Title: The End Has Come.
Author: B-witched83uk )
Rating: PG
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: Kayleigh, for the wonderful home coming she gave me. And for not letting other people effect the way she sees life and herself.
Beta: The Last Evenstar. A great friend and a great editor.
Archive: , Any others please ask.
Feedback: I would absolutely love some because yes I am a praise junky.
Chapter twelve
Stay and fight, or run and hide.
The morning sun had hit Estelai's face through the window, burning her already flushed face. She groaned softly and turned over, the humiliation of the night before slowly sinking in. Leaping out of bed, she tossed on whatever clothes were near and all but ran out of the door.
She had been ridding for a few hours when she finally reached the edge of the Anduin. Dismounting her horse, she ran to the water's edge and took in a deep breath. She had felt a desperate need to get of there, away from the embarrassment she felt. She couldn't go back, not until after dark, when she would find it easier to move without being seen.
Well, she had wanted Gwydion to give her something other then her mother to think about, and he had certainly given her that. She had thought that she had the previous night all figured out, that she would be in complete control of the situation.
She closed her eyes, and for the first time, allowed herself to remember Gwydion's mouth on hers. A silent shudder ran through her, a low-down ache began to spread.
No, this was wrong, she was wrong! She had truly wanted Gwydion last night, and had he not been the gentleman that he was, things would have been even worse then they were now. What would have happened if she had bedded her own cousin? The thought made her feel ill.
But what about it would have made her feel ill? Knowing they had made love? No, that only made her feel slightly flushed. Waking up in his arms, seeing him smiling at her with all the love he had? No, that made her feel wonderful. Then what? What was it that felt so wrong?
Her family, Gwydion's family, it was facing them that left her cold. Would they have understood? Would they have banished them? Hated them? No, Estelai knew her family well enough to know that they would never do either of those things. But would they truly understand?
What was she thinking? Why would she ever need them to understand? She did not love Gwydion, not the way he loved her! He had said so himself. Then why had she felt such longings for him last night? She knew that she loved him dearer then any other, he was her closest companion. She knew that, even for just one night, she had craved his touch, his mouth, his body. Was that love? Was that true, man-and-woman love?
Gwydion hadn't slept that night, he had lain awake cursing his heart for the choices it had made. Morning came, the sun appeared, and Gwydion knew what he must do.
He had thought about it all night, he had thought about nothing else. He thought about Estelai and realised that whatever she was going through, she was better going through it without him. He did not know if she came to him again, seeking comfort and release, if he could turn her away a second time. Last night he had never felt more alive as her lips had loved his, her tongue had caressed his. But he couldn't think about Estelai's kiss any more, it was too painful. To have her as his, even for a brief time, had been the final knife to the heart.
"Mirkwood?" Galadwen asked him, her voice a little shaky and unsure.
Galadwen, Legolas, and Gwydion stood in the courtyard, underneath the morning sun. He had decided he needed to go away, to leave Estelai to think through her own problems. Mirkwood seemed like the ideal place, it was quiet and only a few still remained there.
"Gwydion, why do you feel the need to leave this day? Winter is fast approaching, the days are getting darker." Galadwen looked to her husband, expecting him to help her try and talk their son out of it.
Legolas simply looked at his son, a paternal understanding between them. He recognised his son's need to get away. He knew love when he saw it, and he knew a broken heart. "Very well, Gwydion, you are a grown man now, and may do as you please." He walked over to his son and embraced him, then in a hushed voice said, "I hope you find what you are looking for."
Gwydion fell out of his father's arms and into his mother's. "I shall be fine, Naneth, just fine. I shall see you in a year."
Galadwen held onto he son for dear life. She just hoped and prayed to the Valar that she would still be here when he returned. "im meleth lle, iôn nín."
I love you, my son
The cool waters splashed over Estelai's feet, dampening her golden dress in the process. She wished that she had someone to talk to, someone she could confide in.
That person was always Gwydion, but she could hardly tell him how she was feeling. The same thoughts had played in her head all day. Her hand stroked over the Evenstar pendent, hanging loosely around her neck. She wished she could have met her great-great-grandmother, an Elven sorceress with the gift of foresight. Estelai longed to know how this would all end, she longed for guidance.
Her head turned towards her horse, a small smile creeping over her face.
"Will you listen to me without judgment?" She stood up and walked over to the mare. "Of course you will, yet you also will not give me your council."
The horse simply nudged her shoulder gently, making her smile even more.
"By the Valar, you are right. How can I expect to think this out on my own? There are two of us in this mess, and I cannot avoid him forever." She leant in and placed a quick kiss to her horse's snout, deciding to go and speak with Gwydion.
TBC
Queen Arwen: I know honey, I feel like smashing Estelai and Gwydion's heads together. I'm glad you like the lapse of sadness, there wont be anymore really sad chapters for a while now.
Lariren-Shadow: You totally got what I was aiming for. Aragorn passing the Evenstar down to Estelai, was a symbol of giving hope to the new generation.
ThePrincess04: Have a good time at camp. don't worry, this way there will be a load of chapters for you to read all in one go when you get back. Something to look forward to lol.
DreaminofLorien: This fic is going to be about 25 chapters long. The end of he first half is the next chapter. So we are almost half way through. Yeah I figured as much as Gwydion wants Estelai, he loves her a lot more and wouldn't want her to degrade herself like that.
ILuvCarbyFuzz: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it and I'm glad you didn't spot any mistakes.
Viviana: Thank you. I promise that in the second half, Aragorn and Arwen have some major fluff.
Cerridwen-Evereven: Thank you, the next chapter will be a little sad, but not because anyone dies/gets kidnapped/hurt so don't worry too much.
The Converted: Dude the pool filters, bedposts and or shrimp forks gave me some freaky arse nightmares. Ok so I'm going to write Arwen/Boromir together and then Frodo/Sam both on the eve before the fellowship go, and you can both shut up and be happy with it ok. Aragorn wont like it, but I'll tell him you made me do it. Hopefully in time he will forgive me…but never you.
Calime Canos: I didn't know it was in bold, thanks for letting me know, I'll fix it ASAP. Gwydion is a nice fellow, he gets it from his father.
ME132: I love chivalry, its so romantic. True, girls do just want to be taken sometimes, but a nice sexually charged build up makes it better in the long run. I'm sorry I killed Ithiliwen, I know she was your favourite, but she didn't feel any pain, and she lived a long and happy life.
