Usual disclaimers.... Jennifer, I totally agree with you, we should throw Arwen off a cliff, preferable a high one!!!
Chapter Five: Questions And Answers
Eowyn stared at Aragorn, shame filling every pore of her skin; she flushed from head to toe. Never had she expected this to happen, she had made sure every eventuality had been covered but she had overlooked this. She had heard it said that a child could be separated from its mother on the day of its birth and still know her voice, but she had never heard it said about the father. She wanted to do something, anything to escape the look that pinned her eyes to Aragorn's. She wanted desperately to run, but she knew that would be of no use, where would she go? Flee back to Rohan; with Eorl without causing some suspicion, it was impossible, she began to feel trapped, caught like a rabbit in a trap. Still she was unable to break the gaze of Aragorn.
Aragorn stood in the doorway, the child was young and such a mistake was easily made, had he not caught the look of terror in Eowyn's eyes he would have dismissed it easily. The terror eventually transformed to shame, and he felt his heart skip several beats, this could not be possible. "This is impossible." He couldn't stop the words slipping out, Eowyn finally broke his gaze and turned away, colouring even more. "Is it true? Eowyn?" She stood up, and for a moment he saw the flash of disbelief in her eyes, as if she were stunned he would doubt her, but he had not heard her speak, how could he believe a look? "Eowyn? Tell me." His voice seemed quietly threatening, Eowyn swallowed "Not here." Aragorn looked at the now sleeping child and nodded, turning round and walking outside he stopped abruptly.
Eowyn followed him, shutting the door with only the softest click; she turned around to face him a resolute look in her eyes, squaring her shoulders she took a deep breath. "It is true." Aragorn stumbled back, not much was able to shock him but the startling truth nearly knocked him off his feet. Eowyn stood stock-still; she had never thought the truth would have such an affect on him. "When, when did you know?" Eowyn looked down at the floor, the stone flagging now becoming very familiar to her, should she lie to him? Or should she tell him the truth, the entire truth? "Eowyn, tell me... please." Eowyn looked up seeing the desperation in his eyes, once you shed one lie all others surface. She wondered at the meaning of her mother's words all those years ago, but know she understood. Eowyn shook her head, "Please not here" she begged. Aragorn nodded and lead the way to... Eowyn was shocked at his cruelty, the Round Room. "You lied to me here and you shall not lie to my here again. Tell me, when, why? Why didn't you tell me?" Eowyn began to sit down but then thought better, she always felt oppressed when she sat. Aragorn paced the room angrily, "Eowyn" she heard the aggression in his voice and finally spoke.
"When? The same day" she paused for a moment, "Arwen appeared. Why? That question has already been answered, to have your pity is not something I desire." Aragorn stood still, facing the window, hiding his emotions when she was present was difficult enough but it was considerably more challenging in such a situation. Eowyn suddenly felt a weight lift from her shoulders, and she stumbled onto the nearest chair a sudden tiredness seeping into her bones. "Who else knows?" "No one. Nor does anyone need too." "He has a right to know." "No!" At the sharpness in her voice Aragorn turned to face her, too exhausted to hide his emotion she caught a glimpse of a tear sliding down his face. "He is my child, he has a right to know about his own parentage." Eowyn stood up, her eyes flashing dangerously "No, he it not your child, he is mine. Not till today did you discover the truth, you are a stranger to him. If anyone would tell him it will be I and I alone who decides when, indeed if to tell him." Aragorn's eyes flashed in reply, "I am his father!" "You are nobody to him! You never will be!" "No, it is within my power to remove him from your care and I would not hesitate to use that power." "You would not!" "Believe me after all I have heard, I would not challenge me." "Would you challenge me! I may not have seen as many battles, but I would cut your throat before you touched my child!" The air became saturated with hostility, and they both stood, deadlocked in a potentially lethal exchange. "He is my child!" "No, he is mine. He does not know you!" "HE IS OUR CHILD!"
Aragorn's astoundingly loud voice echoed round the room and broke both of them free of their angry stalemate. Both sat down opposite each other, still a slight hostility in their eyes. Eowyn sighed, "How could I tell you? When you still loved another, when our child and I would have been second place to you. When, when you never loved me." Her eyes began to brim with tears and she hastily brushed them away. "Eowyn, how could you know my heart? When sometimes I faltered about it myself." "I knew you had chosen when you stepped out of the room, that you were thinking of a way to..." "Tell you that I loved you? Yes I had made my choice when I'd left the room, but it was not the one I was given." Eowyn shook her head "You says such things now, but I know you feel the responsibility of fatherhood, it is clouding your judgement. You would not have felt this way had you not known of Eorl." "No, before I knew of our son I still felt dead inside without you. I did, I still do love you Eowyn." This time the tears spilled over onto her cheeks, "Please do not make this any harder than it already is. Punishment is a fairer prospect than the falsity of feeling." "Not once did I fabricate what I feel for you. You chose to cut us off, and this time you broke my heart." Aragorn looked up at her, the tears had stopped flowing but they'd stained her cheeks, still he saw the denial she held to his feelings. He sighed, "What would I have to do to convince you that I do not lie to you? Tell me so I can prove how I feel?" "How do you feel?" A harsh voice interrupted Aragorn's plea to Eowyn and both looked up. Neither of the three in the room spoke much like the last time they had all stood in the room together.
