standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter Three: The Eye of the Storm
The thunder crashed loudly outside as the storm raged on in the early hours of the morning. Lightning lit the still-dark sky and flashed across the wooried face of Aragorn. He sat next to Arwen, still holding her hand as she went through another endlessly long hour of labor. The whole situation was becoming quite distressing for Aragorn, and the more he sat in the room, the larger the threat that grew in his mind.
What happens if her body cannot withstand the pain? Am I doomed to live a lonely life here in my kingdom for the rest of my age?
Aragorn shook the thoughts out of his head and looked over at Arwen. It was a rest period and she lay with her head deeply imbedded in the pillows, her eyes closed as if in slumber. He reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her pointed ear, caressing the tip of it in affection.
"Soon, Arwen," Aragorn muttered as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Soon."
Arwen's eyes stayed shut, a look of slight annoyance on her face at his gesture. She had been very emotional and hateful for the past few hours.
What if the child does not breath when she comes out?
Aragorn looked to Arwen's round stomach, and tried his best to imagine sunny days in the field with his daughter and wife. He wanted to see a beautiful little girl with pale skin and lively eyes, dark hair and elven ears...
But the image would not come to him as he tried to see it. All he could see was gloom and death at the prospect of the many, many things that could go wrong with the birth.
Arwen's eyes clenched tight and Aragorn knew she was about to go through another spell of pain. He couldn't stand to watch her any longer. It was torture on his soul.
"I need to go out for a few moments," Aragorn spoke into Arwen's ear and she let his hand go, reaching for the matress in its place.
Aragorn strode to the door, walking out almost unnoticed in the commotion. He closed the door gently behind him and rested his back against it. Closing his eyes, he could almsot see the vision of happiness tht he had so strived for in the chamber, but had been unable to see with the object of worry next to him. Now he was alone and he let a smile cross his features.
"You smile so freely now, but yet your heart is still torn," came a deep voice from Aragorn's right side.
Aragorn's eyes opened to the voice and he stared in disbelief at the figure that stood in the doorway of the sitting room.
Elrond.
"I thought you had gone to Valinor?" Aragorn asked breathlessly. "But here you stand before me!"
"I could not bear being away from my daughter given her condition," Elrond explained.
"I understand how the screams might have given you direction, but how did you find your way to this hall?" Aragorn asked.
Elladan and Elrohir walked out of the sitting room and into the hallway, flanking their father on either side. Careful ears and watchful eyes surveyed the exchange of dialogue between Elrond and Aragorn like the elven warriors that they were.
"Ah, You sons welcomed you."
Elrond nodded once and then looked concerned at the spot to the right of Aragorn's head. To the sound of the distressed yelling that was coming from the chamber.
"It's been hours," Aragorn explained as he walked away from the door and into the sitting room, Elrond and the twins quietly following. "I fear for her health."
"Have you given her anything for the pain?" Elrond asked.
"Yes, but it did not seem to do anything."
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance."
Aragorn followed the elf in the chamber and took his seat in the chair next to the bed. Arwen did not see Elrond come into the room, nor did she make any mention of hearing him enter either. Her senses were too focused on the intense pain that came from giving birth.
Arwen reached over and grabbed ahold of Aragorn's hand again, somehow knowing that he was there. Aragorn kissed his wife's hand and murmered words of encouragement.
"I cannot do this for much longer," Arwen whispered in a resigned voice, her eyes still tightly closed.
"Fight, Arwen. You have to fight," Aragorn said sternly.
A tear escaped Arwen's eye and fell onto the pillow.
The next period of rest came and Aragorn felt Arwen's entire body relax at the loss of tension. He reached over and wiped the sweat from her brow and kissed her lips softly.
"You're doing wonderfully."
"Perhaps you would care for relief from the pain?" Elrond asked as he stood on the other side of the bed.
Arwen's eyes snapped open and she looked at her father. Speech escaped her lips and she sat in silence, staring. Elrond chuckled softly and leaned down, kissing his daughter on the cheek.
"It seems I have come at the right time," he said softly. "Now take this."
Arwen nodded and opened her mouth as Elrond poured fluid from a small bottle. She closed her eyes and let the power of the medicine sink in. Obviously it was something for the pain, for her body began to tingle and she began to lose some of the sensations from her lower half.
"Hannad, Ada,*" Arwen whispered.
Elrond reached down and gave his daughter's hand a squeaze of reassurance. He looked over to Aragorn.
