BEAN THE PIG AND FRERIN ARE UNBEATABLE awwwww that’s a lovely idea, Nonnie!
(Imagine Dain trying to convince BILBO though, because small Hobbits are small laskdgflashdgfljashfda the whole Company would be giggling madly, remembering how poor a rider Bilbo was at the start…!)
Yeah, I went pretty all-in with Thorin and Frerin rebuilding their relationship in Twelve Months and Fifty Years, I guess! It’s easier to trace that progression, as it is brought into very sharp focus in that fic.
Still, peppered throughout the whole of the Behemoth itself are moments in which Thorin reconnects with Thrain and with Fris. It’s not fast, and it’s not always nice, but it certainly happens!
You got me thinking about this progression again, Nonnie! I’ve had my thinking cap on all day, ever since I got your message. I can remember baking my brain about this very topic when I first began the story a gigazillion years ago. I quite deliberately set Thorin’s family relationships as a foil to the more dramatic events of the quest and the much more fiery development of the Gigolas (and the eventual Bagginshield) relationships in the fic. Thorin’s relationship with his family isn’t like that. It’s not dramatic: it’s steady. It’s slow, and quiet and everyday and mundane and ever-present. Fris and Thrain’s support (and Hrera’s and Thror’s, for that matter) is there from the start, of course, but the knowledge of each other, and the trust and the depth and the love, is so powerful now. What we see in that first scene in Chapter 1 is the first rush. It just grows and grows and grows.
It’s Fris waking Thorin because she knows it is important to him (tools do not belong in sleeping quarters inudoy, and oh, when did you grow so tall), and it’s Thrain listening to him speak about Bilbo (so that was the one, then?), not judging or commenting, just accepting. It’s Thrain suggesting and then insisting that Thorin bring the rest of their people on board to watch the Fellowship (we’re here, use us!), and it’s Fris braiding Thorin’s hair, while telling to stop blaming himself for things he could not possibly be at fault for (Gandalf was the one to recruit Bilbo Baggins, not you!).
It’s Hrera’s dumpling soup, and her comforting brand of loving bossiness in the middle of the night, telling him stories of her own youth. It’s Thror giving Thorin his own work-room as a meeting-place, giving up his own space for Thorin’s needs. It’s Vili joking with Thorin about which of the boys is a better swimmer, and which is a better climber. It’s all those breakfast scenes in the Halls, all of them existing together and sharing food and time and gentle teasing.
Where we’ve currently paused, at Chapter 39, Thorin has actually learned to lean on them. A LOT. He relies on his mother enormously, she is basically handling all the information for him. Thorin returns time and again to Thrain’s calm acceptance. There’s a reason why Thorin went to Thrain as well as Thror when he wanted to talk about the dragon-sickness. It’s no mistake that Frerin stays in Thrain’s rooms to decompress and recover, after he reached his melting-point at the battle of the Pelennor Fields. There’s a reason why Thorin trusts Thror to keep an eye on Erebor while he stays with the Fellowship and with Gimli. There’s a reason why Hrera keeps watch over the pool in the Chamber, seated in a chair with a rug over her knees, ready to pass on any messages.
Thorin has now actually reached the point where he can give it back. He’s SO secure in their love now, and he can comfortably show his own in return. It’s taken him a long time to feel that way: he’s been generally pretty awful to himself, on the whole. But now he can see that he is loved, and that he is worthy of that love, and so he is becoming better at expressing his own care. He gently needles Fris when she is overworking (a trait they have in common) and he is constantly aware and watching for anything that may trigger Thrain, ready to leap into action.
Like I said, it’s not a dramatic relationship arc. None of the relationships in the Halls are – that’s quite deliberate! Not only are they contending with the enormous inertia of the Halls, but also against Thorin’s own guilt and anger and self-recrimination… not to mention their own painful issues (looking at you, Thror). Dwarves are stubborn as heck, after all. But it’s there. It’s quiet and subtle, but believe me, it’s there!
(and yeah – I’ve spoken before a bit about Fris’ folks, Ais and Folgar, and they’re around! But as they’re not the focus of the Behemoth and Ricky might actually kill me if I extend the character list any more I might have to one day write a little side-fic detailing their exploits in reconnecting with Frerin, and later Thorin!)
the extended edition behind the scenes are so great! Gets me all pumped up to draw hobbit fanart. Billy is so funny as Dain. The first one is if Thrain took his sons on a diplomatic trip to the Iron hills. The second is just that part of Billy’s personality in Dain.
