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THE COURSTHIP OF THE SPARROW-HAWK

Chapter 2 – Interviews

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"Wicked Game" James Vincent McMorrow

As they sat against the stone ledge at a high point of the mountain, legs dangling over the edge, Eila watched Kili out of the corner of her eye. She was outright baffled by his courteous attentions to her.

"What do you like to do?" He smiled warmly at her while she looked up at the starlit sky.

Her eyes widened. What did she like to do? "I'm not sure. It's been so long since I've been free to do as I wish…" She frowned, realizing it sounded like a complaint, and searched for the words to correct herself.

"Why is that?"

"Training for court life," Eila shrugged, hoping he wouldn't delve any further.

"And no time for a hobby?"

She shook her head. "I used to enjoy music and," she smiled as she began to remember, "painting. I loved to paint."

Kili's warm smile had turned into a concerned frown. "Nur said that your father was a strict dwarf, but I never imagined he'd have taken away your opportunities to do those things."

"He took away a lot of things," She allowed herself that small grumble now that she knew she wasn't being watched by her father or his servants. Unconsciously, she was scowling at her hands in her lap and only realized it when Kili reached out a hand to hers.

"I'll do nothing like that," Kili said, catching her eye with a reassuring expression. "Would you paint something for me?"

She let out a surprised huff. "I'm not sure you'd enjoy it, I'm not very good."

"I'll be the judge of that." Kili winked at her. "As for music, do you play or sing?"

"A little of both," Eila admitted with a blush, her legs swinging as she fought against her nerves.

"I play the fiddle," He nodded at her. "Maybe one day we'll accompany each other."

"You sound so optimistic about the future. It's infectious," She said with a hopeful smile before she realized the words had left her lips.

"Why shouldn't I be?" He grinned, reaching behind him for a pebble that he launched into the air. "You seem like a reasonable lass, and I hope you're not as scared of me as you were a few hours ago."

"No," Another blush crept to her cheeks. "If I'm allowed to say so, I find you very interesting."

"Why wouldn't that be allowed?" Kili nudged her with his elbow.

"I was warned against…" It was a relief to be alone with him—this dwarf she must now call her husband—and not under the scrutinizing eyes of those who would report her to her father. "Well, against speaking my mind. I was told you might not deal kindly with me for it."

The dwarf prince looked her up and down and shook his head. "I don't know who would have said something so ridiculous to you, but I assure you they were wrong." His jaw tensed and he seemed to be stewing over something, but she interrupted those deep thoughts with an assurance of her own.

"I feel very comfortable with you, Prince Kili. More comfortable than I have felt with anyone else. I only wish we could have had the chance to speak to each other before the wedding, but I'm glad that we are speaking now."

"That's the good part, I guess. We get to do things out of order: The courtship comes after the wedding."

"If I'm going to be honest," Her hand crept over to his and their fingers interlocked. "I never expected that you'd be so easy-going, let alone… gentle." She surprised even herself with her boldness. "You make me feel like we have more than just a chance of a happy union."

When she tore her eyes from their hands and looked up into his smiling face, his eyes were twinkling and he looked… contented. She wasn't sure how else to describe it, but she knew that it would be no tragedy to want to make this dwarf feel comfortable for the rest of their days. And what's more, she was finally beginning to understand that he wanted the same for her.

If he was going to be this amiable all the time, she was very much in danger of losing her heart to him. The benefit of that, Eila mused, was that she would be allowed to give in to her attraction to him without shame—they were, after all, expected to give in to such passions as a married couple!

"You look as though you're thinking up a storm," He grinned at her.

"Am I that easy to read?"

"Yes, thank Mahal." Kili blew out a sigh of relief. "Makes the job of the reader a little easier."

"I'm glad for that!" She said with enthusiasm. "I would hate to be one of those wives who keeps her husband guessing. I would prefer we were truthful with each other, as much as we can manage."

Kili seemed to be considering something and let go of her hand. "Even if it seems obvious? You would not be frustrated if I asked personal questions?"

She wanted very much to throw her hands into the air and shout, "Of course not!" but she took in his expression and knew that there was something deeper there than just being able to ask questions. Had he been reviled? Eila could only imagine the number of noble ladies who might have lined up to dance with him at feasts… had he cast his eye on one, only to have her reject him?

"Prince Kili, please look at me when I say this," she waited until their eyes met. "I don't say what I don't mean. I also say exactly what I'm thinking, and I only withhold my thoughts when I think they might be hurtful. I prefer silence over lies. Maybe it makes me look simple-minded to say something like that, but I try to be as plain as I can."

