Chapter 2! In ch. 1, the rhyme is on pg 1 of rotk.
Anyway, chapter 2. . . it starts getting sad.
Again, ignore the footnotes
Chapter II
MANY PARTINGS
Aragorn was directed to Elrond by various Elves taking in the majesty of Minas Tirith.
Elrond looked up from his work. He knew this day would come. "Sit down, my son."
"Why is Arwen sailing to Valinor?" Aragorn said quietly. "Has her heart changed?"
"Sit down, Estel." He complied. "No, her heart has not changed," Elrond said. "Her heart lies steady and true. It is my own heart that has been troubled as of late."
"Your heart, Lord Elrond?"
"Elessar, King of Gondor, it has been many year since you first met my daughter. Since then, you have become everything I had hoped you would become. You are worthy of my daughter, King of Gondor, but Arwen belongs with her kin. She is an Elf, and you are of the race of Men. You cannot be together."
"Luthien and Beren1-"
"My daughter deserves better than the fate of Luthien and Beren!" Elrond said. "It would have her tear her heart apart over two loves. No, Arwen Undómiel deserves far better, and far better will she be in Valinor than here, among mortals."
"...Arwen is an Elf, Estel. She belongs with me, and she belongs with the others of her race. The number of Elves in Middle-earth dwindles daily. Cirdan the Shipwright of the Grey Havens tells me so. Arwen would be alone here. Her beauty and grace will be preserved forever in Valinor, and so will the love of her heart. Let her go. She is sailing West."
Arwen was eavesdropping, which she had not done since she was a child. "So Ada has not told Estel it was his choice for me to leave," she whispered to the breeze. Preoccupied in her own thoughts, Arwen did not hear them exit the room.
"Arwen!" Elrond said.
"I knew where to find you, Estel" she said, refusing to even glance in her father's direction. "I do not wish to speak to you, Ada."
Aragorn regarded her oddly at her abrupt manner toward Elrond. "Come, Undómiel. I was going to seek you, but you have found me."
Late that night, Arwen rode swiftly and silently out of the city upon her grey mare. "Noro lim, Anduial," she urged. "Ride on, my friend." She did not wish to be followed.
Aragorn rode through the forest outside of Minas Tirith. The outline of the city flashed into view between the plentiful trees. He stopped short. A cloaked rider approached from the direction of the city. Aragorn quietly dismounted and led his horse closer to the edge of the forest. "Valarion bel, silailye i isilo alata nef arda2," he whispered to the winds. As if the Valar heard his prayer in their home of Valinor, the moon broke through the heavy clouds and illuminated the rider's features in the dark night. Aragorn peered closely; it was Arwen. She slowed her horse to a walk and meshed into the shadows of the forest, unaware of his presence. "Vanawen3," he called out to her softly.
Her horse shied, but calmed under Arwen's steady hand. "Estel..."
"Where are you going, Arwen?"
"Out for peace from my thoughts, before you appeared," she said. "Maranwe... destiny follows me wherever I go." Arwen slid off her horse and sank down to a rock by the nearby stream. "I cannot escape it."
"No escapes their destiny, melamin4," Aragorn said softly. He dropped his horse's reins and came up behind her. "It comes for us all."
Arwen merely sighed. She was anxious and worn from grief and worry. She trailed a slender hand through the water, its comforting coolness slightly calming her.
"Why do you sail away from me, vanimelda5?" Aragorn said aloud at last.
"My father will not let me remain," Arwen said bitterly. "I heard the end of your conversation. He did not tell you... Even Galadriel could not move him. I have no choice but to leave Middle-earth. He is forcing me to go to the land of my people."
"You are leaving me. And I have no choice but to respect Elrond's decision," Aragorn said, feeling helpless. "Galadriel... not even Galadriel." He joined her on the rock and buried his face in her hair, silent tears falling from his eyes.
They remained there throughout the night, under the bright stars; Arwen pensive and Aragorn imprinting every detail of her that night in his memory. Nearing daybreak, Arwen fell into sleep at last, and Aragorn carried her back to the city when the moon began to fade from the dark sky.
