#lotr reader insert

aragorn 🗡️

aragorn’s quiet presence is the warmest blanket on a cold night, the first bite of a meal you slaved over for hours, every comfort you’ve ever experienced

he’s never been one for overwhelming displays of his affections; instead, he shows you in simple ways that add up - giving you the more full bowls of broth, laying his blanket over you if he notices you shivering during night watch, sharpening your weapons (this one had gimli nearly brought to tears by the devotion it spoke of), anything that helps your days pass easier

he grew up around stories of elves who committed astounding feats in the name of those they loved, fighting wars and risking their lives with alarming frequency. but none of them ever talked about the everyday ways they showed love. his mother taught him what she could about those things, stories of his father’s steady presence and stalwart love for his family. a young aragorn took these lessons to heart and used them when the time was right

it was why, when he caught his heart skipping beats around you, he let his actions do the speaking for him. without fail you would thank him with a soft smile, slowly coming to realize that aragorn felt something much deeper for you than camaraderie. when you woke up early one morning to find your weapons sharper than they were the day before (not for the first time), you went straight to aragorn and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. he nearly dropped your bowl of stew in his flustered state

having your affections secured didn’t mean he stopped his small acts of kindness, it did quite the opposite. it just made him bolder and more confident in his actions

boromir 🍻

this man is so damn tactile it’s ridiculous

if you’re the cuddly type like he is, it makes him all the more eager to always have some form of physical contact with you, no matter where you may be

unless you tell him to back off, he is always touching you one way or another. a gentle hand on the small of your back, your pinkies interlocked, an arm wrapped around your shoulder, anything to keep you close to him

his favorite time of day eventually becomes the end of it, because that’s when he can hold you close and whisper soft words of love in your ear while he holds you. he makes it his goal to give you a goodnight kiss every night you spend together

the best cuddle position in his mind is you leaning your back against his chest, one of his hands resting on your hip where his thumb rubs small circles above the bone, and his chin resting on your shoulder just right to where he can turn his head to kiss your cheek or burrow his face into your neck

gimli 🛡️

valiantly is the best way to describe how gimli approaches any situation he comes upon, including (and especially) matters of the heart

this is a dwarf who says what he means & means what he says, who does nothing that he wouldn’t be proud of the next day. because of this, you couldn’t find it in you to not believe him when he professed his love for you with such unwavering confidence you were nearly brought to tears. gimli never said anything just because his lips could move so you simply had to believe him

will do you favors big and small simply because he wants to help you however possible. you can’t remember the last time you carried your own pack or made your own bowl of soup. if you encouraged him (which you wouldn’t), this romantic fool would not let you lift another finger for as long as you both live

he grew up watching his parents with keen eyes, his adad showing him by example how a true dwarf treats their one. he embodies these lessons with every interaction with you, striving to be the one you deserve him to be. it ranges from the ferocity of his protection to opening doors for you. may mahal strike him down if he ever hurts you

he just wants to be a dwarf you’re proud to love, proud to call yours

legolas 🏹

physical affection can be difficult for him, but one thing legolas is good at doing is speaking his mind and his heart

if you thought his regular speaking pattern was overflowing with poetic descriptors, you’ve heard nothing compared to when he’s being truly romantic. no one you’d been with before had ever described you with such beautiful prose, never whispered soft poetry about your eyes to lull you to sleep

and he’s a cheeky bastard about it too! it’ll be a regular conversation between friends, nothing important, then BAM! he’s making quippy one-liners about your overwhelming skill/beauty/personality that catch you off guard and has your friends cackling at your flustered reaction to his flattery

even better, his praise will often include sindarin and on the off chance you don’t speak it, you’ll have to gauge the meaning from the silent looks shared between your dear elf and aragorn (doesn’t really work). eventually legolas tells you what some of them mean; after all, he needs to have an element of intrigue about him or his name isn’t legolas thranduillion

he carries a lot of pride for you and will brag about you to anyone who listens, his melleth being one of unparalleled skill and beauty and bright laughter that carries his soul on great wings

pippin 🥕

his already strong need to be silly and foolish grows exponentially when he finds out how happy it makes you

