"Ariel?" Iorwen called at Ariel's door. She got no reply so pushed the door
gently open and stepped inside. Ariel was not inside her room and Iorwen
recalled what the woman had said to her the night before. "I am not going
to see the men leave to go to war. It will only make me feel worse. If I am
not about tomorrow it is because I am walking about the city trying to
gather my thoughts. Do not worry about me."
Iorwen made up the bed and tidied a little before leaving the room. As she walked along the passage she met Hafwen who had been on her way to see if Arial was all right. "She is not in her room, she must have gone for a walk to clear her head," Iorwen told her. "Oh, thankyou Iorwen, did she tell you where she was going?" The maid shook her head. "I know where she'll be," Hafwen said and hurried back the way she had come.
There was one place in Minas Tirith that Ariel had always gone if she had been upset or just wanted to be alone. It was near the edge of the city and a good half-hours walk from their home, and from it you could see far out across the plains. They had found the spot as children and Ariel loved looking out at the world from there.
But, she was not there and Hafwen's heart fell. She wanted to find her sister and could think of no other places to look. She thought that her sister was just wandering about the streets aimlessly and alone. But as the city was large and she did not know where to look Hafwen knew that she would most likely not find her easily.
As the day wore on there was still no sign of Ariel. The noonday meal was a lot quieter than usual. Aragorn was deep in thought about the company and the battle that they now rode towards and Hafwen was worrying about Ariel. Now as the afternoon sun shone through her window Hafwen decided to see if Ariel had returned to her bedroom.
She knocked at the door before walking inside. As she stood in the empty room something did not seem right to her. She knelt down beside Ariel's bed and pulled the wooden box out from under it and opened the lid. "Oh no," She murmured as she saw the box's contents. Normally Ariel kept her sword in the box but in its place were locks of her hair. Slowly she shut the box and ran to find Iorwen. It did not take long to find her and the two of them went to Ariel's room.
Iorwen shook her head in shock and amazement. She was amazed that Ariel had gone behind her father's back; that she had managed to not be found out until now when she was many leagues away. "Just like the Lady Éowyn," Hafwen sighed as she tried to picture her sister riding alongside the soldiers and right under her brother's nose. "We will have to tell your father," Iorwen told Hafwen as she closed the lid of the box.
Iorwen made up the bed and tidied a little before leaving the room. As she walked along the passage she met Hafwen who had been on her way to see if Arial was all right. "She is not in her room, she must have gone for a walk to clear her head," Iorwen told her. "Oh, thankyou Iorwen, did she tell you where she was going?" The maid shook her head. "I know where she'll be," Hafwen said and hurried back the way she had come.
There was one place in Minas Tirith that Ariel had always gone if she had been upset or just wanted to be alone. It was near the edge of the city and a good half-hours walk from their home, and from it you could see far out across the plains. They had found the spot as children and Ariel loved looking out at the world from there.
But, she was not there and Hafwen's heart fell. She wanted to find her sister and could think of no other places to look. She thought that her sister was just wandering about the streets aimlessly and alone. But as the city was large and she did not know where to look Hafwen knew that she would most likely not find her easily.
As the day wore on there was still no sign of Ariel. The noonday meal was a lot quieter than usual. Aragorn was deep in thought about the company and the battle that they now rode towards and Hafwen was worrying about Ariel. Now as the afternoon sun shone through her window Hafwen decided to see if Ariel had returned to her bedroom.
She knocked at the door before walking inside. As she stood in the empty room something did not seem right to her. She knelt down beside Ariel's bed and pulled the wooden box out from under it and opened the lid. "Oh no," She murmured as she saw the box's contents. Normally Ariel kept her sword in the box but in its place were locks of her hair. Slowly she shut the box and ran to find Iorwen. It did not take long to find her and the two of them went to Ariel's room.
Iorwen shook her head in shock and amazement. She was amazed that Ariel had gone behind her father's back; that she had managed to not be found out until now when she was many leagues away. "Just like the Lady Éowyn," Hafwen sighed as she tried to picture her sister riding alongside the soldiers and right under her brother's nose. "We will have to tell your father," Iorwen told Hafwen as she closed the lid of the box.
