This chappie is quite long and I didn't know whether to put it up in 2 bits
but I thought the suspense might kill someone (namely me) so I didn't and
here it is! Thanks all u guys who reveiwed! (As to all u who didn't - this
means war! Or, in other words - U MUST REVIEW NOW!!!)
Anyways, enjoy! Hana X
"Please, Estel, can we got to The Place?" Arwen was getting restless on the horse. She longed to climb down and run throught the trees, light footed and light hearted.
"The Place? But it is at least another hour's slow walk away.We will have no time to eat or relax before turning home again!"
She laughed. "There is plenty of time. The sun has a long way to even reach noon yet."
Estel sighed. "Ok then, but we shall hurry anyway. Almo ilo, Raestafel," he whispered to the horse. She picked up speed immediately, galloping through the trees, almost flying. She halved the expected time, and her riders were soon dismounting and admiring The Place.
"Oh Estel, how I love once again to be here and with you. This glade has so many memories, good and bad." She lead Raestafel into the shade by a pool of fresh water. There was no need to tie her up, she was one of the finest and best trained horses in the land. "Ealli haladas," she whispered.
When Arwen returned to Estel, she lay out a rug on the patch of short grass between the rocks and climbing plants, and sat down, transfixed by the splendour of the view before her. All that was visible for miles around were trees, big, small, brown, green, white and every shade in between. It was a breathtaking view, seeing through the enchanting mists, into another world, one in which there was no pain or darkness, no death or despair.
She had come up here when her mother had passed away to the Undying Lands. Her family, wracked by grief, had not been able to comfort her, so she ran as hard and as fast as she could, and ended up here. Long hours she spent, weeping and regretting, until one day she looked out across the mist- enveloped trees and saw that she could not cry forever. She had to get on with her own life.
That was why it was so special, because it reminded her that there will always be something good to hope upon. "The World can never be completely evil, as long as there is hope," she whispered. Speaking of hope, Estel was suddenly sitting right behind her. "Isn't it lovely?" She asked.
"It is. Each time I look upon it, it's beauty seems to have increased ten- fold. Like you." He grinned at her and she blushed. She knew he was only messing about - they had many private jokes - but this time she was sure she had sensed more in his alluring voice than humour. No, she was just being paranoid, getting her hopes up for no reason. He didn't see her like that.
She lay on her back and looked at the clouds for a while. Estel did likewise.
"Do you remember when we came up here that day when Elladan broke your hair clasp, the one your mother had made for you?"
"Yes..... I was mad at him for days after!" She sighed. "I cried for hours in your arms. I thought I had lost a real piece of my mother, but you helped me see that she lives on, not in material, but in here." She placed a delicate hand on her heart. "Thank you."
"For that? It was nothing."
She sat up on one elbow to look down on his face, and a tear ran down her cheek. "Estel, it was everything. You are everything. You have held me so many times and listened to me cry, you have healed my hurts, calmed my fears, kept my feet on the ground. You have made me who I am, and I have only you to thank. You are my best friend, and I could ask for none better."
They were silent for a while, staring at each other, Arwen quietly crying. Eventually Estel lifted an arm and wiped her tears away, before pulling her into a rib-cracking hug. And they remained like that until the sun reached it's peak in the summer blue sky.
Finally they broke apart and Estel spoke. "You do not need to thank me, for you have already fully returned the favour. All those times I was haunted by images of my parents. You saved me too. So thank you."
"It was nothing," she smiled.
"Then we'll call it quits then. We both did nothing to help each other."
They shared a mutual grin before unpacking the food. Estel had brought a fine feast in a such a small saddlebag. There was bread and cheese, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and every other berry imagineable, fruit and deep crimson wine.
"You spoil me, Estel," Arwen laughed as he fed her strawberries dipped in sugar. Juice ran down her chin and she wiped it away, licking her finger afterwards.
It was too much for Estel. He forced his eyes away before he did something stupid, like offer to lick the juice off himself. She looked so pure, like a goddess. She was, to him. And she had called him "everything". His heart was racing all the way through her speech, and he had had to hug her to hide his tears. Why did he feel like this? It felt like he was..... in love? And forbidden love at that. A Man could not love an Elf, the story of Beren and Luthien was evidence plain enough for that. But illegal all the same, was he in love? Surely not. You couldn't go from harbouring friendship to love in the space of an afternoon, could you?
