Against all Odds {Middle-Earth fanfic}

Chapter Thirty-Four

The next morning, Rolfe got up early as usual. Quietly, he got the bathtub and set it outside in a separate, smaller cottage that was enclosed. He then went back inside and started making breakfast.

Thea heard the quiet clanking of Rolfe in the kitchen and slowly opened her eyes. She stretched her arms and yawned, actually feeling refreshed. Then, she noticed Nikandros sleeping in the chair beside her, "Oh, Nik." She whispered, "Why didn't you sleep on the bed?" She shook her head, not expecting an answer from her sleeping husband.

Carefully, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She limped out of the room and towards the table.

"Good morning." Thea smiled at Rolfe.

"Ah, good morning...Thea. How are you feeling?" Rolfe asked politely.

"Much better, thank you. Is there anything I could help you with?" She walked over to him.

"I think everything is ready, but thank you for asking. Do you want to wait for. What is your husband's name?" He asked.

"It's Nik, but we can just let him sleep. He hasn't gotten a good night's rest in a while." She flashed him a sweet smile.

"Okay...are you sure you should be up and about?" Rolfe asked concerned.

"I'm fine. Nik just worries about me too much."

"Alright then." Rolfe brought the food he had prepared to the table. "Have a seat, then we'll eat." He said, then took a seat himself. Thea gladly accepted a seat and began eating with Rolfe.

Nikandros woke suddenly from a nightmare. He leaped out of his seat and turned to face what his imagination thought were five of King Degore's guards. Realizing that they weren't real, Nikandros relaxed and sighed. He turned to look were he thought Thea was sleeping. When she wasn't there, Nikandros had a flash of panic. Faintly, he heard clinking of dishes and people's voices in the other room. Opening the door and walking out of the bedroom, he saw Rolfe and Thea eating at the table.

Rolfe smiled, "Ahh. Good morning, Nik. I hope you slept well. Sit down. We just started eating." He got up and walked over to the kitchen, and opened a drawer. He pulled an object out, and attached it to his belt, quickly making sure that it was hidden from view. Rolfe then picked up a small bowl of strawberries and brought them to the table.

Nikandros stopped and raised an eyebrow at Rolfe, "Um, excuse me?"

"Yes? Is there something wrong?" Rolfe asked politely.

"Um, well..." Nikandros started awkwardly, realizing that Thea must have accidentally told Rolfe something, "That's my wife's nickname for me."

"I don't believe you." Rolfe stood up quickly and drew the object that he had attached to his belt, which was a knife. "Who are you?"

Thea realized what she had done, "I...I-"

Nikandros took one long step so that he was standing next to Thea, "I've told you already!"

"But you lied to me about your names. Why?" Rolfe asked sharply. He took a quick step around the table, and faced them, cutting them off from the only escape route, the door.

Thea stood up and held her hands up, remaining calm, "Rolfe, please calm down. We didn't want to deceive you, but we didn't know if you were trustworthy."

Nikandros turned slightly to face Thea, "Thea, let me handle this." Nikandros said quietly. In an even more quiet voice he added, "Go out the window. Leave now. I'll hold him off." Turning back to face Rolfe, Nikandros spoke, "Just let us leave if you don't trust us." He said simply, tensing slightly for any attack Rolfe might try.