The Same Woman
By Rose-Arwen-Padme
The Library
Each was bound in leather, a leather that was once bathed in a rich color, but now only faded from time. Each held years of knowledge and information. The spines on the jackets were worn smooth over the ages, and soft to touch. No shelf was bare, and the paintings on the walls around her showed historical stories of their own.
Arwen stood in the library of Rivendell, clothed in an emerald green dress, a small yet detailed net-crown of jewels upon her head. Her lips were formed unconsciously into a small smile. She had awoken early-- now it was the day after her late-night meeting with Aragorn.
Aragorn. The name was a sigh on her lips. The name rang through her ears, pounded through her veins, and beated with her heart.
And he loved her. Her small smile stretched to a grin from ear to ear at just the thought. It wasn't as if she didn't know he loved her before. She knew he had loved her since they had first met walking under the trees that night years ago, but… to hear it! Oh, to hear the words come from his mouth! To see his lips move as he said those three words!
"I love you…"It was a magical feeling, one she had never experienced through all her years on Middle Earth. Even after living for so long, she was still learning new things. And she loved it.
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, a comforting, loving one, and instinctively thought it was Aragorn. His strong arms surrounded her from behind, finding a gentle yet firm hold around her slender waist. She closed her eyes, running her hands up and down his arms, relishing in the feel of his muscles moving under her fingers. She felt him bury his face in her dark hair, heard him breathe in her scent.
A low moan escaped his throat. She smiled, still her eyes closed, as she in turn released one of her own.
It was Arwen who broke the silence first. "It seems as if you missed me as much as I missed you, dear," she purred.
Her only response was the feeling of him nod his head through her hair, a definite 'yes'.
"I dreamt of you last night, you know," she continued. "I dreamt of you all night." Again she felt the movement of him nodding a yes, his head still tangled in the wonderful scent of her hair.
He caressed her bare arms, her neck, and then once again her stomach, rubbing circles over the thin cloth of her dress.
She suddenly felt the urge to feel his perfect lips on her own, and spun slowly around, her eyes still closed, so she could kiss him. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, opening her mouth to him.
Well, the tongue did come to prod her mouth… but it was different. Letting it pass, she moved to deepen the kiss, putting her hands up to tangle her fingers in his silky brown hair.
But to her surprise, there was no hair there, she opened her right eye a peek to see what had become of the brown treseles… but there was none.
And the teasing whiskers that she usually felt from his beard were not there either. She missed their scratchy touch.
She pulled her mouth away only to say, "Aragorn, did you shave your beard?" Then she kissed him again, but pulled back to see the hair cut.
She was met with blue eyes instead of gray-brown, blonde hair instead of chestnut, smooth, bare cheeks instead of a beard; and a creamy skin tone instead of a tan one.
She was met with the face of Glir.