Hello again!
The events of this fic occur a year and a half after All Will Be Well. Reading the rest of this series would be helpful in comprehending this fic, but if you don't want to: This is a Kíli (and Tauriel) centric series in which no one died during the Battle of Five Armies and Tauriel stayed in Erebor after the Battle as an ambassador between the dwarves and elves.
Information to help comprehension of certain aspects of Tolkein's world will be in the notes after every chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit.
"I don't think you even realize how lucky you are," Fíli stated as he leaned against Kíli's doorframe, watching him pack and being supremely unhelpful. "You and Tauriel are going off to explore Middle Earth together, while I have the dubious honor of being trapped here and dragged into the never-ending negotiations with the other dwarrow lords. Do you have any idea how much Dáin can talk? Just listening to him is exhausting."
"Not to ruin your self pity," Kíli replied, rolling up one of his nicer shirts and stuffing it in his pack, "but going to Mirkwood, and then Rivendell, and then Lothlórien is a bit more exhausting than listening to Dáin. And I'll be negotiating too. With elves."
"True," Fíli allowed, nodding sagely. "You'd best be careful with them. They'll barter with you until there's nothing left if you're not careful."
"Is this some attempt at subtly telling me not to be reckless?" Kíli asked, making a face at the silver circlet he hated wearing as he shoved it into his pack. "Mother's already given me a whole lecture. She made me promise to bring my runestone again."
"As if you wouldn't do that anyway," Fíli scoffed. It was true; Kíli brought the runestone with him most places he went. "Anyway, you'll have Tauriel to look after you, and I know for a fact that she won't let you be a reckless idiot, and she can save you if you are." For half a second, Fíli's gaze shot down to Kíli's bad leg; in the year and a half since he was wounded, Kíli had healed enough that he almost never had trouble with his leg anymore, but it had never gotten to be quite as strong as it had been.
"But who will take care of you when you're negotiating?" Kíli teased. "You and Uncle need someone to mind you to make sure there aren't any more regrettable instances." Fíli winced at the reminder; he had gotten drunk during his birthday celebration and accidentally started a fight with a few of Dáin's favorite warriors. Balin had managed to soothe everyone's tempers, but it had taken a lot of effort.
"I'll be fine," he replied. "I've got Balin and Uncle to keep me in line."
"And who's there to keep Uncle in line?" Kíli asked, only half-joking.
"Well, you'll be bringing back Bilbo, won't you?" Fíli replied, shrugging. "Everyone knows he can calm Uncle down better than anyone, even Balin."
"I may be bringing Bilbo back with me," Kíli corrected. "You haven't told Uncle, have you?"
"Not a word," Fíli promised. Kíli planned to visit the Shire after going to Rivendell and hoped to bring Bilbo back to Erebor with him, but he had no way of knowing if Bilbo would approve of that plan. In light of that, he'd decided not to tell Thorin of the plan until he was certain it wouldn't end in disappointment. The only people who knew of the plan were Fíli - Kíli couldn't keep anything from him - and Tauriel.
"However, back to the point," Fíli stated, suddenly looking much more serious, "you won't be traveling with Tauriel the whole time. When you're not, I expect you to be careful."
Kíli made a face. While he would be visiting Mirkwood and Lothlórien with Tauriel, he would travel to Rivendell alone. Tauriel had business to attend to in Mirkwood, so she would be staying there through the time in which Kíli would go to Rivendell and the Shire, then they would meet up again in Lothlórien. Kíli didn't like to think about it.
"This will be the longest you two've been away from each other since you've met, isn't it?" Fíli remarked.
"I'll be fine," Kíli replied quickly, not about to admit that he'd been slightly worried about that as well. It would be a while before they were reunited; it took time to go from Mirkwood to Rivendell, then Kíli planned to stay in Rivendell for another week or so before leaving for the Shire. Then he would have to go from the Shire to Lothlórien, a long and unfamiliar path to him, before meeting with Tauriel again. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it.
