Four days had passed since the events of the Ceremony and Briseis was still trying to come to terms with all that had transpired.
For one, she had a trail of people following her around like a litter of hungry puppies, shouting questions at her about their various aches and ailments.
Even the guards who stood watch over Alanah's father would sidle up to the Healer, hoping that whatever piece of flesh they exposed would be cured the minute she looked at it. She tried to ignore the pestering dwarves and focus her attention on her new acquaintance, but making conversation with Alanah was as useful as talking to a wall at this point. The young member of the Privileged had refused to leave her father's side, silently weeping while muttering of the death sentence he had brought upon his own head.
Brieseis' heart broke in their company, and despite her best efforts to soothe or console either, they both remained despondent.
She could ask Fili of the prisoner's fate this time, but the young woman was actively avoiding the fair haired prince of Erebor while sharing a bed with his little brother each night. She knew Fili had his reasons for doubting her choice to save the king, but there was still a gnawing guilt and fear in the pit of her stomach each time she thought of the eldest dwarf.
She wanted to confront him, to tell him the pressure was all too overwhelming, but each time she saw him creep into the chambers where she attended to an unconscious Thorin, she began to panic and avoided his prying eyes like a plague.
Despite her own feelings of insecurity, Briseis knew that there was something stopping the blonde from approaching her as well. He was perfectly happy with being ignored while she worked on dripping pulverized fruit and teaspoons of water down his uncle's throat and stayed for less than a few minutes each time, as though afraid she would notice him if he lingered too long.
Their current situation made for a very awkward meeting in Kili's chambers on the fourth night when Briseis crept into the now familiar room and nearly vomited when she saw the eldest prince sitting on the bed, the same look of shock and panic strewn across his handsome features when he spotted the intruder at the door.
"Uh, I should—"
"Me too," Fili instantly jumped up, hastily marching to the door before trying to yank it open in vain.
It was locked.
The young woman sighed in irritation.
"Kili," they both stated in unison as the Dwarf in question piped up from the other side of the stone wall.
"Both of you are stuck in here until you sort out whatever the bloody hell is going on between you," the dark haired heir of Durin shouted with conviction.
Briseis bit her bottom lip, trying not to panic as the swirling mess of emotions raged through her mind like a windstorm.
Fili looked mortified, staring at the doors to the veranda as though calculating his chances of escape by climbing down the mountain walls.
"I don't hear any talking!" Kili sang enthusiastically from his unseen position in the hall.
The awkward tension in the room was nearly palpable before the girl with the grey eyes grit her teeth and decided she would be the one to break the silence.
"Fili, I'm sorry -"
She desperately wanted to tell him that she'd had no right to interfere, that she may have made a promise that she couldn't keep and that if anything happened to anyone at the hands of the King it would be forever on her conscience, but as soon as the apology left her mouth, the golden haired dwarf leapt across the gap between them and picked her up in a bone crushing embrace.
The girl from Norwoth Dale was taken completely off guard, unsure if the heat spreading across her cheeks was a result of the prince's tight grip or her own embarrassment. She had definitely daydreamed once or twice about being in this position.
"No, you don't need to apologize, but I do. I am so sorry if I ever gave you the slightest impression that I would go through with Thorin's orders. I would rather set myself on fire than do that to anyone. I just couldn't bear the thought of you thinking I was capable of something like that but didn't want to make you any more uncomfortable so I told myself we would talk things out but every time I saw you, I just lost all my nerve and ran away telling myself I'd just give you more time and -"
"Whoa whoa, what are you talking about?" Briseis pushed away from the Prince to stare at him in confusion, slightly bewildered at where this rambling apology was going.
"Well...that's why you've been avoiding me, isn't it? Because you thought I was going to…"
The girl's grey eyes widened in realization before she shook her head vehemently.
"Oh no, Fili - no! That's not why I've been dodging your attention. I didn't think for a minute that you were going to defile me," she explained gingerly as she saw the look of utter relief sweep across the blonde's face before it disappeared just as suddenly.
"Then why have you been acting so strangely?" He asked tentatively, his expression betraying his feelings of disappointment.
