A/N: Only four more parts (roughly) until this story is finished. Hope
everyone enjoys them. Please tell me what you think, Tolkien's account of
the story became very vague around about here.
Samantha.
Part 83.
The guests cleared out of the hall, until only the King's and Queen's dearest friends remained.
"Congratulations King Elessar, Lady Evenstar." Galadriel smiled upon them.
Passing Vana to Elrond, Arwen sank to her knees in front of her grandmother, hands crossed over her chest, asking for her grandmother's blessings.
"All is well Arwen." Galadriel kissed her fingers and laid them on Arwen's head, before she reached down to help the young woman to her feet. "Your children are indeed beautiful, as you were when you were born."
"I wish my mother could have seen them. That they had been born twelve, even fifteen years ago." Aragorn said wistfully, looking down at his son. "The last meeting we had before she passed she told me that she had given all of her hope to the Dunedain, and kept none for herself." He fell silent.
Elrond laid his hand on his foster-son's shoulder. "You feel that if she had loved you, and perhaps your father less she would still be here." He said knowing the thoughts passing through the Man's mind.
"Estel," Arwen said softly, "Gilraen lived her life the way she wanted it. She would be proud to see you, Eldarion and Vana now. She would be as proud of you, and of our children as I am. Do not despair for her, she knew her time in Middle Earth was ending. She now walks with Arathorn in Arvandor." Arwen told him. *Heaven.*
"Why Vana?" Galadriel asked, leading their minds somewhere else.
Arwen smiled. "Aragorn liked it better than Varda."
"She was a Queen of the Eldar, as Arwen is now, and our daughter Vana shall one day be." Aragorn said. "Varda, or perhaps Silmarie shall be the name of our next daughter."
"What about your next son?" Elrond asked.
"We will only have Eldarion as our son, no other will we beget. All the children I bear from now shall be maiden children. We do not despair." Arwen told them. "The children we do have will be born health and strong in mind, body and spirit."
"I shall only mourn for those who should be here, and are not." Aragorn said, clearly thinking of his mother, of Boromir, and of Halbarad.
"You are King, Elessar, but even you cannot bring back the dead. I will not watch you do this to yourself. Nor shall our children." Arwen told him, her angry tone surprising all in their presence, for she had never spoken a harsh word to her husband.
With a swirl of her skirts she turned and left the room carrying Eldarion, while Galadriel, still holding Vana followed her granddaughter out of the room, and up the stairs, leaving Aragorn and the others standing in the Great Hall.
"Be still, Estel." Elrond commanded him, as Aragorn made to follow her. "Arwen is right."
"I know that I cannot bring back the dead, but am I to stop remembering them too?" Aragorn told him angrily.
"None have said that Aragorn." Legolas told him, using the name of his friend's birth. "The Lady Evenstar only wishes to explain to you that you can do nothing to change the way that things are. She wants you to get on with your life, and stop living in the past."
"Look to your children Aragorn." Elrond urged him, "Look to your future."
"In Lothlorien, before he was lost, Boromir spoke to me." Frodo told him. "He told me that we cannot carry the weight of the dead. That the burdens we carry already are enough. He was right."
In the newly decorated nursery Arwen laid Eldarion down to sleep in the cradle, while Galadriel laid Vana down beside her brother.
"I cannot let him do this to himself, Galadriel, but I hate doing this to him."
"It is the only way, my granddaughter. In time he will come to his senses." Galadriel comforted her. "He worries mostly for you, that you will fade like Gilraen. When he sees you with the children he sees your love for them, and some part of him wonders about how much his mother loved him."
"I love him, and our children, grandmother. When the time comes and Aragorn draws breath no more in Middle Earth he knows I will take a ship to Valinor. I have seen it, and I have told him of my vision. He is at peace with that." Arwen told her. "You must not tell my father though. He will miss me less if he thinks I will remain here forever."
"I will not breathe a word to Lord Elrond of this." Galadriel promised her.
"When the time comes several of my daughters will sail with me. This I am certain of."
"You know that this will be our last meeting before we sail for the Undying Lands." Galadriel said, already knowing the answer.
"Our next meeting will take place in the Grey Havens, before you sail." Arwen answered, knowing that she didn't need to.
"Be well until then, Arwen, until our next meeting. Do not ever forget that if you need me, all you will have to do is call. Remember to send word to your kin in Lothlorien of the births of any more children you and King Elessar are fortunate enough to have." Galadriel told her.
"You know I will." Arwen promised her. "I shall think of you always, with a deep longing for your company, and for the Golden Woods of Lothlorien."
Celebrations in the names of Eldarion and Vana lasted weeks, as the wedding of their parents had.
Often Arwen would carry the pair out into her gardens during the day, entertaining guests in both the gardens, when the weather was fine, and in her sitting room, when the sky was not so favorable.
