Hey, all. So sorry that the updates are taking forever. I've been really busy, but plan on updating more very soon. Thank you for your patience!
~Mischief's Angel
Later in the evening, the dwarves and Lilly found themselves sitting around a small fire on one of the many stone patios of the building they stayed in. Fili sat contently smoking his pipe while Kili and Lilly talked and told stories. It was these nights that were always Lilly's favorites.
"So, then," Kili continued with his story, "He looks up and sees that everyone at the inn is staring at him. So he pauses for a minute and says 'Well then, that's definitely the last time I insult a boar!'."
Lilly almost fell over laughing.
"Did that all really happen?" she asked.
"Just like that, it did!" Fili added in.
"It was hysterical!" Kili chimed in, with his usual bright smile.
"I can't believe that!" Lilly laughed.
Lilly reached over to the little table that stood behind her and took a small piece of fruit from a bowl that say on it. She ate it quickly and contently.
"Your turn, Lilly," Kili said happily.
"Oh," Lilly started, "I do not really have any stories. Not any interesting ones anyway."
"Well….we could do something else for a while," Kili suggested.
Due to lack of ideas, the three sat in silence for some time. The only sounds that could be heard were the crackling of the fire and the soft sound of elvish song that resounded from the main hall nearby.
"This elvish tune bores me!" Fili complained.
"Well…why don't you teach me one from your home!" Lilly happily suggested.
"Oh…no thanks!" Kili laughed, "We're not exactly singers."
"It couldn't hurt," Fili said.
"Oh, Please Kili!" Lilly pleaded.
Lilly sweetly asking for anything was Kili's biggest weakness. She would look over at him and bat her eyes as she pleaded. There wasn't anything he could do, but say yes.
"Oh, alright!" Kili gave in.
For a while after, Kili and Fili sang a folk song that they'd known since they were young. It went back in forth from Kazdul to common tongue throughout the song. Lilly clapped along to the song and laughed happily. She loved it. On one of the exaggerated lyrics, Kili toppled over backwards and started laughing as Fili picked up the song. Lilly giggled and moved over behind Kili. She sat next to him, lifted his head, and set it up on her lap. The song continued until Fili decided it should end, and he stopped singing. Lilly was too caught up in playing with Kili's hair to notice the lack of tune. Kili noticed however. He looked over at Fili, who was looking up from his seat at a tall elf woman standing there. She bared a slight resemblance to Lilly, but it wasn't a great one.
"Lilly!" she called over happily.
"Alassea!" Lilly called back.
Lilly moved to go toward the elf, but Kili had instinctively taken her arm. She didn't want to pull away from him, so she stayed where she was. She knew the dwarves were naturally defensive and did not intend to challenge that. The elf woman looked at the two dwarves with a confused look.
"Oh," Lilly started, "Alassea, these are my friends, Fili and Kili."
Alassea stood silently, as if trying to make sense of the previous statement.
"This is my sister, Alassea!" Lilly said happily to the dwarves.
Lilly didn't quite understand why this was followed with a severely awkward silence. Fili stood silently, and Kili gave a forced smile and made a not so subtle movement closer to Lilly. Lilly told her sister all about how the dwarves had rescued her after the goblin attack, and about everything else that happened.
"And then…" Lilly continued.
"Lillaith," her sister interrupted, "We were all so worried for you. I am so glad you are safe!"
Alassea hugged her sister happily.
"Your brother is on his way to Rivendell now. Everyone has been looking for you! We will wait here until he arrives. It will be a nice place to stay for a few days longer," Alassea sighed, "Then we can take you to Celondim ourselves."
It was visible in her face that Lilly's heart sank. She looked around, as if looking for a way out of this discussion. Fili shrugged and Kili gave her a sympathetic look.
"Alassea," Lilly sighed, "I am not going to Celondim."
"What?"
"I am not going to get married."
"What do you mean? Father said-"
"I know what father said, and I know what you would all ask of me, but I'm afraid my answer is the same. No, I will not marry," Lilly continued, "I have my entire life to think about, and I will not give it away…not so easily."
"Lillaith, this is your duty to our father."
"No, this is my duty to a crown," Lilly protested, "If he truly cared about being my father, then he would never dream of making me do this."
"Lillaith!" Alassea shouted, surprised at her sister's change of attitude, "This is childish. You will do this. If not, then what would you do? Where would you go?"
"Anywhere I wanted," Lilly said almost dreamily, "I could go on adventures all the time and see all new places!"
"You do not know what it is you are saying, sister. It is not commonly a good thing to see new places. In times like this, those lands grow dark and dangerous."
"Not all of them! I would be fine!" Lilly continued.
"Your sister's right," Fili cut in. "Many of them are dangerous."
"That's why you need us to come along," Kili added.
"Now this has gone from childish to mad," Alassea pointed out.
"That's the fun part," Kili noted, "If it wasn't insane, it'd be boring."
