who: arwen, erestor, glorfindel and an assumed elrond. also the rest of arwen's travel party. what: rivendelves' arrival in minas tirith. where: minas tirith. when: game time! notes: pg, pretty much complete!
The white city lay before them like a jewel in the crown that was...going to be...Gondor restored. Of course, Gondor had a long way to go before it was considered...restored. That much was apparent to the wedding party that was just arriving, consisting mostly of one very reluctant papa elf, his daughter, a former elven knight of Gondolin, several more elves of lesser mention, and one very cranky chief advisor. A chief advisor who swore up and down that he might forego boating entirely and simply stay in Rivendell until he faded. It would be less hassle that way, and he could at least have the entire library at his disposal there, for as long as that lasted.
Erestor had poked his head out of the cart to look up at the city and it was a true example of old Numenorean architecture. If he'd had the ability to paint a picture in the blink of an eye, he would have done so right then, before they entered the gates. Glorfindel, on the other hand, wasn't interested in the buildings. Rather, he'd sang the very last of his lewd songs and had grown strangely quiet, mulling over the fact that (even if he had to throw Erestor onto a boat), this would be a parting of ways between Arwen and her kin and friends. Still, it was for the best. True love and all that it entails. So it wasn't too difficult for him to smile over at her as he rode atop Asfaloth and the procession made its way to the city gate.
It had been weeks on the road, and Arwen, although glad to spend some extra time with the kin that would soon be departing from her, was impatient to arrive. Finally the time had come, and as Erestor stuck his head out of the cart, she allowed a bright smile to break through. Meeting Glorfindel's gaze, she nodded quietly. She was ready for this, and to prove it, she leaned over with Erestor and poked her head out. Generally it was something she would never do, but in this case, she simply could not contain it. It was the first time she had ever laid eyes on the city. Honestly, she was quite impressed, although it had been through so much. It was quite obviously in need of repairs and some healing, but how else could she have expected to come to a city involved in a huge war?
Turning back to Erestor's poking head, Arwen continued to smile. "Is it true? Have we finally arrived?" It was her time to be Queen in this broken city, and though she was excited, the fear of failure made her nervous. Although she had been asked if she were nervous a thousand times, she had told them honestly no. But in this moment, as she looked upon Minas Tirith, wherein Aragorn was hiding someplace, she became wholly nervous.
While Glorfindel had flashed just as bright and vivid a smile back to her, one that inspired confidence, the raven-haired elf had been much more subdued. His eyes only caught hers for a brief moment, before they turned back to the city looming larger and large above, and appeared to study the gates that were very much in need of repair. He wasn't sure if this was some sort of metaphor or not, that something meant to keep things safe was shattered and unwhole, and he certainly didn't want to think about that pertaining to Arwen, since she had made her choice. Men. Erestor had to wonder if death was a gift or if it was a crueler fate not knowing that one could either fade or go reside in the undying lands, should they sail.
"Its true, we have arrived," Erestor somberly told her, with both relief and sorrow, since this was essentially the end of Undomiel's journey. In, perhaps, more ways than one. But he avoided asking yet again if she was nervous or not, and sat back in the cart, trying to hide his face behind a very large book about Second Age history.
"...are you nervous?" Glorfindel asked, trying to be joyfully obnoxious on purpose. But he gave Arwen a wink to let her know that's what he was up to. "Its a pity, if I didn't know you as an elfling, I would have perhaps picked you up and ran away to Lorien with you, for myself. Being chased all the way there by your incredibly angry ada, who would be threatening to send me on some incredibly deadly journey as a test. A test which, we all know, I would have survived, ha ha!"
"...much to our dismay," grumbled Erestor, from behind his book.
Arwen had always thought she would be ready for this day, the day that she would be rejoined with Aragorn. Both a sad and a happy day, she knew, but she hadn't quite prepared for what was truly going to pass. She felt like she would be able to handle it, but not quite as collectedly as she often was. Perhaps it was the mortality feeding its emotions into her body, but Arwen suspected she would feel much the same, either way. In any case, she was to become a Queen, and tied into that, be joined to Aragorn. It all left her quite excited, and scared. "It is much larger than I had first imagined," she admitted quietly, mostly to Erestor as he admitted they had arrived. Indeed, it was the end of this part of her journey, but in many other ways, she was beginning a new part of her life. Her life as a mortal, a wife, a mother and a Queen.
Turning to Glorfindel, Arwen let herself half-smile and shrug. She felt like she could simply be herself in this caravan, but to be honest, she did not want to wholly admit her nervousness. It was obvious that she was, but even to those she was closest, she felt it was too obvious to admit.
Arwen, while Glorfindel was telling his grand idea of stealing her away for himself, rolled her eyes and laughed. He was very good at talking, and though some might find it irritating, Arwen had always found him amusing. He would tell her stories, and she would sit listening, always excited through his tales. Erestor, on the other hand, was not quite as good of a storyteller, but his stories always had some interesting fact to leave with. "Indeed, Glorfindel," she responded, head still poking out of the cart. "You may have survived, but who is to say that I would have joined you afterward?"
A very good question, indeed. She grinned up at him, lifting a brow.
"...which only would have happened had you been struck upon the head with a blunt object," stated Erestor from behind his book, in a dry voice kept lowered in volume so that only Arwen could hear it. Only a person struck with insanity would willingly accompany Glorfindel anywhere, unless they wished to HEAR about Glorfindel, the entire time. He shuddered while turning a page, and it wasn't even involuntary. It was on purpose.
Upon Asfaloth, Glorfindel was laughing like she'd just successfully countered his imaginary plot device, and the horse trotted forward so that he could lean down and poke a finger against Arwen's nose.
"I would have challenged you to that word game and won yet again, so you would be bound by honor to join me," Glorfindel said, gleefully, and for a moment it was as though he'd forgotten all about her being mortal, or that she was going to be married off to Estel. "We'd go found our own treetop kingdom, no balrogs allowed. Aren't you tired of watching Erestor read? Perhaps you should ride on this horse with me, and make a more impressive entrance!"
There was only a brief hold up at the gate - no doubt likely to the guards going "MORE ELVES?!" - before the procession continued on through the first circle of the city.
Arwen covered her mouth to giggle at Erestor, shaking her head. These two had certainly kept her entertained during the trip, and she was more than happy to giggle with them. If this was the last trip they were going to spend together, then she had to make the most of it. Erestor rarely gave Glorfindel a chance, and though it was understandable, Arwen had always at least tried laughing with him.
Crinkling her nose at Glorfindel's poke, Arwen smiled up at the man who, along with Erestor, had been like another father or brother to her. "My ada would have been much more happy with that option, than this one." She pointed out, nodding. Indeed, Elrond would have been much happier for his baby to have ended up with another elf. She would not have had to deal with the choice of mortality, in any way. But she was more than happy with Aragorn, and mortality was not even on her mind. "Perhaps I should ride my own horse? That would certainly be a much more impressive entrance," she said, pulling her head back into the cart. It would not do well for the lady Arwen to be sticking her head out of the carriage on her way to be married, and to queenship.
While she sat, Undomiel folded her hands in her lap and observed the first level of the city. It was an interesting city, and as the crowds gathered round them, she began waving to her future people. She was getting more and more nervous as they went, both excited and apprehensive about their arrival. It had been months since she had seen Aragorn, and though she was sure that nothing had changed, she still felt her knees shaking. Though she felt like talking her way through the journey to the top, instead she sat and continued to smile and wave at the people watching. She shot a look at Glorfindel, riding beside on Asfaloth, and though she smiled, knew she looked nervous. What was to happen?