pip doesn’t care what it is you ask of him, he will do anything to hear your laugh. he’ll put baby carrots in his nostrils, respond to conversations exclusively in farm animal noises, he will even do his spot-on impressions of the rest of the fellowship and make them say all sorts of silly things

the best one to date is him doing an aragorn impression that consists of all the different ways he says legolas’s name

you’ve never heard such astounding colloquialisms from anyone until you met pippin - “don’t eat half the berries and say the pie shell’s too big,” “his cornbread isn’t done in the middle,” “if brains were leather, he wouldn't have enough to saddle a junebug” - and each time he says one, there’s always a not-so-subtle look to you so he can see your reaction. the ones that get the most laughs are used a little bit more, just enough to not lose their appeal but enough to hear your laughter all the more often

🌿ESFJ 🍁Slytherin 📜Lawful Good 🔮Leo Sun, Cancer Moon, Scorpio Rising

SFW🌿

・As a half-elf, you weren’t welcomed into the Elvish land, culture or customs. Your mother had been in love with an elf, and although they wanted to be together, he was killed in battle. 

・You know how to heal, energise, calm and hurt. Herbs are your speciality. And your cottage is full of them.

・Both inside and outside of your property, beings are instantly calmed once they step foot on your land

・You have bushes of lavender, a huge garden full of herbs and flowers. Even your own vegetable patch

・The fellowship had come looking for help

・You knew Gandalf because of his travels, and you were more than happy to aid the group

・Aragorn was very polite, and an absolute gentleman

・Pippin and Merry asked you nearly a million questions about your life, your work and way of living 

・Legolas was absolutely charmed by you. Although he didn’t show it, he was delighted by your knowledge. You often verbally sparred with him at dinnertime. And the whole table would laugh at your jests

・But your dog, Findis (you call him Fin), would not leave one member of the group alone. Fin’s brown tail couldn’t stop wagging whenever Boromir was around. 

・And you had always taken Fin as a good judge of character - well, one of the best actually. 

・There were many late nights, when you were up, milling about the cottage 

・And Boromir would wake, finding you outside, setting up things to charge underneath the moonlight 

・It was those moments, when you were alone, that you got to know each other

・And each night he would wake, watching you, asking if you needed any help

・For the most part you declined help, but said he could stay to give you some company 

・When it was time for the fellowship to leave, Boromir was sad to say goodbye.  

・And without thinking, he promised that he would return

・When the fellowship left, each had a potion, protection charm and/or knowledge on how to heal themselves

・Months later, Boromir returned

・When he returned, his smile was so big it gave you butterflies

・You knew he was in line to inherit a kingdom, so you didn’t expect much to come from your friendship. 

・Boromir had spent a lot of time at your cottage. Sleeping in a spare room, or on the lounge. 

・The friendship was morphing into something romantic. And the desire was so strong that Boromir had to leave for 2 weeks. He couldn’t kiss you without promising life with you.

・So he went to his father, and told him he was going to marry you.

     “A witch? Who lives in a cottage on the outskirts of a kingdom? You cannot marry them. I forbid it.” 

  “Then the crown will go to Faramir. I will not marry anyone else.” 

・And so ... he came back to you. 

・Boromir knelt on one knee and pulled a ring from his pocket. 

    “Will you do the honour of marrying me, Y/N?” 

・You married. And it was a glorious affair. 

・It was supposed to be small. But he invited all he knew: the Hobbits, the Elves, the Dwarves. 

・And they came and witnessed your marriage and celebrated after. 

・Life with Boromir was difficult at first, you didn’t want to leave your home. And he had responsibilities to honour. 

・Yet somehow you both make it work. 

・Boromir is the first to wake, always 

・And he makes you a herbal tea and writes you a note if you do not wake in time to see him off 

・He always comes to you for advice 

・And likes to bring you to counsel meetings whenever they’re held

・Sometimes you get odd looks from the townsfolk but that will wear off in time. They just need to get to know you

・Fin loves that Boromir is around permanently. He always takes Fin for walks (which makes him love the tall human even more but that’s not really possible since he already adores him)

・Helps you with spells; foraging for the right ingredients, buying you whatever you don’t have in town etc

・Boromir likes when you cup his cheek and rub your thumb over parts of his face, especially his lips

𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑷𝒆𝒕 𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖: My love 

𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆: Quality Time and Acts of Service

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈:

Crazy In Love by the Midnite String Quartet

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

  ✧ You Fell First But He Falls Harder

  ✧ Looks Scary But Is Actually Soft (Boromir) x Looks Soft But Could Kill You (You)

  ✧ “You wear the pants in this relationship” (You say to Boromir) x “Oh I wish, I cannot control you at all” (Boromir replies, always with a laugh)

But the passing years changed you as much as they changed the forests you traversed. There were nights on which you could not help but wish for a proper roof, a softer bed, or a more tasteful drink. 

