Part 17

Legolas gathered Eowyn into his arms.

She was sobbing, but she did not cling to him as she normally would—she held back and, when he gently lifted her head and tried to meet her gaze, she averted her eyes.

Legolas touched his forehead to hers, trying to reach her through their mental bond, but his gentle searching was met by an impenetrable wall of misery...

And unbearable guilt.

“Oh, Melmenya,” he whispered.

He had seen the ring when she had held it up, and had immediately understood.

He had remembered how, in the course of the journey, she had grown more and more secretive, touching her breast as though to reassure herself that something was safe there, and had parried his questions with evasions and lies.

But he understood.

The ring, he thought, was Sauron’s ‘gift’ to his minion.

Eowyn had found it, and had heard Sauron’s empty promises.

Of what?

It did not matter.

All that mattered was that, when faced with a choice between the ring and him, she had thrown the ring away—she had resisted its temptation, and had chosen him!

“It is over now, melmenya,” he said, rocking her gently. “Just let it go. Let everything go, my darling.”

...

Much later, when she had cried herself to the point of exhaustion, he heard her murmur, “Will you ever forgive me, Lassui?”

“Oh, Eowyn nín.” He hugged her tightly. “There is nothing to forgive.”

“It was... It was like a child, Lassui—my child. When I touched it, I felt so happy.”

...

Legolas leaned back against the wall. Eowyn was asleep now, and he needed to think.

The Warrior King had kept them alive. And, given the circumstances, he thought, that might have been a simple oversight. But suppose it was not? Suppose he has a use for us?

He frowned, carefully piecing together everything he knew about the Warrior King and his reivers.

They had appeared out of nowhere, five years after the end of the war, to kidnap Ayleth. Why? What had they wanted from her? They had been followers of Sauron and, as far as he could see, they were immortal, but they were nothing like the elves...

No, he thought, Sauron’s gift to them was a poisoned chalice.

And the ring...

The ring had pretended to give Eowyn her heart’s desire.

What is it pretending to give the Warrior King?

He did not know, but his mind was made up.

He had no plan, so he would have to improvise.

He shook Eowyn gently. “We must get out of here, melmenya,” he said. “And the first thing we will need is a weapon. Let me look at your armour.”