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All had been a blur in terms of how the two companions had ended up riding out of Erebor and deciding to go wherever their course would take them. The forests surrounding them were unlike any as she noticed the absence of darkness, something greater than any battle had occurred to banish such darkness away.
Zaya knew that Bilbo Baggins held the one ring, but had seen a glimpse of his fate and knew that she must leave it with him. She wanted to take it and destroy it now, but that was not how it would be done. She doubted she could carry it anyway as she already wielded such a ring already and such a power would corrupt her and Middle Earth would be doomed.
The weaker the being, the lighter the weight.
Legolas glanced over at her, seeing her small smile of pleasure as her beautiful black horse drew her along with such calmness.
"What is it?" He asked, wondering why a traveller who was thousands of years old was so happy to see a forest. "It's been a long time I've been harbouring in the towns of men, seeing a simple forest would bring pleasure to most." He tilted his head. "You seem so different now..." he muttered and she turned to look at him, blushing a little because of what he had said. "Yes... I have to put people off usually. Though I may have went a little far about certain things..." she looked up at him from a tilted head, shy about the fact she had said he wasn't honourable.
"Do you still think I'm unworthy of my title?" He asked confidently. "Yes... you have much to learn my Prince, but you fought nobly so for that I commend you." Legolas' face showed alarm and he halted his horse to glare at Zaya. "What is it that I have to learn?"
She rode on further forward and glanced back at him with a smile. "You'll see." She motivated the stallion to gallop rapidly and the feeling of the wind through her hair from there horse was something she had missed incredibly. There was a thrilling moment of complete and utter bliss as she rode the horse around the plain and jumping over small rocks that would interrupted such a wild ride. The horse whined and she smiled before slowing down and stroking the forehead of the haired that she had since named Coal for his sooty black coat.
She began whispering words to it in her home language of the Hixia witches. Arcturus it was named and was practically a dead language now. There were only about 4 beings in middle earth she knew of who could speak it, herself included. Lord Celeborn, Arwen and Lord Elrond. She had taught those three elves as they were truly the only ones (including Thranduil and his wife) who she had enjoyed the company of.
Even the Lady Galadriel was pushing it, as she was always trying to get into her head.
She also knew that Gandalf had picked some up when he had stayed with the coven for a time before continuing on, but he only knew of the basic words.
"What's on your mind?" The prince came riding up to her, she looked into his eyes for a moment and knew they were the only ones she would be seeing for a time. She didn't mind, in fact, she relished in it. "I'll tell you when you're older... let's camp in the wood. It's getting dark."
Zaya watered the horse while Legolas was sharpening his knives, his only weapon he had left. He had discarded his bow and used all of his arrows in their time of battle. He spun the elven blades around and glanced over at the witch who had taken a pleasure out of everything she had done, as if she hadn't done it in a thousand years.
"How long were you in the company of men?" He asked, and she turned from the two horses and held her dress up to come sit beside him on the fallen tree. "About 870 years." She smiled sadly and Legolas drew back in complete consternation. He had been joking when he said 1,000 years, but it really almost was.
"That's a long amount of time, how did they not suspect your immortality?" She smiled. "Well I moved to different places a lot and usually just kept in the shadows, most of the time Laketown didn't even know I existed." The elf admired the woman, it must've been lonely for all those years.
Legolas was wary to ask the question he had wanted to ask, but he felt it important to understand Zaya herself.
"What happened to your coven Zaya?" Her eyes flashed up and she stared straight ahead for a long time before finally looking at him and answering.
"The darkness... it weakened us, all of us... so much so we could no longer protect Middle Earth." She looked away before composing herself and turning back. "I had decided to sacrifice myself to allow my power to flow into all the witches... but they didn't want that to happen..." she began to cry passionately and it seemed like she hadn't spoken of the demise of her coven for a long time. Which she hadn't... because no one had ever asked her.
"I awoke to the bodies of 23 witches in the courtyard, all dead from suicide. I had also stirred awake with the power of those 23 witches inside of me, granting me true immortality." She looked up at him from her crouched over position and Legolas had no clue what to do in reaction to such a thing. He placed his arm awkwardly around her and Zaya welcomed it, though she had long since had physical contact with any.
She leant into the alcove of his arm and pressed her face to his chest. She pushed herself from him gently and apologised and he shook his head. Zaya walked to Legolas' knives, admiring them once again. "What do you mean 'true immortality'?" She looked at him in sorrow, before placing one knife back in the sheath...
and stabbing herself through the stomach with the other.
