VI.

The dwarves of Erebor were granted an audience with King or Prince once a moon, and Kíli dreaded Consultation Hour even more than Council meetings. Why all these dwarves were complaining so much, he would forever fail to understand. What did it matter that the plumbing wasn't working properly at all times? Who cared that the war pigs Daín Ironfoot had sent as a present were rampaging through the Halls of Memory and gnawing at the fine tapestries? Smaug had ripped half of Erebor apart.

Three bells later, a merchant had complained about bad roads, another had offered a special price on Rhosgobel rabbits, three elderly dwarrowdams had voiced their concern about the lack of morals that would surely result from joint training sessions for lasses and lads, and a tinker had wanted advice on a love poem he had written for his intended. At least the pain in his leg and head had subsided. Kíli suppressed a yawn, adjusted himself in his seat, stretched his shoulders and gestured for the last dwarrow to be shown in.

„I need to talk to you!"

A young lass was approaching fast, her mouse brown braids swinging. She took the stool in front of him and sat, a triumphant glow in her amber eyes.

Kíli was not sure what to make of this. She hadn't approached him in the appropriate manner, she hadn't bowed, she hadn't even introduced herself. She had violated almost every aspect of protocol. Nevertheless, he tilted his head slightly and offered a friendly greeting.

„Kíli, Prince of Erebor, at your service."

She blinked. „Pardon me? Oh, yes. Of course. Eyra, daughter of Halla."

It still wasn't sufficient. The steward cleared his throat. But Kíli was determined to let it slip. They would still sit here two bells later if he wanted a proper greeting from this confused lass.

„So, Eyra, daughter of Halla. What is on your mind?"

„The question is, what is on yours?"

„Err?"

„You dislike books, don't you? You think that learning about dwarrow history is of no importance?"

He stared. Then a chuckle escaped him.

„The bastard. I never thought he had it in him."

„I don't know what you are talking about."

The chuckle turned into a hearty laugh.

„Lass, that was way too easy. Tell Balin I do remember history lessons. I suppose I will until I pass into the Halls of the Waiting. And even then. I will remember Gunnar the Geek declaring a treaty with the Red Mountains in summer 1634 that lasted until Erebor was taken by Smaug."

„Great."

„Yeah. Isn't it. I remember all of it."

„It was Gunnar the Great."

„Huh?"

„You said Geek."

„Whatever. Tell Balin. And tell him, it was fun! A good prank, I am impressed. Off you go now."

„Oh no. That is no laughing matter, and you won't get rid of me so easily. You really don't seem to value history lessons. Or education as such."

„When have I ever said so?"

„Three days ago, you told the Prince and Princess they could skip history lesson, didn't you?"

„Yes, I did. But…"

„How are they supposed to rule a kingdom one day if they stay uneducated? Oh, I suppose you think being able to wield a sword or shoot one of those silly arrows will do. But muscles are not what makes a King. I am sure King Fíli would agree."

He stared at the lass, who was slightly panting now and trying to straighten a loose braid.

„Look, I told them they could skip the lesson because they hadn't finished archery training."

His voice still sounded very friendly and didn't reveal any of his growing irritation. He was quite pleased with himself.

„See? That is exactly what I meant!"

„What?"

„Have you ever been to Erebor's library?"

„Of course I have!" He sat straighter. „If you must know, the chief scribe is a good friend of mine."

„Oh. So you visited him in the library." She looked at him and pursed her lips. „But have you ever been to the library to read?"

„Err." He coughed. „Well. With my obligations as Captain of the forces, I do not have much leisure time."

„Of course." She sneered. „You are a warrior. You choose a sword over a book. Can you even read?"

He gasped. „Of course I can." Damn, he shouldn't have answered that. „Who by Durin's hairy ass are you and what do you want?"

He gritted his teeth and pushed a stray lock out of his face. He shouldn't have said that either. So much for his promise to keep morals up. One simply didn't say a word like that to a lass, not even an annoying one.

„I am Eyra, daughter of Halla, as I already told you."

She looked expectantly at him as if her name should ring a bell. It didn't.

He shrugged. „And that is supposed to tell me what?"

„I am librarian to Erebor's bibliotheca. Which you would know had you ever used the library. And I am teacher to the little Prince and Princess. Whom I was missing in class because someone told them fighting was more important than their history lesson."

„I didn't say that. I didn't mean that. I just…"

She rolled her eyes. „I can see now why you have no use for books. Your command of language is poorly." She paused and eyed him in wonder. „Are you really the King's brother? I mean, the King is so educated and literate and you…"

Her voice trailed off but Kíli was sure he heard her mutter „imbecile". He stared disbelieving at the young librarian. His jaw had dropped sometime during her offending speech, and he realised it still hung open.

„You understood what I was saying, didn't you?"

He shut his mouth. And thinking of the rant that was forming in his head, he kept it shut.

„Good." The lass left, braids swinging.

Kíli glared at the steward who tried to disguise a laugh with a coughing fit.

—

„How was Consultation?" Fíli asked while sorting through what seemed a thousand papers with sealing wax and narrow writing on them.

„Fine."

Fíli arched an eyebrow, and Kíli grinned.

„Boring." He made a face. „Your dwarfling's teacher came to visit me. To scold me, to be precise."

Fíli's eyebrow was dangerously close to his hairline now. „Scold you?"

„I allowed the little ones to skip a lesson and continue target praxis."

Fíli laughed. „Mahal. I can imagine what happened."

„I don't think you can. The lass practically insulted me of being illiterate and ignorant."

„What's new?"

„Funny."

„You want me to have a word with her?"

„Nah."

Kíli shifted his weight from one foot to the other and watched his brother opening scrolls and frowning at their contents.

