Elvish translations:
Geheno nin, ionnath nin: Forgive me, my sons
Hir nin: my Lord
Yen: The long year of the Eldar in Middle-earth, equal to 144 solar years
"It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive."
(Bon Jovi - It's my life)
Chapter 36: Bittersweet Symphony
Cheeks red in anticipation, Legolas panted, "I was strolling around under the trees when I saw her making her way over to the house. She told me she found the plants in her house and had completely forgotten about them until now. Come now, she waits in the hall!"
The room was completely silent while its occupants stared wide-eyed at Legolas. As if to confirm his words, Legolas made his way quickly over to Lord Elrond, and –very un-Legolas-like, grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Had Elrond not been so shocked, he would have reminded Legolas that despite the close relationship that they had, this was no behaviour for the representative of the Royal House of Oropher.
Instead, he let Legolas not only pull him to his feet but out of the door as well, down the corridor and to the front door. Only then did he find his voice and with a "Legolas, what…" he disentangled himself from the agitated Prince.
Behind them, the twins, Glorfindel, Erestor, Gandalf and Aragorn sat in dumbstruck silence for another moment, and then all Mordor broke loose. Glorfindel jumped to his feet and raced after Prince and Lord, Erestor began to mutter under his breath before he, too, got to his feet and quickly followed Glorfindel. On the other side of the table, the twins stared at each other before they sprang to their feet, knocking over their chairs in the process and rushed out the door.
Aragorn looked at the retrieving backs of his family and friends with wide eyes. Could this truly be? Could there still be hope, although they had already given up? And if they had found some plants, then…where and how? Had the search troops not checked the whole the valley? Legolas had said an elder elleth had found the plants…
Although he did not want it, a small, tiny, almost dead spark of hope flared to new life in his breast. Legolas would not joke about such a serious matter. If he said they had found lilies, then they had. He trusted Legolas…with his very life. Literally.
The emotional storm made Aragorn feel light-headed for a moment, and he did not yet trust himself to stand up. So, he sat for a moment longer, staring at the open door, battling with himself whether to kindle the spark of hope to new life or let it die, so as to soften his fall should Legolas have been wrong.
"I think, my dear Aragorn, that we should follow them."
Aragorn jumped in his chair. Gandalf! He had completely forgotten that the wizard was still there. Swallowing, Aragorn nodded and then grabbed his crutches and slowly began to pull himself to his feet.
The long sitting at the table had done his knee no good, and so he was not surprised when it would not hold his weight, but throbbed with a red hot pain that shot up and down his leg. To mask his pain, he bit down on his lower lip, but he should not have bothered to hide it.
With two great steps the Maiar was at his side, a steadying hand on his back. "Easy lad, you would not want to ruin the moment of success by falling flat on your face," he said good-naturedly.
"No, of course not. That would be very…ungraceful." Aragorn offered lightly, before he slowly limped to the door and out into the hallway.
As it seemed, Legolas's discovery had not gone unnoticed; servants swarmed the corridor, their faces eager and their chores of the evening forgotten. On their way to the entrance hall, Aragorn saw some of the warriors that had helped in the search, and he even spotted the healers of the Last Homely House. All of the elves made way for him and Gandalf when they neared, and so it was only a few minutes after the twins that Aragorn reached the hall.
On the staircase, in the doorway, on the front steps, in the corridor…it seemed that half of Imladris had found their way to the front door of the house. Aragorn could not help but feel his heart beat a little faster. He had known that his family was well loved by most, but that so many would leave their homes only to come here to hear with their own ears whether a cure had been found or not…the thought was breathtaking.
Feeling the steadying hand of Gandalf in the small of his back, Aragorn slowly approached the thickest cluster of elves, having easily spotted the golden head of Glorfindel stick out of the mass of dark haired elves as well as the slightly lighter hair of Legolas. The twins, Erestor, Legolas and Glorfindel stood around Elrond and an elder elleth.
The elleth, one of the elves who worked as tailors at the other end of the valley, looked positively taken aback by so much attention, but she stood tall and strong before her Lord. Elrond, on the other hand, seemed to be transfixed on something he held in his hands, and when Aragorn drew nearer and entered the cluster of elves, he saw that it was a bundle of cloth.
