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Chapter 9: Courage
Tauriel
Tauriel was in the process of tying off Kili's bandage when she heard him say her name.
"Tauriel…" he breathed.
The sound filled her heart. He was alright. Kili was alright.
"Lie still," she said just as softly, her mouth smiling with relief, her eyes filling with tenderness. She resisted the urge to brush his hair away from his forehead and place her lips there instead.
"You cannot be her…" he uttered. "She is far away…sh…she is far, far away from me. She walks…in starlight in another world. It was just a dream…" he ended with a tone that broke her heart.
Oh Kili.
She looked down and saw Kili's hand reaching for her own. Even though everything she had ever been taught screamed at her to pull away, she did not. His hands were bigger than hers, his fingers surprisingly long and slender. They gently slipped between her own. She let them.
The touch was almost non-existent, but it was over-powering. She sucked in a shaky breath.
"Do you think she could have loved me?"
Yes, mellenith.
She did not know whether she was saddened or relieved when he slipped back into unconsciousness.
Xxx
Kili
When Kili awoke fully, he found himself in a soft bed. There was another bed to his right, one across from him and a thin wall to his left. It took his still slightly sluggish brain a minute before he realized that he was at the back of Bard's small house, in the children's room. The room was bright and warm, the hearth in the corner the cause of it. But despite his cozy surrounding, he was sad to find himself alone.
"Kili! You're awake!" said Fili, sticking his blonde head around the corner.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," Kili smiled, making to sit up.
"No, lie down. Tauriel said that you need to rest."
"Ta…Tauriel?" Kili said softly, swallowing hard.
"Yes, Tauriel. The elf that saved your life." Fili looked awfully amused about something in respect to his bland statement.
"I said something incredibly stupid to her, didn't I?"
Fili's face turned somber.
"That's yet to be seen."
The atmosphere turned tense for a moment, before Fili knelt beside his brother and grasped his hand in both of his.
"I am so grateful that you are still here, brother," said Fili, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Kili clasped his brother's hands tighter and rested his forehead against his. "So am I brother, so am I."
"Right, I shall go tell the others that you have awoken," said Fili.
"Is… has she gone?" asked Kili softly.
"No," replied Fili gently, "she is still here."
Fili disappeared into the adjoining room.
Kili, in vain, attempted to make himself look presentable by running his fingers through his hair. He'd never been at all fazed when it came to grooming, not even when his mother used to accuse him of looking like an orc's breakfast.
He knew why he cared now.
Smiling stupidly to himself, he ran his fingers through his hair one last time.
Xxx
Tauriel
"He is awake," said the blonde dwarf, Fili.
She nodded and rose from her seat by the door.
It looked as though Fili wanted to say something more, but he merely gave her a small smile.
Before Tauriel entered the small room, she took in a deep breath and straightened her already perfect posture.
"You're awake," she said as she entered.
Kili looked up from the blanket he was picking at and gave her one of his exquisite smiles.
Sitting onto the low stool next to the bed she asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Good," he said softly. Everything felt far too delicate to speak any louder.
"Good," she said back. They both chuckled softly.
"You scarred me," she said.
"I scarred myself as well."
She smiled and shook her head.
"Why did you come?" he asked, suddenly serious.
"Because," she said so softly, his ears strained to catch it, "I couldn't let you die."
"Why?"
She smiled a smile that he hadn't seen before; it was a smile meant only for him. "I think you know why."
He sat up straighter, leaning closer to her, and reached for her left hand with both of his. He gently turned her hand over and placed the tips of his fingers in the centre of her palm. She watched his hands, but said nothing. He traced the lines of her palm all the way to her finger tips, all the while cradling her hand in one of his. He turned her hand back over, and kissed it softly.
"Thank you," he whispered huskily.
Their faces were so close; she could feel his breath on her skin.
Summoning all her courage, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his cheek, she heard his intake of air. The feel of her lips on his rough cheek felt foreign, but instinctive at the same time. He still held one of her hands, but as she pulled away, she used the other to brush the hair from his face. It felt so good, that she let her hand ghost further into his hair, hesitating when she reached his neck.
He removed one of his hands from hers, lifted it to her face. His fingers whispered over her neck before they found their home against her jaw.
"Tauriel…" he breathed.
Their noses brushed against one another, making them both inhale sharply at the intimacy of it all. He brought his mouth closer to hers, his lips a mere a breath away from her slightly parted ones…
They both closed their eyes the moment the earth began to shake.
Tauriel pulled away, hands immediately reaching for her daggers.
Kili felt his heart freeze over. A stark comparison to the heat he had felt a moment earlier.
"What was that?" asked Tauriel, eyes wildly searching the room.
"A dragon."