Format: Ficlet
Genre: Friendship
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: OFC, Arwen, Éowyn
Pairings: OMC/OFC Aragorn/Arwen
Creator’s Notes (optional):
Summary: Arwen and Éowyn enjoy a visit to Lady Adiva.
Arwen and Éowyn were enjoying a visit to Ambassador Tahir’s wife, Lady Adiva. It was pleasant to spend an hour or two away from their duties, either relaxing in the Haman. or sipping sherbet tea while reclining on soft cushions.
Arwen, especially loved to hear Adiva speak of her desert homeland. Aragorn had told her little of his travels there and she was curious to learn of the baking sun and what life had been like for the Haradrim who opposed Sauron.
Éowyn, for her part loved Adiva’s stories of the beautiful horses of Harad, surpassed only(In Éowyn’s opinion at least) by the horses of Rohan and those of the Elves. The ladies often ended their afternoon with a visit to Tahir and Adiva’s stables to feed carrots to its occupants.
The Ambassador’s wife seemed especially excited to see her friends that afternoon. As soon as the formalities of welcoming guests were completed, Adiva shared her news with her friends. “Esteemed friends, my honoured husband brought me such a gift yesterday!”
“A new horse?” asked Éowyn.
“No, esteemed friend, it is a necklace. Never have I seen the like before. I will show it to you.”
Arwen and Éowyn exchanged a puzzled glance as soon as their hostess had left the room. Adiva liked pretty things, but it was unlike her to make such a fuss over a necklace. In that regard, she resembled her friends. Éowyn had little interest in jewels and wore them only on state occasions, while Arwen had possessed so many fine jewels in her long life that she now preferred simple rough cut stones that still retained the essence of the rocks from which they were hewn.
Adiva returned, followed by her maid, Falah. She now wore the most exquisite necklace clasped around her throat.
“It is beautiful!” exclaimed Arwen.
“I thought you would like it, esteemed friends. My honoured husband bought it from a Dwarf.”
“They are some of the finest craftsmen in Middle-earth,” said Arwen.
“Would you like you to study it more closely, esteemed Lady Arwen?” Adiva gestured to Falah to undo the clasp. She handed the necklace to the Queen.
Arwen turned it over carefully in her hands. It was a delicate thing made of finely spun mithril wire, on which hung tiny gems which glittered red, blue and gold in the sunlight streaming through the window where Arwen was sitting. “It is beautiful,” she said.
“The craftsman told my honoured husband that the red gems represented dragon fire, while the blue and the gold represented the sun and the moon,” she explained.
“I thought your people disliked the sun,” said Éowyn.
“The sun has different aspects, both good and evil,” Adiva replied. “The noonday sun is our enemy who tries to destroy us, but the rising and setting sun are our friends as they escort the Lord and Lady of the Moon to their celestial dwelling and do not burn us. We used the rising sun as a symbol of hope in the days of the Dark Lord.”
“Your necklace reminds me of a verse of a dwarvish song Bilbo the Hobbit used to sing,” said Arwen. She hummed softly, “
On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.”
Adiva beamed. “That describes my necklace perfectly. I should like to hear more of the song. It is a beautiful tune.”
“My husband sings it far better than I can,” said Arwen, handing Adiva her necklace back. “ I will ask him to sing it when you and your husband next dine with us. It needs a deep voice to do it justice. Bilbo told me that it was hearing the song that persuaded him to go on his great adventure where he found the Ring. I am glad the dwarvish craftsmen are still making such beautiful things.”
“The necklace is beautiful but more precious is that my esteemed husband wishes to please me with such gifts,” said Adiva as Falah refastened the necklace around her mistress’ neck.
“There is no gift greater than one given with love whether it is a beautiful necklace or a single blossom,” said Arwen.
“My favourite gift is the neigh of welcome from a beloved horse,” said Éowyn.
“Or your baby’s first smile,” said Arwen.
“My baby smiled when I wore my necklace,” said Adiva. “He loved seeing the gems glitter.”
It was Arwen’s turn to smile. “Eldarion loves my jewels too. It seems our little ones have good taste.”
“Either that or they are baby dragons in disguise,” said Éowyn.
The three laughed as Falah served them more tea.