Hi guys- I am SO SORRY for not updating sooner! I have been so stressed with my degree and for a long time lost all interest and focus on writing as I had too many assignments to focus on instead. It's now my Easter break so I hope to have a number of new chapters up over the next few months. Sorry again, and please enjoy the new chapter!
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The following morning, Maetharanel woke when she felt the brush of the sun's rays on her face. Blinking, she sat up and smiled warmly down at Kíli, who was lying with his arms still loosely wrapped round her. Careful not to wake him, she managed to move out of his arms successfully, almost falling onto the floor in the process. She paused at the sound of a snigger behind her and turned to see Fíli raise a glass in greeting from the table across the room. Grinning, she joined him, sitting next to him and pouring herself a glass of water.
"Sleep well?" he asked her, his eyebrows wiggling.
Maetharanel snorted rather unladylike and shoved him playfully.
"Enough with you. Yes, I did sleep very well, thank you very much. Yourself?"
Fíli shrugged before taking a large gulp of drink that Maetharanel realised by the smell, was not water.
"I sleep well anywhere, me."
"Do you drink well anywhere too?" she asked him, inclining her head at his glass.
His response was a grin and Maetharanel smirked. She looked around the room to see that they weren't the only ones up; in one of the corners by a window, Ori sat sketching something, Nori sitting next to him, clearly still sleepy. Bilbo pottered about, exploring his new surroundings almost as a small child would, and Thorin stood facing the now empty fireplace, a contemplative expression on his face. Everybody else still slept soundly. It was then that she noticed the lack of one of their company.
"Where is Gandalf?" she asked.
Fíli inclined his head to the main entrance as he lit his pipe and Maetharanel slid off her chair to join the wizard. The moment she opened the door, she smiled and closed her head back to enjoy the sunshine that beat down on her, warming her from the inside. She cracked one eye open when she heard Gandalf chuckle beside her and gave him a bright smile, full of joy.
"My dear, I have not seen you smile like that for many years now." He commented, his eyes filling with warm regard for the elf.
Standing upright, she walked over to him and took a seat next to him, facing out where they could see the edge of Mirkwood far off in the horizon.
"My heart has not felt so light nor so scared for many years, Mithrandir." She spoke, her voice light, but with an edge of worry to her tone.
Gandalf chuckled once more as he puffed away on his pipe.
"Would I be correct in assuming a certain dwarf prince has a large part to play?" he asked.
She cast him a sidelong glance, choosing not to answer as she knew that he was fully aware of the answer to his own question. As always, he simply chose to have fun with the news. Smiling once more, she tilted her head back, her hair falling in gentle waves, brushing across her back as a light breeze brushed through the golden strands.
"I do believe he is a fine match for you, Maetharanel. He is a little reckless on occasion, but then again, you yourself have your moments." He said, his eyes twinkling at the memory of her childhood days spent playing tricks on many an unsuspecting victim.
Maetharanel said nothing, but the glint in her eyes told Gandalf she was thinking of the same memories as him and the thought lightened his spirit somewhat, giving him hope that even should her father reject her once more, at least she would still be able to find some happiness. Standing, he stretched and smiled once more.
"Well, I am to eat and then I will be meeting Beorn out in the wild." He announced.
Maetharanel nodded and turned her gaze at the hills in front of her, not noticing that the wizard did not enter the house, instead disappearing into the forest behind Beorn's home. She closed her eyes, once more enjoying the sunshine and thinking about Rhavaniel. Her eyes opened at the thought of the horse and once more, she found herself wandering if he was faring well. She just hoped that he didn't think she'd deliberately abandoned him. Sighing, she stood and wondered over to a paddock similar in appearance to the one Rhavaniel had frolicked around in back in Rivendell. She crossed her arms and laid her chin on them, her heart aching with the hole left from his absence. She knew he would be well cared for by the elves of Rivendell, but she also knew he would likely break free and try to find her, which scared her most of all.
"You're sad again" a gentle voice muttered by her ear.
She smiled sadly and as Kili's arm wrapped round her, she leaned against him, accepting his comfort.
"I am afraid that Rhavaniel may try to find me and end up in peril." She confessed.
The arm around her squeezed and she finally looked at him to find him smiling comfortingly at her.
"It will do you no good to be like this. Come, I am in need of some training and you are going to accompany me."
Maetharanel chortled and punched him gently in the shoulder.
"We need weapons you fool"
Kíli grinned and Maetharanel raised an eyebrow, a feeling in her stomach telling her that somehow the prince had already taken care of that particular problem.
