Over 16,000 views! Nice to know people are still sticking with me despite the delays in updates. Big thanks to Fili'sGirl32, The Cajun Phoenix and blushingpixie for following the story.

Celebrisilweth – What can I say…I like the emotional chapters.

Eruwaedhiel95 – Thanks…it was really hard to write so I'm glad those many hours of rewrites have paid off.

Bunny's daughter – You might need a whole box for this one

Bound By Love

When Kili forced his eyes open his first thought was that the poison had finally claimed him. Everything around him blurred and melted into a single darkness. Swallowing the lump in his throat Kili blinked several times as his vision began to clear and he saw a blonde figure sitting close beside him. Light streamed in through the windows, causing Kili to shut his eyes again.

"Kili?" Fili's voice was soft and full of fear. Kili forced a smile as his brother grabbed his hand.

"Morning Fili," Kili's voice was croaky and hoarse, but Fili had never been so happy to hear it in his life.

"Oh Mahal!" Fili buried his face in his brother's shoulders and Kili was shocked at the tears that ran down Fili's face,

"Fee?"

"I thought I'd lost you!" Fili gasped. Kili snorted before pushing himself up on his elbows. A small stab of pain shot through his head at the sudden movement but, as his hand explored his leg; Kili was shocked at the lack of pain as he gently prodded the bandage that had been wrapped round his thigh. Looking past his brothers shoulder Kili saw the figures of Bofur and Oin. The two dwarves were talking with Sigrid and Tilda and it was this sight that made Kili's small smile vanish. Fili frowned,

"Kee…Kee what is it?"

Kili bowed his head, "Arianna," he mumbled. Fili opened his mouth but Kili shook his head,

"I saw her Fili. When the orcs came…I saw her. It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. She spoke to me. She held my hand,"

Fili nodded eagerly. Waiting for his little brother to figure it all out. However, to his dismay, Kili shook his head unhappily,

"But it wasn't real," he said sadly, "It was just a dream. The best dream I could have ever wished for. But still just a dream,"

Fili shook his head, "No Kili," he whispered, "It wasn't a dream,"

Kili stared at his brother before realising that he was clutching something in his palm. His breath stopped as he uncurled his fingers and saw his mother's rune stone lying in the flat of his hand. A single tear trickled down his face as he stared at the token,

"But… I gave this to…"

Fili grinned at his little brother. Kili watched his brothers gaze and turned around in the bed to see what Fili was staring at. Time seemed to stop as he gazed at the sleeping form of Arianna. Bofur's hat wobbled on her hair and Kili saw the streaks of tears on her cheeks. Up close he could see her face was covered in various cuts and bruises. However, it was the small bruises in the corners of her mouth and the rope burns around her wrists that fuelled the anger in Kili's system. Her shirt was still covered in blood and with a shaky hand Kili leaned over and pushed the fabric away to reveal an ugly looking scar on one side of her stomach. As Arianna fidgeted in her sleep he moved back; but not before tenderly stroking her cheek with his thumb. Kili raised an eye at the hat on her head and he could hear Fili behind him,

"We wanted her to stop crying Kili. Since you weren't really awake…"

Kili smirked at his brothers words. His eyes never left Arianna,

"Could we…have a moment please?"

Fili nodded and Kili heard him move away and head into another room with the others. Swallowing nervously he inched closer to Arianna and ran his fingers through her hair. She mumbled something in her sleep and Kili froze as her eyes flickered open and she stared up at him,

"Kili?" her voice cracked but Kili couldn't stop smiling. He nodded silently and gasped as Arianna shot up and threw her arms round her neck – burying her face in his chest. Bofur's hat fell to the floor as she broke into loud sobs.

