Finally, after much searching, you managed to find a job. It consists of transporting supplies on a boat for the lighthouse keeper who lives alone on the islet lashed by wind and waves. You like the job even if you have to help the guardian to rearrange the supplies, a certain Thorin Oakenshield, a taciturn and rather gruff dwarf. Unfortunately, that day the sea was quite rough and when you arrived on the islet the wind picked up and a storm started. You've taken refuge in the lighthouse with Thorin ruling that you won't be able to return to dry land for some time, maybe a week!
Ooooh!!
You can use this ask as a prompt for a fic or you can describe to us what you feel and what you do, the important thing is to make us dream ✨
This is such a lovely ask, so detailed and creative. I absolutely l love it, and thank you so much for sending it to me. I'm going to write it as a head canon, and then, who knows, it may be developed for a fic. ;)
You take a boat over to the island every three days, making sure that you have plenty of basic items for Thorin, such as groceries, toiletries, household items and even clothing.
He keeps in close contact with you so that you can also shop for the items that he needs before delivering them.
You know when you set off that afternoon that a storm is approaching, but Thorin is particularly low on food supplies and you cannot leave him without food.
As you row towards the island, you can feel the waves picking up height and speed. You know that you're not going to see your own home for at least a couple of days.
Thorin in surprised to see you and tells you that you shouldn't have come out in the bad weather.
As he lets you into the lighthouse, he can't help but smile as you drift past him. It's lonely out on the island and he often thinks about you at night, wondering what it would be like to hold you and find warmth with you.
You help Thorin pack away all of his items, but after an hour, you can hear the winds gusting around the tall building.
"There is no way you can go back while the weather is like this!" Thorin insists, as he stands at the window and pulls the curtain aside, watching the frightening height of the waves.
You can't help but feel a spark of excitement in your belly. You've had a crush on Thorin since the first time you came to the island and delivered his items. His eyes, his voice, his presence. But you also sense sadness inside him and loneliness.
Thorin cooks you a meal, a hearty stew, and just as you finish the last mouthful, the power goes out.
Thorin lights many candles and places them in the main rooms on the ground floor.
Your room will be the guest room next to Thorin's and he shows you your room, holding a candle which illuminates his face.
Once you head to bed, you lie there in silence, listening to the raging storm outside.
Thorin also lies awake in the next room, wondering what you are doing.
You get up to go to the toilet and accidentally fall over something in the darkness, which makes Thorin come running into your room as he heard the tumble.
He gets down to you, a candle glowing. "Are you alright?" he asks softly. Then he offers you his hand and helps you up.
Your ankle has been twisted and you moan in pain, falling against him.
Thorin grabs you, and for a couple of seconds, you can't help but gaze into each other's eyes.
Hey Fellowship of the Fics! Please welcome @estethell!! 👏🥳 Estethell decided to share her thoughts and impressions on her fic: An unlikely friendship, an impossible love.
Question 1: What about this story stands out from other stories with the same trope(s)?
This story is about how Nori and Bofur met before the quest for Erebor and how they fell in love on the journey. Unlike the other stories, this fic tells the moments to which the movie has little space or importance, so as not to be too pedantic to the reader who knows well the scenes narrated.
Question 2: What was the most emotionally-charged scene to write?
Definitely the scene of Nori finding Bofur in an alley in Balegost who has just been beaten and robbed. Describing that scene, I tried to empathize with Nori and feel his burning anger at finding Bofur in that state. Describing how Nori caught those responsible and made them pay was straightforward. Instead, I felt a great pity for Bofur, I really suffered for him! Thankfully, he quickly recovers and returns to his fantastic smile in no time!
Question 3: Do you have dreams for a sequel/spin-off from this story? If so, what would it be about?
Yes, I would love to write a spin-off of this story (actually I have already written the beginning, but I have abandoned it). It talks about how Bifur took up little Bofur and Bombur, what he did to raise them, and how he got hurt. It's a very sweet story about how a gruff dwarf used to being lonely learns to love and care for two little dwarfs and raise them as his own children.
Question 4: I feel like every writer has an "original intention" for how a story's going to progress. Has this story stuck pretty well to that original intention, and if not how has it veered away?
I believe it followed my original intention very well. I started writing this story because I wanted a long fic about this minor couple and I didn't want the usual story that describes the trite scenes in the movie. I wanted something that told of a slow build in new situations but that didn't stray too far from the original story. I did it? Posterity will judge!
Question 5: If there was a Dedication section for this fic, who would you dedicate it to?
