Another chappie, and it's longer! Yay! I really don't care if you
completely trash and burn this story, but please, REVIEW! I know this is
most likely completely incorrect, almost every detail off, but oh well! You
guys wanted it, so here it is! REVIEW! ^_^
Arwen stood alone on a wide balcony overlooking the sea. Its smell filled the air, and the seagull's cries rang from the cliffs. Below the harbors were filled with ships of grey and white, some shaped like swans, with jet black beaks, so lifelike they looked as though ready to fly away at any moment. She stared across the ocean, as though she strove to see the land upon the other side.
Her mind drifted through the past and she stifled tears at the pain old memories brought. Arwen saw her father down at the end of the lines of ships, speaking with an old, silver haired elf with flashing, cloudy eyes. Her Father, her family, her kin. Aragorn... To choose one she must utterly forsake the other. She had made her choice, though, yet indecision filled her. Did she really want to leave?
Every time she looked across the vast distance, the pain in her heart became almost unbearable. What comfort would she find in Valinor as she stared across the same sea, knowing she would never return to the one she had given her heart to? The thought of never seeing him again.
She closed her eyes as though it would shut out the ache, the memories, the feelings, just lose herself in the numbing cold. The sun was beginning to slip below the horizon, casting faint pink rays across the water. The sky was a myriad of dazzling colors, and the first stars peered out to the east, twinkling amidst wispy grey clouds.
Arwen sighed, turning to look inside where the lanterns were brightly lit, and music flowed out to greet her ears. A bright, clear call rang through the air and she peered toward the entrance of the city to see a great host of elves approaching, voices raised in song. A smile broke upon her face as she spied the two figures leading them, regally seated upon two light palfreys, robed in white and silver.
By the time she had made her way to the courtyard, the company had already reached it and she embraced her grandparents as they dismounted. Galadriel smiled and hugged her tightly; sorrow passing through the fathomless depths of her starlit eyes at the grief she saw in Arwen.
Cirdan and Elrond were there also, and greeted them formally. Afterwards, they were all shown to the hall where a great feast had been prepared in their honor. The elven kindreds danced and ate and sang joyfully, though Arwen did not feel like taking part in the festive merrymaking, and retreated to the quiet peace of the terraces that overlooked the sea.
She gazed blankly out across the waters, stretching eternally, listening to the never-ending beating of the waves crashing upon the shore.
"It is beautiful here."
She heard the melodious voice, recognizing it instantly. She did not turn, but nodded gently, leaning over the railing, "Yes, it is."
Galadriel walked slowly to stand beside her, "You mourn, child."
Arwen's eyes did not move as she answered, frozen on a point somewhere in the sky as her eyes filled with tears, "I love him."
Galadriel smiled sadly, "Then why do you leave?
The question was so simple, but impossible to answer.
Galadriel faced her. "Look at me, dearest. Though the world wept and mourned her loss, Luthien never regretted her decision, for she loved Beren. If you depart, I deem that you make a greater sacrifice then she."
Arwen lowered her face to study her pale hands, gripping the railing as though they anchored her to the world. "How can I stay?"
"How can you leave?" she answered softly. "Do you truly wish to spend eternity without him?"
Arwen's head sank even lower, tears falling down her stricken face, "No." she whispered.
Galadriel motioned to a handmaiden standing nearby, taking something from her and waving her off. "You father sent this to me, that I might deliver it to Aragorn, but I deemed the time unripe." Her long fingers clasped the hilt and she gracefully unsheathed the blade. "Behold, Narsil reforged." She ran her hand down the flat of its length, "So of old it was called, but I name it anew. Anduril, it shall be, the Flame of the West." The blade shone cold and keen in the moonlight, flickering perilously.
Galadriel sheathed it deftly, holding it in both hands, offering it to Arwen, "Will you take it?"
Arwen looked out again across the sea, then down at the sword. Eternity seemed to pass before she spoke. "I will," she said softly, accepting the legendary weapon as it was handed to her.
