The next morning, Rolfe got up early as usual. Quietly, he got the bathtub and set it outside in a separate, smaller cottage that was enclosed. He then went back inside and started making breakfast.

Thea heard the quiet clanking of Rolfe in the kitchen and slowly opened her eyes. She stretched her arms and yawned, actually feeling refreshed. Then, she noticed Nikandros sleeping in the chair beside her, "Oh, Nik." She whispered, "Why didn't you sleep on the bed?" She shook her head, not expecting an answer from her sleeping husband.

Carefully, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She limped out of the room and towards the table.

"Good morning." Thea smiled at Rolfe.

"Ah, good morning...Thea. How are you feeling?" Rolfe asked politely.

"Much better, thank you. Is there anything I could help you with?" She walked over to him.

"I think everything is ready, but thank you for asking. Do you want to wait for. What is your husband's name?" He asked.

"It's Nik, but we can just let him sleep. He hasn't gotten a good night's rest in a while." She flashed him a sweet smile.

"Okay...are you sure you should be up and about?" Rolfe asked concerned.

"I'm fine. Nik just worries about me too much."

"Alright then." Rolfe brought the food he had prepared to the table. "Have a seat, then we'll eat." He said, then took a seat himself. Thea gladly accepted a seat and began eating with Rolfe.

Nikandros woke suddenly from a nightmare. He leaped out of his seat and turned to face what his imagination thought were five of King Degore's guards. Realizing that they weren't real, Nikandros relaxed and sighed. He turned to look were he thought Thea was sleeping. When she wasn't there, Nikandros had a flash of panic. Faintly, he heard clinking of dishes and people's voices in the other room. Opening the door and walking out of the bedroom, he saw Rolfe and Thea eating at the table.

Rolfe smiled, "Ahh. Good morning, Nik. I hope you slept well. Sit down. We just started eating." He got up and walked over to the kitchen, and opened a drawer. He pulled an object out, and attached it to his belt, quickly making sure that it was hidden from view. Rolfe then picked up a small bowl of strawberries and brought them to the table.

Nikandros stopped and raised an eyebrow at Rolfe, "Um, excuse me?"

"Yes? Is there something wrong?" Rolfe asked politely.

"Um, well..." Nikandros started awkwardly, realizing that Thea must have accidentally told Rolfe something, "That's my wife's nickname for me."

"I don't believe you." Rolfe stood up quickly and drew the object that he had attached to his belt, which was a knife. "Who are you?"

Thea realized what she had done, "I...I-"

Nikandros took one long step so that he was standing next to Thea, "I've told you already!"

"But you lied to me about your names. Why?" Rolfe asked sharply. He took a quick step around the table, and faced them, cutting them off from the only escape route, the door.

Thea stood up and held her hands up, remaining calm, "Rolfe, please calm down. We didn't want to deceive you, but we didn't know if you were trustworthy."

Nikandros turned slightly to face Thea, "Thea, let me handle this." Nikandros said quietly. In an even more quiet voice he added, "Go out the window. Leave now. I'll hold him off." Turning back to face Rolfe, Nikandros spoke, "Just let us leave if you don't trust us." He said simply, tensing slightly for any attack Rolfe might try.

"Not an option. Both of you sit down and let's have a little chat." Rolfe said, still holding the knife firmly.

Thea shook her head, "Don't you dare fight him, Nikandros." She turned to Rolfe, "Please, we don't mean any harm."

"How do I know that? For all I know you could be going to the League of Assassins to tell the master of my presence." Rolfe shook his head. "I can't let you do that, so if either of you make a move to escape, you're dead."

Nikandros' jaw dropped for a second before he composed himself and closed it, "Why would we go to the league of assassins? And how are you related with them?"

"So you know them? Well, I will answer your questions. Why would you go to the League of Assassins? To turn me in to the master of the camp. As for how I'm related to them, I can't tell you that. All that I'm going to tell you is that the master isn't who he says he is. But I'm not going to get myself killed just because I said something I shouldn't have. The master has many spies. You would be wise to stay away from them."

Nikandros stared at Rolfe, "So then we are at an impasse." He said slowly, "You won't let us leave but you also don't want us to stay." Nikandros raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say that I wanted you to go now did I?" Rolfe said, a cold look creeping into his eyes.

"So you will just keep us prisoner here?" Nikandros asked, getting slightly angry.

"That, or I might decide that you're not worth the risk, and kill you both," Rolfe said, a slight edge to his voice.

"Thea, leave now." Nikandros ordered his wife in a quiet voice, so Rolfe could not hear.

"No. I'm not leaving." Thea firmly decided.

"Wise choice, Thea. Wise choice." Now, the peaceful Rolfe from this morning was replaced by this cold, dangerous Rolfe, who would not hesitate to kill.

"Rolfe, please be reasonable. We mean no harm. I thought you were our friend." Thea pleaded.

"I worked hard to keep this place off of the masters radar. Let me tell you that it wasn't easy," Rolfe said, "I don't want to meet with him, because if we do, he will kill me." Rolfe shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry Thea, but I can't let you go. Not without risking the fact that you might give my position to the master." he said.

"We won't tell him!" She yelled. Then, she broke down. "Please..." She sobbed and fell to her knees.

Nikandros spoke, "Rolfe, let Thea go. I will stay here and if you find out that Thea has betrayed you, kill me. She won't tell the master if she knows it will endanger me."

"Nik, no. I'm not leaving you. Please don't make me!" Thea cried.

