Ch. 5- Aranel's Choice
In Rohan/Edoras:
Aranel was in the stables when Legolas found her. She had thought a lot about her choice. She knew what she wanted her choice to be, but she couldn't help but wonder what this Harry Potter boy was like and why he had married her.
We were in love. But if I do decide to go back, my love for him won't be there anymore. My heart is Legolas's now, and forever, she thought to herself.
She held her evin pendant and waited for Legolas to come to her. Eowyn had given her on of her own gowns, a dark green one, to wear. Aranel loved the gown and when she had asked the noble lady where she had gotten it, Eowyn responed that she had made it herself. She then told Aranel that she could keep the gown no matter what she chose.
Legolas came up to Aranel and their eyes met. He took her right hand and kissed it.
"My lady, Aranel, would you care to go riding with me," he asked. Aranel nodded.
"Yes, my lord, Legolas. I would love to go riding with you. There's just one problem... I don't have a horse here," Aranel said, looking at all the beautiful horses around her. How she loved horses!
"Theoden has given us permission to borrow two of his for our ride," Legolas said, smiling warmly at Aranel. "Pick one, any one of them." Aranel looked at him and blinked. There were over fifty beautiful horses in the stable.
"Any one of them," Aranel asked uncertainly. Legolas nodded. She looked around at all of them. A white one at the back, in a bigger pen (whatever you call the boxes the stand in) than all the rest, caught her eye. She walked slowly to him, her hand outstretched, keeping eye contact with the horse. She let the horse sniff her hand, and the horse whinied his approval. The horse nuzzled her hand, and Legolas came and stood next to her.
"I've only ever saw him do that to one person: Gandalf," he said. "Aranel, this is Shadowfax, one of the Mearas, Lord of the Mearas. I think he has taken a liking to you. No wonder Gandalf said that you could borrow him." Aranel pet the great horse, carressing him but not tickling. Shadowfax reminded her of a friend she once had... perhaps in her old world. She turned to Legolas and their eyes met once again. We tend to have our eyes meet quite a lot, she thought. Aranel sighed and smiled at the elf. He looked not but twenty years old. I wonder how old he is. She decided she would ask him some other time. She opened the gate so that Shadowfax could come out. He did and stood proudly infront of his stable. Legolas got on Haselfel and led the way out of the stables. Aranel asked Shadowfax if he could lower himself so that she could mount him, and he did so gladly. She got on and twined her fingers into his mane as he stood. She hardly held onto the mane so that it felt, to Shadowfax, like she was not holding on to his mane at all. Aranel whispered to the him as they left the stables and rejoined with Legolas and Hasellfel.
As she watched Legolas riding his horse gracefully, she knew that she could never leave him. She knew her choice was to stay with Legolas.
"Legolas, I know what my choice is," she told the elf when they were riding side by side. He looked at her, awaiting her answer. "My choice is to stay, to stay with you, Legolas. I will stay in this time and world, and that is my choice." Legolas grined and did something unexpected. He pulled Aranel off Shadowfax and placed her in front of him, on Haselfel, sideways so that her legs dangled. Shadowfax whinied his goodbye to Aranel and galloped back to the stables. Haselfel stopped and Aranel playfully hit Legolas's shoulder for scaring her, but Legolas grined mischeiviously and took her hand in his and stopped her. Aranel gazed into his eyes and smiled. Legolas kissed Aranel, who wrapped her arms around Legolas's neck, and kissed him back. Legolas pulled away and smiled. Haselfel whinied and started slowly back to the stables. When they got there, Legolas dismounted first, and then helped Aranel down. He picked her up, so that her legs fell over his arm and that his other arm propped her back, and carried her into the Golden Hall of Edoras. When Gandalf saw them he smiled, knowing, without her telling him, what Aranel's choice was. He took the book and burned it.
Aranel, or Hermione as she once was, would never be in the world of Harry Potter again.
In Rohan/Edoras:
Aranel was in the stables when Legolas found her. She had thought a lot about her choice. She knew what she wanted her choice to be, but she couldn't help but wonder what this Harry Potter boy was like and why he had married her.
We were in love. But if I do decide to go back, my love for him won't be there anymore. My heart is Legolas's now, and forever, she thought to herself.
She held her evin pendant and waited for Legolas to come to her. Eowyn had given her on of her own gowns, a dark green one, to wear. Aranel loved the gown and when she had asked the noble lady where she had gotten it, Eowyn responed that she had made it herself. She then told Aranel that she could keep the gown no matter what she chose.
Legolas came up to Aranel and their eyes met. He took her right hand and kissed it.
"My lady, Aranel, would you care to go riding with me," he asked. Aranel nodded.
"Yes, my lord, Legolas. I would love to go riding with you. There's just one problem... I don't have a horse here," Aranel said, looking at all the beautiful horses around her. How she loved horses!
"Theoden has given us permission to borrow two of his for our ride," Legolas said, smiling warmly at Aranel. "Pick one, any one of them." Aranel looked at him and blinked. There were over fifty beautiful horses in the stable.
"Any one of them," Aranel asked uncertainly. Legolas nodded. She looked around at all of them. A white one at the back, in a bigger pen (whatever you call the boxes the stand in) than all the rest, caught her eye. She walked slowly to him, her hand outstretched, keeping eye contact with the horse. She let the horse sniff her hand, and the horse whinied his approval. The horse nuzzled her hand, and Legolas came and stood next to her.
"I've only ever saw him do that to one person: Gandalf," he said. "Aranel, this is Shadowfax, one of the Mearas, Lord of the Mearas. I think he has taken a liking to you. No wonder Gandalf said that you could borrow him." Aranel pet the great horse, carressing him but not tickling. Shadowfax reminded her of a friend she once had... perhaps in her old world. She turned to Legolas and their eyes met once again. We tend to have our eyes meet quite a lot, she thought. Aranel sighed and smiled at the elf. He looked not but twenty years old. I wonder how old he is. She decided she would ask him some other time. She opened the gate so that Shadowfax could come out. He did and stood proudly infront of his stable. Legolas got on Haselfel and led the way out of the stables. Aranel asked Shadowfax if he could lower himself so that she could mount him, and he did so gladly. She got on and twined her fingers into his mane as he stood. She hardly held onto the mane so that it felt, to Shadowfax, like she was not holding on to his mane at all. Aranel whispered to the him as they left the stables and rejoined with Legolas and Hasellfel.
As she watched Legolas riding his horse gracefully, she knew that she could never leave him. She knew her choice was to stay with Legolas.
"Legolas, I know what my choice is," she told the elf when they were riding side by side. He looked at her, awaiting her answer. "My choice is to stay, to stay with you, Legolas. I will stay in this time and world, and that is my choice." Legolas grined and did something unexpected. He pulled Aranel off Shadowfax and placed her in front of him, on Haselfel, sideways so that her legs dangled. Shadowfax whinied his goodbye to Aranel and galloped back to the stables. Haselfel stopped and Aranel playfully hit Legolas's shoulder for scaring her, but Legolas grined mischeiviously and took her hand in his and stopped her. Aranel gazed into his eyes and smiled. Legolas kissed Aranel, who wrapped her arms around Legolas's neck, and kissed him back. Legolas pulled away and smiled. Haselfel whinied and started slowly back to the stables. When they got there, Legolas dismounted first, and then helped Aranel down. He picked her up, so that her legs fell over his arm and that his other arm propped her back, and carried her into the Golden Hall of Edoras. When Gandalf saw them he smiled, knowing, without her telling him, what Aranel's choice was. He took the book and burned it.
Aranel, or Hermione as she once was, would never be in the world of Harry Potter again.