"No, Tilda. Not like that." The blonde woman couldn't help the affectionate grin on her lips as she gazed at the child on the counter before her. She had a large wooden bowl of herbs sitting in front of her and was attempting to strip the precious leaves from the stems. The younger girl had claimed that she wanted to "help" and was attempting to, though she found her job to be more challenging and rather tedious than she first thought it to be.
Sigrid also worked diligently at her side, doing the exact same thing but much more efficiently, given that she had done this very same task numerous times and had completed it without fail.
Reaching out, Ren took the small cluster of plants from her tiny hands. "Like this..." She showed the little brunette the proper technique and how it was easiest to get all the little petals and leaves off. Handing it back to her, the older female just watched as she repeated her actions. Pride swelled in her chest and when Tilda looked up at her, the she-elf couldn't help but smile down at her and stroke her soft hair before she turned and moved across the room with her own full bowl in hand.
It had been a slower day at the ward; a calmer one.
Only a few people had come in, usually for less serious injuries. An older gentlemen had fallen and bruised his hip so she had sent him home and told him to put some snow on it and take the elixir she had mixed up for him. A woman had come in with her child who had a mild fever, just to be safe and have him checked, and it ended with him having a simple virus so she prescribed him bedrest and time for his body to work against and defeat the sickness inside him.
They had been the only people to come inside and it was the mid-afternoon by now.
Tilda and Sigrid had arrived around noon to bring her some lunch and to simply spend some time with her in the ward, given that neither of them had anything better to do besides help out their housekeeper, for you see, it seemed as though all of their friends were, strangely enough, busy that day.
However, Galaren could feel eyes on her the entire time and when she glanced to the side, the found the familiar elf sitting at the table with them, his feet propped up on another chair. His light blue eyes were watching her as she worked and when he realized he was discovered, he allowed the corners of his mouth to pull upward slightly in a soft smile. She easily returned the gesture without so much as a thought.
It had been about a week and a half ago that he had last been unconscious on the dinning room table in Bard's home. Since then, his recovery had gone well. His kinsman had gone back to Mirkwood and had left him, promising that they would soon return but they were no doubt needed back in the forest. Legolas had told them that he would return home when he was cleared by Ren to travel alone so as to not inconvenience them in the future.
Now, he was the lone residence of the medical ward.
Sure, it wasn't the most ideal place to stay, given that the beds weren't as soft as some that the inn offered but the company and food was better than any other.
It surprised Legolas how much time the she-elf spent in her little ward, rushing about to take care of the mortals. She was almost always there for the sake of her current patients or even those that would arrive with a sudden condition that needed attention. However, something in the back of his mind kept whispering to him that she was also there partly because of him.
Perhaps she felt bad leaving him alone to sit in the nearly empty building with very little to do... or perhaps it was for another reason.
He imagined that last thought simply to keep his bored mind busy but he knew it to be false. For whenever Bard would, for some odd reason, turn up at the ward to deliver something or bring food to the lady healer if she was preoccupied, she would always become extremely flustered and rather... clumsy as well.
Her cheeks would burn a bright pink and she was avert her eyes before busying herself with work as she thanked him for his kind gesture, only to knock over a bottle of medicine onto the floor in her nervous state. It was actually quite amusing to watch the entire events unfold.
Placing the container in front of the window, she just dusted her hands off on her apron and stood there for a moment, watching as the snow continued to drift down from the blanked gray heavens above. The sun would be able to dry out the herbs, she knew for a fact, that is, if the sun even came out anymore due to the snow clouds blocking it out. Winter had settled more fully over Esgaroth and it seemed as though it was always lightly snowing anymore, just enough to cover the ground before it would dissipate.
However, just as she was about to turn back, she noticed something odd off in the distance. The bell tower, which lay in the snow distance near the center of town, had its bell swinging back and forth; something that only ever happened if something terrible was happening. If there was an emergency.
Feeling her blood turn to ice in her veins, she instantly pushed the windows before her open, letting the winter air in as the heavy frames clunked on the sides of the building from the force, causing the glass in them to rattle. However, she found that she cared little given that more important things were suddenly at hand.
The loud ringing of the bell filled her ears, as did the fearful screams in the distance. Of course the day had been quiet. It had been the calm before the storm.
