Be My Voice in This Present Darkness (Legolas x OC)

~Chapter XX~

Vana woke with a start. Her heart raced, and her pupils were dilated.

"It was just a dream," she whispered to herself. She sat up straight. "It wasn't a dream. It was a vision."

Then the tears she had been holding back for so long cascaded down her cheeks. When they finally stopped, her black eyelashes were heavy with them. She fingered a lock of her hair.

"This used to be brown. . ." she thought. "And my eyes were blue. . ."

She traced her fingers along her yellow scar. She dissolved in tears once more. What kind of monster was she?

Then Vana stopped suddenly. She was a monster. She felt that much. No. she knew that much. But what could she do about it? She was now betrothed to Sauron. The Dark Lord. And she couldn't do anything to stop it. The sun was still a good ways from rising, she noticed.

"Alright, I might as well pack what I want to keep," she said to herself. "If I am going, then I have to at least prepare for it."

It felt strange for Vana to have her voice back. Signing and thinking where speaking would have been nice had become second nature to her. However, it was starting to feel like it had always been there.

She got up and quietly moved around her room, the honour of which had been given to her by King Théoden. Éowyn had been meant to sleep there too, but at the last minute she had offered to mind a baby for an injured woman. Vana packed various objects she wished to keep, her notebook, used for communicating where signing failed, her fountain pen given to her by the twins on her birthday one year when she visited Rivendell, one or two dresses that she had with her for formal occasions should they occur, and the memory of Legolas' kisses.

They were memories. Beautiful memories for her. He would forget. He would be fine. These were the thoughts Vana had as she got ready.

She suddenly remembered Galadriel's pendant. "Might as well bring it. . ."

Vana had hardly taken it out or worn it in the time since their time in Lothlórien, although to be very fair to Vana, she hadn't had a lot of time to do so without the danger of it being destroyed asserting itself.

Vana had another thought. Before she had retired for the night, she had sat close to Legolas while he had braided daisies into her hair. When she had fallen asleep, they had still been there, as she didn't want to take them out.

She took them out now. They were slightly wilted, but still retained their scent. She rummaged around for a small box, and packed the flowers away too. They would serve as a reminder for what what could have been.

What would have been.

Vana stole out of her tent to where Veluthe was tethered, to say goodbye to her beautiful horse. But Veluthe was gone.

"Veluthe? Veluthe?" Vana whispered for her mare.

A figure strode out of the shadows. A cloak covered it. Vana looked at them in surprise.

"Allow me to introduce myself, albeit at this late hour." Said a woman's voice, dripping with both honey and sarcasm, if that was possible. She walked over and threw back her hood.

She was incredibly pale, with her skin being white. Her lips were red, and her eyes eerily changed colour constantly in the uncertain light.

"Who are you?" Vana whispered.

She smiled. "You have called me Veluthe."

Vana realised. Her horse had been a shapeshifter. "Does that make you a-"