„I bet no one has ever told you that being king of the most important dwarven realm meant paperwork mostly."

His brother chuckled. „No, Balin and Thorin conveniently left that out. It was all about glory."

„There's a lot of glory in surviving Council meetings. How you manage to juggle all your responsibilities without beheading someone from time to time will forever remain a mystery to me." He grinned lightly. „But one I am willing to solve. You don't have to throw me out of Council. I promise to behave and not strangle that old moth-beard Dwoss."

„I expect you to. And I promise, you will attend the meetings again." Fíli flipped through the papers and cursed slightly. „In a little while. When you will have recovered from your injuries."

„I bumped my head, Fíli. It doesn't hurt anymore. It is not even a real injury. We both suffered a lot worse."

„And I don't care to repeat any of it."

„Neither do I. But forbidding me to ride out overdoes it a little, don't you think?"

„Those orcs you encountered knew who you were. What happened to you in Laketown. They probably entered Erebor lands because of you. I don't think being careful is overdoing it."

„They are dead and gone."

„There's a lot more orcs out there. I don't want you to put yourself into danger."

„I cannot stay in Erebor for the rest of my life. I will not hide, it's not in my blood."

„I know. Just stay until we've found out what those orcs were up to. I need to know that you are safe. You will have to take my place should something happen to me until Fynn is old enough to be crowned king." Fíli's solemn expression melted into a smile. „And you are my little brother, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Kíli couldn't help but return his brother's grin. „Agreed. I will stay as long as it takes. But please, be quick."

„I already sent a raven to Gandalf."

Kili sneered. „What do you think Gandalf can achieve?"

„He is a wizard and our friend."

„He is an old smart-ass and not my friend."

„You can't possibly still carry a grudge against him? It's so long ago that he advised against you leading the troops to Rohan's aid when the Haradrim attacked. Kee, you weren't fully recovered from battle then. You were still healing."

„I was fully able to ride and fight."

„With your left hand. Your right was still in a sling."

„As I said. There was no reason to send Wanda Wartnose instead."

Fíli suppressed a grin.

„Wanda Warthroes is a famous warrior."

„I wanted to aid King Theoden and his Rohirrim and forge an alliance with them. But, no, Gandalf had to send the Wartnose. And now she is considered a friend in the halls of the horse people." Kili growled. „It should have been me."

„Gandalf believed it unwise to send you."

„He also said it would be unwise for a dwarf to marry an elf."

Fili hesitated only slightly. „He was right."

Kili shook his head in denial. „You always supported us. You married us, although many of our people were outraged. You didn't care."

„It still was unwise. But you were never known for your wisdom."

Kíli shrugged. And changed topic.

„Has the raven returned you sent to the wizard?"

„Not yet."

„Tell me when you have news."

„Sure."

He left this brother to his tiresome paperwork and went to visit Katla.

–

She was still in the infirmary, sitting in bed, and her face lit up when he entered.

„Nice haircut."

He grunted and pointed at the bandage round her torso. „Nice wrapping."

„Graurr said, it's going to be quite a scar."

He dropped his lashes. „Sorry. My fault."

„Actually," she grinned, a little embarrassed, „I am quite proud to sport a scar. And a very impressive one, too. It looks like an arrow. Can you believe it?"

She patted the bed to make him sit down.

„You saved my life. Thank you."

„Nah. You saved mine. You dragged my sorry ass into that cave."

„Of course I did. I would give my life to save yours. You are Durin's heir."

„Stop that. You've known me forever. We used Bofur's hat for target practice."

„He was still under it. Sleeping." She chuckled. „Thorin grounded Fíli for not keeping an eye on you."

„Yeah. Well. He paid me back with interest. He grounded me today."

„He did what?"

„He has forbidden me to leave Erebor lands. Banned me from Council meetings, too. Which is not so bad, actually. I hate Council. Either I am in danger of falling asleep and snoring or breaking someone's neck."

„He should not treat you like that. He should show more gratitude."

„Katla."

„What? He is the King, and I before I speak ill of him I would cut out my own tongue, but he owes you his life. You defended him when he was struck down."

„You weren't there."

„I know the stories. I know how you stood over his wounded body and fought every orc and goblin that tried to finish him off. I know you were badly injured yourself. I know you still wouldn't yield."

„Katla. Stop."

She looked at his face, and she fell silent.

He hadn't done anything heroic. He had simply been desperate. All he could think of when he picked up his sword was Fíli. That he had to defend his brother's still faintly breathing body that lay crumpled in a puddle of blood like a puppet cut loose from its strings.

Her fingers gently pushed a strand of hair out of his face and caressed his cheek. When he opened his eyes she looked at him in a way that made him feel uncomfortable. Her face was suddenly much too close, and he quickly turned his head so that her lips touched his cheek.

„You should rest." He avoided her touch and got up. „I'll come and visit again some time soon."

Outside the infirmary he leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. He just should have kissed her. It wouldn't have hurt. Maybe it would even have done him some good.

It had been over twenty years since his last kiss. A teary, desperate kiss on the riverbank, a wrestling of tongues, a grabbing of hair, a suppressing of sobs. He had kissed as if his life had depended on it. In a way it had.

She had begged him to go with her. It had been the first time she had ever asked him for anything. And the first time he had denied her anything.

He didn't know how he got back to the Lonely Mountain that day. He always marvelled that he had made the journey without throwing himself down a chasm or falling into his own sword. Even now, he sometimes caught himself standing on one of Erebor's cliffs and thinking how easy it would be just to take another step and never feel that heart-wrenching pain again.

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Author's note:

For those of you who were wondering whether Tauriel will make an appearance:

***************SPOILER ALERT*************SPOILER ALERT***********

Of course, lovelies. She will enter the story some chapters later.

Stay tuned.