" What do you mean you do not know where we are?" Asked Bilbo. " This is your home, you are the only one who possibly could know where to find rooms!"
" Yes... But I have never been in this part..." Fíli admitted. " I am sure that as long as we stay together we will not get lost though."
Kíli looked at Tauriel out of the corner of his eyes. She seemed amused by the fact that they would have to look before a room first before they actually could go to sleep.
" Alright, we should simply try the first hallway... We can always go back!" Tauriel said finally and got a nod from Kíli as response. So they made their way towards the right corner of the hall, following the dark hallway.
" No one has walked here for a long time, it is not even light!" Bilbo said disapprovingly. "We should try another one."
" But no one has stayed in Erebor for a long time either, so this hallway is just as dark as most others." Fíli answered.
Kíli opened the first door they passed, only to realize that is was empty. " If anyone is fine with sleeping on the floor they may have this room..." He teased as they walked on.
The next few rooms they opened turned out to be just as empty and just as dark.
" Maybe we should simply settle for what we found..." Tauriel said. " I do not mind sleeping on the floor!"
" That is because you have never slept in a bed..." Kíli winked at her and smiled. " Except for that I am certain that uncle would not approve if we made his hobbit sleep on the floor."
" I am not his hobbit!" Bilbo complained instantly.
" So do you say..." Fíli chuckled.
" Except for that, I do not want to be freezing as the ground is very cold." Kíli mentioned.
They reached the end of the hallway and found themselves standing at the top of an old spiral staircase.
" This does not look very save to walk on..." Tauriel remarked. " Maybe we should go back."
" It is not as bad as it looks, it just has not been used for a long time!" Kíli responded and before anyone could stop him he had taken the first step.
But as expected it was not very stable indeed and before he could help himself the step he was standing on broke in. Caught off guard he lost his balance and fell backwards. Instinctively Tauriel reached for his hand, but instead of preventing him from falling she was pulled down with him. Squeaking they tumbled down the narrow staircase, which to their luck just was not very long.
Once they reached the ground, awkwardly landing on each other, it just took them a second of looking into each others eyes in order to see if the other one was alright. Then only a moment later they started laughing loudly, simply lay next to each other on the ground, not able to stop.
Fíli and Bilbo came running down the stairs, careful not to fall. " Are you hurt?" Fíli asked worriedly as he saw the two of them still lying on the ground. He frowned at the realization that they could not stop laughing and then looked at Bilbo. " I think they hurt their heads..." He whispered to his friend.
" You really do have a talent to get engaged in self-destructive situations..." Tauriel finally said to Kíli, still grinning.
" I am so sorry, amrâlimê..." He said, suddenly serious, and reached for her hand which lay next to his. " I really did not mean for this to happen... I could have hurt you!"
" And you could have hurt yourself..." She said, turning her head to look into his eyes. " Promise me to not put yourself at such risk... I cannot loose you again."
" It was just a few stairs..." He said reassuringly as he saw the worry in her eyes. " And I had my guardian angel with me after all!" They smiled at each other, getting lost in each others eyes.
" And they say they are not romantic!" Fíli whispered to Bilbo and leaned against the wall next to him grinning.
Bilbo for his turn laid his head to the side and watched the two of them. Finally a smile made its way to his lips. This was what love looked like; something he had not seen for a long time. Friendship, yes, and even Thorin's love for his nephews, which was hard enough to find. But this world was certainly lacking some love.
Finally Kíli got up, his hand still interlaced with Tauriel's. He pulled her up with him with such an ease that surprised Tauriel.
" Thank you..." She grinned.
" My pleasure..." He answered and bowed his head.
" Yea, great, now can we continue for a room?" Bilbo asked slightly uncomfortable.
Chuckling they continued their way and now finally luck seemed to be in their favor. Behind the first door they opened lay a small bathroom, looking as if had been used until yesterday.
" This is a good sign..." Fíli said and was already on the next door. " Now come look at this!"
Tauriel was the first at his side and dragged Kíli with her. She stared into the big room with amazement. " This is very impressive..." Just like the bathroom, this room looked like it had just recently been left.
" One bedroom found, two to go..." Kíli said grinning. " I suggest this one is Bilbo's. He is our guest and we certainly owe him a good and peaceful night's sleep."
Bilbo slowly stepped into the big room and nodded his head.
Fíli went to open the next door, only 25 feet away and on the same side of the hallway. The room that lay behind it was just as impressive as the previous one, but even slightly bigger.
" Fíli..." Kíli said, stepped into the room and raised his eyebrows. " Yours now?" His brother nodded in agreement.
Tauriel on the other side looked around and discovered a third door on the opposite wall, about another ten feet away. It was the only remaining door in the hallway that was in sight.
She walked over and peeked into the room. It was touched in a beautiful blue light, like the moon's reflection on water. Fascinated, she entered the room and took a look around. Unlike the other rooms, this one had a glow to it that she could not describe even if she was asked to. The furniture was the same, and it even had a small table and chairs. But instead of admiring it, Tauriel looked for the cause of the almost magical bluish glow. It was so quiet that she could hear her own breath.
