IMPORTANT : The way we describe Minas Tirith through the rest of the story...if anything seems wrong we know that it's not suppose to be like that, we just went from how it looks in my Atlas of Middle-earth book and how we've seen the city in pics from the movie and the Return of the King game that just came out! ;)
 

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
By : mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala


CHAPTER 16


In less than a half hour, the five were let through heavy carved gates and were on their way up the curving streets through the city to reach the very top level, where the White Tower and King's House stood.

As Aragorn led them to the doors of the House, Arwen looked over her future home, knowing she would adjust just fine. The city was very beautiful, all of bright white stone, its buildings towering high and behind it was Mount Mindolluin, the eastern end of the White Mountains. A weight of dread lifted from her heart upon reaching the massive location, where it was said to be the safest place in Middle-earth and no longer would she have to worry over her friends' well being.

Inside, they met with a man, whose appearance reminded them of someone they had known recently.

"Welcome home, my lord." Faramir clasped hands with the newly crowned king of his home. "I should let you know that Gandalf has gone. Only the Dwarf and Halflings remain."

"Oh? Wonder where to this time." Aragorn muttered, taking off all his gear and setting it down on the table nearest him in the large foyer.

The young steward considered this with a small shrug and continued. "However, he does send well wishes to your recovered companions."

At their mention, Aragorn turned back to the waiting she-Elves and thought he ought to start introducing. "This is the Steward of Gondor and his lady, Eowyn, niece of the late King Theoden of Rohan."

Those across them smiled warmly over.

"I am Faramir," He more properly introduced himself to the fair lady Elves. "Son of the late Denethor and younger brother of the late Boromir." With the same length of red hair on his head and just as much facial hair, they could see how much resemblance he had to the man of Gondor that had journeyed with the Fellowship and made it no further than Amon Hen.

"Just as Legolas is, these are my old friends, Landailyn of Mirkwood, Thalawen of Rivendell and this is Arwen, Princess of Rivendell."

They both had heard the king speak of his beloved before and knew exactly who she was by now. And Eowyn finally got to take in a look at the woman that had given Aragorn the jeweled necklace he always wore. But Faramir was the man she loved now, even if it was not the first she laid eyes upon that she fell in love with.

The couple nodded respectively to the newcomers.

"I will retrieve the maidservants to show them rooms?" Offered Faramir.

"That would be much appreciated." Sighed Aragorn. He was tired and didn't care if it was showing, and a pounding headache he had recently developed did nothing to help.

After Faramir and Eowyn had slipped through a door and were gone, Arwen stepped up to him, bringing down the hand that rested on his forehead, into her own. "And why don't you lay down, my love. You could use the rest. I believe all of us could use a little more."

An actual bed did sound more than inviting at the moment.

Aragorn didn't bother to protest. He knew it would do no good with three other stubborn Elves staring at him with gazes as though advising him to listen. He nodded and gathered his things.

The two new guests and new resident were shown up to their readied bedrooms. Thalawen and Landailyn in their own two, several doors apart, and Arwen in Aragorn's where she would be sleeping from now on. In these rooms, the three were then provided with a beautiful dress each and soft slip-on shoes to change into, the maids taking their traveling clothes to be cleaned and returned later. After washing up, the older Noldor Elf and Silvan Elf emerged from their rooms meeting back in the otherwise empty hallway.

"Well, look at us." They heard a voice down the hall to their right. It was Arwen, almost floating toward them in her grace to join the friends side by side. All glanced down at themselves and admired one another's apparel.

Arwen's was a simple bright white, the shoulders and sleeves a see-through gray.

Thalawen's shimmered three different shades of purple, its long draping sleeves also see-through and a thin silky ribbon tied around her waist.

Landailyn's was purely black, silver hinting the neckline, just above the elbows and at the waist.

The sisters' dark hair was straight down as usual; however, all of Landailyn's was fixed in a single tight braid down her back.

"It's good to be out of those travel garments and boots." She added, as they continued on their way, turning the same direction she had come and toward a staircase that led them down back into the main hall.

Landailyn and Thalawen chuckled, as they preferred to be in such clothes rather than these elegant dresses.

Several yards from the House, they traveled to Merethrond, the Hall of Feasts, for the evening's supper. They entered to find everyone sitting around a long wooden table, at least twenty chairs surrounding it, but only nine were filled.

Each of the men stood in respect of the women, gracing them with smiles at their dramatic change of appearance.

The last time Legolas had seen Landailyn in a dress or her hair tied behind was when they were very young. It had been centuries ago, but he remembered the beautiful image of her clearly. And here it was again, right in front of him, as were the two other charming Elven maidens that she followed.

Being seated, the trio of she-Elves enjoyed a hot, well-prepared meal for the first time in over a month.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


After the meal, the reunited couple excused themselves to go for a walk alone. Leaving the rest to enjoy one another's company.

"Look at them," said Arwen as she and Aragorn leaned over the railing of the upper floor of the Hall, looking down on their friends as they sat around the large dining table. "They look as happy as can be, as if nothing ever happened between them all." Sadness took root in her eyes. "I wish…I don't know what I wish," she spoke in a weary tone.

Below, Legolas had obviously said something of hilarity; the two she-Elves were gripping their sides in unison, beating their free fists on the table. She could hear the sounds of their laughter drifting up to her and Aragorn's ears.

"What happened between them was for a reason, you cannot deny that," Aragorn said quietly. "If Thalawen fell in love with Legolas, then it was obviously meant, for I know Thala well and as long as I've known her, she has loved no one in that way."

The laughter was drowned out by their thoughts, by their conversation of their friends. "That cannot be. Maybe Saruman put a spell on Thalawen the day she and Legolas met, and it has yet to wear away." Arwen knew this to be far-fetched and so did Aragorn.

