disclaimer: this story is incredibly aromantic. you have been warned.
Merry Christmas to tolkienguardians on tumblr!
A Toast to Something Else
It was a beautiful day for a beautiful couple. The sun shone brightly and the air was fresh and clean in the Mirkwood Mountains, an in-between place for an in-between couple. Kíli and Tauriel's wedding had been a grand success. Tears had been shed and fond words exchanged; vows had been made and love had been rekindled between two once-warring races.
Fíli had enjoyed the ceremony. He was very happy for his brother. Weddings were not something he was especially fond of, but this was an exception, and he was happy to see it through. Alongside his mother and his brother, he had helped plan this day for over a year now. He was glad to watch it fall into place. And he was glad to see Kíli so happy, beaming as he clutched Tauriel's hand.
With the actual ceremony come to a close, the reception was in full swing. Kíli and Tauriel greeted their guests and accepted congratulations and gifts while the rest of the wedding party ate and drank merrily.
Since Fíli, as part of the groom's immediate family, was constantly busy running errands at his mother's direction, it was a relief to hear her dismiss him for the time being. He patted Kíli on the arm and smiled at Dís, then found a table and sat down, sighing in relief.
It had been a long trek all the way out here to Mirkwood. The mountains, in the northern part of Thranduil's territory, had been chosen for their intermingling of dwarven and elven culture: the location of Mirkwood to represent Tauriel's heritage, and the mountains to represent Kíli's dwarven roots. It had meant a long journey for the groom's family, but it was, Fíli had to admit, a beautiful place, especially in the crisp, early autumn air.
His plate full of food, he ate heartily, very hungry after a day's labors. His mind wandered. He wondered how Erebor was doing without the royal family. Thorin had asked Dáin to rule in his stead while he was gone for the wedding. Fíli thought that he was likely enjoying Thorin's wine cellar, and that so were the rest of the high-ranking officials who had stayed behind. They wouldn't make mess of the place, though. Probably.
He sipped at his wine, watching the merrymakers. Kíli and Tauriel, the newlyweds, clung to each other as they spoke with their wedding guests. Fíli saw Thorin and Thranduil, both clearly very drunk, making fools of themselves some way off. Husbands and wives, elves and dwarves, laughed together and talked about new beginnings and how wonderful it was to see Kíli and Tauriel so happy and of the many long years they would have together, and Fíli had never felt so disconnected from a group of people before in his life.
Kisses were exchanged, as were words of affection, embraces and all sorts of romantic gestures. Fíli could only watch in confusion, seeing an aspect of these people's lives that he had never understood or felt himself. He was glad for his brother, but he could only be so supportive. He had been asked so many times leading up to the wedding when his turn would be, was he courting anyone, did he feel bad that his little brother was getting married before he was. He would always just laugh and shake his head.
"No, not really," he would say, before quickly changing the subject.
He took another sip of wine. He'd never really enjoyed romance all that much. It was cute and all, he guessed, and he was certainly happy for his brother, but...why did everyone assume he wanted the same things as Kíli? Why couldn't they just focus on Kíli's special day, instead of trying to drag him into it?
Not every dwarf married. In fact, there were many who didn't, whether because their true love had married another, or died, or they simply didn't want to. Fíli fell into the last category. It wasn't the norm, but it wasn't uncommon for dwarves simply not to feel that way, and focus on other things instead. They called it bijebtorva, or "choosing craft", as opposed to choosing males or females or all. But Fíli, being a prince and the heir, was expected to marry. He needed to continue the family line.
Fíli sighed. Too bad. He'd just have to let the family line down.
Across from him at the table, someone sat down. Fíli looked up and was surprised to see an elf making himself comfortable. One of Tauriel's friends, no doubt. He was blond, wearing fancy clothes and jewelry. He looked rather bored, but forced a polite smile onto his face and nodded to Fíli.
"I hope you don't mind me sitting here," the elf said.
Fíli grunted. "Nah. It's fine."
