44

"Is everything in order for this evening?"

"Yes. With Thranduil's assistance, we have enough food to sustain the Dwarves, Men, and Elves alike. Some of the women from Lake-Town have taken up residency in the kitchens for the day to prepare it."

"Bless their hearts." Talia said, smiling softly. She could just picture Sigrid kneading dough at the counter, teaching Tilda over her shoulder. "Will that be all for today?"

"I believe so..." Balin trailed off, wetting his thumb as he read through the agenda. "Yes." He confirmed, stealing a look at his friend and Queen.

She sighed in relief, leaning back in her chair and running her fingers through her long locks. "Thank Mahal."

The elder dwarf placed a hand on her shoulder gently, smiling when she looked up. "I know you wish to see him."

Talia chuckled softly, though the sound was mirthless. "I feel foolish. It's as though I go there every hour, hoping to walk in on the moment he wakes."

"Maybe," Balin shrugged, unable to deny the truth in the statement. "But it's only natural. You love him."

"Indeed." Talia stood, adjusting her tunic despite the dull ache in her ribs. "Thank you, Balin. I'll see you tonight." She patted his hand, brushing it off her shoulder gently as she walked out of the study.

"Six sharp, lassie!"

"Yes, yes, Balin! I do have a watch!"

A week had passed since the Battle of the Five Armies. The mountain had been won through blood, sweat, and tears, not to mention the unification of the races of good within Middle Earth. After the battle, Talia had taken it upon herself to reopen Erebor, housing the masses and catering to their needs as best as she could. A long conference with Bard, Thranduil, and Dain had been necessary to reach an agreement that suited all, and any personal or general animosities had to be put aside. But with Gandalf and Bilbo's help, a bargain had been struck. For their assistance in defending the mountain from both dragons and Orcs, Talia would grant all of their people refuge. The kingdom's debt to Bard would be paid, and Thranduil's gems would be returned. Despite Dain's objections, she was the Queen, and she was happy to do so. She would always help those in need, as long as they were worthy of it. And like everyone else, she was eager to put the mess that had been the past year behind her.

Although everyone's physical wellbeing was taken care of in the arrangement, there was still an enormous hole of grief within all of their hearts. People had suffered immeasurable losses during Smaug's attacks, the battle, even during the Orc raids aimed at the Company on the road. Homes had perished, as had many of those dear to the living. The survivors were destroyed by the deaths of their loved ones. All Talia could do was hope that they could all rebuild their lives, no matter their race or origin, and emerge stronger than ever before.

Talia was a fair and empathetic ruler, though she was firm when she needed to be. Of course, her people had always admired her, and had known her to be as strong as she currently showed. But Bard, Gandalf, and even Thranduil were impressed, and gained a newfound appreciation for her because of that. Very few saw through her hardened exterior. Still, those who did could tell you that all of her energy was dedicated into maintaining it. She had suffered losses, too. Seeing Smaug and Azog again reminded her of the pain of her father and mother's deaths, an old wound made fresh. Because of all the immediate matters she needed to attend to as Queen, Fili's funeral hadn't even been planned yet.

And Thorin had yet to wake.

Talia walked down the halls, making her way from the royal studies to the medical wing. It felt like she had crossed the entire city by the time she reached his room. Perhaps it was his emotional distance from her, caused by his weakened state, that made the walk so long.

She entered the room, nodding to the healer as she secured one of his bandages. Talia recognized her from the shore of the lake after Smaug; apparently, she was the best of the Lakemen in her craft.

"Amada?"

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Any change in his condition?"

The woman had to hold back a sigh, for Talia asked the same question every day. It had become their routine of sorts, a formality that had fallen into place despite the shortness of the week. Amada's heart ached for the Queen, for she understood the feeling. The healer recognized her hopeless look from the many families she had helped, even her own. Pain was a language everyone in Erebor seemed to understand.

"The Elves did magnificent work, and his wounds are healing nicely. But I am afraid he has yet to wake."

