AN: I don't have anything to say.
Chapter Two
There was something to be said about dwarven stubbornness…and something to be said about the stubbornness of elves from the woodland realm. Their stark differences were met by stark similarities that often had Tauriel being rather amused when she thought about the years of contention between the two people who at the most base level…embodied many of the same values.
As she walked through the mountain slowly, Tauriel watched the people rushing about her. Some several inches shorter than her, some a little more than a foot. They laughed among each other, their tunics, belts, and vests varying in colors of blues, blacks, browns, and deep reds. Some wore furs, others, thick leathers…but nearly all wore heavy boots on their large feet as they trumped about the corridors, stairwells, bridges, and hallways that made up Erebor. Only a few opted for lighter shoes, like Leotti prefers.
Tauriel stopped at throne room, staring in at the mirror like floor kept clean and polished regularly. It was usually a quiet hall, considering only the family used it on a regular basis. She looked up the upper levels, columns of stone and marble twisting up to the cavernous ceiling that could easily fit a large dragon or two. It was larger than any hall in Mirkwood, which had Thorin smiling proudly when she had proclaimed it to him.
Tauriel sighed to herself as she walked further in, stopping at a new statue of stone and gold now nestled among the others. He was taller than Tauriel, but all of the statues were, despite being likeness of dwarves. She thinks it's meant to embody their power, not so much their actual stature.
Leaning forward, Tauriel scanned the detail, looking for similarities between the stone, and her husband, brother, and adopted father. She even looked for pieces of Dis in the stone cold features. Thror was certainly an imposing figure, and for whatever reason, she just could not find the family she loves in the image of a dwarf who was said to be borderline cruel. Not that anyone called him as such, but Tauriel has heard enough stories of the stoic dwarf to know without a doubt, she would be forbidden from the family and the mountain had he been alive in this day. Maybe it was for that reason alone, this particular statue gives her feelings coldness and anger.
One cannot hate someone they have never met, Naurfaer had told her when she tried to explain her feelings to him. She did not want to insult Thorin, Dis, Fili, or even Kili with her thoughts on the matter, but she knew it was safe to speak such things to her grandfather. He also gently reminded her Thror was under the influence of the Arkenstone, the true one, and it rattled his mind to madness. She should not be so quick to judge, as she has never experienced such things.
Moving on, Tauriel smiled when she came to the next statue, it was Thrain. There were far more heartwarming stories when it came to Thrain. It was also a bit of a controversy, according to Kili, to get this particular statue commissioned. According to tradition, only those who bore the crown of Erebor could have their likeness among its kings, and Thrain was never a king under the mountain as he was lost the day Thror fell making Thorin the next king nearly instantly. However, Thorin argued against it, stating he would honor his father who should have had the chance to rule, had it not been for what was done to him. In the end, the statue was carved and placed beside Thror.
Now Thrain, Tauriel could see Thorin and Dis in. He had the same smile as Dis, the smile Kili has, and Thorin's sharp nose. There were many likenesses she found with her family in this stone statue that somehow held warmth in it. It was said Thrain cherished his children, and even Nyaunni backed that with her own stories of the fallen father of Thorin and Dis.
"There you are!"
Speaking of Dis…
Tauriel closed her eyes, then turned to the family matriarch, her brows lowered into an angry scowl, her hands firmly placed on her hips.
"I have been waiting for you to come back." She marched past Tauriel towards the stairs, pausing to look back at her. "Well? Come on then. I have a few things to say. You can help me make supper since you are keen on proving yourself."
With that, she turned and swiftly walked past the guards who bowed to her. One, however, gave Tauriel a teasing look.
"Looks like yeh are in a touch of trouble…lady Tauriel."
"Yes, thank you, Braundee." Tauriel hissed at the dam who snickered.
"Told yeh, didn't I?"
"Guards in the royal wing are meant teh be quiet." The other guard growled to her. It was Urkvin, a stoic old guard with a beard full of grey and quite a few missing fingers.
"Oh stop being such an old crone." Braundee shot right back.
"Don' make me report yeh to Aeodhen." Urkvin warned.
"That won't be necessary." Tauriel said as she walked by. "I will see you in training later this week, Braundee."
Not bothering to wait for a response she walked up the steps, cringing as her muscles protested the movement. The climb was catching up with her faster than she had expected.
