The Lady of The Flame

Chapter Eighteen

"This is speech"
'This is thoughts'
"This is telepathy"
"Sindarin"
"Black speech"

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I Héri -o I runya
(The lady of the flame)
Chapter Eighteen:

"Narvana, Master Baggins." Lindir greeted as they appeared in the courtyard from the hidden pass, Bilbo having wanted to get the same view as last time.

The elleth placed a hand over her heart in greeting, "Lindir, I don't suppose-"

"A room has been set up for master Baggins, I will show him to it now and then give him a tour. Your father, sister, brothers and Lord Glorfindel are in the former's study."

She jogged up to the office, softly knocking on the door when she arrived.

"Come in."

She pushed open the door gently, a slight smile on her face as a few of the room's occupants looked up.

They were a few cries of "Nar!", "Narvana!" and "sunshine!" as she was passed around between them all for tight hugs.

"I thought you would still be in the Shire for another few days at least. You and Bilbo must have left immediately." Elrond noted curiously.

She nodded from where she was sandwiched in between the twins. "Bilbo and I left on the night of the party."

Arwen frowned and tilted her head. "What happened?"

The red-head opened her mouth to explain, only to close it again. She repeated the action several times before giving up with a sigh. "There is no delicate way to say it, so I will just be upfront."

"Nothing new there." Glorfindel snorted as he twirled a feather in one hand, lounging in an armchair with his feet over one of it's arms.

She shot him a halfhearted glare, tempered by the smile pulling at her lips which caused him to grin.

"Gandalf and I think that the ring was in the Shire all this time."

The statement was met with silence.

The feather slipped from Glorfindel's long fingers to flutter gently to the floor.

Elrond's face became utterly blank and his eyes glazed in thought and memory as he scoured his mind.

Arwen's face was equally blank, lips slightly parted as she sucked in a breath.

Elrohir was gaping like a fish while Elladan raised an incredulous eyebrow, eventually uttering "I beg your pardon?"

Narvana launched into an explanation, telling them of Bilbo's disappearance and the discussion and how she and Gandalf parted.

"We have to act now, surely?" Elladan asked when she finished. "If it is really in the Shire, it needs to be taken from there immediately and to Mordor."

"It's not quite that simple." Elrond murmured. "We need confirmation. It could be a trick, a carefully constructed piece of magic designed to lead us astray or distract us-"