As time passed, as seasons changed, so did the circumstances and livelihood in Gondor. Darkness spread like wildfire from Mordor in every corner of the land and the eye of Sauron was vigilant in his constant watch. What was once a prosperous land was now under the fear that it may be invaded and stained with innocent blood. 

Mistril still lived in the suburbs but she was forced to move out of Osgiliath, which was now a ruin, and into Minas Tirith. The white citadel was strong but Mistril was worried that it might fall quickly if there wasn't a strong leader. The steward of Gondor was locked away, not caring much about what was happening around his city. Luckily, Boromir was more responsible. 

"He's coming again..." 

Mistril looked up from work and saw a smiling Faramir walking towards her. He was now a fully grown man, a great asset to his people, and a well-trained warrior but at heart, he was still the boy who loved music and art and didn't want to fight if possible. Mistril smiled and unlike in the past, she actually put her work aside and gave him her full attention. 

"I'm surprised you have time to visit me now that there are so many threats coming from Mordor." She said, her wrists stinging at the truth of her words.

"I'll always make time for you. It's the only place where I can feel like I am 10 again." 

Mistril chuckled and put out the fire. She could use a break. 

"How is it? Are there many orcs raiding the villages?" She asked as soon as they left the smith. 

"More and more and they are really well grouped. There is no way to win Minas Morgul back and they have infiltrated into Osgiliath as well. We are using the old city to keep an eye on Mordor but as you know, we are watched by him too." 

Mistril frowned and avoided glancing that way. Sauron was growing powerful and he was calling all the dark beings to him. 

"Have you heard from Gandalf?" He suddenly asked. 

"Why?" 

"He came a week or so ago, he seemed distressed. I believe he stayed locked in the library and wouldn't even come out to eat or drink." Faramir explained with a frown.

"What did he say? Or was he as secretive as always?" She asked with a chuckle.

"I asked the librarian and it seems there were certain documents that he searched for. They were about the Last Alliance and about hobbits." 

"...hobbits?" 

Faramir watched with worry as Mistril stopped. Her breathing grew heavier and she seemed to experience a panic attack. Her eyes fell first over her wrists, which were bleeding through the bandages. When she looked up, Faramir realized something was very wrong with her.

"Are you ok? Your eyes just now...they seemed darker." He asked, trying to approach and help her.

Mistril's eyes widened and she stepped back, avoiding any type of touch. 

"The ring...it surfaced," She whispered as she hurried home. 

---

That night she had the most intense dream in the last few years.

She was back in Angmar and she was chained to the damp wall by her neck. She was hanging like a rag doll and she was drained in cold water. 

"Look at me, Daewen." 

She was so tired that she could barely open her eyes. 

He approached her and grabbed her chin. His claws scratched her already pale skin and he rose her head. 

"They abandoned you. They forgot about you. Why fight for those traitors when you have me? Rise once again, Daewen, and I will forgive you." 

She didn't move.

"Should I remind you of the pain they caused you? Even the Valar threw you out of the Halls. Your only purpose is to serve me." 

She breathed out but didn't seem to want to react. Sauron chuckled darkly at how much she was fighting his influence.

"Love cannot help you, Mistril. He already forgot about you. None of your precious elves came to search for you. Not then and not now."

A tear fell down her cheek but she was still very stubborn. Sauron growled and suddenly she felt like her heart was breaking. She screamed really loud as the marks burned her flesh. 

"Rise, Daewen." He said calmly but in a very low tone that sounded like a spell. "Rise and bring me the ring." 

Mistril's eyes opened for real and much like an automaton, she changed and grabbed her sword before she left the house. When she walked out the door, those beautiful green eyes were pitch black and emotionless.

---

The first place she visited was Minas Morgul. It took her almost a day to walk to it but once she arrived, sometime after midnight, the ghostly tower was shining as if to welcome her back home. The bridge was rolled down for her and the Witch-king himself met her halfway. 

