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Chapter Text

It was soon after Éolist’s visit that Bard presented it to her. Sigrid had not seen her cousin in ten years and in that time a lot had changed. For one, she'd gone from a regular eleven year old trying to prove they were the height of maturity, to being the mother to her two younger siblings and having maturity thrust upon her. And now she was a Princess in a newly reclaimed kingdom with all the responsibility and expectations there of.

Éolist being from the Mark meant that she took no stock in this and treated Sigrid the same as always. Bard thought it a good thing that her mother's side of the family hadn’t changed their attitudes towards them now they were royality, still holding them to the same values and traditions that had mattered so much to her Ma. And so it was that he chose to part with the only item of Kendra's he still possessed - her ring. It had hung around his neck in grief for far too long.

Anduin Rings were designed to be passed down from mother to daughter, the idea being that the love of each marriage would bring good luck to the new wearer. The ring had first belonged to Kendra’s great-great-great-grandmother: and now it was Sigrid's.

"The tradition," he explained, as he placed it on her finger "is that people can see if you're courting or not. If the design faces inwards you're walking out with someone, and if it's facing outwards you're still open to suitors."

"Open to suitors?" Said Sigrid, raising an eyebrow

"Well, you're a princess now, I can't be being all crude about these things." He smiled as Sigrid examined the ring with great care, admiring the skill that had gone into its creation. It was designed as two hands clasping a crowned heart, representing the value of friendship, love and loyalty. The inside was smooth from use, the metal a little tarnished from age, but it still had a beauty all of it's own beyond that of even the dwarves creations. The ring had a story to it; a history that went back generations with a future that extended well beyond her own.

"Thank You Da." She kissed him on the cheek "I'll treasure it forever."

"Well, hopefully one day you'll pass it down to your own daughter." He laughed and Sigrid adjusted the ring to the front

"Don't worry Da, I'm still available for suitors." She waggled her fingers and went back to preparing their evening meal.

Bard looked on at her sadly. It'd been three years since the reclaiming of Dale. They were rich enough now to have servants do such things, but whilst she was grateful of a little help here and there, she just seemed to find it impossible to stop working. He'd not realised it at the time, but in all his misery over Kendra and his tireless effort to earn keep them all fed and clothed; he’d somehow failed to realise that his daughter had been robbed of a childhood. She didn't know how to not work.

It spread to her other duties. She'd wake up early to prepare breakfast; attended elocution and etiquette lessons in the morning; make them all lunch straight after. She’d then quickly run through all of Bard’s council meeting notes; go and see to any business that he was unavailable to attend. Afterwards she’d come home and cook dinner before cleaning the house from top to bottom. She’d finally go to bed only to wake up a few hours later and begin it all again.

Bard did not want her to do this at all, he’d tried everything to persuade her to take a break and try and enjoy the benefits that came with being a princess, but she just wouldn’t have any of it. He was stuck watching her work herself to the bone, but she was too stubborn to give up on her old habits.

He knew that one day she would find someone who looked at her and saw the stars, it was almost unavoidable. He just hoped that they could make her smile as brightly as she had before her life had taken a turn for the worst. Who could take her by the hand and shower her in the kindness. That whoever this person was could prove worthy of her. He didn't know who could, but there had to be someone.

~*~

"Fíli!" Smiled Sigrid, waving at him from across the street as she moved to greet him. The dwarves were visiting Dale as part of their on going negotiations. Many of the Dwarven Traders were moving back into the city and it was slowly coming back to being the cultural hub of Middle Earth once more. A place where you could find a Gondorian deep in conversation with a Rohirrian about the latest silk being imported from the west. It made Sigrid proud of her new nation and as such she'd agreed to show Fíli around on the pretence of trade negotiations.

It was unsurprising to many that Lady Sigrid and Prince Fíli got on so well. They were culturally of a similar age, had similar life experiences and a shared sensibility about them. They both believed that family and duty came above all else, however there was still time for laughter and love.

Really, it had all begun when attending a very dull meeting in the south. Gondor was looking for aid in its on going fight against invaders from the east and so had sent many a letter requesting support from the new Northern Kingdoms. Naturally neither Dale nor Erebor had the strength yet to supply any aid when they were only just learning how to walk again. However Gondor didn’t seem to quite understand this, simply returning every raven with longer explanation of existing agreements and loyalties. In the end both Bard and Thorin had agreed to send an envoy to explain their situation first hand, choosing their heirs to represent them in their place. Balin and Percy were both in agreement that this would be a lot politer than sending them a trailer of manure, as had been Bard’s suggestion, claiming it would be representative of the content of their letters

However it seemed that Ecthelion was not prepared to take their explanation of population losses and summer harvests as a reason to not volunteer their men for a fight that was taking place far away from their homes. The entire envoy had been subject to a long lecture about ‘history’ and ‘honour’ and ‘loyalty’ that neither heir really wanted to hear about. Quite frankly the implication that these were not already valued by the heirs was insulting. However declaring it as such would be an even bigger diplomatic mistake then the aforementioned cart of manure, with none of the comic value. Thus they had to find another way to alleviate the tension.

Sigrid caught Fíli's eye and given him a minute eye roll, which Fíli returned with a smirk. She'd assumed he'd been taking notes this whole time, but when she peered over she could see he'd just been doodling. She raised her eyebrows and nodded at the sheet. Fíli hastily shoved it to the bottom of his pile coughing to cover up his embarrassment at being caught out. Sigrid gave him a small smirk and carefully took out a fresh sheet of parchment herself. She locked eyes with him as she carefully drew out a box of three squares by three and placed a cross in the top corner, pausing her quill in invitation. With a challenging grin, Fíli drew his own box with a cross in the corner and put a naught in the centre.

