Aravan {A Lord of the Rings Story}

T•W•E•L•V•E

A/N: Hey guys! I'm super excited about this chapter! I honestly don't know why I'm so excited about it, but I am! x) I think I just need sleep and to stop consuming sugar so late at night...oh well. Here's chapter 12! Hope you all enjoy! <3

T•W•E•L•V•E

The journey back to Edoras was a rather pleasant one. Everything seemed lighter and more free than usual: people were smiling and laughing, the animals walked along without problems, and the sun even seemed to shine a little brighter than it had before. Needless to say, everything and everyone was happy. They arrived back home in the evening, just after the sun had turned in for the night. The stars twinkled brightly far above them, and the sky was a deep, dark, clear blue.

The people returned to their humble homes. Artanis smiled to herself as she saw them light lamps and candles inside, their smiles making the dim houses seem even jollier than before. Legolas walked alongside her on her left side, and Éowyn walked to the right of her, and beside her was Aragorn, freshly bandaged and rested. Though she did not let it on as much as some of the others did, Artanis was beyond grateful for his safety and his return to them.

Upon arriving back in the King’s Hall, Artanis and Éowyn went their separate ways to bathe and get dressed in something more suitable for dinner. Artanis took the longest bath she could ever remember taking. She allowed herself to soak in the soapy, warm water. Her muscles relaxed and it was refreshing to feel the dirt and blood peel themselves away from her skin and drip out of her tangled hair. Not only was it refreshing, but it also felt good on her sore shoulder. She frowned a little; the traveling had made it worse than it had been before.

When she got out of the bath, she took special care to brush out her hair until every single knot had been removed and it glistened like the night sky. She pulled it back into a braid (which she had finally learned from Éowyn) and slipped on a plain, violet gown. When she came out into the hall, Aragorn, Legolas, and Éowyn were already seated. She took her place next to Éowyn. Minutes later, everyone else came into the hall, and they feasted in celebration.

The night passed by very quickly. Soon, the excitement died down and everyone was beginning to appear very sleepy. Artanis herself had zoned out of all conversations and was staring off into space, thinking about her future journey to Lothlórien. In all the chaos with the battle, she had forgotten about it. She also thought of Blue, and of how much she missed him. Her heart clenched in her chest and she had to bite her lip to hold back from crying leftover tears of grief.

Across from her, Gandalf and Aragorn were deep in conversation. Their whisperings had not reached Artanis’s ears until one whispered word found her senses: ‘Isengard.’ She broke out of her dream-like state and turned towards them. They stopped talking and looked at her.

‘Is something wrong, Artanis?’

‘You said Isengard. What about Isengard?’

They glanced at each other.

‘We are to travel there tomorrow. We defeated Saruman’s armies, but we have not defeated him,’ Aragorn replied seriously.

‘May I come?’ she asked abruptly.

Aragorn looked slightly taken aback. ‘Pardon?’

‘I would like to come with you, if that would be alright,’ she continued, blushing at her sudden outburst. She didn’t know what had come over her, but as soon as she heard the word Isengard, a certain desperation had filled her and a little voice at the back of her head told her that she needed to go as well.

‘I don’t see any harm in that,’ Gandalf said finally.

Aragorn wore a grim expression, but he nodded. ‘Neither do I. You may join us.’