"What are you doing here?" A voice behind Aragorn asked. The king turned around to face his wife.
"Nothing, why should I be doing anything?" He replied, standing up and walking over to her. "I was just looking at the lovely scenery from this bench." Arwen raised and eyebrow and looked around Aragorn. The "lovely scenery" was blocked by the numerous vines and weeds that had started to creep into Rivendell once the gardeners left. Arwen looked at Aragorn as if to say Am I supposed to believe that you thought this was 'lovely scenery'?
Aragorn sighed. "I was... I mean, I just had to..." he couldn't find the right words to describe what he was doing. It was almost like a combination of saying goodbye, letting go, moving on, and facing the truth.
Arwen, however, wasn't fooled. "You were saying goodbye to him, weren't you?" she asked, recognizing the look on his face. It was the same look he had the last time they saw Lord Elrond, the last time he tried to say goodbye.
Aragorn nodded. "I'm sorry, I mean, he was your father... maybe we shouldn't talk about it." he finished lamely.
Arwen shook her head and sat down on the bench, pulling him down next to her. "I want to talk about it." she whispered. "I miss him too." She paused though, not quite sure how to begin. They sat there in silence for awhile, each one lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Aragorn spoke up again.
"When we were in Rohan, after the wedding, you and Elrond went off somewhere for the day, I'm assuming to say goodbye. What did you talk about?"
Arwen looked across the garden, not sure of what to say. Parts of their goodbye were forgotten, lost in a desperate attempt to hide her pain. How could she describe her last moments alone with her father? How could she try to put her pain into words? Finally, she spoke up, her voice no louder than a whisper. "We did say goodbye. I guess the first thing I remember about our parting was the silence. For the longest time, neither of us talked to the other. I guess we were both unsure of how to proceed. Saying goodbye for a trip was one thing. Saying goodbye for the rest of our lives, now that is very hard to do." Arwen paused, unsure how to describe their actual conversation. She took a deep breath, and continued softly. "We finally did talk to each other. I'm afraid there were many bitter words at first. It took us awhile before we settled anything."
Aragorn could tell that the rest of it would stay a secret for eternity. He put his arm around Arwen and she leaned against him, each one taking comfort in the other. A lone tear slid down Arwen's face. Aragorn brushed it away. "What's wrong my love?" he asked softly, turning to face her. "Was it something...?"
Arwen shook her head. "No, it wasn't your fault, she whispered. "I was just remembering that last conversation with my father." Arwen sighed, and leaned against Aragorn again, loosing herself in her memories once more.
Arwen sat down on a boulder, resting a moment to regain her breath. She wasn't quite used to being mortal yet, not familiar with her everything her choice came with. Elrond saw she had stopped and walked back to her. "Are you all right?" he asked, sitting down on the rock next to her.
Arwen looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "I'm alright; I guess I'm just not quite familiar with mortality yet. No Ada, I don't regret this." she said, stopping him from questioning her judgment once more.
Elrond shook his head. "That may be so, but do you think I'm okay with your decision?" He stood up and looked down at his daughter. "I don't want to lose you Arwen..."
"Ada, this is my choice. If I leave him now, I will regret it forever." Arwen repeated the words she had said time and time again.
"I'm going to regret letting you marry him for an eternity!" Elrond said. "Arwen, tell me, is there anything that could have been done, anything to prevent this...?"
"I have chosen the fate of Luthien, both the sweet and the bitter. Nothing could stop her love for Beren, nothing can stop my love for Aragorn." she replied. "Ada, don't dwell on what could have been. Please, just accept my choice."
Elrond sighed and looked down at his daughter. "I always have accepted it." he said. "But that doesn't mean I don't wish it was different."
Arwen turned towards her husband. "I wish that last conversation with Ada was different. I wish he knew how much I miss him now, how much I'm sorry for how our last time together ended..."
Aragorn smiled at her. "I think he knows." he said, a small breeze blowing through the courtyard. "I think he knows."
XXXXX
Across the Sea, Elrond sighed. His thoughts of Aragorn had awoken the memory of his last conversation with Arwen. He wished now that the conversation had been different, that he hadn't been so harsh on her. He wished so many things were different.
"Is something wrong?" A voice behind him asked.
Elrond turned around and smiled at his wife. "No, nothing. I was just... thinking." he said.
Celebrian walked over towards him. "I know that look on your face." she said. "Something is wrong. Care to share?"
Elrond sighed again. "I was just thinking about Arwen." he said. "I'm afraid I was never really alright with her decision to become mortal. I guess I'm just regretting it now harsh I was to her about it. I want to convince myself that she knows I didn't mean it, but I'm not sure that she knows."
Celebrian smiled at him. "It's Arwen; she knows you still love her. I'm sure she knows." she said. "I'm sure she knows."
