It was the second week into October and common sense which was a tool she had always applied somehow escaped her grasps time and time again. Rina knew the dangers of fostering deeper camaraderies with strangers and most of all, elves.
Furthermore, it had been a warning her mother rang in her ears during her younger years. A warning she found herself unable to heed properly, for try as she might and try did she truly, the elf in question made it hard to keep her distance.
She had assumed that after his decision to embellish her with tales of his past he would simply lose any interest in her and let her be.
Tiresome as the attention was for her, there were days when she questioned her sanity, days like today, days when they could not meet due to their own various duties.
It was midday and she had taken her basket of jars filled with oils and herbs to the stream near her home. It was truly a treasure to find nearby and allowed her plenty of clean water to do as she pleased.
Rolling up her sleeves, she hummed as she removed her veil and untied her hair. Soft springs of hair unfurled unto her back and chests.
One by one she took locs of thick hair and ran the herbs through it with her fingers.
Here in the farthest parts of Imladris she could be free and open to behave as she desired, away from the scrutiny of displeased gazes, condemning remarks and harsh disregard.
She took her bowl and scooped water, pouring it over her head thoroughly washing away the paste of herbs and felt her fingers glide so easily through her strands of hair.
Humming in pleasure and aloofness, Rina took out her scented oils and started her application process all over again.
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!
He had returned from patrolling the borders once more hoping that his time away would clear his head and it did mostly, given that a band orcs had tried to cross their borders.
Glofindel made his way to Elrond's study as scouts had finished giving their reports.
"We've received word from Estel, apparently he's happened upon four hobbits in the village of Bree...as well as five of the nasgul" Elrond said tentatively.
"The nine...why would they be after four hobbits?" Glorfindel asked.
"Because one of them carries something of great value but Estel wishes to confirm his suspicions first...he also means to bring them here" Elrond clasped his hands together as his mind wandered to a distant past.
"And Mithrandir? Last I heard he was on his way to the Shire"
"Indeed, but no word has been heard from him since then"
"Things it seems are in motion, beyond what we've been allowed to see" Glorfindel said in an ominous tone.
His face darkened over the amount of orcs he had to kill this past week and thought it unusual, only to discover that the nine had been summoned.
"Yes, we can only hope they reach Imladris quickly and in one piece which you must be ready for" Glorfindel nodded.
Elrond looked over his friend who had been by his side for over three thousand years and noted his golden armour drenched in orc blood, not to mention the ugly stench of death following him and spoke on a matter that had been added to his report.
"I heard of your...eagerness at the borders this past week" Elrond said watching the reborn elf Lord from the corner of his eye.
"Orcs were double the numbers this time" Glorfindel raised an eyebrow stating the obvious but it was not the number of orc that worried Elrond.
"And yet you seemed to have no problems dispatching them quite ruthlessly" Elrond said pointedly, the warriors of Imladris had hardly seen Glorfindel in action but that did not mean what they witnessed was a comforting sight.
The mighty elf had charged towards the orc bands, taking absolute joy in slaughtering orc in their numbers even going so far as to remove any chances for their retreat.
"Does something trouble you?" Elrond asked him directly and Glorfindel fell silent.
"This doesn't have anything to do with the Harad woman you've been befriending recently, does it?" Elrond's eyebrow arched, daring Glorfindel to deny his words.
"It might.." Glorfindel saw no need to keep his feelings on the matter secret.
"I find myself conflicted in a way, knowing I should leave the girl be and yet I'm undeniably curious"
"You wish to know why a haradhrim woman would bother with the arduous journey of finding Imladris?" Elrond asked, intrigued for he had never known Glorfindel to show any regard for any elleth much less a woman before.
He could almost laugh at the irony of this situation.
"Perhaps, maybe even more" Glorfindel said truthfully.
"I find that I enjoy her company much than I ought to and it leaves me wondering if such a feeling is wise to harbour "
"And such frustration has led you to unleash your strength upon orcs deserving as they are but not to the expense of your own heart" Elrond chastised.
"I know"
"Her mother sent word to me many years ago, requesting to take her daughter under my protection, for many reasons some of which are unknown even to me" Elrond sat in his chair and watched his friend move to the window.
"I suggest you treat anything concerning her with caution, the heart is a treachorous thing more for a elf than a woman" Elrond further cautioned.
While it was an interesting thing to see, this would be the first time Glorfindel opened his heart to a woman, it would be a tragedy to see either of them hurt from the path they unknowingly threaded.
Elrond's words rang in his mind as he made his way silently to the small cottage nestled in the corner of trees and shrubs. He followed the humming sound he heard and knew she was at the ravine.
!
!
Standing behind a tree, he watched her from the shadows, careful not to draw too close for fear of being spotted. It could be a problem in times such as this, the glow that surrounded him made him conspicuous and even more so with his golden hair.
But he found the risk worth it for here was sight he knew would never be privy to under casual circumstances. Zarina, that was her name he thought.
