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𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑬
❝ 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒏 ❞
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HAVING ENOUGH OF GIMLI'S AND CORIN'S endless and infuriating chatter about her strange predicament with a certain Mirkwood Prince, Vera decides to depart from the group to assist Aragorn in his search for a trail. With one last fleeting, murderous glare directed towards Corin and his new companion, and a cautiously made shift from her spot to Aragorn's location, Vera stands next to the Ranger with a loud huff and an annoyed expression on her gorgeous face.
Legolas moves away from the duo, standing stiffly beside Corin and Gimli, who banter with one another about their swordsmanship. He would've joined along, fully aware that he would be a great opponent if a petty battle were to commence, but his attention was directed elsewhere. Lately, his own thoughts have been aimed towards the same musings that haunt Vera's mind, and continue to circle around the kiss and his feelings, which he hopes to be mutual.
Similar to Vera's situation, Legolas was just as dumbfounded by the circumstances thrown at him, completely unaware and rendered helpless in the situation. Personally, Legolas quite liked the kiss; it was soft, gentle, and downright sweet with the slightest hint of passion and heat. He could still feel the unfamiliar rush of adrenaline and passion in his veins, consuming his very being with the mere thought of being so close to Vera and finally being able to be granted his mutual desires. Of course, the ellon didn't have much experience with lip-locking, seeing as he is a prince who mostly kept to himself and disregarded ellith generally, finding no interest towards them except for Tauriel, who he has never truly did anything with.
However, the outburst from the girl he had kissed confused him and worried him to no end; he had stayed awake throughout the whole night, trying to fashion his thoughts in an organized manner but his mission did not succeed, as he still suffers from the doubt in his mind. He wondered if Vera felt something for him, if his feelings are reciprocated this time. The prospect of having another woman deny him his love brought him to a saddened state, which was easily concealed by an emotionless façade. He hoped that Vera did match his own feelings, knowing very well in his heart that he could treat her right and treat her like the Queen she is. Legolas was entirely sure that he adored Vera Adelaide...he just didn't know if those feelings were returned.
The doubt in his mind brought him to an extremely frustrated condition. The prince wasn't accustomed to being unaware of what to do, nor did he quite appreciate the awkwardness between him and the princess, but he certainly didn't know what to do about it. He would often reflect back on his life in Mirkwood; his sisters, his parents' love, and even Tauriel, in hopes of finding some sort of solace but to no avail. Thus begins the journey of meaningless ignorance and immature situations.
The prince sighs, lowering his eyes to gaze at the barren soil and diverting his attention from the talking duo, unaware of the conversation they hold and resisting the need to use his keen ability to eavesdrop. It seems that Corin wasn't the only one watching the two as he drifts his eyes from Legolas to them, noting the slight sadness in Legolas' eyes. Deciding to break the silence, Corin slowly escapes from Gimli's boasting and settles beside Legolas. They don't acknowledge each other's presence but they don't bother speaking, eyes stubbornly watching Vera and Aragorn talk to one another.
"What do you reckon they're talkin' about?" Corin asks, breaking the tension between them.
"Honestly," Legolas responds, stiff, "they could be talking about anything. They have that type of relationship, I suppose."
Corin raises an eyebrow. "And what type of relationship do you have with Vera?" he questions, his tone suggesting that he may know exactly what kind of relationship they carry together.
Legolas stumbles across his words, being caught off guard by the suddenness of the question, and attempting to find an answer for it. "I—I...I d—don't know. We're friends...just friends," he answers after a while, stuttering over his words and dejectedly finishing the sentence with a tone suggesting that he was trying to convince himself more than he did Corin.
"Just friends?" Corin echoes with a hint of amusement and disbelief in his voice, nearly laughing out at the naivety of the answer. "You are both so...so headstrong. It's obvious you both feel something for one another yet you don't act on it. Why? I'm not sure but you should know...you can't let someone like Vera slip away from your fingers so easily."
Legolas provides Corin with a questioning look, but eventually forms the equation. "You speak as if you know her personally. Did you both...never mind, it's none of my business."
Corin nods. "Yes...but not because I don't want to tell you. Rather, you'll have to trust that Vera tells you herself but know one thing, elf prince: Vera is not just an ordinary maiden. She's a Queen...her love is strong and blinding, just as it is toxic to those who can't handle loving a Queen. I pray that you, as a future King and a son of Thranduil, will be able to withstand her love, because it is as raging as fire and as beautiful as the sun."
