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The market in Dale bustled with life. The rebuilt kingdom buzzed with a happiness in the early morning, one reflected in the faces of merchants and customers milling through the streets. Tauriel siled softly, keeping a careful eye on her two children as they bounded a few paces ahead.
"Stay close to me." She reminded them, voice stern but encouraging their curiosity.
It was a lovely day for an outing, all things considered. The Laer sun was shining brightly, blanketing the town in a welcome warmth. Kíli was swamped with meetings all through the week so he was unfortunately unable to come along.
She had duties too, of course. She had taken up a role assisting the Erebor guard and advising on relations with Mirkwood after marrying Kíli, but her schedule could be far more flexible than that of the second prince.
Dale was preparing for a festival in the next few days, so today was as perfect a day as any to venture into the town before it got too busy. Colourful fabrics and flower garlands draped from stall to stall, fluttering on the same breeze that carried the sweet scent of honey cakes and fruit.
Tauriel wanted the children to feel the vibrancy of the open sky and grass beneath their feet that couldn't be found within Erebor. She may even take them to the forest later, she mused.
Víli, her eldest, looked over his shoulder and smiled broadly. His eyes - the same warm brown as his father's - had to squint against the sunlight. It danced in his hair, which was a lighter shade of brown closer in hue to his uncle's.
Unlike Kíli, who could barely manage to grow the shadow of stubble, Víli seemed to be developing the faintest beginnings of a moustache - something Tauriel had been assured many times over was perfectly normal for a dwarven child, if a bit overdue.
Beside him, Ûriel swung her arms freely as she walked. her halo of red curls burned a vibrant copper, bearing ever the likeness to her mother, though she too shared in her father's eyes. Both children bore delicate little points to their ears, a feature Kíli never failed to gush over.
They were passing a cobbler's stand when she felt it. A sinister shift in the air only she with her honed elven senses could detect. Hostility crackled in the atmosphere, raising the fine hairs on Tauriel's nape.
A group of men were walking by - of fine status if the fine cut of their clothing was anything to go by. Far too intoxicated for the time of day as well, based on their stumbling steps and the wafting notes of alcohol.
She reached out, grasping her children's shoulders and pulling them to her side as the group of men neared. Unfortunately, for her or him, one noticed her, took one look at her tapered ears and fine tunic, and decided to be a nuisance.
"Well now," he drawled, voice slick and slurred. "Didn't know many elves lived around these parts. Tell me, pretty thing, what's the toll for a smile from one of your kind?"
The merchants around them seemed to hold a collective breath. Tauriel came by often enough to be well known in the market. She didn't spare him or any of his companions a second glance. Her full attention was focused on her children. She tucked them firmly against her and angled them away.
"Come." She murmured to them softly in Sindarin. "Your father will be missing us."
The man clearly didn't seem to get the message. "Oh, you're ignoring me now, are you? You must think that you elves are so much better than us men. Is that it?"
Another of the men, perhaps less inebriated but no less decent, sputtered unclearly, "Careful what you say, lady. Don't you know you're talking to Lord Gobin? You could be whipped for your insolence."
She gave no sign that she'd heard his words, only continued to guide her children away. She didn't care if such idiocy was thrown at her, but she also wouldn't expose her children to it.
The day could probably still be salvaged. She'll take the children to the lake where they could skip stones and socialise with the waterfowl. It would be a shame for a day as perfect as today to be ruined by a bunch of fools.
"Why is he so angry?" Ûriel asked, her bright eyes flickering curiously to the red0faced man. Tauriel gently urged them onward, nudging her daughter's face slightly to face it forward.
Yes, the lake would be perfect.
The noble's sneer twisted his face into something uglier. "Didn't teach your brats manners either, did you?"
He lurched forward, his hand reaching out as if to grab Víli's shoulder.
In the next breath, Tauriel didn't think as instinct took over. The world narrowed into that one movement, detailing in perfect clarity the way Gobin's fingers flexed and his eyes, glassy and unfocused, latched onto her boy.
In one fluid motion, Tauriel reached her hand out to the cobbler's stand, took hold of his hammer, and swung.