"You have chosen well." He said sounding almost proud. She didn't really have any reaction and simply followed him inside. "We have collected new information. The ring is with a Baggins from the Shire." 

"I know." She replied in a heartless tone. 

"What is your plan then, Daewen?" Her master asked.

"I will wait for the right moment to attack. If you and the other Ringwraiths chase the hobbit, he has one safe place he can hide in. You cannot enter it, but I can." 

The Nazgul stared at her with no real expression that could hint at what he was thinking. She was visibly under the spell of Sauron and there was no greater power than hatred.

When Mistril left Minas Morgul, Frodo Baggins was informed of the dangers he was about to face by Gandalf. Although she was still weeks away from the Ring, the Nazguls went ahead with the plan of capturing the hobbit before he could get any help. However, Mistril knew that if the wizard was involved, there was only one place the hobbit could go to. 

Her goal was simple and yet, in her recent state, it could waver. She only rode a horse until the forest of Mirkwood and then she chose to walk. Maybe it was the dark eyes and imposing figure or maybe it was an order from above, but no creature dared appear before her. She wasn't in any hurry either, but that might have been because of the little spark of light that remained in her heart. 

---

Because she opened her mind to one person only, that elf was now going through a lot because of her state of mind. When Sauron called his Daewen out, the Elvenking woke up in sweats and panic. He couldn't go back to sleep after what he witnessed and he didn't know how to block all that darkness from his kingdom. 

Thranduil barged inside Faervel's study and searched for anything that would help. Instead, he found plans and plans for reinforcing the paths around Mirkwood. The king frowned in disbelief as he read detailed reports about the spiders and ghouls that attacked his best army men. And in the middle of everything evil was Dol Guldur. 

Thranduil didn't leave the study afterward. He had to protect his people which meant he had to read every sentence of every paper related to Mirkwood. When Faervel entered in the early morning, he couldn't believe he was found out.

"For how long has this secret brigade been functional?" The king asked still reading documents.

"Ever since the dwarves won back Erebor," Faervel answered with half a mouth. "I personally entered the fortress around that time. I met Mistril in the woods and we had to check it for evil." 

"And what did you find exactly?" Thranduil asked looking up. 

"Him. The Ringwraiths stopped me from entering further but I could see him. He didn't have a form, he was just a dense shadow that sent shivers down my spine."

"What did he tell Mistril?" 

Faervel shifted his weight from one leg to the other, thinking carefully about the portrayal he wanted to create of Mistril. 

"They spoke in the dark language of Mordor. I could not understand them but I noticed she was afraid. The way she spoke to Sauron was more careful than the way she spoke to one of the Ringwraiths." Faervel explained hoping the king won't get the wrong idea. 

But Thranduil had already seen the fire of Mount Doom and the way Sauron forced Mistril into submission. His words cut deep into her heart. 

"Sire, what exactly happened?" Faervel asked with worry.

"The Shadow of Angmar is active once again." He replied bringing doom into Faervel's eyes. 

"But that means...Legolas has left for Imladris just a few days ago!" Faervel exclaimed feeling scared for the prince. 

He couldn't quite point out the exact reason but Thranduil doubted that Mistril would, in any state, harm Legolas. But that didn't mean he wasn't worried, especially because it wasn't just her that could cause death but also Sauron himself. 

"It is time we work together, Faervel. We cannot let Mirkwood fall under their curtain of darkness." 

Faervel nodded and smiled seeing his king return to his younger self who was ready to fight and win. 

---

Mistril walked past Dol Guldur with no real feelings. She passed the elven path toward the kingdom with a bit of a lingering nostalgia but it was too weak to wake her up from this vile slumber. The way she walked and the way she sat was as if she was sleepwalking. She didn't eat, didn't drink much water and it seemed like she couldn't even feel the cold. The Shadow was indeed a great asset to Sauron's army. 

