Fíli

Loud bangs on the front door awoke Fíli from his deep slumber. The sun was already shining bright in their chamber, filling the whole room with its warmth. What time was it? Sigrid was still fast asleep, curled against him, arm resting on his chest. He did not want to get up. Could he not have a moment of peace? The bangs resumed, even louder. There was nothing for it. He had to go and see what it was.

He got up and slipped on his undertunic that Sigrid had folded so neatly during the night. Rushing down the stairs, he could hear a well-known voice calling him as the bangs stopped. Kíli and his impeccable sense of timing. Why did he always have to ruin everything?

"I'm coming" he said, more than annoyed, pulling the door open.

Kíli sighed with relief.

"I was starting to believe you were dead!" he exclaimed with a wink.

"What do you want?" Fíli hissed, praying his brother would leave so he could return to bed with Sigrid.

"Don't tell me you were still in bed" Kíli chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Kee, can you please make less noise" Fíli said, stepping out, leaving the door half open behind him. "Sigrid's still sleeping."

"What have you two been doing, all night long, I wonder" Kíli said with a cheerful smile, winking at his brother. "There are rumors-"

"That is none of your business" Fíli replied, his cheeks coloring bright crimson.

"Oooooooh" Kíli gaped. "So the rumors are true. You two are finally-"

The younger dwarf moved his arms back and forth, miming the sexual act.

"Well then, congrats, Fee!" he continued, clapping Fíli hard on the shoulder, laughing out loud.

"Can you keep it down, for Mahal's sake?" Fíli snapped.

"What's going on?" a sleepy female voice called from inside.

Sigrid was walking down the stairs, in her shift, blue shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

"See what you've done?" Fíli snorted at his brother. "It's just Kíli, my love. Go back to sleep" he told his wife, his tone considerably softer.

"Back to sleep? Don't you know what time it is?" Kíli asked, still guffawing.

Fíli glared at him.

"Great Mahal! You have no idea, do you?" the younger dwarf asked, finally sobering up. "Thorin is going to be so angry!"

Fíli frowned in a desperate attempt to remember. What was he missing? What was so important that his brother had to bang on his door. Did Thorin summon him? It came back all of a sudden.

"The council!" he exclaimed, hand clapping his forehead.

Kíli nodded as his brother rushed inside to get dressed.

"Oh Fee, you're so going to catch it! I feel for you."

"I'm sorry, love" Fíli told Sigrid. "I have to go."

He hopped on one leg, putting on his boots as he hurried past her.

"I'll see you later" he said, stealing one kiss from her, and was gone.

"Or not" Kíli winked at her before leaving. "Thorin will be mighty pissed!" he exclaimed, his laughter echoing in the vast halls.

"You're late" Thorin stated coldly as Fíli entered the council chamber.

Fíli fidgeted, uneasy. He had overslept, to be sure, but how could he tell his uncle the very reason for his lateness was that he had finally done what Thorin wanted? All the other members of the council were staring at him, among them Balin and Dwalin. Some were whispering and glancing at him. Kíli had mentioned rumors. This was quite embarrassing. He hoped he would not have to explain.

"You did not wait for me, I gather" he finally said.

Thorin glowered at him.

"I heard you took your wife to the mines and forges, knowing full well women are not allowed there."

So, that was the real reason for Thorin's anger. He had broken the rule and as prince, he had to be chided in front of everyone. There had been a time when he had accepted all this as part of his learning process. But he was not a boy anymore. There was no need for Thorin to do this in front of the whole council. Although Fíli knew it was not wise to antagonize his uncle, he could not refrain from stating his thoughts on the subject.

"Dwarf-women, yes, uncle" he said, holding Thorin's glare. "But Sigrid is not a dwarf, and she expressed curiosity. I fail to see how that hurts. Besides, those are rules from another time, and you're the first one to ask my mother for her advice" he continued, pressing his point further.

Balin coughed, casting a glance at his king. Thorin was fuming.

