Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/12157119. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: F/M Fandom: The_Hobbit_-_All_Media_Types, The_Hobbit_(Jackson_Movies), The_Hobbit_- J._R._R._Tolkien Relationship: Kíli/Thorin_Oakenshield Character: Kíli_(Tolkien), Thorin_Oakenshield, Balin, Dís_(Tolkien), Fíli_(Tolkien) Additional Tags: Forced_Marriage, Underage_Rape/Non-con, marital_rape, Politics, Marriage of_Convenience, Thoughts_of_infidelity, Forced_Pregnancy, Genderbending, Older_Man/Younger_Woman, No_Incest Stats: Published: 2017-09-22 Words: 2880 ****** The Child Bride ****** by Ryu_Reikai_Akuma Summary Barely out of childhood, Kili was forced to marry the king to keep the unity and peace of the kingdom. People called her a queen consort. She thought herself a hostage. Spinoff of The_King’s_Bride. Notes Warning: Although with one very short exception the smut is mostly not explicit, Kili isn’t shy with her lack of consent to having sex with Thorin and uses very triggering words. The title was the working title of The King’s Bride. This is based on what Thorin said in the second chapter of the King’s Bride about what he would’ve done had he not cared for Kili. “If these were but empty words, I wouldn’t have invited your family to Erebor. I would have only sent a message asking them to send you to me and they wouldn’t have dared to refuse. We wouldn’t be here now. You would be in Erebor, in the queen’s chamber adjacent to mine, waiting for me to give you some time of my day. There’s no need for care or compassion in political marriage, only convenience and favorable public impression!” See the end of the work for more notes Guards bowed deeply when Kili walked past them, but despite the sense of awkwardness, she merely glanced at them. A queen consort didn’t keep society with guards or servants, she reminded herself forcefully. A queen consort was to stand above them, above any commoner, and even above all lords and ladies. A queen consort should wait for the king to deem her worthy of his company, whenever that might be. A queen consort was on her own. At a hall, she hesitated, unsure where to go from there. Behind her, one of her ladies-in-waiting coughed politely and told her the way. Kili forced herself to smile. Even months after she first arrived, Erebor was still a strange place for her. It was far bigger than Ered Luin, far bigger than imagination, far darker than what she was comfortable with. Kili casted a glance out of a nearby window to see the blue sky outside and quickly quashed the intense longing crushing her chest. She did not belong out there anymore, under the sun, among the trees, above soft grass. Now she should stand in the shadows, surrounded by cold stones, out of reach of even the most persistent summer wind. This mountain was her home now whether she wanted it or not. Her family hadn’t anticipated the letter from their king when it arrived two years after she came of age, barely into the cusp of adolescence. Thorin never kept correspondence with them due to the distance and they never sought it very hard, only sending messages to inform him of events and progresses taking place in Ered Luin. They were happy with the small attention they were given, understanding that the dwarf king didn’t have much time to spare to a lord at the end of the world. They were loyal to their distant king, but Thorin didn’t trust them. The letter that arrived on the day the first snow fell ordered them to send Kili to Erebor to be wed to him the next year. There was no room for argument. There wasn’t even any room for customary negotiation of dowry. Thorin demanded a chest full of mithril and Kili’s parents were to fulfill it. Kili watched her parents struggled to gather the expected dowry. It was far beyond their means, even though they ruled over one of the richest dwarf colonies. They sold their heirlooms, emptied their vault, begged for money from close friends to fulfill the king’s demand. Her mother had cried. Thorin hadn’t been this cruel when they parted, she said. He had been kind and compassionate, she claimed. But they had parted decades ago and clearly time had changed him. He was now an effective but cold leader and there was nothing they could do but send Kili alone halfway across the world to her cruel groom. Kili didn’t remember much of her wedding, taking place only the day after her arrival. The marriage contract given to her assured her that she would be well- cared for in return of her ultimate service: Providing an heir for the king. The magnificent feast that followed the wedding was but a blur to her. There was no one there that she knew and no one who cared for her. She knew that what they were celebrating