Hi lovelies! So sorry about the slow updates but I barely have time to take a sh*t anymore! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter and I promise Thorin and Briseis will get face to face in the next installment!
Please remember to leave your wonderful reviews as they give me the motivation I need to keep writing! Much love!
Briseis had regained a small amount of strength in the time she'd been able to sit and wait for Kili to return with the herbs; although her head was still pounding dully and her legs felt as though made of lead, she was feeling much better. The girl sighed immensely, pulling the dwarf's thick coat around her slender shoulders as she inhaled the scent of leather, sweat and tobacco.
Briseis closed her eyes, and then for the third time that day, thanked the stars for Kili as she nuzzled into the thin, brown, fur which lined the article of clothing. It was doing a fine job of keeping her warm despite the thin, silk night dress she wore.
The girl pulled her knees up to her chest and gazed around the empty corridor lazily at first, but then gradually felt her steely eyes become wide with wonder as they began to absorb the glorious architecture of Erebor.
Having been too distracted with grief to take note of her surroundings upon first entering the stone palace, she now had the time to sit and be amazed at the enormity and splendor of the Dwarven Hall.
Marvellously shimmering, the blue-grey walls stretched far above the ground, reaching seemingly impossible heights. High above, there were rows of large, rectangular openings which let in streams of pale, orange light from the quickly fading Sun as the entire corridor was filled with a warm glow. Thick, luxurious tapestries of deep red and royal blue hung from the ceilings, bright gold thread woven into the fabric with tedious care and expertise. Intricate patterns and runes were carved into every stone façade and pillar, while wonderful paintings of all shapes and sizes hung from the walls…
She had never dreamt of any place like this before, but aside from the extravagant and grandiose décor, what amazed the girl most was the fact that the entire palace appeared to be hewn out of the very mountain.
Thwack-thud-thud!
Briseis tensed immediately, clutching Kili's coat to her chest as though it were a shield; all thoughts of admiration for the stone hall wiped clear from her mind as her head began to throb violently once more, her heart beat quickening.
She held still for a few seconds; all was silent but she continued to look around, trying to keep calm and pin point the source of clatter. Her thoughts instantly went to the King – perhaps he had changed his mind about letting her rest...
Her stomach seemed to fall out of her arse at the thought, but just before she could haul herself up and find a place to hide, she heard the sound of wood scraping against the floor from a room down the hall.
The girl's entire body slackened as Briseis let out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
It was only Kili.
He had disappeared into that chamber a short while ago - and as if to reassure her, the sound of his heavy boots suddenly could be heard upon the stone floor.
Her lips cracked into a relieved smile and she rested her head gingerly against the cool wall once more as she continued to listen to her new acquaintance work around; if there was one thing she had learnt about dwarves, it was that they were definitely not the most light footed race.
Briseis' brows furrowed in concentration as the girl tried to remember the last time she had even seen a dwarf, and after a few seconds of wracking her brain, the only instance she could recall was when her aunt had to bandage one who had been found in the village marketplace. He had been badly burnt and even though she had only been a small child then, Briseis still remembered that he had a big white beard, an immense belly and great bushy eyebrows. Not at all resembling the handsome, boyish likes of Kili, or even brooding, rugged Thorin for that matter…
The girl caught herself with an image of the King in her mind, standing tall and calm in the bright daylight, long lashes catching the Sun as his eyes glinted like chips of ice - just before he had slapped her. The memory seemed to make her cheek tingle in response and Briseis quickly shook her head to get rid of the blazing blue eyes of the Dwarf King which were still boring holes into her head.
She looked again at her surroundings, trying a bit too hard to keep her mind off of her previous thoughts, when her gaze fell upon one of the paintings which clung to the stone surface of the wall just ahead of her. It was slightly bigger than the others and was the only one to depict a human of any sort- the rest being of landscapes, scenery or various arrangements of fruit. A bearded man dressed in tattered clothing stood at the base of an unpleasant looking bow, an immense black arrow notched and ready to set loose on his enemies. What caught the girl's attention however, was the bright red, yellow and orange flames which seemed to engulf the man's entire figure. He looked cruel and unforgiving, his black, life-like eyes set fixedly on his target.
The girl quickly averted her gaze, not liking how the figure's eyes seemed to be staring straight at her, and found that she had begun fiddling with the fraying edges on Kili's coat. She smoothed out the loose threads and gingerly rested against the cool wall.
The slight throbbing in her head was beginning to recede ever so slightly, and she wondered if Kili had actually managed to find what she had sent him for.
She let out another deep breath and tried to relax by focusing on the sounds emanating from the room down the hall, but after a few seconds, her dark brows knit together - something wasn't right.
