An Even Fifteen (Fili x reader)

(33) Amrali

Once Tauriel had left you for her own quarters, you slunk back towards the royal wing to visit your Rhosgobels. They seemed overjoyed to see you, as you had been too busy earlier in the day to spend time with them. They followed you as you went around the room, tidying up their misplaced blankets and cleaning up after them. You refilled their waters, made sure their food bowls were filled, and then went to check on Ash. She was more territorial than usual, sitting in her crate and grunting if you came too close. This was not unusual for pregnant rabbits, so you weren't worried, but you knew her time was coming soon. You sighed as you took in the crowd of rabbits swarming your feet, and decided it would be better if there were not quite so many of them in the room. You didn't want Ash to feel threatened when the babies finally did arrive.

Your decision made, you put the more rambunctious rabbits in their harnesses and tied their leads to the belt at your waist. With the door closed gently behind you, you herded your gaggle of Rhosgobels down the hall to your bedroom. They seemed altogether delighted with the excursion, if a little distracted by the various dwarves and interesting features. You were more than glad to reach your door. The rabbits settled in nicely once you removed their halters, and explored the place with upright ears and bobbing heads as you slipped out of your finery and into a nightgown. Twig hopped up onto your bed and snuggled up next to you, his whiskers on your arm tickling a smile out of you as you drifted into sleep.

You slept deeply until morning, which brought two or three Rhosgobels bouncing on top of you, eager for their breakfast. You tread carefully as you dressed, not wanting to step on their feet as they scampered around the room. While you were not particularly a morning person, the Rhosgobels were very eager to start the day. You left your room with a sigh of relief, happy to close the door behind you.

You spent the first half of the day holed up in a library with Balin, who seemed intent on teaching you every genealogy the dwarves had on record.

Which was most of them.

Your head spun by the end of the session, and you begged for release. The old dwarf took pity on you and granted it, instructing you to eat a hearty lunch. You took his instruction in that very seriously, and left the kitchen with full belly. You used the rest of the day to gather food and supplies for the Rhosgobels, keeping in mind the new brood on the way. Extra blankets, bowls, pillows, and bunches of dried grasses and herbs were topmost among your acquisitions, which you deposited in the Rhosgobels' room as the sun sunk low in the west.

You took one more loop through the halls, stopping at the library and the kitchens again to gather some items for your own use: a basket full of dinner, and a few books that had caught your eye earlier in the day. They were fanciful books, nothing Balin would waste his time teaching you, but you had always preferred fiction to reality. So you settled in one of the armchairs in the Rhosgobels' room, book on your lap and an apple in your hand, when you took your first deep breath of the whole day. You had not seen any of the Durins at all during all your bustling about. Perhaps they were busy with some meeting or other, or managing their relations with the Elvenking, whose skull was nearly as thick as the dwarves'.

The next few days passed about the same, as you worked hard during your time with Balin, and prepared for the arrival of the baby rabbits. You saw Dis, Thorin, Kili, and even Tauriel occasionally, and Fili had taken to spending his evenings with you and the rabbits, though you saw him very little otherwise. He was not distant at all, and he apologized regularly for not being able to spend more time with you, so you were not worried. He had his duties as prince and heir to the throne. He did, however, seem a little bit more excited than usual when spending time with you, which made you wonder. But you pushed those wonderings away as often as they appeared. Surely you were just being oversensitive.