Kili couldn't bring himself to do anything more than sit down and wait. He was no longer tired, but he didn't have the heart to entertain the children. The older ones seemed to sense this and leave him alone, but the younger ones only gave him confused looks, concerned for why their new caregiver was ignoring them.

Kili thought again about what he said to Sigrid. Thorin wasn't heartless, and he didn't have the sickness anymore, so there was so reason for Kili to be apprehensive. But what if the new King did turn them away? They were only children, and Laketown didn't have enough supplies to care for even half of its citizens. The least Kili could do was offer to ease some of the strain that he had partly caused. Thorin had to see things the way Kili did, he just had to.

Before Kili knew it, he was being shaken awake by his new friend, "Good morning," Kili said as he mustered a smile. The child didn't say anything, but sat in Kili's lap. For the first time, Kili realized that the child had never spoken a word back to him. Was there something physically wrong with him? Kili made a note to see if the child would talk on the way to Erebor. That was when Kili noticed the child Tauriel saved standing over him.

"The Elf told me to come get you," he said quietly.

"Tauriel?"

"I don't know," he replied.

Kili stood up and set the younger child down. Whatever was going on in the other room, Kili didn't want the children seeing it. If she had died… Kili couldn't even think about it.

"Keep an eye on them," Kili said. The child nodded as Kili left.

He didn't know what he was expecting to see. He wasn't prepared for some huge change, but he had been prepared to maybe be greeting her corpse. But she looked so unchanged it was hard to believe that an Elven healer had been working with her for hours.

Legolas was watching over her, leaning against the wall. Kili noted his almost predatory glance at him. Kili knew the Elf Prince blamed him for what had happened, but Kili would never intentionally hurt her. Legolas had to know that.

"What's happened?" Kili asked, "Is she alright?"

Before Legolas could say something hateful, the Healer said, "I don't know. She is physically getting better…"

"So it's true," Kili replied, "There's a piece of her missing."

"I know the kind of magic she used, and I know how to reverse it."

"And you need me to do that," Kili replied, mostly to himself, "That's why you called me out here."

The Healer nodded in response. Kili allowed himself to smile, but the other Elves didn't look optimistic. when Legolas spoke something in elvish, Kili knew that there was more to this than what he was being told, "What?" he asked.

"Prince Kili," The Healer began, "Legolas told me about the wounds you have suffered. And... they are very grave. You would probably be dead."

Kili could only stare as he realized what the Elf was saying. If Tauriel was healed, then he would die. There had to be a way around this. He had cheated death so many times... there had to be some sort of loophole. But Kili could tell by the grim look on his companion's faces that there would be no escape. Kili had only two choices. Save himself and Tauriel dies, or save Tauriel and he dies. There was really only one choice.

"Reverse it," Kili said before he lost his courage. Kili caught a look of surprise on Legolas' face. It was rare to see any emotion in an elf, the fact that he let it show for more than a split second showed that Kili had really caught him off guard.

There was no "Are you sure", or any sort of questioning. Kili was grateful. He was afraid of death and was worried he would become a coward again if he was pushed. The other Elves only nodded before delving into instruction. Kili struggled to keep up with the Elvish words and the medical dialect. The only things he really caught were that he needed to be in physical contact with her and he needed to try and connect with what remained of her Fea. How he would do that, Kili didn't know, but he had faith his love for her would do the trick.

"You'll feel pain," The Healer warned, "A lot of pain."

"Great," Kili grimaced

"You'll feel like you're being torn apart, you can't try and prevent it, Kili," he said, "After that, the physical pain from your wounds will set back in."

"Will that be as painful?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "But I assume it will be over quicker."

Kili wasn't so sure he appreciated the honesty of Elves anymore. Before his fear prevailed, Kili took her hand as the healer began to speak the lyrical language of Elves.

Kili now knew what the healer had meant about feeling her soul. As soon as he began speaking, it was like he was surrounded by Tauriel's light. It was so bright and warm. Kili couldn't imagine how he had lived without her for so long. He saw again the golden glow that he had seen when Tauriel had healed him the first time. Except this time, Kili was the one saving her.

