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Kili couldn’t help but stare at you. The rain falling from the sky was obviously weighing down your clothing. Your hair was also rather tangled. The Company had been trekking through a storm for almost an hour. Kili snapped from his thoughts and rushed forward when one of your feet slipped. He wasn’t fast enough, however, before you landed on your back in a mud puddle.
As the other members of Company laughed, Kili took both of your hands in his own. He helped you stand up. He then used his sleeve to clean mud from your cheeks.
“Thanks, Kili,” you smiled, using your hand to push your hair back. You winced when you found a tangle in your hair.
“Are you okay?” asked Kili, raising his eyebrows at you.
“Yeah, my hair is just a mess,” you nodded. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure the elves in Rivendell can help me.”
Kili noticed the rain had stopped falling. A few members of the Company were now preparing a fire for the cold night ahead. Despite his surroundings, he could only think of what you were going to do to your hair.
After arriving in Rivendell weeks later, you immediately asked for one of the handmaidens to cut your messy hair. She obliged by washing your hair properly before she cut most of it off. You thanked the woman for her kindness, making her smile.
“I can take you to Lindir,” she offered. “He would happy to braid it for you.”
You smiled at her–she had introduced herself as Arwen–and nodded. You stood from your seat and followed after her. The two of you entered what seemed to a dining area. The Company, excluding Bilbo who wasn’t there, turned to look at you. They all took notice of your now shoulder-length hair. Kili looked at you when Fili lightly hit his shoulder.
“What is she doing?” asked Thorin, watching as you spoke to two elves.
You smiled shyly at Lindir, finding him rather attractive. Arwen introduced you to him before asking if he could braid your hair, due to the fact that she had to do something else.
“Of course,” nodded Lindir, “take a seat.”
The Company all watched as you pulled a chair to sit in front of Lindir. Kili stood up from his seat as soon as Lindir touched your hair. Fili grabbed his arm, lightly pulling him to sit down once more. Thorin glared at Lindir, who was now weaving your hair together in a braid. Each member of the Company knew braiding one’s hair was a courting custom in Erebor. Each of them also knew Kili had feelings for you.
You stood from your chair, smiling and thanking Lindir. He stood up as well, towering over you with his natural height.
“Here,” he said, removing a flower from a bush behind him and handing it to you. “Just so you know, your friend seems… annoyed by me. The one they call Kili, I believe.”
You laughed quietly, “Is that why you gave me a flower? To annoy him?”
“What can I say?” shrugged Lindir. “Annoying princes is what I do best.”
You laughed again and walked away from him. You immediately noticed Kili and the others glaring at Lindir. You sat down beside Kili, placing a hand on his forearm.
“Are you okay?” you asked.
This immediately made him face you, his expression softening. He placed a hand on your own.
“Yes,” he nodded, “of course, I am.”
You smirked at his sudden shyness. You then cleared your throat, deciding to see why he was acting this way.
“He braided my hair rather well, don’t you think?” you asked.
Some of the dwarves spit out the food they had been eating at your question, though it seemed they knew what you were doing. To you, it was fairly clearly that Kili liked you. You could practically see Kili’s jaw clench in annoyance.
“It looks nice, I guess,” he shrugged.
You looked up at Thorin with a smirk. He realized what you were doing and shook his head at you.
You looked at Kili, and smiled, “Thorin told me something about braiding once. Something about it being a custom, maybe–”
Kili suddenly took your hand in his and gently pulled you away from the Company. Fili laughed and Thorin smirked at this, both of them hoping Kili would now reveal his feelings for you.
Kili pulled you into a small part of the corridor where no one would approach the two of you. He immediately placed both hands on your face and pulled your lips to meet his own. You then placed your own hands on his cheeks, feeling his light scruff against your palms. After a moment, you felt his hands go to the back of your head, gently tugging at Lindir’s braid. You pulled away from him.
“What are you doing?” you asked, laughing quietly.
“Braiding is a courting custom,” he replied. “You should have my braid in your hair, not the elf’s.”
Once the braid was undone, he placed his hands on the back of your head to pull you into a quick kiss. You smiled to yourself, leaning your forehead against his with your eyes closed. Turning around, you looked at him over your shoulder.
“Are you going to braid my hair or not?”