Stuck In The Middle

Forbidden Love (PART THREE)

Once again, the theme song for this chapter is War of Hearts by Ruelle.

   Out of all three sisters, Atalanta was the only one who wasn't spending her time admiring the beauty of Rivendell.

   Atalanta had discovered a training center and had immediately felt at home. The training area was a large arena, hidden from sight. The floor was of soft, plush, green grass, but there was still padding in some parts. The walls were aligned with a variety of weapons, all with a different shapes, sizes and colors.

   Atalanta was the only person in there, and she looked for what to do first. She had no experience with these Middle-Earth weapons, and she figured that her sparring with the three boys was won by beginner's luck. Looking at the wall, Atalanta selected a tiny silver dagger, but was surprised to see how light it was. Replacing it with a long gold sword, she immediately put it down....it just didn't feel....well, right.

   In every fantasy, the wielder of the weapon seemed to bond with it. The weapon was supposed to feel like an arm extension, an extremely good one, at that. For example, Percy Jackson's sword was described as perfect for him. Or, in Harry Potter, they said 'the wand chooses the wizard'. This was kinda the same for weapons, right? Atalanta believed this was to happen, so she kept choosing weapons.

   Everything felt wrong, until one . She had turned around, only to find a weapon, one that she swore wasn't there, a second ago. Atalanta picked up the gorgeous sword, and gasped. The sword sent a warm shiver through her body, and in her eyes, the sword seemed to emit a soft blue light. The blade was silver, and it seemed to shine like the moon. Carvings were lined on the silver blade, gleaming like stars. Atalanta could make out many different symbols, and she studied them, carefully. However, one thing stuck out to her the most.

   The golden hilt.

   The hilt was made of pure gold, and it was shaped like a wolf. Atalanta grazed her slim fingers over the hilt, staring at it in wonder. Raising the sword in the air, she found that it was light, and seemed....well, made for her.

   Atalanta stepped into the middle of the room and started moving around her sword. She slashed at the air, and did some fancy tricks with it, feeling pretty good about the sword. Speaking of the sword....what should she name it? Shaking her head, Atalanta told herself that she would decide later.

   Suddenly, the door opened, and Atalanta turned to see an amused Aragorn, with a very confused Arwen holding his arm. Atalanta mentally rolled her eyes; those two did not match.

   ''Atalanta.'' Aragorn greeted, stepping forward. Arwen looked between the two, immediately feeling jealous.

   ''Aragorn. What brings you and your....girlfriend here?'' Atalanta responded, saying 'girlfriend' with disgust. She wasn't jealous of Arwen, simply annoyed with their relationship.

   Aragorn raised his eyebrow, at Atalanta's tone of voice. He held Arwen's hand, and looked Atalanta in the eye. ''I have agreed to teach Arwen how to fight. The Ring will not go down without a fight, a fight in which I hope we survive.''

   Atalanta had to hold back a loud snort; of course, he was honorable Aragorn. Why wouldn't he try to teach Arwen how to fight, while there was no hope?

   ''Alright, then. I'm off, anyway.'' Atalanta said, sheathing her sword. She made for the exit, but something stopped her.

   ''Wait.'' The shrill voice of Arwen Undomiel rang through the center, as she faced Atalanta. Slowly turning around, Atalanta raised her eyebrows. What could the daughter of Elrond possibly want from her?

   ''Yes?'' Atalanta drawls.

   ''You're the girl who beat Aragorn.'' Arwen said, as if her mind couldn't wrap around the thought. She said it more as a statement, less of a question.

   ''Guilty.'' Atalanta said, slowly.

   ''Why?'' Arwen asked, abruptly.

   Atalanta let out loud laugh, chuckling loudly. She looked at Arwen's angry and surprised face, and Aragorn's embarrassed look. ''Why?'' Atalanta repeated, incredulously. ''It was a match, that's what you do!''

   Arwen raised an eyebrow. ''So, you don't have a crush on him? Well, according to my adar, it's normal for girls in your world to have a huge crush on him.'' She confronted. That's when Atalanta snapped.

   She laughed so hard, she almost had tears in her eyes. She bent over, placing her hands on her knees, while she laughed like crazy. Aragorn opened and closed his mouth like a fish, speechless.

   ''Oh. My! GOD!'' Atalanta shouted, between fits of laughter. ''Wait, you're serious?'' She asked, actually surprised.

   Arwen stomped on the ground, huffing angrily. ''Of course, I'm serious! WHY WOULDN'T I BE SERIOUS? You are a random girl from a different world, who most likely has a crush on Aragorn, and you're going on a quest with him for a year!'' If it was any other time, Atalanta would have done more laughing.

   ''Arwen, honey.'' Atalanta chuckled, Arwen getting madder. ''I do not have a 'crush' on him. Oh no, I do not. I never have, I never will. Maybe ask one of my sisters, they'll probably say yes.'' Atalanta then thought. ''No, on second hand, don't. They're both lovesick over the other boys, anyway. However, I have never had a crush on anyone from this world. Never. I'm not that kinda girl, who walks around in seven-inch heels, having posters of boys all over their room, and dating a different boy every week. I'm the kind of single girl, the independent one with no crushes. So, don't worry about me.''

   Aragorn grabbed Arwen's arm, pulling her away. ''We should go. Novaer.'' He mumbled, still in shock.

   ''Stupid.'' Atalanta muttered, under her breath.

A/N Okay, good and bad news!

Bad news: the past three chapters have been so short, and I'm really sorry for that! However, they have just been filler-ish chapters, not much action.

Good news: FORBIDDEN LOVE IS OVER! The next chapter will officially begin the Fellowship of The Ring, meaning longer and better chapters. I don't know about you, but I'm super excited!!

xoxo, Athena