She sat up slightly and craned her neck in the direction of the chamber.
Complete silence.
The girl pursed her lips and sat still, waiting for the sound of shuffling feet or wood being scraped against the floor to resume, but there was nothing, and the corridor was shrouded in an odd stillness.
She tapped a long, slender finger on her knee for a few seconds, contemplating on whether or not to call out for him to make sure he was alright. What if he had somehow injured or incapacitated himself?
A bubble of concern began to swell up in the pit of her stomach, but then Briseis scoffed somewhat forcibly, telling herself she was being daft. Surely a fully grown Dwarf could take care of himself.
But as more time went by in silence, her concern grew stronger and stronger, until she called out to him.
"Kili?"
The sound of her own voice made the girl cringe as it reverberated off the stone walls, however there was no answer. Briseis thought of calling him again, but there were many closed doors in the East Hall and she did not want to attract attention to herself if there turned out to be people behind them. After their walk from Thorin's chambers and all the spectators who had gathered around to watch her, the last thing she wanted now was an audience of any sort.
A few more seconds passed in utter stillness before the girl's worry won over, and she decided to go after the young dwarf.
Looking up to try and find something to grab hold of, Briseis failed to spot any sort of protrusion or crease in the glass-like walls to help pull herself off the ground. And so she placed her hands on her knees and managed to heave herself, quite ungracefully, from the floor.
Her head began to swim immediately and she braced herself against the solid stone palace walls for a few seconds until the black spots went away.
Briseis pulled the dwarf's coat around her tightly and carefully made her way towards the chamber, her footfalls unheard upon the floor as she silently reached the room.
The girl didn't think she was creeping, however once she peeked around the edge of the open door and spotted the dwarf, she knew he had been caught unaware of her presence.
Kili was standing a few feet off the ground on an old, beaten up, step ladder which looked as though it was going to break any second under his weight. His arm was slightly extended before him and a few, bright red Helfalas leaves sat in his outstretched palm. He was staring with wide, unbelieving eyes at the wall in front of him, his thick arched eyebrows anchored to his forehead in complete shock. Briseis felt her own brows knit together in confusion as she followed his gaze to find absolutely nothing except hundreds of barrels lined up and stacked upon one another. Still thoroughly befuddled, the girl frowned deeply beginning to wonder if her new companion was legitimately mental when she saw his expression change abruptly. His were teeth bared and his jaw clenched in fury for a split second before his face contorted into a look of sheer agony, as though some invisible attacker had stabbed him in the back.
The girl felt his name bubble up in her throat - concern, worry and confusion all surfacing at once for the dwarf – however he spoke first.
"Tauriel?"
Briseis was taken aback slightly by the broken voice which came from Kili, a wave of curiosity and intense pity washing over her as she understood that it was a woman whom he was so desperately calling out to.
And then the young dwarf's face unexpectedly cracked into a small, lopsided smile, his olive brown eyes still staring straight ahead at the woman no one else could see. Tears began to stream down his cheeks and Briseis suddenly felt exceedingly embarrassed for having witnessed such a private and emotional episode, knowing full well that if someone had been spying on her in such a state, they would have been skinned alive if she'd found out.
That being said, Briseis simply could not look away, her heart breaking for the dwarf as she watched him in utter silence for a long, still moment.
Kili dropped his head, coming to stare at the Helfalas in his hand before carefully plucking one from his palm and bringing it to his lips. He muttered something inaudible under the scarlet leaf and she saw as he tried to restrain the sudden wave of anguish which seemed to wash over him, kissing the foliage and quickly tucking it away in his breast pocket.
Clearing his throat with unnecessary force, as though frustrated with himself for whatever reason, he unexpectedly turned to spot Briseis.
Both of their eyes widened in shock as the girl was abruptly snapped out of her temporary stint of invisibility, cursing herself for not leaving when she had had the chance. Reflexively bowing her head in shame, her mouth opened to mumble an apology when Kili's voice cut her short.
"What are you doing up by yourself?"
Briseis was expecting a good telling off, but instead he caught her off guard; genuine concern laced his voice.
The girl gazed up to him in surprise as he hopped down from the step ladder, an anxious look painted over his features as though reminding her of being ill would suddenly make her collapse. He rushed towards Briseis and a giant whiff of cinnamon assailed her nostrils causing her pointed nose to wrinkle at him before he came to stand in front of her. Memories of his anguished expression still fresh in her mind, while he carefully placed a hand on her hip as though it was all that kept her from falling over.
Despite his worry over her condition, Briseis could tell that he was feeling awkward, unsure of whether or not she had seen him in his previous state of emotional vulnerability or if she had just appeared by the door. Regardless of which, he made sure to avoid her eyes.