Talia nodded, thanking and dismissing her wordlessly. Amada secured the wrap and began to leave as Talia sat down at his side, taking his hand. But the healer stilled her stride when a question came to mind, one of a curiosity that revealed her youth.

"My Queen?"

"Yes?"

"Is it true that you saved him?"

Talia smiled, looking down at her feet. Amada saw that it was empty, although the Queen had tried to hide it.

"Azog the Defiler had him pinned to the ice, his blade just barely scraping his tunic, when I attacked. I pushed the Pale Orc off and strayed his aim. He did not pierce Thorin in the heart, as was intended, but the cut is still deep. He is still comatose. He may draw breath, but I don't know if I saved him. Not really."

The healer nodded in understanding, offering the Queen a smile.

"You have done so much for my people. We thank you everyday—know that."

A tear slipped from Talia's eye in response, shocked by her kindness. Amada couldn't understand why; her words were nothing in comparison to the salvation the Queen had provided.

"Do you have a dress for the feast, Amada?"

"No, actually." She responded, slightly embarrassed. "My mother and I weren't planning on going."

"Well, take a look in the halls south of the market. Our finest seamstresses once worked there; maybe that'll change your mind."

"Yes, my Queen. Thank you." The woman beamed, curtsying before taking her leave.

"I hope to see you there!" Talia called, hearing Amada giggle over her shoulder. The Queen saw her skirts swish about her feet as she turned out of the room, breaking into a run. To Talia, that sort of youth was so long ago that she had almost forgotten it.

She wiped her tears away, exhaling shakily and looking at her husband. Thorin was paler than normal, although there was more color in his cheeks than the day of the battle. His raven-black hair had been cleansed of all blood and gore, mostly by Talia. His lips were closed, the only movement in his face being that of his breath. It was steady in pace, but not nearly as strong as before. Although his body had been tended to, he was still heavily bruised underneath all of his bandages. He had been resting for a week, but he was tired. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure if he would ever wake.

Talia brought his hand to her chest, intertwining their fingers as she rocked in her armchair beside him. She closed her eyes and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles, gasping as more tears flowed down her cheeks. It seemed as though Amada had opened a dam; it was the first time Talia had allowed herself to cry since the battle.

After returning his hand to his side, she curled up in her armchair. She wasn't sure for how long she stared at him, but she knew it was a long time.

Then, Bilbo shuffled into the room, having decided to visit his friend before the feast. He hadn't noticed Talia at first. When he saw her crying, he stood awkwardly at the doorway, not knowing whether or not she needed comforting.

"Do you think this is how he felt?"

Bilbo was shocked that she had noticed him. Talia hadn't even looked up, and he was incredibly light on his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"When I was gone." Talia croaked, still staring at her husband. Bilbo pulled over a chair as noiselessly as he could, sitting beside his friend. "When I was in Dol Guldur. Is this how he felt?"

They both knew Bilbo was the least equipped to answer, since he had known Thorin and Talia for the least amount of time. Yet he felt compelled to speak his piece, for he knew enough about their past and their love to have some thoughts on the matter.

"Well," The hobbit shuffled his feet, adjusting his chair before settling again. "Thorin didn't know what happened to you then. He called it death, since you did not come back." Bilbo paused, thinking of the best way to explain himself. "But you don't have that... luxury, I suppose. There's no guessing, no theories. You know what happened. That gives you only one way to deal with it."

"You have always been wiser than you know, Master Baggins." She whispered, sniffling and wiping her face with her sleeve. "I always tried to imagine how he felt, how hard it must have been. He lost so many people that day. But I could never understand." She continued, exhaling deeply. "And now, I cannot bring myself to try, even with such an opportunity."

"You don't have to. You carry enough weight on your shoulders, Talia. No need to add more."

Talia paused, considering his words. The silence between them was deafening, but it went unbroken all the same until the Queen spoke again.

"You know, I made him promise me something back in Beorn's home. Once I realized just how viciously Azog was hunting us."

