Lord Of The Rings Fan Fiction ❯ Days of the King ❯ Danger and Dispair ( Chapter 23 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Queen-of-Blades138 
Non Anime: Lord Of The Rings Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.12.2008 | Updated On: 12.14.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 188 | Status: Work In Progress
Non Anime: Lord Of The Rings Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.12.2008 | Updated On: 12.14.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 188 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 23
Arwen awoke suddenly from her uneasy slumber. She felt clammy and a bit disoriented, not really rested at
all. It was sometime in the late morning or very early afternoon by the position of the sun.
Aragorn was gone.
She sought to shake the meloncholy lethargy from her limbs, and the cobwebs from her mind. She had
not been herself since the summoning two nights before. Arwen suddenly felt claustrophobic; but that was
not all. Some other discomfort of the mind, not associated with her ritual, troubled her.
She rang the bell-pull and was answered by one of her regular handmaidens. Arwen ordered a bath prepared,
and rummaged through her wardrobe for a costume to lift her spirits. She chose one of lilac, bordered with
purple and silver embroidery.
The staff filled the bathtub with hot water and Arwen's preferred perfumes.
"We are all so happy that the Lady Eowyn is better, my Lady. She gave us all quite a scare. And the baby!
She is a little darling!" Versia cooed almost to herself as she lay the queen's robe, slippers, and towels upon
the newly made bed.
Arwen was startled. "Eowyn has had her baby? When? Where?"
Versia straightened from her chores and looked at the queen a bit nervously. "I...I am sorry, my lady, I
thought you knew! The lady Eowyn went into labor yesterday morning. It was a very difficult birth. She was
tended to by the healer Augra. Lady Eowyn and Lord Faramir have a new baby girl..."
Arwen turned from the servant girl. "I have not been well these last two days...a bit of a fever. I will wish her
well after my bath. Thank you, Versia. That is all for now."
"Would you like me to tend to you at your bath, my Lady?" she asked.
Arwen did not want anyone to see her bruises and welts. "I prefer to bathe myself today, Versia. Thank you."
When she was bathed and dressed, her hair piled upon her head and bound with silver ribbon, she felt
more comfortable. None of her bruises showed in her gown, except for the one around her throat. For
that she found a purple scarf, sheer but sufficient to hide the marks and complement her gown. As she
prepared to leave, she took a final look in the large mirror by the hall door.
Her hairstyle was reminiscent of the one selected for her by Legolas' illusion. Although it was attractive, it
vividly reminded her of his intrusion into her very thoughts, and she hastily pulled the ribbon from her hair,
allowing her tresses to fall freely about her shoulders and down her back.
Braethan was back on duty in the hall, and gave a small bow to the queen.
"My lord Aragorn bade me tell you of visitors, my lady. They have gathered in the quarters of Master Gimli."
Arwen smiled and thanked him absentmindedly. She walked towards the stairs leading to the level below to
visit with Eowyn. She passed the corner to the landing and heard a voice call to her.
"My lady Arwen, you are a vision!"
Arwen turned abruptly, startled.
Standing a few feet behind her, one foot bracing him casually against the wall as if he had been there for
some time, was Legolas, He was dressed in the cool green-greys preferred by the woodland Elves, unarmed
except for a knife at his waist.
She eyed him coolly.
"I have not entered your residence by arcane methods this time, lady. I am here by conventional means -
through the front gate of the city and the doors of the palace."
"Very well. I will make sure my husband keeps you entertained during your brief stay." She held herself
stiffly, and regarded him much as if he were a snake found in the garden.
"My stay will be brief, because we are on our way to a battle. A battle, by the way my lady, that Aragorn
cannot win."
As much as she did not wish to encourage Legolas by undue conversation, this statement jarred her.
"I know that he seeks the party of Haradrim or Southrons who have devastated some villages, and Gimli
rides with him to seek vengence for his own folk. Why do you say he will not prevail if he finds these
brigands?"
Legolas pushed himself from the wall to stand uncomfortably close to her. She sought to step away, but he
held her arm.
"Legolas! Let go of me! You will start a scandal...!"
"Listen to me! Aragorn and the men who ride with him are going to their doom!" Legolas said in a fevent
whisper. "I know who is behind these raids and slaughter! He is a wizard of great power and great malice!"
