"Why…why did I have to be the only one left...?" Kili asked himself while pacing around his bedroom in Sindarin Erebor. "I can't do this!" He punched a stone wall with all of his might, tears of anger and sadness running down his cheeks. He looked quietly at his now bleeding knuckles and shook his head, sighing ever so softly before returning to his bed. He sat down and looked around, before standing back up again and going to get something to wrap his hand with. Just as he went to do so, he was run into by a dwarf servant girl.
"Sorry." She mumbled quietly before walking straight past him.
"Wait!" Kili yelled and she stopped. "I need some cloth. My hand's bleeding."
The girl rolled her eyes and then turned around, a hand on her hips. Her eyes were a pale, mysterious shade of blue, and her frame was thin. She had long, black hair which was pulled up into a long ponytail, instead of being braided. Unlike most others, she had no beard, but that made her all the more mysterious. "Wait there. I'll get you some." With that she walked off again down a long passage way.
Kili blinked, first once, then twice. What was it with that girl? He questioned himself. He'd seen her around a couple times, but never spoke to her. He was too busy. And while he never looked down at his servants, there was just something about her that he didn't like. Or did he like something about her? He couldn't tell all too well.
Kili walked back into his room, leaving the door open. He laid on his bed, closing his eyes and wondering what he should do. The images of gore and blood from the Battle of Five Armies still laid fresh in his mind. It was a miracle he was still alive. It was terrible he was still alive. He'd constantly have nightmares about it, about everything. The simplest of objects could remind him of the war.
"I should visit Bilbo." He murmured quietly to himself. "Yeah…Bilbo. He may be able to help. And give me good tea…" He started to drift off at the thought of the cozy little hobbit hole, at Bilbo's smiling face and the good food.
"I'm back." Called a voice. Kili shot up and saw the dwarf girl standing in the door way, tossing a role of cloth in her hand before catching it again. She wore a bored, yet amusing smile on her face. "What? Don't like what you see oh mighty dwarf?" She chuckled before walking over to him. "Now be a good king and hold out your hand."
"WH-who do you think you are, talking to me like that?!" Sputtered Kili, his cheeks red.
"I'm simply a not-so-humble servant girl. Call me Peirce." She smiled softly, her eyes brimming with mischief. She took Kili's hand in her own and started to wrap his knuckles.
As Kili watched her, he saw that her hands had many scrapes and cuts all over them. He tilted his head and studied the rest of her. Her arms had faint traces of scars on them as well. Instead of the regular, thick drawven garb, she wore instead a short sleeved tunic and leggings, which were different shades of blue.
"Who are you…?" Kili mumbled to himself.
Peirce looked up from her work. "I told you already. You deaf?" She smiled and then went back to wrapping his hand again, humming to herself. Kili found it interesting to watch the dwarf girl, chuckling to himself every time she made a funny face when delicately wrapping his knuckles with the pale colored cloth.
When she got up to leave, Kili grabbed her wrist. "Stay. I want you to sing."
"And why do you want me to sing?" Piece put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow, but there was a slight smile forming on the edges of her lips. Kili laughed.
"Because you hum well, and so you can probably sing well. And no one around here hums as well as you do, oh not-so-humble servant girl." Kili smirked and leaned back on his pillows.
"Well if you insist." Pierce smiled.
"Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
The dwarves of yore made might spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells."
"Get out." Kili said quietly, his eyes filled with tears.
Pierce looked taken aback, but said nothing. She stood where she was, studying the young dwarf's face with concern. "No." She said after a minute.
"I said, GET OUT!" Kili lunged at her, pushing her to the ground and pinning her there. She was surprisingly unfazed.
"I said, no." She said ever so quietly. Kili slapped her. When she didn't move, he slapped her again. And again. And then once more after that. He slapped her until her cheeks were red and tears of pain ran down her cheeks.
"No." Pierce said yet again. Kili blinked, and tears rushed down his cheeks, falling onto the servants face. She smiled softly and reached a hand up, wiping his tears away softly. "I won't go until you stop crying, oh king." Her voice was gentle and kind, soothing in a sense.
Kili got off her and whimpered. "I know the war was hard for you. I also know you want to go see your good friend Bilbo again. So, I'll go with you and we'll see him together. Along with the rest of your dwarf friends. They deserve to see him, and you as well." Piece said quietly, sitting up and smiling.
"H-how'd you know that's what I wanted to do?" Kili raised an eyebrow after a minute and managed a smug little smirk.
Pierce barked out a laugh. "Because…because I'm me. That's why. I pay attention."
And with that, Peirce got up, brushed off her shirt, bowed, and walked out of the room.
Kili sat on the ground, dumbstruck. How did she know? He thought to himself. She's so much like I used to be. I wish I was still like she is now. I wonder if it's too late for me?
