Chapter Three: A Night to Remember
Ariella bathed and dressed into a silver gown with beautiful midnight blue beads woven into the satin silk cloth. The elderly woman Halieli came into her room fixing Ariella's hair. Placing a beautiful silver circlet around her head, making it look as if small silver vines are lacing together around her head. A small tear shaped diamond jewel in the center of her forehead. A knock sounds on her door, turning excitedly Ariella runs to the door to find the elven prince standing before her. His handsome face showing a smile. He has dressed in a tunic the color navy blue his pants silver, his hair in its usual elven braided fashion.
"Come my lady," their arms linked.
He leads her down the hallway into a large open garden area. There around the table are beautiful gold candles lit all over. The table adorn with a gold cloth a top of that is a smaller red wine colored cloth. Every single piece of silverware and china plate set perfectly from the napkins to the glasses, even the candles look perfect.
"Oh it's beautiful," her breathe taken away. He walks her to the chair pulling it out ever so gracefully she sits. The food steams before her eyes. Her stomach growling loudly because she has not eaten all day.
Silently they sit enjoying the sounds of the surrounding area. The gentle hum of the crickets' song the whistling sound of the wind, and the graceful flow of the ripples in the water. Finishing the last piece of bread Ariella closed her eyes letting a small smile spread across her brown skin face. A rush of energy flowed through her hand, opening her eyes she finds Legolas smiling at her, getting up Legolas walks over to her. Ariella stands as well, they walk along the grassy path his and her fingers laced together. Finding a small bench, they sit. Ariella rests her head in the crook of his neck, his arms wrapped around her body. The words rush from her voice in a small whisper.
"I love you." Ariella whispered before falling asleep. Legolas felt shock rush throughout his body, seeing that she fell asleep he said nothing.
The only other girl who said she loved him was Caspia, and she broke his heart. So instead of responding Legolas pulls Ariella closer into his embrace. Ariella awakes to find herself in her room. The sunlight just peering over the mountaintops and onto her bed, getting dressed she walks down the hall and into the dining room and finds Legolas already awake and eating.
"Good morning," he smiles. "I trust you slept well Ariella?" He asked using her first name she smiled.
He has never called me by my first name, maybe he is starting to like me. I cannot believe I told him I loved him but I do not remember him responding back, so maybe he did not hear me.
"I slept fine thank you Legolas." She sits next to him and an awkward silence followed. "Uh . . . about last night I didn't mean to be so forward but I only spoke what my heart feels." Ariella said boldly.
"You must understand Ariella I love you but I cannot give you the love you want." Legolas lies to her, for within the deepest part of his elven soul his love burns for her with a thousand fires. Ariella looks down the tears beginning to well up within her eyes.
"I understand Legolas. Please do not feel sorry for me, I don't want this little bump to ruin our friendship." Ariella could not hold back the tears anymore, standing she runs out of the dining room, and back to her room. Halieli finds the crying princess. Ariella explained to the elderly elf what had happened. Rather than let Legolas's secret out the old woman suggested that the elven girl move on with her life. Leaving her to her thoughts, Ariella dried her tears, but she cannot help but cry.
I have to let him go but I cannot, I do not want to. I love him to much just to let him go. The tears stream down her cheeks falling to the floor making a small puddle. Ariella looked into the glistening water and saw his face. Ariella sings a beautiful song that Arwen taught her as a young elf girl. Arwen's mother wrote it as a young elf girl while waiting to find the love of her life.
Legolas finds himself pacing back and forth in his room questioning himself. Why did I tell her that? Why did I not just let her know how I feel? I know why, it is because I am afraid that she will hurt me the way Caspia did. I should know better but it is too late now. Now I have to make it up to her I have to tell her but not right now. She would probably become confused and angry at my sudden change of heart. Although I do not blame her, I will invite her to go horseback riding and talk to her. The young prince searched Ariella's room and found no one there.
"I wonder if Legolas is going to avoid me." Ariella asked aloud.
"I would never do that." His voice came from behind making her very soul jump. "I had hoped that you would join me for an afternoon ride?" Legolas asked giving a slight smile.
"I think I would like that your highness." There it was she went from calling him Legolas to your highness.
"If you would be so kind Ariella call me Legolas." He said smiling reaching for her hand but she quickly pulled away not wanting to feel that same glorious feeling, knowing that she would have to let it go.
