Tauriel
The tranquil quiet of sleep was abruptly broken by the sound of arguing just outside the bedroom door. She could distinctly make out two voices of dwarves she had grown accustomed to seeing, Dori and Ori, and one she did not recognize.
"Thorin said we all must take watch over them, and she should not be left alone." The voice belonging to Dori said in a protesting manner.
"Tell Thorin that I'm no one's nursemaid!" The mystery voice roared.
"Tell him yourself if you must. He is your King and you should abide by his wishes. She saved a Prince of Durin, she deserves your respect!" Dori, known for his kind disposition and demeanor, yelled right back.
"It's not so bad really, watching over her, most of the time she is sleeping. I find it relaxing to talk to her, tell her stories about Durin folk and about the quest. You should tell her stories about Kili and when he was young, she'll like to hear them." Ori's sweet and quiet voice quipped.
"Fine. But do not be too long." The stranger conceded and she heard the door to her room open and close with a hushed thud and the stomping of heavy feet as they approached her bedside. The dwarf did not sit down, as many of the others chose to; instead he preferred to lean against the wall. She knew that this dwarf was not keen on her, and she could hear him muttering to himself in his secret dwarf language. She kept her eyes closed; she had neither the strength nor the desire to engage him in conversation. Rather, she decided to fain sleeping in order to keep his distemper at bay.
For a long while, he said nothing as he remained motionless in the corner. She had almost drifted back to sleep when the low rumblings of his deep voice filled her ears.
"Ori says I should talk to you. I should tell you stories of us and our ways." He began. "I suppose you've heard a great deal about Kili when he was a lad. I've known him his entire life. I was there the night he was born; that terrible night we almost lost both him and Dis. I was there when Thorin delivered the news of his father's death. He was just a wee bearn when it happened; not able to understand that his Da was gone forever. I was there the when Vili died, I held him in my arms as he took his final breath and I'll never forgive myself for how it happened.
You see, Vili and I grew up together; all of us did really, Thorin, Frerin, Dis, Vili, Nori and I. My father was King Thror's personal guard, so I spent my days learning how to fight alongside the other sons of important dwarf houses. Even Dis would fight with us, despite her being a princess and all, she refused to be pampered and doted on. She would say; "Leave the circlets and crowns for the elves, I'm a dwarf, and dwarves fight." She's a feisty one that Dis. I tell you, she was quite a sight with a dagger in each hand! We lads knew well enough not to provoke her, as she would jest that she needed two knives to cut off our two…well, Dis was never one for niceties. You'll see soon enough when she gets here.
Anyway, I got on fine with Throin, Frerin, Dis, even Nori who is a sneaky bastard, but Vili and I, we were born rivals. Vili was mischievous and a prankster, he would always try to pull one over on me. He even braided my hair in a womanly way after I got drunk and fell asleep. I went around like that for three days before someone plucked up the courage to tell me. I was plenty upset and rightfully so, yet in the end, I never could stay mad at him for long.
Though Vili was the shortest of us all, he was a fierce, intuitive and talented fighter and outside of Thorin, the only other dwarf ever to beat me in the fighting pits. I did not like to lose, but Vili had a humble way about him; never one to boast or carry on about his winnings. After he beat me, he would grab my arm and help me to my feet, dust me off and then give me a nod. Then we'd all share a drink together and he would sing, Mahal what a voice he had! Thorin would play his harp and Vili would sing. That was the way of it for the longest time.
Then Smaug arrived and drove us from our home. Frerin died in the battle for Moria, and none of us ever really recovered from the losses, least of all Thorin, who blamed himself for Frerin's death. Frerin was the one who held us all together, he, Vili and Nori were close, as Thorin and I have always been. The days of song and laughter were gone. Those were dark days. Dark days indeed." The dwarf paused to silently reflect on the past.
"Eventually, we settled in the Blue Mountains and I took work as a blacksmith alongside Thorin, and I became his guard and swore to protect him as best I could. Nori, in his efforts to run from his grief, took to stealing from the likes of men. Dis did some work as a seamstress in the village. Vili set to train the young dwarves in the art of combat, preparing them for a time when we would regain our homeland.
The rivalry between Vili and I shifted as we got older and we found ourselves competing for more than just glory in the pits; and against Thorin's wishes, he ended up winning her too. It was too much for me, and I couldn't get past it. Like a fool, I thought Vili had stolen the life I was meant to have; that he had come between me and what should have been mine. I was angry and jealous, and for a good long while, I turned my back on Vili.
And then Fili was born, and something inside of me changed. There are not too many dwarf babes born, probably on account of there not being too many dwarf women. Despite my jealousy, I went to see the baby and saw straight away he was the spitting image of Vili; right down to the blonde hair and small bearing. Seeing the new prince reminded me of a time when the Kingdom of Erebor was the greatest in all Middle Earth and we dwarves were a proud people. I wanted him to grow up running through the halls of his ancestors, to know the might of the Line of Durin. In spite of myself, I loved that wee lad.
The night Kili was born, Dis had labored for hours and the midwives were worried because he was stuck, on account of him being quite large. Vili paced the halls all night, Thorin and I sat up with him, all sick with worry. We heard nothing but screams coming from her room, then all at once, silence. We feared the worst. Thorin made a sound like I'd never heard before, and Vili nearly collapsed. Then we heard a baby cry, and a midwife burst through the door to announce the birth of a new prince. What a sight he was; much too long and nearly hairless, save for a layer of black fuzz of his head, long pointy ears that stuck out too far and those huge, dark brown eyes that were much too big for his face. He was the ugliest baby I'd ever laid eyes upon!