"What's happening?" Sigrid asked, immediately forgetting her work and striding to Ren's side so that she could also look outside as well. The younger female received no reply from her blonde companion who instead pulled the windows shut and locking them before yanking the curtains closed over the top of them.
Turning away, she moved to cross the room, untying the apron around her waist as she went. She tossed it carelessly to the side so that it landed on one of her workbenches before she closed all the other curtains in the room and on the door so that they were enveloped in a sudden blackness. There was a sudden snap as a match was lit before soft candlelight filled the room with a gentle glow, barely giving any of them enough light to even see.
All eyes watched as the she-elf returned to the center of the room and began using the toe of her boot to tap on the wood underfoot as if searching for something. Suddenly, there was a hollowed sound and Ren bent down, her eyes focused on the spot before her. Her fingers immediately sought out the floor boards she was looking for as she pried them away from their brethren, exposing a shallow hole that evidently served as a secret hiding place.
Tilda and Sigird only exchanged a look of amazement, in all their years of visiting the ward, they never knew that had been there.
Legolas himself sat up in his chair and frowned softly, worry starting to tug at him now since he saw how serious the she-elf was. Normally she was only like this with a patient but other than that, he had never seen this type of stoic persona come from her.
He watched with amazement as she slipped two gauntlets over her hands before synching them tightly around her wrists. She then threw a leather quiver over her head, one that was stuffed full of arrows before tightening it around her and buckling a strap attached to it around her waist. A set of beautifully carved, ivory daggers came next and without looking, she slid them into place in their proper sheaths upon her quiver.
But what truly startled him was when she suddenly withdrew a bow from the hiding place, one that was made of fine wood and was reinforced with elegant silver plating. A broadsword was also withdrawn and was placed upon the floor beside the bow as the elleth rearranged the floorboards like they had been before.
Standing up, she clutched the bow tightly in her right hand before reaching out and offering the sword to the other warrior. "What's going on?!" Legolas asked, taking the weapon from her.
"I don't know" She murmured, slinging the bow over her shoulder as she moved towards the door, her long hair swaying back and forth as she did so but she paused before turning back and moving to one of her workbenches. "But I intend to find out."
"You can't just go out there by yourself." He protested, watching as she hastily began to weave her thick tresses together into a long plait, effectively keeping it from her face.
"And if fighting is to ensue, you think you will be able to help?" She surprisingly said, her rather rude yet true remark causing the male to shut his mouth without another word. She was suddenly so forward, so commandeering that he was a bit taken aback.
Ren was entirely correct though. His side was still healing and both he and the healer knew that he probably wouldn't be able to properly defend himself should things resort to violence with whatever threat suddenly lurked about.
"Stay here." The woman commanded rather coldly as she tied her hair off with a strip of leather, allowing the braid to fall to rest down the center of her back. She moved towards the door and opened it but paused to look back at the three of them before her suddenly hardened, blue eyes settled directly on Legolas. "Take them back in the surgical room. Block the door and don't open it until I come back. We don't know what or who is out there so stay hidden until I return." She commanded and with that, she was slamming the door shut behind her before disappearing off into the snowy air.
And without pause, the male and girls both hastily began to move to the back, knowing that it was the most enclosed and safest room in the building. He shut the door and propped a chair up underneath the doorknob to block it shut.
After that was completed, all three inhabitants in the room only exchanged worried looks, wondering just what was going on and how long they would be locked inside.
It had been as regular a day as any.
Awaken, stoke the fires in the house, prepare breakfast for his children and Ren before heading out on the barge for a bit on the day, transporting things when necessary.
He and Bain were only just returning to Laketown when suddenly, a droning ring came from the looming bell tower in the distance.
Both of them looked up at it for a long moment before turning to look at each other, frowns marring both their features as worry swept over them. Hastily tying the barge off on the dock, they gathered up their things and began to quickly walk back to the house, wondering what was going on but they knew it was urgent enough that they needed to find the rest of their family.
When they heard the screams and shouts in the distance, they broke into a jog and as they rounded a corner, they caught sight of the foul creatures that were running around, terrorizing their village and those that inhabited it. For a long moment, the older man cursed himself for having stashed his bow away underneath the river dock part ways upstream, given that weapons in Laketown were usually confiscated.