When she entered the kitchen, Dis was already pulling out pots and pans. She didn't look behind her, just asked Tauriel to light the stove which really was just a matter of turning a dial. Dwarves, were masters of technology in middle earth. It was in their nature to be curious and innovative. She has known that for years. Yet it still was impressive what they were able to do that seemed far ahead of their time.
"Sit, and start peeling these." Dis ordered, handing her several potatoes, a knife, and a bowl. "And as you do, use those pretty ears of yours to listen."
Tauriel wanted to recoil, but instead, she numbly did as Dis ordered.
"I do not know what you were thinking!" Dis began. Tauriel had heard this opening to a lecture many times, but rarely if ever directed at her. Usually it was a sentence thrown at Kili or Fili…most often Kili. He still liked to find trouble, her Kili. It was simply just his nature. And apparently, Tauriel's too.
"I cannot fathom why you thought it wise to scale the side of Erebor! And in this kind of weather? Please tell me, when you woke up, did you senses remain asleep? Because as far as I am concerned, you lack even an ounce them today."
"It was clear skies when I made plans. And Oin said I was ready to challenge myself." Tauriel argued.
"Oh, do not give me that." Dis pointed her finger angerly at her. "I spoke with Oin, and he is beyond frustrated with your choices today as well. He said, you can add heavier training to what you were already doing…he said nothing of the sort of you recklessly endangering yourself on the slick stone, hundreds of feet above the ground on a day all historical documents claim as a day of mixed rain and sun. Come now, Tauriel, you have lived in these lands for longer than any of us have been alive. You know how quickly our weather turns in early spring. Tell me what was in your head? Because what you did today…was beyond careless and rash."
Piercing her lips, Tauriel worked the potato in her hands…swirling the knife around the plump vegetable and removing the skin in one piece. She watched as it dropped into the bowl, then looked back up at Dis who was tapping her foot on the ground.
Placing her knife on the table, she turned her attention fully to the only mother she knew. "I wish, I can tell you what I was thinking, amad. Really I do. It is just…the last several weeks I have felt as if I have not accomplished anything. I feel restless, and when I woke this morning...I felt better than I have felt in over a month. Even more, I saw the skies, and I knew, I needed to get out before I was crushed by the mountain. It is not an excuse, I know, but that is the best I can describe it."
Dis eyed her for several seconds, then shook her head as she took the seat beside Tauriel. "I cannot pretend to understand what it is like for you." She began, the harshness gone from her voice. "You know, when Kili started talking about being in love with an elf back in Ered Luin, before your dramatic entrance into our home..." She chuckled, bumping her shoulder against the elf's beside her. Tauriel even smiled a little, but remained silent as she picked up another potato and continued her peeling as Dis talked.
"I knew little about elves." Dis continued. "But one thing I did have an idea of, is they were a people of the outside. As in, it was not in their custom to live beneath the ground. I was worried that if you were real, and Kili did find you, I would lose my baby because he would choose to make a home with you somewhere outside our mountains. Somewhere you could be free. A dwarf, we can adapt to anywhere, but an elf? I was not so sure your kind would be able to handle being hidden from the skies and trees."
"I was hidden in the forest for six hundred years, with very little freedom to go beyond our walls." Tauriel muttered. "Believe me when I say the first time I felt true freedom, was in Ered Luin."
"You loved that little mountain settlement." Dis said, seeing the peace in her face as she spoke of it.
Tauriel nodded. "I still miss it to this day. There was something...simpler...about living there. It is...my second home. I think it always will be."
"I understand. I miss it very much." Dis sighed, her large hands running along the smooth, wooden, table-top. "Some nights, I long for nothing more than to go back."
This had Tauriel freezing. "Even now? I thought you loved Erebor?"
"Oh, I do!" Dis clarified. "Please do not get me wrong, I love this mountain dearly. It is our family's birthright. Thorin more than earned his crown here, as did Fili. And one day, Finli as well, who grows more and more into his own person each day. An old soul, Finli is."
Tauriel nodded. "Sometimes, too old." She sighed. "I do wish he didn't seem so weighed down at times. He takes far too much responsibility onto his shoulders for anyone his age should. I have been considering putting him back in regular classes, so he can remain young and unburdened...but he seems to love his time with Balin."
"Fili was much the same." Dis took her hand. "He is of the age he can make that choice for himself. But this is not about Finli, this is about you. Tauriel I want to ask you something, and I want you to be open and honest with me…are you happy here?"
