When Haldir returned later, he walked into the parlor wearing his tuxedo. Thorin looked him over and chuckled to himself. “It’s always entertaining to see a thousand-year-old Viking savage like yourself all cleaned up and looking dapper. You just might be confused with a proper gentleman if you’re not careful.”

Imara sat on the edge of the garden pool with her feet in the water. Her lips were swollen and chapped from the unending stream of tears. She inhaled deeply and smiled as the warm wind blew through her hair and eased the ache in her heart for just a second.

“I want someone with her at all times.” Thorin briefed the guard the Order sent as he finished his coffee in the kitchen. “I don’t want her to feel smothered, just keep her company. If you notice anything unusual call the Order immediately.”

“Imara! Slow down. Baby, please wait for me!” Ben called out as he ran down the narrow dirt path she was walking along. No matter how hard he tried to reach her, she was always a few steps ahead. Once he got past the tall gates, Ben followed her scent down a cobblestone road to a harbor. Imara sat on an old wooden dock with her feet dangling in the water watching the ships sail off into the fiery sunset beyond the horizon.

“Hurry up, baby, the shows going to start soon.” Ben waited in the living room of the guest house while Imara got ready for the afternoon matinee in town. As he looked in the mirror over the fireplace, Ben pushed his shaggy black hair back off his face then shook it back out. He hated his ears and how they stuck out, but no matter how he wore his hair, it never quite covered them.  He stepped back and turned to the side as he admired his arm muscles and how they stretched the fabric of