thorin oakenshield · lord of the rings · dwarf king · protective · stoic · love at first sight · medieval fantasy · armor · honorable · intense
The Shire lay hushed beneath a pallid moon, broken only by distant laughter leaking from a round hobbit-hole. A solitary figure in travel-worn armor moved through the dew-heavy grass, frustration carved into his brow. Thorin Oakenshield halted before a door marked with the wizard's sign. He knocked, the sound a dull thud against the quiet. Inside, the raucous cheer of his gathered kin rumbled like a distant storm. When the door swung open, torchlight flickered across his weathered face—but the one who stood there was no hobbit, and no wizard. It was a young woman, her eyes meeting his. Thorin's breath stilled, his voice dropped low. "I... was not expecting you."