Chapter 2
"I was afraid this day would never come," Aragorn stared up at his radiant bride, brushing callused fingers over the fair skin of her hands. "We've waited so long. Nothing shall part us again." He kissed the palm of her hands before looking up into her eyes. Tears gathered there, threatening to fall onto pale cheeks.
"Nothing." Arwen repeated, voice barely above a whisper. A slim hand slid to his face and brushed against the high cheekbone, against the soft stubble of hair that had become a permanent addition to his handsome features. "Verno'nya, meldanya, aranya."{My husband, my love, my king.}
Large hands and strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and he embraced her with a happy sigh. Arwen wove her hands into his hair, pulling gently at the strands as his head came to rest against her abdomen. "Don't kneel before me, husband."
"I am yours, dilnya." {my love} He whispered. "Now and forever."
Words were not necessary as she bent over and pressed her lips to his forehead, eyes sliding shut as they traveled down the high cheekbone, toward his mouth. With a whoosh of air, his lips captured hers in a passionate kiss, which left her trembling. "Tarinya," {my queen} he whispered, his breath hot against her lips. " Nyë vanda ore-nya-ccë ." {I pledge my heart to you.}
Explosions rocked the night sky and flashes of light momentarily flickered against the inside walls as the celebration continued on without them. They could hear the music slow, and the instruments change, as the tender, ethereal voice of the elves began to sing.
Aragorn flattened his hands against her back and stood slowly, his lips never straying from their path. Her arms wrapped slowly around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair and tugging gently, pulling him deeper into their kiss.
He slowly began to move to the sound of the song, his body swaying fluidly. Arwen fell into perfect step, their bodies melting into one another as the music did nothing to curb their growing desire.
His lips fell to hers once again slowly pressing gentle kisses along the corner of her mouth, her cheek, and her eyelids, reverently worshipping every place his lips touched.
Arwen's hands fell to his chest as they kissed, slowly, and without his knowledge, unfastening the ornate buttons that closed his leather jerkin.
Arwen began to hum the well-known tune, her voice low and hypnotic. Her throat, where Aragorn now reverently kissed, vibrated with the tune and through his lips, sending a bolt of desire racing straight through is body. Aragorn leaned his forehead against her neck and closed his eyes, allowing her voice to lull his senses and inflame his blood. Nimble fingers reached only to his waist before the moment was loudly interrupted.
Aragorn's dreamlike state was shattered as an explosion echoed throughout the courtyard, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Arwen stopped humming, the elves stopped singing and Aragorn's eyes widened, momentarily afraid that someone or something had attacked the city. "Stay here. Stay safe." Aragorn quickly kissed his wife and crossed the distance to where Aurndil rested against the wall. He snatched the sword and attached it quickly to his belt, as he rushed down the hallway and down the long column of marble steps that lead to the courtyard. He didn't notice Arwen disobey his request and follow.
When Aragorn reached the large courtyard, he was greeted to a myriad of scattered people, many ducking beneath something to insure they were not hit with falling debris. The dwarves, in their drunkenness, fell over each other looking for their axes, the men of Gondor and of visiting regions had weapons in hand looking for the cause of the explosion, and the elves stood as far back from the chaos as was possible, refusing to be involved or blamed for this event. Their hands, however, clutched at their bows, ready to raise and take aim at moments notice.
Aragorn rushed to the center of the courtyard, pushing through the large crowd, eyes scanning the area for those he knew. "What happened here?" he called, searching the crowd for Farimir.
"A barrel of mead exploded, m'lord," a nearby Rohan rider explained, "We will find the cause!"
"No need," Gandalf appeared from behind a wall of elves, clutching tightly the ears of Pippin and Merry. "Here are your culprits." The wizard shoved the two soot-covered, mead drenched- hobbits in front of the half-dressed king and crossed his arms. "Explain to him what you've done."
The hobbits' eyes went wide and they looked around for a way to escape the gaze of the disappointed king that greeted them.
Sam and Frodo skidded to a halt at Gandalf's side, eyes wide as they stared at their kinsmen.
