A/N: Thank you my wonderful reviewers! Please enjoy the latest chapter!


Chapter 9

"So how was your first kiss with your intended?"

Fili spun, drawing his swords at the same time and leveling them at the speaker. Dis smiled back at him. "Amad!"

Her smile grew. "Apparently it was good enough to have you so distracted."

"We didn't kiss," he said, sheathing his blades before taking the scabbards off and setting them on the table. He started pulling knives out of their respective hiding places on his person.

Dis's smile dropped from her lips. "You didn't?"

Fili shook his head. "No, Amad. We didn't. Humans aren't as open with physical displays of affection as dwarrow."

"You were alone. There was no one to see you."

"That's not the point. I'm not going to ask her to do something she's not comfortable with." He sat in the other chair stationed before the fireplace in his rooms once he was mostly unarmed. He kept the knives in his boot sheathes as well as the throwing axes he kept there, mostly out of laziness.

His mother frowned outright at this point. "You are courting the girl. You'll have to be physically affectionate. I'd think you would want to be."

"Around our people, yes, I am aware we'll need to be, but not until she's ready for that."

The frown gave a subtle shift from displeasure to sadness. "You should have kissed her while you were alone," she said. "You won't have much of a choice in the morning."

He looked at her sharply. "If her choice is not to then I will respect it."

"You'll have to make a very good excuse or the guards will have the word out that she's not your One by the day's end."

"It doesn't matter that she's not my One," Fili retorted. "I don't have a One. I don't have the Longing. Everyone knows that."

"That's not quite accurate lad."

Fili reached reflexively for a boot knife.

"Put it away lad. You'd never beat me in a knife fight."

He shoved the knife back where it belonged and glared at Nori. "I can understand my own mother breaking into my rooms, but must you do it as well? This is ridiculous."

"Spymaster. My job's to get into places I'm not supposed to," Nori said with a shrug. "As for you kissin' your lass, your ma's right. You should've straightened out your technique in private. You'll have to kiss in front of the guards in the morning when you send her back to Dale."

"Why would I have to? To satisfy the guards' gossip-mongering?"

"It's more than that," Dis said.

Nori nodded. "The people know she won the challenge and you accepted her gift."

"So?"

"She's not a dwarf," Dis said, exasperated.

"That doesn't matter."

"To you, to your family, to the Company, to the official law, and to some of our people it don't," Nori said, "but to the rest, well," he shrugged. "For you to pick a human over a dwarf willingly without her being your One is going to cause some problems. There's speculation that it is a marriage of state-"

"This is ridiculous," Fili groused in order to fend off the guilt. He really should just tell his mother the truth, and Nori as well. The spy would figure it out sooner or later most likely.

"We know," Dis said. "You love her and that is all that should matter."

Nori glared at them both before continuing. "If the people think you don't love her, they won't accept her as your wife. They won't recognize her as Queen when you take the throne. Depending on public opinion of the crown at the time of your marriage, they could riot. They only want a dwarf to be chosen if there is a choice to be made. If you truly love her, only a few will argue. It'd be better if she were your One."

Fili scrubbed his hands into his hair with a groan. "Why can't they mind their own business about it?"

"It's the price we pay as the royal family," Dis said. "Look at your brother. He has his One and most hate her on sight, disbelieving that they could be two parts of one soul, all because she's an elf. The people will be more accepting of Lady Sigrid, but only if they think she's your One or that you love her more than any other."

"My marrying her isn't proof enough?" Fili rubbed his face and then looked over at his mother and then at Nori. "I'll talk to her about it in the morning. Hopefully, I'll get a chance before they're set to leave. If not, I'll tell her then. If she doesn't agree, I'll not force her. I'll think of an excuse."

"It better be a good one," Nori said. "Otherwise, prepare to be all lovey-dovey with your lass."

"Somehow I get the feeling you won't mind," Dis said.

Fili sighed and fell back into his chair, staring at the fire morosely.


