Yay!!! Thanx to every1 who reviewed my last chapter!!! i appreciate it!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: By now, I'm sure that u r well aware of who owns whom. sadly, i own nothing. *sniffle*
************************************************************************
Prince Eower stood by an old beech tree in the gardens of Gondor. It had of late become a place of frequent visits, as it was an area that one could find solitude and serenity. He fingered a small bough of eleanor and furrowed his brow. Deep thoughts troubled his mind and for the first time in his life his path was unclear. Suddenly his ears perceived the sound of light footfalls. He turned and saw Lian, princess of Gondor stepping gracefully towards him. She wore a dress of gold, with long sleeves and a shimmering train. Her skin glowed radiantly and a smile stretched across her face as she walked forward to greet him. Eower bit his lip and cringed inwardly at the thought of all that he was giving up, and a furious disagreement began to take place between his heart and mind. Putting such matters to the side for the moment though, he crossed the distance that still separated him from the princess.
"My lady," he bowed low and took her hand, "it is a pleasure to see you again."
"Nay lord, this time the pleasure is mine," she curtsied formally in return, and hand in hand they walked about the gardens.
"My I ask, dear lady, why it is you wanted to see my so. Is there a problem?"
"No longer my lord. No longer," he did not fully comprehend the meaning of her words. He took it to mean that she was happy only when by his side, which grieved him deeply. Lian however, had quite a different meaning.
She talked for a long while of the wedding and such, how splendid it would be, how grand. Only on occasion did he remark, and then only with a nod of the head or a brief murmur of agreement. Lian was quite surprised by his mood, for at their last meeting he had spoke long and she was the silent one. She came to the conclusion that his was too dim witted to truly string an intelligent sentence together. She did not at that time know it, but she could not have been farther from the truth. In actuality, he was wiser than she, wiser than most in fact, though he did not let that out much. He was for the most part reserved with his thoughts and opinions, only speaking his mind when need took him. Lian however was content with her image that he was dull and boring, simply glad that he did not speak of her features, for she had been dreading more empty words of beauty. Silence was better, she thought.
Little did she know of what really occupied his thoughts and heart.
After a time, they took leave of each other's company, and she returned to the castle, and he to his private thoughts. Long did he stand in the gardens, even after the sun had set from the sky and the land about him cloaked in darkness. For deep and of extreme import were the things in his mind, and he knew that if he chose wrong, grievous problems could arise.
"What to do?" he though to himself, "what am I to do? Alas for me, a man faced with two clear paths, but no clear answer. My heart longs for one, but my mind is intense upon the other. If I go to the one, then it is there that bliss awaits me. But secrecy and deception as well. It is impossible to go that route without hurting the relations between Rohan and Gondor. Alas! But on the other hand, is the path that has been appointed to me. It is there that I am expected to walk, even if it means heartache. I believe that I know where I must now go. But in taking that first step... that is where the difficulty lies. Yes, at least my mind and heart now agree, or at least shall come to terms. But when to break the news to her? Soon it must be, it would be cruel to wait until later. Tonight if I can manage it." And with that he left the gardens, having finally made his decision. He walked with determined footsteps towards the castle, but turned at the doors. He walked the great road into the village, and went on with his secret business.
****************************************************************************************
okay--- this chapter was waaaaay shorter than I meant it to be. I just got banned from the computer (for very stupid reasons I might add) for a week, so the soonest I'm going to be able to post is going to be next saturday. I meant to answer the reviews for chapter 5 as well, but I don't have enough time! Ack!
So sorry, this is the best I can do for now.
-hollie-