Author's note: I'm terribly sorry for the long delay - life has the habit of getting in the way of my writing. Also, this chapter gave me a lot of trouble, I simply couldn't get it to end where I wanted it to. I'm not entirely satisfied with how it turned out, but I think it sets the ground for some interesting things that I have planned for the future.

And thank you for the many reactions to my last update - I was quite overwhelmed! You're all awesome :)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or its characters.

Chapter V

Tauriel reclined in the soft, fragrant grass and watched Kíli pull back the string of his bow, enjoying the way that this movement emphasized the muscles in his upper body. It was quite a warm day and he only wore a light shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She blushed and laughed a little when he caught her staring and he flashed her his most cocky smile, letting the arrow fly without even looking where it went. It hit its intended mark on the tree at the other end of the meadow nevertheless.

"Your turn," he said, lowering his bow, but she shook her head.

"No, thank you. I am quite content where I am right now," she replied, leaning back to let the sun warm her face.

After a good night's sleep they had awoken to a bright blue sky, the inhabitants of the Rangers' camp going about their daily business without haste. Since there was not much else for them to do right now except to wait for the return of the remaining men, Tauriel and Kíli had decided to make use of this rare opportunity to enjoy some leisure time without the acute pressure of the obligations they felt that they needed to fulfill.

Tauriel opened her eyes as Kíli's shadow fell across her and saw him smiling down at her. He was about to say something, but was interrupted by Fendir striding across the grass towards them. "An unusual weapon for a dwarf," he called out in his deep voice.

Kíli turned his head around and Tauriel sat up, watching the Ranger approach. Behind him trailed a boy of maybe sixteen in human years, eighteen at the most. His features were a little softer than Fendir's, his jaw less angular. But the chestnut color of his shaggy, chin length hair and his steel-grey eyes left no doubt that the boy was Fendir's son. Also, as not exactly unusual for a boy of his age, his expression was slightly sulky and a little defiant.

"I hear that a lot," Kíli said in reply to Fendir's statement. "However, those who have questioned my choice of a weapon in the past have often found that my bow and arrow can be quite useful in difficult situations."

"I am sure they did," Fendir said, grinning. "Your aim is true – impressively so."

"Thank you," Kíli said, clearly pleased at the praise of his skills. He nodded towards Tauriel and winked. "Wait until you see her, though."

Tauriel laughed and took the hand Kíli was offering her, letting him pull her to her feet. "I merely had more time to practice," she returned, brushing some stray blades of grass off her legs.

Both she and Kíli looked curiously at their new friend's young companion and promptly caught the boy staring at Tauriel, his eyes wide with obvious admiration.

Fendir turned towards the boy, who immediately dropped his gaze, his face quite red, and clasped him on the shoulder. "This is my son, Fennion," he said, sounding both proud and slightly exasperated at the same time, as fathers of adolescent boys are sometimes bound to do. "I watched you shoot and thought that maybe you would be willing to teach him a little. Give him something useful to do with his time."

"It's Finn," the boy mumbled, glaring at his father from below some unruly strands of hair hanging into his forehead. "And I'm not useless."

"Well, no one said you were," Fendir replied with a small sigh. Turning back to Kíli and Tauriel he said, "You would not mind, would you? With most of us men around so rarely, our boys need all the practice that they can get."

"We would be honored to teach your son," Tauriel replied, wanting to make the boy feel less uncomfortable than he so obviously was. Her attempt seemed successful and the boy beamed at her. Out of the corner of her eye, Tauriel saw Kíli grin and resisted the urge to nudge him, hoping that he would not tease the boy too much.

"Then that is settled," Fendir replied, obviously pleased. "Do not embarrass me," he said to his son, earning himself another glare from the boy.

As the Ranger left them, Tauriel thought she could hear him mutter something under his breath along the lines of "Butchering the fine name your father gave you…," and she smiled to herself, finding this dynamic between father and son very interesting. And so different from what she had for so many years observed between Legolas and his father.

Turning back to Kíli and Fendir's son, she saw the boy eye Kíli's bow with skepticism. "Have you ever shot an arrow, Finn?" she asked him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes when he blushed once more as she addressed him. This would be a long afternoon.

