MaverickGirl: Yeah Estel has got himself a problem.hope you like the new
chapter.
ThE iNsAnE oNe: I'm glad someone believes poor Estel he is going to need all the help he can get to figure out this mess.
arabella thorne: Can't tell you if he runs off you'll just have to read the chapter to find out (
BlackRose1356: I had thought about doing that.. but not quite yet.
Lapislazuli: Glad your enjoying the story.
Fantasia: I hate the upload process.is there a secret to make the paragraphs separate???? It's driving me nuts you should see how many times I've tried to fix that problem and it never works.or am I just upload dumb?
Entwater: Your review made me smile.that's for your support.
Chapter 5 The Breaking Point.
Tension grew as the days passed; Estel had stopped talking to his family all together. He hated the childish sentence that his ada had placed upon his head and he hated his brothers for helping enforce it, he had tried to sneak away several times in the past several days to go up and check on the people of the north. Yet each time he had thought that he had managed to get away, one of his brothers caught him and brought him back to Rivendell.
His dreams had grown worse, making it so he couldn't sleep at all for the images of the people now haunted him the minute he closed his eyes, not allowing him a moment of peace. The suffering and angst that he saw in his mind was worse as well, making him terrified to close his eyes at all, even for a brief amount of time. Causing dark circles to appear around his eyes.
Aragorn had also stopped eating regular meals. In fact he had stopped eating all together only eating when someone usually Legolas made him eat something. The food didn't stay down very long though.as soon as Legolas left him alone. Aragorn would throw it back up, because of the images in his head of the northern people eating bug infested food and dirty water.
As the days passed, Aragorn grew weaker and weaker from lack of food and rest.
********
"Estel are you in here?" Asked Legolas, as he poked his head into Aragorn's room late one night.
There was no answer, sighing Legolas started to close the door he had been looking everywhere for Aragorn. Taking one last look into the room Legolas shut the door. When the door closed a now very skinny Aragorn slide out from under the bed where he had been hiding. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, He just wanted to be left alone so that he could plan his escape.. he needed to succeed in his escape this time, the people wouldn't last much longer.and he knew that he also wouldn't last much longer if he didn't get the images out of his head soon.
Legolas bumped into Elrond down the hall from Estel's room, the elfin Lord was on his way to his youngest son's room to drug him so that he would sleep at least one night. Elrond had grown tired of watching his youngest son get worse and worse. He wanted in the worst way to let his son's punishment slide and allow the boy to go to the north but he knew that he could not, his son had to finish out his punishment.
"Legolas is Estel in his room?"
"No your grace I was just in there looking for him, I can't find him anywhere."
"He hasn't run off again I can sense that he is near perhaps he was hiding, come let us go look again. I'm going to need your help anyways."
"What are you going to do to him?"
"He hasn't been sleeping, he is exhausted I can tell by his haunted appearance. The images in his head have grown worse I can tell even though he isn't talking to me about it. I hear him screaming at night, and by the time I get here he has gone and hidden himself somewhere so that I can't find him."
"I hear him also your grace, I don't know how much longer he can take it.I hope Gandalf arrives from the north soon. Carrying good news.. if it is bad news I don't know what Aragorn is going to do."
"So we are going to drug him tonight Legolas, he needs rest.and hopefully with some help he will be able to get some much needed sleep."
"What about his nightmares? Even drugged won't they still haunt him?"
"Yes they probably will, but he needs to sleep through them if they are ever going to leave him maybe if he sees the end of it, he will realize that it has all been just a dream."
"What if it's not. what if when Gandalf gets here we find out that it was all real? What then?"
"We will deal with that if and when the times comes."
The pair made their way back to Aragorn's room as they talked. As they got closer they could hear Aragorn rustling around inside the room. Without knocking, Elrond pushed the door open. Aragorn jumped about twenty feet as his door was opened, turning he glared at his ada. Elrond gasped in shock, as this was the first time in quite sometime that he had been close to his son. Aragorn looked horrible, his normal strong appearance was gone instead he looked sickly like he would fall over if he was just touched wrong. His face held black circles under his eyes. His build, was all but gone, his skin practically hung off his bones.
"What do you want?" Aragorn snapped.
