𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 ➵︎ [ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧 ]

39| Maeglor

This chapter is dedicated to Katherine2620826. 

Thank you so SO much for your love; for voting, commenting and supporting this book. I know how much you wanted an update ;) so this one's for you <3

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Warm light danced across my skin from the fire that we had rekindled as silhouettes flickered against the walls and pillars.

Legolas sat by me on the floor beside the fire pit as I let the warmth of the flames brush against exposed skin.

I drew in a long breath. It was time to let all those painful memories resurface.

"I suppose I should start with...where I'm from." I slowly exhaled. "The elven kingdom of Maladros."

Legolas furrowed his brows in thought.

"Where? I have not heard of such a Kingdom."

I chuckled, but I couldn't suppress the slight sadness behind it.

"That was the entire point. It was said to be the 'Gondolin*' of the second and third age; glorious, magnificent and yet completely hidden from the eyes of most."

I could still hear the sparkling of the waterfall by the west entrance, smell the tantalizing fragrance of the native wildflowers, and feel the smooth touch of the stone white pillars in the palace.

"Because Maladros did not exist on the map, it was the safest place to be."

I remembered the ring of mountains that encircled the city like a barrier, protecting our existence.

"But we also had another defence against the darkness. We had a palantir that connected us with Galadriel in Lothlorien."

Legolas nodded his head in interest as I continued.

"We were close with the Lady of Light. The powers of Nenya protected Lothlorien's borders, and through the connection of the palantiri, Galadriel also protected ours. So none other than those with pure intentions, or those accepted by the royal family could enter the city."

"That sounds...infallible," Legolas said, his blue eyes glittering in amazement.

"It was, for millennia..." I replied, "...until me. I...I was only fifteen when it all happened"

I sighed, pulling out my hairpin, letting my black waves cascade down past my shoulders.

"You remember Maeglor?"

"The one who shot me?"

I looked down, biting my lip. "He was my closest friend."

Legolas furrowed his brows. "I suppose he wasn't always evil then."

I nodded. "He used to be kind-hearted and warm, caring and loving, humorous and quick-witted..."

I gazed into the fire. "...he was one of the few who wanted to be friends because of me, and not my father's power. His father was my father's head advisor."

I remembered when Maeglor's hair wasn't always shrouding his face in shadow, when his blue-grey eyes were full of light and laughter. Those memories always cut the deepest.

"He was one of my only friends. But a part of me always knew he wanted to be more than that."

I walked through the halls of Maladros, my mind completely enthralled by the book in my hands. Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my shoulder.