Betrothed(ON HOLD)

Chapter Eight

A hand clamped around Arwen's mouth, causing her to wake up. Her wide eyes looked up after her scream was muffled only to see Legolas silently staring down at her in the darkness, the faint light from the fire outside glowing on his face.

Legolas gently removed his hand from her mouth, putting his finger in front of his own to show that she had to be silent. Her chest filled with panic as she wondered what could possibly be wrong.

Noticing the panicked look on her face, Legolas finally spoke in a barely audible whisper. "There are bandits. Some, if not most, of the guards were killed in their sleep. Gather what you can, we must go."

Arwen solemnly nodded, grabbing what was most precious to her. She shook her handmaiden awake and had her help with the gathering.

Legolas stood guard, a bow at the ready. Once Arwen was finished, they silently left the tent.

Once they were away from the fire, it was hard to move quickly in the darkness. And although the moon provided a good amount of light, Arwen found her self tripping and stumbling every so often.

Legolas stood within close proximity to Arwen, his body shielding hers from the the dark trees where the bandits supposedly were. He held his bow in one had, his other resting on Arwen's upper back to help lead her through the darkness.

A scream pierced the air as an arrow from the trees was shot into the back of the handmaiden, nearly missing Arwen. Arwen cried out, running towards her, but before she could reach the body of her most beloved handmaiden, Legolas grabbed her arm.

"We must go. Now."

Arwen let herself get dragged away, the feeling of sorrow growing ever stronger within her.

Once they reached the horses, Legolas and Arwen swung up on them and rode off. Looking behind her, she could see the bandits coming out of the trees to raid what was left of their campsite. A few of Legolas' guards remained behind, fighting of the bandits to try and save what was left of the camp.

Holding the reigns in one hand, Arwen managed to put the few precious items she had salvaged into the saddle bags. It was difficult while riding a running horse, but she eventually managed.

"I am sorry about your friend," Legolas said once they were a good distance away from the camp.

Arwen remained silent, staring into the moon-lit night.

"Once we arrive in Mirkwood, I will replace all of your belongings."

"Thank you," Arwen replied, silent tears flowing down her cheeks.

Legolas nodded. "We must keep riding. There is still a high chance of being caught by the bandits. And there are many threatening creatures that will be hard to see in the dark."

***

The sun was slowly rising in the sky, bringing light and warmth to the world. Now it would be much easier to travel with the light to help guide them.

The whole night has been spent in silence with occasional shivers from Arwen because of the cold night air.

"Let us stop and prepare food," Legolas said.

"Where will we get the food from? I did not pack any."

Legolas indicated to his saddle bags. "In here. I have enough rations to get us to Mirkwood."

"Then you are well prepared while I am not, your highness," Arwen laughed, trying to make the situation lighter for herself.

Legolas smiled at her, sliding off his horse to start gathering wood for a fire. Ten minutes later, a small fire was started and Legolas passed out food between them.

Arwen sat on the dewy grass and quickly ate her food. She didn't realize how hungry she actually was until she had taken a bite. Once she was finished, she dusted the crumbs of her hands and dress.

After the cold night, the heat of the fire felt wonderful. Arwen moved as close as she could to it, holding her hands out to warm them. She closed her eyes, wishing that she could go back home and sleep in her soft bed and do the things that she would normally do all day.

To think this all started with a betrothal. Arwen would often find herself wondering what life would still be like if the betrothal had never happened. She knew she would most likely be home with her father, reading a book while he did his duties.

"What is on your mind?" Legolas questioned, noticing the thoughtful look on his companion's face.

"I miss my home. I wonder how my father is doing without me." Arwen replied, deciding not to mention anything else.

"I see. You will be back one day, I assure you. And I am almost certain that your father is doing fine."

"I know, but I still miss him."

Legolas noticed how her eyes were filling with tears just as they did the day before. Now, I must try and comfort her, he thought.

He moved over to where she was sitting and awkwardly draped his arm around her shoulders. He didn't say anything as he did so, but he silently hoped that she knew he was trying to comfort her.

After wiping her tears from her eyes, she looked over at Legolas who still had his arm around her. Though she didn't want to admit it to herself, she quite enjoyed being in his arms, even if at first it startled her. It was comforting to have consoling her. She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't sure what he was doing thought.

Realizing that she was staring, she quickly turned away to stare into the flames of the fire. She hoped that he had not noticed.

Legolas cleared his throat once a few minutes had passed. "Perhaps we should get going. We will ride until late evening, then camp for most of the night."

He stood up and put the fire out. Once that was finished, he packed all of the food back up and put it in the saddle bags.

As Legolas cleaned things up, Arwen stood awkwardly not knowing how to help or what to do. Sadly, she had never learned things like this. Her father had said it was not ladylike and her brothers would just tease her every time she brought up the fact the she had the desire to learn such things.

"Everything is ready," Legolas stated, as he fastened the button on his saddle bag.

Following his lead, Arwen made sure to fasten the buttons on her saddle bags. Once she was certain they were secure, she climbed up onto the horse and followed Legolas back onto the trail.

***

So, I actually updated on time! Yay me! It actually surprised me that I managed to write this so quickly. I'm going to try and update once a week on Sunday (Or at least Sunday for me)

I know this was a short chapter--like all my other chapters--but maybe I'll be able to write longer ones one day. It actually something that I struggle with. But like they say, practice makes perfect.

I have a question for anyone who can answer, how many words should an average chapter be?

If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a vote and feel free to comment. I love reading your comments :)