Then for the last prompt of sunset can I ask for request a Thorin drabble with him telling young Kili and Fili of when he started loving the reader and the reader just responds “i woke up one morning and realised i loved you.” with Kili and Fili laughing their heads off at that - T
So here goes my final prompt for this challenge!!!
Thank you so much my dear <3
Stars
Words: 1,5 k
You could smell the interrogation a mile away; Kíli was grinning ear to ear and Fíli was kneading his hands in that self-soothing manner he usually got when working up the nerve to be just the slightest bit pompous. Noblesse oblige, and so on; he really was your beloved Thorin’s nephew.
“Uncle,” Kíli piped up – just a tad too early which made it necessary to raise his voice – and wriggled his eyebrows in an imitation, both adorable and terribly accurate, of Thorin’s inquisitive expression that you had to suppress a wild chuckle.
“Uncle,” he repeated as he drew closer, “how did you know that you loved auntie? Fíli says that one has to get a letter delivered by an eagle for love to be real.”
His small, still fairly hairless, lip trembled for a moment as he added that his brother denied ever having had such a letter and that – hence – he did not love his annoying little brother.
“Well,” Thorin leaned back against the high back of his chair and sighed, “I have loved your aunt for quite a long while now and – let me tell you this – it is very important to court ladies for an appropriate amount of time before speaking of any kind of emotions.”
Ah, you thought, Thorin would turn this into a teaching moment. You loved him dearly and that’s why you refrained from rolling your eyes at his own fit of self-importance.
“One day – after a perfectly proper courting period – we sat on a hill and watched the sun sink into the mountains, covering them with liquid gold; your aunt – my beloved – was positively glowing in the soft light.
It was then that I realised that I would look to her for light and warmth; she was the never-setting sun of my days. No matter the burst of all the colours of a fire the sunset painted into the sky, this natural spectacle of glorious defeat could not rival the unbroken radiance of your aunt.
Long did we sit there until the night sky was powdered with diamonds, sprinkled liberally onto the dark velvet backdrop like the treasure trove of some distant giant.
And still, the twinkling of mischief and unadulterated joy in your aunt’s eyes put the very stars to shame; she was not only the light of my days but the solace of my nights.
In this moment, I understood that I would turn to her instead of the sun and that it was her – and her beautiful eyes – that I would consider in making my maps.
Over time – I cannot stress that enough – she had become both my home and the destination of my long and weary travelling.”
It was rare that Thorin waxed lyrical about anything or anyone and you felt deeply flattered by his words; of course, you suspected that he had embellished a few of the details for his nephew’s sake but - in essence – you did not doubt that his words were as true as his heart was.
He had courted you according to the rules and traditions of your people and in a manner befitting his status; the stolen kisses and the wild giggling upon almost being caught in a rather compromising position though seemed to have been – for pedagogical purposes – omitted.
“So, she was beautiful?” Kíli cocked his head dubitatively, pulling at his dark, unruly hair in disgust; it was clear that – despite his best efforts – his uncle was not being very comforting to the young boy.
"Ah, if one has to be beautiful to be loved, then you know that it’s looking very bleak for you indeed…” Fíli teased his brother whose lip wobbled more consistently now.
“No,” Thorin cut in sharply, “I mean yes, she was gorgeous, but she was also kind.”
This last word cut like a knife, and you could see Fíli’s head drop in shame; he knew how much his approval meant to his younger brother, but he was not yet of an age where he’d easily recognise when he was going too far in his jibes.
“Your aunt was gentle, warm, and generous; she was a great companion and a loyal friend. I felt happy whenever I was with her; she made me feel brave and strong…”
Thorin rubbed his broad, callused hand over his forehead; they were his sister-sons and he loved them dearly, but he knew not how to explain things to them that they would not experience nor even begin to understand for decades to come.
Sometimes you suspected that – more protective and jealous than even their own mother – Thorin would have preferred that the days of flighty flirtation would never come around for his darling nephews.
He tried to explain the world to them nonetheless and he deserved all the credit in the world for his honest endeavours to prepare them as well as he could, be it when it came to crafting, fighting, or interacting wisely and fairly with others.
“What about you, auntie? When did you know that you loved uncle Thorin?”
You froze; you had not expected that your perspective would be wanted or needed on this subject.
“I guess, I just woke up one morning,” you started lamely, “Thorin was snoring, and his heavy arm lay draped around me like a rope of warmth. We had fallen asleep while staring at the night sky and – even though a tad sore – I felt safe and warm.”
You smiled at the memory; of course, Thorin’s eyes were exactly like that darkening night sky: endlessly blue, unfathomably deep, and riddled with stars and tiny fires, but you didn’t think that the boys would listen to another soppy exposé about the beauty of an ‘old’ person.
“Just like that?” Kíli’s face betrayed the struggle between disappointment and childish hope being fought within his heart and mind at this very moment.
“Yes, little one,” you said, bending down to breathe a kiss upon his sweet head, “love is very simple. I woke up and knew that – as long as Thorin was right beside me – I’d wake up every day with a smile on my lips, I’d never be afraid of the dark again, and I’d greet every morning full of faith.”
“Kíli snores,” Fíli interjected with a small chuckle.
“And how does that make you feel?” you asked him very earnestly.
“It’s funny,” Fíli admitted, “and it’s annoying when he climbs into my bed and kicks me in the shins while tossing and turning on top of sounding like a bear cub.”
You merely raised one eyebrow patiently.
“He’s always snored,” Fíli went on, gnawing on his lower lip with a crestfallen expression on his face, “and I guess I like it.”
“Do you now?” Kíli’s head snapped up, his eyes starry with hopefulness.
“Of course, you little idiot. It means you are there and you’re breathing…it means you’re fine and I am not alone. You were an ugly thing when Amad brought you home,” Fíli sniggered again, “so I guess I lied about the letter. I do love you and my love for you is much more like auntie’s for uncle than the other way around.”
You gave your husband a triumphant wink.
“I certainly don’t find you all that pretty, Kí, and when I first met you, you were really dull as well. You’re growing on me though,” Fíli grinned, gave you and Thorin a quick, perfunctory hug and then took his brother’s pudgy, little hand into his own.
“Thanks uncle, thanks auntie! We’re off to play…erm…something!” they called and disappeared much too fast for comfort.
“Don’t be late for dinner,” Thorin yelled after them, turning to you and breathing a kiss onto your brow as he mumbled: “Wise. I forgot to tell them how wise you are, my love.”
“I think they know…after all, my advice was better than yours,” you cackled and started running, knowing full well that Thorin would catch you before you made it to the end of the corridor.
The low, playful growl and the thumping of heavy boots onto stone confirmed your suspicion.
When he caught you around the waist, lifting you into the air effortlessly and pressing a passionate kiss onto your trembling lips, you could only smile to yourself.
They were of one ilk, of one family, of one blood indeed…and you had never stood the slightest chance; you were doomed, damned, and destined to love them.
And love them you had and would, never looking back, never asking why…maybe Thorin was right, and you truly were the wisest of them all.
So, in a truly draining effort, I have completed the bingo card!
Thanks again @fellowshipofthefics for this opportunity...and all my love to my darling reader! You mean the world to me <3