Dwarven Denouement

8

Shouting woke up Neana. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing. She saw her dad at the top of the steps, making his way down. Neana felt paralyzed. She tried to move away but wasn't quick enough. Her father grabbed her hair, lifting her up from the heap she was in. He looked at her with a slightly amused expression. "I hope you know..", he whispered,"..that if you had been a good girl last night and listened to your Daddy, mommy wouldn't be in so much pain." Neana's eyes widened. What happened to mother? Her father grinned maliciously, letting go of her hair. She fell in a heap and hit her head on a step. Without another word, her father put on his cloak, and went out the door.

Neana scrambled as fast as she could up the steps to her parents room. What she saw horrified her. Her mother was laying on the bed, covered in fresh bruises. Neana ran to her mother and started shaking her. "Ma! I'm going to go get help okay?" She was nearly out the door when she heard,"..no.. Neana. Don't...go get help." Neana was confused, "Why not?!" Her mother slowly sat up, and looked at Neana with dull eyes. "He will only hurt me more." "But ma, if I got help someone could stop him before he-". Her mothers face was red with anger. "I said...no! Are you really that stupid!? It's your fault he hurts me in the first place! Everything would be better if you were never born!"

Neana was shocked, dumbfounded even. She had never had her mother raise her voice at her. She wishes Neana was never born? What? Neana always thought her mother loved her. "Ma wha-what are you talking about?" But her mother didn't respond, she just put her hands over her eyes and began to sob. When Neana reached forward, to comfort her mother, her mother began screaming,"GET OUT!" , multiple times.

Neana quickly ran out of that room into her own. She closed the door and sat on her bed, where she stayed for two days. Those were the worst two days of her life.

They consisted of several moments of molestation, with her resisting resulting in thorough beating. Neana was a walking bruise. She had a goose egg on her temple, a few cuts on her nose, and many other injuries she couldn't possibly name all of them. She wasn't hurt by the wounds though, she was hurt by her mother. The mother she knew and loved was gone. Replaced by an empty shell with dull eyes. How could she, just watch her child be beat and touched by her own husband.

Neana was in bed when she heard those ten words. The ten words spoken by her mother that showed her mothers true feelings. She was with some friends in the living area, talking about Neana. Her mother hadn't said a word until now, and what she said, shattered Neana's heart past no return. Her mothers friends asked her why she even kept Neana. Her mothers response was,"I am so embarrassed of her. She makes me sick." Neana began to cry, softly at first but then she grew louder. Her father banged on the door,"Shut up brat!"

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"I wonder if Neana is okay, we haven't seen her in a few days.", said Kili as him and Fili were reading in the study. Fili looked up,"Yea I'm getting a little worried, she may be ill." Kili just smiled at that. "Why are you looking like that Kili?" He didn't respond, instead he just went back to his book.

It was the next morning when Fili heard a knock at the door. He was going to go get it but Kili beat him there. "NEANA!!",Kili shouted, flinging himself onto Neana. Fili ran to the doorway. He saw Neana's cloak hood fall back revealing her laughing face. The face he missed for 3 days now. "Hello Kili I missed you to."

"Where were you?" Neana slowly got up, grimacing slightly."Sorry I uh-had a nasty run in with the staircase. Beat myself up pretty badly."Kili nodded, "So that's why you have so many bruises and cuts?"Neana hesitated, but nodded. She'd wouldn't tell them. She couldn't. She'll just put on a smile and act as though everything is fine. Fili coughed, bringing her attention to him."What am I? Sliced and diced Warg?", he chuckled opening his arms to her. Even Fili himself was surprised by his own action, but he was even more surprised when she didn't pause before hugging him. Some of her hair fell in his face. She smelled like apples and rain. He let go of her and let her come inside.

As soon as they were in Dis called from the kitchen, "Who was that at the door Kili?"

"It was Neana!"

"HII NEANA! Sorry I can't come greet you I'm doing dishes." Neana giggled, "It's alright!" Fili and Kili got on their cloak and boots. "Hey Mother,", Fili said,"we are going out exploring. Be back before supper!" "Alright dears have fun!" And with that Fili and Kili pushed Neana out the door. "Where are we going?", Neana asked laughing. "Exploring."Seeing that Fili and Kili weren't going to tell her anything else, she sighed and followed them.

They led her threw the orchard to the lake. "Ya'know,", she said teasingly," typically when people go exploring, they go to new places."Fili smirked,"Well, for us, there are no new places here. We are showing you a new place. And when did you get so cheeky?" Neana slightly blushed."I dunno." Smiling Fili grabbed her hand taking her to where Kili was standing."After you.", said Kili. He waved his hand in the direction where he wanted Neana to go. She turned her head, she saw a sunlit path lined withe trees. She began walking.

Kili and Fili tried their best to keep Neana on the road, but it was near impossible. She kept running around like a little child at a toy store. As soon as she saw something she would see another. Though quite exhausting, the boys were amused by her behavior. She would chase the butterflies and bees, smell the flowers, and catch the frogs that were on the path.

Fili glanced up and saw that they were at their destination. The waterfall. He turned around, seeing Neana's excited face. Kili took her by the wrist,"Come on!". He basically dragged Neana to the edge. She looked at Fili and Kili confused. Kili grinned and walked straight through with his cloak over his head. Neana was startled, and she looked at Fili. He already had his cloak over his head. Neana, in the rush she took to sneak out of the house before her parents saw her, had forgotten her cloak. Fili noticed this and put her under his with him. She held up her hand to hold her half of the cloak up. She shuddered when she felt Fili's hand on her lower back as he pushed her forward through the water.

Neana wasn't expecting what happened next. Instead of being engulfed in water, like she thought, she opened her eyes to a cave. Her eyes widened, it was huge! She didn't seem to notice her hand on Fili's arm. He reluctantly moved his arm to put his cloak by Kili's on a rock to dry.

"This cave is amazing!" Neana's voice echoed throughout the area. Making her giggle. Fili chuckled and shook his head,"We aren't there yet." Neana gave him a puzzled look. "What?" Kili ran forward and grabbed her wrist pulling her onward,"C'mon Neana!" They stopped right by a corner. Neana was going to turn it but Fili put his hand on her shoulder.

"What?" He smirked as he pulled out a long piece of cloth. "What's that for?"

"It's to keep it a surprise." He said moving behind her. Kili had already run ahead and was waiting in the other room. Fili put the the blindfold over her eyes, tying it in the back. His fingers went through her hair a bit as he did this, he was stunned at how soft it was. He then took her by the hand, and slowly led her forward.