They had been traveling for many hours by now and it was official, she did not like traveling by pony. She hadn't known her ass could get this numb, and she had become well-acquainted with numb limbs during her kidnapping. At least the sway of the pony's saddle reminded her of the soft pull of the ocean's tide near the shore, but the presence behind her was not something she had experienced before.
The strong chest at her back had made her a bit uncomfortable at first, but after about an hour of sitting stiffly, she relaxed into that chest and found a world of relief to be had. Her lower back muscles eased as she let the sandy-haired dwarf, who she had learned was called Fili and his brother, the dark-haired one, was Kili, take the burden of her weight.
Once Thessa had found a comfortable position, there was naught that could stop her from being pulled into the strong embrace of sleep. It would seem stress could tire a girl out, and she had not been about to ignore rest's alluring call.
She had slumbered peacefully, secure in the saddle thanks to Fili's strong arm draped around her middle, for perhaps an hour or two, maybe three? She had no idea how much time had passed, to be honest, but she could at least tell by the height of the sun's glow that it was around midday.
"Thessalia, if you don't mind my asking, how did you come to be in that man's clutches?" A voice suddenly asked from the pony beside her. She glanced over to where the voice had come from and rested her eyes on the young dwarf to her left. He was obviously the youngest, with light red hair and a short beard to match. He was quiet and polite, but she could tell he had a little spunk under that youthful smile.
"Well- I'm sorry I don't know names very well yet, what's your name?" Thessa asked the young dwarf, feeling a little bad now that she hadn't made an effort to learn her traveling companions' names.
"Oh! It's Ori, my lady," Ori responded with a shy grin.
All the dwarves then started introducing themselves at once, yelling over each other, since they had forgotten to earlier with all the commotion and awkwardness. Thessa's head snapped around as each voice called out their name and she tried to match the voice with the dwarf that spoke it. By the end of the shouting, the only dwarf that hadn't introduced himself to her was the one leading their little party. But she had heard others speak to him and knew from eavesdropping that his name was Thorin.
"Well, Ori," Thessa said, casting a friendly smile at the young dwarf, "that man found and kidnapped me from my home some months ago. I do not know how long ago exactly it was, but it was not the most pleasant experience, I can assure you." The other dwarves chuckled at her answer, causing her to crack a grin of her own.
Thessa had been through quite an ordeal but she still had a sense of humor about her, and she hoped it endeared her toward the others instead of making them suspicious of her. After all, how many women who had been kidnapped and held prisoner for months on end could laugh and joke about the experience only hours after her liberation. Not many, she guessed, so she'd have to keep in mind not to act so cavalier about it in the future.
"And where is your home, my lady?" Fili asked from behind her. She could feel his question reverberate through his chest against her back before the words actually escaped his mouth.
"I am from a small village by the sea of Rhûn," She replied vaguely. It was best that they not know every detail of her life.
"Where are we now? I have no idea where that horrid man was taking me," Thessa asked, steering them away from the personal questions by reminding them of her captor and what he had done to her.
"We are travelling on the Great East road toward the Misty Mountains, miss." Dori, the dwarf with shorter gray hair that was decorated with many intricate braids, supplied.
Thessa had no idea what that meant, but she nodded anyway. She felt she could at least partially trust these dwarves and as long as they could help her find a way back home she would stick with them. Although, she was too embarrassed to ask where the Misty Mountains were or where the sea of Rhûn was in relation to that. If she were to ask where these well-known places were it would no doubt rouse their suspicion.
...
The company rode on in relative silence for a few more hours until the sun was close to setting in the West. Thorin had let them pass some bread and jerky down the line of ponies and their riders since he apparently did not want to halt their progress just to eat.
"We'll make camp there for the night," Thorin called from the front of the group as he pointed to a small area lined with trees just a little way away. The company made their way to the spot Thorin had selected and dismounted their tired ponies and went about setting up camp.
Fili hopped down from their shared steed and then promptly reached up to help her dismount the pony as well.
"Thank you, Fili," Thessa said with a soft smile, although as soon as her feet hit the ground, the rest of her body did as well. Shit.