"What? Me?" Tauriel asked surprised. "Of course! This is everything I have ever wanted. I have...Valar...I have never once wanted for anything in Erebor, or Ered Luin. I never dreamed that one day, this could be a life I was a part of." She dropped her potato and paled. "Dis…you aren't going to ask me to leave, are you?"
"Mahal no!" Dis immediately denied, kicking herself. She was right furious at the elf, but she sometimes forgot just how sensitive Tauriel could be around certain topics. "Never darling." Dis pulled Tauriel close, wrapping her arms around the taller being who was in many ways, incredibly strong and independent, but could also be quite vulnerable. "How could I ever ask my daughter to leave? I just need to know if you are happy or not. That's all. I need to know what we can do to support you, darling. Support you so you don't go do stupid things like climb the side of the mountain during rainy season and nearly give me and Thorin heart attacks. Not to mention has Kili in quite the state."
"He is not speaking to me." Tauriel lamented into Dis's shoulder. "I said some things I should not have, and now, he is distancing himself."
"It will be alright, darling. You two will work through it as you always do. But you need to listen to me…" She pulled back and played with a bit of Tauriel's hair. "I can't pretend to understand the changes your body has gone through to have a life with us and Kili, but from what I do understand, your body needs time to heal just like the rest of us mortals. Be patient with yourself. You may feel ready to push your body, but do it in a controlled manner."
"Naurfaer said as such." Tauriel sighed. "I just don't know what came over me with Kili, I know he is trying to protect me but to lash out at him? He did not deserve my anger."
"I agree." Dis nodded. "Tauriel, I say this with all the love that I have…but do not take any moment you have with Kili for granted." She looked down at the table, her hand once again grazing the grains. "I remember the day Vili left. I did not want him to go. We argued the night before. Yes we made up, Vili was never one to go to bed angry. Whenever we had a disagreement…which we had many…" She laughed to herself. "…his one rule was we had to resolve it before bed or he would do everything in his power to make me laugh until I had to accept his apology, or give my own. Vili was, everything to me. Fili is a lot like him."
Dis rested her chin on her palm. "I was up an hour before they left that day. I dressed in the green and orange tunic he hated…he used to say I looked like I belonged in the pumpkin patch whenever I wore it." She laughed. "I was quite far along in my pregnancy with Kili, and getting rather round, but I still had at least three months to go." She looked at Tauriel who was listening raptly. "You know, it has been nearly 100 years ago now, and I still remember this day as if it happened yesterday. I made summer sausage, boiled some eggs for Vili and Thorin to take on the road, and made griddle cakes. Not only was that the only thing I could get Fili to eat at that time, but it was Vili's favorite breakfast and I wanted to make sure he left knowing how much I care for him."
Tauriel did not know what to say, so she just listened to Dis reminisce. "It was a warm July. Warmer than usual. I remember feeling overheated, and Vili coming into the kitchen and pushing me away from the cooker. He was about to leave for battle, and here he was finishing the breakfast I was making for HIM because he was worried about me. Does that remind you of someone?" She smirked as Tauriel rolled her eyes.
"Sounds just like something Kili would do." The eleth mumbled, but smiled. "How much is Kili like Vili, Dis?"
Dis snorted. "Not much at all, really. Kili is most like myself…and Thorin. Apart from his deep connections to those he loves. That is very much a trait of Vili."
"I am so sorry Dis. It must have been, beyond difficult to see them go." Tauriel said honestly. She thought back to the times her and Kili have gone to battle, and how grateful she was she has been able to be at his side for nearly every one. Despite Kili arguing more than once for her to stay home.
"Truthfully I was a bit numb when they left. I think what hurt the worst was I had no deep feelings I was going to lose him. Thorin was sure this battle would be one they could handle. It was to be a small skirmish, yet ended up changing our lives forever."
Dis drew a shape in the wood with her finger. "I hated by brother when he came home. Hated that he did come home. And I blamed him. I wish I could remember that day better, but all I recall was a ringing in my years, and pain. Heavy, physical, pain. I swore I lost Kili, Tauriel. What babe could survive being born three months early? I do not recall him crying, I do not recall Oin saying anything to me, I just remember closing my eyes and turning to my side. Then, walking out of my room a week or so later and seeing this infant asleep on Thorin's chest. He was so, so small, but had this thick head of dark hair. I wondered whom he belonged to, who this infant even was."
