DISCLAIMER: NONE OF THE CHARACTERS, PLACES OR ANYTHING BELONGS TO ME OTHER THAN THE PLOT FOT THE STORY. IT ALL BELONGS TO THE GREAT MAN HIMSELF, J.R.R. TOLKIEN.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: THIS ONE-SHOT IS COMPLETELY BASED ON MOVIE SO PLEASE, DON'T FLAME ME IF YOU THINK THAT I SOMEHOW MADE A MISTAKE. THE BOOKS ARE LOVELY BUT I WANTED TO WRITE A ONE-SHOT BASED ON THE MOVIE. ALL OF THE DIALOUGES ARE SPOKEN IN WESTRON BUT SINCE I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THAT LANGUAGE, THEY ARE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH. THOUGHTS ARE INDICATED IN ITALICS.
SUMMARY : SOMEWHAT AU. EOWYN'S FEELINGS FOR ARAGORN HAD BEEN SOMETHING OF A WORRY TO HER, AFTER ALL, A LADY OF ROYAL BIRTH DOES NOT GO LUSTING AFTER A RANGER ONE WHO WASN'T EVEN AWARE THAT THE SAID LADY HAD FEELINGS FOR HIM. SO, EOWYN DECIDED THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TALKING TO THE SAID RANGER AND FINDING OUT IF THERE WAS SOME HOPE. SHE NEVER IMAGINED WHAT INFORMATION SHE WOULD GET.
HIDDEN LONGINGS
CHARACTERS : EOWYN, ARAGORN AND OTHERS
RATING : T
'What would have happened if Lord Aragorn had given her the slightest acknowledgment? Would the skies fall down or would there be a shower of fire?' Eowyn thought a little sulkily. Her feelings for the Dunedain ranger had been steadily increasing ever since their first meeting. Eowyn, who hadn't really met anyone who was able to attract her to him, was feeling quite unlike herself. Whenever the ranger was near, her heart would beat a little bit faster, and her limbs would tremble and…and all she could think was that the ranger was a future king of Gondor (if he chose it) and perhaps, she would be the reigning queen. Of course, such hopes were always dashed away when the fair maiden got a dose of reality. The ranger didn't like her that way, neither was he aware of her maidenly beauty. Eowyn was well aware that she wasn't the most beautiful lady in the court but she did have some beauty that had managed to attract some lords and that creature Grima. Her lips turned downwards in distaste as the name passed from the thoughts. 'That foul, devil-ish creature! How dare he!' The disgusting gaze and the lust which wasn't far behind had always made her shudder with fear and disgust. That creature had turned her uncle into someone who was under Grima's thumb and it had torn her apart. She pushed aside the thoughts that threatened to sadden her. She was not going to ruin her mood by thinking dark thoughts about a certain creature.
Walking alongside Aragorn, with her hands on the reins of her horse, Windfola, she looked at Aragorn from beneath her lashes. The man was tall, very nicely built as a warrior should be and the face was handsome. But it wasn't those things that had attracted the fair maiden to the Dunedain ranger, it was his eyes. It was the grey, slate-like eyes that seemed depthless. Eowyn pondered over the eyes for a moment and decided that she was definitely attracted to him because of his eyes. But had those eyes somehow captured someone else's heart as well? That was the question which burned inside her mind. She really wanted to know if it was so but how could she ask without seeming rude and nosy? Oh, what should she do? After a while, they took a break. There was food prepared; some soups to devour and the drinks were passed amongst the soldiers even during day-light. Of course, Eowyn didn't really know the bit about drinks but then she was oblivious to almost everything save Aragorn.
Eowyn decided to impress Lord Aragorn with culinary skills. Oh, she wasn't even possessed of how to prepare a simple soup! A lady of royal birth and a niece to the king, Eowyn had never needed the skills in the kitchen nor was she expected to know really. But after talking to some women, she decided that making a soup wasn't that hard after all. Taking basic ingredients from the women and trying to remember every little detail about the recipe, she set about making the soup. After some time, the liquid substance was boiling and Eowyn thought that perhaps it was done. She quickly doused the fire and set about finding a chalice.
