Thessa's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the darkness and remembering where she was. She could feel Thorin's arms around her waist and could hear his light breathing. She had to leave before the others awoke, she was terrible with goodbyes. She went to wriggle out of Thorin's arms but they tightened around her and pulled her back against his chest.
"Don't go," she heard Thorin whisper huskily. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She didn't want to leave, but she had to. She turned around to face him and his hands rested on her upper arms. They both looked down when they saw a soft glow emanating from the sleeve of her dress. Her arm band, she realized. Oh no. Not good. She looked back up to Thorin who was looking at her arm with surprise. He glanced up to her, understanding what that meant. She definitely couldn't leave now, he thought.
Thessa let the tears she was holding back slip down her cheeks. Of all the moments for this to happen, this moment was the worst. There had only ever been three mermaids in their kingdom to find their soulmates in the last two ages. How could she have found hers so quickly? And why now? Thorin's hands on her cheeks drew her back from her thoughts. She looked up as Thorin pressed his lips to hers. He poured all the passion he could muster into the kiss, and yet he could feel her tears on his cheeks. He pulled back to see tears now streaming heavily down her face.
"Why are you crying?" he asked gently, running his hand through her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Thorin," she cried. "So sorry."
"Sorry for what?" he asked gently, cupping her cheek in his hand. He watched her mouth part slightly and heard a sad, sweet melody slip from her lips. She hummed the tune softly to him, and it was a beautiful tune filled with sorrow. He felt his eyes become heavy and he fought to stay awake, to hear the end of the song. But he could fight it no more, and Thorin's body slowly slumped back against the tree.
Thessa finished the song with tears in her eyes. She would never forgive herself for what she had just done, but it was a necessary evil. She stood quickly and rushed back to her chambers, hurriedly packing her few possessions. She had arranged to meet her escort in the front courtyard, where they had first arrived in Rivendell, at an hour to dawn. She looked out her window and by the position of the moon she could tell that the time to depart was almost upon her. Against her better judgment, Thessa found a few pieces of parchment and wrote a goodbye letter, both to the company and to Lord Elrond. She had spotted a crystalline structure on one of the tables, used for decoration. Thessa picked up the crystal formation and firmly thumped it against the floor. A small, blue crystal had chipped off and she quickly wound some string she had found around it, fashioning into a long pendant.
Thessa sat on the bed with the crystal in her hand and sung a soft melody to it. She used all of her concentration and magical knowledge to somehow embed the tune into the small gem. When she had finished, she wrapped the crystal into the letter for the company and left it on the nightstand. She picked up the satchel Lord Elrond had provided her and stashed her few possessions inside. She made her way into the corridor and found her way to Lord Elrond's study. She slipped her letter to him under the door and headed back toward the front courtyard.
A tall, blond elf was waiting for her with a horse and the provisions they would need for the trip. She walked over to him and introduced herself.
"Hello, my name's Thessalia, but since we'll be traveling together, you can call me Thessa," she said with a light smile.
"A pleasure, my lady," the elf bowed to her. "I am Glorfindel, I am one of Lord Elrond's closest friends. Rest assured that I will escort you home safely." Thessa nodded her head in thanks and he hoisted her up onto the horse. He secured her small satchel and swung up into the saddle behind her. He nudged the steed's flank with his heel and soon they were off, leaving the hidden valley behind them.
As the sun rose into the sky, Thorin opened his eyes to find himself resting against a large oak tree by a pond. He rubbed his head and felt a headache coming on. He got to his feet and made his way back to his room where the company was.
As he opened the doors, the company, who were all awake by now, turned to see their leader entering the room.
"Did you kiss and make up, Uncle?" Kili grinned as he walked over to Thorin.
"What are you saying, Kili?" Thorin grumbled as he went to lay down. His head was beginning to really bother him now. Fili noticed something different about his uncle's apprearance, and then it dawned on him. He elbowed his brother and whispered something into his ear. Kili's face lit up as he rushed over to Balin.
"We won, Balin! Pay up!" Kili cried.
"You don't say?" Balin said with a smirk, going over to Thorin's side.
"Congratulations, laddy. We didn't think you had it in you!" he laughed, resting his rand on Thorin's shoulder for a moment before getting back up. Thorin was extremely confused.
"What's all this about winning and congratulations?" he asked, looking around at the company. They had all caught on by now, especially once he turned to face them. They all gave a collective cheer.
"There had been a wager going around as to when you were gonna swallow your pride and make it official," Balin clarified.
"Well where is the lucky lass?" Dwalin asked, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
"What lass? What is going on?" Thorin demanded. He was starting to get very frustrated now.
"You know, Thessa! I can't believe you got her to stay! I thought for sure she would be gone by now!" Ori said with a sigh of relief.
"Thessa?" Thorin asked. The name sounded slightly familiar, but didn't recall ever knowing anyone with that name. He glanced back up to the company and noticed their confused looks.
"Stop kidding around, laddy! We know you know we be speaking of Thessalia. I bet that braid will look mighty fine in that long hair of hers!" Glóin said cheerfully. The rest of the company gave hoots and cheers of theirs own.
