Once more, thank you all for the lovely comments! I'm sorry, that I didn't reply to all of them but I was too busy with writing this baby. I figured that you much rather have an update so I hope that you can all forgive me ;P

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Harry had always hated lying; not only was he undeniably bad at it, but it also always came back to bite him in the ass. He had panicked, which had lead him to lie and now he knew and dreaded what would follow. But this time, he had decided that he would not wait for the trouble to evolve because he would meet it head on.

Harry was walking or more like half-running down grand corridors, ignoring the stares that always followed him. He had to find Thorin before Jarkar did. Jarkar hadn't believed him for more than ten seconds; undoubtedly, he had heard about Thorin and Harry's first disagreeable meeting. And therefore, Harry had quickly excused himself before Jarkar could question him on his word.

Harry didn't know where Thorin could be found around this time on the day; he had no clue as to what a king spent his time doing. He had gotten a head start on Jarkar but he was partly walking blind, and if Jarkar got to Thorin first, he would uncover Harry's lie, and Harry didn't doubt that that would have disastrous followings for him.

Thorin still owed him for cutting his hair and, though Harry hadn't wanted Thorin to be in his debt, his kindness had only shed more shame on Thorin. This was Thorin and Harry's chance to cut the taxing bond that had unwillingly been spun between them when they first met. At least, Harry hoped that Thorin would have a solution to his problem; he was the king after all.

But first, Harry had to find him. He was going towards the throne room, which he had never approached before, by following the markings on the walls. All the while he kept a lookout for Nori, or other familiar faces in the corridors, that could help him come into contact with the king.

Harry was so busy looking around the shadows, hoping to catch a glint of Nori, that he didn't watch himself as he rounded the corner and bumped into the back of another dwarf.

"I'm so terrible sorry." The words tumbled out as he stepped back from the other dwarf. "I didn't watch where I was going."

The other dwarf, a miner, Harry could see from the working clothes, which were as heavily layered with stone dust as the dwarf's kind face.

"No matter, lad, I can see that you're in a hurry. Where is the fire burning?"

"I'm looking to speak to the king."

"Well, so are we all, laddie," the dwarf said as he pointed a thick finger over his shoulder. That wasn't an answer Harry had expected but he looked around the dwarf's form to see what he meant. Dwarf after dwarf stood in line as far as Harry could see until the corridor took another turn. All of them citizens of Erebor with different standings in society; some miners like the dwarf before him, other noblemen in coloured silk and jewels.

"You're all here to speak to the king?" Harry asked defeatedly, once more looking at the dwarf with the dirt-covered face. There was no way that Jarkar wouldn't somehow get into contact with Thorin, before Harry even had made his way halfway through this line.

The dwarf cast him a sympathetic look and scratched his nose with a black finger. "These kinds of things usually take all day, but you know what? I wouldn't mind letting you get a pass ahead of me, I'm not in a hurry like you."

Harry stood completely still as the other dwarf moved around and behind him. "I can't possibly just take your place. And however much I'm grateful for your kindness, I doubt that it will do me much good."

The dwarf repaid Harry's smile with a much brighter one. "Ay lad, I understand that you are in a hurry but one thing at a time. What do you say, Master Tyrigg?"

Harry couldn't even ask what the other dwarf meant before the dwarf next in line turned around to address them.

"I'm not otherwise in a hurry either. I will let you get a pass ahead of me as well." And before Harry knew it, dwarf after dwarf let him take the spot ahead of them in the line. He only had a brief moment to thank the men and women, whom he didn't know and who couldn't know him, for letting him come forward in the long line of waiting dwarves.

Harry's smile was radiant because of the kindness bestowed upon him and, unknowingly, that smile made the other dwarves more than willing to step aside so that they too could have that smile directed upon them. Before Harry knew it, he had left the corridor and passed the threshold into the throne room.

