CHAPTER ONE
TA 2986 - Aragorn to Rivendell after being injured in a battle
Day 1
The horse Lord Elrond had gifted his foster son with shortly after he confessed about his betrothal to Arwen, now six years past, picked its way carefully down the hill path and walked slowly under the stone arch of Imladris carrying a nearly unconscious passenger. One of the elves close by caught Galad's reins and surveyed the battle weary man. Atheo glanced back and hailed a passing kinsman.
"Cevon, find Lady Arwen and tell her Estel is home." His expression became grim, seeing the injuries Estel had tried to bind and bandage in a makeshift way by himself. "He will need her." Another elf joined him and together they got a groaning Aragorn down from his horse. With the assistance of two others he was carried to the healing room and only moments after he'd been laid on a bed, Arwen rushed in behind them and perched gingerly at his side, fingers flitting over his blood and combat stained form as she assessed the trauma he'd suffered.
Aragorn moaned at pressure on his side and caught her hand as they traveled back to his face. "Hiril nin," he rasped and she hurried to pour water from a nearby pitcher, lifting his head carefully so he could drink. He closed his eyes - a cut over one brow and swelling under the other eye - and valiantly attempted to smile with a rather painful looking split lip. "I feel better already." [My lady]
She frowned at him. "Do not be false with me Estel. Look at you! What happened?" Hating to see her vexed, he brushed his fingers over the inside of her wrist and traced the ring he'd given her. Arwen's head bowed with a sigh. "Oh my love, it grieves me to see you in such a state." She reached for a soft cloth and dipped it in water, beginning to sponge the dirt and sweat and bloodstains from his face and neck.
Aragorn winced occasionally but otherwise submitted to her ministrations without protest. She encountered difficulty with his clothes as he did not want them cut off and enlisted the assistance of two male healers to get him undressed and cleaned up while she gathered supplies from across the room, unwilling to go too far away. When she turned back he was clothed in loose fitting breeches of Elven make but his torso was left bare and she stifled a gasp at the visible damage. "Estel," she whispered.
Again he tried for a reassuring smile but she wouldn't have it. He'd taken a beating, that much was certain, and at some point had been in a knife fight as evidenced by the shallow slashes and one deeper cut along his ribs. And by the careful way he was holding his arm... She started there, lifting it gently and testing range of motion, watching his eyes when he sought to keep his features free of pain.
"Broken," Arwen declared, checking to see if the bones were out of alignment, "but that you already knew. How did you manage to get on your horse?" She shook her head. "Never mind, I will wrap this."
A light strong splint was applied to stabilize the clean break and she moved on to stitching one of the more serious cuts. "Would you like something for the pain?" she asked, readying the needle. Aragorn shook his head and closed his eyes but his little grunts indicating discomfort tore at her heart. When Arwen finished she helped him into a fresh light tunic and fashioned a sling for his arm. She studied him and ran her fingers over his beard. "If you like I can wash your hair."
Exhausted and in need of rest, Aragorn almost turned the offer down but it would feel good to be completely clean. He nodded wearily and she led him to one of the tubs where water flowed in continuously, bidding him to kneel beside it. With gentle fingers she wet his filthy mane and rinsed it over and over to get rid of the worst, then massaged in soap and washed it twice more, rubbing it from wet to damp in a soft towel and smiling faintly when she finished.
"There. Now you look more like yourself."
Her hands lingered briefly on his face, side, and arm and he felt the pain lessen. "Thank you meleth," he murmured, hobbling back to bed on a sprained ankle with his lady's assistance. She covered him up and sang him into dreams and the last thing Aragorn remembered was her silken lips on his forehead. It was good to be home.
LOTR
As soon as the door shut behind her Arwen felt her calm facade crumble and she ran to one of the concealed alcoves where she knew she could be alone. There she gave into tears held back since the moment she laid eyes on her bruised and broken betrothed. It had been so hard to keep from showing her true reaction to the state in which Aragorn arrived. She grieved for the pain he was in, worried over the danger he lived in daily, and bore frustration over not knowing he had been so injured.
When finally the emotions were all purged Arwen wiped her face and decided on a long walk to clear her mind before facing Aragorn again. She wandered through the peaceful trees for some time before returning to the Last Homely House. There she adopted a calm expression and sedately made her way back to the healing room. She stopped just outside the doorway when she saw her father examining his sleeping foster son's wounds. He looked up at the sound of her steps and nodded once. "He has been well cared for."
She smiled faintly. "I have learned much from you Ada."
Elrond sighed and glanced between the two of them. "There is no discouraging you?"
Arwen put her hand on his arm. "You could try, but you know as well as I that when an Elf makes a promise it is for all time."
His countenance was grave. "This was not the life I wanted for you Arwen."
