Big thanks to FanaticomaticSuperTolkienLover, MoonsHollow and Mephistominion for following/favouriting.

AvengersPrincess15 – I have a huge weakness for cliffhangers I'm afraid. Really happy you're enjoying though.

Nice Egan – Indeed she is…but will it be everything? And yeah the whole Fili/Mithiel thing is going to be a bit of a slow burner.

Cow-Lover2214 – I have a feeling this won't be the worst of my cliffhangers!

Rachetg – At least things will get resolved in this one…sort of.

Eruwaedhiel95 – Yeah it certainly won't be plain sailing. And how could any elf be cold to Fili?

Celebrisilweth – It'll certainly be an interesting reaction.

Confession of Another Kind

As everyone stared at her Fira gripped her dress tightly. The range of expressions being thrown her way ranged from confusion to anger. Just as she had expected. She hadn't dared look over in Kili's direction and instead watched as Thorin shook his head.

"I don't understand."

Gandalf sighed, "Let Fira explain Thorin. Then you can speak."

Nodding the dwarf backed away and Fira cleared her throat.

"I'm not a pure Dragonborn; I'm a half breed. A mongrel. By mother was a Dragonborn and my father was a dwarf."

Several of the company muttered to each other and Fira tried not to flinch at the anger.

"I don't know exactly how they met. No one even knows that I know what really happened to them. But when they did meet they fell in love instantly. Only it was against our laws for such a thing to happen. For the past hundred years or so our rulers had been obsessed with keeping our race pure. My parents hid their courtship for as long as they possibly could."

"How did they get found out?" Balin asked. Fira sighed.

"Someone reported them. They were both arrested and put on trial. It was just for show given everyone knew they would be found guilty. My mother was pregnant with me at the time but only she knew about it. She didn't…" Fira shut her mouth to avoid bursting into tears. Waiting until she was ready she nodded.

"She didn't even get a chance to tell my father about me. They were both sentenced to death and she was forced to watch his execution. They would have executed her soon after but someone found out about her pregnancy and allowed her to wait until I was born. But she died the second I came into this world."

Fira pressed her hand to her stomach, "Like I said, no one knows I know all this. I was placed with foster parents. But I was always curious about who my real parents were. One day I snuck into the archives and found it all."

"This is all very interesting," Thorin snapped, "But why are you here."

Fira blinked and she was aware of some of the others shooting glares at Thorin. However she merely nodded.

"Tharos – our king – is cruel and has always wanted me dead. Only even he can't kill me without reason. His son on the other hand has always wanted to bed me. He kept trying and I kept refusing til one night he tried to force me. I attacked him and he challenged me to a fight. I won but in doing so I killed him."

Fira paused – wondering if she really should tell the dwarves everything. She sighed; this was bad enough.

"Anyway, Tharos could have had be executed but for some reason he exiled me instead. But not before taking away my ability to shift."

"Shift?"

Now Fira was forced to look in Kili's direction. But instead she fixed her glance on Fili.

"Dragonborns can shift from person to dragon. We also possess magic as well." She licked her lips, "Remember when we arrived at Bree and I calmed that pony down? Remember when I stopped that dragon from attacking us and the wargs a few days ago? Well I can control animals. I can calm them down or make them attack. I wasn't lying when I said I could tame dragons," she added to Thorin.

"And your hands?" Kili choked, "The scars on your body?"

"Those ridges you saw are where my wings would grow. The others are just scars from fights over the years. My hands and arms…that's what happens if I try and shift. My body just burns up."

Fira nodded, "I…I'm sorry I kept this all from you. I just didn't know how I was supposed to tell you all without..?"

"Prove it."

At Thorin's voice Fira looked up to see him walking towards her. She licked her lips nervously.

"Prove? I don't understand?"

Thorin reached out and grabbed her by the wrists. With a single jerk he twisted them and Fira couldn't help her cry.

"Why should we believe you? You've lied to us this whole time! How do we know you aren't able to turn into a dragon? How do we know you won't kill us all?"