Little did he know, Arwen was having the same struggle in her mind. As they ate, she began to formulate a plan. She had to know if he felt the same way or the suspense would kill her for sure.
***************
Some time later they lay on the grass, merry and giggling. How much wine they had had Arwen wasn't sure, but she felt drunker than she ever had before. Estel seemed to have taken it well, but she coud barely stand.
"Undomiel, I am beginning to think your mind very dirty!" Estel laughed, after Arwen had told him one of Elladan's rude jokes.
She smiled innocently and fluttered her eyelashes. "Oh really? Well, I try!" She eased herself up and stood unsteadily, holding onto a rock. The sun was burning overhead and she was touched by the desire to strip naked and jump in one of the little ponds near by. Her dress clung to her body with perspiration, and Estel had to avert his eyes.
"Come and swim with me, Estel," she commanded. "I need to feel the cool water on my body," she ran her hands over her breasts, down her flat stomach to her hips, "I need to get this dress off!"
"No!" She looked up, her head swimming. Estel was staring at her, his expression unreadable, his face crimson. "You can't - n-not here," he said in a shaky voice.
"Why ever not? I can and will do whatever I like!"
"Arwen, it is indecent."
"But there is no one around, save you. Oh..... is that the problem?" Her world on the brink of destruction, her mind quickly sobered. "Do-do you have a problem with that? W-with me?"
"Arwen, no....." He stood up. "I-I do not have a problem with you. Never." He tried to take her hand but she flinched away. "Arwen, please....."
"What do you wish me to do?" She said, a little louder than expected. "You say you have no problem yet you refuse to swim with me. Why? Do you not like me?"
"No, I don't not like you. Arwen, I love you, I could never not like you -"
"What?" Suddenly her breath caught.
"I said I don't not like you, which means I do -"
"No, what you said after that."
He realised what she meant. Should he repeat it? Was she angry or upset because of it? Or did she want him to say it again because it enlightened her heart? It was now or never. He took now.
"I- I love you."
She blinked back tears. Everything seemed to go silent, even the birds in the trees. They were caught in a time trap, suspended.
"You do?" She asked suddenly, in a low voice. She was startled to realise how calm she was.
"I do," he knelt before her in a gesture of service. And prayer, for he began to pray to whoever would listen, hoping she would say she loved him too, hoping he hadn't just ruined his life. "I have always loved you, as a friend. But more recently as a...... As you. Arwen, you are beautiful beyond belief, I -"
She placed her fingers on his lips, then took his hand and pulled him to stand before her. A tear ran down her cheek. He really does love me, she thought. Everything is going to be ok. He loves me. He loves me! "Estel, I cannot speak....." And she collapsed in a dead faint.
****************
In the twenty or so minutes that she lay unconscious, Estel was a tortured man. Not only from the fact that she had fainted, but also that he had not heard her reaction to his announcement. Did she feel the same? Did she just want to be friends? Would their relationship ever be the same again? He doubted this, yet hoped against hope that it would change for the better.
As soon as she fell he had caught her in strong arms and lay her on the grass. He collected cool water from a pool and damped her head and neck. She was boiling, no wonder she had collapsed. He held her hand and sang to her, an ancient song in Elvish.
"Eaûdero minn Alo Alläs Est Úndomiel ic namarie wen Sëf mela domico sëf astafel Et ündarelo melti mînne"
Hear me, Heart of my Heart, You are the Evenstar, heaven blessed; Come back to me, come back to love, Your soul is pure, your heart no less
There were other verses, but none so fitting in his mind. Slowly Arwen's temperature decreased and eventually her eyelids fluttered open. Transfixed by her beauty, Estel did not notice until she spoke. "I love you too."
He jumped and she smiled a small smile. "Are you ok? You just - What did you say?"
She swallowed. Even going second was not easy. "I said - I said I love you too." He really was gorgeous, there was something about his eyes especially.
"You do?"
"I do. I do! I love you!"
"Arwen," he breathed. Further words were impossible. They just drank each other in, all their features, common traits, a thing they had done for many years, but never before in this way.....
