Moonbeam

Chapter Five

The flickering flames from the fire cast dark shadows around the room, which danced to a tune unheard by anyone.

Tara gazed into the flames, seeing nothing. Her heart was numb, and her body unwilling to function.

Thranduil glanced at her as he moved, tossing another log onto the burning pile. He settled back on the floor next to her, their backs leaning against the couch.

Night had fallen over the kingdom, bringing a sense of peace with it. The darkness seemed to cloak everything, including her ability to make sense of anything around her. She hadn't spoken a word since breaking down earlier, but had shut herself off in a world of silence.

He had stayed with her.

He hadn't spoken to her or tried to pry her from her self-imposed exile, but merely remained a strong, silent presence close by.

Her eyes moved to the glass of wine which appeared in front of her, and she looked at it for a few seconds before accepting it. The liquid tasted sweet, and gave her a warm feeling inside as she swallowed a mouthful.

"You have not asked what my mother told me the night we left," she said suddenly, breaking the silence that had lasted for hours.

His head turned towards her. "I thought you would tell me when you were ready, if you wanted to," he replied, turning back to the fire. "It is not my place to push for answers, only to supply the ones which I am able to."

She took another drink. "She woke me up in the middle of the night," she said, her voice indicating that she was back in the past. "It was a freezing cold night...the snow had been falling all day. Legolas and I had been outside having snowball fights until the light faded."

Thranduil said nothing. He took a drink from his own glass, continuing to stare into the flames.

"She woke me up and said we had to hurry. I asked why, asked her what was happening," she said. "She told me that we had to leave. I started to cry."

He lowered his gaze to the glass in his hands.

"I did not want to leave you and Legolas, and she knew this," she went on. "And she became angry. Told me I was behaving like a spoiled child, and I had been raised better than that. I sat up in bed crying my eyes out as I watched her pack clothing into a bag. I went into a bit of a temper, refusing to get out of the bed, demanding answers."

He turned to look at her again, and her eyes met his as she glanced at him.

"She said you had ordered her to leave, and to take her spoiled, attention-seeking brat with her," she whispered. "Apparently you said you were tired with me trailing after you all the time, taking up your time when you had much more important things to do. She said Legolas only played with me because he was royalty, and had been raised to have manners. She said you could not bear to see or hear me, that I had driven you crazy by being with you constantly."

He closed his eyes and shook his head, turning away from her. "I did not say that," he said, his voice quiet. "I promise, from the bottom of my heart, on my life...I did not say that. I did not even think it. The disappearance of you and your mother came as a shock to everyone, but more so to myself and Legolas. He was inconsolable for a long, long time. You were the only friend he had truly bonded with, even though you had only been around for a relatively short time."

"I know I followed you everywhere," she admitted. "I felt safe with you, protected. I regarded you as a big bear that I could play with, have fun with, pull pranks on, yet I knew you would never hurt me. She took that from me, and made me think you detested me."