Thorin travels through a small town and stops at the tavern to drink away his woes. It's here he meets Nellie, a hopeless free spirit who has no idea who he truly is. It hardly matters as she has a secret of her own. Passion & romance was the last t...
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Morning came too swiftly, accompanied by a wretched pounding in Thorin's sore head. His eyes squinted at the sprawling rays of sunshine that attempted to reach through the curtain-closed window. He cursed his hangover. Yet for all his mumbling, the dwarf stood from his bed and stumbled over to the wash basin. With his hands cupped together, he drove them straight into the now cool water, breathing deeply before holding his breath and splashing his face. Reaching out for a towel, Thorin found his thoughts venturing away from the annoyance of his grogginess and more towards the growling in his gut. It was as good a time as any for some breakfast. So he dressed and readied his pipe, then took his leave of the room to venture down the stairs for a feed.
Already downstairs the rush had begun for Nellie and Violet, who were racing to and fro from the kitchen to the tables. Plates of sausages, cold chicken, and toast seemed to be the common breakfast order of the morning, served occasionally with a steaming hot bowl of porridge. The aroma of the tavern lingered between the smokey scent of pipe tobacco and the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen. As Thorin took his seat, his stomach rumbled; his mouth was watering. Yet as he looked up from lighting his pipe, thoughts of his empty stomach were pushed to the back burner.
It was Nellie. Albeit not the Nellie he had remembered from the night before. She was freshly put together that morning, without exhaustion being painted throughout the fine sheen of sweat that had adorned her face hours prior. Her cheeks were still pink but now framed by long hair which wasn't tucked away into a bonnet. A simple but pretty green skirt was paired with a matching top all trimmed in chiefly yellow. She had worn an apron tied at the waist. Her expression as usual was beaming brightly. Thorin, being completely speechless, could only stare in awe as Nellie lay a plate of food in front of him.
"Good morning!" She chirped. "Sleep well?"
Her voice seemed to pull Thorin from his admiring stares. He hadn't answered her question but voiced his own. "What is all of this?" He was inquiring about her appearance, though she assumed he meant the plate of breakfast.
Nell's hands were at her waist, her fingers picking at one another as though she were nervous.
"Do you not want it?" She sounded wounded by his inquiry.
He coughed, realizing she wasn't talking about herself as he was.
Thorin scanned the room, in truth not wanting to look Nellie in the eyes for fear of his own lingering too long upon her, though in the end, he did. He'd never admit it, but staring at Nellie did something to Thorin, especially seeing her so put together the way she was that morning. The beginnings of fire were lit deep within his belly. The sparks were fluttering throughout his body.
"No," He lightly chuckled. "It's only that I hadn't ordered it." A wonderful recovery on his part.
An expression of relief cascaded over Nellie's face, her hands falling to her sides. "Oh, good. I thought maybe my cooking offended you. Don't stress none over it–the meal is on the house."
