She Walks in Beauty
Author: Ana Sedai
Author's Note: I realize that this story will be made moot by whatever happens in the third movie. But I've become quite attached to Tauriel and Kili, and I wanted to see if I could pick up where the second movie left off. (By the way: Seriously, Jackson! You're leaving it there?!) It's going to be pure agony if what I think is going to happen, happens. But given how freely Peter Jackson has made changes to the original material, I'm going to hold onto hope as long as I can.
As to whether I continue this or not, it depends on my Muse. She's rather a moody little thing, and has a tendency to run off and hide when I'd like her to come help me out. I don't mention this because I want anyone to beg or plead for more chapters (I've always thought that was a lousy way to treat readers), but because I don't want anyone to be disappointed if I don't continue. That's all.
That being said, I certainly don't object to reviews in general. I'm always trying to get better at this writing thing, and honest criticism is always helpful.
The title comes from a poem by Lord Byron. It seemed appropriate.
Summary: They are not the stuff of legends. She is but a lowly Silvan elf, and he the younger nephew of an uncrowned king. But they are certainly more than commonplace. And maybe that is enough.
"Do you think she could have loved me?"
Tauriel had no answer to give, least of all to a man who was still delirious from fever and pain. But she would be lying if she said she did not care for Kili. There was much to admire about him. He was brave, and loyal, and intelligent, and kind. He certainly did not share his race's general hostility towards elves, or he would not have conversed with her so long back at the dungeons.
She liked him, very much. Quite possibly too much.
As for what his question revealed about his own feelings towards her…well, again, he was delirious from fever and pain. Civility was one thing. One could be civil even to a despised enemy. Admiration for her fighting skills was a possibility, and she was not vain in thinking so, as she was well aware of her own strengths. But love? From one conversation and a few skirmishes fought together (or rather, against others in lieu of each other)? Surely that was not near enough time to develop such feelings.
Tauriel was an elf. More than that, she was a Silvan elf. While not considered as high and noble as the Sindarians, Silvan elves were deemed to be far more realistic. Kili was a dwarf, if an uncommonly good-looking one. If there was no hope of a union between herself and Legolas, then there was less than no hope of any relationship whatsoever between herself and Kili.
And that was that.
She had finished her argument with herself by the time she completed binding Kili's wound. It was an ugly one, and would certainly leave a scar. But from what she had seen while she was healing him, it would be just one more for the collection. For such a young dwarf, he had a startling number of scars already.
"Tauriel?"
This time, Kili sounded more himself. His eyes still had pain in them, but they were clear and focused on her. He really looked unaccountably happy to see her. She ignored the answering spike in her chest and tried to sound as put-upon as possible.
"If you are wondering why I have come, we wanted to make sure our little skirmish with the orcs did not result in any misfortune for the folk of Laketown. They have troubles enough without adding orc attacks into the fray."
Her opinion of the Master of Laketown was not one she could repeat in polite company. The woodland elves had few dealings with anyone outside their borders, but negotiations had to be made for trade. She had served as King Thranduil's personal guard when the Master had come to their realm for the talks. The Master had shown all politeness and had bowed and scraped as he should, but there had been more than insincerity in his manner, there had been covetousness and cruelty as well. She knew King Thranduil had sensed this, but as it would have no effect on their dealings with each other (the Master may have been greedy, but he was not a complete fool), he had ignored it as inconsequential.
"As far as your wound is concerned, healing it was only the right thing to do. I was here, your friend had found some athelas, and it was but the work of a moment. To not help would have been foolish and wasteful, and I cannot abide either."
There, that sounded almost reasonable. She tried to ignore Kili's look of disappointment.
"So sorry to have been any trouble, my Lady Elf. I pray to not cause you further inconvenience in the future."
Tauriel winced. It was the most formal she could remember him being. It didn't suit him. And from the look on his brother's face, he agreed with her.
"Kili! She saved your life. The least you could do is thank her properly. If you may remember, she killed at least half a dozen orcs so she could rescue your boorish hide! "
Kili looked poleaxed for a moment. "I didn't remember." He looked at the floor of the house, at the orc corpses scattered among the shattered furniture. He looked at Tauriel's knives, now in their sheathes, still showing traces of black orc blood. He winced and shook his head, then fell back on the table with a small groan.
Immediately Tauriel felt guilty. It was not Kili's fault that she could not mind her own heart. And he still needed time to recuperate. She had to get him to a more comfortable resting place. A kitchen table was all well and good for healing, but not for recovering. And no doubt the children's father would return at some point, and he would not be best pleased to discover what had transpired in his absence.
