I HAVE SEAWEED EYES?

Nimriel was overloaded with new information and experiences. She and Galadriel had been whisked off to a bathing house where they could finally get cleaned up. It was the first time the Sea Elf was using a bathtub and also experiencing fresh water as opposed to salt water.

It left an odd aftertaste in her mouth and her gills weren't used to it, so it wasn't the most enjoyable time she'd ever had in water. But the Númenorean handmaidens helped wash her hair with soap that smelled sweet — Galadriel informed her it smelled like something called apples. When Nim got out of the water, her skin was tinted an odd light teal color rather than the bluer camouflage that came when she was in the ocean.

After getting cleaned up, she and Galadriel were given dresses. Nim found the material a little too heavy and itchy against her skin, but she did think it looked flattering on her figure. It fell off her shoulders, showing her scales off, and the dark blue material brought out the blue in her eyes. But the handmaidens weren't finished dressing her after tying up the gown.

"Shoes?" Nim questioned, looking at the dark brown sandals that Galadriel was trying to convince her to wear. "I don't need shoes."

"You have feet. Therefore, you need shoes," Galadriel stated. The handmaidens stepped to the side when it was clear that Nim was going to cause problems over this.

"Well, I don't want shoes," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"It's to protect them," she told her. "There could be glass or any number of things you won't want to step on. Take the shoes."

Nimriel looked away with her nose turned up, and no doubt, Halbrand would've called her a brat again if he were there to see it. "You can't make me."

Galadriel simply raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, taking that as a challenge.

Thirty minutes later, Nimriel's sandal-covered feet were slapping against the stone streets as she walked from the palace. The nice guard escorting her from the palace was listening to her complain about how she couldn't wiggle her toes as well as if that was some important bodily function.

While Galadriel was confined to palace ground — though Nim knew she was going to escape and try to find a way to steal a boat before the three days ended — Nimriel was allowed to go wherever in the city she wanted. In fact, it was encouraged by Queen Míriel. She was the ruler that brought a Sea Elf to her people and wanted to flaunt that.

So, while the odd tint was still on her skin and the sun reflected against her patches of scales, Nim went on a walk. She was given a guard to show her around so that she wouldn't get lost on the winding streets.

Nim asked him to take her to the establishment where Halbrand was staying. Though he wasn't given a room at the palace, Nimriel negotiated for him to be put in one of the nicest inns free of charge. Now that a few hours had passed, she wanted to check on him.

When she told Galadriel of her plans for the day, she reminded her that they had just spent a whole day trapped on a raft with no personal space, so the last thing she should want was more time with Halbrand. Nim simply claimed that she wanted to get to know him better. If they got closer, maybe he'd reconsider returning to the Southlands with them.

The Sea Elf set off on her own after that — well, on her own and with a guard giving directions. They passed many people as they walked down the sloped streets, and Nimriel didn't bother trying to mask what she was by hiding her ears. One of the handmaidens even braided her white hair back on the sides to show them off. A lot of people gaped at her, but she didn't really mind.

Given how large the kingdom was, it took a while to make it to the part of the city where Halbrand's inn was located. And when Nim politely asked the innkeeper which room he was in, the older man informed her that Halbrand had already set out into the city on his own.

"Shall we head back then, My Lady?" Samrin, her guard, asked once they stepped back outside.

"No, I think we'll be able to find him," she told him, thinking back on how Halbrand was interested in that forge they passed. "Can you take me to the forge?"

"There are many forges here in Númenor," he informed her. "Could you perhaps be more specific?"

Samrin wasn't one of the guards that escorted her and the others from the ship to the palace, so he wasn't familiar with the exact path they'd taken that led to them passing the forge she was looking for. "Well, okay, so how many are there on the direct paths from the port to the palace? We can start with those."

"That narrows it down considerably," he said, turning his head to think of where the closest one would be. "Very well. Let's go find your friend."

