Arwen looked to the figure standing silently in the darkened gardens.
Coming to stand next to him, she offered a small smile. Aragorn smiled back
to one who had been his sister and relaxed, stretching out his hand for her
to hold.
They both just stood still for a while, letting the peace and beauty of the night wrap around them. The trees seemed to be leaning in to them, trying to huddle them closer as if sensing their respective pains and offering comfort.
Finally Aragorn felt his jaw unstick. Arwen could always make him talk simply by standing beside him! "You know my needs," he said, "Are you shocked?"
She shrugged. "I always thought you saw Ada as Ada. I never knew you felt... what you do."
"And now you know that he isn't Ada, not to me. Does it disgust you?"
The bitterness in his voice spun her around to face him, a clear warning in her soft voice. "It does not. Love is love no matter who it is. Never be ashamed of that." Aragorn looked too taken aback to do more than nod. "Are you ashamed of loving him?"
Surprisingly enough, the young man seriously considered it, tilting his head to the side as he thought. But he shook his head after careful deliberation.
Arwen smiled and nodded. Grimly, she decided to test him further. "Then say his name."
"WHAT?"
A dark eyebrow so like the ones he loved lifted, challenging him.
"Why?"
Arwen simply sighed and kept her gaze steady.
"Very well then..." Aragorn took a deep breath, looked nervously around and opened his mouth- "Elrond."
As if like magic the worry dissipated from Aragorn's face, leaving it young and smooth again. Thin lips twitched in a slight smile and the eyes acquired a soft glow as they saw a picture that no one else could see.
Arwen caught her breath at that look and felt her own heart turn over. For two years she'd been in love with this man, had watched him and longed for him; and now she was to give him up for her father's sake. Hopelessly saddened and yet happy for her love- after all, she knew what that felt like, the light that could gleam in a person's heart with pure love.
"Tell him," she whispered urgently, pressing his arm with sympathy, "If you're truly sure of the way you feel then you should not be ashamed to show it."
Aragorn still hadn't lost the simple joy of just saying Elrond's name, so the euphoria buoyed him up enough to drift back indoors with a tread so light he might just have been walking on air. After all, he had faced orcs and life-threatening injuries. He'd fought in battles half the men his age hadn't ever dreamed of. He could surely handle a simple task like telling Elrond Peredhel quite firmly and clearly the reason he'd refused to call the elf his father?
--------------------------------------------------
Elrond was going to bed. Night was night and elves might live for eternity but he was certainly aging. He could lie and close his eyes and not stare at anything of his below the shoulder, but the truth was that he was Half- Elven. Apparently that meant he aged.
The elaborate, flowing robes he affected for day-wear were taken off, dropped carelessly over a chair because he simply couldn't be bothered with them right now. Slipping on a pair of loose leggings, he sat before the mirror and took the clips out of his hair, brushing it back into a long black waterfall. Working swiftly, he braided it and tied it off.
He was almost not aware of the person entering his outer chambers. He stiffened, his hand instantly reaching for the dagger he kept on his table when the handle on his bedroom door turned.
"Elrond?"
He dropped the dagger with relief, only to frown at another thought. Elrond? Since when had Estel ever called him by his given name? "Yes?" he called back, standing and turning.
Aragorn came in, his jaw dropping at his object of desire's state of undress. "I, uh, didn't mean to..." then he straightened up and stopped acting like a little boy, "No... no, I didn't mean to. But I am glad I did." For the first time that he could remember, he let his eyes slide sensuously over the bared skin. And it was dizzying.
"Estel, are you all right?"
"I am here and you are there. All is right with my world," Aragorn grinned, prowling ever closer with small steps.
Elrond unconsciously drew back, an apprehensive look in his eyes. His son just did not look very much like a son at the moment; rather, he looked like a tiger about to pounce on its prey. And the elf was very sure he didn't like being pounced on. "What are you talking about?"