Motioning to Legolas to get out of the doorway Elrond stepped forward, Legolas came to stand next to him.
"Estel this is for your own good."
Aragorn jumped back and tried to run, he knew what was coming and he didn't want any part of it. He didn't make it very far before Legolas pounced on him and tangled him to the ground. Elrond stepped forward,
"Do not be angry with Legolas Estel for I made him do it.this is for your own good my son you need sleep.and tonight you will get sleep."
Aragorn thrashed around terrified he didn't want sleep he couldn't sleep the images.. Why were his father and friend trying to hurt him? Crying out Aragorn continued to push against Legolas, normally he probably would have been able to get out from under his friend, though since he had lost weight it was impossible.
Tears streamed down Aragorn's face as he fought with Legolas. Matching tears streamed down both Elrond and Legolas's faces. Both couldn't stand the fact that they were going to cause Aragorn pain.. but it had to be done. Stepping forward, Elrond leaned down and pinched Estel's nose closed, waiting for his human son to open his mouth so that he could pour the medicine down his throat.
Aragorn tried to hold his breath. in fact he held it until spots started to dance before his eyes. Realizing that he couldn't hold his breath any longer he clenched his jaw together and opened his lips, sucking air in between his teeth. Seeing what Aragorn was doing Legolas reached up and applied gentle pressure to Estel's jawbone forcing it open. When his jaw opened Elrond quickly poured the potion into his mouth. When he was done he forced Aragorn's mouth closed.
"Swallow it Estel."
Aragorn continued to fight, but in the end the elves won and he swallowed the drug. Elrond and Legolas released him then.
Aragorn tried to stand but the drug was very fast at working and he collapsed back down to the ground. Bending down Elrond scooped Aragorn up into his arms. Since the last time Elrond had carried Estel only days before, the boy had lost an alarming amount of weight. Carrying the boy to his bed Elrond gently got him ready for bed, Aragorn watched Elrond through a dazed fog in his mind.he was still awake for the moment, but he could tell that he would soon be back into the world of nightmares. Swallowing hard Aragorn tried to stop the tears that still continued to fall down his cheeks, but found that to be impossible. He was hurt, his ada and best friend had hurt him whether they had meant to or not they had and now he had to go back to the nightmares. Slowly his eyes slipped shut.
~~~~~~~~~
He stood alone; the town was completely empty no one had survived. Bodies' lay at his feet most had already started decomposing. Birds had eaten the eyes out of the dead and now empty sockets stood where the people's eyes had once been. Bugs crawled in and out of the peoples decomposed bodies.
Several bodies lay in now dry puddles of their own blood and guts, which had been spilled from their bodies in their all out fight to the death to be free. Yet no one had survived it had all been just one big giant Massacre the whole town was dead.
Slowly he walked through the town, trying his hardest not to look at the hundreds of bodies that covered the ground the bodies of men, woman, and children. When he reached the center of town he was sickened to discover a sight that was even more sickening then anything else that he had seen. Several bodies had been strung up on poles and burned. Their carcasses charred and disfigured still hanging up for all to see. Taking a closer look, it was plain to see that the people had still been alive when they had been hung up there to die.
Stumbling into one of the nearby houses that still stood, he found more bodies. The people had been massacred in their homes while they slept.
~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn shifted on the bed and cried out as his nightmare came to life; right from the get co it was far worse then the others. In the past the people all still lived, the suffered but they lived. However, in this dream the people where all dead right from the start, they had all died a most painful death, and there where no survivors. Aragorn cried out again, trying to struggle out of his dream.
Taking a damp cool cloth, Legolas washed Aragorn's face where sweat had began to form. Looking up at the elfin lord that sat on the other side of Aragorn's bed looking very worried. Aragorn's body temperature had begun to rise.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Crying out he turned and fled from the building, and ran out of the town. He didn't stop until he was at least a hundred yards away, and then he collapsed. He had been too late the people were all dead; he had been to late to save them. The men, women and children were all dead because he had acted like a child and had there for been punished like one making it so he wasn't able to save them. He wept, were he fell long after night had fallen.
