Possession

Possession

Chapter 5
Author: Frosty the Micro Machine
Rated: NC-17
Codes: Aragorn, Elrond, Faramir, Eowyn, OC, AU, N/C
Summary: After Arwen's death, a visit to Gondor reveals something unexpected. Canon-oriented; takes place after Sauron's defeat.
Author's Notes: Translations are in parenthesis after the Elvish.

Thank you to both Freya and ShiningStar for reviewing! It really does make my day. :)

*

The morning was bright. A crisp wind caused Valawen to pull her cloak tightly around her shoulders as she tried in vain to keep the chill away. Not many were out this day; she supposed most were still mourning the loss of their queen. A few shops were open, though, but she didn't feel like going in. Instead, she walked the streets of Minas Tirith, exploring for no other reason than she had nothing better to do. Elrond had left early, intent on speaking to the local healer about his daughter. Valawen knew she could be of no help to him in that area, so she had ventured out of her room only after becoming too bored to remain. As it was now, cold and desolate, she began to wish for the heat of her rooms.

Her cheeks and fingers were numb. Taking a deep breath of the brisk air, she turned and began her way to the upper levels of the city. As she came upon a small pub, though, open in the early hours of the day, she stopped and peered in the window. A familiar form was apparent to her.

Biting her lip, unsure at what she was about to do, Valawen pushed open the door. The warmth of fire swept over her as she entered the pub, closing the creaking door behind her. The room was empty save for the bartender. And him.

Aragorn looked up as she approached. "My lady," he greeted, nodding once politely. She wondered if he even knew who she was.

"My lord," she answered, then looked down at the stool next to him, "May I join you?"

"Of course." He motioned to the barkeep. "It is much too early in the morning for a young lady to drink ale. Would you like some tea?" When she nodded, the man at the bar retrieved a cup and hot water.

Valawen watched as he poured her drink. Offering a thank you, she then turned her attention to the King. "Forgive my intrusion, but I saw you and wished to introduce myself. My name is Valawen."

He took a sip of his ale and nodded. "I know who you are."

She frowned. "Elrond spoke of me?"

"He did." Aragorn set his glass down and turned his full attention to her. His crysal blue eyes looked her over as a smile creased his lips. "You look surprised."

"It is only that Elrond did not mention he spoke of me."

Pursing his lips, Aragorn replied, "He mentioned you briefly. You are his intended, are you not?"

Valawen watched the King warily. She had introduced herself in hope of getting to know Aragorn, finding out more about him. This was not going as planned, and she couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. "I am," she answered, "We were engaged recently."

Nodding, Aragorn raised his glass. "I offer you my congratulations."

Knitting her brow as he downed the remainder of his drink, she said, "Thank you. But that is not why I have come here. I wanted to speak with you, and offer you my condolences."

"Mmmm...," he said, as though he had been expecting it, "Yes, it has been a difficult month."

"Month? Had something happened before Arwen's death?"

Eyebrows raised, Aragorn looked at her in confusion. "No, why?"

Valawen sat back slightly, looking at him speculatively. "No reason," she replied quietly. Feeling the need to change the subject, she asked, "Has Elrond said anything to you about how long he wishes to remain here?"

A deep sigh escaped the King's lips. "No, he has been quite vague. It is understandable, though. He has lost his daughter."

"And you have lost your wife." She said it more in response to his sorrowful tone than anything else, and was surprised when his eyes looked over her form once again.

As quickly as he had regarded her, though, he turned back to the bar. "Indeed I have. It seems we have all lost something." Valawen nodded, unsure of how to respond. At her silence, he glanced back at her and smiled. "What have you lost, my lady?"

She swallowed heavily. "Nothing. Yet."

His expression turned amused as he leaned slightly towards her. "Yet. You speak as though you know the truth."

"I know loss is a part of life."

"Perhaps. But there is always something to gain, as well." He looked down at her cooling drink. "Your tea will be cold soon."

Her gaze followed his. With tingling fingers she touched the edge of the cup. The warmth seeped into her fingertips. "I'm not thirsty."

His hand touched hers. Valawen's eyes widened as he took hold of the hand that she had laid upon the bar. With soft, gentle movements, Aragorn clasped her hand in his. "Your skin is chilled," he whispered. She didn't pull away as he took her other hand, holding it and bringing to his mouth. His eyes held hers as he blew warm air against her cold flesh. "How does that feel?"

Her mouth was dry. Trembling, she carefully pulled away from him. "Better. Thank you," she breathed.

"My pleasure." Cocking his head, he watched her with a soft expression for a moment more before sighing and standing. "If you'll excuse me, I should find Faramir. There is city business I must deal with."