As they continued throughout the vast city, Nimriel was only becoming more and more sure that walking was horrible. It took so much more effort than swimming. Though Samrin did note that she was getting better at it — since leaving the palace with her nearly an hour ago, the motions came a bit more naturally to her. Already, word of her arrival was spreading, and many of the men on the boat that found her noted how she'd walked like a toddler at first.

The first three forges the pair journeyed to hadn't seen anyone matching Halbrand's description. Of course, Samrin thought he'd easily be looked over given that he was a standard human with brown hair and a scruffy face. But then Nim would remind him that Halbrand was kind of an arrogant ass — not that she hated that about him — and so the guildmasters would certainly remember him.

It turned out that Nimriel heard Halbrand before she even saw him. They'd rounded the corner of the very same forge Halbrand had stopped to look at when they entered the city. Clearly, he was determined to get a job despite having only been on the island for a few hours.

"There is not another man on this isle that knows this craft better than I," Halbrand argued. He was trying to plead his case while the guildmaster worked on some kind of spear. "I will shovel coal if need be, I'll splinter wood, I'll shape a sea anchor for you, free of charge, sturdier than anything you have ever seen. How's that?"

Nimriel continued to watch silently from the street as Halbrand stepped closer to the man, speaking softer. She could tell how desperate he was for something like this. "I'm here to start anew. Lend me that chance. Please. And I won't forget it."

The guildmaster put his work down and sighed, looking genuinely regretful. "You've a stout heart, lad. But until you've earned your guild crest, you can't forge steel in Númenor," he said, nodding to the circular piece of metal pinned to his tunic.

Halbrand did his best to hide his disappointment, but it was still evident as his shoulders fell. But he knew he couldn't really argue anymore for the time being. After being turned down, he couldn't even be alone because as he turned around, his eyes fell on a Sea Elf. When Nim quickly turned her head to look at the sky and pretend she wasn't watching him, Halbrand rolled his eyes and wandered over to her.

"What's it been since the last time I saw you? An agonizing three hours?" Halbrand asked, raising a taunting eyebrow.

"Oh, Halbrand!" Nim said, looking at him and pretending to be surprised. "What are the odds of running into you here?"

"This is the fourth forge we've been to—"

"You can take that lunch break now, Samrin," Nimriel interrupted, sending him a pointed look. The guard bit back a smile before taking a couple steps back. "Thank you so much for making sure I didn't get lost."

Once Samrin left while chuckling under his breath, Halbrand stepped a little closer to Nim and crossed his arms. "Just couldn't stay away, could you, Princess?"

"Don't call me that," she said, rolling her eyes. "And I wanted to see if you maybe wanted to get some lunch with me."

"I'm surprised you didn't want to eat with your fellow Elf."

"Galadriel's a bit too busy escaping her guards," she told him with a smile. "I don't suspect it'll be too challenging for her."

"Of course," he muttered, letting out a scoff. "Only she would try so hard to escape this paradise."

"And you want to stay," she said, glancing over his shoulder at the forge. "I, um, heard what he said about needing one of those crests."

"I'm sure it'll take some time to earn one," Halbrand grumbled.

"Just steal one."

He looked at her in surprise over the suggestion, unable to believe she'd approve of something like theft. "Beg your pardon?"

"Well, they wear them pinned to their clothes, so it must be easy to swipe one if you get close enough to them," she said, shrugging. "Want me to steal one? I'll do what I did with Gal's dagger if you want."

"You're a curious little thing, Nimriel," Halbrand simply noted. If the opportunity presented itself, he'd certainly do things her way to get himself a guild crest.

"I am not little," she argued, straightening her shoulders.

Halbrand made a point to tilt his chin downward as he looked at her. Unlike Galadriel, who was tall like most Land Elves, Sea Elves were lacking in height. She only came up to Halbrand's shoulders, and that was with the way she was intentionally standing at her full height with her head uncomfortably raised.

"No need to get so defensive, Princess. Besides, you've got plenty of big tall soldiers to protect you back home," he joked.

