Author's note: Hey, another update! I'm glad you all like this fic! I'm having fun with it, too! As for the matter of Aragorn's name, I know he used different names in different areas of Middle Earth. Strider was his name in the north, and in Gondor and Rohan he used different names. I didn't know what to use for his name where Rhiannon was concerned, so I just used his true name. Of course, he has a thousand of them so what was my problem?
Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER THREE
The trees seemed to pass slowly by them as they passed through Ithilien, and as much as Rhiannon hated to admit it, she was slowly becoming weary as the sun approached the horizon. The forest took on a darkness of its own in the twilight, and the night creatures began adding their own sounds even as those of the day turned in for their slumber. The calls of owls and frogs reached her ears, but they bothered her not at all. What did was the evil that came out to hunt after darkness fell upon the land.
Then she caught the sound of falling water and knew they neared the stream that led towards the River Anduin, and she was proved right when they emerged onto a pathway that led to the falls. At one point the path led very near to the gorge that the stream had carved over time, and she saw the glitter of moonlight upon the water's surface.
"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful, Aragorn?" she asked, mesmerized by the sight below her.
"Wait and save your praise for the waterfall you're about to see," he said, turning his head to look back at her. She met his gaze and smiled before he turned back around, and before long the sound became a deafening roar in her ears as they neared the falls. And when they finally came upon it, her breath was taken by the sight of a glimmering sheet of silver that poured gracefully to the pool below.
Dismounting, she stood at the edge of the treeline, staring first at the waterfall and then at the sky above which glittered with thousands of stars, broken here and there by stray wisps of clouds which were eerily lit by the moonlight as well. It was a beautiful sight, and one she would always remember for as long as she lived.
Turning, she saw Aragorn nearby with the same expression she must've had on her face on his own. Then his eyes turned towards her, and a long look passed between them before she finally looked away, unable to look at him long for she felt a strange pain in her heart whenever she did. Seeing him sitting there on her horse, she had beheld an almost regal light about him as if he were a king of old, and she wondered if he claimed kinship with any of them.
"Would it trouble you if I took the time to venture into the pool for a bit?" she asked, suddenly feeling like she had accumulated several layers of dirt and sweat on her.
His lips thinned a bit in displeasure. "I would advise against it, being we're so close to Mordor," he replied.
"Please, Aragorn, while I understand your concern for my safety, I have no wish to go through my travels looking like you do," she said.
He took no offense as he heard the laughter in her words. "Fine, if you must then I will accompany you and stand watch as far away as is safe," he conceded while dismounting and tying the horse's reins to a nearby limb.
She smiled. "But no peeking," she admonished as she started walking down the steep path that led down to the water's edge.
He decided it would be best if he didn't answer that, and he followed her down where he found a rock nearby to sit on where he turned his back to her to allow her some privacy. He pulled out of his pouch his pipeweed and promptly began smoking a bit, being he knew she would take some time since she was female after all.
Rhiannon stopped at the water's edge and crouched down to dip her hand in the water, a shiver racing up her body when she touched the cold water. She began to change her mind, but decided she'd rather put up with a little cold water than stink like an orc, and she began shedding her clothing piece by piece. And when she dove into the water, she surfaced with a loud enough cry that sent Aragorn to his feet and rushing towards her, stopping short when he saw her standing there shivering.
"Are you all right?" he asked, trying his best to keep a neutral outlook on the situation. The water came up to her neck, but he still felt a little embarrassed at seeing her like this.
"I-I'm f-f-fine, Aragorn. It's just that the w-w-water's c-c-cold," she stuttered, feeling foolish given her predicament.
He shook his head as he fought against smiling and making a bad situation worse. "Women," he muttered. "I'll never understand them." Then he walked back to his spot to resume what she had interrupted.
By the time she was done, she felt frozen all the way down to her bones, and she hurriedly dressed herself as even the slightest breeze chilled her further. But she felt better than she had all day and the cold bath had woken her up a little to the point where she could travel a bit further if he wished.
Aragorn stood as he heard her approach. "Did you enjoy your bath, milady?" he asked with amusement.
"I suppose, if you ignore the fact that I was beginning to turn into an ice statue out there," she replied dryly.
