade this time, right?"
"Oh, sure thing! Whatever ye want!"
Your brow went from furrowed to fully raised instantly. That was a very bold offer. One that most others would certainly abuse. Luckily for Bofur, though, you were not most others.
"Interesting. Lunch will do."
You had been half joking when you said that, but Bofur took it seriously without a second thought. Come the seventh day of this incessant behavior of Bofur and his broken tools, you were more than suspicious, and frankly, a bit fed up.
"Right then." You said firmly, slamming down your own tool and giving Bofur a cold, annoyed look. "What is this all about? Are you making fun of me?"
"How do ye mean?"
"This! Your-" you gave a dismissive hand gesture, "coming back every dawn with a new broken item! Do you think I have no other work? Because if you do, then you've got another thing coming to you. I will not have you making a fool of me or my business, much less with your clearly pompously broken crafts! I may be a woman, but I-"
"Now wait a moment!" He interrupted, throwing his hands up as if to pause you. "I promise ye that I meant ye no harm! I suppose I've gone and made a fool meself that in all my fake comings. But really, I had no ill intentions held for ye!"
"No? What did you then?" You snapped, taking on an accusatory tone.
"Just to see ye, really. I wasn't so sure how to do it. I reconned with a trade like yours, you're mighty busy, but if it was b'cuz o' me, then that'd be fine."
"Why in the world would you want or need to see me of all people that often?"
"I think it to be quite obvious."
"Enlighten me."
"Yer beautiful. Makes it mighty hard to want to look at an'thin other than ye."
In a single moment, all the doubt you held washed away, replaced by a feeling of intense trepidation. Silence fell, eye contact remained. This nearly felt like a dream while being so like a reverie. Laughter suddenly filled your lungs, finding your voice and pouring out of your mouth. Poor Bofur, though, didn't understand why you were laughing. Were you rejecting him?
"Why're ye laughin'?"
"You silly man!" You cackled, tears of joy threatening to spill from your eyes. "All this, just for my attention? Destroying your things? Why I've never heard of a more stupid thing!"
Oh boy. Bofur felt his heart sink a little. After a moment, you managed to calm yourself from your laughing fit, reining it in. You cleared your throat, forcing your usual demeanor to return.
"I'll have no more of this. This is the last time I'll take something you broke on purpose. If you come back again with this same shmuck, you won't be welcome here anymore. Now get," you tossed him his tool, and without bothering to hear what he might have to say in response, went inside the forgery. Bofur felt like a kicked puppy. Thoroughly defeated, he dragged his feet all the way home.
Dwarves in their lives only had one love. And if you wouldn't have him.. Then, well, he'd be lonely and heartbroken the rest of his days. That and resentfully jealous of whoever you did choose. When he got home, he locked himself up in his quarters for several hours doing one of two things: bellyaching or trying to find a new way to woo you. Neither proved to be very helpful. He thought at first maybe if he mined you a pretty diamond you'd forget his foolishness, only to realize that you wouldn't want that. You hardly charged him for anything of importance for fixing his things, as it were. You wouldn't want that for no reason. He was stumped again.
In his thinking, he came to realize that you hadn't turned him away because you didn't love him, but rather that you wanted him to go about it in a proper way. Whatever that was. It hit him! He'd make you something! Quickly as he could, he ran to Bifur and begged the man to teach him the art of making toys. He had to start somewhere. Bifur happily agreed, glad his cousin wanted to join his trade. Over the course of the next several weeks, Bofur spent all his time learning to make toys. It ended up being much harder than he had anticipated, but greatly fun. Much more than mining had ever been to him. More rewarding too, as the more he made, the better he got at it.
Eventually, he trusted his skill enough to make something for you. He chose that thing to be a flower carved out of wood. Once finished, he worked up the courage to head over to your forgery. It was high afternoon, and the city was busy with life. You were working out front, but didn't seem to be the only one there today. He watched from afar as you smiled and interacted with a customer. Just the sight of you felt like heaven. When the customer walked away, leaving you alone, he made his approach. You hadn't noticed him before the stand, preoccupied with writing something down. He cleared his throat, earning your attention.
You looked up, seeing as Bofur meekly took off his hat while holding something close to his chest. Your brow furrowed, and you opened your mouth to speak, though he cut you off before you could.
"Now hold on there, just a moment, lass. I haven't a thing for you to fix. Please, hear me out."
You stared at him a moment, lips pursed in frustration. With a huff, you crossed your arms.
"Fine, you have one minute to explain yourself."
"I wanted to apologize for making an arse of myself the last few times I was here. I meant not to mock ye, and.. I've brought you a peace offering," he extended the arm close to his chest, holding out the wooden flower. A soft gasp left your lungs, and your hands moved on their own accord, very gently taking the flower from Bofur. You held it tenderly, as if it might break under the smallest amount of pressure. It was beautiful; the attention to detail made it look so real. Examining it closer, you found your initials engraved at the bottom of the stem. Your heart clenched in your chest, lurching, reaching for the man before you.
"...And a piece of my heart," he continued. You look up at him, wide-eyed and in disbelief. He looked so unsure, so nervous. Teetering on the edge of complete devastation, if nothing else. You looked down at the flower once more before trailing your gaze back up to his face.
"I.." you started, pausing to wet your lips, "I have to get back to work. But... I need my hair braided"
A wide smile spread across his lips, and he quickly put his hat back on.
Travel back 20,000 years into the last Ice Age, to a time when the upper reaches of the Blue Mountains were treeless and the ridgelines and
Travel back 20,000 years into the last Ice Age, to a time when the upper reaches of the Blue Mountains were treeless and the ridgelines and mountain peaks laden in snow and ice.
At an elevation of 1,073 meters, you will find Dargan Shelter, an ancient rock shelter resembling a large amphitheater. Looking around, you could easily assume this cold and barren high country was too difficult for people to spend time in.
But our new research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, indicates Dargan Shelter was occupied as early as the last Ice Age and repeatedly visited during this cold period.