Soon, a great battle was taking place between Erebor and Dale. It grew more and more frantic until there was hardly any parchment left. In the end it became a stalemate, each too learned in the ways of the other to fall for any traps. When the Gondorians had finally finished and the delegates explained that their situation had still not changed, and that their answer was, despite the many unconvincing arguments put forth by the Steward, still a resounding No.

"You know” Mused Fíli, coming over to congratulate his opponent “you'd be pretty good at Âblâtuishbêt."

“Don’t even know what that is.” She shrugged, collecting her papers and actively ignoring the grumbles of the Gondorians.

"Oh well, it's a game of strategy.” Fíli explained eagerly “It’s a board game designed to imitate an actual battle, where one player must defend from the centre and the other attack from the outside. It’s perfect for honing your fighting technique beyond the sword.” He grinned with a slight twinkle in his eye “It's all well and good being able to stab your enemy in the chest but if you can't figure out how to manoeuvre your own soldiers in time with theirs then there's no chance of winning."

Sigrid raised an eyebrow "Is it tactics like that that lead you to that suicide mission up on Raven Hill?"

"Hey! We didn't realise it was a trap at the time. And I was barely hurt." He said dismissively, earning him an indignant laugh from Sigrid.

"If I remember correctly, you were dropped from the top of the hill and were unconscious for a week. Then you almost died anyway from an infected wound!"

"I've had worse." He scoffed "but you may have a point. I could do with more practice, what do you say? Care to be my sparring partner?" he grinned, as charming as ever a prince could be.

Sigrid considered his offer for a moment, surveying him as she tried work out if he had any ulterior motive beyond a desire for a new opponent. She was no warrior, not like her mother, she would always be better with a needle than with a sword. This game though, however it was pronounced, could be just what she needed as a future ruler. It would be a chance to exercise her brain in a way she’d never really been able to do before. “When would this happen then?” she asked leaning a hip against the table.

"Whenever we're in the same place." He shrugged "Âblâtuishbêt is meant to be portable. Ori even took one with him on The Quest."

"Alright then, you're on.” She said with a grin “Although I should warn you, I won't go easy on you just because you're a prince."

"Hold on, a moment ago you said you’d never even heard of it!"

"I hadn’t, but like you said” she shrugged “I think I'm going to be very good at this."

At first Fíli had tried to go easy on her, letting her make one or two small victories but after a few games she did, indeed, begin to show ruthless promise and soon he found himself challenged in a way he'd not been before.

Against Kíli, Âblâtuishbêt was easy. He'd barge in with no plan and make bold moves that left him with no defences.

Thorin was a better player, but still had a weakness towards putting important pieces too high up on the board and leaving them no place for retreat.

Playing against his mother was simply a suicide mission.

However Sigrid was more of an equal to him. She didn't have a fixed strategy or style, adapting seamlessly to whatever set up he decided to use. He learnt a lot playing with her, how to change strategy mid move and how backs up sometimes needed back ups.

They'd begun to keep a tally of who had won the most games. They set up a bet that whoever had the most by the end of the year would have to suffer some kind of punishment, yet to be decided. So far, Fíli was winning but not by a lot and there was a determination in Sigrid’s eyes that frightened him more than anything else.

"You seem happier than normal." Noted Fíli as they set up their game in the back of the newly opened tavern, where people knew better than to disturb them. It was one of the benefits of Dale, everyone had known Sigrid all her life and most still treated her the same, granting her the same rights to privacy they would any other twenty-three-year-old. Which of course meant taking the opportunity to gossip about her behind her back and place bets on inevitable outcomes.

"We had a visit from my cousin Éolist earlier this week” shrugged Sigrid; placing the pieces on the board “I guess I'm still on a high from it, black or white?"

"White. I didn't know you had any family beyond the obvious. Do you see them often?"

"No, this is the first time since Ma died. We used to visit a lot when we were kids but it just got harder after that..."

Fíli frowned slightly "Didn't they want to help you out? I mean, from what it sounds like you were left on your own to raise Bain and Tilda." He put forward his first pawn and Sigrid counted likewise.

"Aunt Kena came down at first. Stayed until Tilda was old enough for solids, but it's not like she could leave her own family for that long. No come on don't be like that.” She tutted “My aunt had a one-year-old of her own, and a job in the Mark. It's different for us."

"They shouldn't have left you." He muttered, feeling betrayed on Sigrid’s behalf.

"Well it's water under the bridge now.” She said casually, “Come on, make your move and get on with it."

He grumpily pushed his knight forward, a bitter feeling settling deep inside of him. You just didn't treat family like that. The thought of them leaving Sigrid on her own to raise her siblings, when she was a child herself, just didn't sit right with him. Sigrid deserved to be happy, deserved to have some memory of a care-free-youth.

He found himself staring at her hands as they hovered over the pieces, feigning that she couldn't decide on her next move when he knew all too well she was already planning her next eight when he saw something that made his blood run cold. It was a silver ring, designed so as to look like two hands clasping a crowned heart. He didn't know a lot about the courting rituals of men but the intent was obvious! She'd never worn the ring before, or any other kind of jewellery at that. This when coupled with the arrival of a family member there could only be one explanation:

"You're engaged!" He declared, pointing angrily at her finger "You're only just of age and already they're forcing you to get married! I cannot believe Bard, how could he do that to you? Why didn't you tell me why, why are you laughing Sigrid this is serious!" He didn't know why he was so angry or feeling so hurt, but Sigrid was one of his dearest friends and he would not see her passed off so soon.

