By the time they’d both bathed, changed, and drank their tea, Ms. Kestrel was knocking on the door. Her arrival was closely followed by Jareth’s, who knocked twice before letting himself inside. The four of them sat in the den so that Jareth and Ms. Kestrel could hand Eilaen the gifts they’d gotten for her. The first gift she selected was the gorgeous sparkly blue bag Ms. Kestrel had brought with her. Kaida let out a loud gasp when she opened it. Inside of the bag was a set of professional cooking utensils, the handles painted in the same shades of blue and brown Kaida had chosen for the bakery. Jareth, too, had gotten her something for the bakery. Instead of being something small and easily portable, though, it was large and heavy. So heavy, in fact, that Jareth had barely managed to get it into the house by himself. Taking the paper off of the box and reading the lettering printed across the side, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. The box held a brand new, shiny hot chocolate machine unlike anything she had ever seen. 

Her head whipped around to look at Jareth. “Jareth, I cannot accept this. It’s too much!” Her excitement was barely contained and she felt as if she was going to explode. 

“Yes, you can. And yes, you will. It’ll be perfect for the bakery! You mentioned a few weeks back that you wanted one for in there near where you were putting that table near the fireplace. Though, you’ll need some fancy mugs…” Jareth trailed off, his lip twisting up and brows furrowing in though.

“An’ that’s where I come in,” a familiar voice ran out from the entrance of the den. 

Kaida didn’t even have to turn to know who it was but she smiled anyway. Like he often did at the bakery, he’d entered so silently she hadn’t even known he’d arrived. When Elkhean walked around the couch, he gently placed a large, wooden crate down on the table in front of her. With the pry bar connected to his hip, he popped the top of it off with ease. Kaida stood, having to stand on the tips of her toes, and peered in the box. Even still, it was almost too tall to see, so he picked the crate up and sat in on the floor just as gently as he had the first time. 

Nestled inside the crate were the most beautiful ceramic mugs she’d ever seen. They appeared to be intricately hand painted with cookies, some with bites taken out of them, some with crumbles underneath, and some left whole. She gingerly picked one up, barely wanting to breathe on it for fear that she’d shatter it. On the front of them, a plaque with the words “Kaida’s Place” was painted, the sign matching the one Elkhean had hung in the kitchen.

Her eyes grew cloudy with tears. Of all the thoughts she had at that moment, the most pressing one was that she couldn’t stop wondering what this big, handsome, brute of a dwarf thought of her constant affinity for conjuring tears when faced with all kinds of situations. This time, however, she didn’t bother to wipe the tears off of her face as she looked at him, barely noticing the other dwarves that had filled the room since he’d walked in. 

“These are the most beautiful mugs I have ever seen in my life, Elkhean. Thank you so much.” Leaning in, she gently placed a kiss on the sliver of cheek not covered by his beard and patted the other with her hand.

“You’re welcome, Kaida. Bronn’s wife painted ‘em. She said it was her thanks for the treats and for gettin’ him to shut his hole every once in awhile,” he said, smiling back at her and wiping the tear away that was now streaming down her cheek. “I figured a beautiful halflin’ deserved beautiful mugs for the bakery of her dreams. Even if they couldn’t possibly match her beauty.”

Unlike earlier at the bakery, Elkhean didn’t step back from her this time. Instead, he stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. Without any hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his neck as far as she could, allowing him to embrace her. After a few moments, they released one another and stepped apart. Kaida could feel the heat as it crawled across her face, and the look she saw sweeping across Elkhean’s made it spread even faster. Kaida looked down at her feet and clasped her hands together, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly. 

Ms. Kestrel stood and announced she was heading into the kitchen to begin dinner and invited Eilaen to go with her. Jareth, sensing that Elkhean and Kaida needed a moment alone, motioned to the others who followed himbut not before waggling their eyebrows at Kaida or hollering at Elkhean when they passed by the two of them. Once they’d left, Kaida looked at Elkhean, pleased to see the pinkess that had swept across his face was still visible. At least it’s not just me. Nuts. Why am I like this? And why is he just staring at me? Did I do something wrong? Have I read into this? Crackers. I knew I did. I knew it.

