Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings... obviously.
Chapter 8
"You will make yourself ill with all this worry." Glorfindel said as he watched Lord Elrond pace his vast study.
Elrond did not answer and continued his exercise, pacing helped him to think and at that moment in time he would do anything to help his thought process. "I can not rest until I figure out what should be done." He began. "Hero has been wronged, yet the disgrace was caused by my own sons... how can that be. How did this happen beneath my own nose?"
Glorfindel, as everyone else in Rivendell, had his theories about Elrond's twin sons. The twins were rude, disagreeable, they liked to linger in dark corners... listening always listening. He for one did not trust them, and it had come as no surprise to him that they were behind this awful mess.
They had both been delightful as children. In fact he could not remember two children that he thought more highly of during those years. The elflings were eager to learn, mischievous and utterly adorable. This kind nature had lasted long throughout their adolescent years and into their early thousand. It was a fateful day that changed their world forever.
Glorfindel remembered the day that Celebrian was returned to them, bloodied and pale. He did not hold out much hope that the lady would last another night, such were the extent of her injuries. Through some miracle the Lady lived but her existence changed much. Her love for middle earth was fading, and in the end no joy could be found for her. Not even the joy of being a mother. Day by Day the call of the Sea became stronger until one day she could resist it no longer.
Elladan and Elrohir blamed themselves for her fate as it had been the two of them that had failed her.
Not many people dared to approach Lord Elrond on the matter of his dear wife. Glorfindel included. The mere mention of her name brought such pain to Lord Elrond's eyes that an immense feeling of guilt would accompany the utterance of it. Today however was a grim day and he had always thought that on days such as these ugly truths must be faced. He cleared his throat.
"Your son's are wounded deeply." He began softly. "You know this for you feel their pain also... you bid them linger when perhaps they should have left also."
Elrond stopped pacing, and Glorfindel swore he could almost see the Lord crumple before him. "Do not speak of things you know nothing of." He said lowly. It had been almost a century ago put the agony was still so raw to him.
"Sorry Elrond... The truth is sometimes hard to face but it must be just that... it must be faced and embraced." Glorfindel joined his friend, who had paused by the window, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Elladan and Elrohir have no place on Middle Earth... they must cross the sea before their bitterness destroys them completely."
Elrond had known it all along... he had seen it in the Twins eyes as the ship that carried their mother forth to Valinor faded into the horizon. He saw in each of them, a part of their heart die He knew then it was time for his son's to leave. Selfishly though, he could not bear to lose them too.
"Any news of the Mirkwood Prince?" Elrond said, changing the subject.
"None. King Aragorn has returned from Mirkwood with his cousins just one hour ago. Perhaps he will have news be it ill or not." He said shaking his head forlornly.
"The Mirkwood Prince, I cannot bear to even speak his name. For it was that name that brought woe and pain to my daughter." Elrond said angrily. "He should be punished for what he has put her through." Elrond slammed his hand down on his desk. "We all should be punished for what she
has been put through."
Glorfindel sighed. "And you all have been punished have you not?" He reasoned. "None more so than Hero herself."
Elrond frowned as a response.
"I know you would not hear me speak but please... for her sake hear me now.... Hero is alive Elrond, the Valar saw to it that she was returned to you and that the same light burns brightly in her eyes.... the same love for Legolas consumes her heart. Their marriage was one that was meant to be."
"Meant to be?" Elrond echoed. "Well then one would assume that Legolas's feelings for Hero matched hers for him... and yet he cast her so brutally aside when...."
"Legolas is blameless in this. He was not the foot of this deceit. Your sons were at that root. They are to blame for all that has passed these few days. I would watch where you lay blame." Glorfindel retorted. "If in your heart, you can not see a way to believe Legolas loves Hero then I will prove it to you."
"How do you mean to do that?" Elrond asked.
"Who knows other than you and myself that Hero awoke from her slumber?"
"None... save Arwen." Elrond replied.
"Tell no one." Glorfindel instructed.
"Why? What do you mean...?"
"Aragorn will have told his friend that Hero has slipped into grief no doubt." He began. " We will send a messenger to Mirkwood to inform him wrongly that Hero has passed from grief to shadow and no longer shall her fair face grace Middle Earth." Elrond paused and frowned.
"Glorfindel that idea is ludicrous... Why should we do that?"
"Indeed, upon hearing that Hero has died Legolas will return, mark my words for he loves her. He will need to see this with his own eyes that she is gone." Glorfindel explained.
