Chapter 14

Indeed, Gandalf was currently being interrogated by Thorin. The dwarf leader was furious that Gandalf had led them to this Elf haven, he was sick with worry for his nephew (and Ember, though he refused to admit it) and the Wizard could only sit there calmly while Thorin feverishly ranted. Fili paced back and forth, his eyes locked on the chamber door, willing his brother to walk in. Finally, he stopped his pacing as a familiar footstep echoed outside in the hall. As Kili opened the door to the large chamber, Thorin and Fili both rushed to him. His tunic was covered in blood, though not his own. "I am fine," he muttered, slightly embarrassed as both his uncle and brother searched him for wounds. Fili gently grabbed his brother behind the head, pulling their foreheads together. Kili closed his eyes for a moment, taking strength from his big brother's presence.

"Ember?" Fili asked quietly, his blue eyes searching Kili's as they finally opened. Kili opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly turned his head to the Wizard. He fixed his eyes on Gandalf, hardening them in anger.

"What is going on? Why do they know her? How can she speak Elvish? Explain yourself!" His voice was shaking in anger and Thorin quickly placed a firm grip on his shoulder, sensing his nephew was losing control. Gandalf stood up suddenly, his own anger ablaze in his eyes.

"ENOUGH!" he roared, seeming twice his normal size. The dwarves were stunned into silence. Gandalf's dark eyes stared sternly at each dwarf in turn, settling finally on Kili's. "As I have told your uncle, this is not only my story to tell."

"She is part elf, isn't she?" Thorin suddenly barked. "That is the reason these elves know of her! You kept a spy in our midst, a beautiful enchantress to bewitch us and keep us from accomplishing our goal!" Kili pulled out of his uncle's grip, approaching the Wizard slowly.

"Is she part elf?" he said quietly. Gandalf remained silent, studying the young prince. "IS SHE PART-ELF?" Kili cried.

"NO!" Gandalf thundered. "She is half human…and half dwarf." There was a shocked silence from the entire company. Gandalf sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Kili, I promise you that there is an explanation to all of this. I must ask for your patience until Ember is well enough to do so." Kili focused on the Wizard, who suddenly looked like a tired old man. He nodded to Thorin, who grumbled, but dipped his head in agreement. Gandalf turned to leave the room, when Kili's voice stopped him.

"Gandalf...why does Lord Elrond call her his beloved treasure?" Kili asked softly, afraid the answer would kill him. If she was already betrothed to an Elf, already loved an Elf….he couldn't bear to think of it. Gandalf smiled fondly back at the young prince, seeing the love for Ember in his eyes.

"He calls her a'mael harma because he raised her. She is, for all intents and purposes...his daughter." Gandalf quietly shut the door behind him. Kili closed his eyes in relief, then scanned the large bedroom chamber, ignoring the worried looks from his family. A bathing room was off to the far left corner. He headed towards it, lifting his blood-soaked tunic over his head. A voice stopped him.

"The lass? Is she…will she…" Dwalin stepped forward awkwardly, finally asking the question each dwarf had been yearning to know. He met Kili's eyes.

"Lord Elrond pulled a Warg claw from the deepest wound. She...lost a lot of blood. All we can do now is wait…and hope." As his eyes met the worry of the dwarves around him, Kili stepped into the bathing room, quietly shutting the door.

Several hours later, the dwarves sat around a roaring fire, in one of the many forest glades of Rivendell. Their chamber, while beautiful, could not compare to the comfort and safety that they felt in the outdoors. Bombur had made a light stew, and while they ate, they discussed the events of the day. Thorin described in detail how Ember had slaughtered the Warg, showing her bravery and prowess with the dagger. He hadn't realized that the Warg had slashed her. Kili sat with his head bowed and his fists clenched, Fili at his side. Thorin glanced sidelong at his nephew. He could tell the lad cared for this girl, and knowing she was part dwarf eased a little of the uneasiness for him, but he still felt that nothing would or should come of their relationship. He opened his mouth to speak, when Bifur, of all people, spoke up.

"I knew she could speak Khuzdul!" he laughed in the dwarven tongue. The others chuckled, recalling the strange incidents over the course of their journey which had shown her true origins; the ale chugging, dagger throwing, sense of humor and fighting skills all spoke of a dwarven bloodline.

"Aye, but which bloodline do you think she is from?" Bofur mused. They all pondered the question, especially Balin, who swore he recognized her features. A frustrated Kili finally rose.

"I shouldn't have yelled at her," he said angrily. "If I hadn't have gotten angry, she would have told us she was injured." Fili attempted to comfort him, but his brother shook him off, glaring at Thorin. "And if you, Uncle, hadn't have guilted her about delaying our journey..." Kili trailed off as Thorin rose to his feet. Kili swore in Khuzdul before storming away, heading back towards the last Homely house. Fili made to go after him, when a rough voice stopped him.

"Let him go, lad." Dwalin said quietly. "He needs some time alone." Thorin sat back down slowly, Kili's angry voice ringing in his ears. Fili stared after his brother, the revelation that he had felt all along hitting him hard.

"Mahal," he thought, "he loves her."

Gandalf knocked softly on the healing room door, opening it when no answer came. He stared at the back of Lord Elrond, who sat on the side of the bed beside the still form of Ember. Her blond hair lay about her like a golden halo on the pillow. Her breathing was shallow, but steady. He slowly approached the bed, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Elrond stiffened beneath his touch. "She has lost a great deal of blood," he intoned, "I have stitched the wounds as best as I can, but there is a great risk of infection." The pain in his voice was evident. "She is very weak."