Before she could say anything, Elkhean, who was still staring at the floor, cleared his throat and mumbled something that she was unable to hear well enough to understand. When he saw the look of confusion on her face, the dwarf coughed and took a deep breath before looking up at her again. “Kaida, I want you to know that I think you are amazin’ an’ nothin’ like anyone I ever met before. When I met you on that first day, I knew there was somethin’ special ‘bout you. An’ I just want you to know that I have enjoyed workin’ in the bakery an’ getting to know you. The problem is, you see, our work is comin’ to an end soon an’, well, I don’t wanna stop bein’ ‘round you. I- I’ve kinda grown to.. Well, the thing is...” his voice trailed off as he took another breath and tried to collect his thoughts. “The thing is, Kaida.. I really like you. Well, more than like you. I’m interested in pursuin’ somethin’ more with you, if you are also interested in that sorta thin’. Cus like I said, Kaida, you’re somethin’--no someone– incredible an’ I wouldn’t ever forgive myself if I didn’t at least ask ya.”

Kaida stood still, unable to respond. This was the last thing she’d expected to happen. The longer she stood without speaking, the more nervous Elkhean appeared. He opened his mouth more than once to say something, but stopped himself each time as if he was trying to give her time to process and respond. 

When her brain finally caught up and fully processed what he’d said, she took his hand into hers. “Elkhean, this was the last thing I would have thought to have happened today. I honestly thought it was all in my head and to hear all of those kind and wonderful things you said. To hear you speak about how you see me in a way that nobody other than Ellie has ever seen me… It wholly took me by surprise. I just… I don’t…” She stopped speaking for a moment and tried to calm her thoughts so that she could speak without inserting her very large, very hairy foot into her mouth and ruining this moment. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a large breath before trying to speak again. “I never thought anyone would ask me to be more than friends or want to pursue anything with me. And I’m scared that if we do this, if I say yes, that you’ll change your mind once you realize I’m honestly not all cookies and cake batter. I’m just... I’m a whole mess. Honestly, you haven’t even seen the mess that I can be, or the mess that I can make. I’m scatterbrained with everything except baking. And I can’t even cook! The only reason I haven’t starved is because I let Eilaen cook so everything is actually edible and not burnt to a crisp. I ramble a lot, in case you haven’t noticed, and I have such a terrible temper some days. And when I bake, I put my all into it and block out everyone and everything around me. And on top of that, I don’t… I don’t want you, yes you the wonderful and kind and amazing dwarf that you are and that I have grown to care for. I don’t want you to be the next person to find out who I am and say that I’m too much.”

His gaze softened as he looked at her. She knew that he had no way of knowing how hard it was for her to be as emotionally vulnerable with him as she was currently. In the back of her mind, she was desperately hoping it wouldn’t change his mind about pursuing a relationship with her. She didn’t want this to end before it had actually started. It felt like eons before he spoke and time started again.

“Kaida, do you honestly think I’d go into this without considerin’ the ways that you might be a mess? Or thinkin’ ‘bout all the ways that you might think that I am a mess? Whether you know it or not, I know more about the ways you are a mess than you think. I’ve seen you get frustrated an’ angry when tryin’ to get somethin’ just right an’ it doesn’t wanna go your way. Kaida Love, if you, who is the one person who holds the most sunshine in my life, are not all cookies and cake batter, then I can promise I’m not either. But whether you realize it or not, you could never be too much. Not for Eilaen, not for Smallburrow, and definitely not for me. You will never be too much for me, Kaida. So if me bein’ able to spend my days with you means that I have to spend every day remindin’ you o’ that, then I’ll gladly do so.”

He brought her hand up to his face and gently pressed his lips to her fingers. Even with this, all she could think of was how amazed she was by how small her hands looked in his. Before she could form the words to respond to him, they heard the sounds of everyone coming into the den from the kitchen. In only a few moments, the room was filled with the joyful noises of Eilaen’s, Jareth’s, Ms. Kestrel’s, and Elkhean’s voices rang out with something off-tuned that was supposed to sound like “Happy Birthday”, while the other dwarves were cheering her name and singing “for she’s a jolly good halfling!” When they were done singing, they all clapped and Kaida closed her eyes tightly, made a wish, and blew out the large candle.

The ten of them went into the dining room and sat the cake on the table where Ms. Kestrel cut and served it. When she was passing plates around, she made sure to hand Kaida the largest piece from the corner, more specifically the one with the most icing. They all partied and had fun, dancing around the kitchen and laughing the night away. Kaida laughed until she cried, happier than she had been in so long. The family she celebrated with today was the only family that she wanted to be with. It was the family she chose and would forever cherish.

Almost as if she’d only had time to blink, the large clock next to the den’s entryway rang eleven o'clock. Noticing the time, Ms. Kestrel, Jareth, and the dwarves announced that they all needed to head home and thanked Eilaen and Kaida for allowing them to celebrate Kadia and her birthday with them. 

Kaida walked everyone to the door and bid them all a goodnight, hugging each of them just before they stepped through the doorway outside. Elkhean was the last to leave, almost as if he were giving her time to answer him before leaving. With a tender hug and a peck on the cheek, he wished Kaida a final happy birthday and stepped outside. 

