Chapter Seven
The four had come inside, to the secret meeting hall so as not to be disturbed. All were full equally with emotion, and no one was willing to concede their fault in any of their doings.
"Why did you take her from me?" Faramir asked. "You do not love her. You've just admitted that, with your elf-maiden here. Since she returned, you could care less for Eowyn."
"I never said that, Faramir," Aragorn said. "In fact, I have been allowed to say very little in all of this, and I would like to change that right now."
That silenced the group. Aragorn cleared his throat. "I love Arwen. I always have. She was my first love, and that gives her a very special place in my heart. Eowyn, whom I also love, came to me at a time when I was quite lonely. Her companionship grew into something more as time went on."
"And Arwen.....she was nowhere. She had told me she would not go to Valinor, and yet, supposedly, she had. I felt somewhat betrayed.....even though I wanted her to be happy, she had promised to stay....." Aragorn's voice trailed off.
Eowyn sat in a cushioned chair at the end of the table, holding her head in her hands. "Take her Aragorn," she said in barely a whisper. "You deserve her.....I will go to Rohan." She got up to leave.
"Eowyn – "Aragorn said, standing to follow. "Do not be this way.....we need to work this out."
"It's already been worked out, your Majesty," Eowyn said, her voice growing thick with emotion. "Besides.....you can't give me what I seek."
"And what do you seek m'lady?"
Eowyn's eyes shown with unshed tears. "Your heart, your Majesty. In its entirety. But you have given it to another."
Faramir came over to Eowyn. "Eowyn.....he's not worthy of your affection.....he's toying with your grief, can you not see that?"
At this point Arwen stood up. "No.....that's not what he's doing. Look in his eyes – it's all said there. He loves her."
Aragorn bowed his head. "It's painfully obvious, isn't it?"
Arwen nodded. "But.....maybe in time, I will grow to understand this. I am meant to be with my people, in Valinor, where we can live in peaceful harmony. This is the age of Men now, and I am not to be here. You need to have dominion over your people.....with one of your kind....."
Aragorn looked to Arwen. "Are you certain?"
"I am," she said clearly. "And I will be happy, as will you."
Aragorn nodded and took the Evenstar from around his neck. "This is yours.....remember me with happiness."
"I will," Arwen said, taking the Evenstar. "I go to the undying lands. May you be at peace."
With that, she pulled up her hood and was gone as swiftly as she had come.
Faramir stood dumbfounded. "You.....do love her, your majesty?"
"I've told you this Faramir," he said. "I was serious about it then, as I am now. I am sorry to take this wonderful woman away from you, but I believe I did lay claim to her first....."
Faramir was silent. "She will be happy with you, your Majesty. With your leave....." and with that, he left the two alone.
Tears flowed freely down Eowyn's face. "You.....love me?"
"As I always have," he said. "I do not see how I could not."
"And.....I have you? Entirely?"
Aragorn ran a hand through her hair. "I am all yours, my shieldmaiden."
And with that, a tale of unrequited love was corrected, to a tale of a much happier sort. The King of Gondor kissed his Shieldmaiden of Rohan, and the Age of Men discovered its two destined leaders.
FIN
The four had come inside, to the secret meeting hall so as not to be disturbed. All were full equally with emotion, and no one was willing to concede their fault in any of their doings.
"Why did you take her from me?" Faramir asked. "You do not love her. You've just admitted that, with your elf-maiden here. Since she returned, you could care less for Eowyn."
"I never said that, Faramir," Aragorn said. "In fact, I have been allowed to say very little in all of this, and I would like to change that right now."
That silenced the group. Aragorn cleared his throat. "I love Arwen. I always have. She was my first love, and that gives her a very special place in my heart. Eowyn, whom I also love, came to me at a time when I was quite lonely. Her companionship grew into something more as time went on."
"And Arwen.....she was nowhere. She had told me she would not go to Valinor, and yet, supposedly, she had. I felt somewhat betrayed.....even though I wanted her to be happy, she had promised to stay....." Aragorn's voice trailed off.
Eowyn sat in a cushioned chair at the end of the table, holding her head in her hands. "Take her Aragorn," she said in barely a whisper. "You deserve her.....I will go to Rohan." She got up to leave.
"Eowyn – "Aragorn said, standing to follow. "Do not be this way.....we need to work this out."
"It's already been worked out, your Majesty," Eowyn said, her voice growing thick with emotion. "Besides.....you can't give me what I seek."
"And what do you seek m'lady?"
Eowyn's eyes shown with unshed tears. "Your heart, your Majesty. In its entirety. But you have given it to another."
Faramir came over to Eowyn. "Eowyn.....he's not worthy of your affection.....he's toying with your grief, can you not see that?"
At this point Arwen stood up. "No.....that's not what he's doing. Look in his eyes – it's all said there. He loves her."
Aragorn bowed his head. "It's painfully obvious, isn't it?"
Arwen nodded. "But.....maybe in time, I will grow to understand this. I am meant to be with my people, in Valinor, where we can live in peaceful harmony. This is the age of Men now, and I am not to be here. You need to have dominion over your people.....with one of your kind....."
Aragorn looked to Arwen. "Are you certain?"
"I am," she said clearly. "And I will be happy, as will you."
Aragorn nodded and took the Evenstar from around his neck. "This is yours.....remember me with happiness."
"I will," Arwen said, taking the Evenstar. "I go to the undying lands. May you be at peace."
With that, she pulled up her hood and was gone as swiftly as she had come.
Faramir stood dumbfounded. "You.....do love her, your majesty?"
"I've told you this Faramir," he said. "I was serious about it then, as I am now. I am sorry to take this wonderful woman away from you, but I believe I did lay claim to her first....."
Faramir was silent. "She will be happy with you, your Majesty. With your leave....." and with that, he left the two alone.
Tears flowed freely down Eowyn's face. "You.....love me?"
"As I always have," he said. "I do not see how I could not."
"And.....I have you? Entirely?"
Aragorn ran a hand through her hair. "I am all yours, my shieldmaiden."
And with that, a tale of unrequited love was corrected, to a tale of a much happier sort. The King of Gondor kissed his Shieldmaiden of Rohan, and the Age of Men discovered its two destined leaders.
FIN