He put his arm under her shoulders and lifted her gently into a sitting position. She was weak, so he supported her against his body. She was so warm, not just from body heat. She reached up to stroke his face, before leaning her head back against his chest and laughing.
"What is wrong with you?" Estel asked. "Crying one minute, then fainting and now laughing?"
"I was just so sure you'd say you didn't love me back. I thought you'd hate me for admitting what I felt and we'd never be able to speak to one another again. I thought I'd lose you for sure. I thought....."
She trailed off, and he picked it up. "You thought I didn't share your feelings? You thought I'd hate you? Never. As a matter of fact, I thought exactly the same things. To the letter. I felt embarrassed hiding my feelings from you, but at the same time I didn't want either of us to feel embarrassed if they were not mutual."
"So, you really do love me?"
"Undomiel, my Evenstar, I have, do, and will always love you. When we kissed yesterday, I felt like I was on fire. I knew I had to do something about it, before it drove me mad."
Yesterday. The kiss. It was time for Arwen to put her plan into action. "Speaking of that kiss, I do not think you showed me correctly. I have seen Elladan kiss many a girl and none of those kisses have ever been as short lived as ours was. Show me how to do it properly."
He turned her around to face him. "You really want to know?" He grinned. He had been waiting for this for far too long.
"I really want to know," she teased.
"Ok, well, I'm going to kiss you, and then slowly I'll put my tongue into your mouth, and you'll massage it with yours. Just take it steadily, and see what happens. There are no rules, so you can do pretty much anything you like. Ok?"
He smiled at her determined look, arbitrating fear. She was getting more anxious by the second. What if she was a bad kisser and he fell out of love with her? What if she did something wrong, bit his tongue or suffocated him or -
All thought was lost as he swiftly reached one hand round the back of her neck and pulled her lips onto his once more. But this time it was so much better. Arwen immediately followed her instincts and brought her hands to hold his face, running her fingers through his hair. As he had instructed, once his tongue found its way into her mouth, she answered it with her own, all the time moving her head to a silent rhythm. She moaned as his hands discovered her body, and gripped his hair more firmly.
A kiss was such a small gesture, yet meant so much, and felt so, so good.
Estel was in paradise. Arwen may never have kissed anyone like this before, but she did it like she was an expert. She tasted as delicious as she looked, and that was saying something. He could not get his head around the fact that this was really happening, that she loved him and was kissing him. He thought he had strayed into a dream, that soon he'd wake up and they'd still be just friends. That would have been fine, for any Arwen was better than no Arwen at all, but now he knew they could never go back to how it was before. They could never just be friends again.
Suddenly a horrible thought occured to him, something that he had tried and failed to lock away to the back of his mind. With a great strength he pulled away from the Elf maiden.
"What is wrong?" She asked. Confusion flashed in her eyes, and worry. "Did I hurt you in someway?"
"No, you did not hurt me, quite the opposite actually."
She still looked confused. She took his cheek in her hand and looked seductively into his eyes. "So? Why did you stop?" She moved in to kiss him once more but he put an arm out to stop her.
"Arwen, we cannot do this."
"Why ever not? It isn't illegal." She looked hurt.
"Oh but it is. The tale of Beren and Luthien proved that no mere mortal such as myself can love an immortal princess. You are that princess, Undomiel."
They were silent for a while, both pondering his statement. "So are you saying you do not love me?" Arwen said eventually.
"I love you more than anything, but I cannot ask you to forsake the immortal life of your people for me. It is not my place, and I am not worthy to control your life in such a way. I will not ask you."
She was pensive for a moment. "What if it was given freely? What if I offered you my love, knowing full well what it would mean? What would you say then?"
Estel stood up slowly. "Of course I would say yes. But you have not thought this through. In a second you cannot simply swap your fate. And what would your father say?"
"My father loves me and would support me whatever my wishes." She looked up at him, wishing all this would go away and they could just be together forever.
"Really?" He walked over to the edge of the glade and looked out upon the forest, with his back to her. "Lord Elrond is wise and valiant, and he loves you more than words can say, but I do not think he would take kindly to this. If you bound yourself to me, it would be the same as saying you no longer love him enough. Do you want to do that to your father? Could you?"
