Author's Notes
The Elves of my stories have more in common with Irish tales of the sídhe than with the Silmarillion. Along with the blasphemous trampling of Tolkien canon on Elven sexual mores, this story takes liberties with the timing of certain events. The Tale of Years gives 3009 as the time of Arwen's return to Rivendell; I have placed that event somewhat earlier. Tolkien does not tell us the year of Gilraen's return to the Dúnedain.
Readers of my WIP The Sword of Elendil, a canon-conscious AU tale of Aragorn's young manhood, will notice certain elements in common with this tale: The description of the Dúnedain Keep; the fact that Aragorn and Halbarad are second cousins, related through the line of the Chieftains. Arwen's character is the same in both stories. However, Halbarad and Aragorn are not lovers in The Sword of Elendil. Thus, "Arwen in the Afternoon" is an AU of my AU.
A sharp reader will notice that the story of the Dwarves being murdered in the mountains is placed in the same year as the destruction of Balin's colony in Moria.
The poem is adapted from Tolkien's verses in The Hobbit, and quite at variance with his intent. (Or perhaps Bilbo bowdlerized what he actually heard.) The lines are also vaguely inspired by the medieval Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym.