Fili looked at her red cheeks. He had never noticed that she saw something in Bofur, but he was not really surprised since his friend had an open and friendly personality.
"I can try to figure out how he feels about you?" he offered.
If she would have something with Bofur, it meant that he could at least still see her. He didn't mind which dwarf she loved, as long as she didn't went back to the elves.
Alyssae looked at him in horror. "He absolutely cannot know! It makes no sense; I have to marry Thranduin anyway! Promise me you won't say anything to anyone."
She grabbed his hands and looked at him so intensely that he could only agree.
For a while he stared into her amethyst eyes. He felt the urge to kiss her again, but ironically he was not able to get close to her lips, not even if he would stand on his toes.
"I am really sorry you have to marry him."
Alyssae shrugged. "It could have been worse."
"But also better," Fili muttered. He found Thranduin not bad and he was good for Alyssae, but if she rather kissed him than her fiancé, he doubted she would be happy with him.
"Can't you just run away?" He wondered aloud. "Stay with us?"
"And being on an adventure as long as I live?" She shook her head sadly. "I have my obligations. Just like Thorin I must lead a people. I try to postpone this task, but I cannot escape my destiny."
"Are you still going with us to Erebor?" Fili asked hopefully, not knowing what he'd do without her.
"I don't know," she sighed. "Of course I still want to help, but I'm not going to kiss all of you whenever you yell at me."
Fili felt warm inside. Although he was more or less rejected, he felt he had an advantage over the others - except Bofur. And he did not believe that Bofur was interested in her, so maybe, if he kept waiting for her and made her laugh, he could still win her heart and persuade her to let someone else do the regency of her kingdom. After all, it could endure ages before her father handed over the throne to her.
"You have to rest again," Fili thought, suspecting that her worries would do her no good. Her cheeks were hollow and it hurt him to see her so weak.
Alyssae did not protest and he brought her back to her bedroom. He could not resist to touch her hand when she went through the doorway and she smiled hesitantly.
"Sleep well."
"You're a sweetheart."
Fili grinned. No, he was not going to give her up now, not now they'd kissed. Secretly he hoped that kiss had awakened something in her and that she would keep thinking about it.
He closed the door and walked into the room of Dwalin, but it was empty, so he went whistling looking for the others.

Fili found his friends on a small lawn, where they were leaning against a large tree. He had already noticed that the trees were less threatening here than outside the boundaries of Thranduils kingdom, but he still felt uncomfortable.
"Where have you been?" Kili wanted to know as soon as he was seated on the grass.
His eyes flashed to Thorin. He didn't know how his uncle would react if he found out that he had spoken with Alyssae, let alone kissed her, although it did not happen on his initiative.
Fili's eyes fell on a richly decorated bottle which was in the hands of his brother. It was undoubtedly filled with an alcoholic beverage . "What is that?"
"A substance that helps us ignore the elves," Kili chuckled, reaching the bottle towards him. But when their eyes met, he pulled back the drink. "You don't look like you need it. What miracle have you experienced?"
Before Fili could answer, Bofur pulled the bottle out of his hands and took a few gulps. Fili got the feeling that he was the only one who was still sober.
"You've spoken to her, huh?" Kili smirked, who had stared at him for a while. His voice sounded harder than normal and Fili grinned.
"She -"
"I thought I told you not to do that?" Thorin interrupted him. The hazy look in his eyes showed Fili his uncle had already drunk the necessary. How would the elves respond? Would they laugh at them because they were sitting drunk under a tree? He exchanged a glance with Balin, who also seemed to feel uneasy.
"She came after me," said Fili softly. "I cursed her."
It was not something he was proud of, but he didn't want to disappoint his uncle.
"And not only that," Bofur laughed. "You have certainly kissed her, right?"
Fili colored red, wondering how on earth Bofur could know that.
"Really?" Kili looked at him, but his face spoke volumes and they undoubtedly drew quicker conclusions by their intoxicated state than they would normally do.
"We conclude it from your red cheeks, boy," Bofur laughed, who took another drink. "By Durin, I hope that fiancé of hers is going to whine when he finds out."
"Do you realize what you've done?" Thorin hissed and he stood up and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't you think we will be thrown into the cells because you've kissed her?"
Fili was breathless at the sight of his angry face and he stared at the ground.
"Do you really think he kissed her?" Bofur laughed. "Kili was not even there to lift him up.'
Fili saw his uncle clenched his fist. He was afraid he would beat him, but Thorin let go of him. "Is that true?"
His voice had dropped dangerously low and Fili felt there was nothing his uncle would like to hear. "Yes," he murmured.
Thorin grunted something unintelligible and then hit him with his flat hand in his face. Fili looked at him in disbelief while his cheek burned viciously. He felt humiliated amidst the other dwarfs, who were all staring uncomfortable at the ground.
"You're an idiot that you let her play you!' he snapped in their own language, and he turned around abruptly and strode away.