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

Chapter 17 - The Edge of Despair

After many tears of mourning had been spent, the company knew they had to face what they did not want to see. Together, they all began to walk down to the High Court to see what remained of their beloved friends. As the doors of the palace were opened, the skies grew darker and rain began to fall, adding to the sorrow they all had in their hearts.

The young hobbits held each other's hands as they approached the bodies at the foot of the White Tree. Together, they turned Arwen's body over from on top of Eldarion's and gently laid it down on the ground so they could see her. The moment Rosie saw Arwen's face up close, she began to weep bitterly. She fell to the ground and cradled Arwen's lifeless body, wishing her friend could return the embrace. Faramir and Goldie sat on either side. Rosie, still weeping, closed her dear friend's eyes. She wiped as much of the blood away as she could with the water from the fountain and her apron, remembering the last time Arwen wiped her face from her tears. They all kissed her on the forehead as they said goodbye to their beloved friend.

"Farewell, Arwen," Faramir struggled to speak, "may you rest in peace, my friend."

"We will never forget you, Arwen." Goldie also struggled to speak, but suddenly got upset and said, "If only we had known! But, I guess she knew what she was doing, didn't she?"

Her sister nodded, unable to speak at all.

"I hope she finds that place of eternal rest she was telling us about," Faramir concluded.

Together, they picked her up and carry her over to a guard, crying the whole way. When Sam saw this, he remembered holding Frodo's seemingly lifeless in his arms. Sam began to weep as much as his daughters, or as much as he would if it had been his daughter. Merry and Pippin comforted Sam, knowing he was also grieved from Frodo's memory. They were all overwhelmed as they watched their children do what they knew they could not do themselves.

The king's daughters threw themselves upon their brother and mourned him greatly. Belthil closed her brother's eyes and cleaned some of the blood as her younger sisters continued to mourn. Gilraen and Silmarien could not believe what happened and were unprepared to lose their only brother.

"Why? Why did Eldarion have to die?" Silmarien asked, "He didn't deserve it! And neither did Arwen! It's not fair!"

"There has never been a guarantee that life will be fair to any of us," Belthil explained amid her own tears. "Eldarion knew that as well as anyone. It may not have been fair, but his willingness to die makes me realize how great of a man he...was." Belthil kissed his forehead and said, "Rest well, my prince...my brother." She began to weep over him once more, putting her head on his chest.

The king had tears in his eyes as he watched his daughters, but did not cry aloud. He stood with his wife as they held each other, overwhelmed to see their daughters' grief. Legolas and Gimli stood beside them. Although Legolas did not weep, there was a sadness upon him which he had not yet known and could not express. He kept a firm hand on Gimli's shoulder as he grieved the one he loved as his niece.

A few guards carried away Eldarion's body. The group of grief-stricken friends stood together, huddled in the rain, comforting each other the best they could. Then Goldie heard something that startled her and she ran toward the city's wall, to the place where Ashtakh had just placed Arwen before the people. When everyone followed her, they saw a great sea of people in the streets below them, mourning the death of the king's son. It was unlike anything they had ever seen.

"I thought what she was meant to do would bring peace and unity," Goldie said, "but all I can see is chaos and despair."

Rosie screamed, "And still no one cares what she did for them! It's not fair! She didn't deserve this! Neither of them deserved this!"