"Fíli, it's fine! It’s Fine!” She laughed, reaching out to push him back down into a chair he’d not even been aware he was standing out of “I'm not engaged I promise you. It belonged to my mother.” She said fondly, gently stroking it with a sad smile “It's an Anduin Ring see. Éolist was showing me the one she just got from her own ma, and it reminded Da that I hadn't received mine yet." She put her hand out for him to see it more closely "It's to show that I'm not courting anyone. Or that I am courting. It all depends how you wear it, see? Courting" she twisted the ring so as the design faced away from him "Not Courting" she moved it back to the front "Why do you care anyway?"

Fíli blinked for a second, trying to figure the answer out for himself, "I just, I don't know. I guess I just don't want to see you hurt. Or engaged to anyone I've not personally approved." He said teasingly, smiling himself now as Sigrid laughed again, that bright joyous bubble that somehow made his insides glow. He loved seeing her happy, above everything else in this world. After all, if anyone deserved it, it was her.

"Well I assure you, if I ever begin to court, you'll be the first to know."

With a smirk she moved her rook forward and took his pawn, a triumphant look on her face "Your move Dwarf."

~*~

Almost a year had passed since their initial game, in the end Sigrid was the champion of their Âblâtuishbêt tournament, beating him 102 games to 98. In punishment, she'd forced him to stand up on the table at the next banquet and play all her favourite songs for her non-stop.

He didn't see it as much of a punishment, if he was honest. He enjoyed getting a chance to play for her, seeing her smile and clap along. The thought that he was able to bring her such joy filled his heart with joy. He'd felt a little strange though, seeing her dancing with other people. It wasn't the first ball they'd both attended, and she'd danced with others before, but there was something different about seeing her holding other men whilst he played for her that made him feel, not quite angry but not happy either? Bitter perhaps?

"Jealous." Said his brother smugly when he voiced his concerns "You're jealous! Exactly how I feel when Tauriel talks to Legolas."

"I'm not jealous!" He spluttered "I would know if I was jealous."

"He’s right." Quipped Dagní, the daughter of one of the Nobles on a visit from the Orocarni "Jealousy is when you already have something and don't want others to have it. What you're thinking of is envy." She smirked and Fíli let out another huff of disdain and refused to comment.

"Careful brother, starting to sound like Uncle Thorin there." grinned Kíli, shoving him with his shoulder.

"I am not like Uncle! Sigrid's just a friend."

"Trust me Fíli," said Dagní in that supercilious tone she'd had since childhood "I know more than anyone the difference between friendship and romance, enough to know I have no interest in the later, and the way you two carry on together? That ain't friendship."

"Since when is not feeling romantic attraction a way of making you an expert on romance? And no Kíli, you don't count either. Being a hopeless romantic who falls for a girl just because she saves you from a Spider certainly does not qualify you as an expert."

"Hey! That spider was massive! And she killed it with just a throw of her dagger and then she talked about the stars and killed all those orcs and just,” he sighed wistfully “how could anyone not fall in love with her when she's so--"

Fíli smirked as Dagní groaned and threw her head back. There was one sure fire way to get Kíli to drop a subject and that was to get him started on Tauriel and her awe inspiring skills as an archer and warrior. Sure, it got annoying very quickly, but if it put him out of the line of fire than that was fine by him.

Still, it all gave him food for thought. What if his intentions towards Sigrid were not as platonic as he'd intended? Could it be possible for him to have fallen for her?

He looked over to where she was currently in deep conversation with one of the boys from Dale who'd been working on rebuilding the inner walls. The boy gently touched her arm as they spoke and he once again felt that thin strain of anger run through him.

Well Shit.

~*~

Since Cousin Éolist’s visit last year, Sigrid and her had been exchanging regular letters. Bard had gifted her cousin a pigeon 'for all those birthdays we missed' and the poor thing had been flying back and forth between Rohan and Dale more times than it would like to think. Still, it was happy to serve anyone who'd feed it. Which was the main reason Sigrid always sealed her letters with wax, you never knew who was feeding the bird on the side.

Their letters had started out simple enough, exchanging news about the family and gossip from the towns. Of course arguments and debates cropped up as was warrant to happen between family, though the source of their conflict was slightly unexpected.

Perhaps conflict wasn't the best word for it. Disagreement might have been better. What it boiled down to though, was that Éolist seemed convinced that Sigrid was in love with Prince Fíli. Which was ridiculous.

They were friends and that is why he often cropped up so often. Éolist claimed that only the truly besotted harked on about a person as much as Sigrid did, sending back a collection of her most recent letters, having with now circled Fíli’s name each time he was mentioned. One page appeared to be completely covered in circles, and accompanying annotations about Sickening Romance and Oblivious Cousins and so on.

Now that Sigrid looked at it... maybe she was a bit infatuated with Fíli. She scattered the letters she'd written across her bed and read each one over. He really did seem to come up a lot, and from an outside perspective it did seem as though she was in love with him...

Well shit.

Chapter Text

 Once every four years an extra day was added to the calendar In order to account for the movements of the sun. For many it was just an extra day, another day's worth of pay to add to the family coffers. However, in the north a bit of a tradition had been born.

