Betrothed(ON HOLD)

Chapter Five

 Every time that they caught each other's eye, it was a moment of pure embarrassment--memories of the day before freshly burning in their minds. And although she ran it in her head over and over that this man would be her husband, she simply could not accept it or make it feel real.

 And accepting it was only a partial piece in the story. She would just have to make peace with it. But there had to be a way out of this disaster, right?

 Arwen had thought about that question since the evening before. She thought of different scenarios over and over, trying to think of a way to escape. Every plan ended in failure and more embarrassment. She would give up on constructing her plan for and hour or so then repeat the long and enduring process over and over again.

 It was almost like torture, taunting her with the idea that she could escape. Freedom would come if only she could think of a way to taste it. But time and time again, she failed. And each time she was ashamed for trying to think of a way out of her duties. She had a responsibility to her home; to her family, to keep them safe from the bitter bite of war.

 Tired of putting herself through this process again, she decided to go to the library, thinking that a book would help distract her from her misery. Gathering her dress in her hands, she stood up from her bed and walked to the door. She quietly opened the door, managing to prevent all the noise except a small squeak. Peering around the halls to see if they were empty, she walked as silently as she could to the library. 

She hoped that she would not run into anyone on the way, knowing that it would end up to be an uncomfortable position to be in. Everyone in Rivendell had heard the news. It was all that they were speaking about, and she knew that because on her way to eat breakfast, all the elves she passed were whispering as their curious eyes followed her every movement.

She reached the library without running into anyone. Grabbing a book from the shelves,  she sunk into a chair gratefully before opening its pages. Though she tried desperately, she could not digest a word she read from the book. Her brain was simply too busy to slow down and understand what she was reading.

 Frustrated, Arwen slammed the book shut, put it back in its designated spot and stormed from the library. There was no use in trying to relax her mind and thoughts. They would not go away and not stop.

 And the more she thought about it, the more her blood boiled. She blamed her father for this, for not telling her. But most of all, she blamed Thranduil.

 Arwen continued wandering around Rivendell, though she did so aimlessly. There was really no use to have a destination anymore because no matter what she did, she could not force herself to forget what she was being forced to do.

 Her feet led her outside, past whispering elves and beautiful flowers. She kept her eyes cast down as she walked, not wanting to speak with anyone. Arwen was so lost in thought that she didn't realize where she was walking to when she bumped into someone.

 "Sorry," she muttered, looking up to see who it was.

***

 Legolas turned around to see who had bumped into him, only to find Arwen's shocked eyes meeting his.

 "Oh, your highness. My apologies. I should watch where I'm going," Arwen stuttered out awkwardly.

"It is fine," he said, turning to walk away.

Everytime he saw her he was reminded of how angry he was at his father.

Ever since he was little, he had always suspected that his father was more concerned with the well-being of his kingdom rather than the well-being of his own flesh and blood. And now that his father had betrayed him, that suspicion had been confirmed.

Although he had tried for many years to prepare himself for when it was revealed to him of his father's priorities, it still hurt immensely. If his mother were here...

He shook his head, trying to remove all thoughts of his mother. It would simply bring more pain.

But, he was certain that she would never have her son go through with this. Legolas knew that she had always believed in true love, not forced love. He also knew that she wouldn't call it love either, because it wasn't.

"Ah, Legolas. Come walk with me. I have been looking for you everywhere."

Legolas repressed an angry remark at the sound of his father's voice. "Why is that?"

"Elrond and I have decided how long you have until you are to be united with your future wife."

Legolas bit his tongue, knowing that if he said anything disrespectful he would be in a worse situation than this one.

Giving up on waiting for a reply from Legolas, Thranduil continued. "You have three months until you are to be wed. That should be enough time to get to know Arwen better."

He could no longer control himself. It was as if a dam had broken inside of him, spilling out all of his emotions and ill feelings.

"You cannot do this to me! I should be able to do what I want because I am of age now. You should no longer have any power over me."

Thranduil halted in his tracks, slowly turning to face his disrespectful son.

"I do have power over you," his voice was sickeningly calm, "I have said this many many times, but alas, it seems as if I have to say it again. I am your king. And although you are my son, I am still in charge. You are young and reckless. You obviously have no control over you emotions."

"It is not right though! Mother would never have made me do this. She was clever enough to find another solution. Too bad for you that you aren't as clever as her."

The look on Thranduil's face caused Legolas to take a few steps back.

"Never mention your mother like that to me again. And if you want any chance of becoming king of a peaceful kingdom, you will do as I say. And if you don't, the war will be on your shoulders, not mine."

Thranduil marched off, not even turning back to see the reaction on his son's face.

***

Hey everyone! It's been awhile since I've posted a new chapter. I recently went to another competition and just started a new job. Whenever I start a fanfiction, my life gets crazy haha.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please leave a vote and feel free to comment, telling me what you think.