Chapter 15:

Rubbing his face, Kili sighed and tried to keep his exhaustion at bay. He felt so tired that his eyelids were drooping. Stretching his shoulders in an attempt to ease his aching back, he left the others to their work and walked deeper into the mountain, not really paying attention to where he was going. Plonking himself under an archway out of sight, Kili leant against the cold stone and began to play with his rune stone, smiling as memories of his mother filtered through the dewy cobwebs his fatigued state had conjured in his mind.

"Tired?" Came a soft voice from the dark, causing Kili to jump.

"A little." He answered with a smile, shuffling to the side so Tauriel could join him.

Tauriel smiled back and put her arm around the dwarf, drawing him closer to her. Snuggling up against her, Kili risked a glance up at Tauriel's face. He gave her a cheeky grin and waited to see if she understood what he wanted.

Raising her eyebrow, Tauriel laughed at Kili's less than subtle attempts to seduce her. But even though his attempts were more adorable than convincing they were very tempting and soon Tauriel was leaning down and kissing him.

Allowing Tauriel to take the lead, Kili made himself comfortable and wrapped his arms around her.

It had been only a few days since their first kiss but since then the couple had snuck away from the others numerous times and Kili had learnt a lot. Putting his hand on her thigh, Kili slowly slipped it up under her skirts and grinned as she gave a breathy moan.

"Promise me something." She whispered, rubbing her nose against him and looking intently into his warm eyes.

"What do you need?" Kili asked, using his free hand to stroke her hair.

"In a few days the orc army will be here and we'll be at war. Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you'll survive."

Kili leant back in surprise. Tauriel had always seemed so confident and powerful but now, here she was, worrying about him dying. He felt touched by her concern and realised just how much she must love him if she was scared enough to ask him to make this promise. They were both warriors, more than capable of looking after themselves in a fight but Kili quickly realised that despite this he was just as worried about her as she seemed to be about him.

"As long as you make the same promise."

"I promise, my love, we'll survive this. Both of us. Even if I have to save you myself."

Kili laughed at this. He leant against the stone and stroked her face, loving her bravery and protectiveness.

"Well then, with such a skilled ally as you by my side how could I possibly fall? But I shall do my best to not need you. Besides, I can take care of myself you know." He winked and kissed her, hoping that he had reassured her.

"I know, I just worry. You're far too reckless for your own good." Tauriel winked and they both laughed, free of worry and feeling happy despite the desolation that threatened to consume them all.

Leaning down to kiss him again, Tauriel frowned when Kili turned his head from her and stared in the direction of the hall where the others were still working.

"What is it?" She asked, peering into the gloom.

Behind a pillar in the darkness, an unseen shape held its breath and hoped that the dwarf hadn't caught sight of it.

"Do you hear that? It's a harp… it must be Fi!" Kili grinned, happy that his brother was well enough to be feeling musical.

Glancing up at Tauriel, Kili suddenly felt an urge to be merry and celebrate, to ignore the army that was swiftly coming their way and be happy with Tauriel while he could. Leaping up, Kili jogged over to the middle of the room where there was a bit more room to manoeuvre and turned to face Tauriel. She was sat exactly where she had been, looking at him with confusion and a raised eyebrow.

Kili bowed low and held out his hand as gracefully as he could; copying the gesture he'd seen Fili and Bofur make a hundred times over.

"May I have this dance, my lady?"

Tauriel giggled and shook her head at him, unable to believe he was really doing this.

"Really?"

"But of course, my lady."

"I don't dance Kili, I don't know how."

"I'll show you how, it's easy." Beckoning her over, Kili began to teach Tauriel a number of basic steps he'd been taught when he was younger. Being a Prince, Kili had been taught a number of skills from an early age that was supposed to have cultured him. Dancing was one of these skills and although he'd never actually used it at a party (no one had ever wanted to dance with him), he was glad he had the skills now.

It didn't take long for Tauriel to get the gist of the moves and, although the height difference made things a little awkward, it wasn't long before the two of them were dancing around the room, laughing gleefully.

When the song stopped and the harp was still, Kili bowed to his partner and complimented her on her fast progress.

"Kili I think I stood on your feet about six times."

"It doesn't matter, that's what big boots are for. I barely felt a thing. Besides, it was fun, you're very graceful."

Tauriel blushed and knelt down, looking Kili in the eyes.

"Thank you, for taking my mind of it."

Kili just smiled back and kissed her.

"It's no trouble, I like seeing you happy. You have such a beautiful smile I just wish you would show it to me more often."

Kissing him back, Tauriel leant her head against his chest and listened to the fast paced beat of his heart.

"Your hearts beating so fast, was teaching me really that tiring?" Tauriel asked teasingly, kissing his throat and looking up at him innocently.

"You always make my heart beat faster. It's a natural reaction to being so close to someone so beautiful and full of light."

Catching Kili by surprise, Tauriel grabbed him and pulled him down on top of her, kissing him fiercely.

Having not realised how much his words would mean to her, Kili was caught off guard and ended up landing awkwardly on top of her. But he soon righted himself and began to make the most of the little time they had left before the others would begin to notice their prolonged absence.

Gritting his teeth in the shadows, Legolas gripped the stone column and tried to quell the fury rising inside him like a tsunami. The dwarf was on top of Tauriel and he could hear her moaning and panting so loudly that it seemed to reverberate through every cell of his body.

When he had first seen the way the dwarf had looked at Tauriel, back home in the Woodland Realm, he had been sure Tauriel had found him hideous and would have killed him if the little beast had dared touch her. But now, here they were a few days later, and these ideas that had once been so sure were now lying in tatters in Legolas' mind. He simply could not believe the scene his senses were reporting to him.

The couple's breathing hitched and Legolas turned and stalked away, murder on his mind and fury coiling in his stomach like a viper ready to strike. He couldn't bring himself to confront the two now, afraid of Tauriel's defence.

What if she claimed to love the dwarf?

Legolas began to feel sick and barely noticed his surroundings as he walked back through the hall where the others were working. He kept walking until he was outside in the brilliant sunshine, gasping for air like one who had just run a hundred leagues in a split second.

Sitting down on a rock, Legolas tried to order his thoughts and figure out what to do next. He had come here for Tauriel, but it was clear she would not want to leave her new lover. So what then?

He did not want to leave her at the mercy of that filthy dwarf, and as his thoughts grew darker and bitterer he began to concoct a new plan. Tauriel may want to stay with the dwarf, but when he was through she would not be able to stay with her precious new beau, she would have to leave with him and return to the Woodland realm where they would close the doors against all outsiders and she would never see the filth again.

With a sadistic smile, Legolas got up and went back into the mountain, nothing on his mind but how he would make that upstart dwarf regret ever having sullied Tauriel.