The next day, Arwen acted as if nothing had happened the day before, though if she was being completely honest, she could not stop thinking about it.
"Lady Arwen?" A woman's voice echoed from behind her shut door. "It is time to get up and ready. Your father had requested your presence this morning and he expects you to be there."
Arwen voiced her okay and dressed herself. What did he want this time? Hopefully it wasn't anything too burdensome. Questions kept running through her head as she made her way to her father.
"Good morning my daughter. I am glad that you have come. I have something very urgent to speak with you about," Elrond said as he saw his daughter enter the room.
Arwen sat down across from her father. "What is the matter?"
"Well, for the past while King Thranduil has been a guest here and now it is time for us to travel to his kingdom and be their guests."
"Is that all?" Arwen questioned.
"No. I will not be accompanying you, I'm afraid."
Arwen looked up at here father in surprise. "Why not father?"
"Because, I have many duties to attend to here. Too many to hold off for much longer. I am sorry but I know you will be fine."
Arwen frowned down at her hands. This will truly be and uncomfortable trip, she thought to herself.
Elrond fidgeted in the silence, clearly debating on if he should continue or not. After awhile he spoke. "Another thing I should mention is that you will only be travaling just with Prince Legolas and a few of his soldiers. King Thranduil will be riding ahead with the rest of their soldiers. But you are allowed to take your closest handmaiden with you to keep you company."
Arwen bit her tongue to hold back the harsh words she knew shouldn't be spoken. "Only...only Legolas?" She stuttered.
Elrond nodded, casting his eyes downwards. Though he could not tell anyone, he still disagreed with the betrothal.
"Go and pack. You will be riding on horseback for your journey. Prince Legolas' guards will take care of transporting your luggage." Elrond stood up and offered his daughter a hand to help her up.
"Arwen, everything will be okay. I promise. Now go." He smiled down at her.
Arwen smiled back and walked off. She had to pack her things.
*
Legolas was excited to leave Rivendell. He was tired of feeling cramped up and was looking forward to running among the trees.
"Your highness, everything is ready to go. We are just waiting for the arrival of Lady Arwen."
"Good. Bring the horses." Legolas replied.
After waiting for a few minutes, Arwen walked into view with her father and a handmaid. They hugged and after a tearful goodbye, Arwen approached Legolas.
"Are you ready? The journey to Mirkwood is long and tiresome." Legolas said.
"I am ready."
Arwen gracefully swung up onto her horse, grabbing the reins and turning to face Elrond.
"Goodbye father! I will see you soon."
Elrond waived as they headed off, following the long road ahead. He knew that she would be perfectly safe, but he had never parted from her like this before.
The first few hours of the journey were quiet. Arwen would often turn and look at her home as it vanished from sight, the home she knew she wouldn't see for quite a long time. Legolas could swear he heard her crying softly, but every time he looked at her, her face was turned away from his.
He knew he wanted to comfort her but he wasn't sure how. He had never needed to comfort anyone before.
After a few more silent minutes, Legolas cleared his throat. "You will be back someday."
Arwen cast a sideways glance at him, her eyes red from crying. "I feel as if that could be a lie," She whispered.
Legolas furrowed his brow. What could she possibly mean by that? He was not sure but maybe he would find out eventually.
"I think that I am telling the truth. I do not lie."
"That is not what I meant."
"Oh."
The silence that was there before had returned, this time more awkward and thick. The only sound was that of the horses trotting along and the soft whispers of the guards that rode before them.
"How long until we arrive?" Arwen asked, trying to break the silence.
"It will take a few weeks."
"My father does not let me travel much; he is very protective of me. It will be nice to feel what it is like to travel again."
"I see." Legolas replied, feeling the awkward tension growing in the air. The journey suddenly seemed much longer than it actually was.
They continued onward in silence, the sun slowly setting behind them. Legolas wondered how often she actually did get to travel. He had the privilege of leaving on expeditions whenever he so pleased. He could not imagine what it was like to be stuck in the same place, never seeing anything new.
"When we are husband and wife I will make sure that you get to travel."
Arwen looked up in surprise. It was still odd to think that the man riding beside her was destined to be her husband. And now, hearing it from someone else, it felt more realistic. Her heart sunk in her chest as she thought of the fantasies that she had had as a young girl: finding someone she loved; picking who she married; a magical romance that she had fully thought through when she was bored in her chambers. Now those fantasies were crushed and there was no way to repair them.
The guards up front abruptly halted and called to the rest of the group that they should make camp. Arwen followed the men towards the center of a small field that had a few trees around it. A tent was then set up for her and her handmaiden.
Arwen slowly drifted off into a deep sleep with thoughts of her journey ahead buzzing around in her mind.
*
AN: This took forever to release and I apologize to those of you who were waiting for the next chapter. But, here it is. Also, to let you know, I will be trying to update more regularly but my life is pretty busy at the moment so it might take awhile to get with a schedule.
I've been struggling to dive deeper into the plot by trying to find some ways to add suspense, but it's quite difficult with the writers block I've had lately(thanks to another story idea that wont leave me alone)
If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review. You guys don't understand how much your comments inspire me to keep on writing. So thank you to all of you who take the time to tell me that you are enjoying my story. It means a lot.
As always, stay awesome my dudes.