Part Three ~ Shelob's Children

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With the White City behind them, Arwen and Eowyn began their long journey to the Blue Mountains, travelling through the meandering vein of the mighty Anduin River whose water flowed through much of Middle Earth. To Arwen’s great surprise, it was far more difficult than she had believed possible to leave Minas Tirith behind her. Two years past when she had bid Rivendell farewell to take her place at Aragorn’s side as his wife and Queen, Arwen had done so with a heavy heart. For though she knew her destiny awaited her in the White City, a part of her would always miss her childhood home. Yet as the Anduin bore her further away from Gondor’s heart towards an uncertain future, she found herself pining for Minas Tirith intensely. It was a strange thing the heart, Arwen decided, that it bestowed its affections so easily upon a place that in her reckoning, had existed for only a hair's breadth of time and yet in that short space had come to mean as much to her as Imraldis or Lothlorien.

She knew that much of her sorrow had to do with the quest that lay before her and the yearning for Aragorn and the strong comfort of his arms. As they sailed down the river, her hand rested gently upon her belly, almost as if she could feel the life slumbering within, needing to feel some connection with the babe she carried for he was the all she had of his father. Arwen loathed her weakness and her desperate need for her beloved Estel. She needed to be strong for both her husband and child. What good could she be to either of them if even now, she pined for one while travelling to face the evil that sought to harm the other? She wished she had Eowyn’s strength for Eowyn did not shirk in the face of danger, nor did she yearn for someone else to protect her from it. Eowyn’s way was to face the enemy even if the enemy was her own frailty.

Eowyn noticed her Queen's distress but said little to call attention to it. If it were here facing such terrible evil, Eowyn would know Arwen’s fear as well. She remained strong for her sovereign because Arwen needed her to be in order to draw strength from her own courage. While she did not speak it out loud, Eowyn was filled with admiration at what Arwen was attempting to do. It was a hard thing that Arwen intended, to seek out an Enemy that was almost certainly capable of killing them both, in order to protect the unborn child in her womb. Lesser women would have turned to their men by now for such protection but not Arwen, her love for her King was only superseded by her bravery and though she fought in ways that were not of the sword, she was no less formidable in her own right.

They traveled, engaging in pleasant conversation, as if they were taking a trip to visit an old friend, rather than embarking upon a crusade that could see them both dead before it was done. Eowyn tried not to speak too frequently about the Enemy, aware that Arwen was mindful of him enough already. There was no reason to remind her of what they faced. They sailed down the Anduin, revisited by past journeys and reminiscing about the days when life was not as complicated or as changed as it was now. Yet despite their best efforts, the shadow of the Enemy still lingered at the edge of their consciousness. It denied them forgetfulness from danger they were moving swiftly towards for more than an instant, never allowing them, even for an instant, to forget the danger they were moving towards.

The first break in their journey took place at Cair Andros though they remained there only briefly for Arwen was eager to resume their travel to the north. She had until the next full moon to vanquish the Enemy or else be faced with an unimaginable choice that she had yet to reveal to Eowyn. Arwen knew Eowyn’s devotion to her as a friend and to her queen would not allow the Shield Maiden of Rohan to sit by idly if she intended to do harm to herself. In truth, Arwen had no wish to embark upon such a course. However, her thoughts were fixed not merely upon her beloved Estel or the torment of he would suffer knowing his son was going to become such an instrument of evil but also on the fates of all the races of Middle Earth. Melkor could not be allowed to live again. knowing his son was going to become such an instrument of evil, but also on the fates of all the races of Middle Earth. Melkor could not be allowed to live again. Middle Earth had barely survived the reign of Sauron and was not ready to endure a source of even greater darkness.

As frightened as she was that she might lose her child if she failed, Arwen was even more afraid of what would happen if she did not lose him and still failed.

At Cair Andros, Arwen and Eowyn encountered Galain, the Steward of the island fortress in which the city was encased. Galain had fought alongside Eowyn at the Battle of Pelennor Fields and the two former comrades in arms were more than happy to lay eyes upon each other again. Galain was doubly honored that he not only had the Lady of Ithilien as a guest but also Queen Arwen herself. He inquired after her husband the king and gave hearty reports as to the state of affairs in the region, citing that Orc activity had been driven northward back to their traditional lands where the Misty Mountains and the Grey Mountains meet. Galain offered his apologies for being unable to attend the celebration at Minas Tirith, a trespass Arwen obligingly forgave upon hearing and gave him the King’s best tidings, knowing that Aragorn would have done so had he been present.

Neither Eowyn nor Arwen told the man of Cair Andros the true purpose of their journey.

