Sorry for the delay! I didn't realize how behind I was getting.
Title: Recovery
Author/Email: MaraJade (LadyJadeSky@aol.com)
Archive: MC and The_Istari, any one else just ask
Disclaimer: Look above at the author's name. Does it say JRR Tolkien? No, it says MaraJade. Therefore, I don't own these wonderful characters. I'm also not making any money off this. (However, I'm poor so if you wanted to contribute to the Save the Mara Foundation...LOL. Just kidding.)
Summary: Aragorn recovers from his illness.
Aragorn awoke slowly. He felt warm and was almost comfortable, except for the fact that breathing through his nose was impossible. Which made his throat dry and sore. 'Alright,' he thought as he awoke more fully. 'Comfortable was the wrong word. Miserable might be more accurate.'
Elrond still would not let him out of bed, and it had been three days. It wasn't that he really wanted to go anywhere; Aragorn just wished he could sit downstairs with his family for meals. He was still weak, but he was also very bored. His brothers were out hunting and Legolas had gone with them.
Aragorn was contemplating taking yet another nap when his father walked in.
"How are you feeling, today my son?" Elrond asked.
"Much better, Ada. I'll be able to get up in time for lunch!"
"Nice try, Estel. You will be in bed for a day or two longer still."
"But Ada," Aragorn whined. "I'm really feeling better today. Can I at least get out of bed for a little while?"
Elrond smiled slightly. "In a few hours I'll help you downstairs to the sitting room. I will be keeping an eye on you, though. If you start to feel tired or more ill, you will let me know. If you overdo it today I'll keep you in bed for another week," he threatened.
"Yes, Ada. Thank you. I won't overdo it, I promise!"
Elrond's half smile turned into a full-fledged one. "I haven't seen you this excited about getting out of bed since you were a child on Iluvitar's Day every year."
"But you gave the best presents, Ada!" Estel laughed.
"Ah, yes. I remember the training sword you got when you were eight. You loved sparring with Elladan and Elrohir. You need to get some rest, though. I'll be up in a few hours."
"Thank you, Ada." Aragorn settled under his blankets and was fast asleep in moments.***
"Estel, wake up. You still want to get out of bed, don't you?"
Aragorn yawned and opened his eyes. "Yes, Father. I do."
"Well, you need to get up and get dressed. I'll help you."
"I can do it by myself, Ada."
"You sound like you did when you were five. You have always been so independent, my Estel. And so stubborn. I hope you will never have to show your enemies how stubborn, but I fear it will be so. But if you are ready we will go to the sitting room. Go slowly, don't rush. It's been days since you've gotten out of bed."
Estel was winded when he reached the bottom of the stairs. "It's going to take months to build up my stamina," he complained. "I used to be able to run for a league before getting this out of breath."
"Estel, you almost died from that illness. It could be a lot worse. I'm just grateful to have you here to complain." Elrond's voice betrayed just how devastated he would have been had Estel died, and his immense relief that his son was alive.
"I know, Ada," Estel responded quietly. He dropped gratefully into an overstuffed armchair. He was glad to be out of bed, and now he was impatient to get back to his life. Unfortunately, he knew Elrond was very serious about his threat to keep him abed for another week if he set back his recovery today.
He and Elrond had chatted about everything under the sun when Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas returned from their hunting trip.
"Estel! You are up. How do you feel?" Elladan asked.
"Well enough that Ada let me get up," he replied.
"Yes, well, with all the whining you were doing, it was only a matter of time before he gave in," Elrohir teased.
"Go kiss an orc, Elrohir!" Aragorn said. Everyone laughed at the look Elrohir shot Estel.
"When you are better, you will pay for that!" Elrohir promised.
"Why wait? I can take you now!" Aragorn bragged. "My being weak will at least insure that you aren't beaten too badly." They continued to goad each other until a servant summoned them to dinner, when the twins helped Aragorn to the kitchen. They all sat, and the twins and Legolas dug in with gusto. Lord Elrond was more reserved, and Estel just picked at his food.
"You need to eat to regain your strength, Estel," Elladan scolded, taking a short break from shoveling food into his mouth.
"I am eating, Mother" Aragorn replied.
"No, actually, you are playing with your food. You are rearranging it on your plate, eating about every third bite," Elrohir contributed.
"Boys," Elrond cut in. "Leave your brother alone. He's eating enough. He will regain his appetite in time. If you are finished with your artistic endeavors, Estel, I'll take you back to your room. We'll see how you feel at breakfast, and I may let you up longer tomorrow." Elrond and Estel disappeared up the stairs while Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas finished eating.