"Thessalia!" Fili said as reached down to help her up again, brushing the dirt from her arms and back as he steadied her. After the lovely combination of disuse and numbness, her legs were basically useless and Fili's biceps and kindness were the only two things standing between her and the harsh pull of gravity.
The rest of the company quickly gathered around them to see if Thessa was alright and Thorin stomped his way over as well, a dark look in his eyes.
"What's going on here?" Thorin demanded, brows pinched in what looked like barely restrained anger. Seriously, what was this dwarf's problem? He acted like Thessa was evil incarnate, and something told her that he had probably wished by now that he had left her at that inn in Bree.
He glared at Thessa as she was being supported by his nephew, his eyes lingering over the places where Fili's hands gripped her upper arms. It definitely didn't look good on her part, needing to be supported all the time, and she would no doubt have bruises there from all the strong grips that had been used to support her today. And to make matters worse? This was exactly the kind of thing he had warned her about.
"Nothing, Uncle, her legs are still just a little weak from not using them for quite some time. She'll be right as rain with a little rest," Fili explained in her defense. Thessa shot him a grateful smile, but it disappeared when she glanced back to Thorin.
"You better regain your strength soon, woman. We do not have a nanny to spare to carry you around." Thorin turned his back and went to go speak with Gandalf, his anger and frustration practically rolling off him in waves as he stomped away.
Thessa turned to Kili who was now standing beside her and Fili.
"I don't think he likes me very much," she said in a small voice, looking into the dwarf's dark brown eyes. Kili looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile, one that she was sure melted all the female dwarves' hearts.
"He's not as bad as he seems," Kili said lightheartedly as Fili helped her stumble over to sit on a log by the fire before they both left her to take care of their ponies.
Thessa directed her attention to the dwarves moving around her and her gaze connected with Thorin's from across the fire where he stood next to Gandalf. He frowned at her and turned away, leaving Thessa wondering why he disliked her so much.
Thorin had been keeping a watchful eye on the woman they had rescued, and he had to admit she was beautiful, in a modest sort of way. He could seem to help it, his eyes just found their way back to her time and again of their own volition, despite his reminding himself that she was a burden and a distraction to the company.
Her hair was still tied back within that stained kerchief and she was still wearing the tattered clothes they found her in. She was obviously a common woman that came from a poor family. Farmers most likely, he thought.
She had a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and those big doe eyes of hers were a bright, cerulean blue, not unlike the waters of the shallow seas. She was fairly thin, probably due to her kidnapper starving her for months, and when her eyes met his, his breath caught in his throat for a split second.
They stared into each other's eyes for but a moment and Thorin could not find the strength yet to look away from her. He frowned though once he eventually remembered his frustration with the woman and turned away from her after what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds. Why did he react like that?
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked further away from the fire.
"How are you feeling, lass?" Óin asked as he sat down beside Thessa on her log, turning his ear trumpet toward her.
"I'm feeling fine, thank you, Óin," Thessa smiled, making sure to address him by name so that she would hopefully remember them that way. "But I feel like I've upset your leader," she sighed, looking down at her hands in her lap. If he didn't warm up to her quickly, he might make good on his threat and leave her somewhere out here. She didn't think her wobbly legs were that big of a hinderance, but perhaps he was quicker to anger and less forgiving than she had anticipated.
"Don't you worry about him, dear." Óin waved her worries away. "How about you tell me something about yourself, just so we can get to know you a little better. But you'll have to speak up!" Óin shook the little trumpet in his hand with a grin, causing a giggle to slip passed her lips.
Thessa pondered his request as her gaze caught on the dancing flames of their fire. What should she tell him? She didn't want to risk sharing too much information with people she didn't know very well. But she had to tell him something, otherwise they might find that odd and only ask more pointed questions.
"Hmm... I hate the cold. Summer is my favorite season, and I can't stand winter," she said with a grin. Óin chuckled as well and patted her on the shoulder as he stood up again, obviously not worried that the three things she had just told him were all the same thing but in different words. Perhaps he understood her wariness to share personal information with people she didn't know very well?
"Aye, me too lass, me too," he smiled at Thessa as he went help his brother, Glóin, with something.