Elrond began to pace again. This time there was more happiness in his step. "None shall know of Hero's recovery." He began. "Indeed When she is well I shall have her escorted to another part of the house and only Arwen shall sit with her and take care of her. All the people of Rivendell shall think her dead. Upon hearing our sad news Legolas will return as you say.... I will challenge him..."
"Where is Lady Arwen?" Aragorn asked a flustered serving elf.
The King's internal battle had resolved itself on route to Mirkwood. He had decided, with the help of his cousins that it would be a foolish thing indeed to slay Legolas. In fact, the Gondorians had given him such a telling of that he had to promise them that he would never entertain such ridiculous thoughts again.
"Thranduil's son!" Boromir had bellowed. "Not only is he the one that you claim is your best friend but he is a prince. To kill him would mean outright war!" He paused. "I don't know about you but I have seen enough war for three lifetimes let alone one!"
Aragorn had not quite considered that consequence of his actions. Indeed Thranduil would want revenge on the one that had murdered his only son!
The more important reason not to kill him was that he was Aragorn's best friend and he had done nothing wrong. Aragorn had seen with his own eyes what took place on the balcony of Hero's room all those nights ago.
Therefore, he concluded, that the only reason that he would be killing Legolas was because Arwen had asked him to...
He was right all along. Love was an affliction, a madness... it was the only explanation. Why else would he have even considered killing his friend.
Upon his return to Rivendell he was very angry with Arwen indeed.
The Lady herself was wallowing in a pool of her own shame. "Valar! How could I have been so stupid?"
Indeed, it was most unlike her to act so foolishly. How could she ever have asked Aragorn to kill another elf? She doubted her own sanity. She felt sick with herself. The only happy news she had received that was her sister had awoken. The relief was overwhelming. Her father was being most secretive about Hero's recovery. He had moved her bed to a far corner of the house and had requested that Arwen keep news of Hero's awakening secret. She had so dearly wanted to scream the news from the rooftops.
There was only the matter of Aragorn to put a darkener on her mood. "Why am I so stupid?!" She whispered harshly.
To add to that, Of late, the Lady of Rivendell had taken to talking to herself.
"I am a fool." She said aloud. "An unbelievably ridiculous, rash, stubborn idiot."
"There is no need to be quite so hard on yourself but I agree that you are indeed. All those things and more."
Arwen started and turned to face her intruder. She was both shocked and pleased to see Aragorn standing there with his arms folded. Quite uninvited a smile came to her lips, only to be chased away again quickly with a deep frown.
"Are you back so soon?" She said loftily. She was grasping at a way of explaining herself to him.
"Yes. Murder does not take too much time when you know how... " He began. "... There is the planning of course, that was all taken care of on our journey towards Thranduil's dark kingdom." He paused to gage a reaction and was delighted to see the look of horror on Arwen's face "Of course when I arrived it was easy for me to see Legolas as I was his best friend. A swift drab of poison and...." He snapped his fingers. "Your wish is my command Lady." he added taking a bow.
Arwen gasped as the consequences of Legolas's death engulfed her. There would be a war. Thranduil would slay Rivendell in it's entirety if news reached him that she was at the heart of Legolas's death.
"Tell me you did not." She began. "You did not kill him?"
Aragorn raised his hands in mock frustration. "Why is it not possible for the Lady to make up her mind?" He asked the heavens. "First she wants me to slay the Prince and now she does not! Well... they do say it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind." He said shrugging
After a moment he returned his gaze to Arwen, who's expression was pained to say the least. He could keep up the pretence no longer.
"Think you that I would do such a thing?" He asked finally. "I could never kill Legolas not even for you." He said lowly. "Not for all the wealth and happiness in the world would I kill him, he is my friend."
"Oh thank Elbereth!" Arwen exclaimed. Then she paused as Aragorn's attempt to make fun of her became obvious. "How dare you make a joke out of my...."
"No my Lady!" Aragorn exclaimed over her protests. "How Dare you!"
"Excuse me!"
"How Dare you... take advantage of my feelings for you and ask me to commit such an unthinkable act?" He said angrily. "How dare you, make me feel as if I must kill to deserve your love?"
Arwen frowned. "You know I did not mean it." She said as calmly as she could manage. "I was angry."
"Yes well you are always angry." Aragorn said. "And rude and hateful to me... if I did not know better I would say that you retained the same fondness for me as you do.... your horse."
Arwen smirked. "I love Asfaloth far more! A least he is polite to me and is not big headed or..." Oh Valar! She had resorted to outright insults. Her last defence mechanism.