In most of the cultures of Men it was the man who would propose marriage to the woman. If she refused then that was her choice to make (in theory but not often in practice) and nothing more would be made of it. However, on the 29th February it was deemed traditional that any eligible woman may propose marriage to a man, so long as she was wearing a red dress so as to give him an advanced warning. If he should refuse her the compensation must be made. This varied from place to place, but in Esgaroth it was deemed that for a woman over thirty a pair of new leather gloves was called for; and in woman younger than that a kiss and a single rose would suffice.

The last Leap Day, Sigrid had been too young to take part in, though she did enjoy seeing the single women of the town dramatically declaring their love to the men in order to gain favours from them, or, indeed, in order to give a few of them the hint that perhaps their courtship had been dragging on for a bit longer than necessary. Sigrid fully intended to make the most of the holiday and had even ordered a new red dress for the occasion, much to the amusement of her siblings and the quiet horror of her Da. An Anduin Ring was bad enough as a sign she was growing up, a red dress for Diwrnod Addasiad was another thing entirely.

"So who are you going to propose to?" Asked Tilda excitedly

"Haven't decided yet" she smiled "Somebody handsome at least."

"Oh come on, I bet there's someone you've got in mind." Grinned Bain, exchanging a mischievous look with Tilda

"Be careful Sigrid,” Bard said warily “they might say yes. I know it's a tradition you want to be involved in, but you have to remember you're a Princess now. It's different for you."

"Don't worry Da, I'll be careful. I won't just throw myself at the nearest suitor." She smiled, placing a kiss to his cheek as she went about serving them all breakfast

"Yeah Da, she's not after just any man." Smirked Tilda as she and Bain sniggered into their porridge, doing their best to avoid their sister’s glare.

Bard frowned at his children, there was something he was missing, before the dragon (because that's how he measured time now, Before Smaug and After Smaug) he would have been joining in with their jibes, teasing his daughter about whomever she was meant to be interested in. He'd have known who they were and if their intentions were honourable or not. He'd be five steps ahead of all of them! However he no longer had the time for that, struggling as he was to keep step with the ways of the kingdoms. He didn't like the sound of this person though. He knew nothing of them, but he still didn't approve of them on basic instinct.

"Right," said Sigrid, clapping her hands together, "Tilda, Bain, you need to get yourselves to class, no complaining Bain if you're going to be King you need to know your history; Da you've got a meeting with the head of the trade association I've gone over your notes they're in your study." She went round them, picking up their bowels and taking them into the kitchen, an exasperated looking servant following after her.

Bard leant forward and gave his children a mischievous glare "Who's she interested in then?"

"That's for us to know, and them to find out." Said Bain smugly.

"Tilda?"

"Sorry Da, but Professor Morgan told me it was rude to gossip. Especially about other royals."

"There's a bag of sweets in it for you."

Tilda looked thoughtful on this, carefully considering her options. "Na," she decided "It's more fun to watch you guess."

"You're as bad as your Ma."

Tilda's grin just widened as she gave him a proud look. She always liked being likened to the mother she'd never known, it was why he did it so often. It was true though, Kendra would have been just as high and mighty over knowing who had caught Sigrid’s eye. To some extent it provided him a crumb of comfort to see how their family dynamic was still yet to change completely, but it still didn't change his frustration at not knowing.

~*~

Sigrid was having a grand time of it. She'd not proposed to anyone yet, but was enjoying the over dramatic gasps from men as they spotted the colour of her dress and made a great show of hiding from her. She wasn't the only woman in red, and she spotted her friend Sarnai with a basket full of roses, and the widowed Mrs Tsetseg admiring a pair of fine leather gloves a blushing Mr Kumara had just bought her. She turned around as a great cheer erupted in the square as Batbayar had actually accepted Prema’s proposal. They'd been dancing around each other for years, and it was quite the relief to see them finally sorting themselves out. It really had been tiring having to deal with their mutual pining.

"Sigrid! What a surprise to see you here!" Cried a voice that made her heart leap with joy and a smile spread across her face at the first note.

"Fíli! Fancy seeing you here on today of all days."

"Ah well, Mum's run out of thread and heir to the throne or not, I'm still the only one she trusts to get the kind she needs. Kíli's got a bit of a reputation on such things, boy couldn't tell silk from cotton if his life depended on it." He laughed, his bright smile somehow growing

"Well it was nice of you to come out all the way for her, you're not needed back at the mountain?"

Fíli let out a huff of air "Have you met my Mother? Like she'd allow me any excuses."

"Couldn't come herself?"

"Alas no, she's wisely taken it upon herself to make sure Thorin doesn't mess up the upcoming visit from the Blue Mountains. So it's little old me doing the shopping, care to join me?" He offered her his arm and Sigrid took it with a smirk

"You should be careful offering me your arm. People will talk."

"People do little else." He laughed, looking around at the crowds in the market, taking in the bunch of giggling ladies by the glove stand "Red certainly seems a popular colour today,"

"Is that a hint, Master Dwarf?" Smirked Sigrid, shaking her skirt out.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything..." He tailed off, giving her a lopsided grin

"Well then" she smiled, stepping out in front of him "Prince Fíli, son of Dís, will you marry me?"

No response came from him as he seemed to try and process what was going on. “Sorry, could you say that again?” he said at last, his jaw hanging slightly open.

“Will you marry me?” repeated Sigrid carefully, searching his face for laughter but seeing only confusion.

"So that's a no then?" she said slowly as he continued to look at her as if she’d suddenly sprouted a beard.

