-Only Human-

-ElvenHope-

Jan 21st 2006

Summary: White lies aretold to protectloved ones from the truth which may be too much for them, especially when they are young. But there comes a time when they cannot be decieved forever and when that time comes the pain ofa little white lie is multiplied tenfold. Written for the Teitho FanFiction contest.

Disclaimer:Written with all respect to J.R.R Tolkien. In some way I do wish the characters were mine, but if they were then it is most likely that we wouldn't be writing about them because they'd be extremely rubbish and rather uninspiring people.

o O o

"You're going to tell him today?" Glorfindel asked looking at the Elven Lord as he paced anxiously about the room. "Is that wise?"

"What else can I do?" Elrond snapped. "I can't put it off any longer."

"You could wait until later," the golden haired elf said understanding Elrond's mood. He had the very hard job of breaking the news to Estel, not even the Balrog Slayer wanted to be in that position. Estel had grown up his whole life imperfect in a perfect world and he hated himself for being that way. He hated himself for being human. Knowing that he was the decendent of the very person who returned the world to darkness was not going to help his attitude towards humans in the slightest.

"It is later," Elrond said looking at the sky. "I promised 'Dan and 'Ro I'd wait until they come back so that they could take him hunting whilst he wasn't miserable."

"Why not wait until after the feast?" Glorfindel asked sitting on a wooden bench and looking out through the picture window from which you could see nearly the whole of Imladris. No wonder Elrond liked it in his study so much, it was a very nice place to just sit and think. "Or maybe tomorrow even."

"Not it has to be today," Elrond said sitting down next to the Balrog Slayer and looking out of the window. "I told myself it would be today," he sighed. "If I put it off any longer I think I will snap under the pressure. Maybe waiting until after the feast is a good idea. Knowing Estel he will sulk in his room after he hears what I have to say and he probably won't come out."

"Do you have Barahir?" Glorfindel asked watching Elrond closely.

Elrond patted his pocket. "Yes, it is here." He smiled. "Maybe he will think it a nice birthday present, although I doubt it."

"Giving him something of his father's would probably be the greatest present you could give him," Glorfindel reassured him.

"Yes it would have been, but once he learns of his lineage he will not think of it as something of his father's he will think of it as a curse; another thing to tie him to the same fate as the others." Elrond said sadly looking down into the valley as though searching for the boy he had raised in his house for so long. "I wish there was an easier way to do this. I have hated lying to him all these years, but now that it is time to tell him the truth I wish that I could just keep on pretending for that little while longer."

The day was warm and bright and sunny and just that tiny bit humid, but not enough to really cause any concern. Estel followed his brother's on foot as they raced through the tree tops trying to chase the birds from their nests. So far the hunting trip had not gone all too sucessfully seeing as most of the animals were sleeping to hide from the hot weather.

Estel skidded to a halt suddenly as Elladan dropped out of the trees right in front of him followed closely by Elrohir. The human jumped back surprised and the elves laughed at him as he tripped over a root and fell to the forest floor.

Elrohir offered the human his hand to help him up, but Estel swatted it away and stood up picking leaves out of his shaggy hair glaring at the pair before him.

"That wasn't funny," he grumbled.

"Oh contrare, it was a rather amusing sight brother dearest," Elladan said still grinning like a cheshire cat.

"Stupid," was Estel's reply as he tried to find something to throw at his brother.

"Why don't we go swimming?" Elrohir suggested before his brother's could break out in a fight, something which would make Estel even more agitated - for no matter how hard the human tried he had yet to beat either of the twins in a fight. It was unfair though, for as sure footed Estel was he could never best the twins' elven grace. Normally they could tire him without even having to touch the human. "There's a lake not too far from here."

Estel looked at his brother then nodded, "alright," he answered. "After all it is rather warm today."

That settled Elrohir led the way through the forest to the edge of the ravine.

Elladan frowned looking down at the steep bank of rocks bordering dark water where two streams met to form a pool. It was impossible to judge the depth and he was less than certain about jumping into it.