"Thea, go to the elves. Maybe they can heal you." Nikandros gazed into Thea's eyes.

Rolfe raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I've heard enough. Just tell me one thing, and I might be able to help you." Rolfe said, pointing to Thea with his lowered knife. "Do you promise not to tell him the master anything?" He asked, his cold demeaned slipping away.

"Of course we won't say anything. I hope never to see him again anyway." She quickly agreed.

"Alright. I think I can help you." Rolfe said, then turned to address Thea. "Come here and let me see where you are injured."

Thea hesitated, "Um..." She looked up at Nikandros.

Nikandros sighed, and looked away sadly, "She has internal bleeding so..."

"I think I have just the thing for you. Let me see if I have any." Rolfe sheathed the knife, and went into his room. He came back in a few minutes with what looked to be a weed. "This is Athelas. It should help heal the internal bleeding." Rolfe pulled a small kettle from the kitchen, and hung it above the fireplace. He then handed the matches to Nikandros and said, "Light a fire and watch it until it boils. Then tell me once it does." Nikandros nodded and obediently began starting a fire, not daring to hope. Thea lay back in the chair, suddenly exhausted.

Rolfe looked worriedly at Thea, and hurriedly walked over to her, "Where does it hurt?"

"I'm okay right now. Just...tired." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes which revealed her true state.

He frowned and said, "Be honest with me. How bad is the pain?"

Thea looked down at her hands, "Pretty bad..."

Rolfe's frown deepened. "Nikandros, is the kettle boiling yet?"

Nikandros jerked his head to look at the kettle, "It's ready." He said.

Rolfe hurried to the kettle and pulled the Athelas out of his pocket, where he had put it earlier, and dumped it in. Turning to address Nikandros, Rolfe said, "Make sure Thea stays sitting." Nikandros nodded and walked over to Thea before kneeling by her.

Rolfe grabbed a spoon, and stirred the concoction. After a few minutes, Rolfe pulled the kettle off its resting place, and set it on the table. He then put his hand in the kettle and pulled out some of the contents. He smushed it is his hands, then asked, "Nikandros, would you mind rubbing this on her stomach?"

"What is it?" Nikandros asked a little sharply.

"It's something that the master taught me in the short session of healing he instructed me in. It's just Athelas and water, which helps the Athelas to take effect sooner. It will help heal the internal bleeding a little. It's effect should last until she can get professional help from the elves," Rolfe explained patiently. "Now, can you hurry and put this all over her stomach please? She's running out of time."

Galvanized into action, Nikandros hurriedly spread the mixture generously over her stomach.

"You should probably leave to find the elves soon. She is weak, and needs healers quickly. This is all I can do for her." Rolfe then carried the kettle to the sink and set it down there before washing his hands of the green mixture.

When Nikandros was done, Thea began cringing. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, tears beginning to run down her face.

"Where do I find the elves?" Nikandros asked wildly, seeing Thea's distress.

Rolfe sighed, went to his room, and returned with a map. "They are deep within this mountain area," Rolfe replied, pointing to a large mountain pass. "I don't know if you will be able to find them, but for her sake, you might want to try. When do you want to leave?"

"Right away. We don't have anything to pack so we can leave now." Nikandros answered immediately.

"I will provide what food I have. I should to go to the market anyway." Rolfe said. "You can leave in about a half an hour."

Thea suddenly cried out, gripping her stomach tightly. "I c-can't breathe...

Rolfe lunged toward Thea, picked her up, and started to pump her stomach, trying to get her to breath. "You're not going to make it to Rivendell, so you're going to have to try Mirkwood. It's closer. Open that cabinet and pull out the food." commanded Rolfe as he continued to try and open Thea's throat, in case she was choking.

"I-It burns!" She gasped, digging her nails anything she could reach. Rolfe laid Thea down and looked at her stomach.

"Thea, it's gonna okay." Nikandros called out, Containing his tears and began clearing the food in the cuboard shoving it in a bag.

Thea's stomach had turned an angry shade of red in irritation, but beneath the skin the prominent purple and blue stood out. Thea didn't speak, instead she cried. It hurt so badly. She cried and cried as loud as she could, wishing for the pain to go away.

"This is beyond me. You need to get to the elves fast. I have a pony that you can have. You can go farther and faster that way. Take this map and go now." Rolfe handed the map that was on the table, then sprinted outside to get the pony saddled and ready to go.

Picking Thea up, Nikandros took the bag with food supplies and headed after Rolfe. Thea kept crying as she clung to Nikandros shirt. She clenched it tightly, as if to distract from the pain. Then, she began coughing up blood again.

When they got to the place where Rolfe was waiting with the ready to go horse, Rolfe took the bag of food and the water skins that he had prepared and tied them tightly to the horses saddle.

"Thank you for all your help." Nikandros said gratefully, and without further ado, he placed Thea up in the saddle, "Hold on." He told her, and grabbed the horse's reigns and climbed on in front of her. Thea wrapped her arms around his chest and held on tightly.

Thea wept, "We...d-don't-" she gasped, "have...much-t-time..."

Nikandros slapped the horse's reigns and the horse started off in a hurried jog. Nikandros refrained himself from pressing the horse too hard, knowing that he would need the horse's energy later.

Ooh ooh ooooh! Things are heating up again! Boom! Very verrry tense y'all!!! But I hope you are enjoying it:))

Don't forget to spread the love! Thanks again as all ways!!!

Ithildae, Evara, and Aris

Writers:
Thea: Ithildae
Nikandros: Evara
Rolfe: Aris