Bound Together

[Igraine]

Nimue sighed as she rested her forehead against the window glass. She tucked her skirts under her as she leaned more against the window, resting the palm of her hand against the cool glass. The window seat had become one of her more favorite places to frequent during her stay in Ulster. It was where she caught up on her thoughts, even though it had been some three days since she had been introduced to this particular castle and its inhabitants.
It was also three days since she’d lost her locket.

That was a bone headed move on her part. Nimue frowned as she settled back into the window seat. Even now she could feel the tug on her to be with D’Angelo. She didn’t want to be with him. She didn’t want to be with anyone. She just wanted to be with herself, carefree and happy like always. However, now she was stuck with some handsome brooding man that probably couldn’t even stand to look at her.

A soft grumble escaped Nimue as she rested her head against the window, wrapping her arms around one of the man pillows that littered the seat. This was not at all how she had planned her visit. Seduce a few men, have a good time, go back home. That was always the plan and Nimue was usually capable of sticking to it.

However, the sticky fingers of one man…

With a sigh Nimue moved her legs over the edge of the window seat, getting ready to stand. Momentarily she was caught by the way the blue dress she was wearing looked strikingly like one of her favorite ponds in the Fae Realm. It made sense, considering the past several Queens of Ulster were descendants or direct denizens of the realm. It was appreciated none the less. Nimue glanced back outside and sighed softly.

She slipped out of the window seat and went, unerringly, straight to where she knew D’Angelo to be. She kept her gaze downcast and addressed him; she hadn’t looked at him much in the past few days.

“I’d like to go outside and walk the garden. Is that okay?” She felt humiliated having to ask, unsure of whom this man was, and worried he’d use this bond and her emotions against her. Her cheeks, beautiful and soft, colored a delicate rose pink as she asked. Her hair was bound back in a half ponytail so her face was clearly in sight.

[Shin]

After Nicoli had turned down Queen Igraines offer to become a general he directed his efforts in finding what information about the Unseelie, and Seelie Courts, that he could. There was little information that his small guild could uncover however, rumors mainly Nicoli had decided. They weren’t even good rumors, mainly superstitions that would require more manpower to investigate than Nicoli could spare. Being in this kingdom was a personal ordeal and he would not drag down the Moonshades down the same path he was going, the risk was too high.

When he wasn’t chasing his own leads or using his specific set of skills to gain further knowledge Nicoli was practicing and further developing his skills, be it with weapons in his hands or carefully watching anyone he thought might have any skill, analyzing their technique and probing it for weaknesses.

There was something else entirely foreign to Nicoli that always seemed to demand at least a small fraction of his attention, and that was the locket he kept secured on his person. He had studied the item intently and even paid one of the court mages to examine it further and explain it’s properties to him. The device was fascinating, as was the creature it belonged too.

Her beauty was captivating, even for a man that prided himself on his ability to control his manly urges Nicoli found it difficult at times when she was around. He assumed that if didn’t have had the locket he would fall completely under his charms, a thought that bothered him greatly.

Nicoli remained in his personal chamber, behind a desk, an ink pen in his hand a small script of paper rolled out before him and a carrier pigeon in a cage to his left when Nimue entered, as he knew she would. He was constantly aware of her presence, it didn’t matter where she was in the castle, he could find her with his eyes closed and he knew she could just as easily find him, or more accurately, the locket.

Dark eyes swam over Nimue as she stepped in and spoke, Nicoli ignored her request and noted her current demeanor. He was about to speak when he was struck with a sudden idea, one that almost made him chuckle with the simplicity of it.

“Come in, please. Sit.” He gestured to the seat across from him, smiling a smile that never reached his eyes,.

[Igraine]

Nimue started and felt compelled to sit, even though she didn’t want to. So he ordered, so she obeyed. The nymph arranged her skirts around her as she settled into a chair before Nicoli. She kept her face devoid of emotion, even though she knew he could feel the feather-light beating of her heart inside her chest. She knew he was incredibly aware of her, as she was of her locket and who possessed it.

“As you command.”