Sigrid woke confused as to where she was. It took time for her to remember she was in the mountain after winning the right to court the crown prince the day before. It wasn't until her ankle gave a particularly painful throb that she remembered that particular event. With the pain came the memories and her hand went to her hair, feeling the braids.

She climbed out of bed, wondering what the time was as she headed for the bathing room connected to her room. She took the time to marvel at the hot and cold taps to the large tub as it filled before taking a bath, letting the heat seep into her now purple, blue, black, yellow, and green ankle and foot. She admired the coloring for a time, unable to remember such a spectacular bruise on her person before.

She washed, careful not to muss her braided hair too much before awkwardly climbing out and hobbling through the rest of her morning ablutions. When she entered the common room set aside for her family with Magnus at her side, she found her father sitting in the same chair next to the fire he'd been in the night before.

"Did you sleep at all?" she asked and worked her way over to him on her crutches.

"Not much," Bard admitted and rubbed at his aching eyes. He patted the large dog absently when he placed his large head on the man's leg in concern.

Sigrid didn't try to reassure him of her choice again. He would grow to accept it on his own. She would just work hard to convince him that her choice truly was what she wanted.

"What time is it?" she asked instead. "I can't tell in this mountain."

Bard looked to a candle burning above the fireplace. "I'd say a bit after dawn." He climbed to his feet. "Better get Til and Bain up," he groaned and headed towards the bedrooms, leaving Sigrid by the fire.

They joined the royal family for breakfast after Kili came to bring them to the main dining hall in the mountain. It wasn't long after that Sigrid and her family were heading back out of the mountain. Fili, Kili, and Dis showed them out. As Bard spoke with Dis, Fili drew Sigrid away from prying ears.

"I'm really sorry about this but we can't put a kiss off any longer."

"What? Why?" She asked, rocking forward a bit on her crutches, leaning towards him and keeping her voice low.

Fili glanced towards their families. "It's the guards," he said. "I talked to my mother last night after I left you and, well, Dwalin will never admit it, but the King's Guards are hopeless gossips. If they don't see us kiss when you leave, there will be talk." He deliberately didn't mention Nori. He'd have to talk to Thorin about letting Sigrid know the dwarf's official position.

"Our marriage will be one of state," Sigrid protested. "Surely they understand that this is all for convenience for both our people?"

"Everyone, including my mother, thinks we're absolutely in love with each other," he said. "As far as anyone in the mountain is concerned, and I'm assuming Dale as well, the rumors of our secret courtship are true, that you coming here to Challenge was just confirmation of that. I assume everyone thinks we didn't want to sneak around anymore and so decided to make it official. That you made the Challenge to honor our traditions. I don't know about your people, but mine is a jealous and secret kind. If I try to marry anyone out of my own race without my spouse being my One or deeply in love, there will be uproar. We must seem like a besotted couple."

"You mean it wouldn't matter if I was a dwarf?"

"Not in the slightest. Marriages of state amongst my own kind are common but never interracial."

"And we can't put it off claiming human traditions and modesty as a reason?"

Fili's mouth was set in a grim line. "I'm afraid not." He glanced over his shoulder again and caught his mother's eye. She gave him an encouraging nod and a somewhat expectant look. He sighed. "It's time for you to go," he said. "If you truly are averse to it, I'll make an excuse as to why we didn't."

Sigrid swallowed. "I wish we'd done this last night without onlookers. Nothing for it now. We'll need to do this eventually. Might as well start with the guards so the entire mountain can know of our courtship as soon as possible."

"Bunch of gossiping old biddies," Fili grumbled but a smile tugged at his lips. "Ready?" he asked.

"I suppose," Sigrid said

"I'm going to put my hand on the side of your head and the other on your hip," he warned. "You?"

"Umm…" She glanced down his form briefly, unsure.

Fili saved her from her uncertainty after a moment. "Put them on my neck, near my ears if you can balance," he instructed. "If you want to hide them under my hair, that would do as well. I'll help steady you so you don't fall."