Seeming to go unnoticed, Bard hastily took hold of Bain's coat and pushed him ahead of himself so that he could put some distance between his son and the orcs behind them.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the house, luckily not having any up close encounters with their enemy. Throwing open the front door, both males looked around, their eyes scanning the empty dining and living room.
"Tilda!? Sigrid?!" Bot of them called out into the house as they broke apart and searched the separate rooms. "Ren!?"
After having climbed up to the second story of their house, Bard was dismayed to find that the healer's small bedroom was as empty as the rest of the house before he checked the children's, only to feel more worry settle in his heart before he rushed back downstairs.
"No one is here." The bowman told his son who had been checking the kitchen and his own chambers. "Perhaps they are still at the ward."
"That's clear across town though!" Bain exclaimed, his eyes widening and a wrinkle creasing his brow. "And there are orcs everywhere out there and we don't have any weapons to defend ourselves!"
"Yes but your sisters and Ren are out there with no one to protect them." Bard reminded him before pushing into the kitchen to retrieve a couple of their larger cooking knives, handing one to his son and keeping one for himself. "We need to find them and make sure that they are safe."
Reluctantly, the boy nodded after a beat and the older man just clapped him on the shoulder before exiting through the front door.
The two began to pick there way across town, using numerous buildings to hide behind to allude any of the ugly creatures terrorizing Esgaroth. They had been lucky enough that they hadn't run into any directly and if they did, that was what their little knives were for. Of course they weren't very long, and rather dinky actually, but they would serve their purpose when the time came.
They had to cross through the marketplace to get to the medical ward and from what they could see, the entire place was swarming with orcs. People were being attacked unmercifully and screams of terror mingled with cries of pain. Left and right, people began to fall as they were cut down beneath crude blades and Bard could only pray that none of those screams belonged to his girls.
One of the beasts suddenly crossed in front of where they were hiding and the bowman took a chance. Raising his knife, he struck out and drove the weapon deep into the side of the throat of one of the monsters, causing his blood to spray out into the air. He only struggled a moment longer before he collapsed to the ground, sliding off the man's knife as he went.
His dark eyes wide with horror and surprise, he looked back to his son who still remained hidden in the shadows of a building.
Bain himself looked rather startled at what he had just witnessed and he swallowed thickly and he clutched more tightly to his weapon. However, his eyes widened immensely and he felt his heart stop beating. "DA! BEHIND YOU!"
Just as the man was about to spin, he heard the heavy footfalls and knew that the orc was too close. He wouldn't have enough time.
There was suddenly a shadow that passed overhead, causing the man to momentarily look up and he watched with amazement as a figure came vaulting off the top of the building his son was still hiding beside, only to land squarely on the creature about to attack him. The dual knives they held in their hands settled into his gut before they were wretched free with a single precise yank that sent black liquid dribbling down onto the wooden docks below.
And then Bard felt his mouth fall open in shock.
Because the person who then glanced back at him over her shoulder was Galaren.
But it wasn't the Ren he knew, no, far from it. This wasn't his housekeeper, he could tell. Instead, a hardened warrior stood before him, somehow having taken control of the healer's body and was driving her forward to do unthinkable acts. Well, unthinkable for this healer anyway.
Then, all at once, she was turning away from him again and plunging into the swarm of creatures before her without hardly missing a beat. The ugly brutes fell left and right beneath her blades. She moved with a strangely deadly grace, always twisting and turning to avoid brutal weapons while impaling with her own.
"Da!" He heard the strangled cry come from behind him.
Turning back, the bargeman felt his heart stop beating in his chest. Once of the creatures had crept up behind them and now had the boy in a headlock with a rusty blade pressed to his throat, using him as a shield against the humans. "Bain!" His father cried, his dark eyes wide with fear as he took a step forward but felt a hand clutch tightly to his shoulder, effectively stopping him.
"Bain, look at me." Came a stern voice, causing Bard to look over at the she-elf who had suddenly appeared by his side. The boy slowly turned his head to gaze at her as he whimpered when the orc gripped tightly to his curly hair, forcing his head back further so that he could press the knife even closer to his skin. "Don't move." Bard glanced to the side and watched as Ren slowly eased the bow from her shoulder, smoothly notching an arrow into it as she went. "You're going to be alright, okay?"
