The Eye of His Dark Majesty

Wounded Bird

When the meeting ended, the Queen regent dismissed her council. The others nodded their heads in accordance and left the grand hall, but I hesitated. The highborn ladies that accompanied the Queen regent sneered, holding their heads high, silk dresses brushing the marble floors as they walked out. The guards stood by the door keeping their distance. I too began to make my exit when the Queen turned to me.

"Walk with me," she said her tone leaving no room for refusal.

I followed her into the fading light of the evening star. A balcony stretched far and wide surrounding the high tower of the castle. The Queen and I walked in silence, her footsteps steady and purposeful. The evening air was crisp when we stepped outside, the distant sound of waves crashing against the cliffs carrying on the wind. The Queen's dark cloak billowed behind her as we moved through the silent night, but she said nothing for a time.

I followed, feeling the tension build with each step.

Finally, she spoke, her voice cutting through the stillness like a blade.

"You've lived in Númenor long enough to know how things work, haven't you, Morena?" The question was casual, but her tone was anything but. There was an edge to it, something heavy lurking beneath the surface.

I nodded, though it unsettled me. The Queen rarely spoke so freely, especially to those she considered beneath her station.

She continued without waiting for my answer. "The court has its eyes on many things, you know. Ambition is the coin of this realm, and loyalty is a currency that is spent far too freely." Her voice darkened, and I felt her gaze fall on me. "Do you understand what I mean?"

I swallowed hard, unsure of where this conversation was leading. "I don't believe so, my Queen."

We reached a secluded corner of the gardened balcony, where the wind rustled the leaves of the ancient trees, casting shadows on the cobbled path. The Queen stopped, turning to face me. Her eyes were sharper now, colder.

"You need to understand why I require your loyalty, now more than ever."

I stiffened. Loyalty. There was something more to this than just idle talk. She had a purpose, and I could feel it in the air—like a storm waiting to break.

"There are those in this realm," she said, her voice lowering, "who do not have Númenor's best interests at heart. Their ambitions reach beyond these shores, and their loyalties lie... elsewhere." Her gaze sharpened as she paused, letting the weight of her words settle over me. "Lady Galadriel is suspected to be one of them."

I blinked, my heart skipping a beat at the mention of the Elf's name. Galadriel—one of the most powerful and revered of her kind. What could the Queen possibly mean? And why was she telling me this?

"She has been... troublesome. I heard her company had mutinied against her, her own people banished her" the Queen continued, her tone growing harder. "She walks among us, but her thoughts remain with the Elves across the sea. She speaks of alliances and trust, but I suspect her true motives are far more dangerous."

We stood there, surrounded by the ancient trees, their branches swaying gently in the wind as the Queen's words grew darker, more insidious. "I need someone to watch her closely. Someone who can move in the shadows, unnoticed. And I have chosen you, Morena."

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn't come. Why me? What role could I possibly serve in watching Lady Galadriel? I was no spy, no courtier skilled in intrigue. My mind raced, trying to piece together why I was here, standing before the Queen in this moment, being given this task.

And then she said it.

"I've kept your secret, Morena. For years."

My heart stopped. The ground beneath me seemed to shift, and I felt the world narrow to just the two of us—me, standing in stunned silence, and the Queen Regent, who knew far more than I had ever imagined.

"What secret?" I managed, my voice barely a whisper.

The Queen's expression softened, but there was no kindness in it—only calculation. "Do not play coy with me, child. You know exactly what I mean. Your lineage... your blood. You think your father hid it well? I've known since the day you were brought to Númenor."

The weight of her words struck like a hammer blow. My half-elven heritage, the secret I had only discovered yesterday — was laid bare before the Queen as though it had been nothing more than an open book for her to read.

"My father, the king, agreed to let you live among us," she continued, stepping closer, her eyes fixed on mine. "He believed you would be useful one day, that your presence here would serve Númenor's interests as well as having a soft spot for your kind. And now, that day has come."

I could barely breathe. The Queen had known all along—every moment I had been lied to by own blood, she had known it. Controlled it. My life was not my own; it never had been.

"You carry the blood of the Elves," she said, her voice a low whisper now, almost a hiss. "That makes you both valuable... and dangerous. The people of Númenor would not take kindly to learning that one of their own is not truly one of their own. I have protected you from that fate."

I clenched my fists, the weight of my mixed bloodline hanging over me like a curse. The fear of discovery had always been there, lurking in the back of my mind, but now it was real, tangible, held over my head like a blade.

"Tell them who I am. It makes no difference to me" I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to remain calm.

"You'd be an outcast. Your whole life will change in a matter of seconds. If you don't do this," the Queen continued, her voice dropping even lower, "your secret remains safe. No one will ever know of your Elven blood. But if you fail... if you betray my trust..." She left the threat hanging, but it was clear. My life in Númenor, the fragile existence I had fought so hard to maintain, would be shattered in an instant.

"I want you to watch Lady Galadriel," the Queen said simply. "She trusts too much in her Elven allies, and her intentions here are unclear. You, Morena, can get close to her in ways that others cannot. You understand her world in a way no one else here does."

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. The Queen wasn't just asking me to spy on Galadriel—she was asking me to betray her. To turn my back on my late mother's people.

I had no choice.

"I will do it," I said, the words bitter on my tongue.

The Queen smiled, a cold, satisfied smile. "Good. Keep your eyes on her, Morena. And remember—remember I am not your enemy, and I am trying to protect us from certain destruction"

She turned and walked back toward the castle, her cloak billowing behind her in the night breeze. I stood there, frozen, the weight of what I had just agreed to sinking in. I was no longer just a bystander in the politics of Númenor. I was now part of the Queen's game, a pawn in her battle against Galadriel.