"Y- yes, lady Tauriel," he stammered. "But to no great success…"

She smirked. "First of all, I am not a lady. Simply call me Tauriel. Secondly, we will try our best to change this today."

Finn looked at her full of hope while Kíli quirked an eyebrow at the boy. Leaning down he picked up Tauriel's bow where she had put it down earlier and pushed it into Finn's hands. Watching him hold it a little awkwardly he muttered, "Better not break it, lad. She's very sensitive when it comes to her weapon." He completed his statement by a pointed look in her direction, obviously trying to scare the boy.

This time Tauriel did roll her eyes as she watched Finn flinch and clutch her bow to his chest anxiously while Kíli turned around to retrieve his own bow and arrow. A frightened teenage boy and a dwarf full of mischief. Exactly what she needed right now.

"Yes, like this. Just imitate Kíli's posture. Put your left foot forward a little…"

Tauriel stood behind Finn, trying to teach him how to hold the bow in order to be able to get a good shot while Kíli was acting as a model for the boy, repeatedly raising his bow and pulling back the string. He had been doing this for a while now and Tauriel could see him itching to finally launch his arrow a little more each time. Also, his arms and shoulders had to hurt by now.

She smiled to herself – maybe she would be able to make it up to him later with a little massage. Lately it seemed that she could not get enough of touching him, thoughts of how his skin felt beneath her hands often distracting her in her other tasks. It was not as if their relationship had not always had a very strong physical component, but recently she frequently caught herself longing for nothing but to be with Kíli and have her peace, all thoughts of adventure, war or other responsibilities wiped from her mind, a feeling which had been foreign to her until now. She sighed to herself – if things progressed as they did right now, they would soon have to start thinking about how to find peace and safety for when her body and both of their lives would be changing more drastically. This thought, while on the one hand a little depressing, also filled her with an inexplicable, almost giddy anticipation.

But here she was again, allowing herself to become distracted from the task at hand. Shaking off those slightly confusing thoughts, she stepped forward and raised her hand to gently push at Finn's elbow. The boy was already as tall as she was and would outgrow her by several inches in the next few years. In terms of stature he was clearly taking after his father, his shoulders broad while not yet overly muscular. He did however have a lot of work to do in terms of posture and body tension, his movements always a little imprecise and lacking in grace.

"You will want to raise your elbow a little to get a good aim," she said, putting her other hand between his shoulder blades to guide his upper body into the correct position.

Finn flinched a little under her touch, and half turned around to cast a sweet, innocent smile at her over his shoulder. With his body turned and his bow lowered, the arrow he had been holding slipped through his fingers and would have hit Kíli a couple of feet away had he not jumped out of the way with a little yelp.

"Oi!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Watch where you are shooting! Or rather who you are shooting…"

Tauriel could not help but smile a little at the way he glared at Finn, the boy's eyes widening in horror. "I am so sorry, master dwarf! I don't know how that happened."

Kíli raised his eyebrows at the boy and glanced at Tauriel standing closely behind him. "Well, I for one do. Focus, Finn. You will never hit your target if you don't. Come on now, take up your position."

Tauriel grinned as the boy scrambled to stand next to Kíli again, quickly raising his bow once more. Kíli winked at her before turning around to continue instructing their young friend, his eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter. She decided to hang back for now and let the two of them continue their lesson since her presence was obviously distracting to the boy. She did not mind – like this she was permitted to resume her earlier occupation of watching Kíli, her mind straying along the different paths that might or might not open themselves up to them soon.

An hour later, Finn had managed to hit a tree with an arrow several times – never the tree they had singled out as a target, but Kíli decided that he would not be so very particular about this today – and the three of them were sitting in the shade of a large tree, enjoying a break from the heat of the afternoon sun.

As he had made some progress with bow and arrow, Finn had also begun to grow less uncomfortable around the two of them and, by now, was speaking freely to both Tauriel and himself. Although Kíli could still see a familiar glint in the boy's eyes whenever he looked at Tauriel. But he could not blame him for that, could he? Sat there under the tree in the lush, green grass, the sun creating golden reflections in her hair where its rays penetrated the canopy of leaves, she truly was a sight for sore eyes.