"I'm sure you will be," Fíli replied, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Actually, I have something for you to help with that." Kíli turned around curiously as Fíli reached down for something just outside the door. "Here." He tossed a jingling package wrapped in brown paper to Kíli, who lunged to catch it, immediately surprised by its weight. He tore the paper off to reveal a chain-mail corselet, clearly brand new.
"I commissioned it for you especially," Fíli stated as Kíli held it up to his body. "It's strong but lightweight, and it should fit under your clothes." Fíli shrugged. "Since I won't be there to protect you, I thought I'd get you something that could." Kíli laid the corselet out with the other clothes he would be wearing the next day.
"I'll be sure to wear it," he replied. "Thank you."
"Hey, anything for my little brother," Fíli replied, grinning. "Anyway, I know you won't have a prayer if you don't have some sort of protection. You can promise not to be reckless all you like, but I know you will be anyway."
"Slander," Kíli muttered as he checked his knives, pulling out one to sharpen. "I am never reckless. I think through everything I do."
"And then do it regardless of what your analysis is," Fíli added. Kíli shrugged, pulling out his whetstone.
"Well, that's neither here nor there. If I were truly reckless, I wouldn't think at all, and yet I do. Thus, I'm not reckless."
"How do things work in your mind?" Fíli asked, squinting at Kíli as if he were trying to see through him. "It must be so strange in there. I don't know how you'd come up with these nonsensical theorems otherwise."
"I make perfect sense," Kíli replied, pretending to be miffed as he began to sharpen the knife. "You clearly aren't evolved enough to understand it."
"Or, more likely, you only make sense to you," Fíli retorted. Kíli shrugged.
"Again, not important to the subject at hand." Fíli laughed, going over to sit next to Kíli.
"I'm going to miss you," he remarked as he bumped Kíli's shoulder gently. "I think this will be the longest we've spent apart as well."
"Bofur would call us frighteningly codependent," Kíli replied, bumping Fíli back. "Anyway, it won't be that long. I'll be back before you know it."
"Tauriel had better take good care of you, or she'll have me to answer to," Fíli muttered. "And if any of the elves give you any trouble, you can tell me their names when you get back and I'll make sure they see the error of their ways."
"You'll go all the way to Rivendell to start a fight with an elf who insulted me?" Kíli asked, arching an eyebrow. "Why, Fíli, I didn't know you cared." Batting his eyelashes, he leaned his head against his brother, who grinned as he pushed him off.
"Now this, I won't miss," he stated. "I believe I'll have the calmest months of my life with you gone."
"You'll hate every minute of it," Kíli countered confidently. "You know it as well as I."
"Perhaps I'll reclaim my title as the superior prankster," Fíli mused. Kíli laughed.
"You'll have to work hard for that, brother."
"I'd rather you not," a new voice stated from the doorway. Thorin and Dís were standing there, both looking amused. "I doubt the Mountain would survive a prank war between you too," Thorin continued, stepping into the room. "Nor would anyone inside."
"You have your runestone, don't you, Kíli?" Dís asked. Kíli rolled his eyes as he pulled it out of his pocket. "Don't you roll your eyes at me," Dís added, playfully glaring at Kíli. "I won't have you doing the same sort of reckless behavior that got you the scar on your leg."
"I'm not sure that he can help it," Fíli piped in helpfully. Kíli groaned as Thorin chuckled softly.
"He's brave, though, Dís," he remarked. "We have to give him that. A foolish idiot, perhaps, but a brave foolish idiot."
"What is this, Make-Fun-of-Kíli Day?" Kíli protested, shoving the now-sharpened knife back in its sheath. Fíli shrugged.
"You treat every day as Make-Fun-of-Everyone Day, so we thought we'd turn it around on you," he retorted. Dís shook her head fondly.
"I think I'll actually miss your ridiculous banter," she remarked fondly.
