Hunter of the Rings

Chapter 38

Silence overtook all; it was all that could be heard as all eyes remained on the King and Queen of Gondor, as well as their youngest friend. Taking a moment to compose her muddled thoughts, Maddie reluctantly reminded the man that the heir of Gondor was supposed to be his first born child, not someone whom had neither royal blood or title. "Wouldn't it be...wrong?" she wondered. The last thing the girl wished to do was make things even more complicated than they had been. A chuckle grumbled from the nearby dwarf, catching the teenager's attention "you see, lass, I do believe that's what he's trying to do now" Gimli chipped in, his grin wide with a single nod towards the ring. Shaking her head in doubt and disbelief, Maddie once again pointed out an obvious fact, one of which she found she hated to speak "but...I'm not Aragorn nor Arwen's daughter..." such words pained her to speak, and it was visible for all to see. "Not their daughter, aye?" Gandalf repeated, stroking a hand down his white beard as if pondering on her words "what a shocking thing to discover, for I could have sworn such a thing to be true" he teased. Maddie merely sent her old friend a raised brow, watching on with both amusement and confusion. "Indeed, Gandalf" Legolas joined in, revealing his own "surprise" to learn such a fact "I mean, they look identical! She has Aragorn's eyes and Arwen's nose! Who would have thought?" he smirked, his eyes hinting mischief as they landed on his young friend. 'Ah, so now they're mocking and teasing' Maddie realised. Not in a mean or harsh way, mind you, but in a way that showed they found the situation before them to be amusing. But why? Was Maddie missing something? "I really don't understand" she gave in, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly as she glanced around at the many eyes on her; most of the closest were familiar, belonging to dear friends of whom she looked to pleadingly. Faramir smiled as he glanced to his side, Éowyn looking up at him with a chuckle; he was always the one who broke and took pity on the girl first, helping her in moments such as this. "Maddie" he called out, catching the teenager's attention as she looked to him for aid "what they're saying is that they see you as their own and wish for it to be official" he revealed, watching the confusion only multiply with his words.

Perhaps the journey through Mordor really had muddled Maddie's mind more than they thought. Éowyn could only grin, her own excitement growing as she and many others had been praying for this day to come since first meeting the sixteen year old "they want to be your parents, Maddie!" she exclaimed, unable to watch on for much longer. Silence overtook the courtyard, all eager ears waiting to hear their saviour's response. Aragorn and Arwen shared a look that matched both in nerves and excitement, but their worry grew as the young girl had yet to speak. Her face was somewhat blank. Many thought she was displeased with the news, but her close friends knew better. The teenager had fallen deep into her mind, rushing through her thoughts which, they knew from experience, would cause her to overthink and panic. It was something she had begun doing since waking up a month ago; another cruel side effect the One Ring had left behind. "Calm yourself, little one" the she-elf called out, the term of endearment pulling her friend back to the present time. "You...you want to be my parents?" Maddie repeated, watching as the couple confirmed such a notion; she quickly lowering her gaze as she felt the tears begin to form, blurring her vision as all she could wonder was. Why? Such a question startled many, but Aragorn understood; he was once like the sixteen year old stood before him, in more ways than one. Stepping before her, the King gently cupped the teenager's face within his warm hands, meeting her gaze with his own; he felt his heart begin to break at the merely sight of the girl's tears, gently wiping them away before they could fall past her cheeks. "I can't imagine a world where you are not nearby" he whispered, the intimate and truthful words escaping his mouth with little restraint; the young girl looked up at the man that, for so long, had been the only place that supplied her comfort. All those times she had wished to feel even a hint of safety again during her time alone in Mordor, her mind would always wander to the man before her; Aragorn had always been her safe haven, from the very moment they had met.