"You've been very quiet lately" Adanion joined Adonnenniel by the sea late that night.

"You are not the one that is to be betrothed" Adonnenniel muttered. "All of this seems to have happened so fast. When did you decide to do this?"

"I have always wanted peace within our Race"

"So I remember" Adonnenniel nodded. "So you think marrying me off is the right way, brother? Mirkwood is miles away from our shores"

"What are you implying?" Adanion asked.

Adonnenniel moved her mouth to speak but all she could do was stare out at the full moon, the stars, and the midnight blue ocean out in front of them. Her brown hair flowed in the breeze as she chose her words wisely. It came to her sudden knowledge that she didn't have anything up to offer what could happen in Mirkwood. It was either that or she didn't want to think about the possible danger that she could be in.

"Nothing" Adonnenniel responded. "Never mind"

"Be open to this kind of peace" Adanion pleaded. "Please, our people are already talking amongst each other"

"So I have heard" Adonnenniel agreed. "The maids do talk really loud for Elves, you know? This kind of deal doesn't really suit their gossiping ways"

Wherever she went, all she could hear about was her brother defying everything that their father had built up on. It made her sick, but not because it was her brother that was causing the rumors but because they were talking about him freely and within the castle. More than anything she wanted to slap them across the face and tell them to knock it off, but she had to admit that she stayed within the shadows and listened to what they had to say. Now it made her wonder if any of this news has reached Legolas or Thranduil's ears yet.

"That is why I need you on my side" Adanion said.

"I won't be around more so after the betrothal ceremony, remember? I am to be moved off into Mirkwood" Adonnenniel replied back.

"You make it sound like I am exiling you" Adanion spoke after a moment of silence.

"From the sea. You are exiling me from the one beauty I dare could never take my eyes off of" Adonnenniel stared intensely at the waves.

The sea front was always her home and for the life of her, she always thought it would still be. She often wondered what it was that made the other Elves leave their own homes and sail over the sea to find another home. Adonnenniel would've felt terrified that there might not be any waterfalls if she was from Rivendell or woods like the Wood Elves. Thankfully, wherever she thought she was going to go, she was more than certain she was going to stay by the sea.

"We are the only two Elven Kind left that still make up a Kingdom" Adanion tried.

"So I have heard" Adonnenniel responded.

"I have heard great things about him" Adanion continued. "He is kind, respects nature, and cares greatly for the ones he comes into friendships with"

"Then maybe you should be betrothed to him" Adonnenniel responded. "It is not him that I am worried about. It is the people of Mirkwood"

"What are you talking about?" Adanion asked. "Lord Thranduil is a much respected Elf there"

"And our family is not? Look around, people are talking about them like as if Sauron is back from the dead" Adonnenniel said in a hushed whisper.

Adanion seemed a little taken back from what she just said his little sister was right though. Every Elven loyalty is treated with respect but it's something like this that would put everything on hold and have the people question their authority. He has seen for himself what kind of hot water he has put his family under and knew it could take years to die down if things go horribly wrong. But what about Adonnenniel being the one Sea Elf out in Mirkwood surrounded by rivals?

"Everything has to work out"

"It better"

"That is why I need you on my side. Our mother and older sister are not as honest as you" Adanion told her.

She had to admit that that piece of information was true. It did get her into hot water herself lately whenever her parents tried to marry her off. Adonnenniel was taught to speak her mind when it came to troubling times and during parties to her was a very troubling time. The last time she had been to a party some arrogant Elf told her that she should learn to control her tongue or else she will stay unmarried throughout eternity.

"Do you honestly want our sister's opinion when it comes to this? She is still mad that the throne did not pass down to her and her husband" Adonnenniel looked to her brother. "I guess that is all you can get from her. She does happen to throw out her selfish streak every once in a while"

Their eldest sister has always been around them to take care and keep them busy whenever their parents had more important things to do. She often was the mother to them while they were away; she was 200 years older than Adonnenniel and 100 years older than their brother. In a way, she treated her younger siblings as her people and tried to show off her Queen-like status and how well she would be able to handle it. Anastasia was more than happy to play by her rules but it was Adanion and Adonnenniel who were often bored with that game.

"She will come around, brother" Adonnenniel spoke up.

"She always does" Adanion smiled to her. "I am not too concerned about her, sister"

"You shouldn't be. It will be a waste of your time"

"Then let's not talk about her anymore" Adanion responded.

Adonnenniel quickly agreed to that offer as they both laughed and looked back out to the sea. She often came here with her family to go for a moonlight walk on the beach. It was a tradition for them until their eldest sister married and it only happened every once in a while. Once their father and Anastasia died, that was when they completely stopped.

"What do you want to talk about?" Adonnenniel asked.

"How about let us start with last night? At dinner? With Lords Thranduil and Legolas?" Adanion insisted. "What was all that about? Did you bump your head or something?"

"I didn't mean it as an insult" Adonnenniel said tiredly.

She completely forgot about how the Queen of Mirkwood had passed and did not mean to refer to herself as the same fate. All Adonnenniel said was that she hoped to not get eaten by a spider, completely forgetting the fate of Thranduil's love. By then, it was too late, Adanion scolded her for what seemed like eternity to her as Legolas and Thranduil kept their head down. It was the reason she stayed by the sea all this time, so that Legolas or Thranduil would not approach her with that subject.

"It was still rude"

"I forgot, brother"

"I didn't mean about last night. I meant avoiding them all day"

"To save myself from further embarrassment"

"And you are not going to apologize, sister? To the family you are going to marry?" Adanion remarked.