The Lady of Light smiled and hugged her granddaughter, tears in her eyes, "May the Valar guide you upon the path you have chosen." With that she turned and left, a sad look of contentment on her fair face, leaving Arwen behind to trace the patterns of the sheath of the blade that would fight the shadow of the East. Her choice was made.
At last Arwen moved to go inside, but stopped as she found her father, standing before her, his figure outlined strikingly against the lights inside. "I'm sorry." she murmured, meeting his cloudy gaze with tears in her eyes, "I can't go with you."
Elrond started, looking at the sword his daughter held clutched tightly in her hands with sorrow written upon his face. "What are you going to do, then?" he asked quietly, voice filled with pain.
"I will bring Anduril to Aragorn; he will have need of it with the coming storm." Her words were said with a steely calmness, belayed only by the fact that tears streamed down her face and her fingers were trembling.
Elrond walked over and hugged her tightly, tears slipping down his cheeks, "I love you, Arwen, iel nin." *my daughter
She sobbed, arms locked around his waist, "I'm sorry, I wish things didn't have to be this way. I love you, Ada." she murmured. "But I can't leave." *father
The stars looked on as they held each other for the last time, and saw also their parting the next day, as Elrond, Elrohir, and Elladan watched with grieving eyes as she departed from them forever.
*sob* poor Elrond. *sniffle* Notes! Yay!: I decided to go with this because it shows Arwen leaving so I had her leave, but not all the way. stupid, no? Besides, the havens are prettyful!
I have manipulated the timeline (or have I? *dun dun dun!!!!*) and have had the decision to join the war come with enough time to send Galadriel the sword, have her travel to the Havens, and give it to Arwen all in time for her to ride south and give it to Aragorn before the big war! Talent, no? It took a lot of thinking outside of the given box.
I think Arwen made her choice because of her father, and now she's making this choice because of (mostly) her grandmother. Poor girl, caught between the two of them.
Lastly, and most importantly: REVIEW!!! REVIEW! REVIEW!
Arwen stood alone on a wide balcony overlooking the sea. Its smell filled the air, and the seagull's cries rang from the cliffs. Below the harbors were filled with ships of grey and white, some shaped like swans, with jet black beaks, so lifelike they looked as though ready to fly away at any moment. She stared across the ocean, as though she strove to see the land upon the other side.
Her mind drifted through the past and she stifled tears at the pain old memories brought. Arwen saw her father down at the end of the lines of ships, speaking with an old, silver haired elf with flashing, cloudy eyes. Her Father, her family, her kin. Aragorn... To choose one she must utterly forsake the other. She had made her choice, though, yet indecision filled her. Did she really want to leave?
Every time she looked across the vast distance, the pain in her heart became almost unbearable. What comfort would she find in Valinor as she stared across the same sea, knowing she would never return to the one she had given her heart to? The thought of never seeing him again.
She closed her eyes as though it would shut out the ache, the memories, the feelings, just lose herself in the numbing cold. The sun was beginning to slip below the horizon, casting faint pink rays across the water. The sky was a myriad of dazzling colors, and the first stars peered out to the east, twinkling amidst wispy grey clouds.
Arwen sighed, turning to look inside where the lanterns were brightly lit, and music flowed out to greet her ears. A bright, clear call rang through the air and she peered toward the entrance of the city to see a great host of elves approaching, voices raised in song. A smile broke upon her face as she spied the two figures leading them, regally seated upon two light palfreys, robed in white and silver.
By the time she had made her way to the courtyard, the company had already reached it and she embraced her grandparents as they dismounted. Galadriel smiled and hugged her tightly; sorrow passing through the fathomless depths of her starlit eyes at the grief she saw in Arwen.