Although a hundred and one questions buzzed about her head in regards to what she had just witnessed, the girl instead inquired if he had found the herbs.
Kili gave her a breathless smile, no doubt relieved that she did not press on the matter. He pulled out a handful of blue and red vegetation, carefully holding them out under a thin ray of sunlight which squeezed through a wide crack in the stone wall, particles of dust dancing about his unfolded palm as he brandished them towards her.
Briseis gave her thanks and immediately plucked a red leaf from the dwarf's hand, ignoring the way he studied her every movement with keen eyes as she tore the Helfalas in half. The thick, succulent plant looked watery as it should, and the girl began to suck the juice from the foliage, enjoying the refreshing way it soothed her parched throat. She suddenly realized just how thirsty she was, and after perhaps ingesting a bit more of the transparent liquid than she should have, she looked to Kili who was still watching her curiously.
"May I have some water, please?"
The dwarf blinked a few times before coming to his senses, clearly distracted, as he nodded curtly and let go of her waist, the absence of his hand making her aware of just how warm the skin beneath his palm had become. Unsure of whether or not it was pleasant, Briseis veered away from the thought and started now on the Thala.
Crushing a few of the petals between her fingers before popping the ball of foul tasting flowers down her throat, she grimaced at the bitter taste; memories resurfaced of her mother who practically had to force the Thala down her throat when she was ill.
Although insignificant, the small act of ingesting the herb by herself made Briseis feel all grown up. She smiled sadly to herself and buried the thoughts of her family before they could do any more damage to her already aching heart.
The girl smacked her lips and grimaced again at the lingering taste of the blue flowers, but as soon as she had wished for something to wash the atrocious flavour away with, Kili reappeared with a massive, pewter drinking glass filled to the brim with crystal clear, pure water.
She accepted the glass from him gratefully, but found that she was still much weaker than anticipated as her hand was unable to properly grip the goblet. Her fingers felt as stiff as wood, and if the dwarf had not been holding onto the handle, she would have surely spilt the water all over herself.
Kili tensed and reflexively tightened his grip on the drinking glass as he moved in closer, frowning and carefully pushing her outstretched arm away when she tried again to reach for the goblet. The girl let out a derisive scoff as he slowly pushed the cup towards her lips, the action made her feel like a child and Briseis was not overly fond of the notion. Nevertheless, she bent at the knees slightly so the two were at eye level with one another. The Dwarf simply smirked and tilted the glass, his free hand coming to rest just beneath her chin as he attempted to catch any water she might spill.
Despite feeling overly self-conscious of the way she feverishly gulped down the water, the sensation of the cool liquid running down her throat felt incredible. Finally having had her fill, Briseis' mouth broke away from the pewter goblet as she returned to her former height, panting slightly and smiling widely at Kili who returned the favour.
"Is there anything else you need?" The young dwarf asked kindly, tilting his head slightly to the side as his long, brown hair fell into his eyes.
Just after Briseis began to shake her head, a loud growl emanated from deep within her stomach and Kili laughed aloud, cocking an eyebrow in obvious disbelief.
"Really there's nothing else, Kili. Thank you," she said politely even though she could start to feel her insides gnawing at her stomach. It was as though drinking the water had triggered her brain into remembering that she hadn't had a scrap of food throughout the entire day.
Kili snorted and moved away from her, rolling his eyes slightly before he began to scan the sea of wooden barrels. After a few more seconds he let out a small "Ah-ha!" and kicked the step ladder beneath the opposite wall.
He mounted the steps with ease and popped open the lid of a barrel, pulling out a handful of something before he slammed the cover back on and hopped down, making his way to Briseis once more.
She gave him a quizzical look, but he simply stretched out his hand in response and offered her four thick strips of dried venison.
They laid across his palm tantalizingly as her stomach growled again in response to the sight of the meat. Not waiting for him to say anything, she carefully snatched up three of the strips and began devouring the venison like a bear.
It was smoky, flavourful and succulent and she nearly bit her tongue as she ripped the chewy meal apart, hastily beginning on her third piece when she noticed Kili was still holding his hand out; the fourth strip laid untouched in his palm.
"-Dat one fo-you," Briseis said as best as she could manage through a mouthful of food.
"I don't think so," the dwarf said as he grinned and shook his head. "I've had plenty to eat and this will probably be your only meal until morrow."
He brandished the meat to her and the girl shrugged, too hungry to care as she took the last strip and scarfed it down, licking her lips and sighing with satisfaction when she finished.
