𝕰𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖆

Chapter Twenty-One: Recovery

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"Rest easy, she'll be well taken care of," an elven maid said to Aragorn, who sat at the foot of my bed looking more feverish than I.

The maid slipped out of the room, leaving me and Aragorn alone. After supper, the others had eagerly urged me back into my room, before escorting Legolas back to his own. It was only a short distance away, the hall being largely vacant due to a lack of injured or sickly patients to fill it. Aragorn had remained with me, and I was glad for it, not wanting to be left alone. That, and having so much to share with him. So much to ask him. And, if I was being entirely truthful, I missed his company.

Aragorn watched me with a pensive stare, as though debating whether or not to speak. Finally, he did;

"What happened?" he said, "Legolas told me to ask you, that it wasn't his place to say what you went through while we were apart."

The merriment of the evening began to drain from my fingertips as my mind drifted back to that awful place. I'd expected him to ask, but it certainly wasn't something I wanted to relive. Ever. And yet, Aragorn deserved an explanation. So I gave one.

"We were captured at the Fords," I began, and his eyes instantly widened, knowing where I was going, "The Wildmen, they brought us to Saruman. He... He told me he wanted my allegiance. Played with my mind. Tortured me."

With a shudder, my gaze fell from his, and landed on one of the many scars Saruman's power had clawed into my skin.

"Prince Alintas, the man I was to marry-The man who tried to kill my father-He was there. He told me my brother was dead... That's what broke me. We were held there for days. I lost hope. And then, somehow, I found it again. Legolas and I escaped into Fangorn, and made it here. To you."

"How did you manage to escape?" he asked, leaning forward.

"I... It's a long story. I don't quite understand it myself..." I sighed, pulling up my sleeve to reveal the rune.

Even amongst the stars in my skin, it stood out, reflecting a dull white shimmering glow. Aragorn took my arm and pulled it closer, much as Legolas had. His eyes spilled over the delicate curls in the design, flowing like water over my ivory skin.

"What is it?" he asked, his eyes not leaving the rune.

"I've had these randomly occurring dreams as of late, dreams with a woman's voice, a flaming eye, fear and pain," I shuddered at the mere memory, "Each time I awake from these dreams, I find another rune. I haven't the faintest idea why."

"Dreams, you said. You've had more than one? Are there more runes?" he gestured at the rune.

I nodded my head, shuffling around so my back faced him, and pulling up my undershirt to reveal the large rune that climbed from the nape of my neck, down to my upper back, where it sprawled out over my shoulders.

My spine went rigid when I felt his fingers trace my bare skin, brushing aside my hair to better examine the marking.

"These runes, they are of the ancient Fae. The time of King Erui... Yet they differ. They're intertwined with symbols I can't quite discern," his face was now so close I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin.

I shuddered, and he seemed to realize then how close he was. He shrunk back, and I pulled my shirt back down, turning to face him.

"Saruman brought me outside of Orthanc one day, keen on breaking me by hurting Legolas. I was so... Angry... I just snapped. Some power, something I felt in my head, my chest, my bones, it burned through my binds. And when I attacked Saruman... There was this burst of light..." I shook my head, "In any case, it was enough of a diversion for us to escape."