A.N Thank you to everyone that reviewed. So here is the next chapter I hope everyone will enjoy it. I do not own any other the "Lords" characters, you know who they are, I own my own; you'll see who they are.
Chapter 7
Secret
Arwen had always liked early morning walks, and today was no different. Her gleaming eyes peered out from under the flap of her tent, as her senses took in the feeling of the clean fresh morning air. The sun had just started to appear over the horizon, spreading reds, oranges, and purples throughout the morning sky. Her crystal blue eyes then scanned the camp, but she saw no one. She wondered where everyone was, since she was highly aware that elves did not require a lot of sleep. Quickly dismissing the thought she pulled up her skirt she started to walk along the dusty path for her morning stroll.
She always cherished the solitude that she felt during this early morning hour. The trees were so beautiful as rays of light sparkled off the droplets of dew that lay on their leaves. Spider webs glistened from the night's moisture. The musical chirping of the birds filled her ears. She smiled at the sight of a bird bathing in the nearby pool of water. Walking further along the path, she could see that the various camps were slowly coming to life, getting ready for the oncoming day. Today, she knew, was going to be a leisure day, where the guests could spend time getting to know one another. Later on in the evening a big dinner was planned which, no doubt, would become a little tense for all. But for the most part it was just going to be a peaceful, relaxing day.
She hoped that she would not have to break up another undesirable meeting between Legolas and Aragorn. It was beyond her how two future rulers could act as though they were children fighting over the smallest of things! Arwen desperately wanted to believe, like Gandalf, that men and elves could see through all this needles torment and live in harmony. Her brain simply refused all the horrible things about men that she heard from Legolas and Haldir. She refused to believe their tales of greed and hate. She would make her own unbiased decision about them.
And by the looks of it, she would be able to do that soon, because as she walked along the quiet path, she noticed that there was someone coming towards her. They were a long distance away but with her keen elvish eyesight she saw that it was Aragorn. Her breathing became shallow at the sight of the gorgeous man slowly sauntering towards her. She could tell how sure and proud he was by his long strides and the way he held his head high. "That is how a future King should present himself," she said, thinking out loud. He wore dark brown pants and a tan tunic covered by a brown, knee-length cloak. His wavy brown hair that just barely touched his shoulders was softly fluttering in the light breeze. His face showed signs of new growth, and his steel gray eyes were incredible. Arwen shivered as she remembered how they had pierced her soul the day before.
Anxiety and fear then quickly crept into her thoughts. What if he stopped her? What would she say to him? What if…? All of a sudden she wanted to turn around and walk the other way and to put some distance between them. Cursing herself for being so foolish, she decided to follow her heart and carried on.
Aragorn walked along the dusty path, lost in thought. Ever since his encounter with the lovely Arwen he could not seem to get her out of his mind. Even last night when he had consumed too many pints of ale, she had still haunted his thoughts. A relationship with her, an Elf, would go against everything that he believed in. Humans and elves were not meant to be together! Why he felt like this, he did not know. It was just something that had always been there - ever since he could remember. The two races should never mix. Elves were ruthless and evil.......or so he thought. That is why for years he had bored those beliefs into Gwenneth's head. He could just imagine the comments of "I told you so"s that he would get form her, if she knew that he was attracted to an elf! Now that was something that he really did not want to put up with.
Up ahead in the distance, he saw the figure of a woman walking towards him. He wondered what woman would be up at this early hour, knowing how his sister and Eowyn loved to sleep late. As she came closer, he realized that it was she, the invader of his thoughts! He tried to suppress his excitement of seeing her as they approached each other. Then Aragorn suddenly stopped - just to lavish himself in her beauty. She wore a light purple gown, which made her bright blue eyes even more amazing. Her dark hair hung loosely around her face and fell below her shoulders. Her skin looked silken smooth. Oh how his wished he were touching her right now!
She stopped just a few feet away from him and smiled as she acknowledged him. He had never seen such a breathtaking smile before - it was truly a smile that could light up the world! He folded his right arm over his chest and bowed deeply to her. Then looking back up to her, he tried to summon the courage to speak.
"I would like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. My actions were uncalled for and I do hope that you do not think ill of me, for them?" he asked, hoping that she would indeed forgive him. He was sure that Legolas and the others had told her terrible lies about him and he did not want this fair she-elf to think ill of him.