Suddenly remembering another favour she had meant to ask of Kili, Briseis' gaze darted to the fading sliver of rutilant sunlight which was now stretched far across the chamber, set to disappear any moment.
Without even asking or explaining what she was doing, the girl grabbed her companion's hand and led him towards the ray of light, kneeling on the floor in front of him as she looked up to his bewildered face.
"Check my eyes in the light." Briseis ordered, then remembered her manners and tagged a 'please' onto the end of the sentence.
Kili stared at her as though she were insane but did as he was told and knelt down, his nose almost touching hers as he stared deep into her steel grey eyes.
"And what exactly am I checking for?" He asked, still completely puzzled as the girl tried her best not to squint in the fiery glow of the setting sun.
"What do my pupils look like?" Briseis asked, trying to ignore the way his hot breath fanned her face. She was not particularly fond of inhaling another person's exhaust, although she would be fooling herself if she didn't admit that his breath smelt surprisingly nice – like mint and honey.
The dwarf was silent for a few seconds before he answered; she could see every hair, every wrinkle and freckle on his face from this distance.
"They look like very tiny pricks of coal," he stated timidly, unsure of whether or not that was a good thing. His dark, feathery brows were knit together, an unreadable expression painting his features as he studied her face. But Briseis explained nothing and simply shielded her eyes from the light with her hand, instead asking him to look at her pupils once more. Ignoring the way he gave her an odd look, she held still as he examined her, his lips pursing in concentration. "They're much bigger now…" He stated in a puzzled voice, and registering the relieved smile on her face, he gave her a scrutinizing stare.
"Well, I'm not concussed," Briseis said, truly thankful as she took a deep breath and relaxed, still holding her hand over her eyes to shield them from the Sun light before she hauled herself off the stone floor. Kili immediately grabbed her around the waist and the girl couldn't help but smile; she was feeling much better after the medicine, food and water, however the dwarf still attended to her as though she had broken both her legs.
"You're eyes are beautiful in the sunlight," Kili offered innocently, "like glittering crystals," he added, smiling in her direction as he insisted on supporting a majority of her weight on his shoulder. Briseis' face flushed slightly and she could feel her ears grow hot, unable to mutter anything more than a quiet 'thank you'.
The two made their way slowly out of the immense pantry and headed further down the Far East Corridor in silence, the girl completely unaware of where he was leading her. Something deep down in her stomach told her to be more wary of trusting Kili so quickly, but she dismissed it as paranoia.
Her thoughts went suddenly to the woman who had broken the young dwarf's heart, and perhaps it was because Briseis lacked a verbal filter – something which had gotten her into trouble many times before- that she felt as though an appropriate amount of time had elapsed for her to ask about Tauriel.
She opened her mouth to inquire, but heard him do the same and they both chuckled awkwardly.
"You first," Briseis offered politely as the two turned left at an enormous pair of pillars.
"I was just wondering how you seem to know so much about healing and medicinal herbs," the dwarf's question was harmless enough, however his voice seemed timid, as though he had just asked her to reveal her darkest secrets to him. "I mean, you're a lot younger than any Healer I've seen, not to mention much too pretty." Briseis looked to him abruptly, slightly taken aback by his forwardness, but judging by his glowing red ears and scarlet face, he had not meant to speak that last bit aloud. "I-I just meant, all the Healer's I've ever seen are hideous. Not saying you're ugly if you are one, you are gorgeous, but I was just observing it in a purely platonic sort of way, compl-"
"Alright, don't hurt yourself," the girl said laughingly as she nudged him slightly in the side of the head with her elbow. The dwarf laughed embarrassedly at himself before Briseis continued. "My aunt was the Healer for my village and she chose me to become her apprentice when I was about 8." She tried to keep her voice unaffected at the memory of her hefty, overly animated auntie Nora. "I would have been the youngest Healer in over two centuries come next fall."
Kili looked at her in surprise, his expression quickly morphing into one of pride as he reassessed her in a new light. "That's incredible, Briseis."
"It would have been, but that story is over…instead I was forced to come rot away in this cave until I become too old and fat for the King's liking," the girl said as evenly as she could manage, trying to make her tone humorous in order to keep out the sorrow, but found that her throat tightened spontaneously and she needed to look away in order to recollect herself. The dwarf frowned deeply and averted his gaze as well, the air between them silent for a few moments.
"Alright, your turn," Kili said, trying to lighten the mood once more.
Briseis paused for a moment, unsure of how to word her question.
"Who's Tauriel?"
The young dwarf visibly recoiled, his entire body tensing as he let out a sharp breath at the same time, like she had punched him in the gut with her question. His face drained of all blood and his lips were set in a tight line as he avoided her questioning gaze.