She went to stand behind him and said, "My father would understand, because I would make him see that I love you. You, Estel, no other. You are a great Man, like a son to him. He loves you and respects you like a son. I know," she added, seeing he was about to interrupt, "that you are not his son, but he still sees you as one. And surely my heart is more important than some tradition. I do not fear him."
He turned to look upon her. "What do you fear?"
"The cold sting of loneliness. I have felt what it is like to lose someone you care for. I have tasted the pain of isolation, being frozen inside, unable to think straight, when you feel that there is nothing in this world left to live for." She took his hands and looked into his intoxicating eyes. "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone."
"Arwen....."
"Aren't we allowed to follow our hearts? Aren't we allowed to love?" She pressed something into his hand.
He looked down and saw her pendant, the Silver Evenstar, a symbol of her grace and beauty. A symbol of her immortality. "Arwen," he breathed. "You cannot give me this."
"It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart."
She looked so confident, so sure of everything, yet at the same time there was a glimmer of dependency and pain. Estel could not hurt her. If she truly wanted him to love her, who was he to refuse?
On instinct he slowly leaned in to kiss her, his eyes not leaving hers until their lips collided once again. And they stood, like two elegant swans, lips, bodies and souls entwined, just being with on another. Just together.
****************
Yay - hands up who loved that chapter! Aah, I see you all sitting infront of your screens raising your hands - suckers! Anyway, I did think that was rather fluffy, even if I say so myself! More to come soon, as ever! Hx
ME WANT REVIEWS OR ME WILL BE SAD LITTLE GIRL!!!
Cerridwen-Evereven - I wasn't offended by what you said about angles, I just didn't understand. However, now I do and think it's a lovely compliment! Thanx! (ps You should be proud - 2 reviews when many other lazy peeps submit a total of 0! Top of the class, and thank u!)
Queen Arwen - I'm glad I deserve a place on your favs list! Cheers! (and I agree, Aragorn is cute in any way, shape or form!)
Altril Narmolanya - Thank you, next chapter shortly! Neviwyn - I'm posting, I'm posting, I'm posting! Thanx! (Did u know u had caps lock on when u wrote that? Just thought I'd point that out 2 u!)
Anyways, enjoy! Hana X
"Please, Estel, can we got to The Place?" Arwen was getting restless on the horse. She longed to climb down and run throught the trees, light footed and light hearted.
"The Place? But it is at least another hour's slow walk away.We will have no time to eat or relax before turning home again!"
She laughed. "There is plenty of time. The sun has a long way to even reach noon yet."
Estel sighed. "Ok then, but we shall hurry anyway. Almo ilo, Raestafel," he whispered to the horse. She picked up speed immediately, galloping through the trees, almost flying. She halved the expected time, and her riders were soon dismounting and admiring The Place.
"Oh Estel, how I love once again to be here and with you. This glade has so many memories, good and bad." She lead Raestafel into the shade by a pool of fresh water. There was no need to tie her up, she was one of the finest and best trained horses in the land. "Ealli haladas," she whispered.
When Arwen returned to Estel, she lay out a rug on the patch of short grass between the rocks and climbing plants, and sat down, transfixed by the splendour of the view before her. All that was visible for miles around were trees, big, small, brown, green, white and every shade in between. It was a breathtaking view, seeing through the enchanting mists, into another world, one in which there was no pain or darkness, no death or despair.
She had come up here when her mother had passed away to the Undying Lands. Her family, wracked by grief, had not been able to comfort her, so she ran as hard and as fast as she could, and ended up here. Long hours she spent, weeping and regretting, until one day she looked out across the mist- enveloped trees and saw that she could not cry forever. She had to get on with her own life.
That was why it was so special, because it reminded her that there will always be something good to hope upon. "The World can never be completely evil, as long as there is hope," she whispered. Speaking of hope, Estel was suddenly sitting right behind her. "Isn't it lovely?" She asked.
"It is. Each time I look upon it, it's beauty seems to have increased ten- fold. Like you." He grinned at her and she blushed. She knew he was only messing about - they had many private jokes - but this time she was sure she had sensed more in his alluring voice than humour. No, she was just being paranoid, getting her hopes up for no reason. He didn't see her like that.