"I thought I was too late," she sobbed, "I thought you were going to die. And it was all my fault. I thought I'd never get a chance to say…" she broke off and Kili cupped her face in his hands,

"Say what?" he winked at her and Arianna grinned,

"Say how much I love you. How much I've always loved you,"

As she broke off with a gulp Kili held her close against his body. His face brushed against her bright hair and he inhaled her scent deeply,

"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, "When I saw you in Jared's arms like that…it was as though my world was at an end,"

He leant away from Arianna. Holding her face gently he frowned at the various wounds inflicted on her. Arianna said nothing as Kili gently kissed each mark on her face before staring at her with his big, brown eyes,

"What did he do to you?" he whispered to himself. Arianna managed a slight smile,

"It doesn't matter. He doesn't matter anymore. He'll never be able to hurt me ever again,"

Kili frowned at the confidence in her voice. He opened his mouth when Arianna placed a finger against his lips,

"All that matters," she said thickly, "Is that we found each other again."

They didn't say anything as they pressed their mouths together. Kili's hand roamed through Arianna's hair whilst she clung onto his tunic as though she'd never let go. As tears fell down both of their faces, Kili's mouth moved briefly towards her neck before their lips met again. Neither realised they were both sitting up on the bed and as their tongue's brushed against each other, Arianna's fingers grasped at Kili's shirt whilst his hands travelled down her back,

"Kili…" Arianna gasped as she quickly broke away from him. However, Kili shook his head and pressed his lips against her neck,

"For the love of Durin," he muttered between kisses, "Just let me hold you. Let me touch you. Let me know this isn't a dream,"

Arianna nodded as Kili wrapped his arms round her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She gripped him with her knees as they tongues intertwined with each other. After a brief minute Kili's hand left her body and moved towards his tunic. Arianna said nothing as he pulled it over his head – revealing his bare chest. Kili may have been lean for a dwarf, but Arianna noted that there wasn't an ounce of fat on him at all. Her hands gently traced the thin line of dark chest hair that ran down his middle.

"You're beautiful," she whispered with a faint blush on her cheeks. Kili grinned at her before gently pushing her down onto the bed. His fingers ran over her shoulders and Arianna didn't even think about it. Kili paused for a second as she unlaced her tunic and threw it aside. Her stared at his One in shock. Her chest was covered by a leather corset but her stomach was still on show. Numerous scars lined her skin and as he gently ran a hand along each one he saw Arianna gazing up at him,

"I'm proud of every single one," she said. Kili flinched slightly at her tone. As if she expected him to be repulsed by the sight. He caressed her face,

"You should be," he muttered thickly. Arianna went to say something but broke off as Kili gently lay on top of her and began kissing her again. His hands found hers and when she was this close to his body she could hear his heart thudding against his chest. As Kili moved to her neck his grip on her hands tightened ever so slightly. It wasn't enough to hurt but Arianna gave a small gasp as her chest began to tighten. Kili's hand ran down her arms and he muttered something in her ear. But Arianna wasn't listening. It wasn't Kili who was kissing her. It wasn't Kili's gentle touch anymore. Instead it was Jared's hard grip on her body. His knees gripping her shaking form. Hot tears ran down Arianna's face,

"Stop it," she whispered in a shaky voice. The room seemed to morph from the simply house to a dark hall. All she could see was Jared standing over her naked body. A satisfied smile on his face as he moved away from her.

"You really are very good on your back Arianna," he crooned. A strangled sob escaped from her throat,

"Arianna?"

Arianna almost jumped out of her skin as the vision faded and everything came back into view. Kili was still lying on top of her; but instead of longing his face was filled with worry. Swallowing, Arianna tried to stop herself from shaking. Kili stroked her hair as more tears fell from her face. As he moved to lie beside her Arianna allowed him to pull her towards him. As he held her against his chest Arianna said nothing,

"What is it?" Kili murmured in her ear. She shook her head as she waiting for her breathing to become steady again. Kili said nothing as she shifted in his grip so that she was facing away from him.

"Why did you say "stop it"?" Kili's voice sounded like a wounded animal. Biting her lip Arianna shut her eyes. She expected tears to be falling down her face at this point. When her eyes remained dry she realised she must have used them all up earlier. Kili gently nudged her,

"If it was about…now…if you weren't ready…" he trailed off and Arianna couldn't help but bark out a laugh,

"It wasn't that," she whispered.

