It was noon, and Gandalf and Pippin were getting ready to depart right away. Aerin saw Pippin picking out a few of his things that he wanted to take with him. He looked scared, and sorry, and all around miserable. She did not like seeing him that way. ''Blood and ashes,'' Aerin said, ''You really do know how to get yourself in trouble.''
''This time I am not proud of it,'' he replied, and he never sounded so sad before. ''Don't be too hard on yourself, Pip. You have yet to prove yourself. There is courage within you that you only have to unleash.''
''I don't think there is any,'' He said wistfully and Aerin knew that nothing she could say would make him feel any better, so she just kept quiet, and put her hand, delicately, on his shoulder. ''I'm afraid,'' he said in a whisper. ''A big war is ahead of us, Pip. We're all afraid.'' He said nothing to that, but simply looked at Aerin with eyes that displayed doubt and fear and discomfort, and Aerin instinctively went to hug him. ''Have faith,'' she whispered silently before she left him be.
Aerin spoke to Éowyn and Éomer about the stubbornness of their uncle, and they assured her that there was absolutely nothing anyone could have done to change his mind, unless he changed it himself. It angered her, really, doing something out of pride and stubborness when all the world of Men stood upon the brink of complete destruction. How selfish. Aragorn, on the other hand, was not much up for conversation. He was very nervous, pacing around all the time, "You need to calm down, Aragorn. You're driving yourself mad," Aerin would tell him with also trying to figure out why Legolas was mad at her. He barely spoke to her for the four days which they spent waiting.
As much as it hurt Aerin, she left him to it. The four days of waiting she mostly spent with Éowyn, whom she told about everything going on between her and Lgolas, and sometimes Merry. On the fourth day, Aragorn finally barged in running into the Hall with news. ''The Beacons of Minas Tirith!! The Beacons are lit!! Gondor calls for aid!'' Aerin felt her heart flutter again, in a strange mix of excitement and fear. This was it, the moment was nearing. War was coming. ''Sire?'' The King took a long moment to reply. ''And Rohan will answer. Muster the Rohirrim!''
''Assemble the army at Dunharrow, as many men as can be found. You have two days,'' the King told him, as the alarm bell rang outside, ''On the third, we ride for Gondor. And war.'' Éomer nodded briskly with a twitch of a smile on his face before he rushed to his duty. ''Gamling."
''Lord.'' Gamling responded. ''Make haste across the Riddermark. Summon every able-bodied man to Dunharrow.'' Aerin, Aragorn, and the few rest of them rushed to the stables to get their horses ready as soon as possible. Éowyn was preparing a horse of her own and she already knew her intentions without even having to ask. Aerin made her a promise once, and she knew she would not break it. ''You ride with us?'' Aragorn asked her. ''Just to the encampment. It's tradition for the women of the court to farewell the men,'' she said, and Aerin smiled to herself at what she knew were lies. She left the two and walked over to Gimli and Legolas.
''Horsemen, hmph! I wish I could muster a legion of Dwarves, fully armed and filthy,'' Gimli said with burning passion in his voice. ''Your kinsmen may have no need to ride to war. I fear war already marches on their own lands,'' Legolas remarked. ''I'm sure your kinsmen would have been a great help, Gimli,'' Aerin said, before she mounted her horse and rode towards the head of the column that was now slowly streaming out of the city. Éomer shouted out loud the words of courage: ''Now is the hour, Riders of Rohan, oaths you have taken! Now, fulfill them all!! To Lord and Land!!'' And so they made their way to Dunharrow.
...
They rode for three days, resting very little, until they reached their destination and set out camp. As Aerin rode next to Aragorn, he told her he had seen Éowyn's sword hidden among her things, and so he asked Aerin to convince her to stay behind. ''I cannot do that, Aragorn,'' Aerin said. ''She is going to fight and there is nothing any of us can do about it, except keep an eye on her. Trust my words. She is a strong-willed woman.'' He simply made a face of strong disapproval. Legolas, however, spoke to Aerin as little as before. She was growing angry with him and she missed him.
YOU ARE READING
to love someone else
Fanfiction''My heart doesn't matter, does it? Even if it is true, and he feels something for me too, it is still doomed to fail, isn't it? Elves can only love once. I am doomed to die of heartbreak, it's my fate as I know Haldir was the one... I'd never want...
