Chapter 5

Ornella was oblivious to the pair of golden eyes watching her, engrossed in her gardening. The watchful eyes belonged to the skin-changer who was currently leaning against his house, arms crossed and eyes glued to Ornella. Draped over his arm was a simple dress made from the soft material he used for his own clothing. Her current dress was only a rip away from being useless. Simple as it was, the dress was his way of thanking her for her hard work. Yet, as he stood by waiting to present it to her, he was growing increasingly restless.

Ornella hummed contently to herself as she tended to Beorn's garden. She would wipe the sweat off her brow every now and then with the back of her dirt-smudged arms, unknowingly getting dirt on her face. She would release a loud sigh now and then after realizing she was holding her breath, a habit she formed when working.

In the month that followed since her arrival, Beorn would come to find the woman's company was not as bothersome as he anticipated. She stayed true to her word and had been a great help to him. He was impressed with her work ethic; she never seemed to run out of energy. Aside from the very heavy workload and his bee pasture, she left little for Beorn to do – it was quite boring. Yet, he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy watching her.

She and her companions gained weight swiftly thanks to Beorn's honey cakes. Ornella, in particular, who couldn't get enough of them. The more she ate, the more she filled out her raggedy dress. She developed color on her washed-out cheeks, her large eyes pronounced. The bruises and scrapes on her face were completely healed, revealing smooth, unblemished skin. She had a bit to go - they all did - but she looked much healthier than when she first arrived.

From her foreign coloring to her mysterious background, he was finding himself as fascinated by her as his animals were.

She is lovely, is she not? Mara's voice nearly startled him as she approached him from behind.

She trotted alongside her foal to stand beside Beorn. He peeked briefly at Mara through the corner of his eye before looking back at the silver-haired woman he had been caught eyeing from a distance.

"Aye," Beorn finally breathed out, "It has also been a long time since I have seen a woman."

Mara snorted disapprovingly at the stubborn man.

He wouldn't admit it out loud but the more he saw her interact with his animals, the more he began to notice the beauty Mara spoke of. Animals gravitated towards her gentle nature. She fed them before she would even feed herself. From his largest bull to the tiniest mouse, she treated and handled them all with care and importance. The way she tended to his garden was also done in the same manner. To see a human value and respect all life forms as strongly as he did was indeed unusual. In Beorn's experience, humans were selfish and undervalued other living things they deemed lesser than themselves just as dwarves did... but not this particular human.

He was lost in thought, unaware that he was staring blankly at Ornella who had looked up from her gardening to see him standing in the distance. Their eyes met but as always, she was the first to look away, flustered. His habit of leering at her unapologetically was something she was only just getting used to.

Her fear of Beorn had worn off over the course of the last several weeks. As his own suspicion and irritation with Ornella also faded, she was beginning to know him beyond the harsh exterior. Their shared love of animals was the topic of conversation most of the time.

Just as he had become absorbed in the strange woman, she was continuously in awe of him. She caught herself admiring his physical strength in wonder more often than she cared to admit. His eyes that she once found unsettling were now ember pools of wisdom. His voice once harsh and intimidating was now a deep, soothing rumble as he shared stories that left her enraptured. Each conversation left them wanting to know more about the other.

Will you watch her until the sun disappears or have you forgotten it is dinner time? Mara broke Beorn out of his trance.

Ornella was now standing up, looking down at her filthy dress and arms. She was trying to pat the dirt off of her dress but only made it worse, much to Beorn's amusement. They began to walk in each other's direction, meeting halfway. His lips twitched slightly at the sight of her dirt-filled face like a child who had come from running through the mud.

"Is it dinner time already?" She questioned, "I suppose we better start cooking."

"Worry not about cooking tonight," He offered, nodding towards her dirty dress, "Rest and clean up."