Fira shook her head. She had known Thorin would be angry but she had expected him to ask this of her. Looking over his shoulder she saw several of the others had stood up whilst Fili and Kili remained where they were. Dwalin shook his head.

"Thorin let her go."

"Not until she proves to us that she isn't a danger to us all!"

"Thorin you can't ask her to do that!" Balin cried. Thorin shook Fira hard.

"I can and I am."

Biting her lip Fira sighed before nodding. Letting her go Thorin stepped back and she shook out her limbs.

"If you want me to prove it then fine. I will."

Shutting her eyes Fira did what she did every time she shifted. She imagined the wings sprouting from her back, the scales growing over her skin. A hot fire rushed through her body but unlike normal she felt her upper arms burning. Her legs trembled and she sank to her knees – curling into a ball as the fire grew hotter and hotter. It licked at her skin and tore her flesh. Her mouth parted into an anguishing scream before it all became too much and she let go. Falling onto her hands and knees Fira took deep, rasping breaths. Sweat drenched her face and back and she could feel the burns on her arms. Forcing herself to her feet she marched over to Thorin and pulled her dress away from her shoulders.

"There! Satisfied?"

He barely glanced at the burnt flesh. Instead he turned and moved away.

"Get that filthy creature out of my sight."

"Don't worry," Fira didn't stop the tears from falling, "She's already going."

Grabbing her skirts so as not to fall over Fira turned and ran from the room.

Fira didn't remember running to her room. However the second she entered it all she could do was pace up and down as the tears coursed down her face.

She had to leave. Before Thorin practically threw her out of the company.

Shaking her head Fira reached up and grabbed the hair clasp Kili had given her. He would no doubt want it back now. He'd want to give it to a girl far more deserving of it than she was. Pulling it out Fira let it fall from her fingers and onto the floor whilst she carried on pacing.

The looks on their faces. They hated her. No doubt they were planning to find her and kill her right now.

"Fira? Fira!"

She froze as Kili's voice floated down the corridor. Glancing over she realised with a start that she had left her door open. Already she could hear Kili's footsteps. Running to the door her hands brushed against the door handle when Kili's face appeared.

"Fira!"

Even though she knew it was pointless Fira tried to push the door shut. But Kili simply forced it open and she backed away. Kili's face was expressionless as he moved towards her whilst Fira kept shaking her head.

"Kili…Kili please I..? I'm so sorry!"

Kili paused before turning and shutting the door behind him. Fira made a small choking sound as he moved towards her. Even though she knew Kili had never wanted to hurt her before, her brain was in such a mess she couldn't help herself.

"Kili please! Please just let me go! I'll go away. You'll never have to see me again but please don't hurt me!"

He frowned, "You're leaving?"

"I..?" Fira then nodded. Kili's face fell whilst Fira ran a hand through her hair. Kili glanced around the room and as he did his eyes landed on the hair clasp. As he picked it up Fira said nothing. Only when he held it out to her did she shake her head.

"Fira it's yours. Yours to keep forever if you want it."

"Kili I don't deserve it! Especially since you gave it to me!" Fira bit her lip.

"Besides, you'll need something to stab me with."

Kili looked visibly sick at her words.

"You think..? You think I came here to kill you?"

"Either that or Thorin wants me dragged back to he can kill me himself."

Kili shook his head before throwing the clasp onto the bed.

"Fira, Thorin doesn't know I'm here. When you left he stormed off leaving the rest of us twiddling our thumbs."

"So…why are you here?"

"For the love of Durin!" Kili gasped, "I came to see if you were alright!"

Before Fira could stop him he grabbed her hands, "What Thorin made you do… That was wrong and he shouldn't have done it. He had no right to make you go through that much pain."

Nodding Fira stepped away from Kili, "Even so, I'm not staying."

"You're not?" Kili grabbed her and spun her round, "Well would you mind telling me why?"

Fira sighed, "Kili, even if by some miracle Thorin let me stay I'd still leave. I might be able to bear the looks of hatred and disgust from the others. But I couldn't bear such looks coming from you!"

