Arwen was not perturbed. She was enraged, incensed, furious. But, since last night, she had allowed her frenzied anger to simmer into a useful sort of drive, and was now ready to confront the day quite normally.
As was her custom in the morning, she sat herself and surveyed her prioritized 'to do' list, making additions and removing items where necessary. One of the entries that she crossed off looked like this:
--Revenge myself upon Elladan and Elrohir for stealing doll and burying her in the horse muck on my two thousand and eightieth birthday.
Yesterday morning she had succeeded in paying back that particular debt by secretly pouring blue fabric dye in her brothers' bottles of bath oils. At the same time she had managed to take care of the item Get Elladan and Elrohir to leave Minas Tirith, they are disrupting the guards and being general nuisances. Last evening, after their customary two-hour baths, the twins had ridden out of the city under cover of darkness, heavily cloaked and embarrassedly saying they had an 'important mission' to attend to.
Yes, yesterday had been a productive day, and she had been in such exceptionally good spirits that she had generously made Aragorn very, very happy. But now…oh, he would pay, the lying scoundrel. Gotten over Eowyn indeed! Merely 'friends' indeed! And the audacity of that low- born whore--she would regret showing her hated face in the White City!
Arwen wrote in the top spots on her list:
--Revenge myself most terribly upon Elessar for dallying with the Horse Wench
--Revenge myself most terribly upon the Horse Wench for toying with husband
These items would take priority over everything else, even Send for decent elven cooks from Imladris, demote current cooks to assistant cooks, dismiss current assistant cooks and Acquire new wardrobe, fashion looking very good this decade and Force Fellowhip to leave city soon, hobbit eating habits strain on budget, Gimli is eyesore and Revenge myself mildly upon Faramir for purposely annoying me at wedding. Arwen frowned slightly, reading this last item and wondering if there was some way to deliver retribution to the Steward, the King, and the Horse Wench all at once.
Then insight struck her suddenly and lo, it was good.
A few minutes passed. An elven attendant, arriving to help Arwen dress, was ordered to fetch some writing samples and other very specific pieces of information. The attendant, being no niggard, did exactly as she was told. She had seen Arwen in this frame of mind before, and knew that obeying unquestioningly until the queen regained her mental stability was the best way to remain alive and employed. And at least attending to the task would get away from that soft, disturbing laughter.
Legolas had felt a shadow of threat growing in his mind for days, and it had given him some nasty headaches, but he had not suspected that its cause would be something as terrible as Arwen's wrath.
"Hail, Legolas, son of Thranduil!" she pounced, appearing suddenly and blocking his path. "I would have words with you, if you have no urgent business this morning?" Before he could answer, she took firm hold of his arm and pulled him into a nearby conference room that was conveniently (even suspiciously) empty.
"My queen, what--" he sputtered, once they were safely ensconced within.
"You owe me a favor," she cut in briskly, "for you have been spreading certain…tales about the Elves. I do not take kindly to deception."
Legolas paled slightly. So, she had found him out. He cleared his throat and said nervously, "Queen Arwen, I know my conduct was questionable, but I had only wished to rid myself of some human women who have been pestering me of late. I had deemed my method of evasion quite harmless, you see.
"Harmless?" she said shrewdly, watching his reactions with a careful eye. "You would have me believe that you thought it harmless to feed my husband lies? You believed it would not impinge upon me?"
"No no, I did not mean to cause a rift between you and the king! I merely thought that, well, that it would be amusing…" he finished lamely.
She gave him a long glare that made him shift uncomfortably, Elf though he was, until she finally relented and let him breathe normally. Then, surprisingly, she smiled and said:
"Happily for you, I did find my husband's discomfort amusing, otherwise you would now be on my list."
Legolas, though relieved, could not help but shudder with horror at that prospect.
"But you are still in my debt," she stated firmly, "for playing this trick without my consent. And for using my comb when you were staying at Imladris."
"How did you know about that?" he asked guiltily.
"I have my ways. Now, this is what you will do for me. Here I give you four letters that must remain unopened and unstained. You will place them where you can be sure that the recipients will find them before this evening, and you will do so in secret. If you are discovered, you will invent an appropriate explanation for your behaviour and you will not reveal my part in this for any reason."
Taking the letters and reading the names on them with great curiosity, he said, "That is easy enough to do, in this city of Men, but may I ask what purpose I serve, your Highness?"
She smiled in a very self-satisfied way and replied, "You may ask, but I need not answer. Good morning, Legolas."
And then she left, leaving him with alone with four letters and a most interesting task.
"That actually went fairly well," he mused to himself.
My beloved Eowyn,
Know that I watch thee today with a soul that aches in bliss, and that I would have thee beside me now if I were able! Long have we been parted, and though I begrudge not thy return to Meduseld in honour of thy king, still I burn to hold thee as a man holds a woman, shieldmaiden though she is!
Yet waiting dost give the moment of reunion greater bliss. In celebration of thy homecoming, or rather thy coming to thy new home, I would meet with thee in private tonight. Come to the East Tower a quarter hour before the moon rises to its zenith and lay yourself on the bed thou shalt find there. Divest thyself of garments and await my coming.
I look forward to it.
--F
Eowyn could feel herself turn slightly red in the face upon reading Faramir's note. Surely she had not been away from Minas Tirith for that long. He sounded a bit desperate. At least this note assured her that her betrothed had been true to her while she had been absent, not that she suspected otherwise. Rather, she had worried that Arwen might have done something treacherous, jealous witch that she was, and that poor Faramir would be caught in her web of deceit.