"I told you," Sam started, wagging a chubby finger at the two whom had just disgraced them, "not to play with Gandalf's firecrackers."
Aragorn raised a curious eyebrow, crystal eyes glancing quickly at Sam before turning their full attention to the dust and mead covered hobbits.
"You said you knew how to do it this time!" Merry punched Pippin, fist sliding harmlessly off the other hobbits' shoulder due to the amount of mead they had consumed that evening.
"I did!" Pippin's eyes went wide at the audacity of his fellow hobbit, "You were the one who picked the wrong place to stick it into the ground!"
"You said the barrel was empty!" Merry's eyes went wide.
"It's not my fault if you didn't check it!"
"Enough!" Aragorn raised his hands in exasperation, "As long as no one was hurt…" he looked to Gandalf for the affirmation and received a slow nod and a wry grin.
"But it was his idea!" Pippin poked at Merry's shoulder.
"No way, you got all excited when you saw the 'crackers and wanted to set one off right this time!" Merry argued, eyes wide, the gathered crowd all but forgotten as they argued.
" Farea!" {Enough!} Aragorn growled, muttering, "Elen-inga,"{stars on high} under his breath while dragging a hand through his tousled hair. He stared long and hard at the two culprits, deciding quickly that he would rather be in his chambers with his wife rather than standing half dressed in the middle of a courtyard filled with drunken races from all over middle-earth. "No one was injured. Be more careful and don't touch Gandalf's firecrackers. Understand?" Aragorn's annoyance was clear to everyone and he glanced at Elrond and Haldir as they approached.
Elrond noticed Aragorn's state of dress, or rather, undress, and raised a curious eyebrow, struggling to hide a smile that threatened to give away the serious look with which he graced the new king. He'd obviously been interrupted at a most inopportune moment, which was contributing to his annoyance over this relatively harmless situation. Hobbits would be hobbits, playful and clueless.
"Good evening." Aragorn nodded to the elven lords and quickly brushed passed them and ascended the marble steps without looking back.
Haldir looked down his nose at the hobbits, "Smelly, troublemaking creatures," he muttered and turned away, only to come waist to nose with a very drunken Gimli.
"Tose smewy cweatures saved your pompus elven hides!" Mead sloshed in the mug he carried and onto the tall elves' pristine robes. "yew have no wight to spek to tem tat way!" The angry dwarf poked a dirty finger at Haldir.
Haldir stepped backward in disgust, quickly brushing the mead off his clothing before it had the chance to seep into the material. He failed to glance behind him as another dwarf fell to his knees and began to retch, his body unable to hold any more mead. Haldir tripped and fell backward over the dwarf, muttering a string of curses in elvish that would curl the toes of even the most foul-mouthed dwarf.
Elrond rushed quickly to Haldir's aid, reaching beneath the younger elves' arm to hoist him up before the dwarf kneeling on the ground belched up more than just his mead. Haldir quickly gained his feet and scowled at Gimli, "Worthless in-bred barbarian!"
Dwarves who had previously been ignoring the exchange, leapt toward the elf, ready to defend their kinsmen.
"Stop, everyone, please!" Elrond raised his hands toward the hoard of dwarves, "This is not a time for…"
Elrond stopped short as the very pungent contents of a pint were tossed into his face. The elf lord choked back the foul liquid as it stung his eyes and soaked his hair.
Seeing the disrespect afforded one of their most respected lords, the elves who, up until now, were just watching the commotion with a wary eye, joined the fight. Long knives and bows were drawn and aimed faster than the drunken eyes of the dwarves could follow.
"No, stop!" Frodo's voice was but a mere whisper among the cursing crowd.
Gandalf quickly pushed the hobbits out of the way before they were skewered along with the rest of the dwarves.
"This is an old dispute that needs to be resolved once and for all," Gandalf attempted to get their attention but none would listen. "You pleading for an end would be a waste of breath." Gandalf shot a quick look toward the steps Aragorn had nearly raced up, wondering how long it would take him to return. "Aragorn is going to be furious." Gandalf shrugged, muttering a quiet, "and with good reason."
