We moved to Adar's study as a way to give us all some privacy. Though that did not stop the rush of elves sprinting through the kingdom declaring the queen's return at the top of their voices. Or the shiny eyed looks of shock we saw on everyone as we passed.

Bilbo tucked close to Thorin's side and followed diligently at our heels. Thorin's face had settled into a stony blankness and I could not tell his feelings. A spiky feeling of dread crystallised within me and I looked away.

Adar's office was smaller than I remembered. The desk was no longer a towering effigy I could barely glance over and the shelves were finally reachable. A fire blazed in the hearth and cast the whole space with a warm glow. Legolas squeezed my hand tightly as Adar moved over to his desk, inadvertently dragging Mum with him, and leaning heavily against the surface.

"Now would anyone like to tell me what in Eru's name has happened here?"

And so we did.

When we told Adar about the other world, his face became a strange picture. As if he was both surprised but had also known all along. Though he was very curious about our human lives: as mortality was so far removed from an elf it was hard for him to get his head around. Adar's face fell, just like Legolas' had, when he found out that we had also been mourning them. "I had hoped that even though I could not feel you, that you were at least without suffering."

Mum squeezed his arm, a comforting pressure.

Then came the part where this whole journey started from. Mum was the one who was explaining. "We were camping in the woods when it happened."

"When what happened?" Adar asked, voice low.

"Middle Earth came to us," I added.

Adar turned towards me with one perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised up. The fact that my Adar had better eyebrows than me was a bit cruel.

"A swirling gateway of light opened up in the middle of a clearing," I swallowed "then Kili fell out of it."

"Kili?" asked Ada "Who or what is Kili?"

My face heated up and let out a nervous cough. "Uh, he's a dwarf."

"A Dwarf?"

"My Nephew, actually," said Thorin from his corner, finally adding his own words to the conversation.

Adar looked at Thorin when he spoke, with a small frown. "Why did this dwarf cross over into this other world? Did he die?"

"No, no, he arrived there accidentally," I shook my head. "He was attacked by a warg and thrown off a cliff. The warg came through with him actually." I pulled my sleeve down to reveal the claw marks the warg had made.

Adar gasped and tightened his hold on mum's hand. Though I didn't notice Adar's look of distress or Mum's pointed gaze before I continued. "Mum fought it off with only a tree branch and it was one of the most awesome things I've ever seen."

"So you were nearly mauled to death by a warg because of this dwarf?"

My eyebrows shot up. "What? No!"

"You can't blame Kili for that, meleth nin," Mum said in a soothing voice. The fear in Adar's eyes smoothed out slightly.

"No, it wasn't his fault, Adar," I said. "Anyway if he didn't get attacked by a warg we might not be here."

A pointed cough from Thorin told me that he didn't appreciate that statement.

Mum jumped back in and explained how Kili lived with us and how he eventually found a way home. Then how we too found our way to Middle Earth

"I landed near Beorn's dwelling. He found me and took me in," Mum explained.

"You were so close," Legolas murmured from beside me.

"When was this?" Asked Ada

"It must have been about 3 months ago"

Adar looked like he had taken a blow. "You were there the whole time. We could have found each other sooner. Why didn't you?"

Mum reached up to Ada's face "I'm sorry, Thranduil. It hurt me to be so close too. But I had to stay until Liriel came."

"She was not with you already?"

"No I ended up in a place called Rildolach which is half way between Ered Luin and the Shire"

Adar was decidedly not impressed by his only daughter being left alone in a strange part of the world. I explained to him that I was taken in by a very lovely dwarf couple who fed me and gave me a place to sleep. His expression became very strange when I told him of the dwarves' hospitality. Like he was confused but also grateful.

"If you were there, how did you make it here?" Legolas asked.

I turned towards Thorin, finding his eyes already on me. The anger I expected was not present. "Thorin found me," I said, pointing to him.

"Thorin?" said Adar, incredulously.

Thorin turned towards Adar and the anger I had been expecting was thrown his way. "You should be thankful that I did, or your daughter could be Mahal knows where right now."

"I beg your pardon," said Adar, standing up straighter.

They both rose to their full heights, glaring holes into the other's skull.

"I may have nearly been kidnapped," I said quickly, worrying at my fingers.

Adar's glare deflated and he sagged back against the desk behind him. "You…what?...how?" He struggled to get the words out.

"They tried to grab me. Said people would pay a good price for an elf."

"And you know exactly what those men would have been paying for Thranduil," Thorin spat. Though I think the anger in his voice was directed towards the men this time rather than my father.

