Title: His Special Child
Author: Sivan Shemesh
Beta: Aranel
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Rate: K
Warning: AU, family/fluff.
Summary: Elrond thoughts and actions when first Aragorn brought to him with Gilraen.
A/N: Written for OAA Prompt #168: Special
He was special to him ever since he came with his mother. Elrond could not tear his eyes from the little boy who came; he was as mischievous as the twins were in their youth.
He was his special son, and Elrond could already foresee the future that included much pain and suffering, but he knew that it would be years before the pain came to hunt the boy and now, all he needed was to keep little Aragorn safe. And he would do that, whatever it took, even if he had to sacrifice his needs for the boy.
The twins would certainly help him, but Arwen… He saw her, in his mind's eye, crying; her blue eyes glazed over in ice as one cold tear fell down a pale cheek; Arwen mourning this boy's death, and a love forever lost – he could feel it.
He knew that he needed to sacrifice his daughter as soon as Aragorn matured. He did not want to face it; the love, the choices. No, Elrond decided that he would simply send Arwen to her grandmother, just in case.
When he looked at the child, he could already see something different in him in the way those young grey eyes sparkled at him. But it was the way the boy ran towards him and hugged him suddenly that both surprised and delighted Elrond. He was certainly not used to that, not used to being that close to someone new, and he was certain that Aragorn would change his life.
"Dada?" Aragorn asked, and Elrond looked up to see the lady previously beside the boy, coming to stand beside her son.
"Lord Elrond, my name is Gilraen, and this is my son, Aragorn son of Arathorn." Gilraen let the lord know.
"'Rond..." The boy echoed and giggled.
Gilraen knelt beside his son, and kissed him softly upon the cheek, "He will take care of you, my son; listen to him."
Aragorn nodded obediently, moved closer to his new daddy, and threw his arms around the half-elf's leg.
Elrond, unsure of how to respond, moved his leg one step ahead. Aragorn only moved with him, and Elrond could hear the chuckles from his sons.
Aye, the child was special. He had given all of them a new path in life ever since his wife died. And as Elrond thought about how they would need to give him a new name to hide his heritage, he knew the perfect name for him: 'Estel', for the hope and the new beginning he brought.
The twins came near then, and Elrond saw how the boy looked toward them, clearly confused.
Estel pointed toward his elder child, and asked, "Who?"
Elladan knelt and replied, "My name is Elladan. What is yours?"
The boy tried to say his name, "'Gorn..."
"Gorn?" Elladan teased.
"No... 'gorn." The child tried again stubbornly.
"Maybe we should call him Estel?" Elrond suggested then, and noticing the frown that lay upon Gilraen's brow, he explained, "Estel means 'Hope'."
"Es-tel?" Aragorn asked, and grinned when he saw the wide smiles that showed upon the elves' and his nana's faces.
"Aye, your name is Estel." Elrond smiled, bending over to ruffle the boy's hair. Things were going to change, indeed.
The End