Suddenly she stopped in her movement and smiled to herself. " I know that you are here..."
" How did you do that?" Kíli asked, his voice closer behind her than she had expected.
" I may not have the extraordinary abilities I used to have anymore, but somehow... I knew that it was you." She turned around to him.
" You amaze me, do you know that?" He laughed slightly, but his gaze was full of adoration. " More and more every day."
" And you make me want to be a better person, every day..." She returned.
" I think, now, that you could not be any better, as you are perfect already! And the next moment I discover that I was wrong, that you can indeed be even more perfect." He smiled to himself. " What I said before the battle, that you make me feel alive, it was a restraint. It is so much more than that, I do not even know how to put it in words..."
" Then don't..." She smiled. " It would be an understatement every time we tried. I may not know much about life, or love... But I know what I feel cannot be described by words."
" Then don't..." He copied her sentence and pulled her down to him. Right in the moment their lips touched, they heard a loud rumble on the hallway.
" Oh darn..." Kíli grumbled.
Tauriel chuckled and was on the door in an instant, popping her head out. A second later Kíli's head was under hers. Also Bilbo and Fíli peaked out of their rooms.
" Was that you?" Bilbo asked, irritated.
" No..." Kíli and Fíli answered in union. Tauriel looked down at Kíli, who then turned to look up at her.
Finally she opened the door completely and stepped out, walking in the direction of the previous noise. The others followed her.
At the bottom of the staircase, Gandalf was just getting back up from the ground. He mumbled a few angry words in an unknown language, but Tauriel assumed it weren't ones of the nice sort. A smile came to her lips, which she immediately tried to hide.
" Are you alright?" She asked the wizard instead.
" Yea yea..." He said and looked at the four of them. " It is dark down here!" Then he said a few more words in the same language as before, but this time the hallway light up in a warm glow.
" What are you doing here Gandalf?" Asked Bilbo. " Did Thorin sent you?"
" No... I uh simply came to assure that you were alright." He answered. " I would now much rather know how you got down this staircase without breaking your neck..."
" Well, Kíli and Tauriel did not..." Fíli started, grinning, but immediately had Kíli's elbow in his ribs.
" And you really are here only to look after us?" Tauriel asked, frowning.
" Do you indeed right now question the truthfulness of a wizard?!" His voice was slightly raised.
" Yes." Tauriel said in a matter of fact, her expression expectantly but otherwise neutral. Fíli's mouth fell open in disbelieve and amusement, Kíli let out a snort and Bilbo simply stared at her.
So did Gandalf, but Tauriel did not give in. After a few seconds, a slow smile came to his face and he started chuckling. "Oh well... I might have found myself an excuse to avoid the prolonging goodbyes..." He said innocently.
" You may hide among us..." Kíli said chuckling. " Would you like to admire our rooms then?"
" If I admire something is my decision..." He said critically. " But I would be happy to see them."
They first took a look at Bilbo's room, then at Fíli's.
When they went on to Kíli and Tauriel's, they stopped right in the doorway and admired the light, just like Tauriel had done.
" Why does it have this beautiful glow to it?" Tauriel finally asked. Kíli grinned and pointed to different places in the room.
" The halls of Erebor bears many wonderful things, and so, we happen to have gems that resemble the starlight in its beauty and its glow." He said smiling. " I did not know that a room like this existed, but once I saw it I knew you would like it..."
" I do... It is beautiful..."
" I am glad that this is your room and not mine..." Fíli said. " It is beautiful, but I prefer to sleep in darkness."
" There are several places like this in the mountain, some are even more impressive than this one..." Gandalf remarked, but then stepped out of the room once more. " Well, I better get back up and see if my help is needed."
" Good luck..." Fíli laughed.
" Careful with the staircase..." Kíli winked at the wizards.
" And the guests..." Tauriel added.
Gandalf looked at Bilbo expectantly, waiting for the final witty, childish remark.
" Are you sure that Thorin is alright with us down here?" The hobbit asked instead.
" I will let him know where you may be found..." Gandalf reassured him, but then made his way back down the hallway. Also Bilbo and Fíli retreated to their rooms.
" I would wish you a good night at this point, but I have the feeling that this was not our last encounter for the night..." Fíli said and nodded at his brother before closing his door.
" And what now?" Tauriel asked as she closed the door to their room behind them.
"Are you tired?" Kíli asked in return.
Tauriel thought about it. She felt slightly exhausted and her eyes had started to burn, but was it enough to sleep? " Are you?"
" Yes, if I am honest, I am exhausted, but not utterly tired. I imagine you on the other hand will have to catch up on some sleep." He answered. " And tonight we cannot leave this hallway anyway, as uncle would make us return to our rooms immediately. He does not like when we wander around at night and start doing nonsense."