Just as the door was closing, she found her voice. “Elkhean, wait.” The door stopped, and he reappeared on her side of it, making sure it was shut so the cold air wouldn’t blow in. “Before you go... Yes. I do want to have a relationship with you, and not just a friendship. I don’t want to stop seeing you every day when you’re done and I want to be around you as much as I can. You’re amazing and wonderful and sweet and kind. Even if you don’t show it. You make me feel warm and fuzzy. And safe. You make me feel safe. And I’m sorry it has taken all night to find the words to say it out loud to you. Unless you’ve changed your mind since earlier this evening. If that’s the case then-” 

“Kaida. Please stop talkin’. You’re ramblin’, Kaida Love. I haven’t changed my mind but if you don’t stop tryin’ to get me to, then I’m goin’ to have to grab a han’ful of snow an’ throw it at you,” he replied, smiling and he leaned in a kissed her forehead. “I’ll see ya in the mornin’ at the bakery.” 

Before the cold air could even reach where she stood, he had closed the door behind him, and she heard his name benign chanted when he’d caught up with the rest of the dwarves. For a moment, Kaida could have sworn she’d heard the sounds of the dwarves singing their mountain songs as they walked down the road. With a sigh of happiness, Kaida walked into the den where Eilaen sat on the sofa, snuggled up with a cozy blanket, their cups of tea on the small table in front of her. The two halflings squealed in delight as Kaida filled her in on all of the details from the two conversations she’d had with Elkhean since he had arrived at their home. 

Moments before the clock struck twelve and her birthday officially ended, Kaida and Eilaen slowly drifted up the stairs, bid one another goodnight, and slipped off into their rooms. She slept peacefully, her dreams filled with happy thoughts of a certain dwarf and a certain halfling living happily ever after, baking cookies and cakes for the rest of their days.

Twelve

Three weeks had passed since her birthday, and it was finally time for Kaida to stand inside of the finally finished kitchen in Kaida’s Place for the first time. Her eyes were lined with tears as she turned in a full circle to see everything in its place. It was so much better than she could have even imagined it would have been. Both of the stoves were positioned against the wall where the door was, their placement perfect for moving things back and forth from the counters or island. To the side of one, the counters stretched across the length of the kitchen wall, her shiny stainless-steel sink settled directly in the middle. Beside the other sat the giant cold box for her cold ingredients such as butter, milk, and cream. 

In the center of the room sat the island of her dreams. It stood to her hip with the butcher’s countertop stained in the darkest, richest brown she’d ever seen. Specialty crafted shelves lined each of the four sides where her bowls, pans, and other baking dishes could stack perfectly. Her brand-new utensils from Ms. Kestrel rested on top, right in the middle for all to see. Every one of her most used ingredients had their own place, the shelves still needing to be stocked with the actual ingredients. Even with all of the beautiful work that each member of the dwarven crew had worked their heart as soul to accomplish, Kaida still could not deny that her favorite addition to the kitchen was the sign crafted just for her by the most wonderful dwarf of all. 

A knock on the door startled her as it informed her that she wasn’t alone. It swung opened as she turned, and Eilaen popped into the kitchen. “It’s beautiful, Kaida. Absolutely beautiful. I can already smell the cookies and pies baking. And the space. Look at all of this space!”

“You know what the best part of it all is, Ellie?” Kaida asked with a smile on her face.

“No. More. Kitchen. Tillard,” the two halflings said at the same time before erupting into a fit of giggles.

“Oh. By the by, Ellie. I don’t suppose you happened to see whether a delivery had been made when you got here?” Kaida asked.

“I didn’t. But then again, I didn’t look very hard either. There are so many boxes in there that need to be unpacked that I could have easily missed anything new,” Eilaen replied, looping her arm around Kaida’s.

The two of them left the kitchen and walked around the dining area, unpacking and placing items on tables, walls, and the hot chocolate bar that Kaida had positioned behind the register counter. The beautiful glass pastry cases had been delivered the day before, and the dwarves had helped Kaida line them up against the wall closest to the door. Elkhean and Jareth had then spent the entire afternoon hanging curtains and the faerie lights over the large front windows so that Kaida and Eilaen could put the tables and chairs in front of it. 

After they’d unpacked all of the crates and had put everything in its place, Eilaen told Kaida she was leaving and would see her at home for dinner. “Make sure you invite Elkhean over tonight! Ms. Kestrel said she misses him. He’s not been over in a week and I think she loves him more than us at this point,” she yelled as the door closed behind her.