He shakily nodded his head, his eyes pleading for them to do something as his gloved hands clawed at the orc's arm.
Ren took a step forward.
"Come any closer..." The big brute growled out in strangled Westron, tightening his grip on the boy before pressing the blade more firmly against the column of his neck. "And the boy drowns in his own blood!"
The blonde just slowly raised her left arm, her right one slowly drawing back the string until it was taught and reached back to her chin. "Bain, don't move." She repeated her words, steadying her breathing as she took aim.
For a moment, Bard allowed his eyes and to travel between the woman and his child, fear clenching tightly around his heart and he was just about to call out to beg for the boy's life if she didn't do anything-
The orc fell dead at his son's feet in a crumbled mass, an arrow protruding from between its eyes.
A cry of relief came from the teenager before he was racing across the dock and throwing himself against his father, his thin form shaking uncontrollably with fear. Yes, he was almost a man and was almost of age but that... he was not entirely ready for that. He wasn't ready for his life to balance on the edge of a knife or perhaps... an arrowhead.
The she-elf just stood resolute, her bow still held tightly in her hands before she met the bargeman's eyes over the top of Bain's head. He just sighed heavily in relief and held the quivering boy all the more tightly to him before giving her a soft nod of thanks. She just returned the gesture, the hardened warrior still in place of the healer before she was moving across the wooden platform to retrieve her arrow which was buried deeply in the orc's skull.
"Go to the ward and hide." She ordered the man after returning to his side. He just gave a swift nod of his head and began to lead the shaken form of his son away but paused, thinking of the female's own safety.
"You aren't coming with?"
He received a single shake of her head in response, her sapphire eyes darkening with hate as she watched a few of the foul creatures scuttling through the buildings across the way. She then replied verbally, her tone icy with barely concealed loathing, "I have a town to cleanse."
All heads in the room turned when they heard the front door swing open with a loud bang, the bell that hung above it twinkling as it was jostled about. For a moment, all was quiet outside in the front room before the sound of boots pounding on the wooden floor was heard. And they were moving closer.
Legolas raised the gleaming broadsword in anticipation, wetting his lips as he prepared himself to attack.
Tilda let out an almost inaudible whimper that was only heard by her father who was holding her in his arms. She buried her face into his neck in hopes of hiding from whatever was coming for them and the man just rubbed her back to try and comfort him. Sigrid also clutched tightly to Bard's arm and Bain stood just beside her, pressed against her as well but not holding onto her. Their little family was backed up into the far corner of the darkened room, the only light coming through the small window that faced towards the distant mountain. At first they had had some candles lit but when the first round of orcs came blundering into the shop, they had extinguished them in hopes of keeping their hiding place secret.
The heavy footsteps drew ever closer and a shadow cast itself under the door. Then, the black doorknob began to jostle as someone tried to force entry.
Tilda just clutched more tightly to her father but most everyone remained perfectly silent and still inside the surgical room, not wanting to alert their enemy that they were trapped inside.
Suddenly, the door began to rattle as something began to push against it. Legolas and Bard shared a look of understanding and the bargeman immediately set Tilda down and hastily moved across the room to try and the two males tried to brace the door closed.
However, whatever was on the other side was immensely strong and kicked the door open suddenly, shattering the chair that had once held it in place and knocking the two men hard onto their rears. Tilda's shrill scream filled the air and her older siblings immediately took hold of her and forced her between them, ready to try and fight off anything that came near her.
With a snarl, the large orc raised his mace and prepared to attack the two on the ground but didn't get one step further into the room before he stilled. And then, he slumped to the ground in a heap, only to reveal Ren, standing with her bow poised, alerting them that she had shot the arrow protruding from the back of the beast's neck.
Both men sat up from their places on the ground as the she-elf stepped forward, her bow still held in her hand as she moved further into the room. "Is everyone alright?"
"Maybe not emotionally but physically, yes." Bard nodded slowly, his eyes upon her form and what he saw made a deep frown pull at his lips. "Though it appears that you are not."
