I'm in the middle of a story about Legolas, but I just had to get back to Aragorn for a moment. I really love the character and I just can't help my thoughts turning his way. This story is kind of like my other one "A Night at Bree" But this time I took on one of my other favorite characters, Eowyn. I hope I can make this story unique enough from my last one to be enjoyable and not repetitive.

This takes off from ROTK in the conversation where Eowyn begs Aragorn to let her go with him through the Paths of the Dead.

I do not own any of these characters. The Tolkien people do.

Solace

"because they love thee." Then she turned away from him and stormed away.

But Aragorn grabbed onto her arm and turned her around before she could go to far.

"I will not pretend to know what is in your heart for me. But I must say I did not intend to insult you or suggest that because you are a woman you are weak. Please do not turn away angry with me. These times are too grim to add bickering amongst ourselves."

"I just cannot abide skulking these halls waiting to hear if my kinsmen are dead or alive. I have never been asked to be so idle with myself. I am every bit as good with a blade as any of the Rohirrim: my place is with them. Your armies are too small in number. If the enemy wins they will sweep through The Mark and the small amount of men Theoden leaves behind will be slaughtered."

"If you have no hope then I can see why you would follow me into the Paths of the Dead."

"I do not see what merit you see in that path. I ask you once again. Stay in Rohan. Ride out with Eomer."

"That is not my way."

Eowyn sighed and her shoulders, once squared proud in the heat of argument, sagged down. She looked at the floor for a pause and then returned he eyes to Aragorn, who had remained holding her arm the entire time.

"Then stay with me tonight instead."

Aragorn looked at her to discern her meaning and then understood she was offering herself to him. He let go of her arm and took a step back.

"I have already said that my heart is in Rivendell," he said.

"But your body is in Rohan," she replied. "I did not ask for your heart. But I fear that time is short for the race of Men and I will not have a moment wasted if I can stop it."

"Your grief has made you ill," he replied and turned away from her this time.

Eowyn followed after him talking to his retreating back.

"And if you are in love with an Elf than you are as pitiful as I!" she yelled at him.

Aragorn turned around then, anger in his eyes.

"My lady returns my love. You cannot say that about me."

Eowyn was struck through the heart at those words, and her eyes watered.

"You are cruel," she barely managed to say to him before turning and running from him before those tears could fall.

Eowyn reached her own bedroom and went inside. She sat on the bed for a few minutes trying to push down her feelings and pull back the tears. After almost ten minutes there was a knock at the door.

"Enter," she said.

Aragorn walked in and closed the door behind him. He moved no further from the door.

"I have heard it say that it is more difficult to make the lady of Rohan cry than it is to teach a horse to speak the common tongue," he said.

"If you came to say more harmful words to me you can leave. I will see you and your companions off in the morning."

"Eowyn, I did not mean to be cruel," he walked towards her then and knelt down in front of her. "Forgive me."

"You are forgiven, lord. I ask now only to be left in peace with my grief."

"I cannot allow that," he said and there was a hint of mirth in his eyes that she detected. He stood up then and she had to turn up to look at him.

"Why not?"

"Because you have made me an offer and I have come to collect it."

It was long seconds before she could respond. She sat on her bed, mouth slightly agape staring up at him trying to think of what had changed his mind, how far was he willing to go, what on Middle Earth should she say to him now.

"Out of pity?" She finally managed.

"No" he said and sat on the bed next to her, "though I imagined you would think so. No, it's because some of what you said I have thought on occasion myself. I feel like I am on the last march of this journey and I do not see how I am going to live through all this."

"But you must go anyway. I know that feeling," and she gave him a sad smile.

He put his hand on her chin lightly and pulled her in for a kiss. Eowyn felt both wonderful and wretched at the same time. To be kissed by the man you love that does not love you was bittersweet. Aragorn licked her lips, beseeching her. She opened her mouth to him and he got his first taste of her.

He moved his hand down from her chin, to her neck, to her chest. Then he held her breast in his hand massaging it slowly. Eowyn moaned into his mouth.

Aragorn pulled away from the kiss to speak. "We don't have to do this, Eowyn. You can tell me to stop." All the while he kept his hand on her breast, molding it, running his thumb by her nipple.

She paused for a moment.

"I like the sound of my name coming from your mouth. Say it again."

He smiled at her. "Eowyn."

She leaned in and kissed him anew. This time she took the liberty of running her hands on his chest also. She found the tyings of his shirt and undid them to get to his bare chest.

Aragorn was slightly taken aback at her boldness, but the feeling of her hands on his skin prompted him to undo her dress strings, and slide it off her shoulders so he could run his hands on her naked flesh also.

Eowyn kept making little noises of pleasure in the back of throat further enflaming Aragorn. Before long he grabbed her by the hips and moved her to on top of him in a straddling position. With better access now, he took one of her breast in his mouth, sucking and licking at the middle.

Eowyn gasped and closed her eyes, holding his head to her chest.

"Aragorn," she choked out, "Do you want to stop?" she gasped again at the feel of his mouth, but pulled back his head so he could respond to her question.

Aragorn's response was to grab her hips and press her body on his growing erection then take her breast into his mouth again.

No more words were spoken that night. Slowly, to savor every moment, they finished undressing each other and pulling the sheets partially off the bed and laid down on it with Aragorn on top her, between her legs.

He held himself up on one arm to keep some weight off her. And while holding her hand and looking into her eyes he slowly entered her. When he reached her virginity she grimaced and he paused. But Eowyn just nodded her head at him and he went ahead and pushed through.

He held still for a minute and watched the pain in her eyes lessen before he thrust again. Aragorn set up a slow rhythm all the while holding on to her hand. He always looked at her face not wanting her to think he was imagining a different woman underneath his body. She kept panting in small spurts opening and closing her eyes on occasion, and usually looking over at their conjoined hands.

After a bit, Aragorn began to move faster. He let go of her hand and lowered it to her upper thigh where he moved to spread her legs a little wider. She groaned in earnest now, slightly arching her back towards him.

It was she who hit her peak first and closed her eyes from the sheer pleasure moving through her body. She wrapped her legs around his hips tightly trying to make the moment last longer.

As she was coming down from her high, Aragorn let himself go. And with a simple groan, he lowered his face so their foreheads were touching and spilled himself inside of her.

They lay there entwined for a moment before he slid off her to the side. They drifted off to sleep while looking at each other tenderly.

In the morning, Aragorn woke first and left the bed and began to dress himself. As he was putting on his boots he looked over to the bed and caught Eowyn staring at him. There was an unreadable expression on her face.

"I think I see regret in your eyes," she said.

"I feel as though I have wronged you," he admitted.

She got up from the bed, wrapping the sheet around herself. She moved to the door and held the handle.

"Well, you may regret it, but I do not. I will always look on last night with fondness," but she couldn't meet his eyes. She waited to open the door for him to leave.

Aragorn finished dressing and walked over to where she was standing.

"If you have no regrets, than neither shall I," he leaned down and kissed her lips, lingering a moment. "Farewell, my Lady of the Mark."

And with that he turned the door handle she was holding and walked out.

That day Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the Dunedain left Rohan to seek the Paths of the Dead. Eowyn watched him go with a tear in her eye.