Sadness reflected in her eyes. "I know. Yet it chose me all the same." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Estel's love makes me happy Ada. It rests deep inside even when we are apart. I have not been truly happy since before Naneth left and the shadow began to grow."
The Elf-lord embraced his daughter. "Mara lome Arwen. Le melin." [Goodnight/I love you]
Repeating the sentiment she drifted towards Estel's bed, her gaze resting on his prone form. The sunlight had faded and lamps were burning in all corners of the room. Without opening his eyes Aragorn took her hand. "When we agreed to be married, I did not think about the consequences until after that season in Lothlorien when I returned to tell him myself. Arwen," his grey eyes suddenly focused on hers, "my intent was never to cause a rift between the two of you."
Arwen sat carefully beside him. "Ada will fight my decision as long as he is able, but he knows in his heart that it will not change the inevitable. My course is set and my heart Estel," she placed her palm on his chest, "is yours."
He lay his hand over hers. "For which I am most grateful meleth-nin. But I am sorry it comes at so high a price."
There was no use in rehashing the past so she smiled slightly and gently touched his bandages. "How are you feeling?"
Aragorn tried to push himself up, grunting and gritting his teeth, until she stilled his movements. "Like I've been in a fight." She didn't seem impressed by his attempt at levity. He sighed. "This is not the first time I've found myself in such a state Arwen. Your brothers and my own Rangers have patched me up many times before." He brought her fingers to his lips. "I count it an honour to be in your care on this occasion."
Arwen passed her hand over his eyes. "Sleep Estel. Your body needs to rest." Again she touched his injuries and the pain eased further. She kissed his forehead. "Le melin."
LOTR
Day 2
Once she was sure he was asleep, Arwen returned to her room and reached under her bed for the bag containing her special undertaking. She brought it back to the healing room and began to work, humming with each stitch of the precious silver thread. All through that long night Arwen watched over Aragorn and bid him sweet dreams by the sound of her voice and the songs she sang.
He didn't stir until dawn, he'd always been an early riser, and Aragorn saw her holding what looked like embroidery but it was quickly tucked away before she met his eyes. "Mara tuile." [Good morning]
He frowned. "You did not sleep last night."
Arwen smiled and brushed his hair back. "My rest comes in a different form than yours meldanya." Aragorn shifted uncomfortably and she stood. "Let me get you something to drink."
He grimaced. "That will not help my current problem my lady. Are your brothers about?"
She turned with furrowed brow. "Elladan and Elrohir have not been home in many months."
"Perhaps Cevon or Fion?"
Understanding had not yet come to her. "Is my company so intolerable Estel?"
Aragorn sighed. "For a very few things I will need the assistance of your kinsmen meleth. For all others I desire only you to tend."
Finally she comprehended his meaning and did her best to hold back amusement. "I will send someone to you in a moment." Hurrying into the hall, Arwen snagged a passing healer and shared Aragorn's need. She readied a breakfast tray to give them plenty of time and bore it back to the room with a bright smile, pleased to see him sitting up against the pillows. "All is well now Estel?"
He returned the smile. "Indeed dear lady, I feel much better. Might I be permitted to move to my own room today?"
Arwen passed him an earthenware mug holding a special Elven elixir clear as spring water and carrying neither flavour nor temperature, but the effect would make him feel stronger and more hearty for hours to come. "I fear today is too soon to be going very far on that ankle. Perhaps in a couple days."
He sighed dramatically and sipped his drink a bit petulantly. "And now I suppose you want to change my bandages too?"
She smirked. "It seems Elf-kind are not the only created who can read the minds of others."
Aragorn loved her too much to scowl at her teasing, but he hated being confined and out of commission, it was a state he usually avoided with great effort. Arwen's expression displayed only compassion. "If you like I could read to you," she offered while they slowly worked their way through the simple meal.
He wiped his mouth, then grasped her hand, holding it to his lips. "As enchanting as that sounds vanimelda, this is the first time I've been in your company or seen your face in six years. Let us talk for awhile, as I desire to capture the sound of your voice, and that way I can simply look at you for a few hours without fully appearing as a besotted fool."
Her laughter made him smile gingerly - the cut pulled at his tender lip - as did her sudden brief kiss pressed to the corner of his mouth. "You start while I get fresh dressings. Tell me of the time we've been apart. How have you spent those years?"
Accepting her offer to go first and thus get the less pleasant details out of the way - his days were filled with a great deal more peril than hers - Aragorn began, duly trying to keep his face from displaying pain while she cleaned and salved cuts, checked stitches, probed the injured muscles in his ankle, and made sure his broken arm was properly supported and immobilized.
