"I've seen your kind, time and time again. Every fleeing man must be caught.
Every secret must be unearthed. Such is the conceit of the self-proclaimed seeker of truth.
But, in the end, you lack the stomach for the agony you'll bring upon yourself."
— Sir Vilhelm, Dark Souls 3
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
In the resting quarters, [Y/n] fitted in her cot restlessly. Seems I won't be getting sleep again tonight... she sighed to herself, sitting up. This time, she was situated in a room where everyone else was — even Legolas and Aragorn slept with them, among the hobbits, Gandalf and Gimli, who all snored away into the night, leaving only her to be awake. She looked to her left, particularly at the Hobbits, where Legolas slept above them on a dingy bed. It's the first time she's seen him sleep in their entire journey, not even in Moria did he get a wink. She too, was a night owl, but not because she willed it like he did.
Creeping over to the back door, hoping to catch a breath of fresh air, she stepped over the hobbits and slowly tiptoed to the wooden door, but something odd caught her eye. Gandalf was to her right, and for some reason his belly was completely swollen! She would have gasped if her hand wasn't clamped over her mouth. She crept closer, poking it lightly. His belly felt hard and smooth under the fabric, and she realised it wasn't his stomach at all! It was an object.
Mischievously, she took it from him with careful hands, and he luckily didn't budge a muscle during this escapade. She couldn't tell what it was, but had an intense curiosity in her that made her want to peep it outside — for her curiosity was practically begging her to examine the strange ball. It was heavy, and it almost slipped out of her hands, but she managed to get out of the quarters with it secured against her inside the cotton blanket.
Sitting down on a crate, she unravelled the object, blinking in surprise at the sheer incandescence it held. It looked like there was a storm brewing inside, and staring at it for too long made her feel dizzy a bit. For some reason, she felt the urge to put her fingers on each of its sides, so she gave in and did so, but hesitated when it began to glow brighter the closer she brought her hands upon it. Something inside her was warning her not to touch it, and so her fingers trembled the nearer they got.
Gulping, she plastered herself on the ball... nothing.
"Ah, that's embarrassing..." she chuckled, seeing as it really was nothing but, her paranoia making her think this was anything but a fancy ball. Perhaps it's a decorative jewel that Gandalf wanted to keep for himself? She itched her nose, growing increasingly aware of her gloves.
"Hmmm... perhaps?" She questioned aloud, taking off her glove, not before checking her surroundings in case anyone was around. Her hand, now exposed to the cold night air, slowly descended on the glowing ball...
Like her entire world had turned inside out, she was lurched into a dream like trance; her surroundings distorting into visions of blazing fires, black smoke and a grand throne room... where a man clad in black robes and white hair, stood watching her.
She wanted desperately to scream, but petrifying electricity travel from her hand and trailed all the way up to her head, where it fried her brain, causing her to go limp from speech or any other type of reaction. She didn't remove her hand, it was like the ball had burnt itself into her skin and refused to let her go, keeping her trapped in this strange chasm before this stranger that now observed her with disgust, and it made her lungs beg for air as she struggled against the orb, as it suddenly lunged her forward to the man's feet, where she accidentally knelt before him.
"What's this...? An old servant risen from the dead? No... a daughter." He spoke, his baritone voice reverberating all over her body as it shook her to her core. She cowered underneath him, trying to look away from the man's fiery gaze as it studied her more closely. "A weak shadow of what she used to be. Will you follow me too and submit to my desire, or fall like the rest of your family?" He continued, his hand lifting only for a moment, and instantly it made the ball burn hotter against her skin, sending more electric currents through her body like she was struck by lightning.
He leant closer to her, till their faces were only inches apart. It's only then she let out a cry, using her other hand to push at the cursed ball and get it off of her.
"I know where you are, Quelaag... I see you in the deepest pools of her eyes. You are trapped and if you return to me, I shall free your curse once and for all. I will promise you greatness and power, but most importantly, perfection." He continued, his eyes looking like they were made of hell fire itself, and all she could do was tremble before the towering figure, struggling to get this thing away from her! The blaze of his corneas began to burn themselves into her soul, beckoning her to relent for his cause, and [Y/n] connected the dots, figuring out who she knelt before!
Unleashing an ear piercing scream, she tore away from the orb, letting it fall to the grassy ground and roll away meters ahead of her. Her heart didn't stop knocking against her ribs, her lungs burnt in each breath, and her hand singing at the touch. She slowly discovered that she was back where she was sat earlier, and felt incredibly relieved. Her body still shivered though, the eyes of that man flashing in her vision any time she closed her eyes.
