Chapter Six
Aragorn feared rushing into anything. Eowyn had been through enough pain in her life and Aragorn, more than anything did not want to cause any more strife to come to her. Thus as they sat outside in the dim twilight hours, he made sure to say only what he knew would be taken in the proper way. He had no hope to cause her inner turmoil and anguish. He had confused her enough already.
She sat on the cliff, the gentle breeze blowing her hair back. He sat next to her, talking rarely but looking at her every moment. Eowyn kept her head down, almost shyly, and when she talked it was only of little things, things that would not evoke emotion. He could tell she was afraid to evoke any emotion at all.....
Aragorn could hardly take it any more; to sit in this silence when he wanted nothing more to blurt his every thought about her.
"Eowyn, when did you think that you first....." he trailed off, and cursed silently. He wanted to start talking on a comfortable topic, not one such as this.
"It must've been when you first came to the palace at Rohan," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "When you healed my father. In the beginning it was only admiration....."
He reached his hand to push back her hair from her face. "And it grew. And your love of others diminished."
"There were no others," she said softly.
Aragorn sighed. "There were for me....."
"The lady Arwen?"
"Of course. She had been my only thought for countless years, and then you came along, and I realized that I could love another. At first I thought only it was infatuation and I quickly dismissed it. As time passed though, I saw more admirable traits in you, and my other feelings started to waver."
Eowyn was silent.
"Do you remember.....in the Houses of Healing?" Aragorn asked softly.
"How could I not?" Eowyn asked bitterly. "It was then I tried to banish my feelings for you and attain feelings for Faramir. He is indeed a fine man, but there must be another lady for him."
"It was then I thought I had lost you. Faramir began spending more and more time with you, and I was afraid that he would take you....." Aragorn stopped. "From me....."
All the while the two were both unaware of a lurking shadow in the courtyard behind them. Another heard their conversation, one no one would've expected.
The shadow kept to itself for a long time but after awhile it became almost unbearable.
Unbeknownst to the shadow, another lurked in the darkness. This shadow also was struggling to hear every word of the conversation, but this one got carried away before the other.
Aragorn heard something. Quickly, he turned around and drew his sword, a habit from days long gone. "Who goes there?" he asked, taking his other hand to shield the lady Eowyn from harm.
She was already up, with a dagger of her own that she had hidden in her boot. "You forget who I am, dear Aragorn," she said quietly.
Out in the distance a figure began its journey to the surprised victims. It was hooded and cloaked.
"I see you have found love in life," the character said in a hardly recognizable voice. "A love other than the one that you pledged your life to so long ago."
"She has left. She now is with her people in a happier land," Aragorn said defensively.
The hood fell from the figure to reveal lustrous dark locks and a familiar face. "Oh, but she is not," she whispered.
Aragorn felt like his heart had stopped. "Arwen?" he said, his voice choking up.
"I said no ship could bear me hence from this land. Did you not believe me?"
"You did not return.....and your father....."
"My father thought I had left," Arwen continued relentlessly. "I was with a group of my kindred who were under strict orders to make sure I went to Valinor. But none could keep up with me once I left them.....I rode for many days, away from there. I knew where you were – this was during your battle at the Black Gate of Mordor. I saw you return to Gondor. I wanted to say something, to show myself, but I wanted to see how you would act. But then I saw her....."
She said 'her,' not with contempt, but with curiosity. "I did not know her name, but she looked upon you with endless love in her eyes. But then I saw her with another, Faramir, son of Denethor, and I realized you refused to marry anyone else. I was glad then, at the decision you had made.....I almost told you I was here."
"But I did not. I wanted to make sure you were worthy of my love. I believed it with ferocity back in Rivendell, but I had not seen you in so long. I had to make sure. And tonight, I reveal myself."
Aragorn was dumbfounded. "You did not trust me?"
"With good reason, as I can tell."
"Your Majesty," Eowyn said softly. "I will leave now. You have many things to discuss - things that I should probably not hear. With your permission – "
"Not just yet," a deeper voice said. Faramir stepped out from the distance. "So you say you love her, and you confess it. Then as soon as you discover that your other lover has come back, you dismiss her as nothing more than an annoyance. She deserves better than that."
Eowyn sighed. If there were to be a time to disappear, this would be it. But no – she was caught amidst the strange love formation that had been formed amongst these assorted couples.....and she could not escape.
