Arwen did not awake the next day alone. He had awoken before her and
lay beside her. The pair stared into each others eyes for sometime. She
felt him run his fingers through her dark hair.
"Melamin." He whispered gently.
Arwen smiled but she noticed something in his face that disturbed her. "Jealousy?" she murmured to herself. But she said it too loud.
"Jealousy?" He sat up swiftly. "You believe I am *jealous*"
Words failed her. "No. Just- well. Something is wrong with you. A light has gone out in your eyes."
"And because I have something on my mind makes me *jealous*" he snapped. He climbed out of bed and got dressed quickly.
"It is not so much that you have something on your mind as it is you are jealous that it is not *you* to whom I am to be wed." she knew straight away that she had hit a nerve. Arwen hung her head.
"Arwen. You are to be wed to Aragorn. My friend." He looked at her deeply. "It pains me to think what about what happened last night. The fact is I *love* you Arwen. You know I do. But how can I love you when you are about to marry one of my best friends?"
Arwen was speechless. It pained her to think of the previous nights events too. She felt sneaky. She sat in silence and watched him turn on his heels and leave.
"Legolas!" she called after him. He did not return.
For a good two weeks Arwen and Legolas ignored each other at all costs.
At breakfast one morn Lady Arwen ate very little, if she ate at all. It was hard to tell, for she never lifted her eyes from her lap. Something was on her mind.
"M' Lady?" asked Lorenna. Lorenna was Arwen's nurse as a small child. Now she was a very close friend, who she often confided in. "M' Lady will you take a walk with me?" she asked and urged Arwen from her chair.
Legolas watched from across the hall and wanted to follow, but Aragorn pulled him into conversation.
"I believe I am the luckiest man alive." He grinned. "You spoke to Lady Arwen my friend. Did she seem happy?" he put a hand on Legolas' shoulder.
"Yes." He put on a fake smile quickly. "Yes, she was very pleased. In fact when she saw me this morning you were the first thing we spoke of." Legolas stiffened at his own words. "Excuse me." He said suddenly and left the room.
Arwen walked the grounds in silence with Lorenna.
"What is wrong child?"
"Nothing"
"It is something. I can tell."
Arwen began to weep and Lorenna put her arm around her. Arwen sniffed quickly and sighed. "It is all wrong. It is all my fault."
"What is?" whispered Lorenna.
There was a long pause before Arwen could find the words. "Oh Lorenna. Its so awful." She sniffed again. "I am two weeks with child." She sobbed desperately.
"Well that is *wonderful* news." Lorenna beamed. "Does Aragorn know?"
Arwen sobbed harder. "No. because - because." She wailed suddenly. "Because the child is not his." She buried her face in Lorrena's dress sobbing madly. Lorrena stood frozen for a second. She was broken from her silence by muffled words. "I cannot stay here. He must not know."
"Arwen I agree that you cannot yet tell Aragorn, but you have to. In time."
"I can't." She sniffed solemnly. "I can't because they are such good friends. There'd be a huge fight and I could not stand to separate two best friends."
"Who will fight? Who are best friends?" asked Lorenna nervously
"Aragorn an-and Legolas."
"Legolas." Breathed Lorenna. "He is the father?" She took Arwen's sudden wail as a yes. "Oh Arwen. You must talk to him." Lorenna hugged Arwen until the tears finally stopped. But not for very long.
"Arwen? Are you alright?" Legolas strode up to them. Lorenna took this as her cue, curtseyed, patted Arwen's arm and walked off. There was a long silence. "Arwen? Please talk to me."
She sniffed and felt her eyes prickling with tears again. She blinked desperately. One single drop rolled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "it wasn't meant to be like this." She turned her back to the prince as she said. "I am with child."
The prince simply stood, hands by his sides. "How long?" he finally said.
"Two weeks."
His gut twisted. Two weeks. Two weeks today he had arrived.
"Does Aragorn know?" he asked even though he knew the answer.
"No" she turned back round but did not lift her eyes. "He cannot know."
Legolas put his hand under her chin and raised it. "I am so sorry Arwen. It was such a foolish mistake." He was stopped when her lips met his. He responded straight away and kissed her gently.
"Mae govannen." Came a voice from over Arwen's shoulder.
The pair jumped apart and turned to face Aragorn, who looked very confused. Legolas saw Arwen's eyes fill with tears. He walked to Aragorn and took him aside from the weeping maiden. "I am so sorry my friend." He said in Westron. "That kiss meant nothing. Lady Arwen is very upset as I told her about the fellowship. She cannot believe you shall be leaving her."
"She thinks I shall not return?"
"She prays you shall. But she cannot trust that you will return with her still in your heart."
Aragorn took Arwen in his arms and hugged her tight. Arwen knew about the fellowship already and it was true that she had been very upset. Legolas hoped she caught on and played that her feelings were hurt because of the trip. Whilst they talked, Legolas slipped around to the stables and mounted his horse. He needed to see Galadriel.
