Chapter Twenty-Three: Escapes and New Bonds

Italics - Memory

Bella tossed and turned in her bed, unable to get comfortable. After writing about the spiders of Mirkwood, she had had nightmares for the past two nights. Now it seemed like her body was refusing to sleep at all, unwilling to face the monsters for the third night in a row. Finally giving up on sleep, she climbed out of bed and slipped on her patchwork robe. Lighting a single candle, she carefully made her way to the den.

Stirring the fire to life, she added a stout log to it. Satisfied that it would burn well for a couple of hours, she grabbed the journal and inkwell and brought it over to the comfortable reading chair in front of the fire. Carefully setting the ink on the table next to the chair, she comfortably settled the journal on her lap. Then dipping her quill, she allowed her mind drift to a different set of dark rooms and started to write.

Bella had been slinking through the elven king's halls for over a week and she still hadn't found a way out. She was ready to tear her own hair out, not caring whether or not it would upset the dwarves. There was only so much that a hobbit lass could withstand and she was quickly reaching that limit. Her sleep had been rough and disjointed, she kept jerking awake at the tiniest sounds thinking that the elves had finally discovered her. Her rations had also been lacking, despite all of the company slipping her portions of their meals. She refused to take more than a few bites from any of them, they had been in just as dire of straights as she had been.

The only one that she hadn't been able to persuade was Fili, who stubbornly insisted that she eat half of his portion. He had threatened to call for the guards himself if she didn't, saying that he refused to see her waste away and that he didn't need as much food where he was just sitting around locked up all day. So she reluctantly ate it, even though her body was happy for the extra nourishment.

However, she was growing desperate to find a way out. The captivity was taking a toll on the entire company and she could see them getting quieter and more withdrawn every day. Well, all of them with the exception of Kili. She rolled her eyes when she recalled the first time she had caught him chatting with the red headed elleth that had saved him from the spiders. She thought that the warrior woman would laugh at his puppy eyes and walk away, but for some reason she seemed just as fascinated as the dark haired prince. She had worried about Kili especially where he was the youngest and most free spirited of the group and knew that captivity would be the hardest on him. But he was fascinated with the elf and spent the hours alone in his cell happily daydreaming. Remembering his fascination with the elf maids at Rivendell, she should've seen his infatuation coming. But it kept his spirits up, so she left him to it, although she wondered if she should worry about Thorin killing her instead for allowing his younger nephew to fraternize with an elf.

When she had told Fili, trying to lift his spirits on a day that he was especially down, he'd simply rolled his eyes and told her that Kili had always been quick to fall in and out of love, a side effect of his open heart. Bella thought that it looked like a lot more than a simple crush, but kept her mouth shut on the matter. If Fili wasn't going to be concerned, than neither was she.

She didn't bring up the matter again, telling him instead about the places that she had searched for a way out and of the people and things that she had seen in the halls. She had been particularly proud of the time that she'd managed to switch the sugar for the salt, so that when Thranduil tried to drink his morning coffee, he had ended up gagging instead. The pompous jerk had deserved it, several days spent around him not improving Bella's opinion of him at all. Fili had scolded her halfheartedly for taking foolish risks, but she could tell that he was amused. It had been good to see him smile.

It was on the eighth or maybe the ninth day when he unwittingly gave her the key to their escape. She was sitting slumped against the bars of his cell, feeling rather defeated. He was sitting on the other side of the bars, staring into space as he played absently with her fingers. He had been trying to lift her flagging spirits, but all of his attempts had fallen flat. It didn't help that she was always cold from having to wear the ring and she swore that the thing tried whispering dark thoughts to her at times, although she was much too busy to pay it any mind. And when she did have a moment to sit quietly, she was so tired that she ended up falling asleep.

Fili sighed as he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "Don't give up, love. You'll find a way out, you always do. After all, you managed to talk us out of getting eaten by trolls and you escaped the goblin tunnels all by yourself. Things aren't so bad here, we're fed and warm and even if the accommodations aren't so grand, we've lived through a lot worse. What you need to do it get a good night's sleep so you can look at it all with fresh eyes in the morning. Well, that and a good pint of ale. I'd give my left boot for a good pint to pass the time for a little while."

She relaxed against the bars and said sleepily, "You're right. I don't think I've slept well in days. Would it be all right if I just rested my eyes here for a little while? I feel safe when I'm with you."

