Title: Not A Warrior
By: Bridget McKennitt
Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings and its various characters are owned by J.R.R. Tolkien
and other companies. They are used here without permission, and for entertainment
purposes only. No challenge or infringement upon the copyright is intended, nor
should any be inferred.
She was not a warrior. Never had been. All anyone ever expected of her was
to be their Undomiel, their Evenstar. Not that Arwen minded. She loved her people
dearly and enjoyed making them happy. But she was not a warrior.
"A gift from the heavens,
Just the way you are.
You are always in my heart
I pray so, that we never part."
Arwen sang as she brushed her hair in the mirror. It was a bright morning
in Rivendell and she felt it in her soul. A messenger had come late at night with
a word for her father, Elrond. Aragorn was returning to Rivendell with Glorfindel
and some Hobbits.
It had been a while since she had last seen her love. Perhaps two months
had passed since their last meeting. Their time together was always brief but it
was always sweet.
A knock on the door jarred Arwen out of her daydreams. She hoped it was
Aragorn. "Come in," she called out.
Alas, it was not him. Only her maid Sumiel. "Princess, your father wishes
to speak to you. Also your brothers Elladan and Elrohir have arrived from the East.
They are with your father."
"Thank you, Sumiel. I shall go to him now."
Her father Elrond was in his study with her brothers. She gave each a kiss
on the cheek and a bright smile. "Good morn, father. Good morn, brothers. How do
you fare?"
"Someone is very happy today," Elrohir commented with a gentle tone.
"I am happy. Aragorn is arriving soon if not already here. Father, did you
wish to speak with me?"
Elrond nodded. "Aye. This is not easy for me to say but must be said. I
wanted to tell you that dark times are coming and that Aragorn will be right in
the middle of the storm. He is loyal and steadfast. I know he would do anything
to help destroy Isildur's Bane."
The words her father spoke dampened her spirit. Her brother Elladan noticed
her wilting. "Cheer up sister. Not all is lost. You forget that we have traveled
with Aragorn in his youth and he is very sturdy. Nothing shall fall upon him."
"You are right. Nothing will happen to Aragorn." Arwen curtsied and left
the room. She needed a place to think. She knew the perfect place, the bridge.
Her love's time in Rivendell would be short. Not that it never was, but
this time she hoped that he would stay for a much longer period. As she gazed into
the water, she felt tears build in her eyes. It seemed from the moment she met
Aragorn, melancholy had settled upon her and she rarely felt like her old self.
She loved Aragorn truly and deeply, but she was torn. Always torn.
Torn between her father and her love. Torn from staying immortal and
becoming mortal. Torn between traveling with Aragorn and staying in Rivendell,
waiting for him to become King.
The last conflict was simple enough to decide. She was no warrior and thus
she could not go with Aragorn on his quests. But there were many a time she wanted
to learn to fight. To learn how to be a warrior. Her father was once a warrior in
the Battle of Dargorlad with Gil-galad. Her brothers were warriors who fought
alongside Rangers against the Enemy. She took after her mother and just was.
A crack of a twig warned her that someone was near. She turned to see
Aragorn, in a simple outfit, smiling at her. "Fair Undomiel. I had been looking
for you." He closed the distance between them and embraced her.
"Oh, my love. It has been too long," Arwen said as she rested her head on
his shoulder.
"Far too long. I feared that I would forget your sweet fragrance and gentle
laughter. Please Arwen, sing for me."
She kissed him softly on the lips. "A gift from the heavens, just the way
you are. I have loved you from afar. You are always in my heart. I pray so, that
we never part. Yet if we are chanced with but one embrace. I will gladly take it,
a gift not to waste."
"That is beautiful, Arwen! Did you write that?" he asked.
"Aye. I was playing around with the lyrics this morning, searching for the
right words. Yet when you are with me, everything seems to fall into place." She
kissed him again and sighed.
Aragorn pulled back slightly so he could look into her grey eyes. "Arwen,
I sense a sadness around you. Tell me, what is wrong?"
She sighed. "I was just thinking about how we always have brief moments
together. I thought if I was a warrior, then I could go on your quests and be
with you. But I am no warrior."
Aragorn laughed, confusing Arwen. "My love, I am not laughing at you! I
am laughing over the fact that you think that you are not a warrior." He held her
face between his hands with love shining in his eyes. "You are."
"Arwen, I have seen your courage and strength. It equals that of men I
have fought alongside with in battle. From Elves to Men, who would ever be willing
to give up immortality, their friends and family, and everlasting bliss to accept
the Doom of Men and live with but a Man? No one, except for you."
"You praise me beyond the truth. Immortality is empty without love. Friends
and family, while I love them dearly, I have spent nearly an Age with them. And
everlasting bliss is not in a land across the Sea. It is with you."
The two lovers leaned into each other as they melted into a soaring kiss.
