Summary: Another 'How Aragorn and Legolas meet' story. Not Slash.
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine… The story idea is not original… I just hope you like it
A/N 1) This is a fairly short chapter… I don't know how this story suddenly turned into being quite so depressing but hopefully if this is short then I can soon get over it, and pull this story back to being quite a happy story. I'll try and write a more happy chapter tomorrow (so I might actually update twice in a week *gasp*
~*~
Chapter 8
Elrond had led the twins in silence to his study, and from there out onto the balcony where they watched in silence as the pinks of dawn gave way to the light of day. With an inaudible sigh Elrond turned back to face the last homely house. The twins, though desperate for information, refrained from questioning their father knowing that until he was ready they would get nothing from him.
"One of the Dunedain did not survive through the night," said Elrond finally. "All of the others who came with him lived, but I was unable to keep him here." Elladan and Elrohir exchanged a glance as they moved to embrace and offer support to their father. It was rare, though not unheard of – at least among the elves, for Elrond to lose a patient. However their father's manner seemed to mark this desk as even more significant than most.
"Who was it Ada?" asked Elladan gently.
"An uncle of Estel," replied Elrond after a while no longer focusing his gaze anywhere in particular.
"Ada, the Dunedain are fairly inbred," said Elrohir hoping to lighten the mood. "Quite a number of the northern rangers could claim to be somehow related to Estel. Even you can claim that you are his uncle, though we would need a halfling to tell us how many times removed."
Elrond managed a small smile at his son's attempt to cheer him up. It was true that he was Estel's uncle, and that the twins were also Estel's cousins but he normally didn't allow himself to think about such things as they reminded him to much of the path his own twin had chosen. "This was not just another Dunedain," he spoke softly though the twins heard every word. "The one who died was Gilraen's older brother. There is no clear leader now amongst the men, though they shall not suffer greatly for it. However what concerns me is that Estel no longer has any close family. When he first rides with Dunedain I would like the two of you to accompany him."
"Will he accept us Ada?" asked Elrohir.
"Surely he would tell us that he can cope well enough on his own," said Elladan in agreement with his twin.
"Very well then," said Elrond, "What other way might we approach this?" He had thought about this since the man's death during the night and could see no other way to protect his third son from such dangers when he joined the rangers. And there was no way to keep Estel from becoming a ranger if Elrond wanted him to become the king that was in his blood.
For a while there was silence as the three elves tried to think of some alternative. "We had already hoped to take Legolas out for a week to spend time in the woods. Could we not bring Estel with us? So that his training might begin in the safety of these borders," suggested Elladan.
Elrohir nodded at his twin agreeing with the idea. "It is nearly Estel's birthday. We could invite him along as a present, you know he has been wanting to come with us since he got here."
Elrond nodded his consent. It was a good solution to the problem for now. "Promise me you will take care of ion nin?" he asked them. The twins promised in unison and Elrond smiled at them.
Drawing a deep breath he stepped away from his sons. "Come Estel will have almost finished eating by now, and I do not want him to think we are avoiding him at meal times." Though there was sadness in his voice, as he remembered the life lost, the twins could see some of the stress had been taken from him.
~*~
A/N 2) Elvish used in this chapter:
Ada- dad, daddy.
Ion nin- my son
A/N 3) The Dunedain might not be that inbred, but there aren't many of them, and outsiders do not trust them much, and if the line of the kings is to stay as "pure" as possible I'm assuming their might have been some marriages between cousins.
A/N 4) I don't know that Gilraen had any brothers or sisters, I'm only guessing. The reason I chose her and not Arathorn to have a brother is that I didn't want any challenger for Estel's line to the throne.
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine… The story idea is not original… I just hope you like it
A/N 1) This is a fairly short chapter… I don't know how this story suddenly turned into being quite so depressing but hopefully if this is short then I can soon get over it, and pull this story back to being quite a happy story. I'll try and write a more happy chapter tomorrow (so I might actually update twice in a week *gasp*
~*~
Chapter 8
Elrond had led the twins in silence to his study, and from there out onto the balcony where they watched in silence as the pinks of dawn gave way to the light of day. With an inaudible sigh Elrond turned back to face the last homely house. The twins, though desperate for information, refrained from questioning their father knowing that until he was ready they would get nothing from him.
"One of the Dunedain did not survive through the night," said Elrond finally. "All of the others who came with him lived, but I was unable to keep him here." Elladan and Elrohir exchanged a glance as they moved to embrace and offer support to their father. It was rare, though not unheard of – at least among the elves, for Elrond to lose a patient. However their father's manner seemed to mark this desk as even more significant than most.
"Who was it Ada?" asked Elladan gently.
"An uncle of Estel," replied Elrond after a while no longer focusing his gaze anywhere in particular.
"Ada, the Dunedain are fairly inbred," said Elrohir hoping to lighten the mood. "Quite a number of the northern rangers could claim to be somehow related to Estel. Even you can claim that you are his uncle, though we would need a halfling to tell us how many times removed."
Elrond managed a small smile at his son's attempt to cheer him up. It was true that he was Estel's uncle, and that the twins were also Estel's cousins but he normally didn't allow himself to think about such things as they reminded him to much of the path his own twin had chosen. "This was not just another Dunedain," he spoke softly though the twins heard every word. "The one who died was Gilraen's older brother. There is no clear leader now amongst the men, though they shall not suffer greatly for it. However what concerns me is that Estel no longer has any close family. When he first rides with Dunedain I would like the two of you to accompany him."
"Will he accept us Ada?" asked Elrohir.
"Surely he would tell us that he can cope well enough on his own," said Elladan in agreement with his twin.
"Very well then," said Elrond, "What other way might we approach this?" He had thought about this since the man's death during the night and could see no other way to protect his third son from such dangers when he joined the rangers. And there was no way to keep Estel from becoming a ranger if Elrond wanted him to become the king that was in his blood.
For a while there was silence as the three elves tried to think of some alternative. "We had already hoped to take Legolas out for a week to spend time in the woods. Could we not bring Estel with us? So that his training might begin in the safety of these borders," suggested Elladan.
Elrohir nodded at his twin agreeing with the idea. "It is nearly Estel's birthday. We could invite him along as a present, you know he has been wanting to come with us since he got here."
Elrond nodded his consent. It was a good solution to the problem for now. "Promise me you will take care of ion nin?" he asked them. The twins promised in unison and Elrond smiled at them.
Drawing a deep breath he stepped away from his sons. "Come Estel will have almost finished eating by now, and I do not want him to think we are avoiding him at meal times." Though there was sadness in his voice, as he remembered the life lost, the twins could see some of the stress had been taken from him.
~*~
A/N 2) Elvish used in this chapter:
Ada- dad, daddy.
Ion nin- my son
A/N 3) The Dunedain might not be that inbred, but there aren't many of them, and outsiders do not trust them much, and if the line of the kings is to stay as "pure" as possible I'm assuming their might have been some marriages between cousins.
A/N 4) I don't know that Gilraen had any brothers or sisters, I'm only guessing. The reason I chose her and not Arathorn to have a brother is that I didn't want any challenger for Estel's line to the throne.