To The End Of Her Days - A Fanfiction Sequel to The Lord of the Rings

Chapter 1 - In the House of the King

Young Arwen Baggins ran through the streets of Minas Tirith as fast as she could. The streets of the great stone city were beautiful and dazzling in the light of the sun, but she did not notice. She was running away from the local boys who enjoyed antagonizing her. They often teased her for her height, her feet, or her nationality, but this time they were trying to steal her blue hair ribbon, the only keepsake she had of her mother. When they tried to corner her, she ran through the legs of the tallest boy. They were surprised she was so fast, for they did not know that hobbits are incredibly light on their feet, but these boys would not give up, so they began to chase her down.

She called out for help, but everyone in the streets ignored her pleas. She tripped over a stone that was in her path. She scrapped her left knee, but she quickly stood up and continued running. As she ran, she began to feel blood rolling down her leg, but she had to force herself to keep going. After causing a huge disturbance in the city, the boys finally caught Arwen in an alley and ripped the ribbon out of her hand.

"NO!" Arwen screamed, but it was already torn in half. "Hallas! How could you?" She cried, but Hallas just laughed.

"Does the little hairy-footed baby want mommy's ribbon back?" Hallas teased in a childish voice, dangling the halves of the ribbon in her face. "You're just a worthless halfling, and that's all you'll ever be!"

He shoved her to the ground, laughing harder. The other boys joined in his laughter. She cried out helplessly as a few of the boys kicked her. One even kicked her bleeding knee. She didn't know what to do.

"That is enough! All of you!" called out a stern voice.

They all went silent. When they turned their heads and recognized the source of the voice, they all ran away. Then Arwen saw the source of the voice.

"Aragorn! Eldarion!"

The king and his son rushed over to help Arwen, with a few guards following behind. Aragorn ran over to her, picked her up and comforted her as if she was his daughter, saying, "It's alright, my child. I'm here." He kissed her, held her, and wiped away her tears with his thumb. He rocked her gently until she calmed down.

The king asked, "Arwen, has this happened before?"

"Well," she explained while catching her breath, "this is the first time they've chased me, but they made fun of me all the time because I'm a hobbit, I'm short, and I have hairy feet. They say I can't be your daughter because I'm a worthless halfling and could never be a princess."

The king and his son were both surprised and disturbed.

"Arwen, why didn't you tell us?" Eldarion asked.

"Well, no one noticed when I asked them to stop."

"Oh Arwen," the king asked, "didn't you realize that if you had told us, we could have stopped it? They will pay for what they have done, and I will get your ribbon back."

"No, don't bother with the ribbon," Arwen said softly, "It's ruined anyway."

Eldarion admired her maturity amid her sorrow but also felt deeply for the pain Hallas had caused her. Without a word, he held out his arms to embrace her and she wrapped her arms around his waist. She was grateful to know she had a friend as loyal as Eldarion when she needed it most.

~

Arwen had recently turned ten. Although she was an older child, most of the people in the White City thought of her as hardly more than a toddler because of her size. It's hard to believe anyone could view her as such, for she already knew how to ride a horse, how to use a sword, and the tongues of men, Elves, dwarves, and her people. She had skill and wisdom beyond her age, despite the bad reputation she had among the people. They were quick to forget the deeds of her kind that saved their people a few years before, especially those of her father Frodo. Although some of the Gondorian people did care about her, those that had animosity toward her and her kin-folk were many and often drown out the voices of those who loved her most. Despite these hard feelings against her, those who lived in the king's household did not look down on her. She was best friends with the king's children. Both the twins were there for her when she needed it most.