Valawen stood and nodded her head. "Thank you for speaking with me, my lord."

He smiled, something she found disconcerting. "I hope we can do it again sometime soon."

With a polite nod, he headed out of the pub. Valawen watched him go, exhaling heavily when he was out of sight. As she sat down upon the stool and looked down at her cup of tea, she hoped that Elrond would find the answers he was looking for sooner rather than later.

*

The dining hall was nearly silent. Valawen looked around the empty room, unable to quell the anxiety rising within her. It was unnerving knowing so much of the city still locked themselves away. "It is so odd," she said, exhaling a deep sigh and looking at the people across from her, "Elves do not mourn in such a way."

"Humans need their privacy. It is a difficult time." Eowyn looked around the hall and frowned. "It has barely been a fortnight. Things should be relatively normal within the month."

"Arwen was loved." Faramir took a drink of ale and sat back. "Very loved."

Valawen looked down at her food, deciding to venture a question. "How is Aragorn faring?"

Shaking his head, the Captain said, "It's hard to tell. He spends most of his time alone."

She frowned. "Did you not see him today?"

"No," he replied, "I have not seen him since last evening."

Valawen clenched her jaw in worry. Taking a deep breath, she tried to reason with herself. More than likely he had simply changed his mind. When a door in the hall opened, she looked up and became immediately relieved when she saw Elrond striding towards them.

"Elrond," she said after he had greeted the Captain and Eowyn and taken a seat beside her, "How was your day?"

He smiled, but she could see it was for her benefit. "It was long," he responded, taking a sip of the wine that had been placed before him. "I apologize for not coming to see you sooner. I hope your day was pleasant."

Valawen nodded, not wanting to burden him with her worries. "It was."

"Did you speak with the healer, Lord Elrond?" asked Eowyn. The young blonde had shown an intense interest in learning what had happened to Arwen.

Elrond nodded, but by the expression upon his face it was made plain that nothing good had come of it. "He did only a visual examination of Arwen before she was laid to rest. He knows not why she died."

"Has Aragorn said nothing?" asked the princess.

"He says only that she was fine up to the moment of her death, when she collapsed in her quarters." Elrond lifted his eyes to Eowyn and asked, "The King called you immediately, did he not?"

She bit her lip. "Yes. She was already gone when I arrived."

"I came in afterwards," added Faramir, whose eyes betrayed his pain, "There was nothing we could do."

"Aragorn was frantic," breathed Eowyn as she looked down at the table, "Faramir had gone to get a healer, but it was too late." The blonde's wide blue eyes looked up at Elrond. "I don't think Aragorn wanted anyone to touch her. He was too upset."

"Understandable," nodded Elrond.

Valawen twisted her hands beneath the table. She wondered how Elrond could remain so poised during such a discussion. "What will you do now?" she asked, "Is there no way to find out what befell her?"

"I don't know," he answered, obviously frustrated. "There may be nothing more we can do."

She knew Elrond would always be troubled by this if he could not make peace with how Arwen died. Knitting her brow, she wondered if there was anything she could do.

Elrond could see she felt troubled. He touched her hand beneath the table and smiled reassuringly. "Do not worry," he said, squeezing her hand and speaking softly, "We will get through this."

"I know," she replied, exhaling, "I just wish things were different."

"We all do, my lady," said Faramir, "We had high hopes for Middle-earth since Sauron's defeat. It seems no one can escape pain, no matter how hard we try."

It was a despondent statement, but the truth of it rang clear. Sitting back in her seat, Valawen began to wish for Imladris. "I doubt we will remain here much longer," said Elrond, seemingly knowing what she was thinking, "I will speak to Aragorn again, though. There are things I must discuss with him."

"Forgive me, my lord," said Eowyn quietly, "But I must ask, are you taking Arwen with you?"

Valawen looked up at her betrothed. The expression on his face was one writ of guilt. "No, she will remain here. This is where she wanted to be."

The blonde nodded and looked relieved. Valawen knew it pained Elrond to leave Arwen here, but even she knew that would be what his daughter would want. "Excuse me," said Valawen, standing, "I have some things to do before retiring." Looking down on Elrond, she smiled and added, "I will see you tonight."

She walked swiftly towards the exit. The air was cool outside and a chill settled on her skin as she made her way across the courtyard to the King's Hall. Part of her wasn't sure she was doing the right thing, but Valawen knew she wouldn't be able to rest without speaking to Aragorn once again. She had always been good at reading people, and hoped she would be able to learn something about Arwen's demise that perhaps Elrond had not yet uncovered. Not that she thought anything was amiss in the humans' story, but she wanted closure almost as much as Elrond did. The death of an elf was never so simple as to just happen.

