This is not possible. This man before me cannot be so bold as to take from me part of my very being. I have guided Estel, loved him as my own son, given all my faith to him to restore the pride of my brother's line. He will be the King of the West someday. I will see the day he comes to restore hope in the world of Men. Estel is hope, as I named him. I have fostered many kings here, befriended many men and never before since the days of Elendil have I seen such power and spirit in one Man. I love him for all that he is and all that he will be, but I know that one day we will be parted. I have guarded my heart against this loss.
But not my daughter.
I know she will have to make the choice between being mortal or remaining amongst her kind. But as I did with Elros before her, I have assumed she will choose to remain one of the Eldar. Never preparing myself for the possible loss of Arwen will be my undoing. Even as I have known of their love for these many years, I have deceived myself into believing it will not come to pass. I have endured ages of evil in this world, yet it will be love that will defeat me.
~~**~~
The day has come. The day I have both dreaded and longed for. Seeing Estel…no, no longer Estel…King Elessar standing before me, waiting for me to relinquish my daughter to him, I feel the ages old pain of losing my brother, my parents, my wife rip through me. Looking at Arwen, my dearest one, my Undomiel, more beautiful to me than the stars in the night, I know I must let go. I want to take her far from here, beg her not to choose this life which will only end in death. But she has made her choice and cannot be swayed. Even now, she glances at me expectantly, and I know it is too late.
Men are weak, I once thought. But perhaps it is strength that allows them to face death rather than endure the ages of time.
'Ada, let me go with your blessings,' Arwen's thoughts drift into my mind, and I nod.
'You have my love and my blessing. And you will always have part of my very soul.' I release her, allowing Estel to take her hand, take her from me.
In that moment I know I do not love him less for taking her from me. As proud as I am of what he has become and the future deeds I see for them both, I know that I will forever grieve my final gift to Men: both my hope and my heart.
1. Men Are Weak
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
