Daughter Of Lórien || Book 1||

Ch 44 ~ Call to the Front

I walk through the winding halls, my mind spinning as I pace, certain I've already gone in countless circles but too absent-minded to correct my path.

Demoted.

The word rings in my head, eating at my thoughts.

Tauriel was reluctant, but I persuaded her to tell me everything. The King had demoted Nëniel on account of two charges during his absence: harboring a dwarf within the kingdom and failing to protect the diplomat whom she was meant to serve.

And both just happen to be my fault.

I turn a corner and nearly slam head-first into the very elf on my thoughts. My senses had been so distracted that I hadn't even detected her heading my way.

Her eyes meet mine, like chips of grey ice and she holds my gaze, her chin held high.

"Lady Celebríel."

The formal greeting is issued like a command, bearing with it the rank that she no longer possesses. My mind still spins, unsure of what to say to her. A part of me is irked by her cold demeanor but another voice in my head whispers that I'd caused it. She has every right to be angry, to ignore me.

With a bow of her head, she moves past me to continue down the hall. I almost let her go but the words spinning restlessly in my mind slip past my lips.

"I'm sorry."

The clinking of her armor abruptly stops as she pauses at the end of the hall. Slowly, her eyes find mine again. Though I do not say for what, her gaze is hard, confirming that she understands. The tension in her jaw is visible as her teeth clench, but she remains silent.

Remembering myself, I take a step forward, my mind finally catching up with my tongue.

"Nëniel, I never meant for this to happen. I brought Dìs here because she needed help and I didn't know where else to turn to."

Her face shows no sign of emotion as she simply remains watching me. "And have you anything to say about the other charge laid against me?"

I blink, trying to keep my surprise from showing on my face. "Surely you cannot blame me for that."

"I suppose not, my lady."

Her expression is vacant, her shoulders locked, neither betraying any emotions that might be lurking underneath the surface. All the marks of a good guard, and all preventing her from saying what was truly on her mind. And yet, when she was the captain, she was brutally honest. The guard standing before me is hollow, simply a shadow of the captain she was before.

I frown at her. "In the time I've been here you've never been one to hold your tongue, Nëniel. Don't hold it now."

Her eyes flash.

"You want the truth?" Her voice is quiet, but steel runs beneath it. "I do blame you. You showed me kindness when you first came here. A friendship which I had never known. And when you needed it, I tried to repay you that kindness."

My heart beats rapidly as I watch her, her face shadowed by both sadness and contempt.

The emotion on on her face grows, twisting her expression as she continues. "When you left against the king's orders, I refused to pursue you. When you brought a dwarf into the kingdom, once again against the laws of my King, I granted you leniancy. Because even though you were never meant to be, you were my friend."

My mind spins but her words strike me as odd.

"What do you mean by that? That you were never meant to be my friend?"