Tauriel nodded slowly and wandered around the room. She stopped at the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Sighing she closed her eyes and dropped onto her back.
" This is really comfortable..." She remarked with her eyes still closed.
Kíli walked over to the bed and stood next to her. Simply watching her made him feel happy.
" You might want to get more comfortable though... You cannot sleep like this!" He laughed lightly.
" Why not?" She grumbled. " This is nice!"
" You will think differently in the middle of the night..."
Sighing once more she opened her eyes and sat back up. " Well then, what now?"
" Do you want to sleep in this dress?" He asked.
" I will have no other choice!"
" You still wear the green one under it."
She blushed at the realization that he knew better what she was wearing than she did herself. And except for that, she was not comfortable with simply the green... It was not even a dress! It was barely covering a third of her thighs and it had no sleeves.
" I feel uncomfortable with so little clothing." She said.
" You really do not have to! I promise I will not comment on it nor tell anyone, ever..."
She did not move, but simply looked at her hands, thinking.
Kíli smiled at himself and started putting off his jacket, shoes and everything that might be uncomfortable until only shirt and trousers remained.
Tauriel took a deep breath, closed her eyes and stood up from the bed.
Kíli hated making her feel uncomfortable, but she really did not have any reason to be ashamed. She should rather feel comfortable around him.
To make it easier for her, he turned around, even if he had seen her change already. Maybe she was really simply tired.
She got rid of her white dress, her shoes and her trousers until she remained with the green not-dress.
" Better now?" She asked Kíli, resigned.
He turned around, but did not dare to look at her for longer than a second or otherwise he could not bring himself to look away again. " Yes..." He said simply.
Tauriel looked to the floor, mad at herself. She was always confident in herself, so why not now? What was different? Kíli was the last person she would feel ashamed with, the last person who would judge her. He would never do such a thing. She should feel comfortable, and now that she thought about it, she found that she did.
" Would you redo my braid tomorrow?" She asked, smiling slightly.
" Of course, I would love to!" He answered, still looking everywhere but at Tauriel.
" You are right, I do not have to feel uncomfortable. So I will not." She said while undoing her braid.
" So I may look at you...?" He asked carefully, chuckling.
" I am looking at you after all, it would not be right if you were not granted to look at me." She felt ridiculous, yet excited. The whole situation had been unimaginable just a few weeks ago.
Even in the dim light, he was at a loss of words at her sight. The blue glow made her look...
" Beyond words..." He whispered, smiling.
" What?" She asked, laughing.
His brain started to work again, his heart picked up its beat once more and slowly he started to process.
She wanted to feel embarrassed at his reaction, but instead she went for proud. It was a nice thing to be looked at like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon. And in his opinion she definitely was.
Before she could prevent it, a yawn escaped her. She ran her hand through her hair, smiling " I think I am indeed tired..."
Suddenly they heard the same rumble they had heard before, when Gandalf had fallen down the stairs. It awoke Kíli out of his daze, and Tauriel was already at the door.
" Oh no not again..." Kíli mumbled as they peaked their heads out of the door, looking down the hallway.
Fíli and Bilbo, both ready to go to bed as well, were already looking out of their rooms.
" Bilbo? Fíli, Kíli, Tauriel?" They heard Thorin's voice roar through the hallway before they saw him approaching.
" Here are you!" He said once he saw them standing in their door frames. " How did you get down those stairs?!"
" Did Gandalf forget to warn you about it?" Bilbo asked. " Are you alright?"
" Nah, that wizard... He told you to leave in the first place, then hours later when I was almost in utter panic he cared to share where you went. And the stairs... He did not say a word!"
Tauriel chuckled about the fact that the stairs simply brought everyone to their knees, more or less literally.
" I am alright... Did any of you fall?" He asked, looking at Bilbo which made everyone else grin.
" Well, some of us did..." Fíli remarked, but at Kíli's deadly glare he fell silent.
" You picked good rooms..." Thorin finally said. " They are good enough for this night, as I assume you would like to go to sleep. Tomorrow I will have to move into your permanent ones. And Bilbo, you will also get your own room. You are always welcome here, the room will be yours alone to stay in."
Tauriel liked the room they were staying in right now; the gems that looked like starlight made her feel at home. But if it was Thorin's wish for his nephews to move, and so also for her, so it be.
" Now, will you be alright for tonight?" Thorin asked finally.
" Yes, thank you..." Tauriel answered. Kíli nodded, so did Fíli and Bilbo.
" I will see you tomorrow then... Good night!" He said and went back to the stairs.
" G'night Fee..." Kíli said to his brother, then turned to Bilbo with a teasing grin. " And Mr. Boggins of course."
Bilbo smiled back. " Good night."
Then they closed their doors, for hopefully the last time that night. Hopefully...
To be continued...
I totally love the stairs ;) Its simply meant to be funny. And I like the idea of Tauriel being confident, as she knows there is nothing to be afraid of...
Hope you liked this chapter :3
See y'all with the next one, very soon!