Into Dragon's Fire (Book 1)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I glanced around as I approached where Legolas was talking to the red headed elf, trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation, which ended once I got close enough. " Alicia Stevens, I have heard many things about you. I am Tauriel. " She greeted me with a nod.

" Hi." I greeted, unsure about the look she was giving me, before turning as Legolas passed me a sword. 

An hour later, I stormed into my room soaking wet, and very angry. Meriel looked over in shock when she saw me and hurried to get a towel as I angrily pulled off my boots and threw them at the wall. Meriel returned with a towel and began to dab at my damp hair, only to frown as I pulled it from her hands and sat in front of the fire in a ball. " What happened, Alicia." She asked, walking over to sit beside me, and I pulled the towel tighter around me as I glared at the flames.

" If you dont tell me, I'll be forced to call for the king." She said, and a tear ran down my face. " I'm trying, Meriel, I really am. I understand that I'm an outsider here, and that no one has any reason to trust me, but..." I trailed off as my voice broke, and she wrapped an arm around me.

" What happened?" She asked.

" I went to the training session with Legolas, I thought we could be civil, you know. Everything was going fine, until I messed up and lost my footing. It wasn't the first time, so I thought he would quit, and we would start again, but he just kept coming at me even when I lost my sword and fell in the river. He started yelling at me and telling me to return to where I came from because I didn't belong here." I told her. " I wish I could, because I hate it here." I hissed.

" This is my mother's world, not mine. Whatever it is that I'm supposed to do here, I can't. I can't because no matter what, no one is going to look at me as anything else but a scared, stupid, little girl. I'm not a hero, Meriel. I'm not her."

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I continued to go to the lessons over the next few days, even when each attempt ended with me falling in the river, and him walking away with annoyed look on his face. I hadn't seen much of Thranduil since the night of the dinner, I knew that it was wrong to make Meriel keep secrets from her own king, but I just didn't feel like it was that was necessary to involve him. Someone I did see again, however, was Aria Stone. She appeared to me during a walk I decided to take through the gardens; she was perched on the branch of a tree, swinging her legs back and forth as if nothing in the world bothered her, staring up at a nest of birds in the tree above her. 

" What do you want?" I questioned, calling out to the girl, and a small smile crossed her face for a moment, before she turned look at me. " Thought I might join you." She said, sliding right off the branch. She plummeted for a moment, before her fall slowed and she landed lightly on the ground in front of me.

" Who are you, Aria?" I asked.

" I believe we've already had this conversation." She responded, tilting her head, a knowing look in her eyes before she turned and started walking, motioning for me to follow her. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, before moving to walk beside her. " The real question you should be asking is, ' What does that mark on your shoulder mean?'." She told me, and I self-consciously touched my shoulder.

" It's a sign." Aria said, and I frowned." Of what? That's yours to determine. I will say, however, that it won't be an easy task to complete, and though it might seem clear, you'll find that things aren't always as they seem."

" How will I know when my job here is done?" I asked, and she paused, turning to face the treetops above where a bird had just taken flight. " You'll know." She said, and I turned to look at her, only to find myself alone.