Part Four - Awakenings

-2-

Celeborn had been correct, Eowyn was eager to leave by the time Arwen finally found her. The Lady of Ithilien despised being fretted upon by healers, no matter how injured she was. From the time she had been a visitor to the House of Healing during the War of the Ring, she had abhorred being reminded that she had fallen in battle by having others fuss over her injuries. The only good thing that had ever come of her stay at one of these places was her meeting Faramir. However, this occasion was not going to engender any pivotal encounters such at that. What fired her ire more was that she had heard the tales of Lothlorien and had long yearned to walk through its enchanted realm. It did not seem fair that she was trapped in a bed when she could be seeing it for herself.

"Are you often so disagreeable?" Haldir asked after Eowyn had sent one of the maids trying to tend her wounds after her clothes instead.

Eowyn had never met Haldir, though she knew of him from her conversations with Arwen and Legolas. Like all the elves of Lothlorien, his hair was fair gold and it hung about his shoulders either loose or in a braid. His features were not as fine as Legolas and to her he seemed older, though it was difficult to say for certain with elves. His tone however was patronizing and that immediately brought out the worst in Eowyn.

"Only when I am forced to stay in bed over injuries that are inconsequential to me," she retorted, waiting impatiently for her clothes to arrive. At the present, she was clad in a simple white shift and felt all the more self-conscious for it.

"You are still injured. You should rest," he pointed out, standing by the door with his arms folded. His gaze was one of reproach, like she was a child and upon further thought Eowyn supposed she was in comparison to him but she did not like being reminded of it.

"I was injured," she corrected him, "but I am well now and I need no other treatment. What healing I endure after Lothlorien will take place on route, I do not need to be in a bed for that."

"You are travelling with the Evenstar," Haldir stated firmly. "She requires protection from what awaits her at the end of her quest. You only endanger her by your stubbornness."

Eowyn bristled at the accusation. She did not like this elf nor the assumption he made that she would place her own needs above that of Arwen’s. "If I were not a lady Sir, I would knock you off your feet for that insult."

Haldir straightened up in outrage at her statement, "I merely state the obvious," he said haughtily. "If anything befalls the Evenstar in this quest, or should she fall to the machinations of the Enemy then we will all suffer. Does that not warrant you behaving sensibly?"

"I am behaving sensibly," she retorted. "This thing that will happen to the babe inside Arwen will take place at the next full moon. If you do not mind, I would rather that we fulfil our task well before that. I would leave nothing to chance when it comes to Arwen or her baby’s safety. I am injured yes, but the one to best judge how I will be capable of tolerating those wounds is me, not you."

"This will not do," Haldir looked at her coldly. "The Evenstar should have a proper escort, not a…" he faltered when he saw that he was about to say something unforgivable.

"A woman?" She strode towards him, full of anger and more than prepared to express it.

"Haldir," Arwen’s voice filled the room and they both turned to see Arwen entering the room with Eowyn’s travelling clothes in her arm. "I think that will be all."

"I was…."

"I am well aware of what you were doing," Arwen replied with such glacial hardness to her voice, that it was easy to believe then that she was a queen. "I thank you for your concern and bid you to leave us, the Lady Eowyn needs to be dressed as we will soon be leaving."

Haldir appeared as if he wanted to respond but since much of his conversation with Eowyn had been heard by Arwen, there was little he could but to withdraw. It was just as well for Arwen did not think that Eowyn would have been able to restrain her displeasure much longer.

When he was gone, Arwen turned to Eowyn and sighed, "I suppose that you are well enough to travel then."

Eowyn let out a slight laugh and responded, "yes, I do think I am."

"You must forgive Haldir," Arwen replied after Eowyn had liberated the elf of her clothes and readied herself to leave. "He is very proud and he does take his duty to protect the Lady and her kinsman very seriously."

"You forgot arrogant," Eowyn muttered as she pulled on her breeches. "I see now why Legolas describes him as an acquaintance."

"Legolas was always too polite to draw an accurate description." Arwen smiled before noting the injury on Eowyn’s shoulder as she pulled off the shift. "Are you certain that you are fit to continue?"

