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Her body ached as she shook awake. It was the second time in a couple of hours that Tauriel awoke with alarm etched on her mind. Her head spun but soon her thoughts skidded to a stop.
Her body was covered in sweat once again as the nightmares had gotten more violent. She threw the blankets covering her off to the side as she breathed in harsh gulps of air.
"Am I going insane?" she asked to the steady darkness around her. The fire at the hearth had shrunk in size as only a few logs clung to the life of the fire. The chips of wood fought for the heat as Tauriel fought for a sense of peace. She was unaccustomed to having no control over her emotions. She had never had such violent nightmares which shredded any control whatsoever.
She touched her forehead and wiped away the moisture that had accumulated there. In that instant she flinched as the burning returned. She gasped and bit her bottom lip as it felt as if her chest had been lit on fire. She screamed as she stood up only to collapse to the floor. It was only after a few minutes that pain disappeared.
Tauriel took a deep breath trying to comprehend what was happening. Was she really feeling the pain he was feeling? Was he alive now? She rose even if her knees felt like collapsing her to the floor once again.
"Kili" she whispered as she took a deep breath and walked to the door. Her bare feet took another step closer to only feel the pain return once again. Her hands fisted and she collapsed. Incoherent words left her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her pain tolerance was higher than in most so she knew the pain she felt was far more than she was capable of handling. But she needed to get to him. She needed to tell them to stop.
"Stop" she hissed as she slammed her hand on the floor. How could they allow him to feel more pain then he had already felt? He was suffering. She knew he was getting it worse then she was and that hurt more than any burning she felt. Tears streamed down her face as she laid there. Every time she tried to get closer to the door the pain would return. She arrived to the point where the pain had grown bigger than she was capable of beating.
A sense of guilt and failure ate her alive but she had to stay away from getting closer to the door. Only then would the pain be less intense.
Gandalf opened his eyes as the door handle turned. Galadriel and Elrond both walked in after many hours of being in that chamber… where death and life both roamed.
Every single pair of feet rose to meet the floor as many awoke suddenly.
"How are they?" someone asked.
"Did they make it?" Bilbo asked with eyes that could have used a bit more sleep.
"Please tell us" Bofur said.
Both elves looked exhausted, not in physical form but in mentality.
"We have done everything we could do" Elrond was first to speak. He gave them a small smile as he himself was hopeful. "They are still not awake"
Galadriel was next to nod her head. "I am hopeful, so that means you all should as well"
"They will come back?" Bilbo asked as he walked closer to the tall elf.
She looked to the door leading to the corridor.
"I cannot assume anything. But they are strong. They are fighting"
Gandalf caught her voice fluctuate in the slightest of ways. He heard her voice fill his mind and cover every corner of his thoughts.
"Tauriel is in pain" she stated. Her golden voice filled his head and not the room.
He gave her a saddened look.
"What can we do?" he asked as he cursed himself for not predicting such tragedy.
"It is not your fault" she answered, alleviating his guilt.
Her eyes fell then. "Though I am afraid that there is nothing we can do. They are connected"
"Indeed they are"
Her eyes sparkled then. "I have never felt such a connection before. It is so strong that even the walls shook with its strength"
Gandalf smiled then his sadness for Tauriel interrupted him.
"We must confort her at least" he proposed.
She quickly shook her head and finally used her voice.
"No one can step into that chamber and visit them" she announced out loud. Her voice filled with seriousness. And then her eyes shifted over to the wizard. "And Tauriel shall be left undisturbed as well"
"I cannot bare leaving her alone" Gandalf then said out loud and small chatter roamed among the dwarves and Bilbo.
Galadriel walked over to him. "I will go to her then"
He looked confused as she gave him a small smile. "You forget darling, that my voice and being can travel to many places"
Gandalf sighed and nodded. "She will appreciate your presence"
"She's a fighter" she whispered looking at her hands which had done so much the last hours. "The life she carries within her will give them both strength but I will try to aid her"
Tauriel was exhausted. The pain left and came like the seasons. Sometimes it left her cold like winter and hot like summer. Yet the intensity of the pain was always the same… there was no in between. No spring nor autumn to bring some relief to her.