I would dedicate it to all those people who supported me during the writing phase, read the chapters and commented even privately. They know who they are ;)
I would also dedicate it to my boyfriend who with immense patience has always listened to my ideas-theories-solutions even if he doesn't like this kind of thing xD
If you haven’t read this story yet, go back up to the top and be sure to click the link. Also if you haven’t seen Estethell’s works before, here are some other fics that she has done that are worth checking out as well:
A bad temper
Nightmare
If you would like to get you and your story featured in Monday Mentions, please click the Application Link! If you have any questions/concerns with the form, please feel free to leave an ask or DM one of us! Questions will be updated each month so repeat writers and stories are welcome. New writers will be prioritized.
It's dinner time!! Bombur is in a good mood and generous tonight, he wants to cook every dwarf's favorite dish. Tell us what favorite dish each dwarf in the company asks Bombur for dinner (make a list)!
Oooh thanks for the ask and good question! I’ll try my best but my food knowledge is very limited! xD
Ok so starting off with Bombur I feel like he would love something carb-heavy like a large plate of spaghetti bolognese with grated Parmesan, and a side of garlic bread. Like LOTS of garlic bread. He basically gets like more garlic bread than spaghetti.
I think Balin is the one who’s having the classic Middle Earth meal: something like a hot game stew and a loaf of bread with cheese and grapes. And a big mug of ale of course!
Thorin is extra as fuck so he would want something fancy and refined like caviar brioche or something and a glass of red wine.
If anybody in the Company would be vegetarian I think it would be Dori so for him maybe like stir fry and rice with a side salad. I feel like he would also be a huge fan of sushi.
To contrast that Dwalin is having prime ribs and steak fries, and don’t skimp on the bbq sauce.
Similarly Gloin would have a whole plate of chicken drumsticks and mashed potatoes.
For some reason Bofur strikes me as a Tex-mex kinda guy. Tacos, enchiladas, nachos and guac, the works. With a light beer to wash it down with.
Kili wants breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and ground beef mixed in. Crispy bacon or sausage. Several scones with butter and jam. Maybe some pancakes. And he would get coffee but only because he wants to feel like an adult.
I feel like Fili would choose a comfort food. Like mac’n cheese. And by that I mean homemade mac ‘n cheese with flour and milk and stuff, not that orange goo.
Nori is having hella seafood. Like a whole bowl of shrimp, perfectly seasoned salmon, scallops and mussels , and fried calamari.
Ori is eating chicken nuggets. No I will not elaborate.
Oin would have potato soup with a bread bowl and a baguette for dipping in, with some kettle chips on the side.
And finally, Bifur is having a venison steak (he shot the deer himself!)
Summary: Have you ever wondered how Bofur and his Broadbeam kin joined Thorin's company? What if it all started with an unexpected friendship that developed into something more? (Bofur x Nori)
Rating: T
By: @shrimpsthings (art) and @lathalea (text)
This goodnight story (as told by Santa Balin) is a gift for the wonderful @estethell 🎁 🎄🎅 Happy Holidays!
You can also read it on AO3.
* * * * *
Wood crackled merrily in the fireplace. It was a dark winter evening and the forest cabin they were staying at was surrounded by a snowy landscape. Wrapped in a warm blanket and looking at the flames, Bofur had to admit that it was a very cozy evening. He was almost dozing off when a familiar figure joined him under the blanket.
“Nori, is that you?” Bofur asked sleepily.
“Who else?” his red-haired friend replied cheekily and sat beside him, his shoulder brushing against Bofur’s arm. “Were you expecting another dwarf?”
“May I remind you we’re snowed in, and by the looks of it, there is another snowstorm coming…”
“So it is you and me against the foul weather and wilderness again?” smirked Nori, filling his pipe with tobacco.
“Aye, it’s our fate apparently,” Bofur admitted, toying with his pipe as well. Their evening pipe smoking became a habit for them. Snowed in or not, he could not have imagined spending this time cut off from the world with anyone else than Nori. They were friends, and they grew even closer in the last months. There was something about this charming scoundrel of a dwarf that made Bofur smile every time he thought of him. A true friend. Before he met Nori, he never had one and hadn’t even known what he was missing. Looking at his companion sitting so close to him, he held onto that thought and felt the pleasant warmth spilling in his chest.
“Remember the first time we met?” Nori asked after a pause.
“We spent a night under my blanket too,” Bofur chuckled. “My hat got torn and it was all your fault!”
“No, it wasn’t! It wasn’t my fault you decided to enrage that wolverine instead of giving him your supper!” his friend protested.
“I thought he was going to attack you!” he retorted. A new bickering session was on the horizon and he was looking forward to their usual word sparring.
“No, you got it all wrong, Bofur! You didn’t even know I was there! The animal was attacking you!”
“By Mahal’s beard, you are remembering it all wrong! You were the one in danger!”
