Author's Note-Well…here I am in a MUCH more competitive crowd trying to make myself a place here. Good luck to me! Aragorn starts young (34-ish and some years pass before the end of the story with a little twist!)
Chapter 1- Welcome Home
The battle had lasted much longer than either of us had hoped, but we pressed on until dawn broke and brought blessed rest with it. Leaning back against the trunk of the tree I sat in front of, I let the adrenalin slowly ebb out of my system and became more aware of the arrows in my shoulder. Naming the orcs who managed to somehow hit the same shoulder every name I knew in every language I knew in very creative ways, if I do say so myself, was interrupted by Halbarad calling my name,
"Strider? Stri-der?" I could hear the concern in his voice but I had no desire to open my eyes right now and face the painful experience of having the two arrows removed. "Strider please open your eyes so we can get this over with…I know you're awake." I gave a small grunt to just barely let him know that I had heard him and was truly awake.
"Go away Halbarad; I'm resting."
"Well you can rest when we get the arrows out of you!" I knew he was smiling now,
"No, we can put that off for a while longer. I want to rest right now." He gave a snort of amusement and to my great irritation began to pull me up and away from the tree.
"Come along Strider, I know of quite a few elves who would personally hunt me down and skin me alive if I let you rest and these arrows are poisoned." Finally conceding to his logic, I opened my eyes and stood to my feet; as he motioned me to a brighter area where he could remove the arrows and make sure they were not poisoned I looked back to the tree where my blanket lay, beckoning me,
"I will return for you!" I pretended to be over-dramatic about parting with it and Halbarad laughed heartily.
Reaching a patch of sunlight, I didn't put up any fight as I slowly got on my back and took the herb for numbing pain and let him cut the clothing away to see to removing the arrows; placing one hand on my chest and the other had a good hold on the first arrow's shaft he looked to me and I gave a nod. With one quick motion he jerked the arrow up and out of my shoulder, I flinched at the minor pain I felt, 'Thank the Valar for herbs of all kinds!' Halbarad lay the first arrow aside and turned to the second one protruding from my shoulder, only about two inches from where the first one entered, and drew his breath in with a hiss.
"This one is much deeper Strider…" he looked warily into my gaze, "I will have to push the tip through."
"Do you what you must." I muttered as I rose into a sitting position and restrained from cursing as he placed his palm on the end of the shaft and quickly applied enough force for it to at least get the arrow head through. He quickly cut the head from the shaft allowing it to fall into his waiting hand; laying the tip with the other arrow, he turned back and pulled the shaft out the way it entered. I hissed when the cut end jolted from my shoulder in a sudden jerked motion,
"I'm sorry Strider," he studied the two arrows for a few minutes before turning to me, "We're lucky: these were not poisoned." He looked back at me as I was smothering the two wounds with herbs that I had pasted while he spoke and studied the arrows, "Here let me get this one." He brushed some of the paste off of my hand and began to smear it on the wound I could not reach on my back and began wrapping my whole shoulder in bandages to make sure that infection would positively not set in.
"Thank you Halbarad," I stood and walked with him as we both made our way back to where I had "decided" that camp should be. "I'm glad that to be so close to home now, but just my luck that orcs would meet up with me first!" Halbarad's barking laughter filled the forest,
"Just my luck that I am travelling with you!" I gave him a mock glare but a smile twitched at my lips,
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing…just that you and Legolas are like honey to all trouble in all the lands!"
"We are not!" It was futile to even argue a point that I myself acknowledge,
"Yes you are! How can you even deny it?" I just waved him off dismissively and returned to my blanket and cloak,
"I told you I would return." I mumbled,
"Talking to things that are not alive again Strider?" Halbarad questioned innocently as he started to coax a fire to life.
"Shush Halbarad!" he looked at me with an amused look on his face, "They will hear you!" He stared at me for a moment but I smiled widely and he began to laugh and shake his head,
"Strider, you are insane!"
"Aye, that I am!" my grin turned devious, "But then again, knowing the home I grew up in…" I left the statement open,
"True my friend, anyone who has lived with those twin pranksters wreaking havoc as long as you are guaranteed to be as crazy as you!" I pretended to be shocked by his words, "What?" I smiled and knew he didn't like the look on my face, "Strider?" his tone was wary.
"I'm telling them you said that!" his face blanched,
"You wouldn't!"
"Aye, I would Halbarad! You would notice that I only mentioned my home whereas you took the accusation and aimed it at my brothers! You have just sealed your own fate my friend!"
"How can you threaten me with a grievous sentence such as that yet call me your friend?" That started off a new conversation that carried into the night and through dinner until we retired for sleep.
1 DAY LATER
The rain drummed all around me, and the once sturdy earth beneath me now allowed my feet to bury themselves into the sludge that now took the place of the earth which made walking just so much fun. I paused to readjust my pack, my wounded shoulder was becoming a major nuisance and moving it caused a great amount of pain, 'The arrows were not poisoned…so why is this so painful?' Had the arrows pierced a muscle to close to the tendon? Had they nicked a bone? There was no way to tell right now so I settled my mind by telling myself that I would let Ada look at it as soon as possible.
"Now if this rain would let up for just an hour or so." In response to my subtle complaint the rain drummed harder and lightning broke the sky, "Perfect."
