An Even Fifteen (Fili x reader)

(41) Completely

You were married.

To Fili.

It was the most unbelievable, most wonderful thing that had ever happened to you.

And as late as it was, as little sleep you had gotten, you were deliriously happy. Completely and utterly filled with joy that you weren't sure you would ever be able to express sufficiently.

There had been no need for nerves. This was Fili, the dwarf who now owned both your heart and your hand completely. He had washed away any nerves with his sweet kisses, and soon you forgot them. At one point, you weren't even sure what your name was.

He was watching you now, you could feel it. Too content to move your head to the side and look at him, you said to the ceiling in a breathless whisper, "You are really good at this."

His sultry chuckle preceded his response. "Why thank you. I'm glad to see you appreciate my prowess."

You snorted and resisted the urge to thwack his arm.

You learned a lot that night. For one thing, teeth were surprisingly useful, when properly employed. And Fili most certainly used his properly. You also learned that being married could be very, very enjoyable. But more importantly, you learned that you might never recover from your craving for Fili. Not just his presence, or his ability to thrill you with a simple touch, but his laugh, too. His protective, bold nature tempered by the gentleness of his immense and generous heart.

You spent the rest of the night dozing lightly off and on, almost afraid to sleep and then wake up to find that it was all just a beautiful dream. Every time you opened your eyes, Fili was there. That was the best reassurance you could have received.

Morning came too soon, but Fili surprised you with the news that he had canceled any appearances or meetings for the entire week. It was blissful to spend so many days to yourselves. The weather had warmed nicely, so you took Fili for a few rides on the sled he had made for the Rhosgobels, and brought picnics to have on the grassy hillside. You spend the evenings sitting by the fire and reading together, or laughing over stories of mischief from Fili and Kili's childhood. Your smile did not leave your lips once through that entire week.

But the week after, life had to resume again. Your newlywed joy did not diminish, but it was a struggle to keep your focus during the day. Your thoughts often wandered to your husband. You got knowing looks whenever you snapped back to the present, which made you blush, but you laughed with them. The love between you and Fili was no secret. Council meetings were even harder in that aspect. You were so close to Fili, but you could not touch him past holding his hand occasionally. Thorin said it was not appropriate. You told Fili later one night that when he was king, he would have to redefine "appropriate." He found that highly amusing.

The dwarves of Erebor began treating you with a respect that made you simultaneously relieved and determined. Relieved because you could now walk the halls without feeling like an interloper among the dwarves. Determined because it was now your responsibility to make sure Erebor continued to thrive and grow, so that their respect was not wasted on you. You became earnestly invested in the business of Erebor. You would take detailed notes during meetings, spend many of your free hours in the library researching Erebor's trade history and previous successes, and you even spoke up more during the meetings. And, to your everlasting surprise, the dwarves listened to you. Apparently you had earned their ears when you spoke so harshly about the agreement with Dale.

Fili was equally engaged in the well-being of Erebor and its citizens, but he was more able to change mindsets once the meetings and consultations ended. He was more than willing to discuss issues with you, but he was more interested in spending time with you as husband and wife, rather than prince and princess. You were grateful for that. He even went out of his way to make sure you had time to spend with Radagast, Gandalf, and Bilbo, who had not left yet, though Bilbo was planning to go back to the Shire soon. Radagast was fascinated by Fili's version of a Rhosgobel sled, and even requested your husband make one for his own use. Gandalf seemed happy to spend some time in celebration and relaxation, though the dwarves' stubborn natures irritated him greatly at times.

You were so happy to have so many of your loved ones in one place. It was a surprise to you, actually, to find that you had so many loved ones in the first place. Your existence in Greenwood with Radagast was fairly isolated, though you had many animal companions. But it was something else entirely to be in Erebor surrounded by dwarves that looked to you as a leader, with a husband by your side, and the company of friends that you had been embraced by when you signed that contract.

Before you knew it, a month had passed since your marriage to Fili. Bilbo left for the Shire once again, though Radagast and Gandalf lingered. Kili and Tauriel were happier than you had ever seen them. They could barely take their eyes, or their hands, off each other. But when they could bear to leave each other, Tauriel spent time with you. She was, to your surprise, more than eager to learn about the Rhosgobels, and offered to teach you how to shoot a bow and arrow properly. You took her up on that offer, remembering how woefully unprepared for battle you had been, and vowing never to feel like that again.

Another month, and Gandalf and Radagast finally departed for their respective destinations. Radagast promised to plant a new tree for you, and that he would say hello to your forest friends for you. Gandalf, secretive as he was, would not tell you his destination, but he promised to visit soon and see how things were going. It made your heart heavy to watch them leave the gates of Erebor, but Fili was there to comfort you, and it made the parting easier.

You threw yourself back into work, training the new Rhosgobels for the harness. Onyx was resistant to the process. He would rather be bounding around the room with reckless abandon. But the other five handled it quite nicely, and you wondered if it might be a good investment for Erebor to have its own corps of Rhosgobel rabbits and sleds. Perhaps you would even teach a few of the dwarves how to handle the rabbits and drive the sleds.

But your time was mostly dedicated to your husband and to your royal duties. In that order, of course. The council meetings became more tedious the farther away from the conflict of the Battle of the Five Armies time moved. The topics became less about foreign relations or righting past wrongs and more about simple greed. Merchants withheld valuable goods from certain parts of the mountain, then asked for exorbitant prices when they were finally persuaded to sell again. Thorin's patience was admirable throughout this process, and so was Fili's, but you couldn't help your growing irritation with their bull-headed stubbornness and greed.

You finally snapped toward the end of a particularly long, particularly needless meeting. The dwarves were doing nothing but talking in circles about gold shortages, completely ignoring housing issues in the East Wing that were on the table to be discussed. You had wandered over to the East Wing to see the issue yourself, and were appalled by the living conditions. You were equally appalled that they were ignoring it.

You sat with your back ramrod-straight, waiting for a gap in the conversation. Or for one of the nobles to look over and recognize the ire in your eyes. But nothing came. You cleared your throat, and they ignored it. Or, they couldn't hear the sound over their arguing. It was probably a good thing, though. Your dander was up, and you would likely say something you would regret. You tapped Fili's hand, and he leaned over.

"I'm tired," you whispered in his ear. And it was true. "Do you need me for the rest of this meeting?"

He looked at you in concern before whispering in reply, "No, no. Take some rest. You're a little pale."

The truth was, you had not been feeling your best over the past week, and it was a relief to stand and excuse yourself, Thorin nodding his head allowing you to leave.

At least, it was a relief, until your vision went black and your head felt fuzzy, and you collapsed on the ground in a faint.

A/N: Sorry for the slight delay in posting today! I'm on vacation and I had a very long day yesterday, so I had to finish this chapter this morning. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, feel free to leave a comment and/or vote! Thank you for reading, as always, and I hope you guys have an awesome weekend!
--RA