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January 9th
They met by accident.
The young dark haired boy with puppy eyes had a bit of trouble when it came to remembering his room number. He'd been bored and restless in his room, so he decided to wander the hospital, get his muscles working right, as he'd said, picking up the crutches by his bed and hobbling out to wander.
Upon going back to his room, he'd somehow ended up in hers.
She was a thin looking girl, her skin pale with freckles. Shoulder length red hair that had a braid on one side. She was sitting in her bed, the blanket pulled up to her waist while she read a paper back.
When he opened the door, she'd looked up, in hope that it would be her uncle or cousin Legolas. But when she spotted his brown hair and crutches, she'd promptly thrown the book she'd been reading at him.
The next day, he came back to apologize for startling her. She didn't deny his claim, mainly because she didn't want to let him know it was because she'd been hoping for someone else, but she didn't accept his apology at first.
He merely smiled at her, introducing himself. “I'm Kili. What's your name?”
She gave him a look, as if wondering why he didn't gripe at her for throwing a book at him. Instead she just said, “Tauriel.”
That was how they met.
And as the days came and went, Kili had visited her on a near day to day basis, coming to her room to talk about menial things. From the visits by his family and friends, to his hobby of archery.
“It's how I broke my leg, actually.” He'd said, waving a hand down at the cast around his left leg.
Tauriel gave him a look. “How'd you manage that?”
Kili chuckled. “I shot an arrow up and it lodged itself into a tree. I thought I'd get into trouble for that, so I climbed the tree to get the arrow back. I got the arrow, but lost my footing. I'm lucky to have just broken my leg, my mum always says.”
She smiled at him, looking down at her hands in her lap.
“What about you?” He asked.
The smile on her face wavered for a second. “I have a weak heart. My parents couldn't afford much of my treatment at first, so my Uncle took me in.”
Kili felt a small pang of emotion in his chest, but tried not to let the mood go down, so he instead decided to talk about his uncles to cheer her up.
Out of all the things he could ever want, to see Tauriel smile was his top priority.
April 12th
Months passed, and despite Kili having been discharged from the hospital a few weeks ago, he still took the time to come and visit Tauriel.
He liked taking the time to just sit with her in her room, chatting about how school was for him, about the friends he had there.
She laughed when he told her about how he was swamped with the school work he'd missed, how his friends wanted to hear all about how he broke his leg. He loved the way her smile brought color to her cheeks.
Tauriel talked about how Legolas, her cousin, had visited her. She told him how he'd brought her a new book on astronomy.
“I love the stars. They're always so beautiful.” She said, with a fond smile curled on her lips.
Kili couldn't help but fall even more for that look on her face.
June 16th
The summer was filled with even longer visits to the hospital for Kili, which he didn't mind too much. But this time he'd been accompanied by his brother and mother, since they'd constantly teased him about this girl he'd befriended.
“Is she your new girlfriend then?” Fili had joked in the lift, making Kili groan and elbow him. “Shut it. She's not my girlfriend, she's just, my friend. I met her when I broke my leg.”
Dis, their mother, chuckled. “Oh so that's the girl the nurses kept telling me about that you were spending time with.”
Dis had made friends with one of the male nurses that worked there, a young man named Bilbo. He would always make sure to keep an eye on Kili during his stay, and had told her of the young girl he kept visiting.
“Puppy love” he had called it, much to their amusement.
Kili pouted slightly, a small blush on his cheeks as the lift doors opened. “Promise you won't embarrass me, just this once please?” He said as they were coming up to her room. Dis merely chuckled as her youngest son pleaded. “Promise.”
Fili was less promising, but said he'd try his best. Kili felt like he'd regret that.
The visit was a little awkward at first, since Tauriel hadn't had this many visitors before, even with just Kili visiting her at times.
But soon enough she warmed up to them, Dis especially. She laughed when Fili would poke fun at him as they chatted. Mostly it was just their mother talking about some old shenanigans her sons pulled when they were younger.
Both brothers groaned together as Dis went on, but Kili noticed how much Tauriel was smiling.
So far, he didn't mind it if she heard these embarrassing stories.
July 13th
It wasn't long before Kili and his family would run into Tauriel's family. Surprisingly, Dis knew Thranduil, Tauriel's uncle through her brother.
At first Thranduil was confused about why his business rivals' sister and nephews where there, until Tauriel explained.
“Kili's a friend, Uncle.” She'd said, lightly gripping her blanket.
Thranduil had been about to ask them to leave, but when his little niece had spoken up, looking up at him with almost pleading eyes, he wavered.
He sighed, looking towards Dis. “Good to see you, Dis.”
Dis smirked a bit. “Same to you, Thranduil.”
Kili and Tauriel only shared a look before laughing slightly.
September 19th
Kili felt his nerves eat away at him as he and Fili made their way to the hospital with a colorfully wrapped box in tow one September evening.
“I don't think I can do it, Fee. What if she doesn't feel the same?” Kili said as they entered the lift, looking down at the ground.
Fili felt for his younger brother, he really did. But from the times he'd visited in Kili's stead when he was busy with school work or down with a cold, the way Tauriel always looked a bit sad to not see him, or how she'd always ask after him. Fili knew this trip wouldn't be in vain.
“Look, Kili. I'm positive you'll be fine. She'll not be able to say no if you give her your puppy dog eyes.” He joked. Kili rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath as the lift came to their stop. Fili gave him an encouraging shove forward as they walked.