I trudged up the stairs of the beautiful building standing before me and smiled to myself as memories came flooding to me. My home. Keeping the weight of my pack off of my right shoulder I reached the top and sighed deeply. 'I had not meant to stay away so long…and I know they are not going to be pleased to know that I had left Halbarad saying I was fine just to make it home sooner.'
Looking at the door closely, I noticed a small string discreetly wrapped around the end of the knob closest to the door itself. 'Oh, Dan and Ro! You two never stop!' Smiling to myself, I decided to go against what they thought I was going to do and knocked loudly upon the door of my own home. A few minutes went by and I knocked again,
"Dan! Ro! I know you're probably hiding somewhere near the door! I have seen the trap brothers so just disable the prank and let me in!" Shuffling from the inside but as more time passed I knew that they had no intention of opening the door themselves or not going through with the prank, well I really wasn't up to this right now my shoulder was making it's pain known very well now. 'Didn't want to do this but their over-protectiveness of me will have to be the key in!' Making my breathing a little louder and forcing it to sound labored; I put tones of desperation and weariness into my voice,
"Please muindor nin," I steadied myself on one of the large potted plants on either side of the door and held my arm to my chest, in all honesty: this was becoming less and less of an act as the arrow wound began to throb mercilessly, "My…my arm is…" a sudden bout of dizziness came and I now leaned heavily on the pot, the wound was only a day old and it was very deep…I just hoped that it was not bleeding again. Groaning quietly against the pulsating torture, I was barely aware of the sounds of hurried movement beyond the door and said door swinging wide open.
"Estel!" two similar voices cried simultaneously as my brothers quickly looked me over, I knew they wouldn't be happy with what they saw and Ada would be even less.
"Come with us muindor, Dan, get Ada!" I stood to move to Elrohir and my strength left me as the flared with new rage sending tendrils of fiery pain through my shoulder and choked cry slipped my lips and, thankfully, all awareness left me. "Estel? Estel?"
Sounds flitted through my slowly returning awareness and I realized that I was in my bed, at home, finally with my family again. I was content to just lay still and let the world move on for the time being as I drifted between being asleep and awake; slowly the sounds become more distinct and I could tell them apart.
' Birds, wind, waterfall, birds again, Dan speaking to someone, someone entering the room…probably Ada, King Thranduil, wind, waterfa-King Thranduil? By the Valar…what is he doing in my room?' Slowly pulling my eyes open I took in the site, Dan and Ro were sitting beside each other on my right they didn't look as excitable as they usually do which troubled me, Ro had his hand on my chest to know if anything changed, my father and King Thranduil were quietly whispering to each other with eager looks in their eyes…odd.
Breathing in deeply, my brother turned his attention to me,
"Estel! You're finally awake, how do you feel penneth?" he tussled my hair and grinned mockingly as he spoke,
"I'm fi-", I was cut off as I tried to move away and my shoulder rebuked me for it; Ro pressed me back into the pillows and a cool slender hand I knew so well rested on my brow,
"Ah, ion nin, try not to move your shoulder to much alright?"
"Yes, Ada," I opened my eyes, that I had no idea I even closed, and relaxed under his touch, "What was wrong with the wound? Halbarad checked for poison and we made sure there was no infection."
"Yes, I'm glad you both did so because poison or infection in the bone is very painful."
"I knew the arrow had pierced something more."
"Do we even want to know?"
"It was while we were travelling here and before you ask all the orcs are dead; they were just a lost group, nothing special about them in the least." The soft laughter of my family filled my senses and bought back many memories, someone's deep-toned laughter I didn't recognize caught my attention and I remember the king.
"Your majesty," I locked my gaze on him and smiled, "A surprise guest this time! Are you well? How are things in Mirkwood?" He smiled back, 'I'm so glad that he doesn't resent me anymore!'
"I am very well young human and Mirkwood is well." His eyes flashed with mirth, "My son is well also but he is not here."
"How did you know that I was going to ask?"
"I know you two fairly well now young one, you're inseparable unless absolutely necessary when either of you visit." More laughter filled the room at the blunt truth but something about my brothers seemed…off.
"Dan, Ro," they looked at me with false grins and I arched an eyebrow, "What is wrong brothers?" Their forced smiles grew more strained and I solidified my disbelief,
"Nothing is wrong Estel, Thranduil and I are going away for some time and these two won't know what to do with themselves while we're away."
"Makes sense; don't you two think that because you will be taken care of all of Imladris for a time that you will have your hands full?" they both sighed and looked down, "I suppose that is why Legolas isn't here right now brothers, he is taking care of his home too…like a mature elf!" The barb got to them and they both looked to me with vengeance in their eyes that I had no desire for, "Which is why Ada is putting you two in charge!" the fire disappeared as quickly as it had leapt up, "You two will do fine!"
"Yes, yes, Estel! They will be fine and I will not worry with home in such capable hands!" my brothers beamed at the compliment and Ada winked back at me. "Now, are you hungry ion nin?"
"You know me too well Ada!" I stepped out of bed and slipped a tunic over my head, "Come muindor! Last one there is orc bait!" I sprinted out of the room as quickly as I could and leapt down the stairs and rolled to my feet to absorb the impact, behind me my brothers were calling my name and trying to make up for lost time but I managed to get into the dining hall before they did.
Sitting innocently in my seat, I poured myself some tea and waited for the rest of my family and the king. I was good to be home again.