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Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or any of its characters
Post BoTFA
Her whole being broke as she cradled the lifeless form of her love in her arms. It was painful to look at him. The wounds that marred his body and face, the blood that stained his clothes and body, his face drained and devoid of all emotion. It was hard to imagine the cheeky and lively dwarf who always wore a smile was the same one before her now. Of all the times she had saved him yet now he had been the one to save her. Tauriel's body wouldn't stop trembling with her sobs as she gingerly held Kili's battered body close to her, blaming the higher powers of their world for not saving him.
"You broke your promise." She lamented, looking at his pale scarred face through his matted hair. "You promised to come back, to return to me."
"Return to me" her silent plea echoing the promise etched onto the runestone as she slowly took it out of her pocket and placed it his limp palm, covering his palm with her own, intertwining their fingers. She begged him to fulfill his promise, finally being able to answer his question in Laketown.
"Do you think she could've loved me?" Kili's voice seemed to echo in her mind as her memories of him played through her mind. The first time they met, he demanded for a weapon when they were surrounded by giant spiders, how he asked her to check his trousers for weapons, talking with him on the night of the feast of starlight when he recounted his experience of seeing a firemoon to her. How her heart skipped a beat knowing the dwarves escaped with a Kili wounded by a morgul blade. His delirium in Bard's house after she had healed him and the things he blurted out that night. And the last time she saw him alive and well, when his eyes begged her to come with him even when he had already asked her.
"I do, Kili I do" Tauriel thought ruefully as she slumped over his body, her fiery haired splayed across his body. She broke down into uncontrollable sobs, her hand never leaving his, the runestone between their two palms, her other arm stretched across his torso while her head laid on his chest that stopped moving up and down, a painful reminder that any life had left him.
Guilt and regret overwhelmed her as she blamed herself time and time again for not going after the dark haired prince. Maybe things would've been different had she went along. Her heart clenched painfully at the thought of a chance that he might not have died. She could've saved him. They might have had a chance together after all this was over.This should not have been the ending for the both of them. She should not be holding his broken and lifeless form atop this high peak. They should've been happily reunited, worn out and wounded by the battle but alive and breathing nonetheless. And Tauriel would finally admit her affections for the reckless archer that captured her heart way back in Mirkwood. A future together. They could've had that. Travelling past Mirkwood, seeing the vast world outside with him, talks of starlight and firemoons, even practicing archery together. She regretted what should've been. What could've been. Now all this would never happen. He was gone. She would never hear him speak of firemoons, hear his laughter or see that roughish smile ever again.
"If only I went along. If only I had agreed to his plea. If only I had listened to my heart instead of my head. We wouldn't be here, in this situation."
She lay in that position for awhile, drowning in her grief, clutching his promise tightly between their intertwined fingers. Silently she repeatedly pleaded, "Return to me, my love. Come back Kili."
Unbeknownst to Tauriel who continued to grieve, oblivious to anything and everything around her, the stone in her hand started to grow warm. But nothing mattered anymore if he was not here.
Then, she felt a warmth envelope her hand still clutching the stone, fingers closed over her hand. Startled, she sat up looking down at Kili's body and where their fingers were linked. There was no doubt. His hand had moved on its own and closed over hers. She stared in shock and confusion as his wounds started to close up and his chest started to rise and fall. He was breathing! She continued to look on in disbelief as life flooded the dead body that lay before her moments ago. Gone were the blood and wounds that moments ago covered his entire body. Waiting in nervous anticipation, her breath hitched when Kili's eyelids fluttered open and a groan escaped his throat. He still remained lying on the ground as he slowly took in his surroundings. His eyes widened in disbelief when they took in the sight of a red-headed she elf crouched over him with tear stained cheeks, new tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Tauriel?" He croaked.
Tauriel, not trusting her voice, just threw her arms around Kili as he sat up, sobbing into his shoulder, holding onto him as though for dear life. Relief, happiness, joy overwhelmed her as she realized her dwarven love was alive. Gone was the disbelief and grief. She did not care how it came to be, only the fact that he was once again before her alive and well. Kili, still bewildered and confused by what had happened could only pat the she-elf's back comfortingly while she kept repeating his name like a prayer all the while still crying. He smiled into her auburn hair as he returned the embrace in full force. Noticing a weight in his right palm, he brought the object in his palm closer for a look, breaking the embrace for a moment. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his runestone. However, something about it looked different.
"The runes, they're glowing Kili!" Tauriel managed to choke out as she stared at the token.
The pair watched the glowing words as the glow slowly dimmed and the runestone looked every bit as the normal token it was before.
"What happened?" Tauriel looked questioningly at him, "You..you..." she struggled to get the words out as they died on her tongue, her initial heartbreak from moments before preventing her from continuing her sentence.
"Died?" Kili finished for her.
Tauriel nodded her head mutely as she swallowed the lump forming in her throat, turning her gaze back to the dark-haired prince that sat in front of her.
"I don't know my love," He replied slowly "I really don't understand what just happened, but I'm grateful for another chance to be here with you, and I'm never letting you go." He finished, flashing her one of his signature roughish grin, arms outstretched for another embrace.
In return she rewarded him with a dazzling smile of her own and without warning, leaned forward to capture his lips with her own, wrapping her arms around his lean form. The kiss spoke of joy, of regret, of longing, of all the emotions Tauriel had within the events of the past few minutes. Most importantly, it told Kili all he needed to know.
"I love you."
Though many questions swimmed through his mind, Kili decided to relish in the moment of the sweet blissful first kiss with Tauriel and leaned forward, smiling into it. Then his mind flitted back to the glowing runes of the token his mother had given him- "Return to me" . Could it be? As the stone caught the last ray of sunlight, it twinkled as if winking an affirmitive to Kili's unspoken question.