Fili and Kili finally returned to sit by the fire, one brother on each side of her. The rest of the company also seemed to have finished their tasks and were gathering around the flames.
Suddenly there was a piercing cry in the distance, a shrill cry that she had never heard before. The small dwarf, Bilbo, which did not really appear like a dwarf to her at all, but something else entirely, jerked his head up at the sound.
"What was that?" he asked with an uneasy look. His gaze caught hers and Thessa could only offer him a confused look, as if to say his guess was as good as hers.
"Orcs," Kili responded with a devious grin. "Throat cutters. They come in the wee small hours, no screams, just lots of blood." Kili was obviously trying to scare Bilbo a bit, but Thessa was scared now as well. She had only ever heard of Orcs and had never actually seen one since they didn't like the water too much.
"You think a night raid of orcs is funny?" A deep voice growled as Thorin slowly approached the group from behind. Kili's face fell and he tripped over his words as he tried to explain to his uncle that he was only jesting and meant nothing by it.
"No, you know nothing of the world," Thorin ground out, obviously disappointed in his nephew.
Thessa glanced over to Kili, saw his sad expression and wanted to squeeze his hand or offer him comfort in some way, but she could tell by the clench to Thorin's jaw that the gesture might not be appreciated.
Kili fell silent and dropped his eyes to the dirt as Thessa studied his profile for a short moment. He had the same dark hair, maybe a little more brown than black, as Thorin but he had no beard, unlike his brother. He was also fairly handsome, Thessa thought, it must run in the family.
Just then, Balin spoke up after Thorin had stalked off again to brood further away from the company. Thessa looked across the small fire to the old dwarf with his long white beard as he addressed Kili.
"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." They all gazed after their leader as he stood away from the group by a small cliff ledge, the moon illuminating is regal stature. They turned their attention back to Balin as he continued.
"After the dragon took the lonely mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first." He shook his head, the sad memories most likely plaguing the old dwarf.
"Moria had been taken by legions of orcs lead by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler." Everyone looked around at each other, those who knew of the pale orc shuddered with either memories of the beast or stories they had heard. Thessa had never heard of Azog, but if his name frightened the other dwarves, then she wanted nothing to do with him.
"The giant, Gundabad orc," Balin continued, "Had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began… by beheading the king." Thessa's eyes went wide, she had put together that Thorin was of royal blood, which must be Durin's line based on the story, and so the king must have been Thorin's father or grandfather.
"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless, defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him." Thessa glanced over to Thorin again, both pity and sadness in her heart for the dwarf. She could barely imagine what it would be like if she were to lose her mother.
"A young dwarf prince facing down the pale orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken."
Thessa and the others were watching Balin with rapt attention. Thessa was learning so much about the company's leader, as was Bilbo, and even though the rest of the company had heard the story before, they leaned forward from their seats by the fire to hear Balin nonetheless.
"Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived, and I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow, there is one... I could call king," Balin finished. Most of the company was standing now and all eyes were on Thorin as he turned back to face the company.
Thorin had apparently heard Balin's recounting of the battle and the look of loss rose to his face. He schooled his features quickly, however, and beat back the obvious sorrow he was feeling.
Thessa watched as his eyes danced over them and saw their looks of admiration, including the awestruck look on her face. His chest seemed to puff up in what looked like masculine pride for a short second, before he slowly walked back to the fire and took a seat on a log across the flames from her.
Bombur had finished preparing their dinner while Balin told his story and was now passing bowls around to the company. Thessa accepted a bowl of the soup from Kili and smiled sweetly at him in thanks.
Thessa noticed as she looked down that there was some type of meat in the stew and so she decided to forego dinner that night. Her kind did not eat other creatures, it was horrid and barbaric to her, not to mention it made her sick. Thorin's eyes watched her set the bowl down and a confused look passed across his face.
"So Thessalia-" Bofur started to say.
"Please, call me Thessa, Thessalia can be a mouthful," Thessa offered with a grin. She had not spoken with Bofur yet, but he seemed to be the comedian of the group and always wore a silly looking hat. It was easier to tell the dwarves apart when she grouped them in her mind by hair color and beard length or silly hats.
