Night-Time in the Gardens
folder
-Multi-Age › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
Views:
4,193
Reviews:
8
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
-Multi-Age › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
Views:
4,193
Reviews:
8
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter Eight
Title: Night-Time in the Gardens
Author: Nosila
Pairing: Arwen/Eowyn, Arwen/Aragorn, implied Aragorn/Legolas
Disclaimer: They don't belong me. If they did, the ring would never have been destroyed because everyone would have been too busy having sex.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The 'Aragorn finds out chapter.'
Notes: British spellings.
Dedication: Everyone who's reviewed! You're all so wonderful. I'm on a constant high from all the feedback I'm getting. Please don't stop sending it! Sorry there's no smut yet, probably will be some next chapter. For all those who have been asking for it I've got a short PWP called Servant to the Queen, and is Arwen/Eowyn. I actually wrote it ages ago, and found it lurking on my hard-drive.
I woke alone. For a brief minute this confused me, till the events of the night before came flooding back.
Oh Elbereth.
What was going to happen? My gut churned with nerves. I pushed back the heavy bedcovers, to get ready for the day before me.
************
It was almost noon when Aragorn finally returned. I'd been sitting in the window chair, watching life go by beneath me. It was one of my favourite seats in the palace. Most of the time I loved to sit there, studying the people that went by below me and making up secret stories about their lives, but today I derived no pleasure from it.
I only needed to glance at Aragorn to know he was angry, but trying to control himself.
"Where were you last night?" His voice was clipped and cold.
"Hello Aragorn. Yes, it's nice to see you too
"F
"For Valars sake, Arwen, don't be so bloody sarcastic," he snapped. He paused, visibly trying to calm himself. "Where were you last night?"
"I went for a walk. I couldn't sleep."
"Don't lie to me Arwen. Tell the truth, if you have it in you to do so."
I could have slapped him. "And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?"
"Don't be coy. You know exactly what I mean."
"If you are suggesting that every word out of my mouth is a lie, you are gravely mistaken."
"Maybe not, but you are lying when you say you went for a walk." He was so confident. He had to know.
"How do you know?"
He smirked at me, running his eyes over my body in a less than flattering inspection. "Don't look at me like that, Aragorn."
"Why not? And you still haven't answered my question."
"What question?"
"Where were you last night?"
"I told you."
"You lied." He sounded so patronising! It infuriated me.
"Aragorn, I am not some disobedient child. Do not treat me as one."
"I am not. But I do want to know where you were last night." His voice was rising in frustration and anger.
"I haven't done anything that gives you the right to speak to me like that."
"Then where were you last night?" He yelled it, leaning forward, his body almost seeming to vibrate with fury.
"Don't speak to me like that, Aragorn. You have no right." I kept my voice as frosty as I could, trying to conceal my emotions. I did not want to cry in front of him. I did not want to be that weak. Once, it would not have mattered to me, but Eowyn had changed me. She had made me strong.
"I have every right to speak to you like that!"
"No, you do not, Aragorn. And where were you last night? Would you care to tell me that?"
His eyes flickered. "I was looking for you."
"Liar."
"You dare call me a liar?"
"Yes! You think I don't know about you and Legolas?" His breath caught in his throat, and his eylazelazed. You could tell so much about him from his eyes. They were so expressive. I continued, regardless of his mounting anger. "You think I don't know how you've been sneaking off to him? Well, I do know Aragorn. I do know. About how you've been going of to him, your on on the side…about how you've been doing it for so long, from long before we were married. Why did you even marry me? Did he mean so little to you? He cares about you, but you just want him for sex, don't you. You just…" I never saw his hand, but I felt it, slamming into my cheek in an open handed slap. Pain burst through my head, making me gasp and tears spring to my eyes. I stared at him, in shock. I had never been hit before, at least not on purpose, by someone who cared about me.
"How dare you say that. You have no idea, no idea whatsoever about my relationship with Legolas. You know absolutely nothing about it, so just be quiet!" He had started in a whisper, but his voice had grown to a yell. He turned away abruptly, pacing the room. After a bit, he walked back over to me, reaching towards my cheek. I jerked away.
