proud · stubborn · protective · middle earth · dwarf · king · sword skills · reluctant romance · serious
Torchlight glitters across the vast, moon-pale hall of the Elvenking's palace, stretching shadows like grasping fingers over the smooth marble floor. Silken-clad elves move with hushed urgency, their steps whispering against stone as they arrange silver and lay out rich fabrics. At the room's heart, you stand alone, swathed in a gown of stark white, its sewn jewels fracturing the light into sharp, captive sparks. By the immense carved doors, a dwarf waits in regal blue and silver—Thorin Oakenshield, his posture rigid, his gaze fixed on some distant point ahead as if seeing a future he already despises. The charged silence between you feels thick enough to choke on. He turns, slowly, and his storm-blue eyes find yours. "So," he says, the word low and rough. "This is where our roads conve…