He ran a calloused hand gently over her hair, "Go ahead and sleep, I'll keep watch and wake you in plenty of time if anyone comes. And leave the ring off, no one will see you, you have my word."

She hesitated but finally agreed. She had told him about the ring and how cold it made her feel a few days prior. Weaving her fingers through his, she allowed her eyes to flutter close, mumbling tiredly, "The green dragon had the best ale in the Shire. Someday we'll visit and you can judge for yourself."

He murmured back, "I'd like that." But she was already asleep, her breathing deep and steady.

It felt like she had barely fallen asleep when she found herself being shook awake, Fili calling her name quietly. She shot upright, looking around blearily and fumbling for sting. Keeping his voice low but firm, Fili said, "Bella, it's all right, it's just me. But the elves will be making their rounds again soon, so you need to wake up." The last few words were laced with regret.

Scrubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she offered him a tired smile. "It's all right, dear heart. That's more sleep than I've been able to get."

Yawning, she found her words to be true, her mind clearer than it had been for days. An idea occurred to her and she decided to go with it. She'd look for an exit again tomorrow. Standing, she beckoned him over to the bars. Puzzled, he did as she asked and she stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm going to go check on something. I'll try to come back sometime tonight, but if I don't make it back until tomorrow, don't worry."

She made to move away and he caught her hand and placed another kiss on it, his eyes warm but worried, before letting it go. He murmured, "Be careful, Bella."

She just gave him another small smile before slipping on the ring and heading silently down the hall.

Fili's words from earlier were circling in her head, about wanting a pint of ale. The elves probably didn't have any, just their wine, but it was worth investigating anyway. As far as she was concerned, her run in with the spiders had earned her a pint of ale and then some. Not to mention that it would undoubtedly lift the dwarves spirits if she could figure out a way to smuggle some to them as well.

Vaguely remembering seeing some stairs that had gone downwards that she had ignored, she tried to remember exactly where they had been. As she passed the area where Kili was locked up, she saw that he was talking yet again with Tauriel. Every time that she had managed to check in on him, that was all that she had heard, Tauriel, Tauriel, Tauriel. She listened for a moment, curious as to what they talked about. When she heard her telling him about a feast that all the elves would be attending the next night, Bella shrugged and kept moving. The last thing that she wanted to hear about was a feast that she wouldn't be able to attend.

Thankfully the stairs that she was searching for were in the next corridor. She made her way cautiously down them, having almost been run over more than once by an elf running silently up or down a set of stairs. It just wasn't fair that they could move that silently. To her delight, the stairs did lead to a cellar, but even more than that, it led to a way out.

If she wasn't being stealthy, she would have done a happy jig. But she was, so she had to content herself with a mental crow of happiness. After all this time, she had finally found a way out when she hadn't even been looking. It only took a couple of minutes for the plan to come fully together. She knew that the company wouldn't be entirely happy, but if they didn't want to miss Durin's Day, they would have to put up with her idea. It's not like they had had any better ideas. But the timing would have to be just right.

She grinned suddenly. Overhearing about the feast had been a fortuitous bit of information. What better time to escape than when the elves were tipsy and busy carousing? Suddenly she realized that she hadn't managed to locate the dwarves belongings. She had so much to do if she was going to break them all out of the dungeons the next night.

Despite her best attempts, she hadn't been able to make it back to Fili's cell that night. She had been busy scampering from one end of the elven king's halls to the other. Still, she was satisfied with her night's work, having finally managed to round up all of the belongings of the company that had been so rudely taken from them. After tucking them safely away in a storeroom near the cellars, she allowed herself a brief nap in the niche she had found the first night. She only lightly dozed, many elves passing back and forth no doubt handling the many preparations for the feast.

It was dusk when things finally died down, the feast getting underway. Bella had to wait for the key keepers to get drunk enough that she could get the keys from them. It took a while and she silently cursed the elves ability to hold their drink. But finally sometime near dawn they succumbed to the wine's power and passed out on the table. Grabbing the keys, she raced for where her dwarves were imprisoned.

She could hear them gritching back and forth about not reaching the mountain in time. Pleased that she had finally found a way out, she pulled off the ring and almost danced up to Thorin's cell. She said softly, mischief sparkling in her eyes, "Well, you certainly won't reach it locked up in these cells. Ready to get out of here, your majesty?"

