Chapter XXIX

13th Narabeleth 3002 T.A

"Eliel? Eliel?"

The affectionate mood was dropped as soon as Dis noticed her unconscious granddaughter slumped against the wall. Tauriel tore focus from Kili and onto her daughter, she crouched down beside her and tried to find her heartbeat.

"She is still alive she just lost consciousness. We have to put her into bed, this is probably caused from exhaustion and who knows what else." Tauriel was calm but underneath she had panicked. Fili taking charge of the situation declared she would go into a spare bedroom that was situated up in the left corridor.

"So it is true then, she is my- our daughter?" Kili had asked anyone in particular but kept his eyes on Tauriel.

"Yes" Tauriel had answered trying to pick up Eliel. Gandalf saw the young elf struggled so he went over and helped put the young girl in her mother's arm since everyone else in the room was too tiny. "Which way to the room?"

"I'll show you." Kili spoke deciding to finally help. He lead the way slowly making sure Tauriel did not exert herself too much carrying the dwelf in bridal style. They walked in an awkward silence not knowing what to say to each other, what to talk about. Their reunion had been sweet because it was irrational and sudden and now they had to think about what they were going to do, if they were going to be together or accepted at that. Kili opened the door and prepared the bed quickly so Tauriel could relieve herself of the girl. She placed Eliel in the bed and removed her boots and anything else restricting her body which only left Eliel in her filthy tunic and pants. Tauriel stood away and examined the damages on her body, deep bruises were all over her body which made her entire torso seem a whole new colour, and her wrists covered in dry blood and cut flesh from what looked to be from shackles. Several pink scars were obviously new, a deep scar on her left hand as well as the scar on her face which would disappear over time. New gashes and burns were added as if they had only happened the previous day. Seeing her daughter this way made Tauriel feel guilty and irritated not only at herself but anyone who caused this. "What do you think happened to her?" Tauriel looked at Kili who was at the foot of the bed also staring at her with a blank expression. "The scars look to new to be caused at Dale but to my knowledge she may have been tortured." Kili spoke softly looking down

"Tortured?"

"She did not tell you how we met did she?" Kili was guilt-ridden, his daughter was in the cell getting tortured for 3 days by the orders of extended family. "If I knew she was my daughter I would have tried to stop it. But I arrived too late and the extent of her suffering was already under way."

Tauriel was shocked into place but waited until he finished his story to make any judgments towards him. It was not his fault at all.

"I left for Dale yesterday morning to discuss business with Brand, the grandson of Bard the Bowman. Hain told me of an arrest made several days earlier for trespassing and he told me they were reading about the battle of the five armies and of you. I was curious naturally but did not act on it. I made my way down to the dungeons to speak with Brand of course and I had saw her chained to the wall, all I could smell was blood and burnt flesh but just thought she was another criminal. They were torturing her because they thought she was a spy. They were reading out the belongings of the prisoner and she had my rune stone, the one my mother gave to me and the one I had given to you. I confronted her but she was too weak and I left her there and took my rune stone back. It was not until I was walking the next morning that I had run into her, she had escaped somehow and I was about to kill her until she told me you were her mother and I was her father. I told her to go to come here and speak with my brother, not knowing everyone including you was waiting for her or me. She will hate me and I do not blame her." Kili had finally realized after telling his story, how cruel he was to her and how merciless he had let other be towards her. The feelings overwhelmed him and he wanted to cry but could not due to all the other feelings he was experiencing.

Tauriel understood what he was feeling and walked over to where he collapsed on the lounge she sat beside him and grabbed his hand in his lap. "I let her get stolen away from me and I did not question it, I lived feeling like I killed her she will hate me too but we shall share the guilt and let her make her own decisions about us."

"A voice of reason."

"Hardly. I cannot imagine what we will do now and I do not like not knowing." They sat in silence, not knowing which one was going to make the first move for suggesting what was next because they both did not know. Kili got up and covered Eliel under the thin blanket and sat across from Tauriel on a wooden chair.

"I fell in love with the way you looked at me with those eyes I was trapped swept away into a fever dream. Your stare made me feel wanted, you looked at me with purpose and worth, that stare gave me everything I wanted and did not know. I consummated that feeling that night after you healed me, I knew I loved you after that truly. It might have been reckless and impulsive but that's just who I am."

"Kili. You speak as if this is going to be easy, as if the past 60 years did not happen. It was reckless and impulsive but I do not regret it"

"I did not say this was going to be easy Tauriel, but if you stay with me. If-. I just realized I do not know my daughter's name."

"Her name is Eliel. A name I chose for her."

"Tauriel, if you and Eliel just love me and stay with me here we can make us worth it. Prove to everyone that this is not wrong and-"

"Kili. Stop." Tauriel had cut Kili's declaration short she walked over to him and kissed his forehead. "Do not try to persuade me as there is nothing you can persuade me on. I will love you endlessly and I am yours and you are mine and Eliel is ours."

"Once you were a women who walked with the stars every night and now I have you, I do not want to lose you again."

"You will not. Someday we will make sense but right now in this moment, forget everything and focus on us. Come let's leave her to rest and I guess tell everyone of what we are."

"And what are we?"

She smiled at him and took his hand. "Together until the stars fall out of the sky."