Yay. Another chapter done! This one's kinda depressing if u ask me. Well, this IS the story of Arya's life and if you ask me, it is probably pretty depressing since she became so cold and emotionless.

Chapter 3 : Reality

The following passed at a snail's pace. Arya strove to understand lessons, memorize new words from the human tongue and important dwarves from history. Everyday she would try to find out if any news of the army of elves arrived. Everyday more rumours arose that would double Arya's fear for her father's life.

Faolin began to notice changes in Arya's personality. She grew quieter, speaking in a soft voice and keeping her thoughts to herself, only voicing things she thought was important. She no longer skipped, she walked as if she had no energy to lift her feet more than a few inches above ground. She was no longer the carefree child and she hardly let a smile grace her lips.

Arya lay on her bed, fully awake. For the past few nights, she had had trouble sleeping. Often, she would wake up before dawn and not be able to sink back into sleep. Her mind was racing. Today, a runner had been sent from her father to tell them that the army had arrived at Illeria.

Evandar stood at the gates of Illeria. It had pained him to think that he would have to attack the city that he had grown up in, many decades ago. Above him, crows gathered, waiting for the inevitable bloodshed.

With a sigh, King Evandar released a spell and the gates exploded, sending thousands of wooden splinters flying towards the human soldiers. Many shouts followed as the splinters embedded themselves in the bodies of the men. The rest of the men charged, shouting curses at the elves.

And so it begins, thought Evandar. He let a brief memory of Arya and Islanzadi pass through his thoughts. Deep down, he knew that he would never see them again. He nocked an arrow and aimed it towards the charging men. Arrows rained on the men, felling those in the front lines.

Evandar took a deep breath, unsheathing his magnificently crafted sword. Here goes, may the stars watch over Arya and Islanzadi when I'm gone, he thought.

Sword in one hand and a shield in the other, Evandar led his men as they charged to meet their enemies.

Arya awoke with a start. Sweat covered her forehead and her heart was racing. She realized that she was panting as if she had run a mile.

It was still dark outside. Knowing that sleep would keep eluding her grasp, she got up. She grabbed a blank scroll and a pen. She sat down by the window and started writing. She wrote line after line, word after word, stopping only to dip her pen into the inkwell.

She sat there writing till the sun rose, bathing the trees of Du Weldenvarden in the faint light. When she finally ceased her writing, her hand was aching from the exertion, her heart beating wildly and her brow drenched with sweat.

She let out a breath, before her lay pages and pages of her writing. It was a short story that told of love, loss and grief. She had always enjoyed writing and her essays and short stories always captured the hearts of the readers but she had never written so much before. Her eyes scanned the pages, looking for mistakes.

A knock on her door brought her back to reality. She gasped, realizing that her nightgown was splattered with ink. Taking advantage of her inhuman speed, she changed into a black suit.

Waiting outside her room was one of the maids, sent by her mother. "Your mother requests you presence in her private quarters, Arya Drottningu," she said. Her tone of voice betrayed nothing, but Arya's stomach twisted with dread.

Stop it, she told herself. It might be nothing. But somehow she knew that the dream she had before and this unexpected call was no coincidence. The maid noticed the colour draining from Arya's face. She resisted the urge to hold the young princess in an embrace and reassure her. She knew that the princess would not appreciate this action.

The walk to her mother's chambers seemed to take longer than usual. Each step took all of Arya's willpower. Her instincts were screaming at her to turn around and run into the depths of the forests and never look back.

She stopped at the door. A stray thought entered her mind. Once she considered it, it seemed so true that it hardened into a certainty. Once I open this door and enter the room, my life will never be the same again.

She took a deep breath and tried in vain to conquer her fear and dread. Realizing she had failed to do so, she pushed open the door. Nothing had changed in the room since she had last visited yet she felt that there was something out of place. With a pang, she realized that the comfortable atmosphere was gone. Replacing it was the thick atmosphere of grief and loss.

She did not need to hear the words coming from Islanzadi's mouth to understand the situation: The battle was lost and her father was dead.

She grabbed the nearest object to stabilize herself. The room was spinning and all the breath was knocked out of her lungs. It was as if someone had physically punched her in the gut.

No. This can't be true. He can't be gone. She's joking! Her mind bellowed, refusing to accept the reality. She tried to stop the tears, but it was too late. They came spilling out of her emerald eyes.

Islanzadi, who had kept her bearing after hearing the news, felt her heart breaking at the sight of her daughter's grief. She took Arya in her arms and cradled her, holding her tightly, as if Arya, too would be lost to her if she let go.

Arya broke the embrace after a while. She ran, roughly pushing the door open. She could hear her mother's choking sobs ringing in her ear. She ran, trying to get away from the harsh reality. Her vision was obscured by the tears flowing freely from her eyes. She ran until she could hear nothing but her own sobbing. She tripped on a root. She got up and brushed the dirt off herself.

Suddenly exhausted, she sat under a tree, hugging her knees and burying her head in her arms. And there she sat, alone with only grief as her companion.

And so the chapter ends. Was not easy to write, this one. Putting emotions into words is not easy. I would have died writing this chapter without personal experience in this department. Was listening to "My Immortal" by Evanescence and "Love Hurts" by Yiruma while writing. Music always helps. =]

Anyway, please, please review... i Really want to know what you think. The button is just below. Its big now isn't it?