Dis shook her head, looking up at Tauriel. "You must think me a terrible mother now, not even recognizing my own infant, my own blood, and leaving Fili, who was hardly five years of age, to be tended to by others."
"Not at all Dis!" Tauriel instantly said, having been ignoring her task at peeling potatoes to listen intently. She took Dis's hand and held it tightly. "You were grieving. It is well within your rights to be as you were. And it is no reflection on who you are today…you have done very well by Kili and Fili. They are extraordinary individuals, and that is from you."
"And Thorin." Dis sighed. "Had he not stepped in for Kili…Kili would not be here today."
Tauriel stiffened at the thought. Her Kili…gone if not for Thorin. The wave of sadness must have made it through Kili's closed barrier…proof he was still keeping tabs on her if not subtly…as he sent her an almost wary inquiry if she was alright. To which Tauriel immediately pulled him into her mind, mentally wrapping herself around him. Kili allowed it, and for the first time that day, he loosened the barrier a bit even if he still kept his thoughts to himself. It was a start. She had quite a bit of making up to do and maybe…she will start here in the kitchen.
"Thorin still blames himself, today." Dis continued, breaking Tauriel from her thoughts about Kili. "But the reality is, that is the nature of war. There is no promises who will return…and who will not. To this very day, I still do not know how I snapped out of it. But when the infant began to cry, I fell to the floor and sobbed. It was Kili…my Kili…he did not die in childbirth, he was alive. I pulled him into my arms, and thankfully, I had not lost my milk because I nursed him for the first time then and there. That is where Thorin found me, on the floor, nursing my tiny, son. He wrapped his furs around me, and stayed by my side for ten years. He made no trips, went to no battles, and visited no clans for a decade. He just stayed home, working in his forge to help the settlement by day, and taking both Kili and Fili by night to give me time to grieve when the shadows grew darkest."
"I do not know when I stopped blaming Thorin. Days, weeks, months later I suppose. Somewhere in there. He was always there though, always. When I was ready, he told me what happened. How brave Vili was, and how they were ambushed just when they thought they won. It was so sudden, so fast, an orc came out of nowhere, and pushed his sword through Vili's chest. They all barely got out of there with their lives, and had to retreat. Thorin…at great risk to his own life…carried Vili from the fight. It took them two days to find a safe place to stop, and by then, Vili was gone. When the orcs caught up with them, they once again had to flee, and they were unable to carry back the bodies of the dead. All Thorin was able to bring back to me, was a small stone Vili had been carving runes into, one you might well know."
"The runestone?! Oh Dis, you gave Kili and I the last gift you got from Vili?"
"I did." Dis smiled. "You two remind me so much of Vili and I. So in love, so in tune with each other. Yet…so true to your own passions. It is okay to argue, my darling. It is okay to disagree. But it is important to listen and try to understand each other. If only, because you never know what tomorrow brings. I know you understand this far more than most, darling. You have been given a mighty gift, to see your one die, but to be given a second chance. I also know, you are not one to take that for granted and I am not saying you are. I just…from the perspective of someone who has lived nearly 100 years without her soulmate…we just don't know when our time is up in this world. We must treat every day as if it could be the last we have. And that also means, protecting those we love. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"
"I believe so. I suppose I was being rather reckless in my choices. And I was certainly too hard on Kili." Tauriel sat back, her emerald eyes staring at Dis. "Amad…I want you to know how much it means to me what you shared today. I know how difficult talking about Vili is."
Dis nodded. "Tauriel, I want you to understand your worth to this family far exceeds what even you may think. There is no recovering your loss, my darling. So for all of our sakes, can you please take it easy? Perhaps, save things like climbing for the dryer summer when you are further in your recovery. Expend your energy in the training halls for the time being. That way…we can get you to Oin when you overdo it and no fear you fell to your death as a result of your stubbornness."
"Fine." Tauriel sighed. "I will spare all of you further stress and keep my activities on a more suitable level."
"That is all we ask dear." Dis laughed, squeezing her hand then releasing it and standing to continue her cooking.
"Amad…" Tauriel asked hesitantly. "…do you think you can help me make Kili's favorite cookies?"
Dis lifted a brow. "You mean will I make Kili's favorite cookies? Because the last time you tried my oven was unusable for a week."
Tauriel's cheeks tinged pink. "I misread the timing and got distracted."
"They melted off the pan and coated the bottom of the entire oven." Dis reminded her.
