.

I

GEMS AND POISON

.

Thorin Oakenshield and his nephews, on a visit to the Iron Hills, have gathered with a small band of dwarves to chart a prospective passage to the Lonely Mountain (long before An Unexpected Journey). But Thorin has not yet shared his plan with King Dain, who has become nervous and mistrusting of all except his daughter, Princess Nur. A childhood friend of Fili and Kili's, Nur is fending off the proposals of the mysterious dwarf, Gren, who has used his silver tongue to get into King Dain's good graces and convinced the King to allow the Princess to join them on this reconnaissance adventure.

.

Chapter 1 – Closets and Clasps

.

"A Snowflake" Peter Broderick

A pink sky bloomed above the Iron Hills, dashing them with early morning light. It was as beautiful a morning as a departure could ask for and the dwarves rose early, eager to meet the road. Having fitted his pony with his travel-belongings, Fili watched as the rest of their party prepared to leave.

Standing beside the doors to King Dain's stables, Fili was apprehensive of what these next weeks would bring. Would Thorin find what he was looking for? A secret passage into the lost halls of Erebor? Or would they be met with another false lead? Fili was lost in thought when a strong hand grabbed the back of his mantle and hoisted him into a small storage room. His head bumped against shelves and he nearly reached for blades in his arm-guards, but then stopped when he recognized the face of his attacker.

"There are better ways of getting a lad's attention, Princess Nur." He said with a pretending frown.

The blonde-haired dwarf-woman laughed at the expression on his face, her blue eyes alight with mischief. "None nearly as fun as this."

"I hope very much you aren't intimidated by Gren's presence on this trip." She whispered in his ear.

"I'm not nearly as frustrated about his presence as yours." He huffed, knowing that she could have taken it the wrong way—but she didn't. Nur only smiled at Fili and crossed her arms.

For as long as Fili had known her—since early childhood—she'd only lost her temper a handful of times. Though she attracted him in many different ways, her cool head had been the first thing to catch his eye. But now he almost wanted her to be angry with him.

"How ironic," She smirked at him. "Gren, the dwarf I have no interest in, insists on having me join all of you on this venture. And then you, my love, have petitioned to my father to keep me from coming." Running her hands along the furs that lined Fili's collar, the Princess couldn't seem to keep herself from smiling as she tutted. "If it means I have the chance to get out and explore somewhere other than my father's halls, I'll have to take Gren's side…"

"I wish you wouldn't." Fili growled, reaching up and softly running the tips of his fingers along Nur's smooth jawline. "That scum has started spreading rumors that you two are… intimate."

Nur snorted, somehow lending a well-mannered grace to the sound, if such a thing were possible. "Let him say all he likes, I've got my eye on someone else."

"How can you be so gracious to the scheming, son of a—"

"Because what he says makes no difference." Nur cut Fili off with a finger to his lips. "And when we return to the Iron Hills, I'm going to ask my father to petition your uncle for a courtship."

Fili sneered. "As flattering as that sounds, I'd rather not marry the King of the Iron Hills." The comment earned him a smack to the shoulder, a giggle, and a soft press of the Princess's lips against his. Softly squeezing his lower lip between hers, Nur added a few teeth and applied enough pressure to cause him to hiss.

"Ach," He grumbled. "Stop that—we need to join the others."

Fili could feel the sigh as it left her body, and until that moment had not realize how closely she had pressed against him.

"Wait," He grabbed her hand as she turned to open the door. Nur's sapphire eyes turned sharply towards him, and he was so stunned by their beauty that he almost forgot what he had meant to say.

"You are a strong woman and you do not need my sword to be safe, but I give it to you all the same." He squeezed her hand and held it to his chest. "And if Gren so much as annoys you, then tell me."

Standing on the tip of her toes, she reached her face to his and planted a delicate kiss on his bottom lip, while brushing away his mustache. "Mm, my stalwart protector."

There was a short and painful tug on the end of his mustache and then Nur swept out of the storage closet quicker than he could follow. And while he conceded that it was foolish, he lingered a moment and dwelled on the memory of that last kiss. It would be some time before he could enjoy another—Thorin probably wouldn't thank him for it if he spent too much time with the Princess on such a mission.

Stepping out of the closet, Fili could see that their company was close to leaving and he might have walked toward his pony if he hadn't jolted at another hand on his shoulder. Wheeling around, Fili faced the owner of the hand.

Kili's eyebrows shot up and he pulled both of his hands back to him as if stung. "Relax—we haven't even started the journey yet!"

Fili blushed and apologized with a murmur. "Why does everyone feel the need to startle me out of my skin to get my attention?"

Without questioning what Fili meant, Kili leaned forward and squinted at something on the older dwarf's face. Rolling his eyes, Fili batted his brother's hand away and groaned out, "What?"

"One of your braids has come undone." The younger brother responded, reaching out once more to Fili's face.

"Ahem." They both turned to see the meek face of an embarrassed Nur. She said nothing at first, but offered something small in her hand. Both of their faces leaned in to see what it was she was holding and she cleared her throat. "I, em… found this on my cuff."

Fili took hold of it and on closer inspection realized it was the clasp to one of his mustache braids. Nur bit her lip, trying to fight a smile, but it grew into a wide grin and she winked before she passed them by.

Kili grabbed the clasp from Fili and began to rebraid the mustache, clenching it at the end with the silver clip and bobbing his head with the success.

"And they say I'm trouble," Kili shook his head, but when his eyes narrowed at something behind Fili, the blonde dwarf turned to see what his brother was ogling.

"You have knives hidden in your teeth," Kili remarked. "But that dwarf's weapons make me wary."

Gren, beside his pony, was sheathing a set of curved blades that were anything but dwarven make.

"Those are knives of the enemy—torture tools." Fili growled, turning his head away from Gren and looking his brother in the eye. "Not sturdy enough for open combat, but perhaps something more sinister."

Kili raised a brow. "Is that Thorin's training speaking through you or the jealous brother?"

Lip upturned, Fili shook his head. "No need for jealousy when Nur openly admits she can't stand him."

Nodding in agreement, Kili turned to mount his pony as Thorin called on the dwarves to head out. Without even intending to, Fili's eyes scanned the ponies beside his and he stopped himself from leaping forward and offering to help Nur onto her steed.

Gren had already beat him to it, but was waved off instantly by a barely-patient Nur—and Fili couldn't stop his smug grin, knowing the other dwarf's attempts at chivalry were in vain.

.

This story is being revised and re-edited, so please forgive any typos or inconsistencies!