"I can take care of myself just fine, thanks," she said, rolling her eyes. "And I think I shall retract my offer for a meal together."

Halbrand let out a laugh as she turned to walk away. He easily kept up with her though. "Don't be that way, Princess."

"Stop calling me that," Nimriel muttered. She didn't know why it bothered her so much to hear him call her that, but it stirred up some kind of foreign emotion she'd rather do without.

"But you are one," he claimed with that stupid smirk. "Speaking of, perhaps you could enlighten me a little more. It was certainly news to me in that throne room."

"Maybe once I get something to eat," she told him, looking around at the stalls they were passing, some of which sold food. She could smell a lot of fish, though it was a little different as most of it was cooked. Other stalls sold tools, jewelry, and household items. Everything was so colorful and loud here. "This place is amazing."

"And yet you're desperate to leave it in three days," Halbrand reminded her.

"Not desperate," she denied, shaking her head. "But I have to help Galadriel. Maybe I shall return when we've finished in the Southlands."

"And I'll be here waiting for you."

Though a part of Nim doubted that — doubted that he'd really stay here when the time came for her and Galadriel left — she still played along. "Don't get too lonely without my lovely company when the time comes."

"I fear I shall survive," he said, shaking his head in amusement. "So, what does the Princess have a taste for?"

They ended up at a vendor that was selling seafood. Halbrand wasn't particularly picky, so when Nimriel ordered a plate of clams, he got the same. They found an area with tables under a shaded spot that was being used by a lot of others as well. The pair sat next to each other rather than across, their shoulders brushing every now and then.

"You're using the fork?" Nim asked with a teasing smile. She was watching how Halbrand was using the fork they gave him to scoop out the meat and eat it.

"That's the general use of it, so yes," he said, looking at her oddly. She simply shook her head and proceeded to bring one of the shells up to her mouth, not bothering to use a utensil as she sucked the meat out. "You'd think a princess would have better table manners."

"The princess was raised by her father and five brothers," she informed him while grabbing another clam. "Manners were only reserved for formal settings."

"Understandable. So, I do believe I'm owed that royal explanation."

Nim shrugged as he took a sip of his ale. "What's to explain? I'm the daughter of the High King of the Sea People. It wasn't exactly the kind of information that came naturally while trapped on a raft."

"Perhaps, but it's to my understanding that princesses don't just run away from home," he said, giving her a look. "Why are you here, Nimriel? And don't just say it's the sea's doing."

"Well, it is," she said under her breath. Then she sighed and looked at her plate. "I don't know. You want peace. Galadriel wants to conquer great evils. I don't know what I want, Halbrand, but the answer isn't back in Naramyr. Now I've got the freedom to find myself and maybe help a few people along the way. Maybe you'll be one of the people I help."

"I don't need help," he said stiffly. "I need to be left alone here to live out my days. You've not seen the horrors of this world yet, Princess. And when you make it to the Southlands with Galadriel, what you see may send you swimming right back home to your throne if it doesn't kill you first. You know nothing of the world. It'd be better if you simply stayed here too."

"I'm sorry for the things you've lost, even if I don't know the full extent of it," Nim told him softly. She knew he was only trying to warn her, as he'd experienced the horrible things that were waiting for her and Galadriel once they were permitted to leave. "Maybe it would be wiser for me to remain here, but I won't."

"And what if you die?" Halbrand questioned, his voice hard.

Nim looked down at her plate, toying with one of the empty shells. "Well, then it's a good thing you don't particularly like me or Galadriel."

"You think I dislike you?" he then asked a little softer. Nimriel shrugged and continued to stare downward and missed the conflicted look on his face, like he was thinking heavily about it all. "You're wrong."

She looked up at him quickly, surprised by his admission. Nim didn't know why, but having the confirmation that he didn't hate her made her happy for whatever reason. "Oh?" Halbrand nodded in confirmation. "Good, because I don't dislike you either."