Glancing down the blonde just frowned down at her gray tunic, finding that it was now stained with both black and red blood. "It's not mine." She insisted, holding up her hand to show her gauntlet which was covered in stinking, black carnage. It would no doubt need a rather thorough washing, along with her stained shirt. "A hog was slaughtered while I was nearby and well..." She glanced to Tilda in the corner of the room and decided it would be best if she didn't elaborate. "Things spattered."
Bard just gave her a nod of understanding before climbing up from the ground to go back to his children.
"The village is cleared now and it's safe to come out. I made entirely sure of that." She told them, shouldering her bow before moving back out into the front room so that they could do so as well. "Well, safe for now at least."
"You mean they could be back?" Bain asked, his brows raising almost into his hairline. His encounter with the fearsome creatures wasn't forgotten at all.
Ren began to unbuckle all her weaponry before lying it out on the workbench. It would need to be cleaned later, she decided but instead she just stood there with her arms pressed flat into the surface as she leaned on them. "Not if we handle this situation correctly."
"And how would we go about doing that?" At these words, the woman raised her head and peered up at the children through the curtain of her hair before she allowed her eyes to briefly flicker to Bard.
"Children, can you please go back into the back room for a moment?" She murmured and the three of them only looked at her for a long moment before the older two exchanged a look and did as she requested, pulling Tilda along with them. They shut the door behind them, allowing the adults a moment to speak.
"What do you suggest?" The bargeman asked, his eyes moving from the door back to the she-elf.
"We take the bodies..." She began quietly, closing her eyes and beginning to plan things over in her head. "And mount them on spears beside the beginning of the land bridge. Send it as a warning that if they come back, they will receive a similar fate." Running a hand over her hair, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked up, her sharp eyes directly locking onto Legolas's form. "You need to return to Mirkwood."
"What? Why?" The dark haired man asked.
"We need to employ the warriors of his King." She explained, straightening up from where she had been leaned on the table. "As both a defense for the people of Esgaroth and as a small force to hunt down the rest of the pack that got away to crush this threat before it grows further."
"How is he to get back?" Bard asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion on her as the gears in his mind began to turn. "As far as I recall, his companions left to return home without him."
"I will escort him back." She responded, her fingers trailing over the bow before her, her eyes distant.
"What?!" Both males responded in unison, their eyes widening at what they had just heard. They exchanged similar looks of both fear and confusion before looking back at the woman.
"You both heard what I said." Her eyes rose up to look at them. "I will return him to Mirkwood so that we may call for the aid of the Elvenking."
It was quiet in the room for a moment as Bard raked his hand through his hair. "Ren-"
"I don't understand why there is opposition." She responded quickly, cutting the bargeman off and he lifted his dark eyes to lock with her own. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, more capable than most of the guards in this town." There was a hard look of determination shinning in her eyes, one that caused Bard unease. However, when she saw the man's reluctance, she leaned her hip against the table and crossed her arms over her chest, wondering how she could properly convince him to let her leave. "You didn't know my life before I came to Laketown." She shook her head slightly, wishing that she had told him about it sooner. It would have explained so much. "I traveled a lot. Very nomadic in many aspects of my life." She directly met his eyes again. "I never settled in one place too long, that is... until Esgaroth."
"You didn't have a home?" The dark haired male asked her, his brow furrowing softly.
"Home was where I laid my bedroll at night." She explained and she slowly shifted back into her warm, healer persona, smiling slightly as she recalled the fond memories of her past travels. However, the soft curling of her lips soon fell and the warrior slipped back into place. "But, to maintain a home, I have to-"
"No." He interrupted her, fear spiking through his heart. "I will not let you go, not after the attack."
"The attack is the reason I need to go, Bard." She told him, her brow furrowing softly as she watched him carefully with her sharp, blue eyes. "We cannot simply sit around and wait for them to return, especially if we are found unprotected again." As he looked at her, he knew that her words were completely sincere and that she was no doubt probably right in her assumption. "We need the help from the elves if we want to keep our people safe."
The part about 'our' people didn't go unnoticed by the bowman but it still did nothing to ease his anxiety. "You cannot go alone-"
"If we travel with a large group, it could attract more attention than two elves who have grown up in forests their entire lives." The blonde responded. "If anything, we will be safer alone. We can move faster."
"Galaren-" He began, rubbing his neck uncomfortably.