She lay on her back and looked at the clouds for a while. Estel did likewise.
"Do you remember when we came up here that day when Elladan broke your hair clasp, the one your mother had made for you?"
"Yes..... I was mad at him for days after!" She sighed. "I cried for hours in your arms. I thought I had lost a real piece of my mother, but you helped me see that she lives on, not in material, but in here." She placed a delicate hand on her heart. "Thank you."
"For that? It was nothing."
She sat up on one elbow to look down on his face, and a tear ran down her cheek. "Estel, it was everything. You are everything. You have held me so many times and listened to me cry, you have healed my hurts, calmed my fears, kept my feet on the ground. You have made me who I am, and I have only you to thank. You are my best friend, and I could ask for none better."
They were silent for a while, staring at each other, Arwen quietly crying. Eventually Estel lifted an arm and wiped her tears away, before pulling her into a rib-cracking hug. And they remained like that until the sun reached it's peak in the summer blue sky.
Finally they broke apart and Estel spoke. "You do not need to thank me, for you have already fully returned the favour. All those times I was haunted by images of my parents. You saved me too. So thank you."
"It was nothing," she smiled.
"Then we'll call it quits then. We both did nothing to help each other."
They shared a mutual grin before unpacking the food. Estel had brought a fine feast in a such a small saddlebag. There was bread and cheese, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and every other berry imagineable, fruit and deep crimson wine.
"You spoil me, Estel," Arwen laughed as he fed her strawberries dipped in sugar. Juice ran down her chin and she wiped it away, licking her finger afterwards.
It was too much for Estel. He forced his eyes away before he did something stupid, like offer to lick the juice off himself. She looked so pure, like a goddess. She was, to him. And she had called him "everything". His heart was racing all the way through her speech, and he had had to hug her to hide his tears. Why did he feel like this? It felt like he was..... in love? And forbidden love at that. A Man could not love an Elf, the story of Beren and Luthien was evidence plain enough for that. But illegal all the same, was he in love? Surely not. You couldn't go from harbouring friendship to love in the space of an afternoon, could you?
Little did he know, Arwen was having the same struggle in her mind. As they ate, she began to formulate a plan. She had to know if he felt the same way or the suspense would kill her for sure.
***************
Some time later they lay on the grass, merry and giggling. How much wine they had had Arwen wasn't sure, but she felt drunker than she ever had before. Estel seemed to have taken it well, but she coud barely stand.
"Undomiel, I am beginning to think your mind very dirty!" Estel laughed, after Arwen had told him one of Elladan's rude jokes.
She smiled innocently and fluttered her eyelashes. "Oh really? Well, I try!" She eased herself up and stood unsteadily, holding onto a rock. The sun was burning overhead and she was touched by the desire to strip naked and jump in one of the little ponds near by. Her dress clung to her body with perspiration, and Estel had to avert his eyes.
"Come and swim with me, Estel," she commanded. "I need to feel the cool water on my body," she ran her hands over her breasts, down her flat stomach to her hips, "I need to get this dress off!"
"No!" She looked up, her head swimming. Estel was staring at her, his expression unreadable, his face crimson. "You can't - n-not here," he said in a shaky voice.
"Why ever not? I can and will do whatever I like!"
"Arwen, it is indecent."
"But there is no one around, save you. Oh..... is that the problem?" Her world on the brink of destruction, her mind quickly sobered. "Do-do you have a problem with that? W-with me?"
"Arwen, no....." He stood up. "I-I do not have a problem with you. Never." He tried to take her hand but she flinched away. "Arwen, please....."
"What do you wish me to do?" She said, a little louder than expected. "You say you have no problem yet you refuse to swim with me. Why? Do you not like me?"
"No, I don't not like you. Arwen, I love you, I could never not like you -"
"What?" Suddenly her breath caught.
"I said I don't not like you, which means I do -"
"No, what you said after that."
He realised what she meant. Should he repeat it? Was she angry or upset because of it? Or did she want him to say it again because it enlightened her heart? It was now or never. He took now.
"I- I love you."
She blinked back tears. Everything seemed to go silent, even the birds in the trees. They were caught in a time trap, suspended.
