A Promise Upon the Fire Moon

The villages adorning the Blue Mountains were fraught with energy. Word had spread that the Lonely Mountain had been taken back and that their homeland was to be their home again.

As she hid among the trees, Tauriel made use of her keen site and hearing, attempting to profile one dwarrow in particular. In her meticulous search, she noted that only the younger dwarves – fit for a long journey and the possibility of danger– were packed up and leaving. The thought crossed her mind that the princess of the Lonely Mountain may be staying behind, but her intuition cut the thought short and she continued pursuit, hidden from the subjects of her investigation.

It was only moments after finding a new perch that she heard the name she'd been waiting for. She followed the voice and found a company sharing wagon and two horses. Once she saw who had been called "Dis," there was no dispute in her mind that this was the dwarf woman she'd been looking for. Upon having just a glance at her features, Tauriel knew exactly which parent Kili had taken after.

The elf felt a pang in the core of her stomach. She was not sure if it was out of fear, nervousness, or some other untapped emotion. Meeting Kili had brought on emotions she'd never dreamed of having, and falling in love with him had brought on much more. She wouldn't have dared go on such a journey just to find one dwarf before, but now, it seemed like the only thing she could do to honor his memory. Even after his death, he was changing her. Six hundred years old and she was still growing.

Being as respectful as she knew how, Tauriel strategized a way to approach the travelers. She silently made her way ahead of them through the trees of an unfriendly and deserted path as to avoid sneaking up on them. When she was well enough away, she stepped onto the road and waited. Her hands were lose, weapons concealed, and stance as formal as possible to uphold the look of an unthreatening messenger.

When the company of dwarves caught sight of her in the distance, they almost stopped completely. Tauriel did not step forward, cautious of her actions, awaiting their move. She heard them converse for a moment before trudging on. When they met her, one older dwarf stepped forward to speak.

"What is your business here?"

She could feel all of their eyes on her, scrutinizing, antagonizing, and fearful. She focused her gaze on the one who'd spoken to her. "I can assure you, I am here alone and on my own behalf. Forgive me for the intrusion, but I must speak with Lady Dis."

The company's confusion only grew as their eyes lingered on whom Tauriel had correctly identified as Dis. The dwarrow didn't hesitate to step forward, looking Tauriel in the eyes without any bit of fear or scorn.

"That is I." She spoke, her voice commanding and strong.

Tauriel couldn't ignore the ferocity that came from her tone, her eyes, her stance. She was the survivor of a jaded past, heartbreak, and ruin. Tauriel knew that she was the last of her immediate kin, much like herself, scourged from war and death.

"You have heard of the fate of your kin?" Tauriel asked out of courtesy, already knowing it to be true.

"Aye." She nodded.

"I give you my deepest condolences." Tauriel said, bowing slightly in respect.

Dis gave a look of surprise, for obvious reasons. "Did you know my kin?"

"Yes, my Lady. I fought alongside them before and during the Battle of the Five Armies."

"And what is the meaning of this visitation?"

Tauriel straightened out, breaking eye contact to look down at her closed palm. Throughout these long days of travel, she held the rune stone close to her, it being the only tangible item of Kili's she'd been able to take because he'd given it. And it was now her duty to return it.

"I came here to give you this." The elf captain opened her hand to expose the rune stone lying in the middle of her palm. Suddenly, all the might the dwarf women had possessed prior to this moment left her body, and shock took its place. Tauriel stepped forward and lowered her hand, Dis gingerly taking it.

"And to apologize." Tauriel continued, watching as Dis moved the smooth stone in her own hand. "He had every intention of fulfilling his promise to you."

Dis looked up, her eyes now portraying a rare mixture of tenderness and indignation. "How do know of this?"

Tauriel could only imagine the racing thoughts that may be plaguing the mourning dwarf. Why would an elf of the Woodland realm care about such trivial things? Although it was hurtful knowing how the dwarves saw her people as emotionless heathens, she could not blame them for having such beliefs.

"Having this returned was his final wish. He gave it to me in the moment before his passing. I could do nothing but honor such a pure request." She paused, the memory of his dying form lying in her arms, choking on blood as he gave her the rune stone and gave one last confession of his love. Her eyes stung with the threat of tears, but she held back, determined to continue with as much dignity possible.

Still holding the gaze of Lady Dis, Tauriel could see that the princess recognized the agony the elf maiden was so desperately trying to hide. "You knew him well?"

Tauriel looked away for a moment, trying to compose an honest answer, yet with some digression. "We knew each other well enough. I am honored to have made his acquaintance." The light that shone from him was as bright as the greatest of stars, she wanted to say, but knew the meaning would be lost.