"It's quite safe," Elrohir assured his brother, kicking off his boots, his outer tunic and weapons already in a pile along with Estel's and Elladan's. "I'm going in anyway, I'm roasting. Are you coming Estel?"

The human looked unsure, but then nodded pulling off his boots as Elrohir took a careful step down the bank. Losing his footing on a loose stone, he gave a cry, lurching backwards with his arms flailing.

"Elrohir!" Elladan leaped forward and grabbed the back of his brother's shirt only to be met with merry laughter.

Elrohir grinned back at his brother's smiling at the expression on Estel's face. "Oh you scare so easily!"

Elladan released the grip on his shirt and placed his hand against his pounding heart in an attempt to still it. "Are you trying to kill me?" he gasped.

"I wouldn't dare." With a devilish smile, Elrohir leapt from the topmost rock and hit the water with a loud splash.

"Yes Elrohir you're so clever," Elladan called down. "Drown yourself to prove your point!"

Elrohir grinned up at Elladan who was glowering at him and then at Estel who was judging where to jump from. "Are you coming in or not you cowards!"

Estel walked away a few paces then took a run up andjumped as Elrohir swam back to avoid being hit or splashed by the water.

Elladan peered over the edge of the rocks as the ripples ceased their flow. He couldn't see Estel. "Alright you can come up now." Holding onto the edged of the rocks he picked his way down the bank as Elrohir began to swim back in the direction of where Estel had hit the water. "Estel, come up now this isn't funny." Anxiety pulled at Elladan's heart as he scrambled quickly down the last few feet, not caring about his own safety. Perhaps he'd fallen onto hidden rocks? Or the cold had stolen his breath away. Or the water had been shallower than it looked and he'd broken his neck. "Estel!" he cried, unable to stop his voice from coming out as a panicked shriek.

Estel emerged, spraying water just as Elrohir reached him. "Jump in, you lily livered elf!"

Elladan leaned his weight back against the warm rocks, feeling weak in the knees. "You are mad!" he didn't know whether to laugh with relief or shout at him. "Both of you!"

"Are you coming in or not?" Estel asked beaming triumphantly.

"Or do we have to pull you in?" Elrohir asked both of them wading to the edge so that the water lapped around their waists.

Elladan scrambled back up the rocks a little way. "Don't you dare." He sat down to pull off his boots. "I just have more sense to undress first so that I don't arrive dripping through the halls."

Blindness suddenly struck him in the form of something white and wet and it took a moment for him to realize that it was Elrohir's shirt, thrown by his impatient brother. He barely had the time to pull the shirt away before both had clambered out of the water and dragged him in.

Elladan heard his brother's laughing as he emerged spluttering and gasping and aimed a slap at Estel's head, but the human ducked under the water.

"That wasn't fair!" Elladan grumbled.

"It was so," Elrohir answered placing a hand on the human's head as he rose from the water and pushing him back under.

"Get off me Elrohir!" Estel snapped pulling at his brother's hair to get him off.

"Ow!" Elrohir yelped. "Estel Arwen fights better that you! Pulling my hair indeed!"

Estel tried to catch his brother, but Elrohir began a rapid front crawl away from the irate human.

Elladan watched the pair of them happily trying to hide the anxiousness inside his heart. Estel would hate them later and he knew it, their brother was going to be taken away from them in mere hours and it wasn't fair, the fifteen years that they had had Estel under their roof had gone so fast. They had all known this day would come, but now that it was here he wished that they could just put it off that little bit longer, even though it was inevitable. Estel was meant for things far greater than them. Today they were going to loose their little brother forever. Maybe if he had always known then it would be different, but Elladan knew it was not true. That little white lie had been necessary even though it would hurt them all greatly.

Elrond came across his sons later in the hall and rolled his eyes. Trust them to come back home dripping wet.

"Ah so it's you three who are the culprits," he said striding down the hall to the three of them. "I might have guessed."

"It was not my fault," Elladan said quickly.

Elrond raised his legendary eyebrows, "and why was that?"

"Because those two," he said pointing an accusatory finger at Elrohir and Estel. "Pushed me in!"

"I thought you were going hunting," Elrond said looking at the three of them quizzically.

