Work Text:
The wicker box did the trick.
You bounded down the grand stone halls of your newly reclaimed home; Erebor. Taking great care to not shake the box too much, you turned a corner and hurried up a large staircase. You just couldn’t wait to show him!
You never quite grasped how your people managed to bring Erebor back to its previous splendor again in such short time. It was the pinnacle of the East, with trade prospering the kingdom had never been more well off.
Bursting into the library, “Balin!”, you gasped excitedly.
“Good grief!”, the poor dwarf dropped his quill, splattering ink all over the parchment he was working on.
“Where’s Thorin?”, you asked a little out of breath. You were told he was back from the Iron Hills and you were hoping to get to see him before he left to tend to his “kingly duties” again. After all, you were courting, you were entitled to his time.
“Lass, this is a library, people are doing important things, keep your voice down”, he said wiping some of the ink off his tunic.
You looked around the empty room and brought your voice to a barely audible whisper, “Balin, where’s Thorin?”.
He shook his head and laughed, “If you’d have calmed down for a second, you’d have heard him come up behind you”.
“Eeep!!”, you squeaked as you whipped around, almost colliding into Thorin’s chest. His hands came down on your shoulders to steady you.
“Always in such a hurry”, he chuckled.
“Thorin!”. you exclaimed kissing his red royal tunic clad chest. You’d have given him a hug, if not for the delicate box in your hands. But that did’t stop your King, he picked you up and held you in a tight embrace, “I’ve missed you”.
“I’ve missed you too”, you managed to wheeze out, “Thorin, I can’t.. breathe”.
He put you down just in time to hear Balin, “Get out of here, you lovebirds. Leave an old man be”, he laughed.
He led you down corridors upon corridors while you chattered on.
“It’s a miracle you didn’t crush the box! I’ve been wandering the streets, looking at all the new things.. and by the way, did you know they call out “gardyloo” when they throw slop out of windows onto the streets below? What an odd thing to do! I mean both, cry out such a word or throw slop out of windows. And, and did you know that there is a person called the “knocker-uper”? He wakes people up in the morning to go to work by knocking on their windows. A peculiar word isn’t it? Knocker-uper...”.
Thorin kept listened to your ramblings as he always did, occasionally nodding when you asked a question. Usually. he would add a comment or two but today he seemed a bit frazzled and far off. But you didn’t notice, you were too busy giving him a full recount of your adventures during the past week. Everyone thought you talked too much, except Thorin. He loved listening to you, he didn’t have to say much and you were fine with that. You wanted to be heard and he wanted someone to talk to him.
“Oh! But I almost forgot what I wanted to show y-”, you looked around the room he had brought you to, “why are we in your room?”.
You’d only been in his room a total of two times, once when he was sick and the other time was because you had a panic attack in the middle of the night and had no one to talk to.
Thorin walked up to the balcony and then to his dresser.
When he didn’t say anything you shrugged, “Weeell, anyway, I went down to Dale today and..”, you began your narration.
He spoke softly, “I will surely loose my nerve if I don’t say it now”, his words didn’t reach your ears.
“...and you’re never going to believe what I found!”, you placed the box on his bed and picked up its contents.
“What do you think?”, you beamed waiting for him to turn around.
“Y/N, I-”, he whipped around in a burst of adrenaline and froze when he saw what you were holding up.
“What the hell is that?!!”, he exclaimed backing up into the dresser and holding his hand up slightly, it almost looked like King Thorin was afraid. Almost.
“What? It’s a cat, silly! I named him Berry”, you petted his head.
“By the stars in heaven, Y/N, that is not a cat”, he said making a disgusted face.
You narrowed your eyes, “What are you saying? You don’t like him?”. Well sure, Berry wasn’t the best looking cat around. He barely had any fur on him, save for some scruffy, matted patches on his pale pink skin. He was unhealthily skinny, with bones jutting out from all sides and he shook when he stood. Oh, and he had one eye missing. But you didn’t care, you thought this cat was perfect, you had fed and cleaned him as best as you could and he was beginning to sound much better already.
Thorin took a deep breath and took a few steps towards you, “Y/N. That thing needs to be put out of its misery. I-”
“He isn’t in any kind of misery!”, you kissed the top of Berry’s head and Thorin visibly flinched.
You laughed, “My King, you have seen many battles, seen incomprehensible suffering and this cat brings you to your knees?”.
“I’m not afraid”, he said lowering his eyebrows, “It’s just that..it looks..odd.. And like you said, I’ve seen many things. So if I say that that...cat...is out of sorts, you’d best believe it”.
“But he’s so cute”, you cooed placing him in the box again.
“Oh sweet Ma-hal”, Thorin groaned running his hand over his face.
Fuck it. He was going to do it. In three quick long strides he was behind you. Spinning you around he pushed you on the bed till you were sitting. You stared at him, wide eyed and open mouthed.
“I don’t have a lot of time, and this is the only place I can get some damn privacy..”, he took in a deep breath.
“Thorin?”
“Will you marry me?”, letting those words out took a huge weight off his shoulders. “I want you by my side everyday, to love and honor. To make me a better dwarf”, he held out an exquisitely crafted ring and a hair bead to match with his sigil carved into it.
You grinned from ear to ear, “Oh! I will”.
He pushed you on to the bed and kissed you passionately while you wrapped your arms around him. He broke the kiss and placed a few more on your jaw and neck.
“You don’t look so surprised”, he commented kissing your earlobe. He quickly braided your hair in an intricate style and secured it with the bead.
“I’m not. I knew you were going to ask me, I just didn’t know when”, you giggled. Everyone in Erebor had been expecting this to happen for a while.
“Oh. Can’t keep anything from you hmm?”, he kissed your lips again and trailed his hand down your tummy and over your exposed thigh.
“You can try..”, you ran your fingers through his soft hair.
Meow.
You both looked to the side to see Berry sticking his head out of the box, looking at the two of you with his one eye.
“Nothing sets the mood like a dying cat”, Thorin’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
You smacked him lightly on his chest, “He’s not dying. And you’re going to have to love him if we are to be married”.
“Love..is a strong word. Maybe tolerate?”, he offered.
There was a loud knock on the door, “The council started without yer. Best hurry”, Dwalin said from the other side of the door.
Thorin jumped to his feet, “I’m sorry my love. I will come find you once this is dealt with”, he hurriedly pulled you to your feet and kissed you.
“Of course. Hurry back to me”, you said heading for the door.
“Wait. Don’t forget your rat”, he held the wicker box away from him, by the edges with the very tips of his fingers.
Before he shut the door you managed to retort, “Its a cat and his name is Berry!”.
“Mmhhm”.