wasn’t the nuptial, but the insurance of the unity of Thorin’s kingdom and the possibility of a long-anticipated heir. The lonesome experience of the day culminated in her wedding night, when she had the first taste of the unnatural weight of an adult dwarf on top of her and the painful invasion to her body. It had hurt and, much to her embarrassment, Kili had cried out in pain and struggled—she had been injured in training before, but never hurt this way. Thorin had easily held her down after comforting words failed to calm her, continuing his animalistic assault of Kili’s untouched femininity until she shook and ceased fighting, only whimpering quietly while he used her youthful body to find release. It had mercifully ended quickly, Thorin rolling away to sleep on the side of the bed farthest from her as soon as he was finished. It was the first and last time he shared a bed with her, a sign of respect for their union that came far too late. He left for his own chamber in the early morning, leaving Kili to handle alone the seed and blood caking the insides of her thighs, and her ruined innocence. It was a memory Kili didn’t like revisiting but, unfortunately, remained vivid in her memory. The lesson was clear. Struggle was futile—Thorin would take from her what she had been forced to promise him, whether she liked it or not. Keeping silent and pliant was the easier option. There was no affection in Thorin’s actions. It was clear that his only care was to circumvent dwarf lady’s difficult biology and make his seed take root. It was now nine months into their marriage and never once had he kissed Kili. Nor did he speak to her beyond general courtesy. Kili was kept in her section of Erebor with the dull company of her ladies-in- waiting, the prettily-disguised spies and guards sent by the king to ensure her loyalty. Thorin’s fear almost made her laugh sometimes. How could any sensible dwarf lord even dream of rebelling against the King under the Mountain? Even without Kili taken forcefully as Thorin’s consort, her father wouldn’t dare raise his meager army against the infamous soldiers of Erebor. It seemed that people had exaggerated when they complimented the king’s intelligence. Nevertheless, Thorin deemed precaution needed to be taken. So, he married her and visited her chamber every few days to strengthen her bond, and the bond of Ered Luin, to the Lonely Mountain. The rigidity of his scheduled was by now deeply and painfully ingrained in Kili’s memory. Thorin would come at night, when the moon was at its highest and the mountain was fast asleep. Quietly, he would slip into the bed where Kili pretended to sleep, and urge her to undress. Under the light of the ember in the fireplace, he would touch her just enough to achieve a full stand (fortunately, it never took too long. He might be cold, but he had his needs.) That he made Kili’s body provide the barest help for the intrusion that soon took place was completely accidental. Then, he would take her once at night and once again at the break of dawn for better chance of conception. Afterward, Kili would be ignored until his next visit, until he remembered her existence. Whenever blood intervened his visit, he became sullen and determined, for it was a sign that his obligation wasn’t yet fulfilled, and he used Kili a few times once he was able to, as if trying to make up for lost opportunities. Then, when his lust couldn’t be stoked anymore, he would stalk out of her room wordlessly, leaving her aching and bruised yet grateful that the assault was done so that she would be spared from Thorin’s presence for a few days. Once, Kili had dreamed of a loving marriage, of kisses and hand holdings and warm conversations in the dark, but now she found peace in cold indifference. A young guard’s eyes lingered on her when she walked past him. Kili had seen him a few times and found herself drawn by his gentle eyes, full lips, fiery hair, tall stature and youthful strength—he was perhaps a decade older than her, much younger than Thorin, who was older than her father. A rebellious side of her that Thorin could never tame urged her to take the young guard to a private space and demand him to make her forget her shackles. Indeed, a few times she had fancied taking a lover on the side, if only to satisfy her curiosity. Kili knew copulation didn’t have to hurt. Sometimes, when Thorin moved inside her just so and when he cared to use his mouth on her neck and budding breasts, she even felt some pleasure. But it never lasted long for Thorin’s aim wasn’t her bliss, or even his own, but the creation of a new life. She was always left sore, empty, dirty. Sometimes in feasts Kili would look around the hall at young lords around her