Aragorn walked briskly through the halls of the palace. He had not spoken to Arwen privately since that night two days ago. Elrond wished to depart for Rivendell in just over a month's time, which was a very short amount of time for Elves. Faramir and Éowyn made preparations to leave for Rohan with Éomer for Théoden King's burial. Aragorn wished to make an announcement before they left, and had gathered the city outside of the palace, so he could address his people. He stepped outside into the sunlight. There was Éowyn standing with the soldiers of Rohan, Faramir and Éomer flanked her on either side. Nearly the entire city had come to see him, making what he had to say all the harder. They clapped and cheered as he stood before them. Finally Aragorn raised his hands for silence.
"My people," he began.
Arwen Undómiel sat in her sitting room, surrounded by young Elf-maidens. Her father had kept her busy; he expected her to begin the process of packing for Valinor. Arwen suspected he truly wanted her to spend as little time with Aragron as possible. Hearing a commotion, she looked out of her window. Aragorn was standing on the stairs of the palace, preparing to make an announcement to the city. Arwen leaned her full head and shoulders out of the window, to the dismay of her maids, who fretted and pleaded with her, she'd fall and die surely, but Arwen paid them no heed. Her attention was trained on the king. The noise ended, and her sharp ears heard him speak clearly.
"My people. I have been your king for only a short time. I have cherished the time here in Gondor, home of my ancestors. I am loath to leave you and my country." Arwen gasped, and a murmur ran through the crowd, swelling, but silence ruled once again as Aragorn continued to speak. "As my last act as your king, I hereby proclaim the line of the Stewards shall rule Gondor forevermore. Faramir shall be crowned king, and Éowyn his queen, and their children, and their children's children, shall rule until the end of time. Due to personal reasons, I abdicate my title as King of Gondor in favor of Faramir son of Denethor. Faramir, do you accept?"
Time slowed in Arwen's mind, the time that was so naturally slow to Elves became slower. Arwen turned pale. She felt her blood run cold and her skin lose its softly glowing luster. She put a hand to her mouth and drew back inside the room, gripping the window frame for support. Aragorn's speech was over. In her shock, she had missed the end. She was hearing the confusion of the crowd, and Faramir's voice over the din, trying to restore some semblance of order. For her there could be no order. The outside noise and shrieks of her maids blended together into a deafening roar, and she closed her eyes, attempting to focus, before falling like a severed tree to the ground.
Arwen opened her eyes what could have been hours or days later; she did not know. She studied the plain ceiling. She was obviously in the Houses of Healing, the only buildings in Gondor which did not have decorations out of need for practicality. Arwen remembered - her maids had been hysterical, fretting over her state, and she had fainted because - because -
"Suilad, Aragorn," a familiar voice said from somewhere out of her vision. "Vedui tullye. Hiril lin nuva cuivë.6"
"An tirlyë hannon lle, Legolas, mellon nin7," said his disembodied voice.
Aragorn sat beside Arwen's bed and took her hand. "Vanimelda..."
"I am awake, melamin," she said dully. "Just because an Elf is lying down does not mean she is sleeping."
"Had you been asleep," Aragorn said, "I did not wish to wake you."
Arwen sighed and rolled, facing him. "I do not think I could sleep if I tried. How long have I been in such a state?"
"Si na andunë 8. Legolas happened to be passing down your hallway when he heard quite a noise coming from one of the rooms - which, by the way, happened to be yours-" Aragorn paused, thinking. "Ah yes, I believe he described it as 'a screeching to rival the Nazgûl' or something similar. It is no matter. He rushed in to find your maids all atwitter; some had fainted on account of your fall. He at least had the good sense to carry you here."
"For that I must thank him," she said with a smile, "though my handmaidens are all Elves, they are highborn, and terribly incompetent. If Father hadn't insisted I needed them, I would have sent them all away long ago."
"You might do better with mortal women, who at the least are less squeamish," Aragorn commented.
"Why, Estel?" Arwen burst out suddenly.
"'Why', Arwen?" he queried back.
"You know why!" she shrieked.
"Why what why?" He was teasing her.
"Why give up your throne, your crown, and your life?" she said. "For 'personal reasons'!"
