The Primrose Path [Kili]

[Flanna]

Flanna was weary, very much so. All she could feel was that she was being laid upon something very soft, and she still knew that Kili was near her. She had not opened her eyes since they had left the caverns, but now she gathered the strength to do so and looked around in questioning. Silence had been her friend, and yet all of Kili's words were so wonderful to her fragile, hurting ears. There was not a part of her that did not hurt when touched, and yet she craved to have Kili's warmth at her side always. She needed him. He was absolutely her only solace at this time, and he was also her savior. He had rescued her from what she thought had certainly been Hell, and there were not words to express how much she was grateful for Kili, how much she loved him.

She was upon a bed.... Not just any bed. It was her own bed, and she was in her own house, and... Ah. She relaxed back onto the sheet and pillows, seeing that Kili was here. There was someone else, and another. Perhaps here to help her. Perhaps they were doctors? She was having an awful time thinking, her mind clouded by sleepiness and by a terrible headache at the forefront of her brain. She blinked and looked round again.

"Kili?...Love?" she asked weakly, wanting only him at her side. Hopefully he understood. She needed him to explain why they were here, those other people, and assure her that she still had fight in her. She had him now... Where was Talar? Croi? Her family... She just needed to see them all, to make sure that she could survive this. They were her strength through all of the darkness in her soul. They were everything to her and she could not handle the thought of losing just one of them. For the world.

One of the others stooped over to touch her, and she could not even bring herself to flinch, so pained and yet numbed was she. They were going to fix her, she hoped. Was one of them a bone-setter? Her ribcage hurt the most. Those bones were the most important, too. Without her ankle, she didn't mind to be, but it hurt as she tried now to breathe, and that was certainly a poor sign. Kili was at her side then. She could make out his face finally, and took a strand of his hair in her good right hand. "Kili..." she murmured, "Thank you, Kili." Her mind strayed and she then asked simply, "Talar?"

[Kili]

Kili had abandoned Thorin in the dust, leaving he and his bride far behind them. At this moment, they didn't matter to him only his wife and he brought the poor beast damn near to exhaustion before he finally made it home. He sent for the best of doctors, the best of medics that Aledon possessed and finally he sent for a stable master. The horse deserved to be retired after the ride he had set it too. If Flanna survived, that horse would be the one to thank. He pushed Croi away, knowing he would regret it later, but knowing the canine would cause more harm than good and when the doctors had arrived, they set to work... of course they didn't last long. A woman Kili knew little than by name came barreling in with a doctor at her side. She practically threw the doctors he had brought away and had to forcibly drag Kili from the room, when Victor had set about mending her rib cage.

She told him that she was a good friend of Leona and that Victor was the best doctor in this world or the next and Kili had reluctantly shut up. It had taken the two of them quite awhile, but finally they had mended Flanna enough to where her life was no longer in danger. They set abrupt leaving antibiotic and pain ointments, instructing Kili on when to give it to her, they moved to Leona's side and that was the last Kili paid them any mind. The woman, Red, Kili suddenly remembered her name, had done him a great favor bringing Victor, her chest, while heavily trapped in a makeshift brace, had only a thin line for a scar. Her leg was fixed, her shoulder reset, she looked worlds better than when she had first gotten here and Kili could not have been happier.

He left her side only for food and drink and to tend to Talar. He brought a handful of nurses in, both to ten to the babe and his wife. he knew nothing of healing and he doubted Thorin did either, they were responsible for changing bandages, checking sutures and anything else the two dwarves were clueless about. When she awoke for the first time, he was tending to Talar, but in the blink of an eye he was back at her side, son in hand. He brushed the hair out of her face and the nurses quickly vacated the room, leaving the two in relative peace.

"Flanna, I love you, so much, Talar is here, fine, healthy, you are beautiful." His words came cracked and fragmented, emotion chocking him as relief flooded his system. He placed Talar upon the edge of the bed, close enough for her to easily see him, he leaned forward, kissing her forehead as gently as he dared. "I love you Flanna. I'm so...so sorry." He hoped she could forgive him for the horrors her body had seen.

[Flanna]

Flanna awoke, her heart heavy; but also was her mind weighted down. She was flooded with the memories of what had gone on since the last time she'd had all her wits fully intact. Her last true memory was of writing something, of rocking Talar on her knee and feeding him... Ah, yes, and she'd been taken by the orcs. Stolen, defiled, harmed... and just as she'd thought she could take no more of it, her lovely, amazing husband had come to rescue her from her Hell. He was hers for all time, and now he was not only her husband but her protector, her true savior. God, did she love him!

Her eyes fluttered open at this memory, this recollection, for she knew he was here. He would not leave her, she knew. As she gained feeling of her body, there were many new sensations there, but a great deal of the pain had been thus dulled. She looked about, to regain the time of day and her senses, and Kili was there. She felt the familiar warmth of water in her throat, and Kili was there. She lay upon the softest of blankets, her body ever cared for by him, and Kili was there. That was it. That was what was important now.

He had returned to her side, just now coming into the room, and her questions were answered. It had been a day or two, she could see now, and she'd been tended to by doctors, nurses, anyone. She was going to regain her strength. She would be a fighter, and live so that she could bear Kili a dozen babes. She loved him. Needed him. And when he came in bearing her son in his arms, she no more had to ask but was simply overglad to see him. "Talar, love..." she whispered with love, joy, hope. He was alright, too. She took her working hand to Talar's sweet face, stroking it.