One day a rider came into town and we received word that Dain Ironfoot of the Iron Hills was under siege by orcs. Dain is Thorin's cousin and kin is kin, so we rallied the fighters and left to defend Dain's keep. During the battle, we faced terrible odds and were greatly outnumbered. There were so many orcs, I could not see clearly around me. I did not see the arrow as it sailed towards me, but Vili did. Without a thought or a moment's hesitation, he threw himself in front of me and the arrow struck him in chest. Everything immediately following is a blur. The only thing I can recall is seeing my friend lying on the ground. I held him and screamed for help, but there was nothing that could have been done to save him. Vili knew it too. He looked up at me and smiled. He told me to watch after his family, and I promised that I would. The last words he ever said were 'Tell Dis I love her.'
When we returned to the Blue Mountains, I stood beside Thorin as he told Dis that Vili had died. I have seen much sadness and suffering in my time, but her scream will haunt me for the rest of my life. I realized that I had never stood a chance with her; that she and Vili had been in love since they were children and that they were meant to be together. I was the one who got in the way of that. After that, I set out to watch over those boys; to try to make up for the fact that their father was dead and I was the reason why.
When I look at Fili, he is the spitting image of Vili; the same long blond hair, the same gait and build, his fighting skills and his unselfishness are all Vili. While Kili has his father's heart, his sense of mischief, his gift of song and his wild spirit. I watched them as they grew, and I loved them as if they were my own sons. I'm never going to get on with you girl, but I am plenty grateful for you." He finished his story and she could hear him slump back against the wall quietly. He remained there until a soft rapping at the door broke the silent spell they were under.
"We've finished clearing the debris from the Hall of Kings. I'm afraid the floor will remain encased in gold, but it should serve as a reminder of the stand we dwarves took against Smaug. How is she doing?" Dori's voice asked.
"Sleeping still. I am done with babysitting, and I'll have no more of it." The dwarf replied.
"Understood. Go on now Mister Dwalin, I need to make sure she eats something." Dori politely shooed the dwarf away.
"Dwalin!" she thought to herself. "So that is the dwarf Kili was telling me about." She smiled to herself at the thought of Kili. She had heard from Fili that he was healing, and all she wanted was to see him again; to feel his arms wrap around her. "Soon," she thought. "Not soon enough."
Sigrid
He wants me to be his emissary to Erebor! She could hardly contain her excitement as she walked through the streets, smiling at the prospect of seeing Fili again.
"My Lady Sigrid!" Nremyn called out to her, descending from the steps of a scaffold.
"Nremyn! You startled me." She giggled as her new friend suddenly appeared before her.
"I apologize, My Lady. I merely wanted to notify you that the ration wagon is scheduled to arrive by tomorrow afternoon. Hatharal says it contains some fine fabric that is meant for you and your family, you are meant to make yourself a dress befitting a princess." He said as he smiled at her.
"You elves are much too kind." She mused. "But I cannot begin to think about fine gowns until Dale is restored and all its citizens are living comfortably."
"A rare woman you are, My Lady." Nremyn bowed his head before her.
"Come with me as I make my way through the town?" She begged.
"As you wish, Sigrid. If I may be so bold, you seem rather distracted tonight." The elf said as he picked up several baskets filled with bread.
"Perhaps I am. Father asked me to be his emissary to Erebor; a task of great importance." She declared as she handed out a loaf of bread to a mother holding a small child.
"Erebor! Have you heard any word of Tauriel? I much desire to see her." Nremyn paused in the street.
"Yes, Da said that she has finally awoken and continues to recover. He said that Lady Galadriel believes Gandalf's theory. It's all so very exciting." She distributed another loaf to an elderly man sitting in a doorway.
"I am pleased to hear that Tauriel is recovering. No one deserves happiness more than her. Do you think Thorin will permit a marriage?" He asked.
"I imagine he will have no choice in the matter. I very much look forward to a wedding!" She beamed as she an image of Fili flashed in her mind. "I wonder what a dwarf wedding is like. I imagine it will be a grand affair considering that Kili is a prince." She smoothed her hair in an effort to calm her racing heart.
"I have no experience with dwarf weddings, but elves do not usually celebrate in the same manner as men do. Our ways are more reserved and private, unless of course they are an elf of great importance." He explained. "I remember when King Thranduil married Lady Elarinya; for three days and nights we celebrated with song and wine. She was so beautiful and he was so happy. But that was long ago and Mirkwood has not had any cause to celebrate in many ages, not since Lady Elarinya's death."
"How terrible her passing must have been for King Thranduil." She felt a deep sadness towards the Elf King and hoped that brighter days were on the horizon for him.
"But let us not dwell on ill times. The city is beginning to look as it once was and prosperity shall return to these walls once more." Nremyn said as he handed her a second bread basket.
"First we need to get through this first winter. I hope the ration cart arrives soon, as our stores are running low. Da says if we can get the crops planted by week's end, we should be able to manage." She knew if the city was indeed to rise once more, the citizens needed to be healthy and strong in order to see it done.
"You will need more than bread to get through the winter." Nremyn sighed knowingly.
She finished distributing the remaining loaves of bread and said good evening to her elf friend. She walked out in the cool air and looked to The Lonely Mountain; her thoughts turned to Fili and she longed to see him again. I am certain Erebor would be willing to entertain the notion of a hunting party for our mutual benefit. I shall take it up with Da in the morning. The idea excited her, and she hoped that her father would agree to send her to the King Under the Mountain for council.