"You will stay here with her?" Elrond asked.
"An-uir*," Aragorn said, the double meaning of his words not unheard to Elrond.
"If anything should arise, I will be just outside. Do not hesitate to alert me of the simplest of problems," Elrond said, his gaze piercing through Aragorn.
The king nodded.
The pain once again came, less strong this time, and Arwen was grateful for her father's perfectly timed arrival.
Elrond smiled and left the room almost unnoticed by Arwen and Aragorn as they concentrated solely on the task at hand.
In the sitting room, Elladan and Elrohir were patiently waiting on their father's return. They had not heard news on their sister's condition in quite some time and grew anxious with concern and hope.
"What news have you?" Elrohir asked anxiously as Elrond returned
"I gave your sister something to ease the pain. Although I daresay it might still be a while before anything of major importance happens."
Elrond sat down in a chair across from his sons and leaned forward with his elbow resting on his knee, putting a hand over his tired eyes. He rested his head there for several moments as the fear and dread encompassed his thoughts.
Elladan watched his father and shared in the dread that now crept into their hearts. There was so much that could go awry for Arwen. Elladan tried not to think of the negative, but he could not stop the thoughts that shook his mind. He needed some reassurance that his siter was alright. He needed to know what problem she faced.
"Something has gone wrong," Elladan said as more of a question than a statement.
"No, nothing is wrong," Elrond said wearily as he stood and walked to the window.
Elladan let out a relieved sigh and shared a smile with Elrohir.
The storm outside still raged on, the lightning as dangerous and foreboding as ever on a background of black clouds that were only made darker by the oncoming of nightfall. The wind now blew and knocked leaves from trees, scattering them in the streets of Minas Tirith.
Elrond sighed deeply and whispered to himself, "Yet."
a/n: thank you to those of you that reviewed the last chapter. the reviews made me spend more time perfecting this chapter so it would be more pleasing to you. i know that elrond took the ship to the west, and i know that he probably could not come back, but i just thought he would be good for this story. i'm sorry if my characterization of him isn't great, but at least i tried. thanks to my betas. and don't forget to review!!
*Hannad, Ada - thank you, father. *An-uir - forever
Chapter Three: The Eye of the Storm
The thunder crashed loudly outside as the storm raged on in the early hours of the morning. Lightning lit the still-dark sky and flashed across the wooried face of Aragorn. He sat next to Arwen, still holding her hand as she went through another endlessly long hour of labor. The whole situation was becoming quite distressing for Aragorn, and the more he sat in the room, the larger the threat that grew in his mind.
What happens if her body cannot withstand the pain? Am I doomed to live a lonely life here in my kingdom for the rest of my age?
Aragorn shook the thoughts out of his head and looked over at Arwen. It was a rest period and she lay with her head deeply imbedded in the pillows, her eyes closed as if in slumber. He reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her pointed ear, caressing the tip of it in affection.
"Soon, Arwen," Aragorn muttered as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Soon."
Arwen's eyes stayed shut, a look of slight annoyance on her face at his gesture. She had been very emotional and hateful for the past few hours.
What if the child does not breath when she comes out?
Aragorn looked to Arwen's round stomach, and tried his best to imagine sunny days in the field with his daughter and wife. He wanted to see a beautiful little girl with pale skin and lively eyes, dark hair and elven ears...
But the image would not come to him as he tried to see it. All he could see was gloom and death at the prospect of the many, many things that could go wrong with the birth.
Arwen's eyes clenched tight and Aragorn knew she was about to go through another spell of pain. He couldn't stand to watch her any longer. It was torture on his soul.
"I need to go out for a few moments," Aragorn spoke into Arwen's ear and she let his hand go, reaching for the matress in its place.
Aragorn strode to the door, walking out almost unnoticed in the commotion. He closed the door gently behind him and rested his back against it. Closing his eyes, he could almsot see the vision of happiness tht he had so strived for in the chamber, but had been unable to see with the object of worry next to him. Now he was alone and he let a smile cross his features.
"You smile so freely now, but yet your heart is still torn," came a deep voice from Aragorn's right side.
Aragorn's eyes opened to the voice and he stared in disbelief at the figure that stood in the doorway of the sitting room.
Elrond.
"I thought you had gone to Valinor?" Aragorn asked breathlessly. "But here you stand before me!"
"I could not bear being away from my daughter given her condition," Elrond explained.