He finally pushed himself up as the ground started to shake and tremble. The ground lifted beneath his feet, throwing him several yards away. As the ground shook, he was startled to find that he heard screaming coming from within. Thinking it to be the underworld he cried out and jumped back. The dead spirits of the dead were surfacing and coming after him to punish him for not making it in time. Screaming he looked towards the heavens.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn shot up in bed, his eyes wide open with fright, his lips held a silent scream that never quite made it out of his throat. Tears streamed down his face as he trembled with fear. Elrond wasted no time and quickly pulled Estel into his arms hoping to calm his young son. Aragorn pushed against his ada and started to cry harder as arms wrapped around him.. as he was still locked in his nightmare.all he saw was hundreds of dead bodies climbing out of the ground coming after him.
Elrond continued to try and comfort his upset son.
"Shhh Estel it was just a dream, you are safe nothing will harm you here.. calm down my son.. Shhh.. Shhh.Shhh."
As Elrond rocked him back and forth Legolas watched from the other side of the bed. He vowed at that moment that he would refuse to let Aragorn go up north alone when the time came. If the horror that Aragorn saw in his dreams was reality then Legolas didn't want his young friend to have to face it alone. He didn't think that Aragorn would make it, if the pain as real.
"Easy little one you are safe.. try and relax ada's got you."
Slowly the folds of his nightmare subsided and Aragorn realized that he was safe, at home in Rivendell in his ada's arms. It had all been a horrible dream, the worst one so far. The dead still fresh on his mind. Aragorn tried to relax into his ada's arms but found that the memory of the nightmare and pain that he felt was still all too near.
But soon, the lords signing won over and Estel allowed his body to relax.
When Aragorn finally seemed to have relaxed Elrond moved to place him back into his bed. Yet, even in his somewhat drugged state that Aragorn was in, he refused to be placed back down in his bed and wrapped his arms and legs around his adopted father. Elrond tried to pry his son off of him, but Aragorn held on like a vise.
The night passed slowly for the three in Estel's room, Aragorn had refused time and again to let go of his ada, it wasn't until early in the morning when his exhaustion from the drug started to win over and he allowed Legolas to take him from his ada and hold him in his arms for a little while so that Elrond could stretch and move about freely for a little bit.
However the peace was short lived and as the sun rose up the next morning and the drug wore off. Aragorn was in a terrible mood, the nightmare once again fresh on his mind. He pushed out of Legolas's lap, humiliated at being treated like a child. And flashed an all to familiar look at Elrond.
"What do you think you are doing in here.I told you I don't want to talk to you.?"
"Estel.you needed your rest.. it was the only way.."
"That wasn't fair LORD ELROND you sent me to hell last night.. All the people were dead.. every last one of them. Even he women and the children, I'm going to be haunted by what I saw for years."
Elrond recoiled as thought slapped, Aragorn had never referred to him as Lord Elrond in that "I hate you" voice before. Sure he had called him as a lord before when it wasn't safe to call Elrond ada, but never had he said it like this.
"Estel, I've told you before that it isn't real.it is you destiny to full fill certain things in the future.you are probably just seeing images that you mind has cooked up as to what will happen if you do not full fill your destiny."
"I can no longer wait for the wizard or my punishment to come to an end.I am leaving and there is nothing that you can do to stop me.I must know if the people suffer."
"Do not take that tone with me, young man! And I beg your pardon but you will stay and finish out your punishment.and you will stay here until Gandalf has arrived and told us of the news of the north, and even then.. I will send a group of my best soldiers to go take care of the problem.. as you will be staying here!"
"Who do you think you are to make the future King do as you say?"
Without answering, Elrond reached out and grabbed Aragorn's arm and pulled him to his feet. Before he dragged him out the door.
He took Estel through the great house, and into the northern wing. With Aragorn fighting him all the way.
"Let me go. I don't have to do as you say! You are beneath me." He yelled at the elf lord causing quite a scene.
Elrond stopped at the end of the hall and opened a door, pulling Estel into the room.
"You have left me with little choice young man.your behavior is unacceptable.I have tried to be patient with you and your past several escape attempts but this mornings little out burst finally crossed the line. As I have told you.you will stay here. You are now grounded for a month! You will spend the first half of that time here in this room. Meals will be brought to you three times a day but that is it. I will be in to talk to you each day, if your attitude improves you will be allowed back to your room and the rest of the house but if it does not improve we will have to have a deeper discussion. Now think about your attitude and I will see you later tonight."
