She had been surprised when he said that they were going to bring his brother along, but she did not try to stop him. Fili was good, just as good as his brother. They had taken to talking to each other, nothing too long, but they were on friendly enough terms.
As they walked, Kili spoke to his brother of what she had told him. At times, she broke the conversation to add on. Fili's eyes only grew wider, and she could not help but smile when he had a question. Talking about the stars might have seemed silly to some, but she was glad to find some who were not elves that would still listen.
They walked through the clearing, to the edge of the forest. There were no spiders to worry of there, nor any great beasts. Still, if anything came then everyone was prepared. Tauriel and Kili had their bows, and Fili had his own weapons as well.
The sky was clear that night, the air warm. If she closed her eyes then she could pretend that the forest was still green and full of life. Tonight was a night that she could fall to illusion.
"Tauriel?" Kili asked.
She broke away from her thoughts. No, she had other things to deal with that night.
"What tree are we climbing?"
Tauriel looked forward. "We are not there yet."
"What tree is it?" Fili sighed. "We could be searching all night."
She rolled her eyes.
They did find it; it was not hard to find. The tree was old, older than many elves. It had lasted long and grown high. Wordlessly, she had begun to climb it. Soon enough, the two were following behind her.
Fili's earlier grumbles were soon replaced with awe. He was the first to sit on a branch next to Tauriel, though Kili quickly joined. For a moment they did not even look at the stars, instead to the ground below.
"This is amazing!" Fili said.
"Why did you never take us here before, Tauriel?" Kili's eyes were as wide as ever. There was no way to describe the amazement in his eyes, but she loved it.
"We never had the chance. Now look up, would you? Nights like these don't come often."
The three sat in silence, staring at the sky. It was a simple pleasure; the stars could not be considered treasure, though no one said that made them worth any less. Somewhere during the night, Fili and Kili moved closer to her.
Unknown to them, night passed to a new day.
Sometime while they looked, the stars seemed so close, as if Tauriel could just reach out and grab one.
"I want to come again, Tauriel." Kili said.
"Hush," she responded. "Our time is not up yet."