-One month later-
"I told you I was not going to allow you to set foot outside the city again! And even if I were to relent on my declaration, it wouldn't be within mere months of me making it!" Faramir stared at his King, hands on his hips, ready for an argument.
"The Haradhrim have attacked trade envoys and outlying settlements, do you think that I intend to sit here and let them kill the very people that rely on me for protection?" Aragorn replied, his hands clenched into fists.
"I've sent Ithilian Rangers and soldiers to intercept these raiders. I expect them to be thwarted in no time." Came the quick retort as Faramir stood his ground.
"Each time fewer men return to the City. They are sent into a trap. The Haradhrim know we will not stand for our people to be attacked without provocation." Aragorn stood and straightened. "I will ride at the head of the army that will wipe out this enemy and send them back to their country once and for all."
"I vehemently protest this decision." Faramir set his chin and narrowed his eyes. "And your advisors will see it my way as well." As an afterthought Faramir muttered, "For a change."
"Why are you fighting me so hard on this, Faramir?" Aragorn's eyes softened slightly, wondering why his Steward was so vehemently against him leaving the City.
Faramir tipped his head and started to pull at his hair. "See this? See all of the gray hair your last venture outside the City gave me? And these patches where I've pulled it out in frustration and worry? I'll be bald before my 50th year!"
Aragorn grinned, grateful for the momentary pause in their argument. "It is more than that and you know it. You can tell me, or I'll question everyone in the Citadel and at Court until I find out."
"You don't want to do that." Faramir said slowly, his voice dropping.
"Then you'd best sit down and tell me then, hadn't you?" Aragorn resumed his seat, crossed his hands in front of him and waited for Faramir to begin.
"It's not easy to say, after all that has happened in the last few months." Faramir began, raising Aragorn's curiosity even further. "Besides my reluctance to let you out of my sight until I am certain no more doom will fall upon your head, the court thinks you should not leave until-"
Aragorn leaned forward and rested his arms on his desk. "Until what?" When the answer was not forthcoming, Aragorn stood and repeated himself. "Until. What?" His tone left no room for further delay and Faramir gulped.
"Until Arwen bears you an heir." Faramir winced as he said the words and steeled himself for an expected angry tirade.
Aragorn closed his eyes and sank back into his seat, completely surprising the young Steward. The King ran his hands through his hair and over his face as if contemplating what to say.
"I'm sorry." Faramir said slowly. "You wanted to know. I didn't want to have to be the one to tell you."
"And I should have known exactly what it was for I had heard the talk, even before we left for Annuminas." Aragorn said, his voice low. Suddenly, Aragorn stared at Faramir. "You share this opinion?"
"No." Came the quick response, far too quick for Aragorn's comfort. "Yes and no."
Aragorn nodded and Faramir made to continue in an attempt to explain himself, but Aragorn raised a hand to stop him.
"Arwen is an elf. Elves do not bear many children, nor do they bear them at a convenient time. We have only been married for a little over five years – not long by far in elven terms." Aragorn began. He grew tired of having this conversation. "It will be when her body is ready that she will conceive and carry a child to its full term."
"And…if this does not happen in your lifetime?" Faramir loathed to say the words but he knew the Court would press the issue and he wanted to have a retort to shut them up when it happened.
"You and all that come from your line have been named my heirs." Aragorn answered with a small smile.
Faramir was taken aback and he visibly stumbled before recovering himself enough to speak. "When? How?"
"It was done when I returned from Annuminas." Aragorn answered slowly. "It is not well known and I wish it to remain that way. I don't want to give anyone any cause for fear that if Arwen never bears another child, the Kingdom will be left without an heir."
"Is that the case?" Faramir pressed, wondering if Aragorn was keeping something from him.
"No. She is perfectly capable of bearing children if her body permits and the Valar are kind."
Faramir could see Aragorn's quickly masked pain of remembering his lost child and the Steward immediately regretted bringing this new pressure to the King's attention so soon
"Well, I am honored for your trust but it is something that will never come to pass. Lady Arwen will bear you an heir and that is all I will tell anyone who dares to ask."
Aragorn smiled slightly. "Thank you Faramir. This new revelation does not change your opinion of my leading the army to wipe out the Haradhrim raiders?"
Faramir bowed his head. "No, My Lord."
"Then we must come to some sort of agreement then, because I am leading the army, and there is nothing that you or my Court can do to prevent this."