"I thought that would be obvious," Aragorn said quietly.
"You should be king!" she cried. "You should have what is yours by blood and by right of birth!" She turned over and heaved sobs into the soft linen.
Aragorn laid a gentle, comforting hand on her back. "Yes, perhaps I should," he said thoughtfully, "and you should stay here with me, yet you cannot. So I will go to Rivendell with you until your father is ready to depart."
Arwen's wild crying subsided slowly, and her body ceased to shake. "Will father allow it..."
"I can but hope... but that is my name9," he said with a small smile, the first he had smiled in days. "There is always hope for our love as long as we live, Arwen." Gradually he realized she was asleep by her deepened breathing and calmer expression. He hated to see her like this: her skin death-white, and her eyes dark with grief and the ever present shinning of un-spilled tears. He would have done anything to ease her grieving - he would even challenge Elrond to a swordfight, though little good it would do. Elrond would never accept the challenge. Aragorn sighed and rose. "Losto mae10, melamin." He left her to rest, quietly slipping out of the room.
It happened that Elrond bent to allow Aragorn sanctuary in Rivendell. He, too, could not stand the sound of Arwen's weeping at night, nor the never-ending sadness of her eyes. It pained Elrond to see his daughter in such a state, but he sternly told himself there was no decision to make, and Arwen, as an Elf, would go west with the Elves. Their time on Middle-earth was slowly dwindling, and would soon come to an end. Elrond informed Arwen that they would be departing with Galadriel, Gandalf, and quite possibly Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, two of the previous masters of the Ring.
Beauty was in the autumn of Rivendell, with its many colored leaves, and time passed. Arwen and Aragorn dwelt there in great joy, but also great sadness, for they knew their time together was coming to an end. All too soon, two full years had passed. In August of the year 3021, the last year of the Third Age, Aragorn and Arwen knew their time was over. Lord Elrond gave them the exact date he wished to leave for the Grey Havens: August 25th. They had only a week left of each other's company.
The first day of their last week, Aragorn was awakened by the gentle brush of Arwen's lips against his. He opened his eyes to find her sitting on the edge of his bed. "Good morning," he said.
"Good morning." Arwen smiled down at him. "Let's take a trip."
Aragorn sat up and leaned back on an elbow. "Where? We can't go far."
"It's only one full day's ride to the old hunting lodge in the western forest. We can pack today, and take two days at a more leisurely pace if we leave tomorrow. What do you say?" A gentle breeze blew in the open doors of the balcony and the blazing light of the rising sun began to appear behind Arwen.
"I say," Aragorn said. "I say, Arwen Undómiel, that the sun's light is weak and watery and cannot compare to your brilliance. Also," he added at her scandalized look, "I would be honored to accompany you out of the city."
At this, Arwen gave a gleeful laugh and hugged him delightedly. "I'm going to tell father we'll be leaving right away!" she said in a rush and flew out the door, leaving only a light scarf on the bed as proof of her pre-dawn visit.
Aragorn shook his head. "Elves," he muttered, and got up to begin the day.
The trip to the Grey Havens would take nearly a month with so much baggage. The Elves brought all their belongings to take over the sea. On the way, Aragorn rode next to Arwen, and the days seemed to drag on and on... and both Aragorn and Arwen spoke little and thought much, mostly on their trip into the woods. They had ridden out in no hurry, and enjoyed their time wandering through the forests in the golden sunlight. Arwen smiled at the memory of dancing to the birds' song as the sun rose, and eating dinner upon the white sand beach of the River Bruinen. The day before they had to return to Rivendell, they walked through the forest until they came to a clearing in the trees and a small hill. Aragorn had been reminded of Cerin Amroth, where they had pledged their love for each other many years before. That night they sat on the hill and laughed and talked under the sparkling stars, reliving the time they had spent in Lothlórien, together, the best days of their lives. The next day they had left the forests in sadness, and returned to harsh reality.
Then, quite suddenly, they found themselves at the Grey Havens with the hobbits. Galadriel had already begun to board the waiting ship with Bilbo and Frodo. Aragorn drew Arwen aside and took both of her smooth hands in his rough ones.
