Thank you so much to all my wonderful reviewers! Your encouragement means so much to me. I would also like to thank Littlefish and my own Prince Charming for betaing this chapter.

Please bear with me on the shortness of the chapter. The next one will be much longer, I promise! ^_^

Idle Words

Benoni awoke to the creak of the door. The Elf entered with his head bowed so his wispy blond hair partially hid his face. Keeping his eyes averted, the ethereal captive withdrew to the corner of the room and began rummaging through various bottles on a small table. The sound of liquid being poured reminded Benoni of his raging thirst. He eagerly drank the herbal water the Elf brought him. Again, the aching human felt the soothing relief of whatever concoction the Elf had made.

Benoni settled back on his stomach, but propped his head up so he could still see the Elf, although he seemed to be avoiding Benoni's glance.

"Thank you," croaked Benoni.

The Elf's head shot up, eyes widened slightly. He quickly dropped his head again and focused intently on the herbs he was wrapping.

"I have done nothing worth praise."

An awkward silence laden with memories descended on the room.

Benoni decided to take the conversation in a different direction. "I am not familiar in the ways of the Elves, so forgive me if this is against your customs. I would be honored to know your name. I do not want to keep thinking of you as 'the Elf.'"

The Elf tensed, clasping the cup he happened to be holding so tightly that it shattered. Benoni flinched, fear rising up within him. However, the Elf's anger shattered with the vessel and his shoulders drooped as he began picking up the pieces.

"Thuan."

"Thu…, but that is a Rhun…"

"It is my name," hissed Thuan, turning flashing eyes on Benoni, but the anger could not wholly hide the shame and loss.

Benoni mourned quietly for the Elf. He realized the name had been given to him, whether by Saleros or Naeem he did not know.

"Very well, you who are Thuan, and yet are not. I will call you by this name since it is your wish, but if ever you so choose, I would be honored to know your true name."

Thuan began to tremble from where he was kneeling to clean up the pieces. Abruptly, he let them fall from his hands and with surprising swiftness moved to Benoni's bedside. He knelt before the startled human. Long held-back tears streamed from the Elf's eyes as he clasped the elderly man's hand.

"Forgive me. Please, please, forgive me," Choking sobs prevented further speech, and Thuan let his head droop against the withered hand as he cried.

Benoni struggled up into a sitting position and cradled Thuan's head to his chest. He gently rocked the sobbing Elf, stroking his head much as he had once stroked his own son's long ago. Benoni held Thuan far into the night while he grieved over hurts, tortures, losses old and recent, and the scourging despair of a soul so far from what it was meant to be.

It was past midnight when Thuan's lament began to lull, though his head still hung heavy with despair against Benoni's chest. Sweeping wet strands of hair back from the Elf's face, Benoni leaned over and whispered, "Do not despair that all is lost. Perhaps you have lost in order that you might gain. Sometimes our hearts must be broken before we allow Iluvatar's song in where it ought to have been from the beginning. You are not beyond His song, even here. Perhaps it is here you will learn what it means to sing."

Thuan pushed away, dashing away the tears. "He has no part of this, and if He did then He is no being worth anyone's devotion." Thuan's irreverent words shocked even himself, but the outrage over all that had happened refused to let him repeal them. Frustrated, he turned his ire on the human who had provoked his tirade. "What would you know? You don't know what I've been through. You've had it easy. You almost enjoy being a slave!"

"Do I?" asked Benoni quietly.

Thuan glanced over at the human. Bruises and abrasions could be seen on almost ever part of Benoni's exposed skin. Blood had begun to seep through the bandages that covered his torso, and the human's breathing came raggedly. Thuan turned away, ashamed.

"I do not speak idle words, Thuan. It is true that you have endured much tragedy, but so have I." Benoni broke off, unable to continue for a moment. The ache of old memories seemed to awaken the aches of Benoni's injuries. Physical and mental exhaustion pulled at the old man. He had given all of himself he could for the night. Benoni lowered himself down on the cot, groaning as his body settled on the hard mat. A light touch on his shoulder brought his attention back to the room's other occupant.

Thuan held out a small bowl filled with the healing liquid. Though he refused to meet Benoni's gaze, he held the bowl to the human's lips while the man drank. Thuan turned away as soon as Benoni finished, but the man clasped Thuan's hand, keeping him close a moment longer. The Elf halted, but kept his face turned away.

"Thuan, I forgive you."

Thuan glanced back at the bandaged human with raw eyes before pulling free and fleeing the room. Once out in the hall, Thuan walked faster and faster until he began to run. Yet as fast as his feet flew, they could not outrun the rising blaze within his soul.