"Bard." She cut him off almost immediately, her tone sharp and the man looked up from where he had been gazing at the floor. "This is something that has to be done." She licked her lips before swallowing, knowing that she would need to pull a few strings to get him to comply with her wishes. "I need to do this for your children." Immediately, the man's resolve began to soften at the thought of his little Tilda, wandering the streets alone when the creatures attacked. "I need to do this to protect them..."
With his dark eyes, he just gazed at her for a long beat before he began to shake his head. "Please..."
"I do not need your permission to leave." Ren began, the hardness from before once again in place as she ran her hands along the length of her sword's scabbard. "And the more time we waist arguing could be spent could be precious seconds that could save our people from another Orc attack." She scooped her weapons up into her arms and then moved towards the door, knowing that she would need to return to the house to get more supplies before embarking. "Legolas, gather your things, we leave in an hour."
Slipping the heavy, dark blue, woolen tunic over her head, she straightened it out so that it wasn't wrinkled as it hung over her other tunic, the outer layer serving as a coat to keep the cold out. Reaching up, she also straightened up the hood attacked to her collar before she wrapped a dark gray scarf around her neck.
Just as she slipped the strap of her satchel over her head, she heard the familiar swish as the kitchen door swung closed and when she turned her head, she found that it was the family, well, three of them. She only had to wonder for a moment where the youngest member of the family was before she came bursting from the confines of the kitchen, her eyes wide.
"Wait, you're leaving?!"
Ren sent an accusing look to Bard. They had agreed that they were going to wait to tell Tilda until after she left. However, as she met the bargeman's dark eyes, a strange sadness lingered in the chocolate depths.
"Tilda..."
"You can't leave us!" She cried out before moving forward and launching herself at the older female, her thin arms snaking around her waist to wrap her in a firm grip.
Frowning softly, the woman gently pushed on her shoulder, causing her to look up at her before taking a small step back. Ren bent down onto the little girl's level. "I have to, little one."
"No!" She whined slightly, pouting her lip out and staring up at the she-elf with her big, brown eyes. "Please, don't leave!"
"I will be back." The blonde told her, taking hold of her smaller hand for a moment and giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "I promise I will come back, Tilda but I really need to go." Her leather covered hand reached out and lightly touched her chocolate waves. "I need to go so that I can protect you from those monsters."
The child just continued to frown for a long moment before she looked down at her shoes, the pout still on her lips. "...Okay."
"I won't be gone long, alright?" Again, she nodded in understanding. "I just have to take Legolas back to his forest and then I should be right back home." She promised the little girl who just continued to pout before she turned to look at the the tall male elf.
"Alright, goodbye then, Legels." The child muttered her goodbye to him and he just smiled in return when he heard the nickname she had bestowed upon him. When the elf had first come to Laketown, she had peppered the poor warrior with about a thousand questions and it seemed as though he had become rather fond of her as well.
"Farewell, Tilda." The elf replied with a soft smile.
"Tilda..." The blonde woman called, causing the girl to turn back to face her. She was still bent down on her level so that they were eye to eye. "Can you do something for me?"
She looked skeptical for a long while. "...What is it?"
"Can you keep an eye out on the rest of your family, please?" Galaren smiled at her, a playful glint entering into her eyes. However, those cerulean eyes roved over Sigrid and Bain to instead rest upon the patriarch of the family. "Especially your father?" She slowly nodded her head, confusion lighting her eyes but then the elleth leaned in as if to share a secret with her. "Because we both know how much trouble he gets into, right?"
The little girl just giggled and used her small hands to cover her grin.
"So, do you think you can keep him in line for me?"
There was a strong nod of understanding used as a reply and the older female just beamed in response and brushed some stray hairs from her face, their entire conversation having been overheard by everyone in the room. "Does this mean I get to put Da in time out when he's naughty?"
"Absolutely." The woman beamed with both pride and amusement.
"Then have fun on your trip! Be careful!" She lunged forward and wrapped her tiny arms around her neck, engulfing her in a strong embrace now that she seemed more delighted with the circumstances. And then, she said something that the woman would never forget, "I love you, Ren."
A small, disbelieving smile curled at her lips as her mind slowly began to process what she had just said but then, she decided to reply. "I love you, too, my little Tilda."
