Elessar and Evenstar Tie the Knot

By The Last Evenstar

Chapter Five: It Looks Brighter in the Morning

Elrond blinked once, then sat up slowly. In the bed next to him lay Estel, breathing peacefully. Looking around, he recognized a small sickroom at Minas Tirith. Now how did I end up here? he wondered, trying to clear his head.

A knock on the door made him jump. "Enter!"

Arwen came in slowly, hiding her face in the shadows. "Good morn, Ada."

Elrond frowned at his daughter. There seemed to be a piece of information, something on the edge of his mind, that was escaping him. "What happened last night?"

Arwen looked up hopefully. "You don't remember?"

He thought hard. "You were having your bachelorette party . . . I don't seem to recall much beyond that. Were there any mumikil involved? Pink ones, perhaps?"

Arwen's expression changed to that of concern. "No, Ada. You passed out!"

He looked at the girl standing in front of him. "You know, I have a daughter who looks rather like you."

Arwen gasped. "Ada? It's me, Arwen . . . you knew me but a moment ago!"

Elrond wrinkled his forehead in contemplation. "That's right . . . Arwen. I was . . . joking."

She looked rather taken aback. "You? Joking? But, Ada –"

"Run along! I have many things to think about!"

As Arwen checked on Estel and hesitantly left the room, Elrond sank back down, worried. Not a lot was coming back to him, but, he recalled suddenly, there was a wedding taking place today. And . . . above all . . . it must be stopped!

Legolas and Halbarad made their way slowly down the hall. They stopped at the sickroom, where Aragorn lay alone, Elrond having been deemed well. The Elf noted the state of his friend and inquired anxiously,

"You do think he'll awake soon?"

The Ranger put a hand out to touch Aragorn's forehead. "No fever. He should be well enough, but he'll have a pretty bad hangover."

Legolas grimaced. "The wedding is in naught but two hours! The Lady Arwen has already begun to prepare!"

Halbarad shrugged. "Let's get 'im up, then." He shook the sleeping king. "Oi! You! Wake up!"

Sighing, Legolas pushed the human out of the way. "That's not the way at all!" He took a pitcher of water from beside the bed and dumped it on Aragorn's head.

The king sat up, sputtering. "Legolas! Halbarad! How dare . . . oh . . ." He trailed off, memories of last night returning. "Is Arwen very angry?"

Legolas almost laughed at the wet, forlorn, and pained expression on the King of Gondor. "The twins spoke to her. I believe she understood, for she was in here nursing you and Elrond most of the night."

Aragorn groaned. "Oh, dear! She deserves to sleep before the day og her wedding – that is, if it's still on."

Legolas' eyes twinkled. "You forget, mortal, that an elf can survive for days without rest or, indeed, much sustenance at all."

"How long do you think it takes to ride from Rivendell to Minas Tirith?"

Their conversation was cut short when Galadriel swung the door open. "Rise and shine, rangers and elves! Oh, what a beautiful morning! Come, come, you must prepare for the ceremony!"

Aragorn groaned and shielded his eyes from the brightness. "Not for naught do they call you Lady of the Light!"

Arwen twirled in front of the mirror. "It is nice, isn't it?"

Her grandfather smiled. "You look just like your mother on her wedding day."

Arwen's eyes misted over. "You will give her my best, won't you? And tell her why I could not come?"

Celeborn smiled sadly. "I will. Celebrian will understand."

"I wish she could be here."

"We all do."

Just then, Galadriel pranced in, her eyes merry. "I've arisen your woeful groom, my dear! My, you do look beautiful! Oh, Celeborn, she's the spitting image of her mother!"

"I was just saying so myself."

Arwen smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Gran. Where is Aragorn?"

"He's preparing in the chapel. Run along then!"

As Arwen left the room, Galadriel turned to her husband with a serious look. "Celeborn, I do think there is something wrong with Elrond! Why, just now, I caught him in deep conversation with some Rohirric lass! It sounded to me like they were plotting!"
"Plotting? Plotting what, exactly?"

"I'm not sure! But do me a favor, will you?"

"Anything."

"Go find her. She's got long blond hair and frightful blue eyes. Keep her away from the wedding! I'll go find Elrond and do the same."

Celeborn bowed. "As you wish!"

"Pippin! Will you look at this!"

"What? What is it?"

"Food, Pippin! Come quick!"

The small hobbit scurried across the floor. Peering through the same door as his cousin, he gasped. There in a room, left unguarded, were the full contents of Strider's wedding feast! There were fruits and vegetables, succulent meats of all kinds, even currents and cakes! Pippin felt his stomach call out to the food. "So much! No one'll mind if we pinch just a bit, eh?"

Merry frowned. "Oh, Pip, I'm a night of Rohan now. It's not so easy."

"What d'you mean? Food's food!"

"I mean, I've got honor. Standards. I can't just –"

"Look, Merry! Cream pastries!"

Without another word, the two hobbits rushed into the kitchen and began to stuff their faces.

"Better take some for the ceremony! Never know when you'll get hungry, 'specially over long periods of time!"

"And the road! It's a long journey back to the Shire!"

"Could do with a bit more, even. It's not like we get food like this every day!"

"No one'll notice if the tomatoes are all gone, will they? It's not a big part of a meal . . ."

"Nor chocolate cake . . ."

"Nor ham . . ."

Arwen found her betrothed in the chapel, trying to understand through his headache exactly what he's be expected to do at the ceremony. She approached him quietly, and it took him several seconds to realize she was there.

"Arwen! Oh, excuse me for a moment . . ." He left Gondor's captains waiting and hurried toward her. "Arwen, I'm so sorry about last night . . . I have no idea what happened .. ."

She shook her head. "That's all right. Apparently it was Eomer's fault."

He looked in to her eyes, so loving, so forgiving, and his pain was forgotten. "Oh, Arwen . . . I don't deserve you . . ."

She smiled at him. "Never mind what happened. Let's just enjoy the day – I'm sure nothing more will go wrong."

He took her in his arms and kissed her, so glad of the way things were turning out after all.

Across the room, Eowyn watched with malice in her eyes and schemes in her mind . . .