The dwarves all sat in the dining hall, not really enjoying their elven breakfast, when Gandalf entered the room in a flurry of gray robes.

"Has anyone seen Thessalia?" the wizard asked, quickly surveying the company, all shaking their heads. They hadn't seen Thessa since they left her room the previous night. Gandalf left in a hurry, his robes billowing behind him as he went. Lord Elrond was wanting to meet with Thessa, but when Lindir informed Gandalf that he could not find her, he figured he would consult the company. But that proved fruitless as well. The wizard sighed, Thessalia would turn up eventually.

Thorin was wondering why he was searching for Thessa, but if he could not find her then something must be wrong. Maybe someone had been listening to her confessions last night and had abducted her. He stood up from the table and turned to his company.

"Something is wrong. All of you, go help Gandalf find Thessalia." He ordered. Those at the table got up and ran after Gandalf to ask how they could help and Thorin went to Thessa's room to check for her there. He walked brusquely down the hall to her room and knocked on the door. No answer. He pushed the door open and saw no sign of Thessa anywhere. He thought back to their conversation last night and had an idea.

He ran into the hallway to see Lindir passing by.

"You," Thorin called to him, "are there any lakes or ponds nearby?" Lindir was surprised that the surly dwarf king was speaking to him, but he answered him nonetheless. He told him about a large pond the was hidden behind the halls and far behind the gardens. Thorin nodded his head to the elf and took off to find the gardens. Thorin found them without issue, but where was this pond? He roamed the gardens for almost half an hour before he came to a break in the shrubbery and followed an overgrown path beyond the gardens. He came upon the pond that the elf described and saw a tunic and pair of breeches lying under a tree. Thorin felt his cheeks get hot as he realized they were Thessa's from the previous evening. She must be here. He went down to the water's edge and scanned his eyes over the surface, seeing no sign of the mermaid.

He was sure that she would probably seek out some form of water after her dream last night, but he couldn't see her anywhere. He looked down into the water and saw a faint shape at the bottom of the pond. He was almost certain it was Thessa, but he wanted to be sure. He found a small pebble by a large oak tree and tossed it into the pond where he thought Thessa was and watched it sink. It sank down until it settled on her arm.

Thessa felt something touch her arm and woke to see a pebble had landed on her. But how could a pebble…? Wait a minute, she looked up and saw a dark figure standing over the edge of the water. Her instincts kicked in and she dashed to a darker corner at the deeper end of the pond. She hid behind some rocks while she peered toward the surface. She could make out dark hair and she could see that they weren't as tall as an elf. She slowly crept back toward the surface to confirm her suspicions, making sure her chest was covered by her long hair.

Thorin watched as Thessa swam away from him to the other end of the pond before slowly rising back toward the surface. Her head came up out of the water as she looked up at him. It was obvious that she was surprised to see him there.

"Thorin?" Thessa asked. What was he doing here? How did he find her? And what time was it? She wondered all at once.

"Everyone has been searching for you." He glared down at her. "Gandalf was worried when he couldn't find you and the company has been looking for you as well."

"Oh," Thessa said, looking down sheepishly, she forgot that the others might wonder where she had gone. "Well if you'll turn around, I'll redress and head back the halls with you," she offered with an innocent smile. Thorin nodded and turned around and walked passed the tree where her clothes were. Thessa, however, was still angry with the dwarf, and now that her secret was out, she wasn't afraid to let her personality shine through. She grinned mischievously and focused hard on the humming in her arm band.

Thorin was getting impatient and was beginning to wonder if she was actually going to follow him or not, when he saw a circular shadow appear at his feet. That was odd, he thought, and glanced up to see what had made the shadow. A large ball of water suddenly drenched the dwarf, leaving no part of him dry in the least. He heard Thessa's snickering behind him and he whipped around to yell at her. He stopped though when he caught sight of her sapphire and gold tail glinting in the sunlight. He was mesmerized by it and couldn't look away.

Thessa had been so consumed with her little prank and had rested her chin on her arms which were folded on the bank of the pond. In her excitement she hadn't realized that her tail had lifted out of the water. She saw Thorin staring at her wide-eyed and abruptly realized what he saw. Quick as a flash, her tail was submerged again and her cheeks blushed bright red.

"Your tail..." Thorin said, "It's beautiful." His words shocked her. She hadn't meant for him to see her tail, and she was worried now that he would feel differently about her. The company had mentioned that his grandfather had succumbed to a kind of sickness where he lusted for gold. If Thorin was the same way, then this was bad, very bad.

Thorin watched Thessa's tail jerk back into the water and her cheerful expression quickly turned into one of fear. She began backing away from the bank and started to swim further away from him. He took a step forward and saw Thessa quickly dive beneath the water. He shed his cloak and boots on the grass and went to see where she had gone. He could make out a dark shape near the middle of the pond, so he dove in after her.

Dwarves did not usually like water, but he swam after her regardless. He couldn't see anything underwater, but felt a current drift by him and he stuck his arms outward. He caught one of Thessa's arms and pulled her with him to the surface. When their heads came up out of the water, he heard Thessa's shriek as she tried to pull away.

Thessa was panicking as Thorin caught hold of her arm and was violently thrashing in the water, trying to get away.

"Thessa, stop!" Thorin shouted, using her nickname for this first time. This made Thessa halt for a moment, but she was still tugging at her arm. "I won't hurt you."

"You're just saying that, you just want me for me scales!" she shrieked again, pulling away with renewed vigor. Thorin yanked her to him with all his strength and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place. Thessa's terrified eyes looked into his, and he could feel her tail brush against his legs as he tread water. He also noted that her bare chest was flush against his and that sent his heart hammering in his chest.

"I won't hurt you, Thessa," he said softly. He looked into her azure eyes, giving her a soft look. He hadn't meant to frighten her like that.

"What game are playing, Thorin?" she asked angrily, frustrated by yet another shift in his behavior. She saw his eyes slip down to her lips, then back up to her eyes. All of a sudden Thorin crashed his lips to hers, no longer able to hold himself back, and he deepened the kiss when he felt her relax slightly in his arms. Thessa did not know what was happening, but she didn't want it to stop either. She could tell treading water was becoming difficult for him and guided them towards the shallow bank. She sighed into the kiss, feeling Thorin's hands snake into her hair. She gripped his shoulders and heard him let out a low growl.

Thessa was enjoying the moment, but this was as far as it could go. She had to return home to her people and Thorin could not come with her. She broke the kiss and looked up at the dwarf. He seemed to realize now what had occurred, and he backed away slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen," he said quickly as he climbed hastily out of the water. Thessa watched him grab his boots and cloak, striding hurriedly back toward the gardens.

Thessa, although once again confused by the dwarf king's shifting moods, could still feel her lips tingling from their kiss. It felt so right, to kiss him. But she had a job to do, and no handsome face or steamy kisses could dissuade her from returning to her rightful place and her people.

Thorin strode angrily back to the rooms the company was staying in and pushed the doors open to find the company trying to brainstorm places to look for Thessa.

"I found her," Thorin huffed to them. "She slept in the pond behind the gardens." When the company heard the news, they broke out into laughter, no longer worried for the princess' safety. I guess they couldn't expect much else from a mermaid who hadn't seen water in months.

Thorin went out onto the balcony to stew in his anger. He didn't even know why he was angry, and that frustrated the dwarf king even more.