"Because I made a promise I'm not sure I can keep," she whispered solemnly, finally admitting it out loud. "I have no idea how to cure Dragon Sickness. I don't even know if there is a cure!" -she threw her hands up in sudden exasperation- "And if there's not, how am I going to live with myself if Thorin lives to carry out his threat to your loved ones?"
The heir to Erebor shook his head, braids in his beard swaying back and forth as he dismissed her words.
"We'll figure that out together. And as for Sigrid, that won't happen, I've taken extra precautions and -"
"But what if he wakes up worse than before? I don't know if I can kill him," the girl whispered as though her inability to slay a man was an utter embarrassment.
But the straw haired Dwarf smiled sadly at her, raking his sea green eyes over her young face.
"Then you're a better person than you give yourself credit. You're also a Healer - you should be saving lives, not taking them."
Fili reached up and stroked the side of her cheek affectionately, like a parent consoling a fussy child.
Briseis shied away from his touch, nervously pulling at her long braid as her cheeks flushed scarlet.
The two shared a moment of silence, smiling and wordlessly expressing their support for each other.
"What's happening in there?" Kili's voice rang into the chambers, a hint of paranoia evident in his tone.
Fili rolled his eyes then smiled wickedly, winking at the girl before eliciting a loud, explicit moan.
The girl nearly choked on her own spit, ears burning red at the noises he was making before she covered her mouth to keep from laughter.
"Ha ha, very funny Fi," Kili huffed.
Briseis shook her head at the blonde dwarf and his devilish sense of humour, still chuckling before joining in the chorus of obscene moans.
"Oh, Fili, please - don't stop!"
At this, the youngest prince of Erebor let out a low oath accompanied by the jangling of keys as he hastily unlocked the door, swinging it open in an overly dramatic fashion.
The pair in the room began laughing loudly at Kili's flustered expression, the dark haired dwarf seeming anything but amused.
He muttered something in Khuzdul at his brother who dismissed it with a wave of his hand, going over to scratch a bristling Kili under the chin.
The younger dwarf swatted his sibling's hand away and spoke again in the guttural language of their kin.
"Then don't lock us in a room together!" Fili responded suddenly, adding a swift punch to the brunette's ribs before turning back to face the girl who stood silently, watching the brothers squabble with a bemused smile on her face.
"Come on, lass- we've got something to show you."
"Wait, you want to do this now?" Kili asked with a huff as he recovered from the jab in the gut. "I thought we were going to wait until morning."
Briseis' brow furrowed at their conversation, unsure if she was in the mood for anymore surprises. She'd had enough in the past week to last a lifetime.
"Well, that was before you threw an axe in my plans," Fili replied as he looked back at the suspicious girl, waving her over with zeal while grabbing a torch from the mantle.
"I promise, you'll love it," Kili assured, sensing her reservations as he turned to look at her for the first time since he'd thrown the door open. His face was bright and eager, a gleam of excitement shining deep within his olive brown orbs.
Looking at him was like taking a deep, calming breath and instantly the young Healer felt all of her worries melt away.
She smiled at her companion before following after the two brothers, wondering what they could possibly have in store for her.
They reached an empty corridor after a short walk, her path illuminated by Fili who was bobbing along contentedly through the halls of Erebor humming a strange tune. He hadn't glanced back once to see if the rest of his party was still in tow, but now stopped to usher them over.
Kili smiled hugely at the girl and Briseis felt her ears grow warm, her stomach tying into knots - new developments which had only started a mere two days ago.
She tried to downplay the effect he was beginning to have on her, but knew deep down that the dark haired prince was quickly becoming more than just a friend.
The girl from Norwoth Dale stumbled over to Fili who pointed her towards a single door to their left, his expression unreadable as he watched her move unsurely for the entrance.
Her heart began to play a steady drum roll against her ribcage as she stepped through the door into pitch blackness.
It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light, but before she had a chance to puzzle out any of the shapes in the chambers, both Princes followed behind her, the blonde quickly illuminating the torches along the walls of the vast room.
There was an enormous shelf cluttered with all manner of objects that took up an entire side of the chamber, the girl quickly picking out swathes of white bandages and various jars with unknown liquids and powders sealed tightly within.
