❝ a mermaid belongs to the sea. she cannot stay on land without the guarantee of her death. ❞
❝ yes, but her heart belongs here. ❞
↳ gandalf the grey to queen marella
╔═══ -ˋˏ *.·:·.⟐.·:·.* ˎˊ- ═══╗
she belonged...
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STAYING AT RIVENDELL ISN'T WHAT VERA expected it to be. Though they were hospitable and generous with what they provided, they were also quite different from what Vera imagined elves to be. During their journey, Neptune and Corin had tried explaining the creatures as unbiased as possible, but all she heard were either sighs of awe or grunts of annoyance from the two. Because of her brother and her friend's lack of ability come to a stable agreement, she simply imagined them.
Graceful, soft, angelic.
Lame, unfit, and inexperienced.
Although they did fit the former description, Vera could tell they were more than just ethereal looks and balletic movements. Amongst her time with them, she caught sight of many different elves going on with their days routinely. On her first week, she was granted permission to roam around Imladris — the name the elves called Rivendell, she had learned — and she managed to catch sight of various activities.
Ellith and elflings would roam around the town and markets, speaking in their native tongue and glancing at Vera with unanswered question in their eyes. She would simply ignore them, having been warned by Elrond not to reveal her true nature, for fear of how they would react to the unknown and supposedly mythical being. Vera respected his wishes and kept to herself, only creeping around to see how elves worked differently from mermaids to adjust to her surroundings.
They were kind to foreigners, most of them greeting Vera with a smile at passing, and some of them offering assistance. They would walk around barefoot, too, comfortable in the earth below. Vera admired their culture and heritage, as she inspected the town before she wandered to the training grounds, where several of them trained diligently. When Vera first watched the trainers fight, her eyes were flashing from one elf to another in amazement. It was like a choreographed dance, the way they swung gracefully and deflected in the same elegant manner.
On her second week, Vera was guided to the library to study the histories of Middle Earth, and to keep herself knowledgable of what she could encounter during her time on land by the suggestion of Lord Elrond. Piles of books and parchment was sprawled on her table as she spent hours of the day reading and take notes. At one point, she had fallen asleep, but was left undisturbed by Lord Elrond's command. Vera hoped the elleth who worked at the library didn't mind, as she spent the next two days drinking up any information useful to her.