Arwen revealed only that the impending birth of her child had sparked in her a desire to see the places of her childhood. Thus she was travelling to Lothlorien and Rivendell while she was still able, before the swell of her baby’s growth kept her bound in the White City indefinitely. Galain, a man married with a host of children, understood this desire for his wife was a lady of spirit and was more than happy to aid his queen in so personal a desire. He provided Arwen and Eowyn with fine horses each and offered them passage to the Western Shore for they could not cross Rauros Falls by way of the Anduin and could only pass it by travelling by land.

They left Cair Andros after remaining in the company of Galain and his family for a night. Although he invited them to stay longer, for it was a great honor to his house to have so distinguish a guest as the Queen, Galain understood her need to depart and bid her and the Lady Eowyn well on their journey. A boat ferried them from the fortress to the Western Shore with Eowyn mindful of everything from the instant they set foot on dry land once again. Although Galain was convinced that the Orcs were no more a plague within this region, Eowyn was not anxious to see him proven wrong with Arwen in such a delicate state. She insisted upon maintaining a brisk pace past the falls so that they could return to the safety of the Anduin in journeying towards Lothlorien.

Upon reaching the shore from Cair Andros, they allowed themselves to follow by the flow of the Anduin, as it rushed speedily towards Rauros Falls. Even from the land, the ladies of Gondor and Ithilien could see the currents moving swiftly towards the turbulent cascade of the great river and in far quicker time then they thought it possible, they soon caught sight of cloud like spray that arose from its churning waters. Of the great cascade, they saw little unless they desired to follow the land and stand upon the rocks near the shore where it emptied , but theirs was not a mission of leisure. It was one of urgency and sensibly, they turned their horses to an easier path in the woods to take them beyond its fury.

They had not journeyed very far when they reached a wood clearing that Eowyn had never visited but knew well enough from the King’s stories about the Fellowship and her own husband’s recollections from his one visit. At first, she had not realised that she had come upon the place, however, upon reflection; she realised that it could be no other since they were so close to Rauros Falls. The 'Hill of Sight' known to most as Amon Hen offered them a sweeping view of the wood beneath and as Eowyn stood there, with Arwen watching in equal silent reverence, she could almost feel the presence of the man who had died here. Eowyn knew little of life after death, if such a thing existed for the race of men as it existed for the Elves. Yet as she stood in silent vigilance of what she knew not, it felt as if he had never left this place and would always be bound to the wood in which Boromir had fallen.

"It was here," Arwen remarked, feeling the same sadness as she knew that Eowyn was enduring. "Here the Fellowship was broken."

"It was not his fault," Eowyn said softly with her back facing away from the Queen, her eyes glistening with tears that she would not show to anyone, not even to Arwen. "He was a good man and though I never loved him as I love his brother, he was a friend. He just wanted so badly to help his people and the Ring used that need to seduce him."

"Faramir does not know?" Arwen asked.

"I saw little reason to tell him," Eowyn wiped her tears away and met Arwen’s gaze. "We met only but once and it was while Faramir was still a Ranger of Ithilien. It was on the eve before all the trouble with Mordor began and he had come to my father's court with his own father, the Steward of Gondor, to discuss a possible marriage. I did not love him and he knew it but we accepted that if it must be, we could be friends at least. When the War of the One Ring was done, I saw how the pain of his brother’s loss hurt Faramir, so I remained silent. In truth, there was little to tell him other than for a very brief instant of time I could have been Boromir’s wife."

"The halflings Pippin and Merry watched his end," Arwen said softly. "The halflings Pippin and Merry watched his end," Arwen said softly. "They said he fought nobly, even after he tried to take the One Ring. I do believe they love your brother as much as they do for he is also their last link to Boromir. I know Estel would not have become the King he is if he had not known Boromir."

"He always had the ability to infect people with his cause," Eowyn allowed herself a sad smile. "When he spoke of the White City, you could almost see it with his words. He loved Minas Tirith so, you could see it in his eyes and feel the same longing for it after a time."

"Do you wish to make camp here tonight?" Arwen asked, feeling much empathy for Eowyn at this time. It was a sad thing to lose a friend and what might have been. She had met Boromir briefly but her impressions of the Man of Gondor had been no different than Eowyn’s. He had been a good man with heart enough to fight a world of Orcs if it meant saving his people and it was the greatest obscenity of all that the One Ring was allowed to twist such noble intentions into such dark desire.

"No," Eowyn shook her head. "I had been meaning to come here for some time, to say my own farewells and I have done so. I will always think of Boromir as one who could have taken my heart if there had been time enough but what we might have been is a feast never served and I do love Faramir."

"I think that would please him," the queen said knowingly. "I think Boromir would be happy that you and Faramir have found each other."

"I think so too," Eowyn replied and let out a heavy sigh, dispelling all the grief and sadness that had been lingering in her heart for the last two years over this matter. She had wanted to come here long before this but doing so would require telling Faramir why and she was not ready to do that. Perhaps one day she would be able to tell him the truth but at this moment, it was enough that she had made this one pilgrimage.