"Thank you."

Their eyes met once more, and to Tauriel's surprise, Dis looked truly grateful, no matter if the enemy was standing before her with such a message.

The sky was growing dark and people were beginning to set up camp around them. The company Dis was with began to move and do the same. Before Tauriel could respectfully remove herself from their company, Dis spoke. "May I ask something of you?"

"Of course."

"Walk with me, tell me how one such as yourself came to befriend my youngest son."

Tauriel was taken aback and somewhat relieved all at once. Maybe listening to stories of her sons was more important than the detail of exactly who was telling the story.

So they walked, and Tauriel told her story. It began when her scouting team had found Thorin's company trespassing. She told her of Thorin and his unwillingness to bargain, of Fili and his never ending stash of knifes, then of Kili and his wit. The mother had laughed, saying it was typical of her youngest to revert to joking in times of stress.

The story progressed to Tauriel's learning of the promise made with the rune stone, her explanation of the stars and their pure light, his discovery of a fire moon, and whatever else they'd talked of that night.

"I rarely left the borders of the Woodland Realm, and had certainly never met a dwarf. I'd been taught to think of your people as vile, greedy, and barren of all honor. But Kili defied everything I'd thought I'd known." Tauriel paused to take a look at the stars that were already winking in the fresh black sky. But Kili and I were not so different, befriending and trusting him was quite natural."

Dis shook her head in disbelief, half expecting this conversation to be a grief dream. But this was real, she was taking to an elf about her family passed, enjoying the stories as if they were old dwarven tales.

"He trusted you enough to deliver this to me, that tells me just that." She said after a moment.

"We trusted each other with our lives." Tauriel confessed, making sure that her words were true and to simply out of mourning. At this point, she had stopped trying to mask her true pain and spoke with the emotion in her voice that her superiors thought lowly. "I am only sorry I could not protect him in his final hour. I had a duty to my King to fight by the side of my people, and I'd abided by it for I had defied him before for the sake of your son, but now I realize what such a decision has cost me. Cost you all."

Dis gave the elf a sly look. "What was that about defying your King? For the sake of Kili?"

Tauriel felt a flush fill her checks, the memories bombarding her all at once. "I followed your brother's company outside of our borders to stop the Orcs from attacking, but I also did it to find out Kili's fate, for he'd been stuck with a very deadly poison. By the time I reached him, the poison had almost taken him, but I was able to heal him before it was too late."

"It sounds to me like you protected him well."

"Not well enough." Was Tauriel's immediate answer.

It was a long moment before either spoke, though Dis knew exactly what she wanted to say. This elf was surely much older then she, but by the looks of it, her experiences made it seem that she was much younger. Dis felt it as her motherly duty to relay some wisdom to the wounded warrior.

"I blame myself for letting them go on that quest, though I should not." Dis began. She continued when Tauriel was looking up at her again. "I would advise you to think differently then I. No one is to blame but the evils who killed them. She paused for a moment, thinking of more to say. "You will mourn for quite a time. When my husband died, I was not well for months. I cannot imagine what it must be like for an elf."

Tauriel thanked her and they walked in silence once again. They were nearing the camps and both women were sensing the end of their conversation.

Before she could register any regret, Tauriel spoke of what's plagued her mind. "We talked of starlight and fire moons once. Every night since the battle of the five armies, I've looked up at the sky, waiting for a fire moon to burn as brightly as he'd said it had. Starlight is what Wood elves love best, and yet, I find nothing but sorrow, even among my memoires of joy."

Dis gazed at the elf with a kind of awe, not believing her instincts for a moment. "Did he love you with such a blaze in his heart as you do for him?"

Tauril was surprised by her words for a moment, but quickly realized how much she'd been expecting them. "He loved me more, I'm afraid."

The princess of the mountain smiled, And a Tauriel knew where Kili had learned to look so bright. "What I wouldn't give to hit him right upside the head about now." She laughed, only half joking. "I'm glad he lived his last days with such a feeling, even—"

"Even if it was with an elf?" Tauriel finished.

Dis wagged her finger at the elf. "You are no elf I've ever known. You have honor and heart, and I wish you well on wherever that may lead you."

With a last farewell and exchanges of thanks, Dis welcomed Tauriel to visit the Lonely Mountain whenever she pleased.

When Tauriel returned to the Woodland Realm, her heart was a bit lighter. Though nothing would ever be the same, she relished the memory of her love. Whenever she strung her bow, whenever she travelled down the great river, whenever she encountered the deadly spiders, and finally, after years of waiting, when she'd seen a fire moon. She made a promise on the moon, to never forget. And she never did.