Chapter 3 – Mists
Arwen couldn't tell if she was floating or walking; the woods whipped by her young spirit in a pale green blur. "Arwen, I'm here!" slim arms wrapped around the little elf-girl's shoulders as soft strands of red-amber hair tickled her face. Loosing her balance, Arwen toppled to the forest floor. Two sets of feminine voices echoed in the woodland as each of the children let off a peel of girlish laughter.
"You're terrible at this game Arwen!" Floated the voice who's limbs were tangled with Arwen's, "you never find me!"
"It's not my fault you always disappear!" Sticking her tongue out, Arwen threw a handful of leaves at her friend. Squealing, her companion threw more leaves back. Arwen tried to retaliate but was laughing to hard. The two lay side by side on the ground for a moment, tickling each other and laughing as children will. Above them, the blue green sky spun round and round, echoing their enchanting giggles back at them.
"Arwen!" The shout came from a distance, but immediately the world stabilized and the sky darkened. Suddenly, Arwen could see the stars. "Arwen, Ada won't like it if you miss another lesson!"
"It's my brother Elrohir," Arwen whispered. "Come meet him!" Mute with fear, her friend shook her head. "But - ." her friend drew further away, pausing to press something into Arwen's hand before melting silently into one of the green shadows. Chasing her friend, Arwen's open arms embraced only the air.
Arwen opened her eyes, unsure of where she was - or when she was. The dream had been an odd one, of a type she had not known in many moons. It had been a memory half-forgotten. Over the seasons she had written off the girl in that memory as the invention of a lonely child. An imaginary playmate conjured to fill what would otherwise have been empty hours. But now, with the memory of ticklish red hair fresh on her mind, Arwen was not so sure.
Gazing round, Arwen saw that she had fallen asleep and that the procession of elves around her was silent. Continuing their trek toward the sea, they did not seem to notice her or themselves - only the distant lands that awaited their presence. Their dispassion saddened her; gazing at the back of the elf in front of her Arwen could understand why so many said that they were like gems - her kind - cold gems that were beautiful but frozen. With a grimace, Arwen realized that the sharp metal of her broach was biting into her hand. Biting metal. Pausing in mid step, the blood in Arwen's face began to drain; the pain reminding her of a similar pain… a pain she had felt more than two thousand years previous.
"It's my brother Elrohir, come meet him!" Her own voice, red hair retreating into the misty green woodlands, something sharp pressing into the palm of her hand. Something sharp pressing into the palm of her hand. Something cold and Gem encrusted. Something beautiful. Sharp metal biting into her hand.
The Evenstar.
She had been real, the child with the amber hair and sweet girlish laughter.
Her childhood companion had not been a fragment of Arwen's imagination... and the proof of it lay hanging from the neck of her beloved miles upon miles away.
~ ~ ~
"Mankoi? Mankoi amin?" It had started over an hour ago, around sunrise. The guard's posted outside of Angren's door heard her whimpering and shouting in her sleep. Frightened by the elvish words, which were (for all they knew) murmured curses, and failing to wake her up they had sent word to Eomer that something was wrong with the young woman. "Mankoi?"
When Eomer arrived, she had began trashing in her bed, her previous cries grown to outright shrieking and sobbing. "Tampa! Tampa tanya!" Even though he did not understand the words, it was obvious from her tone that she was by now begging and pleading with some phantasm they could not grasp. Unsure of what to do Eomer had sent for Aragorn, who had in turn sent for Eowyn when he realized that the words the woman screamed were 'why' and "stop". Thinking that if Angren were to wake, a woman's presence might be more soothing should her nightmare be he suspected it to be.
Somehow, during all of this, Legolas too had been woken and also stood in the chamber. Despite the failed attempts of the others to wake her, Legolas decided to try for himself - and was duly shocked when her eyelids snapped open and a scream tore from her throat the moment he touched her shoulder.
As if scalded, Angren scrambled away from the elf as best she could - tangling herself in the bedding in the process. Her eyes wide with fear, she glanced furtively around her. "It's alright." The white lady of Rohan smiled her most reassuring smile at the girl as she sat down on the bed, motioning for the men to rise and back away.
"Who - who are you?" the voice that came from Angren's throat was childish - and frightened. "Who are they?" She showed no recognition of the three men now standing behind Eowyn though she had seen all of them at some point during the course of the previous night. Turning her eyes downward into her lap she murmered, "I have to go home to father." It was the most she had said since she had arrived, and it seemed to tax her for she burst into tears and buried her head in Eowyn's shoulder, ignoring the strange men around her as completely as she could.
"It's alright. You're safe," was all that Eowyn could think of to say. Exchanging a puzzled glance with her brother, she motioned for the menfolk to leave.
Outside of the chamber Aragorn, Legolas, and Eomer stood in a confused sort of triangle, unsure of what to do. "I hate it when they do that," Eomer mumbled, "I'd always feel so useless whenever Eowyn cried… thank the gods she doesn't do it often."
Legolas nodded in agreement, in Mirkwood, he always made a scramble for the nearest tree whenever one of sisters cried. Aragorn said nothing; feeling more than the other two how ridiculous it was that one crying girl had managed to remove all three of them from what they had each been doing. The three again descended into silence - unsure of whether or not to move. A few minutes later, Eowyn emerged from the room in which Angren was being kept. Glancing at the three men, she clicked her tongue and restrained a wry smile. "She's fine, at least she's calm now… no telling what she's been through with what's been happing. Aragorn - what was she screaming?"
Aragorn, not so much because he felt condescending of Eowyn's gender so much as he felt obliged to allow Angren her privacy, was hesitant to reply. Seeing this, Legolas replied for him.
"She mostly spoke the words "why" and "why me?" much of what she said was… unintelligible." Eowyn was unsatisfied with this answer, knowing that Legolas was omitting something. However, the look he exchanged with Aragorn kept her from pressing the matter. Instead, she broached another subject.
"Perhaps you ought to speak to her, I've been trying to talk to her in the common tongue, but she does not respond… perhaps if someone spoke to her in elvish? She is calm now and I don't think your presence would startle her so much…" Eowyn let her words drift off as she led the men back into the room. Again, Aragorn couldn't help thinking how absurd the whole situation was. Three warriors, all of royal blood, and one warrior lady to attend to a cipher who had probably just had a nightmare.
These feelings weren't born of arrogance, Aragorn rarely let something like tittles or blood affect him. It was merely that he felt there were more important things to be done. The whole of middle earth lie torn between the shadow of good and evil… yet they, those who should be fighting that evil, were standing here protecting a girl from a nightmare.
When the entered the room, Angren sat composed, blushing when she lifted her eyes to greet those who had entered the room. She cast one glance in Eomer's general direction before turning her eyes down onto her lap. Still saying nothing.
"Saesa omentien lle," Legolas greeted her in the most soothing tone he could conjure, " Lle tyava quel?" Angren glanced up, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. Somehow, she felt compelled to reply.
"What language is that? I don't believe I know it." Her words surprised the others, but it was her voice that startled Legolas the most. It was the voice of a woman-child… the voice of a human. The previously enchanted quality was gone. Three humans and an elf stood puzzled before the girl; unnoticed Gandalf had slipped in behind them.
Against Aragorn's chest, the Evenstar pulsed inperceivably.
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AN: I am SSSOOOO sorry this chapter is a) late and b) short. It really is a time thing :/ forgive me? I'll try and make the next chapter longer to make up for it.