With that Elrond stood and walked from the room, locking the door on his way out. When Elrond was gone, Aragorn slammed his fist into the wall closet to him; he was really in a fix now.why had he been so stupid as to say half of what he had just said. Looking around the room that was to be his prison for the next several days he was surprised to find a balcony.
Stepping out onto it he found that he ground was quite a ways below him, and he knew if he were to jump or fall he would never survive the landing. Walking back into the room he headed over to the bed and sat down.. he wished that he could sleep.it had almost been a week since he had gotten even ten minutes of pleasant sleep and almost two months since he had been able to sleep through the night without waking up from a nightmare.
Anger flashed through his mind again and within minutes the room was torn apart. As a child's tantrum came over him. When all his energy was spent, Aragorn sat down in the center of the room and wept. maybe everyone was right he was just a child..
*************
The great wizard Gandalf the gray arrived later that morning, with him traveled several rangers. The seven of them road up to the gates of Imladris all upon the back of great brown horses, a gift from the riders of Rohan.
"Gandalf it is wonderful to see you again.what has it been two years since you where last in Imladris?"
Lord Elrond held out his hand in greeting.
"Indeed it has been far to long old friend, I just wish that this visit could be on better circumstances. I fear that we must speak to Aragorn at once there is little time to lose."
"Estel isn't available at this moment, but please come inside and have some food and we will talk about what going on.."
"I was told that Aragorn was waiting here for my council.. We must speak with him. The fates of the people of the north depend on it."
"Please come in make your self at home, I will see if I can track Estel down for you."
As Elrond turned Gandalf grabbed his arm,
"He is being punished? Tell me my friend what did he do this time?"
"Gandalf it does not matter, however I am still very angry at him. I will allow him to speak to you and the rangers but I have forbid him to go anywhere.if there is a problem I will send my soldiers, Estel stays here."
Gandalf nodded before turning back to the rangers.
********************
When Elrond entered the room where he had left Estel only hours before he found the young man cleaning up what was now left of the room, Aragorn stopped what he was doing and stood up straight waiting to hear what Elrond would say.
Noticing the great change in the human from the bratty little boy of this morning to the young respectful man that stood before him now, made Elrond smile.
"Gandalf arrived a few minuets ago with several of the rangers from the north, he wishes to speak with you."
"Ada? Please can you forgive me for the way I spoke to you this morning it was uncalled for and I'm so sorry.I was upset."
"Oh Estel, you're already forgiven.. I know that you didn't mean the things you said. It must be hard on you to have to see the things that you see night after night, but now we can find out if it is real or if it has all just been a dream. Come let us go speak to Gandalf. but first why don't you go stop by your room and get dressed.that is unless you want the rangers and Gandalf to see your sleep clothes?"
Nodding Aragorn ran off to get dressed.
*************
Only moments later, Aragorn was downstairs he was dressed in his normal black garb, yet wore no shoes.
"Gandalf it is a pleasure to see you again.please tell me that you bring good news."
Gandalf smiled, he quickly embraced the boy.
"I wish that it could be, my young friend however it is not.. perhaps it would be best for you to sit for this." Nodding, Aragorn as well as Elrond, who stood behind him sat down. Along with Legolas and the twins who had just entered the room in hopes of hearing what was going on.
"The people of the north are dying soon they will not exist at all, sickness plagues them and all the weak are dying. The strong and healthy ones have been taken away.to where we don't know. Hiram."
Gandalf indicated to one of the rangers behind him
"Hiram tracked the enemy and several of the people as far as the crossing of Erul in Gondor before the enemy was lost."
"Gandalf why is he taking the people what does he want with them.?"
"Aragorn, he takes them because he is looking for someone.. he believes that the people of the north know where to find Isildur heir.he is looking for you. You are no longer safe."
Legolas stood,
"Gandalf the people only know him as strider ranger of the north they know nothing of who he really is."
"There is one who knows the truth. Gandalf is right I am no longer safe."
