Chapter 2

The moment Oin gave him permission, Kili went to the forges and created a set of plain beads for Tauriel. He couldn't officially propose, but no one ever said that a lesser prince couldn't give beads of promise. If anything, it made his life easier. Tauriel was his One. Acknowledging her as such publicly kept him from having to go through the entire courtship mess Fili would have to.

With the beads finished, he just had to ask her.

He agonized. He planned. He plotted. He threw out the plans and plots and started again. He thought and thought and thought but nothing seemed worthy of Tauriel. What could he possibly do to properly express his devotion to his One? Did others have this problem?

Sitting in a council meeting, watching his uncle cast glances at the Company's burglar, Kili realized that yes, others did. Uncle Thorin had pined, mooned, and dithered over Bilbo for the entire journey to Erebor. Kili had thought things would change on the Carrock when Uncle had embraced Bilbo, but, much to almost everyone's irritation, nothing did.

That didn't matter now. They were married. Thorin was king. Bilbo was his consort. And Kili still couldn't figure out how to ask his One if he could court her.

He was doomed.

Would it be a bad thing if he suddenly started beating his head on the council room table? Looking at it, he wondered if someone had done just that at some point. The dents in front of him seemed to indicate such a thing.

Finally, the meeting adjourned and Kili slunk out of the room before anyone could stop him. He needed to think .

He couldn't find Tauriel anywhere inside the mountain. After asking around, he learned that she'd headed out with a bow and quiver. The dwarf on guard at the gates couldn't tell him which way she'd gone. He hadn't cared to pay attention to the elf.

Annoyed, Kili went in search of Balin. After ascertaining he didn't have anything he had to do for his uncle or the good of the kingdom, he bundled up, grabbed his own bow and quiver, and left the mountain, ignoring the guard's protest that no one was to leave the mountain unescorted.

"Then why did you allow Tauriel to leave?" Kili snapped. The guard blinked in surprise, taken aback by his outburst. "Tauriel has saved lives of Durin's line multiple times-" two was considered multiple, right? Three if he counted the incident with the giant spiders "-and our people owe her much for her aid in The Battle. Now back to your post. I'll be reporting you to Captain Dwalin when I return."

The dwarf blanched beneath his beard but stood to attention, not offering further protest.

Grumbling under his breath, Kili took in his surroundings, trying to decide if he were Tauriel, which way would he go? With no clues to go on, he started his way along the base of the mountain, heading toward Mirkwood. Game would come from that direction just as well as any other. Either that or game would be heading that way, in search of food as well as shelter from the oncoming snow and ice.

He walked, slogging through the muddy remains of the first snows . His efforts and clothing kept him warm as he searched the area for any sign that Tauriel might have passed that way.

Elves and their unfair advantages in the snow and muck. She probably danced across the top without getting a drop of grime on her clothing .

Then again, her advantages could well help them through the winter, bringing in fresh meat instead of all the dried and cured supplies Dain's troops had brought with them.

The silence pressed in on him, broken only by his own breathing and the susurrations of his clothing and the squelching of mud under his boots. Some of his unease from earlier in the day quieted and he concentrated on his task, scanning the horizon in front of him.

A green and brown dot not too far away caught his attention after a couple hour's trudging through the muck .

"There you are," he muttered and changed course so he headed straight toward it.

It took another half an hour, but he finally reached Tauriel. She sat on top of a boulder. As he expected, there wasn't so much as a smear of mud on her. She didn't move as he approached, just sat, staring out at the distance .

"Do you mind that I came to find you?" Kili asked as he stopped beside her.

"Not at all," she said, finally pulling her eyes away from the desolation. "Join me?"

He looked pointedly at where she sat on top of the boulder. He could climb it, if he really wanted, but there didn't seem to be much room for him to sit.

Tauriel laughed, the sound rolling across the plain before them and Kili felt a grin tug at his lips. He loved hearing her laugh. Tauriel jumped from her boulder and landed next to him without even the slightest sound of a splash in the mud.

