Hello!

Now, I will not even pretend to be up to date on all my Dwarf Lore, so if I got any of this chapter wrong...or if my changing a thing or two puts this out of 'cannon', then I apologize. I tried to do as much research as I could, but from what I found, a lot of it is just made up as you go along.

Hope it meets with your approval.

~X~

~X~

Chapter 7

The rest of the day went by without incident, though Fili found himself trying to stay as far away from Daeloness as possible. During the day it was not hard to invent reasons to keep his distance, and he would claim the need to gather firewood, or go hunting for food, even telling her that he was required to scout the area for danger. Anything at all to avoid having to look into her liquid blue eyes and feel that strange sensation taking hold of his mind and body.

Yet, when the sun had set and night was upon them, there was nothing left for him to do but remain in her company. She had insisted on doing the cooking all day, and while her food was delicious, he found it a bit unsettling to see her acting almost content with her current situation. While it pleased him to know that he no longer needed to bother chaining her to the wall, and that he would not have to be running off to find her again, Fili missed the fire she would get in her eyes when she had been plotting her escape.

"Would you like some more?" she asked, holding out the pan and offering him what was left of the dinner she had cooked.

"No, thank you, I could not eat another bite," Fili assured her, having reached his limit after his third helping. "Where did you learn to cook like this, being locked in a tower all your life?"

"I had a lot of time to read," she laughed, cleaning up the pots and pans she had used while cooking. "I had no opportunity to use the knowledge I acquired however, having all my meals brought to me, so getting a chance to cook now is a real treat."

"Aye, for me as well," Fili laughed, patting his full stomach. "Your skills rival those of even Bombur…but don't tell him I said that."

"And which one was Bombur, exactly?" Daeloness asked, coming over to sit near Fili, who had his legs outstretched in front of him and was leaning up against the back of the rock wall. He had taken out his pipe, now being full, warm and content, and was enjoying what he considered a well-deserved smoke.

"Bombur was the rather portly fellow with the long red braided beard, he is a bit hard to miss," Fili laughed, watching as Daeloness nodded in recognition at his description.

"I noticed that many in your company had braids in their hair or beards…is there a significance to this?" she questioned, crossing her legs and settling in for a nice conversation.

"Many in fact," Fili answered, sending out a perfectly formed smoke ring and watching it disappear out over the cliff. "Braids can signify an impressive deed accomplished in the heat of battle, distinguish a particular bloodline, or indicate that they have taken a mate. When a dwarf wishes to signify to all that he has chosen a wife, the two will weave an intricate braid in the other's hair that will identify them as a couple. While other times braids are worn merely for decoration or to keep things in good order. The way a dwarf maintains his beard is highly significant."

"Really?" Daeloness responded, apparently very interested in this bit of news. "Yet I noticed that you, your uncle and brother all keep your beards short, while the others had them almost trailing the ground…why is that?"

Fili did not answer right away, instead taking a few more long thoughtful puffs on his pipe before raising his eyes.

"Those in my family have chosen to trim their beards short because we are still in mourning over the loss of our homeland, Erebor," he explained, his tone a bit grim. "The day that Smaug drove my uncle and our people from the mountain, he cut his beard and removed most of his ancestral braids, swearing that he would not grow it back until a dwarf from the line of Durin sits on the throne as king under the mountain once again. My brother and I share his vow and have trimmed our beards as well."

"So, once you retake your homeland, you too will grow a beard as long as Bombur?" she asked.

Fili began to laugh out loud at this, trying to picture himself with such a cumbersome facial decoration.

"Hardly," he told her, once he was able to speak again. Reaching up, he ran his fingers over the shorter cut hair on his chin. "Yet…what is your opinion, princess, would you find me appealing were I to grow a beard that reached down past my belt?"

"I…I…" she began blushing slightly as she looked down at her hands. "I think you look…perfectly fine just the way you are," she stammered out at last.

"I am glad that my appearance pleases you," he grinned, eyeing her thoughtfully as he continued to puff on his pipe.

"And what of you, Fili?" she pressed, not daring to glance up at him. "Do…do your braids by any chance indicate that you are…spoken for?" Daeloness was almost afraid to learn the answer, for if Fili were to tell her that he did indeed have a lovely bride hidden away in a mountain somewhere, it would have completely broken her heart. And yet, not knowing was just as bad. So holding her breath, she waited for his reply.