“Let me remind you how it really was…”
***
“Hold the thief!”
“He went that way!”
“I saw him over there!”
“After him!”
Nori was fast at lightning. A few more turns along the underground walkways of Belegost and he was running out through the gates, leaving his pursuers and their angry shouts behind. The loudest and angriest shouts belonged to a relentless warrior called Dwalin, the captain of the local guard. A real pain in the ass, if you asked Nori. Dwalin interrupted him as he was just minding his own business, introducing social equality to this cruel world: taking from the rich, giving to the poor. And by poor Nori meant himself, of course.
He had two brothers who relied on him so the last thing he could do was to get caught. Dwalin and his “boy scouts” knew all the nooks and crannies of the dwarven city too well so there was only one thing Nori could do to outrun them at that time. That meant leaving Belegost and heading towards the backwoods of Ered Luin.
This was the reason why he won this round of their never-ending game. Crouching among the bramble bushes, he sniggered in amusement when Dwalin along with several of the guards were running past him deeper into the wilderness, unaware of the fact that they had been hoodwinked by him. Again. Nori smirked. Clearly, Dwalin was getting old.
Their angry shouts faded away after some time and Nori decided to return to the city and hunker down for a few days in one of his usual hideouts. He marched and marched among the trees, humming one of his usual tunes, but the forest seemed to stretch as far as his eye could see and the trail leading back to Belegost was nowhere to be found.
It was getting dark and he didn’t like those grey clouds above him. Colds gusts of wind chilled him to the bone. His stomach rumbled and the trees loomed over him ominously. Nori had to face it. He was the best thief in Ered Luin, but not the greatest forest ranger. He was a city dwarf, after all. And now he was lost.
“Dori is going to kill me,” he thought, recalling the promise he gave his older brother. He was supposed to finally start behaving like a respectable dwarf and find a good, steady trade. Unfortunately for Dori, Nori couldn’t stop himself from doing what he knew best. He had skilled fingers and a clever mind but being an artisan or a jeweller was not as thrilling as his favorite trade: reacquisition of goods.
When the first heavy drops of rain fell on him, he mumbled a curse. It was almost dark and it looked like he would have to spend the night in that inhospitable forest. Nori looked ahead, trying to pierce the darkness with his gaze in order to find shelter when a flickering glow danced in the corner of his eye.
“A bonfire? Here, in this wilderness?” he frowned but his curiosity and a possibility of warming up by a roaring fire quickly led him towards that mysterious light.
He reached a clearing in the woods and hid behind a tree. The bonfire he saw from afar illuminated the surroundings quite well and Nori realized that he actually reached the edge of this accursed forest. There was a small grassy patch in front of him and across it, a huge wall of rock prevented the woods from spreading further. He was at the foot of a mountain peak. That was when he heard someone shouting.
His keen eyes quickly turned towards the source of light. It was located in a small cave carved by erosion. A dwarf in a funny-looking hat was there, waving a sharpened stick at something.
“Shoo! This is my supper! You won’t get even a bite! Go away or I’ll… I’ll make a carpet out of you!” the dwarf exclaimed. Only then did Nori notice a predator crouching in the darkness. An angry growl told him that the beast was ready to strike.
At that very moment, the large animal pounced on the dwarf, pinning him to the ground. A cry of pain was heard and, at the same time, Nori’s knife whooshed through the air, hitting the target instantly. It was a wolverine. The animal roared in surprise and then pulled back, darting into the forest with a loud howl.
“Ah well, there goes my knife,” Nori sighed, quickly approaching the dwarf. He was really fond of that blade.
The dwarf was lying sprawled on his back on the stone floor of the cave. The beast’s claws grazed his shoulder and his leg was injured as well. His strange hat with pointy ear flaps was thrown aside nearby and Nori saw that two thick brown braids drooped at the sides of his face while his dark upturned moustache contrasted with his pale skin.
“Don’t move, let me check your wounds,” Nori said, taking a quick look at them.
“Is it very bad?” the dwarf hissed through his clenched teeth. Nori had to admit he liked his sparkly dark brown eyes. Someone with such a friendly gaze definitely can’t be a member of Dwalin’s guard. Besides, he didn’t look like a warrior but rather like a simple craftsman of some sort.
“I’ve seen worse. It will sting a bit,” said Nori, taking out his hip flask and pouring some of its contents on the wounds. He sighed in relief. They didn’t look bad.
“Argh! Do you want to kill me? If so, bring that four-legged monster back, his bite didn’t hurt as bad as this!” the dwarf objected to the treatment.
“Lie still! I’m disinfecting your wound!” Nori exclaimed, trying to restrict the movements of his patient.