"Who do you keep speaking of? Who is this Thessalia?" Thorin pressed. Balin looked at the others with a worried glance.
"Thessalia, the mermaid we rescued in Bree, you remember her, don't you?" he asked
"Mermaids? do not take me for a fool, old friend. I am not some dwarfing who still believes in fairytales," Thorin finished with a scoff.
"Oh yeah?" Fili tried. "Then where did your courting bead go?" Thorin glanced down at his two braids. Fili was right, the courting bead was gone.
"It must have come loose and gotten lost somewhere. I can forge a new one when we retake Erebor," Thorin said dismissively. The company all shared looks of confusion and fear. Fili and Kili had an idea, and took off toward Thessa's room, the company hot on their heels. They burst into her room, but everything looked immaculate, like it had never been used. The dwarves stood there, looking around, sad and confused. Óin noticed something on the bedside table and walked over to see a letter.
"It's from Thessa," he said quietly. The other dwarves rushed over to him. Óin unfolded the parchment and caught the crystal pendant that fell out. He handed the pendant to Balin and began to read Thessa's note to them aloud.
Dearest Friends,
I am sorry to leave without saying goodbye, but my announcement of departure yesterday was hard enough. I love you all dearly and I hate to leave you all now, but it is something I must do. I am the heir to my mother's throne and the kingdom. I do not know if I will ever see your faces again, but I will always carry you in my heart.
As you have probably figured out, Thorin does not remember me. I regret to say that that is my doing. It was too hard to leave, for the both of us. I must focus on my journey home, and Thorin must be able to lead you all in your quest for Erebor without distraction. If he got himself killed because of me, I could never forgive myself. I did, however, enclose a song in the crystal pendant that I included with this letter. If there is a day when you all feel that Thorin must remember our time together, simply break the crystal and it will release the melody that will restore his memory.
I ask however that you not do this unless absolutely necessary. Thorin and I can never be together and if he remembers our feelings for each other, I shudder to imagine what that might do to him. So please, for me, do not tell him about this letter and do not try to remind him of me. This is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I write this letter with a heavy heart.
I know you will succeed in your quest and you will take back Erebor. I believe in all of you and I hope one day you can forgive me.
With love,
Thessa
The company stood there in silence. She was really gone. Forever. She slipped away like a thief in the night. Ori could no longer hold back, and a tear slid down his cheek and into his short beard. Sniffling was heard all around as the company tried to reign in their emotions.
"Come on lads," Balin said as he ushered them back to their room. Everyone was silent as they entered the room. Thorin looked over from his position on his bedroll. The entire company had tears in their eyes and didn't say a word to him. Bilbo, who had come into the room while the company had been gone, noticed the dwarves strange behavior.
"What's going on?" he asked. "And when is Thessa coming to say goodbye?" Thorin looked up. There was that name again. Who was this person they kept talking about? Balin came over to Bilbo, whispering to him so that Thorin couldn't hear what was said. Balin secretly handed Bilbo Thessa's letter and he too soon had tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe she was gone. He landed the letter back to Balin, his hand shaking slightly as he did. Balin stowed the letter in his pocket and ambled back over to their leader.
"We found something for ya, lad" Balin said, holding up the crystal pendant.
"What is that?" Thorin said, eying the piece of jewelry skeptically.
"It's a talisman, we stole it from Lord Elrond's study. It protects the wearer from evil, or so I gathered," he said, placing the pendant in Thorin's hand. Thorin looked it over for a moment before slipping it over his head. The crystal hung in the center of his chest and so he tucked it into his tunic.
"Anything stolen from an elf if good enough for me," Thorin chuckled lightly.
Glorfindel had set a hard pace when they left the Hidden Valley. He planned to have them travel first by river, then follow the North-South road through the Gap of Rohan. He had told her it was the safest path since they would not need to cross the Misty Mountains, nor stray too close to Dol Godur. Thessa didnt know enough about Middle Earth to argue with him, and so for two days they had traveled by boat along the Bruinen river.
She often thought back to the company and wondered what they were doing and if they would ever understand why she did what she did. She leaned against the side of the boat and dipped her fingers into the cold water. She had a small pain in her chest from leaving her friends behind, but she reminded herself why she had to do it.
When the sun was beginning to set, Glorfindel steered the boat to the shore. He jumped out of the small boat and pulled it up onto the bank, tying the bow to a tree nearby. He came over and lifted Thessa out of the boat and the two went about setting up a small camp. Since Glorfindel was an elf, he didn't need much sleep or food, but Thessa was exhausted, emotionally and physically. She laid down on the bedroll Glorfindel had brought as he sat back against a tree to keep watch.
"Have you ever been in love?" Thessa asked quietly. Glorfindel looked over to from where he sat.
"I have not, my lady," he responded. Thessa realized early into their journey that he was not much of a talker, and the silence only made her feel worse.
"How do you know if you're in love?" she asked over her shoulder. Glorfindel looked up at the woman again.
"I am not sure. I assume it is a feeling where you would do anything for the one you loved, even lay down your life for them. But then again, I have never experienced it, so I cannot tell you for sure," he concluded. Thessa just nodded her head and turned over to try and get some sleep. A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought of Thorin and eventually fell into a fitful slumber.