Nimue’s voice was slightly clipped as she spoke, somewhat strangled as she looked into the emotionless eyes before her. How could she have allowed herself to get ensnared with such a man? How could he have even thought to take a trinket such as hers? She was pure raw emotion and packaged beautifully for the effort of such a task. She curled her fingers together, lacing them delicately in her lap, and attempted to make herself seem calm.

“What is it that you wish of me?”

[Shin]

An amused smile betrayed Nicoli’s predatory features, a half cocked smile showed his amusement with the fey in front of him. He wondered, briefly, what it would taste like to take such a creature completely. He of course pushed that thought from his mind before he could dwell on it, that would have been too dangerous.

“What I want?” He asked as he stood from his seat and moved to sit on the desk in front of Nimue, hands gripping the edges as he leaned forward, his dark eyes nothing more than orbs of pure darkness, seeming to eagerly absorb the light and draw it into it’s depths.

“What I want is simple, a basic emotion that all men and women feel at one point or another in their life.” He spoke vaguely, dancing around her question, he felt no need to answer it and instead he focused on the locket he carried. He wanted to see if he could distinguish Nimues emotions, was she really such a complicated creature? He wondered.

He let go of the desk and came forward suddenly, on both knees in front of Nimue, cupping one chin in his left hand while his right vanished behind him to the small of his back. “I want to know more about you Nimue, about Fey and about where you come from. There must be many creatures in the Fey wild that I could not even dream of. Like you, this locket, as far as I understand it, will force you to be loyal to me and only me.” He gave her a wolfish grin, forcing her to looking into his abyss like eyes.

“I like that Nimue. Oh, I certainly do. What other creatures I wonder possesses a similar trait, an item once taken forever bonds them to you? Can I have more than one? Will the magic interfere? Please… enlighten me.”

Nicoli let go of her then, leaning back against his desk, drawing forth something from the small of his back but keeping it hidden under his wrist and forearm as he seemingly got into a comfortable position while he waited for her to speak.

[Igraine]

There was a brief moment when D’Angelo moved, not unlike some predatory animal, that Nimue’s emotions tangled inside her. She felt compelled to love him, compelled to hate him, thrilled by his prowess, and the subtle movement of the muscles of his chest and arms beneath his clothing. She swallowed hard and leaned back in her chair when he sat in front of her on the desk. He was very business-like and she could respect that. His eyes, though, they disturbed her. She looked away as he spoke, studying the curtains in the room carefully. When he moved before her she didn’t think anything of it.

Until he tugged her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. Her own beautiful blue eyes struggled hard with the emotions welling inside her. She was trying desperately to push aside the fear that was threatening to run rampant. She vaguely wondered if he could smell her fear, and when his grin surfaced, all predator in the face of prey…

Nimue jerked her chin out of his hand and got to her feet, walking to the window and looking out. She was stunning in the dress she had chosen. The fabric shifted as she moved, creating the semblance of light on the surface of water, though she ignored it now. Her hair was drawn back away from her face, the light of the sun pouring through the crack in the curtains she created, made her hair seem like living fire. Her features were soft but angular, pleasing and desirable. She was a creature built for sexual desire and beauty, though her features were marred by some anger deep within her.

“My race is the only one with a locket. None would be as careless as I have been to allow a…mortal to obtain it. There are many other races, hundreds of thousands of us. We live to serve her Majesty Queen Mab and likewise the up and coming Queen Igraine. She is the successor to our world, Master Nicoli.” Nimue spoke, her voice toneless until the end. Speaking of Mab and Igraine seemed to spark some emotion deep within her breast. Nimue touched her chest where the dip in the neckline met the skin of her chest.

“Please give me my locket back. I was never meant to be bound to someone like you.” Nimue looked at the floor. It was a harsh truth, Nimue was always meant to be bound to a more lovable and sexual person.

[Shin]

As Nimue moved away from him Nicoli replaced the item back into the small of his back, under his clothing and turned to keep her in front of him. He watched her carefully and unlike other men he currently wasn’t watching her for physical beauty, though he couldn’t help but admire her for a moment he was quick to master the urges he considered below him.

