Inspired by One Night by Christina Perri
She could feel the tips of her ears redden as his gaze stayed on her. She had been talking to him through the bars of his cell for too long now. She knew that, and she knew she needed to leave but his gaze was holding her firmly in place. His dark eyes were like the molten chocolate she had always loved at special feasts. She had mapped the changes in them over the course of their conversation. She could see exactly what he was thinking through those brown orbs.
He leaned against the bars, happy that she was finally at his height and he could study her properly. She truly was the most beautiful creature he had ever clapped eyes on. Her hair alone was breath taking. Aided by her face and general presence she was almost a force of nature. She was poised and graceful, the perfect blend of warrior and lady. Fire and elegance. It fascinated him. There was something else there though, behind the composure and strength. A desperate loneliness that she concealed very well. Right up until she started speaking comfortably with him and she had let her walls down ever so slightly.
She wondered for a second was there any way to let him out, show him all the wonders the forest possessed. Looking at his smile she knew he wouldn't hesitate to go with her. I thrill ran through her, before the rational part of her brain quelled it.
The more he spoke to her the deeper he fell. At first it was her beauty that drew him in, then the way that she took none of the charm he threw at her, but countered it with her own. Now it was her pure soul and eager mind that had him hooked. This was real.
She had never wanted more than what she had. She'd thought about the world outside her command but never really wanted it. Now she wanted everything. She wanted to see the things he spoke about and more. She wanted freedom.
He'd been perfectly content with life. He had a family who loved him, a quest worth dying for and a life filled with enjoyment. Now he wanted more. He wanted to fall in love and share his life with another essence. With her.
Her fingers brushed over the keys she possessed. It would be so simple to unlock his door and talk freely. She had never been so conflicted before.
She lay in her bed that night unable to sleep. Thinking back over every sentence that had passed between them. Each one seemed to affect her more and more. All she could think about was spending another night with him. Sitting freely under the stars and talking about whatever they pleased. The more she thought about it the more detailed that night became. She could see herself hanging on his every word, moving closer and closer to him as the night progressed. She wanted to touch his hands again. Study them, they were so different to anything she'd ever seen before. She wanted to study all of him learn everything she could.
He flipped the runestone into the air and caught it, as he'd done since she'd left. He couldn't wipe the grin from his face. All he wanted to do was go to Fili and tell him everything he was feeling and thinking. He clasped the stone and brought it up to his lips whispering under his breath.
"Someday…" he said and kissed it. Someday he would show her how much he loved her. How happy he could make her. How he could fix whatever wounds she carried.
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She looked down at their intertwined hands, her heart beating so fast. She could easily lean down and seize his lips. Answer his question properly.
He wanted to be free of childhood now, promise himself to the angel standing before him today and start a life with her. Even if she was only a dream.
The world around them was crashing down, darkness was surrounding all the lands and there was very little she could do. He was like a saving light amidst it all.
He and his kin were facing the fight of their lives, they had nothing left on earth except each other and a home he'd never even seen. Yet he'd give anything to have her too. To have something worth staying alive for.
He'd seen her face every time the elven prince approached her. They had a connection, a relationship and it made him see red. He wanted that with her.
He grasped her hand and thrust the runestone into it. Her heart was racing and her head was cloudy. Tauriel Amráliné… no words had ever made her feel so out of control before.
He'd thrown it all out there at her feet and prayed for something in return. He knew she felt the same now and that was quite a comfort. She hadn't agreed to come away with him but she had reacted to his words. For now that was almost enough.
"I don't know what that means." She said near trembling now. She prayed that someday she could say it back. Someday they could be together.
"Keep it." He said loving the feel of her hand in his. "As a promise." It took all he had to rip his eyes away from her. To leave her standing on that beach. But he believed in the promise. One day soon.
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She tried to make a noise, to call out to him in some way, but she couldnt. She watched as the orc drove the weapon home. She watched as the light began to drain from his eyes and a single solitary tear rolled down his face. She watched as all the promises faded from her future.
He had never thought about what he wanted his last sight on earth to be. He was glad it was not the sight of his brother falling in front of him dead. Or his friends fighting for their lives for his family's kingdom. He wasn't even sure he wanted it to be her battling for breath and pleading for him. He would be lying though if he said the sight of the love of his short life didn't bring a fleeting comfort. Even if they never got one night.