"What?"

"That if it came down to me or him, it would be me. That he would protect himself." Talia shook her head, slightly out of annoyance, but mostly out of regret. "Azog held me in a chokehold, and he chose to save me instead of leaving Ravenhill. If he hadn't, none of this would have happened."

"Honestly, Talia; did you expect him to hold true to that?"

"Yes." Talia looked at Bilbo, almost incredulously. "Thorin is a man of his word. The only time that was different was when he was sick."

The hobbit only stared back, letting his disappointment hang in the air. She scanned his narrowed eyes and pursed lips carefully, furrowing her brow.

"What?"

"Thorin's word means absolutely nothing to him when your life is at stake."

She scoffed, shaking her head. "Yet his stubbornness prevailed."

"Talia, he is in love with you. You're daft if you seriously thought he would've acted differently."

"Maybe." She grinned slightly, amused at the hobbit's blunt attitude. She knew he was right. Then, her smile slipped off her face, a query coming to mind. "Bilbo?"

The hobbit looked up expectantly, moving his gaze away from Thorin.

"Do you think he'll wake?"

"He has to." The hobbit stated simply, as if it were plain as day. "I won't leave until he does."

"Bilbo," Talia chided, looking at him with her piercing emerald eyes. "You are expected to depart tomorrow morning. I don't want you to stay longer than the feast, should you not desire to do so."

"I want to."

"Your job is done, Master—"

"My job is done when he wakes." Bilbo interrupted, his warm brown eyes meeting hers with intensity. "When he wakes, the quest will be over. Then, I will have succeeded. I shall return to the Shire no sooner."

"Your loyalty makes me think that you are part Dwarf, assuming I didn't know any better."

"Well, you lot have certainly rubbed off on me. There's no denying that." The hobbit surmised, covering Talia's hand with his. "I promised Thorin and myself that I would return to Bag End. Therefore, I promise you that he will wake. For I will have broken that promise if I do not make this promise." Bilbo looked away, internally questioning the sense of his words.

Talia cracked a smile at this, which made the hobbit do the same. Her grin was more genuine than he had seen all week. "Then I welcome your promise, Bilbo." She glanced back at a sleeping Thorin before returning her gaze to his. "Thank you."

Bilbo nodded gratefully. But while he did so, another object caught his eyes. "Goodness, Talia, look at the time!" He pointed to her watch, starting from his chair. "The feast is due to start any minute! They'll surely notice the absence of their Queen."

"Especially when she has a speech to make." She stood, planting a quick kiss on Thorin's brow before turning back to Bilbo. "We'd better run; Balin will have my head if we don't."

So the pair raced out of the room and down the halls, practically crossing the entire city to reach the feast. They ran through the mines, where some Ironfoot dwarves had been tasked with repairing the forges; they hoped the mines would be in order by the time their kin from the Blue Mountains arrived. Beautiful silks and trinkets littered the marketplace, which Bilbo would have liked to stop and admire if they had more time. Eventually, the pair burst into the large, open room, met with the scent of malt beer and cinnamon cakes.

The dining halls were filled with all who had taken refuge within Erebor, whether they were Dwarves, Men, or Elves. The large fireplace by the thrones roared and covered the whole room in warmth, while the candles on the wall and chandelier made it nearly as bright as day. Tables upon tables had been filled with food of all kinds, based on the labors of the women from Lake-Town. And, most importantly, people milled about with pleasant smiles on their faces, enjoying the slight respite from the horrors of the recent month.

"Just when I thought you were late."

"Hello, Balin." Talia embraced the elder dwarf, chuckling all the same. "And a Queen is never late, nor is she early. She arrives precisely when she means to."

"You're starting to sound like Gandalf." Dwalin laughed, causing Talia to look over her shoulder.

"It shows your age, Auntie." Kili nodded gravely, though Talia could see a glimpse of his cheeky smirk.

Talia rolled her eyes, socking each of them in the arm. Ignoring their yelps of pain, she proceeded to ask the obvious question. "Where did you all come from?"

