No excuses. I'm just sorry I'm so slow with this story. Hope you still like this chapter though!
The beautiful reflection of the stars shone brilliantly off the river as Alarain stared silently at the surface. Her brown eyes glimmering in the moonlight, she glanced over to the man beside her and smiled at the peaceful look on his face as he slept.
Aragorn had promptly set her atop Brego the day before and pointed him towards Osgiliath. Of course, it would take a few days before they reached the city, so they had made camp by the water's edge when the sun had dipped behind the trees.
He stirred beside her and his arm reached out, pulling her back down when he found her arm. "You should be sleeping," he whispered groggily as he watched her.
Alarain raised an eyebrow at him and sighed before closing her eyes obediently. The feeling of his arms encircling her brought giggles from her lips as he tugged her closer.
"I don't want to go back," he whispered again, placing kisses in her hair.
"Yes, you do," Alarain answered with a roll of her eyes, pushing his body away so she could look up at him. "You know you do. You haven't completely forgotten about our friends have you?"
He smiled. "I'm glad you're here to tell me what I want."
Tilting her head at the sparkle in his eyes, she grinned. "What's that I hear? Sarcasm perhaps?"
"Me?" he asked innocently. "Sarcastic? No," he shook his head seriously. "You must be mistaken."
"Are you sure you're the same man that I met in Bree? You mustn't be. You smile all the time," she teased.
He rolled his eyes at her that time. "I wasn't that bad-tempered."
"I suppose not," Alarain smiled, snuggling back into his chest.
They were quiet for a moment, taking in the view of the night sky together. Aragorn's voice soon broke the silence.
"I hope you get a good, loud scolding when we reach Minas Tirith."
Alarain propped herself up on her elbow again with a frown. "Why?"
He paused, biding his time and grinning at the impatient look on her face. "For coming after us in the first place." Alarain was about to argue, but he put up his hand. "Don't even try. I'm still mad at you for it. Just be happy that I can't bring myself to yell at you."
They're gazes remained locked, Alarain's eyes hard and Aragorn's soft. Finally, she couldn't take it any more and his smile broke her. She fell back down beside him and shifted closer once more, closing her eyes as his arm moved around her shoulders and held her.
"I couldn't let my friends go…"
"Shhh."
Alarain scowled, but a yawn soon broke her expression and she sighed deeply. She was intending to make a teasing remark about how she didn't know how long she'd be able to stand being married to him when she stopped herself. The thought still hadn't quite settled in her mind and her heart skipped as she fidgeted anxiously.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently.
Alarain couldn't seem to bring herself to say it out loud, but with the soft tightening of Aragorn's arms, she gulped. "I don't know how to be a queen," she whispered as quietly as she could.
Still, his ranger hearing picked up her words easily and he rested his head on hers. "I don't know how to be a king," he whispered back, just as quiet.
Giggling, she shook her head. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
He snickered and spoke again, very gently, as if she was made of thin glass and would shatter at any moment. "We'll have lots of help, Alarain, especially from Boromir and his brother. We aren't alone."
Her heart calmed a tiny amount at his words and she nodded. "I'm still scared though."
The feeling of his fingers startled her as he moved her chin up to his face, and he watched her steadily before speaking in a warm, charming whisper. "I'll protect you."
He leaned forward and his breath on her lips sent a shiver right through her. It was just as she thought a kiss should be like. Tender, romantic, gentle, and most of all, caring. Really caring. The world fell away around them as her senses focused only on him. She could feel the love in his lips just as easily as if he told her out loud, and she shuddered at the touch of his hands behind her neck and around her waist as he moved his body closer. A tingle ran down her spine as he broke away and moved his lips to her forehead and she couldn't help but let out a trembling sigh.
Without another word, he lay back down in the grass and pulled her to his chest. There they stayed until Alarain felt her eyelids begin to fall, and she soon fell asleep to the rhythm of his heart and the soft stroking of his fingers on her arm.
The morning found them packing up their camp and climbing back onto Brego. He snorted at both their weights, but Aragorn spoke softly in elvish and the horse sighed reluctantly before setting off at a fast walk.
"If Fayna stayed put where I left her, we should come across her this afternoon," Aragorn reported. "However, if she wandered off again, let's hope she has found her way to Osgiliath."
They kept that pace for a while, which gave them time to talk. Aragorn inquired in her childhood and Alarain soon found herself relaying the first time she had seen a foal's birth.
"At first I was terrified. I kept asking Eofrec, the breeder, if the mare was hurting. He only told me that she would be fine, and that she was only breathing so hard from excitement." Aragorn raised his eyebrows. "For some years after that, I always started panting when I became excited. One day, when I found out my favourite mare was pregnant, I passed out from breathing so hard. When I finally woke up, they told me I wouldn't be allowed to see the birth before I agreed to stop my excited panting."
Laughing, Aragorn glanced back and grinned. "That would have been most amusing to see," he teased.
Later that day, just past noon, Aragorn pulled Brego to a halt and looked down to the side of the path. There, lying right where he'd left it, was Fayna's tack. However, there was no sign of the horse. They exchanged a glance before he kicked Brego on.
