Lord Elrond of Rivendell nearly dropped his book when the little dwelf leaped out of the bushes, roaring ferociously.
"What fearsome beast is this?" he said, closing his volume and setting it in his lap as he regarded the child. It took some effort on his part not to smile in amusement: Galadion—Kíli's eldest, a lad of nearly six years by dwarvish reckoning—was completely naked and likewise entirely unabashed.
"I'm a bear," Galadion returned and showed his teeth in a snarl that was rather more endearing than frightening.
"You seem to have lost your fur coat," Elrond observed seriously.
The lad looked somewhat disappointed. "Not that kind of bear," he protested. "A skin changer, like Mister Beorn. Even when I don't look like a bear, I am one, you know."
"I see. It must be too warm for a fur coat today."
Galadion nodded, sending a tumble of loose dark hair into his face. He reached up and tucked the hair back behind one peaked ear.
"Is Eydís a bear, too?" Elrond said. Where her brother went, she was usually not far behind.
"No. She's just a little sister," the boy said long-sufferingly, as if this should be obvious. "Bears don't have little sisters."
"I thought some of them did."
"Don't be silly!" Galadion rolled his eyes, as if he didn't believe this adult could possibly mean such nonsense.
Elrond laughed. "I suppose not."
Kíli's voice, which had been calling in the distance for the past quarter hour, now sounded louder from the nearby garden path.
"But some of them have fathers, who want them to put on their fur coats," the ancient half-elf noted.
"He won't find me," Galadion said, a spark of mischief in his eyes, and then ducked into a rhododendron bush. He had moved none too soon, for at that moment, Kíli rounded a bend in the path and came into sight.
"Have you seen my son?" the dwarf asked.
"Alas, I have not." Elrond gave a light shake of his head.
"Blast. I'm supposed to finish dressing him." Kíli motioned with the clothing in his hand. "Though I suppose I'm a fool for hoping to succeed where my wife has failed." He smiled faintly, and Elrond guessed Kíli was more amused than frustrated by the situation.
Elrond could not help a chuckle as he remembered how his own Celebrían had often been able to find a way with their young sons when he could not. "Good luck," he said.
"Right." Kíli flashed a knowing smile before proceeding down the path to continue his search.
Once Kíli had disappeared again among the many twists and turns of the garden walk, Galadion thrust his head out from among the rhododendron's purple blooms. He said nothing, but stared at Elrond from rounded brown eyes, clearly astonished that this venerable adult had just lied to his father.
"I told no untruth," Elrond said with a smile. "I've seen no dwelflings this morning. Only a very small bear."
Arwen was cutting roses to fill a vase when she found Kíli and Tauriel's little daughter.
Reaching for another blossom, she had been arrested by a burst of song. It was a tune Arwen had never heard before, though she recognized the sweet, childish treble as that of three-year-old Eydís.
"Sing hey for a bath at close of day, to wash the weary mud away…"
Arwen tucked her garden shears into her belt and moved past the rose hedge. Then she laughed.
The child was on hands and knees in the grass, her little feet and bare backside equally smudged from grass and dirt. In front of her was a small structure built of flat river stones cemented with mud. Its roof had been overlaid with rose petals, carefully arranged in alternating pink and white. A large pile of pebbles was in the grass beside her, and as she sang, Eydís pressed them in a row into the soft soil.
"A loon is he who will not sing, O! water hot is a noble thing!"
The elf maid came closer and squatted down at Eydís's side.
"What are you making? It's very pretty," she observed.
The dwelfling broke off her singing mid-note and turned to beam proudly up at Arwen.
"It's a house for Buttercup," she said. "See?"
Arwen stooped further to follow the girl's pointing finger, and then she could see Eydís's favorite toy—a carved wooden horse—inside the little house.
"Mm. She seems to like it," Arwen said. "And is this her paddock?" She gestured to the pebble wall already half enclosing the little structure."
"Yah," Eydís affirmed as she began placing stones once again.
"May I help?" the elf asked after a moment.
"Mm-hm."
And so following her little friend's example, Arwen began placing pebbles for the other half of the enclosure. Once they had joined up the two halves of the fence with the final stones, the two females surveyed their work.
Arwen said, "I think it's still missing something, don't you?"
"Oh?" Eydís's tone was interested.
"I think Buttercup would like a lane up to her door." She turned for her flower vase and held it towards Eydís. "Which color should we use?"
"Hmm." The little girl's expression went grave with thought, and Arwen smiled, having seen that furrowed brow and pursed lip on Kíli's face. No matter how many children she met, she was always delighted to find how well even rounded, infant features could mirror the originals of which they were copies. Eydís had her father's mouth as well as his dark hair and eyes, though their up-tilted shape was from her mother. Her skin was as fair as Tauriel's, and she already sported a generous sprinkling of freckles over her cheeks and nose.
