ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛ [ᴀ ᴛʜʀᴀɴᴅᴜɪʟ x ᴏᴄ]

Chapter 14- Acantha

Araniel POV

I was alone in my room when a knock came from the door. It was harsh and echoed around the whole room. My hand brushed the hilt of my sword as the swept across the room to the dark cracked door. I tentatively opened it and it revealed my old friend well she wasn't my friend anymore.
"Acantha, " I greeted coldly glaring at her. Her jet black hair cloaked her face and almost black eyes stared back at me emotionless. She stepped slowly into the room the light from the sun only enhancing the sickly paleness of her skin.
"Araniel, it's...not a displeasure to see you, " Acantha said examining the bear room.
"I think that's the closest you have ever come to a compliment, " I acknowledged. "Now why are you here?"
"Can't I just come see an old friend?" She asked innocently.
"You put the murder of the King on me. I was hunted for years. What makes you think we're still friends? And besides here now I look at now. Does anyone actually have the ability to be friends with anyone else unless it is simply as a means to an end?" I replied trying to keep my voice down.
"You have a point there-" she circled back around the bed to stand in front of me"- we are dark elves after all. Nothing like the dear little friends you have back at Mirkwood and let us not forget the King, " she said with a menacing grin.
"My place is here now. They mean nothing to me, " I said angrily.
"We'll see about that when they're all in front of you begging desperately for their lives, " She challenged before leaving me once more.
I sighed heavily. She would have to be dealt with. I poked my head out of the door as saw a wisp of her thin black cloak flick around the corner at the end of the short dark corridor. I moved after her wanting to find where she was going. Acantha never went anywhere if there was not a purpose to it.
Acantha left the castle with speed and confidence- no one questioned her movements whatsoever.
I followed behind slinking in the shadows checking around for anyone else lurking which was common among this kind.
I trekked through the dense forest surrounding and kept a close eye on Acantha. She was being cautious looking behind her ever so often which is why I kept myself behind the trees that we're shrouded in thick dark green moss. Ivy also strangled a few as it twisted and climbed over the trees.
Soon a small wooden shack came into view. It stood sadly crushed between the trees. I climbed up the nearest tree close the shack and waited. Acantha unlocked the door and stepped inside the door creeping closed behind her.
Time seemed to pass slowly crouched up in the tree with my hair being tossed around by the strong crisp breeze plummeting through.
A scraping of wood pulled me back to my senses. The door opened and the dark elf stepped elf but something else caught my eye. There were a familiar pair of boots poking out and an even more familiar voice shouting angrily at Acantha.
It was Laeanna.
Once Acantha was out of sight I lept down from the tree feeling the dry leaves on the forest floor crunch under my feet. I bolted to the door. How in middle earth did she find this place? And why was she alone?
I put a hand on the door and pulled back immediately hissing in pain. There was some sort of protective spell cast on it meaning only the caster can enter unharmed.
"Who's there?" Laeanna snapped.
"You're friend, " I answered with a sigh.
"Araniel!" She exclaimed happily.
"Why are you here?" I questioned.
"To bring you home, "
"I can't go home. Laeanna. I need to stop the dark elves. If I don't you Astra and Thranduil are at risk and I can't have that, " I replied.
"Araniel I will drag you back Mirkwood if I must, " she said determinedly.
"Well youre not going to do it from in there, " I pointed out. "And for the time being, I can't get you out. I need Acantha for that and even then I've still got a plan to carry out which you can't be around for. I'm going to get you out of here and then you're going straight back to Mirkwood, "
"You do realise that is never happening, " Laeanna countered.
I sighed heavily brushing some hair out of my face.
"Laeanna please I will return to Mirkwood as soon as I can but the dark elves cannot be allowed to continue their reign of terror. They're more organised now and that makes them far more dangerous, "
This time it Laeanna's turn to sigh.
"I know Ara but why did you run off without even a word to any of us? We could help you. Thranduil is the King for crying out loud we could have come here with an army behind us, "
"Yes, and you and Thranduil would be at the head of that army. I'm not risking your lives. Now, what did Acantha want, "
"She wanted to know who I was and about your relationships with the other elves in the kingdom. Of course, I told her nothing at all but she said she would be back later with something that would make me more talkative so that's not great, " she laughed half-heartedly. This only filled me with more anger towards Acantha.
"Laeanna I will be back soon I promise, " I said brushing off my clothes.
"What are you going to do? "
"Deal some well-deserved payback, " I smirked breaking out into a run through the thick forest leaping over tree roots and ducking under mosses covered branches. Last time I faced her she got away with everything. This time would not be the same at all.
I'll make sure of it.