*Finals have been a killer, I have been so busy that I haven't really had time to work on the story.but I wanted to give you a little something. Before I go home and back to work next week.. I don't know when I'll be able to update again. But I will try to get to a computer to update at least once a week, here on out for the rest of the summer. (
ThE iNsAnE oNe: I'm glad someone believes poor Estel he is going to need all the help he can get to figure out this mess.
arabella thorne: Can't tell you if he runs off you'll just have to read the chapter to find out (
BlackRose1356: I had thought about doing that.. but not quite yet.
Lapislazuli: Glad your enjoying the story.
Fantasia: I hate the upload process.is there a secret to make the paragraphs separate???? It's driving me nuts you should see how many times I've tried to fix that problem and it never works.or am I just upload dumb?
Entwater: Your review made me smile.that's for your support.
Chapter 5 The Breaking Point.
Tension grew as the days passed; Estel had stopped talking to his family all together. He hated the childish sentence that his ada had placed upon his head and he hated his brothers for helping enforce it, he had tried to sneak away several times in the past several days to go up and check on the people of the north. Yet each time he had thought that he had managed to get away, one of his brothers caught him and brought him back to Rivendell.
His dreams had grown worse, making it so he couldn't sleep at all for the images of the people now haunted him the minute he closed his eyes, not allowing him a moment of peace. The suffering and angst that he saw in his mind was worse as well, making him terrified to close his eyes at all, even for a brief amount of time. Causing dark circles to appear around his eyes.
Aragorn had also stopped eating regular meals. In fact he had stopped eating all together only eating when someone usually Legolas made him eat something. The food didn't stay down very long though.as soon as Legolas left him alone. Aragorn would throw it back up, because of the images in his head of the northern people eating bug infested food and dirty water.
As the days passed, Aragorn grew weaker and weaker from lack of food and rest.
********
"Estel are you in here?" Asked Legolas, as he poked his head into Aragorn's room late one night.
There was no answer, sighing Legolas started to close the door he had been looking everywhere for Aragorn. Taking one last look into the room Legolas shut the door. When the door closed a now very skinny Aragorn slide out from under the bed where he had been hiding. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, He just wanted to be left alone so that he could plan his escape.. he needed to succeed in his escape this time, the people wouldn't last much longer.and he knew that he also wouldn't last much longer if he didn't get the images out of his head soon.
Legolas bumped into Elrond down the hall from Estel's room, the elfin Lord was on his way to his youngest son's room to drug him so that he would sleep at least one night. Elrond had grown tired of watching his youngest son get worse and worse. He wanted in the worst way to let his son's punishment slide and allow the boy to go to the north but he knew that he could not, his son had to finish out his punishment.
"Legolas is Estel in his room?"
"No your grace I was just in there looking for him, I can't find him anywhere."
"He hasn't run off again I can sense that he is near perhaps he was hiding, come let us go look again. I'm going to need your help anyways."
"What are you going to do to him?"
"He hasn't been sleeping, he is exhausted I can tell by his haunted appearance. The images in his head have grown worse I can tell even though he isn't talking to me about it. I hear him screaming at night, and by the time I get here he has gone and hidden himself somewhere so that I can't find him."
"I hear him also your grace, I don't know how much longer he can take it.I hope Gandalf arrives from the north soon. Carrying good news.. if it is bad news I don't know what Aragorn is going to do."
"So we are going to drug him tonight Legolas, he needs rest.and hopefully with some help he will be able to get some much needed sleep."
"What about his nightmares? Even drugged won't they still haunt him?"
"Yes they probably will, but he needs to sleep through them if they are ever going to leave him maybe if he sees the end of it, he will realize that it has all been just a dream."
"What if it's not. what if when Gandalf gets here we find out that it was all real? What then?"
"We will deal with that if and when the times comes."
The pair made their way back to Aragorn's room as they talked. As they got closer they could hear Aragorn rustling around inside the room. Without knocking, Elrond pushed the door open. Aragorn jumped about twenty feet as his door was opened, turning he glared at his ada. Elrond gasped in shock, as this was the first time in quite sometime that he had been close to his son. Aragorn looked horrible, his normal strong appearance was gone instead he looked sickly like he would fall over if he was just touched wrong. His face held black circles under his eyes. His build, was all but gone, his skin practically hung off his bones.
"What do you want?" Aragorn snapped.
Motioning to Legolas to get out of the doorway Elrond stepped forward, Legolas came to stand next to him.
