Arwen laid forward, her cheek resting on Asfaloth's snowy mane, her mind on
a conversation that she had had just a few short months before.
"It's only fitting that as a wedding gift, I give you the one thing you continually took from me."
A smile flitted across the face of Glorfindel. "Melyanna, I give to you my faithful companion. May Asfaloth be as loyal and strong to you and yours as he was for me."
She ran a hand through the silken mane. "And you have been. Sometimes I find I can more easily speak of what troubles my heart to you than I can to human ears."
"What if human ears are the ones who would best know how to fix what ails you?"
She sat up with a start, turning slightly to see her husband appear out of the palace forest on foot, a look of amusement in his darkened eyes.
"My love, you're a king ."
He cut her off. "No, right now I am the husband of a troubled wife and as such, I've come to see what can be cured."
As she watched silently, Aragorn came to them and paused to offer the horse a small piece of apple before turning his attention to his wife.
"mankoi?"
Arwen looked at her husband and despite loving him for thinking of using her native tongue, chose to speak in the common tongue and answered him with a question.
"Why what?"
Aragorn loved his wife beyond reason or description, but there were times like now when the thing he wanted best to do would be strangle her for her annoying ability to be very much her father's daughter and answer questions with questions.
"Arwen, what troubles you is going to consume you if you don't speak of it. Why won't you let me help you?"
She let out a sigh that made her body shake. "Because it's not your problem Estel, it's mine. I'm not a child any more and I can't have someone else fix this for me. I have to do this alone."
*~*~*~*
It was a silent somber couple that rode amongst their guards to Ithilien.
Two days into the journey, Aragorn looked at his wife and saw her eyes closing as if in sleep.
"Arwen?"
His voice seemed to stabilize her, but soon the spell was broken and his wife began to weave unsteadily on her saddle.
Concerned, he reined in his horse and came to his wife's aid just in time for her to buckle against him.
Calling for a halt, Aragorn quickly shifted his wife to his horse making sure to cradle her carefully against himself as he had Asfaloth taken care of by a page.
Planting a kiss against the top of her head, he wondered just what was going on with her.
*~*~*~*
"So, you sit and worry over the future Evenstar. there is really no need for the solution to the sickness of heart that you have is sleeping safely in your womb."
The woman stared into the water and shook her head. "You've worried for the now with no mind of the future." She smiled. "The destiny you fought for Elessar is but a shadow of what awaits this child you both want so dearly."
*~*~*~*
"I don't understand this."
Faramir looked up from the board and moved his piece. "Understand what?"
Aragorn blinked. "How the hell did you just do that?"
With a smile, the Steward of Gondor shrugged. "Blind luck?"
"More like distractions making me blind."
Faramir nodded. "The healers and Eowyn are with Arwen. We'll know what's wrong with your lady soon enough."
Aragorn contemplated his next move. "I pray that it is not heartache that is taking her from me."
"Heartache?"
He nodded, getting up from the table. "The people of Gondor are a kind people. You of course know this as well as I. But their kindness has weighed heavily on Arwen and her spirit."
Faramir grew concerned. "Weighed heavily?"
Aragorn turned around. "Aye, they watch her every public move for signs of a child."
He shook his head. "You've only been married mere months. What sort of miracle do they want?"
"The miracle of knowing that the line continues?" Faramir grew serious; it was time that his friends knew of the myth.
"That's not all the reason why they watch this particular Queen."
Aragorn's eyebrow was raised in alarm at his friend's tone of voice, as even for serious Faramir it was one of total seriousness. "What do you know Faramir?" He came towards his friend. "What are the reasons?"
Faramir slipped out of his chair and began to pace.
"There is told a legend that a child born from an Elven Queen will have a destiny bigger than that of it's father." He turned to face Aragorn.
"The people of Gondor have taken that myth and turned it to Prophecy. They watch her in the belief that she will bring the deliverer into the world. They watch her because of the fact that her future baby's father has done the things that his ancestor could not."
Aragorn sank onto a couch. "I find myself suddenly hoping that Arwen isn't pregnant."
Faramir was about to speak when the healer appeared in the open doorway.