“I see. So, if I wasn’t …mortal, then it would be ok?” Nicoli teased, producing the locket with the turn of his wrist into the palm of his hand. “I can see why this is so important to you.” He admired the beautiful craftsmanship of the item as it lay in the palm of his hand. Then, stalking like a panther, her circled around some of the furniture in the room and came to stand an arms reach away from Nimue, the locket resting in the palm of his hand.

“If I remember correctly, you cannot take the locket from me. Can you? Matter of fact… if I am not mistaken, I have to give it to you of my own free will. Is that not correct?” He asked, sincerity filling his voice and those hard eyes almost brimming with tears as he looked at the locket then back to Nimue.

It was rather impressive how quickly the assassin could change his composure, how masterfully he could change his demeanor. He could feel the emotions oozing off of Nimue, even without the locket it was plain to see what the girl was feeling, she wore her emotions on her sleeve plain for all to see, and take advantage of.

“You must forgive me. My life has not been an easy one…” He cast his eyes to the ground. “… I forget I am not on the street anymore and that not everyone is trying to take advantage of me. You’re not trying to do that, are you?” He asked, a single tear running down his cheek as he shook his head and whipped it away quickly, as if embarrassed by it.

“You save my life from the Siren, Nimue. I grabbed the locket out of a reaction when I was reaching for you. I did not mean to take it, I wasn’t even aware of it’s purpose.” He sighed and set the locket on the ledge right next to Nimue and then turned to walk back towards his desk.

“I’m not as bad as you believe me to be….or as young.” He spoke, once again the tears were gone and he was back to his regular demeanor, albeit less hard than before.

He looked to Nimue, knowing that her eyes would be on the locket yet she wouldn’t be able to take it because he hadn’t actually given it to her. He smiled on the inside of course, but on the outside he wore a worried expression. “Take the locket Nimue, you save me and in turn I release you from your bonds to me. If a women falls in love with me I want it to be of her own free will, not because she is entrapped to me. You are free to go….though I would like to stay and talk to you more, I am curious of other Fey creatures, of your customs…of a world that seems so much brighter than this one…” He said, his voice tinged with despair before mastering it again and looking out the rather large window in his room.

[Igraine]

Nimue felt like a hare caught in the sights of a hunter’s bow. Her body was tense as a fully drawn spring and she could hardly breathe as Nicoli waved her locket in front of her like some boon. Despair washed over her and she edged away from him, feeling too heartsick at seeing the object of her enslavement so close and yet being so thoroughly incapable of taking it back. A lump grew in her throat as she watched D’Angelo speak; she tried to swallow around it but was incapable of doing so.

She felt trapped and threatened, finding herself torn between wanting to run and wanting to shake him to make him understand that she would never be able to express half of what he wanted to know. Her world was one of light and beauty, a world of emotion and deep magic. Things a human might not understand, especially this man who tried so hard to keep himself under strict control.

When he set the locket down, her attention was riveted on it, the metal warmed by the contact with his skin. It was a non-descript piece of jewelry really. Nothing more than antique silver with a medium oval shaped locket. A single rose was emblazoned in porcelain across the front with delicate silver scrollwork all along its surface. Inside that locket there would be a single lock of Nimue’s fiery red hair. The locket bound her to a lover if she so thought to take one and make herself bound. In this case she hadn’t meant to allow it to happen, but it had.

Nimue’s heart leapt at the sound of D’Angelo’s voice freeing her. She rushed over to her locket and went to pick it up, but when she got close to it, it flared red hot. She yanked her hand back and shook it, drawing her fingers into her mouth.

“I can’t take it. You have to mean that you want me to take it back in your heart, and hand it to me – before I can walk away from you.” Nimue walked over to Nicoli then and planted her hands on his desk and leaned down to look into his eyes. She was a sexual creature, sure, but she had power – a pure and vicious tempest of power that brewed darkly behind her sea blue eyes.

“Don’t toy with me. I am drowning in emotions I can’t control, bound to a man that can’t get his head around what I am, and now he throws the one thing – my freedom – in my face. Don’t think that I am weak because you own me, Nicoli. I am older than the trees in this world, Master Nicoli. I have been the reason for many love affairs, for many deaths, for many desires. I am not at all pleased with the fact that you own me, I would rather be free. If you insist on crushing my heart with your games, at least do me the service of ending my life.” Nimue slammed her palms down on his desk, creating a soft rattle of any items that may reside on it currently.

