Title: A Time Forgotten

Summary: Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli take Eldarion down the path of the fellowship to teach him of sacrifices made and things forgotten.

Disclaimer: I do not own them, a pity

A/N: This is an AU fourth age fic, the times to get to many places may not be exact.

Chapter 44

Eldarion did not mind the brutal schedule they were keeping as of late, but he wondered why his father was pushing so hard to get through the mountains. He wondered this thought for many days, until finally the end of them came into view. Eldarion sighed to see a smooth road ahead, and not one filled with stones that jutted out and caused the horses to stumble at times.

Aragorn turned to the others, and smiled, saying nothing as the feeling was mutual. They were free from the Misty Mountains and he could see the look of joy on Legolas' face at being so near to his home.

They rode on all day, and night till the next morning before they stopped, Gimli sliding off the back of the horse and flopping down on the ground.

"I cannot do anything till I have had a chance for my body to accept solid earth beneath it instead of the steady thumping of being on the hind end of that horse. Arod nickered in his general direction and walked over to a clump of grass.

"You should feel privileged that he lets you ride him at all," Legolas chastised. "If I recall a few years back you tried to mount him, and were flung into the fountain by the front gate."

Gimli sneered, "I do recall the beast throwing me into the fountain, and I also recall your laughter echoing throughout the valley at my predicament."

"Be at peace I helped you up did I not?"

"Only after you composed yourself enough to stop bursting into laughter."

Eldarion an Aragorn laughed at them both as the bags were brought out and they each had a light lunch. Everyone was tired and the noonday sun was beating down on each of them.

"Try and get an hour's rest before we head out again. I wish to get to Mirkwood by tomorrow at sundown and to do that we must ride hard," Aragorn said.

Everyone laid down and fell asleep, but it was a restless sleep for everyone but Legolas. All the others felt the heat of the sun, sweat trickling down their backs, making their tunics stick to them. An hour later they all gladly got back atop the horses hoping to feel a bit of breeze as they rode. That afternoon the sun was unbearably hot. All but the elf were wiping sweat from their brows every few minutes.

"Ada, it is hotter here than in Minas Tirith," Eldarion complained.

Aragorn stared at his son in wonder for it was not often his son complained about the heat or the cold. If Eldarion were hot enough to speak to him about it, then it was truly a problem.

"We shall be in Mirkwood soon and I am sure King Thranduil will be more than happy to have his help draw you a nice cool bath."

"A bath? Who said anything about wanting a bath?"

"I see your son has adopted some of your habits Estel. It was often we had to drag you to the bath, and then dunk you under as you screamed."

Aragorn quirked his eyebrows towards Legolas. "I was just not accustomed to bathing five times a day elf. Rangers are more leisure in washing perhaps only when they are dirty, not when a hair finds itself straying from their braids."

Legolas was now scowling at Aragorn but his slight anger melted away when the sound of Eldarion's laughter rang through the trees. He turned his attention to Eldarion then.

"You are elven as well you know. You should enjoy being clean. I know your mother would not have you in the state you are in at her table."

The statement about Arwen silenced Eldarion's laughter quickly and turned it to silence. Legolas noticed his poor choice of words immediately and tried to remedy it before Aragorn had his head.

"Your mother on more than one occasion sent Gimli from her table to bathe, saying that his beard was so tangled that he could not be sure it was not full of living creatures. I did not mean to make you sad Eldarion, please forgive me."

Eldarion smiled weakly at Legolas. "I just miss her is all. It has been so long since I heard her voice that I am afraid I will forget what it sounds like. I miss her songs after dinner, I just ... miss her," Eldarion broke off.

Legolas could tell he had brought about thoughts that were hard, and he did the only thing he knew to do, he sang.

