The Split Horizons: The Love Of Two Dwarves

8

Shadelia immediately went to the tavern to find Dwalin. He had passed out at the bar and she knew she needed to get him out of there. She got Ori to help her get him home, for he knew where Dwalin lived and she did not. Honestly she probably couldn't have moved him on her own anyway.

They got him laying on his side in his bed and she made sure a glass of water was on his nightstand.

Shadelia sat in Dwalin's living room playing flute, using her powers to keep it from waking him.

It was well after dawn the next morning when Dwalin finally stumbled out of his bedroom with a splitting headache. He couldn't remember how he got home last night, and was even more surprised to see Shadelia asleep on his couch.

He stumbled around his kitchen attempting to find coffee or food or something to hopefully ease his head. Apparently he was not very quiet, because soon, a very sleepy Shadelia made her way to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a yawn nearly interrupting her.

"Trying to get rid of this damn headache," he snapped.

"Here, you go sit down, I'll make some coffee and bacon."

"But you've never been here before! You don't know where anything is."

"I explored a little last night. Go sit down, I can handle it."

He did as he was told, only because he wasn't up to arguing. About twenty minutes later, Shadelia joined him with the bacon and coffee she promised.

"So... did you carry me here?" He asked, mouth full bacon.

"Ori helped. I didn't know where to take you. I was coming to find you to ask if you wanted to come to Powerna with me but... you were unconscious."

"You... want me to come?"

"Yeah, well, we have to stop in Graitica. Ava and I are going to end the war, or at least negotiate a cease fire until my parents approve of a treaty of some sort." She seemed excited when discussing the plans. "Then we will go home. Well my home."

"That sounds great." Dwalin realized his actions the night before had been rather pointless. He hadn't even spoken to Shadelia before jumping to conclusions. She wouldn't be able to adequately defend herself anyway, why would she go alone.

"Oh good, I was worried because Thorin said you were upset because you heard I was planning to leave and I thought you wouldn't want to come."

"When do we leave?"

"In three days. Ava wants to get everything settled asap."

As they were on the way to Princess Avantika's kingdom days later, Dwalin began to notice just how scared Shadelia was of the outside world.

"She was never allowed to leave her castle at home. She ran away and promptly ran into bandits of my country," Ava explained to the dwarf. "She doesn't know what she's doing out here and she's barely trained with those daggers of hers."

When they reached the castle of Graitica, Shadelia's anxiety rose quite noticeably and that's when Dwalin rode up beside her, reached over, and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Everything will be fine," he promised.

"I hope so." It came out as a whisper, her voice a little higher pitched than the dwarf was used to hearing. Her skin was radiating heat as her powers escaped her control.

Ava rode ahead to warn her parents and brother, while Shadelia and Dwalin followed at a distance to give the monarchs a little time to prepare for the visit of a delegate such as Shadelia.

By the time they reached Ava's quarters where the Graitican princess insisted they meet, her parents were already there and seated on her plush furniture. And Ava was there too, out of the rugged travel clothes she had been wearing and into an elegant dress.

"So you are the princess of Powerna?" The queen asked.

"Yes, your majesty," Shadelia replied, her voice trembling. For all she knew, these people would kill her now.

"So what is the story on the supposed 'powers' your people possess?" The king's voice unnerved her.

"My people do not have them. Only the royal family does. Generations before the war, my family prayed to our goddess to remove all of the powers, but she left the ones blessed to the royal family. No one is sure why."

"So, we have nothing to fear from your citizens?"

"Nothing to fear from anyone." Shadelia's country was a peaceful one, and only wished for the war to end.

"Our daughter has told us of you issues at home. Do you plan to return?" The queen's voice was much gentler than that of her husband.

"I do."

"Well then Ava can travel with you. You can both go to the front and end the war. It is unnecessary violence that we have wanted to end for a while."

Now all Shadelia had to do was face her father...