The Flower In The Flame

Chapter 1

Author's Note: Words in Italic spoken in elvish (Sindarin)

**

"Hello, my darling" his voice and the way he placed a kiss just below her ear never failed to make her toes curl slightly in her stockings.

"I love it when you call me that." She smiled up into his eyes.

"I know." He was entirely too pleased with himself as he kissed the tip of her nose and took the seat beside her. There were papers littered all over the small desk, numbers and columns on most of them, and some small annotations she'd made on the sides. All signs that she was working on the monthly budget. "What's the damage?"

"Well, Tilda needs new shoes and Sigrid swears if she doesn't get a new shawl that she'll just die."

"So much for skipping the dramatics." He teased before going serious once he realized how much this was stressing her out. "I'll speak with Sigrid"

"That's all well and fine my love but Tilda DOES need new shoes. She's worn hers clear through and with how rotted some of these walkways are, I fear for her feet."

"We can't have that can we. Is there anything we can move around?"

"I'm trying but unless we want to go without a couple of meals, I just don't know how to make this work."

"You'll think of something." His faith in his wife was touching, as was the small kiss to her hand, but she was still stressed.

"Just because I can make fire appear out of thin air does not mean I can do the same with money." She let out a breath and pulled one of the papers off the bottom and started muttering to herself. "If I do this then perhaps... no..."

"Fleur. Let it be for now."

"I can't. I need to work this out until I've come up with a solution."

She got like this quite a bit but it wasn't truly her fault, the Fae always were a bit meticulous about things, and with her she simply could not let something be. If there was a way to fix a problem, she'd find it, even if it took her all day. Something her husband knew very well after nearly ten years married to the fiery woman.

"I have one."

"One what?" she still wasn't looking at him but he knew she was listening all the same. Her ears were not as pointed as the elves but her hearing was just as good.

"A solution." That caused her to pause, put the pencil down and turn to face him with her very best 'I'm listening' expression. "Thranduil asked me to pick up some extra barrels over the next couple of months. I wasn't sure about it at first because that means you're here alone, but he said he'll pay me double."

"Which would pay-"

"Pay for her shoes." The sigh she let out saw all the tension leave her body and she quickly threw her arms around his neck and kissed him for all she was worth. "Good to know you won't miss me." He teased.

"Please, it takes you all of an hour to get the barrels. It's all the time you spend talking to the fishermen and Percy that makes you late for dinner."

"You have me there love" he smirked, kissing the side of her head "I still do not relish in the thought of you being alone."

"But I'm not alone. I have the kids."

"You know what I mean Fleur. Alfrid isn't interested in Bain or the girls but he's had his eye on you since..."

"Since I moved here, believe me I know, but that didn't exactly work out in his favor did it?"