So Comes Snow After Fire

3.ii

After everyone had retired for the night, Tauriel joined Kíli in one of the small, side rooms at the far end of the common halls. They had tried to be more discreet in their meetings lately, knowing they already drew enough attention by their public interactions. Kíli, Tauriel thought, had also seemed anxious to avoid Thorin lately, though she had not asked his reasons.

The fire had burned rather low, and Kíli had only relit one of the lamps in the room, so they sat close in the ring of firelight.

Kíli was describing the renovation project he had been given to oversee with his brother, but Tauriel realized, with only a mild flush of guilt, that she was but half listening to him.

In the dim light, his coloring showed especially dark, though every now and then the fire would flare in his eyes and in his hair. His hair wasn't truly black, she had discovered, but a rich brown with hints of red that showed in the sun. When she had first met him, she had shocked herself by thinking that if he hadn't had his hair full of spiderwebs, he might almost be handsome. She did not doubt that he was now, though whether she saw him with the eyes of an elf, a dwarf, or simply a lover, she was not sure. He somehow undid her with his smile, with his presence, in a way that delighted as much as it surprised her.

She noticed Kíli had stopped speaking and seemed to be waiting for a response. After a moment, he pronounced, "Tauriel, you weren't listening." His tone was amused.

"No; I'm sorry," she confessed.

Because he watched her but said nothing, she reached out and drew her fingertips over his cheek. His beard was rough, a little prickly, but she did not mind. She had been half afraid she would, and how would he have felt then, knowing she found him unpleasant?

"Am I very strange?" he asked softly, as if guessing her thought.

In answer, she leaned close and pressed her lips to his cheek. She breathed a single, soft laugh—yes, he was definitely prickly—and then she kissed him again at the edge of his mouth, and again, full on the lips.

Kíli leaned closer to her and caught her gently by the neck; and for a moment they paused, her brow pressed to his. Tauriel closed her eyes, suddenly deeply self-conscious: she had never kissed anyone before. Yet before she had time to feel truly embarrassed, Kíli met her lips again and continued where she had left off.