"I cleaned it." Tauriel huffed.
Dis shook her head. "I still don't know how you did it. But fine. WE will make them. But I am quite tired of your poor performance in the kitchen. You will be listening closely, if there is one thing you're going to get right…it is these cookies; I do not care how long it takes me to help you perfect them." She began pulling out ingredients and paused. "Well? Get those potatoes peeled, I will get what we need."
Nearly two hours later, Tauriel was standing outside Kili's crafting office. She knew he was in here, because this is where he preferred to go when he wanted to get lost in something or get distracted from what was happening around him. It was his place of escape.
Naturally, it was a place for her as well, and she never had to knock to go in. Even she had a space in his office to do whatever she wished. Yet today, she felt more like an intruder than anything.
The smell of baked cookies had her looking down at the plate in her hands. She could still feel the heat coming from the barely cooled discs her and Dis had only pulled from the oven a quarter hour ago. They were far from perfect, since Dis all but made Tauriel bake them on her own. She was focusing on that evenings dinner, while keeping a close eye on Tauriel as she added ingredients. The eleth may have missed a few steps, and forgot the butter that had been sitting behind the bowl. As a consequence, the cookies were a bit off texturally as she added the butter too late to fully incorporate it. She also put a bit too much salt in, miss translating the teaspoon for a tablespoon only because there was a small food stain on the book masking the measurement.
But otherwise…they were not inedible like her last batch had been.
Taking a breath, Tauriel was about to turn the handle to the door when it was thrown open and a pair of small arms firmly wrapped themselves around her legs.
"MAMA! You're okay!"
Tauriel looked down to see a head of black buried in her thigh. Her sensitive little lion. "I am alright, my star." Tauriel said softly and carefully knelt down. He released her leg only to throw his arms around her neck.
"Are you still angry?" He asked quietly.
With one arm, Tauriel pulled him closer. "No, my lion. I am not angry. And I never should have been in the first place."
Taking a risk, she looked up to see Kili working away with his foot rocking the cradle Ithtiri was sleeping in. He was focused on his task, not looking at her even for a moment. She deserved that.
Rising to full height, Tauriel walked into the room, Kilion having had released her, followed just beside her then went to his table in the corner. His blue eyes never left her though, as she approached Kili.
"Kili, I…owe you an apology."
Kili kept working, though his foot stopped rocking the cradle. From where she was standing, Tauriel could see what he was working on. He was sanding down what appeared to be a digit, a finger, if you will. The likeness was carved nearly perfectly, but that did not surprise Tauriel. Kili was exceptional at such things, proof of which was seen in the music box he made her she still cherishes to this day.
A quick glance to the side, and she saw the rest of the hand, nearly fully complete. "Is this, what I think it is?"
"That depends." Kili grunted. "What do you think it is?"
Tauriel placed the cookies down and picked the hand up. It was much larger than her own…but…nearly the perfect size for a grown dwarf. She turned it around, looking at all the fingers, then at the bottom where it appeared to be ready to be attached to something.
"The base is on the shelf above you." Kili hummed, going back to his work.
Tauriel looked up at the shelf just above her eyeline and noticed an odd contraption among scattered pieces. It was a cuff of sorts with all kinds of wires and gears coming out of it.
Carefully, Tauriel lifted it off the shelf, being mindful of all the parts, and inspected it. Wires extended from the cuff, clearly meant to go to each finger and the thumb. As Tauriel turned it, they bent as a hand would.
"Turning it left, causes the wires to contract, and turning it hard right, releases it. It's still a bit flawed, but it's getting there." Kili hummed, standing from his sanding wheel and going to the hand she had just set down. He grabbed a tool, then proceeded to fasten the final finger to the hand, holding it up and waving it left to right. "Hello, Tauriel." He said.
Tauriel nearly laughed, if she did not still sense his aggravation with her. "I made you cookies." She said out of nowhere.
This had Kili freezing in place. "YOU, made the cookies?"
"I most certainly did." Tauriel bristled.
Kili glanced at the plate warily before moving to it and lifting the cloth over the baked good. "They look…good." He tried to find the right word for the messy, flat, disks on the plate. They did not look terrible, but he was a bit worried for his mams kitchen. "Did mam…"
"She helped, Kili. I was not alone." Tauriel rolled her eyes, still holding the cuff in her hands.