Like that first day in the Hall of Fire he found her unconcealed, her body currently basking in the warmth of sunrays.
She had a soft smile on her face as she washed her hair and unbeknownst to her, her dress clung to her body soaked in water.
He felt guilty for witnessing what would be described as a moment of privacy but he found it harder to walk away with each passing moment. Times such as these were the only chances he had to steal glances of who she was without her constantly hiding behind her veil.
He watched her hum a tune and it bothered him to know he wished to watch her all through her task. He noted the soft hue of brown skin shining beneath the sun and while he appreciated the beauty of her curves which was very much different from the way elith looked and felt, he found his eyes unable to look away.
It was the first time he was privy to features of such a person before, her lips held two shades of colour. Her upper lips held the colour of the earth while her lower lips carried a much paler shade of pink.
It was wrong, yet for all the discontentment her deep seeded gazes were causing him he had kept his promise to tell her all tales he knew of regarding his past, which meant they no longer had any reason to meet eachother in the archives room anymore.
He sighed, all he had intended was making certain she was well and yet here he was doing something truly underhanded.
What was concerning was the fact that he couldn't stop himself from wanting more.
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!
She heard from the seamstresses about the scouts return from the borders and decided it was none of her business and pretended aloofness, yet her steps were quicker than they usually were, her attention to the details of her hair and clothes slightly more meticulous and her excuse?
It was simply to be more comfortable with her appearance.
Somehow these past weeks had left an impression on her, while she would've preferred the privacy of her life, she discovered the friendship she had developed with the golden lord wasn't so bad.
Rina wore her veil once again concealing her face and headed to the hall of fire. The guards at this point had grown accustomed to her presence and let her in without a pass.
Getting to her usual spot she picked a book and read through it, with an expectation in her heart.
Night had come, with a soured feeling as she closed the book halfway through and rose from her seat. Her eyes downcast as she realised she had made no plans for dinner at all and it was well past the hour of supper.
"You really shouldn't neglect your body for the sake of curiosity" Rina stopped, her heart elated as she smiled slightly beneath her veil.
"And who says I am?" Rina answered but did not turn.
Glorfindel walked up to her, looking over her veil with a small smile. Her face flashed in his mind and he imagined it even now as she fully concealed from his gaze.
"Mae Govannen my lady"
"As to you my lord" she giggled. She looked around and saw that most of the people had returned to their homes and quarters, it would seem she was out later than she expected.
"Have you had something to eat?" Glorfindel asked.
"Oh, the chance escaped me, though I still have some dried fruit and bread left" she said.
"Well I neither, so we shall share this together" Glorfindel answered and lifted a basket covered in clean cloth. "I insist" he continued noting how her hands rose up in protest.
They reached her home and she opened the door, before gesturing him to enter, proceeding to light the lamps in the corner of the cottage, brightening the room.
"Please make yourself comfortable" Rina gestured to her small dinner table as she went into her kitchen to get some plates and cutlery.
"Thank you" Glorfindel smiled and sat with the basket on the dinner table, his large form instantly filling the house and observed his surroundings which were surprisingly tidy with jars and ointments kept on a small shelf along with other herbs.
He recognised them, they were jars she took with her to the stream.
Memories of how he watched her wash her hair flashed in his mind and he wondered when next she would go the stream, when he'd have the chance to see her face again...see her lips again.
Rina came into the small living room and placed two plates with two steaming mugs of hot water, beside it was a jar of honey.
Glorfindel watched her quietly wanting to know why after all this time she still insisted on wearing a veil especially in his presence.
"What are you intending to make?" He asked, deciding on light conversation, to this she replied gayly.
"Oh I'm making tea, it is a mixture of chamomile and fennel, my mother used to make it when we lived in the jungles of Far Harad, may I?" She gestured to the basket. Glorfindel obliged to her request.
"Oh...this is tabbouleh, how do you know this dish??" She asked Glorfindel in surprise.
"A merchant was willing to help with some recipes of the south" He responded as she took out the bowl of diced vegetables along with dried fruit and fresh bread and a small block of cheese.
"How very considerate, thank you" He could feel her soft smile through her veil.
As they ate, he noted how she pinched the food and slipped it underneath her veil until he realized he had been staring for longer than was considered polite.
"Forgive my rudeness my lady but I feel as though our friendship makes you uncomfortable" Glorfindel said while watching her expression.
"Why in the world would you think so?" She swallowed, frowning at the suggestion he made.
"I hardly know anything about you, even your name even though you know mine" at this Rina's eyes widened in disbelief.
"But I'm certain I-" Rina paused digging through her memory and realized in horror she had treated him with much rudeness.
"-Forgive me I had not realised I never told you my name, I enjoyed much of your company that the thought never occurred to me" she said softly, her tone filled with embarrassment.
"Nay, the fault lies with me for I did not ask it of it you. That being said I believe introductions are long overdue yes?"
