Status: In Progress
Princess of China
The Palantir
I woke up with a pounding headache. Everyone in the room was still asleep. I got up and went outside for some fresh air. I walked along until I came to a barn with the doors wide open. I peeked inside but it was dark so I took a couple steps inside. The door slammed shut, making me jump. It must have been the wind.
I went to exit the barn, but a piercing pain in my head made me stop. I screamed bloody murder, dropping to my knees, cradling my head.
The barn was on fire, surrounding me with flames, but it wasn't hot. A shadow emerged from the fire: a man dressed in strange looking armor.
"Aria." His voice echoed around me, speaking some strange language.
His hand reached out, grabbing my wrist over my scar. His hand burned my skin and I screamed again.
The man turned into a cloud of black smoke, surrounding me, choking me. The smoke entered my mouth and nose, taking over. I looked down at my scar, a hand print burned into the skin. A hand print missing its index finger.
There was a coppery taste in my mouth when I woke up. At first I thought it had all been a dream until the throbbing pain in my wrist changed my mind.
"No one touch her." The voices were too loud.
A hand brushed over my face, resting on my cheek, words were murmured in the distance.
"Gandalf?" I whispered, my voice no more than a pitiful squeak.
"Open your eyes child. Look at me." I forced my eyes open, everything blurry. "What did you see?"
"The barn. It lit on fire, then he appeared. He was speaking to me, but I couldn't understand him. He grabbed my wrist over my scar. His hand print was burned there." Gandalf took my right arm and I wanted to vomit. The hand print was still there. Gandalf had a worried look on his face.
"What else?"
"He turned into a cloud of smoke and surrounded me. The smoke went in my mouth and nose. That's all I remember."
"Did you tell him anything?"
"No. Not that I know of."
Gandalf stared at me for a couple seconds before standing up. I wiped my nose, only to see blood. Legolas rushed over to me as Gandalf pulled Aragorn outside.
3rd POV
"Gandalf, what has happened?" Aragorn asked.
"I fear Sauron has entered Aria's mind. He was able to send his spirit here which worries me. Keep a close eye on Aria." Gandalf said quietly.
"Will you take her to Gondor as well?"
"No. She needs to be here. She needs to learn to fight him. My worst fear is he will use her to kill you. If the time comes, I will do what I can, but only she can fight him. If she doesn't, he will take over her completely and she will waste away. He will be the death of her."
"Gandalf…" Aragorn couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"She will fall into shadow. She needs you, Aragorn. You, Legolas, Gimli. Help her. Do not leave her alone."
ARIA POV
Legolas lifted me into his arms, carrying me through the hall into what must have been like the ER because there was a row of beds, some occupied, and others empty. Legolas laid me down on one of the empty beds, fetching a bowl of water and a rag. He started gently cleaning the blood from my face, speaking in elvish, or at least I thought it was elvish. Everything sounded foreign to me in my half-conscious state. He took my hand as I fell asleep, where my dreams were all nightmares.
I woke up to someone feeding me soup and speaking to me in elvish.
"Aragorn?" I whispered in between sips.
"Shh. Eat. You're going to need your strength."
I opened my eyes, blinking the blurriness away until I could see clearly.
"Aragorn, what happened to me?"
He shook his head. "Aria…"
"Please, Aragorn. I need to know."
He sighed. "Sauron. He visited you. Pippin used the Palantir and Gandalf thinks that summoned him here, to you. Aria, Sauron possessed you. He's in your mind, part of you now. Gandalf fears he will try to take over completely."
"Why? What does he want with me?"
Aragorn brushed the hair from my face. "You need rest. We will be riding out soon."
He left the room, leaving me in the candle light. I thought back to what had happened, the shadows in the corner of the room getting longer and moving. I sunk down, pulling the covers up, under my chin. He's just playing with your mind, Aria. He wants you to be afraid of him. I closed my eyes, my heart pounding. The very room was creaking from the darkness. Someone touched my hand and I screamed.
I went to exit the barn, but a piercing pain in my head made me stop. I screamed bloody murder, dropping to my knees, cradling my head.
The barn was on fire, surrounding me with flames, but it wasn't hot. A shadow emerged from the fire: a man dressed in strange looking armor.
"Aria." His voice echoed around me, speaking some strange language.
His hand reached out, grabbing my wrist over my scar. His hand burned my skin and I screamed again.
The man turned into a cloud of black smoke, surrounding me, choking me. The smoke entered my mouth and nose, taking over. I looked down at my scar, a hand print burned into the skin. A hand print missing its index finger.
There was a coppery taste in my mouth when I woke up. At first I thought it had all been a dream until the throbbing pain in my wrist changed my mind.
"No one touch her." The voices were too loud.
A hand brushed over my face, resting on my cheek, words were murmured in the distance.
"Gandalf?" I whispered, my voice no more than a pitiful squeak.
"Open your eyes child. Look at me." I forced my eyes open, everything blurry. "What did you see?"
"The barn. It lit on fire, then he appeared. He was speaking to me, but I couldn't understand him. He grabbed my wrist over my scar. His hand print was burned there." Gandalf took my right arm and I wanted to vomit. The hand print was still there. Gandalf had a worried look on his face.
"What else?"
"He turned into a cloud of smoke and surrounded me. The smoke went in my mouth and nose. That's all I remember."
"Did you tell him anything?"
"No. Not that I know of."
Gandalf stared at me for a couple seconds before standing up. I wiped my nose, only to see blood. Legolas rushed over to me as Gandalf pulled Aragorn outside.
3rd POV
"Gandalf, what has happened?" Aragorn asked.
"I fear Sauron has entered Aria's mind. He was able to send his spirit here which worries me. Keep a close eye on Aria." Gandalf said quietly.
"Will you take her to Gondor as well?"
"No. She needs to be here. She needs to learn to fight him. My worst fear is he will use her to kill you. If the time comes, I will do what I can, but only she can fight him. If she doesn't, he will take over her completely and she will waste away. He will be the death of her."
"Gandalf…" Aragorn couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"She will fall into shadow. She needs you, Aragorn. You, Legolas, Gimli. Help her. Do not leave her alone."
ARIA POV
Legolas lifted me into his arms, carrying me through the hall into what must have been like the ER because there was a row of beds, some occupied, and others empty. Legolas laid me down on one of the empty beds, fetching a bowl of water and a rag. He started gently cleaning the blood from my face, speaking in elvish, or at least I thought it was elvish. Everything sounded foreign to me in my half-conscious state. He took my hand as I fell asleep, where my dreams were all nightmares.
I woke up to someone feeding me soup and speaking to me in elvish.
"Aragorn?" I whispered in between sips.
"Shh. Eat. You're going to need your strength."
I opened my eyes, blinking the blurriness away until I could see clearly.
"Aragorn, what happened to me?"
He shook his head. "Aria…"
"Please, Aragorn. I need to know."
He sighed. "Sauron. He visited you. Pippin used the Palantir and Gandalf thinks that summoned him here, to you. Aria, Sauron possessed you. He's in your mind, part of you now. Gandalf fears he will try to take over completely."
"Why? What does he want with me?"
Aragorn brushed the hair from my face. "You need rest. We will be riding out soon."
He left the room, leaving me in the candle light. I thought back to what had happened, the shadows in the corner of the room getting longer and moving. I sunk down, pulling the covers up, under my chin. He's just playing with your mind, Aria. He wants you to be afraid of him. I closed my eyes, my heart pounding. The very room was creaking from the darkness. Someone touched my hand and I screamed.