"Oh, in that case." Kili took one off the top, broke a piece off, and threw it into his mouth. But he only chewed for a few seconds, before forcing down a swallow and setting the cookie down on the table. "They are, lovely." He said, clearly a lie.
Tauriel huffed and sat hard on the chair Kili had just been in. "I put too much salt in them…and nearly forgot the butter." She admitted. "I just wanted to make you something special, something you love."
"The something I love, tried to kill herself on the mountain. Can we talk about that?" Kili said, glancing at Kilion.
"Hey, little lion, how about I walk you to the bakery, hm? Give your mam and da a chance to talk?"
"But I want to hear." Kilion said quietly.
Kili chuckled. "I am sure you would, but we need a moment."
Kilion nodded, and Kili lifted him into his arms. "I will be right back, just, stay here a moment." He waited for her to nod, as he left his office to go to the market not far away.
As he was gone, Tauriel looked down in the cradle to see her daughter rubbing at her eyes. "My sweet Ithtiri." Tauriel said. "You're not mad a mama too, are you?"
When the infants brown eyes locked on her mother, her hands immediately went up clearly wanting to be held. "Thank the Valar." Tauriel said as she pulled her daughter out of the cradle and held her against her shoulder. "Are you hungry, my sweet?"
When Kili returned, he could not keep the soft smile from gracing his lips at the scene in his office. Tauriel was lounging on a table against the wall, one foot up and the other dangling and swinging lazily back and forth. The part that had Kili nearly losing it, was she had even not bothered covering herself up as she nursed their daughter. Likely because she knew nobody but Kili would walk into his workspace at this time without knocking first.
So there she was, her top unbuttoned down to her navel, fully exposed, and feeding their child. It had him nearly forgiving her instantly. Mahal the hold this creature has on him.
"You, are not playing fair!" Kili groaned as he locked the door behind him…you know, just in case someone did decide to walk in.
"I have no idea what you mean, meleth nin." Tauriel said nonchalantly. However, the small twitch of her lips was all Kili needed to see to know she knew EXACTLY what she was doing to him. Of course, there was the bond to, through which he felt her amusement now that he has let the barriers down once more. What was the point in keeping them up anyway? Especially she pulls stuff like this.
Call him a sucker…but Kili s wildly attracted to his wife. So really, this is not fair to him in any right.
Tauriel hummed as she moved her veraciously hungry daughter to the other side, then looked at her husband whose eyes had darkened as he stared at her unrepentantly. "Like what you see?"
"You know I do." Kili rolled his eyes then turned and picked up the hand, inspecting it as he asked, "How was your climb?"
"Not as good as I thought it was going to be." Tauriel sighed, her finger tracing her daughters features as she ate. She had such gentle features, Tauriel knows she will be a beauty when she is older. "Kili, nothing is ever enjoyable when you are angry with me. And…I should have listened to you."
Kili froze, lifting his eyes to her once more. "You are not hurt, are you?"
"My pride is a bit bruised, and I am incredibly sore. But…for the most part I am unharmed thanks to you."
"I don't know what you mean." Kili plopped down in his chair and began fastening the hand he had just added the finger to, to the cuff Tauriel had been inspecting earlier. There were a lot of parts, and it seemed each one required several small screws and gears.
"I think you do." Tauriel hummed. She felt cool air where her daughter was once eating, and realized she was asleep. Perfect timing. She slid off the table and placed Ithtiri in the rocking cradle Kili had made for his office. It had held nearly all their children at some point…with exception of Finli. She then refastened her top and went to her prince.
Kili wanted to be mad at her, he wanted to stay furious for just a little longer; but when he felt his wife's arms wrap around his neck as she bent over him, her face resting on his shoulder, it was like all the ire he had left swept away. He almost despised himself for how he turned his head and breathed her in. She, was his addiction…and he knew he lost to her the moment she walked into his office earlier.
"Even when you were angry, my Kili, you went and found Naurfaer to make sure I was not alone. Then, you made arrangements with Nyaunni to retrieve us if I was unable to get down…which I was not by the way."
Kili's brows lowered in concern as he turned his face a bit more towards hers. "Unable to get down? Did start raining then? Are you sure you were not hurt? The mountain can be quite slick when it is wet."
Tauriel buried her nose in his neck and hummed a no. "Yes, it in fact did begin to pour quite thoroughly. I also felt like my heart was going to burst, and my lungs are still a bit on fire…but I was and am unharmed. The soreness…that is only coming now. But it was the rain that stopped us from descending back down."