Sigrid nodded. "This is still so very awkward."

"I'm aware," Fili said with a laugh. "Well, here we go." He stepped forward and placed his hands as he'd warned. In turn, Sigrid let go of her crutches, leaving them wedged under her arms and rested her shaking fingers on the sides of his neck, digging them into his hair to help hide the tremors and her thumbs rested against his bearded cheeks near his hairline. Keeping a careful grip on her hip to help her with her balance, Fili gently pulled her down until he could stand on the tips of his toes to kiss her.

Sigrid's stomach tumbled, flipped, and surged oddly when Fili's dry and somewhat chapped lips pressed to hers, his mustache and beard scraping gently across her skin. The strange sensation continued not unpleasantly, and when Fili shifted his grip so that his thumb brushed under her jawline the feeling doubled. A small tremor shivered beneath her skin down to her breasts and she felt the skin over them tighten pleasantly. She dug her fingers unconsciously deeper into Fili's hair, giving a little tug at the unfamiliar sensation.

Fili dropped to his heels immediately ending the kiss but left his hands where they were. Sigrid blinked her eyes open, feeling heat flare across her cheeks. "I think we need to talk about what just happened," she whispered.

"Yes My Lady," Fili said, his usual smile finding its way onto his lips. At least he didn't seem to be bothered by what they'd just done. If he could pretend that all was normal, so could Sigrid. "I'll be heading to Dale tomorrow once my duties here are done."

"As the picture of a truly infatuated suitor unable to stay away from his lady love would," Sigrid tried to disguise her snicker as a giggle with moderate results.

Fili surged upward again, resting his forehead against hers as he laughed as well. "This is going to be fun," he said. "Mind if I let Kili in on it? Where he's actually found his One, he may be able to help us keep up appearances."

"Be my guest," she said and straightened as best she could, still leaning on her crutches. She pulled her fingers from his hair, her fingers trailing along his beard before taking up her crutches again and she rejoined her family. She shoved a discreet elbow into her glaring father's ribs and murmured "seven months" to him, completely wiping the irritation off his face.

"Let's be off," Bard said to the group and went to the driver's seat of their cart.

Fili came over to Sigrid. "Let me help you," he said when she hesitated by the cart and picked her up as if she weighed nothing more than the gloves on his hands. He stretched to his full height and placed her on her seat next to her father as Bain, Tilda, and Magnus climbed into the back with the goods they would bring back to Dale. Kili handed up her crutches. When she bent to take them from him, Fili ducked into her reach, mouthed "sorry" at her, and pulled her a little further down by her neck to kiss her. He released her quickly, let Kili pass up the crutches, and went to stand next to his mother, waving at the small convoy leaving the mountain.

"Please tell me that was a dwarf thing and I won't have to watch you swapping spit with anyone any time in Dale," Bain groused.

Sigrid reached behind her and smacked the back of his head without looking at him. "It's part of their culture," she snapped when her hand made contact.

"How was it?"

"Tilda!"

"What? I'm just curious."

Sigrid turned her face away from her younger sister. "I'm not answering that."

"Good," Bard and Bain chorused and Tilda giggled. Magnus panted happily, surrounded by his favorite humans.


True to his word, Fili arrived at her house a bit after lunch the next day. A maid showed him to the sitting room where Sigrid worked, her injured foot propped up on a couple of pillows piled on top of a footstool. She sat with an embroidery hoop, stitching what looked like the beginnings of a bird on a square of cloth.

"Your Highness!" she greeted happily. "I apologize for not getting up, but," she waved a hand at her leg.

"That's all right," he said and took the seat she indicated. "How is your ankle?"

"A healer came and went this morning. Just as Master Oin said, I'll have to stay off of it for a while."

"I hope you recover quickly."

"Thank you."

"You said you wanted to talk yesterday?" He leaned forward, clasping his hands loosely between his knees.

