Aravan {A Lord of the Rings Story}

E•P•I•L•O•G•U•E {~1~}

A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for your comments these past few days; each and every one of them has left me smiling and giggling with happiness! :') Only one more part after this! It's so surreal knowing that I started this before last summer started, and now, here we are, almost at the end. Thank you all so much for sticking with it all the way through. I love you all to pieces <3 Enjoy!

E•P•I•L•O•G•U•E {~1~}

Aravan sat in a plush red chair with her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her to keep them from twitching. Her eyes darted this way and that, trying to find something to occupy her mind with. She noted how the flames in the fireplace swayed curiously in the breeze that fluttered in through the open window, and how the stone flooring was chipped and dirty, and how the armrests on her chair glowed from their recent polishing. Her hair was pulled back tightly so that it was out of her face, but she secretly wished that it was loose so that she might hide behind it.

The door creaked open. Without looking up, she knew that Éowyn had arrived.

‘Aravan,’ she addressed her, smiling. Aravan stood and smiled back, embracing her.

‘What is it that you wished to speak with me about?’ she asked, taking the seat across from her. Aravan took a deep breath and clasped her hands in her lap once more. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words stuck in her throat and she had a difficult time phrasing them in a way that did not sound selfish or stubborn or rude.

‘I am nervous about my upcoming marriage,’ she finally said.

Éowyn frowned. ‘And why is that?’

Aravan stood from her seat and went to the window. She leaned against the railing and closed her eyes, allowing the wind to blow through her long hair. She inhaled deeply, desperately hoping that the fresh air would release the tension in her chest.

‘I feel…trapped. Almost as if this marriage with chain me to this city forever.’

She turned back around to face Éowyn. ‘You are much like me, Éowyn. Did you feel like this when you agreed to marry Faramir?’

‘I suppose a little. He wasn’t only asking me for my hand in marriage, after all. He was asking me to leave my home…my people…my brother.’

‘How did you manage with that?’

She smiled up at her. ‘Well, I realized that the reason I agreed was because I loved him so much. He was worth it.’

Aravan nodded, ducking her head and staring at the floor once more.

‘Tell me, Aravan,’ Éowyn said, standing and coming over to her. ‘Do you love Hallas?’

She smiled. ‘With my whole heart.’

‘Then it will be worth it.’

‘I know. Believe me, I know he is worth it. I cannot imagine a better man to spend the rest of my life with. But I still feel as though there is so much I have yet to do, and that my marriage will hold me back from doing those things.’

‘Like what?’

‘I want to travel. I wish to see Merry and Pippin and Sam once more, and maybe even visit Éomer in Rohan. I have yet to meet their spouses and children. And…my failure to reach Lothlórien has been on my mind as of late. What if I could finally go there, see Legolas…meet Galadriel like I was supposed to? Fulfill Blue’s mission?’

‘You feel like you must accomplish all of your dreams before you wed. I understand. But please hear me when I tell you, dear child, that marriage will not tie you to one place. Hallas loves you as much as you love him. He will not hinder you, but instead, you will thrive with him. I can relate to your pre-marriage jitters, and I can promise you that you will not regret it.’