"Melamin." He whispered gently.
Arwen smiled but she noticed something in his face that disturbed her. "Jealousy?" she murmured to herself. But she said it too loud.
"Jealousy?" He sat up swiftly. "You believe I am *jealous*"
Words failed her. "No. Just- well. Something is wrong with you. A light has gone out in your eyes."
"And because I have something on my mind makes me *jealous*" he snapped. He climbed out of bed and got dressed quickly.
"It is not so much that you have something on your mind as it is you are jealous that it is not *you* to whom I am to be wed." she knew straight away that she had hit a nerve. Arwen hung her head.
"Arwen. You are to be wed to Aragorn. My friend." He looked at her deeply. "It pains me to think what about what happened last night. The fact is I *love* you Arwen. You know I do. But how can I love you when you are about to marry one of my best friends?"
Arwen was speechless. It pained her to think of the previous nights events too. She felt sneaky. She sat in silence and watched him turn on his heels and leave.
"Legolas!" she called after him. He did not return.
For a good two weeks Arwen and Legolas ignored each other at all costs.
At breakfast one morn Lady Arwen ate very little, if she ate at all. It was hard to tell, for she never lifted her eyes from her lap. Something was on her mind.
"M' Lady?" asked Lorenna. Lorenna was Arwen's nurse as a small child. Now she was a very close friend, who she often confided in. "M' Lady will you take a walk with me?" she asked and urged Arwen from her chair.
Legolas watched from across the hall and wanted to follow, but Aragorn pulled him into conversation.
"I believe I am the luckiest man alive." He grinned. "You spoke to Lady Arwen my friend. Did she seem happy?" he put a hand on Legolas' shoulder.
"Yes." He put on a fake smile quickly. "Yes, she was very pleased. In fact when she saw me this morning you were the first thing we spoke of." Legolas stiffened at his own words. "Excuse me." He said suddenly and left the room.
Arwen walked the grounds in silence with Lorenna.
"What is wrong child?"
"Nothing"
"It is something. I can tell."
Arwen began to weep and Lorenna put her arm around her. Arwen sniffed quickly and sighed. "It is all wrong. It is all my fault."
"What is?" whispered Lorenna.
There was a long pause before Arwen could find the words. "Oh Lorenna. Its so awful." She sniffed again. "I am two weeks with child." She sobbed desperately.
"Well that is *wonderful* news." Lorenna beamed. "Does Aragorn know?"
Arwen sobbed harder. "No. because - because." She wailed suddenly. "Because the child is not his." She buried her face in Lorrena's dress sobbing madly. Lorrena stood frozen for a second. She was broken from her silence by muffled words. "I cannot stay here. He must not know."
"Arwen I agree that you cannot yet tell Aragorn, but you have to. In time."
"I can't." She sniffed solemnly. "I can't because they are such good friends. There'd be a huge fight and I could not stand to separate two best friends."
"Who will fight? Who are best friends?" asked Lorenna nervously
"Aragorn an-and Legolas."
"Legolas." Breathed Lorenna. "He is the father?" She took Arwen's sudden wail as a yes. "Oh Arwen. You must talk to him." Lorenna hugged Arwen until the tears finally stopped. But not for very long.
"Arwen? Are you alright?" Legolas strode up to them. Lorenna took this as her cue, curtseyed, patted Arwen's arm and walked off. There was a long silence. "Arwen? Please talk to me."
She sniffed and felt her eyes prickling with tears again. She blinked desperately. One single drop rolled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "it wasn't meant to be like this." She turned her back to the prince as she said. "I am with child."
The prince simply stood, hands by his sides. "How long?" he finally said.
"Two weeks."
His gut twisted. Two weeks. Two weeks today he had arrived.
"Does Aragorn know?" he asked even though he knew the answer.
"No" she turned back round but did not lift her eyes. "He cannot know."
Legolas put his hand under her chin and raised it. "I am so sorry Arwen. It was such a foolish mistake." He was stopped when her lips met his. He responded straight away and kissed her gently.
"Mae govannen." Came a voice from over Arwen's shoulder.
The pair jumped apart and turned to face Aragorn, who looked very confused. Legolas saw Arwen's eyes fill with tears. He walked to Aragorn and took him aside from the weeping maiden. "I am so sorry my friend." He said in Westron. "That kiss meant nothing. Lady Arwen is very upset as I told her about the fellowship. She cannot believe you shall be leaving her."
"She thinks I shall not return?"
"She prays you shall. But she cannot trust that you will return with her still in your heart."
Aragorn took Arwen in his arms and hugged her tight. Arwen knew about the fellowship already and it was true that she had been very upset. Legolas hoped she caught on and played that her feelings were hurt because of the trip. Whilst they talked, Legolas slipped around to the stables and mounted his horse. He needed to see Galadriel.