"I only now remembered, my Lord. I cut the plant to use it as a sample for a new design. I am sorry, hir nin, I only now remembered!" The elder elleth said, bowing deeply.
But Elrond hardly noticed her unnecessary apologies, . With slow motions he opened the bundle and then gazed at what was inside.
After a moment, he lifted his head and his eyes sparkled with relief. "Thank you. Thank you." And then the unthinkable happened: Elrond, Lord of Imladris and renowned warrior and herald of the late High King Gil-Galad, embraced the elleth tightly, nearly lifting her off her feet. The elleth gave a surprised shriek, and when Elrond released her and took a step back, she placed her hand over her wildly beating heart.
"If there is anything that I can do for you, name it, and it will be done," Elrond said, and all who heard him knew that he meant what he said. The elleth shook her head. "It was my pleasure, my Lord. Please, take the plants and help your sons."
Smiling and bowing low before the flustered elleth, Elrond thanked her once more and then turned to Gandalf. "Let's brew some antidote."
--oOo--
"Elrond…" Gandalf sighed wearily. For hours Elrond and he had worked on brewing the antidote, and now, with the setting sun casting the chambers into a red light, he had finally admitted to himself what he had feared from the beginning. From the very moment he had seen the plants contained in the bundle.
"Elrond, it is not enough of the draught for all of them. We cannot save them all."
Gandalf gazed at Elrond's back and saw his shoulders tense. He knew that the elf had come to the same conclusion some time ago, but hearing it spoken aloud was a different matter. With a resolute jerk of his head, Elrond said briskly, "We will thin it."
"My old friend, the potion cannot be thinned, for then it will not work as it should." Gandalf stepped closer to Elrond and laid a hand on his shoulder in support. "We cannot save them all. I am sorry."
A long sigh left Elrond's lips and he bowed his head in defeat. "Why, Mithrandir? Why give me the possibility to save them, only to then take it away again?"
"Oh, but you can still save them…only not all of them." And then Gandalf said the one thing that he knew would shatter Elrond's heart.
"Decide. Either you save the twins…or Estel. The twins are elves, they have strong healing powers and only little human blood; the potion will be strong enough to rescue them both. Or, you save your human son."
Finally turning around, Elrond gazed at the wizard with anguished eyes. "How shall I decide this? I cannot decide who shall live. I cannot!"
"Can you not…or do you not want to?"
"But,…No father should have to make this decision," Elrond said, turning back to stare out of the window. The sky was painted in lilac and rose, the sun sinking behind the cliff walls that surrounded the valley.
Squeezing Elrond's shoulder, Gandalf said softly, "Follow you heart, my friend. What does it tell you? Where does it bid you to go?"
Elrond stayed silent, but his eyes strayed to the cup of steaming tea in front of him. This cup held the salvation of either his elvish sons, or his human foster son.
Silently, Gandalf left the room and made his way towards Aragorn's room, where he knew he would not only find the ranger, but the twins and Legolas as well. He thought he knew how Elrond would decide, and he was very thankful that it was not his decision to make. He was prepared to decide the fate of Middle-earth one day, but he was not willing to decide between life or death of his own family.
--oOo--
"It is beautiful, is it not?" Legolas asked for the umpteenth time. The sunset had him mesmerized, and a small part of Aragorn had to agree with him. The setting sun reflected from the white snow, making the snow sparkle. The ice on the streams glittered like diamonds, and although the sun had not yet set completely, the pale moon was already visible, making the scene even more ethereal.
But, as beautiful as the sunset was, Aragorn could not take his mind off the fact that two storeys downstairs, right at this very moment, his father and Mithrandir were brewing the potion that could save his brothers and himself.
What if something went wrong? What if they did it wrong? Forgot an ingredient? What if the old potion maker had lied and this draught would kill them even more swiftly? The more Aragorn thought about the 'what if's', the more he wished that the door would open and his questions would be answered.