"I believe your father will be rather pleased with the progress you made today," Tauriel was saying now, causing Finn to smile at her brightly. But quickly his smile faltered a little.

"I am not sure," he said. "Sometimes it seems that no matter what I do, he still views me as a child, incapable of doing anything to his satisfaction."

"Now, I am sure that is not true," Tauriel replied, clearly surprised by the way that Finn viewed his relationship with his father. After all, Fendir's love for his son had been written all over his face when he had introduced them earlier.

"Oh, but it is," the boy insisted. "He never lets me come with him, not even to hunt, and makes me stay behind with the women and children instead. How am I supposed to learn anything like that?"

"He is merely trying to protect you," Tauriel returned, looking to Kíli for a little help.

"Trust me, Finn," Kíli jumped in, leaning forward to clasp his hand on the lad's shoulder. "The day will come soon enough where you will be able to prove yourself to your father. And I am sure you will make him very proud. Even if he has a hard time showing it to you."

Finn smiled an insecure, but hopeful little smile at him, and Kíli was reminded of the way that he and Fíli would practically trail around behind Thorin when they were younger, waiting for a chance to show off some of their accomplishments. As the years progressed, Thorin had included them in his own adventures more and more, culminating in him asking the brothers to join him on his quest to reclaim Erebor. And while he had seldom shown it and had often criticized both of them – mostly Kíli though – for their often boisterous behavior, in their hearts they had always known that their uncle was proud of them and loved each of them like a father loved his sons. Until Kíli had gone and fallen madly in love with an elf-maid that is, but that was a whole other story.

Kíli felt Tauriel's eyes on him and immediately tried to push away the pain that thinking about his uncle and brother caused. He smiled reassuringly at her before turning back to Finn. "Are you up for another round of practice then?"

Finn grinned and was just about to reply when they were interrupted by his father walking up to them, his expression tense. The three of them got up from the ground as he approached.

"The others have returned," he spoke tersely and Kíli wondered what it was that had the man, who usually seemed so composed, on edge. "You are to join our gathering at sundown."

Kíli turned to glance at Finn behind him before resting his gaze on Tauriel who nodded while biting her lip a little nervously. "Seems that playtime is over."

Sitting at a large wooden table in a circular tent at the center of the Rangers' settlement when it was just beginning to get dark outside, Kíli and Tauriel were faced with a group of about fifteen grim looking men, all of them staring at the elf and the dwarf in their midst. Tauriel forbade herself to be discouraged by their expressions, telling herself that after a slightly rocky – and more than a little embarrassing - start, Fendir had only ever shown kindness to both of them. Why would his kinsmen be any different?

Fendir had entered the tent right behind them a few minutes ago, pulling the flaps of the grey fabric closed behind him. Stepping in front of Kíli and Tauriel, he had addressed the men. "These are Tauriel from the Greenwood and Kíli, nephew to Thorin Oakenshield, from the reclaimed kingdom of Erebor. They have come to bring some matters to our attention they believe are worth taking notice of." Turning around to look at Kíli, he had added. "It has been agreed that your case will be heard." And then, under his breath, "More I cannot promise you."

A short, but heavy silence had followed during which Kíli had eyed the men sat around the table with visible hesitation. Tauriel could not blame him for that – some of them did not exactly look like they were very keen on hearing their story and she wondered what it was that made the atmosphere among the group so tense. Were they always like this? Judging by the other inhabitants of their camp she had met, that seemed hard to believe. Was it hers and Kíli's presence then that had the air inside the tent crackling with tension? Or something else entirely?

Clearing his throat, Kíli had sat down at the table eventually, and had begun to narrate a shortened version of the dwarves' quest to reclaim Erebor, the defeat of the dragon and the events surrounding the great battle, his voice growing more confident as he spoke. Taking the seat next to him, Tauriel had found herself stealing a few glances at him while he spoke, suppressing a proud smile. From time to time she forgot that he was actually a prince among his people and had been reared by Thorin to stand his ground in situations such as this – even though he himself was rarely aware of the natural air of authority that he sometimes exuded when speaking in front of others as he did now.

