Just… Shame on me. There's not excuse good enough for leaving you hanging for so long but know that I'm back to Uni which means tons of work and also, there's been some stuff going on in my life, which is somewhat time consuming. Mostly good stuff, for those who have been asking me if I'm okay (you guys are the best and I'd love to hang out :D!) Anyway, I hope I'll be a better author in the months to come because there's still lots to tell!

Disclaimer: not mine...

Chapter 24: Courting Beads

It was very early in the morning when Kíli left the comfort of his bed, put on his clothes and grabbed all the things he needed for the courting beads, including the wristband he had picked for his mother. He resolved to give it to her later, hoping to appease her further. As quiet as possible he tiptoed into the kitchen, poured himself some milk and cut off a thick slice of bread before placing a plate and a mug for tea on the table for his mother. This had been his way of making an apology for years now and he was confident that his mother would understand. For good measure he filled the kettle with water and stirred the fire to new life before leaving.

Still chewing on his bread he made his way to the forge his family used, hoping that his mother wouldn't choose today to deal with the pots that needed fixing.

The fresh air and the morning sun had an immediate effect on his mood and whistling to himself he made his way to the forge his mother and uncle owned. Only his mother now, but he was still cheerful when he arrived. Deciding to make the most of the weather he dragged a heavy chair made of a single piece of tree trunk outside and settled down.

With utmost care he chose a green gemstone and starting working on it. It was easy to imagine the bead in Tauriel's flaming red hair and even easier to dream about a future he'd never expected to have. A few months ago the idea of binding himself to someone else, let alone an elf, would have evoked laugher and uncountable rowdy jokes form his brother. With a growing smile Kíli continued cutting the gemstone into the bead he had had imagined for such a long time. Thinking of his childhood adventures he had shared with his brother a lifetime ago, he spent the better part of the morning working on the courting beads. The green one, he decided, marked the Mirkwood in which he had first laid eyes on Tauriel and where she had saved his life twice. An oddly tingly part of him was looking forward to they day he'd tell his children about how he met their mother. A member of the company on a noble quest, endangered by the attack of giant spiders, saved and ensnared by a fire-haired elven warrior. He would never forget the way his world had shifted when he had first really saw her. Knife still raised, breathing hard, starring at him with a mixture of well practices indifference and curiosity. Well, the last bit was probably his imagination but that didn't matter, for he himself had been fascinated. It had felt a little like being slapped without a warning, so sudden an unexpected. The feeling of surprise reminded him of that time his brother had woken him by dumping an entire bucket of ice-cold water over him. Suddenly, he'd been hyper aware of his surroundings. With a sigh he returned his focus to the work at hand, allowing himself no more daydreams about future children he and Tauriel might or might not have. For now, anyway.

The second courting bead he wanted to carve and enrich with fine strings of gold, a reminder that something precious and beautiful could be found anywhere. A third one he wanted to make from mithril, a reminder of the starlight they had talked about that one memorable night in the dungeons of Mirkwood. The fourth and the fifth he was still thinking about but he was quite keen on trying to make a golden bead and one from another gemstone as he wanted to crown his love with the beads, all of them telling a story on their own, the meaning only obvious to her and him.

For a moment Kíli was grateful that his brother wasn't around because knowing himself, he'd have voiced his admittedly slightly sappy thoughts and would have been unable to live it down. Ever. Listen to him… the second in line to the throne, talking nonsense about crowning his elven love with precious memories.

While Kíli spend the morning hours working, his mother woke up to find the house empty. She went about her business, trying to shake the feeling that her youngest was not quite himself. Something seemed off about him and she couldn't claim to be his mother if she hadn't noticed. He was quite obviously avoiding something. While Dís was a little worried, she was mostly curious. It was unlike Kíli to withhold something but she was sure he'd spill the beans once he had made up his mind.

With a lingering sense of foreboding the dwarrowdam prepared a hearty stew and when it was well past noon she decided it might be good to go looking for her pebble. Kíli usually did not pass up an opportunity to grab something to eat and seeing that he had made a peace offering she thought it fit to make one as well.

Usually, she would have sent Fíli to go looking for his brother but considering that this was no longer an option (it was still hard to come to terms with the thought of her golden boy being King in a far away land), she pulled the wooden door closed behind her and went off.