Ascending the stairs, she bit her lip and prepared herself for this. She barely knew Aragorn and felt quite uncomfortable speaking with him about such a matter. Her footsteps echoed in the large hall as she walked to the end of it. The fireplace was lit, casting an orange glow upon the marble walls. It smelled of smoke and evening fog. Aragorn sat in front of the fire, watching the flames.

"My lord," she spoke, and she winced at how loud her voice sounded in the quiet hall. He looked up at her, his eyes trailing down her frame before settling upon her eyes. He waited expectantly. "May I speak with you?"

He moved so there was room for her to sit on the bench beside him. She took the invitation. "Can I get you anything?" he asked softly, his blue eyes never leaving her dark ones, "A drink?" He looked down at her hands as she rubbed them together. "Warm blanket, perhaps?"

She halted the movement of her hands and answered, "No, thank you." He moved his gaze back to hers. "I hesitate to speak with you about this," she continued as he leaned back on the bench, "If only because I know you are grieving. But I find I cannot leave it alone."

Aragorn nodded softly, lifting his arm and draping it across the back of the bench. Valawen shifted forward slightly and noticed him smile. "You can speak to me about anything, Valawen."

Taking the invitation, she voiced one of her concerns. "Why did you not allow a healer to look at Arwen before her burial?"

His eyes flashed in memory. "I could not bear to have her touched," he said, looking down, "Perhaps it was a mistake on my part, but I wanted none to sully her body."

There was nothing new in that response. "Why do you think she died?" she asked, trying a different avenue.

Sharp blue eyes moved up to hers. "I don't know."

"Can you understand why Elrond hesitates to leave Gondor? He is desperate to know why his daughter lost her life."

"I understand that," Aragorn responded in a tight voice, "I wish I knew as well."

"Is there nothing that can be done?" she asked quietly.

He laughed. "What would you have me do? Disturb her rest by digging her up and allowing the healers to cut her to pieces?" Valawen looked away, unprepared for his anger. "I won't do that," he added, his voice softer, "I feel for Elrond, and I am sorrowed for myself and all of Gondor, but I will not do that. Arwen has been laid to rest. This should be as well."

Valawen sighed. "I'm sorry. I did not mean offense."

Fingers touched her shoulder. Her eyes shot up as Aragorn brushed her dark locks behind her ear, then removed his hand. "I have no anger towards you, Valawen. There is no need for an apology. I should not have raised my voice."

"Perhaps I should go," she breathed, preparing to stand. Aragorn stopped her by laying a hand on her knee.

He was watching her with pleading eyes. "Please stay. I did not mean to scare you away."

Not wanting to injure him further, she nodded and sat back. "I cannot stay for long. Elrond will miss me."

Aragorn knit his brow and nodded, then looked at the fire. "Elrond is a lucky man to have someone such as you." He turned and regarded Valawen thoughtfully. "I can see you are an honourable elf. And a lovely one."

She blushed softly, something she was sure had as much to do with the heat of the room as the compliment. "Thank you," she responded, unsure of what else to say. "I consider myself very lucky as well."

"Elrond is a good man." Casting a glance back at the fire, he asked, "Has he spoken of leaving Gondor?"

"Yes, briefly."

"When?" His question was abrupt. When she narrowed her brow and looked at him, his eyes were trained upon the fire.

"I'm not sure. Soon." Her quiet voice seemed to comfort him, as his tension dissipated after her response. "Why do you ask?"

A gentle smile came over his expression as he looked at her. "I would like to get to know you," he said, "If you are to marry the man who raised me, I believe I should know you as more than just an acquaintance."

Taken slightly aback by the turn in conversation, she replied, "I...I'm sure you will be invited to the wedding, my lord."

He pursed his lips and nodded. "Yes, I have no doubt, but we most likely will not see each other again until then. Forgive my directness, but it would please me to know you as a friend. Would you be so gracious as to allow me to spend a day with you?"

He seemed sincere. Guilt came over her as she thought about how her first reaction had been a feeling of being cornered. "Of course," she relented, knowing it would make Elrond happy to hear she had gotten to know Aragorn better. "How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is perfect." His hand found hers, squeezing it gently. "Thank you."

For what he thanked her for, she wasn't sure. Valawen nodded as a simple reply, then slowly pulled her hand from his. "I should go," she said, standing. He followed suit. "Thank you for speaking with me."

Aragorn bowed his head and smiled. Biting her lip, Valawen began towards the door at the end of the hall. She didn't look back, but knew without seeing that he watched her until she exited.

*

TBC