Behind Stone Doors
By The Last Evenstar
A/N: This chapter was inspired by Alan Jackson's song "Remember When", which is totally the sappiest thing ever, and of course I love it.
A few of the reviewers have totally guessed what my brilliant foreshadowing is leading to! Now don't run to the reviews and look, because I'm not naming names, but kudos to all of you! Well, actually . . . I think my subtlety needs a little work . . .
Chapter Four: Remember When
Arwen sat on the veranda, her linen dress blowing softly in the breeze. Her long dark hair lashed out in whips of silk, and she silently counted to ten. "Almost."
The tall man behind her grinned. "When can I ever move stealthily enough to fool an elf?"
Squealing with delight, Arwen jumped up and turned to meet him in a happy embrace. She kissed him with all the pain of his leaving and the joy of his return.
Aragorn grinned and wrapped her tightly in his arms. "So I guess I don't have to ask whether or not you missed me."
"Was there any doubt in your mind?" Arwen smiled coyly and traced his jaw line with her finger. "I see. It's all part of your charm, ranger." She found his lips and gently pulled them toward hers; a sweet, savory kiss in the perfect romantic setting.
They sat on the veranda overlooking Rivendell, arms entwined, and Arwen felt a tear come to her eye. Aragorn looked with concern into her soft, pretty face and brushed it away.
"What's wrong, meltha?"
She sighed and eased herself back. Her head fit perfectly into his sculpted chest. "It's nothing. Don't trouble yourself."
His brow wrinkled. "It is not nothing. Tell me why you are unhappy and I will journey to the ends of the earth to bring the smile back to your face."
She grinned and stifled a giggle. "You're too much, Estel. I was just thinking."
He sighed, and saw where she looked. In a meadow far below, three small children ran and played while their parents looked on. Arwen gazed at it with such longing that it broke his heart that he couldn't give it to her, not just yet. "Someday, meleth nin. I promise."
She looked up at him with a wan smile. "I know. I just wish it would come sooner rather than later. I feel like I only see you on rare occasions, and every time you ride out and risk your life while I sit at home and pray for you to return. It will be better than this someday, won't it?"
He faced her seriously. "Of course it will. I love you, Undómiel. We'll have everything one day."
She felt her heart turn over. "I don't need everything, Estel. I just need you."
He drew her close. "Then you're in luck, my lady, because I am yours for the taking."
She kissed him softly. "Then I am blessed indeed."
Tears streamed down Arwen's face as she rode at a swift gallop into the night. The horse seemed to fly rather than run, and Arwen tried to shake her thoughts in the swift night wind. He said it would be different. But here I am again, alone in the night and wishing with all my heart for him. All I could give was my hope, my blessing. And while I chase errant shieldmaidens, he fights for everything and everyone, while the future hangs in the balance.
Her stomach lurched, and she started to fight back her dizziness. I shouldn't be doing this, she thought, all the while urging her horse to breakneck speed. It's not my job to protect Éowyn. My first priority should be to protect myself. She glanced down at her stomach and shivered, praying that Éowyn and her company were safe and near. Because if I'm not mistaken, I'm protecting two of us now.
"So," said Faramir, watching the lines of approaching men and beats. They arrived to do battle once more with Gondor's tired army. "Think you're luck's run out yet?"
Aragorn grinned at his friend. "Luck? Since when did I have that?"
The Prince of Ithilien laughed. "You, who fell over a cliff and managed to survive? Who faced down ten thousand Orcs at Helms Deep and lived to tell the tale? No, good King, you've no manner of luck at all."
Aragorn snorted. "Nervous, are we?"
Faramir grinned and unsheathed his sword. "Shaking in my boots."
Aragorn watched the army come closer and closer. "Up!" he called. "Aim!"
Seven thousand Gondorian arrows stood poised and ready. They waited for his command.
It was not so long ago that this sort of responsibility would have terrified him. He had never dreamed of being a king; of having the fate of thousands of lives on his hands. He saw the white banner beside him, flapping in the wind, and remembered where he got his strength.
"Why do you believe in me?" he asked her. "What have I ever done to prove myself? Skill with a sword will not take me to Mordor. What about strength of will and heart? What is their testament?"
Arwen placed a soft finger over his lips. "Prove yourself?" she asked, a wry smile on her lips. "You saved Frodo's life. You led him to Rivendell. What more proof would you like? Your quest for Gollum? The fighting you have done for Gondor and Rohan? Why do you worry, Estel? You know what you can do. You will make it."
He stretched out and sighed. "Brave words for a brave soldier." He held her tightly in his arms. "I know my duty. The Ring must be destroyed, or we will all die trying."
She reached up and kissed him fiercely. "Don't say that! My father knows you will live. He would not let you go if that was not what he has foreseen."
He sighed and stroked her hair. "Even the foresight of Elves can be misleading. I feel helpless with the lives of others in my hands."
She took his hand and caressed it softly. "They are strong hands. You will guide them far using these."
"And if I fail?"
"You won't." She said it simply; a basic fact to which there could be no dispute. "You may succeed, and come home worn and tried. Or you may succeed and go on to claim the throne of Gondor and bring peace to all the land. And either way, I will be here waiting."
"Oh, meltha!" His voice was ragged and desperate. "There is no hope for that."
She smiled so genuinely and brightly that it seemed to calm his heart. "You are the hope, Estel. You gave me light where there was only darkness. And you will do the same for all of Middle-Earth."
He took her in his arms and kissed her, drawing out her hope and strength and, most of all, her faith in him.
"Fire!"
Arwen had been riding swiftly for a day. In the early hours of the morning, she began to hear the sounds of battle. Ithilien was only a few leagues away, and there was no trace of Éowyn or her escort. She closed her eyes and tried to think clearly. It was a mistake. In a moment, she succumbed to the nausea, and everything went black.
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