A large stone table sat on the other side along with two stools, nearly buried under impossibly dusty books and parchment.
Further down, the room split in two - a narrow chamber with five beds laid out in a row and the other a seemingly empty area despite a single, brass cistern in the middle of the floor.
"What is this place?" Briseis posited the question to the night air as though the room itself would answer back. From the moment the torches illuminated the chamber, her eyes had danced across every item in the area.
"It's your new ward," Kili offered quietly, coming to stand in front of her.
"That's if she accepts the offer," Fili chimed in coming to stand next to his beaming sibling.
A thousand and one questions and emotions raced through the girl's mind as she nearly toppled over with the potential of what these two were inferring.
Clearly reading her nonplussed expression, the older dwarf smiled before he began to elaborate.
"Briseis, you are exceptionally gifted and we would be honoured to offer you post as Healer of Erebor," the dwarf announced with a certain air of gravitas that made her skin break out in goose flesh. "This" -he flourished a hand around him at their surroundings- "would be your Healing Ward. We'll pay you ten gold coins per patient - each is to be documented in your ledgers accordingly - and you can take on a few aides if you wish."
For once in her life, the girl with the grey eyes was speechless.
The two brothers stood in front of the girl radiating pure joy and excitement as they watched her ashen face while her brain tried to process what was happening.
After a few more minutes of shell shocked silence, Kili shifted nervously and stole a quick glance at his sibling.
"I think we broke her," he whispered half in jest.
His words pulled Briseis out of her trance and she slowly remembered how to speak.
"I-I can't- "
"We can offer you more gold if that's what you wish," Fili offered in a business like manner, crossing his arms.
The girl's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Good heavens no! I don't even know what I'd do with 10 coins per patient! That's more than my father made in a year."
The heir to the throne of Erebor smiled at her.
"Well, I'm not going to reduce your pay if that's what you're asking."
"What am I going to do with that much gold?"
"Does this mean you've accepted?" Kili piped in eagerly.
Briseis opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"You can think on it, but I would like your answer by tomorrow at Sun down," Fili offered.
"B-but I thought the Privileged weren't allowed to hold jobs," the girl from Norwoth Dale countered weakly. It was as though some part of her was trying to reject the offer because it was simply too good to be true. She was supposed to go back to her small, quiet village and spend the rest of her days healing the sick and injured with next to nothing to show for compensation. But this...this offer was beyond even her wildest dreams.
The blonde prince came to stand a foot apart from the young healer, a strange look in his sea green eyes.
"It's time things changed around here, and what better person to spark that change than you?" Fili praised, holding her face in his hands again. The rough calluses on his palms foreign against her soft skin. "Thank you for being the breath of fresh air we all so desperately needed."
Briseis stood frozen to the spot, face burning bright under the praise and physical contact until he smiled and let go, standing back to whisper with his brother for a few moments.
The girl's thoughts were hectic and disorganized, one idea barely forming before it was swept away by another tangent. She didn't know what to do - for all her outwardly strength and composure, she was still just a girl. One who wished desperately, more than anything else, to speak with her mother at this moment. To ask her advice, to tell her all that had happened and most of all, to hold her tight one last time.
The thoughts of her family which had been so carefully sealed away the past few days were starting to resurface again and it nearly made the girl double over in pain just to think of them.
Briseis took a deep shuddering breath, quickly wiping away the tears which threatened to escape her eyes before the two brothers noticed.
The fair haired dwarf nodded once at the younger prince and turned around to leave, throwing a quick wink in her direction.
"Oh and we've got a room settled for you, Briseis - one I strongly suggest you take," Fili added, giving her an admonishing look before slipping silently into the dark corridor.
"I suppose he doesn't agree with his little brother sharing a bed with strange women at night," Briseis concluded with a sheepish shrug.
"I think he's just jealous," Kili retorted, coming to stand next to the girl.
"Well then it seems like you Longbeards have a thing for brunettes."
Kili smirked but said nothing, instead he stood and watched the girl take in her surroundings.
