"So," Fíli stated, not sure exactly how to begin his conversation with Tauriel. He wanted to talk to her about Kíli - without being obvious about it, of course - but he wasn't quite sure how to start the conversation.
"I will admit that I was surprised at your offer to help," Tauriel offered, which was as good a way to start a conversation as any. "I did not think you thought much of me."
"I would ask that you do not judge me too harshly on my recent actions," Fíli replied, which was probably the closest he would get to an apology. "I have had much on my mind."
"That is understandable," Tauriel replied neutrally. "And I assume it does not help matters that I am an elf."
Fíli grimaced. "Lady Tauriel-"
"I am no lady, but merely a captain of the guard," Tauriel interrupted.
"Captain Tauriel, then," Fíli amended. "It is true that my uncle has a grudge against the elves, especially those of Mirkwood, after your king did not help against Smaug."
"Which I can understand," Tauriel added. Fíli nodded.
"But I do not share all of his prejudices. And you saved my brother from a painful death. That alone would be enough for me to be grateful to you, no matter what you were."
"I am glad of that," Tauriel replied. "Both that I saved your brother and that you do not think badly of me because I am an elf. I have found, rather unexpectedly, that I quite like you dwarrows myself. I am glad that you like me in return."
"Yes, well," Fíli replied, a little flustered. "I'm not about to judge anyone based on anything but who they are."
"And that virtue will make you a good prince," Tauriel replied. Fíli jumped on the topic.
"I can't quite believe that Kíli and I are to be princes," he remarked. Tauriel frowned.
"You have always been princes, have you not?" she asked, puzzled. Fíli nodded slowly.
"Aye, we have been. Technically. But when you are a prince to a lost kingdom that you've never seen, it's not quite real. Now that we've nearly reached Erebor, it seems as if it's actually something that's happening. While we're here, it's much easier to think that I could someday be King Under the Mountain."
"Do you think your uncle will lead well?" Tauriel asked, bending gracefully to examine a plant. Fíli squatted next to her.
"Of course," he replied, mildly offended that Tauriel had even asked such a question.
"My apologies," Tauriel murmured, plucking a leaf from the plant and bringing it closer to her face. "I was merely thinking of the history of madness in your family."
"Thorin won't fall victim to that," Fíli replied stoutly. Tauriel's tongue flicked out and licked the leaf, then she shook her head and dropped it.
"That's not edible," she told Fíli. "It can be consumed in very small amounts, but too much is poisonous."
"Noted," Fíli replied, standing as Tauriel did. "And I understand that many are concerned about my uncle's reaction to the gold in the mountain, but I cannot imagine him going as mad for gold as his grandfather did."
"King Thrór was not the only one of Durin's line who had madness in him," Tauriel remarked. "Is it not said that King Thráin also went mad at the death of his father?"
"I do not believe the two are necessarily comparable," Fíli replied slowly. "Thrór became prideful and lusted for gold more than he should have. It was not quite madness, although I doubt many would have called him sane. Thráin was different. His madness only came after watching his father being murdered before him. And there is no proof that he truly did go mad, as he was never seen again after the battle that claimed his father's life."
"You are skilled at debate, Master Fíli," Tauriel remarked, a slight smile on her face. "I find I am very nearly convinced."
"Do you recall when Smaug took Erebor?" Fíli asked. Tauriel looked slightly surprised.
"Yes," she replied. "I was over four hundred years old when it occurred." Fíli did the quick mental math; Smaug took Erebor nearly two hundred years before, meaning Tauriel had to be around six hundred years old. "I did not go to Erebor with King Thranduil, but I do remember talking about it with Legolas."
"And what did the prince say?" Fíli asked. Tauriel frowned slightly.
"Legolas reminded me of the dangers of dragons. King Thranduil knows them well."
"What do you mean?" Fíli asked, frowning as well.
"I should not tell you these things, but for the fact that I know King Thranduil has already shown your uncle," Tauriel told Fíli. "My king was attacked by a dragon, far before Smaug even thought of Erebor. The wound never fully healed, even with the aid of our most skilled healers. King Thranduil covers the scarring with a glamour, using a simple elf trick. But the scarring is indeed serious, as dragons can do heavy damage. My king was slighted by yours and thus was unwilling to fight a dragon and risk injury for him."
"When did Thrór slight the Elvenking?" Fíli asked, frowning. He had never heard that before, but he was not sure he doubted it; Thorin would be unlikely to tell Fíli anything that painted elves in a more positive light.