For a second I didn't want to look up or meet anyone's eyes. I felt ashamed and disgusted that I ended up in that situation at all. When I finally did look up, I saw the abject horror in Adar's eyes.

"Thorin saved me," I whispered. "He killed them all and got me away from them."

Adar turned to look at Thorin. It was like he was seeing him in a brand new light. Thorin was taken aback by Adar's intense gaze.

"You–you saved my daughter," he closed his eyes, breathing forcefully down his nose. When he opened his eyes again he said "I owe you a debt Thorin Oakenshield."

Thorin's mouth dropped open for only a second. Then he closed it with an audible snap. "You owe me more than that, Thranduil," Thorin hissed through his teeth "You owe my people more than that!"

The whole room held their breath as the two Kings looked at each other. Thorin was seething whereas Adar's was strangely level.

Adar waited only a beat longer before he nodded his head. "You are correct, Thorin Oakenshield," he said, strong and even. He did not elaborate any further.

If Thorin was shocked before he was down right astounded now. His eyes widened almost comically and took a half step back. That was definitely not what he had expected to come out of Adar's mouth.

Mum and I tried to get the conversation back on track after that. I told them about our journey to the shire and beyond. Adar wasn't best pleased about the troll incident. Legolas on the other hand seemed to think that it was pretty cool. He tried to excitedly ask me more about it but was shut down by a look from Mum. I whispered that I would tell him later under my breath.

Next came the part of the story that I was dreading. I could feel my palms sweating as it drew closer. My mind did not want to recall the moment Kili had sacrificed himself for me. How I had brought him back out of sheer desperation and anguish. However it still needed to be told.

"What!" Adar held a hand over his heart "Your life is bound to another?"

I averted my eyes away from Adar's eyes. They were too intense to keep looking at. I gave a small nod. Not able to voice more.

"I have only just got you back and now you are cursed with a mortal life. I'm going to lose you again!" his voice sounded strangled and distraught.

"No Adar. It's the other way around. He will live as long as I do," I urged "It's only if one of us is slain that we would die."

"Only if you are slain?" Ada let out a humourless laugh. "Oh, that is perfectly fine then. It's not as if these dwarves plan to wage war against a fire-drake or anything, is it."

Touché. I had no comeback to that.

It only got worse when Adar zeroed in on the courting braid attached to the right side of my head. I covered the bead up with my hand. Face going bright red.

Adar, dropped his face into his hands. "You mean to tell me, that my only daughter is betrothed to a dwarf?" His head shot back up, eyes boring into my own, silently begging me to tell him that it wasn't true.

Thorin chose this moment to let his opinion of the situation be known. A booming laugh echoed off the walls, and the dwarf broke into hysterics. His whole body shook and his head fell back, as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

Oh my god, this is not helping at all.

Why did Thorin choose now to have a mental breakdown? Everyone looked over at his very un-Thorin-like reaction. The more he laughed the more intense my Adar's stare became.

Thorin wiped a tear from his eye and looked over at Adar with a jubilant, smug face. "What can I say Thranduil? Perhaps us dwarves have some romantic tricks up our sleeves," he said, nudging a concerned Bilbo, who spluttered.

"Shhh, please. You're not helping," I implored.

Thorin raised his eyebrows at me, giving me a look that I couldn't quite interpret. He at least toned his smile down somewhat and crossed his arms.

"Right," Adar announced, standing to his full height. "I think it's high time I met this Kili."

Kili

Kili was not having a good time.

In fact he was close to losing his mind.

He had watched, helpless, as his One was dragged into a forest by her ankles, screaming for her life as venomous spiders, twice the size of hounds, loomed above her. Another spider launched itself at him, fangs snapping perilously close to his face. The spider's jaw crashed into the earth just where his head had been, throwing up clods of dirt and thick strands of venom.

His bow was torn from his hands, leaving him weaponless, defenceless. He kicked out at the spider's underbelly. His steel toe cap boots merely bounced off it. Not leaving a mark.

The spider reared its head back and made to attack again. Blood drained from his face as he bore witness to what must have been his certain demise.

Three arrows appeared out of nowhere. Consecutively one after the other, burying itself deep into the spider's head. It let out an unearthly screech and reeled back. It allowed just enough room for Kili to scramble out from underneath the beast. Fili caught him by the shoulders and dragged him further away from its jaws.

"Thank you," he panted, bending forward to rest his hands on his knees.