"There was really nothing to forgive on your part, you were just reacting to Legolas," she said, shaking her head. "I just wanted to keep him out of trouble, since that seems to be his middle name. That elf never thinks before he acts! So really, it is I who should be apologizing for his actions," she said bitterly as she recalled what had happened the day before.
"Well, there was no harm done. And I think we should just put the whole incident behind us," he said, trying to make a good impression. "I am sorry but we have not been properly introduced," he added, bowing again to her, "I am Aragorn, son Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor."
Arwen shook her head and laughed when she realized that she knew who he was, but he did not know her. Then, realizing that her laughing could be taken as a rude gesture, she quickly silenced herself. "I am sorry…please forgive my rudeness, but Haldir and Legolas made sure that I knew who you were." Her expression became both sarcastical and serious. "And you do not seem to be the evil monster that they have described you to be. Really......I do not see how you resemble an orc!" Laughing freely once again, she continued: "I am Arwen, daughter of Lord Elrond of Rivendell." She extended her hand and Aragorn accepted it into his own and placed a light kiss on the back of it.
Being the gentleman that he was, his kiss did not linger, although he never wanted his lips to part her skin. He gently dropped her hand, and looked deep into her eyes. "How is it, my dear Lady Arwen, that I have never seen you before?" was his question, asked in an inquisitive tone.
Laughing once again at his question she replied: "I try to stay away from trouble.....unlike my elf kin." She brushed away some stray hair that was blowing in her face. "I usually only travel between Rivendell and Lothlorien. But when I do travel elsewhere, I try to keep to myself."
Aragorn looked around to see if anyone was around. "Would you like to walk with me?" he asked nodding his head and gesturing to the abandoned path ahead of them.
She turned toward the way he was pointing and then quickly looked back to him with confusion in her eyes. "But I was not going that way," she stated firmly. Turning again to look down the path in which she just came from, she sighed. "Well…it is getting late. I guess you could walk me back," she said, as an excuse to keep him in her company a little longer.
"Very well…I would be honored to walk you back to your camp," Aragorn replied with a nod of his head.
As if to guide their way, beams of bright morning sunlight pierced through the cloistering trees onto the path. Quietly they walked along the trail. Neither of them knew what to say to each other, or how they should start the conversation. Arwen kept her eyes glued ahead, feeling like she was a child with her first crush. Any moment now all her elven grace would leave her and she would make a fool of herself! Then, after a long awkward silence, she decided to finally break the ice that was forming between them. "So whom did you come here with?" she asked quickly.
He turned his head to gaze upon her beauty once again. "Ah, I have traveled with my friends, Boromir, Faramir, and Eomer of course. But also Eomer's sister, Eowyn and my sister Gwenneth." At the thought of his sister, a smile swept across his face. What would she say if she saw him talking to an elf?
"A sister?" she questioned in surprise. "Legolas or Haldir never mentioned you had a sister."
"Well that is because not many people know of her. She does not leave Gondor," he said quickly, suddenly coming to the realization that he should have never forbidden her to leave Gondor. Although his intentions were good, he was starting to see that he had gone too far. Her cage was Gondor, and he was the one who put her there.
"Oh. And why is that?" she questioned.
Aragorn sighed deeply and looked down at his feet. How could he answer her question? At the moment he was feeling so horrible about hiding her away! "Well let me put it this way.......It was all done out of love for her and for her safety," he said, trying to dodge answering her question fully. He looked to the path ahead again, afraid to look at her; in fear that she could see that he was not answering her truthfully.
Arwen looked at him with narrowed eyes. She could sense that something was amiss, but she could not put her finger on it. She felt the tension that emanated from his body. "Well I hope I get a chance to meet the mysterious Lady Gwenneth before this week is through," she said, eager to ease his tension.
"Oh I am most certain that you will," he said then, chuckling softly at the thought of Gwenneth trying to meet as many elves as she could. "She is quite curious about the elves!" A bright and warm smile stretched across his face. "And I am sure that she will seek out all of your kin to learn all that she can about and from you."
Arwen studied his face. She could see the love he felt for his sister and that he would stop at nothing to protect her. For that simple fact she felt a deep respect for him. "Well I would be happy and honored to tell her anything that she wants to know. I think everyone should learn as much as they can about each other. After all, is that not what we are here for anyway?"
