Born from Stone (A Thorin Oakenshield story)

One part shrewdness, three parts recklessness

It took Thorin four days of intense studying of the Elder Laws in order to find what he wanted. Four days where he met several times with all the Lords about the riots that had been tormenting Erebor during his absence and the effect they had on the overall function of the kingdom. The moment the people understood that Thorin the second was not only the Mountain King again, but officially King of the North every single riot instantly ceased and Erebor resumed its former activities, only much more ardently. After Thorin's restoration to the throne, it seemed like everyone was out to prove themselves to their King. From the highest Lords to the lowest delvers and everyone in between. Such was the love and the respect the people had for him, but buried as he was mostly in the meeting rooms and in the library he couldn't truly feel it. He didn't have much interaction with the common people, who were so happy to have him back they always snuck behind some column or remained hidden in some alcove just to admire him as he walked by surrounded by his court.

The one who had a true difficulty understanding the love of the common people though was Eilin who got ultimately confused whenever someone was bowing or kneeling in front of her. Dis tried to explain patiently that Eilin was the future Queen, so she should get used to people treating her with reverence, especially after everyone learned that she was carrying the heir to the throne of the Mountain. People flocked in order to admire her stunning beauty and to muse enchanted at her ever growing belly. They were whispering behind their hands about how beautiful the heir was going to be. They saw hope in Eilin and her belly. They felt hope dawning in Erebor and in their lives after centuries of darkness, but for Eilin all this was at times overwhelming. She wasn't born a Queen. She didn't know how to handle the magnitude of the people's attentions and she was full of awkward nervousness. Something that truly appealed to Thorin to her dismay. When she was fidgeting with anxiety, he was biting his lower lip, truly bewitched by the red colour that had mounted on her cheeks and at how fast her bosom was undulating as she tried to describe to him what happened in the King's Halls when a number of people surrounded her in admiration. He suggested two royal guards to escort her at all times in order to keep the people away, she denied. She yearned for this love and acceptance. She longed for this forwardness towards her, she just didn't know how to handle the immensity of it all. He reassured her that he was there to help her learn. Slowly and patiently. No one was going to make her hurry through anything. She had all the time in the world to ease into her new roles in life, as a wife and a Queen, but the part of the mother was not so easy. He told her one night with a soft voice that their child controlled the time she had left until she became a mom, but not to worry for he was there to share the burden.

So at the end of each demanding day, Eilin usually curled up in Thorin's arms describing to him in every detail the way the commoners treated her, still uncertain what to do with all that ample love and unspoken approval. He listened to her patiently until she had emptied all her worries and then he gently reassured her that she needed to do nothing more than be herself. That is what the people loved in her. When she was thoroughly pacified about her new role as the Queen, she always shifted the conversation to Karunn and her need to face her. Thorin kept trying to avoid that confrontation on purpose, because he was afraid that any kind of stress might cause problems to Eilin's pregnancy.

She always rebuked irritated. "I am not made out of glass! You promised to allow me closure with this evil woman!"

Each day she came in strong to him and each night he managed to coax the annoyance out of her by running his fingers through her hair gently or massaging her pained back until she fell asleep. If those tricks failed then he used his amazing ability to create angelic music with his harp in order to lull her to sleep, but he didn't know for how long he was going to be able to avoid Eilin's steadfast request for a closure.

That morning Thorin left Eilin sleeping in their bed in order to get buried into his office since the very early hours of dawn. He was keenly concentrated on translating the Elder Laws he wanted, from the ancient runes to common speech when the door knocked and Balin peeked inside. "You free my King?" he inquired.