Kíli closed his eyes as he rode his pony, sure the creature knew where she was going. Fíli rode ahead long ago, leaving his younger brother behind. But Kíli knew these woods, unafraid of getting lost. They didn't care that Thorin often threatened them if they disobeyed his orders, they needed freedom. Thorin was beginning to take his father role a little too seriously, often treating them as children, even though they were more than grown adults.
Sometimes Kíli wondered if his uncle simply needed a woman in his life. But then he began to feel sorry for whatever woman would think she could possibly quench Thorin's needs in all things. He was thankful Thorin had made it through their final battle, able to rule as he so deserved. Plus ruling their kingdom was terrifying to both Fíli and Kíli. Kíli enjoyed the freedom of being the second prince, there weren't as many responsibilities, not as much pressure.
Kíli came to a halt when he spotted a perfect hunting spot, a small enough break in the bushes that he could see but not so large that he would be seen.
He dismounted his pony and tied her up a few feet away, quietly stepping towards the break in the branches. Settling into his spot, he waited patiently, with his bow and arrow ready. No movements could be heard anywhere.
More minutes passed, when he finally heard it. Coming from behind him.
He turned sharply, but was so transfixed on waiting for whoever did not belong in the forest that he did not pay attention to any possible animals nearby; a giant bear stared him down, looking incredibly hungry.
He was momentarily stunned, unsure how to react. But his muscle memory served him well and he pulled an arrow back and let it fly through the bears ear, leaving a bleeding hole. He stood quickly, planting his feet, readying another shot, but the bear reeled back and clawed his cheek open with its claws.
He stumbled back in shock, letting his arrow fly but missing the beast completely. Its claws began to rip open the flesh on his leg, exposing the bone, making searing pain shoot up his thigh.
He screamed in agony, trying to get away.
He was sure the beast would kill him then, his brother no where to be found.
Damn Thorin for being right.
The beast stopped suddenly, making no sound. A woman was on the bears back, keeping a dagger lodged in its spine, twisting it through the flesh. She pulled it out and plunged it into the beasts' skull next, ensuring its death.
Kíli tried to back away, the unfamiliar woman coming closer to him after leaving the bear behind.
"Stay away." He said with what little strength he had.
"You're hurt." She answered simply, kneeling down to his level on the ground and tore at the fabric covering his wound.
He cried out in pain as she pushed into the deep cut, her thin fingers digging in to grab at something. He watched a claw get pulled out from the bleeding wound, fascinated that she saw such a small detail.
"Stay still." She ordered, ripping at her own pants to quickly make a tourniquet to slow the blood flow.
He was beginning to ignore the pain in his leg, the scratch on his face becoming much more unbearable.
She reached up and brushed his hair out of his face, the loose strands now beginning to dampen from his sweat. He began to squirm as she tended to the gash on his face.
"Stop moving!" she nearly yelled, ripping another piece of her pants off to gently press into his cheek.
"Who are you?" he gasped, watching her carefully. At any moment, she could strike him and he would be dead.
"My name is Tazanna." She whispered, peering beneath the cloth and pressing harder. "I can't stop the blood flow, I need to get you out of here." She tried to lift him and he balanced his weight partially on his good leg as she pulled him forward. "Hurry, that was just the cub. The mother will be here soon."
"Where are you taking me?"
"To heal you somewhere safe." She answered simply.
He began to cry out again as the pain kept getting worse. It didn't take much longer until she burst through a door that was hidden and quickly let him fall to a small bed.
He began to scream from the agonizing pain, watching her as she ran about the small room, grabbing herbs and oils.
"This will hurt." She said, slowly pouring a white liquid that looked like water onto the opening. He cried out and instantly reached for her hand, gripping it tightly against the pain. She returned his grip, allowing him to try to find some comfort.
"How did you find me?" he whispered.
"I was watching you." She pressed some herbs into his leg, making him jerk. But he could already feel the pain beginning to numb.
"For how long?" he wanted to sit up and look at her fully. She pressed him back down with a thud.
"Moments before the bear attacked." She began to wrap his leg, leaving the tourniquet and sealing the blood flow.