"Do not cross me, sister's son. One day-"

"I know the tune, uncle" Fíli cut him boldly. "One day, I'll be king and I'll understand. The truth is, I do not understand. And I don't think I ever will."

Balin coughed again. "The lad has a point, Thorin. But maybe we could go back to the subject of this meeting."

"How dare you?" Thorin scowled at Fíli, stepping forward, his face just an inch away from his nephew's. "I raised you. I made you who you are. Blood of my blood. Son of Durin. And this is how you talk to me. Because of a woman! You forget your place."

"It was you who arranged the union! You made it happen. I didn't ask for anything, yet I did as I was told. Out of respect for you." Fíli would not back down. "You have nothing to reproach me with. The marriage is consummated. Isn't that what you asked me to do?"

This was not exactly how he had intended to break the news to Thorin, but at least now there could be no doubt about it.

The king gaped. Balin looked at Dwalin as a tremor ran through the council chamber. It was common knowledge that Thorin resented Fíli's behavior at the wedding and they had all tried to make him see reason. But the contract was clear, and Bard would have had to pay back the bride-price had nothing happened between husband and wife. Balin sighed with relief while the other counsellors cheered and congratulated Fíli.

The young dwarf prince was still frowning at his uncle, unaware of the commotion surrounding them. Thorin looked at everyone, his face relaxing slowly. Then, he caught his nephew in his embrace. Their foreheads touched as Thorin clasped arms with Fíli.

"Well done, my sister's son."

How weird that Thorin should be proud of him. As if that was an accomplishment worthy of remembrance. As if he had done well on the battlefield. None of them knew what it felt like, to be chosen, to be singled out by the woman of their dreams. They would probably never know. He could not tell them. The joy. The utter happiness he had felt in her arms, when their bodies were one and the same as they exulted with pleasure. The peace of sleeping entwined with her. The sense of harmony when she smiled. It was as if the world had finally come together. All his life, he had done the things that were expected of him. Because he wanted to please Thorin. Because he wanted to impress him, even. But it had seldom been his own decisions.

Being with Sigrid was different. Although it had been imposed on him at first, he knew that he would not have made love to her if he had not wanted it. And he knew it was the same for her. He had felt as he once had, in Laketown, when he had defied Thorin and chosen to stay behind with his brother. He had made another choice. Sigrid. He could breathe easy now, because he was free. No longer would Thorin command him.

"Don't you think you could make an exception for Sigrid?" he asked Thorin. "I mean, she has a lot to learn and it would be so much faster if she could see instead of just be told."

Thorin grumbled.

"Come on, Thorin" Balin intervened. "What harm can it do? The lass is eager to learn and embrace her role. At least, let her come to the library. I'd be more than glad to help."

"Thank you for the offer, Balin" Fíli said, grateful for the old scholar's kindness.

The council resumed without further ado, but before he left the chamber, Fíli heard Dwalin tell his brother: "Well, the boy has some mettle in him. He'll make a fine king one day."

He came back home at once, although there were still many tasks waiting for him.

"I'm back, little love!" he called as he pushed the door.

Only silence answered him. He found a note on the table: "Went to Dale. Be back in the evening."

He sighed heavily, disappointed. Throughout the whole council, the thought of coming back to her had never left his mind. But apparently, it was not the same for her. He tried to reason himself. She had been stuck inside for days, watching over him. It was only natural that she would go outside now and pay her family a visit. He had given her the freedom. He had been fighting to give her more just hours before. Why did his heart twist in his chest? Why this sudden pain?

She was all he could think about. The sweetness of her smile. The warmth of her body. The softness of her thighs. It was like an obsession. He craved her presence, the sound of her voice, the rich smell of her hair. And hot wet kisses everywhere. Her moans of pleasure still rang in his ears. The taste of her mouth, her skin so smooth and tender. He swallowed hard, fists clenching. He ached for her and there was no way he could quench that thirst now.