Frerin’s reaction to Eowyn and Faramir kissing (which I’ve drawn here). Thorin is much confused.
I’ve entitled this comic “Frerin’s Shipper Heart”. He manages to express what most fans feel when their OTP finally get together pretty accurately imho.
This was fun to draw! Frerin has a very expressive face and it was really easy to get right for some reason. Thorin, on the other hand, is a nightmare. It’s much easier to draw him silly than with some sort of normal expression. I re-drew him at least four times in the second panel.
Thráin dearly loved his children, but he did wish that they had allowed him this one day of the year to sleep in. As it was, he was awoken by his youngest sitting astride his shoulders.
“Adaaaa…” she crooned as his sons giggled and snorted from the end of the bed. “Ada, wake up. Ama’s made breakfaaaast…”
“Ada, Náin’s here, and he’s brought his get,” Thorin told him blandly, casually shoving a squawking Frerin off the bed. “Better get up before Dáin destroys your receiving room.”
“Let him,” Thráin mumbled, shoving his face further into the pillow as he spoke. “I can make Náin pay for it and laugh at him.”
“Ama won’t be pleased,” Frerin chirped, peeking over the edge of the bed.
“’S my name-day. I can do what I like,” he informed his son.
“That excuse never works on my name-day,” Frerin complained. Thráin grunted as his youngest began bouncing enthusiastically on his shoulders, giggling.
“That’s because whenever you try to use that excuse, you’ve done far worse than let your cousin destroy my receiving room.” Thráin told him.
“Nu-uh, one of those times that’s exactly what happened.”
“No, that time you destroyed it and blamed it on Dáin despite the fact that he was too young to have achieved that level of chaos,” he contradicted, “and anyway, it’s my receiving room to destroy as I please.”
“Ada, just get up!” Dís wailed, bouncing violently enough to knock the breath from his lungs. “Ama won’t let us eat until you get first choice!”
He snored loudly and unconvincingly, making both Frerin and Dís release offended squeals and Thorin collapse in a fit of giggles.
“All right, you great lump,” his wife ordered from the doorway amusement in her tone. “Don’t starve the children.”
“They could stand to lose a few pounds,” he grumbled playfully, sitting up with some difficulty and dislodging Dís in the process. She collapsed to the bed in a fit of giggles. “Most days Thorin seems to be growing sideways more swiftly than he does upward.”
This time Thorin was the one to release an offended squawk.
——————————
The fire was crackling merrily as his his three children and Dáin wrestled on the rug. He laughed heartily as Frerin pinned his older brother triumphantly and Thorin concealed an indulgent smile.
A pair of study hands landed gently on his shoulders.
“Good day, my love?”
He twisted in his seat to drop a kiss on Frís’ nose.
“Each name-day is better than the last, darling.”
“Cheating!” Dáin shrieked behind them.
Dís cackled and something crashed. Frís didn’t break eye contact with him.
“If I don’t look, it never happened,” she informed him seriously.
“It was ugly anyway,” Frerin chirped hopefully.
His wife sighed, and Thráin’s amused chuckles joined Náin’s unrestrained laughter.
Okay, would you judge me if I collected all the birthday fics on AO3?
Also, determamfidd, forgot to tag you originally. Thought this would make you smile.
oh my GOD is this the cutest thing ever or what! AWW KILI, IT IS ABSOLUTELY LOVELY (happy Line of Durin??? PINCH ME I’M DREAMING)
Hey there, Nonnie! No predestined soul-mates in Sansukh, sorry if that is something you were asking after. I know it’s a pretty common trope in LOTR/The Hobbit fic, but I am really uncomfortable with the whole lack-of-free-will aspect of it. Also, by design it excludes the ace-and-aro spectrum Dwarves, and I am uncomfortable with that, too.
So, when Dwarves in my fic use the word ‘One’, they are not referring to a soul-mate chosen for them by Mahal or some outside agent. They are simply referring to their one love – the one person they have fallen in love with, that is – in the way that we might use the words ‘dear’ or ‘darling’ or ‘sweetheart’.
Back to your question, though! Yeah, Frerin is a bit young. I’m writing him as the equivalent of a 15-year-old, so it’s not impossible for him to fall in love. But it is 10000% more likely for him to have a ginormous crush.
Aw Yiss 