Thorin grinned back at her and the other dwarves started calling out, having heard her. She shushed them hastily, reminding them that there were still guards nearby. She moved quickly from cell to cell, unlocking them. Fili was waiting anxiously at the door, his hands in a white knuckled grip around the bars. Relief entered his eyes when he saw her, but they didn't have a chance to speak as Kili came over and pulled him into a rough hug.

Rounding up the company, she hissed quietly, "Follow me, everyone, quickly."

They obediently followed her down to the storeroom where she had stored all of their clothing and items that had been taken from them. They had given quiet cries of delight and she had had to shush them yet again. Shooing them into the room, she waited anxiously in the hall for them to finish. Despite having the second most amount of items, it had taken her forever to round up all of his knives, Fili was the first one back out into the hallway.

He pulled her into his arms and rested his forehead gently against hers. "I was so worried when you didn't show up today. I thought that they had caught you."

She grinned up at him, relief and anticipation shimmering through her, "No, I told you that I might not be able to make it back. I was going to find you some ale. Instead, I found us a way out."

The rest of the dwarves piled back into the hallway and they were forced to step apart. Pleased to see the company looking much more themselves, she beckoned for them to follow her. It went swimmingly until the dwarves realized exactly where she had led them.

Kili scowled and exclaimed quietly, "I don't believe it, we're in the cellars!"

To which Bofur immediately added, "Yer supposed to be leading us out, not further in!"

She scowled at him and told him that she knew what she was doing and he had hushed her! She wanted to kick him but reminded herself that she liked Bofur and they would all be better once they got out of this Valar forsaken wood. And if things weren't dicey enough, her sharp ears managed to pick up the sound of distant shouting. The guards must've discovered that the dwarves had escaped. Knowing that they were running out of time, she hissed, "Everyone, climb into the barrels."

Dwalin whirled back to face her, his expression confused, "Are you mad, they'll find us?"

She pleaded with him, "They won't find you, I promise you. Please, please, trust me."

They milled about uncertainly and she looked pleading at Thorin. They were nearly out of time and if they didn't get moving, they would get caught for sure. It only took Thorin a moment to decide and he called firmly, "Do as she says."

She shot him a grateful look as they all immediately started climbing into the barrels. Nearly dancing with impatience and anxiety, she did a swift count to make sure that she hadn't accidentally mislaid any of them. And this was where her plan got a little dicey. Praying for the best, she made her way towards the lever. Bofur poked his head out of the barrel and asked, "What do we do now?"

If she took a bit of wicked satisfaction in her answer, well, one couldn't really blame a frustrated hobbit lass, now could they? She hissed quietly, "Hold your breath." And then she pulled the lever. To her delight, things worked out just as she imagined, except for two tiny details. Now, she didn't have a barrel and she was on the wrong side of the floor.

Panicking slightly, not that she would ever admit it, she ran over and tried to figure out how to make it move so she could escape. The company needed her to burgle from a dragon, not be stuck in a rude elven king's cell. Not to mention that Thranduil would be less than pleased that his prisoners had escaped and would most not likely spare her just because she was a female.

That thought had just darted through her head when she found the right spot and went plunging downward. That's when she discovered yet another flaw in her plan, one that could prove fatal to her. Hobbits couldn't swim. Praise Yavanna, for reasons that she couldn't understand, Thorin had kept the dwarves there waiting for her and Nori pulled her up, allowing her to latch onto his barrel. Even more surprising were Thorin's words of praise and not censure, like she had halfway expected.

Of course, because their luck was never good for long, the elves quickly figured out their escape route around the same time as the company hit rapids in the river. It was all that Bella could do to cling to the barrel, managing to grab brief snatches of air that were still a good percentage water. And just for a little bit of extra challenge, there was a river gate that the elves managed to signal to be shut, causing the dwarves to bottleneck there.

But the moment she knew that they were well and truly in trouble and that someone out there truly hated them was when the orc arrow killed the elf guarding the gate. The other guards were doing their best to fight off the attack, but Bella was panicking. The dwarves were sitting ducks in their barrels trapped at the gate. And what in the world were orcs doing right outside the elf king's palace. Weren't the spiders bad enough, now he was allowing orcs to roam freely through his woods?

That was the exact moment that an orc went for Nori and before she knew she was moving, she had stabbed and killed the wretched thing. But more were coming, she had to find a way out of this mess. Before she could figure out a course of action, Kili was scrambling out of his barrel and heading for the lever to open the gate. She watched him run, horrified when he was struck in the knee by an arrow. A cruel wound, a debilitating wound, but not a kill shot. It was made even worse when Fili screamed his brother's name.