Kíli worked on the design well into the day and managed to get so lost in his work that he didn't notice a figure moving closer and closer once midday had come and gone.

"And how long have you been out here, young man?"

Kíli's head jerked up violently at hearing his mother's voice.

Without thinking he shoved his hands behind his back, very much aware of the futileness. There was no chance his mother hadn't noticed the movement and he did not need her inquiring stare to know this.

"Erm… a while", he answered, giving her his most innocent smile, while pretending to move his face towards the sun in order to catch some of her warmth.

"And what have you been doing?"

Dís knew her son well enough to know he'd not be able to keep this form her. He may be a fool, but he does know when a situation is hopeless, it was one of the traits he had inherited from his father. Thorin would have tried to blatantly lie his way out, too stubborn to admit defeat.

"Oh just… fiddling around with… stuff."

Being evasive wouldn't help his cause, Kíli knew, but he really did not want to explain why he was making courting beads, let alone whom they were intended for.

Dís narrowed her eyes, well aware of the effect it usually had on her youngest. When he didn't budge one bit and made no move to explain his sudden secretiveness, she held out a demanding hand.

It took Kíli all he had not to run. He knew his mother wouldn't leave him alone and he knew he had no chance of escaping her. For a brief moment he wanted to laugh at the hilarity of the situation. He had faced down trolls, orcs, goblins and giant spiders, escaped certain death at least twice, had nearly been fried by a very angry fire breathing dragon and fought in the battle of five armies and still, his mother's glare was more frightening than all those things combined. In fact, he would have preferred a little skirmish with the Mirkwood spiders to this. Or a fight with some orcs. Anything but this, really. He was well and truly screwed.

Very slowly and very carefully, he removed his hand from behind his back. Forcing himself to appear calm and collected, he dropped the courting bead he had been working on in his mother's waiting palm.

For a tense second, none of them said anything, Dís starring at the bead in her outstretched hand and Kíli looking anywhere but his mother.

Her quiet, disbelieving voice snapped him back to reality like a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head.

"Kíli… you can't be serious! You're too young for that kind of thing!" Dís exclaimed when she recognized what lay in her open palm.

Kíli had expected far worse but before he allowed himself to relax he reminded himself of what was to come.

"I am certainly not too young", he responded, standing up with a look of defiance sparkling his eyes.

Dís gaped at him. Her little boy was making courting beads. Kíli, who had laughed at his brother when a pretty lass winked at the blond, who had teased his older brother for two weeks after the same lass had asked him for a dance at some party or other and who had sworn to never let Fíli live down the day when he had caught him practising dancing moves a few days later, hoping to impress Dára.

"Who is she?" she whispered, taking a closer look at the bead.

When Kíli failed to answer and she noticed the lack of runes on the bead she was holding, understanding began to dawn on her.

"There were no women on the quest", she said flatly.

Dís did not need to witness the court nod her son gave as answer.

"You …. The Shire… You can't court a Hobbit!"

A surprised laugh was startled form Kíli.

"What?"

"You cannot court a hobbit, Kíli."

Dís didn't know what had gotten into her son. What a crazy idea! A dwarf and a hobbit! He must have met a hobbit lass on the way to the first meeting and now he had come back for her. It all made sense.

Kíli still hadn't said anything; instead he was looking at his mother like she had grown a second head, his mouth hanging open.

"Erm… mother… I have no desire to court a hobbit", the dwarf said with a forced chuckle.

Now it was Dís turn to stare at her son open mouthed.

"Thank Mahal", she finally said, not catching the guilty look on her son's face.

"Who're they for then?" she inquired sharply. As she had stated before, there had been no women on the quest and she doubted there had been any in Dain's army. Besides, from what Kíli had told her, he had been injured in battle. The thought gave Dís an idea.

"Oh! A healer from the Iron Hills?" Now, that was a favourable perspective. Maybe Kíli had found a fiery lass form the Iron Hills who had not only healed him but also charmed him. It would be a good match. A son of Durin marrying a dam from the Iron Hills! That would fasten the bond between the two kingdoms. But why had Fíli not told his mother?

Well, it wasn't his story to tell, was it?

