Chapter 18

Fili's fingers brushed along the cold stone railing of the balcony he was sitting against. He could hear the birds in the trees below, which were beginning to turn into a patchwork of warm reds and yellows. He could even smell the crisp, familiar scent of apples from the kitchens below, wafting up through the halls. But he paid attention to none of these things, his mind occupied with the sorting of his thoughts.

His ears picked up the tapping of footsteps nearby and he didn't need to look up to see who it was. He knew that no matter how secluded a spot he tried to find in the mountain, his brother would find him.

And his brother had the good sense to sit a few steps away from him on the railing, unspeaking.

The brothers could come alive in a way that made others marvel; talking up a storm, inciting a gathering into a raucous party, or lifting the hearts of even the cantankerous old dwarves who refused to smile. But they also knew each other well enough to sense when the other needed a brother's silent care. Fili just needed him to be there.

The comfort of his brother's presence was enormous, especially when he had so much to think about. It centered him, reminded him that no matter what happened, at least Kili was there and safe.

Fili knew Kili wanted to talk to him, but he was savoring the quiet of the balcony and the chilly breeze brushing his mustache braids against his cheeks.

Kili muttered something and Fili smirked a little. As much as Kili respected his need for quiet moments, Fili understood that it required a lot of effort for the younger dwarf to be silent.

"How can you sit and think with the wind blowing on you?" Kili muttered incredulously. He pulled his arms around himself, frowning.

"Sometimes it helps blow away my troubles," the older dwarf morosely replied. He snickered when Kili brought an apple from his pocket and began taking noisy, crunchy bites of it. "It's the quiet you can't stand, not the breeze, anyway."

Kili nodded with a smile, looking out at the setting sun and the reddening trees. "True. So will you let me help you think?"

Fili snorted but he was amused.

"I can see you, over there, mulling over something like an old granny trying to unravel the knotted yarn that's stopping her from finishing her scarf." Kili's playful smile grew into a wide grin as he reached into his jacket for something. "Speaking of which, Nur wanted me to bring you these."

Fili's curiosity grew while Kili fumbled with an inner pocket and finally revealed a pair of fingerless gloves. He beamed when he accepted them, pulling one on and finding it to be perfectly fitting though he'd never knowingly modeled his hands for Nur.

"She misses you. She wants to know why you're staying away."

Fili froze, his admiration of the gloves giving way to tremendous guilt. "It's complicated. And I do see her…often enough."

Kili said nothing, but his face showed that this answer was inadequate.

Rolling his eyes, the blonde dwarf stood and relented. "Thorin wants us to winter in the Blue Mountains, rallying support still close enough to the Shire that we can set out together as a company."

Kili knit his brows together. "What has that got to do—"

"It means we're leaving in two weeks." Fili stuttered. "I am anxious to start this journey, but also…"

"Nur." Kili offered in a single knowing word.

"She said she understands why I have to leave. She said she even understands why she cannot go with me." Fili said the last part nervously, not wanting to delve into that delicate part of their relationship. Her inability to go had nothing to do with her willingness. "But I haven't told her how soon I'll be leaving."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" Kili raised an eyebrow with a knowing expression on his face. He munched a bite while waiting for Fili to continue.

"King Dain…" Fili began to say, but stopped, trying to choose his words carefully. "He isn't happy with me. Thinks I could have done more to keep Nur safe. He also thinks that I amount to nothing until we've taken back our kingdom. He doesn't want me anywhere near her."

"Not that you've listened."

"No," Fili half-smiled. "But…" He crouched and sat back on the floor cross-legged with his hand over his forehead. "Why can't things just be simple, brother?"

Kili moved to sit next to the brooding dwarf.

"Why can't I just be a lad that loves a lass," Fili groaned, "without fear of the political ramifications or the danger of King Dain holding back his hand of support? If things turn out all right, we can reach Erebor with a ready army waiting not far away…"

"Wait until they've helped us and then swoop in and marry her anyway." Kili scoffed. "You can be certain I won't give thought to anyone else when I decide to marry."

"Yes, but you can afford not to."

"So can you." Kili voiced adamantly. "The King of the Iron Hills is the only one unhappy with Nur's choice—but it's her Choice, for Mahal's sake!"