The weeks passed quickly, as Arwen and Aragorn watched their children grow, and their friends and kin departed once more.
Samantha.
Part 83.
The guests cleared out of the hall, until only the King's and Queen's dearest friends remained.
"Congratulations King Elessar, Lady Evenstar." Galadriel smiled upon them.
Passing Vana to Elrond, Arwen sank to her knees in front of her grandmother, hands crossed over her chest, asking for her grandmother's blessings.
"All is well Arwen." Galadriel kissed her fingers and laid them on Arwen's head, before she reached down to help the young woman to her feet. "Your children are indeed beautiful, as you were when you were born."
"I wish my mother could have seen them. That they had been born twelve, even fifteen years ago." Aragorn said wistfully, looking down at his son. "The last meeting we had before she passed she told me that she had given all of her hope to the Dunedain, and kept none for herself." He fell silent.
Elrond laid his hand on his foster-son's shoulder. "You feel that if she had loved you, and perhaps your father less she would still be here." He said knowing the thoughts passing through the Man's mind.
"Estel," Arwen said softly, "Gilraen lived her life the way she wanted it. She would be proud to see you, Eldarion and Vana now. She would be as proud of you, and of our children as I am. Do not despair for her, she knew her time in Middle Earth was ending. She now walks with Arathorn in Arvandor." Arwen told him. *Heaven.*
"Why Vana?" Galadriel asked, leading their minds somewhere else.
Arwen smiled. "Aragorn liked it better than Varda."
"She was a Queen of the Eldar, as Arwen is now, and our daughter Vana shall one day be." Aragorn said. "Varda, or perhaps Silmarie shall be the name of our next daughter."
"What about your next son?" Elrond asked.
"We will only have Eldarion as our son, no other will we beget. All the children I bear from now shall be maiden children. We do not despair." Arwen told them. "The children we do have will be born health and strong in mind, body and spirit."
"I shall only mourn for those who should be here, and are not." Aragorn said, clearly thinking of his mother, of Boromir, and of Halbarad.
"You are King, Elessar, but even you cannot bring back the dead. I will not watch you do this to yourself. Nor shall our children." Arwen told him, her angry tone surprising all in their presence, for she had never spoken a harsh word to her husband.
With a swirl of her skirts she turned and left the room carrying Eldarion, while Galadriel, still holding Vana followed her granddaughter out of the room, and up the stairs, leaving Aragorn and the others standing in the Great Hall.
"Be still, Estel." Elrond commanded him, as Aragorn made to follow her. "Arwen is right."
"I know that I cannot bring back the dead, but am I to stop remembering them too?" Aragorn told him angrily.
"None have said that Aragorn." Legolas told him, using the name of his friend's birth. "The Lady Evenstar only wishes to explain to you that you can do nothing to change the way that things are. She wants you to get on with your life, and stop living in the past."
"Look to your children Aragorn." Elrond urged him, "Look to your future."
"In Lothlorien, before he was lost, Boromir spoke to me." Frodo told him. "He told me that we cannot carry the weight of the dead. That the burdens we carry already are enough. He was right."
In the newly decorated nursery Arwen laid Eldarion down to sleep in the cradle, while Galadriel laid Vana down beside her brother.
"I cannot let him do this to himself, Galadriel, but I hate doing this to him."
"It is the only way, my granddaughter. In time he will come to his senses." Galadriel comforted her. "He worries mostly for you, that you will fade like Gilraen. When he sees you with the children he sees your love for them, and some part of him wonders about how much his mother loved him."
"I love him, and our children, grandmother. When the time comes and Aragorn draws breath no more in Middle Earth he knows I will take a ship to Valinor. I have seen it, and I have told him of my vision. He is at peace with that." Arwen told her. "You must not tell my father though. He will miss me less if he thinks I will remain here forever."
"I will not breathe a word to Lord Elrond of this." Galadriel promised her.
"When the time comes several of my daughters will sail with me. This I am certain of."
"You know that this will be our last meeting before we sail for the Undying Lands." Galadriel said, already knowing the answer.
"Our next meeting will take place in the Grey Havens, before you sail." Arwen answered, knowing that she didn't need to.
"Be well until then, Arwen, until our next meeting. Do not ever forget that if you need me, all you will have to do is call. Remember to send word to your kin in Lothlorien of the births of any more children you and King Elessar are fortunate enough to have." Galadriel told her.
"You know I will." Arwen promised her. "I shall think of you always, with a deep longing for your company, and for the Golden Woods of Lothlorien."
Celebrations in the names of Eldarion and Vana lasted weeks, as the wedding of their parents had.
Often Arwen would carry the pair out into her gardens during the day, entertaining guests in both the gardens, when the weather was fine, and in her sitting room, when the sky was not so favorable.
The weeks passed quickly, as Arwen and Aragorn watched their children grow, and their friends and kin departed once more.