#dainxreader

The sun had barely risen when she stood in front of the punching bag, hitting it like it had done her personal offence. She never wanted to be a rider, but Xaden had offered the compromise to keep all 107 of their lifes in exchange for lifelong service to the Navarrians.

While she didn't know Xaden before joining the riders quandrant, she and the others knew they owed their lives for him, and for that, they will forever be in debt to him.

So when Xaden came to her and told her very sternly that if she wanted to make it till graduation, she better start training a bit more, she followed the order.

So that's how she ended up there, in the training room, at least used by cadets, at 4 a.m., when most cadets were still asleep. To make it till graduation, to ensure her parents would be proud of her, to ensure that by the time her siblings join the riders quadrant, they will be able to be protected by her, just like how Xaden have protected all of them.

She was so deep into her own thoughts she didn't even notice her knuckles bleeding or the pain that should have been there. She wasn't aware that someone had joined her in the room. She wasn't aware that tears had started running down her face. All she knew and could focus on was to punch harder, faster.

A voice interepted her line of thinking.

"Uhm, cadet Lauren, are you okay?"

She jumped at the voice and turned around.

She saw cadet Aelos, or at least that was what she thought his name was. Not as tall as Xaden but fairly tall, tan skin, light brown curls, and a light beard, which he was clearly trying to grow with little success.

"Cadet Aelos, I didn’t notice you, my-"

She was cut off by an amused laugh.

"I'm sorry what did you call me?" He asked with a kind smile and half closed eyes by how much he was smiling.

"Cadet Aelos? Isn't that your name?" She replied, very confused.

The cadet who clearly wasn't named Aelos laughed again. He stopped himself and the laugh was replaced by a forced cough.

"No cadet Lauren, my name is not Cadet Aelos, my name is Dain Aetos, never heard that variation of my surname before, so i was caught a bit off guard"

She started to lightly laugh aswell, but more out of akwardness rather than amusement.

"My apologies cadet Aetos, we are neither in the same squad nor section, so my brain probably didn't register your name clearly the one time I heard it"

She didnt mean to sound snappy, however she was aware of how uncomfortable Aetos was around marked ones, and he probably wasn't aware she was marked aswell due to her natural tendency to hide her marks under long shirts and her marks was short, only reaching her mid biceps, so it never sticks out either.

She hates the fact she always hide her marks, always feeling like she is betraying her parents who sacrified their lives for the true cause of the rebellion, not the lies leadership have been spewing for 5 years. But she can not change her natural tendencies of liking being covered up, showing skin has always been uncomfortable for her ever since a child.

However right now in the riders quadrant, where cadets die at the hands of their fellow cadets for anything, her natural tendencies of hiding her marks under her black cotton shirt might just be a benefit, not giving people more reasons to hate her.

"-Well I guess you have point cadet Lauren, it was wrong of me to assume you even know who I am at all, and you were pretty close"

She realised she zoned out again and only caught half of what Aetos actually said. Giving a non committed noice of acknowledgement, she turned around again and continued punching the bag.

"Not to offend you, but what did the bag do to you?" Aetos said with a light laugh meant to defuse the akward situation. She simply looked back at him. "What are you doing awake so early, Aetos, breakfast isn't for another 2 hours?"

He looked at her and thought for a while before responding. "Well, I couldn't sleep very well knowing that the gauntlet is only 2 weeks away, so decided to train a bit to put my mind at ease"

She turned around and looked at Aetos like he had grown an extra head. "You shouldn’t be going around telling others that you're nervous or scared, they will see that as weakness, for all you know I could stab you right now deciding that you clearly are a weak link"

He simply responds, "I feel like I can trust you, you seem nice, and you can not stab me right now because you placed all your weapons on the bench at least 3 feet away from you"

She could feel a smile forming but stopped herself at the joke that was clearly at her expense.

"Cmon, that was clearly a good joke." he wines a little while leaning on the wall where he stands. It's only now she noticed how far away he actually was from her. She was standing near the middle where punching bags stood, and he was leaning against the wall near the door.

"That wasn't even a joke. That was a simple observation." She remarked

"Well, joke or not, you had to stop yourself from smiling, so how about i teach you how to punch the bag without injuring yourself further?"