"I don't know that I would go that far," Thorin cautioned. "But we will miss you, Kíli."
"Everyone's treating this as a much bigger deal than it is," Kíli complained, although everyone knew he enjoyed the attention. "I'm just going off to spend a few months with elves. I'm not going off to die or however you're acting."
"Considering how reckless you can be, we thought we'd cover everything, just in case," Fíli quipped. Thorin grinned slightly. Dís reached over and smacked Fíli's arm.
"We don't joke about such things," she admonished. "We know you'll be alright, Kíli dear, but we're your family. It's our right to act overly sentimental about this sort of thing."
"I suppose I'll be getting a proper farewell from the entirety of Erebor tomorrow?" Kíli asked, looking at Thorin.
"There will be a ceremony, yes, but not too much pomp and circumstance," Thorin replied. "The Company won't let you go anywhere without giving them their proper goodbyes, though. And you may have to fend off Gimli asking about elves again. Where he's gotten such a fascination with those damn creatures, I'll never know."
"Uncle," Kíli scolded. Thorin sighed.
"I mean it fondly," he protested. "Anyway, I don't blame that on your elf. I place the blame for Gimli's strange obsession entirely on the shoulders of that Mirkwood princeling." Fíli rolled his eyes behind Thorin's back. Never mind that Gimli had been interested in elves before meeting Legolas and that Legolas himself had originally done everything in his power to avoid answering Gimli's questions; of course the blame was placed on him. At this point, Kíli knew better than to argue it.
"You'll be more diplomatic than your uncle when you deal with the elves, won't you?" Dís asked Kíli, shooting Thorin a look. "If not, I'm afraid our peace with them will crumble around us."
"I happen to like elves, actually," Kíli replied. "I'll be much nicer than Uncle would ever be. And anyway, I won't really have a chance to be insulting. I'll be traveling with Tauriel, and she won't let me."
"You'll be traveling with her for part of the time," Thorin corrected quickly, making both Fíli and Kíli roll their eyes. Thorin knew that Kíli and Tauriel were in a relationship - it was fairly impossible for anyone who spent any time in Erebor not to know - but that didn't mean he liked it. Kíli had no doubt that Thorin was secretly harboring hope that the time spent apart would make Kíli care less for Tauriel, although Kíli himself suspected it would do the exact opposite.
"That doesn't change the fact that I like elves," Kíli replied, shrugging. "And I enjoy exploring, Uncle. I'll be glad to see more of Mirkwood and Rivendell, and to travel to Lothlórien for the first time."
Thorin made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat. "As if any of those could compare to Erebor," he muttered. Dís laughed.
"We'll all always like Erebor best, brother," she assured Thorin. "Now, it's getting late, and we should all get some sleep. You two," she added, directing the comment at Thorin and Fíli, "don't forget that you have negotiations with Dáin tomorrow." Fíli groaned loudly.
"Goodnight," Kíli called cheerfully as the others prepared to leave. Dís pressed kisses to each of Kíli's cheeks, ignoring his token protest, before she left. Thorin clapped Kíli on the shoulder.
"Keep safe," Fíli muttered. Kíli clasped his brother's arm.
"You know I will," he replied. Fíli sighed.
"That's not especially reassuring," he groaned as he left the room, following Thorin and Dís. Kíli laughed. His pack was almost completely prepared to leave the next morning; he put the last few things in and studied it. He'd been in Erebor for nearly a year and a half, and as much as he enjoyed life in the mountain, he was looking forward to going back to the more rugged way of life he'd loved while on the quest. Hopefully, this time, he wouldn't be grievously injured, but hey! It would make things interesting, at least.
Perhaps thoughts like that were why everyone thought him reckless.
"Kíli?" a soft voice called as there was a light knock at the door. A smile spread across Kíli's face as he went to open it.
"Tauriel," he stated, stepping aside to let her enter his room. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Do I need a reason to visit you?" Tauriel asked, bending to press a lingering kiss to Kíli's lips. He smiled against her lips as he kissed her back.
