Work Text:
Arwen could remember the exact moment she saw Aragorn for the first time. He paraded into the dining hall beside Lindir, and Elrond greeted him with open arms. He was tall and dark and handsome, and held a gaze that could pierce an orc. He greeted Arwen with a grin that made her knees weak and her mouth dry, and when their hands touched ever so slightly she could have sworn that he burned holes into her skin.
He was unlike anything she had ever seen, and she found it hard to understand how a human could be so mesmerizing. From the first moment that they met she felt as if he had reached inside her chest and wrapped his hand around her very soul. He made her stomach burn with anticipation and her heart flutter with excitement. Never had she experienced the euphoria she felt when she looked at him, and she often found she wished that she too were mortal so that she would never have to experience a world without him.
The two spent an excessive amount of time together. They learned each other’s hobbies and explored each other’s interests. Arwen had even begun to teach Aragorn a thing or two about healing, which was something that no human dabbled in. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, the relationship between the two grew more personal. Their conversations became more in depth and they confided things in one another that they could have sworn they would take to their grave. Arwen began to feel as if she had learned Aragorn from the inside out, and Aragorn knew her down to the basis of her very being.
It was on that hot summer afternoon did she think he had finally fallen for her in the way that she had fallen for him. Though he had not said anything, there was a gentle gleam in his eye when he looked at her that made her heart swell with joy. It filled her to the brim with light and warmth like no other. Arwen fully believed that Aragorn would be the one she would spend eternal life with, and from that moment on she was not sure she could picture a world without him.
No, that was nonsense. Aragorn was her world and without him there would be nothing.
It was early one autumn morning that Aragorn had questioned Arwen about Legolas. She could remember peering at the sky and looking at the ever-changing leaves, and admiring how they burned with a color so bright it was like fire. In a way, she found the leaves significant. It was as if someone had taken her feelings for Aragorn and put them into a more natural form than words. She had been so focused on her thoughts that she did not pay much attention to Aragorn’s word, and simply said that Legolas was a friend she and would introduce him to Aragorn during dinner later that night.
She had not thought anything of it. Maybe it was because she ignored the way Legolas’ eyes lit up when he first spoke to Aragorn, or maybe it was because she ignored the fact she could visibly see Aragorn’s breath hitch in his throat when he talked to the other man. Though he had Arwen on his arm, he did nothing but discuss everything and anything he could possibly think of with Legolas. He felt as if there were no boundaries with the man in front of him, and Legolas was nothing but an infinite pool of wisdom.
It was not until she lay in the snow beside Aragorn many weeks later did she become concerned. The two lay side by side in silence, staring mindlessly into the blank winter sky. “I think I’m in love with him.” Aragorn had spoken so softly into the night Arwen was unsure of what she had just heard. “I’m sorry?” She questioned, turning her head to look at him as he continued to stare into the sky.
“Legolas. I think I’m in love with him.” Aragorn’s words burned into Arwen like a white-hot poker. They seared and burned within every fiber of her being, and wrapped around her neck like a noose making it impossible for her to breathe. Several moments passed and she could not find the words to answer him, other than choking out a simple “Oh.” She suddenly felt weightless upon the ground, as if any substance to her had been stripped and blew off into the wind.
Aragorn went on to tell her everything he adored about Legolas. How much he loved the color of his hair, and how captivating his eyes were. How Legolas possessed a skill with a bow and arrow that was like no other and how insanely intelligent he was. He told Arwen how he found Legolas to be simply breath taking and did not think he could ever find the words to describe the elf’s beauty. Though Aragorn had said he was unsure of whether or not Legolas looked upon him with the eyes of love, Arwen had not heard it. She could do nothing but focus on the tight feeling in her chest and how it was beginning to consume her.
It constantly ate at her. To know that the one man she had fallen for had fallen under some random elf’s spell. As the weeks went on he spoke more and more about Legolas and their growing relationship. Each word pierced through her like daggers, and she slowly but surely felt her heart crumble. She watched as the bond between the two men grew stronger and they soon developed something all too similar to what she thought she had shared with Aragorn.
Arwen sat alone on a stone bench in one of the many gardens of Rivendell. The sun peered over the clouds and bathed all in golden light as a warm breeze caressed the late spring air. She stared mindlessly into the scenery in front of her, concentrating on how rapid her heart seemed to be beating. This was the first time she had gotten a chance to be alone in days and she found that she was enjoying the isolation immensely. For the first time in what seemed to be an eternity her mind was not reeling with ideas on how to murder the group of elves that surrounded her.
It was then that she heard footsteps and an all too familiar laugh. Aragorn and Legolas made their way through the garden hand in hand, paying no attention to the maiden that sat solemnly on the bench several feet away. They had spent most of their day outside enjoying the warmth that the spring air brought and marveled at the fact that winter was finally over. They walked perfectly in sync, paying no attention to their surroundings but to only each other. As they made their way across the stone path Aragorn happened to glance over his shoulder and his eyes met Arwen’s briefly. She felt her heart leap out of her chest, and for a moment forgot of the blonde elf’s existence.
She forced herself to smile back though that all too familiar tightening sensation in her chest returned. Arwen wanted nothing more than to run and lock herself in her chamber, and hide from the rest of the world. Though she forced herself to stay put as her hands began to shake and her eyes began to well with tears. Aragorn turned his head and kissed Legolas’ forehead before the two walked out of sight, leaving Arwen alone with her thoughts once again.
Arwen sat painfully still. She was overly aware of her heartbeat and breathing, and found that she was unable to move. Her vision blurred as her eyes welled with tears and her heart made it’s way into her throat. Her mind was once again racing at the speed of light, and she found that she could not figure out exactly how she was feeling. She remained on that stone bench for most of the afternoon, unable to move and rooted to the ground. She was undoubtedly overwhelmed as her world crashed down around her and a dark sort of emptiness that she had not yet experienced began to consume her. For the first time in her life Arwen wished for her existence to cease and no longer wished to be the person she had become. It was from that moment on she lived with an emptiness so vicious inside her that she lost any passion for the world around her, and truly believed that she had lost the ability to love as the couple in front of her grew stronger by the day.