Chapter Five: Questions And Answers
Eowyn stared at Aragorn, shame filling every pore of her skin; she flushed from head to toe. Never had she expected this to happen, she had made sure every eventuality had been covered but she had overlooked this. She had heard it said that a child could be separated from its mother on the day of its birth and still know her voice, but she had never heard it said about the father. She wanted to do something, anything to escape the look that pinned her eyes to Aragorn's. She wanted desperately to run, but she knew that would be of no use, where would she go? Flee back to Rohan; with Eorl without causing some suspicion, it was impossible, she began to feel trapped, caught like a rabbit in a trap. Still she was unable to break the gaze of Aragorn.
Aragorn stood in the doorway, the child was young and such a mistake was easily made, had he not caught the look of terror in Eowyn's eyes he would have dismissed it easily. The terror eventually transformed to shame, and he felt his heart skip several beats, this could not be possible. "This is impossible." He couldn't stop the words slipping out, Eowyn finally broke his gaze and turned away, colouring even more. "Is it true? Eowyn?" She stood up, and for a moment he saw the flash of disbelief in her eyes, as if she were stunned he would doubt her, but he had not heard her speak, how could he believe a look? "Eowyn? Tell me." His voice seemed quietly threatening, Eowyn swallowed "Not here." Aragorn looked at the now sleeping child and nodded, turning round and walking outside he stopped abruptly.
Eowyn followed him, shutting the door with only the softest click; she turned around to face him a resolute look in her eyes, squaring her shoulders she took a deep breath. "It is true." Aragorn stumbled back, not much was able to shock him but the startling truth nearly knocked him off his feet. Eowyn stood stock-still; she had never thought the truth would have such an affect on him. "When, when did you know?" Eowyn looked down at the floor, the stone flagging now becoming very familiar to her, should she lie to him? Or should she tell him the truth, the entire truth? "Eowyn, tell me... please." Eowyn looked up seeing the desperation in his eyes, once you shed one lie all others surface. She wondered at the meaning of her mother's words all those years ago, but know she understood. Eowyn shook her head, "Please not here" she begged. Aragorn nodded and lead the way to... Eowyn was shocked at his cruelty, the Round Room. "You lied to me here and you shall not lie to my here again. Tell me, when, why? Why didn't you tell me?" Eowyn began to sit down but then thought better, she always felt oppressed when she sat. Aragorn paced the room angrily, "Eowyn" she heard the aggression in his voice and finally spoke.
"When? The same day" she paused for a moment, "Arwen appeared. Why? That question has already been answered, to have your pity is not something I desire." Aragorn stood still, facing the window, hiding his emotions when she was present was difficult enough but it was considerably more challenging in such a situation. Eowyn suddenly felt a weight lift from her shoulders, and she stumbled onto the nearest chair a sudden tiredness seeping into her bones. "Who else knows?" "No one. Nor does anyone need too." "He has a right to know." "No!" At the sharpness in her voice Aragorn turned to face her, too exhausted to hide his emotion she caught a glimpse of a tear sliding down his face. "He is my child, he has a right to know about his own parentage." Eowyn stood up, her eyes flashing dangerously "No, he it not your child, he is mine. Not till today did you discover the truth, you are a stranger to him. If anyone would tell him it will be I and I alone who decides when, indeed if to tell him." Aragorn's eyes flashed in reply, "I am his father!" "You are nobody to him! You never will be!" "No, it is within my power to remove him from your care and I would not hesitate to use that power." "You would not!" "Believe me after all I have heard, I would not challenge me." "Would you challenge me! I may not have seen as many battles, but I would cut your throat before you touched my child!" The air became saturated with hostility, and they both stood, deadlocked in a potentially lethal exchange. "He is my child!" "No, he is mine. He does not know you!" "HE IS OUR CHILD!"
Aragorn's astoundingly loud voice echoed round the room and broke both of them free of their angry stalemate. Both sat down opposite each other, still a slight hostility in their eyes. Eowyn sighed, "How could I tell you? When you still loved another, when our child and I would have been second place to you. When, when you never loved me." Her eyes began to brim with tears and she hastily brushed them away. "Eowyn, how could you know my heart? When sometimes I faltered about it myself." "I knew you had chosen when you stepped out of the room, that you were thinking of a way to..." "Tell you that I loved you? Yes I had made my choice when I'd left the room, but it was not the one I was given." Eowyn shook her head "You says such things now, but I know you feel the responsibility of fatherhood, it is clouding your judgement. You would not have felt this way had you not known of Eorl." "No, before I knew of our son I still felt dead inside without you. I did, I still do love you Eowyn." This time the tears spilled over onto her cheeks, "Please do not make this any harder than it already is. Punishment is a fairer prospect than the falsity of feeling." "Not once did I fabricate what I feel for you. You chose to cut us off, and this time you broke my heart." Aragorn looked up at her, the tears had stopped flowing but they'd stained her cheeks, still he saw the denial she held to his feelings. He sighed, "What would I have to do to convince you that I do not lie to you? Tell me so I can prove how I feel?" "How do you feel?" A harsh voice interrupted Aragorn's plea to Eowyn and both looked up. Neither of the three in the room spoke much like the last time they had all stood in the room together.