Tauriel's POV:
The festivities were still in full swing as Tauriel made her way back to her chambers, too distracted to even consider rejoining the celebration. Not even the music that swirled through the halls, filtering over from the party, was enough to pull her away from her thoughts. Thoughts that she most certainly should not be having.
As she walked into her room, she was not surprised in the least to see Legolas perched on her bed. Nor was she surprised by his furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. She'd expected him to have followed her to the cells. To have eavesdropped.
"Did you hear anything of interest?" Tauriel asked lightly, avoiding his gaze as she started to remove the various weaponry strapped to her body. Five daggers, a bow, eighteen arrows, and a silver blade that Legolas had gifted her a century ago.
"Everything you say interests me."
Tauriel looked at him from over her shoulder, raising her brows. "Everything?"
"Almost everything," he conceded, a small smile playing at the edges of his lips. "Sometimes I stop listening when you drone on and on about the newest guard recruits."
"Oh please!" Tauriel grabbed a pillow from the chair to her right and flung it at him, pouting as he caught it easily in one hand. "If I have to listen to you moan about your hair all the time, you can put up with me as well."
Legolas glared at her and reached up to touch his hair almost protectively, causing Tauriel to giggle. "It is very pretty hair," she allowed, biting her lip to keep from laughing more.
Her earlier unease was quickly dissipating. There was simply no room for the confusing feelings that swirled inside when it was just her and Legolas. The hundreds of years of history between them took up too much of her thoughts when they were alone. The memories of chasing him through the forest when they were younger. Of him chasing her through the forest when they were older.
His father had taken her in when she'd been only a child. Favored her above the others, as though she were his own daughter.
"You know it would be impossible, don't you?"
"What would?" Tauriel asked, feigning ignorance even though she knew exactly what he was referring to.
"An elf and a dwarf would have no place in any realm together. You would be an outcast. And so would he," Legolas added, with a pointed look.
Tauriel remained silent.
She'd only just met the dwarf. Only just fallen into the depth of his dark eyes.
Only just.
And already the world was ready to tear it apart.
If this was a glimpse into the future that lay before them, then Tauriel was certain she wanted no part of it. If not for her sake, then for his. It wasn't as though any healthy, happy companionship could flourish when planted among such fields of hate.
"I spoke with my father before coming here," Legolas murmured, pushing himself off the bed and striding over to her.
"Is everything alright?"
She knew Legolas and his father, her king, did not often see eye to eye. How many times had she consoled him after his father had reprimanded him? How often had she pulled him out of the dark thoughts that his father sent him spiraling into?
"I told him of my feelings."
Tauriel's nose wrinkled in confusion. "Your feelings?"
"I asked for his permission to pledge myself to you, Tauriel."
And just like that, he shattered the one reprieve from confusion that Tauriel had known.
Kíli's POV:
Only a few moments had passed from when Tauriel had left him before he heard his brother's voice echoing from the other cell.
"Please tell me I was dreaming, Kíli."
"You were dreaming, Fili."
"Please tell me I did not hear you confess feelings to an elf." Fili's voice held not a single note of anger or judgment. Just mere exhaustion.
"Oh I feel certain you must have dreamt that, Fili," Kíli responded. "There is no way I would have been so foolish as to have feelings for an elf."
"Kíli."
"In fact," Kíli continued, ignoring his brother's interjection. "I'm almost certain you should have your hearing checked. Maybe Óin can check you over once we get out of these blasted cells."
It wasn't that he minded talking with his brother about such things. They'd often shared stories of their infatuations over the years. There was rarely a thought that crossed one of their minds that the other did not know of immediately.
But this was not some fleeting infatuation he'd developed.
He didn't even know what it was.
Amrâlimê.
He'd spoken before he'd even registered what he was saying. And he knew Fili had heard him.
"Mother will kill me if she finds out I let this happen," Fili said with a loud sigh. "And then she'll kill you. And then Uncle. And then me again."
"It was just a dream, Fili."
"That is all it can ever be, Kíli."
"Then let me dream, Fili. Let me dream."