"A no? Why would it be a no?" he said at last, rather tentatively

Clogs began to spin in Sigrid’s brain as she tried to push for an explanation that might save her some embarrassment. “You, you do know what day it is?"

"Tuesday..."

"It's Diwrnod Addasiad?" she pressed, concern growing every second

"What’s that?"

"It’s the extra day you add on to, oh!" She gasped, blushing as red as her skirt and began to stammer her apologies "I thought it was a Dwarven thing too, everyone in the North does it I just assumed you knew I, I'm so sorry I didn't..."

"So you don't want to marry me?"

"No! I didn't say that I mean I--" come to think of it, she didn't actually know what she meant.

"Sigrid, is this an actual proposal or are you just teasing me because,” he licked his lips nervously, appearing just as embarrassed and rightly so. “Look I don't want to ruin anything we have but--"

"You were meant to say no!" She said hastily "The men usually say no today! It's, well it's Diwrnod Addasiad so, so the women propose to the men and if they're denied then, then they get a kiss and a rose or a pair of gloves, it's, it's tradition?" She added, slightly lamely

"It's a tradition to give out fake proposals?" he said with a raised eyebrow

"Well, sort of. I mean, I'd never ask someone who I didn't actually, and I thought you were saying you wanted to, so I just sort of..." She coughed and looked away from him "I'm sorry."

"So, if I say no, then I have to kiss you?" Said Fíli, carefully. Sigrid couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye as she nodded

"And nobody would mind if I did?"

Sigrid shook her head, biting her lip, still not looking at him. Stupid, stupid girl. Should never have said anything, should have realised that--

"Well, then my answer is no, I will not marry you." And he reached for her hand and held it steadily in his as he cupped her face with the other "So I guess I owe you a kiss?"

Sigrid blinked down at him, feeling her heart do a double take as she took him in, he looked just as nervous she felt, his natural confidence now simply a facade that did not reach his eyes.

"I guess you do..." She whispered as she leant down towards him the same moment he leant up to her.

It was only a brief kiss, the merest brushing of lips that lingered for only a moment longer than decent; yet still it made Sigrid feel breathless and unsteady, as though a whole new sun lit path had just opened up before her. She didn't know what to say, she could only stand staring at him as he did the same to her.

"And a rose." She said at last, breaking the moment "You owe me a rose too."

"Well then I guess we best find one. Could we call it a courting gift as well?" he asked, looking more shy then she’d ever seen him before.

"A, a courting gift? You want to..."

"Do you want to?"

"I, well, yes. Yes I do." She smiled broadly "I'd like that very much."

He took her over to the nearest flower stand and bought her the most beautiful rose they had on sale, it was not red as the more romantic people would have it, but rather white with a pink trim to the petals. It stood out amongst all the others and smelt so sweet.

They were forced to part once they had finished their shopping but with the solemn promise that they would meet again soon. Sigrid went back to the house to begin lunch, still in a bit of a daze as she found a vase for her rose and set it on the kitchen counter to look at whilst she worked.

"He said no then." Smiled Bain, bending over the counter to get a better look at the rose.

"Well, obviously he did. Men are meant to."

"But he's not a Man." Smirked her brother, twisting round to stare back at her, his arms crossed across his chest.

"I don't know what you mean." She said primly

"Yeah you do, and for the record, prince or not, if he hurts you I will kill him."

"I still don't know what you're talking about. But I appreciate the misguided sentiment." She ruffled his hair and earned a scowl for her efforts "But there's no need to worry, I'm perfectly capable of my own revenge plots."

"I know Sis, I'm just saying. If you need help, I'll be first in line. But I think he'll be needing to hide from Da first." He winked, taking a stack of empty plates into the dining room

"Who's hiding from me?" asked her da, raising an eyebrow as he came into the kitchen

Bain nodded towards the rose in the window "Whoever turned Sigrid down."

Bard found himself struck dumb.

It wasn't red a rose, as someone trying to woo her would have it, nor was it a cheap bloom that would die overnight as someone just following the tradition of the day would give. It was unique and beautiful, picked for its own merits rather than any symbolism it might hold.

It told Bard that whoever she'd asked actually cared about her, and might be interested in her beyond just a simple school kid romance. Once again, he was hit by how much his daughter had grown whilst he'd been busy elsewhere. He watched as she hummed about her work for the rest of the day, her eyes always drifting to the flower on the windowsill. Whoever this person was, she was completely gone on them.

Oh well, he sighed to himself so long as they made her happy. And after all, it wasn't as if anyone she'd choose would be all that unsuitable for her. Nobody would mind really if she married a fisherman or a trader, not when she was a bargeman's daughter at heart; plus it wasn't like there was an abundance of eligible princes about the place. Unless you counted the dwarves up at the mountain.

He allowed himself a simple chuckle at the notion. Him, the father-in-law to a dwarf! Now that would be the day.

Chapter Text

They kept their courting quiet for the first few months. Both of them had grown up outside of the expectations of royalty, and the thought of entering straight away into a formal courting was simply unbearable and could put a lot of pressure on their relationship before it even began. Plus there was the fact that he was a dwarf and she a daughter of man; she from Dale and he from Erebor. If they were to be married it would not be met lightly, as some lords even questioned the appropriateness of their friendship. They simply wished to have have a few months of peacefulness before they opened that can of worms, a few months to see if they even wanted to! After all, that was what courtship was meant to be about, getting to know a person and deciding if they were the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.