"You're reaching, my love."

Frowning, she turned back to watch her friends. "I know." They looked like children from their high perch; sitting huddled at one corner of the table, close as family, telling stories to make each other laugh. "I know now what it is that I wish."

"What is it?" asked Aragorn cautiously.

She took a deep breath and continued. "I wish that Thalawen had never met Legolas. I was wrong that day, in leaving her alone. I knew he was watching her ever so closely and I toyed with it, made her confront him in her loneliness." She blew out a sigh. Confession was always hard. "I should never have played on her feelings when she was weak."

"Dear, you could not have known that she would begin to love him!"

"You don't understand," she whispered. "That is what I wanted. I know her well, as well as I know myself. I did know she'd fall in love."

"How could you know," Aragorn asked, skepticism clear on his face.

"Because," she paused, not sure if she should go on.

Aragorn nudged her arm.

"Because, when we were children, she spoke of a dream she'd had; of a man with long, flowing blonde hair, sparkling, sky blue eyes. I knew of whom she spoke, even when she did not."

"Ha, that is the silliest thing I've ever heard." Aragorn began to chuckle good-naturedly.

A withering glance from Arwen made it cease.

They both looked back down at the friends, at what their relationships would have been, had love not entered into the mix. They did look happy at this moment, all three of them, but they're appearance on the outside disguised the problem they knew that each one struggled with deep down.

And even when both she-Elves knew exactly how the other felt, they did not let it get in the way of their friendship, which in fact Arwen was grateful for, but she also knew that Legolas had only feelings for one of them.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


The next few weeks were relatively peaceful. The she-Elf trio journeyed often down into the markets in the city, looking for nothing in particular, but buying small trinkets and jewelry nonetheless.

Arwen had procured a rather lovely amethyst teardrop necklace for Thalawen, which she planned to present to her on her two thousand eight hundred ninety-fifth birthday this year. She had no idea what Thalawen would think of the jewel, as she'd never worn any charms on her person before, but Arwen secretly hoped her money had been spent well.

"What have you got there, Arwen?" asked Landailyn curiously, as she met her friend between corner shops. Landailyn was also holding a small object wrapped carefully in dull brown paper.

"Oh, umm, nothing," Arwen replied quickly, hiding her own brown wrapped box behind her back. "It's…nothing," she said, shaking her head.

Landailyn peered at Arwen bizarrely. Raising one delicate dark eyebrow at her friend, she asked again, "What is it? Now you absolutely must tell me."

A frown appeared on Arwen's mouth. She looked from side to side; making sure a certain someone was nowhere near enough to hear her next words. "Do you promise not to tell?" she asked in a whisper.

Leaning down to Arwen's height, Landailyn spoke in a whisper too, seemingly unable to keep the giggles from her voice. "Absolutely!"

Arwen looked at her doubtfully.

"Okay, okay, I promise," Landailyn said soberly.

"It's a gift for Thala's birthday that's in three months."

Landailyn squealed at this, "Ooh! Can I see it?" She expectantly held out her hand, as Arwen was about to have a conniption.

"Will you keep it down? You promised!" If she could've yelled, she would have yelled at the top of her lungs, but, as they were standing in the middle of a street with passersby looking at them strangely, she kept her alarm to a minimum.

Throwing a hand over her mouth, Landailyn silently promised to speak no more. "Not another word," she mumbled through her closed lips and hand.

"What?" asked Arwen. She shook her head, "Never mind, I don't care, just keep your voice down." With that said, she took the package from behind her back, cautiously unwrapped the paper, opened the slim box that contained the necklace, and revealed it to Landailyn.

Above her hand, Landailyn's eyes were huge, round blue orbs. Cooing could be heard from behind her tightly closed fingers.

"What in the Valar are you saying, Landy?" asked Arwen, getting angry with her friend.

Landailyn's eyes shot back up to Arwen's, and then looked embarrassedly to the ground. Slowly she uncovered her mouth. "Sorry." She looked once more to the necklace. "May I touch it?"

Arwen shrugged. "Sure, be my guest."

Landailyn's tentative finger was no more than a scant inch from the charm, when they both heard a voice.

"What have you got there?"

The snap of the metal box was deafening and Landailyn almost cried out; her finger could have been chopped off in a heartbeat! Shoving the box behind both their backs, Arwen and Landailyn now standing very close together, turned to meet their friend.

"Arwen?" asked Thalawen, eyeing her friends strangely.

"Yes?" Arwen replied, trying to sound innocent.

"What have you got?"

"Nothing," Landailyn and Arwen said in unison.

Thalawen scrutinized her friends. "Right. Okay, well, I'm going to go back to the House." She rubbed her temple, making slow circles with her forefinger. "I've got a headache, so I'll see you at supper?"

"Yes," her friends said again.

When Thalawen had gone from their sight, they looked at one another, and blew out a breath of relief.

"That was close," said Landailyn.

Arwen nodded in agreement. "Yes, I know. She almost saw the necklace."

"No! I'm talking about my finger!" Landailyn brought her digit up to inspect the tip. "It was almost lopped off by that blasted box!"

Rolling her eyes, Arwen led the way back up to the King's House.


TBC ...

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mirkwood-elf-2931 :
Here we go again with another character change in Landailyn! But don't get me wrong, I always like what Thala writes, even about me! ;)
Hmmm, well there's gonna be more chapters than I thought! LOL Reading what we have done, it's like a whole other story now! You'll see what I mean when it's ended! Anyway, have any of you played the Return of the King game yet? I got it for the Playstation 2! I love it! And I went and seen the Matrix Revolutions yesterday too! Some of it wasn't like I thought it was gonna be, but it was awesome nonetheless!