The handsome man turned his warm smile to her, and nodded his head. "It is indeed, Lady Arwen. I will make sure that Gwenneth makes your acquaintance. She will be most thankful to learn from you." Aragorn then looked down at his feet and tried to think of a way to approach his next question. It was the one thing that was lying most heavy on his heart. Finally he looked at her and asked in an unsure voice, "So other then Haldir and Legolas, did you travel here with anyone else? Like maybe…?
"My brothers!" she burst out before he could finish.
"Oh," came his shocked reply. "Is that all? No husband…or anyone close to your heart?"
Arwen's enchanting laughter filled the air. "No… I am not married," she said, still laughing at the thought. Haldir's face flashed through her mind briefly, but she quickly dismissed it. "And no, there is no one in my heart at the moment." She then looked into his eyes, with a sly smile on her face. "But…there is always a possibility there might be one soon."
Aragorn's heart leapt with joy at hearing this news! They continued on the path, once more lost in their own thoughts. As they neared her camp he spotted a patch of brilliant purple cosmos growing on the side of the path. Walking over to the wildflowers he picked one and brought it to his face to take in the rich scent. He smiled at the aroma and walked back to where Arwen had came to a stop. He then took the delicate flower and folded it, along with her dark hair, behind her pointed ear. His breath hitched as a light breeze gently flowed through her silken locks. She looked more radiant than ever. His eyes slowly drifted once again to hers, as they both stood motionless, lost in each other.
"I should really be getting back," said Arwen, in a soft coy voice.
"Yes, my sister should soon be awake and wondering where I went off to. But I do hope that this will not be our last meeting," he confessed.
"Well…I walk every morning. Perhaps we shall meet on this path again."
"Perhaps," he replied as he gently placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "Good day Lady Arwen." Then he turned and walked in the directions whence they had come from.
Arwen's gaze followed him until he disappeared into a groove of tall trees. She turned around and scanned the area to make sure that no one had been spying on them. Not spotting anybody, she turned and went to her camp. But Arwen had failed to realized that indeed someone had been watching them from high above.
Hidden from sight in the green thick canopy of the tall trees, sat Haldir. His blood boiled when he saw and heard the exchange with his Arwen and Aragorn. He clenched his fist tightly around a leaf-covered branch, his knuckles turning white from the vice-like grip. His eyes were filled with anger and hate, as rage coursed through his veins. "Ah Aragorn you will pay! You will never have Arwen as long as I take breath," he hissed to himself.
**
Gwenneth woke early, hoping that it was later in the day. But to her dismay she had about five hours to wait till her secret rendezvous with Legolas. Getting out of her makeshift bed, she looked around her bare tent. With only a few objects sitting around, it was a far cry from her room in Gondor, which had a huge mahogany bed with the best linens and covers; dressers and wardrobes that housed dresses, of all colors and styles. But those material things she cared nothing about and would gladly sacrifice for true happiness and love.
She pulled her hair back and tied it behind her head, so that she could wash her face with the cool water in the basin beside her cot. Splashing the liquid on her face, she felt refreshed and rejuvenated. She then swiftly moved over to her dress trunk and pulled out a navy blue gown and held it up, wondering if Legolas would like it. Not sure if she was going to wear that one, she threw the dress onto her bed and grabbed the deep burgundy one and held it up to her chest.
Suddenly a burst of sunlight came pouring into the sparsely lit shelter, as the curtain of her tent was thrown aside and an angry Eowyn burst through. Gwenneth jumped with shock, as she turned to face the heated young lady. She was startled to see her friend standing in the doorway with her hands placed firmly on her hips, and her face red with anger.
"And where were you last night, my dear friend?!" spat Eowyn, walking further into the enclosure, as the curtain covering the opening gently fell back in place with a swish, extinguishing the ray of light. Putting her arms across her chest she stared at the Princess, while her foot counted off the seconds, waiting for an explanation.
"What?! What do you mean? I was here all night," stuttered Gwenneth, trying to play the innocent. But she knew all to well that the other girl could tell she was not telling the truth.
"No you were not! I came over here last night and you were not here. I searched this whole camp and YOU were nowhere to be found!" she said loudly with a tinge of disgust in her voice. She turned her head away from Gwenneth and let out a big sigh. "You are lucky that I did not panic and tell Aragorn and Eomer that you were missing!"
Gwenneth could feel her face getting warm as the anger towards her friend grew. "You are starting to sound like Aragorn! You of all people should know that I can take care of myself! And I do not need to report to someone whenever I leave!" she spat, turning around again picking up yet another dress. She could not believe the nerve of her companion, saying such things. It was bad enough coming from Aragorn, but coming from Eowyn, it was absolutely unthinkable!
