What was she to do now? She couldn't escape, there were to many orcs.
There was nothing she could do. Tara felt like a failure.
Even if she did escape, where would she go? She couldn't go home. Mera would kill her. Sure there were lots o places on Middle Earth for her to go but Tara wasn't the adventurous type. Actually this was her first time that she was away from Mirkwood on her own.
Tara didn't like to explore and such. She was happy staying at home.
She was nothing like her best friend Nia.
Nia loved adventure and exploring, she tried to get away from Mirkwood any chance that she got. She wasn't afraid to try new things and often went gallivanting all over Middle Earth with Legolas.
Tara closed her eyes and sighed…Legolas.
She would never admit it to anyone ever but the truth was, Tara loved him with all her heart and soul. Ever since they first met Tara knew it was love at first site. For her part anyway.
Legolas however, loved Nia. He always had and always will.
Tara shook her head and cried harder. Nia was her best friend but Tara envied her.
"Nia is so lucky." Tara mumbled, "And me? I'm just a worthless speck that can't do anything right and I'm probably going to be eaten by orcs."
The orcs weren't bothering her for the moment. They were probably scheming about what they were going to do with her.
Tara didn't really care though. Her life was already messed up enough. She wondered what everyone one that she knew was doing right now.
"Probably not getting soaked my the rain." Tara whispered sarcastically as the rain continued to pour
Mera was probably scheming, Nia and Legolas were probably on their way to Bree about to ruin her life even more and what of her poor horse?
What happened to Mae anyway? At the thought Tara started crying again.
"Hey quit your wining!" the lead orc said
"Why are you crying sweet thing?" another orc sneered, "We will fix you."
"Thaur waur yrch!" Tara hissed at the orc abominable dirty orcs
Naturally, the orc got mad even though it had no idea what Tara had said. The orc jumped at her and pressed a blade to her neck.
"Watch your tongue little witch!" the orc said
It slowly backed away from her and took the blade from her neck.
Tara wished that she were anywhere else in the world but here.
()()()()()()()()
Nia dismounted her horse and landed in a mud puddle.
"That is the second time I stepped in a mud puddle in less than five hours!" she growled
Her black riding outfit was covered with mud up to her knees.
Legolas laughed.
Nia narrowed her eyes and scraped some mud off of her clothes. She walked over to Legolas and smiled sweetly. Then she reached up and smeared the mud across his face.
"Nia!" Legolas exclaimed and moved away from her
Then he got an idea; Legolas pushed Nia backwards into the puddle of mud.
Now Nia had mud all the way up her back and in her already wet hair.
Nia growled as low as she could and cursed in every language that she knew. When she finally stopped this, Nia burst out laughing. Legolas continued to laugh and offered her a hand up.
Nia grabbed his hand and pulled him into the puddle with her.
Legolas frowned, "Now its not funny."
"Well, you obviously thought it was funny when you pushed me into it." Nia said with a smile
Nia calmly got out of the puddle and grabbed a blanket that she had in her saddlebag. Then she entered the small cave that they planed to stay in for the night.
Legolas followed her soon after.
Inside Nia was sitting on the blanket with the mysterious in front of her. She lit several candles the she brought. Legolas sat down next to her.
"Ready?" He asked
"As ready as ever I suppose." Nia replied, "I'm just afraid of what we will find."
Legolas held Nia hand and with his other hand he opened the saddlebag and felt around.
His hand closed over a small circular object and he carefully pulled it out of the bag.
It was a little glass vial with some unknown substance in it. Attached to the vial was a note.
Nia stiffened and inhaled sharply. She knew exactly what the note said.
"Remember, we are in Bree. Head that way after Mera gets it. Do not stay for the party." Nia quoted as Legolas read it aloud
"This is Tara's, isn't it?" Legolas asked her
Nia closed her eyes and nodded. Them she grabbed the saddlebag and turned it upside down. She shook it until nothing else fell out.
Some food, a change of clothes, a bit of money, a different cloak with the strange emblem, a blanket and two books also bearing the emblem was what they found.
Legolas picked up the two books.
"What are they?" Nia asked impatiently as Legolas looked them over
The small black, leather bound books with the purple hearts emblem held many secretes.
"Its her diaries." Legolas informed, "There is only one thing that worries me about this."
"What?" Nia asked
"Well, we found Tara's things and her horse but we didn't find her."
Nia frowned, "I know and I don't like it. Any of it. Something is defiantly going on here. Maybe the books will help. Why are there two of them?"
"This one is older. It may be one of her first diaries. The first entry was written when Tara would have been really young." Legolas said and gave the book to Nia
"It feels odd reading someone's diary, but I suppose we should. Okay…Wow. The fist entry is about us." Nia said surprised
The entry was dated 1020TA. Tara, Legolas and Nia would have been around seven at the time.
Nia started reading aloud…
After Nia finished reading, she and Legolas sat in silence for a moment.
Already something uncovered, past resurfaced and new questions to be asked.
"But, I thought Tara's mother was alive." Nia said confused
"I didn't pay attention to her? I never really thought about it. Did I ignore her?" Legolas wondered
Nia sighed, "Lets just read another one."
They looked through the books until they found one that interested them. Nia again read it aloud.
"Narwain canthui 1027TA, January 4th
She's back again. I wish she would go away though. I hate her so much. Mera thinks because she is older that she can tell me what to do. What happened to her? What happened to the sister I thought I knew?
Ever since she went to Bree after out parents died, she has been acting so crazy! Its like she is completely different person. I don't think I know her anymore.
Would you ever believe that Mera locked me in my room so that she could go to the Ball tonight in my place? Of all the Balls why did it have to be this one!? This is the only one that I can remember that Legolas asked me to go with him instead of Nia. But now I can't even go! Mera is lucky that we look enough alike so that she can get away with this.
I want to scream until someone comes and lets me out, but I can't. Not if I value my life anyway. That's what she said. I wonder when she will leave this time. I hope it's soon. I always dread her comings; I can never tell what she is going to do next. The worst thing that she ever did to me was break my arm for asking why she had changed. I fear it will get worse though. I wish my sister would just go away."
Nia stopped reading. Again she was shocked and confused.
"Tara has a sister!? I never knew that!" Nia exclaimed
Legolas remained silent however. He stayed this way for a few moments, thinking.
"Do you remember when I told you that Tara was acting strange and avoiding me that one morning?" Legolas asked
"The day she was wearing that cloak with the with the same emblem that's on the diaries?" Nia said
"Yes, we concluded that it couldn't have been her because she didn't have a cloak like that and you said that she was in her room sleeping. That must have been Tara's sister." Legolas said
"So much that doesn't make sense." Nia sighed
()()()()()()()()()
The truth is revealed! Kinda! (Laughs evilly)