"You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part
withal - except my life, except my life"
-Hamlet, Shakespeare's Hamlet
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any recognizable characters and/or places thereof.
Author's note: GUESS WHAT!! I GET TO MEET THE TWINS THAT PLAY THE TWINS IN THE MATRIX RELOADED!!! I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE THAT BECAUSE I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT!
Ambertiger666: Thanks! Sorry if you were confused, but you get it now, right? Yeah, this chapter is majorly angsty.
Lady of Legolas: Thanks. Despite demanding reviewers, I had writer's block. . .
*****
Aralya felt leaden when she awoke the next morning. Mechanically, she brushed her hair and tied it back. In the same disconnected manner she dressed in a tunic and pants. She had been ordered to go on with life, and perhaps her body would do so, but her heart was still empty. She could make herself look presentable and alive, but inside she withered and died.
When Arwen saw her daughter that morning, tears came to her eyes. "Aralya," Arwen said in a strange tone, embracing her tightly. Aralya did not understand why her mother did this, but she allowed it without interest. Arwen buried her face in her daughter's hair, clinging as long as she could before at last releasing the girl. Aralya, dazed, stumbled off to find Meriadoc and apologize.
"Arwen, mani naa ta? Mankoi lle uma tanya?" [What is it? Why did you do that?] Elessar asked.
Arwen sniffed, and with a drawn, sad look, she said, "I can bear you no more children Elessar. I am tired of losing them." Her resolve in this was frightening, and Elessar realized what she was implying.
"No," he said, "that cannot be. Her heart is not broken, Arwen, it is but a daze, a shock."
"Elessar," Arwen said, touching his face gently, "Estel." This unexpected act awed him into silence. "Her heart is broken. I have seen it before. Herb lore will not save her." Elessar it had been that was at first cold to Aralya because she was not a boy, and Aralya had made her way into his heart. Now it was Elessar that could not accept her fate.
"Love," he said, "love can save her." He had heard, years ago, that love could save a broken heart. He had been young at the time, and when he asked Elrond if love could heal a broken heart Elrond mutter only one word: "Celebrian". Years later, Elessar had learned who Celebrian was. He remembered her then, remembered that she had gone on only with life without memory--that is, in a land she had no memory of. Would Aralya pass to Valinor? To Mandos, perhaps?
"Who does she love as she loved him?" Arwen asked, but her heart sparked with hope. Just maybe. . .
*****
"Meriadoc?" Merry turned to see Aralya standing behind him. He and Peregrin had just been enjoying their second breakfast when she arrived. Merry swallowed as Pippin looked on in interest.
"Yes?" Merry replied at length.
"I--I'm sorry. That I hit you," Aralya said. "I never meant to hurt you. But I was upset." She could no longer form sentences describing cause and effect. She could hardly even see anymore. Slowly all that was Aralya was slipping away, and she did not fight to keep it. She did not bother. She did not want to. By not helping herself, Aralya was committing slow suicide.
"Oh, that's all right," Merry said. "After all, Elanor did ask for stories. . ." Pippin laughed. When Aralya did not blush, but instead only blinked, the hobbits glanced worriedly at each other. "Are you all right?"
"Fine. . .just fine," Aralya replied shakily. The two were very worried, and unsure of what to do, when they were spared this discomfort by two Elves approaching. These two particular Elves looked identical to one another and not unlike Aralya, either, observed Merry as Elladan hugged his niece and ruffled her hair.
"Sorry," he said, pulling his hand back, "I forget how old you are." But when Aralya made no protest or response of any kind, Elladan and Elrohir glanced at each other in worry. "Aralya? Are you all right?"
"I. . ." she shook her head. "Fine. Just tired. . .I think I should go back to bed. . ." She turned to go, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
Elrohir swallowed hard, then said, "Why not break your fast with us, Aralya. . .Elladan and I must leave soon, and we hoped to spend more time with you in our visit. . .We can imagine how difficult it is, knowing that Boromir left you with the duty to carry on."
Aralya still did not reply, but sat with her uncles through the meal, eating nothing and speaking only when directly addressed. Elladan and Elrohir were afraid to see her this way, especially afraid after she had suggested going to bed--for they knew that if she did so, she would not wake up again. They saw her little, but she was the daughter of their sister, and would be dear to them even if she were not. They knew heartbreak, as did Arwen, and they were just as frightened as she was.
"What are we going to do?" Elladan asked aloud. Elrohir motioned at Aralya, suggesting silently that they ought not talk about this in front of her. "She cannot hear us."
"It is not as though she is not there, Elladan--"
"But it is, Elrohir. She is."
"By Iluvatar, you talk as if my daughter were naught but a corpse," said Arwen, entering and sitting beside her brothers. Elrohir shot Elladan a warning look. "Aralya," Arwen said, "would you like to come with me today? I am going to gather herbs outside of the city."
"Yes," Aralya said. There was not a single person at that table then who believed she knew what she had agreed to.