"I am fine," Eowyn assured her. "I am not about to single handedly fight Sauron or an army of Uruk Hai but I am certainly fit to ride. I can heal on the way."

"I will trust you on that," Arwen stared at her critically. "With everything else that is happening to me of late, the last thing I would require is for you to drop dead from exhaustion or some other malaise because of your stubbornness to aid me in this quest."

"If it soothes you somewhat, I will not drop dead, I will faint gracefully from exhaustion."

"Thank you," Arwen retorted giving her a look of sarcasm as Eowyn grinned. "That does me a world of good."

************

Celeborn had been true to his word and had furnished Arwen and Eowyn with horses and supplies for their journey northward. At their farewell, Haldir had been present, his face a mask of dislike as he saw Eowyn riding at Arwen’s side. For most part, Eowyn handled his hostility and lack of confidence in her abilities well enough but Arwen could see that she was still rather incensed. Arwen however, was sad to say goodbye to Celeborn for she had a premonition that the next time they came upon each other, things would have changed greatly. She did not know how she knew this with such certainty, but as she cast him a final look as he waved her goodbye, Arwen knew that it would be the last time she viewed him as Lord of Lothlorien.

They traveled away from Lothlorien towards the Misty Mountains, a course Eowyn was still unhappy to take because of Arwen’s condition. She knew the journey would be longer but a day or two down the range of the mountains would find them an easier way to reach their destination. However, Arwen would have none of it. She was determined to cross and since Moria was no longer an option, Eowyn had little choice but to obey. From all accounts the bridge at Khazadum had been destroyed and while Gimli and the dwarves had vanquished much of the Orcs that had overrun Moria, it was not to say that they were all gone.

From Lothlorien, the journey to the Misty Mountains required almost two days of constant travel. Fortunately for them, their travel was without incident and there was ample opportunity to take in the magnificent range of mountains as they neared it. The Misty Mountains bordered the valleys where Rivendell was located and for many ages had kept the Hobbits in the Shire beyond the reach of Mordor and other elements of darkness. As they approached it, there was none of the inhospitable weather that had beleaguered the Fellowship when they had tried to reach Mordor. The snow covered peaks appeared still and while Arwen had no desire to attempt the crossing over those points in the mountain, she could not help being moved by its resplendent beauty.

In the meantime, Eowyn continued to be mindful of her injuries and though it had been difficult for her to ride during the first hours of their departure from Lothlorien, the maid of Rohan bore it nonetheless. Arwen was aware of her attempts to hide her weariness and often feigned needing rest herself when she saw Eowyn was in need of it, just so that he companion would agree to pause. Arwen loved her for this effort and knew that if she succeeded in her quest, it would owe a great deal to Eowyn’s conduct in this. Arwen wondered why not more women chose to take up arms as Eowyn had. The elves were not so against their females bearing weapons as immortality brought with it certain wisdom. However, it was not the same with the race of men. They preferred their women weak, gentle and defenseless. More should follow Eowyn’s example for it was perfectly obvious to Arwen that they were more than equal to the task if Eowyn was any basis for comparison.

It was almost nightfall when they finally reached the pass they would have to traverse to cross the mountain and both women were exhausted from being in a saddle for almost the entire day. Neither disagreed with one another when the suggestion was brought forth of making camp that night. Celeborn had included in their stores, some lembas and they ate around the warm fire, wondering how far they would have to continue tomorrow in order to reach the pass that would take them through the mountains. Little was said of the quest, though both of them were thinking constantly upon it.

Arwen’s thoughts were mostly preoccupied with Aragorn and how he would have taken the news of her departure. No doubt, Galadriel would have explained things once he discovered her gone but Arwen was certain that he would not understand. It did not help that she missed him terribly and each day apart made her long for her king. It was foolishness, this pining for him. It was not as if they had never been apart before. Prior to their marriage, he was always travelling from place to place and his time with her only came in between his adventures. She wished she could have been like any new mother with the freedom to enjoy the arrival of her babe but she could not. All she could feel was this terrible weight pressing down on her soul that demanded her completion of her quest or it would cost her everything she held dear. It was not fair.

Fortunately, Arwen knew in her lengthy existence that life was seldom fair in anything.