Kaida shook her head and laughed. Elkhean had been fully grafted into their little family without any hesitation, as had the rest of his little group. Everything was coming together so beautifully, and Kaida couldn’t remember the last time that she felt so happy and whole. Her dream bakery was so close to being ready for its grand opening. All it was missing was ingredients and a few more things she was waiting to be delivered. Not only had she come to Smallburrow less than six months ago and had immediately been accepted by everyone in town for who she was instead of what she could do, but she’d been able to piece together an amazing family with her best friend. The cherry on top of it all was that she had even been able to find someone who cherished her for being herself when she’s almost given up on anyone deciding she was worthy of their love and attention.  

Taking a step back, she smiled and sighed. This truly was a beautiful life she was living. She walked to the register counter and opened up the two crates that had been placed there when she arrived that morning. They were both stamped with the word “fragile” in bold red lettering and she had a good idea of what was included inside of them. She squealed loudly when she lifted the item from the first one, delighted that her hunch had been proven to be correct. Inside each of the crates was a custom-made glass cake dome that would be placed on either side of the register that sat on top of the counter. 

Placing them where she had envisioned them, she clapped her hands in excitement. Now all that was missing was the register itself, which should have been delivered the week before but had yet to make its appearance. She’d decided the night before that if it hadn’t arrived by the time she was leaving the bakery that day, she would have Elkhean go with her to stop by The Gnomish Goods when she went to to Lyrica so she could get the rest of the utensils and bakeware, as well as place bulk orders for all of the ingredients she needed to prep the bakery for opening day. 

Kaida smiled when she heard the sounds of dwarvish cursing outside the bakery and shook her head. The bell over the door rang as Elkhean walked in with a large crate in his hands. “Where can I put this down at, Kaida Love?” he asked. His voice was slightly strained as he struggled under the weight of the crate in his hands as he hoisted it across the room.

“The register counter. Please mind the cake domes! They just came in and they are gorgeous!” she replied in her sing-song way.

When he placed it on the counter, he stepped back and took a deep breath. “Ya know, I’m not sayin’ I’m the strongest dwarf on this side o’ the moun’in, but I didn’t expect that box to be so heavy. What’s in it, anyway?”

“I have a sneaky suspicion that I know what it is, but I’m not really sure. Let’s find out together!” she replied enthusiastically. 

She pulled a chair over to the counter and stood up in it so she could see, and Elkhean held her hand as she stepped up on it to keep her steady. The top of the crate was barely secured, making it easy to pull off. The moment Elkhean had it dislodged from the crate, she threw it to the side. When she saw the crate’s contents, she let out a squeal so loud that it could have broken the windows. 

“My register!” she exclaimed. Without remembering she was standing in a slightly unstable chair, she did a happy dance, only to cause the chair to wobble. Just as she was falling off of it, Elkhean’s hands caught her. After helping her stand on the ground and making sure she was steady on the ground, he looked at her with his eyebrow cocked.

“You gotta be more careful than that, Kaida. You coulda fallen and cracked your head open. Then you may have forgotten all about me and I woulda had to woo you all over again,” he said, attempting to assume a stern facial expression and stance. 

With her hands on her hips, Kaida stuck her tongue at him. “I’ll have you know, Mister Dwarf, that I am very graceful. And even if I would have fallen and forgotten you, you managed to woo me once. Couldn’t you have done it again?”

“Aye. I’m sure I could. But that’s a lot of work, ya know. I di’n’t think I’d ever actually get to say the words to ya. Opportunity just presented itself, I suppose,” he said, tilting his head to the side.

She smiled and wrapped her hand around his. “I suppose it did.” She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Do you think you could pretty, pretty please get it out of the crate for me?”

Even though she couldn’t have been absolutely certain, she thought she’d seen his cheeks turn pink as he nodded and smiled back at her. He went into the kitchen to grab a ladder the dwarves had left the week before. He unfolded it and guided it over until he was right next to the crate before climbing up the first three steps. With a few grunts and groans, he had the register lifted and asked Kaida to move the crate. He quickly sat it in place as soon as the crate had been moved, the register coming down with a thud. The cake domes shook and Kaida held her breath, terrified that they were going to fall before she would be able to reach them. Thankfully, they stopped shaking just before she could even move a finger and she released a breath of relief. 

With the cake domes positioned on either side of the register, Kaida took a step back to see the final result. Everything looked perfect! All that was missing were the cookies and pastries she was planning on putting under the glass lids. Elkhean descended the ladder, replacing it in the kitchen.

When he’d come back into the dining area, she looked at him, visibly confused. “Aren’t you going to take your ladder with you?”