Dawn arrived at the guesthouse earlier than Enguina desired and more brightly than she desired. She lay on the divan in the sitting room, her head on Arwen's leg, the elf's fingers in her hair. She was not ready to be awake; she knew what was to come, and she was not looking forward to it, even if it needed to be done. She sighed softly.

"You are supposed to be asleep."

Enguina smiled at Arwen's words. "So are you. Why are you awake?"

"I was busy thinking." They were both silent for a moment. "Legolas will be here soon."

"Soon?" Enguina asked incredulously. "Far too early."

"He cannot keep himself away, sweet one. He will be here."

"If he knows anything about me—"

"He would not have left your porch last night," Arwen stated matter-of-factly. "I cannot believe he left you alone…on the first evening back especially. I would have thought he would be stuck to you like a fly in tree sap."

"That was Faramir," Enguina sighed. "He unwittingly dragged him away. I should have gone after him, but…I was too proud." She was silent again, and Arwen said nothing. She shifted, rubbing her cheek against Arwen's leg. "I have learned many difficult lessons tonight. You are…you were so right…and I am so sorry I did not listen earlier. I…could have spared all of us so much grief." Another pause and then, "Why do I never listen to you? Why do I always become angry and get offended by your advice? You have always looked out for me, and your counsel has always been sound."

She shook her head, feeling downright miserable. It was not only because last night she tried to take her own life, and in hindsight she saw what a terrible mistake she would have made. Arwen would have been devastated and Legolas…unimaginable. How she had ever thought, even in the darkest of moments, that no one would care for her or miss her…she was so wrong. And always, after a conversation, an argument like this with Arwen, she felt uncontrollable guilt. What had she said to her last night? Some…very nasty things. The mood she had been in… She shook her head again; her behavior was inexcusable.

"I am so…" she began, whispering. "I am so sorry for what I said to you. The words I must have spoken! I always wound you, and then you always forgive me…even when you should not."

"I am supposed to forgive you…and you were hurting," Arwen replied rather easily. "You never cease to condemn yourself."

"And you never cease to hide how deeply you hurt." Arwen said nothing in response, and so Enguina continued, grumbling, "You should not forgive me so easily. The words you speak, they are the same words Legolas said to me the last time I hurt him during a nightmare: you were hurting. Please, it is a ridiculous excuse. He should not have forgiven me; perhaps I would have attempted to be better earlier."

"I did not want to forgive you for trying to leap from the Embrasure," Arwen interrupted her quietly, drawing her away from the subject of what she had said. "I was so upset with you, but other things became more important than the shock over what you were trying to do. I could not believe that you had done such a thing."

"I know," Enguina mumbled. "I can only apologize for my behavior."

"And promise you shall never do anything so foolish ever again. Your life is not that terrible; you have much to live for," she whispered, and stroked Enguina's cheek.

"I know that…I simply lost sight of it," she said guiltily. "Arwen, will…will it ever fade? Will the memories ever fade?" She whispered the last words, horrified.

Arwen stroked her hair and sighed softly. "Enguina, you are asking me to be honest with you, so I will be honest with you. I believe, yes, that the memory of him will fade; you will make new memories that will erase it. The memory of the pain?" She shook her head. "Enguina, I do not know. I do not think I will ever forget the loss of the babe. Will I bury it? Tuck it away so I do not feel it always hanging over me? Eventually, yes; but will it completely fade away? Probably not. No, instead it will fall to the background and every once in a while it will haunt you—"

"So the dreams will return?"

"Aragorn is not an elf, yet he dreams of things that happened fifty years ago," Arwen stated. "I sometimes dream of my mother, Enguina, and you know how long ago that was. We hold memories much longer than a normal human, good or ill. But, you must decide how you will face them when they do."

"I do not know…" she muttered, "I do not know how I will find a way to talk about these happenings with Legolas."

