𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 ➵︎ [ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧 ]

49| A dream?

This chapter is dedicated to Eve455.

Thanks so much for you votes and comments, thanks for motivating me and making me smile. This chapter is for you <3

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Legolas' hasty footsteps echoed as he sped down the hall, his mind whirring at a million miles an hour.

Was Daeriel alright?

Was she in danger?

What happened to her that night at the archery grounds?

He spotted Aragorn at the entrance to the hall, conversing with one of the guards.

"Aragorn!" Legolas called, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"What are you-"

"It's Daeriel." Legolas cut him off.

Noting his grave expression, Aragorn nodded, before excusing himself from the conversation. Legolas pulled the man aside into another room.

"What's wrong?" Aragorn asked.

The elf ran his fingers messily through his hair.

"Ever since she awoke, I sensed there was something...off about Daeriel. And now I think I know why."

Aragorn furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"Her words are strange, and something feels...unfamiliar"

Legolas lowered his voice, scanning their surroundings quickly.

"Amarya no longer sits upon her finger, instead, there is a burn on her hand that I believe it has caused."

Aragorn's eyes widened in alarm.

"But that would mean..."

"I don't think she's in control anymore. Something else is pulling the strings." Legolas paused as a pair of guards passed by the doorway, eyeing them carefully as they walked out of earshot. He turned back to face Aragorn.

" I sense something else at play here. Something dark and...and sinister."

"It could be Sauron. If that's the case, we must find her immediately."

Legolas nodded, his mind wandering to the bow and quiver on his shoulder as he followed Aragorn out of the room. Whether he would be able to use it on her, that was another question that he did not want to consider.

They hastily walked through the hallways, their eyes scanning for the black-haired elleth.

"What would Sauron want with Daeriel, if not Amarya?" Aragorn ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as they neared their sleeping quarters. "Why would she be the target?"

Legolas halted in his tracks as a sudden realisation dawned upon him.

"She's not."

Aragorn furrowed his brows. "What?"

"Sauron knows that a halfling has the ring. He thinks it's here. Daeriel is just a vessel for him to enact his pl-"

Aragorn suddenly cut him off with a finger to his lips, jerking his head towards the doorway to their room. Legolas instantly fell silent as he listened. From inside their sleeping quarters came a voice, as smooth and sweet as honey.

'I have been looking for you, dear friend."

It was her voice.

"Hello Daeriel, how've you been!"