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THE COURTSHIP OF THE SPARROW-HAWK
Chapter 8 – Confessions and Proof
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"Bloodstream" Ed Sheeran
It turned out that Eila was not too shy to speak to Fili, and Nur made good on her word of bringing things to her husband's attention.
They all stood in the new couples' quarters, where Kili watched his family discuss the abuse of the lass he'd come to love in just a few short days: beatings from the hands of the dwarf she'd been entrusted to after her mother's death. It made his blood boil just to think of it and watching the way Eila's eyes glazed over and her face became blank when she spoke, as though she were mentally shielding herself from the pain of the memories.
But the way Eila spoke gave Kili some small amount of relief—it had taken a lot of hard work to do it, but once she was absolutely sure that her stepfather could not get to her in Erebor, she donned a confident composure that stated things matter-of-factly and without bitterness. From her own mouth, she acknowledged that Morbruk had done wrong and that there was no way to go back and change things, accepting the past as it was.
"That's quite a tale, lass," Fili said with crossed arms as he stood before their fireplace. To anyone else, it might have sounded like he didn't believe her, but Kili knew his brother was keeping his temper in check. "I don't want to ask it of you, but as King, it would be irresponsible of me not to ask for proof."
Kili was about to object and stepped forward to grip his brother's arm, but Eila was already unbuttoning her thin jacket, turning her back to Nur and Kili as she pulled down on the collar of her shirt, exposing the skin on either side of her backbone.
Watching Fili turn slowly to see what his wife was gaping at, Kili saw the moment when his brother recognized the faint white strips across Eila's back.
"She said he used a cane." Kili ground out, still strongly affected by the subtle lines loitering his wife's skin.
Eila stood perfectly still, expressionless as she looked down at the blankets on the bed in front of her, allowing Nur to inspect the scars lightly with gentle fingers. Kili was fighting the urge to brush Nur's hands away, but Eila didn't seem to mind being touched and so he kept his feet planted where they were.
"This," Nur pointed to a set of lines darker than the rest at Eila's lower back. "Is not the work of a cane."
Kili's brows pushed together and he allowed himself to take a step closer to see what Nur was referring to. Eila's face adopted a look of nervousness, almost as though she were afraid of being called a liar, but when Nur spoke again, Kili understood what Eila was thinking.
"That is leather chord if I ever saw it," Nur glared at Fili.
"Are you sure?" Kili asked aloud, partly to Nur and partly to Eila.
"Of course, she is," Fili growled defensively. "No one would know the sight of a whip lash better than an Akkik warrior lass."
Beatings by cane were one thing—discipline wasn't an uncommon thing, though it seemed inappropriate for one so close to adulthood—but to use a whip was another thing entirely.
"I tried to run away." Eila's firm, but quiet voice was heard in the tense silence. "When he told me he intended me for a political marriage and I didn't agree to it, he was furious. It was my plan to leave, to tell someone what he was doing, but he was… persuasive."
Kili was astonished that she didn't sound afraid and was waiting for her to burst into tears as she had done the previous day. But it seemed as though Eila was one who processed things quickly, and once she had settled her mind on something, it was done. This was something he understood—being called reckless time and again when what he really wanted was to get to the heart of things and not dwell on the flowery preludes, despite whatever risk was involved.
Fili silently fumed in front of the fireplace again, staring into the flames and turning his back to the sight of Eila's hurts. "Nur," He said with a tremor of barely-controlled rage. "I can do nothing to this dwarf noble unless he commits a crime in my own Kingdom—if I sent your father a letter, do you think King Dain would deal with this appropriately?"
"That depends on what you mean by 'appropriately'," Queen Nur answered as she pulled Eila's shirt back into place and helped her back into her jacket.
"Nur," Kili's brother growled, obviously not in a mood to have his patience tested.
"He would deal with it just as swiftly as you would, though he might be more lenient in the punishment."
Fili nodded and strode away from the fireplace. "That will have to do."
Nur pulled Eila into her arms for a quick embrace before following after Fili, who looked like he was on the war path, through the door of their quarters. And as the door closed with a click, Kili and Eila were alone.