"Well what then?" Kili asked gently, When she didn't answer he placed a gentle kiss on her neck,

"You're shaking," he muttered, "Arianna please…talk to me. Tell me what's wrong,"

Arianna wanted to tell him. She couldn't keep it quiet else it would end up crushing her. But at the same time she couldn't let Kili know what had happened to her. She didn't want him to think of her in that way.

"I can't," she mumbled. Kili held her tightly,

"Whatever it is miz sanazyung, you can tell me. You can always tell me,"

Shutting her eyes Arianna took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"Do you remember when you asked about how I got those scars on my arm?"

Kili nodded and his gaze automatically flew to the marred skin of her arm. Arianna's body shook again and he pulled her close,

"If you try to escape from the Kira Katil, then your life is forefeet," Arianna's voice was emotionless as she spoke, "I tried it once. Only I was caught. They should have killed me on sight. But Jared wanted to…talk to me first."

At the mention of Jared's name Kili growled and gripped his One hard. He had no idea where the bastard was but Kili swore he would never lay another finger on Arianna. He stayed silent as Arianna began talking again. Kili knew if he interrupted now then she might shut up whatever she was hiding forever,

"I don't know why I didn't die that night. But for a long time afterwards I'd wished I had died. Then I wouldn't have to remember what he'd done," Arianna took another deep breath,

"He stood by and watched whilst his two best men beat me black and blue. They only stopped when I was barely conscious. But it wasn't enough for him. He said he wanted to see me suffer. He wanted to hear me scream. I couldn't do anything to stop him,"

"Arianna…" Kili murmured worriedly, "If you want to stop talking…"

"He raped me Kili." Arianna said her voice emotionless. Kili's blood ran cold and he pulled Arianna against him as if he could protect her from the word. Bile rose in his throat and he could feel an inhuman rage coursing through him. His eyes instantly flew to the scars on her arm and he could see Arianna looking at them as well,

"That night…I just wanted to stop thinking about it. I thought that the physical pain would block out the memories. I don't even know how many times I cut myself. All I remember is that blood covering my arm and staining my clothes."

Kili licked his lips nervously as he took another look at the scars Arianna had given herself. Without saying a word he gently turned Arianna towards him and kissed her forehead. As she looked at his face Arianna wondered if she should have told Kili. She had never seen him look so threatening before. He stared at her, pure hatred in his eyes,

"I'm going to find him," he spat, "I'm going to hunt him down, find him and then tear him apart bit by bit,"

Arianna shook her head, There's no need," she said, "I've already beaten you to it,"

Kili stared at her and gently stroked her face, "But…how?"

Arianna raised her eyebrow and Kili remembered the state of the slave traders he and Fili had found. Allowing Arianna to rest against his chest he gently placed his chin on top of her head,

"That's my girl," he whispered. With a slow, hesitant nod, Arianna pulled away from him,

"I want to tell you something else as well," she mumbled. Kili pushed her hair away from her face,

"Not if it's going to upset you," he gave her a soft smile and Arianna shook her head,

"I don't want to keep any more secrets from you Kili." She paused, "I want you to know exactly who you've fallen in love with,"

Kili laughed and held her close, "I fell in love with you Arianna. Nothing you say will ever change that,"

"Kili…you're a prince. How do I know that your people will be willing to accept a whore in their community?"

"Arianna don't…don't say that," Kili insisted. There was such fierceness in his eyes that Arianna bowed her head. Placing a hand under her chin Kili tilted her head up,

"What happened to you…it wasn't your fault,"

"I wasn't talking about that," she sniffed, "When I eventually left the Kira Katil I need to find work. I could hunt for food for a while but soon I began to starve. I found myself in a large town on the borders of Rohan and I spent the night sleeping by someone's door. I was almost dead from exhaustion when this woman found me. In short she offered me food and a roof over for my head. For a price. She wanted to me to sell my body to the men that came through her doors. I had no choice. Every night I spent on my back gave me food and money. All the blows I allowed to hit me; all the vile curses that shot my way. Everything,"

When she finished Arianna looked down at the bed. She didn't want to see the look of disgust on Kili's face as he realised that the woman he loved had worked on her back. As Kili pressed his mouth to hers in a searing kiss Arianna gasped in shock. Grasping her hands tightly Kili gazed longingly at her,

"I don't care about your past Arianna. I don't care if you've lain with one man or hundreds. I don't care how many people you've killed. I love you. I want to spend every second of my life with you. I would tear down the misty mountains for you; I'd take a hundred Morgul arrows if it meant that none of them hit you. When I thought I'd lost you…I didn't think I could go on; because I'd rather die now beside you than live the rest of my life without you!"