"You do?" She asked suddenly, in a low voice. She was startled to realise how calm she was.
"I do," he knelt before her in a gesture of service. And prayer, for he began to pray to whoever would listen, hoping she would say she loved him too, hoping he hadn't just ruined his life. "I have always loved you, as a friend. But more recently as a...... As you. Arwen, you are beautiful beyond belief, I -"
She placed her fingers on his lips, then took his hand and pulled him to stand before her. A tear ran down her cheek. He really does love me, she thought. Everything is going to be ok. He loves me. He loves me! "Estel, I cannot speak....." And she collapsed in a dead faint.
****************
In the twenty or so minutes that she lay unconscious, Estel was a tortured man. Not only from the fact that she had fainted, but also that he had not heard her reaction to his announcement. Did she feel the same? Did she just want to be friends? Would their relationship ever be the same again? He doubted this, yet hoped against hope that it would change for the better.
As soon as she fell he had caught her in strong arms and lay her on the grass. He collected cool water from a pool and damped her head and neck. She was boiling, no wonder she had collapsed. He held her hand and sang to her, an ancient song in Elvish.
"Eaûdero minn Alo Alläs Est Úndomiel ic namarie wen Sëf mela domico sëf astafel Et ündarelo melti mînne"
Hear me, Heart of my Heart, You are the Evenstar, heaven blessed; Come back to me, come back to love, Your soul is pure, your heart no less
There were other verses, but none so fitting in his mind. Slowly Arwen's temperature decreased and eventually her eyelids fluttered open. Transfixed by her beauty, Estel did not notice until she spoke. "I love you too."
He jumped and she smiled a small smile. "Are you ok? You just - What did you say?"
She swallowed. Even going second was not easy. "I said - I said I love you too." He really was gorgeous, there was something about his eyes especially.
"You do?"
"I do. I do! I love you!"
"Arwen," he breathed. Further words were impossible. They just drank each other in, all their features, common traits, a thing they had done for many years, but never before in this way.....
He put his arm under her shoulders and lifted her gently into a sitting position. She was weak, so he supported her against his body. She was so warm, not just from body heat. She reached up to stroke his face, before leaning her head back against his chest and laughing.
"What is wrong with you?" Estel asked. "Crying one minute, then fainting and now laughing?"
"I was just so sure you'd say you didn't love me back. I thought you'd hate me for admitting what I felt and we'd never be able to speak to one another again. I thought I'd lose you for sure. I thought....."
She trailed off, and he picked it up. "You thought I didn't share your feelings? You thought I'd hate you? Never. As a matter of fact, I thought exactly the same things. To the letter. I felt embarrassed hiding my feelings from you, but at the same time I didn't want either of us to feel embarrassed if they were not mutual."
"So, you really do love me?"
"Undomiel, my Evenstar, I have, do, and will always love you. When we kissed yesterday, I felt like I was on fire. I knew I had to do something about it, before it drove me mad."
Yesterday. The kiss. It was time for Arwen to put her plan into action. "Speaking of that kiss, I do not think you showed me correctly. I have seen Elladan kiss many a girl and none of those kisses have ever been as short lived as ours was. Show me how to do it properly."
He turned her around to face him. "You really want to know?" He grinned. He had been waiting for this for far too long.
"I really want to know," she teased.
"Ok, well, I'm going to kiss you, and then slowly I'll put my tongue into your mouth, and you'll massage it with yours. Just take it steadily, and see what happens. There are no rules, so you can do pretty much anything you like. Ok?"
He smiled at her determined look, arbitrating fear. She was getting more anxious by the second. What if she was a bad kisser and he fell out of love with her? What if she did something wrong, bit his tongue or suffocated him or -
All thought was lost as he swiftly reached one hand round the back of her neck and pulled her lips onto his once more. But this time it was so much better. Arwen immediately followed her instincts and brought her hands to hold his face, running her fingers through his hair. As he had instructed, once his tongue found its way into her mouth, she answered it with her own, all the time moving her head to a silent rhythm. She moaned as his hands discovered her body, and gripped his hair more firmly.
A kiss was such a small gesture, yet meant so much, and felt so, so good.