“My brethren are of the Summer Court. We are creatures of light, harmony, and brilliance. Some of the greatest minds of your human history are of our number. We withdrew from your world because you couldn’t handle what we were. Most of my kind stays within the boundaries of our world, but some, like me, enjoy the more trivial pursuits of dallying with humanity. You see, your world intrigues me. There are so many things that I don’t understand, so many tastes and smells and feelings I get here that I don’t when I’m home.”

Nimue’s eyes darkened as she thought of the winding pathways of the forest she called home. It was near the lake her eyes so resembled. Even now as she walked back to the window, small peeks beneath her skirt would reveal that she wore no shoes. It wasn’t something she felt the need to do. Fashion was only so worthy of her attention – especially if the object was pretty. The strangest things attracted her attention, though thankfully there were none in the room she stood in now. The faintest glimmer of the water beyond the trees caught her attention and she sighed, heartsick.

“Can I go for a walk? I have to ask because I don’t know you and to displease you would cause me pain.” If her locket had been given to a true lover, a man that she loved deeply in return, she would never have been so humbled as to ask for simple things. There would be an understanding around them that she wouldn’t run and he wouldn’t hurt her intentionally.

Nimue looked over her shoulder, her eyes carefully guarded as she stared at a fixed point on Nicoli’s shoulder. She didn’t like his eyes.

[Shin]

Nicoli almost scoffed at Nimue, how could he truly give up having something like her with all his heart? A creature that was meant to captivate his heart and he was supposed to just give that up? “Impossible. It is not in my nature. I could easily let you go if you were able to leave on your own accord, but with my heart? I do not know how.” He admitted truthfully.

“My, you are old… and yet…you know so little. I may cruel at times, cold even. But that is the way of the world my dear, that is how humans are.” He narrowed his eyes dangerously and in the blink of an eye there was small dagger in his hand and in another instant it was sent spinning end over end, unerringly sticking into the wood at eye level with Nimue and dangerously close to hitting her.

“You do no test me!” He warned, staring daggers at her even though she refused to meet his cold black eyes. “You are worse than I could ever be. You toy with emotions for fun, you break hearts, and admit you are responsible for the death of my people. And then you try to hide and claim it to be your very nature?” Nicoli scoffed and shook his head and he pushed his anger back inside.

“You are pathetic and you have angered me deeply, if I did not think it would anger the Queen to have one of her own scrubbing bathroom pots I would send you to do that right now. Teach you humility. Your servitude for me is a penance for all the crimes you have committed. Now, do not speak and leave my site… go walk your damn garden and do not bother me again until I call for you.” Nicoli ordered, walking over to grab the dagger from the wall and the locket from ledge he set it on.

He replaced both in one of the many hidden pockets on his person and then went to sit back down. “Oh, and one final question Nimue,” His voice now sounded calm and composed, as if speaking to an old friend. “the Queen went into that…. Other realm, where your dark cousins live. Do you possess the ability to travel to that realm?”

[Igraine]

Nimue started violently as the dagger passed her face. Her anger was replaced with fear and a threat of vicious sadness that loomed over her head. The nymph felt like she was suffocating in the room, so when he released her she ran for the door. If she could run to the ends of the earth to escape this man she would, but she knew he wouldn’t allow it. His question, though, brought her up short. She turned slightly so that he could hear her but she wouldn’t have to look at him. He was her shame, one she was forced to bear.

“I would be captured or killed on sight. Anyone bound to me would be killed for the possession of my locket. My cousins, as you call them, would love to have a nymph in their ranks – but we usually die long before we can be tortured enough to agree to giving in to King Pendaran.” Nimue started to dart out of the room again but she stopped, turned around, and leveled her gaze on Nicoli.

“For all that you hate me, for all the emotion you can’t seem to figure out in your head and heart, for all of that I hope that you find it in yourself to give my locket back. “ The deep sadness that had taken root in her belly began to rise to choke off any other speech she might have wanted to impart. He didn’t know that she could only live on the human plane for three months, unless the veil was lifted between the Seelie and Human realms.
Nimue would eventually die for want of the magic of home.

