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It was quiet out on the Long Lake tonight. All you could hear were the calls of nighttime wildlife and the soothing sounds of water as it met the shore. The lake lacked all the hustle and bustle you were used to; a perfect escape. Though the scenery and soundscape were breathtaking, the serenity might also be due to your companion.
You shot a glance over at Fíli where he strolled beside you at a leisurely pace. He was simply taking in the moonlight, hair gleaming. You couldn’t help but notice the way every other step bounced, as if he had music in his head meant only for him to ever hear. He caught you looking at him and smiled.
You’d both escaped the confines of the mountain tonight for a much needed break from your respective lives. For Fíli, the pressures of being the heir were becoming overwhelming, back in Erebor he could hardly get a second’s rest without some other lord or advisor approaching him for his opinion.
Your troubles were much more trivial, though troubles all the same; the work to be done in the archives just kept piling higher and higher and no matter how fast you and Ori worked, there was never an end to the hordes of documents. Because you had been otherwise occupied of late you had not actually managed to leave the mountain for close to a month now, until tonight.
The night air on your skin was exactly what you needed and you had forgotten how much you missed the feeling of grass between your toes, as your mother always said, ‘A hobbit without nature is not a hobbit at all’. You were thankful Fíli had agreed to come with you as you could tell he needed the reprieve as well.
You had been walking for a while when Fíli spotted a small dock sticking out into the lake. It looked to be relatively new and sturdy and with no one around you both decided to venture out.
Further out onto the lake, away from the treecover even more stars were visible. So as you and Fíli both sat at the edge of the dock, with your feet dangling off the edge, just inches away from the water, you took your hair down and laid on your back, gazing up at the sky.
Next to you Fíli stilled, he couldn’t think of a single other time you’d taken your hair down from its practical, out of the way style in all the time he’d known you. So with you captivated by the stars, he took a moment to admire you and the joy evident on your face before he too laid down to look into the sparkling black abyss.
You spent some time just laying there, basking in the stillness of the quiet night and each other’s company, but eventually you did have to get up. As you did, one of the seemingly sturdy boards gave way beneath your feet, sending you careening backwards towards the lake. In your panic you reached out for anything solid to steady yourself. That thing happened to be Fíli. As you fell backwards into the ice cold water, you pulled the floundering prince down with you.
This is just brilliant, fucking wonderful! Yavanna, why couldn’t this night have stayed perfect?
“Mahal d-d-damn it all!” You heard Fíli curse. You turned, looking back, and saw him emerging from the lake, his air waterlogged, looking a bit like a wet cat as he let out another string of expletives in Khuzdul.
“Oh F-F-Fíli, I’m s-so sorry!” You exclaimed, the freezing temperature of the water sucking all the warmth from your body, but you swam towards him anyway to see if he was alright.
“J-Just get t-t-to the shore,” he chokes out and you both begin swimming towards land, though it was made rather difficult with the heavy fabric of your skirts weighing you down and restricting your movements.
Thankfully the dock didn’t go that far out into the lake so you reached the bank quickly. Compared to the frigid water the night air felt warm and balmy and as you two laid there, trying to catch your breath.
“I-I really am s-so sorry for that, Fíli.” you tried again.
“What’s done is d-done,” Fíli said, beginning to stand up, “what matters now is getting back to the castle s-so that we can dry off and w-warm up.”
The trek back to the gate was not very comfortable for either of you. All of your layers were soaked though and with every step Fíli took you could hear his waterlogged boots squish. Your nice warm bed was starting to look really nice right about now.
When you finally reached the gate you had to be extra quiet in sneaking back in as nighttime excursions were not exactly encouraged, but you managed to make it in unseen. You descended down the stairway for the side entrance reserved for staff, the long and dark tunnel made you feel claustrophobic, that is, until it opened up to the most beautiful kitchens you’d ever seen.
Fíli said, “Wait here.” So you perched yourself on one of the counters, but he paused, brushing your wet hair out of your face before he slipped away. When he returned his arms were full of thick warm blankets, the sheer number of which could not possibly be necessary for only two people.
Fíli piled the mountain of blankets on you, keeping only one for himself, and as he began to bustle around the kitchens, you tried once more to apologize. “I never should have grabbed you back there, it only resulted in both of us getting frozen half to death. I’m sor–”
“Zai anatu sullu, imrizruk emak.” You heard Fíli mutter to himself in Khuzdul, interrupting you, before switching to Westron, “You don’t need to apologize anymore amrâl, it was instinct. Just focus on warming up now, I can still hear your teeth chattering.”
You laughed, “Warming up is one thing Fíli, but trying to suffocate me under all these blankets is entirely different! I fear I won’t survive!”
At that Fíli looked up from his pot that he had been stirring over the fire. “You’ll be fine,” he said, smirking, before turning back to his pot. Seeing Fíli in such a domestic setting was doing strange things to your heart, not to mention the smell wafting from the pot already had your mouth watering. So when Fíli turned with two large mugs of the steaming liquid in hand, you eagerly took one.
“Mmmm.” You sighed, breathing it in, “What is this delectable concoction, and how have I never tasted it before?”
“You mean hot chocolate?” Fíli asked, bewildered. “How have you never had hot chocolate before? It was my favourite treat when I was a dwarfling.”
“We don’t have very many hot drinks in the Shire, our winters never get cold enough to need it.” You shrugged. “But oh, if Cordelia Greenhill could see me now, why she’d be so jealous!” You take another large swig from your mug, smiling to yourself. While you were still uncomfortably damp, the hot chocolate warmed you right to your very soul.
Fíli chuckled at your comment and you could have sworn you saw his eyes soften, just a smidge, as he looked at you. But you brushed past it, finishing your drink in two more swallows.
“Well I suppose I should be heading back to my room now,” you said, hoping down off the counter, “and thank you for this, it was lovely Fíli. Good night”
As you reached the door that would lead you back to your chambers you heard his voice in the dark. “Zann galikh amrâl.” Low and quiet, like the night was meant only for the two of you. And though you couldn’t speak khuzdul, you felt as if you understood him anyway.