"How do you know this?!"
"It is another of the gifts bestowed upon me by the powers I have acquired." Legolas let go of her arm, and
she turned from him and stood for a moment.
Still with her back to him, she said,"Can YOU best this mage?"
Legolas cocked his head to the side. "BEST him?! I would consider myself lucky to do battle with him and live.
But I might be able to save the lives of some. I know the King of Gondor must survey his lands and give hope
to his frightened folk. But I can see and...feel that HE is waiting for Aragorn." Legolas' voice was low, tinged
with something quite unfamiliar, for him. Fear.
"I cannot see all of this near future, but it is clear that this wizard holds a deep malice for Gondor. He will
kill Aragorn if he can."
Arwen had stood stone still as Legolas spoke. She had thought the days of deep peril were in the past.
Talk of a real threat to Aragorn's life had her frozen with fear. And she heard the fear in Legolas voice.
"Can you help him, Legolas?" She spoke in a low, halting voice. She hated to ask any favors of Legolas, but
this was more important than her pride or his unwanted advances.
"It is my intention to do so; that is one of the reasons that I'm here."
Arwen said nothing to this.
Legolas sighed. "I will show you the other reason that I've come..."
In one movement he snatched her into his arms; Arwen felt a sinking sensation and, to her horror, saw that
they were sinking into the stone floor, both of them as transparent as smoke.
what is happening! she did not hear her own voice, but knew that she spoke.
you will see, came a faint echo of Legolas' voice.
The corridor slipped from view, and Arwen saw into the stone of the palace floor and walls. The sensation was
unpleasantly like being buried alive, except that she could breathe.
you would not believe me if I told you, so I will let you see for yourself...
They were in Eowyn and Faramir's chambers. A dark haired man sat by Eowyn's bedside. Their posture was
intimate; the man held her hand to his lips and spoke earnestly to her. With a jolt, Arwen realized the man
was Aragorn. She and Legolas in their wraith-like forms seemed to float closer, and she could hear their
speech.
...""Madam Augra had told you, has she not? I knew she saw and felt much as she tended to me. Palace gossip
said she has uncanny gifts..."
Gently, Aragorn gathered both her hands in his, and spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
"Please, Eowyn. Tell me. I cannot be angry; it is certainly not your fault. In fact, it is I who owe you much
if it is true."
Eowyn remained silent, but now tears ran down her cheeks.
"Faramir cannot know! Promise me!"
Aragorn kissed her hand. "It is not for me to tell, dear lady. I will respect your confidence."
"Theodred Castamir is your son, Aragorn..."
Arwen felt herself pulled away from the scene and float back and upwards through stone to stand once more
where Legolas had found her. As she felt her feet beneath her again, she pushed herself away from Legolas.
"You have somehow manufactured this! It is an illusion!" Arwen said in a choked whisper.
Legolas sighed. "Go now, quickly, to the floor below. Wait in the stairwell and look into the corridor to
Eowyn's door. Do not let yourself be seen. Hurry! It is the proof you seek".
Arwen stood, seemingly rooted to the spot.
"Or do you not want to know the truth?" he said, in a gentle, almost pitying voice.
Arwen flew down the stairs to the first landing. There she paused and turned as she said. "I will prove you
wrong, Legolas..."
He was not there.
'Will I do as he says?,' she thought to herself. 'What if it is true?' She hesitated for a moment, and continued
her swift and silent flight to the floor below.
It was scant minutes before Aragorn, dressed as he had been in the scene Arwen had observed, emerged from
Eowyn's room. After closing the hall door behind him, he leaned against the wall as if in a swoon. From the
angle of her vision, she could just see his profile.
He was elated.
Aragorn walked away from where she hid, toward the opposite stair case. She heard his voice; he spoke to
someone.
It was not an illusion. Aragorn had fathered a child with Eowyn.
Rage and jealousy flooded her; swirled about her; taunted her.
How long had they been lovers? Once? or over the course her marriage to Faramir?
No; Aragorn would not. He was not a man of deception. Rage dissipated. Jealousy would not be so easily
banished, however. Eowyn was the mother of Aragorn's first born. Nothing could change that.