"I shall fade. My life without you is worthless to me. I do not wish to live it alone," said Arwen. She could feel the mist of tears overtake her vision. "Lle garos mela nin, Estel. An-uir, Estel.11"
Aragorn held her one last time and kissed her dark hair. "Lindwen, namárië. Lle garos oira mela nin, vana Undómiel nin.12"
Elrond grasped Arwen's elbow, suddenly at her side. "Tullye, Arwen13. We must leave now."
"Namárië, a'maelamin14." Her hand slowly slipped from his, but her crystalline blue eyes did not leave his sad brown ones, even as her father led her away and she boarded the ship, which then began to move away.
She stood there, sailing away from him, tears glistening on her cheeks made visible by the light of the full moon. Aragorn ran forward to the waters' edge. "Arwen!" he yelled over the noise of the crashing waves. "Arwen!" He fell to his knees and watcher her until, as if by a heavy cloak, the ship was enveloped in darkness. The stars in the night sky wept with them at their parting.
1 Luthien Tinuviel was the most beautiful maiden throughout the history of the Elves, though Arwen is said to rival her beauty. Beren was the mortal Man Luthien fell in love with. The story of their love is beautiful, yet sad because they were of two different races, one would die, and one would live forever.
2 Aragorn speaks this is Quenya, or High Elvish, the language of the world's creators, the Valar. It translates directly to: Powers of the Valar, mayest thou shine the moon's radiance on this side of the world.
3 In common Elvish or Sindarin: vana= beautiful, wen= maiden.
4 Sindarin term of endearment: mel= love, amin= suffix applied to nouns only, expressing possesion like that of the Sindarin pronoun 'nin'
5 Sindarin term of endearment, meaning 'fair-love'
6 At last you come. Your lady will be awakening soon.
7 I thank you for watching over her, Legolas, my friend.
8 Now it is sunset.
9 Estel= the Sindarin word for 'hope'.
10 Sleep well
11 You have my love, Estel. Forever, Estel.
12 Fair maiden, farewell. You have my eternal love, my beautiful Evenstar.
13 Come, Arwen.
14 Farewell, my beloved.
Anyway, chapter 2. . . it starts getting sad.
Again, ignore the footnotes
Chapter II
MANY PARTINGS
Aragorn was directed to Elrond by various Elves taking in the majesty of Minas Tirith.
Elrond looked up from his work. He knew this day would come. "Sit down, my son."
"Why is Arwen sailing to Valinor?" Aragorn said quietly. "Has her heart changed?"
"Sit down, Estel." He complied. "No, her heart has not changed," Elrond said. "Her heart lies steady and true. It is my own heart that has been troubled as of late."
"Your heart, Lord Elrond?"
"Elessar, King of Gondor, it has been many year since you first met my daughter. Since then, you have become everything I had hoped you would become. You are worthy of my daughter, King of Gondor, but Arwen belongs with her kin. She is an Elf, and you are of the race of Men. You cannot be together."
"Luthien and Beren1-"
"My daughter deserves better than the fate of Luthien and Beren!" Elrond said. "It would have her tear her heart apart over two loves. No, Arwen Undómiel deserves far better, and far better will she be in Valinor than here, among mortals."
"...Arwen is an Elf, Estel. She belongs with me, and she belongs with the others of her race. The number of Elves in Middle-earth dwindles daily. Cirdan the Shipwright of the Grey Havens tells me so. Arwen would be alone here. Her beauty and grace will be preserved forever in Valinor, and so will the love of her heart. Let her go. She is sailing West."
Arwen was eavesdropping, which she had not done since she was a child. "So Ada has not told Estel it was his choice for me to leave," she whispered to the breeze. Preoccupied in her own thoughts, Arwen did not hear them exit the room.
"Arwen!" Elrond said.
"I knew where to find you, Estel" she said, refusing to even glance in her father's direction. "I do not wish to speak to you, Ada."
Aragorn regarded her oddly at her abrupt manner toward Elrond. "Come, Undómiel. I was going to seek you, but you have found me."
Late that night, Arwen rode swiftly and silently out of the city upon her grey mare. "Noro lim, Anduial," she urged. "Ride on, my friend." She did not wish to be followed.