"So, Thessa," Bofur amended with a smile, "Tell us about your home. Do you have a family waiting for you?" Thessa glanced nervously around the company for she was now the center of attention once more and she had to think carefully about her answer.
She obviously couldn't reveal to them where she truly lived, so she aimed to make it close enough to the truth to be believable. She missed her home greatly, and she knew her mother was probably in a panic now that she was gone. She needed to make her way home soon, she didn't want her people to believe her to be dead... or worse.
"Home for me is a small village by the sea, and I have only a mother, no siblings," she said simply. She had always wanted a sister, but siblings were rare amongst her people. Valenia was the closest thing she had to a sister, she was her sister-in-arms and fought loyally beside Thessa for many wonderful years.
"What about your father?" Glóin prompted politely. Thessa had always wondered about that herself, actually. No men lived in their kingdom, it was only women, so she never knew who her father was. All she knew was that he probably had brown hair like hers since her mother's hair was strawberry blonde.
"I don't know," she replied honestly, "I've never met him." The company seemed a little surprised by her answer, but didn't want to press her for more information. Women who had children out of wedlock were a bit of a taboo it seemed.
"How about a song to cheer everyone up!" Kili asked her just then, slapping a hand on his knee with a cheesy grin. Oh no, she groaned internally, anything but that. She had overheard men in the taverns her captor had taken her into demanding songs from men and women alike. It seemed to be a form of entertainment around here, but they would definitely not find any of her songs entertaining.
"I'm sorry," Thessa said with a tight smile, her jaw clenched, "but I'm a terrible singer, trust me, you wouldn't want to hear it at all. I sound more like a dying animal than anything else."
Her eyes locked with the wizard who was looking at her with that knowing twinkle in his eyes. She thought for a moment that Gandalf might know something more about her, something she didn't want him knowing, and that worried her greatly. But, how could he? She hadn't done or said anything to reveal herself. She brushed off the thought though as she heard protests coming from all around her.
"Aww, please?" Ori said with a pleading look, his hands clasped in front of him.
"All women can sing!" Dwalin added, those around him nodding their agreement.
"We promise not to laugh if you sing for us! No matter how bad you think you might sound! And we need a little cheering up after Balin's depressing stories," Fili stated from beside her.
"Oh, I really don't think so, after all, I'm quite tired—" Thessa tried to reason.
"Nonsense! One little song, lassie!" Glóin interrupted, an encouraging smile partly hidden by his thick, bouncing beard.
"Please, I—" Thessa tried again.
"Song, song, song…" the company began to chant cheerily as they beat their closed fists on their knees with glee, but Thessa had had enough. Why couldn't they just take no for an answer? She wasn't some damned bard!
"No!" she finally shouted over their chanting. She shoved her body vertical on still wobbly legs and staggered clumsily away from the group to sit by the cliffside where she could no longer hear their chattering.
"I think we offended the lass," Glóin said, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. The company all looked over at the woman sitting alone and it was clear they felt terrible for demanding she sing for them. She wasn't some barmaid after all. None of them had heard her raise her voice yet though, and they had just assumed that she was a common girl with a quiet demeanor.
Thorin peered over to where Thessa sat and decided that she needed to be put in her place. They had plucked her from the clutches of evil, she owed them some damned respect. He got up and strode over to where she perched on a small boulder.
"Woman, I have had enough of your disrespect," Thorin growled in his deep baritone as he came up behind her. Thessa's body jerked a little in surprise, obviously not hearing him approach.
"Disrespect? What disrespect?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"You disrespect Bombur by refusing to eat the meal he has graciously cooked for us, and then you raise your voice at the company for no reason. You do not have the luxury of fine dining in the wilds and I will not tolerate you speaking to the company in that manner," Thorin's deep voice demanded as he glanced down to the woman who looked shocked by his accusation.
"I wasn't trying to be rude to Bombur, I just wasn't hungry," Thessa retorted angrily, her nose scrunching up in a way that he might have found cute if he wasn't so aggravated with her. "And I did not intend to yell either. I do not enjoy singing and I would rather not sing if I can avoid it."
