11. So near…
Arwen woke to find herself in a very dark tent, and wrapped up comfortably with lots of warm sheepskin blankets. Beside her a man peacefully slept, and Arwen was immediately reminded of her Aragorn; but although she could not see this man's face, she could tell he was younger and did not bear the strain which came with long painful years of wandering alone in the wilderness.
She carefully sat up and found that she had a strange floating sense inside her, relieving the sharp throbbing of her deep cuts and bruises. She realised that she must have been given other drinks of the medicine from the man who had helped her last night, or morning as it had more been, and looked after her safely. His face she had not seen, but Arwen wished to thank him very much for his compassion before they set off again.
But the man next to her stirred, and, making Arwen jump, sat up quickly. She saw him smile through the gloom as he pulled more covers around him.
"Are you ok, Ithiluin?" he asked, Arwen being slightly surprised at that use of name. However her calm elven complexion hid her shock well and she smiled back pleasantly.
"Yes thank you. I was just thinking I would rise and find my healer, to thank him. It is not every day that one has such a burden laid upon them." She slowly pulled her legs up and out of the sheets, the hood still resting gently over her fair face.
"You have not been a burden, my lady!" the man exclaimed. "We are pleased that we can help you. And you are certainly a great interest for us." He grinned at her and then too began to crawl out of his bedding, trying to avoid squashing Arwen in the small tent.
"Oh, sorry!" he suddenly said, "I have not told you my name; it is Calosin. I am close friends with my Lord, the man who helped you when I found you in the snow."
Arwen's attention was held by his words. "Your Lord?" she asked unsurely, a touch of delight escaping into her voice. The Ranger stopped what he was doing and looked up at her strangely.
"Yes, why?" he said, "didn't you know? He was the one who looked after you; he is such a skilled man. Did you not know?" Arwen shook her head, and rubbed one of her fingers in thought. She felt something odd and saw that the palms of her hands had massive cuts in them, the rips in her soft skin reaching all the way up her fingers. Their Lord really was amazing if he could take such pain away. And all the sores of her other injuries. This man sounded extremely like Aragorn. Her heart leapt into her mouth again.
"What is his name?" Arwen asked cautiously, "and what does he look like?" She played unknowing, hoping she would receive a perfect description of her Estel. She started to fold up the blankets she shared with Calosin, but much neater than he was doing it.
Calosin chuckled to himself and held an arm out to stop her. "Calm down!" he laughed. "You'll have plenty of chances to see him, and he will definitely want to pay attention in seeing you as well. Can't it wait?" He was amused at Arwen's sudden burst of movement. She did see his point, but she really really really wanted to see him – and NOW!
She thought quickly.
"Ummm, I need a hairbrush!" she shouted triumphantly. She knew Aragorn would have one, but she seriously doubted whether many others of his men had them.
"Steady on!" Calosin laughed again. "Ok, ok, you can go and find him! Just don't harm yourself in the hurry! I don't want to be blamed for more injuries, even if it is all for a hairbrush! And I'm sure he has one, which you may borrow." Arwen beamed, and the man could sense her joy, even though her face was still veiled by her hood.
"He has long dark hair, and he is also tall, and handsome as some girls at home in the North seem to think. I believe his tent is not far at all from here, so you can't miss him. His face is very kindly, and his eyes are soft, and grey I suppose." Calosin gazed up thoughtfully, as if trying to picture his Lord's face. Arwen scrambled over to the end of the tent and carefully pulled back the flap. The sky outside was a dark blacky-grey, and a chill wind suddenly blew into the tent, along with a handful of icy snowflakes.
"I won't be long!" she called back to Calosin who smiled, and indicated for her to close the tent-door again, and fast. Arwen stepped outside, finding her ankle a bit stiff, but she could still stand without much difficulty. She tied the flap back with her warm fingers, and then straightened up again. No movements could be clearly seen, but a few lanterns illuminated tents in cool yellow glows. Arwen looked around herself, and then decided to walk to her right. There was a lantern alight in one of those tents, and she had a feeling that it was the one. She took each step at a time, walking along slowly but surely. Unlike the Rangers, she did not tread deep gorges into the snow, but managed to glide along its surface like a mere shadow. The wind whipped round her, but the long cloak stayed firmly on her, and the cold biting fell away.
As Arwen neared the tent, she saw that there was a tiny gap between the door and the rest of the tent, and it flapped slightly in the cool gusts. A shaft of light fell out and shimmered on the sparkling white snow, showing some tangled marks of footsteps. Arwen's pulse began to race, and she crept closer to the tent, walking soundlessly over the snow. She gently knelt down in front of the flap and nervously looked through the slit.
