Darkest Nights | Love of Royals: Book II

IV: Interfere

My morning is partly spent being amused at the exchange between Legolas and his flame-haired inferior, which involves her giving him a lengthy Sindarin telling-off.  It is plain that the Captain agrees with Thranduil and wishes for Legolas and I to remain separate, but at least she's taking her annoyance out on him and not me.  I'm powerless.  It's Legolas who came strolling down here for a good flirt.  If only he knew who he was talking to.  If only he knew I was the Raven.

He's bound to find out soon, and that will wipe the smirk off his pretty face for certain.

I also spend this time mentally chewing my nails off as I plot to escape this situation.  Do I murder the beautiful, flirtatious Prince when he has done nothing as far as I know?  Or do I risk my own life by not doing so?

The Captain does indeed bring me food and drink, reluctantly slipping a skin of water and a pile of neatly wrapped something through the bars at about mid-morning.  I gingerly unwrap the food to find pieces of an odd, bread-like substance—clearly common amongst the elves of the daylight—stacked snugly inside. To my surprise, I find that after one single bite I already feel full. It can't be my imagination. There must be something going on with the bread, and I hope for my sake that it's not anything to worry about.

With the strange bread laid aside, I take to carefully studying the routines of all the guards.  Two of them, both male, patrol up and down the path outside my cell, just as the Captain promised.  Another two cross my sight at longer intervals, clearly covering more ground.  She herself appears roughly once every hour, leaving her other duties just to check if I have caused some kind of trouble, and glaring at me when she discovers that I haven't.  I have not yet managed to banish the wicked smirk that curves my lips whenever she looks over, for the thought of someday wreaking my revenge on her for knocking me out is far too exciting.

At her visit sometime in the afternoon, the Captain is being followed by an extremely eager Princeling with fire sparkling in his vivid blue eyes.  The former seems irritated by the latter's presence—no doubt because she, like the other guards, is expecting Legolas to stay a while.  Perhaps the Captain is jealous that Legolas is so interested in me rather than her... but what do I know?  I'm just a prisoner.  The personal lives of the Woodland court and their guards are none of my business. 

Though it would be nice to know if I was right.

'You're back,' I smirk, watching Legolas sit comfortably back in his previous position, 'did you miss me, or are you just taking a casual walk through the dungeons?'

He gives a soft chuckle. 'I'm simply visiting a friend.'

'Me?' I scoff in disbelief, 'you think our last meeting gave you my friendship?'

'Well, if I'm not your enemy, then what am I?' A raise of a dark eyebrow. An invitation.

'A rather persistent acquaintance.'

He chuckles again, shaking his head. 'How is your head feeling?'

'Fine, thank you. Not that your delightful Captain cares.'

'I'm really not sure why Tauriel has such a dislike for you,' Legolas says genuinely, 'at least she gave you some lembas.'

'Sorry?' I say, puzzled. Another Sindarin term, probably. From the snippets of conversation I've been able to hear, it sounds like a strange yet beautiful language.

'Lembas. Elvish way-bread. One small bite can fill the stomach of a grown man—though I expect you already discovered that for yourself.' He jerks his chin to the pile of bread with one chunk missing.

'May I ask what incredibly boring lifestyle means the Prince has nothing better to do than to visit a suspicious prisoner?'

'It has been quiet on our borders lately,' he replies almost too quickly, 'I am not needed at the moment, so I am free to visit whichever suspicious prisoner I choose.'