#*|* what dragonfire destroyed | we will rebuild *|* :: dale

[rangers-arecool]

For: Bard :: @menelvagor Muse: Skiâ Verses: Post BOTFA & ? Prompts: ( SILENCE ) silencing mine’s by pressing their finger on mine’s lips. & ( PUSH ) pushing against the wall. (example: rough or soft pushing against wall)

No one had expected the party for the reopening of Dale and the new King’s Coronation to be disrupted like it had been. Because of a woman that everyone, including Bard himself and his children, had long thought to be dead. In all the confusion, only Thranduil and Thorin noticed the soft spoken redhead slip away into the shadows. She had no wish to stay and watch the family reunion, although she was glad for them.

“We’ll be leaving for Gondor in two days, if you wanted to join us to get away from here.”

That was a kind offer from the two travelling merchants and she appreciated it greatly, even she had no idea what she was going to do. “Thank-you. I’ll let you know my answer tomorrow. Have a good night.” She smiled faintly, before turning and heading across to the small house she lived in, in the almost empty part of the rebuilt City.

Skiâ sighed softly, only letting silent tears fall once she was inside her home and out of view of the public. She wiped them away after a few minutes, removing her outer clothing and just leaving her in the sleeveless forest green dress she wore. There was no warning that someone was waiting in her bedroom.

Not until grey eyes blinked in shock as she looked up at the former bargeman, after being pushed roughly against the wall. "Bard, why are-." But she swallowed the rest of her words when his finger landed on her lips, silencing her instantly and making her cheeks flush slightly.

[rangers-arecool]

   Despite the years they had spent together, first in friendship and then romantically, Skiâ hadn't thought that he might decide to seek her out. Not tonight. Not when he should have been still at the feasting hall, enjoying the party and… interacting with people there. In hindsight, she should had been there as well but after everything, it was simpler to just slip away. She wasn't one for causing issues and would simply step back, even if it meant breaking her own heart.

  The quiet redhead leaned against the wall at her back and watched him, a faint resignation hidden behind calm eyes. It wasn't difficult to read his anxiety and the feeling of being lost that he carried; a feeling that she knew well. She closed grey eyes for a brief moment, before opening them again and wrapped her arms around her lover with a small sad smile as he spoke.

  "I.. didn't think staying would be a good idea." She admitted softly, training her gaze partly on his shoulder so he didn't see the unshed tears in her eyes. In the minutes before Bard had trapped her against the wall with his much taller form, Skiâ had been considering the merchants' offer. But then he had done one of the few things that would certainly get her to refuse the offer; by asking her to stay.

  "I never thought you would forget me like that, Bard. But you do need to talk to her, even if it's only to get answers to some of the questions going around in your mind. And.. she's still your wife and the mother of your kids." She looked up to meet his gaze, then nuzzled him in love and affection. "I won't go anywhere for now but.. I will step back. I love you and I love Sigrid, Bain and Tilda. But you don't need the problems my presence will cause this early on."

Bard had felt nothing less than complete shock when his wife showed up at his Coronation to become the ruler of new Dale. It had been several months since the Battle of the Five Armies and so news had been able to make it across the lands of the death of the dragon and the upcoming crownings of new kings for both Erebor and Dale. This brought all kinds of visitors and kin back to Wilderland. Including the old bargeman's former love.

Despite the joy that was present in such a reunion - especially for his children who seemed to recover the shock more swiftly (but were still a bit perturbed) - it made Bard feel sick. The emotions swirled around inside of him like a storm off the ocean. He had welcomed her and embraced her to applause, pressured so by the audience, but he had been taut like a bowstring the entire time. He knew she could tell something was off, but he felt something off about her as well. Why would she have led them to believe she was dead so long, only to return when he had taken up this position? She had missed so much in her absence. All the blood, sweat, and tears he had put into raising his children and surviving.

Distracted as he was, he still noticed the disappearance of Skiâ. His eyes cast about the waves of the crowd, to no avail. No doubt this would complicate things to a breaking point.

He excused himself, to a rather offended looking woman, and slipped away even as some of the chosen advisors called to him. "I need some air!" he supplied as reason.

Where he went then, was straight to his current lover's house, well enough away from the feasting hall. Bard needed her comforting presence beside him, to quell his churning emotion. He did not know what she would do in response to his seeking her out, but he cared little. When he saw her enter the room he had let himself into, he moved - one hand pushed her into the wall, while his other silenced her.

"Shhh- I do not want them to find me here," he explained, keeping still until he felt assured and moved his hands away. His features were grimly set, and in his eyes swam the anxiety that thundered within. Normally he was confident in dealing with problems, and his wit and strength had been what won him the love of his people, but now he felt lost. He had so adored his wife, and the mother of his children, but the time he had last been with her had been so long ago. He found new adoration for someone else.

"Skiâ, I. . . Do not think that because she appeared, that I would forget about you. Stay, love. She--" he closed his eyes and swallowed down the bile. "I would not leave you for her - she is still as though dead to me. I would have you stay with me."