Fili shook his head, determined that he would do nothing to upset the odds in their favor when it came to the quest they'd all been waiting so long for—Erebor! It was not just a weak whisper anymore, it was a purposeful shout!

"You could marry in secret." Kili muttered. Fili laughed at this, trying to imagine the expression on his mother's face if she'd heard her sons whispering such a thing… but a glance at his brother told him Kili was serious.

"Are you daft?" Fili shoved his hand at Kili to push him. "How would I—"

But Kili caught his hand and Fili could see the wheels turning in his head. It wasn't just a suggestion anymore, the lad had a determined look in his eyes. "You take back Erebor and she'll go through the motions of a ceremony anyway, no harm done."

This was not just mischief anymore, Fili thought, Kili was taking this too far. "What foolish priest would—"

"Hammer Ceremony." Kili interrupted. "I'll be your witness."

Fili shook his head and rose to his feet slowly. "You've already thought of everything, haven't you, you foolish, foolish…" Fili closed his eyes in doubt. "Foolish, reckless, loyal, caring…"

Fili could not deny it, the idea had been planted and now it was blooming into a balm for the worries he'd had before.

"I shouldn't be thinking this," Fili said while his brother rose to stand in front of him. Kili gave him a coaxing look, crossing his arms and waiting. "I can't… I don't want to risk it. And I'm sure Nur wouldn't—"

Kili stepped away from his brother and walked speedily out of the room. Fili watched him, puzzled, but then ground his teeth together when he began to realize where Kili was going. "No! Stop!"

The brothers chased each other through the halls of the Iron Hills, much like they had when they were younger dwarves, and the people there watched them in amusement. It was not often they saw adults bounding through the halls, falling over themselves.

But Kili was swift and he met his goal at a sprint, catching the doorknob to Nur's chambers and launching the door open with a wide swing.

Fili was far behind, but he could hear Kili as he jumped into the chamber, catching the lady and her maids off-guard—though Nur looked more pleased than startled—and Kili announced with a wide bow that he wanted a private audience with the princess.

Nur politely asked her maids to leave and they rose from their seats to pass by Kili, some with sneers and some with flirtatious smiles. Kili paid them no attention, but stood still, his arms clasped in front of him and the glow of his mischievous grin making Nur more and more curious by the second.

"Lady Nur," Kili began, "Honored Princess and good friend—"

Nur rose, an entertained smile on her face, just as Fili appeared. The winded dwarf held the door frame in one hand, his other on his knee while he gasped. "Stop. Right. There."

"May I have permission to be a witness at your surreptitious Hammer Ceremony with my brother?"

Nur burst into laughter. She knew this was the only explanation she was going to get from Kili—it reminded her of a game they'd played on their nannies when they were children, saying something ridiculous and winking at the others to go right along with it—and she thought for a short moment before nodding.

"Yes."

Fili had recovered himself enough to stand behind his brother with clenched fists and a scowl. "I am going to strangle you."

"Before you resort to violence," Kili held his arm up, twisting his torso to face his brother with a pretend stoic expression. "We will need the lady to petition for your hand which I will accept on as your custodian before we proceed to the flower arrangements and formal attire."

"On my behalf—?"

"The lass has the power," Kili said so quickly that Fili almost misunderstood him and then he held a finger to his lips, "Now, shush."

They were both startled by the crinkle of a paper being shoved into Kili's face. Nur stood with her hand outstretched, the short document bore a coat of wax with her symbol.

Kili's eyes widened in confusion while he slowly accepted and looked over it in disbelief. "That was fast." He had expected her to scribble nonsense on a parchment paper in playing with his game, but this… this was real.

"King Dain does not believe in the lady having power," she said with a blush breaking out on her cheeks, "but I had this drawn up almost as soon as we returned, though I didn't want to submit it until you were ready…"

Fili was overwhelmed as he scanned the ink-filled pages.

"Mahal's hammer…" Kili grinned. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," She said, matter-of-factly. "And I know you like a little intrigue so I hope to take you up on your offer of being a witness."

Fili pushed past his brother and stood before Nur, taking her hands in his. "What do you think you're doing?"