"Estel this is for your own good."
Aragorn jumped back and tried to run, he knew what was coming and he didn't want any part of it. He didn't make it very far before Legolas pounced on him and tangled him to the ground. Elrond stepped forward,
"Do not be angry with Legolas Estel for I made him do it.this is for your own good my son you need sleep.and tonight you will get sleep."
Aragorn thrashed around terrified he didn't want sleep he couldn't sleep the images.. Why were his father and friend trying to hurt him? Crying out Aragorn continued to push against Legolas, normally he probably would have been able to get out from under his friend, though since he had lost weight it was impossible.
Tears streamed down Aragorn's face as he fought with Legolas. Matching tears streamed down both Elrond and Legolas's faces. Both couldn't stand the fact that they were going to cause Aragorn pain.. but it had to be done. Stepping forward, Elrond leaned down and pinched Estel's nose closed, waiting for his human son to open his mouth so that he could pour the medicine down his throat.
Aragorn tried to hold his breath. in fact he held it until spots started to dance before his eyes. Realizing that he couldn't hold his breath any longer he clenched his jaw together and opened his lips, sucking air in between his teeth. Seeing what Aragorn was doing Legolas reached up and applied gentle pressure to Estel's jawbone forcing it open. When his jaw opened Elrond quickly poured the potion into his mouth. When he was done he forced Aragorn's mouth closed.
"Swallow it Estel."
Aragorn continued to fight, but in the end the elves won and he swallowed the drug. Elrond and Legolas released him then.
Aragorn tried to stand but the drug was very fast at working and he collapsed back down to the ground. Bending down Elrond scooped Aragorn up into his arms. Since the last time Elrond had carried Estel only days before, the boy had lost an alarming amount of weight. Carrying the boy to his bed Elrond gently got him ready for bed, Aragorn watched Elrond through a dazed fog in his mind.he was still awake for the moment, but he could tell that he would soon be back into the world of nightmares. Swallowing hard Aragorn tried to stop the tears that still continued to fall down his cheeks, but found that to be impossible. He was hurt, his ada and best friend had hurt him whether they had meant to or not they had and now he had to go back to the nightmares. Slowly his eyes slipped shut.
~~~~~~~~~
He stood alone; the town was completely empty no one had survived. Bodies' lay at his feet most had already started decomposing. Birds had eaten the eyes out of the dead and now empty sockets stood where the people's eyes had once been. Bugs crawled in and out of the peoples decomposed bodies.
Several bodies lay in now dry puddles of their own blood and guts, which had been spilled from their bodies in their all out fight to the death to be free. Yet no one had survived it had all been just one big giant Massacre the whole town was dead.
Slowly he walked through the town, trying his hardest not to look at the hundreds of bodies that covered the ground the bodies of men, woman, and children. When he reached the center of town he was sickened to discover a sight that was even more sickening then anything else that he had seen. Several bodies had been strung up on poles and burned. Their carcasses charred and disfigured still hanging up for all to see. Taking a closer look, it was plain to see that the people had still been alive when they had been hung up there to die.
Stumbling into one of the nearby houses that still stood, he found more bodies. The people had been massacred in their homes while they slept.
~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn shifted on the bed and cried out as his nightmare came to life; right from the get co it was far worse then the others. In the past the people all still lived, the suffered but they lived. However, in this dream the people where all dead right from the start, they had all died a most painful death, and there where no survivors. Aragorn cried out again, trying to struggle out of his dream.
Taking a damp cool cloth, Legolas washed Aragorn's face where sweat had began to form. Looking up at the elfin lord that sat on the other side of Aragorn's bed looking very worried. Aragorn's body temperature had begun to rise.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Crying out he turned and fled from the building, and ran out of the town. He didn't stop until he was at least a hundred yards away, and then he collapsed. He had been too late the people were all dead; he had been to late to save them. The men, women and children were all dead because he had acted like a child and had there for been punished like one making it so he wasn't able to save them. He wept, were he fell long after night had fallen.