Aragorn rode through the forest outside of Minas Tirith. The outline of the city flashed into view between the plentiful trees. He stopped short. A cloaked rider approached from the direction of the city. Aragorn quietly dismounted and led his horse closer to the edge of the forest. "Valarion bel, silailye i isilo alata nef arda2," he whispered to the winds. As if the Valar heard his prayer in their home of Valinor, the moon broke through the heavy clouds and illuminated the rider's features in the dark night. Aragorn peered closely; it was Arwen. She slowed her horse to a walk and meshed into the shadows of the forest, unaware of his presence. "Vanawen3," he called out to her softly.
Her horse shied, but calmed under Arwen's steady hand. "Estel..."
"Where are you going, Arwen?"
"Out for peace from my thoughts, before you appeared," she said. "Maranwe... destiny follows me wherever I go." Arwen slid off her horse and sank down to a rock by the nearby stream. "I cannot escape it."
"No escapes their destiny, melamin4," Aragorn said softly. He dropped his horse's reins and came up behind her. "It comes for us all."
Arwen merely sighed. She was anxious and worn from grief and worry. She trailed a slender hand through the water, its comforting coolness slightly calming her.
"Why do you sail away from me, vanimelda5?" Aragorn said aloud at last.
"My father will not let me remain," Arwen said bitterly. "I heard the end of your conversation. He did not tell you... Even Galadriel could not move him. I have no choice but to leave Middle-earth. He is forcing me to go to the land of my people."
"You are leaving me. And I have no choice but to respect Elrond's decision," Aragorn said, feeling helpless. "Galadriel... not even Galadriel." He joined her on the rock and buried his face in her hair, silent tears falling from his eyes.
They remained there throughout the night, under the bright stars; Arwen pensive and Aragorn imprinting every detail of her that night in his memory. Nearing daybreak, Arwen fell into sleep at last, and Aragorn carried her back to the city when the moon began to fade from the dark sky.
Aragorn walked briskly through the halls of the palace. He had not spoken to Arwen privately since that night two days ago. Elrond wished to depart for Rivendell in just over a month's time, which was a very short amount of time for Elves. Faramir and Éowyn made preparations to leave for Rohan with Éomer for Théoden King's burial. Aragorn wished to make an announcement before they left, and had gathered the city outside of the palace, so he could address his people. He stepped outside into the sunlight. There was Éowyn standing with the soldiers of Rohan, Faramir and Éomer flanked her on either side. Nearly the entire city had come to see him, making what he had to say all the harder. They clapped and cheered as he stood before them. Finally Aragorn raised his hands for silence.
"My people," he began.
Arwen Undómiel sat in her sitting room, surrounded by young Elf-maidens. Her father had kept her busy; he expected her to begin the process of packing for Valinor. Arwen suspected he truly wanted her to spend as little time with Aragron as possible. Hearing a commotion, she looked out of her window. Aragorn was standing on the stairs of the palace, preparing to make an announcement to the city. Arwen leaned her full head and shoulders out of the window, to the dismay of her maids, who fretted and pleaded with her, she'd fall and die surely, but Arwen paid them no heed. Her attention was trained on the king. The noise ended, and her sharp ears heard him speak clearly.
"My people. I have been your king for only a short time. I have cherished the time here in Gondor, home of my ancestors. I am loath to leave you and my country." Arwen gasped, and a murmur ran through the crowd, swelling, but silence ruled once again as Aragorn continued to speak. "As my last act as your king, I hereby proclaim the line of the Stewards shall rule Gondor forevermore. Faramir shall be crowned king, and Éowyn his queen, and their children, and their children's children, shall rule until the end of time. Due to personal reasons, I abdicate my title as King of Gondor in favor of Faramir son of Denethor. Faramir, do you accept?"
Time slowed in Arwen's mind, the time that was so naturally slow to Elves became slower. Arwen turned pale. She felt her blood run cold and her skin lose its softly glowing luster. She put a hand to her mouth and drew back inside the room, gripping the window frame for support. Aragorn's speech was over. In her shock, she had missed the end. She was hearing the confusion of the crowd, and Faramir's voice over the din, trying to restore some semblance of order. For her there could be no order. The outside noise and shrieks of her maids blended together into a deafening roar, and she closed her eyes, attempting to focus, before falling like a severed tree to the ground.
