Broken Souls

A Rage

In the great hall, where many elves were eating their well-deserved lunch while enjoying some time with their friends, Kiera was merely picking at her food as she stared at the cold carrot on her plate. She had little appetite at the time being and she struggled to get down the simple vegetables and fruits.

The king had offered her a seat at his table and she had kindly accepted. Thus, she sat with him, Legolas and Castien, among other elves she had yet to know the names of. She didn't know why Thranduil had chosen to give her a place at his table, because he never had, and now things suddenly changed. Their encounter in the gardens a day before had been rather tense like their interactions always seemed to be, but now he was being nice and welcoming. It made Kiera suspicious and she hardly trusted the king more for it. She didn't like fake people and if he was one, then she didn't want to be here much longer. But she was friendly and kept a pleasant demeanor, wishing to show Thranduil and his people that she wasn't a threat.

A few elves at the table were loudly talking about a report the last patrol had come in with, debating how many spiders had been killed and if they had retreated or had come closer.

"The last time I was out with my patrol, they had pulled further north and we were having trouble clearing out the western area. They must be close now." One elf said, who appeared to be a general, gulping down a goblet of wine without much shame.

The two other elves who were part of the discussion objected and proceeded to explain how it had been rumored that the newly returned patrol had cleared the nearest nests and the spiders were retreating.

Meanwhile, Castien and Legolas were in deep conversation as they sat on the other side of Kiera, talking about sparring later on the day and if it would be possible for the prince to train some soldiers in the process. "According to the captain, some of the archers need to improve their precision and their sword skills could be better." Castien explained and Legolas nodded, telling the younger guard that he would train them unless something else came in the way.

Thranduil, who sat beside Kiera at the end of the table, was observing her and her gentle fork stabbing. He had kept his eyes on her throughout the whole meal and barely ate anything himself as he wondered how she would act this day. "Is something wrong with the food, Kiera?" He asked, and she looked up.

"No." She admitted.

"Then what is the problem?" He continued coldly and arched a brow.

Kiera laid down her fork and placed her hands flat on the table as she leaned forward, looking straight at him. "It's Mojo. He's hungry and hasn't been able to get any food."

"But we can't have that." The king said impassively, sipping his wine as if he didn't care in the least.

"I usually feed him when I eat, but I would not disrespect you by letting him sit at the table." She explained honestly, surprising Thranduil. She cared about respect towards him? That was a first in his opinion.

"I see." He nodded, looking deep in thought. He hadn't seen much of the monkey since the day before and neither of her, but there was a reason why he had invited her to his table. "Well, as long as he behaves and is clean and it stays that way, then it should be fine." He answered begrudgingly, contemplating if he made the right choice.

"He definitely will. I've raised him that way. Thank you, Your Majesty." She smiled and leaned back, looking at the entrance at the other end of the hall. "You can come now, Mojo." She declared loudly and turned to eat her food, much easier now that that was off her mind.

Despite the loud talking in the hall, it quickly lessened to quiet voices when everyone saw the small animal run down in between the tables. He glanced up at all the faces that looked surprised at him, but only focused on the person at the last table. However, Kiera just reached a hand down to the ground behind her, patiently waiting for him. Mojo jumped up on her hand and crawled along her back, finding rest on her shoulder with his hand around her neck and his tail trailing down her spine.