"Why did you save me?" he opened his eyes fully now, but could not see her, as she was turned away searching for more things.
"Because I could not bear the wrath of Thorin Oakenshield if anything were to happen to his youngest nephew and the second heir to the throne."
"How do you know of us?"
"I may live in the forest but I do travel to town frequently. I am part dwarf and know the stories of the Dragon sickness, the Pale Orc and the reclaiming of the throne." She faced him fully now.
She leaned down and gently tended to his cheek, bringing tweezers towards his face and began to gently pluck out any dirt that may have gotten in.
He regarded her with amazement. This part dwarf woman was like nothing he'd ever seen. She had long hair that was a light brown and it turned golden at the ends. Her eyes were a dark brown but her skin was light and pale. Her fingers quick and sure as she tended to him. She gently caressed his other cheek and looked at him longingly. As though she hadn't had contact with anyone else in a long time.
"Your wound is not too deep, but there will be a scar. You should rest now." She began to walk away, but he reached for her hand fast, bringing her back to look into his eyes.
"Thank you, for saving me." He said.
She simply smiled, releasing her hand and bringing the covers up to make him comfortable.
"Wait." She said and pulled the covers back. "Can you undress yourself?"
He got an amused look in his eye and smirked.
She gave him a smack on his hand, "For you to sleep more comfortably, you idiot. I imagine you wouldn't enjoy sleeping in layers of clothing and metal hanging off you."
"I don't think I can do it myself." He tried to feign innocence.
"I think you can." She said and walked out the door.
He sighed in disappointment and began to remove his many layers, wincing as he pulled his pants past his aching wound. He rolled over when he was in nothing but his trousers, falling asleep in a strange bed with a strange woman in the other room.
Kíli woke with a start, having nightmares about his encounter with the bear. The young woman was not in the room, but he found his clothes cleaned and folded neatly next to him. He began to take in his surroundings. The room was small, with a small bed. He remembered she said she was half dwarf. She was a foot shorter than him and he wondered what the other half may be. She had an interesting figure. Small shoulders, long hair, a dramatically flared out waist and thick thighs.
He began to stand and made his way to the door, quickly pulling his white shirt on, leaving his pants.
He walked through the door and found the rest of the house was just as small. She was sleeping on a couch, her hair covering her face, as if she had tossed and turned all night. He wondered why she did not sleep in the bed with him. Having him in such a weakened state, she probably could have gotten him to do anything. He was an heir to Erabor; most women would be jumping at the chance to court a prince.
What was her name again? Tazanna? Yes, it was Tazanna. Her name literally meant 'Princess'. He believed in fate, was this a coincidence that she found him and saved him?
He reached his fingers to his face and felt the large gash near his temple. It felt like three long slashes, but two were not as deep as the one. She said it would scar, he believed her. His leg felt much better, he was able to walk almost normally on it. He strode towards her and sat on the edge of the cushion. He watched her breathing, slow and steady, assured she was asleep. Should he leave silently, and sneak out? That felt wrong. She saved him, he should at least repay her with something.
He reached his fingers gently to her face, first holding her hair between his thick fingers, then brushed it behind her ear. She moaned in response, moving closer sub consciously to the source of comfort. He smiled and felt tempted to wake her with a kiss. He'd been tempted by women before, but he felt he owed her something that only he could give, as she gave him a second chance at life.
He leaned down slowly and gently pressed his lips to hers. She moaned again, turning away from him. He laughed quietly and curled a finger underneath her chin to bring her mouth back to his.
She woke with a start and screamed into the kiss, pulling back and slapping his good cheek.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?" he asked angrily, stepping away.
"What the hell were you doing?" she pressed her fingers to her lips and stared at him in astonishment. "Do you think that every woman you meet is yours to do with as you please?"
"No, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life." He felt his cheek burning.
"There are other ways to say thank you, Kíli." She said, standing from the couch. "And will you please put your clothes on?"
He smirked, "Distracting you, am I?"
She rolled her eyes, "No, but I don't want you catching a cold and becoming even more sick." She walked towards him and forcefully pushed him onto a hard-wooden chair, first checking the cheek she slapped.