The nymph fled from the room as the first tears began to fall. A smart apothecary would gather those tears for healing potions, but no one was around, and if they were they probably wouldn’t be so crass as to barge into the young woman’s misery. Nimue stopped at a hall mirror and tried to gather herself, but the longer she looked at herself the worse she felt. She pushed the mirror away from her, ripping it off the wall with a crash of glass and frame.

In a moment of rash judgment, Nimue bent down and scooped up a shard of the mirror and ran out into the garden. She walked with no clear direction in mind, her thoughts tangled in a jumble of fear and agony. She was never meant for this life. She was never meant to be contained, exploited, hated, and reviled. This was why her people had departed from this realm so long ago.

Nimue settled on a stone bench in an overgrown area of the garden. She let herself cry, curling in on herself in some silent acceptance of the overwhelming emotion boiling to the surface. With shaking hands she looked into the shard of mirror glass and something inside her broke.

She didn’t want to die here, but she could. She could escape this horrifying experience. She wouldn’t have to suffer the wasting sickness that would come the last month of her existence in this realm. Nimue drew the mirror shard out and plunged it into her belly hard. A grunt of shock at the pain was the only sound she made. She viciously ripped the bloodied makeshift blade across one wrist.

As the shard dropped to the ground and shattered, Nimue relaxed with her back on the stone bench. It was warm, so very warm; she’d heard death was like dropping into a vat of ice water. She closed her eyes as she lay there, feeling the blood pool along her belly and dripping over her side to pool beneath her on the bench. She coughed, feeling the shock of pain jolt through her whole body.

The locket buried deep within one of Nicoli’s would flare white hot and burning. It would burn through the pocket but if it touched skin it would be ice cold. It was a warning that the object of desire was dying, and dying quickly. Indeed, if Nicoli focused on Nimue he would find her presence wavering. He would find it hard to focus directly on her.

The gardener that found her raised the alarm. Nimue distantly registered his presence as he lifted her into his arms, covering himself with her blood. She felt him running and the castle was suddenly looming closer. That would be all she remembered as the gardener brought her to the infirmary, she blacked out in a cloud of warmth. She could hear, distantly, the gentle sound of a beating heart where her head was nestled against the gardener’s chest. It was a sound that drew a wistful smile to her face as she slipped further under as they placed her on the bed and stripped her bare.

Any sound was better than Nicoli’s hard heart and distant face.

[Thorin]

Thorin held onto Nimue, while he sprinted through the castle corridors. The place was his home, even if Igraine wasn't present. Thorin made haste, ignoring guards who questioned his bloodied appearance and the strange woman in huddled in his arms. If Blackburn approached him, it wouldn't be the first time he had shunned the man. The castle was eerily quiet, even though he felt the urgency to save her life.

Bursting through the infirmary door, he didn't have to explain that the woman needed help. Passing her off to a very confused nurse, he motioned for her to take care of Nimue and fuss over his mess later. It wasn't the first time that he had been around such chaos, but it was awkward being there without Igraine. When the doctor made their appearance, he was ushered to wait in a private room, but Thorin refused to leave her side. Even if the guards came, he wouldn't hesitate to use his magic against them.

After losing his son to King Pendaran, he had to make sure that he didn't lose another. Thorin couldn't handle any more losses- even if he didn't have any real connection with the woman. Sitting down in a corner, he made sure to keep quiet and watch whatever procedure, without interrupting their work.

Looking at his blood stained hands, he wondered how much she had actually lost. His mind was slowly shutting down from the shock of the Parley and now this woman relying on his strength. Apathy was quickly rooting itself in his thoughts.

When the doctor questioned his relations with her, he simply responded that he was an “old friend.” They couldn't afford any more delays with her condition. Nimue was fading, his powers picking up on her faint heartbeat.

“Just save her...she's all I've got left.” Thorin thought about his words, knowing that most would hear it as a romantic statement, but it was really about his sanity. Bowing his head, he tried to focus on anything, even the intricate patterns on the marbled floor.

