A/N: I own nothing but Marie...sigh.
Sorry it took longer than usual! I've been busy and I was writing a future chapter. When inspiration strikes I don't really like to be distracted by anything.
Chapter 8: The hospitality of Elves
Marie let a deep sigh of relief escape her as she slid under the beautifully warm water, scrubbing the suds from her hair. It was technically her second bath, her first batch of hot water had turned to mud almost instantly. Her kind host had insisted on fresh water being hauled to her room, as soon as she noticed it, along with scented soaps and oils for her hair and skin. Marie had been equally appreciative for both.
She resurfaced feeling clean and fresh, relaxing into the water. It felt amazing to be clean! She couldn't remember being clean, literally. From the moment she had woken up in the woods she always had twigs in her hair, or mud caked into her skin and clothes. The only washing up she had been able to accomplish was when one of the men had heated a bit of water over the open fire for her to wipe her face with. While it was a kindness she greatly appreciated, it was nothing compared to the bliss of a hot bath.
She remained in the tub until the water lost all of its heat, begrudgingly exiting into the slightly cooler air. She had just wrapped a towel around herself when a knock came from the door.
"Yes?" She called out, tightening her covering around herself.
"I've brought you some clothing Miss." She recognized the voice of the Elf maiden who had been helping her and relaxed considerably.
"Come in." She called out, taking a seat on the soft bed as the other woman entered the room.
"We didn't have any clothing that would fit you." The woman said, smiling at her. "Our best seamstress saw it as a personal challenge to create a few things for you." She laid a bundle on the bed next to where Marie sat.
Marie turned to the gift, unwrapping it to look through the contents. The first article of clothing she picked out of the bundle was a pair of tan leggings, which matched nicely with the dark green tunic laying under them. She set the outfit aside as a flash of a silky sea green fabric caught her eye. She gasped as she held the sleek dress up against herself. "It's beautiful." She breathed out as she felt tears of gratitude welling in her eyes. "Please give my thanks to whoever made them."
"I will dear." The kind lady smiled down at her. "I'll leave you to change now."
And with that Marie was left alone in the room, with only herself for company. She took a moment to slide the soft dress over her head, impressed with the fit. While the dress clung attractively to her slim figure it remained modest and tasteful. She slipped on the matching silk slippers she found in the bundle before searching through the rest of its contents. A sturdy pair of leather boots rested on the bed, along with a silver mirror and hairbrush, which she quickly put to use. It took her a few minutes to get all of the tangles out, but she kept at it until her hair felt smooth and tangle free beneath her hands.
The final item was a very warm looking woolen cloak, which she was incredibly grateful for. It would end the arguments that had become a common ritual between her and Kili. Along the way, he would insist she take his cape to stay warm in addition to his blanket, and she would refuse just as adamantly. It took far to long to convince him that she was indeed warm enough with the blanket and fire, regardless of how thin she may be.
Another knock at the door drew her out of her thoughts. She opened it, expecting to find one of the men come to check up on her. Instead she looked up into the face of a stranger. The Elf man bowed deeply in front of her, and she felt compelled to dip into, what she hoped was a curtsy in return.
"My Lady, my name is Aegnor. I have come to ask if you would be interested in taking a walk around the city, a bit of a tour. I've asked the rest of your company, but they refused."
She looked at the Elf for a moment. Long brown hair framed the man's narrow face, pointed ears peaking out of the straight tresses. Wide brown eyes smiled down at her kindly, allowing her appraisal silently.
"Sure." She nodded. "I would love a tour." Truth be told, she found the new place fascinating, as well as the people who inhabited the white city.
"Follow me." He held an arm out to her to take as he guided her away from her room and through the great halls, telling her facts about the architecture and Elvish customs and history, pausing to answer any questions she brought up as they went along.
"May I ask you a question, milady?" He asked as they made their way down another airy hallway, this one overlooking the valley.
"Of course."
"Pardon me for overstepping, but you seem to be very kind and rather fragile..."
"Um...thanks? I guess." Marie wasn't sure where this conversation was headed.
"Neither are bad qualities, I assure you!" He rushed on. "I mean no offense. The things is, neither are traits that I've noticed in Dwarves before. They seem to me to be greedy and stand offish. Yet it seems that this is the company you keep. I guess my question is, why are you travelling with them? They haven't forced you from your home have they?"
Marie wanted to laugh at the very thought of one of the Dwarven men hurting her, or forcing her to do anything, let alone something she didn't want to do. She had to fight with all of them for the ability to pull her own weight as it was! Any chore she did was a result of either a pleading look or a lengthy argument that she managed to win. While Thorin had had his moment, she had seen the regret written on his face even before he had let her go.
But Aegnor's look of pure concern kept the smile off of her face as she answered. "No, I wasn't kidnapped or anything. They actually found me, they've helped me a great deal. I woke up in the forest with no memories and they took me with them. I assure you that they have been nothing but caring and kind to me."
