"One step forward, one to the left, now back, now move to the right, not bad Kili."
Since the restoration of Erebor was almost finished, King Thorin had announced that a grand celebration, complete with dancing, would take place in a fortnight's time. As his trusted friend and former member of his company, he requested that you undertake the special duty of teaching his beloved nephews how to dance. It was important to him that the future heirs of Erebor make a good impression.
You were currently practicing with Kili while Fili sat on the sidelines fuming. Although neither of them had any experience whatsoever, the younger of the brothers was catching on far quicker than the elder, a fact which irritated Fili greatly. He watched for over an hour as Kili advanced to spinning you gracefully around the room and had even mastered a perfect dip.
Laughing and out of breath, you finally stopped him and said "Kili, there's no more I can teach you. You're more than prepared for the party. I'm sure you're going to impress Tauriel greatly."
"I thank you, dear lady," he said, kissing your hand playfully. "Now I am afraid I must leave you to get your toes stepped on by my less than graceful brother. I'll see you later. Don't break her feet, Fee!"
As your best friend walked away, you glanced over to see his blonde sibling wearing a prominent frown on his admittedly handsome features. "You ready?" you asked him shyly.
Kili and you had clicked almost immediately. He was easy to talk to and you felt comfortable being around him. His brother, however, was another story completely. You often caught yourself staring dreamily at his chiseled face and his strong, muscular body. And although you loved the confidence that he constantly exuded, you couldn't help but feel shy and awkward because of it.
"Might as well give it one more try," he sighed as he slowly got up and made his way over to you. You felt your cheeks grow warm and your heart race as he took your hand in one of his and placed the other lightly on your waist. It had been easier when Kili was in the room, but now that you were alone you couldn't fight your nerves.
"Alright, let's get started."
You slowly started leading him in an awkward little box formation, but it didn't take long for the stiff Fili to mess up and stomp on your toes, causing you to cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry, y/n! Are you okay?"
You simply nodded to let him know that you were.
"I'm done with this," he sighed. "I'm never going to learn. Kili's right. I might as well give up now."
"No," you said with a firmness that surprised yourself. "You are fully capable of doing this, Fili. I've seen the way you fight. Your moves are graceful, fluid, deliberate. If you can do that, then you can do this."
"Y/n, fighting is nothing like dancing."
"Yes, it is. It's just like it. Except you aren't trying to kill the other person," you said, earning a chuckle. Placing his hands back into position, you continued "All you have to do is be confident in your movements, and anticipate your partner's."
Slowly, you began leading him again. There were, of course, still some mistakes made, but you refused to let him give up. Within a few hours, he was twirling you around the room like Kili had been earlier.
Successful in your endeavor and exhausted from all that time on the dance floor, you finally decided to call it quits. Fili, being the gentleman that he is, insisted on walking you back to your room.
Most of the walk was silent, but when Fili finally spoke up he said, "I didn't know you paid that much attention to me."
"What?"
"Earlier you said that you'd seen the way I fight. I didn't know you paid that much attention to me...and to my body," he said with a smirk.
Embarrassed and at a loss for words, you continued on in silence without looking at the cheeky young prince. When the two of you finally arrived at your door, he said "You know, you're the only person I've ever danced with, obviously, and I've gotten used to your style. So maybe we should go to the celebration together?"
At first you weren't sure you'd heard him right. Prince Fili, next in line to the throne, was asking you to be his date to an event where he would be in the spotlight in front of hundreds of his kin?
As you stared at him, you let a strangled "I'd love to" escape your lips.
"Great!" Then he leaned forward and kissed you on the cheek before heading off down the hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you waited for Fili to pick you up for the party, you checked your hair and face in the mirror for about the hundredth time. You were so nervous about the evening that you almost jumped out of your skin at the sound of a knock on the door. You opened to find Fili looking absolutely stunning in his most formal attire.
"Y/n, you look...breathtaking."
"Thank you," you said shyly. "You look quite handsome yourself this evening."
"Thanks! Shall we?" he said, offering his arm, which you gladly took.
Midway to the Great Hall, he stopped you and said "Thank you for teaching me to dance. You could have given up on me, and I wouldn't have blamed you for it all, but you had faith in me. I really appreciate it."
"It was my pleasure."
"No, it was mine. You make a great partner for a Prince, y/n." Lowering his voice to a whisper he added, "in more than one way." You couldn't breathe as he leaned forward to press his lips to yours. You were conscious of how soft and smooth they felt against your own, and you practically purred as his strong arms wrapped around your waist to pull you impossibly close to him.
When the two of you finally parted, he whispered "I've been wanting to do that for a long time. I didn't because I thought you loved Kili and couldn't stand me. I was such an idiot, until he finally set me straight."
"Kili did something right for a change," you muttered with a laugh. "We must thank him, but not tonight."
Fili looked at you in confusion.
"Tonight," you continued, "we show him and that she-elf how dancing is really done."
Chuckling heartily, he straightened up and offered you his arm once more. "Let's put them to shame."
With that, you took his arm proudly and let him lead you not only into the Great Hall, but also into the most magical night of your life.