" Elves and their unfair advantages in nasty conditions ." Kili grumbled good-naturedly . "What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked.

"Enjoying the peace," Tauriel said. "I'm afraid I've been feeling a little cooped up within Erebor."

Kili could have cursed himself. She was an elf. A creature of nature and woods and open expanse beneath the stars. Being continuously within the mountain must grate against her very being.

"You don't have to stay in Erebor," Kili told her, aiming for reassuring instead of pathetically begging.

Tauriel smiled at him. She reached out and took his hand. "I think I do," she said. "I'd hate to be parted from my heart."

Kili breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll find ways to get you outside," he promised. "Join all the hunting parties and scouting parties."

"Will you be able to?" Tauriel asked. "You are a Prince of Erebor, after all."

"I'm the younger prince," he reminded her with a shrug. "I have some duties, sure, but Fili's the one people really want around, him being the heir and all."

Tauriel didn't react to the self-deprecation in his tone. "Then we will hunt orcs and game in your spare time," she agreed. "For now, we should probably return to the Mountain before someone sends a search party out for their missing prince."

By the time they returned to the mountain, they'd managed to bag a few hares. There wasn't much meat on them, but any food was always welcome in Bombur's kitchens. The humans taking refuge in Erebor from the supposed on-coming storms (and Kili silently agreed with those predicting them. There was something in the air and the clouds looked the right color, slightly green, for snow) walked toward the kitchens and the adjoining room where everyone would eat just ahead of them. He recognized Bard's three children immediately, the eldest daughter leading the small group.

"I'll meet you in just a minute," he promised Tauriel. "I'll just take these to Bombur first." He lifted the hares before crossing the room, heading for the kitchen beyond it. It took him a little while to find the robust dwarf and when he finally did and left, he stopped by the table where the Bardlings had sat down with bowls of stew.

"Who let you three into the Mountain?" he asked as he plopped onto the bench next to Tilda.

"Kili!" she cried and threw her arms around him. "I'd heard you were better but I'm so glad to see it too!"

"Nothing could keep me down for long," he said with a grin. "How are you?"

"We're fine, Prince Kili," Sigrid said.

"And your father?"

"Back in Dale," Bain said and bit into the thick slice of bread that accompanied his steaming bowl of stew.

"He's fine," Sigrid added. "He's helping the rest of our people gather what they can before they come to take refuge here."

Kili nodded. "He's a good man, your father," he said. "He'll make a wonderful Lord of Dale."

"Don't let Da hear you say that," Tilda said. "He doesn't want to lead anyone."

"But he'll rise to the occasion," Kili said confidently. "A man like your father won't risk your people to another man that might turn out to be like Laketown's former Master."

"I'm afraid you're right," Sigrid said with a sigh. "Which means we'll all be expected to live differently as well."

'Not too differently, I expect," Kili said with a smile he hoped was comforting. "You all seem to have level heads on your shoulders. I doubt you'll let something like nobility change you."

"But it does change expectations put on us," Sigrid said and she poked a bit at her stew.

"It's nothing you should be worrying about now," Kili told her. "We all need to survive this winter first. I expect we'll all be working just as hard as the common man and dwarf to make this place liveable. Might even do you some good on that front. If you're seen working alongside your people, they'll respect you more and expect you to act less like a snooty noble."

"Do you really think so?" Tilda asked. "I don't want my friends to treat me differently."

"It's worked so far for my family," Kili told her and ruffled her hair. "Just take it a day at a time. You'll see."

"Thank you, Prince Kili," Sigrid said.

"You're welcome. And none of this 'Prince' nonsense. I'm Kili, especially to those that have put me on a table with a bowl of walnuts for a pillow while I was delirious with fever."

Tilda and Bain both snickered at that. He winked at Sigrid before standing and going over to where Tauriel stood with Bilbo. The hobbit stepped away with a kind smile at Tauriel as Kili approached.

