Aragorn walked into the Tower Hall looking nothing like a king, so much so that several guards almost moved to stop him from entering. He looked to see Arwen looking as regal as he had ever seen her seated with a man who looked to be from Harad. He scarcely noticed the several guards who kept close to their belovéd queen and it was with a great amount of self-control that he kept himself from jumping to conclusions.
Arwen excused herself from her conversation with the foreign man and went to Aragorn. For a half a moment he just looked at her, melting as he always did in her presence, before taking her in his arms and holding her protectively.
"Not so tight, Estel," she whispered laughingly, laying a hand over her midsection. "Meet our guest first, please."
He nodded resignedly and put duty first, yet again, and strode over to where the other man had risen from his place.
"Estel-nín, this is Pharazôn of Harad," Arwen said.
"I am at your service, Elessar-king," Pharazôn said graciously bowing. "I can assure you that i have not lived up to my name," he added with a smile.
"Elessar of Gondor at yours," Aragorn replied with a bow of his own. "And i can assure you that i have lived up to mine, each of them." Aragorn could not help but feel a little defensive about this situation.
"Has Faramir returned with you?" Arwen asked, drawing his attention again. "I did not hear the trumpeters announce him."
"No, Faramir shall be along in a few days," Aragorn said. "Glorfindel and i came back immediately with Legolas. Belthil preferred to stay with his... kinsman, and Faramir would not leave his son."
"Elessar-king," Pharazôn said, "i beg your pardon, but if you prefer i shall depart for now and you may call upon me at your convenience."
"If there is business to be taken care of, i would prefer it is done with now," Aragorn said.
"As you wish. I received notice from your Steward's adjutant that a man from my country is in your custody and charged with conspiracy in assassination. Do the laws of your country permit me to meet with this prisoner under any terms?"
Aragorn shook his head. "I have no idea. You would have to ask Faramir. Maybe Erestor knows.... Even still, i can not see a reason that you should not meet with this man, at least with a guard."
Pharazôn nodded. "I have been informed of the circumstance and i offer my deepest regret that such a thing should have come to pass. If i see your Steward i would like to offer him my sympathies personally for i, too, lost a wife and child many years ago... and to my own traitorous countrymen who followed Sauron. I can assure you, Elessar, that the two men complicit in the murder of your Steward's wife and child in no way represent the nation of Haradrim that i rule."
"I never suspected that they did, Pharazôn. Our countries have made peace, and i would see that peace remain, despite this set-back," Aragorn said earnestly.
"There will be a trial, i would assume?" Pharazôn said.
Aragorn nodded, hoping this diplomatic session could end soon. "Naturally, but i wish to wait until my Steward has returned as i want him to sit in judgment with me."
It was just then that Glorfindel and Erestor walked into the hall. Aragorn rose and indicated Erestor, saying, "This is my s-Steward's adjutant who sent for you, Lord Pharazôn."
The Man of Harad smiled and nodded. "Aye, we have met."
Erestor nodded, but not with a smile. "Estel, we need to talk. Immediately."
"I thought you said our counsel could wait?" Aragorn said, half hoping that Erestor had something that could pull him away from this discussion, and yet dreading what crisis could possibly be on his doorstep next.
"That was then," Glorfindel said, still a little in shock of what had nearly happened to him.
Before Aragorn had time to respond, a guard came rushing into the hall, kneeling before his king and rising quickly. "My liege, i bring urgent news...."
Aragorn sighed and nodded for him to continue.
"It's the prisoner, sire... somehow he's gotten out. Two guards that i found had their... their throats slashed."
Aragorn's eyes fell closed. So far his reign had seemed like nothing but a long, miserable nightmare. "Secure everything. No one comes or goes anywhere until he is brought in again," Aragorn said wearily.
The guard bowed and moved to carry out his orders at once, but Glorfindel stopped him. "That will not be necessary, Estel," Glorfindel quietly.
"Why not?" Aragorn demanded. "That man is dangerous!"
"You do not say!" Glorfindel said sarcastically.
"He is dead, Estel," Erestor said, making things clear before tempers escalated.
"What?" Aragorn asked, rather unsure that he heard rightly.
"He attacked Glorfindel in the stables. I was just coming in when i saw him put his arms around Glor', he then put a knife at his throat, and in the age that i came from one did not stop to ask questions of that kind of action. I did the only thing i could do," Erestor said, sounding a little defensive.
Aragorn sank into a nearby chair. "Now the people shall expect a trial for that," he said, his weariness doubling.
"Ere' saved my life, a life granted me by Lord Námo himself," Glorfindel said emphatically, just in cast there was any doubt.
"My good liege Elessar," Pharazôn said politely, "might i suggest that no trial is necessary. "It was simply a matter of defense, and truly it saved you the difficulty of a trial for a man who, as i understand it, admitted to his crime to your Queen. As for me, i have no further questions," he said a smile.
Aragorn nodded. "I shall consider that. For now, though, if you will excuse me, i only just arrived and i am afraid i have several other matters to attend to," he said, bowing out gracefully, with Erestor and Glorfindel following him back to his study.
Arwen asked one of the Citadel guards to escort Pharazôn to suitable lodging on the 6th level of the city before she too went to Aragorn's study. Erestor was describing what had gone on after the Rangers had brought Calimehtar in and Aragorn had never been so glad that Erestor had decided to stay in the city with Arwen. Apparently, Elrond's chief advisor was a much keener guardian than he had ever let on. Aragorn made your mind up to leave consultations until the next day when Arwen entered his study. He decided then and there that he had been too long away from his belovéd, and they made off for the King's private quarters at once.
As soon as they had gone Erestor set about drawing up a report on the incident in the stable. Glorfindel, however, had other ideas. He decided that he too had been away from his belovéd for much too long. Taking the quill from Erestor's hand mid-word and teasing his lover's ear-point with it, Glorfindel received the reaction he had been dreaming about all the wayfrom Edorasto Minas Tirith... once Erestor had made certain that the study door was locked, of course.
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linda: Aragorn and Faramir won't have nearly as much difficulty with the ex-Calimehtar situation as they will with their next crisis. Here i am, in the process of winding this story down, and yet those two still can't get any peace :) I'm fairly sure that you need a paid account to post photos on the author page, right? Otherwise i would put up a photo of my favorite pony, Cherokawa (whom i dubbed Aranro, just because of his superior attitude). I would not mind going back to horses and buggies (and the city of Pittsburgh definitely wouldn't mind) if only Chero were a gelding, andstill i'm less afraid of being thrown by a brat horse than i am losing control of a car. As it is, he is the apparently the biggest brat with everyone but me. Go figure. Horses likely cost less anyway.
Elenhin: Swimming in full plate armor? I'll have to try that sometime! Actually, you have me thinking of another plot bunny now. Why did Pippin name his son Faramir anyway, going strictly by the book in this case. Perhaps i will explore that. I am also thinking about doing something almost more in the way of an essay exploring families in Middle-earth. Other than the Gamgees, i can think of no other central family in the books that remained an actual nuclear family. All Middle-earth families were really a little on the dysfunctional side.
Can anyone think of any families in Middle-earth as mentioned in the books that were traditional, nuclear families (mother, father, children)? The only one i have come up with is the Gamgees, but they only came along at the very end of the Trilogy.
flowerbee: Set Faramir up with someone else? Who did you have in mind? Set him on fire? I refuse to divulge any of my surprising-authoress secrets :) You'll just have to keep reading and hope for the best.