The Parting Glass

Kili was keeping watch during the night. He glanced over at Nerida every so often to make sure she was okay. A couple of times he had seen her toss and turn, he assumed she was having a nightmare. It was slowly getting worse though, he noticed beads of sweat forming on her forehead and the tenseness of her muscles. He put his whetstone and dagger down, stood on his feet and walked over to her. When he knelt down beside her, Kili gently touched her and said her name. She didn’t stir though, she just continued to tremble slightly and whimper. He started to worry, so he shook her gently and said her name a little louder.

“Hey, Nerida, wake up.” Kili shook her a little rougher this time. “Nerida.”

Her eyes shot open and she gasped loudly, sitting up straight and panting heavily. Kili pulled his gloved hand back quickly and apologized for scaring her. She looked at him and sighed in relief, when she realized it was just a bad dream. Nerida covered her face with her hands and rubbed her eyes, trying to push back the terrible images. She licked her lips and shook her head before glancing at Kili. His eyes were glowing with concern and worry and she was a little appreciative of it. No one had really shown her any sort of kindness for a couple of months. She ran her thin fingers through her chocolate brown locks and smiled weakly at Kili.

He returned the smile and sat cross-legged before her. “Bad dream?” he inquired, tilting his head slightly.

“Yes, they come and go,” Nerida said in a scratchy voice. She cleared her throat and let out a breath before laying back down, staring up at the sky. She watched the twinkling stars for a moment before turning her head to look at Kili. He was looking up when she looked back and slowly lowered his gaze back to her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked her.

Nerida bit her lip. “I don’t sleep often anymore,” she admitted softly and rolled onto her side, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. “Not since Oren...” she trailed off and looked down at the leaf covered ground.

“This is obviously difficult for you,” Kili said.

“It is,” she agreed and looked into his pretty brown eyes. He seemed genuine, passionate, and it was surprising to her. She found comfort in his gaze. “I watched Oren murder my entire family and all my friends, all because he wanted this.” She placed her hand on the stone that dangled from a silver chain around her neck. She picked the pendant up delicately and closed her hands around it tightly.

“What caused him to change?” Kili asked her.

“I told you. The power of this stone is seductive, it can change the purest of hearts,” Nerida explained to him as she let go of the pendant, letting it dangle just above the ground. She laid back and stared up at the dark twilight skies. “The story of this stone has been passed for thousand of years among my people.” Nerida closed her eyes for a moment, seeing flashes of the Hesperus and the Lacrima Vesperum in the chambers above her father’s throne room.

“Tell me it,” Kili said and Nerida furrowed her brows, turning her attention to him. “It seems only fair I’m traveling across the country to help you. I should know about it.”

“I didn’t ask you to come, you volunteered,” Nerida pointed out with a small chuckle.

Kili rolled his eyes and waved it off. “What kind of dwarf would I be if I let a beautiful young maiden travel across the country by herself, especially when I know her plight?” He crossed his arms over his stocky chest and smirked at her.

“My plight, huh?” Nerida repeated with a snicker. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for you to know a little more about it.”

“Finally,” Kili beamed, “I’ve been trying to get you to open up all day.”

Nerida laughed lightly and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t trust others easily and how do you know I won’t lie to you?” she asked him with a raised brow, her green eyes filled with mystery and mischief.

“Well, you don’t really have a reason to lie,” Kili suggested with a shrug and Nerida smiled at his answer. He was different from a lot of dwarves she had met in the past. Most dwarves she’d come across were stubborn, greedy, ill-mannered, and scraggly looking. Kili wasn’t any of those things, maybe he was a little stubborn, but he was kind and gentle. She had a hard time believing he was truly a dwarven warrior. He carried many weapons though, from blades to his arrows.

“There are always reasons to lie,” Nerida said softly.

“Why would you lie to me about this?” he asked.

Nerida looked at him and bit the inside of her cheek. For some reason, because he was nice to her and he seemed trustworthy, she really didn’t want to lie to him. He gave her know reason to lie, he saved her life twice and defended her against Thorin, he was worth being told the truth or at least most of it.

“I wouldn’t,” Nerida answered after a few moments of silence.

Kili smiled proudly, feeling like he was finally getting somewhere with her. He knew he hadn’t broken completely through her walls, but they were beginning to crack. “Well then, let’s hear the story.” He gestured for her to begin and Nerida sat up, crossing her legs and turned to face him straight on.

“Alright,” Nerida said and grabbed a stick, drawing a figure into the splotch of dirt beside her. “It all began nearly 4,000 years ago...”

Hesperus was the Lady of White Willow. She was the queen of all the people that resided within the massive tree that reached towards the heavens with its twisted branches. The Lady of White Willow was a healer and kind hearted. Her beauty was unparalleled with white gold hair that reached her hips, charcoal eyes, and flawless ivory skin. Everyone admired her beauty and grace, she was like a goddess. It was because of her beauty and power that the Gods became intimidated by her.

There was no sickness that Hesperus could not heal, she was becoming to powerful in the eyes of the Gods. They became jealous and angry with Hesperus and decided they must put an end to her abilities. The Gods believed they should be the only ones to take and give life. When Hesperus tried to reason with them, they became angry and decided to wipe out her entire race. They decided that no one should ever be able to have that sort of power, so they sent hoards of demons to destroy White Willow.

Hesperus did the only thing she could in order to protect her people, she turned herself into a barrier that kept all the demons out. The Gods saw her selflessness and called off the attack, but Hesperus had become very weak. In order to keep everyone safe, she turned herself into a crystal. A crystal that floated within the heart of the White Willow in order to protect it from any kinds of danger. With her last dying breath, she prayed that her people would remain safe forever and a single tear fell from her eye. The teardrop came to her father and he cherished it and passed it down from generation to generation.

Thus became Lacrima Vesperum.

“So you mean that Hesperus was actually a person?” Kili asked, captured by the wonderful tale.

“Yes,” Nerida replied with a single nod. “This is her tear.” She held up the pendent around her neck and sighed softly.

“Well how did someone who was so good and kind become evil?” Kili wondered.

“The Gods wanted to be sure no one would ever have the power that Hesperus had, so they placed a curse upon her stone,” Nerida paused for a moment and shook her head. “They poured in the blood of a demon.”

“Wouldn’t this make her even more powerful?” Kili asked curiously.

Nerida nodded her head. “We have a magic among our people that bonds to spirits and demons, they usually become corrupt. This is what happened to Oren, he promised to unleash the demon within Hesperus in exchange for more power.” Nerida pressed her lips together in a firm line and clenched her small fist tightly at her side. She couldn’t believe Oren would fall prey to a demon.

“Is Oren doing this of his free will?” Kili inquired with a raised brow.

“He made the pact with the demon,” Nerida looked at Kili, “from then on, his free will was lost. He is simply a host to a demon.”

Kili looked away and shook his head, Thorin was right he really knew nothing of the world. Just hearing this story made him feel like he’d missed so much just staying near the Blue Mountains. When his brown eyes fell on Nerida, he watched the firelight dance on her pretty face.

“I will help you as best as I can,” he told her, place his hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. When their eyes met he gave her a smile and whispered. “I promise.”