His blue eyes wandered over the dense forests of Mirkwood, hoping by some miraculous twist of fate she would return. It had been exactly seven years since her disappearance, her death. Legolas was overcome by guilt, and some other emotion he couldn't quite place his finger on. He had called off any plans with his previous love interest, Eruanna, every time he saw her face he was disgusted with how she had cooed over him the last night he saw Ariel. Of course, Legolas knew about her crush on him, it was obvious from a mile away. They way she blushed when she saw him, or became tongue tied when they spoke. Indeed she was beautiful, but she was too nieve, too young. By now she would have turned 50, officially an adult. Legolas wondered if he would have done anything about his feelings for her. He quickly dismissed these thoughts, realizing the past only held pain and regrets. But something about her had intrigued him, made him want to protect her from all evils. And now he had failed, she was dead and gone, he would never again see her bright green eyes light up, never see her beautiful smile. Legolas recalled the hollow look in Calanon's eyes during the funeral which was held for her. When he learnt of his daughters disappearance, he became frantic and hysterical, he gathered up as many soldiers as possible and searched every corner of Mirkwood. When her horse was found with an arrow through it, Calanon took it as confirmation of her death. In Legolas' hand he held a violet; a small purple flower which reminded him of the way her hair shone in the sun…
Seven long years had passed since she had been stolen away, Ariel had difficulty remembering what her home had been like, only that she lived in Mirkwood. She hardly remembered her Fathers voice, only that it was loud and deep. But with stunning clarity, she remembered his face, his long pale blonde hair and his bright blue eyes. She had not forgotten Legolas or her home, but pushed it out of her mind as to avoid the pain and constant lonliness. She often wondered if he thought of her, if he felt some sort of guilt about her disappearance. No one would even recognize her now, Ariel was a completely different person. Not only physically, but mentally. Her once childish face now held the angular precision of a girl tunred into a woman, her body had grown curvy, gone was the awkward lankiness of adolescence. She was undeniably stunning, men's eyes watched her where ever she walked, and the slaves of the house stared at her in complete jealousy. Her once innocent and nieve demeanor had been completely lost, Ariel was now wise and understanding, knowing the ways of the world, despite her being held captive in her own hell. To numb from constant pain, she had buried herself in the friendship of Gwenn and Elwing, they became so bonded they referred to each other as sisters. They promised each other one day they would escape and return to their homes, but that day had yet to come. After a few years, Bagul had become bored with the girls, even Ariel, his favourite. Instead he passed her along to his brothers and friends, like a rag doll thrown out to the trash once it had become to common. A few years prior, Ariel had missed her monthly cycles and was with child, she hoped she would be able to return to Mirkwood, and attempt at escape might be made. But instead, she was taken to the back of the barn and beaten until she coughed up blood…
Her long dress swayed as she made her way back to the rooms she shared with her fellow captives. Something felt strange this evening though, some cloud of doom hovered over the slightly ajar door.
"Gwenn? Elwing?" She called from outside, but none answered. As she pushed the door open, her elf eyes adjusted to the dark. What she saw shook her to the core, destroying the few remaining fabrics of the innocent girl she had once been. There upon the wooden rafters, Gwenns body dangled like a doll, a kicked chair underneath her legs, a tight rope against her throat. Elwing sat in the corner, rocking back and forth, her eyes filled with tears, too shocked to even move.
Ariel's scream echoed through the entire house…
Her body wasn't even given a proper burial, it was tossed onto the back of a cart, which would surely be dumped into a deep pit of the ocean. No one ever spoken about Gwenn, no mourning was held. Ariel expected Bagul to be somewhat upset, thinking she must have meant something to him, but he acted his usual pompous self. He never even acknowledge her suicide. But from that moment on, Elwing and Ariel swore they would lay quiet inwaiting, until a moment presented itself when they could escape back to their homes, back to their loved ones…
This chapter was rather morbid and depressing, but I wanted to really get across how much she suffered and how it has shaped her. The next chapters wont be nearly as sad! She might even have a possible new love interest ;) don't worry, her and Legolas will be together again soon Thank you everyone for the reviews! xxxx
BTW in the previous chapter Bagul called her Dlya, it means slave in some Arabic country.