"Mm." Kili turned a small part of his attention back to the hand he was building, placing screw in a joint, and driving it in carefully. "I also had Oin and Borrack at the ready if you fell or reinjured yourself, and Kaw following you. I'm honestly surprised he didn't reveal himself." He turned the hand, placed another screw, then paused as he realized Tauriel was holding the driver up for him.
Rolling his eyes, he thanked her and accepted the tool, but immediately set it and the hand down when he saw the pink blister forming on his wife's palms. "Tauriel! I thought you said you were not hurt. These look right painful."
With his wife at his back, Kili turned her small hand to examine the extent of her injury, while Tauriel simply let him be. In fact, she was softly humming, using the tip of her nose to trace the shell of Kili's large ear. She always thought his ears were endearing. Dwarves had much larger ears than humans, which was why they had much better hearing than humans. Not as good as the eldar, of course, but significantly better than the mortals in Dale and beyond.
Balin had told her in her lessons that dwarven ears were specifically designed to be able to hear and sense cave ins. They were also able to hear the singing of the stone they are so closely bound to.
"Tauriel..." Kili groaned as he looked at her. "...I asked you a question."
"Hmm?" She pulled away a bit and looked down at Kili who was just releasing the hand he was just inspecting to look at the other one that looked almost worse off than the first. "Oh...it is fine, meleth nin. Just a bit of blistering from the rock. It will be alright in a few days."
Kili only grunted and released her hand to pick up the metal one and begin screwing the pieces back together with a bit more force than he had been earlier.
Was it something she said? Tauriel thought to herself, sighing as she stood then to Kili's surprise, squeezed herself into the tight space between himself and his workbench, sitting unceremoniously in his lap.
"I seem to just keep saying the wrong thing today, don't I?" Tauriel waited for Kili to set his work down as he sat back in his chair, not placing his hands on her but instead, crossing them over his chest and glaring at her.
"Saying...and doing. What was in your head this morning, Tauriel? You know I would never keep you from doing anything you desire...and though clearly, you were able to accomplish what you set out to do this morning, you and I both know your body still needs a bit more time to be able to do something so extreme. That was all I was trying to get you to see."
Tauriel bit her tongue as her temper began to flare once more, but…was he wrong? No. And that, is what irritated her the greatest. "Yes, I know." Tauriel sighed, falling onto his crossed arms knowing he would not be able to resist wrapping them around her. Which of course she was right...her lips forming a soft smile as Kili let out a deep breath and pulled her close clearly against his better judgment. "I am sorry, my Kili. First and foremost for what I said. I don't believe for a second that you are my jailor. And if you were...you would be my favorite kind of jailor. I'd more than happily accept several life sentences in the dungeons if it meant I had you to guard me."
"Should I remind you of such a statement the next time you decide to scale the mountain while you're in recovery?"
"You can certainly try." Tauriel chuckled. "But I may have adopted your stubbornness...and will likely still make a fuss about it."
"I don't doubt that." Kili huffed. "And I am sorry too. I know these last few months have been difficult for you. I should have listened better to your needs."
Tauriel shifted a bit to be able to grab his face. "You listened exactly as you should." She pressed her forehead to his. "It is my fault alone, Kili. I did tell you you could coddle me all you wish...but then when you did, I got angry. I have never been more loved in my life, yet I still can be a terror about it."
Kili snorted a laugh, but smiled. "How about, we go and do some training...once your hands are healed. Just us, and maybe our little lady over there. She was rather unhappy with you being out of her line of sight this morning. Her and Kilion."
"Was Kilion too upset? I worry about him." Tauriel pressed her lips to Kili's cheek, then forehead, created a path around her face.
"No. He was fine...which to be honest, was a bit comforting." He sighed and shifted a bit, his eyes glancing at the cradle to ensure their youngest was still sleeping off her meal.
Satisfied she was quite asleep, he gripped his wife's hips, and pushed her away a bit before pulling one leg to the other side so she was straddling his lap. Did this stop his Tauriel from her activities, oh no. In fact, she went right to attacking his lips, pulling his tongue into her mouth. Mahal, he loved this elf, and he will always love this elf in spite of her extremely stubborn nature.
"Ithtiri?" Tauriel asked, releasing his lips to press hers to his neck.
"Asleep." Kili breathed, releasing the buttons barely holding her top closed. He gasped when he felt her nimble fingers opening the closure on his trousers. Good thing to, because they were getting very uncomfortable.