Kili shook his head sharply, "Do you think so little of me then?"

Groaning Fira threw her hands into the air.

"For the love of Valar Kili, I love you!"

Fira took a deep breath as her words settled on Kili. He frowned at her in confusion.

"You…you love me?"

Nodding Fira brushed away the last of her tears, "Yes. Yes I do. Why do you think I tried to fend those wargs off? If anything happened to you my life would be empty! I love you with every fibre of my body and that is why I'm leaving. Because there is no way I can stare at you every day only to be greeted with repulsion."

Kili held out his hand, "Come here."

With shaky legs Fira took his hand and let him pull her towards him. Kili stood a few centimetres taller than her and as his hands cupped her face and titled it upwards Fira could feel her heart racing. Their noses brushed against one another and Kili gave her a sad smile.

"Look into my eyes. Do you see disgust or repulsion in them?"

Fira shook her head and Kili's smile grew.

"What do you see?"

Fira gripped his hands tightly, "I see love."

Kili gently pressed his mouth against hers. Fira hurriedly grabbed his waist as he pulled her against his body with one hand whilst cupping her face with the other. Kili's lips brushed over hers whilst she peppered his mouth and chin with kisses. As they broke apart Kili blinked at her.

"Fira I have loved you since the day I met you," he didn't bother to hide his tears, "and I always believed I was deluding myself. That you would never care for me the way I did for you. But to know this..?" he shook his head, "It's beyond any dream."

Fira kissed him thickly on the lips as Kili gathered her up in his arms and carried her towards the bed. Gently laying her down Fira stopped the kiss and instead curled up against Kili who hugged her tightly.

"But…Kili I lied to you. To all of you!"

He nodded before brushing her hair from her face, "I know. But believe me, we understand why you hid this from us. Thorin is the only one who's angry at you my darling."

Fira nodded softly and gripped Kili's tunic as he stroked her hair.

"About your parents," he whispered, "Fira I am so so sorry. Not just about them in fact but about everything. If I could change things for you I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Nodding Fira saw a glimmer of a smile in the corner of Kili's mouth.

"What is it?"

He blushed, "Could I…could I see your dragon eyes again?"

Sighing Fira nodded and shut her eyes. When she opened them Kili's gasp wasn't one of fright or anger but instead that of a small child seeing his pet dog for the first time. Shutting her eyes again Fira opened them and interlinked her hand with Kili's. He kissed her nose.

"You are so beautiful."

Fira rubbed her scar on her face, "I'm really not Kili. I honestly believed you'd find me too ugly. After all you are a prince."

Kili kissed the scar on her face before taking both burnt hands and pressing them to his lips.

"You are the most captivating thing I've ever set eyes on. You are strong, and beautiful. You're smart and funny and kind and you are my One."

"Your One?"

Kili held her against his body, "Dwarves will only love once in their lives. Obviously we love our family and friends. But there is only ever one person who we will truly love and that is our One. I never thought I'd get to find mine. I certainly never imagined I'd find her on this quest of all places!"

Fira giggled as Kili ran his hands through her hair.

"You are the mistress of my heart Fira. And no one else will ever be able to take it the way you have."

Kissing his cheek Fira wiped her eyes and carefully sat up. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Kili staring at her arms sadly.

"Kili?"

He shook his head, "What Thorin did..? I should have tried to stop him."

"The others tried and they got nowhere. I doubt he'd have listened to you as well," she took his hand and gently stroked it, "please don't blame yourself for this."

Kili sighed, "But I do! I'm meant to protect you and keep you safe! Instead I just sat back and allowed you to go through something so agonising."

Fira drew him into a hug and gently rubbed his back. Kili buried his face against her neck and as he felt his lips brushing her skin Fira tried to keep composed. When Kili finally faced her she saw his smile was back.

"May I give you your courting braid now?"

Fira frowned and Kili sat up on his knees and he began braiding her hair.