Arwen heard the front door open quietly and then shut. She lifted her head, listening for footsteps; there were none. "Well," she told her softly, "you shall have to decide how to do it, because he has just come inside."

"Stop toying with me."

Arwen rolled her eyes. "You ears are dead," she grumbled, and then she called out softly, "Legolas!" Enguina startled as Arwen continued, "We are in the sitting room."

"You were serious."

Arwen sighed. "Of course, silly."

Legolas entered, looking a bit sheepish at first, and then his face held total surprise when he saw Arwen and the way they were sitting. He tried to control his expression, but it was no use; it was clear to Arwen that he knew exactly why she was there, and that he felt completely awful about not being present for the nightmare.

Arwen decided to speak before he could berate himself, but Enguina spoke before her, a small smile on her face that distracted him, even though her eyes were unopened. "You are here so early, Legolas! Did you think I would be awake?" She smirked at him, but he noticed that it did not reach her eyes when she looked at him. She had struggled last night.

"I…had hoped you would not be," he replied softly, coming to a stop before them. And then he laughed, blushing a bit. "I did not mean that the way it came out."

Arwen laughed at him. "Of course not, Legolas."

"Thank you for that," he stated, and then he looked back at Enguina. "I had hoped you would be sleeping yet, and peacefully," Legolas admitted.

"That was not to be," she replied in his tone. "Shall we walk today?"

He was surprised by her request, and he glanced at Arwen to see what she thought; she was looking down at the top of Enguina's head instead of him, her fingers still combing through the older elf's hair. "Of course," he replied, unable to look to Arwen for help. "Before things get…frantic in the next several days with arrivals and wedding plans, we should still be able to find some quiet time."

She swung her feet to the floor, sitting up easily and meeting his eyes. "Can we go now?" The incredulous look on his face was too funny not to laugh.

"Is she serious, Arwen?" Legolas asked as Enguina laughed softly herself at his tone. "It is only just past dawn."

Arwen nodded, finally looking up, folding her hands in her lap. "She is indeed."

"I am serious," Enguina agreed. "We can stop for muffins or something on the way for breakfast. Sometimes, this house is a bit too…I feel as though I am in a cage."

"We have been on the road for many days," Legolas reminded her softly. "Do you have a destination in mind?"

"I do, in fact. I was thinking of a quiet place that has been perfect for many-a serious chat."

He eyed her, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Serious? What could she mean?

Arwen smiled. "Do not look so worried, Legolas."

He glanced up at her. "That is what worries…" his voice drifted off as he really looked into her face for the first time that morning. "What happened to—"

"Another time," she said, interrupting him gently. "You and Enguina have somewhere to be, and so do I." She leaned over and kissed Enguina's cheek before standing. "Have a good day today. I will see you both for dinner?"

Legolas looked to Enguina for the answer and watched as she nodded. "We will meet you at the King's House. Thank you," she whispered, catching Arwen's hand just before she walked away. "Thank you again."

"Love you," Arwen replied, squeezing her hand within her own. Then she turned, smiled at Legolas and left the house. Enguina looked up at the elf and then got to her feet. He stepped right up in front of her and cupped her face in his hands.

"I am so full of shame that about leaving you here last night." His voice was earnest, grave. "I should have never let Faramir drag me away. I should have—"

"Please…it was…for the best." Enguina smiled at him and rested her hands on his wrists, closing her eyes. "And Arwen was here…" Thank Ilúvatar…

"I cannot imagine a situation where you are without me where it would be best."

She laughed. "Ah, there you are."

"Neither one of us have been ourselves these last few days." He studied her face. "Guin, are you certain that you want to go now? You look as though you could use some more rest."

She shook her head. "I will not be able to rest until I speak to you," she said softly, opening her eyes. "And I need to take a long walk before we arrive in the mountains so I am able to do that."

He clearly frowned. "You…are worrying me."

"I live to do that."

That made him smile. "You have already taken several years from my life and I have only known you six months."

