Broken Souls

A Long Talk

~~ Hello everyone. I'm sorry for the very, very long wait on this chapter. Life has been chaotic for me through the past year and I've been backtracking on this story to figure out where to go with it. But now all is settled and I'm back with renewed energy and lots of hopes for this fic <3 I hope you all enjoy it and thank you for the love :D ~~

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Thranduil's hand tapped slowly against the wine glass in his hand, the clicking of his extravagant rings serving as the only music around him and the woman in front of him.

Kiera had quickly been stowed away in her given quarters before she could convince Rose to keep her mouth shut, so now he sat in his study with the still very confused woman on the other side of the desk while she observed every inch of the chamber.

He hoped to learn something from her.

"So, I understand that your name is Rose?" He asked to break the silence, sipping at his wine as he offered her a glass as well. She didn't touch it, but nonetheless gave it a promising glance.

"Yes, Rose Callan." She responded, her voice gentle but carrying a harsher tone than Kiera. It was thicker than Kiera's, tinted with some type of accent that he had only heard in Kiera during brief moments of revelation.

"And who are you exactly to Kiera? I was not expecting to find any more strangers in my realm, without explanation of their arrival. She seemed eager to see you." He inquired, narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion and Rose gradually began to feel this was an interrogation.

"Yes, she did." She said quietly, inhaling deeply to keep her cool and let her nerves calm. "We haven't seen one another for a long time. I'm a very close friend of hers and have known her for most of my life." She explained, hoping that was an answer that satisfied enough. Rose didn't understand what was going on, nor did she quite know where Kiera had gone. It had all happened so fast; as soon as she had mentioned the ritual, Thranduil had ordered this red-headed guard to bring Kiera back to her chambers, and he had invited herself to his own.

Now, as a first impression, it sounded very shady to be invited to a man's private chambers by some Elven King on the first day of acquaintance. But Rose couldn't deny that he was a fine piece of meat. Albeit this was not a very romantic situation... and she was not enjoying her time in the hot seat. She would rather he finish up his inquiries so she could go and find Kiera.

"So, you two have a lot in common I suppose?" Thranduil asked further and hoped to find similarities between them both. If possible, he could achieve a much better understanding of Kiera, and perhaps, the reason behind her night in the garden.

"Well, we did once. I haven't seen her in three years since she left England, but we used to do everything together. She was only sixteen, so she still lived with her father despite how much she hated it, but after turning seventeen, she left and never looked back." Rose explained and pursed her lips to hide her emotions. For a long time, Rose had been angry with Kiera for disappearing without a word. Quite frankly, she had stopped looking for her in hopes of closure, as Kiera had made it clear she was done with their friendship. But when Thomas disappeared from London as well, Rose made one final attempt to find her. And when Kiera ran towards her in the throne room, or whatever that hall was, it made all her anger melt away.

Thranduil pondered quietly on the explanation Rose had given. "Is England the realm you hail from?" He asked and was pleased to see her nod. "And so does Kiera?" Another nod. "Then where has she been since last you met?"

Rose opened her mouth to respond. Then she closed it again.

She didn't know. Kiera had gone into a state of no contact and had pretty much disappeared from the face of the Earth. No letter had been left, no hint of her whereabouts. And Rose knew well enough why Kiera had been smart enough to do so. It was too dangerous to leave a trail.