In a panic, she covered the devilish ball and quickly snuck back inside, almost throwing it onto Gandalf, but she recollected herself enough to carefully set it back in his arms again. Why does he have this accursed thing?! She screamed internally, and hurried back to her bed, throwing herself into a sleeping position and trying hard to breathe normally. She pretended to sleep for what felt like hours, but even after that long, she hadn't calmed down. Her hand still burnt like she had rubbed it on poison ivy, and all she could do was cry silently from the pain, kicking herself for being so stupid. Why did I do that?! Why?! She asked herself, trying to think more rationally.
Alright... I'm certain that was Sauron. Who else could appear so demonic? She thought, feeling another panic attack coming. Calm down... calm down, it's ok. If it was indeed Sauron, then he won't be able to find me. We are leaving soon anyway, he won't be able to track me after that! She compromised, smiling in an attempt to feel satisfied with her solution. But, what if he does find me? She grew afraid again, her heart still pounding miserably. Izalithian's used to be servants of Morgoth, and then became allied with Sauron when he came into power, so what if he tries to coax me into his rule? What will I do then? She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself. She began to sweat profusely, practically becoming drenched in it despite having taken a bath not long ago.
My shade told me that I must only look out for myself! That I must bite back at any force that stands in my way... she thought, trying to will herself to not fret. Although her shadow has given many bad advices, this one seemed to be the best out of all of them. If I cannot handle it, then I could always let her deal with it. That was an offer the shade made to [Y/n] when she bathed, and slowly it was becoming a good possibility in her eyes. Sitting up again, she crossed her legs and sat in silence, trying to think for more solution to her predicament, not noticing the almost undetectable feet that stepped toward her from her right.
"What are you doing?" Legolas appeared in front of her, almost making her scream. She held her chest dramatically as her heart began to thump uncontrollably again, feeling like it was gonna stop at any moment. Her eyes stuck to Legolas, widened with fear, then it melted into annoyance.
"Legolas! You scared me!" She whisper shouted, taking in a deep breath. He tilted his head to the side, looking unimpressed with her.
"Why are you awake and staring at the floor like that?" He crossed his arms, keeping his voice low. She jumped when a snort came from their right from Gimli, who shifted in his sleep, then continued to snore again after settling down. Her head snapped back to Legolas, absolutely aggravated by his constant hounding.
"Must you always stick that stumpy nose in others business?!" She almost shrieked, but she clamped her mouth shut when one of the hobbits shuffled. Legolas scoffed, leaning down to her level.
"It is my duty to question people. Especially you, witch," he retorted, poking her hard in the chest like she had done before. Why you... she gritted her teeth, outraged that he still had the gall to speak to her after what she had told him.
"Hmph. Well, keep your questions to yourself, I'm not the one you should be sleuthing about!" She poked him back. His lips tightened into a thin line and his jaw clenched after she finished.
He poked her harder.
"Ow!" She exclaimed, and pushed him.
He pushed her harder.
"You petty child! Why are you doing this?!" She scowled, getting onto her feet to push him back, but he didn't even falter. He smirked, his eyes glinting evilly. She gulped, regretting her decision to provoke the warrior elf.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back into her bed, making her gasp in shock. The audacity! She pounded her fists against his chest, and they both proceeded to get into a silent scuffle with each other — [Y/n] trying to deliver pain to him as much as she can (even pinching his chest like one does to a cow udder), and Legolas just trying to detain her and keep her in her seat.
Her face began to heat up from the amount of anger boiling in her blood, and right before she could scream at him to stop, her mouth dangled open as a shriek not belonging to her came from the corner. They unanimously snapped their heads to her right, seeing that one of the hobbits was missing and that everyone had been roused from their sleep, looking frantically to the corner Gandalf slept in.
"We'll continue this later," he murmured in her ear before throwing her off himself, knocking the air out of her.
That absolute asswipe!!! He thinks this is a game! She stomped her way over to him as he rounded the corner swiftly avoiding her clawing hands, but froze when she saw what the commotion was. Pippin was holding the accursed ball! She felt mortified at the idea that the both of them had the same halfwit idea to hold the orb, but at the same time, she grew incredibly distraught at the sight of him thrashing around in pain as his hands remained glued on the ball like hers did earlier. Gandalf managed to knock it out of his hands with his staff, and quickly he covered it in cloth.
"Fool of a Took!" His voice boomed, grabbing Pippin's head and holding it his arms. Pippin trembled violently, his eyes looking like they were yards away into the sky.