"As I'm sure you've gathered by now hair is very important to us. We only cut it if we've shamed or brought dishonour to ourselves or our family. Braids are used to mark certain things in our lives. We have family braids, Fili and I both have braids showing we're Thorin's heirs," he then brought out a small silver bead from his pocket and as she peered at it Fira saw the carvings were the same as the ones on the slide in Kili's hair.

"And when a dwarf finds their One they have a courting braid to show the world they are together. Another one is then put in when they become engaged and then finally when they are married."

Fira nodded as he sat back and she ran a hand along Kili's handiwork. Tapping the bead gently she knelt beside Kili and tried to repeat his actions. He handed her a bead and as she took it her hands slipped and the braid came loose. Muttering a curse Fira bit her lip in concentration.

"This is a lot harder than it looks!"

Kili snorted, "I know! To be honest I was half expecting to have to redo yours."

Nodding Fira finally slipped the bead on and sat back with a small smile. It wasn't as neat as the one Kili had given her but it would do for now. Kili turned back with a smile before gently pushing her back down on the bed. As they lay side by side Fira could feel her chest tightening again. Kili peered over at her.

"What is it?"

"What happens now?" Fira turned onto her side, "With the others? They won't want me in the company. Not now I've lied to them! But what about you? What will you do?"

Kili paused and Fira could see his brain working. Eventually he took her hand.

"Fira, yes the others are upset you lied but they'll understand. They won't kick you out."

"But I'm a Dragonborn. Not even a pure one either. I'm a mongrel and murderer."

"Don't say those things," Kili whispered, "Don't call yourself that. I used to have that word thrown at me all the time back home. I always imagined that was the worst thing I would hear. But to hear you saying it about yourself..?"

Fira sighed, "I'm still a murderer."

A dark look crossed over Kili's face, "Fira what you did was practically in self - defence. Believe me if I had been there I'd have ripped him apart for you."

At the anger in his eyes Fira easily believed him. Kili kissed her cheek.

"The others won't kick you out. Thorin will need convincing yes, but the others will come round. And even if they didn't…" he pressed his lips to hers, "I'd stay by your side no matter what happened."

Nodding Fira rested her head on Kili's chest as his fingers ran through her hair.

"Kili?"

"Yes."

Fira paused before smiling, "I love you."

"I love you to."

Thorin scowled at Gandalf who merely smiled. After Fira had run off Thorin had made his way into the corridor in order to clear his head. He should have known Gandalf would follow.

"Thorin, we need to talk about this."

"Did you know?"

Gandalf sighed, causing Thorin's scowl to grow. He should have known Gandalf would know about this. Biting his lip Thorin glanced back at the room where he had left the others. Even though he wasn't going to say anything he knew he should never have forced Fira to try and shift. She hadn't needed to prove anything. But he had been so angry he had been blind to any form of reason.

"Thorin I know you are angry at her."

"Angry? Gandalf I'm furious! She lied to me. To all of us!"

"Can you really blame her?" The wizard said with an exasperated glance, "Thorin had you known this at the start you'd never have let her into the company," Gandalf paused, "and anyway she didn't lie. She just hid the truth from you."

Thorin gave an absentminded nod, "Either way my answer is the same. She will leave us."

"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!" Gandalf shook his head, "Thorin you've seen her gift! She is perhaps the most useful weapon you have against Smaug and yet you're willing to throw her out!"

Thorin said nothing. He had completely forgotten about Fira's magic. Biting his lip he glanced over at Gandalf.

"Be honest with me, if she goes will we be able to succeed?"

Gandalf shook his head and Thorin sighed before nodding.

"Very well, she may stay."

With a relieved sigh Gandalf placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Very good. Now I believe we have a map that needs translating."

Thorin's scowl was soon back.

So yeah…Fira told them and Thorin got a bit pissed at her. But lets be honest the big thing here is THAT FIRA AND KILI SAID THEY LOVED EACH OTHER! If you're wondering about Fira telling the company she was meant to kill them then yes they will find out but I want to drag that little detail out for a bit longer if you don't mind. Let me know what you think xxx