Title: The End Has Come.
Author: B-witched83uk (bwitched83ukaol.com)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gondor's royal family have their final adventure together.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. The whole of Middle-earth belongs to Tolkien.
Dedication: The Converted and The Last Evenstar. For creating my website and editing this fic…also…welcome to the dark side that is slash. Mind the horney Elves and Hobbits on your way in.
A/N: According to The Last Evenstar (Jenny) my very own Tolkien know it all, the Elves considered it a sin for cousins to marry, as was the case with Maeglin and Idril
"The Eldar wedded not with kin so near, nor ever before had any desired to do so...For it seemed to her a thing strange and crooked in him, as indeed the Eldar ever since have deemed it."
Chapter four
The falling rain.
The sun rose high the next morning, warming the air slightly. Arwen had noticed the special bond between Estelai and Gwydion, they all had, but Arwen had noticed much more. She had noticed how Gwydion shied away from female attention, instead preferring to spend all of his free time with his cousin. She had noticed how his eyes followed her around the room, never once leaving her face.
Whatever happened, it would not be easy on them, and her heart went out to the pair. She wished she could say something to them to ease the pain they would know, wished she could change their feelings, but she knew that she could not. Arwen would soon leave this world, so she had to have faith that it would all work out for the best; after all, she would not be around to see for herself.
"Do you know that when you think hard on something, your brow tightens and you chew your bottom lip?"
Arwen smiled and turned around to face Elladan. She hadn't even heard him approaching her in her sewing room, where she now sat. "Did you know that if I ever saw you think hard on something I would no doubt die of shock?" The smile left her face when she saw her brother's eyes. The mention of her death, though in jest, had clearly discomforted him.
Deciding to finally breach the subject that neither had been brave enough to bring up until now, she stood and walked over to him. "Dear Elladan, for two decades of men have you dwelt in Minas Tirith, not once returning to Imladris. If you fear you will not be here when my end comes, then why do we not say goodbye now? Face the truth that soon I will leave this world?" Arwen's voice was soft and caring as she brushed her fingertips over his cheek. "If you linger here, away from Elrohir, because you feel it is your duty to, then I would rather you leave now."
"Why must everyone assume that I miss Elrohir? Why must everyone assume I cannot survive without him?"
Elladan's sudden outburst caused Arwen to remove her hand and take a step back. "I do not think that way." She gently shook her head, looking into his deeply saddened eyes. "Elrohir is the other half of your soul, the Valar made it so. You have shared everything since sharing the womb. It is only these past years you have distanced yourself from him."
Elladan looked away from her knowing eyes and turned around. "I shall see you at dinner." With that he walked out of the room, his guilt and sadness engulfing him.
The party had been a success, even though no one knew the its purpose. Every so often, the royal family of Gondor was told a party was being held, and they simply showed up and acted their usual charming selves. They had long since stopped bothering to ask what the party was in honour of.
Estelai had been disappointed to see that Gwydion was not at breakfast. She was concerned about his behaviour the previous night. She wondered if perhaps it didn't have something to do with the young lady he was dancing with at the party. Perhaps there was more to them then a simple innocent dance.
After finding out from his mother, Galadwen, where he was, she had decided to go to him and force him to talk. It didn't take long to find Gwydion; he was about as predictable as the changing seasons, after all. He was in their grandmother's private garden, a place they often came to find peace.
When she saw him, sitting upon a large smooth stone, she stopped and wondered if she should leave again. His face was in his hands, his shoulders slumped. To Estelai, he seemed to wear a heavy burden; a great weight seemed to hang from him. He was dressed in a simple dark tunic, with a black shirt underneath and black leggings, his hair simply pulled back with a tie. His trademark look, dark and solitary.
Seeing him this way, she thought of her grandfather, and wondered if this might not be how he looked back in his ranger days. She then thought of Gwydion and herself, the way they both looked together, like day and night, in perfect harmony.
"Gwydion?" She approached slowly, not wanting to startle him. He lifted his face from his hands and smiled at her, or at least attempted to. She walked closer to him and sat beside him. He scooted over, making room for her, until he was almost falling off.
"I missed you at breakfast. I thought we had arranged to met there." Her voice was soft, even softer then usual.
"I am sorry, cugu tithin, I sought solitude. The party left me with a need to be apart from the rest of the world."
The rest of the world didn't usually include her. It was usually the two of them against the world.
"It is a fine day." She inwardly rolled her eyes at speaking to her dearest friend about the weather of all things. She abruptly stood, her pale gold dress rustling as she moved. "Let us take a walk, as we had planed to do." She held out her hand for him to take, but he didn't, he simply stood beside her and started walking.
They had been walking for a good hour, discussing the party and their guests behaviour, when Estelai suddenly stopped. Gwydion followed her gaze to the ground, in front of a very high willow tree. A black bird lay motionless, having obviously fallen.
Gwydion's keen Elven eyes instantly scanned the top of the tree and he saw a bird's nest, almost empty.
"Can you see? Is it empty?" She made to climb up the first branch, loosing her footing and falling instantly. The first branch was only 3 feet or so off the ground and had she fallen to the ground, she would not have hurt herself. Gwydion's Elven reflexes grabbed her around the waist before she fell, holding her tightly against his chest.