Resisting the urge to take his hand in hers when he finished his speech by telling the men about some of the things Gandalf had related to them on their recent journey, Tauriel looked around the table in anticipation, wondering how the Rangers would react to the many things Kíli had just revealed to them. Even though she had now spent quite some time among them, she found it difficult to judge how involved they were with the world around them. From what Finn and some of the women and children had said, the men spent a great deal of their time scouring the lands for anything or anyone that could pose a threat to both themselves and other inhabitants of Eriador, but if they felt responsible for anything happening beyond its borders, she had yet to determine.

While some of the men were leaning forward in their seats, listening to Kíli attentively and with curiosity, it worried Tauriel that a several of them only seemed to be listening grudgingly, their arms crossed in front of their chests and their stares cold. This did not look too good.

After another tense silence a man who could have been Fendir's father in terms of age, the hair on his temples graying, leaned forward in his chair. Of all the men grouped around the table he had been the only one that Tauriel had not been able to place into either group, hesitantly curious or outwardly averse, his expression unreadable. "We know the great tales of the riches of Erebor, of course. I believe you have spent enough time among us though, to see that gold, silver and gems are nothing to us. And neither do I see what we have to offer the great heirs of Durin."

As he inclined his head, Tauriel could not be sure whether those last words were said with sincerity or mockery and she narrowed her eyes slightly at the man. If the same thoughts passed through Kíli's head he did not let it on when he answered, rising from his chair in order to not have to look up to the men surrounding him. "We have not come here to buy nor to sell. I will not deny that the treasure below the mountain played a great part in my uncle's quest to reclaim our homeland, but now that this has been accomplished it is time to set our sight to things of much greater - even though much less material - value."

"And that would be?" the older Ranger returned, raising his eyebrows at Kíli.

"Friendship," Kíli simply replied, causing the man to smile slightly.

Before he was able to reply though, another man spoke up at the far end of the table, a lean fellow with narrow features. "And how long will such friendship last?" he asked, getting up from his chair. "Until some treasure sparks your king's interest and all loyalty is forgotten over it? I know the glint in a dwarf's eye when it comes to shiny objects and I would rather not have to rely on one to watch my back."

Kíli pressed his lips together at that and Tauriel jumped in, hoping that he would not allow himself to be provoked by the sullen Ranger. "I believe you greatly underestimate the loyal character of dwarves," she said, keeping her voice deliberately light. "For I have seen it with my own eyes and assure you that once it is won, the friendship of a dwarf is not easily lost.

Another man spoke up, narrowing his eyes at her. "And is it then your faith in the respectability of dwarves that leads you to travel the lands with one of them to keep you company?" When she did not reply immediately, he added in Sindarin, "What are you to that dwarf? Hostage? Accomplice? Mistress? Speak freely."

Tauriel found she did not like the sneer in his voice when he said those last words. Answering in the common tongue, she glared at him. "I have nothing to say that he cannot hear. And what we are to each other is our business alone - I am here, as Kíli is, because I believe that much pain can be avoided if we reach out to each other now instead of continuing to live in ignorance of each other's hardships."

The tall man who had voiced his doubts before got up from his seat at that, his expression tense. For some reason Tauriel got the impression that what she had just said had been exactly what he had been waiting for, his face betraying some barely subdued aggression. "And how would this 'reaching out' to one another look like?" He sounded angry, even though Tauriel could not fathom what that either she or Kíli had said, could have provoked him. "Is thre truly a scenario in which your people or his would put the lives of a few scattered Dúnedain above their own gain and come to our aid? Or would this merely mean sacrificing our own men when your kings need some bodies to fill up the ranks in their armies?"

Both Kíli and Tauriel were visibly taken aback by the sudden vehemence with which they were spoken to. The angry Ranger stared at both of them for another couple of seconds before he was prompted to lower himself back into his chair by the older Ranger from before putting his hand on his shoulder. "Sit, Rúthon," Tauriel heard him mutter in Sindarin. Then the older man turned back to the two of them. "You must understand that we are not in a position to give our trust lightheartedly. Nor can we afford to enter into any sort of obligation that might put us at risk – we are too diminished already. Just last night one of our best men was killed in an orc raid."

