Aragorn's meditation on his elder son was interrupted by a second knock on
the door. Upon calling "Come in," he was pleased to see two of his friends
enter the room. Tall, blonde-haired Elf Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood and
his best friend, the short, fiery, but loyal and bearded dwarf Gimli, son
of Glóin, entered the room, having been staying at the palace for the past
few days.
Aragorn held up his hands and smiled at his friends. "I am sorry. I have quarrelled with Connor and did not tell him that you were here."
"And now he is glowering at the water in place of his father." Legolas smiled as he gazed through the open window at his young friend.
Aragorn sighed as the three friends stood by the window. "What am I to do with him? He runs away for months and when he returns, we quarrel. I did not wish for this to happen and I am sure he did not either."
"May I ask why you quarrelled?" Gimli asked.
The three friends sat down by the window and Aragorn told the others of Connor's love of the wild and for an elf.
"History is repeating itself, I see." Gimli muttered, when Aragorn's tale had ended. Legolas smiled and the two best friends reminded the King of the time the Fellowship spent together and how Connor was happy as the young wanderer, Callum.
"You cannot blame your son for longing to be a Ranger, my friend. It is in his blood." The dwarf said. The Elf agreed.
"But what of the elf girl? Mortals cannot mix with elves, you both know that." Aragorn asked of his friends.
Legolas laughed. "It is in his blood, my friend. You were once a Ranger and then in love with an Elf, you cannot blame your son for the same crimes."
"You are amiss, my friends." Aragorn smiled. "I ask for help concerning my son and you say it is my fault. I thank you for telling me so, now how should I persuade my son to talk once more with me?"
"He is your son, that is up to you." The dwarf chuckled as he stood up.
The Elf stood also. "Go now and talk with him. We wish you luck."
"Indeed we do, my friend." Gimli said, following his Elf-friend from the room. Groaning in exasperation, yet smiling at his friends' insistence, Aragorn left his chambers and went down to the river.
* * *
Connor heard the approaching footsteps and knew it was his father. Still angry, he did not look up, until he heard a splash. His head shot up in astonishment and he wondered at his father's behaviour. Looking around, he could not see his father, until suddenly he felt two strong arms from behind thrust him off the rock and into the water.
When he had surfaced, he saw his father sitting on the rock where he had been. His father was dressed only in trousers, just as Connor was. Aragorn had swum underwater around the rock and then sneaked up behind and propelled his son into the water.
Grinning, Connor clambered back onto the rock and said, "Good work, Father. I had not noticed you, only your footsteps on the grass."
"My son, I apologise for preventing you from being a Ranger. If that is what you wish, you shall be one."
"What of Mother?" Connor asked.
"I shall explain to her and you shall take your wolf wherever you go to reassure her." Aragorn spoke with a serious tone and expression, but Connor saw the laughter in his eyes.
"What of Alatariel, Father?"
The laughter died in Aragorn's eyes and he looked anxiously at his son. "If you truly love her, I shall leave it to your judgement and pray that you and she choose right."
"You cannot choose love, Father. You know that." Connor's words reminded Aragorn of his own stubbornness with the Lord Elrond, when the Elf begged him not to love Arwen. Seeing Gimli walk through the courtyard beside his Elf-friend caused Aragorn to recollect also the words of his friends, 'it is in his blood, you cannot blame your son.' The King smiled half- heartedly.
"I have saddened you, Father. I returned to cheer Mother and instead I have saddened you." Connor sighed in mock-upset and his father grinned.
"Indeed you have saddened me. I find my son has matured and fallen in love with the fairest Elf-girl that ever graced this world . beside your mother."
"I must away and speak with Alatariel to apologise for my long absence." Connor stood up.
"And I must to tell your mother that her elder son is in love." Aragorn teased, as together with his son, he swam to the riverside. Connor seized his shirt and laughed.