He took his tools and got out, heading for the forges. Work would take his mind away from her. Or so he hoped.

He labored, relentlessly, to the point of forgetting to have some lunch. But still, in his mind, the image of her would not leave him. He wanted her with an eagerness that was even more acute now. Why had she left? Did she not feel the same? Had he not told her he would be back soon? He cursed her family, immediately regretting such thoughts had ever entered his mind.

It was evening when he stopped, one idea stuck in his head. He went outside the Mountain. The sun was already setting behind the city of Dale. The whole valley was ablaze with a red dusk, almost like the fires from the forges. After the desolation left by the dragon, nature had come back and flowers were growing everywhere. He knew where her favorite ones were to be found. Even if the thought of climbing atop Ravenhill brought back memories better left alone, he wanted to please her. As if to atone for his angry thoughts.

He came back home, a bunch of tiny lilac-colored flowers in his arms, and there she was, preparing supper. Beige apron on a dark blue dress, hair tied back in her usual knot.

She turned as she heard his step behind her.

"These are for me?" she asked, her gaze falling on the flowers.

He nodded.

"Oh Fíli, you shouldn't have" she said.

"The halls felt empty without them" he explained.

She kissed the corner of his mouth as she took the flowers, a bit shy.

"I missed you" he said, following her as she put them in a vase.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her, resting his cheek on her shoulder blades. She tightened in his embrace and tilted her head back. He gently nibbled the soft skin of her neck then turned her around to stare in her grey eyes.

"But look at you" she said, wiping soot from his face with a brush of her fingers. "Looks like you've been working all day. Shall I prepare a bath?"

He agreed. It would not hurt to clean all the sweat and the coal soot.

She slipped out of his arms to heat some water. She moved with accurate precision, never wasting a single gesture. But there was a grace about her he had not noticed before. She was strong too, carrying heavy buckets of water and pouring them in the copper tub. But it was no reason not to help her. As always, she looked surprised as he took one of the pails from her hands. It seemed she still thought a prince should not do those things himself. But how did she think he managed before her?

"Fíli, no" she protested. "Let me-"

"I don't mind doing it" he said.

"But it's hardly suitable" she replied. "And it's my duty."

"Duty?" he asked, stopping to look at her. "Was it duty too when we were in bed yesterday?"

"No" she whispered, barely daring to return his gaze. "No, it wasn't."

He shook his head, getting out of his clothes to step in the bath.

"Both of us, we've always done our duty. We've always tried to please other people. My uncle. Your father. Don't you think it's time we started enjoying ourselves?"

He took her hands and pulled her to him to kiss her.

"And now you need a bath too!" he said, rubbing his sooty nose on hers playfully.

She never stayed when he had a bath. She prepared it and then she left, retreating to the bedroom. But now that they were intimate, it was different. He was not really aroused yet, but he had missed her and he wanted to feel her naked body against him. He wanted to caress every inch of her, find out where she liked it best, which parts of her were the most sensitive.

His hands were already moving to undo the buttons of her blouse, but she stood up away from him.

"Take your dirty hands away from my clothes" she said impishly, and untied the knot of her apron at the back of her waist.

He held out his breath as Sigrid slowly undid all her buttons, one by one, slipping out of her blouse with a graceful motion of her shoulders. Her skirt was tied with a tiny string on which she pulled, letting it fall down at her feet in long ripples.

He desperately wanted to rip her shift away from her, tear it apart until it revealed her skin, but he waited for her to take it off. When it was done, she just stood, arms at her sides, biting her lips, as if unsure what to do next.

He could not stop staring at her, at the tiny freckles on her shoulders, at the way her skin shimmered in the fire light. She had firm and proud breasts and a belly that was not quite flat. Round hips and long straight legs that seemed endless to him. She was not exactly the tallest woman he had ever seen, but from where he sat, she towered over him, and it was not unpleasant to have to look up to contemplate her in all her beauty.