[Y/n] whimpered accidentally, stepping away as the whole scene unfolded before her. Pippin spoke of his visions to Gandalf, and were taken to another room so they can interrogate him further. She decided to sit outside, feeling too uneasy to stay in there, and watched as dawn edged in from the border of the grassy plains, painting the purple. Gimli sat with her, smoking his pipe silently, occasionally dosing off before snapping awake and taking a puff. She wept a bit, feeling him pat her back reassuringly.
"All is going wrong! The Fellowship has broken, and now we face mortal danger!" She looked to him desperately, not knowing what she was trying to convey. Failure? Perhaps. Loss of hope seemed more viable.
"Don't trouble yerself, lass. I have an inkling that all will be well," he said with kind eyes, even smiling sleepily for her. She calmed just at the sight of his gleam, and took in a shaky breath. He never seemed to lose his faith, only letting it dim every once and again when all odds were against them, but he would always shoot back up with a glorious positivity that made her feel at ease.
"How do you stay so optimistic in these trying times? I find it hard to continue, and each day things get worse," she vented to him, and he listened to every word. He chuckled, puffing another smoke into the air.
"Aye, I may appear jolly at the worst of times, but I know to keep my head up even if the sky were to fall — there's no use crying and giving up. Think of it like this; if the whole world gave up and stopped trying today, then where would we be?" He asked her, leaning towards her expectantly. She thought on it for a bit, and smiled when she finally saw his reason.
"You see? That is the beauty of being stubborn! If is dwarves threw our efforts away and despaired, then we wouldn't be as great as we are now, aye?" He smirked, chortling to himself and looking back to the rising sun. She continued to stare at him in wonder, seeing the rising suns light illuminate him beautifully in his dark brown eyes and fill her with a sense of determination.
Legolas and Aragorn came out of the quarters, looking defeated. She smiled sadly at them, knowing that they were about to deliver bad news.
"We have to report this to the King Théoden..." Aragorn started, explaining all that Gandalf devised from Pippin's visions, filling them in on a potential plan to solve this issue. It reminded her too much of how she had tried to solve her own issue with the stupid orb, and she couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence.
"I'm sorry, but I don't recall that being funny," Legolas scolded, nearing her with his arms crossed stiffly. He was obviously stressed by this whole mess and decided to project it onto her. She rolled her eyes, and leant against Gimli, hoping he would just leave her alone about it.
"I, too, looked into the palantír... it is a bringer of evil, and we are fortunate that Pippin didn't reveal anything that could endanger our mission too greatly," Aragorn spoke softly to no one in particular, and [Y/n]'s eyes widened.
"You touched that devilish thing? What did you see?" She asked, gasping. He smiled to her and shook his head.
"I cannot tell. It is something I must think upon alone," he explains, and she felt worried for the man. He never spoke much about his troubles — hell, he didn't even talk much at all! He was always the silent type, but whenever he spoke, it was like she was listening to prophetic words.
"If I were to see Sauron, he'd meet me shiny axe in between his eyes before he could coax anything out of me!" Gimli roared, waving his fisted hand in the air. Legolas chuckled, sitting himself beside the dwarf.
"And from me, I would gift him an arrow deep into his cold heart," he said, chuckling with Aragorn.
"Indeed if he has one, I would be surprised," [Y/n] chimed in, earning another laugh from the men. She felt so proud of herself for making them smile, especially Aragorn, who looked much more alleviated after speaking to them. She shifted to Gimli with a warm gaze, grateful for the wise words he shared with her.
"I was wrong to fret, Gimli. Thank you for reminding me," she bowed her head, and he only nodded back.
"Any time, lass," he grunted, taking another puff of smoke.
Legolas refrained from letting his curiosity out and merely watched their intimate exchange, but couldn't help wondering what they spoke of.
Later that hour, they all set off to the Golden Hall, to warn Théoden of their newly arisen conflict, where Gandalf filled him in on all that had happened till now, sharing his plans for the next step to calm the kings worried gaze. [Y/n] watched them exchange words privately, up until Gandalf brought up Aragorn, detailing the importance of the race of Men's valour in the battle that comes towards Minas Tirith.
[Y/n] gulped, feeling heat rise up her throat as they continued to discuss. In the end, Aragorn has appointed himself to go warn Minas Tirith of the coming danger, and she grew anxious for the man as Gandalf informed him to take an alternate but, unconventional road...
Dawn was soon to be upon them, and it was clear now that things were urgent. Pippin has to go with Gandalf to the White City, and [Y/n] had trouble deciding whether she should go with them or not. As Gandalf hopped onto his horse, Pippin being helped onto his lap, she began to panic with how fast everything was going.