Their kiss on Diwrnod Addasiad had caused a bit of a stir, though the townsfolk knew better than to let Bard overhear their gossiping. Even then not everyone believed the rumours, and certainly gave no stock to the implications of their relationship going beyond friendship. Their kiss had only been a brief, and it had been the day for such things. Plus who had ever heard of a dwarf falling in love with another species? The concept was simply absurd! There were certainly more important things to talk about and safer people to tease.

Most people didn’t notice the change between them. They were as friendly as they'd always been and could be seen together playing board games whenever they found the time. Indeed, the only noticeable difference was that they smiled a lot more than they used to. The Lady Sigrid could be seen going about her daily tasks humming a merry tune, whilst Prince Fíli had a spring in his step, not seen since childhood.

Of course, their eagle eyed siblings were not to be fooled. It hadn’t escaped Kíli's attention that his brother and Sigrid would come up with simultaneous excuses to disappear during meetings, nor that Fíli would only play her favourite songs when requested to break out his violin. Neither had it escaped their mother's attention-- though Dís knew better than to mention it, wishing to see how things progressed before she bought it up with him. There would be no use in creating a fuss over something that might not even come to pass.

As for Tilda and Bain, well, their sister’s Anduin Ring had been facing inwards for well over a month. A time in which saw her sending many a letter to the mountain with the weakest of pretences. They'd had their suspicions before, but her recent behaviour confirmed it, and in turn their teasing had increased ten fold.

Bard too had noticed the change in his daughter, however it took him a bit longer to put everything together. Her siblings had not been subtle about their jibes, but the idea of her courting a dwarf had just seemed so ludicrous that he'd not given it much thought.

She'd been serving him his carrots when he spotted her Anduin Ring, no longer facing outwards but most definitely towards her heart. He frowned as she pulled her hand away and glanced back up at Bain and Tilda who were wearing the innocent looks of the truly guilty.

"Do I get to meet them then?" He said, casually picking at his chicken.

"Meet who?" replied Sigrid, settling down herself

"The person who's got you all twitterpated."

"I’ve no idea what you’re on about.” She said calmly, picking up her cutlerly and avoiding his gaze

"Oh come on Sigrid." Sighed her father "I'm not an idiot. I know you're sweet on someone, you’ve even changed your ring for the love of Eru!”

"He's got you there Sis." Chuckled Bain

"Yeah Sig!” grinned Tilda, leaning out of her seat “Just tell him already so we can tease you properly!"

Sigrid glowered at the pair of them. When they were youngsters it might have shut them up, but Bain was seventeen now, and Tilda eleven. Their Big Sister was losing control over them almost as fast as their Da was.

"Sigrid, I'm not going to be mad.” Smiled Bard, “I just want to know who's making you so happy. You'll grant your old da that at least?"

Sigrid picked at her own meal, thinking carefully. "Do you promise not to be angry?"

"I promise." he smiled, reaching out to hold her hand "So long as they make you this happy, how on earth could I be angry?"

Her siblings watched with the same level of glee as with a tournament. Sigrid took a deep breath:

"It's Prince Fíli."

~*~

"IT'S WHO?" Bellowed Thorin.

Despite what his family might say, Thorin was not an oblivious idiot with the emotional range of a teaspoon. He had handled the whole 'Bilbo Leaving For the Shire' situation very well indeed, Thank You. There was no moping or pining or anything like that and if he jumped out of his seat to read Bilbo's letters in private that was his business, and not that of Interfering Little Sisters or their Annoying Offspring.

As such, it had not escaped his notice that his nephew was behaving oddly. He knew that something was going on, but he had not expected it to be of the romantic nature. Oh of course he knew that Kíli was completely gone on The Elf, that was more obvious than the nose on his face. But Fíli, well… He'd just assumed it was something to do with the weather or getting to be out and about a bit more now that Erebor was getting back on it's feet.

However as time went on, and Fíli's cheer grew steadily more obvious as he too ran away to read any personal letter in the privacy of his rooms, was spotted day dreaming during balls and could be heard unintentionally humming ballads as he went about his daily businesses. There could be no denying it, his heir was deeply in love; and Thorin couldn’t be happier for the lad.

It did him good to see his nephew so full of the joys of life. He'd never been as serious as Thorin (Dís would never have allowed it) but Fíli had always taken just as focussed an approach to his duty as heir that he never seemed to allow himself any time to enjoy being young. His new spirit was infectious; he cracked jokes during meetings, spent time talking to visiting dignitaries, and seemed to be more open to considering outside opinions, especially those from Dale, making him a useful ally during trade agreements. Yes, whomever it was who had stolen his nephew's heart was someone worthy of it indeed.

Thorin had never exactly been a subtle dwarf, so one day over dinner he decided on a whim to just ask his nephew who it was he was so smitten with. His response had not been one he'd been expecting.

"I am courting Lady Sigrid of Dale." Said Fíli firmly, continuing to cut up his dinner as if he had not just uttered words that could bring the kingdom crumbling down. Thorin blinked at him, unable to process what was going on. Kíli's courtship was horrific enough, but this, this was beyond the pail!

"I forbid it." Said Thorin at last, slamming his fist on the table for emphasis "I will not have my heir marry outside of our kind. It is a disgrace."

Fíli's eyes snapped back up to his Uncle's with a level of anger Thorin had not seen there before. It was a look he recognised in Frerin's eyes and it unnerved him entirely. His brother, Mahal keep him and bless him, had only ever looked like that when Thorin had really gone beyond the mark. It was the look he imagined on his baby brother's face during the midst of this gold sickness. A look of betrayal and disgust.

