Chapter 12 – Elrond's Troubles
Aragorn sighed deeply and subsequently ended up being overwhelmed by a huge yawn as he walked sedately down a passageway in the House of Elrond. It was strange how normally when he was sleepy he felt rather despondent, whereas right now he felt calm, but also relatively happy. The peace of Imladris could never fail to affect him.
When he turned a corner, he caught sight of his foster father leaning gently against the wall, propped up on the near side as he gazed through a crack in a doorway. Immediately Aragorn realised that it was Arwen's room, and he was filled with a curious misunderstanding at the obscene behaviour of such an elf.
Just as he was thinking this, Elrond turned as if hearing his voice and his eyes flickered in recognition but no smile dawned on his face.
"Aragorn," he said quietly, acknowledging him.
"My Lord." Aragorn inclined his head, reaching the doorway and standing on the opposite side.
Elrond shifted onto his other foot and gave a smile. "Aragorn, I have told you before, it is no matter that you now truly know that I am not your father, you still have my leave to call me one. I have loved you and still love you dearer than child."
"I am sorry… Ada," Aragorn answered back meekly. "I am thankful for your care."
"It is no problem, Estel," Elrond sighed. Aragorn presently noticed a fear quenching the elf-lord's eyes as they shifted to glance into the bedroom.
"Is- is something wrong?" Aragorn stuttered, not daring to look through the split in the doorway too.
Elrond's body moved into a heavy sigh. "Ai, it is only my daughter, but she is a precious burden to my heart."
This only confused Aragorn and resounded in his ears like riddles. "I am afraid I cannot understand you… is she ill?"
"No, Aragorn," Elrond replied, his eyes clouding over in thought, "she is not ill of body. She seems ill of heart."
Swallowing Aragorn looked up and down his foster father in front of him. "But… but why would she be like this? I know not why she could be so upset."
"Alas, neither do I!" exclaimed Elrond. "When I try to comfort her, she just ices over as cold as the winter snow and her eyes turn as impenetrable as frosted glass. I wish I could help her, Estel." His voice dropped despondently.
Aragorn stared down at the tiled floor for some time, pondering Arwen's sudden unusual behaviour. All of a sudden Elrond broke into his thoughts.
"Aragorn, perhaps you could help." This sounded more like a question than a statement, and Aragorn knew better than to think that he could weave his way out, even though he did not want to in this case.
"I know you like her." Aragorn heard this in alarm. But Elrond was looking at him completely normally, just asking him for help and using persuasion. The panic in Aragorn's chest eased off steadily: maybe what he had said really just was just what he had said.
"Aragorn," Elrond continued, "You might give hope to her. You have spread hope into all of our hearts, and you are young, and courageous. I think that maybe you could move her into seeing this light… Estel…?"
Aragorn swallowed nervously and met the eyes of his foster father. He perceived that all Elrond wanted was to see his daughter happy again, as she had been so often, ever since the day she had been born. How could he say no?
Deciding without much argument Aragorn nodded. No words could be spelt from his lips. Elrond, smiling faintly, laid his hand on the heavy oak door and pushed it further ajar. After taking a lung-size breath Aragorn closed his eyes for a moment, and then walked in.
His eyes fell down upon Arwen, who was sitting a few feet away on the bed. An amorous breath aired his lips, for there was a sparkling mantle of beauty which always glimmered about her, and yet at the same moment, a sigh of anxiety left him, for a wave of concern had arisen within him. It was nothing he could see directly, but he felt it in the depths about him and he was moved.
Aragorn paused and looked at her, before Arwen realised that he was actually there. She was bunched up tightly with her knees folded to her chest. At first he could not see her face, for she was staring out of the windows open to the singing gardens of the valley, yet he could sense her unhappiness, and a breeze blew forlornly through her hair.
As soon as Aragorn moved forward again and touched the sheepskin rug on the floor of the bedchamber, he knew that Arwen could sense his presence. He called out to her softly.
"My lady?"
There was no sign of him having been heard, but suddenly Arwen said, "Leave me, Ada." Aragorn frowned, discovering that she had mistaken him for Elrond, but smiling with slight amusement he disobeyed her command and crept still nearer to her bed. Her voice had been cold and empty, and it reverberated emotively in the room. Aragorn could not help but be moved to aid her.
Reaching the bed, he turned and sat down very gently beside Arwen. He looked up and saw Elrond directly, standing in the doorway. Aragorn gave him a faint smile, and the elf-lord inclined his head before silently shutting the door.