He relaxed a bit, but didn't seem convinced. He held her by her shoulders, turning her to face him fully. "If you decide that you need help, or feel like you are in danger, either while you all are staying here or after you have left, come and find me."
She knew he was serious, she could see it in his eyes, and she wandered again what she had done to earn the kindness of those around her. "So, who has your heart Aegnor?" She found herself asking before she could think to stop herself. "What lucky Elf maiden steals the attention of such a kind being?"
He dropped her shoulders, taking a step away from her in shock. "What?!"
"Someone as kind as you must have every female's attention in all of Rivendell. Who has caught your attentions?"
He let a sharp laugh escape from him before answering. "Yes, I do have a betrothed. We are to be married in just five years time." He looked as if he was about to continue in his descriptions, but a voice called out to him.
"Aegnor? You are needed to prepare the feast."
"I'll be right there." He called out. "My beloved will be at the feast. Since you are so curious I will point her out to you. Until I see you again." He bowed low, excusing himself as he left her at the door to her room.
Kili stood before the large door, waiting for it to be opened. He had given Marie plenty of time, he thought, to rest and relax. After being told multiple times, by various people, to leave her be for a bit he had finally been given permission to go and retrieve her for the meal. He knocked again, calling out for her as nothing happened.
He pushed lightly, surprised when the door swung open easily. "Marie?" He called out, sticking his head into the room.
He looked around the grand room, eyes finding a mound of green fabric huddled onto the bed, breathing softly. He stood in the doorway for a moment, unsure of what to do. It was a display of very poor manners to enter someone's bedchamber uninvited, and he knew that she was most likely exhausted since their day thus far had been filled with danger and running, and the night before they had been captured by the Trolls. He thought that he should perhaps leave her to get her much needed rest, only to dismiss the choice as her stomach grumbled loudly. They would be relatively safe while they were here, she'd be able to get full nights of sleep.
Deciding that food was a higher priority at that moment in time he stepped into the room and made his way up to the bed, reaching out to rouse her.
"Marie," He called out, shaking her gently by one of her shoulders. "wake up. The food is ready for us." She mumbled something incoherent, rolling away from him, causing him to laugh lightly at her response. "Marie." He called out again in a sing-song voice, nudging her arm again.
She rolled back toward him, her eyes cracking open slightly as she threw a playful glare at him. "Yes?"
"The food is ready for us to eat." He repeated. "I came to retrieve you."
She grumbled again as she got up from the bed. She looked clean and fresh, he noticed. The Elves seemed to have given her new clothes to wear, along with a bath. Her skin was clean and a healthy pink, as if it had been scrubbed vigorously recently, and her hair fell around her shoulders in dark waves, free of any twigs leaves or mud. She looked very comely if he was honest, and he felt a rare appreciation toward their hosts for it.
By the time they arrived at the dining area the others had already been seated. Thorin and Gandalf sat at a grand table wit Lord Elrond, likely discussing some political matters that held little to no interest to Kili. He took a seat at one of the other tables, across from Dwalin, after helping Marie into her seat next to him. At the instruction of Elrond, Elves flitted around them, piling plate after plate before them, all filled with leafy greens, fruits, nuts and mushrooms.
Kili picked at his plate, as unhappy as the others about the lack of any type of meat on the table. Their hosts were most assuredly trying to weaken them with such a light diet, probably to hinder them on their quest.
"You're not eating, aren't you hungry?" Marie asked from beside him, her plate being refilled by one of the servers.
"I'm hungry enough to eat on Oliphant." He grumped, glaring at an Elf who stood nearby. "I just don't like this fairy food."
"Aye lass." Dwalin growled out. "We Dwarves require plenty of meat in order to keep our strength up. For all of their knowledge, you'd think these Elves would know this!" He slammed his giant hands down onto the table, causing Marie to gasp in jump slightly in her seat. The older warrior looked away as Kili threw a glare at him, but said nothing. Clearly his hunger was making him grumpier than usual.
"It may not be meat, but surely it's better than nothing." She said quietly, not lifting her eyes from her plate. "Is there anything here that you do like?" She asked gently, most likely afraid the question would set Dwalin into a fit of rage.
"The mushrooms taste enough like meat to be a suitable substitute." Dwalin ground out, to which Kili nodded in agreement.
Marie's face brightened considerably at the news, smiling at them. "Well then, you both are fortunate to be sitting next to me! I've come to realize that I don't seem to care for them at all. Would you like mine?" Dwalin grunted his acceptance and she spooned half of her mushrooms onto his plate before turning to Kili, offering the rest to him.
"If you're sure..." He wasn't sure how he felt about taking food from her, knowing that she most definitely needed it more than he did. After a brief moment she made the decision for him, scraping the fungi off onto his plate. They ate in silence for a while, eating what they liked and picking through the rest. Marie, at least, seemed to be pleased with both the food and the entertainment as she watched an Elf playing a harp off to the side of the tables. Another played a smaller harp while weaving through the tables. This Elf, Kili noticed with building irritation, seamed to be particularly interested in Marie.