For the second time in what could only be in a couple of minutes, she looks at him like he had grown a second head. The silence stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

"Why would you do that? You have no loyalty towards me, i'm not even in your squad, so why would you wanna train me?" She asked, confused.

"Well, because your knuckles look like it had been fighting with someone twice your size and age when in reality you been punching wrong at an inanimate object," He responded with another joke at her expense. He continues. "Furthermore, a win for one is a win for all surely, considering if we both make it out of here alive, we are coworkers if we end up at the same outpost."

"That's too many if's you are relaying on Aetos for me to actually buy into your logic," She replied, crossing her arms across her chest and wearing a deadpanned expression. But she let him show her how to train properly.

From that day onwards, they became friends. She helped him with physics, which he was surprisingly bad at, while he helped her with combat. Within 2 weeks, she would start considering him a friend, and he would admit he rather enjoy her company on that day while she's trying to help him understand the physics homework.

They crossed the gauntlet, and they were overjoyed. Then came presentation, and finally, threshing. They both bonded with dragons. Dain bonded to a Red Swordtail named Cath, while she bonded to a Blue Daggartail called Daliea.

At some point, she admitted to Dain that she was actually marked, and to her suprise, he actually hugged her, which was their first hug of many. He didn't seem mad or awkward.

"Wait, you're not angry?" She replied, confused. They were in her bedroom with books about physics open and spread out on the table. She was standing up by the table while Dain sat on the chair. She looked at him like he had grown a third head.

"Why do you always look at me like that? Of course, I'm not mad or whatever else you expected. " He laughed, twinkle in his eyes. Then he looked a bit more serious and looked her dead in the eyes "While I'm a bit hurt you didn’t tell me before hand, I completely understand, and it doesnt change who you are, you are still one of my closest friends I have here, marked or not"

By the end of his somewhat monologue, she knew she had made a dumb choice. She was falling for him, and he only viewed her as a friend. So she smiled at him, her smile reaching her eyes but wasn't genuine, she hugged him. He stood up to not strain her back with the akward height difference when he was sitting, and they stood there, just existing, hugging.

After a while her fellow squad mates started teasing her about her supposed boyfriend, even though she told them to stop multiple times, they continued and at some point she gave up correcting them, as they wouldn't listen anyways.

"Cmon, you can not tell me you guys are not at least sleeping together, i have seen him going into your room. How many times now?" Sawyer said jokingly. While he didn't get bonded this year, the squad still loved him and supported him. She shot Sawyer a look and continued eating breakfast. James spoke up "Stop being so stubborn, you can’t lie to us and tell us you don't have atleast feelings for the guy, honestly if I wasn’t straight I would also start catching feelings" She just rolled her eyes again but didn't stop eating her food.

She spoke up "No, we haven't slept together, we are simply close friends who help each other, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't cross the damn gauntlet and without me he would ve failing physics. No, James, I do not have feelings for Dain, so shoot your shoot with him. " Both boys started protesting, but she couldn’t care less, and she zoned out.

That's how the rest of the year went. Wake up, breakfast with her squad, formation, lessons, training with Dain, homework with Alice, another one of her squadmates, helping Dain with physics, sleep, repeat. She had found yer place at Basgaith, and as she was a first year she didnt get to close to the other marked ones, as she was the only one in her squad and she didn't go to the supply runs. The only other marked one she was close with was Bodhi, and honestly, she was the most vulnerable with him, as he could understand her the best.

Her dragon was also fun to be with, and while it was weird to have another voice in her head, she loved her dragon Daliea, she was like a fun older sister, one she never had.

So as second year started, she was happy. She was also made squad leader, which came with its own benefits. Everything was fine. Until she came into the picture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I remember a cold day, Winter came earlier and the walls around the Gate were covered in frost. It was hard to walk, especially when you dressed in cozy but unpractically brocard cloth. I was in Erebor for a Year now, time passed by and I saw the King seldom, mostly at banquets. When I first came with my Parents I stood in front of the raventhrone. Dain set in front of me the Crown resting on his head. When he started talking the deep baritone voice made me shiver. The deep brown eyes were almost hidden under these bushy red eyebrows. The beard was more than propper for a dwarf, I heard that Dain love his Boars but he was like a wild boar himself. The tusks, he braids in this wild red mane, made him look wild and unstoppable. I need to lower my gaze, my face was burning red this day. The memory made me smile, I was silly but it was one of my favorite memories I made in Erebor so far.

