Betrothed(ON HOLD)

Chapter Ten

Arwen was surprised when Legolas helped her up, but she was not expecting him to drag her into the water.

Once they made contact with the water, Legolas splashed a fair amount of water into her face. She coughed in surprise, blinking water out of her face.

"What was that for?" she asked, her eyes wide and staring at his.

Legolas stiffened, unsure if she was mad at him or not.

A moment of silence passed between them as Legolas waited for a reaction. Then, Arwen began to laugh. Legolas was stunned at first, then began to laugh along with her.

They stayed in the water a bit longer, laughing and splashing each other, until they were hungry for lunch.

After a nice long meal, they got their horses ready and continued onward. As they rode along, Arwen wrung the water out of her hair.

"I have never had that much fun!" she stated. "It was quite enjoyable, your highness."

Legolas laughed. "I agree. It has been some time since I have had time to enjoy things like that. And please, call me by my name."

Arwen looked as though she was thinking it over. "Okay I will, Legolas." She smiled over at him.

Legolas smiled back and they continued onwards.

***

The sun was setting, painting the sky with its beautiful colors as it kissed the earth goodnight. Arwen had admired each and every sunset on this journey to Mirkwood, although it had been a hard one so far. But each moment had been filled with a different emotion. Sometimes joy, or sadness, fear, peace or even loneliness. Although she had a companion alongside her, she still felt the bitter ache of loneliness. She missed her father, her brothers, her poor handmaiden who had been a dear friend. She missed her home, her library her books. She longed to go back. And as if to make the ache hurt even more, there was still many weeks left of travelling before they arrived at Mirkwood.

"What is troubling you?" Legolas asked.

"Nothing. I was just deep in thought."

"I see." Legolas said, drifting off into his own thoughts and staring at the mountain range that was growing ever closer.

Arwen watched the sun reel in it's last rays of light, making the sky a cold blue. It was getting dark.

"We should make camp for the night," Legolas said. He led the way on his horse to a grove of trees off the side of the road. They set up a small camp with a fire, tying the horses to a tree for the rest of the night.

"I will take first watch," Arwen said, knowing that Legolas wouldn't let her if she didn't call it.

"No, I will. You need to rest."

"But you have hardly slept at all this journey. I can watch for awhile, then I will wake you up for your turn."

"If you so insist, then you can watch for an hour or two. After that, let me take over while you rest."

Arwen nodded in reply, then sat by the fire. She watched Legolas go to his spot he had chosen to sleep at for the night. He rummaged through his bags for a few seconds, then pulled out something wrapped in cloth. He came back to her and handed here the bundle and watched as she opened it.

"This is a dagger made of the finest bronzed steel. It will keep you safe if needed. But I think we will not be attacked here. Wake me if anything happens." He walked back to his sleeping area.

"Goodnight," she called to him once he was laying down.

"Goodnight," he replied.

The night air drifted into silence. The popping of the firewood, the chirping of the crickets and the sounds of wildlife in the trees were the only thing breaking it. Arwen sat huddled by the fire, jumping at each pop the fire made, or each little sound she heard, whether imagined or real. She had been on edge since the bandit attack, fearing that they were following them, planning to kill them or hold them for ransom. But even if she was scared, that was no reason not to take watch just so Legolas could get rest.

A branch breaking behind her scared her out of her thoughts. She stood up and held up the dagger Legolas had given her. Her heart pounded in her chest, so loudly that she guessed whatever was there could hear it. She peered in the darkness as footsteps walked towards her, and to her relief, a small stag clambered out of the woods and stared at her, before prancing away into another part of the grove.

She let out a sigh and turned back to the fire, only to come face to face with Legolas, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Why did you not wake me?" He demanded, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, I thought I could take care of whatever it was. And please, do not creep up on me like that. You startled me."

"What if it had been a bandit? Or a troll? Or something that would harm you?"

"I think if it was a troll, I would have known. The footsteps were much too quiet to be one."

"But there was still a chance it was another bandit."

"You said yourself that you thought we would not get attacked out here. Do you think the bandits are following us?"

"Do you think this is funny?" Legolas asked, his face void of emotion now.

"No, I do not. I was actually quite afraid," Arwen admitted. "But it was just a deer! A little stag!"

"Then you should have woken me if you were afraid. Go lay down. I will take watch from now, even if it was a stag."

Before Arwen could protest, Legolas grabbed her shoulders from behind and pushed her to the area he was sleeping moments before.

"Lay down and go to sleep."

"But--"

"Just sleep, Arwen."

Arwen gave up and watched him go back to the fire. He had his bow next to him, ready for any sudden attacks, which she was sure wouldn't happen. Sighing, she laid down on the soft sleeping furs and stared up at the stars through the tree branches. Against her will, she finally fell asleep dreaming of terrible and frightening things like bandits and trolls.

***

Hey guys!! It's been a couple of years since the last update *sweats nervously*, but I'm back! I'm so happy to be writing this story again. I got inspired to write some more, so I will. I don't think I can handle and upload schedule at this point because I've been trying to take better care of my mental health and having a set schedule might make the story not go where I want it to because it will stress me out.

But I hope you guys are still interested in this story! I have a few ideas for the next couple of chapter, so I hope you're excited.

Please leave a vote and feel free to comment what you think!

-cherrymochiii