Now in private Aragorn turned his gaze to Arwen. As soon as he had sat down close to her, she had hid her face in her arms, so that he could not see her. However Aragorn carefully touched two fingers on her cheek and slowly drew back her raven-brown hair. He noticed Arwen swallow and slowly she raised her eyes up to his profoundly concerned face.
"Estel…!" she breathed, gazing into his eyes with shock. Aragorn saw that her face was pale but already warmth was glowing in her blue eyes.
"I have come to heal you," Aragorn said softly, perfectly seriously but with a wonderful smile. "What is it which ails you?"
Arwen, smiling a little, opened her mouth and was about to say something, when a piercing look from Aragorn silenced her. He had a strange glint in his eye.
"Perhaps you have been overcome by the Shadow," Aragorn said, "in which case, I would use Athelas. But willow bark would aid you if your bones are aching. If you have a sore throat then I will give you honeyed tea, but feä lembas will give you strength of spirit. By chance you could have a cut or wound, so a drink made from coilas leaves will help you. Maybe your heart is in pain, and so elanor petals will soothe you."
Arwen smiled and laughed silently as he went through his list of treatments. But suddenly she noticed the calming sound of his low voice had stopped and she broke out of the trance.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Can I not heal you with any of these things?" Aragorn answered, watching her carefully.
"No," she said quietly, glancing down, "but you are a kingly healer, and none other will be the one who heals me… although-" she looked up at Aragorn "-I do not know how you can heal me."
"Don't worry," he whispered, with a small smile, "I will find a way."
As he looked at her, he felt himself become spellbound by her sapphire eyes, and the soft silence between them grew longer. But slowly he became aware of the touch of some fingertips against his own.
"Let me feel your hand," Aragorn murmured, still gazing at her. Before she could even mouth a reply he took Arwen's hand in between hers as if he was warming it. Her palm was cold and clammy. Then he lightly slid his fingers back down to the sensitive part of her wrist, and Arwen could not suppress a tiny gasp from the ticklish sensation.
"Your pulse is rapid," Aragorn commented, opening his eyes. He glanced up, and then pulled her sleeve back over her wrist. "It is a fine day. I think that a decent walk through the gardens will without doubt calm down stress."
Aragorn met her eyes and he saw as she tried to hide her surprise from his near-to-the-truth guessing. He smiled softly, and then rose from the bed.
"Come," he called her, "I will not take no for an answer."
While she swung her legs over the side of the bed and took his hand in order to get up, Aragorn could not fail to catch sight of a pink tinge to her previously snow-white cheeks.
Smiling merrily to himself, Aragorn opened the door and waited for Arwen to glide out before pulling it to behind them both. He also took this opportunity to try to hide his smile without her noticing. Aragorn was never really sure if he succeeded.
They walked down the passageway towards the entrance hall, passing some elves who were busying around, and heard much singing coming from one of the merriment halls. Soon they came to the grand door which was thrown out wide to let the sunshine dance joyfully upon the floor.
As they made for it Aragorn noticed Elrond, over in the far corner holding a piece of parchment and conversing animatedly with Glorfindel. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Aragorn too, and their eyes locked. Aragorn bowed his head and gave the elf-lord a concealed smile, and Elrond nodded back to his foster-son in thanks.
Aragorn led Arwen down the steps towards the main glade beside the waterfall. The twittering of birds and delighted shouts of elves mingled with the great rush of its shooting water.
From time to time he glanced over to Arwen, but she seemed lost in thought, so he left her to her ponderings and watched the elves bathing in the winding blue ribbon of water
stretching from the base of the waterfall.
Finally Arwen spoke. "Thank you for coming to me, Estel," she whispered. "I… I didn't… I didn't think…" she could not put into words what she wanted to say and Aragorn smiled broadly.
"Arwen?" he said. She met his blue-grey eyes and smiled. "There is just one think I would like to ask you…" Arwen glanced down at her feet and Aragorn could not read her expression. "I was wondering," he continued, "why you often call me Estel, when you have always known that I am Aragorn?"
Arwen sighed long and hard, not speaking immediately. But when they reached the glade she paused and turned to face him. A smile lit up her pink lips and she looked up to gaze in Aragorn's eyes, her own glimmering like crystals with the sparkles of the waterfall.
"Because," she breathed, "you are my hope."