LOTR/Hobbit Imagines

Thorin - The Crown

Written as a part of my 2022 followers celebration on Tumblr - Gossip with Tullaina

*

"You seem sad," Tullaina said, interrupting your thoughts.

"Hm?"

"And distracted," she added. "What's wrong?"

You shrugged your shoulders, trying to keep your lip from trembling. "Something didn't go the way I imagined. I don't really want to talk about it."

Tullaina rubbed your back in a soothing manner before her entire face lit up.

"You know what? I know just the thing that will cheer you up!"

"I'm really not in the mood for one of your games, Tulls," you sighed. The only thing you wanted to do was go home and bury yourself under your bed sheets.

"Trust me, you want to know what I'm about to tell you. But please, please, please promise me you won't tell another soul? I'm dead if Thorin finds out."

You stared at her in wonder, Tullaina wasn't the kind of person to break someone's trust. You said that to her.

"Oh, don't worry," she waved your concern away. "Thorin doesn't even know I know."

"Then is it really your secret to tell?"

Tullaina looked at you with raised eyebrows, an expression on her face that clearly said 'you want to know or not?'.

"Okay fine, tell me your secret about the King!"

She moved her chair a little closer to you, as if those couple of extra inches would give you both some extra privacy.

"Do you remember those first few days after Thorin's coronation? When it seemed like he would never take off his crown?"

"Oh yes, I remember. He really kept that crown firmly on his head. I thought he would only wear it during official business or when he's in the Throne Room or something."

"Well, I can tell you he never took it off, not even when he was in the Royal Wing. Saw it myself, and when Kíli teased him with it, he grumbled and gave him the famous Durin stare. Kíli quickly learned not to mention it again."

You thought about that for a few seconds, before you remembered something. "But that changed after a week or two, right?"

Tullaina nodded. "And do you know why?"

"Obviously not, but I believe it's something hilarious no doubt," you said when Tullaina had the greatest difficulty keeping her giggles inside.

"It was stuck!!" She bursted out in laughter. "The crown was stuck on his head! Could you imagine?! When Gandalf crowned him during the Coronation Ceremony, he pushed it so far over his head that it got stuck. I know because I heard him complaining about it to Bilbo and I might have been witness to one of Bilbo's failed attempts to get the crown off his head when I passed their rooms late at night. Hilarious, I can promise you that!"

You held your hand in front of your mouth to hide your smile. It wasn't proper to make fun of the King, but Tullaina's words had put the image in your head of Bilbo standing on Thorin's shoulders, trying to get the crown off and you couldn't keep yourself together anymore.

"Then how did they get it off eventually?"

"That is nothing for you to worry about," a low voice sounded behind the two of you.

You jumped out of your chair and swirled around, followed by a few apologies to your King who was standing in the doorway.

He waved his hand to silence you. "None of that. I believe it is time to go to your own quarters, it's getting quite late."

"Yes, my King," you bowed and hurried out of Tullaina's room.

Tullaina clasped her hands together and bit her lip. "I guess I'm in trouble now?"

Thorin placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"I don't know how you knew about this but... you never told them how I solved it so no, you're not in trouble."

"I couldn't have told her even if I wanted to since I never knew how you did it. There's no way you would tell me now? I never stopped wondering about it, you know."

"Go to sleep, Tullaina."

He squeezed her shoulders and walked towards the door, but before he stepped out, he turned back to her and smiled. "It may have had something to do with the unexpected shortage of butter that year..."