"The door?" Tauriel pushed at his trousers, then began tugging at his tunic, sighing as she felt Kili's teeth grazing the sensitive skin of her neck.
"Locked." Kili said into her skin.
"Good. Because after that climb, I am ravenous." Tauriel hissed as Kili pulled her flush to him. Yes, she was starving, but food was not at the forefront of her mind...not when she had everything she needed to satiate herself right here, beneath her...worshiping her...giving into her. She felt her muscles protest with every movement she made, and her pain levels spiked a bit, which almost had Kili stopping if it wasn't for Tauriel begging him to keep going. She needed this.
Naturally, her perfect husband went from wild, to tender, the moment he felt her pain leak into him. He even used their bond to take on some of her discomfort, sharing it to ease her burden. Valar above, how could she ever have been frustrated with him...he is...everything...to her.
As her body cooled in the aftermath of their impromptu love making, Tauriel tightened her arms around her dwarven prince, just holding him close. Tauriel could feel his heart still hammering in his chest even as he dosed off in likely a very uncomfortable position considering the chair he sat in was solid wood. She was perfectly comfortable...but there was no way he was. Especially considering she knew he was still drawing in her pain.
There was still one more thing she wanted to talk to Kili about. "Kili?"
"Hm?" Kili hummed deep from his chest.
Tauriel ran her fingers through his beard, just watching him a moment as she tried to think of how to phrase her thoughts. "Kili, I am alive." She finally said. "And I am here, not going anywhere. Yet still, you do not seem to believe it. I am worried about you, you know. I wish I knew how to help you."
Kili did not say anything, he just held her tightly, almost desperately. "Can we talk about this another time." He said, his voice nearly pleading. It broke her heart a bit, but she nodded and pressed another lingering kiss to his head.
"Of course." She said softly, feeling him relax underneath her.
Tauriel glanced once more to the cradle, where her daughter slept on. "How about, we go back to our chambers and take a nap." She suggested, dropping a lazy kiss on Kili's nose. He just hummed, so she took it on herself to slide off his lap, finally waking Kili fully to the point he hissed and grumbled at her movement. He was not ready for that.
"Come on then, my prince, let's go grab our son from the bakery and go home." Tauriel refastened her clothes then leaned over the cradle and pulling her daughter up into her arms. She ignored the pain it brought her muscles and hands...at least until Kili, who was finally standing and fixing his own clothes, took their daughter and glared up at his wife.
"We are getting those hands wrapped." He watched her begin to argue but he shook his head. "Just...let me coddle you a bit more today, ya? I know, I know, you hate it. But, maybe I need to do it just as much for my own sake as it is for yours, amralime."
Tauriel sighed but nodded. The blisters did hurt, and she really did not want to upset Kili further, so she will let him do whatever makes him happy for the rest of the day. She held the door open for him as Kili gave one last glance at the project he was working on, smiling as he turned away from his workspace and followed his beloved elf out the door.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent in lazy bliss once they gathered their youngest son from the bakery where he was helping his granda Vin by holding the bowl for him. He of course had a newer clampable bowl Fili made, but whenever the children were around, he enlisted them into being honorary bowl holders. They loved it.
And Tauriel did in fact let Kili take her up to Oin to get her hands wrapped. He could have done it himself...but thought it would be a good idea to get a salve put on to both protect the skin, and to help numb it as well. Unfortunately for Tauriel...it also meant yet another lecture from both the male healers, and from Ykla who was about to have her babe any day now.
This was also not the last lecture she had that day either, as both Fili and Thorin proceeded to share their thoughts on her activities this morning. Kili was the one to put a stop to it, telling them she was unharmed and that should be that. Tauriel did not know it was possible for her to love him any more than she had...but somehow, he proved her wrong.
She felt herself smiling as Kili lay beside her in the late afternoon, a hand thrown across his eyes, both their daughter, and Yraunna, his little aelug, curled into his dwarven heat.
Tauriel sighed happily, her hand brushing down the spine of Dulinn who was asleep on her stomach. She found it interesting how everyone named their little creatures, but before she could think on it, she yawned deeply and glanced at the clock. Two hours before she needed to pick up her sons from lessons. Perhaps, she can let her body rest until then.
With another glance at her sleeping husband, Tauriel closed her eyes and let her mind flow into the world of dreams.