Borrowing one from the family next to her, she quickly took the soup, the chalice and one wooden spoon with her. On the way, she met with an old man; she remembered seeing him in Edoras, so she smiled at him and offered him the soup. He shook his head and told her kindly that his family had seen to his needs regarding food and bid her farewell.
So Eowyn walked, and walked till she reached the ranger. Lord Aragorn or only Aragorn as she liked to call him in her mind was seated on a rock. The sun was shining on his dark head and she thought she spied a grey hair. Then she shook her head and thought herself silly for even thinking the man that old. She smiled as Aragorn noticed her; she quickly poured the soup in the bowl and gave it to Aragorn. Then remembering the wooden spoon, she gave it to him. Sighing a little, she said, "Please, do have some soup. It's hot." Saying so, she waited a bit for the man to sip it and proclaim that yes, indeed the soup was hot as well as of a fine taste. That however wasn't what happened for after one single sip, his face contorted. Eowyn noticed it and said, "Is it not hot? Should I heat it?"
The man shook his head at her and took a large sip from the spoon. His throat convulsed a little and then Aragorn beamed at her. Eowyn grinned with sudden happiness and her heart felt near to bursting. Then she turned to leave. Then suddenly a thought entered her mind. She turned fast and her gaze landed on Aragorn. He was almost tumbling all the contents on earth, why, the soup would waste! She was just about to say it when she saw a grimace appearing on his face and he took the chalice to a place where it would not spill. He looked at her questioningly and Eowyn felt herself flushing. 'Oh, his eyes, they are so wonderfully grey!' Then shook her head to rid herself of those lecherous thoughts and asked him, "My lord, is it true that my uncle knows you from before? I heard that you have visited my country once before?"
Aragorn seemed a little startled and then after a sigh, he said, "I have been to Rohan before, I was but a young man of five and ten winters. Your uncle was young himself and he was most hospitable, of course. I believe Prince Theodred or even Eomer wasn't born, no, no, he wasn't married yet. Hmm…yes, he wasn't married." Eowyn's eyes widened and her mouth formed a little 'O'. If Aragorn had met her uncle even before he had married then wouldn't he be old? Not her uncle but Aragorn? Oh, this complicated things a bit, still, her heart beseeched her to ask one question. It burst out of her mouth before she could even formulate a way to ask the man without seeming rude. "You must be quite old then?"
Her face flaming, she looked down as his eyes widened and a tinge of red appeared on his weather-beaten skin. Oh, dear, now she had even managed to insult and embarrass Lord Aragorn. Instantly, thousand apologies came to her lips but were stalled when he nodded and said, "Yes, I am old. Quite old."
"How old?" was the instant reply from Eowyn. Her mind started whirling with possibilities. 'Hmm…Lord Aragorn was about fifteen winters when he had met her uncle which meant he was about….sixty?!' She paled a little, however much her heart longed for Aragorn, could she really marry someone who was about the same age as her uncle? She was but a lady of four and twenty winters. She whispered, her voice incredulous, "You are sixty?" The man in front of her didn't change his expression but his eyes encouraged her to continue. 'Continue? Was he older then?' "Seventy?"
The man's face still didn't reveal anything and then after getting exasperated with the whole business, she rushed saying, "Surely, you are not eighty! You can't be, you do not look eighty, my lord!" Then the man smiled a little and said, "'tis eighty seven, my lady. I am quite old."
Her face leached of all colour, her grey eyes dull, she nodded at the man and turned. Her mind was not so sure if she wanted to have this attraction to the man. Oh, he might be handsome, he was a notable warrior and was the heir to the throne of Gondor but…but he was so old. Then suddenly, before she could even contemplate the thought, she turned and said, as Aragorn stood up once more, his bowl dangling between his hands, "I can't really see myself with you. You would be about the same age if not more of my uncle. It wouldn't be….it wouldn't be….Oh!" With this example of intelligence, she left the man standing there open-mouthed at her. She ran, ran until she felt that to breath she needed to stop. But…but how could she? After saying those things, she had made the gravest mistake one would make in front of the royalty. Her heart hammering, her breath coming out in gasps, her face curiously quite flushed, she decided then and there that she would not be thinking about Lord Aragorn that way again. Oh, she had heard that some maidens did marry older men, but those men were older than the maidens by a mere eight to ten years. But in her case…in her case, it seemed she had taken the falling for the older men to completely different level. She shuddered and left searching for her uncle. She needed to see someone of her own. Eomer would do as well but he wasn't present here with her.
