From: leiasky@aol.com
Date: Sun Jan 13, 2002 10:07 pm
Subject: Fic: A Night to Remember
Title: A Night to Remember
Author: Leiasky
Synopsis: A wedding day...a bit of trouble....and gifts from the fellowship.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Yes Return of the King
Pairing: Aragorn/Arwen
Disclaimer: I'm not Tolkien. I don't own these characters. (darn!) I make no
money. Done for fun.
Additional Info: Obviously my interpretation of events not seen in the film,
"Fellowship of the Ring" nor written in the book. I've strived to portray the
characters herein as I see them. This story was written with the characters
from the movie and their expressions and voices in mind.
Additional Information: With luck, my Quenya translations are accurate, if
not, we'll, I did my best with the limited knowledge that I have. If you
notice any mistakes, e-mail me and I'll correct them.
Archive: If you like, just tell me where.
Many thanks to Kayla for the beta!
A Night to Remember
The loud crackle and spark of fireworks exploded in the evening sky and a
great roar rippled across the gathered crowd. Laughter followed by ohh's and
ahh's came from every corner of the castle and courtyard as people of all
shapes and sizes gathered together to celebrate a most momentous occasion.
Peace had at last returned to Middle-Earth as Elves, Dwarves and men
celebrated together for the first time in their history. The Ring had been
cast back into the fires of Mordor and Sauron had been destroyed. Their King
had returned.
Banners hung from the white towers and flapped loudly in the breeze. The city
and courtyard had been decorated in the royal colors of Gondor with the
ethereal colors of the house of Elrond draped across the terrace on which the
new king and queen stood.
Aragron slipped his arm around Arwen's waist, his gentle touch a pillar of
strength, dedication and love. The terrace upon which they stood was made
specifically for this occasion and would be dismantled in the morning. For
now, they simply stood and watched Gandalf sail spectacular fireworks into
the air.
As Arwen gazed sidelong at her new husband's face, she noted the bright, wide
eyes of the newly crowned King staring into the night sky, a wide smile
playing across his lips as the children below cheered and trembled with each
resounding boom.
Arwen rested her hands on the balustrade and leaned gently against her
husband's side, taking warmth and comfort from his mere presence. His grip
tightened around her waist, and his hand flattened against her abdomen in a
gesture of affection, but his gaze remained transfixed on the sky,
occasionally glancing at crowd below.
To any onlooker, their new king and queen were simply enjoying the
festivities, and the dancing and the revelry that surrounded such a momentous
occasion. Elven Lords and Ladies had traveled far from their homes to witness
Aragorn's crowning and his marriage to the elven princess. And it was those
same elven Lords who could sense the excited tension that filled his
shoulders now.
"Marriage to an elven woman is not a task one undertakes lightly," Aragorn
remembered Gandalf's words as they waited at the front of the great hall for
Arwen and her father to appear.
"Marriage to any woman, be she elf, dwarf or Halfling, is not to be taken
lightly," Aragorn whispered moments before the grand doors opened and his
wedding beganâ¦.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Pip, we are NOT stealing those again," Merry whispered urgently when he
noticed the mischievous gleam in the Touk's eyes.
"Why? No harm was done last time!" Pippin bounced to the music and cheered
with the crowd, ever so slowly creeping closer to the wagon of unlit
fireworks.
"Gandalf would skin us alive!" Merry whispered."Besides, we can't make
trouble on Strid- Aragorn's wedding day!" He, along with the rest of the
Hobbit's would have to work on remembering the correct name.
"It's Elessar now." Sam leaned toward the two, grinning as another blast lit
up the sky. "and you'd do well to remember it."
"Hi Sam," Pippin nearly came out of his skin,"What are you-you doing down
here. Where's Frodo?"
"He's up with the King," Sam nodded in the direction of Aragorn and Arwen,
squinting to see the smaller figure of his charge standing several feet away
from the couple. "I knew you two would be up to no good."
Pippin frowned. "We know how to do it right this time."
"No." Sam crossed his arms.