"Don't worry, you would've thawed out by morning," he said with a smile.
"Thanks a lot," she returned. "Are we stopping for the night, or do you wish to continue?"
"I think we'll stop here and make our camp for the night. We'll post watch as well in case anything happens, although I doubt anything will. But I don't want to take that chance and risk being attacked," he pointed out.
"Where do you propose we camp then?"
He pointed up to the waterfall. "There would be a good spot."
She gave him a glance that clearly told him he was crazy. "On top of a waterfall?" she questioned disbelievingly.
"No, not on top of it. Behind it," he answered evenly.
"Behind it?" she mocked him, sighing when he nodded his head. "Okay, it's obvious you know where you're going, so lead on."
They reached the spot where they had been earlier and walked up the path a ways until he suddenly lit a torch, the fire's light blinding her for a second as he searched for something on the ground. Then he seemed to find it and led her down a hole that opened up into a passage that turned under the ground, and they traveled in a straight path until it curved to the right. They came upon a door and walked into a large cave that was hidden behind the waterfall, and she could see the tumbling water at the cave's mouth.
"What is this place?" she asked. "As many times as I have been near here, I have never seen anything like this."
"I'm not supposed to have showed you this, but this is the refuge known as Henneth Annun, the--"
"Window of the Sunset," she finished for him as she looked in awe around her. "It's huge! You could fit two hundred people in here! And there are tables and stores of food. Why would you need...?" Then it came to her as soon as she asked the question even as Aragorn answered it.
"Gondor built this refuge as a way of maintaining a hold on Ithilien after Minas Ithil was taken by Sauron," he replied, sadness evident in his voice. "This is a place for soldiers to rest that have seen battle. And I fear that the tide of battle will soon be upon us all and we will be powerless to stop it."
A shiver raced up her spine as the cold grip of fear closed around her heart. "What do you mean?" she asked. "What has happened that would throw the world into so much peril?"
He led her over to one of the tables and bid her to sit down as he did beside her. "I suppose now's the time to tell you of everything," he said, and her soul quelled to hear the grave tone of his voice for she knew that what he had to tell her would not be the best of news.
***********************
Well, Aragorn will give her an earful, I know.
Thanks for reading! C-ya!
Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER THREE
The trees seemed to pass slowly by them as they passed through Ithilien, and as much as Rhiannon hated to admit it, she was slowly becoming weary as the sun approached the horizon. The forest took on a darkness of its own in the twilight, and the night creatures began adding their own sounds even as those of the day turned in for their slumber. The calls of owls and frogs reached her ears, but they bothered her not at all. What did was the evil that came out to hunt after darkness fell upon the land.
Then she caught the sound of falling water and knew they neared the stream that led towards the River Anduin, and she was proved right when they emerged onto a pathway that led to the falls. At one point the path led very near to the gorge that the stream had carved over time, and she saw the glitter of moonlight upon the water's surface.
"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful, Aragorn?" she asked, mesmerized by the sight below her.
"Wait and save your praise for the waterfall you're about to see," he said, turning his head to look back at her. She met his gaze and smiled before he turned back around, and before long the sound became a deafening roar in her ears as they neared the falls. And when they finally came upon it, her breath was taken by the sight of a glimmering sheet of silver that poured gracefully to the pool below.
Dismounting, she stood at the edge of the treeline, staring first at the waterfall and then at the sky above which glittered with thousands of stars, broken here and there by stray wisps of clouds which were eerily lit by the moonlight as well. It was a beautiful sight, and one she would always remember for as long as she lived.
Turning, she saw Aragorn nearby with the same expression she must've had on her face on his own. Then his eyes turned towards her, and a long look passed between them before she finally looked away, unable to look at him long for she felt a strange pain in her heart whenever she did. Seeing him sitting there on her horse, she had beheld an almost regal light about him as if he were a king of old, and she wondered if he claimed kinship with any of them.
"Would it trouble you if I took the time to venture into the pool for a bit?" she asked, suddenly feeling like she had accumulated several layers of dirt and sweat on her.
His lips thinned a bit in displeasure. "I would advise against it, being we're so close to Mordor," he replied.
