Chapter Three: Precious and Pure
I own didily squat. Except for my own characters.
Tauriel
Tauriel waited patiently at the entrance to the halls of Mirkwood for her shift to be over. Despite tonight being the night of Mereth en Gilith, the guard was still fulfilling its duties; after all, evil didn't sleep.
The party must have already been in full swing when Eswen and Ireth approached her and Rhoeri, punctual as always.
At first Tauriel had been hesitant to pair the two together, for not only were they the youngest members of the guard, but best of friends as well. She worried that their need to constantly compete with one another would interfere with their duties, but at the end Legolas had convinced her to let them have shifts together. After all, there was nothing wrong with some healthy competition.
"Just look at us," he had said with a grin.
Yes, they had been in not-so-secret competition with each other ever since Tauriel could wield a weapon.
She couldn't help but smile as she thought of all the stunts which she had pulled in her younger years, trying to upstage the prince.
But the moment of peace was not to last, as her king's harsh words of earlier infiltrated her thoughts.
Pushing all thoughts of broken hearts and ruined friendships aside, she greeted the elleths who came to relieve her of her duties for the day.
Rhoeri nodded at Eswen and Ireth before bidding the captain goodnight, and left. Though not to the party, she knew. No, he would be retiring to his chambers until his assistance was required. He didn't care much for the company of others. But despite his lack of charisma, he was one of the best warriors Tauriel had yet encountered. Each to his own, she supposed.
"Nienna and Aldois will come to relieve you within two hours, then you shall be able to return to the festivities." She said to Eswen as Ireth took up Rhoeri's previous position.
"It is quite the party. Shall you be going there immediately?"
It was a perfectly innocent question, but the glint in the young elf's eyes made Tauriel raise an eyebrow, it was an expression which graced her features often when dealing with Eswen. The child could be intolerable, working on her very last nerve. She was far too forward to be considered proper, but Tauriel loved her dearly nonetheless. Over the years, she had come to see the young elleth as a younger sister of sorts.
"And what do you mean by that, may I ask?"
"I was simply curious as to if you would first check on the dwarves, you seem to have taken interest in one in particular."
By this time Eswen was full on smirking, the banter between herself and Tauriel a common occurrence (though she'd have to admit that she couldn't remember actually ever winning an argument). But still, it was fun.
"Perhaps it would bode better for you if you took interest in your own matters instead. In other words, mind your own business, elfling."
And to add further insult to injury, she ruffled her hair.
On graceful feet, she spun around and moved through the beautiful wooden doors, leaving a grumbling Eswen desperately trying to right her now unruly hair, in her wake.
Xxx
Standing on the outskirts of the hall, Tauriel had never felt more alone. She cared deeply for her kin, but her current frame of mind could not be more different from theirs. She was plagued with thoughts of the clearly growing darkness and her king who seemed to be perfectly alright with the outside world shriveling up and withering away, as long as their kingdom endured.
But were they not part of that world?
Unable to tolerate her dark thoughts in the midst of the festivities any longer, she decided to go for a walk throughout the kingdom.
Without her consent, her feet carried her to where the prisoners were being held.
She could almost see Eswen's smirk.
Regardless ,she carried on in the direction in which she had originally started.
Nearing Kili's cell, her stomach got that funny feeling again. She would have to ponder on that later.
As she arrived at his cell, her curiosity was one again, piqued.
"The stone in your hand, what is it?"
Xxx
Kili
He was secretly thrilled to see her again, and so soon. But, instead of showing any such emotions, he opted for teasing her instead.
"It is a talisman," he replied darkly. "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf were too read the runes of this stone…" he trailed off, shaking his head at the very thought. "They would be forever… CURSED." He thrust his arm out, placing said talisman in her direct line of sight.
Eyes widening, she flinched back and made to leave him and any curse associated with him behind.
He would've felt sorry for alarming her, if her adorable facial expression wasn't so amusing (and yes, Kili had come to terms with the fact that he found her attractive, and not just for an elf).
"Or not," he said with a shrug. "Depending on whether or not you believe in that kind of thing. It's just a token," he said, laughing at his own lame attempt at a joke.
He was rewarded with an interested smile for his troubles.
It was payment enough.
"It is a rune stone," he continued. "My mother gave it to me so that I'd remember my promise."
"What promise?"
"That I would come back to her," he said, now somber.
When he realized that a soft smile was all he would be getting as an answer, he decided to elaborate a little.
"She worries," he said with an exaggerated sigh, "she thinks I'm reckless."
"Are you?"
"Nah," he said while tossing the stone into the air. However, the effect was ruined when he dropped his token and it rolled out of the confined space.
Tauriel's foot shot out and stopped the stone's journey before it was lost forever to the gushing waters of Mirkwood.
Kili got to his feet while she picked it up and held it up to the light, admiring the way the light reflected off of it and attempting to make sense of the markings.
Only then did he notice the noise coming from above.
"Sounds like quite the party you're having up there."
"It is Mereth en Gilith, the feast of starlight. All light is sacred to the eldar, but woodelves love best the light of the stars."
"I always thought it was a cold light…remote and far away." Like you seem to be. Close enough to touch, but only to be admired from afar.
"It memory, precious andpure."
He was completely enthralled by her.
"Like your promise," she concluded, holding out her hand with his token laying in her palm.
He was so wrapped up in her eyes, he almost didn't notice the tingling sensation in his fingertips when they grazed her hand. Almost.
"I have walk there sometimes, beyond the forest and into the night. I have seen the world fall away, and the white light forever fill the air."
And in that moment, watching her speak so passionately about her beloved stars, he knew that what he was feeling, was something he had never experienced before, and something only a privileged few ever would. He was falling completely and utterly in love.
"I saw a fire moon once," the words suddenly flowing from his lips , " it rose over the pass near Dunlin, huge. Red and gold it was, filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin, and they were trading in silver work for furs…we took the greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left. And then it appeared, this huge fire moon lighting our path…I wish I could show you."
And looking into her now eye-level face, with her eager expression and twinkling eyes, he wished for nothing more than to have shared that experience with her.
"I'll show you one day," his signature cheeky grin taking over his face.
She laughed softly. "And when exactly would that be, master dwarf?"
"Well, anytime you decide to release me, I suppose." Though the wide smile on his face showed no bitterness towards her for being locked up, in fact, he was rather enjoying the experience.
"You know that that is out of my hands," she replied softly.
"Yes ,I know. Though I will admit that the experience hasn't been all bad."
"No?"
"No, thanks to a certain she-elf who has so graciously allowed me the pleasure of her company." The cheeky grin was back in full force.
"Yes well, it hasn't been all bad for the she-elf either." Her answering smile was almost as cheeky as his.
"Tell me more of your stories," she asked, moving closer to the bars.
"As the lady wishes," he answered, sitting down. He was pleased to see that sitting down they were the same height, his torso making up for the lack of length in his legs.
"You better get comfortable, mi 'lady, for I've acquired quite a bit more over the past year or so…"
Xxx
Some interesting nonsense:
All of the elves names are actual elvish names, apart from Eswen's, which I comprised from elvish sounds.
Ess –is the elvish prefix for "bringer".
Wen- meaning youth
So, loosely translated, Eswen's means bringer of youth. Which I found to be rather appropriate.
Blessings,
ArtOfWords