Those arrows were not dwarven made. Their fletching had a different colouring completely. When Kili glanced up, he realised that the company had been overrun by new invaders.

Elves.

The woodland elves had finally made themselves known. Just in the nick of time as well. Any longer and he may have been the spider's next meal. A few of the other dwarves also had a few close calls. After spending the last few days without Leah's healing light a lot of the dwarves were a little worse for wear. Their reflexes were definitely not what they should be and it had nearly cost them.

The elves quickly dispatched all of the remaining spiders. Shouting to one another in that lilting language he had sometimes heard Leah and Ellen use.

After the spiders were gone they turned their attention to the dwarves. They did not appear happy. Especially not as they began to round them all up and accused them of trespassing.

The dwarves were pushed into the middle of the small clearing, elves lining every possible route of escape. Kili searched the crowd desperately and baulked when he only found dwarves. There was no Bilbo, Ellen or Leah. They were missing.

Panic gripped him in a vice when he realised that she was not there. How had the elves not found her? What did it mean that they didn't? Had the spiders dragged her so far away that she was lost to everyone?

She could be fighting for her life injured and alone. She could be dead!

Kili's breathing picked up in stuttering, panicked inhales. Awful images assaulted him of Leah, scared and alone, dying in the forest beyond his reach. It was like the misty mountains all over again when Uncle Thorin told him that she had fallen. He had nearly launched himself over the edge. Dwalin and Thorin just about caught him before he could.

"What is wrong with him?" asked a ginger haired elf, peering down at him with what could have been concern.

Fili grabbed his brother around the shoulders and hauled him up so that he was standing straighter. "Nothing, nothing he's fine," said Fili in a not very convincing voice.

The ginger haired elf narrowed her eyes slightly before shaking her head and moving on.

"What's wrong, Kili?" Fili forcefully whispered into his ear.

Kili grabbed onto his brother, eyes wide. "Where's Leah? Fili, where's Leah?"

A look of concern flitted across Fili's face and he swept his eyes around the group. When he could not see her his eyes returned to Kili. A hint of fear gathered in them "I don't know, I can't see Ellen or Bilbo either."

Kili was just about to scream out when the breath was knocked out of him. It felt like someone had reached out and pulled on his soul.

The Bond.

Leah had tugged on it. He nearly cried in relief at the gesture. His hand covered his heart "She's alive. She's alive," he breathed.

"Obviously, otherwise you'd be dead too," Fili added.

Oh, that's right.

But he remembered that appalling moment on the mountainside. When she was alone, in agony and pulling so frantically on the bond he couldn't breathe. She had called out to him that she was hurt, that she needed him. Anything could be happening to her and he was all but useless.

His panic only increased as the elves started to lead them away. A forceful hand attempted to drag him along. Kili tried to dig his heels in, to throw his weight behind him and stop them but It did not work. Another pair of hands came around to push him on.

"Stop, no!" he struggled "We need to find her!"

A blonde elf, who seemed strangely familiar, came up from behind the company. "Find whom, there is no one else out here."

"What? No, no there has to be," Kili shook his head. The elves were nearly lifting him up as they dragged him onwards. His toes scraped the ground. When he glanced down he found Leah's sword in the elf's hand, the sight made his blood run cold. She wasn't even armed.

"Where did you get that sword?" The panic in his voice hindered the sternness he had been aiming for.

The elf swung the sword in a circle, testing the weight and the balance. His eyes crinkled up at the corners and Kili was once again overcome with the same sense of familiarity.

"I assume it is one of yours? Well nothing you say will make me relinquish the weapon back to you, dwarf." With that the blonde elf moved towards the front.

"Calm down, laddie," urged Balin from behind him, in a whisper, "We'll be able to get out of here and find her faster if you stop antagonising the elves."

With a deep breath he suppressed all of the instincts that were telling him to fight back. He slumped in the elves' arms and they quickly let him walk on his own two feet. The forest grew less and less sickly as they walked. The leaves were actually green and the soil was a healthy brown. Sunlight poured in through the canopy above illuminating the path before them.

The bond kept telling him that Leah was still resolutely behind him and a feeling of sickness permeated through him. It felt like abandoning her. But Balin was right, he was no use to her if he angered the elves. Kili managed to quash down the urge to escape. Right up until he became aware of the dungeons he was being led to.

Once again he began to struggle against the elf holding him. If he was in a cell then there was no chance that he would be able to find Leah. His fight was in vain as he was unceremoniously thrown into a cell, alongside Fili. He caught himself against the wall and whirled around, attempting to flee back out of the door.