Everything had been lost in a single day. His future with Igraine could never be considered and his fatherhood was next to non-existent. Nimue had given him some spark of hope, but he wondered if that would be taken from him as well. His heart could only take so many losses.

[Shin]

Nicoli absorbed Nimue’s words as she spit them out, dissecting the words and running them through his calculating mind even as she sprinted down the hall and away from him. Her smell lingered in the room and with his sensitive nose Nicoli could pick it out better than most, only self control prevented it from being intoxicating.

He dipped his feather pen in the ink and continued to scribble what appeared to be nonsense to anyone looking at it, random symbols and words that didn’t seem to go in any order. It was coded of course, impossible to read unless you had the cipher, or had it memorized like Nicoli did. There were orders of a sort and near identical to a second parchment that was already rolled and sealed by his side.

While writing Nicoli had managed to ignore if not completely block the feelings that he was connected to thru the locket, it was bothersome but completely doable. At least it was until a spike of what could only be pain shot through his mental barriers and made him keenly aware of Nimue and her plight.

“Fool women.” He spat under his breath and quickly grabbed the burning locket out of his pocket, ready to toss it on the floor when he noticed it was cool to the touch and so he held it, thinking for a moment. The smell of blood struck him first, making him realize what was going on before he could decipher the emotions from the locket. Almost immediately he assumed the fool girl had done something stupid, injured herself in someway.

Nicoli didn’t move quickly, instead he re-belted his equipment, threw on his black cloak and pulled the cowl low while he exited his room. He followed his nose rather than the commotion and where he knew Nimue would be.

A moment later he came to a large spot of blood on the ground, carefully Nicoli bent down and investigated the mirror and the shard that Nimue had used, it was covered in blood. He searched the area and carefully scrapped the blood into a tiny vial he pulled from the inside of his cloak. He repeated the process a second time with the blood on the ground, the smell was intoxicating, far more powerful than whatever enchantment the Nymph or Siren had ever put on him. It was his curse.

With a tremendous amount of effort Nicoli stood and turned to head where he knew Nimue would be, though the locket was weak, very weak. He had gotten what he wanted from the Nymph and it was far easier than he would of thought.

His boots echoed as they struck the floor in the hallway that lead to where Nimue was, the smell of blood drawing Nicoli there like a shark. “Will she survive?” He asked as he stepped passed nurses and doctors, he asked anyone in the room, though his eyes would eventually come to rest on Thorin.

“You…” Nicoli turned to regard the man, another idea forming in his head. “…catch.” Nicoli tossed the locket through the air towards Thorin. “I cannot truly give it back to her with all my heart, it is impossible for me to do. However, you may truly keep the locket, it has served it’s purpose for me. Perhaps you can give it back to her?” Nicoli’s dark eyes glittered in amusement for a moment before he abruptly turned and left, intent on returning to his room and completing his business.

[Igraine]

The blood that Nicoli had collected, the magic in it had begun to die the moment it was spilled. Hours later he would be left with a bottle of clear viscous fluid that smelled like roses and had no real power beyond perfume. It was not for him to know as it had never come into a conversation. The magic of the Seelie might very well show up in their blood, but it was an inherent part of them. Without the whole package the effect would quickly be lost. It would be like taking a piece of a petal and asking what kind of flower it had come from. A Fae’s blood, unless it was something like a Dragon or a Unicorn, was something fleeting and in Nimue’s case had to be used immediately. It had no shelf life.

The doctors hovered over Nimue as Nicoli exchanged pleasantries with Thorin. They cleaned up the blood and used what power they had among themselves to start the healing process from within her body. When they were through they cleaned away the blood, sponging her body clean behind the cloth divider that was erected for her privacy. When that was done they bound her wounds carefully and moved her just as carefully to a new clean bed and covered her with a clean white blanket.

The doctor glanced at Nicoli and shook his head.

“What’s his problem? Doesn’t he know creatures like Nimue are rare? What an idiot, if he thinks he got anything from that poor girl he’s sorely mistaken.” The doctor tapped the side of his nose and pointed at the locket.