Briseis began to regret her question as the seconds ticked by in silence, and finally when it seemed as though he would not answer, she heard his accented voice break the blanket of quiet.
"She was the light of all beauty created by the Valar, the focus of perfection upon this Earth… and she was mine." His voice cracked at the last bit of his sentence, it was barely above a whisper, but the girl heard him loud and clear.
"What happened to her?" She asked reluctantly, her voice as gentle as she could make it. Briseis knew she should probably stop prying, but she was simply unable to restrain herself from inquiring further.
"She died."
Kili's response was curt, not a trace of emotion laced within those two words as he stared straight ahead, unblinking.
The girl with the grey eyes felt like she had stuffed her own foot in her mouth and tried frantically to think of something comforting to say, but the seconds passed and the two continued to walk in silence.
The conversation did not pick up again after that and both of them were left alone with their thoughts for what felt like an eternity until they stopped in front of a solid stone door.
A few runes were engraved into the facade of the smooth rock, and Briseis looked to Kili who simply gave her a lopsided smile and gestured for her to go ahead inside.
She placed a steady hand on the cool surface and pushed the door open with surprising ease.
The girl was greeted first by the warm glow of candlelight, several wickers burning bright in the eerie dim of twilight. The chamber was spacious, and the dark walls seemed to glitter like stars when the light caught it at a certain angle. There was a thick, fur carpet at the foot of a luxurious four poster bed with scarlet curtains.
At first she thought these were to be her new chambers but then she spotted the dishevelled cream linens, a pair of breeches strewn across the floor and a deep blue tunic which was laying haphazardly over a stool facing the large open balcony. A smile curled upon the girl's lips as she looked to the dwarf.
"Is this your room?"
Kili blushed as he spotted his untidy bed and clothing, darting from her side to hastily pick up his breeches.
"Uh-yes. I didn't expect these to still be lying around though," he said sheepishly as he flung the cloth onto the tall wooden dresser placed against the opposite wall before running over to straighten out his sheets. "Usually someone tidies up..."
Briseis laughed and made her way over to the bed where a red faced Kili was still tucking in the corners of the bedsheets under the mattress. She was surprised to find that her dizziness had gone away; the effects of the Thala working faster than she had anticipated. Her head also felt blissfully normal; no throbbing pain, no ringing ears or cloudy brain.
"It looks very well," she offered kindly before tilting her head to stare at him inquisitively. "But why have you brought me to your chambers?" She asked curiously, sudden suspicions bubbling up inside of her. Perhaps she had been too quick to trust the young dwarf…
He seemed to sense her reservations and quickly reassured her. "It will be safer for you to rest here than with the other Privileged in case Thorin goes looking – he seems to have favoured you…"
"Lucky me," Briseis said sarcastically, her voice dripping with acid as she refused to allow memories of the King to spoil the only decent time she had had since first being selected on the streets of her village. The Ibujab felt like years ago instead of actually having happened this morning.
And suddenly she felt the aches and pains of a day full of emotional turmoil and terror take its toll on her body, and all at once she felt exhausted.
She smiled wearily at Kili again and made her way towards the ornate oak headrest, grazing her hand along the silk sheets as she came to stand opposite him.
He studied her for a short moment while she played with the ends of the downy pillow, her thoughts incoherent as she looked to the dwarf, unsure of how to express her gratitude towards him.
He simply stared at her, quietly prying the words from her lips with his olive brown eyes.
"Thank you." Briseis said looking to him pointedly, unable to think of any other way to show her appreciation. "I-I don't know what state I'd be in right now if it wasn't for you, so..." The girl tried blocking out thoughts of Thorin's fingers and how they violated her, of his rigid flesh against her skin. But she found herself recalling the sensations too vividly and began to violently shake her head in order to get them out. A shiver ran down her spine and she clenched her teeth, balling her hands into fists as she tried to stop thinking of the King.
"Hey, hey stop that," Kili said gently as he quickly made his way over to the girl and placed both of his hands on her arms, forcing her to sit on the bed and take a deep, calming breath. They were now at eye level and his olive brown irises were careful as they examined her. "Forget about that, and get some rest."
Briseis smiled tightly and nodded once, lifting her feet up and dragging herself towards the pillow where she plopped down and curled up into a ball. The feel of the soft, clean bed made her feel as though she were back at home and she closed her eyes, feeding the illusion for as long as reality would allow her. She felt Kili drape a blanket over top of her, his large hand lingering on her shoulder as he thought of a way to convey his sympathy, finally deciding to go with a small pat on the head before turning to leave his chambers.
Briseis heard the door close and kept her eyes screwed shut, drifting off to sleep still thinking of home.