Talessa felt incredibly ashamed as she lay in her bed, hiding under the soft duvets. She knew very well that what had happened that afternoon would not be easily forgotten. She had not only managed to humiliate herself but also her friends and her host, and she worried that this would put an end to Elrond's generous hospitality.
She knew Eline and Bertra were in her room; she could hear the soft pacing of her friend and the steady clink of her maid's knitting needles. She heard the door open, and then Nídhiel's concerned voice asking how she was. She really ought to get out of bed and reassure her worried friends that she was all right, but she just wasn't ready yet.
Nídhiel didn't know Talessa's story or why she always covered herself with clothes and veils. She was curious why such a beautiful young woman seemed to be hiding part of herself all the time, but she never dared to probe. Now, she realised that the problems might run deeper than she had thought.
They heard a knock on the chamber door. Eline looked at her questioningly, but she didn't know who it might be. After escorting Talessa back to her room, she had quickly ran down to the kitchen to get Bertra and some calming tea, making sure to avoid anyone who might ask questions, but she knew they couldn't avoid it forever.
Now, she and Eline stepped out into the living area and opened the entrance door to find Lindir there with a message from Elrond. The elven lord was requesting that someone come and explain to him what was troubling Lady Talessa.
A few minutes later, Eline and Nídhiel were sitting in Elrond's study across a carved oak table with gold-tipped legs.
"Is it some kind of illness?" Elrond asked, getting straight to the point. "Her elven blood should prevent any disease, but living so long among Men—it might have affected that," he said with concern.
Eline hesitated, unsure how to articulate what she needed to say.
"Do you know what happened to her parents?" she finally asked.
"I heard about it," nodded the elf. "Their deaths were cruel, and they never found out who did it. I understood that Talessa wasn't with them."
"That's true, she was at home," Eline confirmed. "But after that, she was never the same. She had nightmares and hallucinations for years. I heard her old nursemaid quit because she couldn't handle her waking up screaming and mumbling to ghosts all day. Bertra knows more about that, I wasn't working there back then."
Eline took a deep breath, remembering all the gossip and rumors she had heard about Tessie.
"She is fine now," she pleaded with the elven lord. "This was... just a mishap. It won't happen again."
"She didn't seem fine, though," said Nídhiel, her face full of concern. She turned to Elrond. "Do you think you can help her?"
"I must admit, matters of the mind are not my specialty," replied Elrond. "I will see what I can do."
He turned to Eline. "In the meantime, please make sure your lady has everything she needs and tell her to visit me when she is ready."
The next day, Talessa found Elrond in one of the main building's corridors, gazing out over the valley. The elf greeted her with a gentle smile and extended his arm. Talessa accepted it, and he began to guide her through the building. They paused to admire some of the glorious artworks as Elrond spoke about founding Imladris and what he had been up to over the past centuries. Talessa still forgot sometimes how old some of the elves were. Nídhiel was one of the youngest, yet she was already sixty-two. She wasn't sure how old Elrond was, and she wasn't about to ask.
Their walk was pleasant, but Talessa knew that the more serious topics were approaching. So, when they stopped by the next mural—a scene of elves dancing around a bonfire, fireflies following their steps—she decided to speak up.
"I heard you talked to Eline about yesterday," she began.
She noticed that the paint had started to crack at the corners of the canvas. She reached out and ran her finger along the lines.
Elrond nodded.
"It was disconcerting to see you so upset. I needed to know what might have caused it."
"After my parents' deaths, I had the most horrible visions—of blood, of carnage." She glanced at her cousin. "I never saw their bodies, but I did see them. I kept seeing them, in the corner of my eyes, for years. Even now, before I left home, they were still there." She sighed. "I know I sound mad. Maybe I am, and I apologize for the inconvenience I caused."
"I can assure you, your presence has been nothing but a delight," said Elrond, taking hold of her arm again. They continued down the corridor. "You know, I met your mother. She spent some time here when she was younger, before she met your father and chose a mortal life. A delightful, precious woman. You remind me of her."
They were walking up a vast staircase now, and Elrond looked at her with kind eyes.
"I have a proposition for you. I am not the one who can help you, but I know someone who might be able to, if that is something you would like."
Talessa nodded eagerly, and the elf told her about Lady Galadriel, the elven queen of Lothlórien.
"She possesses the greatest knowledge of both body and soul healing in all of Middle-earth. She might be able to help you."
A spark of hope began to rise in Talessa's chest as the elven lord explained Galadriel's powers and how she might be able to solve her problem.
"My daughter, Arwen, is also staying in Lothlórien, and she would be delighted to meet you. I can arrange transport for you if you decide to undertake the journey."
"You are too kind, cousin. I will be forever obliged," replied Talessa, touched by the elf's kindness. The thought of someone being able to heal her, to forever stop the visions, filled her with hope and excitement.
Meanwhile, they reached a spacious balcony, and Talessa looked down at the stunning view of the vibrant, green valley below. At first, she didn't realize they were not alone. The hobbit, Bilbo, who had traveled with the dwarves, was leaning against the railing, absorbed in the magnificent view of the Valley of Imladris.
"Not with your... companions?" Elrond asked, stepping beside him and startling the hobbit.
"No, I shan't be missed," said Bilbo with a sad tone. "The truth is, most of them don't think I should be on this journey."
"Indeed?" Elrond raised an eyebrow. "I've heard hobbits are very resilient."
"Really?" Bilbo seemed very surprised by that remark.
Elrond smiled mysteriously and excused himself, claiming he was needed at a meeting. Talessa listened to the birdsong and the babbling of water in silence for a few moments before her curiosity took over.
"Tell me about this journey you are on, Mr. Bilbo," she asked.
