Chapter 15.
A/N: No, Arwen is not dead for crying out loud. That's a little anti- climatic, even for me. Just keep reading and I think you'll enjoy.
There's only a few parts left to post after this one, including the epilogue, so as always love it or hate it, tell me what you think.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed for me, especially galadriel evenstar, LadyJadePerendhil, Cerridwen-Evereven, Gionareth, Annunathwin Tindomiel, Kekelina, and peaches-503, but also to everyone else who has reviewed for me since the beginning of the story.
Now, on to the story.
Samantha.
**********
"She sleeps, though I cannot wake her."
"Is this part of fading?" Elrond asked, his voice worried.
"No." Galadriel's voice was soft, distant. "She is not in this place in this moment. For now Arwen dwells in a place separate from this."
"Where?" Aragorn asked her, his voice carrying a harsh edge to it.
The fair-haired Elven queen turned to face him, her features serene, unchanged by the strange turn of events. "Where not even you can reach her, Aragorn, son of Arathorn." She answered him, turning back to Elrond and Celeborn. "Arwen dwells now with the Valar, where exactly I do not know. Perhaps over the Sundering Seas in Valinor, perhaps..."
"Perhaps where?" Elrond asked, a twinge of fear in his voice.
"Perhaps for now she has left the circles of this world, where her life is more or less than memory." Galadriel's voice was still calm, tranquil.
"When will she return?" Aragorn asked.
"It is difficult to say." Galadriel turned to look upon Arwen's still form resting peacefully on the ornately carved bed. "She may return in mere moments, days. Perhaps she will never return to us at all." The Elven Queen looked upon her sleeping granddaughter. "I fear that we have not given her a great many reasons to come back to us."
"You're saying she may never wake up." Haldir's words were strangely loud in the silent room.
"She is taking council with the great Kings and Queens of the Eldar. If she is offered the choice of eternal rest Arwen may not want to come back to us." Galadriel's voice remained calm, even as she spoke, voicing her fears to the others.
"Death has never appeared as a curse to me, Ada. It is a gift." Elrond's voice was a mere whisper.
He looked up at the others. "In the Shire she spoke those words to me. She has lived a hard and painful life. Arwen wants to die. My daughter wants to die." The Elven man's face was filled with sorrow, his voice heavy with anguish.
"Master Elrond, be still." Celeborn bade him.
"I fault myself for this." Elrond said aloud. "I should have kept you both apart. I should have never allowed you to meet. You should have realized in the beginning that she was too special for you, too alive." In a gesture uncharacteristic of him, Elrond reached out and took hold of Aragorn's collar, lifting him several inches from the floor. "You should have left her alone."
"Master Elrond!" Haldir stepped forward to break up Elrond and Aragorn, pushing them roughly apart.
"This is not the time." Celeborn stated firmly.
"You will all leave this chamber immediately." Galadriel said, turning away from them. "I will watch over my granddaughter, and do my best to call her home to us. You should go to Luthien, watch over her. It is what Arwen would want."
A/N: No, Arwen is not dead for crying out loud. That's a little anti- climatic, even for me. Just keep reading and I think you'll enjoy.
There's only a few parts left to post after this one, including the epilogue, so as always love it or hate it, tell me what you think.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed for me, especially galadriel evenstar, LadyJadePerendhil, Cerridwen-Evereven, Gionareth, Annunathwin Tindomiel, Kekelina, and peaches-503, but also to everyone else who has reviewed for me since the beginning of the story.
Now, on to the story.
Samantha.
**********
"She sleeps, though I cannot wake her."
"Is this part of fading?" Elrond asked, his voice worried.
"No." Galadriel's voice was soft, distant. "She is not in this place in this moment. For now Arwen dwells in a place separate from this."
"Where?" Aragorn asked her, his voice carrying a harsh edge to it.
The fair-haired Elven queen turned to face him, her features serene, unchanged by the strange turn of events. "Where not even you can reach her, Aragorn, son of Arathorn." She answered him, turning back to Elrond and Celeborn. "Arwen dwells now with the Valar, where exactly I do not know. Perhaps over the Sundering Seas in Valinor, perhaps..."
"Perhaps where?" Elrond asked, a twinge of fear in his voice.
"Perhaps for now she has left the circles of this world, where her life is more or less than memory." Galadriel's voice was still calm, tranquil.
"When will she return?" Aragorn asked.
"It is difficult to say." Galadriel turned to look upon Arwen's still form resting peacefully on the ornately carved bed. "She may return in mere moments, days. Perhaps she will never return to us at all." The Elven Queen looked upon her sleeping granddaughter. "I fear that we have not given her a great many reasons to come back to us."
"You're saying she may never wake up." Haldir's words were strangely loud in the silent room.
"She is taking council with the great Kings and Queens of the Eldar. If she is offered the choice of eternal rest Arwen may not want to come back to us." Galadriel's voice remained calm, even as she spoke, voicing her fears to the others.
"Death has never appeared as a curse to me, Ada. It is a gift." Elrond's voice was a mere whisper.
He looked up at the others. "In the Shire she spoke those words to me. She has lived a hard and painful life. Arwen wants to die. My daughter wants to die." The Elven man's face was filled with sorrow, his voice heavy with anguish.
"Master Elrond, be still." Celeborn bade him.
"I fault myself for this." Elrond said aloud. "I should have kept you both apart. I should have never allowed you to meet. You should have realized in the beginning that she was too special for you, too alive." In a gesture uncharacteristic of him, Elrond reached out and took hold of Aragorn's collar, lifting him several inches from the floor. "You should have left her alone."
"Master Elrond!" Haldir stepped forward to break up Elrond and Aragorn, pushing them roughly apart.
"This is not the time." Celeborn stated firmly.
"You will all leave this chamber immediately." Galadriel said, turning away from them. "I will watch over my granddaughter, and do my best to call her home to us. You should go to Luthien, watch over her. It is what Arwen would want."