Intertwining Destinies

Chapter 32

Emerald and Nuada sat at the table of the underground provisional kitchen. Nuada stared hard at the guttering flames in the hearth, as if they held all the answers to his dilemma. It made Emerald uneasy to see him so silent and deep in thought.

"We have things to discuss," Nuada began ominously.

"Yeah?" she retorted, instantly wary.

"I do not wish to hold you against your will. However, there are forces beyond my reckoning that are trying to harm you, and it would be safer for you to remain under my protection until I gain more information."

"Oh." The concern in his voice surprised her. "Thanks, but I really need to go home. My friends must be missing me by now. I've got to let them know that I'm okay."

Nuada remained silent, his eyes turning frigid. "You mean to tell me that there are humans who care about you?" he asked, sounding every bit as cold.

"Of course! Hellboy must be really mad at me by now. But I suppose he's not technically human," she mused with a smile. "But Liz definitely is human. Oh, and Director Manning might want to know my whereabouts, too."

"A demon and a few humans are all that you have, who care about you?" he sneered.

"The numbers are still higher than the people who care for you, prince!"

He gritted his teeth. "You are as ungrateful as the rest of them."

"And you need stop bundling all of humanity under one category!" she shouted, her anger flaring up. "Not all of them are as horrible as you think. My father and uncle were good people who dedicated their lives selflessly to keep citizens safe from the supernatural. So are Hellboy, Liz and all the BPRD agents! Their families don't even get to know what happens to them, and most people don't even know they exist! So, stop hating everyone!"

Nuada had stood up by now, his stare murderous. "You are ignorant of their crimes towards our kind."

"I am not! I know humans have destroyed the environment and are continuing to do so, but not everyone is aware of it. There are many who are fighting to save the planet, and it's wrong to ignore their efforts. And not every human is greedy and selfish. There are good people out there. You're crazy to think about blowing everyone up!"

"You dare defend them under my roof?" Nuada thundered.

Her eyes glittered coldly in return. "Fine! I'll leave right now!" she declared, getting up from the table. "Give me back my regular clothes and I'll go."

"Mr. Wink has burnt your abominable human clothing."

"What? Why?!" she cried.

"You do not need to wear such human peasant garments. I shall provide you with better," he answered, with a gesture to favour her elven attire.

"You mean this? I can't wear this outside! I'll look ridiculous!"

A careless shrug was all that Nuada spared in reply.

She sank back down to her chair and sighed, "I'm grateful to you, Nuada." She calmed as she spoke on. "I really am. For coming to my rescue. For saving my life. For these...uhhh... nice clothes. For finding my father's journal. I am. But no matter what you do, I am not getting on your bandwagon of vendetta against all of humanity. It's genocide, and hate is definitely not the answer to any problem!"

"It is not my fight, alone. I fight for our kind. It has been far too long, and the fae are dying. The humans pay no heed to their suffering."

"Humans have no idea that the fae exist!" Emerald explained, willing Nuada to understand. "It's not their fault that the fae king went into hiding. If the fae had revealed themselves more often all these hundreds of years, people wouldn't be so hesitant to believe in them."