Chapter 5:

Gailien's room is gorgeous. A high ceiling that follows the same angle of the arch that the top of her doors have. A large bed lies in the centre of the back wall, covered in a silky green blanket. When she first entered, she found her pack placed against the base of it, along with a wooden carving of a bird. It had been Bofur's latest that he had been occupying himself with while in Erebor. She doesn't know who gave it to her, but she is forever grateful, especially after losing the bear.

The Dwarven healer assigned to her is, fortunately, Oin himself (though she doubts this is just coincidence).

Her wardrobe is full of Dwarvish garments, but it is obvious that Thorin has picked out what is in there as the style and fit are exactly what she would have picked out. Mostly pants and blouses, but a few dresses that are simple but elegant.

Dwalin must have said something convincing as nobody bothers her for hours. She lies on the bed, almost sinking into the pile of pillows. In fact, she is so relaxed and comforted by both the bed and being back in Erebor with the Dwarves that an unexpected vision hits her.

As soon as she comes back to the present, she flings her legs off the bed in anticipation. Her chest and back scream at her and she clutches her hand over her front. A small moan passes her lips as she hunches forward, waiting for the pain to ebb away. Before it completely does, she is already back on her feet, walking as fast as she can towards her door.

A smile grows on her face as it comes closer, already hearing footsteps walking slowly through the hall outside. Her hand rests around the metal knob and she pulls it back, almost smacking her own face.

Fili stands on the other side, his clenched hand raised as though to knock. His other hand is wrapped around a staff similar to Thorin's. Gailien doesn't speak, nor letting him as she jumps forward, tightly winding her arms around his neck.

The staff drops from his hand, clinking against the stone floor as both of his arms wrap around her torso. They're both in pain, and they both know it, but no amount of pain could stand above the relief that they are feeling.

He rests his forehead on her collarbone, his shoulders shaking slightly as Gailien presses a hard kiss to the side of his head. "I'm so sorry," he whispers into her shirt. "I can never say that enough."

"Fee, you practically saved my life," Gailien counters, pulling his head back up. Fili looks at her with a doubtful expression – as though she is just telling him what he wants to hear, but it isn't the case.

"You were dying in my arms," he chokes out incredulously. "From my arrow. I think that's the opposite of saving someone."

Gailien smiles softly, her fingers brushing back the blonde strands of hair that have fallen over his face. "Bolg was going to snap my neck," she says. "I couldn't breathe, I could barely see. I had seconds until you shot that arrow. It may have missed its mark, but it gave me enough time to live. If you hadn't had shot that arrow, I would most certainly be dead."

Fili looks down at his shoes, not smiling but she can see the tension in his face softening.

"Besides, I broke your leg technically," she teases, squeezing his arm. "Consider it even?"

Fili coughs out a laugh, shaking his head. "Barely." He bends down to pick up his dropped crutch but Gailien bends down faster, noting his balance on one leg. "Thank you. How are you feeling?"

"A little sore," she shrugs. "But healing well. Surprisingly well honestly. Why don't you come in for a while and rest your leg? Bilbo tells me that you've barely stopped working."

Fili agrees sheepishly and she leads in him her chambers, leaving the door open. There are no desks or chairs, but her bed is large enough for at least three Dwarves if they ever wanted to share one bed. Gailien lies back down on her propped-up pillows which have been neatly organised to take the pressure off the right side of her back.

The Dwarf lets out an audible sigh as the pressure is taken off his broken leg. "Lie down," she orders him, guiding his head onto her stretched out thigh. Fili's eyes automatically close, feeling exhausted from the non-stop work and constant high level of emotions and stress running through him.

She threads her fingers through his hair, now confident enough with understanding the importance of different aspects of their hair. Fili smiles softly, breathing deeply with what feels like the first bit of actual relief and content in over a week. He hasn't had someone do this for him since he was a child.

"Thank you," she says quietly, keeping their peaceful atmosphere. "For coming to see me."

"Dwalin said he would kick my leg then drag me by the ear if I didn't," he mumbles with a wide grin.