One such night found you out of doors as always, leading your horse along soggy paths. The thunder rolled in endless waves above your head while the rain poured down in sheets rather than in droplets. The sodden grass and heavenly tumult silenced the sound of your horse’s hooves. So loud was the sound of the storm that you did not even attempt conversation with your traveling companion.

Aragorn, son of Arathorn, did not share your desire for the comfort of an inn that evening. You had run into him entirely by chance three months prior on a serious errand of his own that had, much to your surprise, required an extra pair of hands. As you rarely had the opportunity to spend time with Men of your heritage, you tagged along with great enthusiasm. One errand led to another; now you felt yourself quite comfortably situated with him–at least until some future a job forced your inevitable separation.

Still, he never seemed inclined to stay in civilization longer than necessary. He asked his questions and left, frequently with you lingering outside the town to keep an eye out for any signs of being followed. As such, you were taken rather aback that night when you found Aragorn and his horse stopped in front of you, right in front of a large gate that led into a town. The two of them must have been stopped longer than you realized, because you had no time to ask what he was doing before a panel in the wood slid open and a pair of eyes appeared in its place.

“What is your errand in Bree?” asked the man to whom the eyes belonged.

“We are Rangers,” Aragorn answered. “We seek shelter at the inn.”

“Bit late to be out in this weather in’t? Even for Rangers.”

The panel slid shut once more. You thought that you had been rejected entrance into the town. It would not have been the first time. Aragorn was not terribly popular among those who did not know him. A moment later, however, the gates  opened. 

The man from earlier appeared in his entirety, carrying a lantern in one hand and peering into the dark beyond. He impatiently waved you both forward. “Well, come along, before you catch cold.”

“If there is cold to catch, we will already have caught it,” Aragorn replied. He was every bit as drenched as you were, with his hair flattened and stuck to face and his clothes equally stuck to his arms and legs. “But we thank you for your kind concern.”

Better to let him do the talking. You simply nodded to the guard as you passed with your horse, then followed Aragon in silence. It was only several minutes later–and after the two of you had gone much deeper down the vacant road through the town–that you gave voice to your concern:

“Why are we stopping? It is unlike you.”

“It will do no good for the horses to continue like this. Even if we do not fall ill, they might, and I dislike the idea of purchasing new mounts. These know our ways by now. A new pair might not be so easily trained.” 

All this he said with his eyes on the street ahead. When he stopped, he did so at the head of a path leading to a large building marked with a sign declaring it to be the Prancing Pony. At last, Aragorn focused his gaze upon your face and went on:

“If you will take the horses to the stable, I will get us a room.”

Having never visited Bree yourself, you acquiesced readily to his request of handling business matters himself. In the stables, you found a Hobbit, friendly and willing enough to house both horses once you explained the situation. You left your name so that he could find you for payment should Aragorn neglect it–not that he would–and walked the muddy road back up to the inn to arrive there not twenty minutes after having parted ways with your companion. 

Inside, you found him speaking with a plump, bald man you assumed to be the owner.

“Ah,” said the man upon your arrival. “This would be the woman, then?”

“Yes,” Aragorn said.

The man took your hand in both of his and shook vigorously. “Butterbur, Barliman Butterbur, if you please, madam,” Butterbur said as he released you, before promptly returning his attention to Aragorn. “I suppose you’ll be wanting supper and a hot fire.”

“The latter most definitely,” Aragorn said. “But not the supper. We have eaten on the road, and there is no need to rouse your kitchen staff at such an hour.”

Butterbur looked relieved at not having to expend more time and energy on Aragorn than necessary. Although the innkeeper’s words were polite, his body language indicated your friend’s presence unnerved him. Aragorn could have that effect on people. He knew how to handle them; it was one of the reasons you trusted him so implicitly. 

