And so it was. Arual was kept inside Rivendell, although, she had said
not one word to her father since that one morning, which she knew
distressed him. Most of the time she sat on the bridge overlooking the
river, her legs dangling over the white foam from the waterfall.
One morning, she was doing just this. Dawn had just passed, and Arual was bored. An open book was upturned beside her, but it was only about the craftsmanship of elves. There were no tales from distant lands - no excitement, no adventure.
"Arual?" asked a soft voice behind her.
Instantly, he knew who it was.
"Lexis!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms. "What are you doing here?"
The elf smiled, his weary face full of burdens. He placed her on her feet, and bent down to meet her eyes.
"I have some business to discuss with your father. But, Arual, what are you doing here? Don't you normally drag poor Persevore into the pinewoods?" he chuckled, showing white, even teeth.
She smiled weakly. "Father won't let me go."
Alexis' face dropped. "Already?" he muttered.
He straightened up, looking around. "It cannot be. It is too quick. Not yet. Not yet."
"What is it?" Arual called, but Alexis was hurrying to the building to talk with her father.
Arual turned back to the river, sighing heavily. She swung her bare legs backwards and forwards. Father never told her anything. If he did she may be a little more lenient, but he always hid her from the truth - and she got frustrated.
She decided no go inside and eavesdrop on her fathers' conversation with Alexis. Wrong, she knew, but she needed to know what she was being shielded from. She left the book where it was, and headed towards her fathers' council circle, where her father took guests and relatives to discuss important matters that Arual was not concerned with. Until now.
* * *
Arual sat on the floor, her back against the wall that separated her from Alexis and her father. It took a time for her ears to focus on just their voices, for the surrounding sounds, mostly from the kitchen, were distracting, but she finally got there.
".following me on my way over here. They couldn't be seen, but the evil can be felt." Alexis broke off.
"Arual wanted to venture with Legolas across Middle-Earth. I couldn't let her, not with the."
"I think the conclusion is some evil has returned. must be informed"
"I shall call a council. Can I count on you to call the possible attendants? I have some research to attend to."
A loud crash startled Arual from listening in on the conversation. Her eyes darted over to the entrance of the kitchen, and thought it a good idea to scarper.
* * *
Arual sat cross-legged on her bed, examining Dagdar from every angle and caressing the carvings within it's handle, the steel gleamed in the dusk's light when she unsheathed it.
An almost silent knock reacted in her tucking the dagger under her bed, and looking up. Her father, his face grave, entered. He perched on the edge of her bed.
"Is there something wrong, father?"
"Arual - I apologise for being so harsh yesterday eve-"
Arual's eyes scanned the empty shelves where her presents once belonged. Her room felt empty - not lived in without them. She felt she didn't belong in there, and her heart raced.
Nothing was hers. Apart from the objects under her bed, now including the necklace which she had hidden under the mattress, should the others be found, nothing was hers.
The books, the bed, the desk didn't should out loud; 'this is Arual's room.'
She almost choked. If she didn't belong here - where did she belong? Not with her father, no, but with Legolas.
One morning, she was doing just this. Dawn had just passed, and Arual was bored. An open book was upturned beside her, but it was only about the craftsmanship of elves. There were no tales from distant lands - no excitement, no adventure.
"Arual?" asked a soft voice behind her.
Instantly, he knew who it was.
"Lexis!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms. "What are you doing here?"
The elf smiled, his weary face full of burdens. He placed her on her feet, and bent down to meet her eyes.
"I have some business to discuss with your father. But, Arual, what are you doing here? Don't you normally drag poor Persevore into the pinewoods?" he chuckled, showing white, even teeth.
She smiled weakly. "Father won't let me go."
Alexis' face dropped. "Already?" he muttered.
He straightened up, looking around. "It cannot be. It is too quick. Not yet. Not yet."
"What is it?" Arual called, but Alexis was hurrying to the building to talk with her father.
Arual turned back to the river, sighing heavily. She swung her bare legs backwards and forwards. Father never told her anything. If he did she may be a little more lenient, but he always hid her from the truth - and she got frustrated.
She decided no go inside and eavesdrop on her fathers' conversation with Alexis. Wrong, she knew, but she needed to know what she was being shielded from. She left the book where it was, and headed towards her fathers' council circle, where her father took guests and relatives to discuss important matters that Arual was not concerned with. Until now.
* * *
Arual sat on the floor, her back against the wall that separated her from Alexis and her father. It took a time for her ears to focus on just their voices, for the surrounding sounds, mostly from the kitchen, were distracting, but she finally got there.
".following me on my way over here. They couldn't be seen, but the evil can be felt." Alexis broke off.
"Arual wanted to venture with Legolas across Middle-Earth. I couldn't let her, not with the."
"I think the conclusion is some evil has returned. must be informed"
"I shall call a council. Can I count on you to call the possible attendants? I have some research to attend to."
A loud crash startled Arual from listening in on the conversation. Her eyes darted over to the entrance of the kitchen, and thought it a good idea to scarper.
* * *
Arual sat cross-legged on her bed, examining Dagdar from every angle and caressing the carvings within it's handle, the steel gleamed in the dusk's light when she unsheathed it.
An almost silent knock reacted in her tucking the dagger under her bed, and looking up. Her father, his face grave, entered. He perched on the edge of her bed.
"Is there something wrong, father?"
"Arual - I apologise for being so harsh yesterday eve-"
Arual's eyes scanned the empty shelves where her presents once belonged. Her room felt empty - not lived in without them. She felt she didn't belong in there, and her heart raced.
Nothing was hers. Apart from the objects under her bed, now including the necklace which she had hidden under the mattress, should the others be found, nothing was hers.
The books, the bed, the desk didn't should out loud; 'this is Arual's room.'
She almost choked. If she didn't belong here - where did she belong? Not with her father, no, but with Legolas.