Gailien frowns. "If he did that, I would give him a good smack around the head. But nevertheless, I'm glad he said so or I would have been storming over to your chambers tonight anyways. I would never blame you for what happened and I'm glad you know that now."

"I'm never going to not feel guilty," he confesses, still with closed eyes. "But seeing you up and walking really helped. I feel bad that you're comforting me right now, it should be the other way around."

"Honestly, this is comforting me as well. I've missed you this past week. I also need to talk to your brother, but that is my own fault."

"He was moping around all today," Fili notes, his words drifting off. "And I'm sorry for not coming down. I was terrified of seeing you look at me."

"The only person who should be terrified of me is Dwalin when he finally manages to push me over the edge," she teases, massaging his head with her fingertips. "You're stressed, I can feel it. Just relax. Thorin has Dain to help him at the moment, I'm fine and you're fine. Fall asleep if you want, I'm not going anywhere for a while."

"Now you're starting to be the older one," he mutters, his face falling to the side.

"About time," she laughs softly. "Consider this the beginning of me making it up to you for all those times you've comforted me over the past year."

"I like to think I'm good at it."

"You're more than amazing."

They both drift off into sleep, Gailien in the middle of her bed, half-propped up and Fili lying stretched out horizontally over it. They stay that way until the very late afternoon when another person arrives in her chambers.

Xx

Gailien wakes from her light slumber, her mind sensing something amiss. Her brows furrow before opening her eyes, blinking away the haze. She glances to the side, shocking herself as someone stands at the edge of her bed on the side.

She jumps, hand raising to her chest defensively. "Spirits, Kee," she hisses. "You terrified me."

"Sorry," he mutters, looking down at his feet. "I just saw your door open and thought you might want some company, but I see my brother is already providing that."

They both glance down at Fili who is surprisingly still in a deep sleep. He must be more tired than she thought if he didn't awaken to her jolt. She doesn't miss that slight jealously in his tone and she doesn't blame him since she had sent him away the past few days down at the tent and then as well when she arrived.

"I'm sorry," she whispers sincerely. She gestures to the spot next to her with her head. "Sit down, I'd love your company too."

A small smile tweaks in the corner of his mouth as he sits down on the left side of her bed, mimicking her position. Through the day she had thought about speaking to him but wasn't sure what she would say. It isn't his fault and she knows that he holds no negative feelings towards her for anything and the fear of seeing him has dimmed after this morning.

"I'm sorry again, for not seeing you earlier. I'm…struggling," she confesses. "I keep thinking that any moment you're going to turn on me. And I know in my heart that it's not true but my head…" She drifts off, scrunching her eyes tightly shut. "It's almost like being back in Mirkwood again."

"I'm always going to be here for you. And I know that it may be hard, but if you ever feel like that – just come talk to me. It'll help you see the truth and not listen to that lying little head of yours." He wiggles a finger to her forehead, earning a small laugh as she pushes his hand away. "I'm glad that Fee came to talk to you. He hasn't looked so relaxed in a week."

"I'm going to force him to bed through the next week," she states with a small smirk. "And Thorin. Maybe I'll tuck them in like children as well."

"I'm sure they'd both love that," Kili snorts. He frowns, tilting his head to the side as he looks at his brother. "What's going on with his hair?"

Gailien smiles broadly, leaning down slightly to emphasis what she had done. "I gave him a part," she muses, pulling half of his hair at the front to one side. "He was already asleep, so I thought, why not?"

"It looks awful," Kili notes, shrivelling his nose. "Put it back."

"Rude," she snorts but does so, nonetheless.

"I haven't seen him look like this since he was a child," Kili laughs, settling deeper into her pillows.

"Like what?"

"Like this," he restates, gesturing to his sleeping brother. "He looks like a youngling sleeping in his mother's bed. He's out there most days acting all kingly around the other Dwarves and now he's in here falling asleep on your legs."

"He seems to need it," she replies tenderly, smiling at the sleeping Dwarf. "I think we both needed it. You may join him if you want," she teases. Kili rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his front.

"I'm going to act my age," he declares but smiles humorously. Gailien stares at him with a raised brow and Kili looks over to her through the corner of his eye as his head remains straight. Without speaking, he jumps off her bed and marches towards her still-open door. He closes it then marches back to her. "I'm a prince," he defends. "I don't want their judgements."

