Chapter Two - One Broken Heart.
Arwen. Aragorn stood, aghast by the door of the Round Room. Arwen stood in front of him, as bright as the light from a star in the night sky. But something within him hesitated, further back in the room staring out of the window stood Eowyn, the breeze rustling her hair and dress, a perfect image of a mortal angel. He turned to look again at Arwen, neither woman spoke, both knew his mind, and both knew nothing would persuade him from his own choice.
Eowyn turned around to face the window; her eyes clouded with tears and realisation slowly seeped into her heart. Once again her heart was stolen by a mortal who lacked the ability to love her. She blushed with the stupidity that she had allowed to obscure her judgement, she heard someone enter but she did not need to turn around in order to realise who it was.
Arwen looked at the person on front of her, a mortal. A pretty blonde mortal, with fair skin and a content radiance about her, but why was she here? The realisation dawned on her... she was waiting for Aragorn. Why when Aragorn could not love her did she seem to glow as someone in love? Or was there something else that caused the glow she carried with her? The door creaking open caught Arwen's attention to turn from Eowyn to the man who had just walked in the door. The look on his face was not the one she expected, she'd expected the look of surprise to fade into a look of love, but instead it remained as clear as day on his face.
Aragorn stood unsure of what to do. He had faced many difficult decisions on his life before but before him stood a choice that made even the worst battles of Middle Earth seem as easy as lifting a sword. Arwen or Eowyn, Arwen or Eowyn? The question repeated over in his head for what seemed like forever, still neither woman broke the silence that ensued and still Aragorn remained silent. The world seemed to shrink to that room, the air so tense it could be cut with a blade as dull as a cave trolls intellect. It was Arwen who broke the silence.
"Aragorn?" Arwen smiled, turning her body fully towards him, causing the fabric of her red dress to rustle slightly, gaining Aragorn's full attention. "You seem so surprised to see me, would you think I would leave you?" Her question hung in the air, no answer emerging from the king, nor a signal as to the answer. She looked into his grey eyes; she could almost see a sense of despair beginning to show in them. "You despair? Why so my love?" Arwen reached towards him, he did not pull away, "Why do you despair?" she looked down at his bare neck, "You no longer wear my gift." Her voice carried an air of surprise, Aragorn replied this time. "Since you did not return it has been locked away." His voice held no malice, and it was to his surprise, as well as Arwen's that he reached up and removed his hand from where it lay on his cheek and looked up.
Eowyn had no need to turn and watch the scene unfolding behind her; she knew of Aragorn's choice, she knew that she would have always been subject to the comparison of the woman he held on a pillar in his heart for so long. But it was not her he would choose. She knew his mind better than she knew her own. No love would compare to that which these two shared. She contemplated her choices, few they were but she knew which of these she would make. She had now to only speak her mind and remove herself from these circumstances. She turned only to see Aragorn remove his true love's hand from his face and to stare up, not at her but at the choice that lay before him. She looked down; it was a decision that he would not have to make, she had already made it and although she knew he'd dislike having a choice made for him she would not yield on this matter.
Aragorn stared at the two women in front of him the question repeating over and over, Arwen or Eowyn, Arwen or Eowyn? Arwen or Eowyn, Arwen or Eowyn? He did not know the answer, but he would soon have the answer. "I cannot make such a decision in such time. I will have a guard escort you to a chamber Arwen." Aragorn turned and walked through the door, the sound of even footsteps not stopping him from his hurried walk. "Aragorn." At the sound of Eowyn's voice, he turned to face her searching for her eyes. She did not look up, her gaze locked on the stone floor. "Eowyn, I cannot make such a decision..." she shook her head. "I would not ask you to. I have only come to say that I am to return to Rohan. There is no need for you to make the choice."
Aragorn shook his head; placing his hand under her chin pulling it up to look into her eyes he could not find them. "Eowyn, do not run. Do not let fear cloud your heart. It is my decision to make, I would..." Eowyn pulled away, turning her back to him, "I have made my choice, therefore there is no longer a need to make yours. I will return to Rohan. May I have your word you will never again seek my company?" Aragorn reached out for her, but she turned almost spinning out of his reach.
When he looked up, he no longer saw the warm-hearted woman he had come to know over the past months. There was no warmth in her eyes, instead just a cold unyielding hardness. "I have made me choice. I will not yield." Aragorn opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off "Do not ask for something I cannot give. Do not ask for my friendship, you have had my heart once, and I foolishly let you take it again. My presence shall never again be seen in Gondor." With those last harsh words she turned and left. Aragorn stood for a long time in the same corridor never moving, for he feared should he move then he would lose the pieces of his heart and never again find them. He stood there with one true love, one lost love and one broken heart.
