𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 ➵︎ [ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧 ]

27| promise

this chapter is dedicated to -berriboi

It means a lot to me that you're spending time reading my book. I know you might not be up to this chapter yet, and I hope you keep reading :)

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As I walked, my eyes surveyed the gruesome sight before me. Every man that lay lifeless, every creature that I killed out of mercy; every time my heart sank a little more.

"Daeriel!"

A breath of relief fell from my lips, a welcome break from the heaviness of the atmosphere.

I sheathed my sword, standing to my feet to meet the elf and the dwarf.

"Thank the Valar, you are alright. I was worried."

"Speak for yourself laddie, you look terrible," Gimli observed, "like you've just crawled out of Mordor."

I smiled sweetly. "Thank you Gimli, it's nice to see you too."

Legolas eyed the blood on my clothes, his brows furrowing with concern.

"Are you injured?" he asked, giving me a quick once-over.

"No, I'm fine, aside from my shoulder. Nothing I cannot heal." I assured, before noticing the red on my clothes. "The blood isn't mine, if that's what you're worried about."

Legolas nodded, his expression still concerned.

Quickly scanning my environment, a frown formed on my face.

"Where's Aragorn?"

Gimli's smile faded. "I...don't know. I haven't seen him since I was trapped beneath a warg."

A seed of fear planted itself in my mind. I frowned, brushing past Legolas as I began to search the plains.

"Aragorn!" I called. Legolas and Gimli joined in.

Every minute that passed, my calls grew more and more frantic. He couldn't have. No. If he did, we would have found a body, a piece of clothing...something.

My heart ached at the thought as I gently turned over a lifeless body.

It wasn't him.

A felt a slight wave of relief.

But how long until I turn over a body to find what I was dreading to see? Every reveal was both a reassurance and a weight upon my shoulders as Aragorn's whereabouts continued to remain unknown.

Legolas knelt down on the ground, his fingers tracing against the stone, his eyes scanning for any shred of evidence of Aragorn's fate.

A strangled, throaty laughter caught our attention. Turning around, we saw a grotesque figure cackling weakly from the ground, breaking into a cough midway. I grimaced at the sound of the orc choking on its own blood.

Gimli drew his axe, pointing it at the dying creature. "Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing."

The orc let out another strained laugh.

"He's...dead."

My breath left my body.

"He took a little tumble off the cliff," the orc sneered, baring his disfigured yellow teeth bared as he cackled.

My eyes widened as all the breath left my body in a sharp exhale. A burst of throbbing pain erupted in my mind, and I stumbled back, my vision beginning to reel.