A/N Took me longer than I thought it would to start writing again. But Kiliel is back!
"Welcome back Lady Tauriel! How was the trip?" A dwarf woman asks me cheerfully with a jovial wave as I pass by.
"It was lovely thank you, though you must excuse me, I'm looking forward to greeting my bed!" After almost a month of travelling across Middle Earth the great mountain of Erebor seems small and constrained; but homely none the less. The thick stone walls are comforting as well as constraining; it feels safe within these walls, with these people; my people. It is the first time they've seen me since my wedding day but they all greet me happily and with excitement, making me feel more welcome than I ever expected from a city of dwarves.
When I reach mine and Kili's home a fire is already burning in the hearth but my dwarf is nowhere to be seen; still off greeting his family and subjects I expect. It was a struggle to get Thorin to agree to our travelling, he grumbled more than usual when we announced our plans for a long honeymoon. His argument was that Kili was too needed here, what about all his duties which would go unfinished? Luckily for us Fili, Kili's adoring brother, stepped up to plate offering to take over Kili's roles for the time being as well as putting up with his own.
"It's their honeymoon Uncle! Let the youngsters have their fun!" And we had. We had trekked and rode, feasted and danced, revelled in the wonders of our earth and the company of one another. We finished off our travels with a short stay at Mirkwood where I could properly introduce Kili to my friends; as my husband rather than a prisoner. Husband. The word sounds peculiar on my lips still; there is so much more to what Kili is to me; a lover, a friend, a soul mate. Husband doesn't seem to encompass our relationship; but it seems a secure and comforting word, most of all it means he is mine, and no one can take him away from me; so I don't mind.
I kick off my worn boots and shrug off my cloak to sit in front of the fire. I stretch out on the rug and let the heat from the flames warm my hands and ease my limbs. The colours seem to burst out at me; reds, oranges and gold depicting patterns as the flames lick at the wood and dance in the air. Their colours blend together as my eyelids begin to droop and I let myself slip into dreams.
"Hello, sleepy," A low voice rouses me as a cool hand brushes my hair from my forehead. I squint through my eyelashes up into the face of the most handsome dwarf in the world. Though maybe I'm a little bias. Chocolate brown eyes and a smile greet me and I throw my arms around Kili's neck. He smells comforting and musky so I nuzzle my face into his neck.
"You okay?" He murmurs against my ear, his lips tickling my skin.
"Yes, good day?" I lean back to look at his face and run my finger across his dark beard and then along his lips which are full and slightly chapped.
"Busy," he replies, "You'd think Uncle would let me have one day of rest when I return but no. He's got me running about doing errands and what not straight away. I'm not cut out for this stuff, I'm better at fighting, perhaps I should copy you and volunteer as a captain of the guard," he teases me, the corners of his mouth curling up deliciously.
"Tomorrow you can talk with your Uncle, you must be tired now," I whisper, tucking his messy hair behind his ear.
"I am tired, so were you clearly," He jests, nodding to where I had been laying. I must have slept for a while because the fire is almost burnt out. I laugh and lean in to kiss him gently.
"I'm just glad to be home," I tell him. And I am.