Thorin considered her answer for a moment then gave her a firm look before he turned silently on his heel to rejoin the other dwarves. He didn't want to argue with her further.
"He hasn't been too kind to me either," a small voice said from behind her, causing her to nearly leap off her boulder. "Bilbo Baggins." The small dwarf stuck his hand out for her to shake and she shook it gently.
"Thessa," she offered with a smile, she had yet to have an actual conversation with Bilbo thus far.
"I'm still trying to get Thorin to warm up to me as well. I don't think he trusts me yet," Bilbo gave her a sheepish grin as he took a seat next to her on a slightly smaller boulder.
"Forgive me," Thessa said, "But you don't look like the other dwarves, are you truly a dwarf?" Bilbo gave a hearty laugh, and this caused Thessa to chuckle as well.
"Oh no! I am a hobbit! Much nicer, cleaner, and more polite than those dwarves." Bilbo whispered and hooked a thumb behind him towards where the company was gathered around the fire.
"Well that's good to finally know then!" Thessa laughed. He wasn't a dwarf at all, but a hobbit! Whatever that meant. Bilbo glanced down at Thessa's bare feet that hung from the ledge they were sitting on.
"I don't suppose you're part hobbit," Bilbo asked with a smile as he indicated her bare feet. Thessa glanced down at the dirty appendages, caked with soil and who knew what else.
"Oh, no, the man who captured me forced me to wear this ratty tunic and breeches, but he had no shoes to offer me," she said with a frown. Now that she thought about it, her feet did have a few small cuts on them from walking around on rocks and twigs. But how did one find shoes? Would she have to make some, or was there a place she could buy some?
"I bet that we can find you something to cover them," Bilbo said as he smiled up at the woman. "Why do you keep your hair up in that kerchief, if I may ask? The dwarves all have long hair, but they rarely bother to keep it tied back in any fashion."
Thessa didn't know how to respond. Her hair would definitely give her away should any of the company see it, or at least she thought it might? It was why that man had forced her to hide it as well. She had pearls and small shells braided into some parts of it, as well as her family's crest carved into a small bead that hung from one strand on the right side of her head but under a few layers of hair.
She loved her hair though, it was a chestnut brown that hung down in soft waves and loose curls all the way to her hips. It was smooth as silk and very thick as well. Just brushing it took a lot of time and energy. Some of her earliest memories were of her mother's cool hands running a comb through the lengths and winding her first beads into them. She always said that their people's hair told their story and were works of art to be proud of.
She had nearly lost herself in her thoughts and finally forced her mind to return to Bilbo's question. What had he asked? Oh, right, the kerchief.
"It's very tangled and hard to manage," she lied. "So, I keep it in a tight bun to prevent it from becoming even more tangled. The kerchief keeps dirt and such from settling on it," Thessa shrugged. In her mind she had planned to rip her hair from the stranglehold of that bun the second she got away from her kidnapper. But the more she thought about it, and as much as she hated to admit it, the man had had a point about her keeping it up and covered.
"Come with me," Bilbo said suddenly as he reached for Thessa's hand and started tugging her back in the direction of the company, "I have an idea."
Bilbo stopped in front of the group and glanced around at the dwarves. "I've noticed that many of you have braids in your beards and hair," he pointed out, gesturing around the crowd. "Thessa has long hair that tangles easily, and I thought one of you might be willing to braid her hair for her, to keep it neat and out of the way," Bilbo inquired, sending a small grin at Thessa as she stood stock still behind him.
Glóin suddenly started coughing as he choked on some of his soup and the other members began to blush furiously. Fili and Kili elbowed each other with devilish smirks on their faces.
"I don't think that would be appropriate, laddie," Balin said with a chuckle.
"Why not?" Bilbo asked in confusion, looking around the group and expecting one of them to explain.
"You see, lad," Dwalin finally stood up after a full minute of silence and he addressed the hobbit. "When a dwarf braids a lassie's hair, it's a symbol of courtship, and I don't believe anyone here be courting that lass."
