Mae govannen guys. (hesitant smile) Lady Nierwen here again. Runs away from even angrier stampede of reviewers AAAAH! O.K, O.K!!
Amin Hiraetha guys, I'm so sorry about the wait. I do have a reasonable explanation though, well, several really but the main one is this:
My wrist.
Unfortunately my wrist has been quite bad these past few days, it feels marginally better today however, so here I am. My apologies to those who waited so long for an update. I will try harder next time.
Here are the reviewer responses:
Review Responses:
ElvenRanger13: Unfortunately I did hurt myself, thanks for your concern and your review. I'm glad you liked the chapter, are feeling the drama in a good way and I apologise for the late update. And short response.
Lindahoyland: Thanks for your review. I apologise for the late update and I hope that it is better too.
Nightshade3: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Hmmm, you can't really call Legolas a child can you? I suppose however that he is quite young in terms of the length of time elves live, being barely 3000 years old, so maybe. (Rambling) You shouldn't feel self conscious; you'll end up like me! Lol!! You are seriously a great author. You should feel proud of yourself for being able to write so well. I don't get bucket loads of support over here. The adults are in agreement that I should get a proper job and write as a hobby until I get a job. Growing up is hard!! Seriously, I am a geek. You have never seen such a geek in your life. If you were to ask my friends what their definition of a geek was, they would say my name. Please don't cry. Please? P.s: Sorry for the late update.
Ringmarciel: Thank you for your review. I appreciate the feedback and constructive criticism. I find it refreshing to know that there is someone who literally knows everything about a character. It's interesting to hear your feedback however, you say that Aragorn and Arwen had seven unnamed daughters whereas I have heard from a previous reviewer that they had only two. As they don't play that big a part in this fic, I will say that either of you could be right, as from what I have seen, Tolkien said nothing about the amount of daughters they had. I apologise for the late update.P.S: I did know that Aragorn died when he was 210 and in the second chapter, the mistake over how many years Aragorn and Arwen were married has been rectified, it now stands as 120 years. Thanks again.
Gozilla: Thanks for reviewing again. I like it when people come back. I call it the boomerang operation, you know, where, people keep coming back and… yeah I know not funny. Sorry about the late update and thanks again for reviewing.
Silvertoekee: Thanks for your review, another of my boomerang reviewers! I'm glad you like it. I like giving compliments, I'm not what they call a serial flamer, in fact I don't flame at all. In my view, if there is a story that I don't like, I don't review it. It spares the author's feelings at the very least. I haven't read the sequel yet, but I promise you I will. I promise. When I have time. I don't like making people sad, please don't be sad? I would definitely read your book you write one. What genre do you write? Romance, Fantasy etc. Probably a stupid question since you write fan fiction for Lord of the rings but anyway, sorry about the late update, seeya soon.
Neoinean: Hello again! Nice to see you! Did you enjoy your holiday? Where did you go? (Rambling) Sorry for the late update, and here is another chapter.
Shadowfaxgal7: Welcome back from camp, did you enjoy it? Another of my boomerang operators! We don't have camp in England, well, except for brownies and cubs and guides and scouts camps. I'm glad you like my dialogue, I'm not sure about some of it. Feedback? I was sorry to hear about your ankle, even though it happened a while a go. I know someone who had to stay on crutches for about six weeks because she tore the ligaments in her leg. My wrist is still pretty bad, but the plus side with typing is that if it gets really bad, I can just use my left hand. Tony Blair has made some pretty catastrophic mistakes in his time, but I suppose he's not all that bad. Do you think you would ever come to England, on holiday or something? Though, maybe not while you are still in school, the uniform code is strict all the way throughout the school system here. Yes I do like your name. Quite unusual actually, we don't get many Ariel's in England. Mind you we don't get many Melissa's either, so I can talk! How is it my fault if you cry? I'm just the author who writes all this touching mush that makes people cry and… hey, maybe it is my fault. (English humour, not very funny, in fact, it's not English humour it's just my humour, so you know, I'm to blame) Well, sorry for the late update and hannon le for your review! Seeya soon!
