An Even Fifteen (Fili x reader)

(28) Stay With Me

In your excitement over the prospect of baby Rhosgobels, you stayed in the royal wing far later than you should have. It was peaceful to sit beneath the coal stove on the wall, reading by the light of the stove and the lit sconces. The Rhosgobels were quiet, worn out by the exercise of the day. Most of them were sprawled out along the walls, or tucked into their crates fast asleep. Cricket had crammed as much of himself as he could on your lap, and you propped the book on his back, elbows on the arms of your chair as you held the book with one hand and stroked the rabbit with the other.

It was the most relaxing night you'd had in a while. The worries about your future with Fili had abated for the night, giving you a chance to simply relish in the fact that you were his, that he wanted you. Perhaps he even loved you. You knew now that you loved him, but you had not had the courage to say it yet. Things were moving quickly as it was, and you did not feel the need to rush into any declarations.

You wondered if it was a little odd that you were so sure of your love for Fili, especially with no prior experience except that which you gleaned from the pages of Radagast's forgotten tomes. But the flutters of your heart whenever he was near did not lie, nor did the warmth that spread through you at his every touch. His blue eyes were a trap in which  you didn't mind getting caught. His kindness drew you in like a moth to a flame. He was the best-hearted man, er, dwarf, that you had ever met. You could not imagine anyone you would rather spend your life with.

The thought startled you. Spend your life with him? Was it not a little soon to be thinking of marriage? Especially after the conversation with his uncle. You were by no means ready to be a queen. But Fili had said that you both had time. Thorin would surely rule for years and years before Fili inherited the throne, and that would give you time to adjust to whatever role was necessary. You would be princess before you were ever queen. That is, if you married Fili.

If Fili wanted to marry you.

You sighed, the peaceful feeling gone. Your thoughts had dragged you back to the quagmire of questions that had collected since Fili's confession that you were his One, and you accepted his courtship. You put the book aside and leaned your head back. Perhaps it was time to just go to bed. Everything would be much clearer in the morning. At least, your head would be.

You sat up again to move Cricket off your lap when a shout, muffled by closed doors, echoed through the room. The rabbits were instantly alert and Cricket rocketed off your lap to the floor. You sat still, waiting to see if the noise would come again. The span of four of your quick heartbeats passed before you heard it again, louder.

You knew that voice.

You shot out of the room, closing the door quickly behind you before dashing down to the door that hid the source of the shouts. The agony in the cries wrenched your heart in two, but it took you a moment to muster the courage to turn the knob and push the door open.

The room was dim with the dying glow of the fireplace, but you could make out the bed, and the thrashing figure that lay there beneath a blanket. You rushed to the bedside and smoothed the hair back from his face, saying, "Wake up, Fili. Wake up. It's just a dream."

His eyes opened suddenly, the light in them crazed for a moment before fixing on your face and quieting. The room was silent except for the quick rhythm of his labored breaths.

"Y/N," he said at last, wrapping his arms around you and drawing you down onto the bed. You didn't resist, letting him cradle you close. You tucked your face into the bare skin of his neck, realizing with a start that the skin below his neck was bare, as well. It brought the heat of a blush to your cheeks, but you addressed the more pressing matter first.