He immediately became aware of the resonance of Thorin's deep voice in the giant hollow hall. A hall that was nothing like he could ever have imagined a throne room to be. There was no floor, only four stone paths which lead up to the throne. And from the edge of the path, he could see nothing but darkness. Along the walls beside the path he occupied together with the other dwarven citizens, were giant stone warriors with helmets and axes. Everywhere else, the walls were open out to the surrounding corridors so that anyone could come and listen to the king's advice and be present at royal activities. The other three paths were obviously used for a more private purpose. On each of them, guards in golden armour stood at attention, guarding their king who was seated in the middle of the room. Thorin was still too far away for Harry to make out, but he was getting closer.

Harry came past two more dwarves and he could begin to make out the details of the throne: From the ceiling hung an upside down mountain, like a huge stalactite, with rivers of gold running through it. It reached down and touched the top of the black throne, which was decorated with a golden pattern and a white glowing jewel.

But Harry's attention quickly shifted towards the dwarf who was seated on the throne. There were only ten dwarves between them now, and Harry could easily see Thorin, who wore a golden crown upon his head, thick golden rings on his fingers, and royal blue clothes with a thick black pelt thrown around his shoulders.

Thorin had yet to notice Harry's presence, his blue eyes were fixed upon the dwarf addressing him, but Dwalin had. Dwalin stood beside Thorin together with two other dwarves; an older white-haired one along with a much younger dwarf that resembled Thorin save for his golden blonde hair.

As Harry moved another space forward, Dwalin sent him a knowing smirk, but he didn't do much else; obviously, he was patiently waiting for Thorin to notice him and for the show to unfold.

And as Thorin finished his speech and the dwarf before him bowed down in gratitude, the dwarves before Harry didn't step forward but aside and then, blue eyes fell upon green.

"Harry?" Thorin rose from his throne in surprise. "What can I do for you?"

Suddenly, Harry doubted what cause of action he should take. There were so many people around them, he couldn't just blurt things out in front of everyone and should he bow down first before he addressed Thorin? He chose not to as he stepped forward to the steps leading up to the raised podium.

"I know that this is a bad time and that I'm asking for a lot but could we please speak together somewhere more private, if possible?"

I didn't seem that Harry had had any need to worry about his behaviour or his request.

"Of course, if you would just follow me, I can take us somewhere more private to discuss these matters." While Thorin's confusion was evident, Harry was relieved to see that he didn't appear angry or irritated by his request, which made it much easier for Harry to step up beside Thorin.

"Frerin, I leave you to care for Erebor's citizens in my stead. Dwalin, you will stay with him." Before either Dwalin or the dwarf, Frerin, could protest, Thorin had with a carefully placed hand on Harry's back and steered them down the path behind the throne lined with armed dwarves.

Thorin's hand was an alien weight upon Harry's back, not unpleasant but it still made Harry turn to face Thorin, as they walked, to make the hand fall away.

"I'm really sorry for the sudden interruption," was all he could think to say at the moment.

"I could use the break," Thorin answered with a wry grin, letting his arm fall back by his side. "I'm actually the one who should apologize to you for our last meeting. I didn't mean to insult you."

Harry looked up from the black stone floor and was caught in Thorin's blue eyes. Guilt immediately began to bloom in his lower belly. He couldn't begin to imagine how much trouble he had caused Thorin and here Thorin was apologizing to him.

"It's nothing, really, so don't think anything of it; I clearly overreacted," Harry answered quickly, unable to hold Thorin's gaze any longer, and going back to starring at the floor.

Thorin's laugh was deep and warm, and Harry felt heat rise to his cheeks at the sound.

"I see no fault in your actions, Harry, the fault lies entirely with me. I spoke without thought, one of my less fine qualities. Would you not agree Balin?" Thorin enquired of the white haired dwarf that followed a little behind them.

"A quality, my king, I'm happy to say that you have almost mastered since the start of your rule." The dwarf, Balin, spoke with mirth and Harry could immediately tell that the two dwarves were close friends.

"Harry, let me introduce you to Balin, son of Fundin, and elder brother to Dwalin. He is the king's adviser and I wouldn't know what to do without him.

"You honour me, my king," Balin said as he moved forward to walk with them. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Harry. I have only heard whispers and stories since the day of your arrival."

Harry didn't hide the grimace that came over his face. "Well, whatever opinion you have of me now, I can guarantee you that it won't be better after this meeting."

