Daughter of the Dark (War of the Rings: Books 1-3)

The Journey Begins/Uninvited Guests

Lyraelle's POV

The sun had risen high in the sky by the time we had reached our first rest point of the day's march towards Eregion.

I watched from my perch on a rock as Boromir stood before Merry and Pippin and began to train them in the art of sword fighting. I scoffed as I watched them with raised brows, noting the several ways in which Boromir was leaving himself open to attack. I didn't want to start squabbling with him so early in the trip, however, so I kept my mouth shut.

I glanced over to where Legolas and Aragorn sat huddled together. They looked to be having a very heated conversation but even with my half elven ears, they were too far away from me to overhear what was being said. I shrugged to myself; assuming it was just a lover's spat. During my time spent in Rivendell, it had become quite clear to me that the two of them were soulmates. I grimaced. I was happy for the two of them, really I was, but seeing them together only served to remind me of what I had lost - what my father had taken away from me.

I continued to sit in silence as I finished off my bread and cheese; trying my best to ignore the nagging sense of dread that was stealing over me.

Though the weather was warm, I winced and shuddered as I felt an icy feeling spread throughout my body. I stood up, doing my best not to draw attention to myself as I walked off away from the group; hoping to deal with this new turn of events before the other fellowship members realized that we had uninvited guests. I failed to notice, however, that three pairs of eyes had managed to spot me leaving; I was too focused on the matter at hand.

There was a Wraith nearby. I could always sense their presence. It was both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you chose to view the issue. I hissed under my breath when I finally spotted him, shrouded in black and standing tall in the center of the clearing. I froze. It wasn't just any Wraith. It was the Witch King of Angmar...again...not good. I had been expecting my father to send one of the lesser Wraiths. He rarely sent his faithful Black Captain out for anything - the incident at Amon Sul being an exception.

I hissed under my breath as I glared at him.

"What are you doing here! Leave at once!" I demanded, doing my best to sound confident and commanding. I wasn't fooling anyone though.

"I am here to pass on a message from your father, Princess. He is not pleased with you." The Witch King stepped forward slowly. I fought hard to resist the urge to stumble back and held my ground.

"So? What else is new? Was that the message then? If so, it has been received and you can go about your business." I couldn't help but flinch as the Witch King strode up to me and slid a long cold metal-clad wisp of a hand down the length of my cheek.

"Let me rephrase that - it wasn't so much a message that he wanted me to relay, but more of a reminder of the consequences of making him angry. And though you and I both know I prefer it best when we are left alone together, I admit that I find myself looking forward to the three of us having some fun." I blinked, my ears twitching as I struggled to comprehend his black speech. Not the language of course - I had been listening to the Black Speech for as far back as I could remember; I just wasn't sure of the meaning behind what he was saying...

He leaned forward and this time I couldn't help but step back. I realized my mistake after it was too late.

My eyes widened as my back collided with something solid. I didn't need to turn around to recognize the evil that I sensed now stood behind me.

"Shade!" I growled.

"Princess! Did I not tell you I would be seeing you again soon?" I trembled as he quickly spun me around to face him.