Merry and Pippin nodded, wide-eyed as they watched the commotion from mere feet away and glanced toward the set of marble stairs. They were proud that it would not be because of them if he returned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn, having reached the top of the steps where Arwen waited, sighed heavily and drew her deeply into his arms. "I suppose it's not a party if something isn't blowing up."
A slim hand pushed away a lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes, "The race of men have a unique way of celebrating," Arwen smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. When she leaned away, he immediately countered her incorrect interpretation about his kinsmen.
"Except the cause was not men," He tugged gently at her waist, eyes sparkling in the candlelight.
"Wonders will never cease," She teased.
Aragorn regarded her silently for a long moment, hands fanning across her hips, before continuing, "Rather it was two overzealous and rather drunk, hobbits."
"I see," she drew out the last syllable, dark eyes scanning his face before slim fingers slid along his cheekbones.
When their lips met, the air itself appeared to ignite from the passion of the kiss. He moaned into her mouth, hands sliding around her waist to flatten against her backside, "Now, where were we?" His voice dropped to a mere whisper, "meldanya." {my beloved}
Small hands parted the half-fastened king's tabard, baring his bronzed skin to her dark eyes. Long fingers traced the length of his collarbone, barely brushing against his skin, sending tremors of desire through his thin frame. "We were in our chambers and you were about to….."
His hands wove into her hair and pulled her close, crushing her hands against the bare skin of his chest. He bent to kiss her again when they heard shouting and long strings of curses in both the elvish and dwarven tongue. Aragorn growled and turned to glance out the thin window that overlooked the whole expanse of the courtyard. Reaching out to pull aside the banner that obscured his view, the couple's eyes widened when they saw weapons drawn and noticed the elves in the thick of some rather heated conversations with the dwarves.
Aragorn muttered several curses beneath his breath and untangled his hands from Arwen's hair. "If I have to kill them all to get some peace, I will do it!" he rushed down the steps amidst stifled laughter coming from the vicinity of the top of the steps.
"What is going on!?" Aragorn's voice carried over the arguing crowd, silencing them immediately. His annoyance was apparent in his stance and in the way his hands balled into fists at his sides. His eyes searched the crowd and settled on a sopping wet Elrond who was glaring at a very drunken Gimli.
As Gandalf explained to the annoyed king, the elves lowered their bows and the dwarves set down their axes.
Aragorn tossed unruly hair out of his eyes, cursing them all," Sons of a balrog! Can you not put aside old misunderstandings in favor of our hard- won peace?" He glanced at each dwarf and each elf in turn, his gaze piercing their hardened hearts without a further uttered word. "A Peace gained only by everyone fighting together toward a common goal!"
"Please, this is my wedding night," Aragorn sighed, casting a longing look up to where Arwen stood motionless, gazing out the small window at the top of the steps. "I would like to make it through this night with an intact kingdom."
"It will be done," Elrond stated, offering a respectful nod. His hair was beginning to mat beneath the weight and consistency of the mead that had been used as a deliberate provocation. "An kaima," {to bed} He instructed his kinsmen. "An fuume." {to sleep} and he turned to Aragorn, an apologetic look in his eyes. "Go to bed. Keep her waiting no longer."
Aragorn nodded, grateful for the understanding the elven Lord afforded him, "Hanta-lyë." {Thank you} Aragorn favored them all with a stern look as he made his way back to the marble steps that would lead him, he hoped, to peace and quiet for the rest of the evening.
Reaching the top of the steps, he fell into Arwen's open arms with a heavy sigh, head resting against her neck. "If I hear another word from any of them for the rest of the evening….."
"Shhh," Arwen whispered hotly into his ear, " Let your steward take care of any further problems."
"Certainly, providing he is not involved in any of the disagreements!" Aragorn chuckled despite his annoyance.
"Think of it this way, indonya," Arwen wove her fingers into his hair and tugged, bringing his head up from where it rested against her neck, "this has been a night the city will not soon forget."
He laughed and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. "That it has." They walked hand in hand down the long hallway to their chambers, praying to the west that there would be no further disturbances for what remained of the night.