Legolas mulls over his words, letting his scattered mind wrap around the advice hidden by warning and sinking it deep into his skull in memory and perception. He quite understood what Corin meant, having seen the way his mother touched a royal and barely survived, grimacing slightly at the situation she was forced upon for merely loving his father before she was crowned Queen herself. Loving a royal is dangerous just as it is a luxury. But that only fueled Legolas' determination.
Realizing that the conversation is over, Corin moves to sit next to Gimli, only to stop in his steps and contemplate something in his mind, physically waving his arms and muttering to himself before facing Legolas once again and leaning down to meet his eyes seriously.
"Oh, and if you hurt Vera, I will kick you in the crotch. Hard. Have a good day, friend."
Meanwhile, Vera stands alongside Aragorn. She had been standing next to him for quite a long time, merely staying quiet while he works. However, when her attempts at keeping her mind organized failed, she simply turned to the task of watching Aragorn and entertaining him with one-liners and small comments.
Aragorn had been content in his solitary moment, happily ignoring their conversations to accomplish the assignment handed to him by his fellow crew. Granted, tasting the ground in order to differentiate between the Uruk-hai's footsteps and the normal dirt, and having to remain in an awfully uncomfortable position for a long period of time, isn't what he likes to call 'free-time' but it wrestled better than what Vera and Legolas is going through, which — from what he managed to pick up — seemed to be quite the situation. It was times like this where he was rather grateful to have passed that stage in life.
When Vera approached him, he only spared her a quick glance before returning to his work. Vera didn't mind at all, finding his lack of verbal communication — or communication, at all — to be comforting and exactly what she needed at a time like this. Vera couldn't remember the last time she and Aragorn had a moment alone together to just...talk, being rather occupied with other matters and running, mostly.
The dark-haired mermaid grimaces in disdain at the prospect of Aragorn licking his dirty hands yet again. "Do you kiss Arwen with that mouth?" she finally asks, her voice light with playfulness as she teases the Ranger for his inadequate actions. Her heart suddenly weighs down with the memory of Arwen and her gracious father, utterly filled with guilt at the absence of her first friends in her mind and heart. She missed them terribly, of course, and all she could rely on was that she could possibly see them soon.
Aragorn turns around, squinting his eyes to disfigure between the blinding sun and Vera's form towering over him. "Yes, actually, I do," answers the Ranger simply, flashing Vera a smile before turning back to his task. "Why, Adelaide, jealous?" he teases.
Vera narrows her eyes at him, letting him swagger past her to inspect the ground behind the mermaid. "No," she mutters, roughly picking at her fingernails and maneuvering her slim fingers through her cloak, "why would I be jealous? There's nothing to be jealous of. Why would I be jealous over you and Arwen? I adore you two, truly. I'm not jealous," the mermaid finishes, a little too defensively to be considered justifiable.
Aragorn raises an eyebrow, unbeknownst to Vera, of course, and refrains a smile from crawling to his face. "Perhaps, you aren't jealous. There are other emotions within our soul that differ from jealousy but are of the same feather."
"Like what?" Vera challenges.
"Longing, desire, love," Aragorn lists off, brushing his hands softly over the soil as his eyes catch a certain print implanted on it. "Anything, really."
Vera groans loudly, twisting her body in exasperation before huffing noisily and pouting. Her eyes swirl with annoyance, troubled evidently. "Feelings are horrible," she complains, propping herself atop the ground and ignoring Aragorn's distressed hands warning her not to cause a distraction on the ground.
Sighing, he eventually surrenders after the discontent glare thrown at him from the stubborn princess and plonks himself down on the ground along with her, deciding to pause his efforts for a moment to console his friend. "Do you need some counsel from a wise friend, Vera?" he asks, a teasing smile lifting on his face as he averts his attention to Vera momentarily. Despite his question, they both know that Aragorn knows that Vera needs his advice more than she needed anything.