With a sigh he leaned back against the headboard of his huge bed, closing his eyes tiredly. The last days had exhausted him, and even after the agreement with his brothers that they would take their last days the way they came, he had not been able to sleep well. He had barely rested a few hours when his father had woken him this morning, and now, with all the excitement of the day, he felt his constitution falter.
Of course, Legolas had told them the story of how he had come across the elleth who had found the dried lilies in her house and who was already on her way to the Last Homely House more than once. More then ten times to be exact. Still, Aragorn could not suppress the feeling that the whole situation was surreal. As if something bad simply had to happen. Because it always happened.
The fact that his knee hurt with a vengeance and that his burned hand throbbed painfully did not help his situation. Aragorn felt the mattress dip slightly, shortly before he heard the rustling of clothing.
"How are you feeling, Estel?" Legolas asked, and Aragorn needed not to open his eyes to know that his friend was studying his pale face intently.
"I am as well as can be expected, mellon nin. But, what about yourself, what about your shoulder?"
This time, Aragorn knew that Legolas was wincing slightly. For the better part of the afternoon, the elf had tried to hide his growing discomfort…unsuccessfully. Legolas had told the twins and Aragorn that he had spend the better part of the morning in the snow covered orchard, wandering under the trees. To his dismay, the cold had done his shoulder no good, and now the muscles were still tense and ached him.
Swallowing, Legolas waved his good hand in a fleeting gesture. "Ah, it is nothing, Estel. It heals well."
With a huff, Aragorn opened his eyes and shook his head. "You should know better, my friend." He leaned forwards, ever mindful of his own bandaged injuries, and grabbed Legolas's good arm gently. "Come here, let me help you." Aragorn scooted closer, his injured leg stretched out before him.
"No, really, that is not necessary." Pulling out of Aragorn's grip, Legolas tried to move away, but one glance at his friend's face told him that he was fighting a loosing battle. Aragorn had seen that he was in pain and would not rest ere he had at least tried to ease it.
"As you wish, Estel, you may take a look."
With a grin, Aragorn moved behind his friend, and with gentle fingers he reached around and opened the strings of Legolas's tunic. Confused, the elf began to protest, "Uhm, Estel, what are you doing?"
"Shh, hold still."
"But…"
"Oh, Valar, Legolas! No one besides the twins and I are here." The muttered 'prissy elf' made the twins, who reclined in two chairs near the hearth, chuckle, but they were wise enough to keep quiet when Legolas send them a deadly glare.
"It is not 'that', Estel. Only…"
"Aye?" Aragorn asked smugly, knowing exactly what his friend was going to say.
"Well, you know, with all the servants around…"
Elladan could not help but laugh loudly, but at least he tried to cover it with a cough. Which made the whole thing not even a bit better, for elves never coughed because of nothing. And seeing that they could not get ill…
Another deadly glare made Elladan burst out into giggles, and encouraged by the fact that Legolas was still sitting on the bed and had not yet tried to actually kill Elladan, Elrohir said wistfully, "Ah, yes. Imagine my brothers. The Prince of Mirkwood, the dream of the elleths of all three elven kingdoms, renowned archer, warrior of the yen, winner of the golden trophy of prissiness, wielder of the bow of accuracy…Ah, Valar, what would the fair maidens of this house say when they saw him thus unclothed! Ai!"
"They would scream, drool and faint," Elladan deadpanned.
"Ro! Dan! Stop that or…."
"Or what?" Elrohir asked curiously. "Are you going to knock us out with your prissiness trophy?"
"Ro?" Legolas growled, but his eyes sparkled with mirth. Ai Elbereth, it felt good to joke and banter. It was almost like it had been before this whole nightmare had started, and Legolas hoped with all his heart that the potion would work and restore the laughter and joy in his friends' hearts.
Behind Legolas, Aragorn smiled and shook his head at his brothers' antics. With his friend's injured shoulder bared, he swiftly unwound the bandages. The skin was still slightly bruised, but nothing like it had been. A bit green here, a tad of yellow there, but the blue and black bruises had mostly faded. But that did not mean that the muscles had healed completely, and the bone would take at least another two weeks to heal.