Lord Gobin's cry split the air as blood and teeth sprayed on the ground. He staggered back, clutching his face as pained moans gurgled between the gaps in his fingers.
The market around them erupted with shouts. Gobin's companions wavered between outrage and horror. Two of them went to his side but the third that had spoken up turned away and gagged at the sight of the man's ruined face.
Tauriel stood still of a moment. Her chest heaved once as she allowed the pent up fury and adrenaline to be released with the heavy sigh. Then she turned. Her first an only concern was her children.
Víli and Ûriel stood behind her, wide-eyed but unharmed. She rushed to them, crouching low so she could meet their eyes. "Are you hurt?" She asked worriedly. She ran her hands up their arms and patted them through their hair to make certain. Relief flooded her as Víli nodded and Ûriel's face broke into a radiant smile.
She wrapped her arms tightly around them in a brief hug, absorbing their warmth before standing to her full height.
Gobin's snarl tore through the panicked murmurs of the citizens of Dale. "You filthy, forest wench!" He spat, his words thick and slurred through blood and drink. "Ill have you hanged for this! You and your - "
His words were cut off by the blade levelled at his throat. "You will not come near us again." Her words were hard, final.
From the edge of the crowd came the clatter of boots and armour. The Dale guard approached, lead by a merchant that pointed them out. The armoured men looked from the bloodied noble to Tauriel, and hesitated.
""This elf attacked Lord Gobin!" One of the non-queasy men declared.
Tauriel sighed, her weapon and returning it to its sheath. The lake would have to wait for another day.
"Lady Tauriel," the captain of the guard began carefully, "I'm afraid we must ask you to come with us."
"I understand." She said coolly. The hammer still hung loosely from her fingers. When she set it back down on the cobbler's bench, it resonated with a clank that made Gobin flinch. "You have my word I will come quietly."
Oh, she wished strike that worm once more - to rip off the hands he would have raised against her children - but that would have to wait. It wouldn't do to argue when the scene so clearly presented itself.
The captain gave a small nod, clearly relieved. The other guards moved reluctantly to take her by the arms.
She looked once more to her children. "Go." She instructed soothingly as the guards began to pull her away. "Find your father and tell him what happened."
"Amad - " Ûriel's voice wavered, but Tauriel's expression remained steady.
"It's alright, mell nín. Go get your father."
Víli's chin trembled, torn between anger and confused, but he nodded and took his sister's hand. She watched them dart off through the crowd. Small yet brave.
She held her head high as she was walked away, revelling slightly in the uneasiness with which Gobin and his men regarded her. She might even have afflicted them with a mocking tilt of her lips. Blood was running down his tunic, staining his tunic, and his companion behind him was still retching his guts up into a barrel.
Her one regret was her children seeing her in such a state. She could face temporary detention, could handle the scandal - but the fear in her children's eyes as she was detained hit like a hammer to the heart.
_-+(0)+-_
Kíli was about ready to jump ship; fake a sudden illness, set fire to the council chamber, do just about anything to escape this maddening meeting. It had started just over an hour ago and - oh, what he would do to be out in the town with Tauriel and the children. Across the table from him, Fíli seemed to be hiding his own boredom.
Apparently, the arrival of some noble in Dale was something that needed to be discussed. The noble's envoy stood before the table, prattling on about opportunities for trade, but if you asked him, the noble twat should have come to this meeting himself if he was really serious about this deal. Any dwarf worth his beard could the sample wares brought to impress them were little more than polished pebbles.
He finally gave up on the fight and allowed himself to rest the weight of his lulling head atop his fist. He smiled softly, envisioning his family in the market. Tauriel, her hair catching the sunlight, weaving through stalls, the little ones laughing at her side. In fact, the weather had seemed to be looking up, perhaps a lake-day was in order?
The lovely image he'd conjured shattered against the council chamber wall - right alongside the doorknob, which went flying as the door burst open. His children came running in, tear tracks drying on their puffing cheeks.
"Adad, come quick! Amad's been kidnapped!"