He finally pushed himself up as the ground started to shake and tremble. The ground lifted beneath his feet, throwing him several yards away. As the ground shook, he was startled to find that he heard screaming coming from within. Thinking it to be the underworld he cried out and jumped back. The dead spirits of the dead were surfacing and coming after him to punish him for not making it in time. Screaming he looked towards the heavens.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn shot up in bed, his eyes wide open with fright, his lips held a silent scream that never quite made it out of his throat. Tears streamed down his face as he trembled with fear. Elrond wasted no time and quickly pulled Estel into his arms hoping to calm his young son. Aragorn pushed against his ada and started to cry harder as arms wrapped around him.. as he was still locked in his nightmare.all he saw was hundreds of dead bodies climbing out of the ground coming after him.
Elrond continued to try and comfort his upset son.
"Shhh Estel it was just a dream, you are safe nothing will harm you here.. calm down my son.. Shhh.. Shhh.Shhh."
As Elrond rocked him back and forth Legolas watched from the other side of the bed. He vowed at that moment that he would refuse to let Aragorn go up north alone when the time came. If the horror that Aragorn saw in his dreams was reality then Legolas didn't want his young friend to have to face it alone. He didn't think that Aragorn would make it, if the pain as real.
"Easy little one you are safe.. try and relax ada's got you."
Slowly the folds of his nightmare subsided and Aragorn realized that he was safe, at home in Rivendell in his ada's arms. It had all been a horrible dream, the worst one so far. The dead still fresh on his mind. Aragorn tried to relax into his ada's arms but found that the memory of the nightmare and pain that he felt was still all too near.
But soon, the lords signing won over and Estel allowed his body to relax.
When Aragorn finally seemed to have relaxed Elrond moved to place him back into his bed. Yet, even in his somewhat drugged state that Aragorn was in, he refused to be placed back down in his bed and wrapped his arms and legs around his adopted father. Elrond tried to pry his son off of him, but Aragorn held on like a vise.
The night passed slowly for the three in Estel's room, Aragorn had refused time and again to let go of his ada, it wasn't until early in the morning when his exhaustion from the drug started to win over and he allowed Legolas to take him from his ada and hold him in his arms for a little while so that Elrond could stretch and move about freely for a little bit.
However the peace was short lived and as the sun rose up the next morning and the drug wore off. Aragorn was in a terrible mood, the nightmare once again fresh on his mind. He pushed out of Legolas's lap, humiliated at being treated like a child. And flashed an all to familiar look at Elrond.
"What do you think you are doing in here.I told you I don't want to talk to you.?"
"Estel.you needed your rest.. it was the only way.."
"That wasn't fair LORD ELROND you sent me to hell last night.. All the people were dead.. every last one of them. Even he women and the children, I'm going to be haunted by what I saw for years."
Elrond recoiled as thought slapped, Aragorn had never referred to him as Lord Elrond in that "I hate you" voice before. Sure he had called him as a lord before when it wasn't safe to call Elrond ada, but never had he said it like this.
"Estel, I've told you before that it isn't real.it is you destiny to full fill certain things in the future.you are probably just seeing images that you mind has cooked up as to what will happen if you do not full fill your destiny."
"I can no longer wait for the wizard or my punishment to come to an end.I am leaving and there is nothing that you can do to stop me.I must know if the people suffer."
"Do not take that tone with me, young man! And I beg your pardon but you will stay and finish out your punishment.and you will stay here until Gandalf has arrived and told us of the news of the north, and even then.. I will send a group of my best soldiers to go take care of the problem.. as you will be staying here!"
"Who do you think you are to make the future King do as you say?"
Without answering, Elrond reached out and grabbed Aragorn's arm and pulled him to his feet. Before he dragged him out the door.
He took Estel through the great house, and into the northern wing. With Aragorn fighting him all the way.
"Let me go. I don't have to do as you say! You are beneath me." He yelled at the elf lord causing quite a scene.
Elrond stopped at the end of the hall and opened a door, pulling Estel into the room.
"You have left me with little choice young man.your behavior is unacceptable.I have tried to be patient with you and your past several escape attempts but this mornings little out burst finally crossed the line. As I have told you.you will stay here. You are now grounded for a month! You will spend the first half of that time here in this room. Meals will be brought to you three times a day but that is it. I will be in to talk to you each day, if your attitude improves you will be allowed back to your room and the rest of the house but if it does not improve we will have to have a deeper discussion. Now think about your attitude and I will see you later tonight."