"I have something to tell you," Aragorn said sternly, "In fact, you should probably be sitting for this." He gestured pointedly to a chair. Elrond sat down with a thump, still warily keeping his eyes fixed on Aragorn's strangely flushed face. "Elrond, I know you see me as a child. And maybe I am! After all, you are millennia old and I am only in my twentieth year. But I am not an elf, Elrond. I need you to know that."
Elrond was finding this conversation extremely peculiar. For some reason Aragorn sounded half-witted, though very earnest. And why was the ridiculous boy on his knees at his feet? "Estel, are you drunk?"
"Drunk?" Well, that sounded insulting from where Aragorn was sitting- especially as he'd refused even the light wine at dinner. "No, I'm very sane and very clear-headed. But I'm not an elf."
"You're not an elf," Elrond repeated obediently, deciding to humour this unusual mood.
"I'm human..."
"You're human..."
"Therefore I have reached my majority..."
"You have your majority..."
"And I'm in love with you."
"And you're... WHAT?"
And now that was too much! Estel had played tricks when he'd been a boy, but this was tasteless and crude. Elrond's face hardened and he got regally to his feet, neatly side-stepping the kneeling figure before him to make to the door. On his way he picked up a light sleeping robe with simple wooden buttons down the front. Pausing for a moment to put it on and hold it closed, the elf then opened the door and stared frigidly at his son.
"Estel, I have no doubt you have some meaning behind this. For your sake I would hope this is some manner of joke. Please leave. I'm tired and I wish to go to sleep."
Aragorn blinked, his euphoria forgotten, vanishing like soap bubbles in the air. A sudden remembrance of his first bath in Imladris and how Elrond had put him in his own personal bathing pool; the little infant had been terrified of drowning but Elrond had distracted him by pouring something that foamed into the water. Bubbles... broken dreams popping around him as if he was back in the bath and the water had cooled.
"Estel," Elrond snapped, grey eyes still silver with frosty warning.
Slowly the human got to his feet and made his way back out. Elrond's normally dormant viciousness rose up for an instant and he smashed the door to behind him. Breathing hard, he leaned against the wooden structure for long enough to catch his breath.
There would be no sleep for either one that night.
They both just stood still for a while, letting the peace and beauty of the night wrap around them. The trees seemed to be leaning in to them, trying to huddle them closer as if sensing their respective pains and offering comfort.
Finally Aragorn felt his jaw unstick. Arwen could always make him talk simply by standing beside him! "You know my needs," he said, "Are you shocked?"
She shrugged. "I always thought you saw Ada as Ada. I never knew you felt... what you do."
"And now you know that he isn't Ada, not to me. Does it disgust you?"
The bitterness in his voice spun her around to face him, a clear warning in her soft voice. "It does not. Love is love no matter who it is. Never be ashamed of that." Aragorn looked too taken aback to do more than nod. "Are you ashamed of loving him?"
Surprisingly enough, the young man seriously considered it, tilting his head to the side as he thought. But he shook his head after careful deliberation.
Arwen smiled and nodded. Grimly, she decided to test him further. "Then say his name."
"WHAT?"
A dark eyebrow so like the ones he loved lifted, challenging him.
"Why?"
Arwen simply sighed and kept her gaze steady.
"Very well then..." Aragorn took a deep breath, looked nervously around and opened his mouth- "Elrond."
As if like magic the worry dissipated from Aragorn's face, leaving it young and smooth again. Thin lips twitched in a slight smile and the eyes acquired a soft glow as they saw a picture that no one else could see.
Arwen caught her breath at that look and felt her own heart turn over. For two years she'd been in love with this man, had watched him and longed for him; and now she was to give him up for her father's sake. Hopelessly saddened and yet happy for her love- after all, she knew what that felt like, the light that could gleam in a person's heart with pure love.
"Tell him," she whispered urgently, pressing his arm with sympathy, "If you're truly sure of the way you feel then you should not be ashamed to show it."
Aragorn still hadn't lost the simple joy of just saying Elrond's name, so the euphoria buoyed him up enough to drift back indoors with a tread so light he might just have been walking on air. After all, he had faced orcs and life-threatening injuries. He'd fought in battles half the men his age hadn't ever dreamed of. He could surely handle a simple task like telling Elrond Peredhel quite firmly and clearly the reason he'd refused to call the elf his father?
--------------------------------------------------
Elrond was going to bed. Night was night and elves might live for eternity but he was certainly aging. He could lie and close his eyes and not stare at anything of his below the shoulder, but the truth was that he was Half- Elven. Apparently that meant he aged.
The elaborate, flowing robes he affected for day-wear were taken off, dropped carelessly over a chair because he simply couldn't be bothered with them right now. Slipping on a pair of loose leggings, he sat before the mirror and took the clips out of his hair, brushing it back into a long black waterfall. Working swiftly, he braided it and tied it off.
He was almost not aware of the person entering his outer chambers. He stiffened, his hand instantly reaching for the dagger he kept on his table when the handle on his bedroom door turned.
"Elrond?"
He dropped the dagger with relief, only to frown at another thought. Elrond? Since when had Estel ever called him by his given name? "Yes?" he called back, standing and turning.
Aragorn came in, his jaw dropping at his object of desire's state of undress. "I, uh, didn't mean to..." then he straightened up and stopped acting like a little boy, "No... no, I didn't mean to. But I am glad I did." For the first time that he could remember, he let his eyes slide sensuously over the bared skin. And it was dizzying.
"Estel, are you all right?"
"I am here and you are there. All is right with my world," Aragorn grinned, prowling ever closer with small steps.
Elrond unconsciously drew back, an apprehensive look in his eyes. His son just did not look very much like a son at the moment; rather, he looked like a tiger about to pounce on its prey. And the elf was very sure he didn't like being pounced on. "What are you talking about?"
"I have something to tell you," Aragorn said sternly, "In fact, you should probably be sitting for this." He gestured pointedly to a chair. Elrond sat down with a thump, still warily keeping his eyes fixed on Aragorn's strangely flushed face. "Elrond, I know you see me as a child. And maybe I am! After all, you are millennia old and I am only in my twentieth year. But I am not an elf, Elrond. I need you to know that."
Elrond was finding this conversation extremely peculiar. For some reason Aragorn sounded half-witted, though very earnest. And why was the ridiculous boy on his knees at his feet? "Estel, are you drunk?"
"Drunk?" Well, that sounded insulting from where Aragorn was sitting- especially as he'd refused even the light wine at dinner. "No, I'm very sane and very clear-headed. But I'm not an elf."
"You're not an elf," Elrond repeated obediently, deciding to humour this unusual mood.
"I'm human..."
"You're human..."
"Therefore I have reached my majority..."
"You have your majority..."
"And I'm in love with you."
"And you're... WHAT?"
And now that was too much! Estel had played tricks when he'd been a boy, but this was tasteless and crude. Elrond's face hardened and he got regally to his feet, neatly side-stepping the kneeling figure before him to make to the door. On his way he picked up a light sleeping robe with simple wooden buttons down the front. Pausing for a moment to put it on and hold it closed, the elf then opened the door and stared frigidly at his son.
"Estel, I have no doubt you have some meaning behind this. For your sake I would hope this is some manner of joke. Please leave. I'm tired and I wish to go to sleep."
Aragorn blinked, his euphoria forgotten, vanishing like soap bubbles in the air. A sudden remembrance of his first bath in Imladris and how Elrond had put him in his own personal bathing pool; the little infant had been terrified of drowning but Elrond had distracted him by pouring something that foamed into the water. Bubbles... broken dreams popping around him as if he was back in the bath and the water had cooled.
"Estel," Elrond snapped, grey eyes still silver with frosty warning.
Slowly the human got to his feet and made his way back out. Elrond's normally dormant viciousness rose up for an instant and he smashed the door to behind him. Breathing hard, he leaned against the wooden structure for long enough to catch his breath.
There would be no sleep for either one that night.