Bars slammed across him before he got the chance. He gripped onto them with all his might and tried to shake them. They would not budge.

The elf did not seem very pleased by his display. A frown pulled at the sides of her mouth.

"Please," Kili begged, not knowing what else to do. "You need to find her. There's a girl still out there. An elf! She was attacked by the spiders and I need to find her. Her mother is still out there too."

The elf looked down upon him with genuine empathy. Not as if he were something beneath her boot like he had expected. "You care deeply about this elf?"

"I love her," he said, barely above a breath.

The elf drew back with a blink. "I will attempt to look for her, dwarf. Though I cannot guarantee that I will find her."

Kili let out a breath that he was holding and he sagged against the bars in relief "Thank you…" he drew out the last word as he realised that he did not know the elf's name.

"Tauriel, my name is Tauriel."

"Thank you, Tauriel."

"Do not thank me yet." And then she was gone.

Fili gave Kili a crushing hug and told him to keep his hopes up. Though when his mind was going through every worst case scenario, it was extremely difficult to think hopeful thoughts. He took to pacing the cell, much to the chagrin of his brother. Fili was sitting on the bench tracing Kili's path with his eyes. "Will you stop pacing please, you're going to make me dizzy."

"It's either this or I start ramming into the cell door," Kili explained.

"I would not recommend it lad," came Dwalin's voice from somewhere above them. "think I've done my shoulder in."

Kili looked at Fili with an I-told-you-so expression.

"Fine," Fili conceded "You can keep pacing."

Kili started back up again without a second thought.

"You have done that soul thing though. That means she's okay right?" Fili said.

"It means she is alive but beyond that I have no idea," Kili said "She could be bleeding out in the forest somewhere for all I know."

Fili stood up and reached for Kili's shoulders, effectively stopping his pacing and his rambling. "Calm down, calm down. Your mind is blowing this all out of proportion," said Fili "Look at me. Leah will be alright. She took a nose dive off a mountain, broke an ankle and still escaped intact. She's resourceful. "

Kili nodded, desperately wanting to believe him.

A loud commotion broke out somewhere beyond their cell. They both turned to inspect the new sound. There had been a lot of strange shouting earlier as well but they were all in that elf language of theirs. So Kili had no idea what they were about.

This time the noises were mixed with the sound of doors banging against the walls. Kili pushed his head to the bars to try and peer out. Fili shoved him to the side to try and get a better view.

What they saw was not what they were expecting.

The elves had returned. Except this time they were now opening all of the doors to dwarves' cells. The dwarves poured out, grumbling but relieved to be free. The elves were methodical and had all the doors opened in no time.

Fili and Kili walked out of their own cell once the door was opened, joining the other dwarves on the stairs.

"A cannot believe he did it," exclaimed Dwalin from a couple of stairs above Kili

"What?" asked Kili

"Thorin, the crazy bastard, must've convinced the pointy eared prick to let us go."

Balin shook his head at Dwalin "Well it's a good job it was not you who had to convince him. We'd be stuck here forever."

Once all the dwarves were let out, the elves made their way to the top of the stairs. The blonde elf, the strangely familiar one from the forest, was amongst them.

"Your possessions are to be returned to you and you are to be escorted to your own chambers," said the elf.

"That's more like it," grumbled Gloin. "Showing a bit of respect."

The elf shook his head with a smile. Not taking the jab to heart.

The dwarves all began to trundle up the stairs, wanting to be out of that blasted dungeon. Even if it technically was one of the nicer places they'd stayed in. It was more about the principle of the matter. They would rather be in a filthy hovel of their own free will, than a gilded prison.

Blonde-y put his hand up, signalling them to stop moving. The elf looked at every dwarf individually, scrutinising each face in turn. Some he skimmed over immediately without a second thought. Like Oin and Balin. But others he lingered on. Fili and Kili's in particular "Before you go, however, I wish to know which one of you goes by the name of Kili?"

All the blood in Kili's face drained at the sound of his name. A strangled noise escaped his mouth that was supposed to be a "What?" but got mangled on the way out. How did they know his name? Why did they know his name?

The noise drew the attention of the elf. His gaze zeroed in on Kili and he felt like a deer in torchlight. A strange smile spread across the elf's face. He looked like he had just received a gift. It was very unnerving.

"You must be Kili then," said the elf, tilting his head "The king wishes to speak with you."

Many of the dwarves expressed concern.

"The king?"

"The elf king?"

