Our Enchanting Love

Chapter 3: Traveling Experience

I finish packing the last of my stuff when Aponsay comes sauntering in my room. "And what is it that you want brother?" I ask, picking up my satchel from the table with my mirror connected to it. He settles down on the bed. I sit next to him. For a moment, we're just silent.

"Jakara is going to miss you. Everyone will." He says after some time. My little brother, Jakara, is always so naive and excitable. I'm going to miss him, too. But they pretend as if I'm leaving for many years.

"I won't be gone long. You all are so dramatic."

"It will be four days of traveling before you are to make it there. Let me come with. I will make sure no creatures of the night may get to you."

"I'm not scared of any 'creatures of the night'. Besides, I will have three guards traveling with me. They will keep me safe, Aponsay."

"What is it you mean you are not scared of the creature of the night? You get red and heated in the face when you see the smallest of a spider. Not to mention you start breathing hard and screaming and crying for someone to kill it. . ."

I cut him off, "Well you know that I am afraid of spiders. That's no surprise."

"No, Channie, you're petrified of spiders."

"You listened in on my lesson, didn't you? Because there goes that name, Channie, yet again."

"Yes. Just wondered what goes on in those lessons Mother teaches."

"Well, now you know."

~//\\~

I forgot how many horses are in the Royal Stables. It's been so long since I've rode my horse. Since I rode any horse to be exact. My horse, Lithea, is fast and strong. The best horse I could wish for, and now I finally get to ride her again. She's all black except she has white on her four feet and a big white line going down the middle of her face. She's calm and gentle. I'll admit, sometimes she can be just as restless and uneasy as I, but she's loyal. Loyalty overrules any bad trait of hers.

"Are you ready to leave? We have everything packed and ready to go, Lady Enchantment." One of the guards who's going with me asks. I turn to answer and end up finding a familiar face.

"Riharu? Riharu!" I pull him into a hug. Riharu is someone I grew up with. He was in a lower caste than me but he was still my friend all the same. We sadly grew apart when we grew up. When we matured, and I very much regret it.

"You actually remember me?" he quizzes me as he pulls out of the hug, smiling like a fool.

I punch his shoulder playfully, "That's like asking do I remember if the sun rises. Of course, I remember my good friend."

"So, are you ready?" he asks once again.

"Oh, sorry, yes." I answer.

He shakes his head, "No need to apologize. Meet us with your horse at the front gate." He backs away giving me a sly smile.

Right, back to business. In just a short manner of four days, I will be in Mirkwood. The home of Elves. I'm not skilled with talking to such graceful, kind Elven folk. My mission is to take their most beloved jewel. I believe it was the queen's finding. Mother will do something with the jewel, but I'm not sure as to what.

I hop up onto Lithea and we begin our journey.

~//\\~

It's the second day now, but we're still many leagues away from Mirkwood. I hope we make it there in time. If I am correct, we're in Dunland. These guards don't tell me much except when we should rest, when the sun is setting, when the sun is rising, and when danger may be approaching. But there has been no life-threatening danger. I'm not complaining though. The safer, the better. It was decided to go through the forests of Dunland. That way we wouldn't have to see anyone in the village and get questioned.

I wonder how we'll be welcomed. 'Lady Enchantment of Lunaleve, how wonderful for you to have arrived. We've been looking forward to meeting you.' I imagine. It won't be that way once I steal that jewel. I think it's called the Klobi Jewel. A very beautiful name, for I'm sure, what's a beautiful jewel.

Rumor has it that King Thranduil has a son. Around my age, too. Mother very strictly told me not to even think about falling in love with an Elf. She said that it is a disgrace. . . how I shouldn't let their natural beauty fool me. They are evil when they want to be, according to Mother. I'd like to say I will be the judge of that, but I'm not so sure. If they are evil, I'm going to be careful to not get too close even when I am right across the table from them.

How does Mirkwood even look? I heard it was a bunch of woods and an empire in a mountain. Maybe Mother could have given me more information about what I was going to expect, not leaving out any details. She didn't even make it clear as to how I would get the jewel. The guards and I reach a very large lake hidden in a circle of even larger trees. They tell me we're stopping here.

"Your Highness, would you like some water?" Riharu asks.

"Yes, thank you." I smile at his manners. "Riharu, what do you think Mirkwood will be like?" I ask him. He sits next to me and hands me a canter of water from hopefully a clean lake.

"I think it will be nice. Why do you ask?" he says as he leans back a little more on the thick fallen log we're sitting on.

"I don't know. Anyways, it won't really matter since. . ." I look at him. I don't even want to talk about it at this point, so I just take a long sip of my water.

"My lady, everything will be fine. Me and the other guards will get you out of there safe and sound once you retrieve Klobi."

"I am sure you will. But what if we get caught? I'm not made for snatching something from under someone's nose without them knowing." I claim. I look down at my canter of water.

"Well, Lady Enchantment, if you'd like. . . I can help as best I can. I could be right by your side when you go to get it." he reassures me, breaking down with his hands like a wild story.

"No, it's fine. We have maybe six hours until the sun is down over the horizon. I would like to get a little farther before we make camp. And don't treat me like we've never been in cahoots before." I tell him, starting to stand. He quickly takes a hold of my arm and looks me in the eye. Maybe he's wondering if I can read his eyes. Well, I can't. I can't read his mind or aura either. He's masking it. He stands up also and gives me a small head bow. He starts to walk to our packing donkey that carries most of our stuff.

I've never taken a good look at Riharu until now. My, has he grown. His dark brown hair barely combing his neck while a short bang that's pushed to either side, hits his forehead. Soft dark brown eyes, like mine. A taller height than me. A tan sun-kissed skin color that makes him stand out from all the others. And no guards had ever dared to smile at me, even if they were a friend. Such a bright shining smile he showed me when talking to me.

He looks at me from afar and says, "Ven, déjanos ir." The old witch language. It's been some time since I used it. Witches finally named it after sometime. They call it 'Spanish'. A lovely name to say. Come, let us go, is what he said. I'm not as rusty in that language as I thought.

I pull myself back onto Lietha and guide her into a slow walk. As she walks, I carefully pet her neck from where I'm sitting.

Riharu pulls his horse up next to mine. Suddenly, butterflies prance around in my stomach. What is this strange feeling? I can't be falling for a guard. I mustn't. So many things are running through my head at once. The jewel, Mirkwood, King Thranduil and his son, and. . . Riharu. Most importantly: How am I going to pull this off?

"With my help." Riharu finally says after riding next to me in silence. I was so lost in thought that I forgot to cover up my thoughts. Witches love listening in on one's conversation with one's self.

"No. I will decide when we arrive there. First I must see how many guards will be on our asses."

~~~~

(Author's Note)

So Elves in LOTR have their own language and so does the Dothraki in GOT, but I was not about to create my own language lol. So let's just pretend Spanish is a Witch language and not related to the real world whatsoever.