Then he turned tables on his betrothed and requested her stories, though because Elves tell time differently, Arwen's recollection of their separation was more like listing the highlights - feasts in the hall with her father's guests, tending to Celebrian's garden, reading in Imladris' vast library, wandering peaceful woods, talking with and learning from her father, watching over him from afar and lending encouragement, dreaming about what their life would be like in the future they hoped for, training and sparring and sometimes besting her brothers in archery and knife throwing competitions, binding their wounds and hearing of battles fought, taking long rides together and sharing memories of their childhoods - at over one hundred years younger than the twins she had ever been doted on and spoiled by both.
After finishing a tale about her brothers she sighed and stared out the window. "It has been four hundred and seventy years since Naneth suffered in Barad-dur. Elladan and Elrohir have taken vengeance on every Orc they ever came across and they are still so angry, so filled with the desire for revenge." Arwen stood and walked over to lean on the open wall. "Do not misunderstand Estel, I am very proud of them as I am of you for fighting evil back day by day, but I wish all of you more peace and I feel...guilty at times for living sheltered from the shadow when you three spend each day in the heart of it."
"Arwen." Aragorn held out his good arm, beckoning her back since he couldn't go to her. She sat at his side again and studied him carefully before leaning on his chest and letting him hold her. It hurt some, but no more than watching her sadness and being unable to comfort her in this fashion. "Beloved, we would have it no other way. An important part of the reason we are able to keep up the fight as we do is knowing you are safe here in Rivendell, that we have you to come home to." He kissed her head.
"I am certain that Elladan and Elrohir would move the mountains themselves to bar your way if ever you tried to join us in battle. And though I have wondered, dreamed, and longed to see you at my side displaying the skills your brothers brag about, I would not have a moment's rest or a free breath if I ever thought you in harm's way." Having only one arm able to hold her made it challenging and finally he had to nudge her away but followed that up with a light meeting of lips.
"This place is home Arwen, but more than that you make it so. I'm thankful to always know that the light of the Evenstar graces these halls or Lothlorien's woods and no way is safer than the paths between those two lands because of the force Lord Elrond sends with you when you go." He stared seriously into her bright blue eyes. "I cannot lose you beloved, you are what I am fighting for."
If it hadn't been for his painful lip they would've kissed with the same passion and desperation that had followed their courtship and farewell in the Golden Wood. As it was, the most the couple could do was hold tender hands to each other's faces and rest their foreheads together, breathing the same air and just being with one another. Finally Arwen sat back and began a riddle game which she eventually won because she'd had more years to collect riddles than he. Then Aragorn recited a poem and Arwen countered and they took turns until both were wracking their brains for learned verses. At that point Arwen decided he should rest and though Aragorn couldn't argue by the way his strength was fading, he was loathe to lose any time that could be spent with her.
She returned later, bringing him a belated lunch, and regaled him with a fascinating tale of adventure and love while he ate. Arwen possessed a flair for storytelling and an incredible memory of books she'd read, but the ones she created were just as entertaining. They played chess for an hour, after which Arwen suggested she take the place of his pillows. He raised an eyebrow at that but once he lay his head on her legs and she began drawing her fingers lightly though his hair, Aragorn suddenly felt that was the best idea she had yet. A soft melody soon began and lulled him to sleep yet again and he did not wake until evening when he opened his eyes to see Lord Elrond changing his bandages and his head resting on pillows once more.
He lifted his good arm to rub his eyes. "My lord?"
Elrond sighed. "Too many times have I tended the wounds of my sons in these rooms." Skilled fingers gently probed where it hurt. "Tell me of this battle Estel. How came you home in such a state?"
Aragorn hadn't been sure exactly where he stood with his foster father after his last visit to share of his betrothal to Arwen. To be referred to as 'son' again raised his hopes of regaining the ancient man's esteem. "But for your training and that of your sons' and Glorfindel in my youth, I would have despaired of escaping alive."
Elrond stared at him and Aragorn had the uncomfortable feeling the Elf was seeing scenes of that fight through his eyes. At last he looked away. "You learned your lessons well. I give thanks to the Valar for your safe return."
"I know not how I stayed on my horse those two days," he admitted. "If Galad was not so surefooted and certain of his way to the Last Homely House where a clean stall and warm mash could be found, as well as being an Elven horse that does not easily lose his passenger, I doubt we would have made it here at all."
Elrond's eyes were fixed on the darkening sky and the ever present growing shadow in the East. "I foresee many more days like this one anon-nin. My regret is that not many of them will find you here in Rivendell for rest and healing." [My son]
Rubbing his bruised forehead with care, Aragorn wished for once that Elrond had kept his foresight to himself. "Long years will pass I fear, before I can fulfill my promise to you my lord. The world of Men is not yet ready for that which my birth has destined me to. And many days have I wished it was possible to be free of this burden."
"So do all to whom such a task is given," Elrond responded sagely. He put his hand on Aragon's shoulder. "Welcome home Estel. Take what refreshment you can inside these walls. It will strengthen you for the days ahead."