Composing herself, she turned to Arwen and gestured to the horses. "Come," she started towards the animals tethered to a tree not far behind them. "We should continue. We have much ground to cover."

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And so they resumed their travels, travelling steadfastly through the day after leaving Amon Hen past the rushing waters of Rauros Falls. Once Boromir’s final resting place was behind them, Eowyn’s mood improved vastly and made a brisk pace towards Cadras Nar, a small fishing village that would be able to furnish them with a boat to continue their journey down the Anduin. Eowyn was eager to reach this riverside community because she was of staying out in the open, especially when the Enemy might be seeking his prize now that she had travel beyond the boundaries of his palantir and out of his seeing. They rode without pausing even though Eowyn suggested that it might be wise to do so since the Queen for all her resilience and determination was still with child and should take caution with the life inside her. However, Arwen was equally resolved to forge on ahead and so they traveled deep into the evening, until the sun had set.

The first thing Arwen noticed when they arrived at Cadras Nar was the silence.

She thought perhaps that the hour was too late for these folk and they were all to bed. But as they entered the streets of the small town upon their horses, the animals seemed troubled and it took some urging to force them to continue. There were no lantern lights beckoning them through the windows in any of the cottages, nor did smoke rise out of chimneys. There was not even the sound of livestock in the barns or footsteps in the distant. There was nothing at all.

Arwen and Eowyn rode past the local tavern, often the most popular place in such villages and saw that it too, was devoid of any folk. The sign hanging upon its entrance swayed back and forth aimlessly in the wind and the door lay wide and inviting to the darkness. Eowyn’s hand dropped to her sword, for there was something of this place that reeked of danger. The silence overpowered them and made Arwen shudder with trepidation. There was the visible stench of death but how that might have taken place was beyond either of them, for if it were not for the lack of people, all appeared as it should..

"There is something a foot here," Eowyn said softly. "I do not like the look of this. We should leave."

"Yes," Arwen agreed readily. "Should we continue onward or should we try to find a boat and depart by way of the river?’

"I would like to leave this place as soon as we can," Eowyn confessed as she remained astride her horse, her eyes searching the darkened streets for some sort of answer to the mystery before them. "However, I would rather we travel by river to put some distance between us and this place. On the river, we can see danger coming, not be overwhelmed by it like this terrible silence."

Arwen could not fault her for that reasoning and confessed to having a desire to be upon the water as well. Her powers as an Elven Princess were slight, even more so since she had become mortal but in the river, she was able to wield some magic and it could be enough to protect her if the peril that had overtaken the village of Cadras Nar chose to attack. "I concur with you on this," Arwen replied softly, not daring to speak any louder in case something stirred in the dark. "I too would rather continue our journey from this place by boat. Our horses will return to their masters once we are gone."

"We must find a vessel to take us then," Eowyn replied, nudging her mount towards the edge of the river, in order to make such a search.

There was a terrible feeling of foreboding in both of them as they reached the shore of the river and dismounted. Their horses were still fretful and both riders were required to soothe the beasts’ anxiety lest they should bolt in their fright and leave Arwen and Eowyn stranded in this silent village. There was no doubt in either Arwen or Eowyn’s minds that the people of Cadras Nar were dead. Even though they had seen no bodies that might give proof of this, the two women could feel the stench of doom that had befallen this place. Something terrible had happened in this place and both were eager to leave before they endured the same vile fate.

Following the shale covered shore, Eowyn and Arwen soon caught sight of a pier to which fishing boats were tethered. They remained anchored, appearing just as desolate as the homes the women had seen upon first entering the town. Neither spoke as they made their way to the forgotten collection of vessels, varying in size and use. There were larger fishing boats, which were constructed to catch a great abundance of fish, there were smaller boats that appeared to be for smaller catches, probably enough to feed ones family and finally there were canoes built for travel which was precisely what they needed.

"If you go seek out a boat and make it ready for our use," Eowyn replied as she stepped onto the wooden dock. "I shall unpack our things from the horses and lead them on the road away from here."

"Are you certain that is wise?" Arwen stared at her in concern, not eager to be parted from her travelling companion in this eerie place.

"I will not stray far," Eowyn replied promptly, understanding her fear all to well. "I shall only go onto the road and release the horses. We have no need of them once we leave and I should not like to think they might fall prey to whatever happened here."

"Alright," Arwen nodded, she swept her gaze across the shoreline and felt the hollowness in her stomach increase at the sight of the darkened houses that travel up and down its length. "Do not be long."

Eowyn nodded and turned away to tend to the unpacking while Arwen stepped onto the dock to find them a means of leaving this place before whatever darkness that engulfed this village found them.