Chapter Four: Life is Two Parts Anxiety and One Part Surprise
(Since last we left a good four and half weeks has passed by in the realm of Middle-earth. It is now four days away from Van and Halbarad�s wedding and all of Minas Tirith seems slightly rambunctious, or so says Harper to Boromir as they ride through the White City on a wagon with the infamous Shutty.)
Harper: Something�s up, I know it!
Boromir: I�m certain that if something was wrong I would have been informed. I wouldn�t fret over it, love.
Harper: I never said it was something bad�..it�s just that they�re not telling me something.
Boromir: Hannah, we�re not even at the Citadel yet. They can�t tell you something if you aren�t there to talk to, now can they?
Harper: When did you adopt my logic? That�s creepy. Come on, Shutty, we�re going up to the Citadel.
(And so Harper and Shutty hustle up to the seventh ring of the city, with Boromir trailing along behind. Upon getting up there and wandering through some random corridors they end up in the Houses of Healing. The healers look at the sheep strangely but say nothing because it�s Harper and they�ve learned better than to question the obscenely random things she does. She turns into one of the rooms to find Stevie lying on a bed looking rather sick and Aragorn and Kit sitting in chairs at the side of her bed.)
Harper: Looks like somebody�s got a case of the Monday�s.
Stevie: Harper! It�s only Tuesday, you goof. I�m sick.
Aragorn: Stevie is very ill. Why do you have a sheep?
Harper: I�ll tell you some other time. Aragorn, take the sheep and go talk to Boromir outside. Right now.
Aragorn: I don�t think�
Stevie: I�ll be fine. Get out of here and go for a walk with Boromir. You have a lot to talk about anyway, remember?
Aragorn: (reluctantly) All right. If you need anything, send for me.
Stevie: I will.
(So Aragorn leaves and at Harper�s order Shutty follows him out of the room. When they are far enough down the corridor with Boromir, Harper closes the door, and sits in Aragorn�s now vacant chair. Stevie sighs in relief.)
Stevie: Thank goodness he�s gone. He�s been bothering me non-stop! I mean, I love the guy and everything but�
(Stevie grabs a bowl and ends up puking into it. Harper and Kit wince at the ickyness and Kit takes the bowl and gives Stevie a glass of water, which she drinks gratefully.)
Kit: She�s been like this for a couple of days now. She wakes up in the morning sick as a dog and feels icky for the rest of the day.
Stevie: And we all know why that is.
Harper: Ah, so this is why the city is all perked up! Makes sense, I mean, it isn�t every day that the people of Gondor find out that the next heir to the throne has been conceived!
Kit: True. Last time was a few hundred years ago, right?
Stevie: Something like that. Bowl!
Harper: You poor thing.
Stevie: Ugh, poor thing nothing. I�m so happy, yet I feel so horrible. I just hope I�m well enough for Van and Halbarad�s wedding!
Harper: Well, you�ll be well enough to go. I just hope you don�t end up sharing your morning sickness with the rest of the crowd at the ceremony.
Kit: Oh ceremonies! That reminds me! Faramir and Eowyn have set a date for their wedding! Let me see, you and Aragorn were married on March the eighth, you and Boromir were married on the eleventh, Van is getting married on tenth of April, in four days�..they�ll be getting married on the fourteenth of July! There we go!
Harper: Oh, this place is full of good news. Have you heard about how things are going with Eomer and Lothiriel yet?
Stevie: Things are going. We think he�s already asked her to marry him and that they just haven�t told anyone yet.
Kit: And, before you ask, Amrothos and I aren�t ready for that yet. We�re working on it though.
Stevie: Take your time! I don�t think I�ll be doing anything at all for the next nine months, so you can provide me entertainment with your adorable flirtatiousness.
Harper: Oh, you�ll be up and about. Heck, I�ll bring you to Tolfalas with me for a while.
Stevie: (scoffs) If Aragorn will even let me leave here! I love him so much but he�s so overprotective!
Kit: He always will be, and he should be! You�re insane and you�re carrying his child! If I were him I�d be concerned too!
Harper: Yeah.
Kit: Okay, if you�ll excuse me, I want to go check on Van. She�s having the rest of her dress fitted today�..you know how stressful that is, not to mention she�s been scared to death recently. I�ll be back in a little while.
(And so Kit leaves and finds Van in a room where she had been fitted for her wedding dress. She is currently sitting in a chair near a window looking very upset.)
Kit: Van, what�s wrong? Did something go wrong with the dress?
Van: The dress is fine. It�s me who�s all messed up!
Kit: Well, then, let us talk about it, hmm?
Van: Well�..I don�t think I can go through with this whole wedding thing.
Kit: Why not?
Van: Because I feel like I�ve forgotten to do something, but I know that I haven�t.
Kit: Ah, I see.
Van: Do you? Kit, you�ve got to help me! I�m getting married in four days and I need to clear this up!
Kit: You need to go talk to Legolas.
Van: Legolas? Why would I�..oh, I see. I need to let him know I forgive him and ask for his forgiveness over how I acted, right?
Kit: Yes. You haven�t said a word to him since you two broke up, and that isn�t a good thing. I think that he thinks that you hate him.
Van: But I don�t! I�m over it�..though I feel so terrible! Do you think he�ll be angry at me for marrying Halbarad?
Kit: I wouldn�t think so, but maybe you�re also seeking his blessing over your marriage. Is that it?
Van: I guess so. Thanks Kit! I�ll go talk to him right now. Do you know where he is?
Kit: Last I saw him he was heading near the stables a good few hours ago. You can check down there.
(At the stables Van does find Legolas. With great reluctance and uncertainty on both their parts, the two talk. The two do forgive each other and agree to remain as very close friends. Though, Van still has one last question to ask.)
Van: Umm, Legolas?
Legolas: What?
Van: Uh�..after all of this and what we�ve been through�..and with me getting married to another man in four days�..it would really mean a lot to me to know I have your blessing to go through with this.
Legolas: (smiles) Of course you have my blessing, Van! Halbarad is a good man, and he�ll take good care of you. I�m sorry that I couldn�t have been better for you.
Van: Leggy, don�t go getting all sentimental and ushy on me! Just give me a hug!
Legolas: (hugs her) So what now?
Van: Let�s go get something to eat.
Legolas: I have some lembas bread if you�d�
Van: No! Not the lembas! No more lebas ever! Ever!
Legolas: (smirks) That�s what I thought you�d say. Come on, I know a good place to get some food.
