The Truth Beneath the Rose

Responsibility

Nevaeh and Thorin stood there in the thickness of their conversation. Thorin stared at her but her eyes were focused on something very distant. Her brows were knitted with some burdened thought. She had never spoken of her time with the Elves, never unveiled her scars that she kept hidden for so many years. With each passing second, her emotions were churning. Shifting from rage to despair to pain and back again. It was all beginning to be too much for her to handle. "Leave." She bit out coldly.

"Nevaeh..." Thorin took a step toward her and she backed away. The way she held herself was almost heartbreaking. She shielded herself tightly. As if the gesture had comforted her in her savage past. His chest tightened.

"Get. Out." She hissed. He was only slightly surprised at her command. In a way, he had expected it, but for some reason, felt that it was his responsibility to help her. After all, he had brought her here. He had demanded an explanation from her. And he got it. It was not what he had expected to hear. He half expected it to be something silly or petty. But the fear in her eyes upon their arrival told him otherwise. Now he knew and wished he did not. He realized that Nevaeh's fear of Elves was embedded far deeper than he could ever imagine. His hate for them burned deeper than ever. The fleeting seconds that passed seemed to linger on. The air was thick with tension. Nevaeh's temper was swelling with each breath he took in her presence. He attempted one more gesture to her. Taking one more step toward her, he extended his arm. In an attempt to push his arm away, she unknowingly used more force than she meant and sending him fly across the room. He landed on his back with a loud growl. He was unharmed. He picked himself up off of the stone floor and looked at Nevaeh. He hadn't expected to see her so shaken. Frightened and panicked by her own actions, she began raging. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!" Each cry louder than the last. Thorin began to see that in his attempts to make things better, he only made them worse. He walked out of her room. Not because he was angry, not because he was afraid, but because he did not want to cause her anymore pain.

He closed the door behind him and paused. After a moment of silence, he heard her shrill cry and the sounds of objects slamming and shattering. He left her in her rage, knowing his presence would further upset her. He retreated to his room. It gave him comfort that his room was located only seconds away from Nevaeh. He would be able to hear if the Elves tried to take her. He examined his room. It was almost an exact replica of Nevaeh's. The only difference was the position of the furniture.

A sudden knock at his door caught his attention. He opened it and found the Elf Lindir standing before him, elegant and poised. "My Lord." The Elf bowed his head. "I've been sent to inform you that dinner will be served in an hours time."

"Very well." Thorin nodded. He began to close the door, but was surprised when the Elf began speaking once more.

"Erm... My Lord?" Lindir said.

"Yes?"

"Should I inform the Lady of dinner?" He seemed to be genuinely unsure of himself. He did not wish to offend but he knew she would not be able to eat the Elven food.

Thinking for a moment, Thorin answered. "I will tell her." He thought not of the Elven cuisine, but of her comfort. Finding an Elf knocking at her door while she was alone might frighten her. She had been through enough on this day. The Elf looked both surprised and relieved that Thorin offered to beckon her in place of him. In truth, it was he who was frightened of Nevaeh. He had heard legends of her kind and they were enough to send anyone's blood crawling. Lindir bowed his head one last time before leaving.

Thorin shut the door and locked it. He was exhausted and quite filthy. He found that a warm bath was already drawn. He undressed and lowered himself into the water. He scrubbed his grimy, dirt covered skin. He found the Elven oils made from different plants and flowers. They were meant to clean and mask stench. He picked up the first. It smelled of pine. It was fresh and light. He picked up the next. It smelled of roses. He grimaced. It would be perfect for a woman. The next was jasmine. It smelled like Nevaeh but it wasn't as sweet and heady. He went through the others out of curiosity. He picked up the last bottle and smelled it. It was fresh and sweet. "Daises." He smirked. Putting it down, he washed himself with the pine oil. The others smelled too feminine for his liking. When he got out of the tub, the water was black. Thorin discovered that his clothes had been taken, to be washed, of course. He found fresh clothes in his pack. He remembered dinner and Nevaeh. He did not want to disturb her but he did not want to leave her completely alone. He dressed quickly and left the room.