"We were waiting for you." Her nephew quirked a brow, causing her to scowl. "Now, I'm not exactly sure how these post-war feasts typically go, but no one has eaten yet. I'm afraid if you don't give your address soon, the people will go hungry."

"Mahal knows you don't want to deal with Dwarves on an empty stomach." Dwalin corroborated, nodding along with the prince.

"And you didn't bother to change." Balin sighed, dusting off her shoulders as an older brother would. "Whatever are we to do with you, Queen Under the Mountain?"

"For starters, you can stop pointing out my flaws and sit down. Then, and only then, will I correct them."

Ignoring their protests, she shoved Dwalin and Kili playfully to their seats while Balin and Bilbo trailed behind. Talia then began to make her way to the thrones, causing the masses to part and bow as she passed. Thranduil, Dain, and Bard all tilted their heads to her in respect as she ascended the steps, nodding back with a smile despite her nerves. The feeling of being recognized as royalty was still entirely unfamiliar to her. Although she had long been married to Thorin, she never saw herself as such, nor was ever in the position to act as such. But today, things were different—everything was different.

Finally, Talia reached the thrones to find that the room was entirely silent, waiting patiently for her to speak. Previously, her diplomacy had only been necessary for small audiences. Now, her anxiety was tenfold, for the current number of people she was addressing was beyond daunting. These halls were twice the size of the Gallery of the Kings, and were equipped to handle such a crowd. Still, seeing the room completely full was unnerving. She vowed to be quick with her words, for she was eager to get the attention off her and onto the food.

"Welcome, Dwarves, Men, Elves, and whomever else may have found our home along the way." She winked at Bilbo, making the hobbit blush and the Company laugh. The air of confidence she was embodying helped, however false it was.

"I hope you have found your stay in Erebor to be enjoyable, or at least adequate. I know my kin from the Iron Hills enjoy the beauty of rock and ore in their own home, and find ours to be familiar. But for those of Lake-Town and the Woodland Realm, I understand that the stone is different from the water and the trees. Should you need anything more to accommodate yourselves, do not hesitate to ask. My kindness extends to all in this room."

Thranduil and Bard nodded in gratitude, accepting her offer wordlessly. Gandalf and Dain smiled on, enjoying her speech. Although the latter of the two hated to admit it, Talia Rue did have quite a way with words.

"However lucky we are to have such an arrangement, we are joined due to causes of heinous nature. Whether it be by dragon fire or Orcish warfare, we have all suffered at the hands of evil in Middle Earth. We have lost our fathers, our mothers; our families, our brothers." Talia looked to Kili momentarily, who held back tears like her. Neither of them had fully grieved Fili, or had even begun to.

"But I hope that in the darkest of times, we remember that there is still light in this world. We must remember that as long as the good still draws breath, we are not alone. We must remember that this good lives within us all, for we have fought alongside one another in a way that makes us family.

"Tonight, we celebrate the fact that we won. We defeated the darkness, and we took back what it stole. Although our homes are not yet rebuilt, and this city is not yet as bright as it once was, I have complete faith that our lives will be restored. We will work tirelessly to help one another and recover, for we all share the same wounds. Despite our differences, we are one. Together, I promise that we will rise from the ashes reborn.

"I urge you all to celebrate your new home, your new family. Take tonight to bask in the glory of our win, for we all know that we have damn well earned it."

Taking his cue, the hobbit rushed forward and passed Talia a pint to toast with. Thanking him wordlessly, she accepted the ale and raised it to the sky.

"To victory!"

"TO VICTORY!"

A short silence followed as everyone downed their drinks, whether wine or beer. Then, the room erupted into loud cheers and applause, causing Talia to smile and laugh. Looking to the Company, she could tell that they had roared the loudest. The Queen Under the Mountain descended the steps with ease, her boots thudding on the stone with the confidence of nobility. Talia Rue would make a fine ruler.

Even a fool could see that.