Fili's heart had never felt so light as he and his family rode out from the mountain. It had taken no time at all to finish his wedding ring, his brute strength easily forcing the mithril ingot through the rollers and hammering it into shape, and both his and Sigrid's rings were now sitting safely in his pocket. They were a bit early, Dis and Tauriel hoping to help Sigrid prepare, and his own nervous excitement getting the better of him. They rode out past the waterfalls, the clearing skies and their elevated position giving them a fine view down into the vale, where the River Running flowed down through a rock-strewn, bushy slope towards Dale, while the road curved around to the right, hugging the Ravenhill spur of the Mountain before turning back towards the town.
Tauriel, who was riding between himself and Kili, was staring keenly at the river below them. She pointed down into the vale. "Sigrid and Tilda are there, at the ford."
Fili grinned. He knew the spot, a mile or so downriver; they must have been visiting farms below the mountain's south-eastern slopes. "You've got good eyes, Tauriel."
She frowned. "There's a dwarf. He's got hold of Sigrid's horse." She looked at Fili. "He has a blade."
Fili blanched, a cold, sinking feeling creeping across his skin. He knew who it was.
He didn't wait for any further information. He kicked Mindy into a gallop, a treacherous speed to be taking on the slippery road, but he didn't care. If that dwarf harmed so much as a hair on Sigrid's head, he'd kill him. He'd do it with his bare hands.
Seeing Fili take off down the road, Kili immediately spurred his horse forward and followed him. Tauriel turned back to Thorin and Dis, who had drawn up in confusion behind her. "Sigrid is in trouble at the ford. We'll sort it out. Take my horse and go on to Bard's house, we'll meet you there." She threw her reins to Thorin and leapt off her horse, sliding gracefully down the embankment at the side of the road, and started running, fleet and sure-footed, through the rocks and bushes on the steep slope straight towards the ford.
Sigrid looked at the knife. It was no orc-blade. And Gorin was no orc. She drew herself up. "Your blade doesn't frighten me. I've seen worse than that. Worse than you."
Gorin tapped at the air with the knife. "But that's the whole point, isn't it, Lady Sigrid? You have to tell me… I'll make you tell me… how did you do it?"
His words made no sense. "How did I do what?"
He screwed up his face again, desperate, frustrated. "I saw you, in the hall. I heard you. You said, 'how do they all go on like nothing happened?' I saw the look on your face. I knew right then that you were like me. So tell me, I have to know. How did you make it stop?"
Sigrid shook her head, trying to comprehend what was happening. Behind her, she could hear hoofbeats, approaching fast. Had Tilda brought help so soon? It didn't seem possible, but no ordinary traveller would be going at that speed. Then suddenly, she heard something whizz past her ear, then a sharp clang, and the dwarf was wringing his hand, his knife spinning away to fall on the ground. She heard the rider behind her pull up, and she turned to see Tilda on her horse, another arrow already nocked in her bow, drawn and pointed at the dwarf.
"Stand down, dwarf, or the next one's through your heart."
A minute later, Tauriel arrived at the ford. She saw the dwarf sitting on the ground, his head in his hands. Tilda and Sigrid had dismounted, Tilda's bow was slung over her shoulder, and Sigrid was talking earnestly to the dwarf, her hand on his back. They looked up at Tauriel as she approached.
"Sigrid. I saw this dwarf holding a knife on you."
"It's all right, Tauriel. He's no danger, except maybe to himself. He's one of Dain's people. He was in the battle, and he's been having flashbacks, just like I was."
The sound of hoofbeats drew their eyes back to the road, and they could see Fili racing towards them, followed closely by his brother. Fili drew Mindy up sharply, hooves sliding on the slippery road, and he leapt down, running straight for the dwarf. Tauriel stepped in front of him, her hands outstretched. Cold fury was glittering in Fili's eyes like ice, and Tauriel braced herself.
"Fili, stop! Please!" Sigrid's ringing shout reached him through his rage, and he slowed, just time enough for Kili to tackle him from behind in a bear hug.
"Easy there, brother. Look, Sigrid's fine. She's fine, Fili. It's over. Let Tauriel deal with it."
Sigrid ran to Fili. He stopped struggling in Kili's arms, and Kili let him go, satisfied that he'd come to his senses, and moved away to join Tauriel in talking to the dwarf. Fili looked at Sigrid for a moment, then closed his eyes, and with a huge exhalation of breath pulled her to him in a crushing embrace.
"Sigrid. Sigrid. I thought…"
"No, love, it's all right. Look at me, Fili. I'm here. I'm fine."
He held her for a long time, drawing deep breaths, giving rein to his relief. Then he pulled back and took her face in his hands.
"It's my fault. I had doubts about that dwarf as soon as I saw him approach you at the feast, and I didn't follow them up. I should have. I let you down."
She grabbed the front of his jacket and tried to shake him. "No. You didn't let me down. You didn't let anyone down. You couldn't have known what he was going to do. I think he barely knew himself. He's half mad, Fili, desperate. He needs help."
He gathered her into his arms again, more gently this time. "Right now I don't care. You're safe. That's all that matters." He held her to him, his face buried in her neck and his hand cupping the back of her head, until Tauriel approached them.
"Fili." He broke their embrace and turned to face Tauriel, but he didn't let go of Sigrid, keeping her by his side, his arm tight around her.
"His name's Gorin, one of Dain's people. I've asked Kili to take up him to Jerrik. He's been having problems, flashbacks from the battle, nightmares, similar to what Sigrid experienced but I gather it's very uncommon for a dwarf. He was met with nothing but contempt or ridicule whenever he tried to talk about it. He overheard Sigrid in the hall, and then he saw her at the feast, seemingly healed, and he thought if he got her alone, she could tell him how she did it."