Scooting even closer, Aragorn sat up straight and began to massage the injured shoulder gently. Almost instantly Legolas hissed in pain, but he made no attempt to pull away. A warmth spread through his injury and with it the pain he had felt for hours diminished.
Sighing, Legolas bowed his head so as to give Aragorn more room to work. His grin widening, Aragorn did just that and moved from the shoulder to the tense muscles in Legolas neck, massaging away the stiffness.
So they sat for a few minutes, the room slowly darkening as the sun set behind the cliffs. Outside, the first glow orbs were lit, torches readied and fires poked. The valley glowed gently, and although it was nothing like it had been the night before, it was clear that many inhabitants of the valley would stay awake tonight, in case there were news from the Last Homely House.
Just when Aragorn took one of his hands away from Legolas's back to hide a huge yawn, there was a soft knock at the door. Almost instantly, the twins sat up straight, eyes flying to the door, while Legolas tensed, undoing all the work Aragorn had done on his back and injured shoulder.
The door opened slowly, and with a rustle of robes Gandalf entered Aragorn's room. To say that the wizard looked tired would have been the understatement of the yen. Gandalf's hair was dishevelled and even more untidy than it usually was; his robes were crinkled, his beard unkempt. But what was perhaps even more worrying, was the fact that he was not smiling. No, not even grinning.
Instead, his face looked uncannily serious. Almost as if he had come to tell them that something had gone wrong; that it had all been one great joke and that they had no antidote at all. But, that could not be the case, could it?
"Mithrandir?" Legolas asked tentatively, completely forgetting his half-clothed state.
"Ah, my young friend." The Istar sighed, before he shuffled his way over to the hearth and shushed Elladan out of the chair. Flopping down, Gandalf wiped a hand across his weary face. For a long moment he simply stared into the flickering flames of the fire, and when he finally spoke, his voice was so soft that Aragorn had to lean forwards to understand the words.
"I fear, my friends, that this is a war we cannot win. We might win one of the battles, aye, but I fear we cannot win the war."
"Mithrandir? What do you mean? What about the antidote?" Elladan asked, having found a seat on the armrest of Elrohir's chair.
"I think," a new voice from the doorway interrupted, "I can explain that."
All eyes snapped to the open doorway, only to land on the Lord of Imladris. Where Gandalf looked tired, Elrond looked exhausted. His face was paler than any of the room's occupants had ever seen, while his eyes held a shimmer that belied his weariness.
With heavy steps and an even heavier heart, Elrond made his way into the room, closing the door behind him. In his hands he held the still steaming cup of tea, which he set down on the wooden box that stood at the end of the bed, just between all the occupants of the chamber.
"Ada?" Aragorn's voice was soft, questioning.
A long sigh left Elrond's lips. How was he supposed to tell his sons that he could not safe all of them? That they would not all live to see the end of the year? Or, even the end of the week?
Feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest, Elrond gazed at his sons' faces, taking in the questioning eyes and expectant features. Before he could say anything else, or could even explain himself, the words tumbled out of Elrond's mouth.
"Geheno nin, ionnath nin. I am so sorry."
"Ada? For what are you sorry?" Aragorn could not help the feeling that he had just gotten the wrong answers to his many questions, and he wished that the door to his room had not opened. No, something was definitely not right, and knowing his and his brothers' and Legolas's luck, it was something that was really bad.
For a moment, it seemed as if Elrond would not answer, but then he licked his lips. After a quick look at Mithrandir, who nodded briefly, Elrond cleared his throat.
"My sons, Legolas…I…We, that is, Mithrandir and I, we used the lilies and brewed the antidote." His voice caught in his throat and he was unable to continue. With a trembling hand he tucked a strand of dark hair behind his ear, gazing at the floor. How could he stand here and tell his sons that he could not rescue them? How could he ever face them again?
It was Elrohir who spoke up next. Shrugging, he asked, "But, that is good, is it not? I mean, it will work, will it not?"
"Aye, the antidote will work and cure you from the poison." Elrond turned and made his way over to the window, gazing at the snowy landscape outside.
"Then, where is the problem, my Lord?" Legolas shot a quick look in the direction of the Istar, but the wizard's face was unreadable.
