The closer proximity makes her tremble but she stands her ground, breathing heavily through her nose to calm the nervous jitters. After all, it had been her choice to take the steps, she’d have to live with them now. Her eyes flicker to meet his and for a moment, she thinks she sees something wicked and dangerous lurking behind his. She flinches back a half-step, her paranoia exploding with full force.
’Of course there’s wickedness there, stupid. I told you to stay away, and what did you do? You walked right up to him. He’ll probably eat you now.’
Just like that, her heart rate soars and the fear blossoms up again, swelling like an overfilled balloon. It is harder to stifle this time - more unruly - like a petulant child.
’No, Luthien, you are the only petulant child here.’
An uncomfortable weight settles across her and she allows her gaze to drift back to his; this time, there is no hint of the monster she’d glimpsed before. This should be comforting, but instead it only further disturbs her. Was she imagining things? Silly question, of course she was. For all she knew, this could all be an elaborate hoax created by her mind, another scheme to take control of her.
His voice steals her thoughts from the darker place they’d been heading for and she blinks in surprise at him, as if seeing him for the first time in a long time. By the tone of his voice, she worries she’s offended him by insinuating that he might hurt her, but she knows too well how tricky stallions can be. Her father had been kind to her once, hadn’t he? And look how that had turned out!
’Exaclty, Luthien, which is why we should leave. Now.’
”I didn’t mean to offend,” she squeaks, dipping her head in embarrassment, to the chagrin of her inner parasite. It screams in frustration and her headache comes alive with new force, eliciting a flinch.
And then he laughs at her.
Laughs. She blinks at him in confusion, her mouth hanging half open as she tries to puzzle out his exclamation and subsequent cackling. What was so funny about her name? She cocks her head sideways, looking at him as if he’d grown an extra appendage, an awkward chuckle slipping from her mouth as if she were privy to the joke, all the while looking utterly bewildered. Then, he continues and her heart plummets.
’Hear that Luthien? He thought you were crazy.’ It sounds like a taunt and she feels the shame creep over her like a dark shadow, heavy on her back and in her chest. She’d always known she was crazy, but to have a stranger confirm it stung more than she’d expected it to, so much so that she almost doesn’t hear the rest of his words over the buzzing in her ears, a combination of the throbbing and the wicked, hissing drawl of her constant companion. Lucky that she
does, because a sudden sigh of relief puffs from her chest and she joins him in his laughter, relief swelling in her breast. An
island named Luthien? How peculiar.
”Well, that’s going to get confusing. I thought you were the crazy one for a minute there!” Her words are still merry with laughter, her voice more confident than it had been throughout the entirety of their conversation until now.
If only she knew the truth of the matter. If only
he knew.
When he agrees to let her help him in his quest to find his daughter, unexpected excitement lights her up from the inside - after all, she’d managed to talk to him without
completely losing her shit - and she makes to follow him, sticking close to him.
It isn’t until he stops abruptly and turns to give her a warning that she feels the uneasiness rear its ugly head again.
’Why would we need to run away from him, Luthien? If he is a nice man just trying to find his daughter, what would he be worried about?’ She scowls, clicking her teeth together.
”Shut up, you,” she murmurs sharply under her breath, hoping he couldn’t hear it before bobbing her head at him in acknowledgement.
”I’ll be sure to take your advice should the need arise.”
Well, that hadn’t been so bad, had it?