The lantern was balancing amidst some very messy piles of blankets, a large heap shoved to one side of the tent, but no one was inside. Arwen could faintly discern the familiar scent of someone coming from the warmth in the tent, but it only lingered in the air shortly, and soon it vanished. Arwen's hopes fell and she sat down on her knees despondently.
Suddenly a hand touched her lightly on the shoulder and Arwen spun round, blinded by the bright light of another lamp.
"Are you looking for me?" A gentle voice asked, and a hand came down to her eye level. Arwen reached out to take it but instead the man pulled her carefully up by her wrists. She stumbled and blinked in the sharp light. "Who are you?" she asked him softly.
The man moved the lantern away from her eyes and his face lit up. He replied and smiled at her fondly.
"Aragorn."
Arwen's heart nearly stopped. For a moment she forgot to breathe as she saw his dear face once more, the one she had longed to see for so long, and gone through so much to reach. She loved his concerned eyes, his tanned cheeks, his bearded chin, his beach hair, his warm smile, his luscious lips…
"Are you alright?" he asked her as she began to breathe heavily with disbelief. His hand touched her delicately at the waist and Arwen trembled as a tickling feeling shot up her body, teasing her senses which had long been withheld from Aragorn's passionate love.
Arwen nodded timidly, her mind racing so fast she had no idea what to do or to think. Aragorn meanwhile held up the lantern so that his face was bathed in more light.
"I cleaned your wounds when you were asleep yesterday," he said quietly, "you have also sprained your ankle and damaged your other knee, but you seemed to walk fine just now." He smiled as he spoke to her, still unaware of anything unusual. "Did you need me for anything?" he asked.
Arwen remembered the supposed reason why she had come to find her Lord. "I just wondered if I could borrow your hairbrush, please," she said shyly, feeling her cheeks redden. Aragorn laughed silently. He stooped down by the tent and reached inside for his bags. Arwen stared at his strong body, taking in every single thing he did as if it was a jewel worth the whole world. She watched his broad back, imagining what was underneath, and what his soft skin would feel like to touch…
Aragorn stood up, and Arwen glanced away in embarrassment even though her face was hidden. He held out a little wooden comb in his hand.
"I hope this will suffice," he smiled, as Arwen shakily took it from him. "I should have guessed you would require something like this!" She shrank back from and he laughed warmly. "Don't worry, you will be fine. The battle is not here yet."
Arwen froze at his words.
"What?" she said hoarsely. A battle? No one had said there was to be a battle. She had not known she was going to be attacked by hundreds of orcs, and would have to fight to save herself. All she had wanted was Aragorn.
"There's to be a battle," Aragorn said again, in a strong voice. "We will have reached the summit of the mountain by tomorrow afternoon, and then we will be fighting the horde of Nhaxûn orcs. Did you not know?" He watched her without showing much emotion on his face, Arwen thinking he looked very brave by doing so.
"Calosin did not tell me," she whispered, barely able to believe this. She was terrified by the very thought. She really did not want to be in this position.
Aragorn looked at her, a bit puzzled. "Calosin should not need to tell you, many people know about this; elves and Men. It is not just a small fight, arranged a couple of weeks ago. We have known about this danger here for a long time. Your Lady Galadriel even aided us to pass through the Golden Wood to come here."
Arwen gave a small squeak. "How did you know I come from there?" she asked indignantly, forgetting herself and her position. She watched Aragorn chuckle and she was moved by deep lusting emotions for him again.
"I saw your clothes last night, when I searched for your wounds. Don't worry, I didn't see your face!" he said, foreseeing the elf-maiden's reaction. "But I know someone from Lothlórien, and I recognised the dress… well, it is very similar anyway." He sighed and Arwen knew he was thinking of her, but unknowingly, and she saw his sad wistfulness pass across his face. She wanted to reach out and kiss him right there with everything she had, but something seemed to be stopping her from doing that, a small warning in the back of her head.
In a moment he was back to normal, and the chance was gone. He watched her again in the lamplight.
"You had better go, Ithiluin," he said, a hint of melancholy in his gentle words. "You have beautiful hair, by the way." He smiled affectionately as he turned and left her, disappearing away into the dark shadow of the world with his burning lantern. Arwen sighed longingly and gazed at his receding form, until he vanished behind the black shapes of tents. He heard his northern voice calling out the command to rise, echoing in the cold night air. Arwen turned away, and slowly walked back to Calosin's tent, seeing a group of men relighting the fire from the morning before, but not really taking it in. She gratefully came to the tent and crouched down to climb inside, where there was another soft glimmer of a lantern light. Calosin glanced up at her as she entered, smiling friendlily.
"You were a while," he stated, and fastened the door shut for her. Arwen sat down and said nothing, holding the comb Aragorn had given her so tightly she could feel the prongs digging sharply into her already wounded hand. She was rather confused, and needed to work out what would happen along with the battle. Calosin watched her keenly, having not been in contact with many elves in his short life.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, explaining her silence. She looked down and gazed down at the comb, turning it over in her hands as she turned over the problem in her mind.
