Chapter Two
Observations
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Kili
He was made to stand at the back of the group in between two elves, like the others. Thorin was at the front, the sour faced blonde elf and the fire haired soldier walking on either side of him.
There would be no escaping from the elves.
A thought suddenly occurred to him : if his rescuer was all the way in front, then she must hold a high rank within the elven army. He grinned, feeling a sense of pride.
The grin turned to an expression of utter confusion. Why on earth would he proud of an elf?
Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he followed the rest of his kin into the halls of Thrandruil.
Xxx
Tauriel
As they reached the gate, Tauriel and Legolas swiftly turned to face the company, backs against the marble pillars. Once inside, Legolas lead them into the dungeons, two elves escorting Thorin to the throne room ,and Tauriel bringing up the rear.
When she had first arrived at Mirkwood as a young elfling, she had found the way in which the guard moved fascinating, as if each member was part of a perfectly synchronized dance.
Now it was merely routine. A routine she was proud to be a part of, but routine nonetheless.
Snapping out of her thoughts ,she addressed the two elves in front of her.
" Go and collect the keys, divide the responsibility amongst the two of you."
They both gave her a stiff nod before taking off.
She would have preferred to keep the keys herself, but it was not the responsibility of the captain.
She found herself walking behind the dark haired dwarf, and without consciously deciding to, she began to stare at his hair.
It was unlike any elf's hair she had encountered, but by no means less appealing.
It was simply, different.
The unkempt manner in which it fell was foreign to her, and the colours were fascinating. At first glance his hair appeared to merely be brown, but upon closer inspection, one could see the way the different shades wove together, reminding her of her beloved forest in the winter time.
She almost walked into him when the guard began to slow, throwing the dwarves into the cells.
Really, must they be so harsh?
Regaining the composer which she almost lost, she escorted him to his cell.
He walked to the final cell and entered it, not offering any resistance to her, unlike the other dwarves.
Her attention was drawn away from the dwarf in question when Finwe removed a knife which he had missed the first time from the blonde dwarf's coat.
Said dwarf groaned more in annoyance than anything else.
" Aren't you going to search me?" said the tall dwarf. " I could have anything down my trousers." He finished, keeping a straight face.
Now, this was by no means behavior she was accustomed to, elves were stoic and respectable, however, Tauriel was young, and perhaps this was why she barely missed a beat before responding.
" Or nothing," she said, maintaining her neutral expression, save for the arch of an eyebrow and the quirk of a lip.
She turned around and walked off, maintaining eye contact with the dwarf for longer than necessary, leaving him with somewhat of a besotted expression on his face. He kept his eyes on her until she was out of sight.
" Why does the dwarf stare at you ,Tauriel?" Legolas asked his closest friend.
"Who can say?" She replied as evenly as possible, covering up the effect which the dwarf in question had had on her.
"He is quite tall for a dwarf…" She muttered mostly to herself.
"Don't you think?" She tacked on hastily, hoping the prince hadn't heard her almost dreamy tone.
" Taller than some, but no less ugly," replied Legolas ,distaste evident in his voice.
Well, that's certainly debatable, she thought as she walked off.
She would not dare say it aloud.
Xxx
Kili
He knew he was grinning like an idiot as he watched her leave, but he did not care. When he made that stupid remark about his trousers, he didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't that. And here he was, thinking elves had no sense of humour.
The smirk was wiped off his face when he saw the elf who permanently seemed to be smelling something foul, approach the object of his interest.
He stood a little too close to her for his liking.
They exchanged a few words, and for the first time in his life, he wished to be able to speak elvish. He somehow just knew that they were discussing him.
Once the she-elf was out of sight, the moody one turned to narrow his eyes at Kili menacingly.
Kili mustered the best Thorin glare he could manage and stared right back at the elf. The dwarven prince was not first to break eye contact.
He figured that he'd already invited an elvish lass to search down his trousers, what harm could possibly be done by glaring at a prissy princess?