The brunette scoffed at the compliment he gave himself, squinting her eyes at him playfully before letting out a chuckle as he did the same. Soon, she sighs defeatedly. "I don't know what to do! Aragorn, you're a man! You seem to know Legolas — how? I don't know — as much as you know yourself, I'm sure you're both close friends. You talk to each other, you understand each other, surely you know how he thinks! I mean, how can one be so confusing yet so obvious at the same time? How can he have an ulterior motive for everything he does? It's infuriating, truly!" Vera whines, exasperatedly spilling her thoughts out to Aragorn.
He slightly widens his eyes, being caught off guard by the sudden herd of words thrown at him so abruptly and incoherently from the girl. "Vera, mellon nîn, breathe. Everything will be okay. Yes, Legolas and I are close friends...we met under the guidance of his father and mother after I came upon Queen Eden during her journeys. I was a mere child, you see, and we've kept close ever since. I know Legolas like the back of my hand. Tell me, what troubles you?"
Vera acquiesces with his request, breathing in to compose herself. Then, she exhales slowly. "I like him," she admits, her tone reluctant.
Aragorn stares at her blankly. "Really?" he deadpans, unimpressed.
Vera rolls her eyes. "And I don't know what to do! I don't know if he likes me back! I don't know what to do if we like each other! I mean, it's all rather complicated," she complains.
Aragorn sighs, rubbing his hand on his forehead. "Vera...I'm completely sure that Legolas likes you. It's rather obvious, considering the way he looks at you and you him. Something happened between you two, I won't ask what, but it seems quite the situation. Legolas is a good ellon and he's been through much...as have you. I hope you may find comfort in each other. When one likes the other, what else is there to do? It isn't complicated, at all, Vera."
The girl in question groans miserably, finding his counsel helpful in her situation. She reluctantly meets eyes with him, finding the knowingness evidently shining through. "I have to talk to him, don't I?"
"Yes, I believe that's what you have to do next." Aragorn smiles comfortingly, offering her an assuring look, to which she replies with a sad smile of her own. Then, his eyes land on something behind her, clearly lighting up with recognition at the pair of footsteps following one another consequently. "Hurry! I found the trail!" he calls to the others, standing up hastily to his feet.
Helping Vera stumble upright to stand on her feet, Aragorn places a hand on her back before collecting their belongings. Vera brushes her clothes off of any fallen grass, thankfully taking her pouch from Aragorn's hands and encircling it around her body. "We kissed," she confesses, so unexpectedly that Aragorn halts in his steps and snaps his head so fast that Vera feared for his neck.
Eyes wide and parted lips with shock, Aragorn freezes in his steps. "Really?! Oh, bless my soul, finally!"
"Aragorn!"
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As much as Vera appreciated the return back to the mission of getting Merry and Pippin back, she was unwilling to endure another marathon of endless running, finding that their time is becoming limited. Vera jogs alongside Corin, wasting no time in continuing their pursuit.
Aragorn inspected yet another footprint, but arises at the sound of horse hooves marching against the soil of Rohan. Alerted, the group exchange quick glances before Aragorn ushers them to hide behind giant rocks, hoping to conceal themselves from the unknown incomers. Legolas, almost unconsciously, leads Vera towards the rocks with no hesitation, planting his hand on the small of her back and pushing her gently to safety.
Vera and Legolas ignore their previous situation, momentarily taking comfort in one another as they exchange wary glances and patiently wait for the arrivals to come forth. As if fate had been listening, a giant herd of horses pass by the rocks, countless horses and armed men riding upon them, unaware of the travelers. Parting her lips in realization of the flag they carry with their spears, Vera escapes from Legolas' grip, urging Aragorn to copy her actions, while the rest slowly reveal themselves to the riders of Rohan, who ride ahead.
"Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" Aragorn loudly asks, alerting the riders of the new presence by the hill's peak. Vera nervously bites her lip, picking on her hangnails, as the lead horseman motions for the rest to follow his lead, directing his horse to round upon the group and encircle them.
With astonishing agility and grace, the horses and their riders circle the group of travelers, forcing them to stick to one another in an effort to protect each other. Vera stops herself from ogling at the majestic creatures, floored by the gracefulness of the creatures and forcefully dragged to Legolas' side by Corin — who, may or may not have, purposefully planted her there for his entertainment — in order to keep his Queen safe. Although, from experience, Corin doubted that they could be of any danger. Nevertheless, his Queen's protection came first.
