Chambers of King and Queen

[vanya]

Tears run along her cheeks and her heart was in pain. She didn't understand how he could have seen her somewhere on the street, but that he did, was obvious, even it was confusing and desturbing. Her eyes met his and she hold stand in looking into his doubt, but it broke her heart. "I give you my oath, I was here." Her voice was rough for tears.

[Envin]

Aragorn sat down upon the bed nearby with his head in his hands. Silently he began to weep.

"Vanimelda, vanimelda! How can this be sooth when mine own eyes have seen it?" He looked up at her, pleading with the world, and she saw that the eyes she loved so much were wet with tears. "This very night thou, or one so like unto thee it is hardly possible, gave into the hands of a mercenary valuable papers of Gondor, from my private desk. That is what has happened? Now, be patient with me: who else beside thou and I have the keys to that desk, and who in all Arda looks so like unto thou that 'twould fool thy husband?"

[vanya]

She sat down as well, keeping her hands wrapped, but her eyes didn't turn from him. She was quiet for a while, not able to speak with her broken voice. He turned his eyes to her in the beggin to make him understand and she looked back with helpless confusion. "I do not know," she whispered. "Nobody can have the keys besides us. But what ever it was or who ever, it was not me." She shivered and took her face in her own hands. "How can all this happen?" she said and her voice broke again.

[Envin]

"None of whom I can think could have found their way in here without our knowledge, and I have let no one enter this room with me of late save thee. I do not know."

[vanya]

"Neither me," she whispered under tears. She sighed. This riddle turned into circles and they wouldn't solve it this way. There was no anger or disapointment in her, just pain and sadness when she raised. "Neither me."

[Envin]

"Aside from thou and my comrads at the Pub - Legolas, Murazor, Ashuron, and others, I have spoken to few people these past few days save my councillors in the Citadel. What of thee?"

[vanya]

"None I would believe to do any harm to me. Just Vaire. We sat here, for she had to leave Minas Tirith tonight and we were drinking wine until she left and I waited for you," she said tired.

[Envin]

Aragorn wore a weary face of puzzlement.

"Vaire, the Elven-Maiden that thou introduced unto me earlier this week? But she has been a friend of thine these many years, has she not? It could not have been she? Was she alone at all in this room, Arwen?"

[vanya]

"No, no Vaire is my dear friend!" Arwen looked frightened when she turned back to Aragorn. "She wouldn't do anything to hurt me..." she stoped and thought about the evening. "She was allone, a short while. The staff called me to the kitchen..." She shoke her head. "No, I don't believe she could do that to us. She is dear to me. I gave her one of my dresses as a gift and she was cheering and smiling. There was no madness or evil in her face!"

[Envin]

Aragorn stood on a sudden, and Arwen glanced at him in surprise.

"Dear one, which dress was't that thou loaned unto her? Few of thy dresses even resemble any in this Middle-Earth! Was't the yellow, the fair one with the deep neck and girdle of lily-petals? For this was the one I saw there outside in the darkened alleyway, but with thou inside of it. But Vaire resembles thee not - a harder riddle this becomes. Stay a moment!"

He leapt to the wardrobe which stood nearby, flinging wide the doors, and behold! the yellow dress of which he spoke was not to be seen. If it was not the yellow dress which Vaire had taken, then difficult 'twould be to believe Arwen, but if she had borrowed it, and his beloved swore on her love for him that it had not been her in the street, and the kitchen staff had seen her earlier, then his brow began to darken against Vaire.

[vanya]

"Yes, I gave her the yellow one. She stood before it and was looking at it with such love that I gave it to her. But no! Aragorn, no! Not Vaire!" her voice increased and broke finally. She put her face into her hands and sat down, crying bitterly.

[Envin]

Aragorn sat down beside her and leant her body against his, his strong arms comfortingly about her, and he softly sang to her in his deep voice for several quiet moments.

"Calm thy precious heart, vanimelda," he said, kissing her soft and fragrant hair. "And forgive one too sure of what his eyes tell him. The kitchen staff will have seen thy tender frame this evening, and I have let no one in these rooms these many days save thee. It must needs have been thy comrade Vaire, then, dearest. But why would she do such a thing? And what are we to do of it? She cannot still be in the city."

[vanya]

Arwen looked at him. "I have nothing to forgive you, melamin. I do not understand how and why, but I believe you that you saw my shape." She took his hand and kissed his palm, still looking into his eyes. "Vaire told me she was going to depart on her journey to Arnor. She said she had word for Doren. I do not know how she could have done it, nor why. I thought we are friends."

[Envin]

"Perhaps there is still a special place in her heart for you, my love. One so fair and bright could not have abandoned all she held dear for any trivial cause. What would e'er possess her mind to consort with such brigands, and what does this mean for Gondor? In whose service does she ride?"

[vanya]

Arwen shoke her head. "She didn't mentioned it and because she is the ambassador of Moria, I thought she would go in name of her duty. I don't understand how she could do that to us..."