“Hold it well, son. That thing is greatly powerful and it was always meant to be given by a Nymph to her lover, not just taken as it was from the Lady Nimue. That’s her name, by the way. You’re Thorin, right?” The doctor bowed to him and sat next to him, straightening his back and looking to where the nurses were coming Nimue’s hair.

“She’s irresistible to everyone but her own kind. Even then sometimes a Nymph can tempt even her own kind. I’m sorry, I’m terrible, my name is Theoden McGreggor. Her Majesty, Igraine Lothair, employed me shortly after she became Queen. I’m from the Seelie Realm. Mixed parentage, but it’s the reason I know how to take care of creatures like Nimue.” Theoden was a likeable man, not someone that was hard to get along with. It was part of his charm and it was also a weapon. He was very disarming.

“She will be fine. Since you are the owner of her locket you should know that she will need to be given freedom to go between the Seelie Realm and the Human World. She will die at the end of three full moons in the Human World. The magic just isn’t enough to sustain her like it is in the Seelie Realm.” Theoden rose to his feet and gestured to where Nimue was resting peacefully.

“Without you bringing her in, she would have died out there. Whatever that jerk did to her, the Queen won’t like how it transpired. Queen Kahlan Lothair or High Queen Igraine Lothair, the Seelie are their personal guests and self-harm due to Master negligence won’t go unnoticed. She’ll wake soon. You should go to her; she’ll need to see that you aren’t her old Master.”

As if on cue, Nimue’s beautiful blue eyes fluttered open. She could feel the difference in the link and she turned her head to look at Thorin with a smile that was heartbreakingly beautiful. She knew that he was her savior and she felt lighter.

“Thank you.” Her voice carried despite her being across the room. It was an open invitation for Thorin to come sit by her and talk to her as she mended.

[Thorin]

Thorin caught the locket by surprise, thoroughly confused by Nicoli. Everything was happening so fast, that he had to grasp reality piece by piece. When the doctor introduced himself, he oddly felt a little more at ease. Maybe it was tone of the man's voice, or his composure, but his muscles instantly relaxed around the man. When Theoden explained Nimue's history, he sat dumbfounded. He didn't want to be master of anyone, or be responsible for someone's fate.

“Let me get this straight...I'm her Master?” Thorin eyed the door, where Nicoli had stood. He was always wary about gifts that were so readily given. He had enough responsibility, without adding to it, but he couldn't let someone like that control Nimue.

From the sound of her voice, he went to her side and sat closer to her. Nimue's blood held a terrible stench to his Vuri nostrils and he was unsure what to make of her. Thorin continued to listen to Theoden, nodding at his words. Igraine would be more than a little mad and she wouldn't like his explanation with everything either. It was odd being trapped between two women. He suddenly understood his father's emotions, but unlike Vylrath, he couldn't help this situation.

Thorin couldn't form words when she spoke to him, her beauty stunning his senses momentarily. Realizing that he had been staring at her for some time, he gathered enough nerve to speak to her. “You are free to go and come as you please. I will not hold you against your will, or risk your life for your company. I don't want to see you perish, after Theoden saved you.”

When she thanked him, he felt his heart stir, but with several emotions. He felt for her, but he wondered if anyone would have rescued her, had he not come along that same path- he didn't want to think about that outcome.

Shaking his head, he looked to Nimue, wondering what he had gotten himself into. “Don't thank me, I'm just grateful that you survived. I won't have to worry about you doing it again, will I?” Thorin seriously worried about that thought for a moment. He didn't want to find her in the same infirmary again. If Nicoli had brought her to that action, it would be very difficult to see the man in a different light.

“You're safe now. I won't leave until you're fully recovered.”

[Shin]

(I'm writing Nicoli out of the thread, unless one of you plans to interact with him. Just let me know.)

A tremendous amount of weight was lifted off of Nicoli when he gave the locket away, part of him longed for it but he dismissed the feeling as quickly as it came. He instead focused on the events that had just transpired, he recognized that he would more than likely be put in an off light. But it was nothing he was terribly worried about. He hadn’t actually done anything wrong, other than scare her with the knife throwing trick, and not be the kind of man she wanted him to be. The later of which wasn’t his problem, he hadn’t even wanted the necklace and it had been a mistake that he had grabbed it from her.