Finding her uncle became a task; one she didn't feel she would finish seeing the results. After about ten minutes, she spotted her uncle with Hama. She sighed, and then sat down on a nearby rock. Her uncle and his man would take hours to finish up their plan about Helm's Deep. Her face a little drawn, she looked about her. All of Edoras was here to go with their King Theoden. Not being able to help in the way she so wanted to, made her grumpy and on top of that, she had to hide her feelings regarding everything from everyone. My, life as Eowyn, the niece of King Theoden, wasn't easy. A shadow fell on her and she quickly looked up. An old woman with a child at her hip was looking at her. She straightened up and gave a smile, her face was inquisitive. The woman asked, "What troubles you, my lady? Is there anything I could do?" Eowyn shook her head and said, "Ah, there's nothing that would help me. It's one of those things that one has to think through alone. Without anyone's help even if one needs it so desperately."
The woman set the child down and smiled a little, "My lady, I think we can keep a secret about how you had help. Do tell me, what bothers you so? Perhaps a fresh perspective would help you see the solution?" Eowyn's eyes widened, she nodded slowly. Perhaps, it would indeed help matters. She spoke, her voice low with strain, "I have these feelings…feelings I never knew I could have. This man….he has come so suddenly in my life and so suddenly has he captured my heart that I feel most threatened. I can't quite make up my mind what to do about it. It is said that he has someone. Someone who has his heart, body and soul but…I still can't seem to kill those feelings for him. I can't blame him either for he has not shown the slightest encouragement or anything to hint that he knows what I feel. Still I fell…ummm…not fell but oh, I can't even talk properly about it!"
The woman burst out laughing, her eyes full of mirth and she said, "My lady! It seems that your affections have been a bit confused, isn't it?" She stopped a moment then continued, "You see, it seems you have a tendre for this…man. It generally happens when one is in one's twenties or say, thirties but it is nothing to be so worried about. My lady, if I might be so bold as to suggest, forget the man who holds your affections. What you feel is not love, if you hesitate so much even thinking about the man, it is nothing but a silly, young infatuation."
"Meara? Meara, where are you?" someone called out loudly. Several heads swung about to locate the owner of the voice. The woman turned and said loudly, "Oh, Faran, couldn't you live without me even for a few moments? The child is with me, now, go away. I am not likely to be dead for thirty years." The man reddened and went away muttering, Eowyn had inkling that it was not the kind words for the woman. She looked at the woman with eyebrows raised, she hadn't known that a woman could be that way with a man, her husband no less and not be beaten for it. She asked her voice a little soft; "Does your husband not get angry with you for yelling at him? I have always thought that a woman wasn't the one to get away with such things." Meara seemed to struggle with something for a moment then sighed and said, "My dear lady, it really does seem as if you have had not a single woman in your life. I feel that you have yet to know much about womanhood and their strength. And mind you, I am not talking about their physical strength; the one I am talking about is their mental strength. I hope you would come to know soon about it."
Eowyn was left in stunned wonder as she saw Meara leaving and going to join her husband. To this date, she had always thought that being bound in matrimony was not a happy period of a woman's life if one discounted the children and Eowyn always did that. Now, she was forced to accept this unknown facet of married life. There had been a reason that she wasn't yet wed at the age of four and twenty, she had feared about herself, her self-respect, her pride. Of course, now she had to rethink all that and more. Looking back, she saw Aragorn striding towards the Elf-Prince Legolas. Eowyn sighed and thought that perhaps Meara was right, it would take time but she would get over her affections. Her lips curved a little as she saw Meara and Faran in an intimate embrace and looked away as they kissed. She hoped that she, too, would one day have her very own man, like Meara had. Someone like Faran or Aragorn. With that thought, she turned to face her rest of the life. She would live like Meara, happy and in love with whoever her husband might be. She would not despair over Lord Aragorn and not wonder if his heart belonged to someone or not. But there was something, still there was something that made her gaze gravitate towards him. She sighed, it was going to be a hard battle indeed to get over this...obstacle.