Faramir sighed and resumed his seat across from the King. The sun had just risen and Faramir yawned. It was going to be a very long day.
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After the day's meetings ended, Aragorn chose to vent some of his pent up frustration and anger out in the gardens, rather than return and lay it all on Arwen's shoulders. The life within the royal garden could always calm him if he settled down and listened to the whistling of their words. Ignoring all of the stone benches, and recently added elven ones, Aragorn took a seat among the flowers and the grass, leaning back to let their scent envelop him and send tendrils of calm into his body.
This is where the twins found him, laying sprawled in between one of the flower beds. Two sets of amused eyebrows raised and glanced down at their foster-brother. They could tell, by his uneven breathing, that he was not asleep – though his eyes were closed.
"Yes?" The twins jumped at Aragorn's question. Before they could answer, Aragorn opened one eye and then the other. "Think you that I've lost my Ranger skills in five short years as King?"
Elladan chuckled as the twins knelt beside their brother. "We don't mean to interrupt but we've heard about the especially long day you've had."
Aragorn sighed. "If I have to tell one more person about the ability of elves to conceive or argue with another governor about personally leading the army against the Haradhrim, heads are going to roll."
Elladan raised a curious eyebrow. "An Elves ability to conceive?" This was something that he had not heard of transpiring today.
Aragorn noted the shock on his brother's face and sighed. "Men are not as familiar with how an elf conceives a child so they expect Arwen to be carrying another any time now."
The twins winced.
"I'm frankly tired of hearing it. It wouldn't surprise me if it was the stress surrounding the White City that has prevented such a conception in the first place."
The twins could hear the strain and frustration in Aragorn's voice as they let him continue. It was best to let him vent here, than inside where more could overhear.
"This is nothing new to me. I understand what is happening. I grew up around elves. But I'm now tired of trying to explain it to others. What will be will be. I have made provisions in the case Arwen bears no other children. They can ask no more of me."
"They could." Elladan added, not really wanting to think of what could be asked of Aragorn should his Queen be unable to bear him an heir.
Aragorn glanced at Elladan, eyes hardening with even the mere thought. "I will abdicate the throne should they even suggest that I lay with another."
Elrohir nodded. "Your people are-"
"I have a duty to my people, yes, but I also have a duty to my wife. In this case, my duty is to my wife." Aragorn stated, refusing to believe any in his court would have the gall to ask this of him.
The twins nodded and fell silent. For a time, the wind was all that could be heard, whistling atop the trees, across the grass and through the flowerbeds. The sound soothed Aragorn's temper and relaxed him to the point of almost falling asleep on the grass. Instead, an amused grin greeted him when the door opened and Arwen stepped through, obviously also intent in taking in the fragrant air of the private garden.
The twins stood quickly, dusting themselves off before bending to kiss their sister and excusing themselves with mutterings of duties they had yet to attend.
Aragorn opened his arms and Arwen stared down at him before shaking her head and walking to one of the elegantly carved benches that lined the flowerbeds. Aragorn grunted, pushed himself to his feet and moved to join her.
She snuggled against his side when his arm came down on her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. His breath quickened when she pressed her lips to his neck and began to move her mouth in a gentle caress along the chord of muscle that she found there.
"Hmm, you should come out here more often," Aragorn muttered, the arm around her shoulder lifting to allow his hand to delve into her long, ebony hair.
"Catch you in the grass….with my brothers?" There was an amused lilt to her voice and when the pads of his fingers dipped through her hair to brush against the nape of her neck, she trembled.
"Well…."
Arwen pressed a finger to his lips and his free hand immediately caught hers and pressed it to his mouth. When their eyes met, a spark ignited between them and Arwen leaned closer, eager to receive his kiss.
She melted against him as their lips met and as their tongues began the ages old dance, Arwen slid slowly into his lap and locked her arms around his neck. After a few moments, she pulled away, stood and held out her hand.
He smiled warmly and slid rough, calloused hands into small, pale ones and followed her back to their chambers.
It was time for their lives to return to normal and resuming their physical relations was the last piece in a very large, complicated puzzle to be fit back into place.
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His hands trailed down the length of her arms, drawing the soft fabric of the simple chemise she wore down her shoulders. Rough, calloused hands brushed against her pale skin, drawing breathless sighs from her lips.
Arwen stood with her back to him as they stood at the entrance to a terrace that had been built off the King's master bedchambers.