"I am not bigheaded!" Aragorn interrupted. "Arwen that has nothing to do with it at any rate! Admit that you were wrong... you know you were... so apologise."
"Harumph!" Arwen replied. She could not say sorry even though she had never felt more so.
Realising she really had no excuse for her actions and she was not in a position at that moment in time to win any arguments, Arwen decided to keep her mouth shut. Instead of shouting at Aragorn which would be the normal way in which she would respond in these situations she decided to sulk. Aragorn knew her far too well and would have an answer for any defence for herself that she could think to retort with. The truth was that there was not one anyway.
Seeing Arwen's expression change from seething anger to extreme unhappiness stopped Aragorn in his tracks. He fought with himself momentarily. One one hand he would forgive her anything, he understood the anger behind her request for the ending of Legolas's life. Yet on the other.... on the other he was equally as stubborn as her and he did not get the opportunity to be in the right very often where she was concerned. He ruled that as that was the case, he should take advantage of this moment and give her the telling off she deserved.
"Arwen you are a hateful spoilt brat!" He spat. "Over the years I have known you, my life has been torture!"
There, the truth was finally out. The fact that this was true did not change his feelings for her. The Lady's face was a mask of shame. Still Aragorn thought she needed to hear these truths and he would say them.
"No more than mine!" Arwen retorted, before he had the chance to, and folded her arms crossly.
Indeed, she had been happy enough before Aragorn came along. She had survived over two thousand years in this world without him. She did not need him at all.
"You never give people a chance... do you have a single kind bone in your body?" Aragorn said, he folded his arms defiantly.
"I do, for those who warrant kind treatment." She replied coldly.
"Am I not one of those people, Arwen?" Aragorn said, his tone a little lighter. "For I could swear to it that I heard you say you loved me before I left for Mirkwood."
Arwen's mouth fell open. "I did... I did... not mean it... I was upset because of Hero and I..."
"So now you will deny that you love me?"
"I will."
Aragorn's heart sank. There was something amiss here, the feelings of elves did not alter so quickly.
"You're lying." He said quietly but firmly. "I know you and you are lying."
"Do you think that you are irrisistable?" Arwen said as coldly as she could manage. "Do you seriously think that I could ever love you?" She said in a derrogative tone. "Sorry but you are mistaken." She turned away. "I love no one."
"Do not do this Arwen." Aragorn said. "You condemn us both to...."
"If you don't mind... I must visit my father... Hero has awoken from her slumber... he has a plan of which he wants to tell me." Arwen said, forgetting her father's request that she tell no one.
"Then I shall go with you." Aragorn said matter-of-factly.
The trip to Elrond's office was one of aggravated silence. Arwen looked irritably at Aragorn. It was true to say at that moment that she hated him. How dare he lecture her? She was an elf! How dare he speak to her in such a patronising manner?
It would not take a genius to understand that Arwen knew that she was in the wrong, although she was far too stubborn an elf to admit that fact. Especially to Aragorn, the King would never let her live it down. She sighed audibly. She did love him. Whether she wanted to or not.
"What is it?" Aragorn asked. "Today is a day of joy is it not? Hero has awoken and I have returned ... your life should now be perfect."
"By Elbereth! You must think my standards low!" Arwen retorted.
Aragorn made a sound of mock pain. "And I thought I had slain all my enemies back in Mordor!" He exclaimed.
Arwen fought the smile that came to her lips. "No... I promise that you shall always have an enemy in me!" She said with a slight laugh.
"Oh..." Aragorn said sadly. "At least that is something I can rely on." He stopped walking and knew that Arwen would too. Several moments later as he predicted Arwen turned to him.
"I thought you meant to join me?" She said.
Aragorn smiled. "I did... I do." He said. "But not just to Lord Elrond's study, but everywhere else too." He was not too sure where he found the bravery to say the words. He loved Arwen in spite of her faults and the Lady had many. Please let us cease this pretence and admit the way things are... I love you and...
Arwen turned away uncomfortably. "You still...." She couldn't bring herself to say the words. "Even though..." She paused once more and collected her thoughts. "But I have been hateful." She finally admitted.
"Yes you have." He agreed. "What can I say? I am a glutton for punishment."
The pair walked in silence to the door of Elrond's study. Arwen raised her hand to knock when Aragorn stopped her.
"Before we go in." He said seriously. "I mean to ask your father for your hand in marriage. Promise me now that you shall not make make a fool out of me?"
Arwen nodded, although it was a completely involuntary action. "I shall not." She said quickly.