"I think we should leave your highness the sun goes further down the mountain and soon noon will be no longer." Ariella walks towards the horse stables. Finding a beautiful mare Celestial is her name.
They climb upon the beautiful white horse. Ariella sitting in the front holding the reigns tightly and Legolas being the gentleman that he is keeps his hands at his sides never letting them stray to her hips. Ariella stops finding a small stream in the forests. Splashing her face with the cool water, she smiles at her reflection. Legolas stands next to her and smiles, Ariella cannot help but stare into his bright blue eyes.
"I think we should head back I promised myself something and I don't want to forget to do it." Starting to walk away, she feels his hand grab her arm.
"Please stay," Legolas, said pulling her into his embrace. However, she pulls away.
"Stop it!" Ariella shakes her head. "You can't do this to me I love you but you can't do this to me!" She screamed in anger it was the first time Legolas had ever seen her angry with him. "You can't sit here and expect me to come running to you every time you want to be with me. I am a person and you just cannot lead me on so we are just friends or we are more than that. I have already chosen what I want, and that is to be with you. Now it is your turn to choose what you want to be with me, or to not. And when you're ready let me know." She said flying off into the air her power of telepathy allowing her to do this.
Legolas roams the Forests of Mirkwood still pondering all that Ariella had said to him. Moreover, coming to the realization that Ariella is right. He cannot lead her on jumping on to Celestial he rushes towards the palace his mind thinking clearer with each galloping pace the horse takes. Reaching the palace doors, she sees a horse that looks very familiar, and he began to fear the worst. Laughter can be heard throughout those hallways of the palace. Legolas finds Ariella with another elf. His brother Seolas, they look nothing alike. Seolas has deep emerald eyes, deep chocolate brown hair. He seems more muscular than Legolas and a slight bit taller. The two elves turn to see Legolas staring at the both of them.
"Ah, little brother your back from your afternoon ride how was it." Seolas's voice irritating.
"It was fine, tell me dear brother why are you back I thought you were away on your journey for another millennia?" Legolas asked trying his hardest to sound polite.
"No I decided to come home early good thing to; otherwise I might not have met Ariella." Seolas smiles to the small princess. "Come Ariella shall we adjourn for a late lunch?" Seolas holds his arm out to her, his charm is impossible to resist. Ariella looks to Legolas as if telling the prince I will not go with him if you wish me not too. However, Legolas being to proud to say anything turns the other way his snobbery shining throughout him. Ariella nods her head no and thanks him for his kindness. Seolas nods and heads toward the dining hall.
"Ariella I would like to talk to you." Legolas said in a whisper.
"Really that's funny because at this moment I don't want to talk to you!" She said walking away but he grabs her arm. "I'll thank you to let me go your highness."
"Please just hear me out Ariella. Just be careful with Seolas he is known to womanize the elf and mortal girls he is a playboy. I just don't want you to get hurt, I know he seems like a charming person but" Ariella cuts him off.
"He is a charming person, and as far as I'm concerned I think I like him." Ariella regretted her last words, but she did it out of anger. Walking away, she lets out a low growl.
I'm going home that's it I'm so sick of all this crap! First, I think he likes me and then he doesn't like me but then he flirts constantly with me but has the nerve to say that he has no romantic feelings for me! Moreover, even better he has the never to call his brother a playboy when he himself is doing the same thing. Finding her way into her room Ariella collapse's onto her bed closing her eye's Ariella let's out a large sigh of relief. Sensing she is being watched she looks to her balcony to see none other than Seolas.
"Seolas what are you doing here?" Ariella asked confused.
"I saw the way you looked at me, Ariella. And don't worry about Legolas our relationship doesn't concern him." Ariella began to see what Legolas was trying to tell her, she cursed underneath her breathe for not listening.
"I'm sorry to inform you Seolas we don't have a relationship, I'm involved with someone else." Ariella lies.
Why did I say that Legolas and I aren't together, he's probably still stuck on some other girl.
"Well Ariella just know this whenever you break up with him, or need a shoulder to cry on someone to talk too. I will be here for you, but a word to the wise Legolas will not be so easy to break. I fell in love with you the moment I met you." His words touched her heart and cannot help but kiss his cheek thanking him.
"Seolas why is your brother so. . ." Ariella cannot find the words to describe Legolas.
