Disclaimer: If I owned any of this "Lord of the Rings" stuff, I wouldn't be sitting here, writing fanfiction. I own Arwith. Steal her for your own use, and I'll send small, furry animals to eat your socks.
More thanks to lindahoyland for the review. I was working so hard on all those descriptions in Chapter 6! It was great fun! Spectacular! I'd also like to thank teinesamoa for her third review. I'm liking the way I portray Gimli. He's my favorite character. And of course, my third thank you goes to Calico Cat. I'm not sure it's all perfection, but I love it anyway!
A very special thanks to the official LOTR website for their description of Sauron's lidless eye, which I admit to having borrowed without permission.
"Sam, Merry," Eowyn asked, "How are Frodo and Pippin?" The congeries had retired to a lounge and were now contemplating the past six hours' events. Gandalf and Aragorn had vanished into the castle's archives some hours beforehand while the hobbits had left the assembly for their suite.
Merry sighed heavily. "They're asleep. They were exhausted and pretty shaken up." "They both had migraines," Sam added. "Pippin said he could feel his heartbeat in his temples and up through the base of his skull. Mister Frodo said his shoulder ached like it had when we were at Weathertop."
Eowyn laid her head on Faramir's shoulder and squeezed his hand. Gimli puffed hard on his pipe and blew smoke circles into the air. Sam and Merry had confiscated a fruit basket and were slowly working on emptying it of its contents. Legolas and Arwen sat in the far corner of the room, conversing with hushed tones in elvish. One received the impression that she was describing something highly amusing, judging from the grand gesture Arwen made with her hands and the interested grin on Legolas's face.
A guard came walking up the corridor and stood beside the elf prince and queen, who both stood. The young man spoke rather nervously. "Sir, Majesty. I have news about..." He glanced awkwardly at Arwen, then at Legolas. Legolas nodded understandably and began to walk away, escorted by the guard while Arwen sat and tucked her hair behind her ear. When they were further away, the sentinel spoke. "I have news about the young... prisoner. We were told to inform you every hour on any of her activities.
"There has been no activities thus far; she has moved little since she was placed in her cell. She has merely investigated her cell. Her rations have been offered, but she has made no moves to accept them." "Has she said anything, or done anything that should be brought to our attention?" "No. She hasn't said a word, nor has she made any actions to be noted.
"I must return to my post. But you shall be updated on the hour, sooner if necessary." The juvenile picket marched smartly away as a woman came to escort Arwen up to her room. Arwen put down her book, rose to her feet, and took the arm of her aide. Legolas gave a short bow and a smile. "Good night." Arwen nodded her head and smiled in acknowledgment. "Good night."
Legolas turned and paced back to where the remaining members of the party were brooding. He paused and turned his head ever so slightly as though straining to hear a sound that evaded him. His expression turned to one of uneasiness, but he swept his hidden discomfort aside and continued on his way towards the company.
Everyone had been lounging for scarcely a moment when Gimli spoke to Legolas. "Well, lad, what's wrong?" Everyone glanced curiously at their dwarf companion. "I beg your pardon?" Gimli sat more upright and spoke unnecessarily clearly. "What. Is. The. Matter. What ails you? Why did you just look like you shot yourself in the foot with your own arrow?"
The elf's lips thinned. He appeared to be carefully debating his next move. "... She knows," he answered simply. Merry's brows furrowed. "What do you mean, 'She knows'? What does who know now that she didn't know before?"
Legolas began to massage his head with one hand, ignoring the fact that Sam was choking on a bite of apple, and continued. "Aragorn wanted to make sure Arwen didn't know about any of the less pleasant events that have occurred lately, such as the orc uprisings or our new captive. He didn't want to put her, or their child, under any strain. However, she just informed me that she already knew about it all. She said she was going to tell Aragorn when she has the opportunity."
"Hmmm..." Eowyn smiled ever so slightly. "Clever woman." Sam swallowed his bite of apple and sat up straighter. "When did she say all that?" Legolas gestured behind himself. "Just now, as she left. She whispered it under her breath, just audible enough to hear."
Everyone lingered in the lounge for a while longer before parting ways. The night was long and quiet, the kind of night when one awakes in the middle of the night and finds it difficult to return to sleep, their fears more easily recognizable in the choking darkness. There was an underlying agitation that was shielded by an almost realistic peace. Anyone that had returned to the castle after even a brief intermission would have felt that the castle's every angle were slightly off, as though the mere act of standing upright was a dizzying experience and could send one reeling. The creatures that had intruded the walls and would usually be preparing to set out for the night were uneasy and antsy in their nocturnal pursuits; those that normally settled themselves down to sleep were on edge.
Clouds hid the stars and the moon from sight. Wind swept through the valley, stirring the long grasses and startling midnight's residents. Frogs' and crickets' chirps could be heard, faster and louder than ever before, as though they were trying to drown out the night. An owl hooted, its eerie sound resonating throughout the hidden grooves in the land. The wind slowly blew harder. The clouds churned. The singers of midnight's song screamed their tunes as never before. Faster. Louder. Nothing could be seen and the world was spinning. And then it all stopped, as though manually switched off.
A familiar cloaked figure crept silently across the lea floor, swaying perfectly with the smattering breeze. The moon was exposed and its light reflected eerily off this person's eyes, not unlike a pair of miniature moons in their own respect. The skulking figure stopped not once in its evident pursuit to reach its destination: the woods. They moved like a shadow into the stillness of the lightly wooded groves, so rare in a mountainous valley. The night remained deafeningly quiet, with the air so thick it was difficult to breathe. The underlying turmoil that surrounded the area did not abate as they disappeared into the darkness, vanishing from sight.
They would not be missed or noticed until the dawn. The alarm would not be raised until everyone had been awakened. Their method of escape would not be discovered until the King and the White Wizard had inspected their cell. This person knew this all. And they didn't waste their time in lingering where they knew they were wanted for only ill reason.