I think that's it. If I have missed anyone, please tell me.
Boring legal bit here:
Disclaimer: Alas I own nothing except the fear and doubt that I inject the characters with.
Warning: Sad, angst, fluff, nothing really to moan about unless you don't like sad, angsty and fluffy stories. You have been warned.
Rating: Mmmmmm… PG
Summary: Same as always.
These are getting harder to write, because I don't want to kill off Aragorn yet, but it may be getting a bit lengthy. Feedback on this will be much appreciated, let me know if there is anything you wish to happen and I will look over my stuff for any ideas that can be added. Well here we go, chapter 12…
Oh, and anything in italics, is a dream sequence or thoughts.
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Chapter 12: Fear and Doubt
The sun glimmered and shone over Gondor, spreading its warm glow over the white city of Minas Tirith. Children played in the courtyards; blossom grew scattered upon the tree tops, ranging between cherry and white coloured creating a captivating display. The young children danced as the blossom fell upon their heads, trying to catch it with their clumsy arms and tiny hands.
The palace gardens, surrounding the home of the king and his family were crowded with bushes of roses of every colour, iris's, lilies and every other flower imaginable, it was a dream world.
The royal family sat basking in the sun and the younger of the daughters danced as the blossom fell upon them. Eldarion, prince of Gondor sat next to his mother and father in the shade of a grand oak. The trio smiled as their family played and talked quietly to each other in the warm glow of the sun.
The king played with a symbelmyne flower in his fingers for a while, a smile growing upon his young face, a face weathered with the adventures and quests of his life, but still young. And happy. Lifting the flower carefully, Aragorn pulled back a strand of dark hair that covered the delicate point of his elven wife's ear, and place the flower there, pulling back to admire the beauty of light against dark. Arwen gently touched the delicate flower in her hair before smiling and placing a tender kiss upon her king's lips.
Eldarion looked over his siblings as they played. How he loved them all, what would he do for them? He would do anything that he could, anything that took away the pain that life throws at anyone. It was likely he could do nothing, but he would try, for them. It was happy then but soon, things began to go ill.
The king wore a confused look as he pulled away from Arwen, Eldarion looked in his father's direction as he heard his mother cry out in fear as Aragorn began to age before their arms, the children stopped their play to look in alarm at their father. Eldarion stood, frozen at what he was witnessing.
Suddenly, the king became fearful, the fear showed bright in his eyes, gleaming harshly as it took hold inside. He held his hand out as he stumbled backwards, reaching for his family. His hair was silvery now, his skin worn and veined heavily as an old man's. Eldarion became able to finally move, before he pushed past his mother and reached out to his father, catching the withered fingers in his grasp as the king began to fall.
Suddenly, the king cracked and shattered in front of his family's eyes.
Eldarion stared fearfully at his hand before crying out…
"ADA!" cried Eldarion in elvish as he woke from his dream. Looking quickly around, he saw his old father asleep on the bed before meeting the gaze of the concerned elf, Legolas who sat opposite him next to Aragorn's bedside.
A shaky sigh of relief escaped Eldarion's lips as he saw them there. He looked down at his hand, still clasped hard around his father's and gave it a tight squeeze, as if trying to prove to himself that he was really there. That it was just a dream.
Legolas reached a hand across the bed and grasped Eldarion's; obviously still concerned for the man.
"Eldarion, are you well?" asked the elf softly, still grasping Eldarion's hand and staring at the man with great fear.
After a while, Eldarion replied weakly,
"Aye" he whispered, "Aye, yes… yes… I am well." Looking over at his father, Eldarion rose quickly and glance uncomfortably at the elf he had befriended. Legolas' hand slipped away from his and rejoined its companion covering Aragorn's.
