Where She Went

Grown A Little Closer

It took Talia a month of sneaking around the Elven kingdom before she could put together a plan. In between the many hours of snooping, the Terran would check on her Dwarves in the dungeons. She had even learned a good piece of information from Kili, who would still talk to that Elf girl, Tauriel, occasionally. Kili informed her about some party about starlight, which would take place tonight.

When she was finished with her searching and sneaking at night, Talia would return to Thorin's cell. There, the Dwarf king would continue to share his food with her, and she would sleep just outside his door, and he would always wake her right before the guards made their morning rounds.

The Terran and the Dwarf ended up learning more about each other as they spent more time together. The information came slowly, it came from simple, innocent questions, such as, "If you could have any food in the world right now, what would it be?" and "What's the worst piece of advice someone has ever given you?" They both laughed at the personal stories they each told, and they both took interest as they learned the most simple things that make up a person.

Talia was amazed by that fact that as a child, Thorin had dreamt of being other things besides a king. He had a deep love of singing and playing the harp, and he told Talia about how as a Dwarfling, he wanted to become a minstrel, especially after he saw them performing in the streets.

Thorin, on the other hand, was very intrigued by how different Talisa was from most people he knew, like the fact that she's left-handed. The Dwarf king was always taught that left-handedness was frowned upon, and he even recalled seeing children, both Men and Dwarves, being forced to switch to using their right hand for everything. Yet, there was nothing wrong with Talisa. She was just as intelligent as anyone else in this world...maybe even more.

When she came back that night, the young woman could immediately see that Thorin was in a bad mood. He hardly acknowledged her when she arrived at his cell, and he was pacing around his tiny living space with a look on his face that said he was very close to punching his way out of prison.

"You might as well tell me what happened. I hear it's unhealthy to hold in anger." Talia told him with raised brows.

Thorin gave Talia a half-hearted glare. "That scum still thinks he can get it out of me." he hissed, mostly to himself.

"What?"

"The Elven king. He interrogated me...again. He thinks that by locking us away, we would break, and we would give in to his greedy demands!" he spat, pounding his fist on the wall.

"Hold on now." Talia cut in. Thorin paused in his pacing to look at her. Her brows were furrowed. "That fake blonde bitch in the dress is a man?"

The Dwarf king completely froze and stared at Talia. The Terran could see that he was holding it in and trying to keep his anger. She could see that smile of his tugging at the corners of his lips. Before she knew it, Thorin burst out laughing, his bad mood completely disappearing.

"I mean seriously. I really thought his make up did a great job at bringing that feminine touch!" the young woman joked, now laughing along with Thorin. Once they caught their breath, Talia sighed. "Feeling better now?" she asked.

The Dwarf king chuckled. "Much. Thank you." he said, sitting down next to her.

The Terran waved off his thanks and cleared her throat. "I got the plan all figured out. I'd say be ready by tomorrow, but you don't exactly have anything to pack that you can't fit in your pockets." she said.

Thorin rolled his eyes. "What is the plan?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, you'll see." Talia somewhat grimaced.