Lying in the grass under the dark sky, Tauriel looked up to the stars as they blinked in the sky. They glittered like jewels above her as she bathed in the warm, pure glow of memory, the words I saw a Fire Moon once repeated around her, soft and enchanting. She lay in the grass; her eyes closed, against the brightness above, and listened to the wind. In the breeze leaves rustled in the tree tops, the grass rustled like feathers around her, while the mountain at her back stood tall, lonely and silent.
I saw a Fire Moon once.
She had hoped to share in this sight with him. To see his eyes widen in wonder, and his jaw drop at the unfathomable number of stars in the heavens. She pictured Kili, as he was; youthful and full of life, dark hair turned silver in the starlight, his cheeks, pink under the dark scruff of his short beard, and his eyes dancing over the stars.
I saw a Fire Moon once.
He had wonder. He had honour. He had courage. He held the traits she valued most, and he had held her heart. She wished, like so many times before, that he was there with her now. That she hadn't lost him in the battle against Bolg. That she could have spent, even a little, of her eternal life with him by her side.
She remembered that day. She remembered climbing the fortress, his body in her arms. He was heavier than she had thought; he was thin for a Drawf, but solid. She had carried him up, to meet his kin, only to find his brother, fallen as well. She wept again for his loss, and the loss her Dwarf had suffered. She saw Kili's footprints around Fili's body, and knew he had witnessed the death of his elder brother.
She had carried the brothers, although unceremoniously, down from the ruins, to the frozen lake, where again she felt the loss of his kin. She lay Fili down; Kili nearby but still in her arms, close to their uncle and wept without restraint for the Heirs of Durin. One of the Dwarves, whom she now knew as Balin, had reached out and held her shoulder as she wept. She felt his hand on her now, as she sat and opened her eyes; one tear falling down her cheek.
But the hand on her shoulder was not from Balin, instead, the strong hand belonged to another Dwarf with long dark hair, bright wondering eyes and a crooked smile that widened when it met her eyes.
"Kili." She gasped.
Amrâlimê, he whispered, you still mourn me?
"Yes." Her voice, like the wind whistling in the night, was barely louder than a whisper.
You must not dwell on a mortal soul.
"I cannot forget."
Remember me. Cherish our moments. But it does no good to dwell on the past.
"You are wise Master Dwarf." She teased, wiping the tear from her cheek.
I was only young in comparison. He teased back, winking playfully. Let us sit together. Just for a moment.
"Just for a moment." She agreed. Kili sat down in front of her, his heavy body pushing against her chest. She wrapped both arms around his shoulders and held on to him. She buried her face in his neck and inhaled the smell of him. He was warm and smelled of earth and iron. His hair tickled her cheek and she pressed her lips to the smooth patch of skin behind his ear.
"I miss you." She whispered.
He held her hands around his shoulders, and nodded toward the sky. I saw a Fire Moon once. The words that echoed in her memory made her heart ache. Kili continued as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. It rose over the pass near Dunland. Huge! Red and gold it was, it filled the sky!
When Tauriel woke, there were no hands in hers, no grip on her shoulder and no whispers of the wonders of a Fire Moon. She didn't want to open her eyes and admit that she had dreamed up a vision of Kili. The wind still brushed the grass around her, but the night had grown warm, and even from behind her closed eyes, she could tell the night was over; the sky was bright.
Finally, she sat up admitting the dream, opening her eyes to see the Moon glowing as if it were on fire, burning overhead. She held a hand to her face stunned, and noticed the stone in her hand. She didn't remember taking it out of her pocket and yet, the stone reflected the moon's brilliant shades of red and gold in her palm. The Dwarvish runes carved upon the stone reminded her of a promise long passed. I will return to you. At that moment, under the stars, staring at the bright red moon, that promise had never felt more true.
She looked from the rune stone Kili had left her, up to the moon in amazement. In the dark crimson rays cast off the moon, Tauriel bathed in the bloody moonlight of a Fire Moon and whispered into the night, "I saw a Fire Moon once."