However, by the time she arrived near Imladris, she could feel how the Nazgul failed. She looked up at the sky and chuckled darkly. Be they alive or not, they wouldn't listen to a female even if that would win them the war. 

When she entered the elven land, nobody really suspected anything. They did see her, but her eyes were covered by her hair or she would intentionally wave with her head down. She was on the balcony where she used to draw when she felt the power of the Ring. She looked up and quickly tracked the trail to another balcony. 

"Lady Mistril, you cannot enter right now." One of the guards said as politely as possible. 

"Why not?" She asked not looking at him. "What's happening behind these doors?"

"Lord Elrond has an important meeting with guests from all over Middle earth," He said without the slightest bother. He knew her, he had seen her for days and she always had a soft smile on her face. "There are some little guys in there too. One of them holds a strong weapon, as I have heard." 

Mistril chuckled and kicked the doors. The guards were taken aback but realized something was wrong when they saw her eyes. Fighting against her was foolish. She got rid of them relatively fast but the noise drew the attention of other guards. In the end, Mistril threw an elf right through the doors, the poor guard falling at Elrond's feet. 

The moment Mistril stepped in, everyone knew something was off. She just presented herself differently, like the world had to bow and beg at her feet. 

"Mistril...?" Elrond stopped Glorfindel from approaching her.

"Her eyes are black. You know what that means." Elrond said feeling sorry for the blond hero. "Mithrandir," 

The wizard had no time to act because once she saw him, Mistril hurried to the hobbit and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. 

"You have something that doesn't belong to you, Master Baggins." She said so calmly that Frodo could barely understand if she was a foe or not. "Give it to me."

Frodo glanced at Gandalf but the wizard was not really doing anything. Boromir was shocked that the same Mistril who used to play with his brother was now threatening a hobbit. Aragorn had only heard stories from Arwen, which did not connect to who he was seeing now. But most importantly, there was a person that Mistril didn't even notice.

"Mistril!" Legolas took a step closer warily. He knew she was a good fighter but he didn't want to have others hurt her either. 

"Why are we not capturing that elf?" Gimli the dwarf exclaimed growing tense. "We should cut her head off!" 

"No." Was Legolas's firm answer. "Nobody touches her or else the fellowship will break before it even begins." He said in the same tone he used with Galadriel before. 

"Give me the ring and I will leave peacefully," Mistril said again while also getting one knife out. Her eyes fell on something that was around his neck and she used the knife to uncover it. "What are you hiding, little hobbit...?" She asked softly her eyes sparkling at the sight of the ring. 

"Mistril! Let him go. Put Frodo down. Please." Legolas started approaching her. "Look at me! Look at me and let Frodo go." He added getting even closer to her. 

From an outside view, it was hard to know what she was thinking. Frodo was the only one who could see if Legolas had any type of effect or not. The hobbit frowned when he saw her waver. The black orbs were set on him but she wasn't seeing him, she looked to be in a trance. 

"Mistril, it's me. It's Legolas. Come on, look at me." He said sounding so sincere and sorry that Glorfindel wondered if it did work.

It took a few more minutes, time in which Frodo saw her blink several times, and every time her eyes had different colors. In the end, she dropped him but he didn't feel like he was endangered anymore so he didn't run away. Legolas ran to her and helped her regain her balance. She looked around herself and sighed heavily at how every being present had weapons drawn out, ready to interfere if she did anything else. No matter how much she fought against his power, she still fell and she almost killed an innocent hobbit. 

---

The council was already over by the time she barged in. The fellowship was created and they were about to leave early the next morning. Mistril stood on the balcony thinking about the strength of love. One young elf could really wake her up and bring her back to reality. Truthfully, she knew that Legolas had such a bright light that could blind even Sauron's manipulation, but she was afraid that her angst would ignore it. Her mind then returned to those big blue eyes of the hobbit which were so scared and yet brave. She couldn't help but respect him and feel sorry for him.