And one thing was proved beyond a doubt.
Despair crept on cat's paws and pounced upon her, unaware.
It was she who could not conceive.
It was her fault that the King and kingdom had no heir.
Arwen awoke suddenly from her uneasy slumber. She felt clammy and a bit disoriented, not really rested at
all. It was sometime in the late morning or very early afternoon by the position of the sun.
Aragorn was gone.
She sought to shake the meloncholy lethargy from her limbs, and the cobwebs from her mind. She had
not been herself since the summoning two nights before. Arwen suddenly felt claustrophobic; but that was
not all. Some other discomfort of the mind, not associated with her ritual, troubled her.
She rang the bell-pull and was answered by one of her regular handmaidens. Arwen ordered a bath prepared,
and rummaged through her wardrobe for a costume to lift her spirits. She chose one of lilac, bordered with
purple and silver embroidery.
The staff filled the bathtub with hot water and Arwen's preferred perfumes.
"We are all so happy that the Lady Eowyn is better, my Lady. She gave us all quite a scare. And the baby!
She is a little darling!" Versia cooed almost to herself as she lay the queen's robe, slippers, and towels upon
the newly made bed.
Arwen was startled. "Eowyn has had her baby? When? Where?"
Versia straightened from her chores and looked at the queen a bit nervously. "I...I am sorry, my lady, I
thought you knew! The lady Eowyn went into labor yesterday morning. It was a very difficult birth. She was
tended to by the healer Augra. Lady Eowyn and Lord Faramir have a new baby girl..."
Arwen turned from the servant girl. "I have not been well these last two days...a bit of a fever. I will wish her
well after my bath. Thank you, Versia. That is all for now."
"Would you like me to tend to you at your bath, my Lady?" she asked.
Arwen did not want anyone to see her bruises and welts. "I prefer to bathe myself today, Versia. Thank you."
When she was bathed and dressed, her hair piled upon her head and bound with silver ribbon, she felt
more comfortable. None of her bruises showed in her gown, except for the one around her throat. For
that she found a purple scarf, sheer but sufficient to hide the marks and complement her gown. As she
prepared to leave, she took a final look in the large mirror by the hall door.
Her hairstyle was reminiscent of the one selected for her by Legolas' illusion. Although it was attractive, it
vividly reminded her of his intrusion into her very thoughts, and she hastily pulled the ribbon from her hair,
allowing her tresses to fall freely about her shoulders and down her back.
Braethan was back on duty in the hall, and gave a small bow to the queen.
"My lord Aragorn bade me tell you of visitors, my lady. They have gathered in the quarters of Master Gimli."
Arwen smiled and thanked him absentmindedly. She walked towards the stairs leading to the level below to
visit with Eowyn. She passed the corner to the landing and heard a voice call to her.
"My lady Arwen, you are a vision!"
Arwen turned abruptly, startled.
Standing a few feet behind her, one foot bracing him casually against the wall as if he had been there for
some time, was Legolas, He was dressed in the cool green-greys preferred by the woodland Elves, unarmed
except for a knife at his waist.
She eyed him coolly.
"I have not entered your residence by arcane methods this time, lady. I am here by conventional means -
through the front gate of the city and the doors of the palace."
"Very well. I will make sure my husband keeps you entertained during your brief stay." She held herself
stiffly, and regarded him much as if he were a snake found in the garden.
"My stay will be brief, because we are on our way to a battle. A battle, by the way my lady, that Aragorn
cannot win."
As much as she did not wish to encourage Legolas by undue conversation, this statement jarred her.
"I know that he seeks the party of Haradrim or Southrons who have devastated some villages, and Gimli
rides with him to seek vengence for his own folk. Why do you say he will not prevail if he finds these
brigands?"
Legolas pushed himself from the wall to stand uncomfortably close to her. She sought to step away, but he
held her arm.
"Legolas! Let go of me! You will start a scandal...!"
"Listen to me! Aragorn and the men who ride with him are going to their doom!" Legolas said in a fevent
whisper. "I know who is behind these raids and slaughter! He is a wizard of great power and great malice!"
"How do you know this?!"
"It is another of the gifts bestowed upon me by the powers I have acquired." Legolas let go of her arm, and
she turned from him and stood for a moment.