"Quickly! Decide now, [Y/n]!" Gandalf urged, eagerly tightening his hold on Shadowfax while Pippin sat in his lap. She clenched her hands as a surge of adrenaline took over her. Whipping her head to Aragorn, then at Pippin, then at Gimli and Legolas, who watched her with distraught, but didn't day anything. I must aid Pippin and the White City, I'm sure the boys will handle themselves well enough without me... She thought, turning to them sadly. Gandalf nodded in approval, knowing she's made her decision go follow him. He urged the stable master to bring out her horse, while she approached Aragorn, offering her hand as farewell.
"It was an honour to serve the once and future king, Aragorn. Farewell to you, and may the Valar watch over you in your toils," she spoke eloquently, stiffening when he met her eyes. He smiled warmly, with a hint of sympathy dancing in his icy blue eyes.
"We will meet again, my lady. I am sure of it," he takes her hand, giving it a firm shake. She would have cried if she wasn't trying to impress him so much.
Turning to Gimli, she immediately fell to her knee and engulfed him in a tight hug, whispering goodbye into his ear. He chortled sadly, patting her on the back before turning her away, hiding his teary vision.
Then, it came to Legolas... she stepped toward him conflicted, unsure if she will see him again, and unsure if her goodbye should voice any fleeting emotions she's ever had for him. He smiled at her softly, bowing deeply to her, making a weird gesture with his hand where he held his chest then waved it to her. She frowned, unsure what it meant, but bowed to him anyway, her tongue itching to speak anything to him — even a 'farewell' would have sufficed, but she said nothing.
Rushing to her horse, Butter, she mounted it with the help of Legolas, who had followed her. She took his hand, and used it to leverage herself up, lingering her hold on him for a moment too long before letting him slip from her gloved fingers. She hid her wet face behind her hair, pretending she was balancing herself to seem occupied.
"Goodbye, lass! I'll think of you every step of the way!" Gimli wailed, blowing his nose into a rag loudly, imitating the honk of a goose.
She couldn't stop the sob that came out of her as she waved to him, unable to take her eyes off her good friends. Aragorn, a man she could trust with her life. Gimli, a friend who listened to her and never doubted her strength, but also made her laugh in her most dire moments... and Legolas. The elf she thought she hated, but turned out to long for more than anyone she's ever met. She knew the feeling of compassion for the ones you hold to your heart as friends, but for him, she had slowly dug him a special place in her heart without realising it — every time she pushed him away, he shot back up like it didn't matter, like her cruelty was something he saw deeper meaning into, and would not give up on winning her kindness. Her eyes widened when she saw him, still smiling to her as if to reassure her, and she watched him with fraught with anguish as she willed Butter to move like the wind, unable to tear her vision away even as he shrunk till she couldn't see his face anymore.
Turning away, she continued to weep as her horse galloped away with Gandalf, over the hills of Rohan and into the sun, where her eyes burned as she kept her view ahead, refusing to look back.
"I swear to you, my friends. I will return to you, one way or another..." she promised, hardening her gaze into one of great determination, letting it course through her veins liberally.
𐮛 The Gates of Edoras... 𐮛
Aragorn turned to his elvish friend, gleaming at him knowingly when [Y/n] was out of scope.
"That was a memorable goodbye, Legolas," he commented, folding his arms over his chest smugly. Legolas huffed in amusement, regarding him dismissively.
"Not for her. She isn't aware of Elvish customs," he responds, still watching the horizon even though Gandalf and [Y/n] had long gone.
"And neither am I! What's all this then?" Gimli butts in, hitting Legolas in the elbow with his hand.
He only shook his head, ignoring the blaring dwarfs voice, instead focusing on his vision of the fleeting figure with distinctive long ears. He rubbed his hand dreamily, still feeling the soft touch of her flesh tightly coiling around his fingers, leaving a ghost of her presence burnt onto his skin for him to remember till they meet again.
◣──•~❉᯽❉~•──◢
I know its a bit short, but i felt that this moment deserved a chapter of its own — it reminds me the of time i left my grandparents; the look my grandfather gave me... I will never forget
Sorry my little poopsies, wont happen again. But I just wanted to tell you guys what this chapter was inspired by;
The fleeting desperation one sees in a loved one you know you will never see again, how they stare at you like a child that is being abandoned by a crying mother, with only the wails of your heart to drown out the world as you connect your souls in that spot, saying goodbye with your hearts, but without words. I will never forget my grandfather.
Cough... anyways.. enough tearing up.
Here's a meme about LOTR.
Still crying bitch? Damn. Here's another one.
Bro rlly said: 👉🏻
😂😂😂😂😂😂 soh fahny
Bye my lovelies, I'll see you next chapter.
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