"We were Ada," Estel explained. "But everything was asleep, so we went swimming instead."

Elrond nodded glad that he hadn't been near them; they normally had a way of getting anyone nearby incredably wet when they decided to go swimming. Elrond looked at Estel sadly then realizing that this was one of the last times the boy would not have the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Elf Lord's heart twisted painfully in his chest. Estel had called him Ada. It would be so hard for Elrond to accept the fact that he was no longer the boy's father; that he could no longer protect him from the outside world.

"Get dry and ready you three," Elrond said his voice suddenly lifeless. "The feast begins soon and I do not want you to be late."

"So," Elladan asked as they made their way to their rooms, "how are you going to ruin the feast this year Estel?"

Estel grinned at his brother's. "You know I hadn't thought of that." He looked back on previous birthdays which had gone awry thanks to either him or the twins. "Maybe I won't do anything this year," he smiled, "after all I come of age this year, maybe I should just grow up."

Elrohir swallowed hard then laughed hoping that Estel wouldn't hear how false it sounded. "I'd like to see that, gwador."

The table was laid out with more than enough food for the party that sat around it. Estel sat at the head of the table beaming at his father and brother's as he contemplated the large amount of food thoughtfully wondering what to eat first - and how much he could eat before he was sick. Glorfindel and Erestor and a few other elves Estel had become friends with sat around the table looking at the human happily.

Estel, could tell that something was wrong though. Every time he looked at his father or brothers there was this melancholly look in their eyes which they quickly masked whenever they noticed the human was looking at them. Estel wanted desperatly to know what was troubeling them so, it was rather frustarating and whatever the problem was it seemed to be something to do with him. He was about to ask his father if everything was alright when a cake was brought in and everyone began a round of 'For he's a jolly good fellow' and his thoughts were forgotten.

Later he noticed them again, however, whilst everyone was letting their food go down. Elladan and Elrohir were sitting opposite each other and he could see clearly that the pair of them were talking to each other. The twins had a way of doing that, of talking to each other with just their eyes, it was sometimes rather annoying. The pair of them could be sitting across the room from one another then one of them would burst out in a fit of giggles soon followed by tht other. This time, however, Estel did not see happiness in their eyes, he saw a great sadness and once again felt that he had something to do with it.

He wondered why on earth they were sad today. He understood that everyone would not be as happy as he, for it was his birthday, but were they not happy for him? He had finally come of age, he would no longer be called a child. This was one of the most exciting days of his life and one of the best birthdays he had ever had, were they not happy for him?

He was about to ask when he was once again interrupted, this time by his father.

"Estel, is everything alright?" Elrond asked looking at his son's troubled face.

Estel looked at him feeling uncertain. "Yes."

"Walk with me Estel," Elrond said pushing back his chair and standing up. Estel looked uncertainly at his father seeing Elrohir tense next to him.

"Why?" The human asked quizically.

"I require sometime with my son," Elrond answered. "I am not asking you to walk to your death am I? Now come."

Elrond stood and left the room and Estel followed slowly behind him, his insides knotting painfully in anxious butterflys. There was something wrong, he could feel the eyes on him as he left the room and when he looked back the twins were rigid in their seats staring after him. Yes there was most certainly something wrong.

Elrond walked through the moonlight house in silence for a while, Estel trailing behind him watching him curiously. His father was up to something and he was hoping it was just something that the twins had put him up to although he doubted it.

After a short while of walking through the moonlit corridors of Imladris Elrond found what he was looking for; a small circular room at the end of his house overlooking the waterfalls. Picture windows on each side gave one a clear view of nearly the whole valley. Estel did not really understand the purpose of the room although he had to admit that it would be a rather relaxing and beautiful spot, especially for the elves who seemed to like sitting still for long periods of time. After all, they had all the time in the world. Sometimes the human would feel that he was moving too fast, like the whole world save himself was in slow motion. It was rather a rather daunting thing sometimes.

Elrond strode out onto the balcony of the small room and leant heavily on the stone rail looking out over the valley. Estel followed him concerned for the elf's well being.

"Adar?" he asked moving over to stand beside the elf. "What is the matter?"

