Chapter 4 - Discoveries
Aulë sat by Yavanna's side, sighing deeply, "It is over. The Durin era is over. Now starts the era of Ironfoot." He expressed with resignation.
"I am sorry to hear. I know what the line of Durin meant to you." said Yavanna sympathetically.
"But enough of that. How is your project so far?" asked Aulë with interest.
"Oh it is wonderful! And I love it everyday more. Your son is doing so great. Here, see by yourself!" Yavanna handed Aulë her tiny piece of Valinor, which she treasured deeply.
A smile drew on Aulë's face, as hope began to gleam in his eyes, "To think I marked him as defective... The one child I was disappointed on is the only one that makes me proud now!" Aulë wiped a tear from his face.
"If a lesson is to be learned here, it is this; Never underestimate the power of love. They were capable of finding the right soul mate, even when we sent them in the wrong bodies. That's where I differ from Ilúvatar. If someone is to blame for their union, it is us, not them. I never thought fair to make them pay for our mistake." Yavanna lectured Aulë.
"Thank you!" Said Aulë, honestly grateful for the wisdom of his wife.
The season of Autumn was close by. Tauriel was blessedly free of morning sickness. But that only gave way to new symptoms; Her belly was swelling and with it came cramps. She refused to stay inside of the cabin. It was so boring in there, while the great outdoors were full of beauty. She kept Kili company on his fish hunt. There she was, sitting on the grass nearby, while weaving a wreath of wild ivies. Tauriel wore a sleeveless net gown she heaved out of vines and roots to keep her warm. It gave her an aura of ethereal beauty, like a forest fay. But it was not her wears that made her beautiful, anymore than her overall physical appearance; she looked radiant with a rosy tone about her cheeks that became rounded. A child-like gleam in her eyes that elusively examined Kili's perfectly toned body, with a shy smirk. Not hard to guess what was in her mind.
Meanwhile, the son of Durin was minding his own business, following a stubborn fish with his eyes, spear in hand at the level of his eyes. When he was ready to strike, the fish scurried away between rocks. He tried to reach it, when his foot landed on a mossy rock, causing him to slip with a loud splash into the water. He cursed in Khuzdul under his breath, "By my beard, I was so close this time! That is the third miss today!" He yelled, tossing his spear away with frustration. It amused Tauriel, who chuckled softly.
"What is so funny?" asked Kili, not nearly half as amused.
"It is precise to see your entire body language from my view, to know" she responded, chuckling more.
"So you think this is easy, eh? Come and do it yourself!" he said with sarcasm.
"Oh I take your word for it. But I have a better offer. How about we go harvest instead? Who knows if we find an exotic fruit we have not tried yet..." she said with a wide smile. It made her eyes almost disappear behind her swollen cheeks.
Kili could not stay mad at her for long, "I know where the biggest ones grow. Let me take you there!" he responded.
They walked for a long time. Along the pathway grew a few brown toadstools and white mushrooms. Some daisies and chamomiles outlined the ground. Tauriel was distracted for a moment. A hummingbird kept her from continuing, "Tauriel, you can watch the birds later. Come!" said Kili, pulling her by the hand. They stopped at a clearing deep in the woods.
"This way" he took her through a narrow pathway deep in the clearing. In a matter of seconds, they found water melons growing from ivies on the ground.
"You were right! These are truly big!" she smiled, when they heard a slight noise of crushed leaves. Kili looked to both sides, sneaking between the fir trees.
"What is it?" asked Tauriel.
"shhh! get down..." whispered Kili. Tauriel remained motionless.
He advanced slowly, until he reached a boulder formation, with ferns adhered to it. He beckoned Tauriel with his hand. She carefully scanned the place, advancing slowly until she reached Kili. He pointed forward with a kiddie smile. She gasped with surprise when she looked in the direction of his finger and saw an elk, with the biggest antlers she has ever seen. It was eating grass. Her smile was big. She wanted to touch it.
"Tauriel, no!" he tried to stop her, but she kept moving forward. The elk lifted it's head to look at her.
"gae al, aras! gae al! easy... easy... gae al, aras!" she whispered softly, until her palm was caressing the elk's forehead. She smiled widely.
"How did you do that?" said Kili amazed.
"I just spoke to it. Come, it won't hurt you." she said gently.
Kili approached in disbelief. Tauriel took his hand and placed it to the elk's forehead. He smiled, when suddenly they felt tremors, with booming sounds like a pacing drum beat that scared the elk away. Kili's protective instinct kicked in, pulling Tauriel down to hide, until the sound died away in the distance.
"What was that?" she whispered.
"I do not know. Let's collect our fruit and go back home" he responded fearfully.
To be continued...