Estel was in paradise. Arwen may never have kissed anyone like this before, but she did it like she was an expert. She tasted as delicious as she looked, and that was saying something. He could not get his head around the fact that this was really happening, that she loved him and was kissing him. He thought he had strayed into a dream, that soon he'd wake up and they'd still be just friends. That would have been fine, for any Arwen was better than no Arwen at all, but now he knew they could never go back to how it was before. They could never just be friends again.
Suddenly a horrible thought occured to him, something that he had tried and failed to lock away to the back of his mind. With a great strength he pulled away from the Elf maiden.
"What is wrong?" She asked. Confusion flashed in her eyes, and worry. "Did I hurt you in someway?"
"No, you did not hurt me, quite the opposite actually."
She still looked confused. She took his cheek in her hand and looked seductively into his eyes. "So? Why did you stop?" She moved in to kiss him once more but he put an arm out to stop her.
"Arwen, we cannot do this."
"Why ever not? It isn't illegal." She looked hurt.
"Oh but it is. The tale of Beren and Luthien proved that no mere mortal such as myself can love an immortal princess. You are that princess, Undomiel."
They were silent for a while, both pondering his statement. "So are you saying you do not love me?" Arwen said eventually.
"I love you more than anything, but I cannot ask you to forsake the immortal life of your people for me. It is not my place, and I am not worthy to control your life in such a way. I will not ask you."
She was pensive for a moment. "What if it was given freely? What if I offered you my love, knowing full well what it would mean? What would you say then?"
Estel stood up slowly. "Of course I would say yes. But you have not thought this through. In a second you cannot simply swap your fate. And what would your father say?"
"My father loves me and would support me whatever my wishes." She looked up at him, wishing all this would go away and they could just be together forever.
"Really?" He walked over to the edge of the glade and looked out upon the forest, with his back to her. "Lord Elrond is wise and valiant, and he loves you more than words can say, but I do not think he would take kindly to this. If you bound yourself to me, it would be the same as saying you no longer love him enough. Do you want to do that to your father? Could you?"
She went to stand behind him and said, "My father would understand, because I would make him see that I love you. You, Estel, no other. You are a great Man, like a son to him. He loves you and respects you like a son. I know," she added, seeing he was about to interrupt, "that you are not his son, but he still sees you as one. And surely my heart is more important than some tradition. I do not fear him."
He turned to look upon her. "What do you fear?"
"The cold sting of loneliness. I have felt what it is like to lose someone you care for. I have tasted the pain of isolation, being frozen inside, unable to think straight, when you feel that there is nothing in this world left to live for." She took his hands and looked into his intoxicating eyes. "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone."
"Arwen....."
"Aren't we allowed to follow our hearts? Aren't we allowed to love?" She pressed something into his hand.
He looked down and saw her pendant, the Silver Evenstar, a symbol of her grace and beauty. A symbol of her immortality. "Arwen," he breathed. "You cannot give me this."
"It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart."
She looked so confident, so sure of everything, yet at the same time there was a glimmer of dependency and pain. Estel could not hurt her. If she truly wanted him to love her, who was he to refuse?
On instinct he slowly leaned in to kiss her, his eyes not leaving hers until their lips collided once again. And they stood, like two elegant swans, lips, bodies and souls entwined, just being with on another. Just together.
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Yay - hands up who loved that chapter! Aah, I see you all sitting infront of your screens raising your hands - suckers! Anyway, I did think that was rather fluffy, even if I say so myself! More to come soon, as ever! Hx
ME WANT REVIEWS OR ME WILL BE SAD LITTLE GIRL!!!
Cerridwen-Evereven - I wasn't offended by what you said about angles, I just didn't understand. However, now I do and think it's a lovely compliment! Thanx! (ps You should be proud - 2 reviews when many other lazy peeps submit a total of 0! Top of the class, and thank u!)
Queen Arwen - I'm glad I deserve a place on your favs list! Cheers! (and I agree, Aragorn is cute in any way, shape or form!)
Altril Narmolanya - Thank you, next chapter shortly! Neviwyn - I'm posting, I'm posting, I'm posting! Thanx! (Did u know u had caps lock on when u wrote that? Just thought I'd point that out 2 u!)