"This is utterly ridiculous!" You huffed, picking disgustedly at the twirls of lace and flowers of one of the many dresses Lord Thranduil had sent to you. A gift to celebrate your courting, he had said. You were a little concerned that his adoration for you was clouding your judgment but he seemed extremely insistent and so you had given in, much to your annoyance. You worried at your lip as you glanced in the ornate full length mirror at yourself.

A loud snort caught your attention and you whirled around to glare at the young Dwarrow Prince eyeing you skeptically.

"This isn't funny, Kili! I look like a complete troll!"

Kili chuckled lightly, "Troll is a bit harsh, don't you think?"

You growled irritably and disappeared behind the intricate fabric room divider, swishing fabric and irritated curses escaping from within.

"Did King Thranduil happen to have sent you anything less...poofy?" Kili offered and you sighed, "What does it even matter? He probably thinks I'm horrible and ugly anyway. I mean, remember that night I had a tiny, little bit too much ale and threw up all over his boots? Oh god, Kili, he finds me repulsive, doesn't he!?"

At that moment, you emerged in a forest green velvet gown. The neckline was intricately woven with silver embroidery and low enough to bear your shoulders and the arms of the dress were sheer, in a darker forest green. Your elven ears shone with beautiful silver cuffs, jade green flowers shimmering from within. Your hair had already been pulled down from its usual simple braid, much to your chagrin. But you knew that it was custom for those in courtship to braid a bead into the other's hair. So, hesitantly, you had left it down. The prospect of having your hair braided by Fili made your stomach do funny things.

"Hideous?" You enquired nervously at Kili's open mouth and silence. Usually he was quite eager to blather like an idiot to anyone who would listen.

"Not hideous." Kili finally choked out, still gawking.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked, your eyebrow arching and your face scrunched up into an awkward expression.

"You look wonderful, Nienna. Fili is going to lose his mind!" Kili beamed and you rolled your eyes, "I wouldn't be surprised if he loses his mind. Being forced to court me. All of the Dwarrowdams are already snickering about the royal Prince being betrothed to a half breed! I don't even have a beard! My bare skin probably disgusts him."

You was freaking out and you knew it. You were not worried about your feelings towards Fili. You knew full well that you loved him. Truthfully, it was the first day you had laid eyes on him. Of course, he had been glaring at you. Probably attempting to will you to implode with his clear green eyes. Being a prisoner in King Thranduil's domain would do that to any dwarf.

"A bit short for an elf, aren't ye?" Ah, that beautiful voice. Granted, he was insulting you. But still, his fierceness was exciting. And you had not met many of your kind, let alone a Prince of Durin. And Durin's folk.

He began to hate you a little less when you set them free and ushered them towards freedom. Still, he was skeptical of being led straight into a trap. You honestly didn't blame him. He had no idea that you were half Dwarf. Not until he saw the runes tattooed up your arm did he begin to suspect. After all, an Elf with Dwarvin runes tattooed on her seemed extremely unlikely.

You finally saw the softer side of him when you came to the Dwarves' aid at the river, delicately dancing from one side to the other, slashing orcs' throats as you went. Much like Legolas and Tauriel were, only a much shorter version and with a long, dark braided mohawk. You remembered that day vividly because you met Fili, yes. But you also remembered that day well because of the damn Orcish arrow that had struck you through your leg. You knew opening the gates would be dangerous and even as the arrow struck and you lurched forward in pain, you still managed to throw your knife into the Orc's skull before he had a chance to impale Kili. He seemed to like you a lot more after that.

Everything got a little hazy once the arrow struck. You remembered pitching forward into the ice cold water and hands grabbing her from the rapids. You were tugged into a barrel and the lack of space snapped the end of the arrow off and you hollered in pain.

"You're alright, lass. I've got you." To your surprise, it had been Dwalin who had come to your aid. You clung to the Dwarf weakly and nodded your thanks even as your weak legs struggled to keep you standing. You chanced a sneaky glance over at Fili's barrel and noted his concerned gaze meeting your own momentarily. You had tried to smile in reassurance but only managed to hiss in pain and grip to the barrel tightly.

When they had all made it to shore, You with Dwalin and Kili's help, you all but collapsed against the sun warmed rocks in agony. Fili was suddenly hovering above you, his strong hands ripping open the leg of your trousers. He grimaced when he noted the thin vine like black shapes that had begun to weave there way up your leg.

"It's bad, isn't it." You choked out between gritted teeth.

"Poison." He muttered softly toward Thorin who was gathering himself and the other Dwarves not too far away. His King grimaced, "We must keep moving, Fili. We'll be swarmed by Orcs soon enough."

"I don't think we should be moving her, Uncle." That was the last of Fili's voice you remembered until you were abruptly covered in ice and stinky fish and whisked off to Lake Town.

"To be honest, Fili is rather impartial to beards. Besides, I see the way he looks at you." Kili encouraged with a smile.

"With abject horror?" You asked but truthfully, you were being sarcastic and delaying the inevitable.

"I might be an idiot but I know what you're doing." Kili smirked and you huffed, "Okay, fine. Let's get my inevitable mortification over and done with, shall we?"

You both left the room in unison.

You approached the empty balcony apprehensively and felt butterflies fluttering around your stomach like they were drunk and couldn't remember how to fly. Were you early? Had you gone to the wrong balcony? Maybe Fili was better off if you did. And it would save you a lot of heartache.

That's when you noted the high pitch trill of giggles coming from behind one of the pillars near the outlook and you craned your neck to see Fili smiling down at a, well, you'd guess most Dwarves would describe as a rather fetching Dwarrowdam. She giggled again, the sound akin to a pig who had just found out where bacon comes from. And then she touched his hand and he did not shy away.

To say you were mortified was an absolute understatement. A trembling, embarrassed, heartbroken, teary mess was far more accurate. Why the heck did you have to start crying? Finally, Fili's attention was broken from his intimate conversation, mostly by you tripping on your skirts as you went to retreat. You clutched at your heart but managed to avoid falling flat on your face and instead broke into a stoic, awkward form of a power walk.

"Nienna!"

You knew he had never loved you. Despite all of the negative things you supposed about Fili's feelings for you, you had still held some semblance of hope in your heart. That maybe, just maybe, Fili could love you. The half Elven Dwarf with zero facial hair and pointy ears.

"Nienna, wait!"

You were embarrassed and tired and your chest felt like it was being constricted by a vice. Damn being an empath. Damn feeling everything so strongly. Damn it all!

Usually you were poised, sharp and light on your feet. But Fili made you feel like a fumbling imbecile. You never turned back. You knew if you did, it would only make your heart break faster. And it was already fragile as glass.