"Yes, I figured that when you had your armed escort help search for me," he said with that teasing smirk once again, leaning in a little closer. He could see how the tops of her cheeks heated up at the closer proximity, which sent a satisfied warmth throughout him. "You just couldn't stay away from me."

Nimriel could only hum in response as they stared at each other. Maybe he was right in some way, but that didn't really make sense, as they hardly knew each other. But as she looked into his deep eyes, she felt like she'd always known him.

It was silent between them for a few seconds before she murmured lowly, "You have green in your eyes." His look turned questioning yet again, wondering where the observation was coming from. "I thought they were brown when we first met, but I can see the green in this lighting — like seaweed."

"I have seaweed eyes? That's a new one," Halbrand said, the corners of his lips turning up. "Is that payback from saying you smelled like a fish?"

"No," she said, rolling her eyes. Then she turned her head and gave a little sniff, only picking up on the fruity soap courtesy of the handmaidens. "Do you really think I smell like a fish?"

"No," he told her softly, the grumpy mood from the raft that had him saying that to her in the first place far gone. "You smell as fresh and free as the sea."

As far as compliments to a Sea Elf went, that was as good as they came as she grinned at him, her two pointed teeth showing. "Thank you," she said, looking back at her plate of clams. "You smell and look better too, now."

It was true, she thought. Now that his hair wasn't tangled with grime and salt, it actually looked quite soft. The Númenoreans gave him a tunic that was a light teal color and a pair of breeches, which was a great improvement considering how his old attire was falling apart. Halbrand was handsome, she was realizing.

"Want me to heal that after lunch?" Nimriel asked, reaching up and hovering her fingers over the wound on his cheek that had scabbed over now that the harsh elements weren't keeping it from getting better.

"If you'd like," he said, nodding. Then he drew his eyebrows in together. "How does that work, exactly?"

"Like I told you," she said, "the ocean is alive. Some of us Sea Elves have a deeper connection to it than others. We help the sea, and the sea helps us. I've not been able to do it long, but I can heal with it or move the water — even change the temperature, but that's a little difficult for me."

"I'm starting to see why one of your titles was 'Voice of the Tides' given how much you talk about it," he said, not meaning it as an insult or critique.

"Well, they call me that because it's very uncommon for a Sea Elf to be able to talk to fish," Nim said casually, finishing her last clam.

Halbrand's eyes went a little wide. "You talk to fish?"

"Yes."

"And they talk back?"

"Of course."

"And you eat the fish you talk to?"

Nimriel scoffed and looked at him in disbelief. "No, I don't eat the fish that I befriend. That's ridiculous."

"So, in theory, could you have talked down that giant sea serpent?" he asked her.

"Oh, no," she said, shaking her head. "There are certain creatures of the deep that are so ancient and almost mythical that don't really communicate the same way. At least that's my experience. Trying to talk to it would've only brought its attention to us."

Halbrand nodded and ate another clam — still using the fork as he did. When he heard Nim snickering, likely making fun of him in her head, he nudged her foot with his as a silent threat to kick her if she kept it up.

Before another topic could be brought up, the loud voices from a nearby table reached them. Neither looked behind them, but it was evident the men were talking about the visitors, not bothering to be discreet.

"That's them, isn't it? The fellow who sailed in with her and the other Elf?" Then the man actually raised his voice, calling out to Halbrand. "It's you, isn't it?"

Halbrand pushed some of his hair back and kept his eyes on his place. "Certainly appears that way," he replied, holding back a sigh.

"I thought your friend would have a set of fins," one of the men joked. His friends laughed as if he'd said something terribly funny, not seeing how Nim rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna go get more to eat," Nimriel said to Halbrand quietly, not wanting to be around the human men. Not all Númenoreans considered Sea Elves as something so sacred and divine, it seemed. Halbrand simply nodded to her as she got up and walked back to the stall selling the clams and other seafood. He kept his eyes trained on her, as she was only about thirty feet away.