"I need to feel the breeze" said Eldarion with more strength in his voice this time. Edging around the large bed, he excused himself with a nod from Legolas and left the room quickly. Eldarion tried, and covered it well, but the perceptive elf had seen the trembles wracking the young man's frame as he left.
Eldarion strode briskly through the grounds, turning this way and that. Pacing. The best way he found, to pass the time when frustrated. Or scared.
That nightmare had scared him beyond anything he had seen. His father had shattered in front of his eyes. As weak as glass would. Because of this image, Eldarion now feared to touch his father again for fear of breaking him. Why was this happening? Why did he fear to touch his father? He felt like a monster, incapable of touching anything or anyone he loved or cared for, even the touch that Legolas had given him to reassure him had felt cold and empty despite the immortal life and energy running through the elf's veins.
In haste, Eldarion walked straight into his youngest sister and collided quite ungracefully into the girl. Flustered, Eldarion rushed an apology to her and turned to go but she stopped him.
"Eldarion" she called. Eldarion stopped in his tracks and turned back to his sibling.
"What has happened Eldarion, are you well? Is it father?" she asked frantically. Eldarion listened to her gabble for a moment before holding his hand up in a very princely way and hushing her. Immediately she silenced.
Eldarion could see she feared for him and would put her mind to rest. He led her away to a glade and sat upon a stump there, making room for her sit.
"Sister, there is something troubling me. It weighs heavily upon my heart and I would have someone to bear my burden with. If you would listen." The girl nodded slowly, giving her brother's hand a reassuring squeeze before he continued.
"Just now, as I slept, I dreamt a great terror. It began happily, we played as the blossom fell upon our heads and we laughed and talked, I felt happy in the dream, so warm and wonderful. Father put a flower in Mother's hair and she laughed and kissed him. I could see for the first time what love they shared. But then it turned ill. Then… then"
Eldarion looked down as tears formed and dropped down his cheeks as he relived the memory.
His sister then surprisingly spoke up.
"Then father began to age slowly" she said gazing at her brother softly as he looked up in confusion and fear.
"His skin became veined, his hair grey, and then, suddenly, he shattered into oblivion as glass would in an unrelenting grip of iron"
"Yes, yes" said Eldarion with immense confusion growing across his features.
His sister nodded slowly before fixing him with her penetrating stare.
"You need not pretend with me my brother, for I to have had this nightmare and I confess also, nothing has scared me more" she looked afraid then and looked away from her brother who now wore a look of understanding and recognition as he looked up.
Pulling her chin back so she had no choice but to face him, he smiled gently at her and kissed her brow gently before holding her close. He held her for a while and tighter when he heard her weep into his shoulder.
"I fear brother, I fear what each day will bring, and I fear the touch of my family and those whom I care for. It feels so cold and empty now, so alone." Eldarion rocked her gently and held her tightly.
"You do not feel cold" she said, slightly shocked as she pulled away. Her face was red, and fresh tears flowed now down her cheeks.
"Because I understand. I fear also what the day may bring and the touch of my loved ones, but I know I will see the light again. The dark will clear and I will be free. And I am bringing you with me" he whispered, pulling her close again.
"Thank you, my brother" she whispered, holding him to her as he did, finding solstice in her brother's arms. Finding peace. Finally as the sun dipped below the tide, brother and sister, hands clasped, walked back to the castle, prepared to fight the shadow of darkness with the power of love within them.
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So, what do ya think? Cheese fest?
Well, here we are again, at the end of another chapter and my wrist in total agony as I have been writing this for about 2 hrs with no break. No biggy though.
Reviews…
Reviews: pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssseeeeeeee!
Spelling/Grammar: yup please.
Ideas: Need them definitely, however, if it involves elves, and they have already sailed I am afraid that's a no no.
Flames: (sigh) if you must…
P.S: I am taking a Sindarin elvish course over the six week summer holiday break, so any elvish in the stories will definitely be improved.
Namarie for now guys
Lady Nierwen
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