When Thorin stormed into her room, the vicious, lethal rage seeming to ripple off him, Arien decided that it was probably a good thing she stood between Fili and him, because he looked as if he would like to start slitting throats. It seemed the meeting had been shorter than she expected, and by the anger simmering in Thorin's eyes, it hadn't gone well. She got up from where she knelt at Fili's side and crossed the room.

"What happened?" she said, putting a hand on his chest, right between his pectoral muscles.

"My grandfather is going insane," he muttered.

Then he told her everything, about the necklace and what he'd said to Thror, about his fear that Thranduil would attack them, that his people would pay for his grandfather's arrogance. When he was done, Arien opened her mouth, but Thorin cut across her.

"Don't," he said. "Don't yell at me. I know it was stupid, but I'm worried." He swallowed. "I don't... I don't want this to damage the kingdom, or hurt our people."

Arien wondered if she was the only one he'd admit any kind of weakness to, and though she wanted to scream at him for endangering himself, instead she stood on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss to his lips.

"I know," she said. "I'm not blaming you."

He looked down at her, a half-smile playing on that beautiful mouth of his. He leaned down and slanted his mouth over hers, his teeth nipping her lower lip. She pressed herself against him, and Arien marvelled again at how her body sang at the contact, his hardness against her softness. Thorin groaned as her hips ground against his, groaned in a way that made heat scorch through her.

And moved away from her, his head snapping to the doorway, something like fear in his eyes.

Dis stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the door frame with a triumphant smirk on her face. Arien tensed, then forced her shoulders to relax as she strode across the room and scooped Fili up from where he lay on the floor.

"I suppose you came for Fili," she said.

Thorin was watching with a predatory stillness. Bracing himself for the blow, Arien realised.

Dis's smirk widened. "Well, well," she said, refusing to take Fili and examining her nails. "Prince Thorin, second in line to the greatest dwarf kingdom in Middle Earth, and the nobody elf-girl from the west. Who would have thought it? I think you're suited to each other."

Thorin took a deep breath that made his broad chest expand and blew it out again.

"Don't start," he growled as Dis took Fili from Arien's arms. "You could win a teasing competition, especially when love is concerned."

Something tightened in Arien's chest. Dis smiled as she left the room.

"Don't worry," she shot over her shoulder. "I won't tell anyone, brother."

Thorin crossed the room as the door thumped shut and took Arien's hands in his. He did nothing more, just looked at her.

"When..." Arien began, a flush creeping up her neck as she spoke. "When you said 'when love is concerned', did you... did you mean that?"

He smiled, a gentle, warm smile –– different from all the others he'd given her.

"Did I mean that I love you?" he said hoarsely.

Arien could only nod, because those three words 'I love you' in his voice...

"Yes," he whispered, and something seemed to awaken in her chest. A beat that had gone silent down there. "I meant it. With my entire heart and soul. I love you, Arien."

She kissed him, because it was the only thing she could do to express what those words did to her.

"I love you too, Thorin," she whispered onto his lips. "I think I did even at our first meeting."

"You hated me," he said. "And I'll admit I wasn't your biggest fan."

"You saw me for what I was. A broken, shattered girl with a temper to match."

Thorin huffed a laugh onto her skin. "If you think your temper's bad, wait till you see mine."

She smiled.

"But Arien," he went on. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. I... I was a fool."

She looked up at him. "Just like your grandfather?"

"I would hope I wasn't that bad."

She opened her mouth to say something more, but he silenced her with a kiss.

"I love you," he whispered again.

And for one heartbeat, as his lips caressed hers, Arien wished that Thror and his stupid laws could be burned to cinders. Wished that one day, there would be a time when she didn't have to worry about being on the execution block every time she kissed Thorin. Wished that Thror's arrogant head could be chopped off.

It was selfish and horrible of her, but she did.

***

Thorin did not return to his bedroom that night.

No, he stayed in hers all through the hours of darkness, and they sat on her bed doing a minimal amount of talking –– and sleeping –– but even though Thorin took off his shirt, explaining that he normally slept without clothes, they took it no further than that. Thorin fell asleep with Arien nestled on his chest, the steady beat of his heart sounding against her ear. She stared up at the stone ceiling, imagining stars twinkling above her.

He loved her. With all of that unfaltering, brave heart of his. And he'd endured so much for her sake, had brought her back from her despair, understood her guilt and pain and grief. And though it was still there, somewhere inside her, he'd saved her. Rebuilt her.

He loved her. And what she felt for him...

It was more than lust, perhaps went beyond even just love.

She looked down at his beautiful face, bathed by moonlight, smoothed into peacefulness by sleep. People like him... They were not supposed to exist. People who were so brave, so strong, so fiercely loyal and yet also kind, and gentle, and full of such unending love... People like that only existed in stories. And yet he was real. Thorin existed. And she wondered why, as she listened to that heart beating, to his steady breathing... She wondered why she had been so lucky as to have found someone like him.

And if anyone hurt him, in any way... In the silence of her bedroom, Arien swore an oath to the darkness that if Thorin were hurt, no force in the world would hold her back from slaughtering everyone responsible.

She pressed a kiss to his chest. She'd think about it later, would think about this precious, beautiful thing between them later. About what it meant for her, and the elves in Rivendell, her home, her people. What it meant for him, and Thror, and his kingdom.

No, she thought as her eyes drifted shut. Those problems could wait.