Eclipse of Hearts ✔

26. A Temporary Home [Kili]

"Niamh," Kili repeated. His eyes followed the strange girl that strolled through the room. "A beautiful name." 

The whole situation confused him. Suddenly he had a niece. Not a sweet little baby, but a little kid with wings and pallid eyes, who had already chased away the first elf. 
It was Thorin's child he was looking at now. It was hard to imagine, for he saw no similarities with his uncle, except his talent to scare away other people.

"I had expected the child to be a little strange," Dwalin mumbled. "But this ...'"

"This isn't because of Thorin and me," Alyssae answered. She sat against the wall with a pillow in her back. "This is Thranduil's ..." She did not finish her sentence and watched her daughter. She luckily didn't call it a curse any longer. 

Kili stood up and knelt down before the girl. One of Alyssae's maids had washed her and she had a beautiful face now. Her white hair was still wet. A little hypnotized he looked into her white eyes. 

"I am hungry."

A surprised frown appeared between his eyebrows and he looked over his shoulder to Alyssae, whose eyes had grown by bewilderment. She could even talk. 

"Then come, let's find some food." He offered his hand, which she studied intensely, as if she didn't know what to do with it. He petted her hair and pushed her softly against her head, so that she went with him. 

While Kili took her to the kitchen and looked for something edible, his thoughts wandered to Thorin. How would his uncle react? He really didn't know. He didn't recognize the man he had been. His first brainwave was that he would lock up the little girl, but he hoped there would still be a spark of humanity deep down inside him. 

He found the bread he had eaten from yesterday and gave it to the kid, who gobbled all of it. Something stirred inside of him, as if this proved that she was really partially dwarf. A smile appeared on his face.

. . .

Days went by. Kili couldn't say he felt home among the elves, but it wasn't worse than he had felt in Erebor the last months. Still this place called op distress. Sometimes his eye caught a red-haired elf, and in a moment he believed it was Tauriel. Once he had even grabbed such an elf by the arm, but when he had seen the face he had backed down immediately. 

Although the elves had offered them a place of their own, Alyssae wanted them near and secretly Kili enjoyed that. It felt a bit like the old times.

The birth of Niamh had caused a shock in the community. He knew there were whispers that the girl was a diabolic monster, and that it did them no good to accept such a creature, but the words weren't expressed anywhere near Alyssae. He noticed that some elves watched them with suspicion too, as if Dwalin and he could call up winged creatures whenever they liked. 

The best of everything however was the return of Alyssae's smile. After a few days she had already been a little her old self. She could move freely and Niamh filled her heart with joy. 

. . .

Kili sat on a table next to Raphael. He had already met the elf when he had brought Alyssae here and they could get along well. They were invited by Alyssae's parents. Kili had expected that they would ask what their plans were, but they did not. They were welcome for as long as they wished. 

Kili had no idea how long that would be. He couldn't stay here forever. It was a relief to have escaped his home town for a moment, but he had his obligations towards Erebor. He could not stay away forever, although that did not mean that he would return soon. Not as long as they hadn't came up with a plan to invade Thorin's mind and actually none of them had a real plan. 

"A letter came for you, Alyssae."

Kili raised his eyebrows and when he saw Alyssae's face, he knew she hoped it was written by Thorin. And despite all the rage he felt, he hoped it too. Although he knew, deep inside, it wasn't from him. 

She broke the seal and rolled out the parchment. Her eyes flew over the lines and gradually all color faded from her face. 

Dwalin however asked the question before he could. "What's in it?"

"It- it's a proposal."