"I…am sorry, mellonen." Gandalf's hand shook with sorrow. Elrond stood, turning his dark eyes on his friend.

"I am more concerned with the containment spell I just lifted from around her power." Elrond's eyes flashed in anger. Gandalf groaned inwardly as he realized the reason Ember had not been able to use her power.

"It was a necessity, Lord Elrond. The power was awakening, and she would not listen to…"

"You promised to protect her! Her power could have prevented this from happening! How could you have left her defenseless?" Elrond interrupted. The site of seeing his adopted child so wounded had been almost more than he could bear. He struggled to calm his emotions as he confronted his friend.

"Her power is..." Gandalf began when a voice interrupted them.

"What power?" They turned to see Kili, standing at the door, his eyes focused on the figure on the bed. He fixed his eyes on the two figures at the bedside. "What are you talking about? WHAT POWER?" Kili repeated angrily. At the sound of his voice, Ember began to stir on the bed, her brow furrowed. She moaned, tossing her head in restless sleep. Elrond touched her forehead, the heat radiating from her. Kili moved to the other side of the bed.

"Fever," Elrond murmured worriedly, but Kili shook his head. He had seen this before.

"No...nightmare." He hesitated, glancing at Elrond, before lying down on the bed beside her, gathering her gently into his arms. She cried out softly, as he carefully placed her against his chest. He motioned for some water, and Elrond handed him a cup. Kili gently brought the cup to her lips, whispering in her ear, coaxing her into drinking. Though she swallowed, her eyes did not open, but she calmed almost immediately. Handing the cup back to Elrond, Kili began to hum while stroking her hair. Ember murmured softly in her sleep, her fingers entwining with a lock of Kili's hair. The young dwarf sighed, closing his eyes. The two elders looked at each other, one frowning, the other amused before they stepped quietly out of the room.

Ember slowly opened her eyes. The breaking light of day peeked through the window, touching lightly on the beautiful face above her. She felt safe, and warm. The pain in her side had eased considerably, the healing herbs of her vakha having worked wonders. She breathed in deep the cedar forest scent of the dwarf beside her before gazing up at him. She found his eyes open, with the small crinkle of a smile. "Vol kaon," he murmured. She reached her hand up to tenderly stroke his cheek. Her fingers trailed slowly to his lips, touching them delicately. Softly, ever so softly, he brought his lips to hers. She felt a warm calm touch her deep inside as his lips explored her own, his fingers stroking her back, pulling her in tighter. His tongue lightly brushed against her lips, almost asking for permission. She opened her mouth and trembled as his tongue teased her own. The taste of him was exquisite, like the finest wine, intoxicating her as he deepened the kiss, his hand cupping the back of her neck, holding her to him. It was mind-numbing, earth-shattering, but sweet and pure. His lips were surprisingly soft, and his whiskery stubble caressed her cheeks. Finally, Kili slowly pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. She felt light-headed, but happy, so impossibly happy. All of sudden, a warm fire surged up from within her. She gasped and Kili drew back, his eyes full of concern. She cried out in pain as the heat from her side threatened to burn her, scald her. She tore at the bandages wrapped below the corset she wore, as Kili fought to hold her still. All of a sudden, he froze. His eyes watched in shock as her wounds began to close. She moaned as the intensity of the heat grew, Kili wincing at the scorching skin in his arms. Then, as quickly as it had come, it stopped. Slowly, she relaxed back into him.

"Water," she murmured. He grabbed the jug at the bedside, and she downed it quickly. He stared at her in amazement. She followed his gaze to her rib cage. He carefully peeled back the torn and bloodied bandages, his fingers stroking her side tenderly. The four ragged claw marks were now faint white lines on her olive skin.

"Ember," he whispered in amazement. She looked as surprised as he was, and placed her hand over his own as they explored the healed wounds.. He lifted his gaze to her eyes, and gave her a mischievous grin. "Well, if all it took was a kiss from me, we could have fixed you up a long time ago!" he laughed. Her answer was to pull him towards her again, her lips warm and tingly. He trailed his fingers along her side, his touch a fire of its own. He deepened the kiss, their tongues teasing each other. Her fingers locked in his hair, anchoring him to her.

"Quel amrun," a bemused voice spoke. Gandalf stood chuckling beside Elrond, who was frowning, and Lindir, who had turned a dark shade of purple. Ember blushed as Kili leapt up from the bed, an embarrassed yet somewhat cheeky smirk on his face. Lindir strode over to the bed, seeing her torn bandages and bare skin below her corset. He snarled at Kili, grabbing him and forcing him to the wall.

"Lindir, stop it!" Ember cried, rising from the bed. Gandalf pulled the elf back from the young dwarf prince, who was attempting to breathe, cough and laugh at the same time. Ember reached out to Kili, grabbing his hand tightly. Seeing this, Lindir stormed from the room, as Elrond gasped in amazement.

"Yuula," he said, his eyes quickly perusing her, "how is it you are able to stand?" She smiled softly, looking back at Kili, who gazed at her adoringly.

"She healed herself," Kili grinned.

Quel amrun - Good morning

Vol kaon - blue eyes

Vakha - guardian

So...the answers will be coming in the next chapter! There will be no denying her power now! Please like, review!

I own nothing, claim nothing, except Ember