"What does he want with Kili?"

Kili's pulse was a drumbeat through his skull as he tried to think of what reason the King would want to see him. Kili was not a King. He wasn't even the heir for Mahal's sake.

"I don't claim to know the King's mind," said the elf, in a way that suggested he knew exactly why the King wanted to see Kili. "Come along then Kili. The King awaits."

"You can't take him," said Fili, grabbing onto his brother's arm "How can we trust you?"

"Thorin Oakenshield is also there. He awaits you too," explained the elf.

Kili felt himself calm ever so slightly. If his Uncle would be there, surely it would not be anything bad. He could trust Thorin emphatically. He nodded towards the elves and made to go with them.

Fili held onto his arm, shaking his head. Kili gently removed the hand. "I'll be alright Fili."

Kili followed the blonde elf while the rest followed the other group. Once he was no longer in the company of the other dwarves he found his panic started to creep up again.

"I've already asked one of you this but I'm going to ask again anyway. There's a girl, an elf. Her name is Leah. She was attacked by the spiders and I need to find her. I need to know that she is safe," Kili begged.

The elf stared at him with what appeared to be begrudging respect and surprise. "Rest assured dwarf, she has already been found. Alive and well."

"Thank Mahal!" A huge sigh left his body and it felt like a weight had been lifted "And her mother?" he asked "Is she safe too?"

"Yes," said the elf wistfully, "She is safe too."

They didn't speak another word as they made their way through the kingdom. It was like a maze, winding its way through the mountain. Starkly different to a dwarven layout that favoured straight lines. Thankfully, with his stone sense he could vaguely know how to get through the mountain.

After what seemed like forever they reached a closed door. The corridors had been growing increasingly more opulent and the door itself was a carved masterpiece of an elk in an ancient forest. The elf strolled up and opened the door nonchalantly as if he had not just walked into one of the king's personal rooms.

"Legolas, I can't believe you actually went down there," came a voice he had been longing to hear for hours.

"What can I say? I wanted to see the dwarf for myself," chuckled Legolas.

Kili paid no mind to whatever 'Legolas' was saying. As soon as he heard her voice he swung his way inside. He did not register anyone else in the room. His vision tunnelled in on her. Leah's face lit up as soon as she saw him, glowing with that smile of hers.

"Leah," he sighed in relief. She was happy and unhurt. It was all he could ask for. Without further thought he darted towards her and bundled her up in his arms. "I'm so glad you're okay," he mumbled into her shoulder.

Someone very loudly cleared their throat behind them. "So this is the dwarf then I take it," came a very deep and regal voice.

The authoritative tone made Kili wheel around. Seeing Leah, he had forgotten that he was here for another reason. When he did turn around however his mind whirred to a surprising stop. He was looking upon the face of a person he was certain he had seen before. A face that Leah herself had shown him in those paintings of hers. There was no denying who this elf was.

"Wait, wait, you're Leah's adad," he said, before he could stop himself.

Leah's adad's eyes narrowed and Kili felt a hint of fear shoot through him. "So is that how you address a King, Kili?" his voice low and dangerous.

An iron ball of dread sank deep into his gut. Was that nausea crawling up his throat or the panicked flutter of his own pulse? "K–King?" he sputtered.

He turned towards Leah, hoping she would shed some light. "I'm sorry," she mouthed. Then she turned to her adad "Adar, don't be mean to him please."

Her adad was the King!

Leah's adad was Thranduil!

Leah was a princess!

She must have known this. Known and withheld it from him. A twisted feeling of betrayal welled up within him. An emotion he never thought he would feel about Leah. How could she have not told him? Did she not trust him?

Kili's mind was struggling to process everything at once. The fear of losing Leah, the euphoria of seeing her alive, the tangled knot of betrayal and the guilt that came with it. How could he feel so many emotions in one day? At this point he just needed a hard reset. Someone needed to knock him out so that he could clear his mind.

"I'm not being mean, Liriel," said Thranduil. Then he turned to look at Kili. His saccharine smile was sickly sweet "He would most certainly know if I was."

Kili gulped.

"Why don't you tell us, in your own words, the story of you and my daughter?"

There was a menacing glint in Thranduil's eye that made Kili want to back away slowly. He felt like he would much rather go back out and face the spiders again than to ever face Thranduil.

While he did not want to say anything, he also feared what the King would do if he refused to speak. So Kili fumbled his way through the story. The only reaction he received was when he explained about sacrificing himself for Leah. Thranduil nodded towards Kili. One of the only positive actions he'd done. It was encouraging. Surely that meant that he did not completely despise him. Right?