"Well, what is there to know?" he pondered. "We're going to Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, so the dwarves can reclaim their kingdom from Smaug the dragon."
"That sounds like a great adventure!" Talessa exclaimed earnestly, but the hobbit didn't seem to agree.
"And why now?" she asked.
Bilbo shrugged.
"That's something you'd better ask Gandalf about. I wasn't really informed. All I know is that they needed a burglar, and for some reason, they chose me." His voice sounded disappointed, and it was clear he wasn't thrilled about his newfound role.
"I've heard hobbits are excellent burglars," the woman assured him. The hobbit looked at her sceptically, but Talessa just smiled and shrugged.
Bilbo hoped the lady was right.
Eline knew she didn't need to worry while Tessie was with the lord of the house, so she decided to explore parts of Imladris she hadn't seen yet. At first, she wanted to find Nídhiel but ultimately decided against it. The elf was surely busy, especially since she had spent most of her time with them in recent days. So, Eline set off alone to explore the magnificent gardens and buildings, stopping occasionally at particularly picturesque groves or fountains.
She was sitting on a wooden bench, admiring a small waterfall in front of her, when she heard footsteps approaching. She tried to stand, but the newcomer quickly interjected:
"Don't trouble yourself, my lady."
Eline's reaction was a surprised "Oh," as she recognized one of the dwarves from the previous day. His hair and beard were blonde, and he looked younger than the rest of them—quite handsome, if she were honest with herself.
"I'm Fíli," the dwarf announced, bowing deeply.
"Oh, I'm Eline," she introduced herself, blushing slightly. They stood there for a moment, staring at each other, before Eline came back to her senses.
"Would you like to join me?" she offered, and Fili grinned widely as he sat down beside her.
"The view here is splendid," he said, looking around. "It perfectly matches a beautiful lady like yourself."
"Thank you," Eline mumbled, her face turning as red as a fresh tomato. "I should be heading back to the house now," she added, glancing at the setting sun.
"Let me accompany you," Fili immediately offered, and Eline hastily agreed.
Talessa, Eline, and Nídhiel were strolling through the garden with Elladan when they ran into Lindir, who was walking the path, fuming.
"The cooks can't keep up with the work," he complained desperately as he joined them. "We're even running out of wine."
Elladan shook his head disapprovingly.
"Didn't my father say how long they would stay?"
Lindir didn't answer, as they had just reached the fountains, and the sight before them made everyone freeze in their steps, though none reacted as alarmed as the poor steward, who excused himself with a miserable expression and nearly ran away.
The thirteen dwarves were having a splendid time. They had claimed the largest fountain and were leaping from various levels with childish enthusiasm, chasing and pushing each other. Two figures sitting by the edge of one pool—one of whom Talessa recognized as Thorin—were also cheering on one of the younger dwarves, who leapt from the top of a tall stone statue into the water, only to scramble back up and jump again.
Nídhiel burst into nervous laughter. Talessa wasn't sure if it was because of the fleeing elf or the sight of the naked dwarves in the fountain, but either way, it drew some attention to them.
"Hey, redhead, would you like to join us?" one of the dwarves called out to Eline, prompting the dwarf standing next to him to slap him so hard that he ended up face-first in the water, resurfacing a few meters away.
"Why on Earth would you do that, Fíli?" he exclaimed, bewildered.
"You can't speak so disrespectfully to ladies, Kíli," Fíli explained in a motherly tone. "As your brother, it's my duty to ensure you learn proper manners."
"You should use some manners too, then," retorted Kíli, raising an eyebrow at his brother. "After all, as I understand it, standing around naked in front of ladies is also considered improper."
Realising at that moment that the shallow water did little to cover his body, Fíli quickly jumped into the pool behind them, shooting angry glances at his brother while also sneaking embarrassed looks at the onlookers.
Talessa's gaze slid toward Thorin, and she was surprised to see he was looking at her too. She quickly looked away, forgetting that he wouldn't know where her gaze was, thanks to the veil. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eline trying to hide a smile while Nídhiel continued to giggle.
Meanwhile, Elladan regained his composure and took an irritated step toward the bathing dwarves.
"This is a public place! You are insulting your hosts with this behavior," he announced haughtily, glancing at Talessa in the hopes of seeing a sign of approval. She didn't think his intervention was very chivalrous. True, she was also a bit embarrassed by the sight of all the naked, hairy dwarves, but she didn't think such an arrogant tone would encourage better behavior. It didn't seem like they were playing in the fountain out of disrespect, but rather that they thought it was a perfectly normal afternoon pastime. Based on what she had heard about them, it was understandable that the company was not accustomed to gentler manners.
Elladan continued with a few more insulting remarks until the leader of the dwarves had enough. Thorin angrily stood up from his seat, jumped out of the fountain, and strode toward the elf with quick steps, completely naked, stopping only a few steps from him.
"If the host has a problem with us, he can come and tell us himself," he declared boldly, and although he was several heads shorter than the elf, his presence radiated authority, making him seem much larger. "Until then, we'll bathe where and how we please!"
The dwarves shouted in agreement and hurled insults at the elf. Elladan clenched his fists and looked like he was about to attack the dwarf king. Talessa quickly stepped between them.
"There's no need to argue, Elladan," she said to the elf, trying to sound as authoritative as possible.
"We were about to leave anyway, weren't we?" Nídhiel interjected with forced enthusiasm, linking arms with Elladan and dragging him away from the scene.
Talessa turned to Thorin, doing her best to ignore the fact that he was completely naked and forcing herself to look only at his face.
"Please forgive us for disturbing you."
The dwarf nodded curtly, then turned back to the fountain, muttering, "I can't stand this arrogant elven-folk."