Disclaimer-None of the Toilken characters belong to me. I am only borrowing them.
That night, Adara was restless. She was recovered enough that sitting around all day didn't leave her tired enough to go to sleep immediately. She stood for a long time on her balcony listening to the waterfall that was just out of her sight. Suddenly she was overcome with the desire to see the falls and to feel the cool water on her skin.
Quietly she made her way to the first floor of the building she was in. She had never gone farther than the hallway outside her rooms, but she assumed that sooner or later she would reach the first floor if she continued going down the stairs. Several times her heart leapt to her throat when she heard distant voices, but no one approached her. Finally she reached the bottom floor. She stood in the airy foyer of the building and wondered which way to proceed. The stairs had twisted and turned and now she was unsure of which way the river lay.
Determined, she approached the first doorway. Slowly she opened the door and peered around. An empty courtyard full of beautiful trees glowing in the moonlight. It looked like a wonderful place to explore, but she was set on finding the river. Three more doors proved to be fruitless. The next door opened into a room bathed in warm firelight. Although the walls were open to the outdoors, the fire made it look warm and cozy.
A small bench sat in front of the fire and a pitcher and glass sat on a table beside it. Seeing that, she realized she w as thirsty and slipped into the room. She sat down on the bench and preceded to pour herself a glass. She realized that the liquid was not water as she took the first drink. It was some type of honeyed mead. It tasted delicious and she poured herself another glass when she finished her first.
"I would be careful, my lady. You might not be ready for too much of anything besides water." A voice came from the shadows beside her. Startled she turned, spilling some of the mead on her tunic. Someone was sitting in a chair, half hidden by shadows. She had not seen him in her haste to slack her thirst.
The man stood up when she stood. "I'm sorry to disturb you, I was looking for a way to the river and saw the pitcher by the fire and thought I might get a drink." She said as she began to back out the door. "It is easy to get lost here, if you do not know the way." He told her as she retreated through the door. "I will show you the way so that you will not bother anyone else tonight." She blushed in embarrassment as he strode past her.
He took her to the door that led to the courtyard. She followed him down a small path and through a door almost hidden by the surrounding trees. A stairway bordered by roses and flowering shrubs led down to the river. He held the door open for her pass through. She preceded down the stairway as he followed closely behind.
She stopped at the bank of the river and gazed at it watching the moon reflect silver in its currents. She wanted to feel the water and kneeling she put her hands in. The young man stood silently behind her, his face hidden by shadows. Sitting down she stuck her feet in and laughed softly as the cold water rushed over them. Reaching down she cupped her hand to take a drink of the water.
Suddenly, the young man grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet. "You cannot drink of the river unless you are of Rivendale." Startled she looked at him and asked incredulously "Why ever not? It's just water." "It is not just water. There would be grave consequences if you were to drink from this river." He told her grimly. "Who are you?" she demanded trying to pull her arm free from his grip. He stepped out of the shadows and the light from the moon fell on his face. She recognized him as the man who had rescued her and the man who was chasing her to her doom in her dreams.
He tightened his grip on her arm. "I am Leoglas, Prince of Mirkwood." He told her but she did not hear for she had fainted from terror.