𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 ➵︎ [ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧 ]

5| glaurielle

Shoutout goes to @fayejacobs6 . Thanks so much for being my first voter 💞. Now, onto the story!

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As soon as we got off that cursed mountain, the weather cleared up almost instantaneously. I had this nagging feeling in my chest that this was not because we were out of Saruman's reach, rather quite the opposite.

We were doing as he expected.

As the last patches of snow melded into soil and stone, the warm rays of the low sun caressed our skin, drying our clothes and lifting our spirits.

"I never want to see snow ever again in my life," Pippin mumbled as he collapsed against the soft earth, earning a chuckle from the rest of the Fellowship.

I couldn't help but agree, the green of grass so much more inviting compared to the blinding white of ice and snow.

Sitting down on the grass, a sudden sharp jolt of pain sparked in my shoulder. I gripped my forearm as I winced, stifling a cry of pain.

Of course...my unlucky shoulder.

As inconspicuously as possible, I hovered my right hand over the injury. I could sense the tears in the muscle, and the bruise that was forming.

Shutting my eyes, I directed all my focus towards the wound, feeling that indescribable tingling course through my veins and concentrating on the palm of my hand. Letting warmth transfer to my shoulder, I squeezed my eyes tighter as I felt each individual muscle strand mending together. Slowly, the throbbing and swelling seemed to die down.

Opening my eyes, I was hit with an instant wave of dizziness, the world before me swirling uncontrollably, my vision only clearing after a couple seconds of blinking.

Testing my shoulder, I rolled it backwards and forwards. It was still sore, but the pain was more dull and less jarring. It was the best I could do at this point.

Satisfied with my work, I raised my hand to fix my hair. A pang of fear struck my heart when I could not feel my hairpiece. Frantically, I looked around my surroundings. This was not happening, I thought as I scoured the grass around me, looking desperately for the glint of gold. But to no avail.

Realisation sunk in as I turned to face the looming figure of the Caradhras mountain. It must have come loose somewhere up there. My stomach dropped when I realised that the last remnant of my mother now lay buried beneath layers and layers of snow. Completely, utterly lost.

A voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Are you alright?"

I turned my head to glance at Legolas, who stood before me, his brows slightly furrowed.

I cleared my throat, before looking down. "Uh...I think I lost something in the snow..."

"What was it?"

"It was a golden hairpiece that was..." I paused for a moment, "...special to me."

Legolas nodded, before reaching into his pocket and producing a golden piece of jewellery. I gasped, standing to my feet. My hairpin.

"Here." He offered it to me. "I found it in the snow. I thought it might be yours."

I went to take it from him, but he quickly retracted his hand, making me stop in my tracks.

"That opal..." He tilted his head, his eyes meeting mine. "...I've only ever seen something like it once before."

I narrowed my eyes at the elf before me, before taking a step closer towards him.