Despite being injured, Kili managed to still pull the lever and open the gate. Thankfully Fili was able to grab Kili's barrel and hold them there long enough for the younger prince to roll off the gate and into it. Bella prayed that the injury was not as severe as it looked. Then they were back in the rapids and there was a battle raging between the orcs against the dwarves and elves. She didn't even know how the dwarves were managing to fight, but she prayed desperately as she scrabbled to hang onto the barrel and not be washed off or killed.

She didn't know what happened, but one minute, there was chaos all around them and then suddenly the orcs and elves were gone. If it weren't for all the arrows embedded into the barrels and the pained expression on Kili's face, she would've never known that they had even been around. Then there was no more time for thought as the river tried to swallow her whole.

She didn't know how far the river carried them until it smoothed out and they were able to find a place to land safely. Fili was at her side as soon as he was out of his own barrel, helping her to pry her fingers loose and help her to shore. As soon as she felt the shore under her feet, she released him and rasped, "Check on Kili."

As he turned and ran to Kili's side, she staggered three steps onto dry land before falling to her hands and knees and vomiting up all of the water she had managed to swallow. Once she could breath past the nausea, she pushed to her feet and staggered over to where Fili was inspecting Kili's wound. Kili was insisting that he was all right, but he was pale and there were lines of pain around his mouth and eyes.

Thorin called for them to get up and moving. Fili protested, "He's injured, we need to bind the wound first."

Thorin scowled, "There's an orc pack on our trail, we need to get moving."

Bella could understand his point of view, especially considering the skirmish that they had all just endured. But it would be better if the whole company was in fighting trim. She was also disturbed by the lack of concern by Thorin for his nephew. Thorin was not a demonstrative dwarf by any definition of the word, but he did care deeply for his people and even more so for his kin. So when he didn't even bat an eyelid at Kili's injury, it sent alarm bells ringing through her.

However, that concern was quickly shoved aside for the more immediate one of the armed man aiming a bow at them. Bella froze, barely breathing. They had made it away from all of the orcs and elves only for this to happen. Thankfully Balin managed to keep a cool head and soon they were climbing onto the barge to journey to Laketown. She had to admit that it did solve the problem of getting around the lake quite neatly and would at least slow the orcs pursuit of them, although she didn't think that anything would truly stop them.

After asking the man his name, she made her way over by the mask and sat, huddling against the wood and wrapping her arms around her knees. Balin was counting out the money and she passed over what little she still possessed, being careful not to move too much. The swaying of the boat unnerved her and kept reminding her that there was only water underneath her. Gloin was being recalcitrant about the money, until they caught a brief glimpse of Erebor, and then he couldn't hand over his money fast enough.

Bella only glanced at the mountain, too miserable at the moment to care about it. A series of sneezes erupted out of her. Once she managed to stop sneezing, she wished longingly for a handkerchief before reluctantly wiping her runny nose on her sleeve.

Fili had been fussing over Kili, both of them falling silent and staring at the lonely mountain in awe. However, her sneezing drew his attention and he turned away to come join her. He knelt in front of her and brushed a loose curl out of her face, "What are you doing hiding here, amralime?"

She sniffed and wiped her nose again. She said firmly, "I'm not hiding, I'm being sensible."

He studied her worriedly, "What do you mean, sensible?"

She sighed, "Hobbits cannot swim, Fili. I'm not going to get close to the edge, our luck had been poor enough as it is and I'm not going to tempt it any further."

He got the oddest look on his face and his question was strangled, "Hobbits can't swim?"

She shrugged and hunched inward, shivering from her wet clothes, "A few can, mostly the Brandybucks, but I can't." She shivered again.

He whipped off his coat and went to wrap it around her, but she shook her head. He growled, "Bella, your lips are turning blue! Take it!" Wrapping the coat around her, he sat and pulled her into his lap, putting his arms around her in a firm embrace.

She nearly whimpered at the heat coming off of him. She muttered, "How are you so warm?"

It looked like he tried to smile for her, but his lips only gave the barest twitch, "When Mahal created us, it is said that he put a forge inside of us to keep us warm when we delved deep into the earth." A fine tremble ran through him and he rested his chin on her head. "What were you thinking? I could've lost you. How could you have been so foolish."