"Yellow," Eydís pronounced at last, so Arwen drew the rose from the vase and plucked a few petals, laying them before the door of the house in the beginning of a path. Then she offered the flower to Eydís to continue. They went through two roses in this fashion, and were just connecting the artfully winding lane to the far end of the paddock when soft footsteps rustled the grass behind them.
Arwen looked up to see Tauriel watching them.
"I see you've been busy this morning," the Sylvan woman observed. "It is a very fine home you've made for Buttercup."
"Arwen helped me," Eydís said.
"So I see. Buttercup must be very grateful to you both."
"She is!"
"You've been working so hard, surely you must be hungry by now. It's nearly noon."
Eydís considered for a moment, then shook her head.
"But I'm hungry," Arwen put in. "Won't you come have lunch with me and your nana?"
"Well… " She eyed her mother doubtfully, glancing at the dress Tauriel had tucked over her arm. "Nana says I can't have lunch if I don't have clothes so… No!" She uttered this last word with a sly smile and darted past Arwen.
Yet before the energetic dwelf could escape, Arwen extended an arm and scooped the little girl into her lap. "All right, go naked if you wish. But I should warn you: you look so adorable that I won't be able to help tickling you." And she did, so that Eydís shrieked with helpless laughter.
"Nana! Ama'! Help!"
Tauriel looked on, her expression thoughtful. "I don't know how, my love. Unless…"
"Ama'!" Eydís squirmed without result, though her bright face showed she was enjoying this game.
"Well, perhaps if you put on your dress…" Tauriel mused.
"Yes, I think if you got dressed, I might be able to stop," Arwen said, before leaning in to press messy kisses to her little victim's face.
Eydís squeaked in protest. "I will," she gasped. "Nana! I will!"
Arwen gave one more kiss, then let the dwelfling go. Eydís hopped from her captor's embrace and presented herself to her mother, her arms up so that Tauriel might easily slip on her frock. Then Tauriel scooped up her daughter and offered her own kiss, which Eydís received with a peal of giggles. "I love you, my sweet," Tauriel told her.
"I'm hungry, Ama'," Eydís said.
"Are you? Then let us have some lunch."
Arwen rose, and together they made their way back through the gardens towards the house. As they walked, Arwen fell a few steps behind Tauriel, enjoying the sight of Eydís nestled happily in her mother's arms, her little head tucked companionably against Tauriel's while her bright eyes flicked over the garden sights. Some day, Arwen thought, she would like an elfling just as sweet for her own.
As the three of them were crossing the lawn below the main house, Arwen began, "If you'll excuse me, I must put away these flowers, but I will join you in—"
She never finished the thought, for at that moment, two elven men sprinted right across her path. As they passed, the small dwelf one of them carried began screaming with glee. Not far behind them followed a dwarf, running full tilt with his shorter legs in an effort to catch up. Not one of them was wearing a single thing.
They were all shouting now as they ran down the lawn, straight for the lily pond. There was chorus of whoops and then a splash, followed by a clatter of wings from the flock of herons taking flight.
"My brothers," Arwen sighed.
"My husband!" Tauriel echoed.
"Adad!" Eydís cried, and leaped down from her mother's arms to go chasing after them. She was out of her dress again before she reached the pond's edge.
There she stood on the bank, shouting "Ada'! Adad!" until Kíli left off ducking Elladan to hold out his arms for her. She jumped and he caught her, spinning her across the water to splash the others. Galadion cried out, begging for the same, so Elrohir whirled him up and tossed him into the middle of the pond. When the lad surfaced, he was laughing.
Arwen laughed, too. "They used to do so with me, you know. It makes me feel quite young to watch them."
"I never had a brother to play with," Tauriel said, a confessional smile on her lips. "So I must make up for it by being wild now." As she spoke, she gathered her skirt up above her knees and tucked it into her belt. This done, she too, raced off down the lawn and into the water to join her family.
As Tauriel received her son from Elrohir, the dark-haired elf glanced up and caught Arwen's eye. "What are you waiting for, sister?" he called. "You never were one to let us have all the fun without you."
She pulled a face that was, perhaps, rather unbecoming for a lady of her years, but she was laughing again as she stooped to tie up her skirts. Oh, she felt very young indeed.
Author's note:
It's my headcanon that elves aren't very concerned with nudity in the context of bathing or swimming. :) And naked toddlers are just cute.
The idea for this fic was inspired by an adorable fan art of a naked baby Fíli and Kíli by ssilcatt on Tumblr.
In my main fic series, Tauriel calls Kíli her little bear, so no wonder Galadion thinks he is one.
I've got one more chapter planned with a bit more Kiliel fluff, when we'll find out what preceded the boys' appearance in that last scene!