-Hamlet, Shakespeare's Hamlet
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any recognizable characters and/or places thereof.
Author's note: GUESS WHAT!! I GET TO MEET THE TWINS THAT PLAY THE TWINS IN THE MATRIX RELOADED!!! I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE THAT BECAUSE I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT!
Ambertiger666: Thanks! Sorry if you were confused, but you get it now, right? Yeah, this chapter is majorly angsty.
Lady of Legolas: Thanks. Despite demanding reviewers, I had writer's block. . .
*****
Aralya felt leaden when she awoke the next morning. Mechanically, she brushed her hair and tied it back. In the same disconnected manner she dressed in a tunic and pants. She had been ordered to go on with life, and perhaps her body would do so, but her heart was still empty. She could make herself look presentable and alive, but inside she withered and died.
When Arwen saw her daughter that morning, tears came to her eyes. "Aralya," Arwen said in a strange tone, embracing her tightly. Aralya did not understand why her mother did this, but she allowed it without interest. Arwen buried her face in her daughter's hair, clinging as long as she could before at last releasing the girl. Aralya, dazed, stumbled off to find Meriadoc and apologize.
"Arwen, mani naa ta? Mankoi lle uma tanya?" [What is it? Why did you do that?] Elessar asked.
Arwen sniffed, and with a drawn, sad look, she said, "I can bear you no more children Elessar. I am tired of losing them." Her resolve in this was frightening, and Elessar realized what she was implying.
"No," he said, "that cannot be. Her heart is not broken, Arwen, it is but a daze, a shock."
"Elessar," Arwen said, touching his face gently, "Estel." This unexpected act awed him into silence. "Her heart is broken. I have seen it before. Herb lore will not save her." Elessar it had been that was at first cold to Aralya because she was not a boy, and Aralya had made her way into his heart. Now it was Elessar that could not accept her fate.
"Love," he said, "love can save her." He had heard, years ago, that love could save a broken heart. He had been young at the time, and when he asked Elrond if love could heal a broken heart Elrond mutter only one word: "Celebrian". Years later, Elessar had learned who Celebrian was. He remembered her then, remembered that she had gone on only with life without memory--that is, in a land she had no memory of. Would Aralya pass to Valinor? To Mandos, perhaps?
"Who does she love as she loved him?" Arwen asked, but her heart sparked with hope. Just maybe. . .
*****
"Meriadoc?" Merry turned to see Aralya standing behind him. He and Peregrin had just been enjoying their second breakfast when she arrived. Merry swallowed as Pippin looked on in interest.
"Yes?" Merry replied at length.
"I--I'm sorry. That I hit you," Aralya said. "I never meant to hurt you. But I was upset." She could no longer form sentences describing cause and effect. She could hardly even see anymore. Slowly all that was Aralya was slipping away, and she did not fight to keep it. She did not bother. She did not want to. By not helping herself, Aralya was committing slow suicide.
"Oh, that's all right," Merry said. "After all, Elanor did ask for stories. . ." Pippin laughed. When Aralya did not blush, but instead only blinked, the hobbits glanced worriedly at each other. "Are you all right?"
"Fine. . .just fine," Aralya replied shakily. The two were very worried, and unsure of what to do, when they were spared this discomfort by two Elves approaching. These two particular Elves looked identical to one another and not unlike Aralya, either, observed Merry as Elladan hugged his niece and ruffled her hair.
"Sorry," he said, pulling his hand back, "I forget how old you are." But when Aralya made no protest or response of any kind, Elladan and Elrohir glanced at each other in worry. "Aralya? Are you all right?"
"I. . ." she shook her head. "Fine. Just tired. . .I think I should go back to bed. . ." She turned to go, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
Elrohir swallowed hard, then said, "Why not break your fast with us, Aralya. . .Elladan and I must leave soon, and we hoped to spend more time with you in our visit. . .We can imagine how difficult it is, knowing that Boromir left you with the duty to carry on."
Aralya still did not reply, but sat with her uncles through the meal, eating nothing and speaking only when directly addressed. Elladan and Elrohir were afraid to see her this way, especially afraid after she had suggested going to bed--for they knew that if she did so, she would not wake up again. They saw her little, but she was the daughter of their sister, and would be dear to them even if she were not. They knew heartbreak, as did Arwen, and they were just as frightened as she was.
"What are we going to do?" Elladan asked aloud. Elrohir motioned at Aralya, suggesting silently that they ought not talk about this in front of her. "She cannot hear us."
"It is not as though she is not there, Elladan--"
"But it is, Elrohir. She is."
"By Iluvatar, you talk as if my daughter were naught but a corpse," said Arwen, entering and sitting beside her brothers. Elrohir shot Elladan a warning look. "Aralya," Arwen said, "would you like to come with me today? I am going to gather herbs outside of the city."
"Yes," Aralya said. There was not a single person at that table then who believed she knew what she had agreed to.