"I have to go back, Aerin. If only for myself…I have to know something."

"I will take ye back, angel. But then I'm leaving. And I swear to you, I will never come into your life again. I make this vow to you."

"Aerin, please…I want you to wait if only for a short time. Please, I will explain myself soon. And when I do, I shall make my choice for you or for him."

Aerin sighed in defeat when she looked at him through those dark eyelashes. He knew he could not refuse her. Glancing briefly to his right, Aerin slid off the horse and lifted her down with him. Slowly, he reached up his hands and loosened the hood of the cloak from her head allowing the curtain of dark hair to be released.

"You still have the ointment upon your skin. Come."

Aerin softly took her hand and led her to the lake that rested nearby. She closed her eyes as he unfastened the brooch holding the cloak together. It pooled to the ground beneath her, and she was garbed in merely a white undershift. He rested his hands upon her neck and trailed his fingers to her shoulders. She pressed her lips gently against his as he moved the fabric across the curve of her fair white shoulder. He tore his lips from hers for a moment and settled a featherlike kiss upon her arm. Every touch sent a lightning bolt through her system. Aerin slid the loose shift down her arms, and it easily collapsed to the ground.

She allowed him to lead her to the lake, but jumped slightly when her toes met the cold water. He grinned at the amusing display. He was also amused by the fact that from her neckline down her skin was entirely white, but her face was still brown from the smelly ointment he had rubbed upon her.

Aerin removed his shirt and casually tossed it aside. He watched her inhale deeply, taking in the sight of his muscles. He did not have a large manly frame like Hamir. No, Aerin was tall and thin and carried a youthful appearance about him still. He was not the boy she knew in Gondor, but he was not a full grown man yet like Hamir. And Araiel was not yet a woman though she felt like it at times.

Soon, Aerin stood before her as naked as the day he was born. Their hands touched, and their hearts met. Slowly, they waded into the water together, and Aerin began to wash the ointment from her face. Once again, their lips met, and this time, neither could deny the passion and love they shared together. Their connection went beyond skin.

They issued out of the water, not daring to tear their lips from each other for fear that they would come to their senses. Aerin lowered her to the soft grass as they continued their lovemaking. Araiel felt a sudden jolt issue through her stomach, and she worked to calm her trembling self. As Aerin fully and completely entered the princess of Gondor, she watched as his face melted before her. And she was entirely stripped away as well. They approached the end and crashed into the beautiful symphony they had created together.

"I feel so small sometimes, Aerin," she murmured to her lover. "Like I don't matter in this world. But whenever I am with you, I feel like I have purpose. Like there is something else out there besides all of this. I am tired of court etiquette. I'm tired of politics. I'm tired of worrying about whether the one I love is going to come home at night to me or whether he has enough time for me."

His lips brushed against her forehead. "There is so much beauty left in the world. I always wanted to discover it with you, Ari. I can see the beauty in your eyes, I feel it in your soul. You abound with it."

"Do you think everything happens for a reason?" she asked huddling up next to him.

"Yes," he replied turning his attention to the stars.

"Then why would they do this to us? How could we love each other so much for us to be taken away from each other? Why were Hamir and I meant, and not you and I?"

"Are you so certain that we are not? It is your choice, Ari. The law should not cage your heart. And life is…complicated sometimes. Perhaps you and Hamir were meant to be together for a short time to prepare you for me. I don't know. Perhaps he needed you to show him something. Perhaps you needed him to show you something. You have changed in the time we have been apart. And I have learned a great deal too."

She nodded, but no longer desired to speak. She merely sidled up against him and listened to the hum of his steady breath and rested her fingers on his warm chest.

"We should go, Ari. Hamir probably has learned of your escape by now. We must leave for his camp if we wish to make it there before he departs to search for you…"

"And I will not forget my promise to you. I will explain everything and make my choice…soon."

Aerin was as true as his word. They found Hamir's camp only a half a day from the lake. The Prince raced to meet his wife and lifted her from the saddle of the horse and spun her around in glee. It nearly took all her strength to keep her from weeping as he held her close to him. Her heart ached for she knew how much he loved her. He glanced up at Aerin.

"I owe you my life once again. What can I do to repay you?"

"There is no price you could give to me that I would accept," Aerin spoke in simple terms as he dismounted and allowed the wardens to lead his horse away.

"I will not stand for my brother's treachery any longer, Araiel. I intend to attack tomorrow night as soon as dusk falls. We have ten thousand men at our disposal. We are ready to finish him. And then we shall be safe and can continue our lives unhindered. I promise you this."

"Hamir," she took his hand. "I must speak with you, please."

"Araiel," he noticed a flicker of sadness pass across her face. "What troubles you?"

"I must speak with you in private."

He nodded and sighed heavily knowing that her message was serious. Aerin watched them issue into the king's tent, and then he slowly turned away to partake of a late lunch.

Araiel surveyed her surroundings. The room resembled much of their shared room in Harad. It smelled of rich spices just like Hamir. She paced the room for a few moments, and Hamir watched her in silence waiting for her to speak. Finally, she turned to him.

"What is it, my love? What distresses you?"

She pursed her lips together and finally spoke, "Why did you not tell me that you could not give me children?"

Her words stunned him. He lifted a hand to his head and closed his eyes. She waited for a moment or two until he was ready to answer.

"I was afraid if anyone found out, especially your father, he would not give you to me. I guess I hoped that it were not true. And when I met you, I fooled myself into believing it could happen. I loved you at first sight, Araiel. I desired you so deeply that I was willing to do anything to have you."

"You lied to me, Hamir. You tricked me into thinking you were my first."
He looked at the ground. "In a way, you were the first Araiel. I loved you more than any girl I had ever been with. That is why I married you. I wished to spend eternity at your side."
"That would be impossible, Hamir. You are not elven as I. And even though I am merely a descendant of the elves, I have learned that I share an equal lifespan with them. I will not pass into the next world unless I am felled by a weapon or if I suffer from a broken heart. I am immune to sickness. I do not know how this change came upon me. None of my family shares it. I do not know how it befell me."

Slowly, he approached the princess and raised her hands to his lips kissing her knuckles one by one. "Araiel, can you forgive me for lying to you for keeping the truth from you?"

"Yes, Hamir, I can forgive you for that. What I cannot forgive is how your own selfish heart desired for me to be ripped apart from all I held dear just so your curiosity could be sated just so you could finally look upon me in person and not in a picture. And now I must beg your forgiveness."

He looked up at her in surprise. "What do you need forgiving of, my love?"

She gazed into her husband's eyes, and a tear rolled down her cheek. A sob escaped her lips, and finally, in a mere whisper, Araiel changed the fate of the Harad. "Hamir, I am with child."