After dinner, they went to check on the Ranger, only to find him fast asleep, curled up under his blankets. The twins smiled tenderly when they noticed Elrond asleep in a chair pulled up to the bed. It seemed Estel wasn't the only one in need of rest. They backed out of the room quietly, leaving the door open a crack.
"Ada is never far away from Estel when he is recovering from illness or injury. I'm surprised he hasn't been sleeping in Estel's room at nights," Elladan said when they were far enough away not to disturb the sleeping occupants of the room.
"How do you cope being so close to Estel knowing that someday he's going to die?" Legolas questioned, disturbed by the thought that he would someday lose his best friend.
"Mostly we just don't think about it," Elrohir said.
"But we know he loves us and he knows we love him. But when the unthinkable does happen, no one can take that away from us. I hope to be across the sea before it does, but the Valar offer no guarantees in life," Elladan said.
"But just not thinking about it helps more," Elrohir insisted.
"Denying the inevitable isn't like you, Elrohir," Legolas said.
"Yeah, but this is my brother we are talking about. It's one thing to know my favorite stallion is going to die. It's quite another thing when it's Estel."
"I'm sure he's going to be very flattered that you are comparing him to your horse."
"Shut up, Elladan! I love that horse."
"Oh, is that why you've never married? Have a thing for horses, do you?" Elladan teased.
"What's your excuse for not marrying, then?" Elrohir replied.
"What need have I for a wife? I've got you to nag at me!" Saying that, Elladan tore off through the house, making his way to the front door and beyond. Elrohir was at his heels shouting dire threats of retribution. Legolas could only watch and laugh. When he regained his composure, he went back to check on Estel.
He stood in the doorway for quite some time, content to watch father and son sleep. It made him wistful for his own father. When Estel was completely recovered he would go home. If Elrond permitted, maybe the Ranger would like to come with the prince. They usually had a lot of fun in Mirkwood, and Legolas was sure this would be no exception.
End.
ThE iNsAnE oNe: Thanks for the review! I now have a fan, wow! That's cool!
Nili: Thank you. Yes, these are on Cassia's site. I'm posting them to her and Sio's Mellon Chronicles Yahoogroup (shameless plug!). I'm working on the fic you requested, but I've got a few more ahead of it that I've got to finish.
Belothier: I'm working on the fic you want, but it's taking some time. Please be patient a little longer.
Ryokima: Evidently you are pretty intimidating! You scared poor Nili. =)
Title: Recovery
Author/Email: MaraJade (LadyJadeSky@aol.com)
Archive: MC and The_Istari, any one else just ask
Disclaimer: Look above at the author's name. Does it say JRR Tolkien? No, it says MaraJade. Therefore, I don't own these wonderful characters. I'm also not making any money off this. (However, I'm poor so if you wanted to contribute to the Save the Mara Foundation...LOL. Just kidding.)
Summary: Aragorn recovers from his illness.
Aragorn awoke slowly. He felt warm and was almost comfortable, except for the fact that breathing through his nose was impossible. Which made his throat dry and sore. 'Alright,' he thought as he awoke more fully. 'Comfortable was the wrong word. Miserable might be more accurate.'
Elrond still would not let him out of bed, and it had been three days. It wasn't that he really wanted to go anywhere; Aragorn just wished he could sit downstairs with his family for meals. He was still weak, but he was also very bored. His brothers were out hunting and Legolas had gone with them.
Aragorn was contemplating taking yet another nap when his father walked in.
"How are you feeling, today my son?" Elrond asked.
"Much better, Ada. I'll be able to get up in time for lunch!"
"Nice try, Estel. You will be in bed for a day or two longer still."
"But Ada," Aragorn whined. "I'm really feeling better today. Can I at least get out of bed for a little while?"
Elrond smiled slightly. "In a few hours I'll help you downstairs to the sitting room. I will be keeping an eye on you, though. If you start to feel tired or more ill, you will let me know. If you overdo it today I'll keep you in bed for another week," he threatened.
"Yes, Ada. Thank you. I won't overdo it, I promise!"
Elrond's half smile turned into a full-fledged one. "I haven't seen you this excited about getting out of bed since you were a child on Iluvitar's Day every year."
"But you gave the best presents, Ada!" Estel laughed.
"Ah, yes. I remember the training sword you got when you were eight. You loved sparring with Elladan and Elrohir. You need to get some rest, though. I'll be up in a few hours."
"Thank you, Ada." Aragorn settled under his blankets and was fast asleep in moments.***
"Estel, wake up. You still want to get out of bed, don't you?"
Aragorn yawned and opened his eyes. "Yes, Father. I do."
"Well, you need to get up and get dressed. I'll help you."
"I can do it by myself, Ada."