Fili's face was hard. "Sigrid says he needs help, so let him have it. Just keep him away from me."
Tauriel smiled grimly and nodded. She turned and took a step, then turned back to Fili, and tilted her head at him.
"You were going to try to run straight through me back there, weren't you?"
The anger was slowly dissipating in Fili's body, and he allowed himself a small rueful smile. "Probably," he shrugged. "Sorry."
"There's no need to apologise." Tauriel looked at him, and there was a gleam in her eye. "It would have been interesting to see what would have happened."
Kili had taken Gorin on ahead. Fili, Sigrid, Tilda and Tauriel walked back to Dale slowly, leading their horses, using the time to talk through the incident and recover their composure. Tilda beamed with pride as Sigrid related how she had disarmed Gorin.
"I remembered everything you taught me, Tauriel," Tilda said. "The whole time he was in front of us, I kept thinking, 'if only I could get to my bow.'"
Tauriel smiled at her. "Agoreg vae, Taurauthiel."
"Tilda, where did you get that bow from?" said Sigrid. "You weren't gone two minutes."
Tilda looked sheepish. "It was the one I used at the Mountain. I didn't think Da would let me keep it, so I hid it in a hollow tree just up the road there. I've been getting up early in the morning and practising. It was pure luck we happened to be out this way."
Sigrid shook her head at her sister. "No wonder you've been going to bed so early. And here I thought it was all the work we've been doing."
Once they arrived back at Bard's house, Fili took Sigrid's hands and drew her aside, his face full of concern. "Beloved. We don't have to do this now. The handfasting I mean. If you need time, let's take it."
"No, I'm fine, Fili, really. I was never in any real danger, he just wanted to scare me, not hurt me."
"Are you sure, love? I'm thinking about what Jerrik said, the stress…"
"No, it's nothing like Laketown." She reached up and placed her palm on his cheek. "In any case, I think it's you that had the worst of it, my love. I saw your face. You were ready to kill that dwarf." She paused; he didn't disagree with her. "Do you want to take some time?"
"No, it's done now. All I need is to know that you're safe." He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. "Though if someone were to offer me a stiff drink, I wouldn't say no."
She smiled at him. "Here's an idea. Why don't you take the men down to the tavern, have that drink, and meet me at the Green in an hour." She pulled him closer. "This won't spoil our day, love. I won't let it."
He shook his head, slowly. Her face fell. "It's a good thing it's me you're marrying, Sigrid of Dale," he said. "Only a dwarf could match you for stubbornness." She grinned. He took her face in his hands. "Or courage," he whispered.
"You keep telling me I have courage," she whispered back. "I believed you."
An hour later, in the fading crimson light of the glowing sunset, Sigrid walked slowly across the Green with Dis, Tilda and Tauriel accompanying her. At the north end of the Green, near the tree where she had rushed into his arms in the rain, stood Fili, with his brother beside him, and his uncle, Bard and Bain standing in a semicircle nearby. He watched her walking towards him, his love, his Sigrid, so sweet, passionate, generous and loving, beautiful in a plain skirt and bodice of blue, her hair braided in a simple, elegant twist on the back of her head. As he looked at her he knew she was walking towards him not as the Lady of Dale, nor as the bride of the future King under the Mountain, but as herself, Sigrid, and he knew that she chose him, Fili, and loved him, for himself alone. He smiled, and held out his hand to her, and she came to him and took it. Dis stood beside her, and Tilda and Tauriel stepped into position to complete the circle around the two of them.
He gently turned her hand over and placed in her palm a ring, the ring that she would put on his finger. She took it up and looked at it, a wide, hammered band of mithril with a central inset channel in which lay, secured under thin facets of clear crystal, a tiny braided lock of her hair.
She looked at him, and it was the look he had hoped to see, full of wonder, admiration and love, and his eyes reflected it back to her as he lifted a hand to stroke her cheek.
"I could think of no gem more precious, amrâlimê."
Hands clasped in hands, they spoke to each other the simple, timeless words of intent that bound them together as one: "I take you as my husband"; "I take you as my wife." Sigrid placed Fili's ring on his finger, her eyes shining with love, and he took her slender hand and gently slid her ring into place, and his heart was filled with such love, and joy, and pride, he thought it must break. She lifted her hand and looked at her ring, and again, her eyes expressed to him her love and awe at the beauty he had created. For her ring he had carved in relief his emblem, laid on its side and repeated all the way around the polished mithril band, and into the centre of the three designs that were to sit uppermost on her finger, he had set three of the brilliant white gems from the pendant.
"Fili, it's so beautiful. You made this for me. I don't know what to say."
Her eyes, her beautiful grey-blue slanting eyes, gazed at him, and indeed there was nothing left to say, as there were no words to express what he felt, but there was one thing that remained to be done. He took her face in his hands, and softly pressed his lips to hers.
Kili whooped and slapped him on the shoulder, and they laughed as they broke their kiss, and turned to the rest of their family as they stepped forward to embrace them, and with handshakes and kisses and tears, accepted their congratulations. Kili winked to Tilda, and the two of them disappeared, and moments later everyone realised where they had gone: all the bells in the belltower started pealing, ringing gaily in a mad cacophony that brought the villagers of Dale out of their doorways or leaning out of their windows; and amidst the confusion of laughter and joy and shouted congratulations from the villagers, Fili picked Sigrid up and threw her, laughing, over his shoulder, and carried her to his pony, waiting patiently behind the tree.
He lifted her onto Mindy's back and climbed up behind her.
"One abduction, as requested, sweet wife of mine."
She laughed again and leaned into him as he put his arms around her to take hold of the reins, and he turned his horse and together they set off towards the Mountain.