Everyone glanced up at Thessa as her cheeks turned a violent shade of red. Bilbo dropped her hand and quietly apologized with a blush of his own. Chuckles and snickering erupted around the fire after Dwalin's explanation, drawing another scowl from their leader.
"Enough," Thorin said as he stood, "Bifur and Fili, you take the first watch, Kili and Glóin the second, and Balin and I will take the third." Thorin doled out his instructions resolutely and everyone knew that it meant it was time for bed.
Thessa watched as each of the dwarves and even Gandalf, who had remained on the outskirts of their little camp for the entirety of dinner, dug into their packs and produced their bedrolls. They all picked a spot they liked well enough and rolled out their little sleeping pads and a cloak to cover themselves with as they settled in for the night.
Noting that she didn't have something soft to sleep on, she hobbled over to a boulder on the far side of camp and sat down with her back against it. This would have to do for now until she could some how fashion or acquire a bedroll of her own. She tried to make herself comfortable, shifting this way and that, but nothing compared to sleeping in her bed back home.
This was going to be a long night.
Thorin found his gaze drawn to the woman who obviously lacked a bedroll. He wanted to ignore it, but his parents raised him to be a prince. He begrudgingly got to his feet, grabbed his bedroll from his own pack, and strode to where the woman was trying to make herself comfortable against a rock. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.
"Here," Thorin grumbled as he tossed the bedroll down in front of her. Thessa looked up, confusion etched on her pretty face.
"Thank you..." she said hesitantly, looking up at the dwarf king with a slightly bewildered expression. He nodded stiffly and walked back over to where he had been before and laid down on the soft grass.
He thought about how innocent and confused she looked when he offered her the bedroll. He also blushed slightly when he recalled how the shoulder of her large tunic had slipped down, revealing the skin of her shoulder. It had freckles across the skin there and Thorin had wanted to reach out and test if it was as soft as it looked.
Stop it, he thought to himself. Where were these thoughts coming from? This woman would be nothing but a distraction to him, so he must avoid her at all costs if he wanted to focus on this quest. If he was caught daydreaming about a pair of shapely thighs and bright blue eyes in the midst of battle, he'd find himself with an orc's blade buried deep in his chest.
He closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep quickly so that he could get some semblance of rest before his watch with Balin.
Meanwhile, Bifur and Fili watched the king and the Thessa's interaction with grins on their faces.
Bifur signed something with his hands to Fili, making the young dwarf smile and nod his head vigorously. He found a piece of paper after rummaging around in his bag and started writing, both dwarves grinning mischievously as their eyes darted over the parchment.
Thorin was shaken awake hours later by his nephew, Kili, for his watch, and he stiffly rose from his spot in the grass. He watched Glóin and Kili burrow into their bedrolls for the remainder of the night, and Balin joined him by a large boulder near the cliff face.
"Quite the beauty, isn't she?" Balin asked innocently while glancing over to where Thessa lay asleep on Thorin's bedroll. He couldn't lie, some sense of manly pride and some other feeling he was too scared to look too closely at, rose in his chest as he watched the woman sleeping peacefully on his bedroll that he had provided for her.
"What?" Thorin looked over to his old friend, his brows furrowed.
"And mighty generous too, to give up your bedroll for the lass," Balin eyed him with a tiny smirk. Balin may have been old as dirt, but he could be just as devious as Thorin's nephews when he wanted to be.
"I was raised as a prince, Balin," Thorin said with an annoyed look, as if that should explain everything.
...
An hour or two passed in silence and the sun would be rising soon. Thorin's tired eyes glanced over the members of the company, his eyes lingering over Thessa, whom he noticed was tossing and turning. He could faintly hear her mumbling, but it didn't sound like any language he'd ever heard. It was probably just sleepy gibberish, he concluded, and went back to surveying the group, but glanced back to Thessa when he heard her cry out.
Thessa bolted upright, tears streaming down her face as she recalled her nightmare.
They had been fighting off the men that were attacking her kingdom. She was their military's leader, and so she lead the charge against the men. Her sister-in-arms, Valenia, had been struck through the chest with a rusty harpoon by one of the men. She screamed for her sister and was distracted momentarily by the sight of the metal sticking out of her best friend's chest.