Xxx
It had been several minutes since his second encounter with the fire haired elf ( he had decided to disregard the elf with the cold blue eyes altogether) and he was still smiling like a fool.
He was glad that his cell was out of view of all the others, he didn't want them questioning him as to why he seemed so terribly cheerful when their situation looked so grim.
The reason he didn't want them asking was, because quite frankly, he didn't know himself.
An hour later the smile was long gone, having been replaced by boredom.
He sighed and removed his mother's rune stone from his breast pocket. He threw it into the air and caught it. But after about the hundredth flip, he grew tired of that as well.
He leaned his head against the bars of his small cell and looked out at his surroundings.
For a prison, the place was strangely beautiful.
That's elves for you.
He began to watch the comings and goings of the race in question with only mild interest until a particular she-elf caught his attention. And yes, he was sure that this particular elf was in fact female,( he was still fearfully embarrassed about the blunder he had made in Rivendale concerning gender).
It was not that this elf was extraordinarily beautiful or anything of the sort, she was attractive he supposed, but she certainly couldn't hold a candle to the beauty which the flame-headed warrior possessed. But rather that she seemed…young.
Kili didn't know a great deal about elves, (though he had taken a sudden interest in a particular elf who had saved his sorry arse), but he knew what youth looked like. She was by no means a child, but also not having yet reached maturity. While still having more grace than what Kili could ever hope for, she didn't seem quite as elegant as the rest, as though she hadn't completely gotten used to her gangly limbs.
Only when she turned to look directly at him ( after having felt his eyes on her , no doubt) did he realise that in his boredom he might have been starring for a bit too long.
Instead of glaring at him with the chilly disposition which he had come to expect from these elves, she merely gave him a questioning look, curiosity lined with amusement in her eyes, and then, walked off.
Yes, he thought. Definitely young by elven standards.
With her out of sight, he was plunged back into boredom.
He hoped that the fiery elf would soon return, with her bright green eyes and witty retorts.
Before he could help himself, he began to grin stupidly again.
Pull yourself together ,Kili.
She is an elf!
An elf!
Despite the scolding he had given himself, he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face completely.
There were only so many things to think about when locked up in an elvish dungeon, after all.
Xxx
Tauriel
She walked purposefully towards the Kings quarters, but hesitated as she neared. She was no stranger to the wrath which Thrandruil could summon, and the fact that the dwarves were still safely behind bars was evidence that the negotiation between the two kings did not go well.
She was still straightening her spine and schooling her features into a neural expression, when she heard her king's voice. " I know you are there. Why do you linger in the shadows?"
"I was coming to report to you," she replied, her crystal clear voice rich in confidence.
She had always been skilled at concealing any feelings of weakness to those around her, King Thrandruil especially.
She did not become Captain of the Guard by being coddled.
" I thought I ordered those nests to be cleared not two moons past." It wasn't a question.
" We cleared the forest as ordered ,my lord. But more spiders keep coming up from the south. They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur, if we can kill them at their source.." she said, stopping her pacing and looking him boldly in the eye.
"That fortress lies beyond our borders," he said ,cutting her off , " keep our lands clear of those foul creatures as that is your task."
The boldness that she was known for suddenly boiled in her veins and spilled from her mouth. " And once we drive them off? What then? Will they not spread to other lands?"
" Other lands , are not my concern."
Before she could stop them, Tauriel's eyes widened in shock at her king's harsh words.
" The fortunes of the world will rise and fall," he continued, "but here in this kingdom, we will endure."
She wanted to argue for what she knew was right, but she knew that there was a thin line between what would be considered passion for their kingdom, and plain disrespect for her king. And so even though it went against ever fibre of her being, she bowed her head and made to leave.
" Legolas said you fought well today."
Regardless of the heavy feeling in her heart, a smile made its way to her face, her eyes brightening considerably.
" He has grown very fond of you."
The smile was replaced by a look of astonishment and dread.
Legolas was her closest friend, if his father( and her king) wished to keep them apart because of suspected feelings, they would be.
" I assure you my lord, Legolas thinks of me as no more than the captain of the guard," she did not meet his gaze.