"The problem, Legolas, is…is…."Elrond took a deep breath. "The problem is that we could not make enough of the antidote. It is not enough to save Dan, Ro and Estel. And we cannot thin it, or divide it amongst you, my sons." Elrond had turned around again while he had spoken, and the shocked look in his sons' faces was almost more than he could take.
"Do, do you mean that,…that we have to decide who shall live?" Elladan sounded as if someone had just asked of him to walk into Mordor, knock at Barad Dur and ask Sauron if he wanted to buy some garden flowers.
Tears gathered in Elrond's eyes. "Aye, Elladan, that is exactly what I mean. The tea can save you and Elrohir, or Estel. But not all of you. Your and Elrohir's strong elvish blood will help you through the healing process, and as you have only a little bit of human blood that flows through your veins, you will not need so much of the antidote. Estel, on the other hand, would need to drink the whole cup to counteract the poison."
Silence reigned for a moment as they all digested this news. Then, as if on cue, Elladan and Elrohir jumped to their feet and said in unison, "Estel will drink it!"
"No." Aragorn's quiet voice silenced the room again almost immediately.
All eyes swivelled to Aragorn, who still sat on the huge bed. When he was sure that he had everyone's attention, Aragorn lifted his head and repeated, "I will not drink the tea. You will." He nodded at his brothers, who had shaken their heads 'no' the entire time.
It was Elladan who found his voice first. "Estel, think about it. This tea is the only chance for you to survive. The one and only. You will drink it."
"Dan, I…"
But Elrohir interrupted him, "Estel, do not even try to convince us otherwise. You will drink the potion. Dan and I are elves. Maybe the poison will not kill us as it is. I mean, it was made for humans, and perhaps our elvish blood will see us through it all."
"And what if not? What if your elvish blood is not strong enough to let you live? What if the part of you that is human is stronger than you think? And what if it doesn't matter at all? Maybe the poison does not even decide between human or elven blood. Your symptoms are nearly as bad as mine; does that not mean that the poison affects you as strongly as me?"
Slowly, so as not to wake his sleeping injuries, Aragorn got to his feet. His face was pale, but set in determination, and his eyes, which had been dulled the last few days, sparkled in a light that had long been absent.
From the moment Aragorn had heard that there was not enough of the antidote to save them all, and that it came down to either his brothers or himself, he had known what to do. Dagnir had poisoned the stew because he wanted his revenge. Not revenge on the twins, no, revenge on him. It was his fault his brothers were in this situation in the first place!
And, furthermore, Aragorn knew that his father would not be able to live through the pain of losing Elladan and Elrohir. Since the departure of Celebrian, his beloved wife, Elrond had anchored his existence to the lives of his sons and Arwen. It was no secret that Elrond adored his children and was very protective of them. Of course, once Aragorn had entered Elrond's life, his love and devotion had spread to him as well, but Aragorn knew that it was not the same.
Yes, his father loved him and would willingly sacrifice his own life for him. But, to sacrifice the life of his sons, that was something completely different. No. Aragorn simply knew that should something happen to the twins, Elrond would not live to see the end of the next yen. He would either sail and leave the world in darkness and shadow without the light and wisdom of the elves of Imladris, or he would die of a broken heart.
And Aragorn knew that he would find no quiet minute in his life, should he drink the tea and therewith probably convict his brothers to a painful death. Taking a deep and steadying breath, he said resolutely, "Dan, Ro…please. Drink it and save yourself."
Elladan bit his lip in frustration. He knew his human brother well enough to know that Aragorn had set his mind, and that nothing short of an earthquake or an intervention from the Valar would be able to sway him. That, or…Legolas.
Shooting his twin a brief look, Elladan gestured at the Prince. "Legolas, what say you? What do you think?"
For a moment, Legolas looked as if he had eaten something very distasteful before he turned such a shade of white that Elladan feared he would keel over any moment. With wide eyes, Legolas lifted his hands in a protective gesture before him. "You cannot ask this of me, Dan. I cannot decide!"
Letting his eyes travel from the twins to Aragorn, Legolas swallowed thickly. "How can I decide between the lives of my best friends? Of…my second family? Elladan, how should I…I cannot do that."
