Chapter 10

Tauriel awoke in Mirkwood, her body still tingling. She smiled thinking about Kili. Where had he learned to do that? It puzzled her, especially since she was fairly sure he was still a virgin. Possibly instruction from the older Dwarves? Not that she was very experienced either, but she was a lot older than him.

She'd been really surprised by Kili's request to wait until their joining ceremony. While she didn't necessarily subscribe to stereotypes, she imagined Dwarves to be impulse, figuring it would also extend to their sexual appetites. Then again, Kili fit none of the Dwarven stereotypes. He was taller with finer features, shorter beard, and scorned power and wealth in the name of love. So many of those differences are what made her love him.

Her good mood continued through the day, smiling and greeting everyone happily. After she and her team defeated a nest of spiders, she led them in an impromptu victory song. Even Landor remarked on her high spirits. She made a comment about the beautiful weather. Of course, she couldn't tell the actual reason: that in her dreams, her Dwarven lover proposed and then touched her in ways she'd never been touched before. Amazing ways.

That night, before climbing in bed and going back to where she really wanted to be, she drew her first picture. As a child, she'd love to draw, had an affinity for it. When her parents had been killed, she stopped drawing altogether. But now, as she straddled two worlds, the urge to bring part of her dream world into reality brought her talent back.

Finding paper and pencils was easy. Sitting at her table in her room, she traced Kili's likeness. His hair was pulled partially back away from his face, and he had a small smile on his lips. When she finished, she proudly admired her work. She fastened it to the wall by her bed, keeping him as close as possible.

Once she fell asleep and woke up beside Kili, her good mood continued. Behind the cottage, they discovered a very large shed. Half of it looked like it had been a work shop previously, with the other half containing a wooden cart. One wall even had a stall for a horse, presumably to pull the cart. It all needed a good cleaning. They had only brought the essentials when they'd escaped Erebor so they decided they must get supplies from Bree's marketplace.

The marketplace bustled with activity. Stalls featuring all sorts of foods and goods lined several aisles. Kili happily walked along, admiring different things and commenting about what they needed. Tauriel walked slowly, somewhat behind him. She'd pulled the hood of her travel cloak over her head, trying to hide her nature. Most of the people surrounding her were humans, and she was wary of any prejudice.

"Good morn, lady Elf and sir Dwarf. You aren't by chance Kili and Tauriel, are you?"

Tauriel looked up from examining a well-crafted table at the furniture-maker's stall. A white-haired human smiled pleasantly at them. Her first instinct was to say no.

"How did you know?" Kili asked, smiling brightly.

"That Gandalf fellow told us. Aren't too many Elves and Dwarves together, so you were easy to recognize. We're your neighbors! I'm Jack and that lovely lady over there is Nan." He pointed to the middle-aged woman with greying brown hair helping a customer with a chest of drawers.

"Nice to meet you, Jack!" Kili gripped his offered hand.

Tauriel, still cautious, simply nodded to the man. Jack nodded back, still smiling.

"So, Kili, what's your trade?"

Kili frowned. "Trade?"

"Your profession. Like I'm a furniture maker." Jack ran his hand over the table.

Kili bit his lip, looking around at the different stalls. "I don't really have a trade." He seemed embarrassed.

"Well, what did your father do?" Jack prompted. "My father taught me everything I know about furniture-making."

Kili glanced at Tauriel, who realized she knew absolutely nothing about Kili's father. He chewed his lip more, seeming nervous. "My father, uh, he was… he was a miner."

"Hmm, no mines round these parts. If you're ever interested in learning the woodworking trade, let me know. Been looking for a partner since my Pop passed. We've got three kids, two boys and a baby girl, but my eldest boy is more interested in fishing the river right now than learning woodworking."

Kili looked thoughtful, rubbing at his lips. "I have always been good with my hands."

Tauriel almost burst out laughing, thinking of how well he used his hands yesterday, but she managed to hold all of it in except for the tiniest snort.

Kili glared at her, but turned back to Jack. "I'd be interested."

"Great! Come by my workshop one of these days. I'll show you the ropes and we can see how you handle some of the basics." Jack and Kili shook hands again.

Besides Kili possibly picking up a trade in furniture-making, the day at the market was very productive. They bought food, cleaning supplies and commissioned the assembly of a new mattress. Kili even looked at a few horses but wasn't quite ready to buy yet.

They cleaned like mad for days, and Tauriel was delighted in how the dirty cottage was shaping into a welcoming home. Kili started going to Jack's in the afternoon almost every day. His excitement over woodworking was contagious and Tauriel helped him set-up his own workshop in the shed.

One night, lying in bed holding hands, not enough energy for anything else, Tauriel brought up the subject of Kili's father. "You never talk about your father. He was a miner?"

Kili sighed and rubbed his eyes. "My father was always a touchy subject." It didn't sound like he was going to expand.

Tauriel turned on her side, laying her hand on his chest. "I barely knew my parents. Our settlement was invaded by Orcs when I was a child. Thranduil's army defeated them, but not before many were slaughtered. He took me in, although they never let me forget that I was a Woodland Elf, not a Sindarin Elf."

Kili turned over to face her, running his fingers through her flaming hair. "My father was a low-born miner. When my mother fell in love with him, her father refused to bless the marriage. She was of royal blood, supposed to join with a high-born Dwarf, but she didn't care. She ran away with him, living as a miner's wife and bearing Fili and I. I was but a tiny Dwarfling when his mine collapsed, killing everyone inside. All I remember was how sad my mother was, constantly crying. But she had two small sons, and was forced to crawl back to my grandfather to help with raising us. He never wanted my father's name spoken again."

Tauriel blinked. "Do you not see the parallels between your parents and us? The two of them from different worlds, determined to be together at whatever cost?"

"It's occurred to me." Kili leaned toward her. "I'm not trying to repeat history. All I know is that I love you, and I would sacrifice anything to protect that." He kissed her.