Then her eyes turned back to Kili, her love. He kissed her, and she giggled ever so slightly, good spirits so quickly returning at their presence. His face was so run-down, so worried. Sorry? "Sorry? Kili, no. Don't... be sorry. You... saved me," she said, trying not to breathe too deeply. "Kili, I love you."

[Kili]

He knew nothing of his wifes agony, other than the simple fact that he knew her to be in exquisite pain. It would be a long recovery for her. There was no remedy for a cracked rib cage, i would take time and patience to heal. The wet nurse had wisely weaned Talar from his mothers breast to cows milk, she had told him he was a bit young to do so, but it couldn't be helped. He would never tell as such to Flanna, the poor woman would struggle to feed him, and she was to lift nothing and have no weight about her chest for several months. Bones took time to mend. Time was something Kili had an abundance of, he just wished his lovely bride would truly heal.

After the doctor had finished what he needed done. Kili had slipped into the room and had not left. Talar's crib had been moved beside the bed and the only time Kili vanished from sight was to retrieve a spot of food for himself, Talar, or Flanna, on the rare chance that she was awake. She didn't seem to register him feeding her at all, but the doctor had warned him of such things. He told him that the pain medication he had given her were from a different realm. Kili had stood up so fast wondering why in Gods name he would want her to stay asleep, fully and intently ready to pulverize the man but Red had slammed him down back into the chair with a strength he had been hopeless to defeat and snarled that she was in excruciating agony and a few days rest would do her wonders... Kili had felt quite the fool and despite his pride apologized profusely.

But Flanna was awake now and seeming a little bit more awake. Her eyes of course, went first to theur son. He was the most perfect thing in all the world, why wouldn't her gaze linger on such a trinket? Talar giggled happily as his mama stroked his face, he reached out to grasp her wrist and dragged a finger into his. He babbled incessantly around the appendage.

"Mamamamamama..." It wasn't really a word, just a string of mindless mumbles, but the message was clear and Kili felt himself choke up at such a prospect. After a moment, he kissed her gently, simply because he could not help himself and God damnit she was breathing and he had never seen something as wonderful as her chest moving beneath the bandages.

"I could have stopped them, I should have Flanna. I saved you from something I should have been there to stop in the first place." His voice was gentle, quiet, but strained. It was killing him to see her so horribly injured.

[Flanna]

Flanna very carefully adjusted her position on the bed, careful not to move anything that could hurt. She needed, for her own good and for, too, the sake of her family, to heal as quickly as possible. It hurt her not only mentally but physically to be away from Kili, and she did not quite understand the massive number of surging reactions that her body was releasing. It was quite simple, really-she just hurt without him there. Kili was her strength and hope and stay, and he was her world. That was why she had to have him here, at her side, for all time. Even now, when he so evidently felt guilty about what had gone on, though she saw no reason for it. Oh, but did she love him.

She looked to him, hoping that he might join her. If she could not touch him, if she could not really feel him there beside her as most damsels in distress were allowed to once their knight in shining armor saved them, she at least wanted him to be near her. She needed him. Him and Talar both, and now they were both here with her. They were her family now, her home, her heart, her soul. She stroked the face of her blessed son, gently and ever so softly, and let her lips rise into a smile as he took one of her fingers in his hand, babbling softy as he did so. He was so precious, and it broke her heart to see such a sweet thing in the arms of such a wonderful man. Even broken as she was right now, she knew just how lucky she was.

After a moment of staring lovingly at her child, Flanna looked to see that her gorgeous husband was nearing her, and he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, which she returned as she dared. Oh! She wanted him right now, and the longing was impossible, but she controlled herself because she had to and looked to him softly. "Kili... I love you so, so very much. Please be not so hard on yourself." She pleaded very gently with him, trying to get him to see that it did not matter.

"This is not your fault. You... you are my savior, Kili. Kiss me again and shut your lips." She smiled at him and looked again to Talar. "How long? Months? I do not wish to be so long bedridden."

[Kili]

Kili adjusted himself, shifting ever so gently as his wife did. Talar bounced between them, shifting excitedly. He babbled his mama's name over and over and over again and Kili wasn't sure if his heart broke for his wife and all the wretched injuries she had accumulated, or for his son, the tiny life that bounced upon his knee babbling his first words, his mothers name, in desperation. It tore in two ways and Kili found himself chocked and at a loss for words. How could he have let something so foul come so close to ripping his family apart? The pale orc was after the dwarves, not Flanna, not his son. He swallowed hard, trying to swallow down the lump in his throat. This was all his fault. He had almost lost everything...to a group of God damn orcs.

He hung his head, willing himself to get a grip. Flanna was here. Talar was safe, they were all at least to the point of survival. He had reclaimed his bride, he had reclaimed what was rightfully his and she would be here. Flanna was alive and given a few weeks, a month or a touch more perhaps, she would be all his, healthy, happy, and whole once again. Her fingers brushing through his hair, against his skin, they were heavenly and they pulled him from his muddled thoughts.

"I will try not to be for your sake Flanna." He mumbled softly, kissing her as gently as he dared, gently he pushed her back to the bed, wishing she would lie still, her injuries would never improve if she insisted upon wiggling about. He obeyed her and kissed her again, gently, softly. Talar squeezing himself between them. "Hopefully not for much longer love. But your ribs need time to mend themselves, your injuries need time to heal. I love you, but I love you more when you are in one piece." He murmured against her mouth, moving as delicately as he was able to the space beside her. Lifting Talar, he set the infant between them, lest she stress without her child.