“I will have Nob prepare a room and a fire right away. Until then, you may rest in the parlor. There’s still a fire going there, and I doubt you’ll run into any other guests. Everyone else has long since retired,” said Butterbur.

Both of you murmured your thanks and moved down the hallway into another, better-lit room. You stood directly in front of the fire, close enough to see Aragorn’s face through the shifting shadows, but far enough away that touching him would have been difficult. Neither of you spoke for a very long time.

“We will leave as soon as the storm stops tomorrow,” he said finally, and stepped closer to you as he did. “Hopefully all signs of our prey will not be lost in the rain.”

“If you were so concerned with losing our ability to track him, why stop? It was not for the horses at all, was it?” you asked.

One corner of Aragorn’s mouth pulled upward. You could hardly believe it, and turned more fully toward him to get a better look.

“If you decided to take quarters because of me, I will be quite offended.”

“Then you’ll have to be offended,” he answered. “Though you may be comforted in that I did not lie when I claimed concern for the horses. They have not rested in as long as you have, and are equally deserving of doing so.”

“You do realize that I did not frequently stop even before I met you?”

“Of course.” Aragorn inclined his head. “You are unusual, [Name]. There are not very many women in the race of Man that would willingly take up the life of a Ranger, nor for so long.”

“I am not such a rarity as you believe.”

“Perhaps not.” He inclined his head once more, then allowed you an uncommon full smile. “I have been tired, too. Our mark is much more wily than I gave him credit for, and if we take sick as the kind gatekeeper expected, we will lose it longer than if we stayed on the road. We both will benefit from a rest. Please understand that I did not halt our course because I believed you incapable of continuing.”

You smiled back. Men like Butterbur did not have the opportunity of seeing Aragorn’s kindness as you did. He could be just as frightening with you if he chose, but underneath it all, you knew his demeanor was because of how deeply he cared-not just about you, but all of Middle Earth. When at last he returned to Gondor, he would wear his crown well.

“Are you happy now?” he asked.

“I am content,” you said. “Especially in that I have earned the respect of a man such as yourself.”

   The setting sun poked through gaps in the leafy tree branches and shed rays of golden light onto the forest floor.  One of the rays fell just inches from where a slender yet strong hand grasped yours as the other tenderly applied an ointment.  Your eyes traveled past the hand, up the sleeved arm, and gazed at the face of the one who tended to you.  It was framed by a curtain of blonde hair that draped over his shoulders.  His expression walked the line between concentration and concern, lips pressed firmly together as his eyes were trained on the task of wrapping your wounded hand.

   “Really, I am alright.  It is just a scrape.”

   Those blue eyes of his flickered up to meet your gaze briefly.  “You should be more careful.  It is no pleasure to see you in pain.”

   “I’m not in pain,” you said, though you were cut off by a wince as Legolas carefully closed the bandage.  “It is a minor injury.”

   His eyes softened at your reaction.  “Here.”  He gave your wrist a small kiss.  “All better.”

   You held up your hand, admiring his work, and smiled.  “Thank you.”

   Legolas mirrored your smile.  “Of course, meleth nin. “  He took your other hand and lifted you to your feet before gathering his bow from a nearby log.  “We should return shortly before night falls.”  Your eyes followed him as he started walking back toward Rivendell.  It wasn’t long until he realized you weren’t following.  Turning to face you at the top of a slope, his eyes found yours inquisitively.

   But you didn’t move an inch.  You merely smiled and watched as orange rays of the last light of day fell on his pearly skin.  Little fuzzy seeds floated in the warm, breezy air, surrounding the two of you.  It was a picture of serenity.

   “I find it fascinating that you happened to be on patrol in this direction,” you said.  “I distinctly remember you saying you’d be heading northeast today.”

   He chuckled softly, twining his fingers with yours.  “Perhaps I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

   “You believe in me so little?” you teased.  “You don’t think I can handle myself on a simple walk?”

   “On the contrary,” Legolas countered, lifting his brows.  “I do think you can handle yourself…So, imagine my surprise when I arrived to find you trudging through the woods clutching an injured hand.”