But all looked well. Since Eowyn's return this morning, Arwen had barely glanced at her. If the queen had seduced Faramir or done something even more terrible, she would have gloated, surely.
Eowyn, casting all thoughts of the bitch-queen from her mind, blissfully left her room to find out where the East Tower was located.
My dearest Faramir,
Long have we been parted, and I have been lost in thoughts of sorrow and of the past I leave behind; but still I burn for my lord's touch. Know that I watch you today with a soul that aches in bliss, and that I would have you beside me now if I were able!
But waiting dost give the moment of reunion greater bliss. In celebration of my coming home, I would meet with you in private. Come to the West Tower as the moon rises to its zenith and look for me on the bed you shall find there.
I may forget my garments.
--E
As Faramir read the note he smiled to himself with pleasure. So, she had missed him, even as she had been away in Rohan on a most solemn task. It was good to know that she was attached to him now, not to Aragorn, which had only brought her grief in the not-so-recent past. It was also good to know that she knew how to write in Common; Faramir had been unsure whether the Rohirrim, a largely illiterate people, would grant literacy to a woman, high-born though she be.
Now that that worry was laid to rest, he slipped the note into a pocket near to his heart and went about his duties for the rest of the day, occasionally pressing his hand to his breast in anticipation.
My dearest Aragorn,
Know that I forgive you for your indiscretion, and that my treatment of you these days since our wedding has been punishment enough for you. I have neglected my duties as a wife, and I reflect now that your desire for warmth, be it from another, was inevitable. I will give you another chance tonight. Come to the West Tower a quarter hour before the moon rises to its zenith and lay yourself on the bed you will find there. Divest yourself of garments, clasp a rose between your teeth, and await my coming.
I would have us united again, my love.
--A
Aragorn read his wife's note, astonished. Then he read it again. It still contained the same words; he was not dreaming. He had a vague feeling that she might be scheming something dreadful, but then banished the thought, knowing that it would anger her if she sensed his mind. And yet, uneasiness remained.
Nevertheless, he would go to the tower tonight, for failing to do so would be cowardly and, more importantly, she would definitely kill him if he did not go. He recognized the letter for what it truly was, a sort of ultimatum that would condemn him whatever he chose.
It was better, at least, to be damned on Arwen's good side.
My beloved Gimli,
Though you have never seen me, I have watched you from amongst the throng as you walk throughout the city. I confess that I have fallen in love with you, my dearest Gimli, the only other Dwarf I have seen in long years. But I love you not only for the race we share, but for the inner fire I see within you, a Dwarf great among his people! I long for your strong hands to embrace me close to your beating heart. I long for your touch so dearly I feel I might die!
If you wish to see me, come to the East Tower as the moon rises to its zenith and look for me on the bed you shall find there.
I may forget my garments.
--The Only Dwarven Maiden within a Thousand Leagues
Gimli's eyebrows shot up. He immediately suspected some devious plot, concocted perhaps by Legolas, or even the hobbits, but…for Aule's sake, a Dwarven maiden! Here, in this human city, and she obviously wanted him! It was too good a chance to miss. And even now the moon was beginning to rise! He hurried off to ask for directions to the East Tower, thinking that even if it was a trick, how bad could it be?
Arwen retired to her room early that night, wanting to rest after her labours and, more importantly, to revel in the satisfaction of a plan finely wrought. She was thankful that her father had forced her to take extensive calligraphy lessons in her youth; she had liked them so well, and had been so proficient at them, that she had set about learning how to imitate the handwriting of others in addition to more conventional tasks. The skill had proved to be most useful over the years, never more so than today.
She usually did not look at her list before retiring to bed, but her activities today had been so interesting that she could not resist reading it as she brushed her long, luxuriant hair (with one hundred stokes). And besides, she had nothing better to do at this hour. She found herself missing her husband's devoted ramblings, and even decided that she would let him back into their bedroom tomorrow--as long as her revenge was satisfied tonight, that is.
By the light of her oil lamp, she added to the list Exact recompense from Legolas for spreading rumors about Elves, which were at least somewhat amusing (she immediately crossed this off), and Revenge myself very mildly upon Gimli for finding grandmother more beautiful than myself. Then, she paused, watching the pale moon through her window as it rose to its magnificent summit in the night sky.
Four horrified screams from the east and from the west simultaneously rent the silence asunder.
Arwen, feeling very pleased with herself, crossed off four items with a flourish of her quill. Then she laid herself to sleep, a smile that was almost a smirk adorning her lovely face.
Author's Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I'm currently writing all those term papers I procrastinated on since, er, the beginning of term. Very bad, me. In fact, I've got one due tomorrow, but hey, I'm used to staying up until 5 am. I can even do it without coffee.
In case you're confused, here's a summary of who goes where:
Eowyn: East Tower, naked
Gimli: East Tower
Aragorn: West tower, naked
Faramir: West Tower
Suffice it to say they all run away screaming.
So, Arwen's gotten muchos revenge, but will anyone (ie. Eowyn) respond in kind? Well, I'm still deciding on that. I'll probably downplay it; I don't want the revenge war to go on forever, after all. And will Aragorn's slight realizations about his wife's nature help him at all? Judging from this chapter, nope.