“I'll sit out here while you go and romance her, OK?” Fili laughed, watching Kili open the door and walk in, head held high and heart in his throat.
Tauriel was sitting up, reading another book about astronomy when she looked up. She smiled brightly when she saw Kili. “You're back.”
His chest tightened as he walked up to her, gripping the box behind his back as he smiled. “Yeah. Nothing's gonna keep me from visiting you, not even some dumb cold.”
She giggled, her cheeks going bright pink.
Kili swallowed the lump in his throat as he spoke. “I, um. Your cousin told me it was your birthday, so I brought you something.” He held the box out to her, his face turning red.
Tauriel blinked at him, looking at the box and back up at him. She could feel her cheeks heat up even more. She took the box from him, their fingers brushing ever so slightly.
Unwrapping the colorful paper with cartoon kittens, she looked at the black box decorated with bright little stars, with the words “Star Explosion” written in white letters across the top.
“I remember you said how you've always wanted to go out at night, t-to watch the stars. But you couldn't cause y-you've always been stuck in hospital.” Kili stuttered, looking away as he spoke. His face was red with his blush.
“S-So I was thinking, I could put these up around in the room. A-And give you a night with the stars.”
Tauriel was speechless. She held the box of plastic stars in her hands, feeling tears prick at her eyes. And she laughed.
She laughed hard and loud, catching him off guard. He was about to speak when suddenly Tauriel pulled him into a tight hug, her tears running freely down her cheeks.
He could barely register what was happening until his hands came up to cup her cheeks, looking into her hazel eyes.
Suddenly he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss, surprising her. Once he pulled back, he blurted out “I love you.”
Tauriel could feel her heart leap into her throat. Slowly, a large smile crossed her face as she pressed her forehead to his, speaking in a soft voice.
“I-I love you too, Kili.”
Fili could hear from outside the room the sounds of his younger brother laughing with such joy, it brought a smile to his face.
After a while, when nurse Bilbo had told him that they should be heading home soon, he walked in to get his brother, he walked in on a sight that made his heart swell.
The ceiling, walls and windows had those little glow-in-the-dark stars everywhere, and both Kili and Tauriel were fast asleep, holding hands.
He couldn't help take a picture for later, mainly for his brother and, of course, to show their mother.
December 24th
As the harsh winter weather spread through out the city, Kili had been adding the finishing touches on his gift for Tauriel; a stuffed bear with a blue shirt dotted in little white stars. He'd had help from Dis to sew it together, but he'd stuffed it himself, attached the eyes and nose. On the inside was a little token coin from the little carnival they'd gone to during one of Tauriel's better days.
He'd won her a little plastic bracelet from an archery game. She'd been told to sit in the wheelchair the hospital had given her, but she'd jumped up when he won the little game.
He sat back, admiring the finished bear. Tomorrow he and his family would be visiting her, along with Tauriel's uncle and cousin. He smiled the rest of the evening when he went down to join his family for their annual dinner.
It was a full house, what with so many of their family members joining them, and Kili couldn't help his excitement with the promise of he, Fili, their mother and uncles going to visit Tauriel tomorrow. It'd be a fantastic gift for her, he just knew it would.
Towards the end of the night, as they were all settling down in the living room for some TV, Dis' phone rang. She excused herself as she walked into the kitchen.
For a while it was silent, except Kili heard Thranduil's name, to which his uncle Thorin merely rolled his eyes. Despite everything, Thorin would still only see the man as his business rival, no matter how many times they'd seen each other visiting Tauriel.
All of a sudden, Kili heard his mother gasp. As did the others, considering most of them turned their heads in the direction of the kitchen. They could hear her stuttering as she hung up, hurrying back into the living room.
“K-Kili, grab your coat.” She said, her eyes looking wet from tears. Alarms rang out in Kili's head, his heart stilling in his chest.
“Mum, what's wrong?” Fili asked, noticing the change in atmosphere.
Dis felt her chest tighten as she looked to her youngest son. “Something's happened. A-At the hospital.”
December 25th
That was the date carved into the headstone that told those who took the time to read it, that a seventeen year old girl lay here.
Tauriel Silvan
Born Sept. 19th 1994 – Died Dec. 25th 2011
“She walks in starlight.”
Kili stood before the headstone, holding a single red rose with a dark blue ribbon tied around the stem. It had been her favorite color, she'd told him once. Like the night sky before the stars appeared. He knelt down to set the flower in the little spot where the other flowers were put.
It had been a three months since the funeral, and Kili had just barely decided to visit Tauriel's grave on his own.
His family had been helping him with his coping, but there was only so much they could do. So here he was, standing before her grave with the gift bear he'd made for her for Christmas.
“Hey, Tauriel. I'm sorry I haven't been here sooner. I just,” He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. God, why was it so hard to talk to her now?
He took a deep breath and continued. “It's been tough, without you. But, I know I can't keep ignoring this. I'll always love you, no matter what. But I have to move on. I know you'd want me to move on, but it's taken me a while to realize that on my own.”
For a moment he'd half expected to get a response, but when nothing came, he merely nodded and set the bear on her headstone.
“So, I guess this is goodbye, for now.”
Another deep breath, and he walked up to the stone, kissing his palm and pressing it against the cool stone.
“May you always walk in starlight.”