The glance shared between Thorin and Balin didn't escape Harry. "When will we get there?" he asked, before any questions could be asked in the middle of the hallway.

"In here," Thorin answered and pushed open a door to let Harry and Balin enter. A fire was burning in the far end of the room, which had four comfortable couches placed around a table before it, and a desk in the other end of the room. Along the walls hung shields, swords, spears, and other weapons as decorations; the light of the fire mirrored in the smooth surfaces of the metals and light flickered playfully around the room.

"Let us hear what you have to say, Harry." Thorin had chosen the couch in front of Harry's, with Balin right beside him. Harry was silent for a moment as he faced the dwarves before him; they looked expectantly at him but were patient enough not to push when Harry hesitated.

"There's no easy way for me to say this because I have done something terrible stupid and in my moment of stupidity I came to involve you as well, Thorin." Harry looked directly into Thorin's eyes and, even though he wanted to look away in shame, he didn't. "I didn't know what to do and while that is no excuse, I'm terribly sorry for what I did. But if you help me with this, could we consider this strain between us gone?"

Thorin's gazed shifted for a moment a little further down Harry's face, before he came to with a shake of his head and made contact with Harry's eyes once more.

"What did you do?"

"I was on my way to the library," Harry began. "Out of curiosity and interest I wanted to see it, but I was stopped in the hall by a dwarf named Jarkar."

Both Thorin and Balin moved in their seats at the mention of Jarkar's name. They were clearly disturbed by the name but they didn't interrupt and Harry continued on.

"After seeing me, he thought that I was his lost fiancé, Roh. He asked if I could deny it, if I was certain my name was Harry since I can't remember my past. He wanted to marry me, said that he had legal papers, and unless I was to marry someone of higher rank, we would be married. I was afraid, and I said that I was to marry you."

"Me?" Thorin interrupted and Harry had to look away at Thorin's shocked face. He wanted to beat himself over the head; there was no way Thorin would forgive him for this. Harry's gaze flickered over to Balin, whose mouth simply hung open and Harry had to bury his face in his hands.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled quietly while learning further back in the couch in an impossible attempt to disappear into the cushions.

"Harry, look at me." Harry raised his head to look at the two dwarves before him. Thorin's elbows were resting on his knees, his face calm while Balin had closed his mouth and looked to be lost in thought. "I don't fault you for what you did and I will help you to the best of my abilities. We will fix this, Harry, I promise you." Thorin spoke with such reassurance that a little smile broke loose from Harry's lips, an expression Thorin soon mirrored.

"What is the plan, then?"

Harry looked expectantly at Thorin but it was Balin who answered,

"The plan is the only optional plan, you will have to marry."

"What? No."

Balin shifted uncomfortable in his seat at Harry's outburst and cleared his throat before continuing,

"There is nothing else to be done. You said that you were promised to the king and if council member Jarkar does indeed have legal papers to your hand in marriage, you can only avoid him by marrying Thorin."

"But I don't want this, don't you understand?" Harry spoke with rising anger, and a pointed finger at Thorin. "I don't want to marry him. I don't want to marry at all, there has to be another way?"

Thorin kept awfully quiet, much to Harry's frustration; why wasn't Thorin protesting over this match together with him?

"It could be much worse," Balin said with a strained smile. "You can't do much better than a king, eh?"

Harry's teeth grinded so hard together, that for a moment, he feared they would break under the force. Somehow he had thought that Thorin would be able to help him, but perhaps he had hoped for too much; things never turned out well when the two of them were in the same perimeter.

"But I will still be marrying against my will, which is exactly what I had tried to prevent in the first place. And I don't care if he is the king, a council member, or a simple dwarf. Don't you have anything to say to all of this?" he questioned Thorin. "I can't imagine that this is what you want either, our past meetings haven't exactly left fond memories behind."

"I said that I would help you and this will help you, Harry, help both of us by clearing the strain that has been left since our first meeting. I know that this wasn't what you had hoped for, but we will just have to get through it together."

Harry rose from the couch and walked over to stand by the fire. He suddenly felt cold and not even the hot flames could fill him with warmth. He didn't speak for a while and he was grateful that neither Balin nor Thorin attempted to start a conversation either.

