The moment Kaida stepped inside the kitchen, she was blown away. The entire kitchen had been finished, so much having been finished since the day before. On top of the walls being finished and fully painted, the crew had also installed both stoves, as well as gotten the kitchen sink in place, the water piping placed and running in all the right places. When she turned around to look for the dwarves, she couldn’t find them–not a single one.
“That’s strange. The door was unlocked, the fireplace was going, and the lights were on. They should have been here. I wonder where they’ve gone off to,” Kaida mused, tapping her finger to her lip.
Before Eilaen could offer any suggestions for their whereabouts, the bell over the door rang as the door opened, and the sounds of the rowdy dwarves filtered in from the lobby, the group laughing and joking amongst one another.
When they stepped into the kitchen and saw Kaida, a chorus of cheers rang out. Elkhean pushed through to the front of the crowd and smiled broadly at her. “Happy birthday, Kaida!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Together, the rest of the dwarves circled her, tossing her up on Elkhean’s shoulders.
Kaida’s hands flew to her mouth as she squealed in surprise, her heart thumping rapidly inside of her chest. Please don’t drop me, it seemed to shout within her. “What are you silly dwarven gooses doing? How did you know it was my birthday? I didn’t remember until breakfast, and I’ve been having this same birthday day for the last 26 years!” Her sapphire-colored eyes sparkled with the shine of excitement, tiny tears threatening to well up in them at the thoughtfulness of everyone around her. This was the last thing she had expected to happen when she and Eilaen decided they’d head into the bakery to work on things today.
“Well, ya see, Ms. Eilaen over there mentioned it when she came by last week,” Elkhean replied, nodding his head in the halfling’s direction.
Kaida’s head whipped around to where Eilaen was standing next to her. “You- You told them?” Kaida asked in surprise.
Eilaen nodded before responding. “I came by one day last week to ask you something, but you hadn’t made it back from running an order out to wherever Nadles was that day. I may or may not have mentioned that today was your birthday. And these nice dwarves over here may or may not have wanted to surprise you because in your sweet, amazing, unique Kaida way, you have charmed them just as you do everyone else. Also, I hope you don’t mind, but I may or may not have also invited them to dinner tonight.”
Kaida couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But... But does Ms. Kestrel know? Did she make enough cake? Do I need to make anything? Oh nuts. I need to go bake.” Kaida’s frantic rambling began to increase in speed the more she spoke.
“Kai. Hey Kaida… Oh for goodness’ sake. Kaida Louise!” Eilaen said loudly. Kaida stopped speaking, mouth still gaped open, and looked at Eilaen. Eilaen took a slow, deep breath before speaking again. “We have everything handled. No, you do not need to bake anything unless you want to. Yes, Ms. Kaida does know. Yes, she did make a big enough cake, or she will have made a big enough one by the time we get home tonight. You, my dear friend, are going to calm down and relax. It is your birthday. You’re the birthday queen, remember? Isn’t that what you were telling us just a bit ago while chomping on that delicious, crisp bacon? And no, Kaida, you cannot give me that look. Tell your face to stop speaking.”
Kaida couldn’t remember the last time she was struck silent by Eilaen. Fatter tears began to well up in her eyes as she threw her hands around her friend’s neck and squeezed her tightly. It had been so long since someone else had overseen all of the details and she was left with none to handle. Sniffling, she let go and wiped the tear that tried to escape her eye. Turning around, she faced the dwarves.
You... You are all coming to my house? To celebrate? My birthday? To celebrate little me?” she asked, still sniffling and still in shock.
Elkhean stepped closer to her and pulled her hand into his. Kaida looked down, the familiar strangeness of her small hand cradled inside of his large one not going unnoticed, nor did she miss how nice it felt as his thick fingers curled up around her own. She looked up at him and smiled, her lips quivering from emotion.
“Kaida, why would we not want to celebrate you? You, who are the most unique halflin’ any of us have ever met? You have brought us more happiness an’ cheer than any of us have had in a long time. Not everyone is as kind to us dwarves as you have been, ya know. You even got us addicted to those blasted baked treats o’ yours. Nothin’ under the mountain compares now,” the dwarf said softly, wrapping his free hand around hers.
As if suddenly remembering they weren’t alone, he released her hands and stepped back, blushing. She felt her face growing warm in response yet again, knowing that the entire room had more than likely witnessed the subtle shift in their relationship. She watched as he took a long step backwards and heard him clear his throat as he smiled at her, the corners of his sparkling eyes crinkling as he did.
“Alright, ya lazy brood. If you want to be eatin’ anythin’ at Kaida’s when we go an’ celebrate tonight, I suggest you be gettin’ back to work. We have lot to do before we stop for the day.” Before he turned to face the crew, he looked at Kaida. “By the way, your table decoration whatevers were delivered just before we left. I left ‘em on the table in the back corner.” And with that, he turned to pick up the saw on his left and began to work on the countertop he’d created for the island.
Kaida and Eilaen left the kitchen to find the package. The tablecloths and linens were the prettiest icy blue Kaida had seen. As she unfolded each of them, she couldn’t stop the squeal that released or the little dance that her feet would do at the sight of them. Eilaen helped her drape them across the tables as they went across the room. The sight was a breath of fresh air. Kaida was ecstatic to see her dream panning out. This had been an amazing birthday, and she wasn’t even halfway through the festivities.
As she and Eilaen worked together on decorating and cleaning the dining area, her mind went back to Elkhean and the moment they shared in the kitchen just a bit ago. What did it even mean? she asked herself, his words spinning around her head over and over again. Surely, he doesn’t… No, nobody has ever wanted me romantically. I’m sure I’m just misreading it. After all, we’re just friends. Just… Friends. Aren’t we?
Hours later, she and Eilaen dusted the lint off of their hands and let the dwarven crew know they’d see them at the farmhouse soon, the bell chiming as they opened the door to leave. Their ride home was fairly quiet, both halflings tired from the hard work they’d put in at the bakery. Once home, they took turns bathing and getting changed. As Eilaen waited on Kaida to finish, she put on a kettle of water and poured the both of them a cup of tea.
Eleven
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.