“I’d rather disinfect the inside of my stomach with that medicine of yours! Do I smell aquavit?” the dwarf’s attention suddenly turned to a more pleasant subject.
“Aye, my cousin makes the best caraway aquavit in Belegost!”
The dwarf looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You don’t mean Kjartan the Red, do you?”
“That is exactly whom I mean!” the red-haired thief admitted.
“Mahal be praised! Give me that!” the dwarf pulled himself up with a hiss, snatched the flask from Nori’s hand, and took a large gulp. “Ahhh… That’s better!”
“Hey! That’s mine!” Nori protested, snatching his property back. The flask was noticeably lighter than before.
“Are you denying me the medicine I dearly need?! Do you want me to die here of blood poisoning?” the dwarf made an innocent face, his wounds temporarily forgotten.
“Something tells me you’re more interested in drinking the medicine more than in me patching you up!” Nori raised his voice. “I’m not spending the night with a dead dwarf by my side in this horrible forest!”
Nori’s stomach chose this exact moment to growl loudly. His wounded companion burst out in laughter.
“Alright, alright. I’ll let you clean my wounds and then we’ll eat. There is roasted meat by the fire. Oh, and my name is Bofur, by the way.”
***
The rainstorm came just after they finished their meal. They huddled for warmth in the farthest corner of the cave, sharing Bofur’s blanket. There were many hours until dawn.
“Thank you for saving my life, Nori,” whispered the wounded dwarf, looking at his torn hat in his hands.
“Think nothing of it. We dwarves have to stick up for each other. You’d do the same for me,” he grinned. “Here, take another sip, it will keep you warm.”
Bofur nodded and returned the flask to Nori after taking a sip. “So, what brings a city dwarf like you into the forest?”
“Ah, it’s actually a funny story,” the thief smiled sheepishly. “I had a small misunderstanding with Dwalin...”
“The Bear? You had a ‘misunderstanding’ with the Bear himself and you survived?!” Bofur’s eyes widened.
Nori chuckled at the nickname. It fitted the grumpy captain of the guard very well. “Let’s just say I’m a natural sprinter, very dangerous on short distances… and Dwalin is not.”
Loud laughter filled the cave. “You have to tell me all about it! I want to hear it all!”
“There’s nothing to talk about…”
“Come on, the night is young! It’s not like we’re getting anywhere in this weather,” Bofur coaxed him with a wide smile. His cheeks finally gained some color and there were sparks of joy dancing in his eyes. Somehow Nori felt it difficult to say no.
“Very well. But then you’ll have to tell me how you found yourself in this place.”
“A story for a story,” Bofur agreed eagerly.
And so their first night of exchanging stories from their lives began.
***
“... and this is exactly how it happened!” finished Nori with a triumphant tone in his voice.
“Well, perhaps… But it’s your word against mine,” admitted Bofur hesitantly. Nori always found his friend’s inability to admit error very cute. Both of them chuckled and Nori suddenly realized that their faces were very close to each other. He could feel the heat of Bofur’s shoulder and thigh pressed against him. Their smiles faltered simultaneously.
“I’ll…,” Bofur cleared his throat, suddenly jumping up, the blanket falling to the floor. “I’ll go and make some hot tea for us,” he averted his gaze and quickly moved to the stove.
Nori sighed. He knew he couldn’t delay it any longer. It was time. He had to make himself say these words, even if it would cost him their friendship. Since the first time they met, Bofur’s company was the thing he started cherishing more than any gems or even golden candlesticks straight from Rivendell. And his friend had the right to know how he felt.
“Bofur,” Nori started, holding the warm mug of tea in his hands. They both moved to sit on one of their beds now. “We’ve known each other for a while now.”
“A rather long while, if you ask me!” Bofur grinned.
“There is something… something I want you to know… something I feel…” Nori tried to find the words to voice his thoughts, but his mind went blank.
“What is it, Nori? Is something wrong?” Bofur looked at him with concern on his face.
“There is one thing that I’d really like to do. Just one thing. And I’ve wanted to do it for a very long time, but now I have finally the courage to ask.”
“And what that might be?” his friend asked curiously, his dark brown moustache moving upwards as he smiled encouragingly.
“You know my trade…” Nori continued slowly. Suddenly his throat felt parched so he took a sip of the tea.
“Aye, ‘reacquisition of goods’ as you call it!” Bofur admitted. “I call it ‘the art of stealing’,” he deadpanned.
“Exactly. That is why I would like to ask you… Would you allow me to steal a kiss from you?” Nori swallowed nervously.
“It took you long enough! “ Bofur laughed heartily, his eyes brightening. “I thought you’d never ask!”
* * * * *
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