"So distant and cold hearted?" Seolas's voice sarcastic.
"Well no he's never been like that towards me just last night he invited me to dinner oh it was so romantic, he held me in his arms and everything was perfect. I've never felt this with a guy I love him so much and I told him last night but before he could answer I fell asleep. Then when I talked about it with him this morning he just told me that he does not love me not the way I love him. But then today we went horseback riding I got off and he pulled me into his embrace as if we are together and it was nice but not right, it's like he wants to be together but he doesn't want us to be together. If you know anything can you please tell me, I'm just really confused?" Ariella explained the tears welling into her eyes. Seolas sees her pain and hugs her tightly.
"Long ago when our parents ruled. A young elven woman around your age came to Mirkwood claiming to be an elven healer of great power. Legolas was amazed at her beauty, but her beauty was only skin-deep. Her name, Caspia she came to us fifty years ago he fell instantly in love with her. She claimed to be in love with him but was only using him to get to our parents. She searches for a jewel called the Celeb Loki or the dragon jewel. The story is that an elven queen from long ago placed the jewel in her daughter and her daughter would find it on her three thousandth birthday. Convinced that our father and mother had it Caspia questioned them, she grew tired of their ignorance convinced that it too was an act. She killed them the same day she confessed her love for my brother. He banished her not having the heart to kill the woman he once loved. He saw them die. Sometimes I often wonder if he still loves her." Seolas finished the heart-breaking story and Ariella found out a deep secret within herself.
"Do you know who the elven queen was? The one you talked about?" Ariella asked Seolas. He makes no reply, which leads her to believe that he does. "Answer my question Seolas do you know the elven queen of whom you speak of?" Ariella's tone more demanding.
"I do," he sighs. "She was your mother Queen Arielstial and your father King Arionel. I'm so sorry Ariella."
"Do you mean to tell me that the Celeb Loki is in me?" Ariella asked frightened.
"Yes Ariella the jewel which so many races covet to posses is within you, for only in your hands can its evil power be sustained." Seolas's face becomes grave and full of worry; Ariella has not seen that same look since the day her parents died.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Tomorrow will be your three thousandth birthday, Caspia has not been looking for the jewel but for the person that posses the jewel. It's even funnier the day that our parents died my mother gave Legolas half of a green crystal leaf, telling him that the love of his life would have the other half. That this elven girl would be his, match in every way, the other half to his heart. At the time, he was still considered a child amongst our kind. To me she gave half of a blue crystal sphere telling me that on the stroke of midnight the jewel would shine on the cala quessir she also told me that I am the chosen one to protect the cala quessir. That my soul purpose in life was to protect this high elf." Hours had already passed and Seolas looked up to the night sky to see the moon telling the time by the stars.
"Seolas I have that other half of the crystal leaf." Ariella confessed she felt as if the words broke his heart.
"I have known this since the beginning of all our trials and tribulations. I had promised myself that I would not fall in love with the elven girl who possessed the other half but I must confess that it is hard not to love you. I often wish that I was the one given the jewel and not my brother." Seolas rests his hand a top of Ariella's. She gives him an innocent kiss on the lips. "But I know he will be good to you just know that I would have been too." The bright blue jewel begins to shine around his neck the light grows brighter and a beam of it hits Ariella. She begins to feel herself weaken a bright green jewel shines from her chest; soon she feels a fire within her body. A power surges throughout her and she feels the strength return to her.
"What happened?" She asked feeling even happier than ever.
"I have fulfilled part of my destiny for now it is time for you to fulfill yours, go to him and show him your proof." Seolas said kissing her forehead. Ariella smiles her entire body glowing with light. Running down the hallways, she searches frantically for Legolas and finds him in his study.
"Legolas!" Ariella screamed jumping into his arms hugging him tightly never wanting to let go. "I want you to see something" pulling out the jewel from around her neck, he stared at the dangling leaf. Legolas smiles and pulls out his other half. Putting them together, the two halves form a perfect heart shaped leaf.
"I love you," he whispered before kissing her passionately. Ariella's breath taken away from the bliss she feels throughout her entire body. "I'm so sorry Ariella when you told me you loved me I knew then that I felt the same for you, but then I remembered all that had happened. The pain I had endured and at that moment, I felt the stone form around my heart once more. Even if you had never shown me this, I still would have loved you." Spinning her around they laugh together the two hearts are now one.