"I do not care what you have to say on the matter, Irak'Adad, if she will grant me the honour than I will take her as my wife."

Thorin scoffed at his words, still feeling as stubborn as ever "I think you'll find that as your King, what I have to say is the most--"

"Oh silence Nadad, you may be King but that does not make you in charge of this process."

Thorin spluttered as he turned to his sister, who was casually sipping at her ale as though this really were just regular dinner conversation.

"The title 'King', Nana’, tends to imply that I am in control of all processes, includ--"

"As his mother, however, I have a right to allow or disallow a match should it fail to meet with the standards of our house."

Thorin grinned at her words, throwing his nephew a supercilious expression as he allowed her to take command of the situation. Fíli might be young enough to wish to rebel against Thorin, but nobody could deny anything of Dís. Case in point, when she'd presented Víli to their mother for approval she'd been about to reject him on grounds of Víli being from an inferior clan; right up until Dís had challenged her to a fight over the right to marry and beaten the Seasoned Warrior in just five moves. Yes, nobody could get in Dís' way, and if she disapproved of the match (which she obviously did) then there was no way he'd ever be seeing that girl again beyond glimpses during meetings.

"Tell me, Fíli, do you love this person?" she asked, turning to face him

"More than I have loved anything in my whole life." He replied, his back straight and head held high

"Is she family? Are we related in anyway?"

"What? Of course not!" he spluttered, taken aback by the question

"Is she already married, or courting someone else?" continued Dís, as mater of factly as before

"No, she is not. Nor will there ever be anyone else, not for me at least.”

"And does she love you as much as you love her?"

"Yes." He smiled, more to himself than anyone else "She does. I am as certain of her feelings as I am of my own. I am hers and she is mine, and I don’t want to keep it hidden any longer.”

"Well then.” said Dís, turning back to her plate “Everything seems to be in order. When shall we be meeting her father then? To discuss arrangements for your engagement?" she smiled, taking in the unbridled joy that had erupted on the face of her son, the like of such she’d not seen since her was just a badger playing with his father.

"No no no no no!" Stuttered Thorin, staring at his sister unable to take in everything that had just happened "You can't be serious Nuna! Just think about it for a second. This goes against everything we know. A daughter of man to be the mother to Durins? That is if they’d even capable producing heirs that is!"

"Well then I guess it's a good job Stonehelm is doing so well." Shrugged Dís, dismissing his anger in favour of more food.

"Hey!" Objected Kíli "I could still have kids! Don’t forget about me in all this.”

"Karakith, you are courting an elf. We're not even going to go into the details of that one again, not in such close proximity to knives." She said, expertly removing the one Thorin had abandoned in case he had any bright ideas. Kíli was not to be silenced though.

"Oh I get it, so Fíli can marry whoever he likes where as I am forced to--"

"Again, Kíli this is a discussion for another time." Sighed his mother, who had not forgotten the time the elves had turned their backs on them; a time when Tauriel had been alive and in service of her king. Dís adored her children but that only meant she was more wary about who they chose to tie themselves to. She needed longer to see if Tauriel was as committed to their match as her son was-- and if it was one things elves had, then it was time.

Men, on the other hand, did not. Their lives were but a fraction compared to that of a dwarf. It should be a concern of hers. It should be a worry that her son would most likely face the majority of his life without his beloved by his side. It was a pain she knew all too well. She'd only had fifty years with Víli. Fifty glorious and heartfelt years of blissful joy! If her son could get even half of that then she knew it would be enough. She would not deny her son the chance to spend a lifetime with his Marlûna, even if that lifetime was shorter than most. Sometimes infinity could be as short as a summer, after all.

~*~

Bard could still not believe his ears.

"Prince Fíli." He said again, triple checking that he'd heard correctly "The dwarf. The crowned prince of Erebor, that's who you're courting?"

"Is there a problem in that?" Said Sigrid rather stiffly

"A dwarf! An actual dwarf? I mean--" he sat back in his chair as it all started to fall into place. Her excitement for meetings, her enthusiasm for attending the balls, the constant stream of letters... He'd assumed she was sending them to Éolist but the replies had always come so much faster than they should have...

 'Not a man' Bain had said. He had just assumed Sigrid was sweet on a girl! Not this... Never this...

"Are you sure?" Bard said at last and Sigrid frowned at him

"Sure of what?"

"That you love him?"

"I--" began Sigrid, taken aback "as sure as I've been of anything in my whole life."

"Does your soul sing when he's by your side? Does the world seem emptier when you're apart? Do you feel a better person for knowing him and having him?" continued Bard, looking as serious as Sigrid had ever seen him, his eyes filled with love and uncertainty.

"I, yes." She said quietly "yes he makes me feel all of that and much more beside."

"Then I guess there's nothing I can say to keep you apart, is there?" Smiled her father and he felt his own heart hum to see the joy that lit up her face.

"You'll let me marry him? You're sure! You approve of him?"

"Cariad, how could I disapprove of anyone who makes you that happy?" He laughed as she rushed round the table to engulf him in a massive hug.

"I'll not make this easy on him mind." He chuckled, squeezing her tight "and he'll have to consent to all our customs."

"And I'll consent to his." Smiled Sigrid

"You know," Tilda mused as she watched Sigrid continue to squeeze the air of their father "it'll do a lot of people a lot of good to have a wedding come to Dale. 'Specially one to a prince."

