Summary: The Kings of Gondor have always had arranged marriages, and the new King has had a Gondorian maiden waiting for him to return to the throne since she was born…
Disclaimer: The only thing I own of the Lord of the Rings is my calendar, the movies, the books, and my beautiful Evenstar pendant.
Author's Note: This occurs immediately after the Return of the King scene in which Lord Elrond learns of his daughter's mortality. The italisized text at the beginning is in fact taken directly from the movie… no copyright infringement intended!
The elven lord felt his daughter's hands with surprise and dread. "Your hands are cold… The life of the Eldar is leaving you." Arwen looked up at him with sadness but also with hope, saying, "This was my choice. Ada, whether by your will or not, there is no ship now that can bear me hence."
"Arwen! You could not have- you did not!" Lord Elrond stammered in shock, rendered speechless (a very rare occurrence) by his daughter's claim to mortality. The normally composed elven lord turned slightly pale, drawing back from his daughter and dropping her chilled hands. "Child, you-" At this, Arwen grew angry and rose from her bed, spots of color dotting her high cheekbones. "Ada, I am no longer a child! True, you are my father, but this is my choice… my life… my love. I would have left for the Havens but for the child. I could not abandon my own child!"
"Arwen…" The half-elven lord withdrew to the window overlooking his beautiful kingdom. Somehow it seemed to shrink before his sorrowful gaze, becoming less regal and majestic. "There is something I did not tell you… something I could not tell you." He turned back to look at her, the pain etched clearly on his features. "I fought so hard for you to travel to the Havens only because I did not want you to wither and die alone in grief."
"But the child- !"
"The child is not yours!" His outburst was met with a stunned silence. Arwen stared at him as the seconds ticked by, waiting, hoping. With a sigh, her father seemed to stoop a little more, the weariness of thousands of years on Middle Earth overcoming him for a moment. "My daughter… there is another. Aragorn is not destined to be your husband." Arwen began to shake her head minutely, tears slipping down her cheeks. "No…" she whispered, before taking flight, running from her fears, her shattered hopes and dreams. "No!"
Author's Note: This chapter is rather short because I wanted to get this rather shocking introduction posted to see if anyone was interested before continuing the story. So if you want me to keep writing, please rate and review! (Also, if you don't like it please tell me why… constructive criticism is very helpful!)