An arrow whizzed across the sky, lighting the night with a green trail as it
sailed into the air. With a resounding BOOM and crackle, the tip exploded
into rays of silver light, twinkling like stars in the skyâ¦.falling toward
the ground like fairy dust. Another followed and then another, the very sound
of the arrows flying into the night quieting the crowd.
Legolas grinned down at Aragorn from his perch on the highest tower wall.
Saluting the king and queen with his elven bow, he drew two arrows from his
quiver faster than the eye could see, and fired them over the new King high
into the sky.
Aragorn nodded to his elven friend and saluted him, touching his hand to his
forehead and to his lips, then raising it in honor of the elven prince of
Mirkwood.
As Elrond stepped beside Aragorn and raised his arms, the crowd quieted,
allowing the Elven Lord to speak. They knew he was the father of the new
queen, and afforded him the respect of that position. "It warms my heart to
see the races of middle earth together, celebrating the defeat of a mutual
enemy. It is my hope, with the crowning of a new king," Elrond smiled warmly
at his adopted son and rested a hand on his shoulder, "that you will all
continue to live in peace."
Aragorn nodded to Elrond and then to the crowd, "I will see it done."
"Nyë vanda."{This I promise} He added in the noble elven tongue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They walked slowly down the long hallway, hand in hand, talking in quiet
whispers. The celebration continued within and outside the city walls but
the king and his new queen had finally found the opportunity to take their
leave.
Aragorn stopped in front of a large, ornately carved door, grinning as his
eyes scanned the thoughtful decoration that covered the entrance. Long vines
fell from the ceiling in front of the door, obscuring it from view. There
were gifts wound through the vines, and Aragorn nodded to Arwen, who reached
for one of the gifts delicately wrapped and covered in elven script. She
un-wrapped it slowly, under the watchful and piercing gaze of her husband. A
wooden flute slid out of the wrapping and Arwen smiled warmly. Carved into
the ent-wood were delicate vines and leaves, depicting scenes of a far away
place: A gift from Legolas. A quiet voice whispered to her along the wind,
"Play for your children, the songs of the elves. Never forget."
Aragorn reached for the quiver of arrows, untangling the vines which held it
above the floor. Scenes similar to those on Arwen's flute were carved into
the polished wood and along the shaft of the arrow Aragorn removed from the
quiver contained the elven script, "You have my bow." Depicting a time when a
fellowship of nine stood around a small hobbit and pledged their allegiance
to his quest.
Whispers more faint reached his ears and he concentrated so as to understand
them. "The elves of Mirkwood stand ready for your call. Should you need us,
fire the arrow into the sky and we will be by your side."
Tied farther down on the door of vines was a small bag, pulled closed with a
simple string. Attached to the string was a dark amber-wood pipe, the best a
Hobbit could offer. Aragorn chuckled as he lifted the bag from the vine.
Scribed on the side of the pipe, in barely readable script was, "The best
pipe-weed is Hobbit weed!"
Twined into the vines were also two circlets of gold and silver, shimmering
in the candlelight. Arwen reached for the smaller circlet, turning it over in
her hands, minding the delicate and intricate craftsmanship that had
obviously gone into its creation. Inside, she noticed, was an inscription
written in the dwarven tongue. "Queen of Gondor, Elven Princess."
Aragorn turned the larger circlet over in his hands and noting the
inscription within, he smiled , "King of Gondor, Elven Prince."
A large silken pouch hung tied to two vines to support its weight, the first
letter of each of their names scripted delicately into the material. A note
attached to the pouch implored that it be read before the gift opened.
Parchment crinkled and stretched as Aragorn began to read, aloud, the words
written on the paper. "Sam and I thought to give you a ring to remember us by
but thought better of that choice and decided on something else instead."
Aragorn carefully folded the parchment and set it aside. With great care, he
removed the heavy bag, and set it in Arwen's hands while he unfastened the
ties.
Arwen gasped when he pulled the leather-bound book from within the silken bag
and Aragorn looked fondly upon the cover. It read, "The unfinished tales of
the Fellowship of the Ring," in the common tongue at the bottom, in the
elvish script at the top. In the center of the book, painstakingly tooled
into the leather, was a 3D image of a golden ring hanging from the winged
feathers of the crown of Gondor, depicting the two-fold quest of the
fellowship.