"I understand how the screams might have given you direction, but how did you find your way to this hall?" Aragorn asked.
Elladan and Elrohir walked out of the sitting room and into the hallway, flanking their father on either side. Careful ears and watchful eyes surveyed the exchange of dialogue between Elrond and Aragorn like the elven warriors that they were.
"Ah, You sons welcomed you."
Elrond nodded once and then looked concerned at the spot to the right of Aragorn's head. To the sound of the distressed yelling that was coming from the chamber.
"It's been hours," Aragorn explained as he walked away from the door and into the sitting room, Elrond and the twins quietly following. "I fear for her health."
"Have you given her anything for the pain?" Elrond asked.
"Yes, but it did not seem to do anything."
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance."
Aragorn followed the elf in the chamber and took his seat in the chair next to the bed. Arwen did not see Elrond come into the room, nor did she make any mention of hearing him enter either. Her senses were too focused on the intense pain that came from giving birth.
Arwen reached over and grabbed ahold of Aragorn's hand again, somehow knowing that he was there. Aragorn kissed his wife's hand and murmered words of encouragement.
"I cannot do this for much longer," Arwen whispered in a resigned voice, her eyes still tightly closed.
"Fight, Arwen. You have to fight," Aragorn said sternly.
A tear escaped Arwen's eye and fell onto the pillow.
The next period of rest came and Aragorn felt Arwen's entire body relax at the loss of tension. He reached over and wiped the sweat from her brow and kissed her lips softly.
"You're doing wonderfully."
"Perhaps you would care for relief from the pain?" Elrond asked as he stood on the other side of the bed.
Arwen's eyes snapped open and she looked at her father. Speech escaped her lips and she sat in silence, staring. Elrond chuckled softly and leaned down, kissing his daughter on the cheek.
"It seems I have come at the right time," he said softly. "Now take this."
Arwen nodded and opened her mouth as Elrond poured fluid from a small bottle. She closed her eyes and let the power of the medicine sink in. Obviously it was something for the pain, for her body began to tingle and she began to lose some of the sensations from her lower half.
"Hannad, Ada,*" Arwen whispered.
Elrond reached down and gave his daughter's hand a squeaze of reassurance. He looked over to Aragorn.
"You will stay here with her?" Elrond asked.
"An-uir*," Aragorn said, the double meaning of his words not unheard to Elrond.
"If anything should arise, I will be just outside. Do not hesitate to alert me of the simplest of problems," Elrond said, his gaze piercing through Aragorn.
The king nodded.
The pain once again came, less strong this time, and Arwen was grateful for her father's perfectly timed arrival.
Elrond smiled and left the room almost unnoticed by Arwen and Aragorn as they concentrated solely on the task at hand.
In the sitting room, Elladan and Elrohir were patiently waiting on their father's return. They had not heard news on their sister's condition in quite some time and grew anxious with concern and hope.
"What news have you?" Elrohir asked anxiously as Elrond returned
"I gave your sister something to ease the pain. Although I daresay it might still be a while before anything of major importance happens."
Elrond sat down in a chair across from his sons and leaned forward with his elbow resting on his knee, putting a hand over his tired eyes. He rested his head there for several moments as the fear and dread encompassed his thoughts.
Elladan watched his father and shared in the dread that now crept into their hearts. There was so much that could go awry for Arwen. Elladan tried not to think of the negative, but he could not stop the thoughts that shook his mind. He needed some reassurance that his siter was alright. He needed to know what problem she faced.
"Something has gone wrong," Elladan said as more of a question than a statement.
"No, nothing is wrong," Elrond said wearily as he stood and walked to the window.
Elladan let out a relieved sigh and shared a smile with Elrohir.
The storm outside still raged on, the lightning as dangerous and foreboding as ever on a background of black clouds that were only made darker by the oncoming of nightfall. The wind now blew and knocked leaves from trees, scattering them in the streets of Minas Tirith.
Elrond sighed deeply and whispered to himself, "Yet."
a/n: thank you to those of you that reviewed the last chapter. the reviews made me spend more time perfecting this chapter so it would be more pleasing to you. i know that elrond took the ship to the west, and i know that he probably could not come back, but i just thought he would be good for this story. i'm sorry if my characterization of him isn't great, but at least i tried. thanks to my betas. and don't forget to review!!
*Hannad, Ada - thank you, father. *An-uir - forever