"Does your meal please you, My Lady?" He asked, smiling down at her.
Kili was about to wave the Elf away from her, but didn't have the chance as she looked up, a surprised smile spreading quickly across her face.
"Aegnor!" She called up to the man. "I didn't realize that you were here! I thought that you were working in the kitchens."
Aegnor? He thought, confused by the strange familiarity between the two. Who was this Elf man, and how did they know each other?
"I was," Aegnor answered, paying Kili no mind. "but they decided that I was no longer needed to prepare food. So I came out here to find you and fulfill my promise."
Before Kili could comprehend what the strange man meant, he had leaned down low to whisper into Marie's ear.
He tensed, ready to throw the rude man away from her. To think that an Elf would be so bold as to whisper into a maiden's ear, especially one he had barely met! A Dwarf would never take such liberties with a lady, unless she was one's intended or a close family member. Elves definitely couldn't be trusted. He moved to defend her, but the moment her face came into view he froze to his seat. She didn't look offended, in fact she smiled up at the man before nodding.
"If you'd like, I could meet you after this and we could finish where we left off?" He asked her, not whispering anymore. Kili chocked on the water he had been about to swallow, shooting a shocked look to Dwalin.
"That would be fine." Marie answered. "Just find me when you're ready, I should be in my room."
Kili stared at her as Aegnor nodded and walked away, strumming his harp once more. A feeling that felt suspiciously like jealousy sprang up into the pit of his stomach, making him feel sick. He was sure that it couldn't be jealousy, he had no reason to be jealous, he had no claim to her heart. He cared for her, surely they all did. He knew that there weren't many things that any member of the company would deny her, if they could help it. And she was kind and sweet to him, but she was the same with everyone they met. He was sure that given the time and desire to do so she could charm even Orc and Goblin. His anger at the feminine looking immortal made no sense, but it didn't leave him.
"Kili?" Marie was trying to get his attention, her brows pulled together in concern. "Are you all right?"
"Fine." He snapped at her. Before he could stop himself he added, "Why don't you call your Elf back and chat with him?"
"Aegnor?" She seemed taken aback at his tone, taking a moment to digest what he had said before she answered. "He's busy right now. Besides, I would assume he'd much rather spend time with his betrothed than with me."
"Betrothed?!" He nearly shouted the word.
"Yes, she's the one playing the harp over there. She's very beautiful, isn't she?"
He nodded, absentmindedly, as disgust filled him. "He has a betrothed," He ground out through clenched teeth. "yet he sneaks off to other ladies' bedchambers?!" Would the audacity of the Elves ever end?!
"What?"
"He said that he would meet you later to continue where you two had left off!"
Marie stared at him in shock for a moment, before bursting into, unappreciated, laughter. It took her a moment to catch her breath before she was able to speak again. "Yes, he will be meeting me later. To finish giving me a tour of Rivendell."
It felt as if someone had dumped ice-cold water onto his head, cooling his anger with almost shocking speed. "Tour?"
"Yes tour." She confirmed, her sharp emerald eyes piercing his. "You thought that I was having some sort of torrid affair with an Elf man I had just met today?"
The weight of his accusation crashed into him as he realized he had just called her moral integrity into question. "I'm sorry Marie, please forgive me!" The words felt inadequate, but he could think of nothing else to say. If his uncle or mother ever found out he had questioned a lady's maidenhood...he would face an angry Warg over that any day.
Marie seemed not to take offense as she smiled at him, mirth dancing in the green pools of her eyes. "It's alright. Thinking back to the parts of the conversation that you heard it was a logical assumption."
"Still, I'm very sorry."
"You're forgiven, Don't worry about it, and I'll forget about it as well."
He nodded, turning back to his plate, looking up eventually as Bofur jumped up onto a pedestal and burst into song. It was a pub tune that Kili was barely familiar with, about an inn under a hill, and a fiddle playing cat. The company stomped out the tune, Marie joining in stomping and clapping with a bright smile spread widely across her face. They all cheered loudly as the tune finished, food flying around the room in celebration.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Fili showed up at his side, a hand on one of his shoulders as he addressed them. "We've found a lovely fountain in the courtyard, and we were going to go for a swim. Would you care to join us?"
"You guys go ahead." Marie told them, waving them off as she began wiping potato off the table with her napkin. "I'm going to help clean this mess up before my tour."
Kili was pulled away before he had a chance to say anything, his brother leading his to the pool. He could hear her humming the pub song all the way down the hall.
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, and if it's a bit rough around the edges. I haven't been particularly motivated, but I have been inspired again! Kili would be cute in his rash and jealous ways, I would like to think! Next Sunday I'll have another chapter up. Please Review!