Releasing the girl, she turned to look back at the rest of the family and it was only a moment later that Sigrid also moved forward to hug herself to the she-elf to which she returned the gesture with an equal amount of enthusiasm. Another warm lump latched onto her side as well and when Ren turned her head, she found that Bain was on her other side, embracing her as well which caused mild shock to bloom across her face.
Shifting her grip on Bard's eldest daughter, she allowed her free arm to wrap around the boy as well, hugging both of them to her as if she were never returning to Esgaroth.
When she stepped back to release them, she only gazed at their faces for a long moment before she looked passed them so that her gaze landed on their father. There was a soft look that he held in his eyes as he stood there, dressed in his long, worn leather coat, his hair partially tied back with a strip of black leather.
She took a hesitant step forward as she began to approach him for a goodbye as well but faltered when he spoke and held up his hand. "I can take you partway up the river on the barge so that you don't have to walk so far. It would also cause my mind much ease to do so."
For a moment, the woman was taken aback at the offer, having wanted him to remain behind with his children incase the orcs returned so quickly but when she began to protest, she felt a hand clasp onto her shoulder.
"That would indeed save us both time and energy." Legolas replied for her, not wanting to turn down such a kind offer, especially since he was not entirely healed and couldn't fight if they did manage to stumble upon some of the foul beasts. Ren would be fighting to protect the both of them. "Thank you, Bard."
Checking over her things one final time, the she-elf made sure that she had everything that she needed before the three of them left the house but not before Ren could glance over the children one final time before turning and leaving behind what felt like the closest thing she had to a home for many years.
The ride on the barge was quiet for the most part throughout the journey, what with all of them scattered about on the vessel, their own minds occupied with a wide variety of thoughts.
Snow continued to drift lightly down around them but the waters remained clear, save for a few small chunks of ice that floated on the surface, accidentally brushing against the wooden hull of the barge. The lake, for the most part, was quiet and tranquil. The only disturbance was the quiet gurgling of the water as the rudder was worked back and forth through the icy depths, propelling them forward and closer to their destination.
For the first couple minutes of the ride, she had watched as Esgaroth slowly began to disappear into the soft, snowy haze. As soon as it was entirely out of sight, she then turned her eyes and instead focused on the shore in the far distance, a bit of uncertainty clouding her gaze due to the fact that she was completely unawares as to what was waiting for her once she reached land.
It had been a long while since she had walked on proper land, given that she had only ever left Laketown when they needed more herbal supplies for the ward.
However, all of her previous ponderings seemed to vanish and one, singular thought completely swarmed her brain as they all too soon pulled up to the small dock that lay in the forest where Bard normally retrieve the barrels that floated down the river.
Guiding the vessel out of the current, the dark haired man leapt out onto the dock and tied the barge down so it wouldn't drift off while they exchanged their goodbyes.
He turned back and found that the woman was about to step off the boat and instead offered her his hand, planting it in her line of sight so that she actually saw it and froze when she did. Her sapphire eyes flickered up to look at him before she reached out and took hold of the offered hand, his larger one completely engulfing her own. Easing her across the gap, she came to stand just beside him and Legolas climbed off as well, shrugging a bag over his shoulder as he went.
The two Laketown villagers just remained like that for a beat, their hands still holding fast to one another as they looked at each other, a strange look warming both their eyes.
"I'll... Just..." Legolas murmured, using his thumb to motion over his shoulder towards the forest. "I'll go scout ahead a bit. You can find me... when you're ready." He explained and then he moved to leave but paused and instead reached back and took one of the knives from its sheath on Ren's back before awkwardly stalking of into the tree line, leaving the two of them alone, his cheeks flushing as he went.
Silence filled the air around them for a long while before Bard's thumb gently brushed against the flesh of her fingers that weren't covered by the leather gauntlets she wore.
This caused her eyes to lift from where she had been starring at the worn fabric of her boots and to look directly into his dark eyes.
"You will come back to Esgaroth?"
The blonde just licked her lips and tilted her head down ever so slightly again, not wanting to meet his brown irises, knowing full well that they could so easily make her weak if she looked into them for too long. "I have... hundreds of reasons to leave and only a few to stay." She told him and the bowman just felt his brow furrow softly at her words, for this was very ill news on his part. "However..." She began again, her eyes slowly rising to meet his. "Those few reasons are so much greater than all the others combined."
