Thessa's eyes slowly opened to the bright dawn, yawning and stretching her arms above her head. Still slightly drowsy she looked around her for Thorin, but he was nowhere to be found. In fact, she wasn't even in the room she had fallen asleep in. Instead, she was in her old room in the palace. The coral-covered walls were rich in reds, oranges, and yellows, fish swam by the windows and her kelp bed was just as comfortable as she remembered. Home? she thought. How in Ulmo's name did she get back? And where was Thorin?
"Oh good, you're awake! Now we can start patrols finally!" a voice laughed from the door way. Thessa's heart stopped. Valenia was floating there, alive as ever. Although tears dissolved into the water as soon as they were shed, Thessa's eyes stung and she barreled the mermaid over in a fierce hug. "Whoa!" Valenia chuckled. She looked into Thessa's red eyes, confused. "What's the matter, Thessa?"
"I'm so sorry, Val," Thessa sobbed, clutching her friend's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Its all my fault!"
"What's your fault? What are you talking about?" Valenia questioned, growing even more confused at Thessa's behavior.
"You died! I saw the harpoon of those fisherman strike you! I watched your body sink," she choked out. She looked into Valenia's eyes, only to find mirth rather than sadness. Valenia gave a soft chuckle at her friend, resting her hands on her leader's shoulders.
"Thessa!" she laughed. "Really, what are you talking about? I'm clearly alive and you know that we haven't spotted any men this far out to sea in years!" It was Thessa's turn to be confused now. No fishermen? Then that means she was never kidnapped...
"Do you know where Thorin is?" Thessa asked her, surely he couldn't be too far away.
"Thorin? Thorin who?" Valenia gave Thessa a strange look. Thessa frowned.
"Thorin Oakenshield! The dwarf king of Erebor!" Thessa rushed out, exasperated.
"You mean that group of dwarves that tried to retake the Lonely Mountain from that dragon?" Thessa nodded her head vigorously with a smile. Valenia frowned at that. "We received word from Lord Elrond regarding their attempt just last week, do you not remember?" Thessa shook her head no. Valenia sighed, glancing up at the ceiling for a moment. "They reclaimed the mountain, I heard, but these orcs showed up and his whole family line was slain in the battle." Thessa couldn't breathe. She floated a few feet back from her friend, head spinning. He was dead? And Kili and Fili too? Where had she been? She was supposed to stay by his side, to help him! She gave a strangled sob, resting on the sandy floor, clutching her heart. Valenia saw her friend in pain and panicked.
"Thessa! What's wrong?" she gently shook her general's shoulder. Thessa only lay there, shaking and sobbing. Valenia was floored by her leader's weakness. Never had she seen Thessa look so utterly broken. She was their fearless leader, she wasn't afraid of anything! Valenia rubbed Thessa's back, choosing to just sit there beside her while Thessa cried her heart out.
After about an hour, Valenia led her general to the throne room. Thessa knew the way by heart and let her friend tug her along. When they entered the large room, limestone pillars lining the great hall, she saw her mother perched upon the large throne, trident in hand.
"My dear, what has happened?" Queen Meveria asked, glancing worriedly upon her daughter.
"News of the dwarves has greatly upset her, your Majesty," Valenia reported, bowing her head to her queen. Meveria was confused by this. Why would her daughter care for the fate of dwarves?
"What significance do these dwarves hold for you, Thessalia?" the queen questioned, an eyebrow arched slightly at her daughter. Thessa recounted everything that had happened to her since the kidnapping up until the feast the company had in Laketown. Queen Meveria's eyes widened when she mentioned her cousin, Lymera.
"How do you know of my cousin, Lymera?" she asked sternly. She knew she had never mentioned it to her daughter.
"I just told you!" Thessa cried. "They surrounded me in the lake and took me to their queen. She was the one who told me of your relation to her." Thessa remembered the encounter, now curious why her mother had never mentioned her cousin before. "Why didn't you tell me you had a cousin?"
Meveria signed, running a hand over her face. "I only wished to protect you, my daughter," she began. "Lymera was a wretched mermaid, convinced that protecting the creatures of the sea was no longer our duty. She grew tired of sea plants and turned to consuming the herring and salmon." Valenia gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hand. Meveria nodded sadly. "I had just taken the throne after your grandmother had passed," she glanced sadly at her daughter, "And once I discovered my cousin's terrible transgressions, I could not turn a blind eye. I gave her a change to renounce this diet, but she refused. I had no choice but to banish her from our waters, as she was a threat to all who resided in the Rhûn sea. I knew not where she had settled, or if she had survived, but she and twenty others left our shores, never to be seen again."
Thessa processed this information. She looked over to Valenia, who still had a disgusted and horrified expression on her face. Thessa began to wonder about the rest of her mother's secrets. Should she mention her twin brother? Should she wait until they were alone? Would she even answer her many questions, or would she lie to her again? She felt sick nearly from all the spinning in her head, but the most prominent thoughts in her mind regarded her soulmate.
