Title: An Imladris Twilight
Author: EbonyBeach
Summary: Aragorn, Arwen and children visit Imladris, and spend their first evening there together under the sunset. Being home heightens Arwen's senses to the sky, and her husband isn't helping matters...
Rating: PG13
Dedication: This is for Cerridwen, because today is a very special day and I just want her to know how much she means to me. :)
An Imladris Twilight
The evening was drawing in, golden and warm. Columns of sunlight filtered through the rich green canopy of the forest, creating streaks of pure brillinance in an otherwise darkened world. Birds sang the Evensong in perfect harmonies from the lower branches, and butterflies danced along the light breeze that blew from the North.
This world - this paradise - belonged not to Elves or Men, but to nature and all that was good in life. From the lush green leaves of early summer to the reds and whites of the blossoms that covered the ground; the deep blue of the stream that twisted its way through the woods to the silver bark of the majestic trees - none could know beauty until they walked hand in hand with their lover through the forests of Imladris.
And for two such lovers long ago, this had been their escape to a whole new world of their own, where war, battle and long years of separation could be forgotten - their escape to nature, to life and to love. Long days and longer nights they would spend together in the undiscovered glades of their home, singing, dancing and talking for hours. And when one was gone, the other would go there still, to lie amongst the Niphredil and remember the sweet times of laughter and kisses.
So it was not a surprise to find that, over a hundred years since they would first walk together, King Elessar and his Undómiel now sat under the fading sun, once again allowing the purity of nature restore what had been lost in their hearts from the long years living in the White City. Now that all of Middle Earth was at peace, they could afford to leave Gondor for months at a time, taking holidays to Rohan, Dol Amroth and Lothlórien. But it would always be Imladris where they found true peace.
"I. love. you. so. much." Aragorn kissed his wife between each word, his lips lingering slightly longer after the last, leaving her satisfied yet at the same time aching for more.
She kept her eyes closed as she leaned further into him, breathing in his familiar scent. "I know," she said quietly. Sitting on the land her people had been cultivating for milennia heightened her senses to a point which usually only her husband could help her reach. She knew as a mortal that her Elven traits had diminished somewhat, but being in Imladris brought everything flooding back, so much so it was almost magical. She was able to analyse perfectly everything she saw, heard and smelt, detecting not just substance but thought and emotion also.
They kissed again, more passionately this time. Arwen's hands found and gripped the open collar of his shirt as his tongue parted her lips, and he moved his arm around her side, pushing her backwards until she was lying on the grass. They broke apart eventually, both slightly breathless, and Aragorn smiled down at his queen, his mouth perilously close to hers.
Every movement they made was watched, as suddenly the world disappeared and they were completely alone. Arwen felt her husband's hand move to her waist and followed its path as it began to slide slowly up her front, across her stomach and between her breasts, which rose and fell further with each quickening breath. When he took her face gently and traced his thumb across her lips she met his gaze for a split second, before he was kissing her once again.
Arwen's control was waning dramatically. Her heightened senses were being rasied into oblivion, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she broke completely. Yet however much she might want that, they were lying in a forest, darkness was coming, and their two children were fast asleep not three feet away.
Dragging herself back to reality, she put her hand on her husband's chest and pushed him up ever so slighty. His lips left hers reluctantly, but he moved back and helped her sit up. Before she could speak he said, "It's alright, I don't want wake them either."
Watching her eyes light up like that always caused his heart to beat a little bit faster, because it was something he knew only he could conjure within her. And tonight of all nights... In the past he might have thought the forest around them was beautiful, or the deepening sky when the stars were being lit, but beauty gained a new name tonight, a name that could find no comparison: that name was Undómiel, and she was his.
He watched her as she played with the daisy chain she has helped her young daughter make that afternoon, a shy smile on her lips because she knew she was being observed, and even after so long it still managed to make her blush. He wasn't sure if it was being back in Imladris or something else that made her so radiant just then, but it seemed suddenly to him that the sun and stars had dimmed as his Elven princess eclipsed them all.
Minutes passed, and Aragorn continued to find himself being drawn in even further. He was aware of Eldarion shuffling in his sleep, but found himself unable to acknowledge anything other than the image of perfection before him. When she reached out to comfort her son, he finally withdrew from his abstraction and ran a hand through his long hair, trying to get a hold of himself. But it wasn't easy when she was so close, and the air had begun to burn with the spark of anticipation in the small forest clearing. He needed to get out; to breathe.
"Arw- " He coughed slightly as she looked at him, and got to his feet. "Meleth, are you coming for a walk?"
She reached for his outstretched hand, confusion flickering across her face. "What about- ?"
"The children will be fine," he said softly, the touch of her hand on his wavering his voice slightly. "They will not wake after being so tired from the journey this morning. And if they do," he added, now almost back in control of himself, "We won't be far away."
They walked through the forest in silence, soaking in the surroundings, breathing deeply. The sky was beginning to darken, creating warm shadows across their path. Occasionally they passed a glade where, years ago, they would come to be alone together, away from the interfering eyes of the world. Everywhere they looked held so many memories, and as her husband squeezed her hand, Arwen knew he was remembering their 'lost days': when they were young and first in love, and nothing mattered more than finding time to leave everything behind for a few hours of innocence under the sun. Age, experience and children had changed this view somewhat, yet their past held no demons, and therefore there was no harm in reflecting upon it.
By the time they reached their destination, the sun had begun to set. They climbed the hill together, both of them knowing what was awaiting them in one of their favourite places in all of Arda. And sure enough, standing amongst the Elanor blossoms on the crest, the whole of Imladris was spread out at their feet, stretching for miles, yet never dimming in beauty.
"My favourite time of day,
"Is when the sun sails West;
"All your troubles fade away,
"And darkness brings you rest."
Arwen watched her husband standing so tall next to her, his eyes closed, the last note of his melody clinging to the air. It was a lullaby his mother used to sing to him, and one she often heard sung to her own children. The look of complete peace on his handsome face almost moved her to tears, and she went silently into his arms, singing the next verse of the song.
"Tilion moves across the sky,
"Telperion right behind;
"Varda comes to light the stars,
"And a sleeping young child they'll find."
Aragorn smiled and kissed his wife's forehead. "When I was watching you before," he said quietly, "You were so beautiful, so radiant. You've really missed Imladris, haven't you?"
She nodded, toying with a lock of his hair. "Minas Tirith is my home, but Imladris will always be in my heart. I just -" She sighed and leant her head against his chest. "I feel so... alive here. I can't explain it."
"You don't need to," he replied, lifting her chin to look into her star-lit eyes. "I can see it." He leaned down and captured her lips briefly, pulling back only to meet them once more when she pressed herself against him, sighing contentedly.
It was a powerful and inspiring image, should anyone have been there to see it: two silhouettes against the orange of the fading sun, sharing a kiss, sharing hearts, sharing love.
When at last they broke apart, the final rays of sunlight were disappearing beyond the horizon. "I think it may be time for us to retire," Aragorn said, brushing an errant strand of hair behind his wife's pointed ear. His thumb lingered on the sensitive tip, sending a shiver burning down her spine. "After the long journey here, you're probably as tired as Eldarion and Amelí." As he took her hand, he raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "However, I'd be quite happy to let you prove otherwise..."
Arwen just shook her head and followed him back to the glade where their children were sleeping. Now that the sun had set, the only light came from the moon and stars, which cast an ethereal glow upon the forest. Everything shone silver, suddenly alive.