age, who only three years ago were deemed prospective matches for her. As Thorin studiously ignored her beside her, she imagined taking one of them or one of the guards and attendants or even a commoner to her bed to show her what pleasure was. But, the fantasy was laughable. Who would dare have the king’s consort right under his nose? Kili belonged to him (but never him to her). Besides, affairs carried the risk of bastardy and Kili wasn’t stupid enough to incite the wrath of the King under the Mountain on her and her home. It would seem that pleasure would forever be foreign to Kili. She supposed Thorin wasn’t a terrible lover, although she had no one and no knowledge to compare him with, and as a husband he was as good as one could expect from a husband in a marriage for convenience. He provided for her everything she needed and sent her fancy things every so often when he was being particularly kind. However, his lack of affection and attraction for her was very apparent for her (others deceived by their peaceful public impression seemed to think he only behaved as was proper, rather than revealing his true disdain for his consort.) Thorin tried to conceal it, but Kili could see it in the twist of his lips when he saw her and in the hesitant touches of his large hands on her soft skin. He touched her only out of necessity and kept well away from her when his attention wasn’t required. At first Kili thought that, just as his most trusted advisor, Thorin’s preference lay in his own sex, but she saw his eyes stray to some ladies of his court sometimes (and if there was one thing Kili admired from him, it was his resistance to taking mistresses to satisfy what he wouldn’t seek in his consort.) No, he just found Kili undesirable, barely more attractive than the elf envoys, who sometimes came to pay their respects to him. Some would advise her to make herself more appealing to him, but Kili still retained enough pride despite her captivity to not grovel for his interest. If his lack of desire meant less of his unwanted touch, then Kili would not protest. His lack of company wasn’t missed, for it was never desired. Kili kept herself company through her letters to her brother, although even in those messages she was careful in what she revealed. (One time, early in her stay in Erebor, she found a strange smudge on the letter from Fili, so unlike his immaculate self. She never trusted the ravens again since. No matter how much meat she gave them, they only ever were loyal to the king and his unfounded concerns.) She spoke only of the happenings in Erebor and inquired after their parents. Never a word she wrote of her unhappiness and Thorin’s undesired attention for she feared her brother’s reaction. She didn’t think Fili, no matter how he loved her, would run to Erebor to steal her away from her king husband, but she wouldn’t risk it still. She kept her thoughts close to her, never sharing a word with her family or her ladies-in-waiting, no matter how they asked. The silence was suffocating sometimes, but Kili was determined to become used to it. Attendants waiting outside Thorin’s study blinked in surprise at her arrival, but one quickly jumped to his feet to announce her presence. A lengthy wait followed where Kili imagined Thorin debated sending her away. She thought it wouldn’t be outside of his character to refuse her visit, though she didn’t know him much better now than on their wedding day. Eventually, however, the attendant returned to show her into the study. It was a place she understood she had no place in, as Thorin and his advisors were worried of what secret she might learn there, so when she first saw it, she couldn’t help but look around in curiosity. Tomes and scrolls littered the place that was designed to exude power and wealth in extravagant gold statues and decorations, a fitting location for the center of governance of the richest and mightiest of dwarf kingdoms. Kili sniffed quietly in distaste. She would rather be in a humble home at the side of a forest than this room. But she came for a reason and she curtseyed to Thorin, who was seated, frowning, behind a large marble desk. Near him, Balin bowed to her in greeting. “Forgive the intrusion.” Thorin never apologized for coming to her room at night to violate her, but of course she had to apologize for interrupting his day. “May I have a word with you, please? In private, that is.” Thorin raised an eyebrow. Never before had Kili asked for his company. He exchanged a suspicious look with Balin but dismissed him and the guard inside the study, nevertheless. Kili noticed that Thorin surreptitiously hid a letter from her view even though she was too far to read the content. She did recognize