Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit. It belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson.
Author's Note: This one is for LadyWallace.
The Art of Braiding
Part 2: Betrothal
Kili glanced over to the red-haired elf riding her graceful white horse at his side. The mid-afternoon sun highlighted her smooth porcelain skin and shimmered on her silky red hair. Dwarven courting braids crisscrossed her head elegantly. Tauriel had studied Kili's handiwork carefully until she had been able to reproduce the braids herself and then to his delight she wore them every day. Kili loved her so much that his heart ached at times.
Tauriel looked to her left to find Kili staring at her and a smile quirked her lips. "Yes, master dwarf?" she asked playfully.
"The afternoon sun is awfully hot," Kili began, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief.
The she-elf quirked an eyebrow at the young dwarf next to her. "I'm surprised that a seasoned dwarf warrior like yourself is unable to withstand the hot weather," she teased.
"The only reason I bring it up m' lady is that I fear you will tire, and we can't have that," Kili admonished her.
"M' lord, elves do not tire that easily," Tauriel fired back jauntily.
Kili laughed out loud at that. "There's a lake up ahead. It's rather small, but there are some shade trees where we can relax."
"Thorin will be expecting us back from our journey to Mirkwood this afternoon," she pointed out. Though the King Under the Mountain tolerated Tauriel, he had no great compassion for her. She did not want to do anything to destroy the tentative peace they had made between them.
"We don't have to stop long," Kili told her. "We will just take a bit to cool off."
Tauriel sighed. "Kili, we really do not have time." As she spoke the words the lake came into view around a bend in the road. The sunlight sparkled off its crystal clear waters and trees lined the bank providing ample shade. All in all, it looked quite pleasant, and Tauriel was sorely tempted to rein in her horse.
Kili pulled his horse to a stop and slid from the saddle, a happy grin firmly in place. He tethered his horse to the branch of a nearby tree and looked up at Tauriel. "We will not stay long," he told her once again.
The she-elf shook her head. "No, Kili, your uncle barely accepts me as it is, and I will do nothing to hinder any progress I have made with him."
Kili sighed. "It will not be the same without you."
"Then just wait until we have time to go to one of the lakes outside of the city. We can enjoy swimming there. Perhaps Fili and some of the others would even go with us. We could make a grand day of it."
Kili shook his head before shucking down to his underclothes beneath his trousers and jumping into the water with a happy shout. He ducked beneath the surface and rose, pushing his soaking wet dark hair back from his face. Water droplets glistened on his broad chest and rivulets ran down his face to drip off of his chin. "It feels great, Tauriel. You do not know what you are missing."
Tauriel smothered a chuckle and slid down from her horse, tying him to the branch next to Kili's steed. She had to admit that the water looked tempting, especially now that Kili was in it, bare chested and laughing. She moved to the edge of the bank and shaded her eyes from the sun to stare at the dwarf prince.
Kili waded into the shallows at the edge of the pond, the water barely coming to his knees. He reached out and gripped the elf's ankle, giving a quick yank. Tauriel could have caught herself, but the mischief on Kili's face was too hard to resist. She allowed herself to tumble forward into the shallows.
The she-elf landed on her knees, soaking her leggings and her sleeves along with the bottom part of her tunic. "Kili!" she shouted in mock anger.
The dwarf prince knew her well and could tell that she wasn't truly angry. "You will be more comfortable later if your clothes are not completely wet. Why don't you lose some of those layers?" His voice took on a hopeful tone and he winked at her.
Tauriel chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she rose to her feet, water dripping from her. She stepped up onto the bank and finally made up her mind, quickly slipping off her outer garments.
Kili's eyes widened as she turned to him wearing only her undergarments before wading gracefully into the lake. He held out his hands and she took them, moving to stand in front of him until they were waist deep in water. Kili let go of her hands to let his grip move down to just above her hips. He pulled her close until they were touching.
Tauriel swallowed hard at the feel of Kili's skin against hers. They had never been this intimate before. She gazed into his chocolate eyes and felt herself being drawn into the depths by the emotion she saw there.
"Tauriel, you are so beautiful" he murmured softly, his thumbs stroking the soft skin of her waist. "I love you more than all of the gold in Erebor." His cheeks flushed lightly at his words.
The she-elf's breath caught in her throat. "And I love you, my handsome dwarf prince," she smiled, leaning forward to rub her nose against his.
Kili took the opportunity to capture her lips with his own, caressing them softly and then deepening the kiss. Tauriel sighed into his mouth and allowed her hands to rest against the solid planes of his chest.
They spent the next hour that way, kissing, touching, and exploring until they climbed out of the lake to stretch out in the soft grass and dry in the sun's warm rays.
Kili sprawled onto the grass next to his elf and tangled his fingers with hers. Glancing over, he frowned.
"What is it?" she asked lazily, the heat of the sun making her sleepy.
"Your hair," he told her. "It has come out of his braids. Sit up and let me fix it for you."
Tauriel did as he asked, sitting up and turning her back to him.
Kili rummaged in his pack for a comb before returning to Tauriel's side and untangling the clasps from her hair. He gently worked the tangles out of her long red tresses so as not to cause her any pain. Then, in quiet concentration, he began to braid.
Tauriel sat in silence, soaking in the calmness of the lake and the beauty of the trees. It was sometime later when she felt Kili hook the final clasp into her hair and sit back to survey his work. She reached a hand up and frowned. The braids were different.
"Kili," she murmured softly, "these are not my courting braids."
He shook his head. "No, I thought I'd try something different."
Tauriel continued to finger the braids. "And the clasps are different."
"Aye, I made them for you," the dwarf prince told her, holding out an extra one to her in the palm of his hand.
She took one and examined it carefully. "This is the insignia of the line of Durin." Tauriel looked up and eyed Kili suspiciously. "These new braids, do they stand for something?"
He nodded and reached out to take her hands in his own. "These braids show that a woman is spoken for, betrothed to another."
Tauriel's eyes widened in surprise. "Kili," she breathed, her stomach coiling in excitement and nerves.
"I-I hope, I mean, I would be honored if you would be my wife, Tauriel. I know we will face opposition from every direction, but I love you." Kili cleared his throat anxiously when she didn't answer right away. "I can take them out if-"
"No!" she cut him off and then continued quickly at the hurt expression on his face. He thought she was refusing his proposal. "No, do not take them out." A smile bloomed on her face as she squeezed his hands tightly in hers. "I love you, Kili, and I wish everyone to know that I am your betrothed."
A huge smile spread across the dwarf prince's face and he pressed his mouth to Tauriel's in a heated kiss. When he pulled back, he gave her a sheepish look. "Thorin knows that we will be late today. He knows I planned on asking you to become my betrothed."
Tauriel's mouth fell open slightly in shock. "And he did not protest?"
Kili sighed. "He tried to make me see what he called 'reason,' but when he could not sway me, he realized that he had to accept this relationship between us. He is not happy, although he does say that of all the elves he has met, you are the one he could come the closest to liking."
Tauriel laughed out loud. "Coming from Thorin that is high praise indeed."
Kili stood and held out his hand to the she-elf. "Come. I cannot wait to return to Erebor and show you off as my betrothed." He helped Tauriel to her feet and pulled her into a quick embrace. He couldn't wait until she was no longer his betrothed, but his bride.
Author's Note: There will be one more short chapter before this fic is complete.