With that Elrond stood and walked from the room, locking the door on his way out. When Elrond was gone, Aragorn slammed his fist into the wall closet to him; he was really in a fix now.why had he been so stupid as to say half of what he had just said. Looking around the room that was to be his prison for the next several days he was surprised to find a balcony.
Stepping out onto it he found that he ground was quite a ways below him, and he knew if he were to jump or fall he would never survive the landing. Walking back into the room he headed over to the bed and sat down.. he wished that he could sleep.it had almost been a week since he had gotten even ten minutes of pleasant sleep and almost two months since he had been able to sleep through the night without waking up from a nightmare.
Anger flashed through his mind again and within minutes the room was torn apart. As a child's tantrum came over him. When all his energy was spent, Aragorn sat down in the center of the room and wept. maybe everyone was right he was just a child..
*************
The great wizard Gandalf the gray arrived later that morning, with him traveled several rangers. The seven of them road up to the gates of Imladris all upon the back of great brown horses, a gift from the riders of Rohan.
"Gandalf it is wonderful to see you again.what has it been two years since you where last in Imladris?"
Lord Elrond held out his hand in greeting.
"Indeed it has been far to long old friend, I just wish that this visit could be on better circumstances. I fear that we must speak to Aragorn at once there is little time to lose."
"Estel isn't available at this moment, but please come inside and have some food and we will talk about what going on.."
"I was told that Aragorn was waiting here for my council.. We must speak with him. The fates of the people of the north depend on it."
"Please come in make your self at home, I will see if I can track Estel down for you."
As Elrond turned Gandalf grabbed his arm,
"He is being punished? Tell me my friend what did he do this time?"
"Gandalf it does not matter, however I am still very angry at him. I will allow him to speak to you and the rangers but I have forbid him to go anywhere.if there is a problem I will send my soldiers, Estel stays here."
Gandalf nodded before turning back to the rangers.
********************
When Elrond entered the room where he had left Estel only hours before he found the young man cleaning up what was now left of the room, Aragorn stopped what he was doing and stood up straight waiting to hear what Elrond would say.
Noticing the great change in the human from the bratty little boy of this morning to the young respectful man that stood before him now, made Elrond smile.
"Gandalf arrived a few minuets ago with several of the rangers from the north, he wishes to speak with you."
"Ada? Please can you forgive me for the way I spoke to you this morning it was uncalled for and I'm so sorry.I was upset."
"Oh Estel, you're already forgiven.. I know that you didn't mean the things you said. It must be hard on you to have to see the things that you see night after night, but now we can find out if it is real or if it has all just been a dream. Come let us go speak to Gandalf. but first why don't you go stop by your room and get dressed.that is unless you want the rangers and Gandalf to see your sleep clothes?"
Nodding Aragorn ran off to get dressed.
*************
Only moments later, Aragorn was downstairs he was dressed in his normal black garb, yet wore no shoes.
"Gandalf it is a pleasure to see you again.please tell me that you bring good news."
Gandalf smiled, he quickly embraced the boy.
"I wish that it could be, my young friend however it is not.. perhaps it would be best for you to sit for this." Nodding, Aragorn as well as Elrond, who stood behind him sat down. Along with Legolas and the twins who had just entered the room in hopes of hearing what was going on.
"The people of the north are dying soon they will not exist at all, sickness plagues them and all the weak are dying. The strong and healthy ones have been taken away.to where we don't know. Hiram."
Gandalf indicated to one of the rangers behind him
"Hiram tracked the enemy and several of the people as far as the crossing of Erul in Gondor before the enemy was lost."
"Gandalf why is he taking the people what does he want with them.?"
"Aragorn, he takes them because he is looking for someone.. he believes that the people of the north know where to find Isildur heir.he is looking for you. You are no longer safe."
Legolas stood,
"Gandalf the people only know him as strider ranger of the north they know nothing of who he really is."
"There is one who knows the truth. Gandalf is right I am no longer safe."
*Finals have been a killer, I have been so busy that I haven't really had time to work on the story.but I wanted to give you a little something. Before I go home and back to work next week.. I don't know when I'll be able to update again. But I will try to get to a computer to update at least once a week, here on out for the rest of the summer. (