"Secure an alliance." Agreed Bain, a mock-seriousness to his voice "Make sure that both nations have an equal say in matters facing the northern kingdoms."

"There'll be an increase in trade as everyone comes to send their blessings. Food, cloth, animals. There'll be more feasts and balls and those always make people happier which means they'll spend more money on stuff." Continued Tilda, who'd only just recently begun studying economics with her tutor.

"It wouldn't surprise me if someone made official pottery and tapestries to mark the occasion." Bain nodded "Really Sigrid, you've got yourself into a really political advantagous marriage."

"Yeah Sig, you're making a real sacrifice here for the good of the kingdom!"

"Just like a proper princess." Smirked her brother "Or, wait, hang on, didn't you say you'd never enter into a marriage for the good of dale?"

"I think she did Bain you're right. Very loudly and in the face of several well respected noblemen." grinned her father, happy to be able to join in on the teasing at last "Well I'm sorry Sigrid but I’ve changed my mind. I cannot just let you go against your morals like this! I'm going to have to put an end to-- ow! Alright I surrender!" He laughed as Sigrid went in again with a raised tea towel. She heaved a sigh and looked at her family with fond exasperation.

"I'm going to have to put up with a lot of this, aren't I?"

"At least until you've got your own children." Said Tilda seriously, her eyes glittering at the look of panic that flickered across Sigrid’s face. Oh this process was going to be fun, and Tilda couldn't wait to share it with all their cousins…

~*~

Fíli was already composing the letter to Sigrid as her ran down the corridors towards his room. There was so much to tell her, and he couldn't wait to bring her the news! They'd talked about telling their families soon, when the right opportunity arose but he'd not expected it to be so quick! It was like a final sign from the Valar that they were simply meant to be.

Thorin was right on one count though, Sigrid would die well before he would. He’d presented the fact at the end of dinner like it was something Fíli had never considered. However Sigrid and he had discussed it in great detail. Did Sigrid want to marry someone who'd be unable to age with her? Did Fíli want to be with someone who would die before he reached middle-aged? Were they willing to deal with the mutual heartbreak that was to come? Would they be strong enough to see it through together? The answers came so quickly to them that they were never in doubt. They would rather face all the ages of the world alone, than be forced to live with an eternal 'What If?'

He reached his room at last and headed straight for his desk, only to discover a rather smug looking pigeon waiting for him. He recognised the bird instantly as Sigrid's. It was larger than most, with a delicate purple colouring admits the dark grey. The bird ruffled its feathers and stuck out it's leg importantly, a scroll tied neatly to it.

Usually all letters were filtered through the delivery system. Birds were herded towards the Rookery and a dwarf would collect the letters to send to their rightful owners. However when Sigrid and he had begun courting properly and their letters had become slightly more frequent, the pair had realised that it would perhaps be wiser to try and boycott the Rookery all together. And so they had set about trying to find a way into the mountain without detection. This was difficult as it was one of the most secure places in the north! It had taken a dragon to infiltrate it during its heyday, and there had only been more security procedures put in place since.

However on a walk one day Fíli had discovered a small group of starlings sitting on top of the pillars near the east wing. He watched as they fluttered about for a bit before disappearing through a previously-unseen hole. It had turned out to be an old ventilation system designed to filter fresh air into the mountain. Further investigation lead to a discovery of air vents scattered throughout the mountain. It was not hard to then find one near his rooms and in the dead of night sort out his own private link to the system. The next step had been training Sigrid's pigeon to know which entrance to come in through, but it was a canny enough creature to figure it out by itself-- with only a small amount of bribery in the form of food.

Fíli absentmindedly scattered some seed on the table for it as he read through Sigrid's own letter, retelling her own dinner and how Bard had given his warm approval to their match.

He gave out a bark of laughter at the content and shook his head fondly. Of course she'd have gotten there first. It was the way of things really, that she would get to him with the good news before he'd even picked up a quill.

Oh well, better late than never, as they said. He kept his letter brief, well aware that his mother would be writing to Bard in the morning in more detail. For now Fíli simply relayed the events of the evening and sent off his letter containing his love. He smiled as he helped the bird into the vent, earning a slightly indignant squawk as he gave it a slight push to get it through. They should really cut down on the rewards at this point. It wasn't like they needed to buy their secrecy that much anymore. Come the morning practically the whole mountain would be aware of their prince's courtship with the lady of Dale. He could practically hear the shouts of dismay already.

~*~

Sigrid was just about to turn in for the night when she heard a tapping on her window that meant her pigeon had returned. She grinned as she read over Fíli’s response, feeling her heart flip around in we chest at every word. It had been over a year and yet every letter still filled her with giddy joy. She hopped the sensation would never go away.

His letter contained similar news to her own. She was relieved that his mother and brother approved of the match, but the fact that Thorin was still yet to be convinced troubled her greatly. They might not need his approval, but she certainly wanted it. Fíli had half-jokingly told her he would give up his claim to the throne for her, but it was not something she would wish on him. Not that Stonehelm would do such a bad job of it, but she knew Fíli had the making of greatness within him.

Still if, he was stubborn enough to give it all up for the love of a daughter of men, then it would simply be down to her to convince Thorin to approve of their match to make sure it never came to that.

There had to be a way to appeal to his better nature, his more romantic side. If only there was someone who could make him see sense where everyone else had failed, someone whose opinion he valued above all others...

That night she dreamt of ripe tomatoes and flowers bursting into bloom.