Arwen slowly opened the book and on the inside cover, written in the elegant
script of Bilbo Baggins was an introduction. Following that, was a page of
dedication, where every member of the fellowship had written words to the
couple in their own tongue.
They stood reading for several minutes, flipping through the book which
chronicled the adventures of the fellowship up until Aragorn's crowning.
Included were maps and detailed drawings of every location the Fellowship had
traveled, everyone they had met along the way, and those who had died during
the long, arduous quest to destroy the ring of power. As they reached the
end, the handwriting changed to that of Frodo. It was a simple sentence,
written into the middle of a paper bordered with elvish script, but one that
humbled the newly married couple. "Our tale is finished. 'Your' tale is just
beginning - together." There were many blank pages that followed.
Arwen glanced at her husband as he brushed gentle fingers over the words,
lost in thought. "'Our' tale," he whispered as Arwen slid her hand into his
and squeezed it tightly. She nodded wordlessly and leaned forward to brush
her lips lightly across his own, feeling relieved, as he did, that their time
had come. They had waited long enough and they were finally together.
Several moments of silence followed and there were two more gifts to be
opened. Aragorn reverently set the book aside and reached for the knife that
hung from the very top of the door of vines.
Arwen bent slightly to pick up the pillow from where it rested against the
door. As she opened the attached note and began to read, she chuckled,
drawing her husband's attention away from the knife, and the inscription
engraved deeply within its blade.
"I believe this is for you," Arwen held out the pillow, her face a mask of
hidden emotion save the small smile that curled the end of her lips.
"Oh?" Aragorn handed the knife to Arwen and took the note that had been
attached to the pillow. As she began to read, the knife in her hand began to
glow gold. The markings on the blade changed and became readable. "Should the
road be perilous, you have only the need to draw the blade and blinded the
enemy will be." Well known was the story of the death of her mother, riding
from Rivendell to Lorien. This blade was meant to keep her safe in her
travels. An elven blade forged by the last living wizard in middle-earth.
Aragorn chuckled as he read the letter attached to the pillow. "For use when
you find yourself kneeling at her feet begging forgiveness." It was signed
only with a 'G'.
Aragorn finally opened the door and the couple stepped into the rooms in
which they would live out the rest of their days. Incense burned in each
corner and candlelight illuminated their way as they set the cherished items
on a nearby table. More items had been gathered and piled on another table,
but they were ignored as the couple turned to one another.
Arwen's eyes sparkled in the candlelight, lips parted in a wide smile, as
Aragorn took her hands in his and fell to his knees.
Title: A Night to Remember
Author: Leiasky
Synopsis: Mischief abounds on the evening of Arwen and Aragornâ™s wedding.
The couple receive special gifts from the fellowship. A fight ensues.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Yes Return of the King
Pairing: Aragorn/Arwen
Disclaimer: I'm not Tolkien. I don't own these characters. (darn!) I make no
money. Done for fun.
Additional Info: I've strived to portray the characters herein as I see
them. This story was written with the characters from the movie and their
expressions and voices in mind.
Additional Information: With luck, my Quenya translations are accurate, if
not, we'll, I did my best with the limited knowledge that I have. If you
notice any mistakes, e-mail me and I'll correct them.
All of my fic can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/maegovannen/lotrfanfic.html
Archive: If you like, just tell me where.
Many thanks to Kayla for the beta!
End of chapter 1....
Arwen's eyes sparkled in the candlelight, lips parted in a wide smile, as
Aragorn took her hands in his and fell to his knees.
Chapter 2
"I was afraid this day would never come," Aragorn stared up at his radiant
bride, brushing callused fingers over the fair skin of her hands. "We've
waited so long. Nothing shall part us again." He kissed the palm of her hands
before looking up into her eyes. Tears gathered there, threatening to fall
onto pale cheeks.
"Nothing." Arwen repeated, voice barely above a whisper. A slim hand slid to
his face and brushed against the high cheekbone, against the soft stubble of
hair that had become a permanent addition to his handsome features.