the seal of Moria and wondered what Gloin wanted from Erebor. Was he proposing the short-sighted trade agreement Kili’s father had declined numerous times? For a moment, Kili thought to inform Thorin of the risks carried by Gloin’s request and how an easy but unusual solution was right under his nose. It wouldn’t be easy to convince a dwarf lord to deviate from well-established norms, but the dwarfs of Erebor shouldn’t have their futures jeopardized just because of reluctance to change. However, Kili decided against speaking up. Thorin didn’t bring her here to listen to her. Further, speaking up could be construed as an attempt to gain power, putting not only her but also Ered Luin at risk. Kili kept her opinions to herself and hoped that the dwarfs of Erebor would be spared from the consequences of prideful stubbornness and old prejudices. Once the door closed, giving them privacy, Thorin regarded Kili carefully. “What is it?” he asked warily as if Kili was here to declare that Ered Luin would wage a war against Erebor. Kili thought of the many polite ways to relay the news, the euphemisms she had read in books, the excitement she had seen in people. But, none of these felt right for the nature of their relationship—kindness and excitement weren’t something Kili could summon for Thorin. So, she spoke plainly. “I am with child.” Thorin’s eyes widened. It was the strongest reaction Kili had ever garnered from him aside from the bullish grunts he made when he spilled inside her. His eyes drifted to her abdomen—still flat for now but wouldn’t be so for very long. “Have you asked Oin to examine you?” he asked in disbelief. Kili nodded. “He has confirmed it. He said I’m almost two months along.” A wide smile spread of Thorin’s face and he sat straighter in pride. This was, at least, fitting for a reaction from an expectant father. At least one of them was happy, Kili thought dryly. “Excellent. He will be in your service until the birth. If there is any issue, you must tell him immediately. I want my son delivered safely.” It could be a daughter, Kili wanted to point out, but she stayed her tongue. Naturally, Thorin wanted a son to be a crown prince—that was part of the reason she was taken away from her family. Further, though she had no desire for motherhood so early in life, Thorin’s confidence was appealing to Kili. A son meant she would be left to her own devices. No more rough groping at night, no more painful stretch of her small body for Thorin’s demanding member, no more cold feeling of being used as less than a whore. If she was unlucky, Thorin might want a spare, but even then she would still likely be left alone for a while. Hopefully, if luck finally had mercy on her, Thorin wouldn’t make any attempt for another progeny until his son didn’t require much attention from her and was occupied by Thorin’s mentorship. Kili nodded in understanding, barely able to keep her inflating joy reined in. When Thorin said no more, she realized that she had been dismissed and left. The lukewarm reception for the announcement barely hurt. Kili returned to her apartment with her head held high and a victorious smile on her face, hoping for the health of her unborn son, impatiently waiting for her change of status from queen consort to the king’s political hostage. She would still be confined to Erebor, but she would be left alone, her duty having been fulfilled, finally in peace, finally free from her husband. =============================================================================== Many months later, a child was born to the queen consort of Erebor after a prolonged and painful labor that followed a difficult pregnancy. It was a daughter. End Notes Since this is from Kili’s point of view, what you don’t see is Thorin’s lack of sexual attraction to her was because she’s too young. It doesn’t excuse the rape but there’s a surprisingly “good” reason for his coldness. I like Thorin having ambiguous morality, so *shrugs*… Also, I have this very short scene in my mind where, after Thorin is told that he has a daughter and he gets over his shock, he asks Oin, “How long until I can lay with her again?” But, I want this to have a suspenseful ending with disappointment for everyone (and dread for Kili) because after the happy ever after ending in the King’s Bride, I want suffering. Mwahahaha. Due to Real Life circumstances I won’t elaborate, it’s going to be difficult for me to post anything at the rate I usually do. I’m itching to write, to be honest, and I get restless if I don’t posted anything for a while but, well. Visit me on tumblr where you can say hi, buy me coffee, or commission original fic, if you're so inclined. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!