At first the soft sounds did not reach the others but soon Legolas' voice carried through the trees and Eldarion perked his head up. He had always enjoyed the sound of elven voices raised in song. Something about it was mesmerizing, soothing to even the most difficult problems that had arisen. As he listened his eyes drifted shut and he could imagine his mother leaning over his bed as he was tucked in, singing to him. As the last verse left Legolas' lips Eldarion opened his eyes and stared at him. A silent thank you was exchanged between them, and the rest of the afternoon was spent talking of how Arwen had bested his uncles in a sword fight much to their dismay.

It was as the sun was at it's highest peak that they four of them came across a river, an Aragorn halted them so that the horses may be watered, but Eldarion had other plans, Gimli as well. As the horses leaned in to drink Eldarion yelled and soon he was running past the others, leaving a trail of clothes behind him. Gimli was about to follow but he was grabbed roughly by Aragorn as he went running past.

"What is the matter with you Aragorn! It is more than hot enough today and the water is inviting. I wish to be cooled off, if you would remove your hand that is."

"The water is not to swim in," Aragorn told him going to the edge of the water. "Eldarion come out of there at once!" he yelled.

Behind him Legolas and Gimli stared at each other in wonder. They had never seen Aragorn shout at Eldarion, and didn't have a clue as to why he was doing it now. Out in the water they could see Eldarion trying to plead with his father that the water was so cool and refreshing, but they also saw Aragorn's reluctance to actually enter that water and bring him back to shore.

"Estel?" Legolas gestured to Eldarion. "Is there something wrong?"

"I will not speak of it until Eldarion is safely back on shore," he told him.

Legolas could see the fear in Aragorn's eyes and didn't know why, he simply knew to trust it and yelled for Eldarion to get out of the water in elvish. The sound of Legolas screaming at him in elvish no less snapped Eldarion's head up and he slowly made his way back to shore. Once he climbed out of the water Aragorn snatched him into his arms and held him there tightly, not letting go.

Legolas and Gimli shrugged to Eldarion for they had no answer as to his father's strange behavior. They waited for a few minutes until Aragorn released his son and then all of them turned questioning looks to him.

"I know you think my actions a bit strange, but the water is tainted."

"Tainted! Aragorn we let the horses drink from it," Legolas yelled, getting upset as he checked over Arod.

Aragorn stayed the elf's hand. "I do not mean tainted in the sense you are thinking Legolas," sighing Aragorn fell to the ground beside the water and rubbed at his temples.

"This is the water that Isildur fell into. No ranger, nor any of his kin have ever entered it since. It is also the same water the ring was removed from year later by Smeagol. The water is tainted with evil."

"Aragorn that has been hundreds of years. Surely you do not think it still tainted," questioned Gimli.

Aragorn stared at Gimli, his face unreadable. "Is Moria any less tainted? Would you live there now after such tragedy has befallen it over the years? All I know is this, the water held the most evil thing in all of Arda for centuries. The ring laid in its depths, calling to anyone who might come across it. Once it was pulled from the water it led Smeagol to kill his own kin, and throw us into a war where our friends and family died. I will not enter it. My ancestor fell to his death from the ring into this water, Gollum dragged the same evil thing from the water. Will you dare to enter it?"

Legolas and Gimli stared at the water with a new look. True, it looked like a perfectly safe lake, calm, serene, inviting, but now it also seemed that it was evil, bringing back to their thoughts the ring and its power.

"I shall not enter this water," Legolas said, shuddering. "I did not know."

Eldarion sat the whole time listening to his father, and then to Legolas. He had been swimming in the very water that Isildur died in, the same water that the one ring was pulled from. Suddenly he felt very dirty and he shivered.

"Can we go now Ada to Mirkwood. I am ready to take that bath now, for I feel unclean somehow."

Aragorn hugged his son once more before standing and handing him his tunic back. Eldarion pulled on it and his boots, and then got atop his horse wanting to be far away from the water.

The four of the rode away from the small lake in the middle of the woods. They would not return to it again, and none of them were saddened by it. Aragorn motioned for them to follow and he heeled his horse into a gallop. They were heading to home of King Thranduil and the once again green valley of what was once Mirkwood.