She put aside her useless emotions for the moment. "Right, then. Kili, you need a bed and blankets. I won't have my work come to nothing because of any reckless stubbornness on your part. Fili, if you would be so kind as to…"
Her words cut off as the sound of a terrible howl echoed through the house and across the town. She felt the very floor beneath her vibrate in response. It was a horrible sound, promising death and destruction in its wake. Tauriel had never heard a dragon's roar before, but she knew that was what it was. The dragon Smaug had left his golden horde and decided to wreak his anger with the dwarves on an unsuspecting and defenseless group of ragged men and women. And she was in the middle of it.
How delightful.
She heard the dragon's roar again. It was definitely closer this time. The dwarves looked at each other for a moment with panicked eyes. Oin and Bofur knew better than the younger dwarves how much damage a dragon could do, especially on a town made solely of wood. But Kili and Fili had been raised on stories of Smaug's destructive power, and their imaginations were no doubt filling in many blanks right now. As one, all their faces turned to her. Why would they think I have anything useful to say at this moment?
For their part, the children looked terrified, and their father was nowhere in sight. Legolas had left to take care of the remaining orcs, and though she felt incredibly guilty for leaving him on his own, she knew how capable he was. That did not mean it would not have been helpful to have him here right now. He and King Thranduil had faced dragons before.
Right, then. It looked like she would have to be in charge for the time being. Her determined resolution was punctuated by yet another ghastly bellow.
Maybe five minutes away, now.
"You," she pointed to the boy. "Go and tell the Master that a large, fire-breathing beast is flying towards this town at this very moment. He will need whatever archers he can muster, and quickly."
The boy looked torn. "But what about my Da? They arrested him and he's stuck in the town stockade. He'll be burned alive!"
Tauriel was sympathetic, but there was no time to delay. "Your father is a bowman, is he not? Trust me, they will release him when they realize how much they need him."
The boy nodded reluctantly and sped out of the house. Tauriel looked at the girls and realized that while they had been very brave in defense of their home, they could do nothing against Smaug. "Girls, here is what you must do. You must get to the lowest level of this house and into whatever boat you can find. Do not try to get away, you will only attract the dragon's attention. Stay out of sight, and if anything catches fire around you, get into the water and hold onto the boat. Stay under the water as much as possible."
The girls also nodded, though they still looked petrified. She thought it was best they did not know that a dragon's fire was very unlikely to be stopped by only a few inches of water. Even if they did not burn in the fire, they would be cooked by the boiling water.
Yes, best they do not know that.
They hurried down the stairs of the house and she heard the creaking as they found a boat.
That left the dwarves. Tauriel did a quick inventory. Bofur and Oin were not archers, and would likely not be of much help in actually fighting Smaug. But they had experience with the dragon, and would be helpful in advising the bowmen where to fire. As for Kili and Fili, both of them had determined looks on their faces, Kili even more than his brother. They would not be left behind, even though Kili needed at least a whole day in a sickbed before he would be even close to fighting form.
As well wish for the light of Earendil to come down to earth!
"Bofur and Oin, of all here, you know the dragon best. The archers will need you to tell them how to fire. It is unlikely that mere arrows can harm Smaug overmuch, but any guidance is better than none. You should go find the bowmen. They will likely be making their stand on the docks facing the lake. Fili, you should go with them and offer your services. You have the most skill with a bow."
Fili was clearly frightened, but he jerked his head in a nod and made to follow Oin and Bofur outdoors.
"Hey now, what about me?" Kili looked incensed and insulted at the same time. "I'm healed enough, and I'm certainly the better archer. No offense, Fili, but I outmatched you by a fair margin at our last tournament."
"And if you tried to stand and fire a bow now, your leg would give out under you in a heartbeat!" Tauriel's calm façade collapsed. Was he completely suicidal? "Do you not think I know the extent of my own healing skills? You are not recovered enough to fight without becoming a liability."
"And if you think I'm going to let my brother walk out there and face that dragon without me, then you obviously don't know me at all!"
Their faces had come quite close together in the course of their argument. Tauriel could see the anger on his face, and the lingering pain. But she saw the shame and disappointment as well.
Disappointment in himself? Or in me?
His voice was determined, though. "I can stand, see?" And he slid off the table to his feet. He wavered for a moment, but then stood straight. "I can bear weight on it. Maybe not for long, but if this goes wrong, as it very likely will, then I won't need to use it for long, will I?"
He does have a point.
Tauriel cursed the reasonable voice in her head. It sounded a great deal like Legolas.
"Very well, then. If you are determined to die in reckless blaze of glory, who am I to say otherwise?"
Kili grinned widely. He seemed…proud of her?
Why?
Kili spoke diffidently, still grinning, "Best be going then. I figure we've got about 3 minutes before we get Smaug's version of a wake-up call. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
And Fili, Oin and Bofur grinned right along with him, their earlier fear now changed to anticipation. She could not understand it.
Dwarves. They are all completely mad. And Kili is the maddest of them all!
She almost wished that did not make him even more admirable.