Estelai laughed at her own clumsiness, but the laughter soon died when she noticed that her cousin had not released her. She looked in to his eyes and saw something in them she had never seen before. She felt the heat of his chest through their clothing, the fast beating heart beneath. She felt the warmth of his breath against her cheek and she trembled slightly, instantly embarrassed that he would have felt it.
Pushing herself out of his arms, she forced another of her dazzling smiles on to her face. "I am so clumsy, one day I shall really do myself an injury." She didn't dare look at Gwydion, instead forcing her gaze back up to the birds nest. "Well, can you see if it is empty?"
Gwydion tore his eyes from Estelai's slightly shaking from, telling himself it was just the fright the fall that had made her tremble thus.
"I can not see from down here, I shall have to climb up to the very top." He placed a more steady foot on to the first branch and heaved himself up on to the second.
Estelai watched, impressed at how graceful and fast he moved. "Be careful, Gwydion, it is quite high."
Gwydion reached the very top and peered in at the sleeping bird. "There is another, though not a chick. I think perhaps she has not laid yet. The one down there must be her mate." His yelling down to his cousin must have startled the bird, for she flew out of the nest, diving at him. He instantly ducked the small black form, but it caused him to lose his balance.
"Gwydion, be careful!"
He fell all the way to the bottom, hitting numerous branches on the way down.
He opened his eyes, relieved to see that he was still alive.
"Oh, Gwydion, stay still, I shall fetch help!" She was stopped dead in her tracks by the feel of his hand wrapped around her wrist.
"Nay, Estelai, there is no need, I am quite unharmed." He stood up and straightened himself out. He looked at his cousin, who was staring back at him.
"How can you be unharmed? Gwydion, that fall should have killed you." She began inspecting him, looking at the tear on the knee of his leggings. The skin underneath wasn't even scratched.
"You are the luckiest man I know." She shook her head, thinking of all the times he had escaped harms way. "Any other person would be dead by know. You know you really mustn't be so reckless, Gwydion."
He laughed and looked her right in the eye. "Whose love of animals got me up there in the first place?"
Estelai simply sighed, she had had a terrible fright when he had fallen.
When he saw the worry etched on his cousin's face, he stopped laughing and stroked a hand over her cheek. "Come on, cugu tithin, you know I am made of stronger stuff then that."
She smiled weakly, leaning in to the comforting touch of his hand. "Don't I know it. You were never ill, even as a child. You used to be able to fall down and get back up again smiling, without a single scratch on you."
Gwydion laughed. "You make me sound as though I am indestructible."
"Sometimes I wonder if you are not. You have always been so strong, not just in battle." She thought back to all the times he had been a rock for her, a constant companion. The previous night had really hurt her, thinking he was perhaps cross with her, or worse, bored of her. "Gwydion, why did you behave so unfeeling towards me last night?"
Gwydion grimaced at the pain he had caused her. He stepped closer to her, and held her hand in his own. "I am sorry, cugu tithin, I was not feeling myself last night. Please forgive me?" That was a lie, it was the most like his real self he had felt in years.
She smiled warmly and nodded. "Of course I forgive you. There is nothing you could do that I would not forgive." Her voice dropped to a more intimate tone, and their eyes locked once more. That new look was back in his eyes, the unreadable look that caused him pain. She reached out her hand to stroke over his jaw, in an attempt to comfort him, and felt his jaw clench. "Gwydion?"
A burst of thunder tore through the sky, causing them both to jump back. They looked up at the sky, only to be met with heavy droplets of rain.
"Oh, curse it. We are an hour's walk from the citadel. We shall be drenched." Estelai found herself having to raise her voice over the loud thrumming of the rain.
Gwydion nodded and started to run. "Then we had best not waste any time. Come on." He beckoned for her to run with him.
Lifting up her skirt and laughing, Estelai ran through the rain, the Elven part of her loving the feel of it caressing her cool skin.
TBC
Angel of the Night Watchers: I don't see anything wrong with it either, especially as Gwydion is such an absolute darling, but rules and rules according to the Elven way.
Terreis: Thank you, I shall miss getting such nice reviews. Estelai means 'little hope' it was a tribute to Aragorn who was named Estel by Elrond (You probably knew that already) Well Jane Austin certainly didn't have a problem with the whole cousin thing did she.
Starlight63: I think Estelai would be flattered too, but Gwydion has been carrying around this guilt for a very long time and he has probably convinced himself that she would hate him…poor little lamb.
Aebbook: Thanks, I'm glad you have enjoyed reading them.
Viviana: Thank you so much, that is such a lovely thing to say.
The Converted: Dreams to dream…la la la. I'm not the kind of woman to let a man stand in her way, unless it was Viggo Mortensen and he was naked…and wet…and sweaty…and…I'll stop. Hot fudge? Just realised that people who aren't in our little group must wonder what the hell we go on about.
DreaminofLorien: Legolas has a reason to be worried. Galadwen is certainly a high maintenance wife.
ME132: Happy dance, glad you like it.
Thank you ThePrincess04, Cerridwen-Evereven and EbonyBeach for your reviews, they are much appreciated.