"Sire, the Queen wishes to see you."
"It's only fitting that as a wedding gift, I give you the one thing you continually took from me."
A smile flitted across the face of Glorfindel. "Melyanna, I give to you my faithful companion. May Asfaloth be as loyal and strong to you and yours as he was for me."
She ran a hand through the silken mane. "And you have been. Sometimes I find I can more easily speak of what troubles my heart to you than I can to human ears."
"What if human ears are the ones who would best know how to fix what ails you?"
She sat up with a start, turning slightly to see her husband appear out of the palace forest on foot, a look of amusement in his darkened eyes.
"My love, you're a king ."
He cut her off. "No, right now I am the husband of a troubled wife and as such, I've come to see what can be cured."
As she watched silently, Aragorn came to them and paused to offer the horse a small piece of apple before turning his attention to his wife.
"mankoi?"
Arwen looked at her husband and despite loving him for thinking of using her native tongue, chose to speak in the common tongue and answered him with a question.
"Why what?"
Aragorn loved his wife beyond reason or description, but there were times like now when the thing he wanted best to do would be strangle her for her annoying ability to be very much her father's daughter and answer questions with questions.
"Arwen, what troubles you is going to consume you if you don't speak of it. Why won't you let me help you?"
She let out a sigh that made her body shake. "Because it's not your problem Estel, it's mine. I'm not a child any more and I can't have someone else fix this for me. I have to do this alone."
*~*~*~*
It was a silent somber couple that rode amongst their guards to Ithilien.
Two days into the journey, Aragorn looked at his wife and saw her eyes closing as if in sleep.
"Arwen?"
His voice seemed to stabilize her, but soon the spell was broken and his wife began to weave unsteadily on her saddle.
Concerned, he reined in his horse and came to his wife's aid just in time for her to buckle against him.
Calling for a halt, Aragorn quickly shifted his wife to his horse making sure to cradle her carefully against himself as he had Asfaloth taken care of by a page.
Planting a kiss against the top of her head, he wondered just what was going on with her.
*~*~*~*
"So, you sit and worry over the future Evenstar. there is really no need for the solution to the sickness of heart that you have is sleeping safely in your womb."
The woman stared into the water and shook her head. "You've worried for the now with no mind of the future." She smiled. "The destiny you fought for Elessar is but a shadow of what awaits this child you both want so dearly."
*~*~*~*
"I don't understand this."
Faramir looked up from the board and moved his piece. "Understand what?"
Aragorn blinked. "How the hell did you just do that?"
With a smile, the Steward of Gondor shrugged. "Blind luck?"
"More like distractions making me blind."
Faramir nodded. "The healers and Eowyn are with Arwen. We'll know what's wrong with your lady soon enough."
Aragorn contemplated his next move. "I pray that it is not heartache that is taking her from me."
"Heartache?"
He nodded, getting up from the table. "The people of Gondor are a kind people. You of course know this as well as I. But their kindness has weighed heavily on Arwen and her spirit."
Faramir grew concerned. "Weighed heavily?"
Aragorn turned around. "Aye, they watch her every public move for signs of a child."
He shook his head. "You've only been married mere months. What sort of miracle do they want?"
"The miracle of knowing that the line continues?" Faramir grew serious; it was time that his friends knew of the myth.
"That's not all the reason why they watch this particular Queen."
Aragorn's eyebrow was raised in alarm at his friend's tone of voice, as even for serious Faramir it was one of total seriousness. "What do you know Faramir?" He came towards his friend. "What are the reasons?"
Faramir slipped out of his chair and began to pace.
"There is told a legend that a child born from an Elven Queen will have a destiny bigger than that of it's father." He turned to face Aragorn.
"The people of Gondor have taken that myth and turned it to Prophecy. They watch her in the belief that she will bring the deliverer into the world. They watch her because of the fact that her future baby's father has done the things that his ancestor could not."
Aragorn sank onto a couch. "I find myself suddenly hoping that Arwen isn't pregnant."
Faramir was about to speak when the healer appeared in the open doorway.
"Sire, the Queen wishes to see you."