End Chapter 2
"I was afraid this day would never come," Aragorn stared up at his radiant bride, brushing callused fingers over the fair skin of her hands. "We've waited so long. Nothing shall part us again." He kissed the palm of her hands before looking up into her eyes. Tears gathered there, threatening to fall onto pale cheeks.
"Nothing." Arwen repeated, voice barely above a whisper. A slim hand slid to his face and brushed against the high cheekbone, against the soft stubble of hair that had become a permanent addition to his handsome features. "Verno'nya, meldanya, aranya."{My husband, my love, my king.}
Large hands and strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and he embraced her with a happy sigh. Arwen wove her hands into his hair, pulling gently at the strands as his head came to rest against her abdomen. "Don't kneel before me, husband."
"I am yours, dilnya." {my love} He whispered. "Now and forever."
Words were not necessary as she bent over and pressed her lips to his forehead, eyes sliding shut as they traveled down the high cheekbone, toward his mouth. With a whoosh of air, his lips captured hers in a passionate kiss, which left her trembling. "Tarinya," {my queen} he whispered, his breath hot against her lips. " Nyë vanda ore-nya-ccë ." {I pledge my heart to you.}
Explosions rocked the night sky and flashes of light momentarily flickered against the inside walls as the celebration continued on without them. They could hear the music slow, and the instruments change, as the tender, ethereal voice of the elves began to sing.
Aragorn flattened his hands against her back and stood slowly, his lips never straying from their path. Her arms wrapped slowly around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair and tugging gently, pulling him deeper into their kiss.
He slowly began to move to the sound of the song, his body swaying fluidly. Arwen fell into perfect step, their bodies melting into one another as the music did nothing to curb their growing desire.
His lips fell to hers once again slowly pressing gentle kisses along the corner of her mouth, her cheek, and her eyelids, reverently worshipping every place his lips touched.
Arwen's hands fell to his chest as they kissed, slowly, and without his knowledge, unfastening the ornate buttons that closed his leather jerkin.
Arwen began to hum the well-known tune, her voice low and hypnotic. Her throat, where Aragorn now reverently kissed, vibrated with the tune and through his lips, sending a bolt of desire racing straight through is body. Aragorn leaned his forehead against her neck and closed his eyes, allowing her voice to lull his senses and inflame his blood. Nimble fingers reached only to his waist before the moment was loudly interrupted.
Aragorn's dreamlike state was shattered as an explosion echoed throughout the courtyard, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Arwen stopped humming, the elves stopped singing and Aragorn's eyes widened, momentarily afraid that someone or something had attacked the city. "Stay here. Stay safe." Aragorn quickly kissed his wife and crossed the distance to where Aurndil rested against the wall. He snatched the sword and attached it quickly to his belt, as he rushed down the hallway and down the long column of marble steps that lead to the courtyard. He didn't notice Arwen disobey his request and follow.
When Aragorn reached the large courtyard, he was greeted to a myriad of scattered people, many ducking beneath something to insure they were not hit with falling debris. The dwarves, in their drunkenness, fell over each other looking for their axes, the men of Gondor and of visiting regions had weapons in hand looking for the cause of the explosion, and the elves stood as far back from the chaos as was possible, refusing to be involved or blamed for this event. Their hands, however, clutched at their bows, ready to raise and take aim at moments notice.
Aragorn rushed to the center of the courtyard, pushing through the large crowd, eyes scanning the area for those he knew. "What happened here?" he called, searching the crowd for Farimir.
"A barrel of mead exploded, m'lord," a nearby Rohan rider explained, "We will find the cause!"
"No need," Gandalf appeared from behind a wall of elves, clutching tightly the ears of Pippin and Merry. "Here are your culprits." The wizard shoved the two soot-covered, mead drenched- hobbits in front of the half-dressed king and crossed his arms. "Explain to him what you've done."
The hobbits' eyes went wide and they looked around for a way to escape the gaze of the disappointed king that greeted them.
Sam and Frodo skidded to a halt at Gandalf's side, eyes wide as they stared at their kinsmen.