"Arwen, I want to look at your cheek. I might have hurt you."
"No, don't touch me." I felt strangely calm. "I just…I shouldn't have said those things. I was angry. I deserved it, I know you care about him. Like I care about Eowyn." He looked at me, opening his mouth to speak. I continued before he could. "I't c't care about her, actually, I love her. Very much. She makes me feel special, alive. She makes me feel young, and free, and happy. I love her." I looked at him. He was looking at the ground. "I'm sorry. It just happened, you see. I mean, I know I could have stopped it, but…"
"When?" He interrupted me. "When did it just happen?" His voice was harsh. It made me wince.
"It started at that feast, about three weeks before we got married." He nodded, slowly, running his hand over his face and through his hair. He looked defeated. I didn't want him to look like that. I wanted him to look like he normally did: confident, and happy, with that perpetually amused gleam in his eye, but what could I say?
"How did you know about Legolas and I?" His weary question brought me out of my thoughts.
"I don't know. I suppose I just put two and two together. I woule yoe you going off together, hear rumours - that sort of thing."
"I tried to stop, when we got married. I knew it was wrong. It was just so hard. He said that, that if I…he said that marriage just formalised things, made them official, and that it was no more wrong to be with him when we were married than it had been before. What about Faramir?"
"What?" His abrupt subject change confused me. "What about Faramir?"
"Does he know?"
"No. At least, I don't think he does. Eowyn never told him. He could have worked it out. Do you love Legolas?"
"Yes."
I turned away. I had known what his answer would be, but hearing it made it real. And, for some strange reason, it made tears come to my eyes and a lump to my throat. When I was a child, I had always dreamed of a strong hero coming and sweeping me off my feet, before riding away with me into the sunset where we would live happily ever after. Except, it hadn't happened that way. The hero came along and swept me off my feet, but she was female and married to another hero. And the hero who was supposed to sweep me off my feet had already gone and swept a different hero off his feet. And I wasn't living happily ever after, because of the hero that I was supposed to have lived happily ever after with. There were, I thought, too many heroes. I felt mildly hysterical.
Why was it all so complicated?
I hadn't realised I'd spoken aloud, until Aragorn answered me. "I doknowknow Arwen. I really don't know."
Author: Nosila
Pairing: Arwen/Eowyn, Arwen/Aragorn, implied Aragorn/Legolas
Disclaimer: They don't belong me. If they did, the ring would never have been destroyed because everyone would have been too busy having sex.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The 'Aragorn finds out chapter.'
Notes: British spellings.
Dedication: Everyone who's reviewed! You're all so wonderful. I'm on a constant high from all the feedback I'm getting. Please don't stop sending it! Sorry there's no smut yet, probably will be some next chapter. For all those who have been asking for it I've got a short PWP called Servant to the Queen, and is Arwen/Eowyn. I actually wrote it ages ago, and found it lurking on my hard-drive.
I woke alone. For a brief minute this confused me, till the events of the night before came flooding back.
Oh Elbereth.
What was going to happen? My gut churned with nerves. I pushed back the heavy bedcovers, to get ready for the day before me.
************
It was almost noon when Aragorn finally returned. I'd been sitting in the window chair, watching life go by beneath me. It was one of my favourite seats in the palace. Most of the time I loved to sit there, studying the people that went by below me and making up secret stories about their lives, but today I derived no pleasure from it.
I only needed to glance at Aragorn to know he was angry, but trying to control himself.
"Where were you last night?" His voice was clipped and cold.
"Hello Aragorn. Yes, it's nice to see you too
"F
"For Valars sake, Arwen, don't be so bloody sarcastic," he snapped. He paused, visibly trying to calm himself. "Where were you last night?"
"I went for a walk. I couldn't sleep."
"Don't lie to me Arwen. Tell the truth, if you have it in you to do so."
I could have slapped him. "And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?"
"Don't be coy. You know exactly what I mean."
"If you are suggesting that every word out of my mouth is a lie, you are gravely mistaken."
"Maybe not, but you are lying when you say you went for a walk." He was so confident. He had to know.
"How do you know?"
He smirked at me, running his eyes over my body in a less than flattering inspection. "Don't look at me like that, Aragorn."