The small confidence boost he gained from Thranduil's approval was shattered almost instantly. The Elvenking's gaze slid towards the courting bead that lay against his collarbone.

It felt like the world had opened up at his feet and threatened to swallow him up. How was he supposed to explain to an Elf King that he had asked his daughter to court him? His stomach churned painfully.

"Am I right in saying that you have asked my daughter to court you?" Thranduil surmised. His voice was mostly even, but a hint of danger lingered under the surface. Like a wolf in the grass waiting to pounce on a deer.

"Uh…I…did," Kili choked out.

"Do you know it is customary to ask for her Adar's blessing before you propose?"

Mahal have mercy on him.

So many alarm bells rang in Kili's head, telling him to flee. "I did not know that. I–I apologise, Lord Thranduil."

Leah's hand reached out and clasped his in both of hers. He warred with wanting to hold onto her like a lifeline and wanting to push her hand away

Thranduil peered down at their joined hands and then back to Kili. A smile then spread across his face. "Well, Kili, I do look forward to us getting to know each other a lot better in the coming days."

Kili did not feel the same way.

"Legolas," Ellen's voice piped up like a beacon of hope. "Why don't you show Thorin, Kili and Bilbo to the guest quarters."

This Legolas frowned but conceded all the same. With a nod to Ellen and a smirk to Leah, Legolas headed for the door. Thorin approached and indicated for him to follow "Come along Kili, I imagine the rest of the company will want a debrief."

"Of course, Uncle," He said, voice flat and wrung out.

He dropped Leah's hand, pulling it from her grasp when she tried to hold on. Hurt flashed across her face and she shrunk inwards, hugging her arms to her body. Shame bled through at being the one to make her feel that way but he could not deny his own resentment.

Kili bit his tongue and clenched his jaw painfully. Then, without another word, he trailed after Thorin through the door. Bilbo gave him a look of concern, his mouth twitched like he wanted to say something but he thought better of it. They nearly made it to the other end of the corridor before he heard his name called.

"Wait, Kili," Leah's voice echoed off the stone walls.

Kili slowed to a stop, eyes falling shut. He could not do this yet. It was too fresh, too stinging. He would end up saying something they would both regret.

"I don't think now is a good time, Leah," he said, not turning around.

"No please, I'm sorry," he felt the weight of her hand on his shoulder, begging him to face her. "This is not how I wanted you to find out."

A spark of anger ignited in him and he spun around, throwing her hand off in the process. "Then how did you plan on me finding out? Because you certainly didn't trust me enough to tell me."

Leah reeled back as if he had struck her. It doused the flames of his anger with ice water and left him with a cold numbness in its place.

"That's not it at all. Of course, I trust you."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" It hurt more than anything else.

Kili hated the fact that there was an audience for this fight. It was just another thing for him to feel terrible about. Thorin must have picked up on this and led Bilbo away with a firm push. Legolas' lingered in the background but there was little he could do about the stubborn elf.

Leah's bottom lip shook. "I don't know. I was scared."

"Scared of what?" he said, almost offended "You know me. I would never hold anything against you."

"I know that. I'm sorry." Leah pressed her palms into her eyes. "It's just…I'm a coward."

He blinked in disbelief. "Don't say that," he asserted "Don't you ever say that. You are one of the bravest people I know."

Leah dropped her hands to stare at him, uncertainty swimming in her eyes, along with a shine that he was responsible for. His stomach lurched at the sight.

"I just don't want you to hate me," she said.

How could she ever think such a thing? She could place a knife between his ribs, curse his name to the stars and back and still he would never hate any part of her. She was his One. A shining light in the dark. His literal saviour in more ways than one. Her heart and soul and life were forever bound to his and he would not have it any other way.

He placed a mental hand onto the tether connecting the two of them. Not pulling, simply applying a warm, solid pressure. A reassurance of his presence, that made her press her hand to her chest. An acknowledgement of feeling. He reached for her free hand and placed it over his own chest. He noted an nearly imperceptible shaking in her fingers and squeezed.

"Nothing could ever make me hate you and I need you to know that," he said.

She nodded, but he was not sure if she believed him. He would spend the rest of their lives convincing her if he must.

"I just need time on my own to wrap my head around everything. Can you do that for me?"

"I can do that," she sniffled.

"Okay," he breathed and pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand "I love you."

"I love you too," she said and they both went their separate ways.