"We can send someone to recover that once we reach the city." One of his hands rested on the arm that she had around his waist. "Don't worry about her," he soothed. "She's a smart horse."
She was worried though, and what made it worse was the pain that crept into her arm as her thoughts drifted. All of a sudden, it shot down into her fingertips, leaving them tingling uncomfortably. Alarain let out a quiet moan as the feeling faded and Aragorn looked back at her face, worry in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" His voice was commanding and she didn't dare lie.
"It's my arm," she sighed, removing it from his middle to roll up the sleeve. "It has been hurting on and off for a while, but it's getting worse."
His eyes didn't leave her for a long moment, and she was glad that Brego was smart enough to stay on the path without instructions; otherwise he would be walking right towards the Anduin. "We have to get you to Gandalf," Aragorn mumbled, turning his attention back to the road and urging the horse faster.
As they picked up speed to a canter, Alarain turned down to her arm with a scowl. She didn't understand why it was becoming worse. She just wanted it gone. Her thoughts strayed back to Fayna, and then Brenir. She missed the goofy mutt and was glad that she was going to see him again after all. He must have been at least eight or nine years old. If she had left, he would probably have died long before she ever returned to the white city.
Before she could utter another cry, the hand print shot another wave of pain through her entire body and she went limp, her eyes falling shut as she almost slipped off the horse.
The next time she woke, it was dark. Expecting to be curled up beside a campfire, she was startled at the steady movement beneath her. Aragorn felt her wake and tightened his grip on her. Looking down, she finally realized they were still on a horse.
"How are you feeling?" Aragorn's voice asked in her ear. Her only answer was a groan. He laughed quietly and kissed her cheek as she turned to look at him. "Have you even noticed who we're riding?"
Alarain looked back down and her eyebrows rose at the sight of a much brighter bay than Brego. A smile crept onto her face. "Fayna," she whispered, reaching down to stroke the mare's neck. "You found her." She glanced back to see Brego walking at their side.
"Actually, she found us. I wouldn't have seen her had she not come bursting out of the woods," Aragorn smiled before continuing. "After you went unconscious, I decided to ride on through the night. That's when she found us and I thought I'd give Brego a break." He paused and Alarain turned her head to look at him. "Alarain, do you know why you blacked out?"
She shook her head. "I wish I did."
"It's possible you've just lost a lot of blood, but I think it may be more serious." Aragorn's face hardened and she wished she knew what he was thinking. Letting out a sigh, he met her gaze and smiled. "Think nothing more of it," he ordered. "Sleep."
Rolling her eyes at him, she looked forward and rested her head back on his chest. Her eyelids fell quickly, and her last thought was how nice it was to have someone like Aragorn to rely on.
After a few more days on the road, both Alarain and Aragorn were relieved when Osgiliath came into view through the trees. She had no more pains from the hand and had not blacked out again, though she could still see the worry that clouded Aragorn's mind in every step he took.
Brego and Fayna were taken away as soon as their feet touched the ground and Alarain watched them with a frown. She was so worried about the horses that she didn't notice when she was lead into a room and made to lie down. Her thoughts were elsewhere as a healer tended her wounds and she didn't even pay attention to the stinging as the woman cleaned the scar across her eye. When she was finally alone again, Alarain let her mind wander and gave in to her exhaustion.
The sound of voices outside woke her and she winced as she opened her eyes. Feeling closed in under the stone ceiling, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, if you could call it that. It was really more of a stone with a sack over it. Getting stiffly to her feet, she stumbled to the entrance and peeked out. There were a few soldiers nearby, but they were busy laughing and drinking as they celebrated the victory.
The victory was not something she had thought about much. Sure, she was happy about it, but her mind was always elsewhere. It confused her sometimes, that she seemed so neutral about the defeat of Sauron.
Slipping out and into the shadows of some rubble, Alarain crept away from the group of men, no doubt put there to make sure she stayed in bed, and wandered to the edge of the river. She slumped to the ground and stared up at the stars for a while. Osgiliath had not seen the stars for a long time since Sauron's power had begun to rise. The smoke from Mordor had clouded the sky, but now that smoke was gone, the moon cast its light upon the ruined city once more, a sign of hope coming from its glow.
Alarain's mind did not stay on that light subject for long though, and she soon scowled down at her arm. It had caused so much trouble in the past, but it had also done some good. She had used its power to save Boromir, and to heal herself and Merry. Still, she could not shake the feeling of anger when she looked at it.
Trying to distract herself from her sudden change of mood, she thought again of Brenir, which soon made her think of Eowyn. Alarain hoped her friend was doing better than when she'd left. She knew that Eowyn had been ill for a while after fighting the Witch-king, and she only hoped that Brenir was keeping her company, especially now that she had lost her uncle, Theoden, as well.
Theoden. Rohan had lost its king. Alarain's opinion of Rohan was still changing. She had grown up there and therefore it was still in her heart, but the news of her real past had confused her. If she was a Dunedain, then what was Rohan? It wasn't her home anymore, but she still had history with it. She still thought of Theoden as her king, and now he was dead. She felt her heart fall. He had been so kind to her, even given her a horse, and now he was dead. He was gone.
A tingling, burning sensation brought her back to reality and she barely had time to think, not again, before her eyes closed and she fell unconscious.