Oh, Legolas…if you only knew… "Think how short your life will be when you spend the next thousand years putting up with me," she murmured, and he bent closer, resting his forehead against hers. "Are you going to kiss me?" Her voice remained low.

He tilted his head. "Shall I? I think that I may have been leaning that way." There was a long pause, and he did lift his head then to look at her fully. "If you have to think about it that—"

She kissed him to silence him, leaning against his chest and tucking her hands up underneath his hair and holding the back of his neck. He had not expected the kiss, assuming that there was a reason she was holding back from him. It was surprisingly gentle for the way she was holding herself to him, and he released his hands from cupping her face to holding her waist.

The kiss ended and she leaned her head back to look into his face. "I was here last night," he whispered, and she appeared confused.

"What?"

"I was here," he reiterated. "After Gimli went to sleep, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, unable to think of anything but you, and how you have lain by my side the last several nights, and I could hardly bear the thought of you alone in this house. So…I came inside and I stood over your bed…and you were sleeping so peacefully that I thought everything was all right." He sighed softly, seeing the surprise on her face. "I have spent every day of the last weeks with you…it is difficult to go back to not having you at my side."

"I was…almost ready to scream aloud when Faramir took you away. Even Éowyn said that when we were wed I would beg for time alone." She blushed. "I…cannot imagine that."

He laughed suddenly. "I will not tell you some of the things Faramir said to me as he walked Gimli and I home. Suffice to say it was a bit…coarse…for ears like yours."

She smiled and shook her head. "I cannot believe you were here."

"I stood right over you…and I turned and left." His face burned still with the shame of it.

"Stop, Legolas. How could you have known?" She trembled once beneath his hands and they tightened on her waist.

"What—"

"Please…" she whispered, her eyes closing again. "Walk with me, Legolas. I need to be outside again."

Kissing her forehead, he took her hands in his and led her from the guesthouse, pausing only long enough for her to pull on her boots.

Arwen entered the House, closed the door, and fell back against it. She felt completely numb, unable to get a grasp on what was going on around her. Was she tired? Was she grieving? Confusion flooded her; she felt as though her legs were like pudding, and she could barely stand upright as she stumbled towards the bedroom, her knee throbbing. Aragorn was still lying in bed, propped upon one elbow, watching as she made her way inside.

She looked at him when she stopped, staring into his grey eyes. She could feel his worry though none of it showed on his face. "Where were you, beloved? I woke and you were not here. You said you were taking a walk…but that was hours ago."

"I…" she hesitated, felt her chest tighten and lay her hand against it, unsure what was happening. Suddenly dizzy, she shook her head.

He took in her stance, her hand, her face—the mark, where her cheek was beginning to bruise—the way her eyes clenched shut, and he propped himself up higher. Enguina? Did she sense something when she woke? Why did she not call for me? "Arwen, are you all right?"

The question caught her, and the pain in her chest spiked; she lost herself completely. Breaking down into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, at first she had no idea why she was crying so hard. But as he struggled to sit up, horrified, confused, reaching for her, she limped towards him and threw herself into bed with him, burying her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

Arwen…what the hell?! His thought reverberated in her head, but she could not find herself within her…utter grief? Mad joy? Complete relief? Why was she crying? It felt like hours before she could collect herself enough to think about anything, and by that time, his tunic was soaked through and she was so exhausted she was unsure if she could string a few words together. She finally realized that he was whispering to her, as he always did, kissing the top of her head as her trembling began to lessen.

"Everything is all right," he heard him saying, his arms tight around her. "Shh…"

"Enguina…" she mumbled, and he frowned deeply.

"What happened?" he asked her. "Is she all right? She had a nightmare." The last was not a question. She drew a shaking breath.

"Enguina…she…she tried to kill herself."