"I'm sorry," she spoke as soon as she heard him come. Mistril turned to look at Frodo and she gave him a sad smile. "I wasn't in my right mind when I attacked you."

"I know. Your eyes, they changed." 

"Indeed. When he overpowers me, he uses the darkest memories and emotions I have hidden in order to convince me to fight for him. It worked for a very long time. Apparently, it still does." 

"The ring has that power too. It feels so heavy sometimes as if it is controlling me." 

"I know." She said and showed him her wrists. "I was chained to him in the same place he forged the ring. They burn because he is trying to take control of me. My blood is boiling and I get confused at times. Once he takes hold of you, he uses your fears and pain in order to make sure you will never leave him. Be careful, Frodo Baggins. He is patient, he will attack when he feels you weak." 

Frodo's big blue eyes were shining in the twilight. He was scared and her words were not helping him at all. He didn't expect her to encourage him but having someone be so bold with him was an even bigger eye-opener. Mistril sensed his worry and she laughed softly.

"Do not be afraid, Frodo. You are not alone." She said and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They are all great warriors but the one element that will save you is love. Just like it saved me." She said moving her hand to his heart. 

Frodo was still not convinced but he did agree she was the only person who had any right to give him advice. She was a slave of Mordor and she was fighting against Sauron in more than one way.

---

"You really scared me, you know." She heard Legolas' voice just an hour after her conversation with the hobbit. 

"I'm sorry." She said feeling disheartened. "I didn't want you to ever see that side of me." 

Legolas' expression fell into melancholy. He saw it before even if not at this level. Her whole body was different and yet she didn't intend on killing the hobbit. He watched her and she never grabbed her sword nor pushed the knife to Frodo's neck. Her hand went for his clothes, not for his neck and she didn't harm him, even a bit. 

"Your eyes were black but you still heard me. The power of Sauron is weaker than your memories of me." He started and sat next to her. "I didn't know you left Lothlorien until Faervel told me he had met you in Mirwood." 

"What else did he say?" She asked looking ahead at the mountains.

"Nothing. Was there something else?" He asked turning his body to face her. "What did Faervel omit?" 

"Nothing." 

"Mistril." He used the same tone as his father when he was scolding him. "I'm leaving tomorrow and we may never see each other again."

"Don't say that." She mumbled feeling a knot form in her stomach. "Why did you come? You should have left someone else to represent the wood elves." 

"You know I love adventures." He said with a boyish smile. "If somebody is to blame for my interests, it should be you. You had the biggest influence on my young and easily impressionable self." 

Mistril glanced at the elf with a playful glare. He had a proud smile on his face and he was shining from every angle. Legolas was a precious being to her, not to mention a whole elven kingdom. She felt her heart grow heavy and she hugged him tightly. Legolas was surprised but he embraced this sudden gesture of care. 

"Don't die, Legolas. If you need help, just think of me. I'll gladly run to your side, even if that means fighting Sauron head-on." She mumbled hugging him tightly in her arms. 

On the morning of their departure, Mistril stood next to Glorfindel and watched as the bravest men she had ever seen were ready to sacrifice their lives for peace. She wondered if she wasn't Daewen at the time of the first war, would she have fought alongside such loyal men? 

"You look like a mother sending her sons to battle," Glorfindel stated out of nowhere. 

"I just feel bad for them, especially the hobbits. Frodo is terrified and the rest have no idea how dangerous this quest is." 

"Trust them. If they need help, we will help them but at the end of the day, our fate is in the hands of Frodo Baggins." 

Mistril's marks burned her skin so badly that she had to shut her eyes. She saw glimpses of fire, of entire armies of orcs and other creatures and for a moment she saw Oropher's corpse-less head. She opened her eyes and used Glorfindel as support. 

"He's angry." She whispered looking up into Glorfindel's bright eyes. "He will attack everyone and everything. He's ready for war."