She felt her temper heat at that. In a voice that practically dared him to say that again, she said, "Excuse me?"

He growled, "Knowing that you can't swim, you chose to jump into the river anyway, without a barrel or anything. You didn't even bother to tell us that you couldn't swim so that we could have looked out for you, gotten you into one of the barrels. Are you so ready to throw away your life?"

Part of her was telling her that she had scared him and that was the reason behind his harsh words. But a larger part of her was exhausted, scared, and angry. She had been fighting to keep up and keep going for so long, to care for all of them and keep them safe. She had spent days walking though poisonous woods, fought giant spiders, and slunk through the elven king's halls for days looking desperately for a way out so they could go and steal from a dragon so that they could regain their home. And now he accused her of being foolish and suicidal? Where had Thorin's lecture been for throwing himself at Azog? But no, once again Bella was the one who had screwed up.

Pushing out of his embrace, she staggered to her feet and glared at him, his coat hanging loosely off her shoulders. She hissed, "How dare you? Do you think that I wanted to do that? I looked, there was no other way! We had to get out of there, we're running out of time! And it's not like I could stay behind, I was brought on this quest for a very specific reason. And it's not like I could stay behind. Thranduil imprisoned you for just crossing Mirkwood and thinking that you might be lying to him. Just what do you suppose he would've done to me if he discovered that I had aided your escape. I don't think that it would be pleasant! Do you think that this has been fun for me, that I liked having to make a split second choice between life and possible death? Not only that, but do you know how hard it was to have to tell all of you day after day that I still hadn't found a way out and watch the light and hope fade a little more from your eyes? To slink about in the dark and the cold, always hiding, catching only the barest snatches of sleep? I'm doing my best but apparently that's not good enough!"

She buried her face in her hands and breathed deeply, fighting back her tears. This was wrong, all wrong. They had finally managed to escape the dungeons and had even managed to get away from the orcs. There was still a chance that they could reach Erebor in time. None of them had died in the escape, although Kili had been injured. Sweet Yavanna, she should be tending to Kili, not having a pity party for herself. But anger and hurt and exhaustion swam through her and she swayed dizzily on her feet. The tears pricked even harder at her eyes. All she wanted was a patch of clean earth, a mug of ale, and a day's worth of sleep, was that too much to ask for?

Warm arms wrapped around her, drawing her gently into a firm chest. She stiffened but the arms didn't release her. Allowing her hands to drop, she saw that it was Fili who held her. She had just yelled at him for things that were not truly his fault, why was he holding her so tenderly?

He soothed her softly, "Oh Bella, I'm sorry, so sorry. It'll be all right, the worst is over. I'm sorry for snapping at you. You're the bravest lass I know and I know that you did everything that you possibly cold. But the thought of losing you, love, it makes my blood run cold and my heart stop. If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do. It terrifies me as much as losing Kili or Uncle, maybe even more."

Cradled in his arms, she could feel the fine trembling coursing through him. She had done this, she had reduced the cheerful crown prince to this. Sliding her arms around his waist, she clung to him for dear life, shivers racking her own frame. Breathing in the scent that was uniquely Fili, she allowed his arms to shelter and hide her from the world, drawing strength from him. Tucking her even closer, he rested his cheek on her head and hummed a dwarven lullaby, the sound deep and soothing.

Finally the tremors eased from both of them. Taking one last deep breath, she pulled back reluctantly. Cupping his face, she rubbed her thumb along his cheekbone, "I'm sorry, dear heart. It all just hit me at once. It wasn't your fault, this journey has just been, challenging."

He let out a mirthless chuckle, leaning into her touch. "It's a miracle that you haven't run screaming from this quest yet." His eyes turned serious and he leaned his forehead against hers. He said quietly, "Marry me, Bella."

She gaped up at him. "Fili! We've just started courting. We barely even know each other. I'm fine, you don't need to do this."

His expression remained firm and warm, "We know each other better than if we'd spent years courting traditionally. It doesn't matter how long we have known each other. this quest has shown me who you truly are. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my days with you, whether it's just one day or a hundred years. I don't know what the future holds, but I want to face it with you at my side. Please, Bella."