"He's in his element," Kili remarked as he watched Bilbo head toward Bard's family. A few moments later, Fili worked his way up to Bilbo's side, maneuvering amongst the tables of seated dwarrow easily on his crutches.

"He'll make a wonderful consort," Tauriel said. "Don't you think?"

Kili nodded. "He knows how to charm anyone, even my grumpy, uncharmable uncle." He watched as Bilbo said something to Sigrid and Fili… Wait.

"Did you see that?" Kili asked, excitement starting to rise. "Did I really just see that?"

"See what?" Tauriel asked, looking over at Fili and Bilbo as well. As they watched, Fili seemed to shake himself free of something and retort to Bilbo and Sigrid.

"That look!" Kili said, starting to bounce on his toes a little. "I don't believe it!"

"Believe what?" Tauriel asked. "I have a feeling I've missed something distinctly dwarfish."

"Did you see Fili's expression?" Kili asked, turning to her.

"Yes?" she hedged. "He seemed surprised by something."

"When's the last time you saw that look on a dwarf's face?"

"I don't see many dwarrow," she reminded him.

"You've seen it though. Think."

She paused and she looked up to watch Fili say something to Bilbo and hasten away on his crutches. "Perhaps when the spiders were attacking. If I recall, you had a similar expression on your face."

"Yes!" Kili cried and pumped a fist into the air. "It's too perfect!"

"What is Kili?" Tauriel asked, starting to sound impatient.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room. He didn't stop moving until they reached somewhere without passersby. " Sigrid ," Kili finally said. "She's Fili's One."

"What makes you think that?" Tauriel asked.

"The only time I ever see that kind of expression on anyone is when they find their One. Nothing surprises Fili. Nothing . For just looking at someone to catch Fili that off guard, it can only be because Sigrid's his One!"

Tauriel straightened and looked back the way they'd come. Kili could see the facts falling into place and building the picture he'd already seen. "It could be," she finally said.

"It has to be," Kili said. "We've got to help them along. Fili's hopeless with this sort of thing."

"Are you sure we should?" Tauriel asked as she followed him back to the eating hall. "I'd hate to push them away by trying to push them together. Besides, I think Sigrid isn't of age according to human standards."

Kili stopped in his tracks. "She's not? How old is she?"

"Sixteen or so, I believe," Tauriel said. "I'm not entirely sure though. Human ages are so foreign to me." She looked down at him. "Frankly, so are dwarrow and hobbits. How old are you?"

"Seventy-seven," he told her. "Have I not told you that before?"

"No," she said and linked her arm with his as they walked back to the halls. "Does it really matter though, now that I think about it?"

Kili shook his head. "No. It doesn't. What does, is getting Fili and Sigrid together once Sigrid is old enough in a few years. In the meantime, we need to find Nori."

"Nori? Whatever for?"

"If I know him, he'll want to start a betting pool on the matter. We have first-hand knowledge. That's valuable to him."

Kili paced through the halls, staying in the areas declared safe by Bofur and the other engineers. He took the long way to the gates where he knew Tauriel stood, enjoying some of the last of the sunshine filtering through the overcast skies for the day. She stood on one end, scanning the ground stretching into the distance for any sign of trouble. As he approached, he heard her humming. He stopped next to her and listened, leaning on the wall as he looked down at the snowy landscape. All that pristine snow and no one had gone romping in it yet. Perhaps he could get Dale's children together and take them out to play in it, if enough warm clothing could be found. A little fun would help their spirits.

"What has you so quiet?" Tauriel asked once she'd finished her song. She didn't shift her stance.

"Thinking of taking any children in the mountain outside the gates to play in the snow. What do you think?"

Tauriel smiled and leaned over. She brushed a kiss onto the top of his head. "It's a wonderful idea. Cheering up the children will cheer their parents in turn, I should think."

"Let's go round them all up and also see if Fili is feeling up to coming outside. He likes snow," Kili said and pushed away from the wall. She followed beside him, her hand brushing along his arm briefly as they headed toward the repaired stairs. "What was that song you were humming?" he asked as they went.