"Verno'nya, meldanya, aranya."{My husband, my love, my king.}
Large hands and strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and he
embraced her with a happy sigh. Arwen wove her hands into his hair, pulling
gently at the strands as his head came to rest against her abdomen. "Don't
kneel before me, husband."
"I am yours, dilnya." {my love} He whispered. "Now and forever."
Words were not necessary as she bent over and pressed her lips to his
forehead, eyes sliding shut as they traveled down the high cheekbone, toward
his mouth. With a whoosh of air, his lips captured hers in a passionate kiss,
which left her trembling. "Tarinya," {my queen} he whispered, his breath hot
against her lips. " Nyë vanda orenya-lyë
.â {I pledge my heart to you.}
Explosions rocked the night sky and flashes of light momentarily flickered
against the inside walls as the celebration continued on without them. They
could hear the music slow, and the instruments change, as the tender,
ethereal voice of the elves began to sing.
Aragorn flattened his hands against her back and stood slowly, his lips never
straying from their path. Her arms wrapped slowly around his neck, fingers
sliding into his hair and tugging gently, pulling him deeper into their kiss.
He slowly began to move to the sound of the song, his body swaying fluidly.
Arwen fell into perfect step, their bodies melting into one as the music did
nothing to curb their growing desire.
His lips fell to hers once again slowly pressing gentle kisses along the
corner of her mouth, her cheek, and her eyelids, reverently worshipping every
place his lips touched.
Arwen's hands fell to his chest as they kissed, slowly, and without his
knowledge, unfastening the ornate buttons that closed his leather jerkin.
Arwen began to hum the well-known tune, her voice low and hypnotic. Her
throat, where Aragorn now reverently kissed, vibrated with the tune and
through his lips, sending a bolt of desire racing straight through is body.
Aragorn leaned his forehead against her neck and closed his eyes, allowing
her voice to lull his senses and inflame his blood. Nimble fingers reached
only to his waist before the moment was loudly interrupted.
Aragornâ™s dreamlike state was shattered as an explosion echoed throughout the
courtyard, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Arwen stopped humming, the elves stopped singing and Aragorn's eyes widened,
momentarily afraid that someone or something had attacked the city. "Stay
here. Stay safe." Aragorn quickly kissed his wife and crossed the distance to
where Aurndil rested against the wall. He snatched the sword and attached it
quickly to his belt, as he rushed down the hallway and down the long column
of marble steps that lead to the courtyard. He didn't notice Arwen disobey
his request and follow.
When Aragorn reached the large courtyard, he was greeted to a myriad of
scattered people, many ducking beneath something to insure they were not hit
with falling debris. The dwarves, in their drunkenness, fell over each other
looking for their axes, the men of Gondor and of visiting regions had weapons
in hand looking for the cause of the explosion, and the elves stood as far
back from the chaos as was possible, refusing to be involved or blamed for
this event. Their hands, however, clutched at their bows, ready to raise and
take aim at moments notice.
Aragorn rushed to the center of the courtyard, pushing through the large
crowd, eyes scanning the area for those he knew. "What happened here?" he
called, searching the crowd for Farimir.
"A barrel of mead exploded, m'lord," a nearby Rohan rider explained, "We will
find the cause!"
"No need," Gandalf appeared from behind a wall of elves, clutching tightly
the ears of Pippin and Merry. "Here are your culprits." The wizard shoved the
two soot-covered, mead drenched- hobbits in front of the half-dressed king
and crossed his arms. "Explain to him what you've done."
The hobbits' eyes went wide and they looked around for a way to escape the
gaze of the disappointed king that greeted them.
Sam and Frodo skidded to a halt at Gandalf's side, eyes wide as they stared
at their kinsmen.
"I told you," Sam started wagging a chubby finger at the two whom he had
warned previously, "not to play with Gandalf's firecrackers."
Aragorn raised a curious eyebrow, crystal eyes glancing quickly at Sam before
turning their full attention to the dust and mead covered hobbits.
"You said you knew how to do it this time!" Merry punched Pippin, fist
sliding harmlessly off the other hobbits' shoulder due to the amount of mead
they had consumed that evening.