"I wouldn't call that simple-minded," Kili said with what sounded like a memory of something bitter. "I'd call that caring. That's all I want in a wife anyway."

So that was it. Kili had been burnt by his affections for someone else. Maybe he would never tell her about it, but she was certain Nur might know. Already she was nursing sympathy for her new husband and knew what he needed: Affirmation.

"I care about you," She said softly. As soon as she said it, she felt a sting of loyalty run through her, wanting to lash out at the person who had left him with such a heart-wound. "It would be hard not to, now that I see how kind and attentive you are. As well as handsome." Eila winked playfully at him. "And you can ask me whatever you like; I won't be cross with you for it, no matter how silly you think the question is."

Kili nodded and looked up at the stars a moment before returning his gaze to her face. "May I kiss you?"

She was silent a moment before nodding and was startled when he pressed his lips against her cheek, expecting that he would have chosen her lips instead. But it warmed her even more to him, knowing that he wasn't going to take advantage of his rights as a husband simply because he could. And it speeded her ability to trust him.

"Can I ask you a personal question, my lord?" Eila asked in a voice so small that she wasn't certain he heard.

But he had, and Kili responded with a grin. "Anything you want, Eila."

"Why did you agree to marry me?" The query barely left her mouth before Kili's face took on a pensive frown. He looked to be thinking hard and his hands fidgeted in his lap. "Please," Eila pressed, "Don't tell me what you think I want to hear—I'd like to know the truth."

Kili nodded. "I guess the reason isn't so important now that we've married and now that you've proven you're not insane."

"You haven't known me long enough to determine that yet," She smirked, playing with a tassel on her shoulder-wrap.

"Well, the night isn't so young anymore and you haven't murdered me, so I'll consider it a good omen," He chuckled.

"I'm waiting for you to fall asleep."

"Ah, I see. Probably best since I could overpower you. But it wasn't wise to warn me beforehand because now I'll be on my guard. How will you compensate for that?"

"Well, even if you avoid sleeping, you'll have to eat or drink eventually—a good poison will have to do."

Kili burst into loud laughter. "I see you have this all figured out. And how will you escape when the guards determine that it was you who killed your own husband?"

Eila suddenly clicked her jaws together and looked away—as much as she enjoyed their humorous banter, she couldn't help but feel as though her father and tutors would disapprove of this conversation. If such a string of words had left her lips in the Iron Hills, she would have been punished immediately!

The dark-haired dwarf beside her seemed to sense her unease and fell silent himself, though he continued to smile, as if replaying their joking exchange in his mind.

"I'm sorry, my lord," She whispered, coming back to herself. "I shouldn't have spoken so."

"Don't apologize—I enjoyed that," He said earnestly. "And don't be so stiff. I think it's evident I'm not one for courtly manners."

Eila nodded, though she still felt like she was about to be reprimanded.

Kili leaned back, his hands on the ground behind him as he looked up at the sky. "You wanted to know why I agreed to such a sudden wedding. Fili's counselors were pleased when his own bride was so easy to find—He and Nur were childhood sweethearts after all. But I was another story and they were pressing me to the breaking point. I'd been crossed in love before, so I really didn't care how things ended up. Nur was more concerned about it than I was and headed up the petitioning process."

"You say you were crossed in love…" Eila said with hesitancy.

Kili shrugged, but she could see that he was still hurt by whatever it was that had happened. "I was nearly engaged before I followed my uncle to retake the Lonely Mountain. However… just before we left, she decided that our errand was foolish and I was charging to my death. As an exiled Prince in the Blue Mountains, it would have been advantageous for her to marry one of Durin's sons, but to become engaged to someone who might lose his life, her chances of finding another would be hurt."

Kili scowled as he spoke and Eila instantly felt relief that such a lass had not agreed to marry him—someone so fickle and status-seeking did not deserve this kind and thoughtful dwarf!

"And then Fili heard her speaking to her friends about how ugly I was and he set things straight."

Though Eila had never seen Prince Kili before, she'd certainly heard of King Fili—and his temper was renown. A delegate from one of the seven kingdoms had turned out to be an assassin in disguise when the new Kingdom of Erebor had been on its first legs, but that had turned out to be a mistake when it became known that the King was never—ever!—unarmed. And then there was the time someone had slighted his Queen, and he'd used his bare hands on that dwarf. Eila didn't really want to know what Fili had done to "set things straight" with the stuck-up lass Kili spoke of.

"She was wrong," Eila said adamantly, reaching for Kili's hand again and waiting for him to look at her. "I find you very attractive. And I'm happy that we have the rest of our lives for me to prove it to you."