Arwen opened her eyes what could have been hours or days later; she did not know. She studied the plain ceiling. She was obviously in the Houses of Healing, the only buildings in Gondor which did not have decorations out of need for practicality. Arwen remembered - her maids had been hysterical, fretting over her state, and she had fainted because - because -
"Suilad, Aragorn," a familiar voice said from somewhere out of her vision. "Vedui tullye. Hiril lin nuva cuivë.6"
"An tirlyë hannon lle, Legolas, mellon nin7," said his disembodied voice.
Aragorn sat beside Arwen's bed and took her hand. "Vanimelda..."
"I am awake, melamin," she said dully. "Just because an Elf is lying down does not mean she is sleeping."
"Had you been asleep," Aragorn said, "I did not wish to wake you."
Arwen sighed and rolled, facing him. "I do not think I could sleep if I tried. How long have I been in such a state?"
"Si na andunë 8. Legolas happened to be passing down your hallway when he heard quite a noise coming from one of the rooms - which, by the way, happened to be yours-" Aragorn paused, thinking. "Ah yes, I believe he described it as 'a screeching to rival the Nazgûl' or something similar. It is no matter. He rushed in to find your maids all atwitter; some had fainted on account of your fall. He at least had the good sense to carry you here."
"For that I must thank him," she said with a smile, "though my handmaidens are all Elves, they are highborn, and terribly incompetent. If Father hadn't insisted I needed them, I would have sent them all away long ago."
"You might do better with mortal women, who at the least are less squeamish," Aragorn commented.
"Why, Estel?" Arwen burst out suddenly.
"'Why', Arwen?" he queried back.
"You know why!" she shrieked.
"Why what why?" He was teasing her.
"Why give up your throne, your crown, and your life?" she said. "For 'personal reasons'!"
"I thought that would be obvious," Aragorn said quietly.
"You should be king!" she cried. "You should have what is yours by blood and by right of birth!" She turned over and heaved sobs into the soft linen.
Aragorn laid a gentle, comforting hand on her back. "Yes, perhaps I should," he said thoughtfully, "and you should stay here with me, yet you cannot. So I will go to Rivendell with you until your father is ready to depart."
Arwen's wild crying subsided slowly, and her body ceased to shake. "Will father allow it..."
"I can but hope... but that is my name9," he said with a small smile, the first he had smiled in days. "There is always hope for our love as long as we live, Arwen." Gradually he realized she was asleep by her deepened breathing and calmer expression. He hated to see her like this: her skin death-white, and her eyes dark with grief and the ever present shinning of un-spilled tears. He would have done anything to ease her grieving - he would even challenge Elrond to a swordfight, though little good it would do. Elrond would never accept the challenge. Aragorn sighed and rose. "Losto mae10, melamin." He left her to rest, quietly slipping out of the room.
It happened that Elrond bent to allow Aragorn sanctuary in Rivendell. He, too, could not stand the sound of Arwen's weeping at night, nor the never-ending sadness of her eyes. It pained Elrond to see his daughter in such a state, but he sternly told himself there was no decision to make, and Arwen, as an Elf, would go west with the Elves. Their time on Middle-earth was slowly dwindling, and would soon come to an end. Elrond informed Arwen that they would be departing with Galadriel, Gandalf, and quite possibly Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, two of the previous masters of the Ring.
Beauty was in the autumn of Rivendell, with its many colored leaves, and time passed. Arwen and Aragorn dwelt there in great joy, but also great sadness, for they knew their time together was coming to an end. All too soon, two full years had passed. In August of the year 3021, the last year of the Third Age, Aragorn and Arwen knew their time was over. Lord Elrond gave them the exact date he wished to leave for the Grey Havens: August 25th. They had only a week left of each other's company.
The first day of their last week, Aragorn was awakened by the gentle brush of Arwen's lips against his. He opened his eyes to find her sitting on the edge of his bed. "Good morning," he said.
