Hello all! I hope you have found this next part of the story, which is the continuation of "Kili Cannot Be Dead." I just felt that now that Kili is back, it should be a separate storyline. This one will be rated M because I eventually want to get to Kili & tauriel being "together" ;)
Hope you enjoy!
Chp 25
Tauriel wound her way through passageways that were becoming more familiar to her. Some of them were partially blocked as the renovations under the mountain still had not began in earnest. Tauriel thought it might take many generations of dwarves to have them restored to their former glory. Well, first things first, she thought as she quickened her pace. Addressing the concerns of the men in the nearby city were of Kili's primary thoughts right now, and therefore hers too.
There hadn't been many suitable items of clothing for her to wear. Obviously, before the battle, she had had only her armor and everyday tunics which had been heavily soiled from the fighting. Ori and Bilbo had taken these items away to the laundries to see if they could be salvaged; meanwhile they had to scrounge up some clothes that might fit her. All they could find were some woollens for some of the larger dwarves. Ori had given them to Dori to try and tailor to a little bit better fit for her; because, everyone knew, he was the best with needle and thread. As she quickly hastened through the hallways, the heavy fabric, so unlike the soft and sheer ones of her kin, felt very scratchy against her skin. She had learned to mend torn and ripped clothing on the fly for after skirmishes and things, but not to make anything from scratch.
Gathering these fabrics as she hurried up a somewhat broken flight of stone stairs she sighed...Oh well, she couldn't be choosy right now, with many dwarves still suffering or recuperating and there being no other elves that stayed behind that could help her craft some clothing more suitable. She wistfully remembered that right after the battle, Thranduil had ordered all of the elven dead loaded into carts and taken back to Mirkwood for the fitting tributes common among their kin, and left with his entire host without any further words for the survivors of the mountain or the city. Certainly these men and dwarves had not heard the last from her king of the forest, she darkly thought.
She was getting closer to the outer halls because she could start smelling the outside air and feel the presence of the natural light and she knew her destination lay past this smaller chamber which was decorated with tapestries and many small pillars. The tapestries that remained were mostly unreadable and severely torn and frayed, most likely from the dragon's rampaging. And the pillars, empty or broken now, must have displayed many fine busts or sculptures, perhaps of the likenesses of the line of Durin; but sadly all that was left was much crumbled stone and dust. This was probably the once proud and beautiful throne room where the King Under The Mountain made his weighty decisions and proclamations. And yes, the magnificent throne seat was still there, not touched because it was carven out of the rock wall itself. Looking above the seat...she saw it. The hollowed out area where the Arkenstone would rest, barren and cold now. With a twinge of resentment of all the ills that damned stone has caused, her eyes drifted back to the empty seat. She's glad that the stone now rests with Thorin in his burial chamber. Her thoughts drifted back to Kili- He's so humble, she thought happily, about her prince, that he hadn't wanted to use the seat for this very important meeting; but was holding it in the main grande entrance hall, of which she would arrive at behind these large oaken double doors.
Not throwing the doors open, but not opening them lightly either; the heavy doors parted and she saw as bright sunlight streamed into the cavernous space. The opening into the mountain still bore the immense gash where the fire drake had escaped to destroy the nearby town. Now any change of sky or temperature would immediately become evident because of the opening. Upon entering the chamber, Tauriel noted that everyone stopped their conversations and stared at her. She found Kili first and he gave her a quick closed-mouthed smile. Then, most of the rest just perturbed looks for interrupting this important meeting. She saw that dwarf and man alike were sitting around a large wooden table which had been placed off to the side in the mighty hall. Kili was at the head of the table and Balin was at his side. The small dwarf that was her friend, Ori, stood away from the table behind a podium with a book and quill in front of him. He gave her a nervous smile as she entered the room. Then she looked back at the table and Bilbo the Halfling was opposite Kili and next to him was an empty chair. Dwalin, the ever-present fierce guard for the royal line, was standing next to the wall close to Kili. The two grumpy dwarves that Tauriel saw the other day were seated at one side of the table. Also present was Bard, seated opposite the dwarves, and some of his men were present, also stationed by the wall.
Tauriel noted the surprised and puzzled looks she was getting from Bard as she approached the table. Kili, Bilbo and Bard rose from their chairs, the dwarves, of course stayed seated. Kili motioned for her to take the empty seat next to Bilbo, which she did. They all still watched her as she took the seat. With all eyes upon her, she still wouldn't have felt comfortable even in proper attire; but in these ill fitting and scratchy clothes it just made it much worse. As she sat low in the chair, wanting to just melt into the background, she wondered why she would need to be at a meeting of this magnitude.
One of the grumpy dwarves sneered and gave a loud "hummph" in Tauriel's direction and said, "Ar'right...lets get on with'is." Kili picked up on the rude gesture and she could see him clench his jaw. Quick acting and ever the diplomat, Balin also sensed Kili's rising anger and put his hand on Kili's shoulder. To which, the younger dwarf when sensing his touch, seemed to slowly remember he must now learn to keep his anger in check, and returned to his former state of wary anticipation. Balin internally shook his head and thought to himself; oy, this one...he's going to need a LOT of tutelage. Then he said, "yes, yes Dalen, we just had to wait for everyone before we got properly started." He gave a genuine smile Tauriel's way, and said, "and now, we're all here."
Balin continued to the entire gathering, "Lord Bard, the Dragonslayer, we welcome you and your kinsman to Erebor, to be received by Prince Kili, the soon-to-be-crowned King Under the Mountain and these witnesses; Dalen & Galen of the Iron Hills, Lady Tauriel from the Mirkwood realm, Bilbo Baggins, Halfling of the Shire, and our scribe, Ori." He continued, "What is it you wish to have an audience with Prince Kili about?" Bard took this as his cue and slowly rose from his seat. He cleared his throat, "Lord Kili, I am glad to see that you are well and thank you for allowing us entrance into your newly reclaimed halls, which," ... he hesitated for a brief second, is...umm, why I must speak to you in such urgency." They all look at him intently, then he continued, "Your Uncle Thorin promised the men of Laketown reparations if you and your kin were able take back the mountain. Because of your attempt, we incurred much suffering, death and destruction. Of which, I myself, am the one who brought down the beast and stopped him from further terrorizing that YOU and your kin set upon us! I am here on behalf of those of Esgaroth who demand repayment of this debt so that we may ease suffering and start to rebuild our lives." After he finished, Bard let out a long sigh, as one who has had a mighty weight lifted off of him.
They all looked at him and Bard, sensing all their eyes upon him, stood up a little straighter and waited patiently for a decision to come. The two dwarves from the Iron Hills looked absolutely repulsed, Bilbo and Tauriel turned their gazes to Kili, who was sitting there with a somewhat thoughtful expression on his face, and Balin was whispering in his ear to which Kili shook his head adamantly. Bard and his men exchanged dark looks and prepared for the worst. Dwalin put his hand on his sword and took a defensive stance. Kili was still seemingly arguing in Khuzdul with Balin and even Tauriel started to get nervous from all the tension in the large room. Kili stood up and patted Balin's shoulder. The older dwarf just shook his head and sighed. Kili approached Bard's side of the table and everyone braced for his decision.