One of the men capitalized on her lack of attention and scooped her up into their net, retreating once they had what they apparently came for. She had watched helplessly as Valenia's body sank beneath the waves, red billowing out around where she had just been.
She sat up on the bedroll, shaking and gasping for breath as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She glanced around to see if she had woken any of the others inadvertently, and caught the eyes of Thorin. He looked at her, confused, and she ducked her head and tried to stand up so that she could find a quiet place to be alone, away from the company.
She pushed herself up with her hands onto her knees and then tried her best to get her uncooperative legs underneath her. She had been making slow progress with the walking and could keep herself upright by now, but her balance was still a little wonky.
She finally managed to stand steadily enough and headed in the opposite direction of Thorin when her legs gave out suddenly and she hit the ground. Hard.
Frustrated, angry tears gathered in her eyes, partly for the loss of her best friend and partly because she was pissed at herself and her inability to walk right. She felt large, strong hands come up under her arms suddenly and pull her to her feet. She glanced behind her and saw the frowning face of the dwarf king just inches away. She held her breath, not knowing what to do.
Thorin didn't know what came over him. He just saw her crumple to the dirt floor and something deep inside him urged him to sweep her up off the ground. Their faces were only inches apart as she turned her head around to face him. He looked into her sad eyes and wondered what she had dreamed of to make her so distraught. He turned her around to fully face him and held her at arm's length.
"What happened?" Thorin asked gruffly, but gentler than he had ever spoken to her before. Thessa looked a bit surprised by his tone, but didn't have the energy to question it.
"Nothing, it was just a bad dream," Thessa sighed in defeat, "I just want to find a place to sit and be alone, away from the company before they wake and we have to leave again."
Thorin could understand the need to be alone, so he nodded and made sure she was balanced enough on her feet before leading her over to a small boulder at the edge of the camp. He turned to leave her when he heard her voice.
"Thorin?" she asked hesitantly. The sound of his name on her lips causing a shiver to race down his spine and pool low in his stomach.
"Yes?" he turned around slightly, jaw clenched.
"Have I done something to upset you?" Thessa looked up at the dwarf king. Thorin was a bit surprised by her question. Of course she had done something to upset him, she was here wasn't she? Her presence slowed their progress and was causing all kinds of hiccups along the way.
Well, she did ride with Fili yesterday, and they didn't exactly have to slow down for that, but the thought of his nephew's arm wrapped tightly around the woman's stomach, pulling her against Fili's chest as they rode together brought a new wave of anger rushing over him.
"You are new to the company and I do not go around bestowing trust freely to people I've only just met," Thorin supplied simply, not wanting to hurt her feelings for some reason by pointing out what a burden she was, and turned back around and headed over to Balin, who greeted him with a small smirk.
Thessa watched the dwarf king walk away, her heart beating a little quicker than usual. She had admitted to herself a while ago that she thought he was attractive, the two braids down the sides of his face suited him well and his deep, sapphire blue eyes intrigued her.
From what she could tell, he was taller than all the other dwarves, Bilbo included, and had a regal air about him that made his lineage near unmistakable when you were in his presence. She often found her eyes drawn to that strong, barrel chest of his, those muscled forearms, that sharp jaw...
All too soon, her thoughts shifted back to her dream. She missed Valenia greatly, as well as her mother and her people. She had known that the men who had attacked them had been after her in the back of her mind somehow. She had only heard snippets of the men's conversations once they had stuffed her into that accursed sack, but she knew they had planned to hold her for ransom, and if that didn't work, they planned on selling her to a buyer in Bree who was desperate to get his hands on one of her kind. She shivered.
She was glad to be free of that terrible pig of a man, but she had to return home, she had duties to attend to and her mother would be worried sick. She was the heir to her mother's throne and it wouldn't do to have the princess gallivanting around Middle Earth with a company of dwarves, hobbits and wizards, she thought sadly.
She rubbed her upper arm absentmindedly and her hand moved over the golden arm band she wore. At least no one had seen or felt it yet, that would be a hard one to explain.
She sat on that boulder until the sun started to peek over the horizon, signaling, unfortunately, that it was time for them get moving once again.