Still with her back to him, she said,"Can YOU best this mage?"
Legolas cocked his head to the side. "BEST him?! I would consider myself lucky to do battle with him and live.
But I might be able to save the lives of some. I know the King of Gondor must survey his lands and give hope
to his frightened folk. But I can see and...feel that HE is waiting for Aragorn." Legolas' voice was low, tinged
with something quite unfamiliar, for him. Fear.
"I cannot see all of this near future, but it is clear that this wizard holds a deep malice for Gondor. He will
kill Aragorn if he can."
Arwen had stood stone still as Legolas spoke. She had thought the days of deep peril were in the past.
Talk of a real threat to Aragorn's life had her frozen with fear. And she heard the fear in Legolas voice.
"Can you help him, Legolas?" She spoke in a low, halting voice. She hated to ask any favors of Legolas, but
this was more important than her pride or his unwanted advances.
"It is my intention to do so; that is one of the reasons that I'm here."
Arwen said nothing to this.
Legolas sighed. "I will show you the other reason that I've come..."
In one movement he snatched her into his arms; Arwen felt a sinking sensation and, to her horror, saw that
they were sinking into the stone floor, both of them as transparent as smoke.
what is happening! she did not hear her own voice, but knew that she spoke.
you will see, came a faint echo of Legolas' voice.
The corridor slipped from view, and Arwen saw into the stone of the palace floor and walls. The sensation was
unpleasantly like being buried alive, except that she could breathe.
you would not believe me if I told you, so I will let you see for yourself...
They were in Eowyn and Faramir's chambers. A dark haired man sat by Eowyn's bedside. Their posture was
intimate; the man held her hand to his lips and spoke earnestly to her. With a jolt, Arwen realized the man
was Aragorn. She and Legolas in their wraith-like forms seemed to float closer, and she could hear their
speech.
...""Madam Augra had told you, has she not? I knew she saw and felt much as she tended to me. Palace gossip
said she has uncanny gifts..."
Gently, Aragorn gathered both her hands in his, and spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
"Please, Eowyn. Tell me. I cannot be angry; it is certainly not your fault. In fact, it is I who owe you much
if it is true."
Eowyn remained silent, but now tears ran down her cheeks.
"Faramir cannot know! Promise me!"
Aragorn kissed her hand. "It is not for me to tell, dear lady. I will respect your confidence."
"Theodred Castamir is your son, Aragorn..."
Arwen felt herself pulled away from the scene and float back and upwards through stone to stand once more
where Legolas had found her. As she felt her feet beneath her again, she pushed herself away from Legolas.
"You have somehow manufactured this! It is an illusion!" Arwen said in a choked whisper.
Legolas sighed. "Go now, quickly, to the floor below. Wait in the stairwell and look into the corridor to
Eowyn's door. Do not let yourself be seen. Hurry! It is the proof you seek".
Arwen stood, seemingly rooted to the spot.
"Or do you not want to know the truth?" he said, in a gentle, almost pitying voice.
Arwen flew down the stairs to the first landing. There she paused and turned as she said. "I will prove you
wrong, Legolas..."
He was not there.
'Will I do as he says?,' she thought to herself. 'What if it is true?' She hesitated for a moment, and continued
her swift and silent flight to the floor below.
It was scant minutes before Aragorn, dressed as he had been in the scene Arwen had observed, emerged from
Eowyn's room. After closing the hall door behind him, he leaned against the wall as if in a swoon. From the
angle of her vision, she could just see his profile.
He was elated.
Aragorn walked away from where she hid, toward the opposite stair case. She heard his voice; he spoke to
someone.
It was not an illusion. Aragorn had fathered a child with Eowyn.
Rage and jealousy flooded her; swirled about her; taunted her.
How long had they been lovers? Once? or over the course her marriage to Faramir?
No; Aragorn would not. He was not a man of deception. Rage dissipated. Jealousy would not be so easily
banished, however. Eowyn was the mother of Aragorn's first born. Nothing could change that.
And one thing was proved beyond a doubt.
Despair crept on cat's paws and pounced upon her, unaware.
It was she who could not conceive.
It was her fault that the King and kingdom had no heir.