Chapter Text
It had been months since Thorin and company had retaken Erebor from the dragon, reclaiming the homeland and crowning Thorin as King Under the Mountain. It had been at a great cost too, many lives of the warriors who had fought that day had been lost. Elves, humans, and dwarves alike had mourned their losses, and the Line of Durin had narrowly escaped death. Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli had all sustained gruesome wounds, and Oín was afraid that they would be fatal. But alas, The Line of Durin proved that it would not be so easily broken. Thanks to Oín's impressive healing skills, the three were cured of their impressive injuries.
After Thorin had recovered, he sent word to the distant dwarves living in the Blue Mountains about his victory and the newly reclaimed kingdom waiting for its people to return to it. You were a young dwarf, and lived in Ered Luin all your life. You came from a poor family, like most of the dwarves who settled in the Blue Mountains, and had grown up hearing of the past glory of Erebor and the terrifying dragon that occupied it. There had always been talk of reclaiming the lost kingdom amongst the dwarves, but the dwarves had truly never believed that it could be done and had lost hope long ago. That was until the fateful day, when the Line of Durin had resecured their birthright and the infinite wealth of the dwarves.
The news came swiftly. Smaug the Terrible had been defeated by Thorin and his company, and a magnificent joy took over the dwarves, including you. The news promised better lives, richer opportunities, and everlasting happiness. After all, the dwarves that were purged from their land were finally going to be reunited with their lost treasure and the vast prosperity that the Lonely Mountain had to offer.
Immediately you packed up your things and joined the large scale migration to the dwarven homeland. It had taken many months of lengthy travelling and endless mountains and forests, but you and the countless many other dwarves had finally reached the end of your journey. You had decided to settle in Dale, thinking that it would be easier to find a cheap place to stay in than in Erebor. The once beautiful town was in still in ruins after almost two centuries of vacancy and damage caused by dragon fire. Large scale construction had been taken underway by both man and dwarves, both eager to restore Dale’s former glory. Slowly but surely, the dwarves began to adjust to their new lives in Dale and Erebor, all except for you.
Since you had arrived in Dale a few weeks ago, you found no luck starting your new life. You had scarcely any money to speak of back in Ered Luin, and spent it all traveling to the Lonely Mountain. You thought that once you made it to Dale, you'd find a reliable job to help you transition into the rich life the treasure of Erebor had promised. But the sweet promises of wealth had forgotten you, for once you landed in Dale, the dwarves and humans that arrived before you had taken most of the remaining jobs. You were left to do the jobs that were not so quickly taken.
Job hunting had become a daily activity, and you usually didn't find much luck. But unlike most days, today it seemed that the gods had favored you. Today you found a small job unloading barrels and boxes out of carts that delivered food and niceties into the town. It wasn't your favorite kind of work, but you couldn't find anything better.
"Is that it, Orik?" You asked the cart owner. He'd given you lots of work over the last few weeks and knew your current predicament.
"Seems like it. Thank you for the help, lassie." The remaining carts had been unloaded and no more seemed to be coming. He slowly got up from his seat near the front and started walking towards you.
"Can you think of anymore work I can do?"
"[Y/N], you know I'd give you more if I had more. This is all I needed done today." He looked at you sadly and handed the amount he owed.
"Okay, okay." You gave him a smile that you’d hoped would erase the pity from his face. “Thank you for the work Orik. I don’t know what I’d without you and your barrels. Honestly, how you fit so many in your carts in truly beyond me.” He laughed warmly and patted your shoulder. As he got in the cart and began to ride away you looked down at the money in your hands. Realizing something was wrong with the amount, you began to count it.
"Wait! Orik, you gave me more than you should have!" You started to run after the cart, hoping that he would hear you. It was then he turned around with a sincere smile on his face.
"I know, lassie! Spend it well!" He laughed and urged the pony pulling the cart onward before you could protest.
Smiling to yourself, you pocketed the money and thanked Mahal for such kind dwarves. You began to walk towards the busy street corner, losing yourself in the great noise of the bustling businesses. You walked along in silence, lost in the sound of the town when you were suddenly knocked off your feet and onto the street. Now very much alert, you looked to the young dwarf who had pushed you over. He had also been knocked to the ground but was surprisingly quick and already on his feet when you turned to look at him.
"Oh I'm sorry-" you didn’t get enough time to finish your apology when the dark-haired dwarf pulled you off the ground and onto your feet.
"I am terribly sorry, my Lady. Are you hurt? Please tell me I didn’t harm you. I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going when I should have been. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I-" he was cut off when you put your hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his rambling state and silencing him.
"It's all right, I hadn't been looking either. It's fine, I'm perfectly okay." You giggled at the relief that washed over his face.
"Oh, thank Mahal! I thought I hurt you!"
"Not at all, you'd have to do more than a push to hurt me." You both laughed at your fake cockiness, glad that he isn't worried about you anymore.
"I see. But I do have to show you how sorry I am. How about a drink? I was headed to the pub anyways, and they say you should never drink alone." He raised an eyebrow at you, with a playful expression on his young face.
It had been ages since you last went for a drink. 'But we still haven't made enough money today for dinner tonight, and we're behind on rent,' you silently reminded yourself, knowing the owner of the house you were staying in wouldn't be patient forever. 'If we don't pay the landlord soon then we won't have anywhere else to go, and we can't go another night without eating.'
"Uhm... hello? Is something wrong?" You were pulled out of your trance and into the dwarf's deep brown eyes that were staring worriedly into yours. "If you don't want to have a drink with me, that's fine, I wasn't my intention to make you uncomfortable."
"Oh n-no, it wasn't that you were making me nervous, I just... I-" You didn't want to tell someone you just met about your troubles, embarrassing enough as they were. You could feel the judgement now, a dwarf with a money problem. "I haven't got a lot of time to sit around and drink, and I don't have much money anyways, so..."
"Oh you don't have to worry, I can pay for the both of us!" His happy expression quickly returned to his face. "Please, it’s the least I can do for causing you to fall." He grinned down at you, hoping for the answer that he wanted to hear.
You softly tried to convince yourself to say yes to his offer. 'He does seem nice enough, and I guess if I'm quick enough I can still get a few more jobs done today, and I do get a free drink out of it.'
"Alright, why not." A cheeky smile spread across your face as his expression lit up.
"Great! The pub I was going to is the best in Dale, you'll love it!" He grabbed your hand softly as he led you through the busy streets, maneuvering around stalls and groups of traders bargaining over prices. As the streets slowly got emptier, he let go of your hand and walked beside you.
"I sorry, my lady, but I believe I never caught your name." He looked at you as you winced at him calling you 'my lady' once more, not used to such formalities.
"[Y/N], and yours, ser?"
"Kíli." You snorted and began to chuckle.
Kíli looked at you, smiling confusingly at you. "What's so funny?"
"Ah, it's just that the prince's name is Kíli." You were a little surprised that he didn't know why you were amused, sharing the same name as one of the princes of Erebor.
"Well I should hope so."
"Why is that?" It was your turn to be confused.
His smile turned from confused to cheeky as he looked away from you. "Because I am the prince, my lady."