Seeing her anger, Eowyn hung her head in shame. She knew that Gwenneth was right and she began to feel very sorry and sad that she acted that way. She had no intentions of treating her friend like a child, and that was exactly what she had just done. "You are right. I DO sound like your brother and for that, I am sorry. But I get worried about you too. I could not bear the thought of something ill happening to you! You are like my only sister."
Gwenneth knew that her friend did not really mean to treat her like that. Turning to face the girl once more, she decided to console her. "I too think of you as a sister and I am sorry for scaring you like that. It was late and I wanted to be alone, so I took a walk to clear my mind."
"Clear you mind? About what?"
Her bright blue eyes glazed over and she slowly drifted off into a dream state, as she so often did now when she thought of him. She could see him standing in the water, with the reflection of the sky surrounding him, his blond hair shimmering in the pale light. She quivered as she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"That gorgeous elf…Legolas," she said with a breathy voice. When she closed her eyes she could see his image that was burned into her mind. "I could not get him out of my thoughts, which made sleep escape me…so I walked."
"Well, did the walk ease your thoughts?" asked Eowyn, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
"For a while. Until…I came face to face with him."
Eowyn gasped. She was stunned and at first, she did not know what to say. "You…you met him? I can not believe this," she stammered. She was trying to recover from her shock, then all of a suddenly she was curious about him and wanted to know more. "Was he as mean and evil, like Aragorn and Eomer describe him to be?"
Again a dreamy smile settled on Gwenneth's face. "Oh no my friend, he is far from the evil orc that our brothers make him out to be! He is kind and gentle…and for some strange reason…I know that I can trust him. It is strange, but it feels like I have known him before, even though I know that that is impossible."
Eowyn smiled wickedly at the other girl. "This is just like a fantasy. I mean first you bump into him at the Ball and he sweeps you off your feet although you did not know who he is, or what he looks like! And then you find each other during the fireworks and he mesmerizes you. Which brings us to this latest meeting… and look at you…you seem to have…a glow about you! Surely you can now see that you have found love."
Her eyes sparkled at the thought of being in love. But.......she could not be in love yet, or could she? "Oh I do no know," she softy groaned to herself. "I mean…yes my heart jumps at the sight of him and when he touches me…" closing her eyes she could almost feel his hand on her skin, "I just want to melt. But still…I could just be infatuated with him and this could all be just a passing phase. Although it feels like it could be something special." She kept trying to tell herself that she was not in love with this elf.
"Wait a minute! Go back! You just said when he touches you!" Eowyn asked in excited glee. "What exactly happened last night?!"
Holding a dark green dress in front of her, she turned to face the peer. "How is this one?"
"Stop it! You are an evil witch! You are holding something back from me! Now tell me!" demanded Eowyn.
Gwenneth laughed evilly at her friend's last remarks. She was having fun stringing her along, and wondered if she could continue on with it. But though she was having a lot of fun, she was still a young lady with a secret to tell. And she could not keep it for long. Actually she wanted to shout it from the highest mountain for all of Middle Earth to hear, but instead she pulled her friend closer and whispered gleefully in her ear: "He kissed me."
A high-pitched squeal escaped the other girl's mouth. She brought her hands quickly up to cover her lips, to stop any more outbursts. All that could be heard was the sounds of muffled screaming. After a few seconds the girl gained her self-control. Grabbing Gwenneth's hand, she hurriedly pulled her to the cot that was full with discarded dresses. They both sat and looked at each other like giddy schoolgirls.
"Ok. Now tell me everything. And do not dare to leave anything out! I want to hear all the romantic details, or I will whip your behind," the young blond threatened wildly.
Gwenneth's eyes grew wide at the empty threat. "Ok. Well like I said, I decided to take a walk and clear my head since HE was all I could think about. After walking a little while I came to an enchanting little pond. It looked so inviting and it was such a lovely night that I decided, 'Hey, why not?'. So I took off my cloths and went for a swim." She had to smile when she looked at the other girl's shocked expression as Eowyn was putting two and two together. "While I was swimming, he happened to be walking by and thought that he would do the same."
"So you were both in the water together? Naked?" the blond gasped. "Wait.....that means that he saw you," she abruptly stopped, waiting to hear the reply.
