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Originally Posted by Esty
Which is your favourite line?
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For me, it is this:
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'Few other griefs amid the ill chances of this world have more bitterness and shame for a man's heart than to behold the love of a lady so fair and brave that cannot be returned.'
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Seeing as I am a female, I cannot vouch for these words from Aragorn. But this statement made him all the more endearing -
swoon-worthy, if you will. (How I missed that word.) There is no question about Aragorn's faithfulness to Arwen despite the distance between them; in
The Passing of the Grey Company we have witnessed a bitter exchange between Aragorn and Éowyn that left us without a doubt that Aragorn cannot and will not reciprocate Éowyn's feelings for him, no matter how much it hurt him to see her love him hopelessly. There is also that subtle reference to Arwen in Rivendell which Éowyn did not catch. After all, his primary motivation for doing all that he does is his love for Arwen.
But in the conversation preceding Éowyn's healing we see that Aragorn is not completely oblivious to the effects he had on Éowyn. (Nor is Éomer, although there is no mention of him in relevance to the issue previously.) It is touching that Aragorn, despite his seemingly harsh manner towards Éowyn in the aforementioned chapter, shows that he actually cares a lot about her. I can almost see the guilt solidify in his mind (or maybe it's just me), but Éomer was quick to reassure him that he does not hold him responsible for whatever has befallen his sister. And the statement I quoted above reveals a slight regret on his part for not being able to love Éowyn back. (Dare we think that if Arwen were not in the picture, Éowyn would be Queen of Gondor?
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Indeed what a different world we would have if all men would think along those lines in such circumstances as Aragorn and Éowyn were in.
One of the things that I wondered about most the first time I read this chapter is this glaring difference in Éowyn's healing from that of Faramir's and Merry's: Aragorn left
before she woke up, and instead of calling her himself he passes the task to Éomer. What could be the possible reason behind this? Was he afraid that her feelings for him would be rekindled, in fact be even stronger, seeing that she is indebted to him for her life? Or did he just think that Éomer is more appropriate for the task, what with him fearing that his sister was dead and all?
Further thoughts on this to come. (My, I seem inspired by personal experience!
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