Hidden Secrets

Disclaimer: I only own Aranwen/Wanderer, Beran, Aranwen's horse, and the plot.

Chapter Nine: Preparing for Council

T.A. 3018

Slowly, the visitors arrived for the Council of Elrond. All of Rivendell's inhabitants were abuzz with excitement and eagerly greeting their guests at the gates of the Elven haven. Almost all of Rivendell's inhabitants that is seeing as two Rangers were missing and one very irate Elf maiden was out looking for them.

Arwen Evenstar was dressed and ready for greeting visitors when she realized that both Aragorn and Aranwen were nowhere to be found. Knowing how angered her father, Lord Elrond, would be if he did not see the two troublesome and mischievous Rangers, Arwen took upon herself the arduous task of finding and preparing them for Council. Aragorn would be remotely easy to discover, but Aranwen was all together and whole new challenge for the Elf. Like her father, Aranwen had a knack for getting into trouble and also was exceptionally good at hiding. Since Aranwen was also a Ranger, she would be even harder to spot.

To Arwen's immense surprise, Aragorn was dressed nicely and standing in the hall where the shards of Narsil, Elendil's sword, were kept. He held the hilt of the shattered sword in one hand as he gently replaced the heirloom upon the velvet beside the other shards. He stepped back as Arwen entered behind him.

"I must admit that I am almost as surprised to see you ready for Council as I am surprised to see you near Narsil. I thought you feared your past," Arwen said softly.

"I do fear my past," he replied with a sigh, turning around to face her. "And the Council as well. I feel that something important will be decided today."

"Ada told me that everything today was related to the One Ring."

"I believe it. If only Isildur had been strong enough to destroy it long ago…"

"You will face the same evil one day," Arwen said, meeting Aragorn's eyes. "And you will defeat it. There is always hope."

"I never wanted any of this."

"Aragorn, you have a chance to become greater than all of your ancestors and to make right their wrongs. You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself."

"But the same blood—the same weakness flows in my very veins as it once did in his. How can you be so sure that I will not make the same mistakes?"

"Because I know you. Do not doubt yourself."

"It is so hard sometimes, Arwen. Every day, I carry the fate of the world of Men upon my shoulders. No matter what I do, I wonder how I am affecting the world."

"Do not worry so much, my love. Everything will one day work out. I can not think of any mistakes you have made."

"The only mistake I made was leaving you and not being there for Aranwen," Aragorn said, his voice portraying his sadness.

"I understand now that it was for the best. I also left Aranwen because it was the best thing for her. I did not want her growing up and being hunted all her life as you were. I wanted a better life for her, where she could be a normal child."

"If only we could have both raised her."

"We can always have another child, one that we can both raise when the time is right," Arwen said with a slight smile.

"After the danger had passed, and the Ring is destroyed," Aragorn promised.

Arwen nodded in agreement before she said, "Now I must go find Aranwen. Do you know where she might be?"

"After that vision, she's probably still asleep because I have not seen her today."

"Thank you, and you know that I love you, right?"

"And I love you," Aragorn said, gently caressing her pointed Elven ears before he kissed her.

Arwen lightly knocked on Aranwen's door. She prayed that Aragorn was right and that her daughter was still abed. Elvish curses could be heard from inside the room and a grumbling half-Elf answered the door. Aranwen's hair was wild and she was still dressed in her nightgown with her gray-blue eyes half-closed. She held a dagger loosely in her right hand. When she noticed Arwen, she hid the dagger from view. Arwen was surprised to see her answer the door with a dagger in Rivendell, but she assumed it had something to do with Beran and her vision.

"Why did you feel the need to wake me so early in the morning?" Aranwen asked, yawning.

"I am sorry, but the visitors are arriving for the Council and Lord Elrond is waiting for you," Arwen said.

"I must I greet them?"

"Yes, it is your duty as my daughter and as a visitor in Rivendell to greet the others."

"Is ada greeting them as well?" Aranwen asked, hoping that she would not be alone.

"Aragorn is already on his way to the gates to greet visitors. He is not particularly enthused about greeting them or about the Council. But he does not wish to anger Elrond."

"I will come—but must I wear a dress?"

"Yes," Arwen said, walking over to the wardrobe and looking through the dresses hanging inside. "This one is fine."

Arwen handing Aranwen a silvery grey dress with diamond designs on the sleeves. The dress was almost identical to the tunic that Aragorn was wearing. Aranwen smiled and turned to thank her mother, but Arwen was already gone from the room. Aranwen slipped the dress on and went to put her dreaded blue nightdress away in the wardrobe. Her eyes went to the floor of the wardrobe, looking for shoes. She reached towards a pair of black shoes when she noticed a pair of well-worn boots.

Aranwen grabbed the boots and realized that they were her own boots. She rubbed the soft leather, delighted that she had found them. She looked in the back of the wardrobe and saw two pairs of dark colored leggings, several different colored tunics, a leather vest, a leather jacket, and a travel-worn cloak. Aranwen grabbed a pair of leggings and pulled them on under her dress along with her boots.

Satisfied, Aranwen left her room and headed towards the gates of Rivendell, where she knew everyone would be waiting. Before she got to the gates, Arwen reappeared with a silver handled brush and a simple silver circlet in her hands. Arwen ran the brush through Aranwen's short and tangled hair. Once her hair was brushed, Arwen carefully arranged the silver circlet in her hair. Aranwen made a face, not wanting anything in her hair, let alone a type of crown.

"Now you look like my daughter and the daughter of the future King of Gondor," Arwen said with a smile.

With a sigh, Aranwen replied, "Thank you."

Arwen smiled and led the way to the gates, Aranwen at her heels. When they reached the gates, Aranwen was relieved to see an anxious Aragorn standing with the Elves of Rivendell. Aragorn almost looked like one of the Elves, except that his short and somewhat messy hair showed that he was a Ranger. His gray-blue eyes lit up at the sight of Arwen and Aranwen.

"Ada!" Aranwen cried joyfully, rushing over to hug Aragorn.

"Aranwen," he with a smile. "You look so beautiful today."

"Nana helped me," she said making a face.

Aragorn laughed. Arwen walked over and Aragorn gave her a quick kiss just as Elrond and the visitors came through the gates. Elrond seemed surprised to see both Aragorn and Aranwen with Arwen. And Aranwen looked like one of the Elves for once, instead of a Ranger. He nodded his approval to Arwen who smiled.

Now if only he could separate Arwen and Aragorn once more.

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the long delay! I just finished school and finals so now I actually have time to sit down and write chapters. Plus this was an annoying chapter because I don't want to give everything away quite yet and one of the previous versions said too much. Anyways, I hope everyone likes this one. I also thought I should mention that Beran is a deliberate misspelling of Beren from the tale of Beren and Luthien.

Next update should be around June 12th, if I get around to it!

Reviewers!

ArwenFairTinuviel – The reason Elrond is acting weird will be revealed soon. And it does have something to do with Beran, but Elrond is not also Beran.