A strain of my hair was blown in my face, the wind played with my braids. I love winter, when the air is chilling and fire is sitting in the fireplace, a good book in my hands, and a hot cup of these delicious hot chocolate Master Bombur made.

My hands were covered in thig mittens the air was clear and my eyes looked at the horizon. The chilly wind made my cheeks red I was happy to be here all by myself.

Lost in my memories a person stepped next to me. The deep voice woke me up.

I was a bit scared when I turned my gaze to the newcomer. My eyes fell on these armor made from the best craftsman, with a wild boar as a coat of armor on the chest plate, almost covered from a long red beard. My eyes climbed higher up. The beard was wild and bushy it was hard to tell where the braids start or they end but one thing was clear this beard was flamming red and two imposing tusks were braid into the wild mane. Dark brown eyes laid on me, gave me this calm look. I could not say what it was that made me shiver, the cold or this look but I stood in front of the King under the mountain and shivered.

My heartbeat was so loud, I couldn´t stand any longer under his gaze my legs felt like pudding. Dain smiled he repeat the question he asks before: “You semes to be distracted. Are you cold? ”

I shook my head when I felt cold then my body didn´t notice this. I felt warm, burning hot. My face was red not only from the cold winter wind it was more obvious that my burning red cheeks are the result of the man next to me. He smell like dark wood, smoke, and meet a note of boar was around him. My gaze fell on his shoos the heavy boots were covered in mud. He was at the stable not far from here. The only place around Erebor where the ground was not frozen.

“I like to drink something warm. You request something?” this amused tone, was music in my ears. I smiled and without looking at him I said “Yes my King. Master Bombur brew excellent hot chocolate. I request this warmly to you.”

The King laughed it was a friendly laugh full of warmth and heart. “Well done would you join me? I guess I would love to try this brew you talked about.” The King stepped next to me and reached out his hand. Without thinking of my actions I grabbed his hand and walked next to King Dain around Erebor to the great dining hall and set on a table.

I didn’t notice the other dwarfs around us. It was just he and I, talking over a cup of hot chokolad.

Time passed by and I lost my shy behavior, we laugh over jokes and create memories.

Dain looked at me with this soft and warm gaze. His hand covered my own palm then he placed a single soft kiss on my hand. With a smile, the King stood up. “I have to go but I would love to meet you here again.” I repeat the smile warmly “I would love that.”

We meet every day. Laugh and talk over the day we had, over feelings and dreams. We came close without notice.

One day Dain was late. I was nervous about what was happening? Was he ill? He was never late in all the time. Time passed by and I was able to leave no other dwarf was around except for Bombur who silently snooze behind the counter. I sight deeply maybe he sends a note to my chamber I calm myself. With slow steps, I walked to the door. The great wooden door swung open and Dain stood in front of me.

“You able to leave?” he said with a smile? Was he teasing me? His hair has brushed the clothes were different. He wears a fine tunic made out of linen and gold. The King under the mountain came closer. His massive palm was soft when he brushed a strain out of my face. “You are the most beautiful dwarf I ever saw and I could not live without you anymore.” the baritone voice hit my heart and made it skip a beat. I trembled under his touch. “What is this Dain?” I ask.

Dain came even closer, his very own sent to find his way to my nostrils I felt so weak right now able to fall for this one man. His Lipps looked so soft the brown eyes with a shimmer of youth in them that made him look like a troublesome boy.

I felt Dains hand in my back then his lips on mine. They were soft, I never felt something like that before. He kissed me shyly and short but then he kissed me again with more passion than before. I couldn’t resist I had not even tried to resist this man in front of me. Dain was my one my love I would never love another Dwarf like him.

After a Millenium or just a few seconds, we separated ourselves from each other and Dain keeled in front of me.

“I never found a Dwarf I love that much as I love you. Would you allow me to court you? Will you spend the rest of my and your days with me?”

Then the King under the mountain my wild boar grabbed my hand and placed a fine craft silver ring on my finger. I was so happy without an answer I fell around his neck and kissed him again. Dain was pleased with this kind of Dialogue and let it happen.

I separate myself just a bit from him. My voice was just a soft whisper.