"What are you called, again?" the first man asked, still bothering him.

"Depends," Hanbrand muttered before taking another bite.

"Depends on what?"

He spoke with his mouth still full, not thinking that the loud man deserved a clear response. "How close we are."

Then the man decided it was best for him to leave his friends and join Halbrand. He sat right across from him, and Halbrand did his best to look unbothered. But he wanted the other man gone by the time Nimriel returned. However, he did spot the shining guild crest pinned to his left shoulder.

"And how close are you and the Sea Elf?" the man asked, his eyes sliding over to Nimriel. She was smiling down at a child that was pointing at her ears and asking something. "You're on a lucky streak, low man. Free sail to our island, eating our food, drinking our ale..." As if to provoke him, Halbrand took a sip of that same ale. "What will you take next? Our lands? Our trades?"

"Don't forget your women," Halbrand joked humorlessly, hating how the man was still looking at Nim.

The men didn't seem to find it a very funny joke. It was enough to get the other three over to the table. Two of them sat on either side of him, keeping far too close for comfort.

"Look at the mouth on him," one muttered, glaring threateningly at him.

"Maybe he and the Sea Elf aren't so close after all," the first man taunted. "Wager she'd prefer someone of better breeding, being she's a princess and all."

A dark look overtook Halbrand's eyes — one that would've sent a chill of worry down Nimriel's spine had she been there to witness it. Because for the first time since meeting, he didn't look tired or amused or cautious. Halbrand looked wrathful and dangerous.

But it was gone in a flash when he snapped out of it, hardly noticed by the men. He leaned back and pat the two next to him on their shoulders. "You're right. You're right," he said, letting out an airy chuckle. "Here I am. I'm a guest on your island, and I haven't shown you the faintest bit of gratitude. How 'bout this?" He picked up a few of the coins on the table. "Next few rounds on me!"

Nimriel wasn't expecting to return to what was essentially a party. Halbrand was surrounded by countless Númenoreans, and everyone had a drink in their hand. There was lots of laughter and talking. She didn't think she'd been gone that long — only fifteen minutes, as she'd stayed and talked to some children that were curious about her while she ate her second plate of clams. But evidently, a lot could change in fifteen minutes.

Halbrand knew when she was coming back, as he'd been keeping his eyes trained on her. He wasn't nearly as drunk as those around him, which had been the plan. The stupid human man had allowed Halbrand to throw his arm over his shoulder, hand resting just above the guild crest he wanted so badly.

When Nimriel made eye contact with Halbrand while walking closer, he shook his head, signaling for her to stay back. He didn't want her near the humans. So, she stepped away from the crowd and focused her ears to hear what she was missing out on. It took some effort given how loud the people had become, but she knew Halbrand's voice well enough to pick it out in the crowd.

"You're not so bad, low man," the human man told him, letting out a rather disgusting belch.

Halbrand downed the rest of his cup of ale before setting it down. "Well, then, I best make my retreat while you've still got a warm opinion of me." Halbrand then slipped his arm off the other man and began to leave. As the one that bought all their drinks — well, technically, the money was gifted to them for provisions over the next three days, so the Queen Regent bought it — began to cheer for him. "Men, ladies, anon!"

Nimriel matched his small, pleased smile when he walked up to her. But he didn't stop and instead put a hand on her lower back, leading her away.

"Made some friends, I see," Nim said, raising an amused eyebrow.

Once they turned a corner, Halbrand's smile morphed into a smirk and he held up his right hand in front of her, showing off the guild crest he'd swiped. "As it turns out, you had a wonderful idea, Princess."

"I have those on the rare occasion," she said, nudging him with her shoulder as they went down another street that was fairly empty.

Halbrand was clearly pleased with himself as they kept going. He tossed the crest up in the air and watched it spin before catching it and repeating the process. But the successful mood was quickly ruined when someone called after them.