"Yes they most certainly are" she laughed.
"My name is Glorfindel, of the house of the golden flower" he said and bowed his head in greeting. Rina laughed again at his jovial antics.
"I'm Zarina, daughter of Mirhha from Far Harad"
"Zarina, a beautiful name..." Glorfindel said softly and rose to clear the table.
"Th-Thank you" Rina must've imagined the softness in his eyes and rose up to take the plates from him. "Please let me take care of this" She snatched the dirty dishes and proceeded to the kitchen, looking behind to see Glorfindel following behind.
"My Lord?" She asked confused over his behaviour.
"I can hardly allow you take care of such a task yourself when you've entertained me well enough"
"This is hardly anything to be concerned about" Rina said in surprise, did all elves behave this way?
It was a ridiculous notion for a haradhrim man to assist in a woman's duty. But the elf before her seemed persistent in his decision.
They did the dishes quietly and dissatisfied with the tense silence, Glorfindel snuck a glance at the small woman beside him still with a veil over her face and he felt his dissatisfaction grow.
"Forgive me if I overstep but why do you hide your face away from the world?" He asked, his eyes trained on her as he waited for a response.
"The women of Harad do not show their faces to men unless..." He detected a hint of hesitation in her voice. He inched a little closer to her despite his ability to hear her clearly enough.
"Unless?" He nudged.
"A man must make claim to the woman and win her as a prize, only then may she remove her veil" she frowned as she said.
"And has someone...?" He asked, a knot in his chest forming.
"Well, yes he tried to" she said grabbing her arm. The last of the dishes had been done and their conversation had taken a different turn.
"What happened?" He asked softly and Rina sighed audibly.
"I ran" she walked out of the kitchen and Glorfindel caught her wrist, an action that surprised both of them.
"Why?" He carried on nonetheless. His tone did something unpleasant to her heart and it made her wary. He noticed her tense up and released her.
"Forgive me, I overstep" at this Rina shook her head and responded.
"No, it is only fair, you've opened yourself to me and yet you know nothing of me" Rina sat down on the chair and gestured for Glorfindel to join her.
"My mother and I lived a lonely life, I never knew my father but I could tell he was not haradhrim" Rina said with a wry tone.
"The snares and insults would always follow wherever we went and so we stayed on the outskirts near the forests where no one bothered us, but then my mother died and our home was no longer being safe, which meant I had to leave" Glorfindel listened with his face softening in sympathy as he listened to her tale.
"I thought it best to live amongst one of the tribes in Harad that dwelled near Umbar"
"The port city.." at this Rina nodded.
"Yes...I stayed always with the women, blending in and learning the trade of threading which we used to sell our goods for pieces of gold. The more gold we had, the more clothes we could thread but somehow I had caught the attention of a warrior in the tribe..." Rina shuddered and recalled how she had risked her life to flee the lands of her birth.
"He was the chieftains son and a great warrior, but they submitted to the rule of the black numenoreans meaning their allegiance was to Sauron himself" Glorfindel flinched in disgust and Rina looked down in shame as she continued.
"He declared our clan pay tribute with me as an offering to secure his protection over our lands, so in the dead of the night I ran and stowed away on the next merchant ship to Gondor"
"Why didn't you stay in Gondor, surely Minas Tirith would've provided you refuge?"
"I thought so too but I underestimated how far he would go to claim me so I came here. Before she died my mother spoke of this place and said my father's kin would grant me protection"
"Your father was Noldor?" Glorfindel was taken aback by this revelation.
"As my mother claims which finally made sense to many things" Glorfindel was still reeling from the news that she was half elven.
"What things?" He asked in rapt attention.
"I have not aged since my twentieth birthday, I've far outlived many amongst the people of Harad and I could not stay even if I wanted to" Rina finished and looked away, afraid of his expression and somewhere deep within her mind was a fear for his rejection.
"You're very brave my lady, I cannot imagine how frightening all of this must have been" He spoke in earnest.
He rose intending to leave, he had a sense it was not all she had revealed to him but the hour was later than he had intended.
"You have been most kind, even when such a thing is not required from you" Rina said with a smile reaching her eyes.
"You are deserving of it and more" Glorfindel said, his presence and height towering over her.
"Thank you again" she touched his arm to portray her sincerity unaware of his reaction to her actions.
"Rest assured, you are safe here in Imladris, I will let no harm come to you Lady Zarina" Glorfindel spoke and did something most unexpected. He took her hand and gave it a light kiss, on hearing her soft gasp he smiled and left.
Rina held her hand and watched him leave into the night and closed the door with a small thud. She had opened her heart to him and knew that something had changed between them.
Her mother's warning rang in her thoughts as she undressed, preparing for her nights rest.
She looked out her small window and then to her hand remembering the kiss he had given and wondered what her mother would say if she saw her now, knowing in her heart she was falling for an elf so beautiful and strong that he was impossible to reach.