Gailien laughs as he lies across the bed, the opposite way to his brother and lies his head on her other leg. She lifts her hand to his head, running her fingers through the loose hair as she did for his brother. She wouldn't be able to wipe the smile from her face if she wanted to.

Feeling cheeky, her hand drifts from his hair to his forehead and with one finger, draws an invisible line down the middle of his face and over his nose. At the end of his nose, she bops it slightly, making a 'bop' noise with her mouth. Kili laughs almost silently, pushing her hand away. Giggling, she brings her hand back, this time pinching both his cheeks together with two fingers.

In retaliation, Kili sticks his tongue out. "Egh!" Gailien snatches her hand back, wiping her palm over his sleeve. "So gross."

"I'm tired, I've been hauling stone all day," he moans. "Let me sleep."

"Alright," she laughs, dropping her hand. "But I'm waking you up for dinner. No way I'm missing out on that."

"Deal."

Gailien drifts off to sleep once more, never seeming to get enough of it recently. But she must never go into the same deep sleep as Fili as she awakens for a second time as her door is slowly pushed open.

She smiles, seeing Thorin's head peeking through. Gailien opens her arms to him, wanting him to come over. He's her Thorin and she needs to remember that. Thorin enters, shutting the door behind him.

He shakes his head, scoffing slightly as he hobbles over to her bedside. "I've been looking everywhere for these two," he muses, sitting down on the edge. "They're attached to your hip it seems."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Thorin brings himself further onto the bed, leaving his right injured foot hanging over the edge as he tucks himself in next to her. Gailien snuggles under the arm he places around her shoulder, gripping his tunic.

"They look like children."

"That's what Kili said about Fili," she laughs. "They're both children at heart. But also warriors. It's hard to see them as both, isn't it?"

"I know exactly how you feel. I remember when they were no taller than my knee, tugging at each other's hair because someone stole the other's toy. Are you feeling alright? I didn't come before because…."

"I'm better. And I'm sorry." She nestles her head further into his chest. "I've just had a hard time adjusting to everything. It all happened so quickly."

Thorin stays silent for a few moments, just watching his nephews snore slightly. "I don't want to pressure you," he says eventually. Gailien hums in confusion, peering up at him. "Into marriage. Dwalin said to not ask you about it for a while and I got the sense that he and you talked about it."

"Oh," she mutters. "To be completely honest, it's just not something I've thought about. Not because I don't want to be with you but with everything else going on, I hardly thought about what would happen after this quest."

"I understand," he says slowly. "I should not have brought it up without asking what you thought first. We can take it as slow as you please, assuming that you still wish to be with me."

"Or course I do."

"Just out of curiosity since Dwalin did not have an answer," he begins. "How do Elves perform marriages?"

Gailien laughs slightly, giving him a pointed look. "Consummation," she answers simply. "Any ceremony is purely to celebrate with family."

"Ah," he mumbles. "Would you still follow that custom?"

"I think it would be hard not to," she laughs. "Whatever custom everybody else has, I'm sure it ends the same way. Maybe just with a few other bits in between."

Thorin laughs, nodding his head. "I suppose you're right." Then he sighs deeply, wiping a hand over his face. "You Elves must get married in some weird places then."

Gailien's mouth drops open as she stares up at him. "Thorin," she hisses, smacking his chest with the back of her hand.

"What?" he laughs quietly, noting the still sleeping brothers. "You cannot tell me it always happens in the privacy of their beds. There have to be times where they cannot keep their hands off each other."

"I hadn't really thought about it," she replies dryly. "But thank you, now I'm going to be questioning that every time I see a married pair."

"I don't want even to mention the times that I've wanted to marry you then."

Gailien's mouth drops open, sparing a glance to make sure the brothers are still sound asleep before she whacks Thorin's chest harshly again. "Thorin," she laughs, covering her mouth. Thorin joins in on her laughter.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to hear you laugh again," he says, tracing a finger along her jaw. Gailien blushes, ducking her head but he pulls it back up.