"Please, Aragorn, while I understand your concern for my safety, I have no wish to go through my travels looking like you do," she said.
He took no offense as he heard the laughter in her words. "Fine, if you must then I will accompany you and stand watch as far away as is safe," he conceded while dismounting and tying the horse's reins to a nearby limb.
She smiled. "But no peeking," she admonished as she started walking down the steep path that led down to the water's edge.
He decided it would be best if he didn't answer that, and he followed her down where he found a rock nearby to sit on where he turned his back to her to allow her some privacy. He pulled out of his pouch his pipeweed and promptly began smoking a bit, being he knew she would take some time since she was female after all.
Rhiannon stopped at the water's edge and crouched down to dip her hand in the water, a shiver racing up her body when she touched the cold water. She began to change her mind, but decided she'd rather put up with a little cold water than stink like an orc, and she began shedding her clothing piece by piece. And when she dove into the water, she surfaced with a loud enough cry that sent Aragorn to his feet and rushing towards her, stopping short when he saw her standing there shivering.
"Are you all right?" he asked, trying his best to keep a neutral outlook on the situation. The water came up to her neck, but he still felt a little embarrassed at seeing her like this.
"I-I'm f-f-fine, Aragorn. It's just that the w-w-water's c-c-cold," she stuttered, feeling foolish given her predicament.
He shook his head as he fought against smiling and making a bad situation worse. "Women," he muttered. "I'll never understand them." Then he walked back to his spot to resume what she had interrupted.
By the time she was done, she felt frozen all the way down to her bones, and she hurriedly dressed herself as even the slightest breeze chilled her further. But she felt better than she had all day and the cold bath had woken her up a little to the point where she could travel a bit further if he wished.
Aragorn stood as he heard her approach. "Did you enjoy your bath, milady?" he asked with amusement.
"I suppose, if you ignore the fact that I was beginning to turn into an ice statue out there," she replied dryly.
"Don't worry, you would've thawed out by morning," he said with a smile.
"Thanks a lot," she returned. "Are we stopping for the night, or do you wish to continue?"
"I think we'll stop here and make our camp for the night. We'll post watch as well in case anything happens, although I doubt anything will. But I don't want to take that chance and risk being attacked," he pointed out.
"Where do you propose we camp then?"
He pointed up to the waterfall. "There would be a good spot."
She gave him a glance that clearly told him he was crazy. "On top of a waterfall?" she questioned disbelievingly.
"No, not on top of it. Behind it," he answered evenly.
"Behind it?" she mocked him, sighing when he nodded his head. "Okay, it's obvious you know where you're going, so lead on."
They reached the spot where they had been earlier and walked up the path a ways until he suddenly lit a torch, the fire's light blinding her for a second as he searched for something on the ground. Then he seemed to find it and led her down a hole that opened up into a passage that turned under the ground, and they traveled in a straight path until it curved to the right. They came upon a door and walked into a large cave that was hidden behind the waterfall, and she could see the tumbling water at the cave's mouth.
"What is this place?" she asked. "As many times as I have been near here, I have never seen anything like this."
"I'm not supposed to have showed you this, but this is the refuge known as Henneth Annun, the--"
"Window of the Sunset," she finished for him as she looked in awe around her. "It's huge! You could fit two hundred people in here! And there are tables and stores of food. Why would you need...?" Then it came to her as soon as she asked the question even as Aragorn answered it.
"Gondor built this refuge as a way of maintaining a hold on Ithilien after Minas Ithil was taken by Sauron," he replied, sadness evident in his voice. "This is a place for soldiers to rest that have seen battle. And I fear that the tide of battle will soon be upon us all and we will be powerless to stop it."
A shiver raced up her spine as the cold grip of fear closed around her heart. "What do you mean?" she asked. "What has happened that would throw the world into so much peril?"
He led her over to one of the tables and bid her to sit down as he did beside her. "I suppose now's the time to tell you of everything," he said, and her soul quelled to hear the grave tone of his voice for she knew that what he had to tell her would not be the best of news.
***********************
Well, Aragorn will give her an earful, I know.
Thanks for reading! C-ya!