"Well?" Calosin prompted. Arwen looked up, wondering she was meant to have done. "Are you or are you not going to comb your hair? Aragorn said it was very thick and long yesterday." Arwen shook herself awake and remembered her hair. It was true, what Calosin said, and she had not brushed it for a while.
"Ok," she assented, "but please don't look." Calosin looked at her very oddly.
"Why?" he asked, his eyes flickering downwards as if he expected her to be getting undressed. Arwen noticed this with slight humour.
"Just don't look at my face. I'll turn away if you like." She sat round the other way, with ease now that the tent was cleared, and slowly pulled back her hood. She was rather nervous, and she could feel his eyes burning into her back. The risk of Calosin telling Aragorn what she looked like was too dear to pay for at the present. The consequences could be fatal, in a sense at least.
Feeling the slightly cooler air on her face, Arwen gently began to pull the comb through her raven hair, feeling the teeth pass through her strong knots with ease. The scent of Aragorn was exceedingly strong on here, especially to her elven senses, and she loved it. She wanted to be covered in his smell, bathed in his likeness. She adored him so much, and when she thought Calosin would not see it suspicious she held the comb to her nose. Aragorn's fragrance was overpoweringly sweet and familiar, and she sighed his name as her eyes softened by the imagined feeling of his presence.
"Can I see your face, please, Ithiluin?" Calosin suddenly asked. Arwen stopped brushing the back of her hair, and brought the comb down to her knees again.
"Why?" she asked, wishing he was not so nice that she would mind offending him if she refused.
"I just want to see you," he replied innocently, but Arwen caught a touch of curiosity and daring there. She smiled despite herself and shook out her hair over her back, beginning to brush the other side now.
"Ithiluin?" he said brightly, and she heard him crawling forward behind her. The slyness in his voice rippled in the air and Arwen smiled again, still combing her luscious curtain of hair in Aragorn's scent.
Suddenly Calosin tickled her, and Arwen squirmed at the touch of his fingers, falling onto her side. She felt his hands shoot tingling up her nerves, and she giggled loudly, pleading him to stop. Burying her face in the ground sheet, Calosin continued to trace his fingers down her slim back; tickling her so unbearably she could not help but squeak hopelessly.
"Show me, show me!" Calosin laughed in amusement, knowing that he was getting near to seeing her face. Arwen wriggled, trying to escape his hands, but he grasped her tightly in one and continued to make her shiver under his fingers. Shaking with laughter, she hid under her thick ebony hair, falling to pieces beneath him.
"No…" she begged, thrashing about in his arms with real no point. She knew she could never break from his hands, but she could not take his itching tickles. They found her sensitive nerves where only Aragorn had ever reached his fingers, excluding the other times when her friends (namely Kelmeleth, cough, cough) had tickled her.
"I'm not a Ranger for nothing!" he hooted, and his fingers ran about her waist faster until she collapsed on the ground, with nothing at all left. Delightfully he pulled her over onto her back, and pushed her feeble hand away. He brushed the silky strands of hair off her face slowly, not quite sure what to expect now he came to it.
He caught his breath as his hand revealed Arwen's face.
"Valar…" he exclaimed quietly as Arwen blinked into his eyes, her lips parting a little. Calosin had never seen anyone more beautiful than her in his life. His eyes roamed over her smooth cheeks, her curving nose, and her sharp eyebrows resting delicately above her eyes. Her long eyelashes flashed seductively her slim neck was just like an elegant swan's. Her bright pink lips were so desirable and cushion-like and full of colour. But it was her eyes which held him most, so sparkly-blue and so deep, full of beautiful life.
He kneeled back as Arwen sat up, watching him with a small smile playing on her face.
"You're so pretty," he gasped, not quite knowing what to tell her. Arwen could tell he was genuinely shocked by her beauty, and from previous experiences, she knew he would do whatever she asked him to. She smiled and spoke to him in a shimmering silvery voice, one to match her looks.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" she asked him, no longer afraid, but in a strong voice. Calosin shook his head wildly, willing to do anything she wanted. Arwen was satisfied. Almost.
"And don't tell Aragorn," she said, even more firmly. She watched him keenly, and he shied away and cringed under her piercing eyes.
"No…" he whispered, beginning to smile as he gradually became accustomed to her fair face. He did not even question why she asked him not to, he was so engrossed in watching her.
"Good," Arwen replied, and flashed a dazzling smile at Calosin. His face shone with joy of being near someone so beautiful, who actually liked him, and he picked up her comb for her from the floor. Thanking him silently she took it from his hands, and gracefully began to brush her dark flowing hair again, this time letting him see her pure beauty openly.
For a short while, Arwen was safe.
