Dornessiti (Hobbit Short Story)

Chapter 3

Thorin shook out his hair as they got through the front door, shivering slightly. The sky was storm grey outside, veiling the mountains that they could usually see from the garden. He made a mental note to show Hazel outside the next day if the weather cleared. He looked down at the small girl, who was wrapped in his coat. Her hair was soaked through, but otherwise she seemed reasonably dry, the coat dripping a puddle of rainwater onto the floor. Thorin knelt down and gently took his coat off the small girl, hanging it on a peg. Hazel's worn boots were rain soaked too; Thorin had a feeling they had holes in.
"Could you take your shoes off please Hazel?" He asked gently.
"O-Okay," she said, pulling off her boots. Thorin's feeling was right, both boots were worn almost through the sole, and there were holes in places.
"Socks too," said Thorin, noting the soaked woollen socks Hazel was wearing. She nodded and took them off, water dripping off them. Thorin picked up her boots and socks and went through to the living room, beginning to build up a fire to dry them. Hazel followed him, lingering at the edge of the room, looking around curiously.
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It was dark apart from the fire which Thorin was now building up, due to the storm outside, but in the dim light she saw a comfortable looking room. A large blue armchair sat close to the fire, accompanied by a sofa and another armchair. The second armchair looked like it hadn't been sat in for a long time, a thin film of dust coating the blue fabric. A small cushion sat upon the seat that had been embroidered delicately with bluebells. A window-seat was set into the window on the other side of the room, looking out into the garden. Hazel grinned, cautiously going over to the more comfortable looking armchair.
"M-May I-I?" She asked warily, bracing herself a little. Thorin smiled warmly at her.
"Of course," he replied, finishing lighting the fire. Hazel curled up in the armchair, cuddling her teddies.
"I'll be back in a minute little one," Thorin said softly, going upstairs to get changed.
~<>~~~<>~
When he got back she was still curled up, holding her teddies as if they were her lifeline. Thorin frowned a little at the terrified look on her face, which only made the tiny girl go pale to the point that she could've been see-through. He made his way over to her and crouched down, speaking in a soft voice:
"You will be safe here, Hazel, I will protect you and keep you safe. No one that enters this house will hurt you, you don't even have to talk to them or go near them if you so wish. We'll take things slow, get you adjusted to life with me, sound okay?"
Hazel hesitated for a moment, thinking over his words before nodding slowly. Thorin gave her a gentle smile.
"Do you want to see your new room?" He asked.
Hazel grinned ecstatically.
"I'll take that as a yes."
~<>~~~<>~
The walls were a soft cream colour, with wooden floorboards like the rest of the house. Against one wall was a single bed with an oak frame, which seemed a little big for Hazel, then again most things did. The cover was a patchwork design, with various different floral materials as the patches that were soft to the touch. Across the room from the bed was a fireplace, covered by a willow screen, with a chest of drawers next to it. A sheepskin rug lay on the floor beside the bed, which Hazel couldn't help but sit down on. She grinned up at Thorin.
"I-I l-love it!"
"The beds a little big and it's a bit plain but it's alright I suppose," shrugged Thorin. Hazel suddenly launched herself at him, hugging his legs. She flinched a little when she realised what she was doing but went with it, which made Thorin smile all the more.
"Th-Thank you," she said "I-I've n-never h-had m-my o-own r-room before. N-not all t-to m-myself."
Thorin crouched down and hugged her back gently, feeling that warmth in his chest as he held the tiny girl so close to him.
"That's okay little one," he said gently. Hazel didn't reply, fiddling with the medallion around Thorin's neck which had slipped out from inside his shirt.
"Wh-What's this M-Mr Th-Thorin?" She asked curiously. Thorin gave a soft sigh. He hadn't expected her to find out so soon, he'd wanted to get her settled first.
"It's my Royal medallion little one," He replied, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth.
"Y-You're royalty?" She continued.
Thorin nodded.
"So are you now, technically," he confessed. Hazel's brow knitted in confusion.
"N-No I-I'm not," she said.
"You are now you've been adopted by me," he clarified, bowing his head "King Thorin Durin Oakenshield at your service."
"H-Hi," she said.
"So you're my dornessiti now, you alright with that?"
Hazel nodded, a small smile on her face.
"So," said Thorin, standing back up "Plan for the evening. I'll cook dinner then you can have a bath and we'll get bedtime sorted out. Sound okay?"
Hazel nodded.
"Good," he said, heading back downstairs. Hazel put Lucy on her bed, slipping Mr Teddy into her pocket before following him.