Cirdan and Elrond were there also, and greeted them formally. Afterwards, they were all shown to the hall where a great feast had been prepared in their honor. The elven kindreds danced and ate and sang joyfully, though Arwen did not feel like taking part in the festive merrymaking, and retreated to the quiet peace of the terraces that overlooked the sea.
She gazed blankly out across the waters, stretching eternally, listening to the never-ending beating of the waves crashing upon the shore.
"It is beautiful here."
She heard the melodious voice, recognizing it instantly. She did not turn, but nodded gently, leaning over the railing, "Yes, it is."
Galadriel walked slowly to stand beside her, "You mourn, child."
Arwen's eyes did not move as she answered, frozen on a point somewhere in the sky as her eyes filled with tears, "I love him."
Galadriel smiled sadly, "Then why do you leave?
The question was so simple, but impossible to answer.
Galadriel faced her. "Look at me, dearest. Though the world wept and mourned her loss, Luthien never regretted her decision, for she loved Beren. If you depart, I deem that you make a greater sacrifice then she."
Arwen lowered her face to study her pale hands, gripping the railing as though they anchored her to the world. "How can I stay?"
"How can you leave?" she answered softly. "Do you truly wish to spend eternity without him?"
Arwen's head sank even lower, tears falling down her stricken face, "No." she whispered.
Galadriel motioned to a handmaiden standing nearby, taking something from her and waving her off. "You father sent this to me, that I might deliver it to Aragorn, but I deemed the time unripe." Her long fingers clasped the hilt and she gracefully unsheathed the blade. "Behold, Narsil reforged." She ran her hand down the flat of its length, "So of old it was called, but I name it anew. Anduril, it shall be, the Flame of the West." The blade shone cold and keen in the moonlight, flickering perilously.
Galadriel sheathed it deftly, holding it in both hands, offering it to Arwen, "Will you take it?"
Arwen looked out again across the sea, then down at the sword. Eternity seemed to pass before she spoke. "I will," she said softly, accepting the legendary weapon as it was handed to her.
The Lady of Light smiled and hugged her granddaughter, tears in her eyes, "May the Valar guide you upon the path you have chosen." With that she turned and left, a sad look of contentment on her fair face, leaving Arwen behind to trace the patterns of the sheath of the blade that would fight the shadow of the East. Her choice was made.
At last Arwen moved to go inside, but stopped as she found her father, standing before her, his figure outlined strikingly against the lights inside. "I'm sorry." she murmured, meeting his cloudy gaze with tears in her eyes, "I can't go with you."
Elrond started, looking at the sword his daughter held clutched tightly in her hands with sorrow written upon his face. "What are you going to do, then?" he asked quietly, voice filled with pain.
"I will bring Anduril to Aragorn; he will have need of it with the coming storm." Her words were said with a steely calmness, belayed only by the fact that tears streamed down her face and her fingers were trembling.
Elrond walked over and hugged her tightly, tears slipping down his cheeks, "I love you, Arwen, iel nin." *my daughter
She sobbed, arms locked around his waist, "I'm sorry, I wish things didn't have to be this way. I love you, Ada." she murmured. "But I can't leave." *father
The stars looked on as they held each other for the last time, and saw also their parting the next day, as Elrond, Elrohir, and Elladan watched with grieving eyes as she departed from them forever.
*sob* poor Elrond. *sniffle* Notes! Yay!: I decided to go with this because it shows Arwen leaving so I had her leave, but not all the way. stupid, no? Besides, the havens are prettyful!
I have manipulated the timeline (or have I? *dun dun dun!!!!*) and have had the decision to join the war come with enough time to send Galadriel the sword, have her travel to the Havens, and give it to Arwen all in time for her to ride south and give it to Aragorn before the big war! Talent, no? It took a lot of thinking outside of the given box.
I think Arwen made her choice because of her father, and now she's making this choice because of (mostly) her grandmother. Poor girl, caught between the two of them.
Lastly, and most importantly: REVIEW!!! REVIEW! REVIEW!