That was when the pain began to set in. He felt like vomiting, but he was afraid that all that would come up would be blood. It really did feel like only half of him was there. He could feel his knees begin to buckle, but Kili remembered that he needed to be touching her. Kili forced himself to stand and let the healer kill him.

His vision began to blur and he felt her light brighten as his own faded. This was it, it was working but Kili was dying. Just as his vision began to blacken, he fell to the ground separating their hands

Kili took a moment to readjust to the knew light. He felt alright, good even. That must mean something had gone wrong. Why was he still alive?

"What happened?" Kili asked, "You said you knew how to reverse it."

The healer and Legolas spoke for a few minutes in their native tongue, ignoring the dwarf on the floor. Finally, the healer turned back to Kili, "I do," he replied.

"Then why don't you?" Kili asked, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. Why could elves ever give him any straight answers? It seems like all they ever did was talk in circles.

"She doesn't want him to," Legolas spat.

"What?"

"What the Prince means," the healer continued, "Is that she knows what I'm trying to do, and she's resisting."

"Elven magic," Kili muttered under his breath, "Then what do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do," the healer said, "I tried to forcefully bring her back, but I could get you both killed if I tried to force it. She'd trying to make it back on her own"
"She will not die because of me?" Kili hissed, "I will now allow it."

"I've sorry," the healer said genuinely, "But there is nothing I can do."

"Then what do we do?" Kili asked miserably

"We wait," he replied simply.

"Wait," Kili said as the healer began to leave, "If she knew what you were trying to do, does that mean she can hear us?"

"Yes."

"Wait outside," Kili instructed, "I will speak with her."

Even if she didn't fully succeed this time, at least Tauriel could sense what was going on around her. She couldn't exactly move, but she could hear and she could feel the table beneath her. As long as she had her senses, Tauriel knew she was already doing better.

But of course, even thought she could hear what was happening, Tauriel couldn't respond to anything that was going on. She had heard Kili speaking to her, but no matter how much she wanted to reply; to tell him how much she loved him, she was powerless. And then he was gone, all too soon his hands were gone from hers, and she could feel that he wasn't close.

It took her a while to comprehend what was happening after that. She didn't recognize Legolas' voice at first, and it took her longer to realize she was being treated by an Elven healer. And even then, she had let him work. She was starting feel the ripping sensation again, and was worried she'd be torn away. Any help Tauriel could get, she welcomed. Until she heard the words "reverse". She made it a point to focus more on the conversation after that, until she understood that the healer was going to reverse the magic she'd used on Kili.

Tauriel knew that without her Fëa, Kili would surely die. She couldn't let him heal her. Even if it was the only way she could return to the physical world, Kili would live. Tauriel would ensure it. So she held on, as hard as she could. Tauriel didn't know how she was doing it, but she was succeeding. She could feel the piece of her that the healer was trying to give back becoming alien to her, like it didn't belong with her anymore. Once again, she was attempting unknown magics and winning.

She had only a moment to feel good for herself before she felt the pain of having a piece permanently gone. But any pain she feel was nothing to the joy of knowing Kili was safe.

Tauriel had insisted that she needed to return to them, but she realized now that keeping hi safe was more important than keeping him happy. And he wouldn't be happy. Kili would be angry, he would hate her for a bit. But she was only a Silvan Elf, there were only a few that would miss her. He was a Prince and he had a responsibility to his people. Even if he didn't want to admit, his first priority should be the Dwarves. They would never have worked out. And now, she realized she was truly on her own to make her way back to the physical world. Without Kili in her life, she had nothing really to cling onto. She didn't even have a home anymore.

Why should she even try and go back to a world where she had no one? Maybe she should return to her mother, and enter the Halls of Mandos. For the first time in centuries, she would be able to see everyone she had lost. She was about to let go of the slight grip she had on the physical world when she heard his voice.

"Tauriel," he murmured, "I know you can hear me, and this time you will listen."

A.N. I know it's been a few days, but I've been crazy busy. I have no idea how long this will go on, but I feel like this story is drawing to an end. Which makes me sad, because Kiliel is my favorite pairing to write, but I don't want to drag it on too long. So I hope I'll be back with another chapter by Friday. Tell me what you think