"She broke a man's face with a hammer!"
"What?" Kíli shot up out of his chair so quickly it toppled over and shared the doorknob's demise. He was standing before them in an instant.
The council erupted into startled remarks. Thorin's brows rose up beneath his crown, and Balin began to choke on his ale.
The children stumbled over their words as they tried to explain what happened, finishing each other's sentences as the story came tumbling out.
"There - there was an angry man at the market - " Ûriel began, her words hiccupping as tears prickled at her eyes. " - And Amad didn't like him very much because she ignored him - " Víli spoke over his sister. " - And then he tried to touch Ví - " Ûriel continued. " - And then Amad took the hammer and broke his face!"
"There was blood everywhere!"
"And teeth!"
All traces of his earlier boredom had been burned away. Liquid metal boiled his blood and froze his insides all at once. He patted around their small frames in search for any hidden injuries. "What man? Who tried to touch Ví? Who has your mother?"
"The Goblin man!" Víli answered with a huff.
"Goblin?" Kíli blanched. "What in Durin's name is a goblin doing in Dale?!"
"No! Not goblin, Gobin." Ûriel corrected, stomping her foot and sending a glare at her brother. "And then the guards took and took Amad away!"
For a moment, Kíli's mind tripped over itself as he tried to reconcile the words. Not goblin, but Gobin. Kidnapped. Gobin? That was the name of the noble twat couldn't be bothered to show up for his own meeting! His heart beat like a war drum as the council chamber grew more raucous.
Kíli's jaw clenched so hard it ached. "And you're certain it was the guards who took her?"
Both children nodded, their eyes wide. Suddenly, the picture snapped together. Tauriel wasn't kidnapped, she was arrested. Which was only better because it meant she was still in Dale. and as a Lady under the mountain - wife to the second prince of Erebor - they'd have to let her go the moment he arrived. He was sure he'd find the whole misunderstanding plenty amusing if rage wasn't coursing through his veins.
He turned sharply to Fíli who had appeared by his side at some point during this stilted conversation, an alarmed yet still slightly amused look on his face. "Brother, watch them, please. Don't let them out of your sight."
"Of course," Fíli said at once. his expression sobered instantly as he crouched to the children's level. Let's find Uncle Bilbo, aye? He'll fix you a nice cup of tea while your Adad sorts this out."
Kíili tenderly held his hands to his children's faces and looked meaningfully into their eyes. "Everything will be alright now. You did well. I'll have your mother back before supper."
He gently quieted their protests and requests to accompany him with a kiss to each forehead. Then he stood, nodded at Fíili and his uncle, and thundered away.
_-+(0)+-_
A sight such as this hadn't been seen in the shadow of Erebor since the Battle of the Five Armies. A raging dwarf hurtling towards the city atop a pony. Kíli's gaze roved the streets on the way to the jailhouse in search of the arrogant goblin who dared approach his family.
He dismounted before the jailhouse, barely taking a second to tie up the reins. He'd been furious before, but after having the entire ride over to Dale to stew over his rapidly growing hatred for Lord Gibin, his lividity burned hotter than dragon fire.
The guards at the door straightened at the sight of him storming up the steps. "I'm here for Lady Tauriel." He gnarred.
The shorter of the two guards practically tripped over himself in his hurry to open the door. "Yes, my lord! Right this way."
Kíli pushed through before the door was even fully open. He was ready to tear this place apart stone by stone to get her out, but the scene he was greeted with staggered him.
Tauriel was sitting behind bars - entirely unbothered. A cup of tea sat steaming in her hands as she chatted amiably with a few guards. Her open cuffs lay abandoned on the bench beside her, fully discarded, and one of the guards sat on the floor cross-legged playing the flute.
Kíli blinked once. Twice.
Tauriel looked up, her lips quirking into a serene smirk of amusement, though her eyes betrayed her relief. "Oh, good. You made it. How are the children?"
He crossed the room quickly, deadpanning, "They told me you were kidnapped by a goblin man."
Tauriel arched a fine brow. "Did they now? And how did you take it?"