"What do you know of Thorin Oakenshield?" Thessa asked slowly. Her mother and queen remained stoic and seemed to brush off the question.
"I know nothing of the dwarves of Erebor, only that the line of Durin is now extinguished and Smaug the Terrible is vanquished. I care not for the fate of those outside this sea, and you would do well, daughter, to follow my example." the Queen spoke with stern confidence and settled back fully onto her throne, lightly tapping the trident's staff on the floor. Thessa, however, could not let the matter go. There was no way she could dream all of this up! Surely this was just a jest of some kind. She pinched her arm to see if she was dreaming.
"Ouch!" she rubbed her arm slightly, ignoring the confused looks from her mother and friend. Meveria squared her shoulders and looked at her daughter and general of her army.
"Thessalia, you have patrol duties to attend to and the rest of our forces are awaiting your instructions for the day. Please see to it that they have their orders and that you speak not of anything that has transpired here." The finality in her instructions left no room for argument and Thessa slowly nodded. She left the throne room with Valenia by her side. They weaved through the hallways until exiting the castle. They came upon the training flats where the mermaids under her command were awaiting their orders.
"General," they said in unison, bowing their heads to her. Thessa nodded politely to them, swimming in front of the large group of around fifty mermaids.
"I want unit one to patrol the sand flats to the north. Unit two will patrol the western reefs and unit three the eastern reefs. Units four and five will guard the roads to the south and the seagrass flats surrounding. Unit six, the market and the rest of you will patrol the castle and streets within the kingdom. Any questions?" Thessa commanded. The mermaids' silence was answer enough and Thessa dismissed them to their duties. Thessa gave a small smile, she had definitely missed this, her army, her friends, her mother,... her home.
Óin sighed softly, patting Thorin on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, lad," he said quietly. "I haven't the slightest idea why she will not wake. But we must leave soon." Óin reminded him. Thorin nodded sadly as Óin left the room, gripping Thessa's hand in his. It was dawn when he woke that morning, gently shaking Thessa's shoulder to wake her, but she would not wake. They had tried nearly everything to wake her, and now, hours later, here she lay, fast asleep. They did not have time to wait and they could not bring her with them. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to decide on a course of action.
"Thorin?" Bilbo asked softly from the doorway. Thorin glanced up at the hobbit, granting him entry with a small nod. Bilbo came over to Thessa's side, opposite Thorin. "I'm sure she'll wake eventually," Bilbo said, trying to give some sort of comfort to their leader, but also to himself as well. Balin entered next, coughing quietly to get Thorin's attention.
"It's time, laddie. We can spare no more delays," the old dwarf said. Thorin understood the urgency of their mission and slowly rose from his seat beside the bed.
"Aye," he announced. "We move out now. Óin stays here with Kili and Thessa, neither are fit for travel. The rest, to the boats." The dwarf king stomped out the door, unable to bear looking upon Thessa's face, knowing he was leaving her here. Balin followed him out the door and gave the instructions to the rest of the company. Bilbo, however, sat beside Thessa for a while longer, holding her hand and kissing it lightly.
"I'm sorry we haven't had much time to talk recently," he apologized to the sleeping woman. "I've been meaning to tell you something, something important. But, as it would seem, it's quite difficult for me to gather the courage." He sighed, looking down at his lap. "You are always so courageous, Thessa, I wish I had that confidence. The confidence that would allow me to confide in you what happened in the goblin tunnels. I don't really know what it is that I've found, but I feel strange holding on to it for so long. It's-" he laughed, humorlessly, "It's almost as if I can't bear to leave it behind." His thumb and forefinger twiddled the small gold ring in his pocket. He was lost in thought until a knock on the doorframe stirred him from his wandering mind. He looked over his shoulder to see Glóin and Ori standing there, packs on their shoulders.
"Time to go, laddie," Glóin stated softly, glancing at Thessa's sleeping form. "She'll be fine here for the time being, then she'll join us in Erebor when she wakes and Smaug is dead." He nodded his head to himself, confident in his assertion. Bilbo gave Thessa's hand one last small touch of his lips before placing it gently beside her. He followed the two dwarves out of the room and proceeded to pack the few things he still had into a small pack.
Thessa stood guard by the south gate, quiver of arrows strapped to her back and bow in her hand. Valenia floated beside her, equally armed, eyes always scanning the distant waves for unwelcome visitors. They dared not approach the surface to look above the waves, but rather watched from the sea floor for any strange wakes in the water's surface.
It had been six months since Thessa had awoke in her room, dazed and confused. Her dream had seemed so real. She had no idea now how she had conjured up the extremely detailed dream, but she had been assured by everyone that she had never left, and no fishermen had been spotted in decades. Still, she felt a small emptiness in her heart when she thought about the dwarf king, Thorin. She had sworn that she knew him, that he was her soulmate. But that was a ludicrous thought! Her? find her soulmate? What a notion! She laughed in her head. She had never set foot outside the sea and had never heard her call. There was no opportunity to even see any men, let alone dwarves. The only men she had ever seen was the carved descriptions and crude images one them on the stone tablets in the teaching halls.