"I told you," Sam started, wagging a chubby finger at the two whom had just disgraced them, "not to play with Gandalf's firecrackers."
Aragorn raised a curious eyebrow, crystal eyes glancing quickly at Sam before turning their full attention to the dust and mead covered hobbits.
"You said you knew how to do it this time!" Merry punched Pippin, fist sliding harmlessly off the other hobbits' shoulder due to the amount of mead they had consumed that evening.
"I did!" Pippin's eyes went wide at the audacity of his fellow hobbit, "You were the one who picked the wrong place to stick it into the ground!"
"You said the barrel was empty!" Merry's eyes went wide.
"It's not my fault if you didn't check it!"
"Enough!" Aragorn raised his hands in exasperation, "As long as no one was hurt…" he looked to Gandalf for the affirmation and received a slow nod and a wry grin.
"But it was his idea!" Pippin poked at Merry's shoulder.
"No way, you got all excited when you saw the 'crackers and wanted to set one off right this time!" Merry argued, eyes wide, the gathered crowd all but forgotten as they argued.
" Farea!" {Enough!} Aragorn growled, muttering, "Elen-inga,"{stars on high} under his breath while dragging a hand through his tousled hair. He stared long and hard at the two culprits, deciding quickly that he would rather be in his chambers with his wife rather than standing half dressed in the middle of a courtyard filled with drunken races from all over middle-earth. "No one was injured. Be more careful and don't touch Gandalf's firecrackers. Understand?" Aragorn's annoyance was clear to everyone and he glanced at Elrond and Haldir as they approached.
Elrond noticed Aragorn's state of dress, or rather, undress, and raised a curious eyebrow, struggling to hide a smile that threatened to give away the serious look with which he graced the new king. He'd obviously been interrupted at a most inopportune moment, which was contributing to his annoyance over this relatively harmless situation. Hobbits would be hobbits, playful and clueless.
"Good evening." Aragorn nodded to the elven lords and quickly brushed passed them and ascended the marble steps without looking back.
Haldir looked down his nose at the hobbits, "Smelly, troublemaking creatures," he muttered and turned away, only to come waist to nose with a very drunken Gimli.
"Tose smewy cweatures saved your pompus elven hides!" Mead sloshed in the mug he carried and onto the tall elves' pristine robes. "yew have no wight to spek to tem tat way!" The angry dwarf poked a dirty finger at Haldir.
Haldir stepped backward in disgust, quickly brushing the mead off his clothing before it had the chance to seep into the material. He failed to glance behind him as another dwarf fell to his knees and began to retch, his body unable to hold any more mead. Haldir tripped and fell backward over the dwarf, muttering a string of curses in elvish that would curl the toes of even the most foul-mouthed dwarf.
Elrond rushed quickly to Haldir's aid, reaching beneath the younger elves' arm to hoist him up before the dwarf kneeling on the ground belched up more than just his mead. Haldir quickly gained his feet and scowled at Gimli, "Worthless in-bred barbarian!"
Dwarves who had previously been ignoring the exchange, leapt toward the elf, ready to defend their kinsmen.
"Stop, everyone, please!" Elrond raised his hands toward the hoard of dwarves, "This is not a time for…"
Elrond stopped short as the very pungent contents of a pint were tossed into his face. The elf lord choked back the foul liquid as it stung his eyes and soaked his hair.
Seeing the disrespect afforded one of their most respected lords, the elves who, up until now, were just watching the commotion with a wary eye, joined the fight. Long knives and bows were drawn and aimed faster than the drunken eyes of the dwarves could follow.
"No, stop!" Frodo's voice was but a mere whisper among the cursing crowd.
Gandalf quickly pushed the hobbits out of the way before they were skewered along with the rest of the dwarves.
"This is an old dispute that needs to be resolved once and for all," Gandalf attempted to get their attention but none would listen. "You pleading for an end would be a waste of breath." Gandalf shot a quick look toward the steps Aragorn had nearly raced up, wondering how long it would take him to return. "Aragorn is going to be furious." Gandalf shrugged, muttering a quiet, "and with good reason."