   Warmth flooded your cheeks at his point.  “It wasn’t that bad,” you muttered under your breath.  But of course, he always heard you loud and clear with his keen ears, so he chuckled again.  The sound made your heart flutter.

   To those on the outside, it was rather strange to see a prince of Mirkwood and a woman from a kingdom of men to be so familiar…But for you, it didn’t feel strange.  It felt comfortable.  Safe. Happy.  You were simply in love.

   As the two of you neared Imladris, the gentle notes of an elvish song could be heard once more.  Legolas gave your hand a squeeze, urging you onto the stone path that led straight to the entrance.  The golden sun sank behind the treeline, concealed from where you stood in the valley.  Before long, the sky fell into shades of darker blue.

   You separated from your mate to get changed into a gown for the evening rather than walk about in your outdoor wear.  The dress was pale green and silky soft, the sheer sleeves draped over your arms as light as air.  Legolas was waiting for you on a stone bridge, where the two of you usually met.  His eyes were focused on the starry sky before him as you approached.

   “It’s a beautiful evening,” you murmured, sliding an arm around his waist.  He reciprocated the gesture, his thumb and forefinger grasping a little bit of your dress material idly.  Being from Mirkwood, it was no surprise that he was still so enchanted by starlight.  Legolas met your eyes and smiled softly.

   “It is,” he agreed.  “And I am so glad to be sharing it with you.  You look lovely.”

   “Thank you.”  Your heart began a canter when he leaned in and pressed an affectionate kiss to your lips.  It was gentle and warm like embers.  Legolas had a tendency to be tender with you at first.  He really did believe in you and realized you could stand on your own two feet, but in the quiet moments between you, he still treated you with such care, as if you were some precious, delicate thing.  You weren’t weak and fragile- just very dear to him.

   You took it upon yourself to deepen the kiss, prompting him to lift a hand to touch the side of your face.  He brushed his lips against your temple and pulled away, keeping his arms around you.  Both of you gazed down into the silver reflection of the starry sky in the water below the bridge.

   The night had grown colder.  The air was like a fresh drink from a cool spring, and it was time for you to part ways.  Legolas gave you one last kiss, holding both your hands in his.  “Sleep well,” he whispered.

   “You too,” you murmured back.

   “I’ll only dream of you.”

   Your fingertips brushed one last time before you separated.  As you followed the mossy, stone path that led back to your quarters, you smiled.  Part of you was always sad when you had to retire for the evening, but Legolas’ seemingly endless patience was starting to rub off on you.  The inhabitants of Rivendell lived very differently than the people in your village.  Things moved slower, more peacefully.

   Crickets chirped outside your room, and a gentle breeze ruffled the curtains.  You changed into nightclothes and curled up under the covers, breathing in the sweet scents of spring flowers that began to sprout on the balcony.  You saw glimpses of Legolas’ face when you closed your eyes.  You saw golden sunlight.  Green leaves.  Glittering streams.

-

You lowered yourself onto a log by the fire with a grateful sigh. After a long day of walking, the thought of a hot dinner and sleep (even on the hard ground) was a relief. Thorin had called for everyone to stop right as the sun neared the horizon. This meant you’d had enough light to set up for the night much faster than normal.

Kili sat down next to you. He smiled and despite your exhaustion, you returned the gesture on instinct.

“Here,” he said while handing you a bowl of soup. You knocked your shoulder against his in thanks.

You, Will, Fili, and Kili had become all but inseparable over the past few months of the journey. Being so close in (relative) age, you all got along very well. You and Kili had grown especially close. He flirted with you non-stop and you had quickly fallen in love with him.

The only problem was that while Kili flirted with you quite a bit, he also flirted with everyone. Including your brother, though only occasionally. You were waiting to be sure he actually wanted to be with you, but if he made you wait any longer you were going to ask him despite your doubts. Patience is a virtue, but virtues are overrated anyway.

You looked across the fire to see your brother all but sitting on Ori. Dori did not look particularly happy about this. Your brother, on the other hand, was giggling like a ditzy maid at something Ori had said. You could see how happy Ori was at having made Will laugh, as he was looking at him with a small affectionate smile.