He had lost his life saving her. Her brave prince who had needed saving so many times had saved her. A small smile caressed her lips as she remembered his expression when his eyes had been given the first sight of her. Even then she blushed as she remembered how his eyes had climbed her body. He had made her feel like a women just by the way he looked at her. She was always so busy being someone who forgot about love or desire but he came along and set fire to those needs within her.
She was amidst another memory when the pain hit her again. She laid back against the pillows as she fisted her hands.
"Ahh gods" she whispered as she closed her eyes. The bruising pain left her breathless, but then she heard a familiar voice amidst the waves of pain.
"Tauriel. I know the pain must be horrific. But it is crucial that you stay in that chamber"
Tauriel sat up on the bed as she looked around and found no one there. She swallowed as she collapsed back on the bed as the pain hit again.
"Why does it hurt him so much?" she hissed as tears ran down her cheeks.
At this she saw the chamber getting brighter. The fire at the hearth had now grown. Her eyes could not turn to another place.
"Look upon the fire"
Her soothing voice was heard again as Tauriel felt a sense of small relief.
"Look at the fire until you feel that your eyes are heavy and cannot be kept open"
Tauriel's chest heaved but her eyes began to close.
"He will still feel the pain" she whispered. "Even if I sleep, he cannot escape it"
Tears gathered at her eyes as the fire grew in both intensity and brightness. Suddenly, through wide eyes, Tauriel saw the fire leave the hearth and travel around the chamber in a snake like movement. She froze as the fire got dangerously close to her skin and she immediately covered her stomach with a protective hand. She would have thought she was dreaming but the heat of the fear grounded her to reality. The fire snake traveled around her chamber a few times letting sparks of light dance around.
"What is happening?" she whispered as she then heard her voice again.
"Look at the fire and allow its heat to bring you peace"
Tauriel felt confused. The fire was not calming her but with a second glance at it she saw Kili's face etched within the flames. She felt her heartbeat increase in speed as she saw her beloved in the soft flames. He was smiling at her, just as he had always done. His cheeky grin that made her entire body sing his name was etched on his lips. She smiled as her heavy eyes began to close with the memory of his smile dancing within her mind. It was soothing to fall asleep to such a wonderful image. Soon the pain disappeared and she felt as if she had fallen into a black empty void as sleep forced her to lose any sense of time.
"She fell asleep" Galadriel confirmed.
Gandalf sighed in relief as he settled his cup of tea on the small table.
"Thank you" he said. They shared smiles and kind looks.
"She has suffered" she stated in a saddened voice. "If he does not come back, I will offer to take her with me"
This gathered Gandalf's curiosity.
"Would you expect her to… fade?"
Galadriel stared at her hands. "The child she carries within will give her the necessary strength to continue"
He nodded, laying back on the cushioned chair. "She will always carry a piece of him"
Silence fell between them as they both felt the tension in the room. So much was at stake but now the only task they had to do was wait. They did not know when signs of life could make themselves know but Galadriel would feel it.
"She will fill her life with the courage she shall need if he does not come back" she finally said after minutes of silence.
The wizard rose a brow. "Who is the she you are referring to?"
An almost private and mysterious smile appeared at her lips.
"She carries a little princess within her"
Notes- Its a girl! (I am trying to make this story as different from Firemoons as I can, since in that one the gender reveal will not happen up until later I wanted to reveal the gender of the baby right away in this one)
Thanks for reading! 3 Lots of 'foreshadowing' going on at the moment. I have still not made up my mind if they are coming back to life hehe whoops...
I am going to try to keep this at 15 chapters or less. Although I could continue based on what I ultimately decide.
Ps- The new chapter for Firemoons has also been uploaded :)
Lots of thanks for everyone who has stuck around. You are amazing!
