A Silver Lining (Lord of the Rings) [Legolas]

XX. Fading Hope

XX. Fading Hope

            The day I was locked up was the last time I spoke to Halian. She did not come by to sneak in a visit or slip me extra food. It was not like I expected her to come by at some point every day, I wished it. The first day she did not appear, I thought nothing of it. The second day I tolerated it. But by the third, fourth, and fifth days, something told me something was not right with this. Surely by the third day Halian would not forget about me, being so invested in her investigation. She could not be that busy to forget about me.

            I feared the worst: the assassin knew Halian was on their trail, and they disposed of her before she could tell anyone the truth. If my worst fear was true, Halian was the assassin’s first official kill. It would be harder for the killer to hide their tracks after committing murder.

            This was all hypothetical of course, but I did not rule the possibility out.

            Today was day six of being lonely in the dungeons. If I remembered right, Halian wanted to clear my name by the wedding. She had said that almost a week ago. The wedding was to be tomorrow, I only knew that thanks to my memory. But if my fear was true, Halian had been out of time. I was out of time.

            Speaking of time, I was not given my punishment yet. What was the king waiting for? How hard of a decision was it? I swallowed, trying not to think of what would happen to me. There were a few ways the king could approach this: I could be tortured, executed, or even banished from Greenwood. There was no way I would be let off with a warning.

            Aside from receiving food, I was not visited by anyone. The loneliness was starting to get the better of me, and I often found myself daydreaming. Daydreaming could only help me escape this dungeon for so long.

            I was often tempted to take out my dagger and mess with it, but I knew better than to wield a weapon where a guard could see. They would seize it from me; I did not want that to happen.

            I tried to recall Minas Tirith and all of its white beauty. I tried to remember what Arwen looked like, how low and soothing her voice sounded. I truly missed the Queen of Gondor. I was surprised I even remembered her; it felt like a century had passed since I was rescued and brought to her city.

            I did not meet my visitor’s eye upon hearing their feet come my way. I did not speak a word to them; there was no reason to waste my breath. They would slip the food through and then vanish like they always did. I avoided their looks after two days, their eyes held nothing but contempt for me. I should have faced the guards’ stares, proving that I was not shaken by them. But I would only be lying to myself.

            “You are silent like the dead.”
            This Elf was the only exception to my ignoring-the-guards rule. My heart fluttered at seeing the Prince of Greenwood on the other side of the door. I was not surprised it took him so long to visit. I had begun to think he would not show at all.

            “I am being ignored now as well?”

            “Why should I waste my breath when I am sure you have only bad things to say?” I stared at the wall opposite me. “You would be no better than the guard your father has watching over me.”

            “I did not come to argue with you, I came with news.”

            “News?”

            “Your punishment if you want to be precise.”

            “Is tonight going to be my last? Will I not live to see you wed to Nikita?” I said sourly.