"You'll be fine on this one." she said, lightly slapping it again.
He gasped at her audacity to playfully slap a prince of her people.
She gently touched the wounds on his other cheek, leaning in closely; she smelled like fresh rain and pine. He felt the urge to press his lips to hers again. But she read his urges.
"Do it again and I will slap your other cheek." She said without looking at him.
He smiled at her, making her slightly smile back.
"Can't blame me for trying."
"Yes, I can." She quickly knelt down to his leg, inspecting it. "You should rest here again, or your leg will worsen."
"Do you still want me to cover up?" he winked down at her.
She stood and walked away, into the small bedroom, returning quickly with his clothes and throwing them at his face.
"I am not some pathetic maiden you can seduce, Prince Kíli." She walked away again.
He laughed to himself, enjoying her stubbornness. He was only teasing, after all. Dwarven King's and Prince's were not permitted to take any partner in bed until they were bonded. It was the most sacred ceremony among his people. Even his uncle hadn't found his One. He wondered if the Line of Durin would end with them.
"You mentioned you're part dwarf." He called to her as she worked in the kitchen.
"Yes?" she answered, not turning to face him.
He stood from the chair and walked towards her. "What is your other half?"
"What business is it of yours?" she turned, meeting his eyes.
"I'd like to know." He shrugged.
She paused, studying him. He watched her, mesmerized by her dark brown eyes.
Sighing, she answered, "Human."
"Part Dwarf, part Human?" he clarified with surprise.
"Yes. My mother was a Human, my father pure Dwarf. His family didn't like he was having a child with a Human, so they raised me in the woods. Away from any judgement or ridicule. They died several years ago."
"What of?"
"Orc attacks." She seemed unaffected from speaking of her family. He understood the pain of losing family. But she was obviously strong enough and smart enough to keep herself safe, staying in a forest, with surroundings she was familiar.
"Why did you not go to live in a city?"
"Why would I? If my heritage was revealed, they would just cast me out. Dwarves are as stubborn as Elves when it comes to their bloodline. They wish to keep it pure. But my father was not so closed minded. He knew my mother had strength, was kind and generous. He fell in love with her and never looked back." She walked past him, tidying the small house.
"Did your father build this house?" he sat down at a chair at the table.
She shook her head.
"You built it?"
"Yes."
"Why build it so small?"
"I don't need much room. My father was five feet and four inches tall, my mother was only four feet."
"Your father was quite tall."
She nodded, "But I got my mothers height." She walked towards a small closet and pulled out some linens, walking to the bedroom to strip the bed and change. He was beginning to wonder what a simple life like this would entail. Simple chores, hunting and freedom? He wondered if he should live in the forest.
"What do you do for food?" he asked.
"I hunt. My parents taught me long ago."
"What do you hunt?"
"Anything I can find." She walked past him again, hardly paying any attention to him.
"I must return home," he insisted suddenly. "My brother and uncle will be looking for me, I've already been gone too long."
"If you wish to return home soon, then you must rest before you journey back. It is a half day walk from here to Erabor."
"But my brother will be searching the woods to find me."
"And I imagine he would return home first, gather a search party and be safer then you were." She pushed him out of the way when he stood in front of her, trying to insist on his release.
"I need to return to Erabor." He ordered.
She scoffed, "Sorry, but I don't take orders from princes."
He gripped her shoulders, "If my uncle finds me here with you, he will think you took me against my will."
"If you want to leave and most likely die, then leave. I'm only suggesting that if you stay here and heal, then you can return home in good health. But if you wish to leave, then go. I don't need to babysit anyone that doesn't wish to be taken care of." She grew angry and narrowed her eyes at him.
He took a moment to decide his next course of action, and he gathered his belongings, got dressed quickly and left through the small door.
He looked around for any markings that would remind him of where she lives, promising himself to return someday and thank her properly.
He looked for his pony a few miles down the path, and came across the body of the bear that attacked him. His pony was gone, most likely found by Fíli and taken home. He sighed and began walking.