"Come away, lest all of the city see what their King and Queen do to pleasure themselves." His heated whisper sent tremors down her spine and she leaned back against his chest.
His arms came around her to pull her into a tight embrace. When his mouth dropped to the pale skin of her neck, she whimpered, eyes fluttering shut as his lips gently passed across her skin.
"I don't care if the entire city sees us, Estel," Arwen smiled when he grunted against her skin. When she turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, she said with a smile. "Then they would see just how much we truly love one another."
"Was there ever any doubt?" He asked suddenly, his mood turning dark in remembrance of the last few months.
"Never, indonya," Arwen trailed a finger down his cheek and under a whiskered chin. "Never."
Before the last word was out of her mouth, he had bent to kiss her. Without breaking the kiss, he backed her toward their bed and removed the remainder of the garment from her shoulders. She lay in the middle of the cushions and raised her arms, beckoning him to join her.
He gazed down at her, eyes sparkling with boyish mischief and she chuckled.
"As much as I would like to undress you, my love. I think I will simply lay here and watch as you bare your body for me." Her voice had deepened with her own arousal as her hands dropped to the coverlet, covering not an inch of her own naked body from his eyes.
Aragorn grinned as his hands nimbly unfastened the buttons running the length of his velvet tunic. Arwen's eyes darkened as he let the tunic slip from his shoulders and began to unfasten the fastenings of the silk shirt beneath. She licked her lips as his chest was bared to her in the flickering candlelight. The fireplace burned brightly in the corner of the room, casting shadows across his lean body, highlighting each muscle and flashing it across the wall beside them.
"Is this good enough, my love?" Aragorn asked slowly, eyes searching Arwen's for any hint of permission to join her in bed.
"Not nearly," Arwen's eyes sparkled as she licked her lips. "I want you as bare as when you came into this world before you set one limb on my bed."
An amused eyebrow raised at the comment. "Your bed?"
Arwen grinned mischievously, flattened her hands against her stomach and began to twirl lazy circles along the bare skin.
Aragorn groaned and his eyes darkened. "Anything my wife desires." Slowly, his hands moved to the fastening of his breeches and he grinned as her eyes followed his fingers. When he slid the velvet down over his hips, he could see her sigh at the sight of his body completely bared before her hungry eyes.
When he moved to join her on the bed, her voice rang out. "Wait."
He stared down at her and – waited…the throbbing in his groin worsening with each passing second.
"I want to look at you."
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Many hours later, Arwen lay nestled against her husband's side, his arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Neither of them slept well, even after their rather passionate union. The coming war weighed heavily on their minds and neither wanted to ruin the perfect evening with talk of his leaving to lead the Goldorian army against the Haradhrim.
One hand slid over her shoulder to flatten against the back of her head, smoothing back the silky locks before tenderly removing stray strands of hair from her face.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked slowly.
Arwen rubbed her cheek comfortably against his bare chest and sighed, unsure if she really wanted to spoil their evening with unfounded concerns.
"You. Me. Us. Gondor." Arwen said quietly and smiled when he chuckled.
"It must be a trait for all elves to be vague."
When she lifted her head to stare into perfectly crystalline eyes, his smile faded and he brought both hands around to cup her cheeks. "Indonya?" He waited patiently for an answer, knowing it would come when she was good and ready.
When it didn't and she simply stared into his eyes, fingers caressing his chest, he leaned forward and silently pressed his lips to hers. She answered his kiss with one of such intense hunger it nearly stole away his breath.
"Love me, Estel." She murmured against his lips as she reached between them and removed any further barriers separating their bodies.
"Always," he whispered as their lips met in a passionate kiss that left them both breathless.
She sighed happily to find that he was as ready for her as she was for him. Soon, they were joined once more in a union that rocked more than just their bed. As they began the ages old dance, their souls merged and a small spark ignited within and fanned the flames of their passion.
Exhaustion converged upon them as their union solidified and they answered their bodies' call for release. They collapsed in one another's arms, utterly spent once again.
Aragorn opened his mouth to speak but slim fingers prevented the words to be voiced. "Tomorrow, my love. We will speak of it tomorrow."
Sleep and exhaustion overtook them quickly, as they settled into a comfortable embrace, Arwen's head pillowed atop his chest and arm draped casually across his waist.
Indeed they would speak tomorrow of the upcoming war – and of the long separation they would need to endure to ensure the safety and security of the Reunited Kingdom and its people.