"Good morning." Arwen smiled down at him. "Let's take a trip."
Aragorn sat up and leaned back on an elbow. "Where? We can't go far."
"It's only one full day's ride to the old hunting lodge in the western forest. We can pack today, and take two days at a more leisurely pace if we leave tomorrow. What do you say?" A gentle breeze blew in the open doors of the balcony and the blazing light of the rising sun began to appear behind Arwen.
"I say," Aragorn said. "I say, Arwen Undómiel, that the sun's light is weak and watery and cannot compare to your brilliance. Also," he added at her scandalized look, "I would be honored to accompany you out of the city."
At this, Arwen gave a gleeful laugh and hugged him delightedly. "I'm going to tell father we'll be leaving right away!" she said in a rush and flew out the door, leaving only a light scarf on the bed as proof of her pre-dawn visit.
Aragorn shook his head. "Elves," he muttered, and got up to begin the day.
The trip to the Grey Havens would take nearly a month with so much baggage. The Elves brought all their belongings to take over the sea. On the way, Aragorn rode next to Arwen, and the days seemed to drag on and on... and both Aragorn and Arwen spoke little and thought much, mostly on their trip into the woods. They had ridden out in no hurry, and enjoyed their time wandering through the forests in the golden sunlight. Arwen smiled at the memory of dancing to the birds' song as the sun rose, and eating dinner upon the white sand beach of the River Bruinen. The day before they had to return to Rivendell, they walked through the forest until they came to a clearing in the trees and a small hill. Aragorn had been reminded of Cerin Amroth, where they had pledged their love for each other many years before. That night they sat on the hill and laughed and talked under the sparkling stars, reliving the time they had spent in Lothlórien, together, the best days of their lives. The next day they had left the forests in sadness, and returned to harsh reality.
Then, quite suddenly, they found themselves at the Grey Havens with the hobbits. Galadriel had already begun to board the waiting ship with Bilbo and Frodo. Aragorn drew Arwen aside and took both of her smooth hands in his rough ones.
"I shall fade. My life without you is worthless to me. I do not wish to live it alone," said Arwen. She could feel the mist of tears overtake her vision. "Lle garos mela nin, Estel. An-uir, Estel.11"
Aragorn held her one last time and kissed her dark hair. "Lindwen, namárië. Lle garos oira mela nin, vana Undómiel nin.12"
Elrond grasped Arwen's elbow, suddenly at her side. "Tullye, Arwen13. We must leave now."
"Namárië, a'maelamin14." Her hand slowly slipped from his, but her crystalline blue eyes did not leave his sad brown ones, even as her father led her away and she boarded the ship, which then began to move away.
She stood there, sailing away from him, tears glistening on her cheeks made visible by the light of the full moon. Aragorn ran forward to the waters' edge. "Arwen!" he yelled over the noise of the crashing waves. "Arwen!" He fell to his knees and watcher her until, as if by a heavy cloak, the ship was enveloped in darkness. The stars in the night sky wept with them at their parting.
1 Luthien Tinuviel was the most beautiful maiden throughout the history of the Elves, though Arwen is said to rival her beauty. Beren was the mortal Man Luthien fell in love with. The story of their love is beautiful, yet sad because they were of two different races, one would die, and one would live forever.
2 Aragorn speaks this is Quenya, or High Elvish, the language of the world's creators, the Valar. It translates directly to: Powers of the Valar, mayest thou shine the moon's radiance on this side of the world.
3 In common Elvish or Sindarin: vana= beautiful, wen= maiden.
4 Sindarin term of endearment: mel= love, amin= suffix applied to nouns only, expressing possesion like that of the Sindarin pronoun 'nin'
5 Sindarin term of endearment, meaning 'fair-love'
6 At last you come. Your lady will be awakening soon.
7 I thank you for watching over her, Legolas, my friend.
8 Now it is sunset.
9 Estel= the Sindarin word for 'hope'.
10 Sleep well
11 You have my love, Estel. Forever, Estel.
12 Fair maiden, farewell. You have my eternal love, my beautiful Evenstar.
13 Come, Arwen.
14 Farewell, my beloved.