"No," came his unusually serious response, his smooth tone causing her to look up, catching his eyes as he held her in his gaze. "I have not yet found my one."

"Your…one?" she questioned, not understanding the meaning of his words.

"There are precious few dwarf women, or dwarrowdams," he explained, his somber mood telling Daeloness that it was a rather serious subject. "Even before Smaug attacked, indiscriminately killing dwarves of both genders, the males already outnumbered the females by three to one. It is for this reason that we keep our womenfolk hidden deep in the mountains, fiercely protecting them from the prying eyes of strangers and any form of danger. Yet with so few females to pick from, many of our warriors never marry, choosing to concentrate on their craft or skill instead of thoughts of home and hearth. For a dwarf, there can only be one true mate, and they will remain faithful to them all their lives…even if one were to die. I have yet to meet my one…if such a lass even exists, for there is never a guarantee." Fili had never given much thought to finding her either, figuring that if Mahal willed it, she would make her presence known to him in due time. Until then he was content to follow his uncle, fight alongside his brother and enjoy the pleasures of his often misspent youth. Yet now…suddenly he began to desire the tranquility and satisfaction that came with a mate and children. And as he looked upon Daeloness, he came to realize that a possessive flame had been lit deep within him. Not a need for gold, or gems…not even a yearning for a mountain home…but for her!

"I can relate to the situation of your people more than you know, Fili," she told him, pulling him out of his disquieting thoughts. "In the four kingdoms of my people, there is a noticeable lack of males, for the ravages of both wars and sickness have taken a grievous toll. The women of my race now outnumber our men to a large degree, making the birth of a son the ultimate pride of his father. This is why my being promised to the king of Ekmus was the only thing that would bring about peace between his kingdom and ours."

"This makes no sense. If it is males your people lack, wouldn't the giving of a troop of warriors be more valuable to the king than an unwilling bride?" Fili asked, not understanding what she was saying. "Or better yet, send this vile king a whole harem of women, thus enhancing his chances of fathering sons that way!"

"I do not think you understand," she told him, blushing even more at the words she was about to say. "You see…only a daughter from a royal family has the ability to govern the gender of the children she will bear. That was why my mother giving birth to me…a daughter…was such a betrayal to my father. She had the will and means to give him more sons, just as he demanded, yet in a final act of defiance, she chose to have a daughter instead." Daeloness turned her head and stared out at the night sky for a long while, lost in thought. "I often wondered if it was her way of punishing him for not heeding the midwife's warning, for demanding that she risk her life to give him a seventh son. Did she even care that by doing so she condemned me to a solitary existence…one where I was kept alive only to someday be used in trade to strengthen our bonds with another kingdom because of my abilities?"

Fili could hear the hurt in her voice and the idea that this King Palnish saw his sweet Daeloness as only a broodmare, able to father him sons to replace the ones he had lost in battle, sickened him. Children among the dwarves were precious no matter their gender. A girl babe was looked upon with as much joy and anticipation as a son, and Fili could not imagine any child she might bear being anything less than wanted and loved.

"I am willing to bet that your mother chose to have a daughter for a very special reason," Fili told her, leaning forward and taking hold of her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "She elected to have you because she must have guessed what an amazing woman you would one day become. Your mother realized, deep within her heart, that the world would be a much better place with you in it…and thus, you were her final gift to your people, and all of Middle Earth." Fili knew that his life would never be the same after having known her…his existence already being enhanced a hundred fold.

Daeloness looked to where their hands met, relishing the feeling of his skin touching hers once more. Why did it send such wild sensations throughout her body whenever he did so? She raised her head and stared at him for a long while, becoming lost in his piercing blue eyes, wishing for nothing more than to remain in his gaze for all eternity.

"So…" she asked at long last, trying to regain control of herself before such feelings overwhelmed her. "If your braids do not signify marriage…may I ask what they do stand for?" Daeloness hoped that Fili did not realize just how much his touch was affecting her, for if he did, he would have complete control…over her mind and her body.

Thankfully, her dwarf captor seemed to understand her uneasiness and accepted the opportunity she had given him to change the conversation. Thus, releasing her hand, he quickly latched on to the new subject and began to explain the reasons behind each one of his braids. A few of the more intricate ones, Fili pointed out, were gained due to victories in battle and for saving the life of another dwarf during an orc raid - while the others were there just to keep his hair out of his face. The little braids on his mustache were for decoration only, he told her, yet the silver clasps at the end bore the crest of his family, indicating that he hailed from the royal line of Durin.