"I did!" Pippin's eyes went wide at the audacity of his fellow hobbit, "You
were the one who picked the wrong place to stick it into the ground!"
"You said the barrel was empty!" Merry's eyes went wide.
"It's not my fault if you didnâ™t check it!"
"Enough!" Aragorn raised his hands in exasperation, "As long as no one was
hurtâ¦" he looked to Gandalf for the affirmation and received a slow nod and a
wry grin.
"But it was his idea!" Pippin poked at Merry's shoulder.
"No way, you got all excited when you saw the 'crackers and wanted to set one
off right this time!" Merry argued, eyes wide, the gathered crowd all but
forgotten as they argued.
" Farea!" {Enough!} Aragorn growled, muttering, "Elen-inga,"{stars on high}
under his breath while dragging a hand through his tousled hair. He stared
long and hard at the two culprits, deciding quickly that he would rather be
in his chambers with his wife rather than standing half dressed in the middle
of a courtyard filled with drunken races from all over middle-earth. "No one
was injured. Be more careful and don't touch Gandalf's firecrackers.
Understand?" Aragorn's annoyance was clear to everyone and he glanced at
Elrond and Haldir as they approached.
Elrond noticed Aragorn's state of dress, or rather, undress, and raised a
curious eyebrow, struggling to hide a smile that threatened to give away the
serious look with which he graced the new king. He'd obviously been
interrupted at a most inopportune moment, which was contributing to his
annoyance over this relatively harmless situation. Hobbits would be hobbits,
playful and clueless.
"Good evening." Aragorn nodded to the elven lords and quickly brushed passed
them and ascended the marble steps without looking back.
Haldir looked down his nose at the hobbits, "Smelly, troublemaking
creatures," he muttered and turned away, only to come waist to nose with a
very drunken Gimli.
"Tose smewy cweatures saved your pompus elven hides!" Mead sloshed in the mug
he carried and onto the tall elves' pristine robes. "yew have no wight to
spek to tem tat way!" The angry dwarf poked a dirty finger at Haldir.
Haldir stepped backward in disgust, quickly brushing the mead off his
clothing before it had the chance to seep into the material. He failed to
glance behind him as another dwarf fell to his knees and began to retch, his
body unable to hold any more mead. Haldir tripped and fell backward over the
dwarf, muttering a string of curses in elvish that would curl the toes of
even the most foul-mouthed dwarf.
Elrond rushed quickly to Haldir's aid, reaching beneath the younger elves'
arm to hoist him up before the dwarf kneeling on the ground belched up more
than just his mead. Haldir quickly gained his feet and scowled at Gimli,
"Worthless in-bred barbarian!"
Dwarves who had previously been ignoring the exchange, leapt toward the elf,
ready to defend their kinsmen.
"Stop, everyone, please!" Elrond raised his hands toward the hoard of
dwarves, "This is not a time forâ¦"
Elrond stopped short as the very pungent contents of a pint were tossed into
his face. The elf lord choked back the foul liquid as it stung his eyes and
soaked his hair.
Seeing the disrespect afforded one of their most respected lords, the elves
that, up until now, were just watching the commotion with a wary eye, joined
the fight. Long knives and bows were drawn and aimed faster than the drunken
eyes of the dwarves could follow.
"No, stop!" Frodo's voice was but a mere whisper among the cursing crowd.
Gandalf quickly pushed the hobbits out of the way before they were skewered
along with the rest of the dwarves.
"This is an old dispute that needs to be resolved once and for all," Gandalf
attempted to get their attention but none would listen. "You pleading for an
end would be a waste of breath." Gandalf shot a quick look toward the steps
Aragorn had nearly raced up, wondering how long it would take him to return.
"Aragorn is going to be furious.â Gandalf shrugged, muttering a quiet, âand
with good reason.â
Merry and Pippin nodded, wide-eyed as they watched the commotion from mere
feet away and glanced toward the set of marble stairs. They were proud that
it would not be because of them if he returned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn, having reached the top of the steps where Arwen waited, sighed
heavily and drew her deeply into his arms. "I suppose it's not a party if
something isn't blowing up."
