She had pressed hard this time around, stopping only when sustenance was required or she or her horse needed to rest. No slow meandering stroll this, not like her previous travels. She knew her destination this time. She knew where she needed to be and no one and nothing would be allowed to stand in her way.
Some had tried, of course. There had been no shortage of foes along the road. She had ignored those that she could and cut down those that she could not. There was usually some joy to be found in the simplicity of the fight, the singing of her blade, the rending of flesh from bone, but along this journey the need to do battle had been naught but a distraction. An annoyance designed to slow her down.
It had taken half the time for her to reach Bree-land than to return back to Rohan, but even that felt too long. Not a step had been taken during which she had not feared what the future would bring, but she had to know and that need had spurred her onwards, no matter what lay in her path.
She was exhausted by the time she arrived in the vicinity, as was her poor mount. She was also filthy and in severe need of a drink and a meal. Not wanting to dip further into her meager funds than she had to, and having no desire to face him in her current state, Varani turned her horse away from the Greenway and through Staddle, purposely bypassing all of the gates into Bree in favour of Combe. A good night's rest would do her and her mount the world of good.
She had pushed open the door to the tattered tavern, paying no mind to the roaming chickens or straw strewn upon the floor. She had seen, and stayed in, worse places when necessary. She had also drunk far worse than the dubious swill presented by the barmaid.
When someone had called over to her about not trusting the ale, she had debated bothering to reply. She had no particular wish for company, it was not something that she had ever felt much craving for, but she also hadn't spoken to anyone for quite some time. It would be prudent to brush up on her social skills before finding the object of her search, wouldn't it?
She had turned, sighting the speaker in a chair near the flames. Not wanting to shout across the room, and seeing no other chairs to rest her tired frame in, she had closed the distance and leaned her back against a nearby pillar. The man had been hooded but, in a place like this, she had thought nothing of it. Subsequently, several minutes had passed before either identity had been realised.
She had suddenly felt like a little girl again. Nervous, uncoordinated and horrendously self-conscious. Her heart beat faster, harder, within her breast and she could only hope that her expression gave away none of her inner turmoil.
Why did it have to be here?
Why did it have to be now?
She wasn't ready yet!
He stood before her, taller than she recalled and perhaps a bit fluffier about the face, but every bit as handsome. She longed to wrap her arms around him, to have him wrap his arms around her in return. She yearned to taste his lips again, feel his warmth and...
Was he laughing? Was he laughing?!
Why was he laughing?
For a moment, she wasn't sure whether to walk away, punch him or both. Her hand curled into a fist and it was only the fatigue of the road that prevented her from swinging it. She really had been a fool. To come all this way on naught but a flimsy hope, a little girls ridiculous dream of love in waiting, what had she been thinking? Idiot! She should have stuck to hitting things with her sword. At least then she knew what she was doing, what to expect...
"I was going to come after you," his words cut through her dejected thoughts. "I planned to leave for Rohan in a few days."
She stood there dumfounded. Her mouth was dry but she had no mind for the drink. Did he mean that? Truly? She didn't dare believe it. He was just being kind. He had always been kind. It was one of the things that had caught her attention in the first place.
"Do you have anywhere to stay?"
She had shaken her head. She had paid for a bed for the night when she'd bought her drink but he was quick to point out that the beds here were worse than the floor. It would be better all round if she rested up at his cabin in the woods. Still certain that he was simply showing kindness to an old friend, she reluctantly accepted his offer. It would give her a chance at recognizance, perhaps figure out if there was still a chance for them...
