Element of the Heart - A Lord of the Rings/Legolas Fanfiction

Chapter 35: Darkness Never Sleeps

Estelwen jerked awake. Something strong pulsed through the night air. She moaned. This pulse, it was not something she could hear. It was something that tugged at the very core of her being.

Magic.

The more she acknowledged what it was, the stronger the pull felt. She threw her blanket aside and stood up. The cold, still air caused an involuntary shiver up her spine. This was not from Gandalf. This power was dark, sinister, and only a sliver of something much larger. The pulse was addicting, and it baited her to follow. She clung to her bedframe, attempting to wait out the temptation. Minutes ticked by. Then, as if angry, the darkness snapped. It was gone. Estelwen lifted her head. No, she realized, it was searching.

The darkness couldn't lure her to it, but it would find someone else. Estelwen ran out of her room into the main hall. She pulled open the doors and raced outside, her bare feet brushing through the grass and dirt. After turning this way and that, she sensed a small dark trace and followed it. Above on a balcony, Legolas and Aragorn were talking in hushed tones, but they did not see her. The magic pulsed again.

Estelwen closed her eyes, feeling her body sway forward. It is in the room behind them. Estelwen opened her mouth to warn them, but the darkness exploded nearby in full force, overwhelming her.

Pippin's scream echoed through the air, followed by Aragorn yelling and the pounding of boots. Estelwen stumbled up the stairs and banged open the door to their sleeping chambers. Aragorn snatched a blazing black ball from Pippin, who lay pale and unconscious.

"Aragorn!" Legolas grabbed Aragorn's shoulders and tilted him to the side. The ball was still ablaze as it rolled off his hands onto the wooden floor. Estelwen could not break her gaze from it, could not stop the blazing image of the Eye from boring into her.

Estelwen.

She shut her eyes, shaking.

I can feel you little one. We do not need trinkets to communicate like mortals do. Your destiny is intertwined with the darkness. Even the elves could not understand such ancient forces. Soon you will see...

No one but Estelwen could hear the voice, but the others knew something was terribly wrong. Her hands were covering her ears and her mouth was open in a soundless scream. Gandalf bellowed in a strange tongue and threw a dark blanket over the ball.

"Estelwen!" Legolas ran and lifted her to her knees. Estelwen's face was deathly pale.

Gandalf bent over the unconscious Pippin and began to murmur a spell. Pippin's eyes shot open, and Gandalf asked what he had seen. "Did you tell Sauron anything?" Pippin shook his head.

Legolas lay a hand on Estelwen, who was still breathing heavily. She drew in a sharp breath. "I should return to my chambers."

Pippin finished saying as much as he could. Gandalf told them all to meet with him in the morning, when he would relate the events of the night to Théoden. Estelwen scurried out of the room and down the stairs.

"Estelwen!" Legolas caught up to her. "What did the Eye tell you?"

"I...He..." She shook her head, trembling. "Please do not ask me now. You have my word that I will tell everything to Gandalf in the morning."

Once in her room, Estelwen collapsed on the floor next to her bed, clinging to the short wooden post that was a part of its frame. The Dark Lord's voice still echoed in her head. There would be no sleep tonight. Dawn would approach in a couple hours.

The morning finally came and Estelwen prepared herself to meet with Gandalf and the others in a council with the king.

The white wizard stood tall in the throne room with his staff in hand. "There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool...but an honest fool he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring."

Théoden sighed in relief.

Gandalf paced the floor. "We have been strangely fortunate. Pippin was able to glance at the enemy's plan. Sauron's defeat at Helm's Deep reminded him of the courage and heart of man. He is wary that they should unite together." He looked directly at Aragorn before continuing. "And he would rather raze Minas Tirith to the ground than see the White City united again by the return of its king."

Théoden sat down. "Tell me. Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours?"

Aragorn and Estelwen spoke at once. "I will go to them."

Gandalf shook his head. "No."

"They must be warned!" Aragorn protested.

"And they will be." Gandalf moved closer and whispered to Aragorn. "You must come by a different route. Sauron expects a man by the name of Strider to come forth before he attacks Gondor. You have need of great aid."

Théoden surveyed the council. No one had anything else to add, so he declared the meeting adjourned.

Gandalf noticed Estelwen lingering behind while the others were leaving. He waited until it was only the two of them in the room. "Did you speak to the Dark Lord?"

"No."

Gandalf nodded. "It is as I thought."

"But I heard him..." Estelwen trembled. She curled her fist and pressed it into the table. "Why was I able to hear him? I was not near Saruman's trinket!"

"Trinket?" Gandalf shook his head. "Few would dare call the palantír a trinket. It is not limited to those who touch it. However, Sauron would not have reached out to you had you been deemed meaningless to him." He walked closer to her. "What did he tell you?"

"The words alone would have been mockery at best." She raised her head, dark hair falling to the side of her face. "But when he said my name...it was wrong. It was as if he already knew me, saw the choices I would make." She looked at Gandalf, terrified. "How could he know that?"

"He does not." Gandalf's voice was firm. "The future is never set in stone. Even prophecies cannot foretell the end. They can only speak of the choices, but not what we choose."

Estelwen's hand unfolded. "I will try to remember that."

"Trust in yourself."

"Gandalf, are you leaving again?"

He allowed himself a little smile. "Yes, to Gondor."

"Take me with you."

He gently shook his head. "No. It is not your time. But I will not be going alone. Pippin is coming."

She tilted her head. "Why him?"

"Seeing the truth of his visions from Sauron will bring him a bit more to reality. Also," he fingered his staff, "Sauron believes that Pippin carries the Ring. The hobbit will be safer in Gondor, the White City."

Estelwen nodded. "Ride fast, Gandalf."

An hour later, she watched the two ride on Shadowfax. Aragorn stood next to her, comforting Merry. Estelwen wanted to speak words of encouragement, but all she felt was a deepening pit in her stomach. When Gandalf and Pippin left, so did her last chance at escaping her feelings, at running away from the elf who knew her better than anyone else.