"Okay, okay," Harry could hear himself say at last. "Let's say that we get married; how long will we have to keep pretending before we can break things off?"

When he turned back around to hear the answer to his question, he caught a flash of hurt upon Thorin's face before the dwarf could compose himself.

"I'm afraid that there's no way to break it off." And suddenly Harry didn't just feel cold, he also felt very ill. Not only would he loathe marrying someone he didn't love but he had also forced Thorin into this mess and, from Thorin's hurt look before, Harry would guess that the king hated the idea as much as him.

Harry didn't know why but the thought alone hurt.

"You will become my queen," Thorin continued with an even, controlled voice. "I will tell my family about this tonight and tomorrow I will make a public announcement of our engagement. If anyone asks, we have been courting since not long after our first meeting, as we quickly realised that we were wrong about each other."

Thorin rose from his seat and Harry watched carefully as he walked over towards him to take his hand in his. "Take this," he said as he laid a ring in the palm of Harry's hand, "and wear it always. It bears the symbol of my family, of yours."

Harry's fingers tingled with warmth where they met Thorin's, but he pretended not to notice as he looked down upon the ring in his hand. A thick band made of a silver-white material, decorated with fine small runes. I was as simple as it was beautiful, and Harry didn't doubt for a second, that he had never held anything as valuable before in his hand.

"Thank you," he mumbled, busy studying Thorin's handsome face, as the dwarf slipped his old ring upon Harry's left ring finger.

"I also want you to wear these." And then Thorin removed three beads from his own hair and held them out for him to see: One was made of the same material as his ring and two was made of gold with emerald stones.

"May I?" Thorin indicated to Harry's hair, and as Harry didn't know how to place the beads on his own, he gave Thorin a nod in permission to touch his hair. Harry loosened the knot on the back of his head, which kept the locks from the front of his face away, as Thorin moved to stand behind him.

The fingers in his hair were gentle and careful not to pull to hard. It was a nice feeling; to have someone so close after he had been deprived of touch for so long. He missed the hugs and kisses he would share with his family and friends back home, for here he couldn't share these small comforts without caution.

Halting himself from the depressing train of thought, a sudden revelation dawned on him. "What about heirs?"

"What about them?" sounded Thorin's deep voice from behind him.

"I can't give you any," he said without further elaborations, and as he saw Balin's confused look, he realised that his statement had been misunderstood.

"I mean I can, but I won't. You can't demand that of me."

Harry hadn't realised that he had started shaking, not until two strong hands had taken hold of his shoulders and turned him around.

"Harry, listen to me, I would never force you." And Harry could only nod dumbly with Thorin's face so close to his. He was caught by Thorin's smell and the warmth that poured out of his blue eyes, unbothered by the hands stroking up and down his arms. But when Thorin made a small step forward, bringing them closer together, Harry had to back away. He settled himself, once more, upon the couch and raised a careful hand to his hair to analyse Thorin's work.

The locks from each side of his face had been braided and gathered behind his head once more, with the two golden beads entwined in the braids. The silver bead had been place upon a lock of hair by his right ear. If this particular placement had a significant meaning, Harry couldn't tell.

"They look good on you," Thorin said as he too took a seat.

"There is still so much I'm uncertain about," Harry said ignoring Thorin's comment. "I don't know what is expected of me or how to act."

"We will help you every step on the way, don't you doubt that, laddie," Balin was quick to reassure with kind eyes and a smile hidden beneath thick white hair.

"What about my job? I just recently acquired a job as a private healer under the tutelage of Oin. Will I have to quit?" Harry hoped not. He loved his work and he would hate to stop because he would be too busy attending to other duties.

"I'm sure that we can arrange something to your liking," Thorin said.

However, Balin was quick to add, "But as queen of Erebor you will also have other duties to attend to. You do not need to quit your healer training but you will have to realise that you, as the queen, won't get to work as a healer."

"I see. Then, I only have one question left for the moment."

"And what is that, Harry?" Thorin asked with that deep voice of his that made it impossible for Harry to look anywhere else but at him.

"What will happen now?"