Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

„Are you not going?“ Thorin frowned while undressing. „What’s wrong with you?“
Despite his apparent lack of shyness, she forced herself to look the other way when he let his breeches fall to his ankles, standing in front of her like the day he was born.
„You alway bath with us,“ he stated, obviously hoping to make her talk.
„I do. But not today,“ she shrugged, staring at his calves.
He didn’t let it go, just crouched in front of her, so she had to meet his worring eyes. „Tell me what’s wrong. Is it because of those two gangsters? Is it because they were making fun of you last time we had a bath? Is that so? I’m sure they didn’t mean it! You know, they tease you all the time, it’s more like they try to show you their sympathy or something...“
„I don’t mind them. You know i don’t.“
„And I think that your lack of hair is rather attractive,“ he add.
She sighed. „Thorin, i don’t mind them talking about my hair – or lack of. I. Really. Don’t. Mind.“
He was thinking for a while, then he stood up again offering her his hand.“So, you will join us?“
She peeked over her shoulder where other dwarves were occupying the river bank. Merry laughters were audible even from that far and it was like they could hear every joke Kili made about Bofur’s belly or Nori’s bow legs.
„I won’t“, she shook her head.“I can’t.“
He sat in front of her again, studying her patiently. „Are you hurt? Or sick? Should i call for Gloin? Or…“
She stopped him from running for help by laying her hand on his arm. „No, gods! Don’t! Just let me be, please. Go, and have your bath!“
She could see it wasn’t enough for him, so she add silently: „ I’m not sick or hurt, i just… that part of a month…“
She expected his face to be enlighten with a realization, that he would finally understand her situation. But his brow was as knitted as before. „What do you mean – that part of a month?“
„You know… that’s what happens to all grown up girl like me. For god sake, bleeding, Thorin, bleeding!“ she lost her nerves.
He froze. „Bleeding?!“
And she just knew he had know idea… She only grabbed his arm to avoid him from running for Gloin, yet his eyes were on him all the time.
„Thorin, look at me! I’m totally fine! That’s something that happens to all woman all the time! Every month! It’s normal!“
By the look on his face he didn’t buy a word.
She sighed.“Go, Thorin, have your bath.We can talk about it later…“
„I’m not leaving you bleeding!“ he raised his voice again, turning to her, his hands inspecting her arms, her sides for any trace of blood or wound. She shrugged his hands off. „Thorin, stop it! It’s not like that! Just calm down and let me talk!“
His breath was ragged, it took him all of his strenght to leave his SAVE-HER mode. „Talk,“ he whispered eventually.
„Are you calm now?“
„Aye.“
„No, you are not. But i’m telling you anyway. It’s something that happens to every single woman in my world, when they are at the age they could have babies. If they don’t have sex… you know, and don’t get pregnant.“
She realized his confused frown, when she mentioned sex. She rolled her eyes and kept going:“That happens every month. Their body - kind of - bleeds.“
He was silent for a while. Only sounds of bathing dwarves filled the air.
„That’s terrible.“ He whispered eventually, his eyes wide in disbelieve.
„No, it’s not. Women are used to it.“
„Hm, isn’t it safer for woman… you know… not to bleed? To have sex?“
She had to laugh at his words before she thought better of it. „Safer, gods, no! And to be honest – I’m eager to know some details about reproduction system of dvarves!“
He didn’t hear it or care: „Can i help you?“
„What?“
„Can i help you not to bleed? I can have sex with you.“
She lost ability to talk at suddent, she only stared at him as he cocked his head to one shoulder, studying her. „I would do that for you. You can keep talking it’s safe, but…gods, how could be bleeding safe!? I still would bring Gloin to see you.“
She gulped and forced herself to look away from his eyes.
„Thorin, that’s… you offer. I really appreciate but it’s not… humans don’t usually have sex to prevent bleeding.“
„No?“
„No! They have sex because they love each other, they feel attraction and… it’s nice to have sex.“
He shrugged:“I’m still in.“
„Thorin, you got it all wrong. Please, think about the things i said… for a while.“
He shooked his head again: „You bleed and you don’t mind.“
„Exactly,“ she reached to pat his arm.
„You don’t want to have sex with me?“
She just groaned and hide her face in her palms in surrender.
„You do want!“ he beamed at her, while she only wanted to be buried deep under the ground. What an insistant dwarf! King among the insistant dwarves!
She knew that she would have to face him again. She knew she would find him smirking… „Now?“ he add.
„Go and have your bath, Thorin. Please!“ she murmured. „… so i can bleed to death right there.“
„See!?“ he cried out. His patience gone. He grabbed her and pulled her closer, making her gasp in shock. „Thorin, let go! I'm not having sex with you right now, i'm not having bath with you! Just let me be. Let me rest for a few hours! I'll be ok in no time! Few days at the most! I'll have bath again in no time... and..."
"...and have sex with me."
"Thorin..."
"Ok. I can wait," he nodded and stood up. "But i still need to know a lot of things, girl!"
"Me too, Thorin," she sighed. "I'm really confused here."
He also draped a blanket around her before he stood up to left.
"Where've you been? The water is perfect!"
"Kíli, Fíli, not now..." Thorin waved them off. "She is bleeding. But it's covered now."
Before she could react somehow, she saw their expressions - the very same their uncle sported a moments ago. "Can we help somehow?"
"No!" she cried out, accompanied by Thorin himself. "Let me be! Have your bath, and let me be... please?!"
She could only hide her face under the blanket, and pretend she was not there, no, not at all... For a few days - at least.

