Hidden Secrets

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

Chapter Ten: The Council of Elrond

T.A. 3018

After greeting all of the visitors, Aranwen returned to her room, exhausted. She flopped down onto her bed and looked out of her room towards a bridge. On the bridge, she saw Aragorn and Arwen. She smiled, pleased that her parents had managed to find some time for themselves. She wondered how many times they had met in secret before.

T.A. 2980

Aragorn and Arwen stood upon the hill of Cerin Amroth, in fair Lothlorien. They had come to plight their troth.

"Arwen, my beloved Evenstar, will you marry me?" Aragorn asked.

"Of course I will my love!" Arwen replied.

"Even if it is many years from now, you will wait for me?"

"Time does not matter to me, for I know that one day, all of our time will be spent together."

"I love you, Arwen," Aragorn whispered.

"And I love you. And one of these days, I shall bind myself to you, and forsake my immortal life."

T.A. 3018

Shortly before the Council, Elrond came to visit Aranwen.

"I know that you still wish to attend the Council," Elrond said.

"Of course I wish to attend! It seems important and I want to be a part of it!" Aranwen exclaimed.

"If I thought that it would be in your best interest, I would have you come. But, my dear granddaughter, the matter of the Council has nothing to do with you."

"I feel so useless here in Rivendell. Back home, in the Ranger camp, I always helped with everything and the other Rangers respected me because of it."

"Aranwen, you are respected here as well, but you are no longer a Ranger. You are a half-Elf, the daughter of the Evenstar and the Heir of Isildur. You can no longer rush into danger without a care. You must stay safe."

"I can take care of myself! I am a grown woman, no longer a little girl!" Aranwen protested.

"That may be true, but the Council is no place for you. You are forbidden from attending the Council. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Aranwen said dejectedly with a sigh.

"Good," Elrond said as he left Aranwen's room to head to his Council.

"Like I have any intention of obeying him!" Aranwen hissed as she walked out onto the balcony.

In the distance, Aranwen could see where the Council had gathered. She could see her father sitting beside Elladan and Elrohir, Arwen's twin brothers and her uncles. She could also see Frodo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Elrond, and all of the visitors that she had greeted earlier in the day along with some of the Rivendell Elves. She noticed a tall tree near the Council, where she would be able to spy on the Council.

Aranwen climbed down from her balcony and walked quickly towards the Council. When she reached the tree, she silently climbed it and sat high up on a branch, over looking the Council. She could hear every word being said from her hiding spot. And it was unlikely that anyone had noticed her or would notice her.

"The Ring must be destroyed. One of you must complete this dangerous and possibly deadly task," said Elrond.

Fighting quickly erupted amongst the Council. Everyone wanted to take the Ring themselves and all the different races of Middle-earth were arguing. Only Aragorn sat calmly in his seat. Aranwen was staring at the Ring when she heard a voice calling her name.

"Aranwen, Aranwen," called the Voice of the Ring.

Aranwen leaned closer and the branch she was sitting on cracked, throwing Aranwen towards the ground. Aranwen let out a cry as she fell, both surprised and scared. Aragorn jumped up from his seat and caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Aranwen, how nice of you to drop in," Aragorn said with a smile as he helped Aranwen stand.

"Ya linna ambanna tulinuva nan, ada," Aranwen said.

"Who are you?" demanded Boromir, a Man from Gondor. "And what are you doing here?"

"I am Aranwen, and I am staying in Rivendell for some time before I return home," Aranwen replied.

"Where is home?"

"The Wild. I am a Ranger."

"Aranwen, I specifically told you not to come to the Council! How dare you disobey me!" roared Elrond, storming over towards Aranwen and Aragorn.

"I didn't come to Council! I was climbing a tree and I fell into Council!" Aranwen protested, glaring slightly at the angry Elf-lord.

"You have still disobeyed me!"

"Do not yell at her, Lord Elrond, for you are not her father," Aragorn said, trying to remain calm.

"And neither are you. You gave up that right long ago!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Aranwen yelled.

Elladan and Elrohir appeared at the distressed half-Elf's side and separated the enraged Elf-lord and Ranger before they harmed each other. Aranwen quickly turned and ran. She wasn't going to stay behind and watch the two fight each other over her. Elrond didn't really have a right to tell her what to do and expect her to follow her. But Aragorn was still her father and it wasn't his fault that he hadn't known about her. Arwen had chosen to keep her birth secret.

Aranwen headed to her room where she lay down and closed her eyes.

When Aranwen awoke, she felt better and darkness had already fallen. She walked over towards the balcony and stared out into the distance, looking towards the Wild. She couldn't stay here much longer. Something just didn't feel right. Aranwen headed to the wardrobe and started pulling out her Ranger clothes and piled them on the bed. She also pulled out a saddlebag and began to fill it. She reached under the bed and pulled out her sword in its sheath and put it down on the bed beside the saddlebag. She walked over to the mirror and left the silver circlet down on the stand. Aranwen noticed a piece of parchment and a quill and inkwell. She quickly scribbled a note to Arwen and Aragorn.

She headed back to the bed and then she felt a familiar chill down her spine. Someone was in her room. And it was not a friend.

Author's Notes:

And the suspense increases! Next update due on June 14th!

Elvish Translations:

Ya linna ambanna tulinuva nan, ada. – What goes up must come down, dad.

Reviewers!

IwishChan - I think that Aragorn would just be naturally protective of his family even if he just met her.

Fae Black - Thanks! I just finished figuring out the major plot points myself so I'm starting to draw everything together and show how it all relates.