Eowyn’s worries were a great deal different to Arwen’s. What Faramir felt about her leaving, Eowyn would find out when she saw him face to face again. Eowyn was too practical to torture herself with how her beloved might behave in this situation. She had larger concerns on her mind, concerns that she dared not voice to the Queen of Gondor for fear of how she would react to them. Eowyn’s fears were centered upon the time they were allowed to reach the Blue Mountains in order to prevent Arwen’s unborn child from being affected by Melkor’s essence.

Galadriel had told them that they had until the next full moon to reach the Enemy. It had been that when they departed Minas Tirith and it had taken them four days to travel to Lothlorien. It would take another four days to reach Rivendell after they breached the mountain. If they had been on foot, the journey would take six days. As Eowyn calculated the days, she knew that they could not afford delay. Part of the reason she was so adamant about leaving Lothlorien was because she knew that they could not waste one second if they aimed to reach the Enemy before it was too late. After crossing the mountains, they would need to pass Rivendell, then Shire before reaching the place known as the Grey Havens. From there, they would take the river into the heart of the Blue Mountains that would take them to sea.

After that, Eowyn had little idea what would transpire next or how long it would take to accomplish it. Galadriel’s instructions had been vague at best and what Eowyn feared the most was if they had long to travel once they arrived at the Blue Mountains, they may not be able to reach the enemy before the full moon. That thought alone sent fear into her heart not merely for the babe and for all of Middle Earth should the child be born with Melkor’s spirit, but what Arwen herself would do to keep a second darkness from befalling the land. The queen of Gondor was perhaps one of the strongest women she knew in spirit and a fierce desire to protect those she loved might force her to act irrationally.

Was it possible that might mean ending her life?

And should Eowyn stop her?

That was a possibility the Lady of Ithilien did not want to consider even for a second because it filled her heart with such dread that Eowyn could hardly breathe. Yet she was certain even if Arwen never said it to her directly, it was a course the queen might take if the situation gave her no alternative. Eowyn knew that Arwen might be strong enough to make such a sacrifice but what Eowyn did not know was whether or not she could stand by and let her friend do this terrible deed.

The answer to that question was something she never wanted to learn.

**********

The raging wind in her ears and the sudden chill on her skin awoke Arwen from her slumber at their campsite at the foot of the Misty Mountains. The night before had shown them a canopy of stars ahead, a sure indicator that the day following it would be clear and good for travel. Yet as she opened her eyes and stared briefly at the sky, she saw only clouds of gray, allowing no sunshine to pass its thick cloak. The wind was whistling in her ears and she saw the trees swaying above head, bending to its will with each breath of the gale. Arwen sat up and saw Eowyn already awake, packing their things away in order to begin their travel or at the very least, seek shelter away form the tempest.

Arwen looked up at the top of the mountain and saw the higher reaches of it covered in sheets of snow. The wind was gently chipping away at its volume and she understood in an instant why Eowyn was so determined to get moving. If this storm were to grow any worse, it might conceivably precipitated an avalanche that would bury the passage way in snow and force them to take a different route. However, as she rose to her feet in order to help Eowyn with their rapid departure, Arwen sensed something ominous. It was the same feeling she had experienced in Cadras Nar, although there the danger had been more overt and did not require elven senses to detect.

"Eowyn," Arwen called out as she gathered her bedding and stumbled towards the Lady of Ithilien.

"We need to go," Eowyn said as soon as she saw Arwen approaching her. "That snow is going to come down soon. We need to pass or else we shall have to go around the mountain."

"There is something not right about all this," Arwen replied as she fell into Eowyn’s purposeful stride towards the horses.

"What do you mean?" Eowyn squinted at Arwen as she tried speaking over the wind.

"I do not believe this is natural," Arwen explained as they reached the horses that were growing agitated at the worsening weather.

"It is a storm," Eowyn retorted not understanding, "it is unfortunate but storms are a part of life. They happen."

"Not this one," Arwen interjected. "Trust my word sister, there is something amiss."

Arwen did not use the word ‘sister’ often but when she did, it was because she was earnest in her desire to convince Eowyn of some truth the latter could not see.

"I believe you Arwen," Eowyn replied honestly. "But what is to be done? We must cross that breach."