Merry and Pippin nodded, wide-eyed as they watched the commotion from mere feet away and glanced toward the set of marble stairs. They were proud that it would not be because of them if he returned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn, having reached the top of the steps where Arwen waited, sighed heavily and drew her deeply into his arms. "I suppose it's not a party if something isn't blowing up."
A slim hand pushed away a lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes, "The race of men have a unique way of celebrating," Arwen smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. When she leaned away, he immediately countered her incorrect interpretation about his kinsmen.
"Except the cause was not men," He tugged gently at her waist, eyes sparkling in the candlelight.
"Wonders will never cease," She teased.
Aragorn regarded her silently for a long moment, hands fanning across her hips, before continuing, "Rather it was two overzealous and rather drunk, hobbits."
"I see," she drew out the last syllable, dark eyes scanning his face before slim fingers slid along his cheekbones.
When their lips met, the air itself appeared to ignite from the passion of the kiss. He moaned into her mouth, hands sliding around her waist to flatten against her backside, "Now, where were we?" His voice dropped to a mere whisper, "meldanya." {my beloved}
Small hands parted the half-fastened king's tabard, baring his bronzed skin to her dark eyes. Long fingers traced the length of his collarbone, barely brushing against his skin, sending tremors of desire through his thin frame. "We were in our chambers and you were about to….."
His hands wove into her hair and pulled her close, crushing her hands against the bare skin of his chest. He bent to kiss her again when they heard shouting and long strings of curses in both the elvish and dwarven tongue. Aragorn growled and turned to glance out the thin window that overlooked the whole expanse of the courtyard. Reaching out to pull aside the banner that obscured his view, the couple's eyes widened when they saw weapons drawn and noticed the elves in the thick of some rather heated conversations with the dwarves.
Aragorn muttered several curses beneath his breath and untangled his hands from Arwen's hair. "If I have to kill them all to get some peace, I will do it!" he rushed down the steps amidst stifled laughter coming from the vicinity of the top of the steps.
"What is going on!?" Aragorn's voice carried over the arguing crowd, silencing them immediately. His annoyance was apparent in his stance and in the way his hands balled into fists at his sides. His eyes searched the crowd and settled on a sopping wet Elrond who was glaring at a very drunken Gimli.
As Gandalf explained to the annoyed king, the elves lowered their bows and the dwarves set down their axes.
Aragorn tossed unruly hair out of his eyes, cursing them all," Sons of a balrog! Can you not put aside old misunderstandings in favor of our hard- won peace?" He glanced at each dwarf and each elf in turn, his gaze piercing their hardened hearts without a further uttered word. "A Peace gained only by everyone fighting together toward a common goal!"
"Please, this is my wedding night," Aragorn sighed, casting a longing look up to where Arwen stood motionless, gazing out the small window at the top of the steps. "I would like to make it through this night with an intact kingdom."
"It will be done," Elrond stated, offering a respectful nod. His hair was beginning to mat beneath the weight and consistency of the mead that had been used as a deliberate provocation. "An kaima," {to bed} He instructed his kinsmen. "An fuume." {to sleep} and he turned to Aragorn, an apologetic look in his eyes. "Go to bed. Keep her waiting no longer."
Aragorn nodded, grateful for the understanding the elven Lord afforded him, "Hanta-lyë." {Thank you} Aragorn favored them all with a stern look as he made his way back to the marble steps that would lead him, he hoped, to peace and quiet for the rest of the evening.
Reaching the top of the steps, he fell into Arwen's open arms with a heavy sigh, head resting against her neck. "If I hear another word from any of them for the rest of the evening….."
"Shhh," Arwen whispered hotly into his ear, " Let your steward take care of any further problems."
"Certainly, providing he is not involved in any of the disagreements!" Aragorn chuckled despite his annoyance.
"Think of it this way, indonya," Arwen wove her fingers into his hair and tugged, bringing his head up from where it rested against her neck, "this has been a night the city will not soon forget."
He laughed and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. "That it has." They walked hand in hand down the long hallway to their chambers, praying to the west that there would be no further disturbances for what remained of the night.
End Chapter 2