A slim hand pushed away a lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes, "The
race of men have a unique way of celebrating," Arwen smiled, pressing a
gentle kiss to his lips. When she leaned away, he immediately countered her
incorrect interpretation about his kinsmen.
âExcept the cause was not men,â He tugged gently at her waist, eyes
sparkling in the candlelight.
âWonders will never cease,â She teased.
Aragorn regarded her silently for a long moment, hands fanning across her
hips, before continuing, âRather it was two overzealous and rather drunk,
hobbits.â
âI see,â she drew out the last syllable, dark eyes scanning his face before
slim fingers slid along his cheekbones.
When their lips met, the air itself appeared to ignite from the passion of
the kiss. He moaned into her mouth, hands sliding around her waist to flatten
against her backside, "Now, where were we?" His voice dropped to a mere
whisper, "meldanya." {my beloved}
Small hands parted the half-fastened king's tabard, baring his bronzed skin
to her dark eyes. Long fingers traced the length of his collarbone, barely
brushing against his skin, sending tremors of desire through his thin frame.
"We were in our chambers and you were about toâ¦.."
His hands wove into her hair and pulled her close, crushing her hands against
the bare skin of his chest. He bent to kiss her again when they heard
shouting and long strings of curses in both the elvish and dwarven tongue.
Aragorn growled and turned to glance out the thin window that overlooked the
whole expanse of the courtyard. Reaching out to pull aside the banner that
obscured his view, the couple's eyes widened when they saw weapons drawn and
noticed the elves in the thick of some rather heated conversations with the
dwarves.
Aragorn muttered several curses beneath his breath and untangled his hands
from Arwen's hair. "If I have to kill them all to get some peace, I will do
it!" he rushed down the steps amidst stifled laughter coming from the
vicinity of the top of the steps.
"What is going on!?" Aragorn's voice carried over the arguing crowd,
silencing them immediately. His annoyance was apparent in his stance and in
the way his hands balled into fists at his sides. His eyes searched the crowd
and settled on a sopping wet Elrond who was glaring at a very drunken Gimli.
As Gandalf explained to the annoyed king, the elves lowered their bows and
the dwarves set down their axes.
Aragorn tossed unruly hair out of his eyes, cursing them all," Sons of a
balrog! Can you not put aside old misunderstandings in favor of our hard-won
peace?" He glanced at each dwarf and each elf in turn, his gaze piercing
their hardened hearts without a further uttered word. âA Peace gained only by
everyone fighting together toward a common goal!â
"Please, this is my wedding night," Aragorn sighed, casting a longing look up
to where Arwen stood motionless, gazing out the small window at the top of
the steps. "I would like to make it through this night with an intact
kingdom."
"It will be done," Elrond stated, offering a respectful nod. His hair was
beginning to mat beneath the weight and consistency of the mead that had been
used as a deliberate provocation. "An kaima," {to bed} He instructed his
kinsmen. "An fuume." {to sleep} and he turned to Aragorn, an apologetic look
in his eyes. "Go to bed. Keep her waiting no longer."
Aragorn nodded, grateful for the understanding the elven Lord afforded him,
"Hanta-lyë." {Thank you} Aragorn favored them all with a stern look as he
made his way back to the marble steps that would lead him, he hoped, to peace
and quiet for the rest of the evening.
Reaching the top of the steps, he fell into Arwen's open arms with a heavy
sigh, head resting against her neck. "If I hear another word from any of them
for the rest of the eveningâ¦.."
"Shhh," Arwen whispered hotly into his ear, " Let your steward take care of
any further problems."
"Certainly, providing he is not involved in any of the disagreements!"
Aragorn chuckled despite his annoyance.
"Think of it this way, indonya," Arwen wove her fingers into his hair and
tugged, bringing his head up from where it rested against her neck, "this has
been a night the city will not soon forget."
He laughed and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. "That it has." They
walked hand in hand down the long hallway to their chambers, praying to the
west that there would be no further disturbances for what remained of the
night.
END PART 2
Tammy