Daughter Of Lórien || Book 1||

Ch 5 ~ Captain of the Guard

I toss the knife to his feet, smirking at the bead of blood now making its way down his neck, matching the one on mine. His cold glare is intimidating as he looks me up and down, but I cross my arms and hold my ground.

He flips his dagger with his foot, up from the floor and catches it with ease, never taking his eyes off me. Slipping it into its sheath, he steps closer to my cell, until I have to crane my neck to glare up at him, as he is about a head taller than me.

"It's not wise for a prisoner to threaten her keepers." He says authoritively, his cold eyes still fixed on mine in a piercing gaze.

"It will not do you any..." He pauses, pondering on a word. "... favors."

And with that he walks away, leaving me to glare at the walls of my cell.

~~~

After the blonde haired elf left (unfortunately, along with his dagger), I am alone again, with only the darkness as my company.

I sigh, trying to figure out a sense of time and what day it is, but I'm not sure how long I was out for and it is hard to tell time when one is stuck indoors in a cell all day.

However, judging by the meals I have received so far, I'd say about four days have passed since that she-elf brought me here.

"And left Elladan and Elrohir behind," I grumble to myself.

My blonde hair is a mess and I probably smell like a horse, but I couldn't care less about myself.

I just want to know that my brothers are safe.

I don't notice the tears that have started to fall down my face until I taste their saltiness on my lips. I let them fall, letting them take my worries with them as they fall to the floor.

But I continue to be worried. So, so worried.

Where are my brothers?

What am I going to do?

~~~

An hour later, after I've had myself a good cry I gather my thoughts.

Snap out of it Celé!

I mentally scold myself.

Crying and sitting here in a cell all day will not help you find Elladan and Elrohir!

I start to look around my cell for anything thin and sharp. Anything that will let me pick that old lock on my barred door.

"Anything. Anything," I repeat to myself, as my eyes search frantically in the dark.

With a cry of triumph I snatch up what looks like an old rusted hair pin, hidden in a dark corner in the back of my cell. I jump to the door listening for any signs of movement, but all I hear is the maddened beating of my own nervous heart. Satisfied, I start to twist the rusted piece of metal in the lock, only pausing to wipe away stray strands of my blonde hair that are sticking to my sweaty forehead. My fingers tremble and slip as I wrestle with the lock, and my heart continues to beat frantically.

I finally feel the satisfying click of the lock and swing open the door in triumph. Just as I am about to step out of my cell, I hear voices on the staircases above me and freeze in my tracks. Cursing in all the languages I know, which are quite enough, I slip back into my cell and gently close the door, hearing the lock click back into place. Shoving the pin up my sleeve I hope to have the chance to use it again later when the coast is clear.

Just when I finish concealing the pin, two elves round the corner and approach my cell. I recognize one of them as the dark haired elf who kidnapped me in the forest a couple of days ago. I glower at her as she reaches my door and looks down at me sitting on the floor.

"Happy to see me?" She asks.

"No, not really." I look up at her smug smile and glare. "And how come I'm always seeing you anyway? What are you my personal keeper or something?"

Her eyes flash playfully and her cheeky smile widens.

"Oh how rude of me I do not believe we have been properly introduced," she says.

She gestures to her red haired companion.

"This is Tauriel, my sister. She is a royal guard of the Woodland Realm."

Tauriel gives me a curt nod in acknowledgement.

"And my name is Nëniel, Captain of the Woodland Guard."

She arches her eyebrows.

"And as captain it is my job to keep an eye on..." She looks me up and down, her grey eyes calculating, searching for a title to add to me. "...prisoners."

I laugh. "And all of you here still think I need to be imprisoned? You're all thicker than I thought."

She bristles at that comment but shrugs it off.

"Well..." she continues, looking around as if to make sure we were alone.

Her smile is gone as her voice drops to a whisper.

"To tell you the truth, many believe your story. Say for example, Tauriel and I here. But-"

I cut her off jumping to my feet.

"Does that mean you've found my brothers?" I say in a hushed whisper, my brow furrowed and my eyes alive with hope.

Her smile fades as a flicker of regret passed through her grey eyes.

"We have searched the forest many times, even going a good distance past our borders, but there is no sign of them. I fear-"

I cut her off with a shake of my head. I don't want to hear that. My heart is heavy in my chest as I look in her eyes and see despair in them as well. I turn away from her.

"So why are you here?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper in the dark. "Unless you have come to set me free-"

She shakes her head, looking between Tauriel and herself, interrupting my thought.

"I'm afraid that is not possible. There is still some who deny that you are Lord Elrond's daughter and-"

My sadness turns into sudden rage and I turn back to her.

"And who here could possibly still deny this?" I demand, my voice shaking with anger. "Who is denying me my freedom and keeping my brothers from me?"

Nëniel looks at me, her eyes suddenly determined.

"That is why I am here Lady Celebríel." She says. "There is still one person you must convince of your identity and barter for your freedom with."

She fits a key into the lock on my door and swings it open. I try to hide the shock flashing across my face as her grim eyes find mine.

"I'm here to take you to the King."