Tauriel closed her eyes briefly. Beside her she heard Kíli exhale. So this was what had caused so much tension among the Rangers. Well, they could clearly have picked a better time to be discussing the threats that Gandalf saw in the future, but now that things had already been put out in the open, it was too late to take them back.

"We are sorry for your loss," Kíli said, his voice sincere.

The older Ranger nodded. "Thank you." Looking around at the other men, he paused before speaking again. "Despite everything that has just been said, I believe we can all agree that the orcs have grown bolder lately, venturing into our lands more frequently than a mere few years ago. And if I for one understand our guests correctly, the reasons behind this may be much more complicated, much more dangerous, than we presumed. Maybe we will not be able to handle this situation on our own in the long run."

He looked to Kíli who inclined his head to signal that he agreed with this view. "I am not saying that we would be able to prevent something as has happened to your friend from happening in the future," he said, drawing the attention of the men back to him. "But we might find ways in which we can work together that will be profitable for all of us. And I am not speaking of gold and silver. We can certainly offer you protection – which form that would take can be negotiated. My uncle-"

He was interrupted by a derisive snort from the Ranger who had previously addressed Tauriel in Sindarin. "I do not know why we are even wasting our time listening to the promises of a dwarven princeling and his elven sweetheart – or whatever she is. Both of their kingdoms are famous for turning their back on the needs of others – the dwarves hoard their treasure below the mountain and that great elven king of yours-" he turned to Tauriel, "He is notorious for keeping to his forest, turning a blind eye to everything else around him."

Kíli, visibly outraged, made to speak, but Tauriel beat him to it, keeping her voice calm. "I am not in the service of Thranduil," she said, earning herself a few surprised glances. "But even if I was – things are changing in the lands east of the Misty Mountains, alliances are shifting. Now, you can insult me or both of us as much as you want, but that will not change the fact that there will come a time in the future when all of us will need to rely on each other. We might as well start with that now before it is too late."

When she was done speaking, no one said anything for a few moments. Then she felt Kíli wrap his hand around hers beneath the table, giving it a firm squeeze. "Come on," he mumbled, making to rise from his seat once more. And then, louder, addressing the others, "Think about what we have said. Gandalf – Mithrandir – sent us here because he firmly believes that you should become more involved in the events outside of Eriador. And after everything we have heard and seen here, we would be honored to consider you our allies in the future. We have been welcomed into your camp with great hospitality for which we are thankful – let us know what you decide and we will take it from there."

Tauriel rose together with him, letting her gaze sweep over the men seated around the table. The variety of the expressions she saw did not give her any clue as to what their decision would be in the end – all she could tell was that their discussion would not be a brief one. Sending a brief smile towards Fendir, who still looked slightly uncomfortable but answered with a slight smile of his own, she followed Kíli out of the tent and into the night, gratefully inhaling the cool air. It smelled of rain.

Kíli had not let go of her hand as they had exited the tent and now interlaced his fingers with hers, pulling her along with him gently. "I say we better head back to our tent and enjoy its privacy while we still have that privilege. I have a feeling that Fendir's invitation to stay here might soon be revoked."

Tauriel pressed her lips together at that notion and cast a glance back at the tent they had just left. "Some of them did not exactly seem taken with the idea – or with us. That much is true."

He huffed. "Now that's a bit of an understatement if you ask me."

She smiled and tugged at his hand to cause him to stop in his tracks and turn towards her. Stepping close, she smiled down at him. "Regardless of what the outcome of this will be, you did well in there," she said.

He returned her smile a little hesitantly and raised their joined hands to press a warm kiss to her chilled fingers. "So did you. I merely wonder what good all of this will do if, in the end, we fail in our task."

She touched her forehead to his, closing her eyes for a moment. "Let us not worry about this right now. It might still all turn out well."

"Maybe." He did not sound too convinced though. They were interrupted by the sound of distant thunder.

Tauriel glanced up at the sky. "It seems that the weather is changing."

He followed her gaze, scrunching up his face. "Gives the whole thing a bit of a dramatic touch, doesn't it?"

She laughed and let go of his hand, looping her arm through his instead, continuing on their path towards their shared quarters. With the air growing cooler around them and a slight wind picking up, the prospect of being able to curl up together beneath the blankets seemed even more tempting than usual.