His breathed faster now, unable to take his eyes away from her. But she was not finished yet. She reached for the back of her head, unpinning her hair. Her heavy braid fell on her shoulder as she shivered, instinctively crossing her arms on her bosom to keep warm. Now that she was naked, he could see thousands of goosebumps rise everywhere on her flesh.

"Come here" he said, extending his hand.

She took it and stepped inside the tub, water undulating all around them. She sat in front of him and he could feel her relax in the warmth of the bath.

"Time to clean up a bit" she said, seizing the sponge.

Great Mahal, she was taking things a little further than he had hoped. How long could he resist without jumping on her, he had no idea.

She plunged the sponge in the water, squeezing it before rubbing it on his neck and chest. Like everything else she did, she worked with utter precision, with as little gestures as she could. Quiet and efficient. She was now on her knees, hovering a little over him as she passed the sponge on his face, removing all traces of soot. Her breasts were brushing his chest, and he clutched the sides of the tub. He had to refrain not to push her back in the water and thrust inside of her until nothing else mattered.

"Your hair too, my love" she murmured, slowly untying his braids, putting his silver beads and clips aside.

When she was done, she took a jar and filled it with water that she poured on his head. She rubbed the soap in her hands then applied the foam in his mane. Her hands felt so good, so soft, so gentle as they eased every knot. He sighed with contentment as she rinsed the soap, his hair crinkling under her fingers.

"There" she said with a satisfied smile. "All clean and new."

She placed a swift kiss on his nose and backed away, quick as a deer.

"Not so fast" he said, catching her in his arms. "You also need some cleaning up."

He took the sponge and pecked it on her face until all traces of the soot he had left on her was gone.

"Enough" she chuckled. "You're tickling me."

"Oh" he said. "You don't like being tickled? What about this, then?"

His lips found hers and she leaned forward into him, kissing him back.

"Not fair" she said when he released her. "You know I like it when you kiss me."

"Oh, do you?"

She nodded eagerly.

"And this?"

His mouth went down along the line of her jaw to her neck, his lips firm against her soft skin. She moaned her assent. He continued down her neck, licking the hollow in between her clavicles. She tilted her head back, fingers tightening on his shoulders.

"Do you like this?" he asked, voice now husky with desire.

He left a trail of wet kisses on her breasts until his mouth reached one of her nipples. His tongue flicked on it and she arched her back, nearly crying out. One of his hands moved to the other breast, cupping it, his thumb playing with her nerves. Her fingers dug in his flesh.

"Stop playing with me" she moaned. "I want-"

"Yes, my love" he said in her ear. "What is it you want?"

"You" she whispered pitifully. "I want you."

He kissed her fully, hands roaming her back. She was still sitting on him and his erection was pressed between her thighs. He wanted her too, stronger than ever before. He had ached for this moment all day long. Leaning forward, he pushed her back, but she stopped him, her hand on his chest. She was slipping under him, head half afloat.

"Not like that" she managed to say when he pulled her back on her knees, apologizing.

Why was it so complicated? Maybe they should leave the bath and go to bed. But he was not sure how long he could wait. She was still on her knees, and his member pulsed against her entrance. Maybe if he could think of another way? He seized her hips and slid her down gently on him. She moaned, clinging to him, her grey eyes plunged in his. When he could go no further, he lifted her up and slammed her harder this time. She grabbed his hands, twining fingers for balance as she took control. Slowly, she moved her hips up then down.

How did she do it? How did she know? It was even better than before. So slow and gentle. Her eyes never leaving his, she untwined one of her hands to put it behind her as she leaned backwards. He caught her waist with his free arm, but still let her decide the pace. He was about to burst when she leaned forward again to claim his mouth. He felt her whole body shake as his own release found him. He kissed her back, smiling.

Strangely enough, he knew that before long, he would want her again. Would this longing never stop? Was it always like that? He had no idea. He just knew that he had never been this happy before.