Aragorn bowed his head and watched his foster father leave. Laying back on the pillows, he flexed his foot and realized his ankle felt much better than earlier and gave silent thanks for the healing power of Elves. A turn of his head provided a perfect view of the bright stars in the night sky and for awhile searching out and naming the familiar lights and constellations occupied his time, then he was left simply to chafe at his restrictions. The door snicked open and closed so quietly his ears almost didn't catch it, but he had been trained to be attentive and listen closely even if his senses were not as heightened as those of his distant kin.
"I know you are there my lady."
Arwen smiled in the dim light of the room, almost a shadow herself dressed in a midnight blue nightdress that shimmered as if she'd woven it with starlight. "How so? You did not hear my footsteps."
Bare toes peeked out from under her gown and he chuckled. "No, but the door has not your inbred grace meleth." Tired of being flat on his back, Aragorn wriggled cautiously into a sitting position. "What brings you here in the late watches of the night beautiful maiden?"
She perched beside him on the bed. "Usually I await dreams for us to be together, tonight you are within reach."
He wove their fingers together. "I have missed you so much Arwen. Surely there is to be more to our courtship that a couple chance meetings and a few glorious months in each other's company in your grandmother's realm."
Arwen traced his ring on her finger. "Marriages have been built on much less Estel." A twinkle entered her eyes. "And there is nothing to prevent you from wooing me here once you are well."
"You will make me work for your hand now Undomiel?" he asked in surprise.
"Men thrive on challenge, is that not so?"
Aragorn shook his head. "There is something to that I suppose. Very well, I accept." He frowned at his ankle. "A pity I will not be going very far afield this week, flowers would be a good place to start."
Her laughter was like tinkling bells. "I like purple ones."
Though he ached to hold her properly, injuries prevented his desire so he trailed one finger down her silky black tresses. "I will remember that."
They lapsed into silence for awhile, then spent half the night talking before he could no longer keep his eyes open.
LOTR
Day 3
The next morning Arwen arrived right after Rion had helped him attend to necessary personal needs and given him a sponge bath. It was humiliating and humbling to require so much care and Aragorn vowed to remember that feeling when he was a healer, so he might be more compassionate to those who needed his skills. She waited until they were left alone before producing the tools to shave his scruff.
Wary but not untrusting he submitted to her ablutions without question. He was, however, unprepared for how intimate it felt as she lathered his cheeks and neck and carefully painstakingly scraped away the whiskers. Aragorn had to close his eyes at one point because staring deep into hers and watching her concentration as she worked was too much and he was, after all, a man subject to temptation like any other.
After she wiped his face clean and patted it dry Arwen offered also to trim his hair. That one was safer because he didn't have to look right at her, though her fingers combing through his dark locks and her warmth at his back made him squirm in discomfort now and then. Once that task was complete she put on clean bandages and examined his ankle. "You should be able to get up on it tomorrow," she announced with satisfaction, "at least with a crutch. It is fortunate your bad arm and ankle are on the same side, otherwise you would be forced to lie abed a few days longer."
That was the best news he'd heard since arriving and Aragorn grinned carefully, noting that his lips were much improved, a fact he used to his advantage that night when he pulled her close and kissed her the way he'd wanted to when he first laid eyes on his betrothed after over half a decade apart and poured out all the longing he felt. Arwen reciprocated with such sweetness he thought his heart might burst and letting her go took an incredible amount of willpower.
"Oh my love," he whispered, tucking her hair behind her delicately pointed ear, "you are so beautiful, everything about you. How came your heart to choose me?"
She cradled his face, blinking back tears of pure joy. "I know not where the courage came from Estel, until I met you again in Lothlorien my future was set. Your love turned me in a whole new direction and though it is unsettling not to know what my choice will truly mean, I cannot regret it. I love you with my whole heart."
Their mouths aligned again and he drank her in as a man deprived of water. When finally they parted both were breathing hard and Aragorn brought her hand to his lips. "Forgive me meleth. You make it so easy to get lost in these moments."
Her smile was radiant as the stars for which she was named. "I would say it is a good time to go for a walk, but that would not work just now. Have you any other ideas?"
Aragorn huffed a laugh and fell back against the fluffy pillows. "I would be pleased if you would read to me my lady. Anything will do."
To his disappointment and relief Arwen moved a chair close and selected one of the books kept nearby for those who were convalescing. She bit her lip at the title and decided Luthien's story would serve no purpose tonight. Instead she chose a story beginning when the elves first awoke and read to her beloved until he fell asleep, aching with gladness at having him so near.
Once he was safely lost in dreams Arwen brought out her project again, as she had every time he slept, and patiently applied needle and thread to the material, stitch by stitch affirming the position to which he had been called. One day, perhaps many years from now, when he unfurled this banner Arwen wanted the man she loved to know how much she'd believed in him.