"You sound like you did when you were five. You have always been so independent, my Estel. And so stubborn. I hope you will never have to show your enemies how stubborn, but I fear it will be so. But if you are ready we will go to the sitting room. Go slowly, don't rush. It's been days since you've gotten out of bed."
Estel was winded when he reached the bottom of the stairs. "It's going to take months to build up my stamina," he complained. "I used to be able to run for a league before getting this out of breath."
"Estel, you almost died from that illness. It could be a lot worse. I'm just grateful to have you here to complain." Elrond's voice betrayed just how devastated he would have been had Estel died, and his immense relief that his son was alive.
"I know, Ada," Estel responded quietly. He dropped gratefully into an overstuffed armchair. He was glad to be out of bed, and now he was impatient to get back to his life. Unfortunately, he knew Elrond was very serious about his threat to keep him abed for another week if he set back his recovery today.
He and Elrond had chatted about everything under the sun when Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas returned from their hunting trip.
"Estel! You are up. How do you feel?" Elladan asked.
"Well enough that Ada let me get up," he replied.
"Yes, well, with all the whining you were doing, it was only a matter of time before he gave in," Elrohir teased.
"Go kiss an orc, Elrohir!" Aragorn said. Everyone laughed at the look Elrohir shot Estel.
"When you are better, you will pay for that!" Elrohir promised.
"Why wait? I can take you now!" Aragorn bragged. "My being weak will at least insure that you aren't beaten too badly." They continued to goad each other until a servant summoned them to dinner, when the twins helped Aragorn to the kitchen. They all sat, and the twins and Legolas dug in with gusto. Lord Elrond was more reserved, and Estel just picked at his food.
"You need to eat to regain your strength, Estel," Elladan scolded, taking a short break from shoveling food into his mouth.
"I am eating, Mother" Aragorn replied.
"No, actually, you are playing with your food. You are rearranging it on your plate, eating about every third bite," Elrohir contributed.
"Boys," Elrond cut in. "Leave your brother alone. He's eating enough. He will regain his appetite in time. If you are finished with your artistic endeavors, Estel, I'll take you back to your room. We'll see how you feel at breakfast, and I may let you up longer tomorrow." Elrond and Estel disappeared up the stairs while Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas finished eating.
After dinner, they went to check on the Ranger, only to find him fast asleep, curled up under his blankets. The twins smiled tenderly when they noticed Elrond asleep in a chair pulled up to the bed. It seemed Estel wasn't the only one in need of rest. They backed out of the room quietly, leaving the door open a crack.
"Ada is never far away from Estel when he is recovering from illness or injury. I'm surprised he hasn't been sleeping in Estel's room at nights," Elladan said when they were far enough away not to disturb the sleeping occupants of the room.
"How do you cope being so close to Estel knowing that someday he's going to die?" Legolas questioned, disturbed by the thought that he would someday lose his best friend.
"Mostly we just don't think about it," Elrohir said.
"But we know he loves us and he knows we love him. But when the unthinkable does happen, no one can take that away from us. I hope to be across the sea before it does, but the Valar offer no guarantees in life," Elladan said.
"But just not thinking about it helps more," Elrohir insisted.
"Denying the inevitable isn't like you, Elrohir," Legolas said.
"Yeah, but this is my brother we are talking about. It's one thing to know my favorite stallion is going to die. It's quite another thing when it's Estel."
"I'm sure he's going to be very flattered that you are comparing him to your horse."
"Shut up, Elladan! I love that horse."
"Oh, is that why you've never married? Have a thing for horses, do you?" Elladan teased.
"What's your excuse for not marrying, then?" Elrohir replied.
"What need have I for a wife? I've got you to nag at me!" Saying that, Elladan tore off through the house, making his way to the front door and beyond. Elrohir was at his heels shouting dire threats of retribution. Legolas could only watch and laugh. When he regained his composure, he went back to check on Estel.
He stood in the doorway for quite some time, content to watch father and son sleep. It made him wistful for his own father. When Estel was completely recovered he would go home. If Elrond permitted, maybe the Ranger would like to come with the prince. They usually had a lot of fun in Mirkwood, and Legolas was sure this would be no exception.
End.
ThE iNsAnE oNe: Thanks for the review! I now have a fan, wow! That's cool!
Nili: Thank you. Yes, these are on Cassia's site. I'm posting them to her and Sio's Mellon Chronicles Yahoogroup (shameless plug!). I'm working on the fic you requested, but I've got a few more ahead of it that I've got to finish.
Belothier: I'm working on the fic you want, but it's taking some time. Please be patient a little longer.
Ryokima: Evidently you are pretty intimidating! You scared poor Nili. =)