𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑨 ¹ ↳ 𝒍. 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏

xxvii. river of sorrow

"What do they say about him?" asks Merry, his tone a little downcast.

Legolas doesn't answer immediately, his eyes showing the slightest bit of remorse. Vera frowns, not having seen such emotion coming from the elf prince. "I have not the heart to tell you. For me, the grief is still too near."

The sea princess stands from her comfortable position, walking closer to said friend and patting his shoulder softly to give him some warmth. They stay silent, only trying to revel in each other's touch. "I didn't know you were close to Gandalf," says Vera, her voice coming out gentler. She isn't one to speak so softly towards the Elven Prince but exhaustion does wonders.

"We met when I was rather young. Nana was quite excited to meet him and they've become rather close friends. She has a liking for magic," Legolas smiles, albeit sorrowfully. Vera doesn't know if it's because of his late friend or the longing to return home to his mother but she doesn't question it. Instead, she only offers him an assuring grin.

"I bet they don't mention his fireworks," says Sam suddenly. "There should be a verse about them." Then, he stands and recites from his heart, "The finest rockets ever seen. They burst in stars of blue and green. Or after thunder, silver showers. Come falling like a rain of flowers." The Hobbit frowns. "Oh, that doesn't do them justice by the long road," Sam surrenders, frustratingly sitting down on his bed with a disappointed look.

Vera moves away from the ellon and closer to the Hobbit with a cheeky grin to lighten their moods. "Well, I, for one, would've liked to see some fireworks. I've only heard from Pippin and Merry, but I'm sure they're truly wonderful. Though, I'm not sure if those two were joking about the pots of gold and riches given to one of them because of Gandalf's magic tricks. And, I certainly liked your verse Samwise, it brings me joy to see you reliving instead of mourning the dead."

Vera, while her friends are distracted, decides to use her disappearance to an advantage, bidding them a quick 'goodnight!' before heading off towards her own secluded chambers. Even if her friends did think she was going to sleep — admittedly, she had contemplated the decision wisely — they were proven wrong by the cloak Vera slips on and her stealthy exit from her private suite.

Letting her heart and her feä's eagerness guide her, Vera wanders around the forests of Lothlórien with absent-minded eyes and a small smile as she properly takes in her surroundings, engraving every inch and every detail in her mind to keep to her memories of when she would leave and return home, never to see the Elven Heart again.

After what seems like fifteen long minutes, Vera manages to navigate her way through the thick woods and towards the glistening river by the edge of Caras Galadon. She could feel her smile lift brighter at the sight of her homecoming so near at a wondrous place like Lothlórien, beaming at her energetic and excited feä as they both nod in approval at the water body. Practically skipping towards the edge, Vera steadily sits herself down on the rocks, reaching her hand forth to touch the water albeit precariously.

The mermaid princess exhales in content and pleasure, feeling the familiar sensation of water reaching her senses and filling her heart and feä with more energy and power than she had previously. Despite her gratefulness for the chance to finally be close to another source, Vera finds herself wondering why Galadriel would bring her out to the river and what she meant by her words: 'You may find what you seek.'

In all honesty, Vera didn't think much of the elleth's statement, brushing it off quickly. Her mind, however crowded and curious it was, was on a temporary pause as her mind runs in peace and in rhythm with the tranquility of her feä and body. It seems that Elven Kingdoms bring out the best in Vera and she wonders if the others feel the same.