"And you do not have to." Aragorn placed a hand on Legolas's shoulder. "I will not drink this tea. Period. Either Dan and Ro drink it, or no one will drink it. Then all of this was for nothing and Dagnir has won in the end."
Aragorn's eyes met his father's, and for a moment his resolve wavered. Tears stood in Elrond's eyes, and Aragorn could tell that his father feared to lose all his sons. That Elladan and Elrohir would indeed not drink the tea. And in that moment Aragorn knew that he had to prevent that from happening.
Changing his tactic, Aragorn made his way over to the wooden box at the end of the bed and took up the cup of tea. He lifted it and held his arm out in front of his body.
"Drink it, Elladan."
"No, you cannot make me." Shaking his head 'no', Elladan crossed his arms across his chest and took a step back. His entire posture spoke of defiance.
Not showing the storm of emotions that raged under the surface, Aragorn turned around to face Elrohir. "Drink it."
"No."
Having anticipated this, Aragorn nodded and then sighed deeply. Before the twins could say another word, he faced his father. "Ada, would you leave us alone for a moment? Legolas, Mithrandir, you too, please."
"Estel…" Elrond began, but Aragorn interrupted him with a voice void of emotion. "Ada, please."
Mithrandir and Legolas had already reached the door and opened it, when Elrond finally made his way over to them. Before he closed the door behind him, he cast one long look into the room, so as if he feared his sons would have vanished when he opened it the next time.
The click of the lock when it met the doorframe was deafening in the silence of Aragorn's room. None of the brothers spoke, although they had so much to say to each other. But, how could you say that you wished nothing more in your life than your brother to live, and at the same moment wish to live yourself no matter what?
With heavy steps Aragorn made his way over to the large table in his room and placed the cup of warm tea on the tabletop. He wiped a hand through his long hair and then across his face. How was he supposed to convince his brothers to drink the tea? The two could be as stubborn as a dwarf.
Taking another steadying breath, Aragorn turned around, facing his brothers, who had not moved an inch.
"Elladan, Elrohir, please. You know as well as I do that the poison will more likely than not kill you. You cannot solely rely on your elvish blood to save you."
"Do you think we do not know that, Estel?" Elrohir made his way over to the huge window, but his eyes held Aragorn's. "We know that the poison can kill us. But it will kill you as well, and that is a fact. If you do not drink the antidote, you will die!"
"I will die either way, Ro," Aragorn countered, his voice unwavering. He had to make his brothers understand. "I will die one day, Ro, you know that. Maybe not today, and not tomorrow, but one day I will close my eyes, take my last breath and leave the circles of this world. And now, now it will simply be a bit earlier than I had anticipated."
"How can you say that?" Elladan nearly shouted. "Estel, this tea can save you! Do not be so stubborn, but drink it!"
Aragorn gestured at the tea, his voice getting louder while he spoke, "Aye, it can save me, but it can save the two of you as well. Both of you, Dan. We are talking about two lives instead of only one."
"Oh, do not start with figures, Estel." Elladan began to pace, his arms still crossed before his chest.
"Alright, then let me tell you something else. What do think ada will do if you and Elrohir die? What do you think?"
"Estel, that is low," Elrohir said, his voice soft.
"So, is it? It is only the truth. If you two die, then ada will either leave these shores, or fade. Do you really want that? Do you really want for him to lose his firstborn children? Do you want to leave him alone in a world that has already taken his King from him? His brother? His wife? And in a way his daughter? Do you also want to take his sons away from him?"
"And what are you then, Estel?" Elrohir said agitatedly. "A house guest?"
"You know what I mean, Elrohir. It is not the same."
"Is it not?" Elladan stopped in his pacing and faced Aragorn across the room. "Ada loves you Estel! You are our brother and his son, in all things that matter."
"Aye, but I am not his flesh and blood," Aragorn said and quickly lifted his hand to stall Elladan, who had already opened his mouth to interrupt. "Dan, from the moment I crossed the threshold to his house, ada knew that I would die one day, and that there was nothing he could do to stop that from happening."