Servants and guards stepped out of his way as his long strides took him back to the wing in which is room was. He remained ‘out of touch’ to the common folk on purpose, always staying fully wrapped when in out of his room and answering questions with quick answers and icy glares, they soon learned that Nicoli didn’t require anything more than the basics and he always came to get his own meals.

That’s not to say that he was a bad guy, though Nimue would disagree. It was simply a matter of getting to know him, not something he would allow. In fact, the only individuals he would entertain at all were the other members of the Queens personal guard and of course the Queen herself. Nicoli reminded himself that this was a Kingdom, and to be honest the Queen was sorely lacking people like Nicoli, people that she could trust despite their obvious differences.

He pushed his way back into his room, closing and locking the door behind him before removing his cloak and setting it by the door, then removing his sword belt and setting it next to him behind his desk when he sat. Nicoli finished with the tiny parchment, sealed it, and then put it in a tiny container. Nicoli also reminded himself that he was more than just a member of the Queens personal guard, he was an ally and that came with certain benefits. He smiled despite himself.

He wasn’t foolish enough to try an use the Queen, never that. Especially not when he witnessed what powerful allies she had made, such actions, even slight ones would cause his own demise and Nicoli had been around long enough to learn to play the game even if he despised it. Sighing he stood, grabbed his water skin and took a swig while pocketing his rolled up parchment.

A member of the Moonshades would be waiting for him in one of the castles waiting areas, ready to give Nicoli the latest news and take the orders he had written down. Once again, Nicoli belted himself and cloaked himself before leaving his room. He took in a deep breath and made his way to where he knew his familiar informant to be, one of the first Moonshades, though to say Nicoli trusted him wouldn’t be accurate, Nicoli didn’t trust anyone. However, he could trust the mans greed for wealth…and that was something the assassin could manipulate.

[Igraine]

“You have a strong and steady heart. You don’t panic under pressure.” Nimue reached out and touched Thorin with a slender hand. It shook with the effort of movement for she was still incredibly weak. She closed her eyes briefly before turning her head to look at him. No one would have found her if he hadn’t been nearby. She wasn’t sure if he smelled her or if he had heard the shard of glass fall to the ground. Perhaps it had been fate playing a hand in their meeting.

“I won’t do this again. It was a dark place that I was in. The threat of being so trapped that death would have been better than life.” A soft frown arranged itself on her features before disappearing as she looked at Thorin. She grabbed at his hand and squeezed it weakly. Her hand was smaller than his because he was such a large man, but it fit perfectly into his palm.

“Why do you look so sad?” When he offered her the opportunity to go where she needed to when she pleased and to stay with her until she was better – Nimue smiled a dazzling smile that was a sign that her heart was almost filled to bursting. This, this kind of relationship was what was normal for a locket bearing Master. It was less about being a Master to a Slave as being a Husband to a Wife. They were not married, no, but with her locket in his possession Thorin would be the one man she looked to in all things. That he was willing to do things for her in return, well that would make their relationship all the more smooth.

“You can talk to me. You saved me, I owe you my life.” Nimue relaxed into her pillows, her fingers curling around one of Thorin’s fingers in an effort to keep contact with him. She was a physical creature, but sex was not something she focused on all the time. Her natural element was water, and it had healing properties which she employed now through touch. It wasn’t an actual use of her power, so Thorin wouldn’t feel any actual power working on him; it was more a use of her presence as a creature. Sex could be base and animalistic, but it could also be healing. Something deep in her heart told Nimue that she might have to serve her new master in such a way, healing his heart for him. Not now, though, she was far too injured to be of any use to him physically. Now she could just lend her presence and help him understand that she wasn’t going to leave him.

Where Nicoli had been stuck with her, thinking of her as nothing but a nuisance – Thorin had inherited her and he would find that there was depth to Nimue. More to her than a pretty face and a willing body. These were things that Nicoli couldn’t understand because he denied himself emotion.

“What is your name?” Nimue squeezed Thorin’s finger gently, as if she was trying to gain her strength back through her connection with him.