"Nothing really," she said. "Just something I grew up hearing in the winter months. A reminder that the sun and stars won't always hide behind the clouds."

Kili nodded absently, an idea starting to come free of the stone around it in his mind. He'd need to talk to Bilbo.

They searched for Fili and finally found him near the council room. He had his nose buried in a sheaf of papers.

"Fili!" Kili greeted. Fili lifted a finger, asking for his brother to wait while he finished whatever paragraph he was scanning. After a few more seconds, he looked up at Kili and Tauriel.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm going to the next meeting."

Kili's shoulders drooped. "Right," he said. "Learning to be all crown princey and all that."

Fili smiled a bit sheepishly. "Now that we've regained the mountain, I should probably learn how to run a kingdom a little more. I'm sorry. Did you want to do something? I can see if this meeting isn't that important and step away for a bit."

"No, don't worry about it," Kili said. "It's not important. Go. Learn to fill Uncle's boots."

Grimacing, Fili shook his head. "You know I'll never be able to do that."

"Of course you will," Kili protested. "And you have tons of time to learn how. Go. I'll see you later."

Fili nodded and patted Kili on the shoulder. He cast a quick smile at Tauriel before limping heavily into the conference room, his eyes already going back to the stack of papers in his hands.

Kili shook off the odd feeling of loneliness. Fili had never not had time to spend with him before. Oh well. It was just this once, right? And he had Tauriel after all. He grinned up at her and reached a hand out to her. "Come on," he said. "Let's go take a bunch of little humans outside for some cold, wet fun."

Tauriel returned his grin with a smile and they rushed off to find as many children as possible to take outside.

They found the Bardlings first. After explaining his idea, Bain and Tilda exclaimed their enthusiastic approval. Sigrid shook her head at her siblings' antics but agreed to play in the snow as well. Soon, they'd rounded up every human under the age of sixteen and quite a few that were older as well. Bofur heard about their scheme and demanded he be included. Bifur tagged along with him. By the time they'd made it out of the gates, a few other off-duty dwarrow had joined in the group. Even Nori had somehow appeared in their midst.

They made snowmen and other sculptures, dug out snowdrifts to make little caves, and flopped over in the snow, enjoying it all to the utmost. When the smallest children decided they'd had enough and went back inside, those that remained started organizing themselves into two teams for a snowball fight.

"You can't be on your One's team, Lad," Bofur said, pulling Kili away from Tauriel.

"You can't expect me to hit her, can you?" Kili demanded. "She's my One."

"Better figure it out quickly," Nori said as he brushed fresh snow out of his three peaks of hair. "She's not going to have the same misgivings."

"Of course she-" Snow burst against his shoulder, sending chunks of it spraying all over his side and up into his hair and on his cheek. He whipped his head to the side to see Tauriel standing a short way off with Sigrid and Bain at her sides.

"Are we going to have a snowball fight or are we going to stand around gabbing like a bunch of gossiping old biddies?" Tauriel demanded and leveled a confident smirk at Kili.

His jaw dropped momentarily and snow dripped off his cheek onto his coat. Tauriel flung her second snowball and he barely had the time to lift his arm to guard his face. He grinned widely and scooped up his own snow. "Damn, I'm a lucky dwarf," he said and threw his own snowball.

It was later agreed that the three-hour battle that ensued was the most intense warfare anyone had experienced where blood wasn't shed. Before long, the teams dissolved into a free-for-all, dwarf against dwarf, human against human, elf against everyone. No one landed a single hit on Tauriel except for Nori who managed to sneak up behind her and whack her solidly between the shoulder blades while she held Bain in a headlock and shoved a handful of snow down the back of his coat as he shrieked in laughter and protest.

He paid for his treachery dearly when Tauriel released Bain.