"Mother will be shocked to find I am grown. She believes I am still her small child." Aragorn watched his now-cheerful son dash across the grass and into the woods, buttoning his shirt as he went. Shaking his head in mock-despair, Aragorn fastened up his own shirt and went to find his wife.
Aragorn held up his hands and smiled at his friends. "I am sorry. I have quarrelled with Connor and did not tell him that you were here."
"And now he is glowering at the water in place of his father." Legolas smiled as he gazed through the open window at his young friend.
Aragorn sighed as the three friends stood by the window. "What am I to do with him? He runs away for months and when he returns, we quarrel. I did not wish for this to happen and I am sure he did not either."
"May I ask why you quarrelled?" Gimli asked.
The three friends sat down by the window and Aragorn told the others of Connor's love of the wild and for an elf.
"History is repeating itself, I see." Gimli muttered, when Aragorn's tale had ended. Legolas smiled and the two best friends reminded the King of the time the Fellowship spent together and how Connor was happy as the young wanderer, Callum.
"You cannot blame your son for longing to be a Ranger, my friend. It is in his blood." The dwarf said. The Elf agreed.
"But what of the elf girl? Mortals cannot mix with elves, you both know that." Aragorn asked of his friends.
Legolas laughed. "It is in his blood, my friend. You were once a Ranger and then in love with an Elf, you cannot blame your son for the same crimes."
"You are amiss, my friends." Aragorn smiled. "I ask for help concerning my son and you say it is my fault. I thank you for telling me so, now how should I persuade my son to talk once more with me?"
"He is your son, that is up to you." The dwarf chuckled as he stood up.
The Elf stood also. "Go now and talk with him. We wish you luck."
"Indeed we do, my friend." Gimli said, following his Elf-friend from the room. Groaning in exasperation, yet smiling at his friends' insistence, Aragorn left his chambers and went down to the river.
* * *
Connor heard the approaching footsteps and knew it was his father. Still angry, he did not look up, until he heard a splash. His head shot up in astonishment and he wondered at his father's behaviour. Looking around, he could not see his father, until suddenly he felt two strong arms from behind thrust him off the rock and into the water.
When he had surfaced, he saw his father sitting on the rock where he had been. His father was dressed only in trousers, just as Connor was. Aragorn had swum underwater around the rock and then sneaked up behind and propelled his son into the water.
Grinning, Connor clambered back onto the rock and said, "Good work, Father. I had not noticed you, only your footsteps on the grass."
"My son, I apologise for preventing you from being a Ranger. If that is what you wish, you shall be one."
"What of Mother?" Connor asked.
"I shall explain to her and you shall take your wolf wherever you go to reassure her." Aragorn spoke with a serious tone and expression, but Connor saw the laughter in his eyes.
"What of Alatariel, Father?"
The laughter died in Aragorn's eyes and he looked anxiously at his son. "If you truly love her, I shall leave it to your judgement and pray that you and she choose right."
"You cannot choose love, Father. You know that." Connor's words reminded Aragorn of his own stubbornness with the Lord Elrond, when the Elf begged him not to love Arwen. Seeing Gimli walk through the courtyard beside his Elf-friend caused Aragorn to recollect also the words of his friends, 'it is in his blood, you cannot blame your son.' The King smiled half- heartedly.
"I have saddened you, Father. I returned to cheer Mother and instead I have saddened you." Connor sighed in mock-upset and his father grinned.
"Indeed you have saddened me. I find my son has matured and fallen in love with the fairest Elf-girl that ever graced this world . beside your mother."
"I must away and speak with Alatariel to apologise for my long absence." Connor stood up.
"And I must to tell your mother that her elder son is in love." Aragorn teased, as together with his son, he swam to the riverside. Connor seized his shirt and laughed.
"Mother will be shocked to find I am grown. She believes I am still her small child." Aragorn watched his now-cheerful son dash across the grass and into the woods, buttoning his shirt as he went. Shaking his head in mock-despair, Aragorn fastened up his own shirt and went to find his wife.