As Kili finished his speech Arianna bit her lip. She opened her mouth but this time it was Kili's turn to place a finger against her lips,

"May I put a courting braid in your hair," he whispered. Arianna blushed before nodding. Kili's face lit up like a small child's and the pair both sat up on the bed. As Kili's fingers braided her hair Arianna noticed out of the corner of her eye that he was wearing her mother's necklace. She swallowed the lump in her throat and waited patiently for Kili to finish. As he slid a silver bead onto the end of the braid he leant back to admire his handiwork.

"I should have done it the moment I said I loved you," he confessed, "But we never seemed to have a quiet moment to ourselves," he broke off with a small laugh. As she fingered her new braid that rested at the side of her head Arianna knelt by Kili and began to do the same for him,

"So this braid means…what exactly?" she asked. Kili turned his head but she poked his shoulder,

"Sit still. This is harder than it looks,"

He chuckled, "It means that we belong to each other. You are mine, and I am yours. When we get married we'll have a matching one on the other side."

Arianna's hand trembled as Kili mentioned the word marriage. It was only a small tremble and she quickly shook her head. Sliding a bead into Kili's hair she sat back and gave him a smug smile,

"Not bad," she grinned and he kissed her cheek,

"It's beautiful,"

"How's your leg?" Arianna suddenly stared at the bandage in horror. She'd been so caught up in the moment that she'd forgotten Kili had been wounded. Kili shook his head,

"Pulls slightly a little bit. But otherwise…there's no pain at all,"

Arianna nodded slowly. Without warning Kili took her in his arms and pushed her back down onto the bed. He kissed her stomach and as he did so Arianna knew what she wanted to do. As her leather corset came away Kili gave her a small, wide eyed frown,

"Are you sure you want to…"

"I love you Kili," she said breathlessly, "I want to be with you. I want to be with you for all eternity,"

As she saw the familiar blush on Kili's cheeks, Arianna suppressed her laughter. Instead she pulled Kili on top of her and kissed the corner of his mouth,

"Take me Kili," she whispered in his ear. He gave her a blushing smile as he began to undo his trousers.

Neither remembered the exact moment that it was skin and not clothes that they were touching. As they fully embraced each other; legs tangled and their bodies pressed against each other Arianna felt no fear. Kili's' touch was gentle, almost hesitant at first and she knew he didn't want to push her too far. Shaking her head she pressed her lips against his neck and as she moved down his body she could hear him gasping. As Kili gripped her with his knees she let out a small groan and his worried gaze flew to her face,

"Did I hurt...?"

She shook her head, "Stop talking," she gasped. Arianna shut her eyes as she opened herself up to Kili who entered her willingly. His hands ran up her legs and their fingers intertwined together. After a few seconds her hands gently pushed against his chest before Kili left her with a satisfied sigh. Arianna said nothing as Kili moved to lie beside her and pull the blanket over the pair of them. Wrapping his arm around her Kili pulled her against him – not willing to let go for a single moment,

"Are you alright?" he whispered as Arianna took deep pants to try and steady her breathing. With a sigh she snuggled up against him and rested her head on top of his chest. With his free hand Kili absentmindedly tangled his fingers in her hair and as they looked at each other they both saw the same thing in each other's eyes. They were bound together. They were complete.

They were one.

Translations

Miz sanazyung – Perfect love (Literal Translation)

Okay everyone…the emotional trauma has passed! Hope the last scene wasn't too graphical for anyone (first time writing a scene like that so hope it went okay). I plan to have a couple more chapters set in Laketown before we reach the end of 'The Desolation of Smaug' to give Kili and Arianna some much need and much deserved time together.

As always don't forget to tell me what you thought.