She stared at him, her heart trying to hammer it's way out of her chest. His expression was open, his eyes warm with an emotion that she couldn't call anything besides love. Every bit of her mind screamed that it was too soon, that it wasn't proper, while her heart begged for her to accept his love and let him know that she felt the same way about him. Suddenly, an old memory surfaced, from when she had been a tween. She had been mocked by some of the other tweens about her mother's love of traveling, saying that it was improper and unhobbitlike. She had been young enough that the words had cut keenly.

She had stormed home, passing her mother in the garden without a word. She was stomping through the hallway heading to lock herself into her room when her father stepped out from the study. He looked at her then at her mother who had followed her inside from concern. He asked mildly, "Bella, what troubles you?"

She had whirled to face them, angry tears trickling down her face, "Why did you two ever even marry? A Baggins and a Took don't belong together, it should've never happened."

Her mother had sighed, her face tightening with sadness and disapproval. However, it was her father that spoke up. He moved over and had taken her mother's hand, weaving his fingers through hers and squeezing gently. "Ah, people are saying the same old drivel I see. That your mother is unhobbitlike with her love of travel, that she shouldn't be wed to a respectable hobbit, so on and so forth."

Bella had nodded, her hands clenched into fists. "They say that I am nothing but a disappointment and she travels to escape me, to get away from you."

Bungo shook his head sadly. "They lie. You are special and we love you dearly. As for why I married your mother? The moment I saw her, laughing brightly, I knew that she was the one for me, that there would never be another. There was such light and love in her." Anger crossed his face, "However, not everyone could see the beauty and uniqueness that is your mother. They hurt her deeply, trying to make her just like them, when she's so much more. It took her three years to believe that I cared for her just as she was. But know this, I would've waited a thousand years for her. It didn't matter, everything else, my heart knew she was my One. And I have never regretted it, not once." He had looked at Belladonna as he said it, his expression filled with love.

Bella turned her attention to her mother, noticing how sad she suddenly seemed, "People have always called me odd, because I've followed wherever my heart led me, dear one. When your father first approached me about courtship, I thought that it was a prank, a heartless one. For how could a respectable Baggins care for a hobbit lass that even the Tooks considered free spirited and wild? I was quite cruel to him. But he never gave up on me and gradually I began to see how true his heart was. It took months for me to learn to trust him and his love, everyone said that it would never last, that we were doomed to failure. But he is my other half and when he is at my side, I don't care what the rest of the world has to say."

Bungo had pressed a kiss to Belladonna's temple and she had relaxed into his side. He looked at Bella, his expression serious, "Don't settle for less, Bella, and don't let others dictate what is wrong or right. Follow your heart and be happy, that is all that we want for you."

Fili's voice called her back to the present, "Bella?"

Her father's words echoing in her ears, she realized that he was right. Just as Belladonna had been it for Bungo, Fili was it for her. It didn't matter what anyone else said or thought, all that mattered was him and her. Pushing to her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She ignored the quiet exclamations and catcalls from the other dwarves as Fili kissed her back.

Finally he drew back, his eyes shining brightly. He murmured, "Is that a yes?"

She smiled up at him, "Yes and no."

He frowned down at her, "What do you mean?"

"It means that yes, I will marry you." She pressed a finger against his lips, stopping him when he went to kiss her again. "But not until after we've reclaimed Erebor."

He protested, "Bella."

She shook her head, feeling joy bubbling up in her. "I'm not going to run away. I don't want to rush into marriage with you simply because of circumstances. I love you, my Fili. I want to be wed with all of your family around us and that includes your amad. I'm not going to change my mind and I doubt you are either, stubborn dwarf. So weave a betrothal braid and then let's finish this so we can get married." Seeing that he was going to protest again, she teased, "Call it incentive."

He grumbled but couldn't stop his grin, joy and love shining brightly in his eyes. He picked her up and spun her around, laughing. She clutched at his shoulders, remembering abruptly that they were on a barge in the middle of a lake. Sensing her brief flash of fear, he set her back on her feet, his eyes apologetic. She brushed a light kiss over his lips, pulling away before he could respond. "Braid now, more kissing later. Kili's looking rather green around the gills and I don't know if its from the water or from us kissing."

Fili plopped down on the deck and pulled her into his lap, rolling his eyes while Kili teased, his expression pinched with pain but still happy for them, "Definitely you two kissing. I'm an impressionable young dwarf here, what would amad say?"

Carefully undoing her courting braid, Fili shot back, "She'd say that it's about time that one of us got our act together and found a pretty girl to settle down with."

