auta miqula orqu- go kiss an orc

Tauriel POV

A knock on the door interrupted a tender moment between Kili and I. To my surprise an elven guard announced a request for me at Thranduil's quarters. A nervous look towards Kili, a quick reassuring kiss and I was crossing the expansive common space into the elven King's room.

Handir was slumped sloppily in a tiny arm chair, Thranduil was swaying slightly, and a carafe of dwarvish scotch lay on its side, empty on the table. If that wasn't proof enough I detected a hint of liquor in the air. It took all my elven training to suppress an amused snort at the scene before me.

I bowed my head respectively, "my lord."

Handir stood up and nearly fell over, catching himself inelegantly, "If his majesty permits it, I will take my leave." Without looking for Thranduil's nod, he stabilized his grip on the chair to slowly rise. Straightening his leathers, in a stoic elven fashion, managing to hide all inhibition and gracefully cross the room. Handir bowed to me as he made he exit, "Lady Tauriel."

Thranduil and I were left to stare at each other awkwardly. It seemed this would go on until one of us could work up the nerve to speak.

For most of my recognizable childhood I called this man adad, he was my father in every way. When Lavalin passed everything changed. Legolas rationalized that the grief distanced Thranduil from me. I knew in my heart it was the realm's deep seeded elitism, a strong political influence at such a vulnerable time for the king. My short courtship with Legolas further injured an already strained relationship. For near 200 years I accustomed myself to lower expectations. An adolescent elf spurned by a person who she always trusted to be a father figure in her life. Distanced from him with royal formality and low status. I had thought to leave the Greenwood on many occasions, every time I got the courage Thranduil would tempt me with favor. A ploy to make me believe we could fix a broken relationship, I stayed every time. The little girl in me holding on to hope, wishing to get back to the place we were before.

I knew now there were no regrets staying in the Greenwood all this time. Being at Erebor, away from Legolas, was more difficult than I had anticipated. Through everything he had always been an older brother, caring for me, consoling me, teaching me, never withholding because of expectation, always doing out of love.

Thranduil placed a hand on the table, while it looked poised and purposeful I was highly suspect it was to steady himself, "I have named you as a second heir to the Greenwood.'

Despite his unintelligible rambling, I now suddenly needed something to steady myself. It took some time for me to muster up the question and even then it came out in whisper, "why?"

His stare soft and genuine, a stark change from the cold indifference he masked himself with all the years before, "The time of the elves will pass before I have left this world. It is unlikely that even Legolas would inherit the throne. This time away from me... it's been... far too difficult to bear. Those old coots at elven court can go auta miqula orqu."

Shock. I didn't know how to respond, all my life I was simply a charge. Aside from a few child's gifts and the blades made for me by Legolas, I was given only what I needed. The court may have made my status clear but the love from him and Lavlin had been abundant. This love, was all a parentless elf had wanted from them. Naming me an heir was a far overshoot on my wishes. A prospect as overwhelming as Kili's engagement to me. Becoming a princess was never something I had coveted.

He took a few steps to close the distance between us, "This should have never been denied to you, Tauriel."

Unable to break from the habit of pushing him away I replied, trying my best not to sound petulant, "I never begrudged you that, I only ever wanted my adad."

Refusing to allow me to repel him, he pulled me into a tight hug. The memory of his hugs a comfort I had yearned for, brought out the child in me and I wept. He stoked my hair and held me until I calmed a bit, "You should have Tauriel."

Dís POV

"I still don't understand why you made me walk all the way to Dale and back" an irritated Fili snapped at Glandur. The healer slowly raised an eyebrow while stretching out the dwarfs stiff sore legs.

The tired elf turned to look directly at Fili and with zero expression replied, "The conditioning will only improve your strength faster. You'll need much in the way of exercise before you are completely healed."

Fili glowered on his bed as the elf continued to contort his limbs, drawing in his breath through teeth as a stretch pained him too much. "I really do feel so much better, all this is probably not needed."

The healer didn't bother to look at the patient as he answered, "Your state of health is remarkable, considering what happened, and the amount of time that passed. Dwarvish healing has certainly surprised me."

In order to stop Fili from further antagonizing Glandur, I felt I had to intervene, "What of my son's gait? Will the limp subside?"

The elf slowly sighed as he finished with one leg, moving to the other side to start the other, "He is young, with enough therapy it may disappear entirely. Perhaps he may even regain full rotation of the shoulder. If..."

Both Fili and I hung on his last word for an uncomfortable stretch, "If?"

Glandur's eyebrows knit together and his lips turned to a slow frown, possibly more expression than the elf had used in his long life, "... If he is careful not to re-injure himself." The physician looked back, continuing his work, "I gather patience is not his virtue."

I shot a look of warning to Fili as my son simultaneously feigned innocence, "I'm hopeful he will not squander this opportunity."

I fixed a suspicious glare at my son while the healer finished his work. Promising to return the next day to continue with strengthening Fili's muscles.

I softened my gaze on Fili, "So tell me, what is this idea you had to relieve tensions brought about by Kili's engagement."

"Ah, yes! The solution to our problem..." Fili looked down tapping his leg nervously, "... the solution is... to direct the need for pure heirs away from Kili and I." Fili used quotation fingers around 'pure heirs' before starting to pull his boots on.

"Direct it away from you?, " confusion knit in my expression, "How?"

Fili began looking a bit sheepish, "If Thorin... had his own children..."

I shook myself out of my shock, "I'm sorry... what?!"

Determined my son sat down in the tufted chair next to mine, "It's simple. If we can arrange an engagement for Thorin... it might take some of the heat off Kee."

I just gawked at him open mouthed and in utter shock, "Your uncle has never shown an interest in marriage... and even if he had, you're forgetting he sleeps! There has been no improvement... none! What family would tie their daughter to an invalid?!"

Fili waved off my arguments with a flourish of the hand and leaned in to look me square in the eyes, "A family that would take a gamble... a gamble that could make their daughter a queen."