Hours passed and the afternoon became the evening, nearing night. He soon found it difficult to see. He heard strange noises in the trees, felt the eyes on him. But he continued on, desperate to get home. When more time passed, his leg began to stiffen, the pain in his cheek stinging again. Obviously, she knew what she was doing if she was able to make the pain nearly disappear over night.
He stopped by a large rock, gasping from the pain in his leg, sitting on the hard surface and looking to the sky. He almost wished she would appear again and take him back to her warm home, healing him once again. He was an idiot for thinking he could return with such a severe injury without giving it the right time to heal. But he didn't want to risk her harm if his brother and uncle would somehow find the house and search it, finding him there without able to leave. Thorin tended to not allow others to speak when he was angry or scared.
"Fíli!" he shouted, hoping his brother may be nearby. But he had the sinking feeling he was lost. Which was not good, he was lost in a forest he did not know by heart, and he had never been in it at night before. He had no food, shelter or water. "Damn it, all." He whispered to himself.
"Ready to return?" he heard a familiar voice.
He nearly smiled, turning around to find Tazanna behind him, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face.
"You just couldn't stay away from me, could you?" he laughed, then winced at the pain.
"Don't be a fool. I followed you the moment you left my door, sure you would either fall and die or get yourself lost if I didn't." she walked towards him, her clothing changed to that of tight black pants and a sheer white shirt.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." He said, reaching for her outstretched hand, lifting himself up and standing over her.
"I take no personal offence to it, just the stubbornness of our people." She said, bringing his arm over her shoulders and supporting him. "We have a long walk back, are you sure you can make the journey?"
"So long as there is food and a bed waiting when we get there."
She laughed to herself, "You wouldn't last a week in this forest."
"Hey, I did go on the journey with my uncle to take back Erabor, that wasn't exactly a nice river walk."
"No, but you also had many other people with you, and also often ran into Elves that would give you shelter and food. Out here, when you're on your own, it's a completely different story."
They walked on through the path he had taken, returning to her house in nearly half the time it took him to travel in the morning.
"How did we get here so quickly?"
"I know shortcuts." She said, bringing him in through the door.
She sat him down on a chair again, looking at his face. "You're pale. That's not a good sign." She rushed to the barrel of water she had, soaked a piece of cloth and quickly brought it back to him, gently pressing his cheek.
"Let me see your leg." He lifted it into her grasp and she ripped the fabric to look at the gash. "Shit." She cursed.
"What?" he gasped, feeling faint.
"It's become infected somehow."
"I fell a couple times." He informed her.
She rolled her eyes at him, "If you hadn't been so damn stubborn, you wouldn't be in this situation."
He wanted to make an angry reply to her, but knew she was right. He needed to trust her to heal him. Fully, this time.
"Get your clothing off, quickly." She turned away and grabbed her herbs and oils while he tried to remove his armor.
He gasped from the pain of trying to move. She rushed over and pulled him up to walk him to the bedroom, quickly removing most of his clothing, leaving him only in a shirt and his trousers again.
"It will take twice as long to heal properly, now." He was wincing with every movement he made.
"Kíli, you must calm down." She whispered, trying to make him still.
He cried out, thrashing against her, opening the wound on his cheek, the infection in his leg spreading.
She gripped his hand and waited for him to calm, looking into his eyes. "I know it hurts, Kíli, but you must remain still. Please, let me help you."
He gasped, trying to control the urges to cry out. He nodded and took her hand in return, gripping it tightly.
"I will not let the last of the line of Durin die on my bed." She said simply, pushing oils and herbs into his wounds again.
He arched his back at the intrusion, gripping her hand almost too tightly.
She added another oil and he felt ice flow through his blood, soothing the pain. She looked at his cheek, gently stroking it first then applying the ointment.
He sighed in contentment, laying back on the pillow.
"Better?" she asked.
He nodded, gripping her hand in thanks. She turned to leave, but he held her fast.
"Please stay," he whispered. "I do not wish to be alone."
"It seems inappropriate to lay in my bed with a dwarf prince." She replied.
"Please." He said, stroking her hand gently.
She sighed and nodded, quickly removing her boots and climbing onto the bedding beside him, quickly pulling the blankets around them. He closed his eyes and drifted quickly, thankful for the stranger in the woods.