Kili laughed until tears ran down his freezing cheeks as they all trooped back inside for some warm dinner. Nori strutted in front of him, wearing his entirely decimated hairstyle and mussed beard like a badge of honor.

"Playing in the snow was a wonderful idea," Tauriel told Kili as they took their places at a table, warm bowls of a hearty chicken and dumpling soup in hand.

Looking around at all the ruddy cheeks, large grins, and laughing people in the room, he had to agree.

Tea was weird.

Kili really didn't understand the appeal. Never had. Probably never would, but having afternoon tea (whatever that was) with Bilbo did give him the opportunity to ask for help.

"You can't tell Uncle Thorin what I'm about to ask." Kili hedged after asking Bilbo for a favor and getting an uncertain response. "He'll be unhappy with me if you do." That was an understatement.

Bilbo gave him a look of interest. "Well now," he said, "you can't start a conversation that way and expect me not to wonder at what I'm agreeing to. What is it?"

Kili set his teacup down and rubbed his hands together, trying to gather his courage. He'd never heard of any dwarf asking for this. Could he be thrown out of Erebor for wanting it? He was already considered strange with his stubbly, barely-there beard (but it was there, by Mahal!), his lean and tall stature, and his affinity for the bow (but everyone needed to stop picking at that. Even Uncle used a bow for hunting). This, this was just about as undwarflike as he could get. Still, he wanted to do something nice. "Would you teach me to speak Sindarin?" Kili finally asked and held still, waiting for Dwalin to come into the room and haul him out to throw him out of the mountain. It never happened.

"I see." Bilbo's smile was a little too knowing for Kili's taste and he tried not to scowl in response. "I assume you want to be able to talk to Tauriel in her native tongue. Why not ask her to teach you?"

Kili had thought of that. He really wanted to learn from her. It would mean more time with her. But this wasn't the time for that. "I'd like to surprise her. Will you help me?" His hand went to his pocket where a cluster of plain beads sat, waiting to be gifted to his One.

Bilbo patted the hand Kili had left on the table next to his teacup. "Of course I will." Kili released a breath he'd been holding. "Get a slate and chalk from the desk and we'll get started. You can help me with my khuzdul at the same time."

A bitter taste filled Kili's mouth as he stood to do as Bilbo asked. Bilbo was learning khuzdul. No doubt Uncle had allowed it. No non-dwarf had been allowed to learn it in an Age as far as Kili knew. And here was Bilbo, learning it. He tried to push the resentment down. Bilbo really did need to learn it. He was Thorin's Consort after all. He'd need to be able to understand all the official ceremonies and read any official documents to understand words spoken in a way that outsiders wouldn't be able to.

But still.

He had no doubt Tauriel would never be granted permission to learn khuzdul.

He paused briefly at the desk, hand hovering over a piece of chalk as a thought occurred to him. Would she even want to learn?

It didn't matter. What did, was that a hobbit was allowed to learn their secret language and an elf was not, no matter that they were both part of the royal family. Or would be, once Kili and Tauriel were finally allowed to marry.

Speaking of which, he needed to help Fili find his One and fast, or he and Tauriel would have the world's longest courtship.

He picked up the chalk and slate and went to sit back down with Bilbo, ready for his first lesson.

He soon surmised that Sindarin wasn't going to be nearly as easy to learn as he thought it would be. He hunkered down, ready to learn as much as he could, as fast as he could. Tauriel deserved his efforts, he reminded himself as Bilbo explained conjugation. He would do anything for her.

It also helped him keep his mind off Fili and the very small amount he'd seen his brother lately. Even with council meetings currently suspended, Fili was still busy, working harder than ever on his recovery with Oin and helping with keeping the peace amongst the dwarrow and Laketown's refugees.

Fili's work was important. But it still left Kili feeling a bit left out when he took the time to reflect on how much time he'd spent with Fili.

Things would settle down though, he told himself as he copied Bilbo, trying to properly shape the words in his mouth. Once the caravans from Ered Luid arrived, there would be more help and Fili would have more time for him.