Nur wavered for a moment, her guard of confidence failing under his gaze. "Please don't stop me. I've already thought this through, long before now. This is what I want."

"There's no rush," Fili murmured.

A slight wave of discouragement passed through the princess's core, and she ducked her head a little. "You… you don't want me?"

"That's rubbish and you know it." Fili said a little too harshly. He granted her a smile and caressed her hand in a small apology. "There are alliances to think on—"

Nur sighed, uncertain how to speak her thoughts. "Father doesn't want me to marry you."

Fili wasn't wholly shocked by this, but it still made his heart feel like it was crumbling. He and Kili might have kept to their beliefs about the lady's Choice in a marriage, but it was motivated by Erebor's passed-down laws and by the Blue Mountains where they had been raised. The brutal truth was that the Iron Hills did not respect the same rules.

"And if you leave…" she hung her head. "What's to stop him from pairing me with someone else while you're gone?"

A chill ran through the dwarf's body, resting in his fingertips and causing him to realize that what Kili had started as a joke was not so humorous anymore. Kili shifted uncomfortably beside him, a guilty expression tearing down his smile. Fili mused on the irony that had caused him to change his mind from the absolute determination against this idea into grave acceptance in only minutes.

Nur clasped at Fili's elbow, subdued tears in her eyes. "But your uncle… I understand why you do not wish to anger my father when he holds the key to your uncle's success. I will abide by any decision you—"

"Stop," Fili said, pulling her close and sighing into her hair.

Kili turned and made to move for the door, but Fili reached out and clasped the younger dwarf's sleeve before he got far.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Kili smirked. "I think you need a minute alone—"

"Will you meet us in the eastern mining outlet?"

"The… the what?" Kili squinted at his brother. "Why am I going there?"

"Hammer. Can you fetch us a hammer? No one will see or hear us down there."

When three laughing dwarves entered the mead halls of the mining levels of the Iron Hills, it caught no one off-guard. The hollowed cave was already bustling with dwarves drinking their fill after a long day in the mines and needed no reason for a celebratory round of ale. Many of the miners recognized the two princes—all of them recognized the princess with them—but few cared why the royal figures had joined them, as they were joyous and raucous enough to be their own party.

And if any of those miners had known what the three were doing in the mining level—what they had done only moments ago with the signing of a document, a stamp of wax, and the clanging of a hammer—they would not have cared enough to part company with the happy group.

Shouts and toasts filled the hall, but the highlight of the festivity was when Fili stood atop one of the long tables, pulling up a startled Nur after him and pulling her into a deep kiss.

The crowd roared their approval. It was no secret that the two had been pining over each other through the years and had become almost a fairy-tale romance among the common dwarves. They didn't care if the kiss was appropriate and they couldn't have been expected to understand the political taboo of it, the only sentiment murmured among them was, "It's about time."

Nur could hear none of the crowd, she was wholly invested in the strong set of lips clasped against hers and the lovely warm sensation of his fingers at the base of her skull while his other hand rested on the small of her back and pressed her closer than he'd ever dared. She realized the source of her true joy was that he had given up his cautiously laid boundaries and was now thrown to careless abandon with her. It sent a thrill up her spine.

The Princess pulled her head back with an expression that was not asking permission so much as it was wryly implying that she was done with the party. When she saw that he didn't quite understand, she leaned forward and gave him a slight lick on his top lip and abruptly turned away to jump down from the table.

Fili felt the blood rushing to his cheeks and glanced down at his brother, who had his arm around a dwarvish lass with soot on her face, laughing through a mouthful of bread.

"Mahal, Fee, leave already! I'm fine here." Kili said while he tugged the bend of his arm around the lass's neck, slurping at an almost empty stein.

A wave of nerves and excitement came over the blonde dwarf and he landed shakily on his feet, accepting the outreached hand of his bride and letting her pull him along the caverns of the mines. They ran, hand in hand, when Fili realized where it was she intended to go—she had been pulling him along the same route they'd just come from, one of the only places in the Iron Hills they both knew was secluded and private: the place where they held their small ceremony.

He was worried that she wouldn't be comfortable in such a place, but the way she grasped his hand and the intent in her eyes said she wasn't bothered by it in the least.