Aragorn feared rushing into anything. Eowyn had been through enough pain in her life and Aragorn, more than anything did not want to cause any more strife to come to her. Thus as they sat outside in the dim twilight hours, he made sure to say only what he knew would be taken in the proper way. He had no hope to cause her inner turmoil and anguish. He had confused her enough already.
She sat on the cliff, the gentle breeze blowing her hair back. He sat next to her, talking rarely but looking at her every moment. Eowyn kept her head down, almost shyly, and when she talked it was only of little things, things that would not evoke emotion. He could tell she was afraid to evoke any emotion at all.....
Aragorn could hardly take it any more; to sit in this silence when he wanted nothing more to blurt his every thought about her.
"Eowyn, when did you think that you first....." he trailed off, and cursed silently. He wanted to start talking on a comfortable topic, not one such as this.
"It must've been when you first came to the palace at Rohan," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "When you healed my father. In the beginning it was only admiration....."
He reached his hand to push back her hair from her face. "And it grew. And your love of others diminished."
"There were no others," she said softly.
Aragorn sighed. "There were for me....."
"The lady Arwen?"
"Of course. She had been my only thought for countless years, and then you came along, and I realized that I could love another. At first I thought only it was infatuation and I quickly dismissed it. As time passed though, I saw more admirable traits in you, and my other feelings started to waver."
Eowyn was silent.
"Do you remember.....in the Houses of Healing?" Aragorn asked softly.
"How could I not?" Eowyn asked bitterly. "It was then I tried to banish my feelings for you and attain feelings for Faramir. He is indeed a fine man, but there must be another lady for him."
"It was then I thought I had lost you. Faramir began spending more and more time with you, and I was afraid that he would take you....." Aragorn stopped. "From me....."
All the while the two were both unaware of a lurking shadow in the courtyard behind them. Another heard their conversation, one no one would've expected.
The shadow kept to itself for a long time but after awhile it became almost unbearable.
Unbeknownst to the shadow, another lurked in the darkness. This shadow also was struggling to hear every word of the conversation, but this one got carried away before the other.
Aragorn heard something. Quickly, he turned around and drew his sword, a habit from days long gone. "Who goes there?" he asked, taking his other hand to shield the lady Eowyn from harm.
She was already up, with a dagger of her own that she had hidden in her boot. "You forget who I am, dear Aragorn," she said quietly.
Out in the distance a figure began its journey to the surprised victims. It was hooded and cloaked.
"I see you have found love in life," the character said in a hardly recognizable voice. "A love other than the one that you pledged your life to so long ago."
"She has left. She now is with her people in a happier land," Aragorn said defensively.
The hood fell from the figure to reveal lustrous dark locks and a familiar face. "Oh, but she is not," she whispered.
Aragorn felt like his heart had stopped. "Arwen?" he said, his voice choking up.
"I said no ship could bear me hence from this land. Did you not believe me?"
"You did not return.....and your father....."
"My father thought I had left," Arwen continued relentlessly. "I was with a group of my kindred who were under strict orders to make sure I went to Valinor. But none could keep up with me once I left them.....I rode for many days, away from there. I knew where you were – this was during your battle at the Black Gate of Mordor. I saw you return to Gondor. I wanted to say something, to show myself, but I wanted to see how you would act. But then I saw her....."
She said 'her,' not with contempt, but with curiosity. "I did not know her name, but she looked upon you with endless love in her eyes. But then I saw her with another, Faramir, son of Denethor, and I realized you refused to marry anyone else. I was glad then, at the decision you had made.....I almost told you I was here."
"But I did not. I wanted to make sure you were worthy of my love. I believed it with ferocity back in Rivendell, but I had not seen you in so long. I had to make sure. And tonight, I reveal myself."
Aragorn was dumbfounded. "You did not trust me?"
"With good reason, as I can tell."
"Your Majesty," Eowyn said softly. "I will leave now. You have many things to discuss - things that I should probably not hear. With your permission – "
"Not just yet," a deeper voice said. Faramir stepped out from the distance. "So you say you love her, and you confess it. Then as soon as you discover that your other lover has come back, you dismiss her as nothing more than an annoyance. She deserves better than that."
Eowyn sighed. If there were to be a time to disappear, this would be it. But no – she was caught amidst the strange love formation that had been formed amongst these assorted couples.....and she could not escape.