Once Upon A Dream | on hold |

Chapter 14 : Weakness

"Be careful who you share your weakness with. Some people can't wait for the opportunity to use them against you."
-unknown

Arielle swirled the contents of her drink in her cup before bringing it to her lips. The golden rim was cold to the touch, but she didn't mind as she let the wine slip into her mouth.

The wine burned as she swallowed, causing her to shiver. The wine in Mirkwood had always been too strong for her liking, but today she felt like changing her routine. She set the cup down, with a sour face as she swallowed down another sip, and sighed.

The only thing she could hear in the dinning hall was the occasional shuffle of feet as the servants came and went into the room. Arielle stared at the other two plates that were set and pushed the food around on her own with her fork.

Not too long ago Thranduil had sent a servant to tell her that he was deeply sorry that he could not accompany her to dinner. He apparently was working on matters that could not wait and hoped that Legolas would keep her company.

Arielle's hands fidgeted nervously when she heard the news that Legolas would be the only one joining her that night. She had not missed the hurt expression on his face as she denied his company. She was truly sorry, and wanted to tell him so, but she wouldn't be able to do that without telling the truth.

You see, she did not want the Prince to know that she went back to the room where she had seen the darkness enter. She knew that he would insist for her to stop trying to track the person down and leave it to him and the palace guards. But she wouldn't let him do that. She wanted to know...needed to know who the person was.

She couldn't help but think that the person was tied to her and the mystery of her suddenly appearing again. She needed answers and she was determined to get them.

She of course didn't find anything, besides the window being left open, which caused a cold draft to enter the room. After her not so enlightening discovery she freshened up and made her way to the dinning hall.

When the candles had burned through quite a bit of its wax she realized that Legolas was not about to join her anytime soon.

She desperately hoped it wasn't because of earlier. She remembered him acting strange when he first greeted her. There was a strange intensity in his eyes, something she never saw before. She never should have acted so coldly and secretive, especially with one of her closest friends.

She stood up with a dismal sigh and bowed her head to the servants in thanks, mustering a small smile. When she turned to the door, however, a frown replaced it and she was lost in her worried thoughts as she silently made her way through the halls to the garden. She went to the garden often when she was younger, mostly to think and to be alone. But right now, in this very moment, she wished for company.

All that she really wanted was to feel her mother's arms wrap around her and to allow her warm embrace to calm her troubled mind. Everything seemed so complicated and messy, and there were so many questions. Deep down inside Arielle still felt like a child, scared and lost but forced to put on a brave face.

She felt a single tear slid down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away. She would not allow anyone to see her crying, not here. She would leave that for her chambers in privacy.

She sat down on a small bench and gazed up at the stars and tried to lose herself in its beauty. The night wasn't very bright, for there were still quite a number of days before the full moon, but it was stunning nonetheless.

She felt a presence behind her, and the sound of soft footsteps rose to her ears. She continue to look at the stars as the king silently sat down beside her. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while before Thranduil drew in a breath and spoke.