Aravan {A Lord of the Rings Story}

T•H•I•R•T•E•E•N

A/N: I am SO sorry that it has taken me so long to update! I have had such a ridiculously hectic week/weekend that I have had no time to write until now, at 12 in the morning. I'm super excited about the next few chapters! I hope you all enjoy! As usual, thank you for being so patient with me!

This one's for whitewolfsolace for always being so supportive! <3

T•H•I•R•T•E•E•N

The company started very early the next morning, before the sun had even risen. They ate a small breakfast of fruit and cheese, and soon, they were off once more. Artanis was very quiet again, but she was no longer thinking of her dream. Instead, her thoughts were occupied by the conversation that she shared with Aragorn the night previous. She looked to him now, sitting on his horse like royalty, with his stern, concealing eyes and kingly mannerisms. Yes, she still felt incredibly small compared to him. Yes, she still did not feel a friendship like she had with Éowyn, Legolas, or Gimli. And yes, she was right about being one of his burdens. But despite all this, she felt an odd connection with him now. They were on the same level, fighting the same fight, and together, they were warriors for good.

The day went on more slowly than the previous one. An atmosphere of solemnity settled over them as they moved closer and closer to Isengard. Artanis, though lifted from her own burdens, felt a weight settle on her that she could not seem to decipher. Her shoulders slumped forward and a frown found its way onto her face without her even noticing it. Something about the air and the landscape had changed and made every last one of them somber.

Around noon, Artanis felt a sharp pain rip through her injured shoulder. She sucked in a deep breath of air and tried her best not to cry out. She observed the rest of the party and made sure no one was watching, then let out the breath and placed a hand over her shoulder. She began to slow her pace without meaning to as she gently rubbed her screaming wound. It felt as if she was in battle once more, receiving the blow from the Orc all over again.

In that moment, Aragorn turned around to check on the rest of their company that he had not spoken with in awhile. Legolas, Gimli, and Éomer were just fine (in fact, they were in deep conversation about some type of food that Gimli used to eat as a young boy), but he noticed an odd look on Artanis’s face. He stared her down until she felt his gaze and proceeded to meet it. Upon doing so, she wiped the grimace away and replaced it with a smile.

‘Are you okay?’ he mouthed.

She nodded vigorously.

‘Are you sure?’ he mouthed again.

She put on a tight smile and mouthed back, ‘Yes.’

But he did not believe her, and rightly so. He pulled his horse back, told Gandalf that he was going to speak with Artanis, and pulled up next to her.

‘It’s the shoulder, isn’t it?’ he asked seriously.

Her smile fell and the grimace returned. ‘Yes.’

‘Where does it hurt?’

She gestured to the spot where the blade had caught her. He took one finger and pressed against it as gently as he could. She hissed in pain.

‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘What hurts about it?’

‘It is very sharp,’ she sighed, ‘as if I’m being stabbed all over again.’

            ‘When did you last change your bandages?’

‘This morning.’

He frowned. ‘Then there is not much else I can do for it as of now.’