"Yes, he saw me naked," she spoke softy, as her checks blushed at the uneasy thought. "But when I realized that it was him and that he had seen me, I made sure I stayed under the cover of the water as much as possible."
"Did you see him naked?" Eowyn shyly asked, in need to know every little detail.
Gwenneth felt her checks getting warm as they turned from pink to a bright red, with embarrassment at the thought of seeing him with no clothes on. "No…I made sure I turned around when he was undressing, although -I am a little ashamed to say it- I did try to peek, but to no avail. I saw nothing. But yeah…I did see his chest; and it looked like it was sculpted out of marble. And it felt so strong," she said breathlessly.
Eowyn shock her head violently. "Wait one minute! Slow down! You touched his chest?!" Again she shook her head violently. "When did that happen?" Trying to regain control of the conversation, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she started again: "OK…stop skipping around and tell me what happened before you touched his chest!"
"I am sorry. I am just getting a little carried away. So where was I?" Gwenneth paused to quickly recall where she had left off. "Oh, we were swimming. He looked so unbelievable under the light of the moon and stars, his hair flowing around his strong broad shoulders, his intense blue eyes shimmering in the moonlight." Her skin tingled as she described him. "He introduced himself and did you know that he is a prince?" She continued, not waiting for an answer. "And then I introduced myself and we made small talk. He told me that it was Fate that kept bringing us together. And you know what? I am really starting to believe that, too," she said and then stopped talking to finally catch her breath.
"Do not stop now! Get to the kiss!" urged Eowyn.
"Well we talked about this stupid ongoing battle between him and my brother. Then after I scolded him and told him what I thought of this needless fighting, he just, out of nowhere, pulled me to him and kissed me." She again paused and unconsciously brought her hand to her lips. "His kiss was so…amazing," she whispered, remembering the fire she had felt in his lips. That kiss would indeed be etched in her mind till the end of her days, and she would recall it often.
Eowyn could not contain her excitement as she bounced up and down on the very unstable bed and clapped her hands. "Oh my, this is so romantic! I mean, it was romantic, was it not?"
"Well, yes it was. I mean the moon and the water.....it was all so captivating." She then got up and started to look through the dresses once more. "Which one of these do you like?"
The young blond groaned in anguish as she too got up and started riffling through the garments. "Come on Gwenneth, surely that can not be all that happened?"
"Well what else is there to say? He walked me back to the camp and he kissed me once more before he left."
"Are you going to see him again?"
Gwenneth held up a deep purple dress and swayed back and forth to see if she liked it. "Well that is my dilemma," she said while crinkling her nose at the gown and tossing it aside for another. "First I have to find a dress to wear, and second, I need to slip away unnoticed, for I am to meet him at the stables at noon."
Eowyn looked at Gwenneth with judging eyes as the other girl held up the burgundy dress. Then she sighed and shook her head. "Ah and I guess you need me to help you to escape," she said in a reluctant tone.
"Well, yes of course I need your help! I mean you are my terror twin and who else but you can come up with a good alibi?" she pleaded.
"I do not know," she said, bringing her hand to her chin. "I mean he is an elf, and if your brother or Eomer finds out, they will be tar and feather for both of us and not to mention, they will never permit us to leave Gondor until we are old and gray! And then they still would not let us out without them there watching us! And you know Eomer was going to ask you to have lunch with him."
Gwenneth reluctantly sat down on the bed, knowing that she was right. If she got caught, all of Mordor would break loose and she would lose what little freedom she had now! And what of Eomer? She did not want to lead him on, but she had to act as though nothing was happening, so no one would suspect anything. Then a vision of Legolas burned into her eyes. She heard her heart screaming to him. She had to see him! And right then and there she decided that she would do anything to make sure that it happened. No one, not even Aragorn or Eomer, was going to stand in her way! "I guess I should not have asked you for your help with something that could lead to so much trouble but I must do this. I feel it in my heart. I need to see him again," she sternly explained.
Eowyn could see that her decision was set and that she would go with or without her help. She walked over to her friend and embraced her. "If this means that much to you then yes, I will help you and we will stand together and face our punishment if we are caught."
"Thank you," Gwenneth said, smiling from ear to ear, glad that her friend would help her. She rose from the bed, and grabbed the light blue gown and turned to face her companion. "I think this one is good. What do you think?" she asked, trying to get the girls opinion.
"My friend, you are amazing! And yes, I do like that one, as he will too. Now how are we going to plan your escape?" she asked with a sinister tone.