Timeline and children to date:
Before Time Began: Galadriel and Celeborn are born
Dawn of Time - Elrond and family are born
2799 – Dain slays Azog at battle of Azanulbizar
2864 – Aithon born
2911 – Fell Winter
2920 – Thannor son of Aithon born
2926 – Tarkil son of Aithon born
2931 – Aravir and Aragorn born, Arador, Aravir's father, dies
2933 – Arathorn, Aragorn's father and Aravir's brother, dies
2941 – Thorin's Company retakes Erebor; Bolg kills Thorin and dies at hands of Boern
2951 – Inzilbeth born, Aragorn begins 30 years of travel
2966 – Tarkil helps Inzilbeth escape Rohan
2968 – Inzilbeth is adopted by Aravir and accepts offer of marriage from Tarkil
2971 - Ashtuzual born
2981 – fun begins; Ashtuzual saved from slavers by Tarkil and Aravir; 50 y/o Aragorn engaged to c.2700 y/o Arwen "cradle snatcher" Undomiel, finally assumes Chieftainship
2984 – Aravir and Ashtuzual marry, Aithon banned from Angle for filicide
Tarkil&Inzilbeth's daughters:
Almarian (2969), Elwing (2972), Miriel (2980) and Indis (2983)
Note: To obtain Ashtuzual's HAE (human age equivalent) multiply her calendar age by 1,5.
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Winter of 2984-85, Staddle, "The Den" at Goat Run 2
AAA-RAA-VEER!
The pitch of the screech was chosen for best penetration through earth and stone. Aravir was sure his wife could be heard on the Great East Road, if not at the Forsaken Inn or in Bree. For all its teeth searing quality the screech did not carry any urgency with it. It was an "I need you for something yet not at once" call. He left the boys in the salle with Aithon and trudged across the yard to the kitchen. Even if his Dark Flower was not there some snack was. He'd pick something up and look for her.
Ashtuzual was in the kitchen and greeted him with a smile. She was cooking something together with Tesni.
"Good that you've come. You need to talk with her" – she indicated at the girl who looked at him shyly.
"And while you're at it wash your hands and peel the spuds. You can make your paws useful while you run your mouth."
He gave her a glare which would give a raging berserker pause but got a stuck-out pink tongue in return. (must kiss tongue when alone flashed through his mind)
With a sigh he moved towards the water.
"Soap!"
He just sighed again and reached out for it.
"She's in the same position as I was three years ago" – Ashtuzual continued – "Tesni's world been turned upside down, she doesn't know what's in store for her. And considering that it was you who BOUGHT her it is you who must lay it out." – She gave a nasty twist it to the word "bought". She had been furious at Aravir for participating in the slave trade. She knew that, all things considered, being bought by her husband was the best thing that could had happened to the young Dunlending, but still she was very, very unhappy with him. It is buyers who make sellers – with no market for slaves there would be no slavers. It was finally Caradoc's description of the dump she had lived in – and the half-starved appearance of the girl's siblings in his account of the events – that made her cool down and take the situation in stride.
Tesni also had taken a week or so to calm down. In the field she had grown used to the welcome fact of not being manacled or beaten, fed as well as everybody else. This was better than she had expected of her new life. The food compensated for the harsh living conditions. Nevertheless once in the Staddle she still half expected to be bedded by the Master, while the sight of Ashtuzual left her undecided between running away and fainting on the spot – the indecision helping her do neither but shaking where she stood. Even though told the "cursed Lothiriel" story her mind told her that if it looked like an orc it was an orc. So the mistress being cruel was a given. Her green eyes looked searchingly for the whip. Although it looked like an orc it did not behave like any orc she'd heard about or seen in the village. While screaming angrily at the master in the language of the Rangers (were those harsh sounding words orc swearwords?) the master and the boys had to clean up in the freezing water in the trough while she was given a hot bath. So she could've not been all bad, huh? But over a month in the master's house she still did not know what was to become of her. Will she stay a domestic? Will she be sold off? The mistress told her she was a free person but she'd prefer it to hear it from the master's mouth. Amongst the Dunlendings the Man's word was law.
"Tesni. You ARE free. You can go out his door this very moment and never come back. But as likely as not you'd get enslaved by some scum. We would like to keep you with us as a fosterling until you are of age. Until you marry or until you decide to leave. In a few years we could apprentice you to a trade too. In the meantime you help with the chores around the house, maybe go out on patrols in the summer once you're fully grown."
Tesni wept out of happiness a bit, as in her culture women were expected to weep at important moments of their lives. She didn't like the part about patrols. That was unwomanly, it was for blokes to live in filth in the woods, women were to stay at home and tend the garden and care for the pigs and children.
During their conversation Aravir had peeled ten pounds of spuds. He was an excellent peeler – even the hobbits were impressed with his skill. Once put on the job he could peel forever.
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Early 2985, the Angle, cottage serving as seat of the House of Tarkil
Tarkil reverently kissed the stretchmarks on his wife's belly. She was with child again.
A few weeks ago he had mentioned, in passing, that he must come up with a device for the House of Tarkil. He saw that his words made his wife stiffen and after a moment say solemnly:
"I must give you a son."
Over the past few weeks he was unsure whether Inzilbeth's appetite for lovemaking was driven by passion and emotion – as it doubtlessly had been immediately after the family was reunited after the trial of his father – or was it brought about by her self-imposed mission. He hoped for the former, was worried it could be the later, and expected it to be a mix of both. He preferred not to ask. From his point of view there were worst fates than being son-less - Beleguron had five sons and he had caught him eyeing his gaggle of daughters with sad envy more than once.
He had figured out his device by now – his Household Yavanna's favourite flower, a rose, times four, one each for his little treasures. Arranged in a tilted square. Easy to draw and highly visible – red on white. Inzi finally agreed to let their two eldest move for some time to Staddle – but only as long as Aithon was there, and conditional upon inspection and approval of the facilities and Inzi's approval of her adopted father's wife. With the baby on its way and him being on courier duty, nipping to the Staddle and showing Inzilbeth the smial before Ashtuzual left for the field was possible, with Almarian and Elwing moving in November or December. The plan was to move the major items over the summer, the girls being escorted there on horseback once their newest sister – or maybe brother – had arrived.