His eyes peeped the slight reddening of her cheeks, mistakenly assuming he had embarrassed her. It was quite the opposite actually; Ornella was just getting used to his generosity. Never in her life would her former master allow her time to bathe whilst starting dinner.

"Here," He finally offered her the dress, ignoring the winding effect it had on his stomach.

Ornella blinked, looking at him then at the dress again before slowly reaching for it with dirty hands. Her eyes glittered with something unfamiliar to him, making him uneasy. The dress itself was unextraordinary but a thousand times better than the one she had worn to rags. Beorn was beginning to wonder if maybe she didn't like it and was finding a polite way to tell him so.

He stopped breathing when she finally held it against her chest, looking up at him as if he were a deity who bestowed an ancient relic upon her.

"You made this for me?" She asked in disbelief.

He shrugged nonchalantly despite the flutter in his stomach.

"You have aided me well, I wished to return the favor."

She gave him her largest smile but she may as well have punched him in the stomach for it had the same effect.

"Thank you," was all Ornella could bring herself to say, deeply touched.

Beorn shifted where he stood, filled with a sudden need to leave her presence.

"I will see you for dinner," He nodded curtly, leaving the woman to continue admiring the soft, wool dress.

Later That Evening

Beorn and Ornella prepared dinner in silence, the kitchen filled only with the sound of chopping vegetables and Ornella's gentle humming. Silence between them had once been uncomfortable but now it was rather nice. She had insisted on helping him cook the past few days and it quickly became a routine they both secretly looked forward to. Ornella, however, was unaware of the battle Beorn was currently fighting in their uncomfortable quietude.

Appearing in her new dress made Beorn instantly regret making it for her. Unlike her old dress, this one fell against her form in an unintentionally flattering manner. It only emphasized her growing health; she had gone from living off of scraps and moldy bread to someone who ate as much as she could physically handle and it showed. She must have noticed as well because she felt the need to point it out.

"I will be as large as the great bear himself if I continue at this pace," She had joked upon entering the kitchen but the laugh that followed told Beorn that she didn't mind the idea.

He had said nothing in response though he would be a liar if said he hadn't made the tiniest of glances at her form after she mentioned it. He felt a twinge of shame – what would the innocent woman make of his thoughts? She would very likely be outraged and rightfully so. He wished she hadn't said anything at all, his insides set aflame when he would catch himself eyeing her wide hips.

Ornella only mentioned it because the realization that she was no longer just a bag of bones was exciting for her. She would catch her reflection sometimes, admiring it. She once did everything she could to avoid looking at herself and now she couldn't stop. She looked like how she felt and what she felt was healthy and happy.

"Ow!"

Beorn glanced over his shoulder to see Ornella holding her finger as it began to quickly pool and drip with blood, the knife dropping to the floor loudly. Beorn shook his head, quickly grabbing a clean rag.

He walked to her and grabbed her hand before she could protest, wrapping the rag around her finger. He applied enough pressure to stop the bleeding, looking down at her disapprovingly. His expression softened when he noted she was staring at her finger, her face contorted in a way that made him extremely uneasy. She looked like she was ready to burst into tears.

"This is a result of impatience in your tasks. Let this small consequence be your lesson," He admonished her almost gently.

"It is quite deep, you know," She defended herself, her voice a tad shaky.

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears but they did not fall.

"You will live," He assured her, the deep frown he received entertaining.

She looked back down at her hand, drawing her lower lip into her mouth as she sunk her teeth in the tender flesh to distract from the current pain she was in. Beorn's eyes locked on her full lips, inadvertently squeezing just a tad bit harder but it alarmed her enough to quickly place her hand over his.

"Ow, that hurts!"

"I have done nothing," He replied simply as he willed himself to ignore the feel of her petal-soft hand over his, "Hold it as I am."

He released her quickly, unable to trust his thoughts, "I will finish. Clean yourself up."

Ornella dismissed herself all too eagerly, blissfully unaware of the torment Beorn experienced at the mere touch of her hand.