You wanted to walk over and smack their heads together for being so obtuse. Everyone could see how much they cared for one another but they were both too nervous to do anything about it. You had seen your brother face down a lone warg with nothing but a handful of dirt and a stick. And now he quailed at the thought of admitting his feelings for the quiet scribe. Ori seemed convinced that someone as brave as your brother could never love someone as quiet and shy as him.

You shook your head lightly in exasperation. Will had forced you to listen as he lamented his 'unrequited love' countless times. Despite your many, many (many) attempts to convince him otherwise (and all evidence to the contrary) your brother resolutely believed that Ori could never love him the same.

You thought back to the other night when you’d both been on watch.

“I’m just some human,” Will had said as he looked over at Ori’s sleeping form like a kicked puppy. “How could he ever feel the same?”

You had rolled your eyes then and you rolled them again now. Will often told you that one of these days you were going to roll your eyes so far back into your head they’d get stuck. He hadn’t particularly enjoyed it when you strongly insinuated that it would be his fault.

You were so distracted by your brother and Ori, you didn’t notice the nervous breakdown Kili was having right next to you. He was staring into the fire with some intensity while silently moving his lips to the thoughts in his head. His hand was deep in his pocket, worrying a courting bead.

Fili (who no one was paying attention to unlike you, Kili, Will, and Ori, who had the entire company's attention split between the four of you, with varying amounts of exasperation) was watching Kili with much the same expression you were watching Will with. After a moment he leaned over to his brother and whispered in his ear so that only he could hear.

“Go ask, you know what the reply will be. I’m growing sick of watching you two dance around each other and if you don’t ask soon, I'll ask for you.”

Kili turned to Fili with wide, concerned eyes.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Want to bet?”

Kili really didn’t.

Kili turned to you and gently placed his hand on your arm, pulling you out of your (by this point slightly murderous) thoughts.

“Take a walk with me?”

You smiled brightly at Kili.

“Alright”

Kili leads you to a stream the company had stopped near earlier in the day. He was silent the whole way and while silence between the two of you was usually comfortable, you couldn’t help but notice how nervous he seemed.

“Everything all right?”

He smiled.

“Of course Y/n!”

He still seemed nervous but you figured he would tell you when he was ready. You soon came to the small stream and sat down on a fallen log beside it.

Kili took a deep breath and turned to you.

“Y/N, for months I have been quite taken with you.”

The boldness of Kili’s words and how suddenly he said them took you by surprise. Kili, upon seeing your expression, hastily tried to amend his words.

“What I meant to say, erm, is that I’ve fallen in lo-” Kili coughed “I mean, I would like— Mahal Damn it give me a moment.”

Much to your giddy amusement, the young prince stopped his ramblings and took a breath, gathering himself before he spoke again. His voice was level, though his hands still fidgeted and his eyes were downcast.

“(Y/N), your mind and your beauty have enraptured me. I’ve never met your equal in wit and kindness, not in all the years I’ve been on Middle Earth. I ask for your hand in courtship, if it would please you, for it would surely please me.”

The prince glanced up at you and saw the tears in your eyes. His own widened and he began to pull away as he backtracked.

“However, if you were to refuse me, I would understand… I shouldn’t have assumed you felt the same… I mean, I’m so sorry-“ you interrupted the prince's ramblings by throwing your arms around his neck.

“Kili I would love to court you!”

Kili pulled back just enough to smile at you.

“So you’ll let me braid your hair?”

“Of course! Isn’t that pretty much the same thing as asking me to court you?”

Kili nodded.

“Then I’ve already said yes, you silly dwarf! …. Though my brother might be a bit upset.”

Kili frowned and remained silent for a moment before he asked

“Why? I thought he liked me.”

“No, no he does! It’s just, well, you were supposed to ask him first.”

Kili looked at you for a moment in obvious confusion.

“Kili? Are you alright?”

That seemed to break Kili out of his thoughts and he gained a look of determination. He quickly got up and began striding back towards camp.

You sat on the log for a moment looking after him in disbelief before getting up and jogging after him. You caught up to him and moved in front of him to block his path.

“Kili, Kili stop. Where are you going?” You asked him breathlessly.

“I’m going to ask your brother,” Kili said, clearly confused.

“We can do that later, my love.”

Kili took your hands in his and looked up at you.