The brothers would've kept bantering, but Bard harshly hushed them, warning them that they were getting close to Laketown and that sound carried farther over water. They all fell silent, anticipation coursing through them. But for the first time in days, Bella felt happy and at peace.

Setting aside the quill, Bella reached up and ran her fingers over her braid, a long running habit. Her father had been right about following her heart. She knew that many others in her place would've wished that they'd never met the dwarves, never had to experience such heartbreak. But she couldn't regret a single moment of her time with Fili. The only thing that she would regret was if she had never met him, nothing else.

She thought of him traveling to wed a dwarf maid and sighed. Even that she could not regret. As long as he was happy, it was all worth it. She could understand better now why her father let her mother travel whenever the fancy struck her. When you loved someone, you just wanted their happiness. She smiled, looking at her mother's portrait. And she was more her mother's daughter than she had ever thought. As a girl, respectability had been so important to her. But as her mother knew and she had come to find out, respectability is a poor substitute for true happiness. Her mother had searched the world for beauty and found it in unexpected places, but she had always returned to them to share it. That was a gift that she was just now coming to recognize.

Maybe, in a decade or two, she would follow her mother's footsteps and leave the Shire in search of beauty. She had the feeling that her parents would understand.

Fili woke slowly, feeling more content and at peace then he had been in weeks. He might've been tempted to linger, but as memories of the dream came back to him, energy blazed through him. Climbing out of the bedroll, he stood and stretched, unable to help the grin on his face. Kili brought him a mug of coffee, his expression disgruntled. He grunted, "Why are you so cheerful? You've been in a mood for weeks."

Fili's grin widened, "I had another dream last night."

Yawning widely, Kili grumbled, "Goody for you."

Tauriel joined them and dropped a kiss on Kili's head, laughing at his pout. "Nin meleth, you are cranky this morning. And what has you so cheerful, muindor?"

Sipping appreciatively at the coffee, he said, "I had another dream last night."

Her eyes lit up at this and she smiled at him, "It must have been a good one. What did your dream show you?"

His grin softened, remembering. "It was after we had escaped. Kili had been injured and we had barely escaped the orcs. We had made it safely to shore only to be threatened by Bard."

Tauriel looked startled at this, "The king of Dale?"

Fili nodded, "He was the one in charge of retrieving the barrels. Well, we finally got him to agree to take us to Laketown. As we were heading to Laketown, I learned that hobbits cannot swim. I had come so close to losing her again and I didn't even know it. We had a fight." He felt a small flash of fear at how close he had come to losing her once again.

Tauriel frowned at that, "That doesn't seem to be a good dream."

He smiled, "I was scared and lashed out, she was the same. And I realized that I didn't want to spend another moment without her, not when I had already almost lost her so many times. I asked her to marry me, she said yes."

This woke Kili up and he stared wide eyed at Fili. "Are you married?"

Fili stared at him, the full realization suddenly sinking into him. He stuttered, "I don't know."

Kili looked at him, sympathy and frustration warring on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Bella agreed to marry me, but only after we had reclaimed Erebor. Said that she wanted our entire family there, including amad. But I still don't know what happened before I woke up after the battle."

Kili and Tauriel exchanged glances, seeming to hold an entire conversation in a matter of moments. Finally Kili said, "I wouldn't worry about it. You haven't even looked at another, so even if you are married, you haven't strayed. And if you aren't, you should still be happy. She said yes to you. Even before you knew you were Ones. It's going to work out, nadad."

Fili nodded, his spirits lifting at the reminder. Suddenly he remembered and pulled out the sketch. He motioned for Kili to turn around. Kili grumbled but did as he was asked and Fili used his shoulder as a surface to draw on. He quickly sketched a charm of a tiny spiderweb and then another of a barrel. He studied it closely, absently telling Kili that he was done. Both Kili and Tauriel crowded close and examined the sketch.

Tauriel said approvingly, "It is a beautiful piece, I can't wait to see it created."

Kili grinned at him, "She's going to love it, I just know it."

Fili stared at the sketch. He said quietly, "There are spots for two more charms."

Tauriel asked curiously, "Does that mean that your story is almost complete?"

He felt hope warring with fear as he answered quietly, "Yes and no. The quest is almost complete. But our story? I hope that it's only beginning."

Notes:

Sindarin
Nin meleth - My love
Muindor - Brother

Next chapter - A brief stop in Laketown to prepare for Erebor, the dwarves are almost to Rivendell