"Can we just forget about it?" Adonnenniel asked. "I have been scolding myself all day today and do not need to hear it from you too"

"You know as well as I do that death does not come easy to forget" Adanion said bitterly.

Adonnenniel blinked back tears as she tried not to think about her sister and father but it was already too late. She remembered trying to fool the maids on saying how she was Anastasia and see how long that would last. She and her twin used to do everything together; they were different in personality but always got along. Adonnenniel hated to admit it but the world was so much quieter and lonelier in a way without her.

"I will apologize when I see him" Adonnenniel said silently.

"I am sorry" Adanion placed a hand on her shoulder.

"For?" Adonnenniel asked.

"For bringing up our family like that" Adanion finished.

"You brought up a good point"

"In the worst way" Adanion sighed. "I am trying to do everything I can to be like father"

"He would be proud of you" Adonnenniel told him.

But the problem was she didn't know what their father would think as of now. Ever since Adanion was of age to take the throne, it seemed they never agreed on a common ground. Nothing seemed to work and soon the argument would leave the meeting room and follow them wherever those two were. It got to the point that even their mother lost her patience with those two.

"I feel differently" Adanion muttered. "I never thought I would regret my decisions until today"

Adonnenniel looked over to her brother and noticed sorrow all of his face. He looked so much like their father in that crown but now he just looked like a scared elfling. She took a hold of her brother's arm and slowly started to walk with him down the beach. The cool sand seeped in between her toes as they walked together.

"You are a new King"

"What does that mean?"

"Every King has different ideas. It does not matter if they were a son of the father who had the throne last" Adonnenniel responded.

"So you agree with me?"

"On what?"

Adanion looked over to his sister as she tried to play oblivious. He would definitely miss times like these when she will be married off into the Woodland Elves territory. But he knew that Adonnenniel would be alright, for she knows how to stand her ground. If anyone tries to overpower her then be aware that her wrath is deadly.

"On everything! The peace?" Adanion said. "The betrothal?"

Adonnenniel rolled her eyes and kept her answer locked inside of her mind. She had mixed feelings ever since meeting Legolas; he was very handsome after all. But it didn't change the fact that now she was going to have to be the woman everyone was expecting her to be. The Queen that her mother wanted at least one of her daughters to become.

"Where is Legolas of the Woodland Realm?" Adonnenniel asked one of the servants the next morning.

"I saw him just outside in the courtyard" the female servant motioned to the east. "In your father's private courtyard"

"Of course he is" Adonnenniel muttered than turned to the servant. "Thank you"

"Good morning, My Lady" Legolas nodded to her as she joined him.

"Good morning" Adonnenniel responded. "I see you have bonded with my father's archery practice. It is tradition for us to use swords but my father loved bow and arrows better. He used to come here to practice for hours on end"

"So your father was familiar with our custom" Legolas put in.

"More or less" Adonnenniel shrugged. "I came here to apologize. For when we first met"

"I am confused"

"About what I said at the dinner table" Adonnenniel told him. "I never even put it past my mind what those spiders could do. I mean, sure, I have heard the legends. Big, hairy spiders roaming around Mirkwood. Terrorizing stranded and lost travelers. I was around my young adult years when I heard about the tragedy. To be honest, I did not care much about what happened because Mirkwood was a whole new world out there to me that I didn't think for a second about it. All I remember of it was that your mother was one of the most beautiful Elven Queens of your race and how my twin sister was often fantasizing about meeting her. It was always like her to dream of Queens and Princesses. She was the one who was the most fitted of the role of the Queen. Everyone thought of her as already the Queen of these Shores when she came of age. She was constantly around my mother and often asking about the traditions that we knew for sure she was going to be wedded off. And then something similar happened to my dear twin sister. A band of Uruk-Hai was running through these parts and saw her and decided to have one last thrill. My father heard her screams and ran after them, he fought well, but there was only so much he could do. My mother became worried right around that time that it was happening. She said that she felt a shiver down her spine, as if something bad just happened. She knew in her heart something had happened to my father. I was even with her when she said his name out loud but didn't mean to. I know what people have said about me, I am not deaf when it comes to those topics. They say I am heartless. That I know nothing about friendship or deep bonds. But that day I just proved to everyone that I am not as horrible as people think I might be. I never meant it as an insult to your family or your mother. I just wanted to show that I can be fun, I guess. Show that I had a sense of humor. I guess I wanted to be more like my sister at that time. Loveable, My Lord. Not like how I am now. Or how people drew me. I wanted to prove that people's words are not what they really are. So that is why I am here. I am sorry"

"I never listened to the rumors about you" Legolas finally said.

"You didn't?" Adonnenniel blinked back in surprise. "But what about all of those nasty rumors? That I could turn people to ice with my remarks? That I am heartless?"

"I do not see that you are heartless. You just apologized to me right now" Legolas smiled to her.

"Thank you. I guess this makes us go back to even ground" Adonnenniel still felt guilty. "Just tell me if I say anything stupid again"

"I believe I will do no such thing"

"Why not?" Adonnenniel looked to him, confused. "I might as well be apologizing to you every week for something I had said"

"That would be fine" Legolas smiled. "Adonnenniel, I find it quite amusing"

"Amusing?" Adonnenniel questioned. "I guess you can call it that"

"For now"

"You know this will be slightly unfair after a while"

"It doesn't have to be. If you can accept who you are" Legolas put down the bow and started walking over to Adonnenniel.

"And you don't think that I accept who I am? I am 7,000 years old and you do not think in that time I did no such thing?" Adonnenniel asked.

"I meant with us becoming married" Legolas cleared up.

"You don't think I agree to this marriage?"

"That is not what I heard last night"