“If it’s an important human tradition then I would honor it. Your culture and customs are just as important as my own.”

You wanted to argue further, but he was being so sweet and thoughtful you only sighed. You could also tell this was something he was going to be stubborn about.

“Alright.”

You hadn’t even finished speaking before he resumed dragging you back to camp.

You got back to camp and Fili turned to you with a big smile, which was quickly replaced with a frown at his brother’s intense expression.

Kili quickly walked up to Will and got down on one knee in front of him. Will looked over Kili’s shoulder at you and you shrugged. He turned back to Kili when he started speaking.

“Will, would you do me the honor of courting me?”

Will blinked and your jaw dropped. Silence fell over the camp. Everyone looked either at Kili or each other in bewilderment.

Ori stood up beside Will and glared at Kili so intensely that he’d have died on the spot if looks could kill.

“You knew I was going to ask him to court me! How could you?!”

Your brother (who had been looking at Kili like he’d grown a second head) turned to Ori quickly.

“Wait what?”

“Don’t ask me, it’s some sort of human custom!” Kili said.

You, Will, and Ori all began talking at once.

“Why would you - talking about - FIGHT YOU FOR HIM”

Will turned to Ori with an “Again, what?!”

Kili turned back to you with a fearful and very confused face.

“You said I had to ask him first.”

You blinked at him for a moment then burst out laughing so loudly Oin fell off his log.

The rest of the company stared at you in shocked silence for a moment before Will asked you (or maybe just the world at large) a question.

“What’s going on?”

Unfortunately, you were laughing too hard to reply and poor Kili didn’t understand any better than the rest of them.

Dwalin looked at Ori (who had turned a brilliant shade of red) and then moved to stand between Ori and Kili.

“Kili I think you’d better explain what happened when you and y/n were in the woods before Ori bursts a blood vessel,” He said

By now your face was starting to hurt. Kili looked at you in worry before he began.

“When I proposed Y/n said,” Kili paused here and turned his eyes to the sky as he tried to remember the exact wording “Of course, but you have to ask my brother first.”

Will started laughing too, and by this time you were lying on the ground near passing out from lack of oxygen.

Bilbo came to Kili’s rescue as most of the company was doubled over laughing now, having realized what you meant.

“I think what y/n meant was that you have to ask Will for permission to court. Not that you have to ask him to court you.”

You vaguely nodded as you continued to wheeze on the ground.

Eventually, you stopped laughing long enough to get off of the ground and you wiped your eyes. Kili gave you a slightly betrayed look as Fili used your shoulder for support to keep himself from falling over.

Will had managed to pull himself together long before you, so he was only chuckling when he said “Kili, I give you full permission to court y/n.”

He got far more serious as he turned to Ori who was now calm and growing shyer by the second.

“And I would love to court you, Ori.”

Ori smiled and nodded and they went off to the edge of camp to braid each other’s hair.

You noticed Nori was having to nearly physically restrain Dori from storming over to them.

You turned to a bright red Kili. “Aren’t you supposed to be braiding my hair?”

Kili took your hand and slowly began leading you to the edge of camp.

He sat behind you and while you expected to feel his hands in your hair, you didn’t.

“Kili?” You asked.

When he took a moment to respond you turned around to look at him. He was looking at your hair with a strange mixture of longing and sadness.

You sighed.

“Kili, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, I-“

“Are you sure you want to court me?” He cut you off “I would understand if you didn’t, I mean I pretty much ruined the whole thing.”

“Kili” you whispered as you put your hand on his cheek.

“There is no one I’d rather be with,” you said.

“And besides, just think what a wonderful story this will make,” you said with a smile “plus if you hadn’t, Will and Ori might not have ever gotten together.”

He barked out a laugh.

“Those are very good points, ghivashel.”

“I know, I’m the one who made them.”

Kili pulled you in for a soft kiss. It quickly got more heated and your whole body was screaming for you to climb into his lap. Sudden whooping (from the company members) and exaggerated gagging (from Will and Fili) reminded you that you had an audience.

You lightly slapped Kili’s knee and said “get to braiding” as you turned back around.

He did and you reveled in the feeling of his fingers twisting in your hair.

“Now, tell me what ‘ghivashel’ means.”

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