"Why not? And you still haven't answered my question."
"What question?"
"Where were you last night?"
"I told you."
"You lied." He sounded so patronising! It infuriated me.
"Aragorn, I am not some disobedient child. Do not treat me as one."
"I am not. But I do want to know where you were last night." His voice was rising in frustration and anger.
"I haven't done anything that gives you the right to speak to me like that."
"Then where were you last night?" He yelled it, leaning forward, his body almost seeming to vibrate with fury.
"Don't speak to me like that, Aragorn. You have no right." I kept my voice as frosty as I could, trying to conceal my emotions. I did not want to cry in front of him. I did not want to be that weak. Once, it would not have mattered to me, but Eowyn had changed me. She had made me strong.
"I have every right to speak to you like that!"
"No, you do not, Aragorn. And where were you last night? Would you care to tell me that?"
His eyes flickered. "I was looking for you."
"Liar."
"You dare call me a liar?"
"Yes! You think I don't know about you and Legolas?" His breath caught in his throat, and his eylazelazed. You could tell so much about him from his eyes. They were so expressive. I continued, regardless of his mounting anger. "You think I don't know how you've been sneaking off to him? Well, I do know Aragorn. I do know. About how you've been going of to him, your on on the side…about how you've been doing it for so long, from long before we were married. Why did you even marry me? Did he mean so little to you? He cares about you, but you just want him for sex, don't you. You just…" I never saw his hand, but I felt it, slamming into my cheek in an open handed slap. Pain burst through my head, making me gasp and tears spring to my eyes. I stared at him, in shock. I had never been hit before, at least not on purpose, by someone who cared about me.
"How dare you say that. You have no idea, no idea whatsoever about my relationship with Legolas. You know absolutely nothing about it, so just be quiet!" He had started in a whisper, but his voice had grown to a yell. He turned away abruptly, pacing the room. After a bit, he walked back over to me, reaching towards my cheek. I jerked away.
"Arwen, I want to look at your cheek. I might have hurt you."
"No, don't touch me." I felt strangely calm. "I just…I shouldn't have said those things. I was angry. I deserved it, I know you care about him. Like I care about Eowyn." He looked at me, opening his mouth to speak. I continued before he could. "I't c't care about her, actually, I love her. Very much. She makes me feel special, alive. She makes me feel young, and free, and happy. I love her." I looked at him. He was looking at the ground. "I'm sorry. It just happened, you see. I mean, I know I could have stopped it, but…"
"When?" He interrupted me. "When did it just happen?" His voice was harsh. It made me wince.
"It started at that feast, about three weeks before we got married." He nodded, slowly, running his hand over his face and through his hair. He looked defeated. I didn't want him to look like that. I wanted him to look like he normally did: confident, and happy, with that perpetually amused gleam in his eye, but what could I say?
"How did you know about Legolas and I?" His weary question brought me out of my thoughts.
"I don't know. I suppose I just put two and two together. I woule yoe you going off together, hear rumours - that sort of thing."
"I tried to stop, when we got married. I knew it was wrong. It was just so hard. He said that, that if I…he said that marriage just formalised things, made them official, and that it was no more wrong to be with him when we were married than it had been before. What about Faramir?"
"What?" His abrupt subject change confused me. "What about Faramir?"
"Does he know?"
"No. At least, I don't think he does. Eowyn never told him. He could have worked it out. Do you love Legolas?"
"Yes."
I turned away. I had known what his answer would be, but hearing it made it real. And, for some strange reason, it made tears come to my eyes and a lump to my throat. When I was a child, I had always dreamed of a strong hero coming and sweeping me off my feet, before riding away with me into the sunset where we would live happily ever after. Except, it hadn't happened that way. The hero came along and swept me off my feet, but she was female and married to another hero. And the hero who was supposed to sweep me off my feet had already gone and swept a different hero off his feet. And I wasn't living happily ever after, because of the hero that I was supposed to have lived happily ever after with. There were, I thought, too many heroes. I felt mildly hysterical.
Why was it all so complicated?
I hadn't realised I'd spoken aloud, until Aragorn answered me. "I doknowknow Arwen. I really don't know."