Now, as he lingered in borrowed sleep, Kili slowly became aware of familiar sensations. Soft fabric beneath his palms, an unpleasant ache within his ribs; then one by one, his senses came alive. There was an acrid, metallic taste in his mouth, the low hum of conversation a short distance away, and a delicious perfume wafting through the chilled air that brought to mind wild flowers, musky forest moss, and a sweet honey-like aroma that he couldn't quite place. His fingers began to twitch in earnest, his eyelids fluttering heavily and then finally prying open. Immediately a form that had been seated nearby arose and began to approach, moving cautiously and deliberately, allowing his vision to come into focus.
When finally his eyes fell upon her, he was instantly gripped by a mix of elation and fear.
"Tauriel," he spoke her name softly aloud, allowing a weak smile to cross his swollen lips. Then addressing her only half jokingly, "have I died?"
Her expression betrayed an otherwise stoic exterior, the relief written upon her face as she knelt to run a graceful hand through his dark curls.
"No, Kili," she cooed, "you are very much alive."
But at hearing a commotion behind her, she quickly straightened tall, taking several steps back from the bedside as a procession of dwarves and children cheerfully plodded in.
"Brother!" Fili exclaimed, laying a strong arm across the fallen dwarf's chest. "I had hoped you would be rejoining us soon!"
Kili rubbed the last traces of sleep from his eyes with effort, otherwise lying calm and still, his smile now aglow in the joy of his brother's presence. The little ladies of the lake house, Tilda and Sigrid, nodded their contentment at his much improved state before slowly retreating to another room.
"I thought for a moment that we had lost you," Fili offered solemnly, before turning to face the elf with a sincere and humble tone. "I thank you, lady Tauriel, for your efforts in my brother's survival. As an heir to the throne of Erebor, this will not be forgotten."
Tauriel nodded appreciatively, offering a tense but congenial smile.
"Rest now, " the elder dwarf regarded his brother once more. "I must away to the town master. There is much to discuss."
And with that, he trudged away with a single backward glance, belying an unspoken questioning that would wait for a less stressful time.
Checking cautiously to see that they were alone once more, the slender elf slowly crept back over to the bedside, reaching for a bowl of clean water that lay close upon a stool. She dipped a piece of cloth into the shallow pool and wrung it free of excess in a single movement, Kili unable to keep himself from watching her every move. He had seen the deadly precision of her practiced strikes in battle, but the grace in even her simple gestures was amazing to behold, and she didn't seem to notice as his eyes continued to follow her. She pulled the blankets that lay atop him back gingerly at his side, softly removing the layers of binding that hid the offending wound in his right thigh. Then, having bared the skin there, she ran her fingers gently across the flesh, studying it for signs of how well it had begun to mend. He shivered uncontrollably under her touch, unable to hold the urge at bay, and a flicker of worry crossed her face, misinterpreting his movements as a sign that she had caused him pain.
Her hand shrunk back, and without thinking he reached out to grasp it with his own, to reassure her that her tender finger falls hadn't hurt. Almost immediately he realized what he had done, but when he respectfully loosened his grip, she found herself subtly tightening her own. For a moment that seemed limitless they held eachother's gaze, fingers intertwined, eyes burning, neither able to express the thoughts that were swirling wildly in their minds. Finally Tauriel let his hand free and left it to rest at his side, picking up the dampened rag once more and cleaning his healing wound as carefully as possible. Kili said nothing, but watched her even more intently, marveling at how one pair of hands could be at once so lethal yet so incredibly gentle.
She tried in vain to focus on the task at hand, but underneath her calm and measured exterior, a storm of emotion had begun to brew. Why had she disobeyed her king? Endeavored to heal one who should be her enemy? And stayed to be sure that he would recover, while her prince had soldiered onward into the unknown? A part of her already knew the answer, but her logical mind struggled greatly, refusing to accept it. Her feelings for the dwarf were actually romantic.
"Impossible." She heard the word slip quietly from her mouth, and startled by her own accidental utterings, was stunned into motionlessness for a few short seconds. She met Kili's eyes, now aware that they had been focused on her, and knowing that she owed him an explanation.
"What?" he asked, the intensity of his stare causing a flutter within her chest. "What's impossible?"
Speechless, she turned her attention back to the wound, wiping away the last bits of dry blood with a light touch, but when she looked up to find him still waiting patiently for an answer, she strained to string a set of words together that wouldn't give her musings away.
"I... there is... a lot has happened," she offered vaguely, praying silently that it would satisfy him.
Openly bewildered, he heaved his head and neck up off the mattress, holding his weight up shakily upon an elbow and regarding her with reverence.
"Are you always this evasive, or do you just find it satisfying to confuse me?" he smiled.
And matching his humor, she laid the bowl and rag back down and planted herself firmly at the side of the bed, so close that her leg now pressed against his ever so slightly. He swallowed hard, the nervousness of her proximity written clearly across his face as she held his stare while her slender fingers began rebandaging his thigh.
"At least that makes two of us that are confused," she smirked. And as she felt herself lean towards him, muscles moving of their own accord, their revelry was broken by a thunderous boom.
Outside the wind swished wildly with the flapping of gigantic wings, and a permeating gutteral growl signaled the onslaught of impending doom. Smaug, the fire drake, had awoken and was headed fast towards Laketown.
Tauriel ran for the door in a panic as four small bodies scrambled towards her from outside. It was the three remaining dwarves and the young son of their missing host. The boy's two terrified sisters had come to join them in the front room, and as the sounds of the dragon grew louder, everyone looked to her with a mounting tension. She shook herself into the moment, allowing her militaristic instincts to take over.
"Fili," she began, turning to the elder dwarf prince, "take the children to the north shore and make for the shrunken wood. There is a cottage about five miles inland at the foot of Dale's ruined outer battlements. You will be safe there."
"Kili," the blonde dwarf's eyes fell worriedly upon his recovering brother.
"I will look after him," she said, with all the confidence she could muster. "He is not yet strong, but I will see him to the forest alive. You have my word."
Fili hesitated, looking to his brother, and then back to the face of the she-elf. Then finally, having realized there was no choice but to trust her, he gave a nod and ushered the children towards the door.
"Don't stop until you reach the cottage," the elf called after them. "We will meet you there at dawn."
And with that, she turned her attention back to her ward.