"With dignity befitting a prince." Kíli pronounced, stepping aside as Tauriel stood and just pushed the cell door open. Of course, the cell was unlocked. Obviously only his wife would be arrested yet be treated as the guest of honour at a tea party. He embraced her tightly the moment she was in reach, uncaring of the guards around them. "I was prepared to raze Dale to the ground looking for you."
He released her grudgingly, then reached for the weighty pouch attached to his belt. It practically burst as he dropped it onto the nearest table, a few gold coins spilling out onto the wooden surface. "There. That should cover whatever ridiculous fee there is for her freedom."
"Err, my lord? There is no bail." The guard that came to stand behind the table said. "We only needed someone to come collect Her ladyship."
Kíli froze. "...What?"
"She's free to go, Your Highness. The papers are all signed. We were - uh - just finishing our tea."
Kíli turned back to Tauriel. That blasted, beautiful smirk curved her lips again. "I had it all under control." She murmured.
There was a slightly awkward pause as Kíli looked from the pouch of gold, then to the guards, and back to Tauriel. "Right. Well, I suppose I'll just" - he waved vaguely towards the coin - "leave this here, then."
The guards murmured heartfelt farewells to Tauriel as she and Kíli made their way out into the late afternoon light. Tauriel's arm rested on his shoulders and Kíli wraps his own around her waist as if to reassure himself she was truly there.
Their poor pony had been haphazardly tethered to a post outside the jailhouse. "I still can't believe you were having tea." Kíli muttered as he sat in front of Tauriel atop their steed.
Tauriel laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "The guards offered. It would have been rude to decline."
"And the flute?" Kíli asked.
"Ah," Tauriel said, eyes bright with mischief. "One of the guards is an aspiring musician. He wishes to perform for the royal family and asked for my opinion on his tone and rhythm."
"Of course." Kíli groaned to hide his mirth.
"Don't laugh," Tauriel poked between his shoulder blades. "I can recall a time when you were the one on the other side of the bars."
"Aye, and what a fetching sight you were, standing all high and mighty in the torchlight."
Tauriel hummed. "Yes, I suppose I did."
They rode in comfortable silence for a while, the pony's hooves clomping rhythmically against the cobblestones. Kíli's amusement faded when he finally asked, "So what actually did happen?"
Tauriel exhaled, her tone cooling. "A noble - an ale-soaked imbecile more like it - saw fit to insult my blood. He nearly laid a hand on our son."
Kíli's grip on the reins tightened. "And the hammer?"
"Well, we were right by the cobbler's stand. I predict he'll have a difficult time eating solid foods from now on."
Kíli smirked and his eyes narrowed to slits on the road. "Right, well. If he's wise, he'll leave Dale before we return next market day with an incandescent sledgehammer."
"If he's wise," Tauriel's lips twitched into a dangerous, little smile, "he'll leave the realm entirely." Her eyes gleamed with the promise of retribution. "You won't cause another diplomatic crisis, will you?"
He gave a shrug full of dwarven pride. "Not unless his envoy is still under the mountain."
Tauriel chuckled, leaning forward to rest her face beside his own as they neared Erebor. "I do believe we're setting a fine example for our children."
He agreed with a grin, "They'll learn that no one can dare lay a hand on them without losing their teeth."
By the time they finally entered the Lonely Mountain, the tension from Dale had finally eased its grip. They embraced once more, after Kíli handed of the reins of the pony to a stable hand and they entered another chamber.
Tauriel looked down at Kíli as they walked, arm wound firmly around her waist. "How do you feel about taking the children to the lake tomorrow?" Kíli asked softly, though his eyes were imploring.
Tauriel smiled broadly, her eyes practically lighting up. "I think that's a lovely idea."
Before either could say anything more, two small figures came hurtling down a set of stairs, Fíli and Bilbo hurrying to catch up with them. "Amad!" The children cried, and Tauriel had to brace herself as they collided into her legs.
She wrapped her arms tightly around them and laughed, breathless, burying her face into their hair. Kíli looked on, warmth flooding his chest. There was still a lord or two he'd like to throttle, but that could wait until later.