She felt like a child in a sweet shop, her grey eyes ten times their normal size as she absorbed every object in the room. There were thousands of things she wanted to grab and touch and feel but her wobbling knees told her to find the nearest chair. She readily obliged, hobbling over to the large stone desk where she shakily set herself down on a dusty stool.
She stared into nothingness for a few short seconds, her mind blissfully numb and empty for the first time tonight.
"You okay?"
Kili's tone was gentle and he gingerly made his way over to sit on the stool next to her, wooden legs scraping against the floor as he unceremoniously scooted toward her.
Briseis didn't have the slightest clue on how to answer that question so she remained silent.
She felt the prince's large hand come to scoop one of her own into their warm, calloused depths as she turned her gaze onto him.
He tilted his head to the side, staring at her intently with a strange look in his eyes.
"What?" The girl asked, suddenly self conscious as she tried pushing herself away from his prying gaze.
"I'm trying to figure out what you're thinking," he muttered softly, stroking his chin. "I thought you'd be over the moon about this offer but here you are…"
Briseis let out a deep sigh, burying her face into her free hand.
"I am. I am so beyond grateful and ecstatic and...in utter disbelief at what you guys are offering me."
"Then what's wrong?"
"I just...I miss my family." She finished lamely, bowing her head. "I've spent the last eighteen years asking their permission and opinions about everything and anything and now to just be torn away from that and have something this monumental thrust into my lap without them here to guide me... I mean, I know I should get over it because I'll ever get to speak to them again-"
At this the young girl choked on the flood of words which escaped her mouth at record speed, her tears falling just as fast and sudden at the thought of her mom, dad and brother.
Kili let go of her hand and stood up, bringing her head to rest on his broad chest before wrapping both arms around her frame tightly. They remained in each other's embrace for a few moments until the Prince spoke.
"What if there was a way for you to speak to them again?" Kili whispered into her hair as he gently rubbed her back.
Briseis pushed away from him abruptly, heart hammering against her ribs as she stared at him with wide unbelieving eyes.
"What do you mean?"
The youngest son of Dis frowned deeply, momentarily avoiding her intense glare as he thought.
"If you were to write letters to your family and they happened to end up on my desk in pre-addressed envelopes and I accidentally put my name on them…" at this he brushed a stray strand of hair from her temple, smiling slightly at the girl who sat with baited breath in front of him. "I don't see why those letters couldn't make it to their destination."
Briseis could do nothing but stare at the dwarf in front of her now, warning herself not to get her hopes up as she internally debated his offer. She wanted desperately to connect with her family, but if Kili got caught…
"You'd be flogged."
"And thrown in the dungeons for a few months," the prince added nonchalantly, shrugging at the thought of being barraged with rocks then imprisoned - just so she could speak to her parents again. "But only if we get caught."
"Kili," Briseis clucked reproachfully. "I can't ask you to do that for me."
The young prince of Erebor looked at her for one long, silent minute before scoffing and shaking his head slightly. He came close again, putting both of his arms around her while staring straight into her stinging eyes.
"I guess you haven't noticed, but I would probably do just about anything for you," he said with a small smile, his olive brown eyes burning bright in the dim torchlight.
The Healer's heart did a painful somersault in her chest at his words. She didn't think he had fallen for her so thoroughly in such a short amount of time, and while she was definitely starting to reciprocate feelings for him to a certain degree, it became painfully clear that her burgeoning crush paled in comparison to Kili's affections.
She wanted to push away from him, to tell him how foolish and naive he was to fall for her so blindly, to protect him from the heartbreak if he found out how fresh and small her interest in him was. But another part of her was in awe at his kindness and generosity, and for whatever reason the latter part won over her senses.
Briseis carefully leaned closer towards the Dwarf, warning him with her steely grey eyes of what might happen if she went through with her next action. But Kili met her guarded gaze with an intense fire, wordlessly accepting her challenge as he parted his lips in anticipation, moving to nestle himself between her legs.
The girl's core pulsed at their proximity, her breathing suddenly heavy and heart aflame as she closed the small, electric gap between them and brought her soft lips to meet his, melting both of their worlds into a single, tingling point of bliss.