"But we all hoped and prayed that we would have left by then and had sailed to Valinor." Elrohir said from his position near the window. "A very long time ago I made a vow. I vowed that I would protect you, that I would not leave you alone when you were in need of help, and I do not mean to break that vow."
"Me neither," Elladan said resolutely. "You are not only our brother, Estel, but also the Chieftain of the Dunedain of the North, heir to the throne of Gondor and Anor. Your life is not yours to decide over. You have a responsibility towards your people, Aragorn, son of Arathorn."
That hurt. For a moment, Aragorn was unable to say anything. Very, very seldom did his brothers call him by his real name, and that Elladan did so now brought his point home with deadly accuracy. Of course, Aragorn knew that he had a responsibility towards his people, but to him, in this very moment, his family was more important. And furthermore, he had already taken care of the leadership of the Dunedain.
"Elladan, Elrohir, you cannot expect me to…"
"We can. And we do. Ro and I will not, and I repeat, we will not drink the tea."
"Aye." Elrohir made his way over to Elladan and stood beside him. "Either you drink the tea, or none of us will."
What was he to do? What would convince the twins to drink the antidote? And then suddenly, an idea came to him. Aragorn knew that it was indeed a low tactic, and that it would hurt his brothers to do so. But, was it not better to hurt his brothers and they lived, then hurt them not and they died along with him?
Standing tall and lifting his chin a fraction, Aragorn turned determined eyes on his brothers. In this very moment, he looked more like the exiled King of Anor and Gondor than the leader of the Dunedain. His eyes were of a stormy grey, piercing and unwavering.
"You think that if you do not drink the tea, you still have a chance of surviving the poison because of your strong elvish blood?"
The twins nodded.
"And you think that, just because you do not drink the tea, I will?"
Again, the twins nodded.
"And that the small amount of elvish blood, not matter how thinned it may be, will help me survive?"
They nodded once more.
"Well then, let me tell you what I will do." Aragorn sighed inwardly. He knew that what he was about to do was cruel, but if it saved his brothers' lives, he was more than willing to do it.
"If you do not drink the antidote, then I will not drink it either. And, furthermore, I will not sit still and wait for the end to come and hope that the bit of elvish blood that flows through my veins saves me. No, I will give back the gift."
"You cannot!" Elladan cried. With three great steps he was at Aragorn's side. Heedless of Aragorn's injuries, he grabbed his shoulders in both hands and shook him. "You cannot do that! That is…that is blackmail, Estel. Take that back.!"
"No, I mean what I said, Dan. If you do not drink the antidote, I will not wait for the poison to do its work, but end it on my own volition."
Elrohir, who stood as still as a statue, whispered softly, "You would do that? You would give up your own life so that we can live? You would blackmail us like this? Force us to do this if we do not want to be responsible for your death?"
"Yes." Aragorn's strong voice did not betray his inner turmoil.
With tears in his eyes, Elrohir made his way slowly over to the table that held the tea. With shaking hands he took the cup. "Estel, please, do not force us to do that."
Suppressing his own tears that pricked at his eyes, Aragorn swallowed. "Drink it."
"Estel, please…." But Elrohir knew from the look on Aragorn's face that he would not be swayed.
Closing his eyes and unheeding of the hot tears that rolled down his face, Elrohir gulped down half of the tea before he handed the cup to Elladan. Elladan stared at it as if it were a poisonous snake, then downed the rest of the tea. With a jerk he threw the cup into the fireplace, where the flames greedily devoured it.
"There." He practically spat at Aragorn. "Happy now?" And with that he turned on his heel and stomped out of the room before either of his brothers could see the tears that trickled down his face. Elrohir followed his brother quickly, leaving Aragorn alone in the room.
For a moment, Aragorn had the feeling his heart would simply break in two, but when the seconds ticked by, and his heart still ached, he knew that it was still whole. Nothing that was broken could hurt so much. It was not broken, but injured and dying.
But, his brothers would live. They would live.
And, was that not all that mattered?
To be continued…
Okay, hope you like it. Um, just for the records, nice reviews make me post faster. Yeah, its whining time again, but I cannot help it from time to time. "g"