Chapter Text

"Thorin, you MUST stop this!" she groaned after weeks of Thorin forcing her to eat extras, to rest when she wasn'ť tired at all, giving her observant sideways glances, dismissing her from her chores... But this, THIS, was too much!
She witnessed Thorin talking Nori into washing not only eight dwarf underwear (the number she never dared to discuss), but also her own.
She walked into a camp and yanked out her knickers out of Nori's hands, spitting fire into Thorin's direction.
"I think...we...need...to...talk now!" she hissed at him.
When she noted gasps and Thorin's expression, she add simple "Please!" and marched out of the camp, far enough from all of the confused and terryfied and amused dwarves, to place where both of them would be able to yell at each other without witnesses.
"Thorin, for god sake, i'm not that useless as you obviously think I'm!"
He just cocked his head. His expression unreadable. But there was still something she needed to say before she get scared.
"You can't do this to me! I - finally - felt like i was a part of the company. I was helping, hell, i was needed! And now? It's like i've been at a nursery!"
She sighed: "Look, I understand, or... hell, i even appreciated you can finally see me as a woman. But this is too much. Maybe this is all misunderstood."
"Is it?" his whole feature darkened.
"Yes! I think you don't realise i'm fully capable of taking care of myself!"
"I do."
"I'm not sick, or disabled!"
"I know."

She groaned again, confused: "So why?!"
He stepped closer. "I know all those things, and I wasn't trying to undestimate you! I know you've been a valid member of my company."
"So, why you've been doing this to me?"

One more step closer.
"I'm not trying to put you down. I'am trying to court you, you stubborn woman!"

Oh.
And he continued: "I think we agreed about that last time. That you agreed to have sex with me."
"That's not exactly how courting work!"
"It may be," one more step closer, brow carring a question.
She gulped, her breathing became shallow while he was standing that close with a wicked smirk of his.
"Thorin."
"Ann, I mean it."
"What's it all about? I'm confused, Thorin."
He leant closer and whispered right into her ear - brushing his lips over the tender skin there: "I'm trying to let you - and others - know, that if you would let me, i'd like to make you mine."
"Like...?"
"Like mine. My lover. My woman."
"Oh."
He was looking at her patiently. Confident. Just waiting for her.
When she finally raised her eyes toward him, he asked: "Would you have a bath with me now?"
"And with a bath you mean...?"
"Aye."

When she didn't move, he did a step aback, considering.
He was so sure about himself. About them. And it made things a whole lot easier. "I'll wait down the river," he simply said before he turned and walked away untying strings of his tunic in process.

Why she didn't let the idea sink in before? That he really wants her. That he cares.
She sighed deeply. She wants him too. Desperately. But he was so out of the reach. A king. A leader. A man of thousant grunts, orders and sharp words. And sooo loyal to his kin, she simply didn't see it coming.
And now he was stripping at the riverbank.

What the hell she was waiting for?
...

The water was cold and she hissed while stepping in. And again - he acted like this wasn't surreal, like this was the most natural thing to do. He walked her to the deeper water where the water was reaching her waist, holding her hand, calm and steady. She expected - wanted - he would hide her nakedness in his arms, yet it didn't happen. He was watching her without any restrain a step away from her so he can admire her whole body , while she was blushing deeply.
"Stop it, you saw me naked before."
"It was different," he murmured.
Yes, it was. He saw him naked too. She knew his scars, the way his black hair decorated the path down his belly... She saw him standing naked that close before. And it wasn't like this at all. They agreed that by the night they would be lovers. And she died of need of first touch. To feel him all around her, to smell his hair, taste skin of his neck. First sinful move against his body - and it would be like signing a contract. Unbreakable pact.
"Don't think too much," he murmured.
"I know. Yet..."
"Just don't."
His eyes were sparkling with love - wrinkles around so sweet she smiled.
And she realised he was whispering some lithany in strange weird language - old sayings - things needed to be said.
She would be content to listen his low barritone whole evening.
But with every word he was closing the distance, last words whispering to her hair just above her ear. "Say with me: Anna khade Thorin gurún."
"Anna khade Thorin gurún."
"Thorin khade Anna gurúm."
"Thorin khade Anna gurúm."
And that was it.

The first kiss was sweet and emotional. Every other was passionate. And when he laid her on the river bank, he was saying the words in a language she could understand. About washing their bodies and minds, to be clear and pure for what was about to come.
"Bath is really important in your culture," she laughed when he washing sand of her feet.
"Aye. As important as purity of hearth and bond."
Where his caring fingers where a moment before, there were his lips now. "Fffuck," she arched in a bliss.
"And are these sayings of your culture?" he laughed, pinning her down. Another kiss and another moves, testing, sweet and passionate. The fire just started.
Small gasps, touches, he - always straightforward, without care of the word, making her know she was his and only his, and that he would take good care of her and her body.

...to be continued (i think).