Aragorn lifts his hands up in surrender while Legolas and Corin protectively stand over her. Composing herself, Vera is astounded to see a horse charge at her from her spot, leaving her vulnerable to its attack but watches appallingly as it stops abruptly in front of her, bowing its head to let Vera nuzzle him.
Before she could, however, Legolas is forcing her back to his side. Staring up at the rider of the horse who stopped in front of the mermaid, Vera quickly adjusts to his form, finding him slightly familiar. "What business does an Elf, two Men, a Maiden, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark?" the man addresses, demanding that the group were to answer him immediately. "Speak quickly."
Her defiance strongly reigns out of her body in waves, sending her anger towards the horseman, who pays her no mind, and biting her lip harshly to refrain from speaking her thoughts out loud, but rest assured, it was utterly vulgar. Thankfully, Gimli lets out his own stubbornness. "Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine!"
Vera purses her lips as the man hands his spear to another rider and dismounts his horse, landing on his two feet swiftly, slowly approaching Gimli, who nods arrogantly at his advances. Vera moves her feet in warning towards Gimli and the man, noting that if anything were to happen, it could result in bloodshed. Aragorn hastily places an arm on Gimli's own, keeping the Dwarf implanted.
"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," the man taunts, earning a fast reaction from his friends. Vera steadily stands in front of Gimli with rage in her eyes and a straight face while Corin protests incoherently.
Legolas notches an arrows, quick as lightning, and snarls, "You would die before your stroke fell."
Vera watches, alarmed, as more Rohirrim point their spears at Legolas with close proximity, ready to kill him at any moment. She gives him a look, mentally pleading him to drop his bow before he could get himself killed, her worry, and care for him shining through her ignorance. Thankfully, Aragorn lowers his bow and glances around the Rohirrim. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloín, Legolas from the Woodland Realm, Lady Vera of Imladris, and her guard, Corin. We are friends of Rohan, and of Thèoden, the King," Aragorn introduces.
Vera flashes him a thankful look for the fast-thinking, hoping that the Rohirrim would buy it. He merely glances at her with narrowed eyes, trying to decipher if the Ranger is telling the truth. "Thèoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," he responds, lowering his helmet to reveal his true self, "not even his own kin."
Vera frowns. The Rohirrim drop their guards around the new group, finding them to be safe and far from dangerous, and lower their weapons in response.
"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. A strange man working with Saruman stays with the king, overlooking Rohan and its wealth but he is no friend of ours. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished," the man informs, eyeing Vera at the mention of a strange man and giving Corin enough ammunition to glare protectively at the horse-rider. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets," he quietly adds, almost sounding accusing of the group.
"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive," Aragorn assures, notifying the man of their true purpose to give evidence of their innocence.
"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them through the night," the blonde edifies, shaking his head in disagreement. Vera's heart drops at the statement.
"But there were two Hobbits. Did you see two Hobbits with them?" Corin asks, sparing a quick glance to Vera, whose eyes remain crestfallen at the prospect of her friends dying.
"They would be small, only children to your eyes," clues Aragorn, trying to give them some memory or hint of what to expect.
The man sorrowfully shakes his head. "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," he informs.
Vera opens and closes her mouth like a fish. "Dead? They can't be dead! You mean to tell me that you massacred a party of Uruk-hai without bothering to gain information about their reasons or finding a victim? Even if they are dead, you would surely see them. What—" Vera heatedly snaps, her eyes blazing with denial and fury. She wasn't going to let her friends die and she certainly wasn't going to believe in that until they were found and declared safe.
The mermaid is cut off abruptly, however, when the light-haired Rohirrim counters her statement, "You speak boldly for a Lady of Imladris." Successfully shutting the girl up, the man turns his head into the distance, motioning to the rising smoke in the distance and supporting his last claim. "I am sorry, truly. Hasufel! Arod! Baldur!" he suddenly calls out, leaving the group to watch as three horses arrive. Caressing them lovingly, the man says, "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell."
Vera forces her tears back into her eyes and swallows the lump in her throat, dumbfounded by the outcome of their quest and turning to pat the horse that nuzzles its head on her side. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. I'm sorry," he apologizes once more before turning to his riders and ordering their next movement, disappearing in a loud herd of horse whinnies.
Vera blankly stares at the ground, before lifting her head up and facing her friends with determination.
"No one's dead until you see the body. Let's go."