"No."

"What?"

She had misheard. She must have.

"No. Healer. From. The. Iron. Hills", was Kíli very tense and very determined reply.

"Then tell me whom you intend to court and marry, if it is neither a hobbit or a lass form our kin in the Iron Hills", Dís demanded and for a moment Kíli was strongly reminded of Thorin.

"I will court and marry Tauriel", he finally declared, his voice suddenly clear and free from the earlier hesitation.

"That elf woman?" she asked faintly.

"Yes", Kíli confirmed, meeting her eyes.

Dís acted before she registered the movement herself, slapping him around the head with her free hand.

"No son of mine associates himself with an elf", she hissed.

Kíli wasn't sure what hurt more. The anger his mother's voice shook with or the deep, dark disappointment in her eyes.

"Mother", Kíli hated that his voice shook. He wanted to be strong, he needed to be. Taking a deep breath he reached out to the memory of Tauriel and their last kiss. Before he could speak any further Dís interrupted him.

"Do you have any idea, Kíli, any idea at all what your father would have said?"

She was livid. How in the name of Durin could her youngest son do something like that?!

"No". The dejected tone in Kíli's voice made her look closer at his face. He looked so sad, torn even, that she nearly reached out for him.

"No, I have no idea what father would have said, I don't even remember what he looked like or what his voice sounded like", the young dwarf continued. "Thorin is… was… the only father I ever knew and now that … that stupid quest has not only taken him but also my brother. He is king now and even if things were different and I was there with him, it wouldn't be like before. It never will be. I nearly died, and not just on the battlefield. All this… all this took so much away from me and Tauriel is the only good thing that this quest has given me. And I will allow no one and nothing to take her away form me."

The dwarrodam stared at her son in silent shock. His was breathing heavily and an unfamiliar fire was burning in his eyes.

"Do not think I know nothing of loss. I have lost my grandfather and my father to war, I lost my brother, I lost my husband and now I lost my other brother. I nearly lost you!"

She was breathing equally hard now, the same determination glowing in her eyes.

"You still have no right to tell me who to love", Kíli shot back.

"She is an elf! You cannot marry an elf!" Dís repeated, anger still all too present in her voice.

"I don't care what she is", Kíli started but he did not get to finish his sentence.

"She belongs with Thranduil. The one who let our people suffer! How dare you to … to allow the enemy to … so close to …" She was having a hard time finding the appropriate words for the feeling of betrayal and horror that was spreading through her.

"She had no part in that", her son defended his elf but Dís could not bring herself to care.

"That does not matter! She is an elf, of Mirkwood, no less!"

"She is no longer welcome there. She got banished because she helped us".

Kíli couldn't remember being so angry before. How could his mother not see?

"So?"

"She has no home because she saved me when not even Thorin thought it was possible", he insisted.

"Do not start this again!" his mother raged.

"Your uncle would be… horrified!"

A pained expression flickered over the younger's face.

"I'll never know, will I? Because this quest has taken him away!"

The last part was spoken with rising volume and Dís was glad they were alone. The neighbours would have been all too curious to know what was going on.

"But you have a home now, Kíli! A proper home", she reminded him not so gently.

"My home will always be here", he argued, the sadness slowly being replaced by anger.

"This is where I grew up, mother, this is were Fíli and I spent years and years, learning, playing, hunting, everything. We were happy here. We did not need some mountain or a hoard of gold. This is my childhood and this will always be my home. No mountain can replace those memories."

Dís swallowed hard. She had never seen her youngest son so frighteningly argumentative and somewhat reasonable. She hated to admit it but she understood his feelings. The Blue Mountains where his home as much as they became hers. Erebor had cost her much and she understood his pain. Still. An elf?

Shaking his head at his mother's silence, Kíli turned back to his tools and carefully reached for the last unfinished courting bead. His shoulders slumping, he rushed past his mother, desperate to leave her presence. He needed air, he needed to see the sky and to feel the wind upon his face. He needed to calm down and to think.

As alway: Please do not hesitate to tell me what you think! Especially of Dís in this... I nearly got carried away with her and had to change pits and pieces... I feel like she'd be mightily pissed about Kíli wanting to marry Tauriel. Imagine her confusion!