His eyes slowly lit back up when his mind registered her words and his lips twitched upward in a small smile. However, worry still shown in his irises as he began to just imagine what dangers lay in wait for her. "I once promised that I would be more careful when I traveled upstream." He said quietly, reaching up with his free hand to brush a bit of snow from her hair. "Now, I only think it as fair that you uphold the same promise."
"I will be careful, Bard." She promised him but then froze when his warm hand rose to cup her lightly flushed cheek, the skin pink from the cold lingering in the air.
"Please... Please, uphold that promise." He pleaded with her gently, his eyes lingering on her pink lips for a moment as his rough thumb ghosted over the blush on her cheek. "My children need you." His brown eyes once again sought out her blue pair as he swallowed thickly, knowing that his next couple of words could very much destroy their friendship. "I need you, Galaren."
"What?" She breathed in response, her breath swirling around them.
"You are so vastly important to both my family... and me." Bard told her, his eyes desperately searching hers. "You have no idea how much you have come to mean to us." His hand slowly slipped down to gently cup her chin in his leather covered palm. "With you, life is once again so bright after living in a world full of darkness. Please... don't take that light away from me again."
Upon realizing what he was saying, the woman allowed her brow to furrow and her eyes to stare down at his chest. "Bard-"
"Please..." He interrupted her, his eyes sliding closed as he struggled to restrain himself. "Do not say anything, for I fear it will make it that much harder for me to let you go." The man murmured, his thumb running along her jaw before he allowed his eyes to open to look back down at her.
"...Okay." She said quietly before reaching up with her own hands to gently wrap her fingers around the back of his neck. Lifting herself up onto her toes, she had to stretch to reach him as she brushed her lips against his soft cheek. Her lips perhaps lingered there longer than necessary before she released his neck, only to lower herself back down onto her feet. Her hands slipped down to gently take hold of the collar of his coat.
Continuing to gaze down at her, the bowman decided not to press forward even after his sudden confession and instead, he gently wrapped his arms around her to hug her close to him for a long moment. His cheek rested momentarily on the top of her soft hair, her own arms snaking around his waist to squeeze him back.
And they stayed like that for a long while, the snow carefully drifting around them as the quiet babbling of the river filled the silence around them as they held onto one another.
However, both of them soon decided that she needed to be off, so the bargeman relinquished his hold on her and stepped back, his hand momentarily hold hers before he raised it to his mouth to brush his lips against her knuckles.
"Farewell for now, my lady." He muttered, bowing over her hand slightly before releasing her. "I pray that you return to us safely."
She just smiled a sad smile in return, her heart tugging painfully when she realized she truly didn't want to leave him and instead remain in his arms for all of eternity. "Goodbye, Bard." She whispered as he released her hand which she slowly placed back at her side. "Take care of your family for me."
"I will." He promised, a small smile curling at his own lips as he watched her adjust her things before she began to slowly walk back down the dock, a bit of reluctance evident in her gaze. When she stepped off the wooden platform, she turned to look back at him for a moment, her sapphire eyes sparkling in the snowy air before she was suddenly gone, having turned and disappeared into the trees where Legolas had last been seen. And yet, the man remained there for a few minutes, willing her to come running back to him through the tree line to leap into his arms but, it seemed as though he was not to fortunate and would instead have to wait those agonizing days for her return. "I promise I will, my love."
So, this is long overdue.
Sorry about that guys. I've just been immensely busy lately and have had little time to finish this up. I've had the beginning of this written up for almost a month but just haven't gotten around to completing it.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
There will probably be one or two other Bard chapters before it is completed! I also really need to work on Gladiator as well but many people are calling for me to spew more chapters of To Your Mark out, which I'm trying to. I should have plenty of time next week, given that it when my spring break starts.
I should be able to get a bunch of stuff then but I don't know how much I'll get done this week, considering that I have a lot of tests this week.
If you want, you can follow me on tumblr. My account is blueeyedwolf33. I reblog a bunch of stuff about the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, plus I just like to muse on their sometimes.
Don't be afraid to message me or leave a review to request stuff!
So, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
Love,
Blue