A Mother's Talent
Mila addresses the issue of the connection between Khayl and Fíli in conjunction with their non-existent friendship. It seems she finally gets a chance to use that talent that all mothers appear to possess; meddling in the love lives of the young.
I recommend having read chapters 22-25 to understand the stage this is based in. Hopefully it's not wholly necessary though and everything's fairly self-explanatory.
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Mila was going to kill them, she really was.
Honestly, the way those two tiptoed around each other… It was painful to say the very least. Truly, how difficult was it to surmise that you had and fierce and irreversible connection to another being? A connection that made you insides burn and your heart spin? A connection that drove you wild every moment that you were in the presence, or thinking of them, or hearing about them. How long does it take someone to realise that what they're feeling isn't hate, that it is actually the complete opposite?
Khayl and Fíli had kicked their relationship badly. Very badly, and that wasn't going to help matters in the long run. It was hard enough to deal with discovery your One true soul mate without all that added pressure of thinking you should be hating them for whatever reason. Mila knew, she had been there.
Mila had been involved with another when she met him. Aro was intrigued by their connection and hunted after her with all the single mindedness of a hound on a scent. Mila, oblivious to the true meaning of their connection, had despised him for his advances, whilst he understood what was happening to them. He had been a veteran of the War of Dwarves and Orcs, and such an unusually large gathering of dwarves over the years had leant to the meeting of numerous Ones within the ranks. He had seen it, and had also seen what occurred when one lost their other half, but he was never dissuaded from seeking out his own soul partner. In his mind, the benefits far outweighed the risks.
And they truly did. Once Mila had learned of the truth behind the connection they had joined and both had discovered that truly, it was the single greatest gift that Mahal had ever bestowed his people. The sense of Oneness that accompanied them wherever they went, even if they were thousands of leagues apart, the sense that they were completed, of a single mind, heart and soul.
That was what she wanted for Khayl; every last ounce of love and completion in the world. There were scars on Khayl's soul, tragedy buried deep inside, and Mila wholly believed that only her other half could heal such wounds. Fíli, well Fíli was that balm for Khayl's soul and perhaps she was his also for the prince too had pain in his past and no one could deny it.
She watched them spar that day from one of the back windows. Her intention had been to watch Ira, since she knew her eldest hadn't born a blade for quite some time, years in fact. She had watched the way the four of them moved through the standard poses, all doing the same movements but all of them adjusted to suit the uniqueness of the warrior and the blade.
Mila had tried to speak to Khayl then, knowing that she couldn't let the two of them wander about in the dark for much longer. But Khayl had been so closed and resistant to the subject. It made Mila so uneasy to look at the way Khayl's eyes suddenly turned sharp at the mere mention of the dwarf prince's name. She had almost told Khayl outright what was going on, but then Kíli had to interfere and ever since Khayl had left her with no opportunity to broach the subject again.
When the four youths had finished their break Mila had watched with a fond smile as Ira helped Kíli to his feet and the two dashed away to spar. It was undeniable that they were well suited to one another, but Ira was not his one, and never could be. But that didn't mean their relationship couldn't develop further, loathe though Mila was to even contemplate it.
But those thoughts had been turned aside as she watched Khayl similarly thrust out a hand to aid Fíli to his feet. It had seemed a simple gesture, and she kept her eyes pinned on the wall behind him as she did so, but then Fíli was midway up and they glanced at one another and everything went to pot.
Khayl released Fíli, letting go like she'd been burned, and Fíli hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. They panted heavily for a moment, staring but not seeing with wide, terrified eyes that caused Mila's motherly heart to clench. She knew she could let them go on no longer, and so she made her plans for the fete in one week's time. And by Mahal Mila would not let the sun rise and that night end until her wishes were completed to her satisfaction.
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I was going to write chapter 26 for Through Their Eyes but we got home really late from riding, the vets and some horrible rushed shopping which left me mentally and physically drained. I was really excited to write it too, but I thought that I would do this instead XD that's why it's so short, so I apologise. I was going to do a part on Dis being a meddling mother also, but I need sleep, so hopefully tomorrow, since we got all of tomorrow's errands done today (well, I have a driving lesson, but that's another story)
I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, even if you didn't! I could really do with some reviews to kick my arse back into gear…
Thanks to all of you superstars who have reviewed and added this to their favourite/follow lists! It means a bunch!
(Anybody interested in the piece about Dis meddling in her son's non-existent love life?)