"We have some. In the night a small collection of weapons was left for us and included in it were four bows. So, I am telling you again that you are to train with me. Come along."
Maetharanel couldn't help but laugh at his order and followed after him with a much lighter heart than when he had arrived. It didn't take long for them to collect a bow and quiver each and head back outside, this time further away from the house so they could have some privacy. Maetharanel looked around and her eyes lit up when she saw a field nearby that was already set up for what looked like Beorn's own training. She nudged Kíli and nodded in the direction of the field. He grinned and jogged towards it, the elf close behind.
As her foot stepped on to the training ground, Maetharanel took a deep breath, instantly growing more serious. Her eyes hardened, sharpening her vision and she felt her body loosen into the stance of a fighter her senses on high alert. Kíli immediately saw her change in demenure and chose to stay silent, watching her with interest as she drew her first arrow. Faster than he could comprehend, she fired it up into the air, catching a leaf fluttering in the air and pinning it to a tree at the other end of the field. Maetharanel smirked in pride at her shot and glanced behind her only to laugh at Kíli's jaw hanging open, breaking her focus and intensity.
"Well, that was my warm up." She joked.
Kíli closed his mouth and looked at her, his eyes still slightly wide.
"How did you ever manage a shot like that?" he asked.
Maetharanel shrugged before re-loading her bow.
"My eyesight is much sharper than that of most races. I can zone in and predict the movement patterns of my target faster than most, meaning I can usually make even the most impossible looking shots. It is a trait shared by most of my race."
Kíli nodded and the pair fell silent as they each turned to practise their shooting, Maetharanel calling tips out to Kíli and once, Kíli calling out a tip to Maetharanel.
"Try shooting and the second you release your arrow, throw a knife too." He suggested.
Maetharanel did as told and grinned triumphantly when she hit the moving target both times. She turned to thank Kíli, only to find he was already standing directly behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise and he smiled.
"I did not know you could move so lightly on your feet." She remarked.
"My lady, I am a dwarf of many surprises." he replied, an impish smile spread across his face.
Before Maetharanel had time to respond, he suddenly pulled her closer to him and gently pressed his lips on hers. As their skin connected, an explosion of emotion erupted inside her and threatened to take her under as she was overwhelmed by a mixture of hope, acceptance and strongest of all, love. As quickly as the touch came, Kíli pulled away again, concern on his features when he saw how pale she became.
"Maetharanel?" he asked.
Maetharanel took a deep breath, calming her emotions. She looked into Kili's worry filled eyes and smiled warmly before reaching to caress his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Kíli. I did not mean to worry you, I was simply taken by surprise."
He softened under her touch and pulled her into his arms.
"Did I not say I was full of surprise?" he asked, his voice returning to his usual cheerfulness.
Maetharanel laughed, her voice as clear as the sky above and Kíli felt his heart swell.
"That you certainly are." She agreed. "However, you are not the only one that can surprise."
At her words, she twisted in his arms and kissed him once more, a gentle caress that had Kili's arms instinctively wrapping tighter around her, her arms linking round his neck as they pulled each other closer. Fleeting, soft kisses soon melted into one long meeting of lips, their mouths moulding around each other, enticing each other to pour their hearts into their embrace. It was only a crow cawing overhead, breaking the silence around them that parted them. Kíli smiled warmly at her and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, smiling in pleasure as his elf shivered in pleasure when his finger gently traced her neck. Never before had he been this tender with a woman and it warmed him to know that she was allowing him into her heart, as he was allowing her into his.
"You truly are beautiful." He murmured as he pressed a kiss on her temple.
She gazed at him with soft eyes, her response lost in the shout that came from the top of the field.
"Kíli! Gandalf! Maetharanel! KILI!"
Kíli chuckled softly at the worry in his brother's voice and with one last kiss, he jogged away to join Fíli, the other dwarf visibly sighing in relief to see his younger sibling alive and well.
"Apologies brother, I was training."
"And Maetharanel and Gandalf?"
"Maetharanel is also training. Gandalf has left in search of Beorn."
Fíli raised an eyebrow in question as Maetharanel joined them, but seeing the happiness on both hers and his brother's faces, chose to not tease them, instead letting them enjoy their blossoming romance.
"Thorin is calling us all together for group training. He asked me to fetch you two, now come along."
As he walked away, Kíli glanced at Maetharanel and the pair exchanged smiles as they followed the blonde dwarf back to the others.