" Perhaps he did once…now, I'm not so sure."
" I do not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf, " perhaps she was being too forward, but curiosity got the better of her.
" You're right," he replied casually, "I would not."
Those simple words stung deeply. Because not only did it mean that in the eyes of her king was she not good enough to wed his son, it also meant that despite his years of favouring her and raising her as though she was his own, she would never be good enough to truly be part of his family, regardless of the heights which she had reached.
She was after all, just a lowly Silvan elf.
" Still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none."
There was no mistaking his tone.
It was an order.
Xxx
Tauriel walked gracefully into the dungeons. It was her shift to guard the dwarves.
Her posture was more rigid than usual, her jaw more clenched. But these were the only signs of her conversation with the king.
" Do not give him hope where there is none."
What exactly did that entail?
She did not have romantic feelings for the elven prince. Though she could admit to herself that she had had a foolish crush on him centuries prior, but that was all it was.
Foolish feelings of infatuation.
Though over time those feelings completely dissipated, their bond was strong.
She loved him, of course. But with the love one would have for a brother. When she lost her family, Legolas and his father became her surrogate family. Taking her in, teaching her, protecting her. And though she had always considered Legolas as her kin, she never truly felt the same way about Thrandruil. This was mostly due to the fact that , like with everyone else, he kept her at arms length. Legolas on the other hand, she grew up with. For a time he was her protector and her teacher, but with time they grew to be comrades in arms, and dearest of friends. Together they led the guard, as Captain and Prince.
The thought of hurting him made her heart clench painfully.
" Do not give him hope where there is none."
But she hadn't been trying to give him hope.
Would this mean that she would have to distance herself from him? From her best friend?
Her eyes began to sting uncharacteristically.
She didn't want to break his heart, but she didn't want to lose him as a friend either.
Accomplishing both tasks, seemed impossible.
But, she would continue her internal battle later. She had a job to do. Her emotions would have to be dealt with at a later stage.
So she slipped on her cool, calm mask ,and locked up her emotions the same way in which she had locked up the dwarves.
Speaking of which.
She had reached the end of the narrow walkway that stretched across the chasm, and had reached the first dwarf's cell.
She spared no more than an indifferent glance at each.
They either glared or scowled, or refused to acknowledge her existence altogether. Except for the first dwarf, with the sweet expression. He had met her eyes and lifted the corners of his mouth slightly. She would be lying if she said she had not been surprised.
She had almost reached the last cell, the cell belonging to the cheeky one.
She suddenly had a funny feeling in her stomach, and she couldn't comprehend why. Nonetheless, she sped up ever so slightly and didn't risk a glance, rather staring straight ahead.
Until he said her name.
"Tauriel."
It wasn't so much that he had said her name ,( though she would have wondered how he had known it regardless),but rather how he had said it.
As though he had been practicing to say it for hours, until it tasted just right on his tongue, caressing it as it left his mouth.
She stopped dead in her tracks, risking a side glance in his general direction.
"How do you know my name?"
" I heard the blonde elf say it while speaking to you, and gathered that it is what you are called."
She gave a small nod before making to walk away, but his voice stopped her again.
" It's beautiful."
She took half a step back to her previous position, but still did not look directly at him.
" What is your name?"
The young dwarf smiled even wider than before.
"Kili."
"Kili," she repeated, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards without her consent. It was also the moment that she met his gaze fully.
As was it the moment that Kili's breath hitched expectantly.
She was even more beautiful when she smiled. He had not thought it possible.
And, of course, it was also when the young elf seemed to appear out of thin air at the opposite side of the chasm, calling out to Tauriel and popping their little bubble.
She said something in Sindarin , and Tauriel nodded before walking away.
He stared at her retreating form until she was out of sight.
He sighed softly. Out of contentment or frustration, he did not know.
Probably both.
The dark haired elf began to retrace Tauriel's previous route.
When she reached Kili's cell, she looked at him curiously, before swiftly carrying on with the task at hand.