Chapter 21

It was only a two day ride from Rivendell to The Glade of Tarasara, and as the Faye's stopped for the night they all felt a darkness envelop them. They knew that Wargs roamed the far boarders of their Glade, yet they had to pass through them to reach the safety of their home. Nothing could really be done about the horses but tie the reins to the branches of a tree, but the Faye's themselves could transform into their fairy sizes and fly towards the tallest of branches to keep themselves safe from the danger of the Wargs.

Adrianna parted herself from her Faye guards to sit on a different branch, mainly to keep her thoughts to herself and so they would not see their Princess crying.

She was most upset that she was not able to say goodbye to her friends! She knew she would be very uncomfortable back at home, especially as she was used to sleeping in the wilderness. But without the people she had come to know for the past few months was distressing.

The chestnut haired Faye wiped away a few tears when she thought about the hobbits; although she had bid them farewell, they were sweethearts. Of course Merry and Pippin did tease her at times, she knew it was only light-hearted and they didn't mean anything offensive or insulting. Gandalf said he would come and visit her in The Glade of Tarasara, therefore she would most definitely see him before she traveled back to Gondor. The Ranger had become a great friend of hers, and almost brotherly in a way. The dwarf she loved dearly as well.

But it was Legolas she missed the most at that moment. The Prince was constantly in her thoughts and Adrianna realized that she was happiest during her adventures with the Fellowship when she was near him or with him. Perhaps she did have warmer feelings towards the elf than she had previously expected?

The night had been filled with the howls of Wargs and her own clouded thoughts, but Adrianna didn't care. She mounted Persephone the next morning and continued on towards The Glade of Tarasara with her warriors as if she hadn't missed a wink of sleep.

When they arrived at the opening gates and their horses hooves clattered and clopped across the white cobblestones of the courtyard, the Princess dismounted and led her mare into the stables where she began to unsaddle her. The stable hand and the guards seemed very surprised that she did not run straight into the throne room to see her father and brother, but they did notice a change in the once spoiled and selfish Princess they all remembered. She was more mature, she had seen things which Princesses did not normally witness, and she had lost the sparkle in her eyes.

They all knew she was sad.

Adrianna smiled towards the Faye's who wished her a warm welcome before she made her way up the stairs towards the Royal Hall. She pushed open the double doors as she stepped inside and was greeted warmly by both her father and brother.

"My dear!" King Adrias enveloped the Princess in his arms, holding her tightly and protectively. "Oh! How I have missed you!" He placed his hands on her shoulders to look at her, his moss green eyes scouring her face, "You are even more beautiful than I remembered!"

Adrianna smiled softly, "Thank you, father." She replied, "And I have missed you dearly, also!"

Tobias placed his arm around his sisters shoulders and hugged her gently, "I'm proud of you." He stated, "You fought bravely in the battle at Helms Deep, as I am sure you did in your other battles. I'm so relieved to see you alive and well!"

Adrianna returned the hug, "I missed you as well, Tobias."

"There will be a feast tonight!" The King exclaimed, "In honor of your return, Adrianna!"

She smiled appreciatively, "That's really not necessary, father. I am incredibly tired and wish nothing more than a nice hot bath and the comfort of my own bed this evening...perhaps tomorrow I will feel better?"

The King smiled warmly, "But of course," He replied. "A feast will be prepared for tomorrow then, my dear." He kissed her forehead gently, "Go and rest, I am so happy that you have returned home!"

Adrianna bid the King and Prince a goodnight before making her way out of the Hall and down the white marbled staircase. She looked around The Glade of Tarasara and breathed in deeply, taking in the well-missed sights of her loving home.

Silver bells and white lights were still strung around the trees surrounding the boarders of The Glade, the trickling of water from the Moonlit Pool could be heard, and the tops of the trees allowed rays of sunlight to break through and light the marbled paths for the Faye's.

Adrianna made her ways towards the Royal Housing, towards her bedchambers and upon entering her room she smiled softly upon finding it just as she had left it. From her white bed-sheets to her lilac quilted vanity chair, Adrianna felt right at home.

But something was missing.

It felt so empty.

She felt so empty.

The Faye perched on the edge of her bed and stared at the pale wooden floorboards as she kicked off her boots. Tears filled her eyes when silence consumed her once again. She discarded her well-worn clothing into a pile on her bedroom floor as she stepped into her adjoining washroom. At the news of her return, a Faye had been to her chambers and had drawn her a lovely warm bath, fresh soap and scented oils had been placed on the edge of the tub; awaiting for the Princess to use them.

Adrianna stepped into the clear, warm water and closed her eyes when a relaxing warmth flooded her skin.

But she still felt cold and lonely.

She scrubbed her body with the soap until her skin was pink, and washed her hair three times to ensure that it was as clean as it could be. As she stepped out of the bath, Adrianna wrapped a long white cloth around her body before re-entering her bedroom to sit at her vanity. The reflection of the young woman facing her in the mirror made Adrianna gasp. Her face was paler than normal, and her eyes were dark and dull; not the shiny emeralds they once were. They conveyed so much solitude, sadness and sorrow that the Princess wondered if this woman she was staring at, was in fact her own reflection! Adrianna sighed as she picked up a comb and began to untangle her long, damp chestnut locks.

Once she was finished, she dressed in a long white nightgown before pulling on a white silken robe. Adrianna crossed her bedroom to her window where she pulled open the long drapes to sit on her windowsill. As it was still daylight, Adrianna did not want to turn to her bed until the sun was setting, therefore she watched the Faye's milling about The Glade tending to their daily duties until the sun began to go down.

The first star shone brightly in the night sky, causing Adrianna to look up in appreciation at the dazzling beauty. As the rest of the stars began to reveal themselves to the Princess, she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she thought back to Helms Deep and the brief moment in Lorien where both she and Legolas had watched the night sky together.

She wondered if he was watching the stars at that moment and smiled to herself. She knew that they were both under the same brightly dotted blanket, despite being in two different lands.

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter was so short, and yes, it is a filler, I'm sorry! I'm trying to convey Adrianna's emotions, and if you find them weird etc. Gandalf will be here soon to explain, because of course he knows everything about anything (including different races). So, yeah, next chapter will be better!

This chapter was an early update, yes, but I'm working all weekend so I will not have the time to update :( sad times! But here's the update I would have put up for you on Sunday!

Please review, no flames please :P xx