"What?" he asked, but he had heard exactly what she said. "Did you go to the guesthouse? Why did you not call for—"

"There was no time!" she cried, her eyes filling again as she thought back to those horrifying moments. "She was running for the Embrasure; she nearly did it! She was right there and I...I just caught her, Aragorn! She had her foot on the damn wall!" She broke down again. "And I am so thankful! So thankful, so grateful to Ilúvatar that he put me there with her!"

"You knew…you felt something was wrong," he told her gently, terrified at the thought of Enguina hurtling to her death. "That was why you woke. Oh beloved, let me pray."

"Please…" she croaked, barely able to speak.

"Father, thank you for rescuing Enguina tonight from herself, from this horror she has faced. Thank you for waking Arwen; for putting her in exactly the right place at the moment she needed to be there. We are both so grateful that you have saved her; you are so faithful. We cannot see your ends; we will never understand them, never understand you fully, but we know that you work in all things for our good, and we thank you that healing will come. We believe it. We pray to you, Ilúvatar, and bless your name."

"Amen," Arwen whispered, peeling her fingers out of his tunic and stretching cramped fingers against his heart. "Ugh…I am so exhausted," she moaned softly, her face still buried in his neck.

"Did Enguina strike you by accident?" he asked gently.

She bit her lip and then decided to be truthful. "No…she struck me because she was angry."

"What?"

"We…argued. I said some things she did not want to hear," she whispered. "True things, but she was angry and upset. She said some things, too, that she cannot take back. She did not mean them, but…they still hurt." She felt his fingers in her hair and it brought tears to her eyes again.

"Are you all right?" he asked her seriously.

"I…I was so…I cannot believe she…Estel," she said, her breath catching again, "she had one foot on the wall…she was so close. If I had been a second later, reacted a second later…she would be dead…and so would Legolas."

"Are you all right?" he asked again. He was not letting it go; she had to answer him.

"I will be." She was so struck by the knowledge that Enguina had nearly taken her own life, she could hardly see past it. She would…but later.

"Is Enguina all right?"

"It took a long discussion and some…hard words for her to see the truth in what she was doing. Legolas is with her now, and she is going to speak with him. The conversation we had was not the cure, but I hope the end result will be. She needs to talk to Legolas about what really happened."

"We have been saying that since she arrived."

"I think for the first time she may have realized how much time she has lost, what she almost did. She has been pushed as far as she can go; she must take the leap of faith now." She whispered, "She has no choice in the matter. Ilúvatar has taken her past the point of no return."

He was silent for a moment, and she felt him run a gentle finger over her bruised cheek. "What did you say to her, Arwen?" She shook her head, and he knew that she was not going to tell him; at least not now. "I cannot say how glad I am that you were there, that you stopped her. I cannot imagine the disastrous consequences of her action had she been able to go through with it. Thank Ilúvatar." He stroked her hair again. "You were limping when you came in."

"I pulled my knee again running her down," she said, cringing. "It has not had time to fully heal. I think it will be all right with some more rest."

"I can rub it for you," he said to her.

"Leave it at the moment," she replied, sighing softly. "It is comforting to just be here with you."

There was silence between them as she simply lay in the comfort of his arms, both of them thinking about the last several hours. She felt so physically and emotionally drained; she had no idea how she was going to make her way out of bed, and she became even more tired as she remembered the time…Aragorn was to leave soon. There was no way she wanted him to leave her side; the peace of his presence settled over her, made her forget some of the things that haunted her from her discussion with Enguina. She opened her eyes and stared at his throat.

"Do you have to go?" she asked, and as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them. She was so tired, she could hardly think straight. "I am so sorry…that was unfair of me—"

"It is only dawn," he murmured, "you are only slightly more tired than me, and I am not leaving you alone just now. You are trapped here with me for several more hours at least."

She sighed and listened to the rhythm of his heart match her own. "Thank Ilúvatar."

"Rest, love," he whispered. "When we wake, all things will be better."

Arwen knew that was true.