A Lasting Legacy [ Thranduil X OC ]

Chapter 18

Arden could barely keep her eyes open when she made it back to her makeshift village that afternoon.
So much had transpired already that morning and she was not used to such high activity after her illness.
Add on top of that, the tears she was valiantly holding back had given her a massive head ache.
Great.
While it only took under half an hour tops to make it between the two realms, during that time she had thought a lot about this mornings' hectic events.
Coming to the conclusion that she made the right choice, she was determined to push Thranduil and Mirkwood from her mind.
A new and exciting chapter was opening in her life and it was about time.
After all, she didn't know if she had it in her to wander Middle Earth for another 1,000 years.
Now she wouldn't need to.
First things first, she needed to get rid of Rowan.
No matter how much Thranduil angered her, his logic was sound.
Rowan definitely made her suspicious and she knew that any dealings with him would cause her more trouble down the road.
She had a clean slate and was bound on keeping it that way.
He was most likely here to persuade her to give him some sort of rights to the land or even propose a union between them himself.
She laughed bitterly at the thought of two proposals in one day.
She would need to tread carefully though.
As much as she'd like to, Arden simply could not throw him off her land.
Yet.
Her, Thranduil and Rowan were hopefully the only ones alive who knew of Ardors' wealth.
She would make sure it stayed that way at least for as long as possible with a bribe.
After greeting the many who lined the way to welcome her back upon her arrival, Arden went  directly into her tent to change.
Her first task as Queen of Ardor would be ordering a servant to burn the Mirkwood garb Thranduil made for her.
Once she was back in her familiar tunic and leggings, she felt she could finally breathe.
Wasting not a minute more, she went in search of Rowan.
She found him easily, sitting underneath a grouping of trees along with his men.
Aego and a few of her soldiers followed her as she made her way to the group of men.
She raised her eyebrows as she drew near, taking note at the many provisions the men had brought with them.
They must have thought they were staying a while but they were sadly mistaken.
Rising to his feet quickly upon her arrival, Rowan bowed low in greeting to which she nodded her head in kind.
She couldn't figure him out.
She wanted to believe him to be an evil villain who preyed on the weak but his disarming smile and kind eyes told another story.
She did not know what Thranduil had against him but Rowan had proven to be kind in his dealings.
"My queen, I was just telling my men at how lovely the sunrise was this morning but then you showed up and it instantly paled in comparison to your smile."
Arden tried to give him a genuine smile in response to his flattery but she was tired and in no mood for compliments.
"I thank you, Lord Rowan, your kind words are refreshing. What can I do for you today?"
Grinning, he replied,
"Not one to dance around I see? Why don't we go somewhere more private to speak."
He moved away from his men as he said this but Arden stayed put.
She trusted Aego with her life as he was like a younger brother to her.
Anything Rowan had to say could be said in front of Aego too and she said this much.
Rowan frowned slightly but nodded his head in agreement.
"Very well, my queen, it is as you wish. What I have to say won't take long."
True to his word, Rowan quickly went on to reiterate almost word for word what Thranduil had told her about Ardors' wealth earlier that morning.
He then on went to propose an alliance between Rohan and Ardor through matrimony, again just as Thranduil had proposed.
He continued by saying how Rohan could protect Ardor from others seeking its wealth and how she should be wary around Thranduil as he gave Rowan a bad feeling.
The urge to laugh was overpowering but she stifled it.
Finally he finished and seemed to access her, no doubt surprised that she seemed to already know.
"Thank you for apprising me of Ardors' holdings, Lord Rowan, however you could say I'm already in the know. I also thank you for your generous proposal however I'm sure me and my people will make do in handling those who might wish to forcefully get a hold on the minerals of our land. I'm hoping that this information will stay between us and to ensure that, I'm willing to offer you a small percentage as enticement."
At this, Rowan's face visibly brightened.
"I understand your hesitancy in aligning yourself with another kingdom simply for protection however the offer will always stand. I have to admit that I am no saint and did not expect to leave here empty handed. My men know nothing of the circumstances, just that I had a business proposition for you. I will keep Ardors' wealth a secret until you say providing we can come to an agreement on a price."
So Thranduil was not completely wrong, she thought.
Rowan was after money, however Thranduil was just as bad as him.
He also exaggerated in the lengths Rowan would apparently go to in getting his hands on Ardors' wealth.
While she admitted he could have easily declined her bribe and declared war over Ardor, she had a feeling he knew that he would need her help one day.
Help that would surely be inserted along with the monetary bribe he'd be collecting.
Squaring away the final dealings of the payment, Rowan left but said he would return soon to help her in her plans of building a kingdom.
Thanking him for his offer, she was glad when everyone finally left late that evening, giving her the much needed opportunity to lay down.
Only one thought remained in her head as sleep began to take her and she realized that, belatedly, it was true.
Her vision and premonitions about death had come true in the end.
The death of her and Thranduil's relationship. In its stead, sadness was now the only thing left.

Fun fact;
JRR Tolkien's estate only received $62,500 for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
That is until they filed a lawsuit, claiming the $150 million owed.