"What are dwarf women like?" Daeloness next questioned, wanting to learn all she possibly could.

"Like any other female of another race I suppose," he told her with a shrug. "Perhaps a bit more sturdy, their tempers often quick, yet their love and loyalty know no bounds."

"I had heard that…well…do they also have beards?" she felt foolish for asking, but this might be her only chance to learn the truth, for soon she would be sent back to her tower prison with no one to ask.

Fili began to laugh once more, making her feel silly over her question, but soon he regained his composure and replied.

"Not all…but yes, dwarf women do have the ability to grow facial hair as well," he told her. "Often it is only in their advanced years that they do, or when children are born to them. I have seen other dwarrowdams grow a beard at the loss of their mates, signaling that she is in mourning. But much like their men, having one often becomes a symbol of pride and honor, indicating great deeds. They of course keep them well-groomed and masterfully braided, and it does not in any way detract from their beauty. My mother, for one, does not choose to wear a beard, but I am told that my great aunt had quite a prominent one, and she was once thought to be the fairest in all the Blue Mountains."

"Then…you find this appealing in a woman?" Daeloness was a bit dismayed at the idea. Thinking perhaps the kiss he had given her had been for other reasons besides attraction…for if he indeed liked his women with beards…she was woefully unqualified.

"I have not formed an opinion either way," he told her, acting as if he were now giving it a great deal of thought. "While there are plenty of things I have found desirable about the women I have known, none of them have ever been my one…so it does not truly matter." Once more Fili began to contemplate things that had never crossed his mind before…yet suddenly held the utmost importance. He puffed on his pipe, allowing the familiar action to help him collect his thoughts. For the first time in almost a week, he wished Thorin, or even Kili, were here to discuss such things…for he could certainly use their advice.

"May I see your pipe?" Daeloness' voice brought him back to reality, yet he eyed her skeptically, wondering what her reasoning was for asking.

"I promise I will not water it down again or harm the device," she assured him, with an exasperated roll of her eyes. She held out her hand, waiting to see if he would allow her request.

With a bit of trepidation, he nodded, extending it to her as she took it gently in her hands. She examined it for a moment, taking a little sniff over the bowl, wrinkling her nose as she did. Fili could not help but laugh at her reaction, knowing just how much the smell offended her. Yet his smile faded and was replaced with shock and horror as she brought the bit up to her mouth and placed it between her rosy lips. Before he could stop her, she took a small puff on it, just as she had seen Fili do many times.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he gasped, reaching out and grabbing it away from her, yet not before she had inhaled a bit of the fragrant lunt, causing her to begin to cough violently. "Women do not smoke! Not even a dwarrowdam would dare to do so!"

"I can see why!" she sputtered, reaching over and grabbing the water skin as she took a long drink, hoping to soothe her now burning throat. "How can you stand to do that? It feels like my lungs are on fire and I have been chewing on moldy mushrooms!"

"It is an acquired taste," he huffed, eyeing his pipe carefully, not at all having enjoyed the sight of her smoking it. It was simply not natural!

"One I did not appreciate," she assured him, suddenly looking a bit pale. "I need to lie down now…I am feeling a little sick to my stomach."

And so she did, quietly bidding him goodnight as she curled up in the furs, still coughing a bit every now and again in an attempt to expel the nauseating smoke from her lungs. After a bit she grew quiet and Fili concluded that she had fallen asleep. He raised the pipe to his mouth, but stopped just short, for it suddenly occurred to him that her lips had just touched the bit. He pulled it back and eyed it for a moment before closing his eyes and placing it slowly within his mouth. It was not really a kiss, and he knew it was hardly the same as actually touching her…yet it made him smile nonetheless. At this point, he would take any part of her he could get…even the lingering taste of her lips on his pipe.

It was then that Fili realized he was in a whole lot of trouble.

our poor boy, now he is even more confused AND she contaminated his pipe with her girly lips.

Again, I have no idea if girl dwarves smoke or not and anything else I got wrong is due to my lack of Dwarf Lore. Please forgive.

Thanks and I would love to hear what you think...reviews really motivate a writer!