Arwen. Aragorn stood, aghast by the door of the Round Room. Arwen stood in front of him, as bright as the light from a star in the night sky. But something within him hesitated, further back in the room staring out of the window stood Eowyn, the breeze rustling her hair and dress, a perfect image of a mortal angel. He turned to look again at Arwen, neither woman spoke, both knew his mind, and both knew nothing would persuade him from his own choice.
Eowyn turned around to face the window; her eyes clouded with tears and realisation slowly seeped into her heart. Once again her heart was stolen by a mortal who lacked the ability to love her. She blushed with the stupidity that she had allowed to obscure her judgement, she heard someone enter but she did not need to turn around in order to realise who it was.
Arwen looked at the person on front of her, a mortal. A pretty blonde mortal, with fair skin and a content radiance about her, but why was she here? The realisation dawned on her... she was waiting for Aragorn. Why when Aragorn could not love her did she seem to glow as someone in love? Or was there something else that caused the glow she carried with her? The door creaking open caught Arwen's attention to turn from Eowyn to the man who had just walked in the door. The look on his face was not the one she expected, she'd expected the look of surprise to fade into a look of love, but instead it remained as clear as day on his face.
Aragorn stood unsure of what to do. He had faced many difficult decisions on his life before but before him stood a choice that made even the worst battles of Middle Earth seem as easy as lifting a sword. Arwen or Eowyn, Arwen or Eowyn? The question repeated over in his head for what seemed like forever, still neither woman broke the silence that ensued and still Aragorn remained silent. The world seemed to shrink to that room, the air so tense it could be cut with a blade as dull as a cave trolls intellect. It was Arwen who broke the silence.
"Aragorn?" Arwen smiled, turning her body fully towards him, causing the fabric of her red dress to rustle slightly, gaining Aragorn's full attention. "You seem so surprised to see me, would you think I would leave you?" Her question hung in the air, no answer emerging from the king, nor a signal as to the answer. She looked into his grey eyes; she could almost see a sense of despair beginning to show in them. "You despair? Why so my love?" Arwen reached towards him, he did not pull away, "Why do you despair?" she looked down at his bare neck, "You no longer wear my gift." Her voice carried an air of surprise, Aragorn replied this time. "Since you did not return it has been locked away." His voice held no malice, and it was to his surprise, as well as Arwen's that he reached up and removed his hand from where it lay on his cheek and looked up.
Eowyn had no need to turn and watch the scene unfolding behind her; she knew of Aragorn's choice, she knew that she would have always been subject to the comparison of the woman he held on a pillar in his heart for so long. But it was not her he would choose. She knew his mind better than she knew her own. No love would compare to that which these two shared. She contemplated her choices, few they were but she knew which of these she would make. She had now to only speak her mind and remove herself from these circumstances. She turned only to see Aragorn remove his true love's hand from his face and to stare up, not at her but at the choice that lay before him. She looked down; it was a decision that he would not have to make, she had already made it and although she knew he'd dislike having a choice made for him she would not yield on this matter.
Aragorn stared at the two women in front of him the question repeating over and over, Arwen or Eowyn, Arwen or Eowyn? Arwen or Eowyn, Arwen or Eowyn? He did not know the answer, but he would soon have the answer. "I cannot make such a decision in such time. I will have a guard escort you to a chamber Arwen." Aragorn turned and walked through the door, the sound of even footsteps not stopping him from his hurried walk. "Aragorn." At the sound of Eowyn's voice, he turned to face her searching for her eyes. She did not look up, her gaze locked on the stone floor. "Eowyn, I cannot make such a decision..." she shook her head. "I would not ask you to. I have only come to say that I am to return to Rohan. There is no need for you to make the choice."
Aragorn shook his head; placing his hand under her chin pulling it up to look into her eyes he could not find them. "Eowyn, do not run. Do not let fear cloud your heart. It is my decision to make, I would..." Eowyn pulled away, turning her back to him, "I have made my choice, therefore there is no longer a need to make yours. I will return to Rohan. May I have your word you will never again seek my company?" Aragorn reached out for her, but she turned almost spinning out of his reach.
When he looked up, he no longer saw the warm-hearted woman he had come to know over the past months. There was no warmth in her eyes, instead just a cold unyielding hardness. "I have made me choice. I will not yield." Aragorn opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off "Do not ask for something I cannot give. Do not ask for my friendship, you have had my heart once, and I foolishly let you take it again. My presence shall never again be seen in Gondor." With those last harsh words she turned and left. Aragorn stood for a long time in the same corridor never moving, for he feared should he move then he would lose the pieces of his heart and never again find them. He stood there with one true love, one lost love and one broken heart.