"You may visit me whenever you wish," he murmured as she pulled away. Amusement was clear on Tauriel's face.
"As if you would ever stop me anyway," she replied. Kíli shrugged.
"What can I say? I'm so very weak when it comes to you."
"I can't say I particularly mind," Tauriel mused. Kíli grinned.
"Well, you wouldn't, would you?" he countered, walking over to his bed. Tauriel went to his pack instead of following him, looking inside.
"Have you packed everything you'll need?" she asked. Kíli rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Mother," he retorted. "You can be as bad as she is, I swear."
"We both have a vested interest in your wellbeing," Tauriel replied, finally sitting next to Kíli and dropping a gentle peck on his lips.
"For different reasons, I hope," Kíli quipped. Tauriel rolled her eyes.
"Are you ready to leave tomorrow?" she asked, twirling a lock of his hair around her finger.
"Almost entirely," Kíli replied, looking over at his pack and clothes. "I wish to fletch a few more arrows before we go, but I can always do that later."
"A warrior is only as good as their weapons," Tauriel replied mildly. Kíli rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I'll do it tonight," he relented. The tiniest hint of a smile crossed Tauriel's face. "Fíli got me a new chain-mail corselet," Kíli added conversationally. "He's made me promise to wear it. For whatever reason, he doesn't trust me to take care of myself."
"I will not allow anything to harm you," Tauriel vowed quietly.
"Yes, but you won't always be there with me," Kíli countered. Tauriel sighed.
"Kíli, we've discussed this," she scolded. "You know I must spend some time in Mirkwood, and it makes no sense for us both to stay there when I have no need to visit Rivendell or the Shire with you."
"We'll be separated for months," Kíli argued, not particularly liking to even think about it. Tauriel took his hands in her own.
"And then, when we are reunited, we will not need to split up again," she finished. "I like this as little as you do, Kíli, but you know it's the best choice we could make in the situation."
"When I see you in Lothlórien, I will not let you out of my sight ever again," Kíli swore rashly. Tauriel raised an eyebrow.
"Never?" she asked coyly. "I have to bathe, you know."
"I don't see how that's relevant," Kíli teased. Tauriel laughed quietly.
"We ought to sleep," she remarked. Kíli sighed.
"I will miss the mountain," he admitted quietly. "I will miss my family."
"You're also being given a perfect opportunity to miss the negotiations with Dáin that have had Fíli grumbling for so long," Tauriel put in. Kíli's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Tauriel; he hadn't expected her to say such a thing. There was a wicked gleam in her eyes as she added, "For the sake of comparison, of course."
"I suppose that does make the situation a bit better," Kíli allowed. "In a comparison of the two fates that lay before me."
"There are those in Erebor I will miss as well," Tauriel told Kíli. "I will miss your mother, and Fíli. I will miss Gimli, especially watching him question Legolas." Kíli smirked; watching Gimli set upon Legolas with a plethora of questions about elves was always amusing. "I may even miss your uncle."
"The farewell ceremony tomorrow is sure to be ridiculous," Kíli muttered. Tauriel brushed a gentle kiss on his lips.
"Then we ought to sleep, so as to be rested for it."
"I suppose I can't convince you to stay here tonight?" Kíli asked as he kicked off his boots. Tauriel cupped Kíli's jaw in her hands and gave him a lingering kiss.
"Allow that to tide you over until we leave, when we may embrace every night," she whispered as she left. Kíli couldn't stop the slow smile that spread across his face.
That was definitely another advantage for their plan to leave.
Dáin is the Lord of the Iron Hills and Thorin's cousin. In the original book, he became the King of Erebor after Thorin's death. As Thorin isn't dead here, he's kept his former position.
The peace between the elves and dwarves that Kíli is helping to negotiate was, in this universe, established after the Battle of Five Armies, helped by the fact that Fíli and Kíli became friendly with Tauriel and Legolas.
