Monotony of Normality

Hey guys. This was previously in "A Series of One Shots" but it's been bouncing around in the ol' noggin for far too long now. It has been modified a bit but is still pretty much exactly the same as it was before.


I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Lord of the Rings. I just used the characters in them for awhile.

While I don't have the time to start yet another long fic, I've decided to make this a small series so I can feel like I'm accomplishing a little something, at least. I have not given up on either "Monster Investigating" or "Daughter of Artemis", I've just reached a writers block with them and need a bit of a distraction.

Now, without further adieu . . .


She had just been brought back to them after so many years and everyone was so happy. Everyone but her, that is. He watched his daughter mingle with the rest of the people at the feast, she had a smile on her face as bright as the sun but it didn’t reach her eyes. As far as he knew, it never did.

What could have possibly happened to cause this? It is not a natural melancholia that she displays, he thought.

He watched as Eomers’ son, Eodred approached her. Aragorn noted that he had the same look in his eyes that he did whenever he looked at his wife. It was not an idle or inconstant look. It was there to stay.

Eodred held out his arm to her. After a moment of reluctance she cautiously granted him her hand. Her face remained pleasantly blank but her eyes flashed for a moment.

Do I detect a bit of amusement?

Aragorn grinned slightly as he looked down upon his guests, his family.

Eodred led her to where the others were dancing. Her lack of enthusiasm was obvious, even from where he was sitting but Eodred eventually convinced her to try.

“She has not been here long enough to learn our customs, has she Aragorn?” Eomer asked as he sat next to his host.

“A whole three months now,” he answered, “and yet it feels like I just got her back. We did not wish to trivialize her time with proprieties right away. Arwen and I just wanted to spend time with her. Perhaps we have stifled her a bit, I do not know, my friend.”

The two fathers sat watching their children socialize with one another for a few moments.

“She is well past marrying age, Aragorn. The only other men here she has spoken to this night besides Eodred are her brothers. Perhaps she would consider my son.” Eomer suggested slyly. Aragorn turned his head toward him and raised an eyebrow in response.

“Do you think I would be so quick to give up having my daughter, my only daughter, around just so you can have more grandchildren to bounce on your knee?”

Eomer turned rueful. “He will be King when I am gone, she is a princess. It is a good match. Grandchildren have nothing to do with this.”

Aragorn smiled and turned his attention back to his daughter. It seemed as though Arwen had temporarily disengaged her attention from Eodred. She was now speaking to the other ladies who had come to the feast. Eodred was only ten feet away from her but his disgruntled appearance made his feelings about her inattention obvious.

Perhaps it would be a good match. She is so young though, if you measure her life by that of the Eldar.

He and Arwen had already discussed this situation shortly after their first son was born. No one was going to force any of their children to marry. If they allowed that to happen, then any one of them could end up missing out on being with their soul mate. With their experience in that particular matter, Aragorn and Arwen were not willing to cut off any chances their children may have at the happiness they had discovered with one another.

Ahh, but if she chose him for herself, what a match that would be. Rohan isn’t so far away that this old man couldn’t see his grandchildren often. he grinned.

Eomer decided to interrupt Aragorn’s baby thoughts just in the knick of time. He found that as the years wore on the both of them had grown more and more sentimental.

“He found a way to rescue her from all those women. Look at her,” he chuckled, “have you ever seen a woman have that appearance of relief on her face before? She looks like she has just been saved from a fate worse than death.”

“I think that would be boredom.” Arwen smiled as she walked the last few steps toward her husband. “She’s trying, but I do not think that she is used to such attention. You’re son flusters her, Eomer.”

“Then he is doing a good job. Any warrior knows that if you can confuse your opponent, they are easier to conquer.” Eomer grinned.

“It seems as though the only conquering that has been done has gone the other way though, doesn’t it? He can’t keep his eyes off her.” Arwen countered.

None of his sons had settled down yet, although it seemed as though it wouldn’t be long until his oldest wed the daughter of Faramir. It seemed as though his family was starting to move on just as they got her back. He could only hope that she was not also ready to move on just yet. Even if he did yearn for the sound of the children of his line playing in Minas Tirith again.

Then, something happened to destroy all of the bright thoughts that had just been running through Aragorn’s head. A man, wearing the same style of dress that his daughter wore when he laid eyes on her for the first time in over a score of years burst through the giant doors. He was wet, as if he had just been out in the rain, and his clothing was bloodstained. He walked through the crowd of well wishers until he found her, my daughter.

Eodred began to put his body in front of hers, but she diverted his plan and started walking closer to the man.

“What are you doing here? How did you get here?” she asked.

Aragorn could not help but notice that her face was more animated now than he had ever seen it. The dull lifelessness it usually displayed faded away into something else.

“We have a problem, Buffy. We need you.”


Reviews are appreciated. Hope you liked it.