I do not know if life is greater than death, but love was more than either - Tristan & Isolde
I remember this place.
Not as it is now, but as it was… long ago. I remember the elanor blooming and the golden leaves upon the trees and the never-fading grass upon which we trod together, when the world was whole and bright. The smell of the niphredil, the laughter and song amid the trees, and the lights of heaven above us as we danced.
But it seems so far away now, and the memory of those happy days bring no comfort, only sorrow and grief because you are not there to smile at the thought, and I have not the strength to do so because you are not here any longer. I am alone in these remembrances, and I find no joy in them because their heart is ripped asunder with this parting. And there is no longer any song upon the air, nor any merry sound to be heard in this forgotten land.
The winter has come to this place. Its legend of summer unfading shall become as distant as the leagues that lie to those who once dwelt here, and those that shall come and one day call it their own will hear but the rumor of the glory of old. But now the world has changed, and though much evil has been mended, and much good anew has sprung forth, many things fair and mighty have fallen, and been lost forever.
The shadow falls upon my heart. I am weary of this world, tired of the rising of the sun upon days which bring only grief because you are gone. I miss you so much. I miss when you would take me in your arms and suddenly everything in the world was alright. I miss when you'd smile at me in that way that was only mine. I miss your voice.
I was not weary yet of my days when you left, for they were filled with joy and life and beauty. But each moment that passes without you is an eternity filled with nothing but pain. I have gone on too long. And now death seems a small price to pay for respite.
The winter has come, and I cannot withstand it alone. I am fading, fading like this place. I shall be lost to this world, as the laughter that once dwelt here, and the spring shall never again smile upon my face.
On the hill of Cerin Amroth when we forsook both the Shadow and the Twilight this doom we accepted
She stared up at him, marveling in the strength of his demeanor, no longer the child she had once known, the boy who had chased her in wonder and bedazzlement. A grave and majestic air hung about him, and the boyishness was gone from his features, hardened into a mature handsomeness. The years had taken their toll, stealing his youthful innocence, leaving instead a sureness, a firm manner of conduct and a proud tilt to his head that came of knowing both the honour and majesty of his lineage as well as the responsibility of his duties and the long hard road he traveled in order to reclaim his throne.
A shadow lurked in his eyes, as though haunted by the memory of fear and pain, though it was difficult to spy at times—she thought he hid it from her to protect her. He had seen and endured much since they had last met, had grown so much into a man, into a leader and a king.
They all sensed the coming storm of war, broiling restlessly on the horizon, felt it pressing on their hearts like the tense rush before the plunge—fear and adrenaline and determination. And in her heart she knew with a steady and quiet assurance that he would stand against the darkness, that he would inspire and revive the glory of his line in the days of old. The fire burned within him, a fierce and perilous charisma.
It was the flame that ensnared her now, danger and greatness, a hope and beauty made more precious by the trials endured to obtain them.
The flowers bloomed about our feet that day, as we bound our futures to one another, to stand as one in hope of a brighter day beyond the onset of the night. How long ago it seems now, indistinct and unreal, as if drained of color and distorted. I was another person, then, so young… caught up in dreams and fears.
But now, all I feel is cold.
The world consists of shades of grey and a lingering ache that will not be sated. I wander aimlessly through each day, plagued only by longings for what has been lost to me. I am old, I feel at last the weight of my years dragging heavily upon me, and the time in which years once drifted by so effortlessly now in a day scrape against my heart. I have done with this life. Never have I felt so frail, so easily shattered.
It is the end.
It is in my blood, in the steady throbbing of my heart and the soft fall of my breaths. An irresistible call, and an irrefutable knowledge. This land, this place, laden with memories of you and I and the life that once filled it, can hold me no longer. I have lingered long enough. It has broken me.
She stared down at the withered grass, the frigid winds blowing straight through her, sapping any heat from her skin. At last she knelt, this proud queen, the dirt seeping through the rich fabric of her pale, silvery blue gown. Everything was barren, sapped of color and vivacity, a brutal contrast to the recalled brilliance of the past. Even her memories were fading, streaked in the storm of her grief, growing more and more obscure.
My love, I wish you were here…
Her pale hands braced against the cold earth as her body caved in on itself, surrendering to the gnawing pain and letting it break free to wash through her. All around her the mallorn leaves were falling, drifting down to coat the ground in the surrounding clearing. Tears burned in her eyes but would not fall.
I am alone. And there is no one to comfort me
She lay on the ground, her face buried in the crook of her left arm, hair strewn around her, a black shadow trailing across the dim green of the grass. She almost imagined she could smell the faint traces of the niphredil and elanor lingering beneath her.
Enough
Black lashes closed for the last time over those empty eyes, still holding their dazzling silver hue, though the spark had been washed out of them. The icy cold of the ground crept over her, enveloping her in its numbing forgetfulness. The furrow in her brow eased into blank smoothness, white and perfect.
Farewell
That's my take on the tale. Let me know what you guys think, I'm always happy to get reviews. And if any of you other people out there love the Arwen/Aragorn story like I do and have any grand ideas for a story/chapter that I could write, I'd love to hear your suggestions.
Thanks for reading
Charming