"Hey, low man." Upon hearing the man's voice, both Halbrand and Nimriel stopped and turned to see all four of the ones from before had followed after them — more specifically, Halbrand. And they did not look happy with him. "Really thought I wouldn't notice?"

Halbrand simply shrugged while angling his body in front of Nimriel's. It didn't do much given that the four were beginning to surround them on all sides. "Well, I thought it was worth a try," he said, holding out the crest between two fingers. "Take it. We don't want any trouble."

The first man glanced at his friends. "Bit late for that, isn't it?" he asked, chuckling humorlessly.

"I believe it is," one agreed.

Then he knocked the coin out of Halbrand's hand and shoved him back into another of the men. Nimriel stumbled backward, leaning against the nearby wall. Halbrand was then shoved into the chest of the tallest of the men, who glared down at him.

Nim and Halbrand shared a look before he tried to run, only for them to easily catch him. They laughed while hauling him back. Two of the men grabbed his shoulders and held his arms back so that he couldn't get free.

"Stop it," Nimriel said, stepping closer. "Just take it, and you'll never see either of us again."

"Don't get involved, girl," the first man said.

"Please. Don't do this," Halbrand pleaded. Little did they know he wasn't pleading for his own life — he was pleading for theirs.

In response, he received a punch to the cheek. Nimriel winced as Halbrand kept his head down and eyes trained on the ground. The first man leaned in close. "Why not? Low man!" He delivered a hard uppercut to Halbrand's jaw, and he went flying back as the others released him, laughing.

"No!" Nim shouted, running forward to check on him. But then the tallest one snatched her wrist and pulled her against his chest. When she tried to hit him, he just grabbed her other arm to keep her in place. "Let me go!"

"Looks like we've got a fish on the line, fellows," he said, tightening his hold on her. He leaned down, his dry, cracked lips far too close to her face for comfort. "Should I throw her back or reel her in for some fun?"

"Only if you share—"

The first man's no doubt disgusting comment was cut off by Halbrand getting back on his feet. He let out a deafening scream before grabbing the man and smashing his head against his. The tall one released Nim and ran at him, only to receive an elbow in the face. Before the other two men could attack him, Halbrand punched one and turned to kick the other.

Halbrand rushed at the tall one, not at all deterred by his larger size as he punched him in the throat three times while backing him up against a wall. Another managed to recover and run at him, but Halbrand could hear him coming and spun around and punched him so hard in the face that blood went flying. Nim shut her eyes tightly when she felt some splatter on her face.

Then, he returned to the tall one, who'd hardly recovered. Halbrand shoved him against a door and then forced his arm against the small corner created by the doorway, applying pressure until they all heard and saw the bone in his wrist snap. The man screamed out and dropped to the ground in agony.

"Go!" the first man shouted to the only other one standing.

He ran off to get help while the other drew a sword and ran at Halbrand. But he made disarming him look effortless before shoving him hard against a stone wall. He didn't even have a chance to get up off his knees before Halbrand grabbed the back of his head and pulled it back.

"Call me Halbrand," he said in a dark tone. Then he smashed the man's head into the wall with all his might, leaving behind an echoing crunch and spattering of blood on the stone.

Slowly, Halbrand's breathing calmed down as he looked at the three bodies on the ground. Then he looked up at Nimriel, who was watching him with wide eyes. There was blood on her face, but it wasn't her own, he knew. He moved carefully in case she was scared of him — though she just looked more shocked than scared. Once he was in front of her, he raised his hand and brushed his thumb across her jaw, wiping away the blood that was there.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, searching for any sign of harm that the men could've caused.

"Are you okay?" she replied, looking at his busted lip and red forehead. Then she focused on the approaching sound of boots. "You have to run—"

But it was too late. "Over here!" that last man that ran off shouted. He and three armed guards rounded the corner, their weapons trained on Halbrand. No amount of pleading on Nimriel's part could keep them from arresting him, not when there were three nearly-dead men at his feet.

Nim could only think one thing as he was dragged off — Galadriel was going to be so fucking pissed when she found out.