"King Thranduil went to pay homage to King Thrór, expecting an alliance and some sort of compensation. My king bowed to yours, and King Thrór teased him with white gems, which are highly beloved by the elves due to their glow, which is reminiscent of starlight. When King Thranduil was about to accept the gift, King Thrór had the lid slammed shut and revealed that he did not truly wish to offer any to my king. King Thranduil was incensed, and rightly so. On that day, King Thrór lost any alliance with my king."
"I've never heard that story before," Fíli remarked. Tauriel bristled slightly.
"I speak the truth," she stated firmly. Fíli immediately nodded, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I'm sure you are!" he replied. "I didn't mean to imply you were lying. I'm not surprised I haven't heard it before. It's not the sort of tale my uncle would tell me."
"While I do understand your uncle's prejudices, I believe he allows them to blind him to other truths that exist," Tauriel remarked. Fíli sighed.
"Yes, he does. Which makes me wonder how he may react to you."
"To me?" Tauriel asked, kneeling by another plant. Fíli nodded.
"You are an elf. An elf of Mirkwood, no less, and fairly close to King Thranduil. And yet, you have saved Kíli's life, and Kíli is undeniably fond of you."
Tauriel stared steadily at the plant, her face an impassive mask. "I do not know how long that fondness would last if it placed Kíli between myself and your uncle," she replied mildly. Fíli frowned.
"Kíli does want to make Thorin proud of him. He always has. But I've never seen him act the way he does with you. I would not be so sure that he would abandon you."
The tiniest hint of a blush spread across Tauriel's cheeks. "I believe you are seeing things that are not there," she murmured, rising. "The leaves of this plant are edible, although they are not especially palatable."
"But they're edible?" Fíli repeated, bending down to examine the plant. Tauriel nodded.
"Shall we collect some and bring them back to camp?" she asked, leaning down to pluck a few leaves from the plant. Fíli nodded, plucking some of his own.
"I've seen this plant around the Desolation," he remarked. "It's not exactly plentiful, but neither is it rare. It may be able to supplement our food supply."
"We should see to some other plants as well, to discover if they may help us," Tauriel added. Fíli nodded.
"Have you ever visited Erebor, Lady- I mean, Captain Tauriel?" Fíli asked after a moment of silence. Tauriel shook her head.
"No," she replied. "Four hundred years old is fairly young for an elf, and that was my age when the dragon arrived, so I did not accompany my king on any diplomatic missions. Legolas traveled there twice and told me of the riches of the mountain. He said the throne room was like nothing he had ever seen before. But he also told me that the air was stale and that the rooms were cold, much less pleasing than the open skies and sun-kissed warmth of Mirkwood."
"Dwarrows prefer the solidity of stone and the protection that a mountain may give to the fresh air of a forest," Fíli replied. "And the riches of many a dwarrow come from under the ground, so we do not long so much for the warmth of the sun when we may be warmed by our work."
"When we speak such, dwarrows and elves seem very different," Tauriel remarked. "And yet we are not so divided, are we? We are both part of this world and subject to its whims. We will both share its fate. And we both live, and hurt, and love, and hate. We are not so different as we may seem."
"Although there is a significant difference in our heights," Fíli added with a grin. Tauriel inclined her head slightly.
"And thus stems the animosity between our races," she replied, a hint of mischief on her face. "You dwarrows are jealous of the height of the elves."
"We are not!" Fíli retorted. Tauriel smiled slightly.
"I speak but in jest," she assured him. "Perhaps it is the elves who are jealous of the beards of the dwarrows."
"Well, perhaps that explains why you like Kíli more than any of the rest of us," Fíli replied wryly. "He has no beard to speak of."
The remark startled a little laugh out of Tauriel, who looked to be as surprised by the noise as Fíli. He decided not to mention it. "Legolas would be furious if he knew I had any partiality for a dwarrow," Tauriel admitted. "My king has never been fond of dwarrows, and Legolas has learned that prejudice for a long while. But although King Thranduil has been like a father to me for quite some time, I have never shared those preconceptions."
"Thranduil has been like a father to you?" Fíli repeated, puzzled. "What of your true parents?"
"They were killed," Tauriel replied shortly. "I was very young. Since then, King Thranduil has been like a parent to me. Although Legolas is around a thousand years my senior," - Fíli didn't even want to ask about that - "he has always been as a brother to me."