There was of course the strange coincidence of her dream involving her mother's cousin, her second cousin. She brushed off the thought, trying to remain attentive at her post. They watched a reef shark circling above them and a few urchins shuffling across the sand below them. It was a normal day like any other. She spoke with Valenia often about the dream, but it became less detailed and more shrouded the more she thought about it.
At dinner, she ate her fill of kelp and sea lettuce. Lord Elrond's envoys had brought a few carts of fresh fruits to trade with in return for pearls and shells. The seawater was not kind to the fruit's delicate skin, but the sweet taste was a nice change from the tasteless plants they grew. Her mother sat at the head of the table, with Thessa on her right. She looked down the long table, seeing the familiar faces of the advisors of the court and her close friends. She smiled and laughed with them, enjoying the banter and stories that always pervaded their large dinner gatherings. Having no need for cups underwater, they raised their closed fists in the air in a toast. Thessa floated up from her seat and addressed the dinner party.
"My friends! Everyday I am privileged to look upon your faces and this beautiful kingdom. I often wonder if there is a better place to be than in your presence." she said cheerfully as those around gave hearty laughs. "I know, however, that there is nowhere I'd rather be than serving my people and my queen in this beautiful place beneath these warm waves!" she finished, raising her fist in the air as the mermaids cheered and raised their fists to her.
"To Cetavian!" they cried in unison. Thessa laughed at their joyous faces. They always toasted at the end of their dinners, always resulting in a morale-boosting cheer for her family line. She smiled brightly at her people and her mother. She was telling the truth in her toast. There is nowhere else she'd rather be.
"You do know we're one short," the hobbit said, walking slightly behind Thorin. "Where's Bofur?" he asked. Thorin just pushed forward through the crowd that had gathered to see them off.
"If he's not here, we leave him behind," Thorin stated simply, eyes set firmly ahead. The company stomped their way down to the docks, ready and packed for the journey.
"We have to if we are to find the door before nightfall," Balin added from beside Bilbo. "We can risk no more delays." The company began boarding a boat that had been set aside for their trip across the lake . Thorin was the first to climb aboard and watched the company all file in. He saw Kili trying to board the boat and thrust his arm out in front of his nephew before he could.
"Not you," he said. "We must travel at speed, you will slow us down." Kili smiled slightly at his uncle, thinking he was surely joking.
"What do you mean? I'm coming with you," he said lightly. His leg hurt like a bitch, but there was no way he was getting left behind.
"No," Thorin countered. Kili was taken aback by the refusal, confusion on his face.
"I'm going to be there when that door is opened, when we first look upon the halls of our fathers," he pressed. Thorin looked down at his nephew's pale face sadly.
" Kili, stay here, rest. Join us when you're healed." Kili looked incredulously up at his uncle, hurt in his eyes. Fili came up behind his uncle, having heard the argument.
"Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us, you cannot take that away from him!" he argued fervently. Thorin sighed.
"Fili-" Thorin interjected.
"I will carry him if I must!" Fili cried.
"One day you will be king and you will understand," Thorin stated firmly. "I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, even for my own kin or my One." Fili frowned in disbelief at his uncle, pushing past him toward the dock. Thorin quickly reached an arm out to stop him. "Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the company." Fili shrugged his arm off.
"I belong with my brother," he threw back angrily. He joined Kili back on the dock as the towns people began playin trumpets and other instruments to see them off. Thorin looked back at his nephews sadly. Óin would take care of them as well as Thessa and they would join them later, he assured himself. Their little boat sailed away from the town and toward Erebor, to meet Gandalf at the lookout.
"Did you miss the boat as well?" Bofur panted, coming up beside Fili and Kili. He had woken up beneath the dining tabbed after have had too much ale the night before. He had raced down to the dock, only to have missed the boat by a few minutes. Just then, Kili swayed and his legs buckled beneath him.
"Kili!" Fili cried, catching his brother and holding him up. He looked over to Bofur, panic in his eyes. "We need to get him to Óin!" Bofur nodded, throwing an arm around Kili and helping him stumble back toward the master's house where they had stayed the previous night. When they came upon the building they saw Óin struggling to carry Thessa's sleeping body down the front steps.
"What's happening?" Before called to the old dwarf. Óin looked up in surprise, seeing Kili being supported by the other two dwarves.
"That slimy toad, Alfrid, had the guards toss us out!" Óin growled with effort. He was strong, but carrying a sleeping maiden down hallways and stairs was hard work. They hobbled around town, knocking on doors and asking for help. However, despite the warm welcome and farewell the people had given them not long before, refused to shelter them or provide assistance. Finally, they came upon the bowman's home, knocking on the door. The door slowly opened and Bard looked over the dwarves. He was about to slam the door in their face when he saw Thessa in Óin's arms. His eyes widened in worry for the maiden and quickly ushered them inside.