Cold Wind Blows [Cuil -o Thranduil]

Chapter 10

A loud sigh escaped through Elvenking's mouth before opening his eyes to find Elaine sitting, looking more curious than ever. He straighten up a little then cleared his throat. "I uh..." He stopped as he heard slight knock on the door. He frowned then spoke firmly, "Enter." "My King, it's your son. The healer says he's awake." Galion said as he bowed. Excitement and happiness could be seen through his face.

The King stood up on his feet and walked as fast he could, without thinking of anything else. Elaine, however, was left behind alone, frowning and thinking of what just happened. She stood up from her chair and ran to catch up with the King, but it was too late.

In the great halls of the Elvenking, she stood there, completely blank. She didn't know which way would lead her to the healer's room, nor she could see anyone to ask for help. Wherever she laid her eyes, all she could see was huge pillars which are believed to be carved from the living rocks and oaken arches. She felt alone and lost. She thought of going back to the library, but she was way too far away and couldn't remember which way led to the library as well. She cursed under her breath then decided to walk further anyway.

She wandered around helplessly, but the beauty of the elven architecture captivated her, making her feel calm. As she continued to walk, she found the atmosphere around her becoming eerie for some reason. She felt cold and strange as she realized it has become more dim than before. An uncomfortable silence unfurled and she could almost hear the sound of her own heart beating, too loud.

It was getting darker and darker as she walked slowly and carefully towards nowhere. She knew something was odd about this place with the sudden dimness in the atmosphere, but curiosity made her want to go further to see what lies beyond the darkness.

At that very moment, she felt something crawled behind her. She stopped and turned around, slowly, to see nothing but the dark hallway. She let out a loud sighed, calming her down. She shook her head then turned, her eyes locked on the door far away. She ran towards it, hoping this was the escape.

It was a huge oaken door with defined curves and engravings, but looked older and a bit creepier than the ones she saw before. She walked slowly towards it, studying the door closely as her hands roamed over the engravings, taking in its beauty. Hesitantly, she gripped her hands around the door knob only to find the door locked. She tried to open it, but failed as she expected. Frustrating sigh escaped from her lips as she backed away from the door. "No wonder this place has it's own secrets...What could be inside?" She spoke to herself, frowning at the huge lock on the door.

"Elaine?!"

Elaine jumped as she placed her hands on her chest, her heart racing. She almost let out a loud scream but the appearance of a familiar face calmed her down within seconds.

"My Lady, are you okay? My apologies, I didn't mean to scare you..." Elros apologized as he took few steps towards her.

Elaine regained her strength to speak up, "It's alright Elros, I'm okay. Don't apologize." She replied with a smile, reassuring him she was alright.

Elros' smile faded as he observed the surroundings and spoke with curiosity, "What were you doing here? Don't you know it's forbidden?" Elaine frowned at him as he mentioned 'forbidden'. "I didn't know that because apparently it's only been a day since I've come here, and no one told me about this so called 'forbidden' place..." She replied with an obvious tone.

Elros smiled sheepishly, "Well, my bad..." He paused and took a look around again before speaking. "We should get going now, King would be angry if he gets to know about you wandering around here." With that he waved his hand, in a way to tell Elaine to follow him.

Both walked silently side by side, nothing could be heard but their footsteps. Elaine broke the silence by clearing her throat before speaking, "What is it, about this place?" From the corner of his eyes, Elros looked at her before speaking briefly, "It's just the King prefers this place to be kept private, away from the outside world. No one knows why. I would prefer that you don't return to this place, just forget about it."

Elaine frowned then nodded. She wanted to know more, but she wasn't sure if she should ask further. She stopped then looked back at the huge door from a distance, "I will look for answers..." she spoke to herself. She turned around then continued to trail behind Elros.