"If that is true, why are you merely a captain of the guard?" Fíli asked, frowning. "Why do you not hold a more important position among the elves?"
"I did not wish to benefit from nepotism, and thus I have been tested on my own merits, not on the merits of those to whom I am close," Tauriel replied simply. "I wish to have earned any position I might have."
"I can respect that," Fíli replied as Tauriel bent to examine another plant. She shook her head almost immediately and straightened.
"This plant causes instant death," she told Fíli, who nodded, making sure to cement that in his memory. "Shall we return to the camp? We can pick more of the leaves of this plant as we go."
"We have already been gone for quite some time," Fíli replied. "We ought to return."
Tauriel began to make for the camp, walking along so quickly Fíli could barely keep up. He would rather die before admitting that he had a hard time keeping up with her, however, so he kept his mouth shut. There wasn't much more conversation between the two as they returned.
When they reached the camp, Tauriel went to speak with Bard, as they had decided, while Fíli went to find Kíli. He was with Bofur and Bard's children, whittling away at a block of wood. "Practicing your woodcarving?" Fíli asked, making Kíli jump.
"Yes, actually," he replied, taking the block of wood he had been working on and stuffing it in his pocket. Fíli decided he would ask about it later. "Bofur made a rose for Sigrid and a lily for Tilda, and I made a dragon for Bain. And I made little animals for Brigit and Dominic as well."
"Brigit and Dominic?" Fíli repeated dumbly. Kíli sighed.
"The children who were injured by dragon fire," he replied. "Tauriel has been treating them. I've made Brigit a little kitten and Dominic a puppy. Everyones like kittens and puppies."
"How bored have you been?" Fíli remarked teasingly.
"I've been trying not to think about the horrible things you were telling Tauriel," Kíli retorted. "Did you talk about me?"
"Well, not directly," Fíli replied. "Most of the time," he amended, recalling that he and Tauriel had directly spoken of Kíli a few times. Kíli groaned.
"I hate you," he whined. Fíli laughed.
"I like her," he replied. "Uncle is going to kill you, but I like her. You could have done a lot worse, little brother."
"Just tell me you didn't tell her any embarrassing childhood stories," Kíli replied desperately. Fíli laughed.
"That's for next time," he replied. "I was thinking I could tell her about the time that you cut off all your own hair to make a beard-"
Kíli let out a shriek and threw himself at Fíli, who was laughing. "You promised never to mention that again!" Kíli cried, pinning his brother to the ground. Fíli was able to roll him over quite easily, still laughing.
"Shall I tell Tauriel about how much glue was on your face?" he asked. Kíli kicked at him futilely with his good leg; Kíli was strong, but in terms of sheer size, Fíli was larger.
"Fíli?" Tauriel asked, her voice coming from somewhere above Fíli's head. Watching Kíli's face turn bright red was far more amusing than looking up at her, however, so Fíli kept watching Kíli as he stood.
"Something wrong?" he asked. Tauriel arched an eyebrow, but she made no remark. Kíli scrambled to his feet, ducking his head to avoid her gaze.
"I have spoken to Bard. His hunters have not yet returned, but he believes they will not be much longer. He is going to speak with some other townsfolk so that everyone knows which plants are edible and which are not." Tauriel's eyes flickered to Kíli. "I was also wondering if either you or your brother might help me with Brigit and Dominic, who have need of comfort."
"I'll do it!" Kíli immediately volunteered. "I've made them little woodcarvings, actually. Do you think those would help?"
"I should think so," Tauriel replied. Kíli quickly scooped up a little carved kitten and puppy and followed Tauriel back to the medical area, limping alongside her and apparently teasing her about something. Fíli shook his head fondly.
He wasn't sure Kíli could be any more obvious if he made a sign declaring his love for Tauriel. Considering that Tauriel seemed reluctant to make a move of her own, Fíli wondered if he ought to make a sign for Kíli himself.
The reference to Thráin's madness is from the extended edition of the first Hobbit movie. Elrond says that there is madness in Thorin's family that both Thrór and Thráin succumbed to. In the extended edition of the second movie, Gandalf meets Thráin, who does seem fairly mad.
Tauriel's age is taken from interviews where she's said to be a young elf, only about six hundred years old. Legolas' age is a guess based on information given in the books. Tauriel being raised by Thranduil after her parents' death has been hinted at; her parents were killed by orcs when she was young, and it's been assumed that Thranduil raised her.