The elf sipped at his own wine, and he suddenly struck Fíli as familiar. When had he seen him before?
"Hey, do I know you?" he asked.
The elf looked up. "Hm? Oh, maybe. You do look vaguely familiar. Perhaps we met at some official engagement?"
"No, I don't think so," Fíli said. "I'm Fíli. Kíli is my brother."
"I'm Legolas," he introduced himself. "Tauriel is an old friend."
"Oh! Legolas!" Fíli exclaimed. "Thranduil's son?"
"Yes, he is my father," Legolas confirmed.
"Were you in Mirkwood the day Tauriel captured us dwarves?" he asked.
Legolas nodded. "Yes, I was on her patrol that day. Say—were you—?"
"You confiscated all my daggers," Fíli confirmed. "Never did get all of them back."
Legolas laughed, a bit sheepish. "Yes. I remember now." He glanced over to Kíli and Tauriel. "So, it's his big day, hm?"
"Yeah." Fíli smiled. "I'm happy for him. Tauriel, too."
"My father always thought she would go for me," Legolas said, sighing. Fíli nodded, not really that interested. "It was annoying, actually. We are very good friends, but...no. I love her, but not like that."
"I know how you feel," he said, surprised to find that he wasn't just saying that to carry the conversation. "All these people asking me when I'm getting married, but...I don't really want to."
"At least my father won't keep bothering me about Tauriel now," Legolas agreed. "I don't really want to marry, either. Romance is nice, but—"
"Not for people like us," Fíli finished. "Yeah."
"Exactly!" Legolas exclaimed. "You—it's Fíli, right?—you get it!"
"Yeah." He grinned. "You're not so bad, for an elf."
"Nor you, for a dwarf." He smiled back.
Fíli wondered whether Legolas was bijebtorva, too. He had realized he was a while back, but he'd never bothered to tell anyone. It would be too much work to explain and deal with the protests of but you're the heir and you'll change your mind. He was sure Kíli would accept him, but the topic had never come up in conversation.
Across the hall, Fíli saw Tauriel pick Kíli up and kiss him. They both beamed and laughed, and everybody cheered. He only clapped politely, and caught Legolas doing the same.
"Silly fools," he said with a sigh. Legolas chuckled.
"I don't think I will ever understand romance," the elf agreed. "My father hopes for grandchildren, but..."
"I'm supposed to continue the line of Durin," Fíli said in disgust. "I guess they will just have to settle for one of Kíli's children."
"Would they let a half-elf take the throne?" Legolas asked.
"If not, it would go to a cousin." Fíli shrugged. "That's a long way away, anyway. This is a wedding, not a funeral."
"What's the difference?" Legolas joked. Fíli snorted.
"Well, one is an ending the other is a beginning," he said.
"That depends on your definitions of those words," Legolas countered.
Fíli laughed. "I suppose so."
He did seem like he was bijebtorva. Perhaps Fíli ought to ask him.
Before he could, Legolas said, "They have a name for those of us who do not fall in love, you know."
"They call it bijebtorva in Khuzdul," Fíli supplied.
"And arbest in Sindarin," Legolas added. "But it is 'aromantic' in Westron."
"Aromantic." Fíli turned the word over in his mouth, savoring the taste of it. "I like it."
"It is good to meet someone else like me," Legolas said.
"Aye," Fíli agreed. "We are not uncommon among the khazad, but it is good to have another connection with the elvs'
Legolas raised his glass of wine. "A toast," he proclaimed, "to you and I, and something else."
"Aromantic," Fíli agreed, tapping his cup against the elf's.
A/N:
"Bijebtorva" was the best word for ace/aro in Khuzdul that I could find. Thanks to khuzdul4u on tumblr for that one!
Finding one in Sindarin was harder. I couldn't find anything when I looked. I apologize deeply to all of you for the word I mangled together. I don't know anything about Sindarin grammar or word structure, so based on what I saw on various neo-Sindarin websites, I mashed together 'ar' (without) and 'best' (wedding). I am very sorry.