He watched as color flooded Sigrid's cheeks. "Ah… yes," she said and kept her eyes on her work. "Did- did-" she clenched her jaw together and completed a few stitches before trying again. "Did your stomach do an odd tumbling, twisting thing?"

Fili sighed in relief. "I'm not the only one then. Strange wasn't it?"

"Yes," Sigrid said, glancing up at him for the first time since he'd taken a seat.

"In the few people I've kissed, I've never felt that before. Have you?"

The color in Sigrid's cheeks spread up to her ears and she dropped her eyes to her work again. She shook her head.

"Wait," Fili said, scrutinizing her. "Was that your first kiss?"

She flinched. He sat up straight in his chair and blinked at her.

"Now I feel absolutely rotten," he admitted when the silence stretched too long.

"What? Why?" Sigrid finally managed to tear her eyes away from her work, a somewhat baffled look on her face.

"Aren't first kisses important to your kind for some reason? I've heard girls sighing and pining over them."

Sigrid shrugged. The color drained from her ears but her cheeks remained pinked. "There's no great matter to be taken from a first kiss. Some girls are just eager to receive theirs and put far too much meaning in them."

"Yet you've never kissed anyone."

"I never had time for kissing. Before Smaug, I was too busy taking care of Da, Bain, Tilda, and our home to even think about it, and now that I'm the Lady of Dale there are expectations of how I should act and kissing every suitor that comes to call isn't smiled upon. Not that any of my suitors were ever worth kissing."

"I seem to remember a few that were eager to kiss you. You didn't feel the need to oblige them?"

Sigrid gave a rather unladylike snort. "Not in the least. You know that." She dropped her eyes back to her work again and an awkward silence filled the room.

"Wasn't an unpleasant feeling though," Fili admitted quietly after a while and watched as Sigrid ducked her head, further hiding her face. She nodded all the same and her hand went to rub absently at her chest just below her throat. "My Lady?"

She seemed to war with herself, her throat working to swallow before she spoke again. "Would it upset you if I talked to someone about all this? Another girl? Say, Tauriel maybe?"

Fili blinked. "You can always talk to me if you want," he said but frowned when she shook her head.

"Please don't take any offense but I'd really rather not talk to you about certain things, at least not until I understand them better." She looked up at him pleadingly.

"I don't mind," he told her with a small smile. "Why would I?"

"Some men get upset if their partners talk about their physical relationship with other people. They can be very private or controlling about that kind of thing. Most girls, if they have questions, ask their mothers but, well…"

"Talk to whomever you please," Fili said. "I'll admit I'll probably go to Thorin or Kili if I'm unsure of something about our relationship, but then, dwarrow are more open apparently."

Sigrid's ears burned anew but she nodded her understanding. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Fili quirked a smile at her. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

She shook her head. "I am curious though. What happens next in our courtship? Are you allowed to tell me now?"

"Yes, I can tell you. Negotiations and gifts are next, and, honestly, you don't really have to worry about any of it unless you want something particular put in the wedding and marriage contracts."

"There's a difference between them?"

"The wedding contract will detail the wedding itself. Things like will it be held here or in Erebor, what foods will be served, will we follow dwarrow customs or human or a mix, that sort of thing. The marriage is for things like how long we're expected to try for children, which kingdom they'll be heir to, where we'll live, expectations of your treatment, which holidays we observe, and so on."

Sigrid set her embroidery hoop aside. "I'm going to want to be there or Da is going to make a mess of things."

"If that's what you want, but it will be dwarrow style negotiations. There will be a lot of yelling, a bit of threatening, and if people really want the match to happen, a drawn ax or two."

"Is that all?" Sigrid asked. "I'll make sure Da brings his bow and I'll have my sword."

"Close range and projectile. Good choices. Watch out for my mum's ax. I'm sure she'll have it freshly sharpened before negotiations start."


Notes:

I hope to have lived up to your expectations for their first kiss. Please leave comments with your thoughts. I'd really appreciate feedback for this chapter.

Happy reading.