"You must stop calling me that," Elrond said softly still not looking at the adan.

"What?" Estel asked bemused. "Adar? But that is what you are, you are my father."

"I am not Estel, and we both know that," Elrond said his silver gaze turning to meet the boy's.

"But... but you have been," Estel said the knots in his stomach twisting further as he wondered what this meant. Had Elrond had enough of him now? Was he just going to turn him out into the wild now that he was considered a man? Surely his father would never do that. "And I will always think of you as such, whether it is truth or not. Why does this conern you now? What has changed between us? Have I done something to upset you?"

Elrond placed a hand on the youth's shoulder. "No," he shook his head slowly; sadly. "No you have done nothing wrong penneth, never think that you have."

"Then what is the problem?" Estel asked looking at his father's worried face. Elrond suddenly looked old. His youthful features were still there, but Estel could see it in the silver depths of his eyes.

Elrond sighed heavily sitting down on a stone bench. "Ai Estel, I have put this off too long."

"What?" Estel asked wondering what in Arda could be causing his father so much discomfort. "Father please..."

"Do not call me that Estel, not for the moment anyway, it will not help," Elrond said as the human sat down next to him. He took Estel by the shoulders turning the boy to face him as he locked gazes with the human. "Estel your brothers and I..." he paused wondering how on earth to tell him andwondering what the youth's reaction would be. "Your brothers and I have been lying to you all these years."

Estel looked dumbfounded. "What do you mean?"

Best to just get it over with, best to just get it out of the way.Elrond chastised himself trying to get himself to speak."Estel is not your real name, it is Aragorn," Elrond said holding the boy's gaze so that he could not look away. "You are Aragorn son of Arathorn, heir of Isildur."

The floor tilted dangerously and all colour drained from his face, he was glad that he was sitting down otherwise he would have most certainly collapsed. His mouth was hanging open stupidly as though he were about to speak, yet no sound escaped his lips. His heart beat painfully against his chest and his lungs felt as though a great weight was being pushed down on them. Those three words kept on spinning around in his head faster and faster. Heir of Isildur... Heir of Isildur... Heir of Isildur...

How could it be true? He couldn't possibly be the heir of the one who had betrayed the whole of Arda, the one who had stupidly plunged the world back into dark times. It wasn't possible, he didn't have the same blood in his veins, he couldn't have. He had spent his whole life hating that man in the portraits above the shards of Narsil, spent his whole life loathing him; trying to run away from the weakness in his human blood. Now to know that he was kin of the one he hated so just wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening, his father was just playing a cruel trick on him.

Involuntarily, the human began to shake his head slowly, his heart racing.

"What?" he asked his voice initially too hoarse to get the word out.

Elrond looked at the boy sadly. This was indeed the reaction he had expected, he knew how much Estel loathed the man, knew how much he hated his human blood.

"All these years we've been living a lie Estel," Elrond answered. "When you were young, your father was attacked and killed by orcs..."

"I know that," Estel snapped.

"Yes, I know but this is very important," Elrond answered seriously. "Your mother brought you here to protect you and that is what we have done, she loved you very much, she wanted you to have a life, a happy one. So that is what we gave you, your brother's and I, for as long as we could we gave you a normal life."

"So why now?" Estel asked his head still spinning. He didn't want to believe this, but it all fitted. Elves never had liked humans much, so why had they taken him in? He was special. Why when he was younger did those elflings bully him with what seemed to be a hidden motive? Because they had known who he was. Why was his father - noElrond - so protective of him? Because he was the rightful king... the rightful king of men.

"You are old enough to understand now," Elrond answered calmly. "I did not want to burden a young mind with concepts that you couldn't understand, but now you are old enough. Now you are ready to know."

Still Estel shook his head looking at his father. "I wish now that you would tell me this is a cruel joke; that 'Dan and 'Ro put you up to it, but you're not going to are you?"

Elrond shook his head sadly. "I wish the same as you Estel."

There was silence for a long while only broken by the roaring of the waterfall. Elrond slipped a hand into his pocket and produced a leather pouch. He looked at Estel slowly trying to read the emotions playing across his fair features.

"This was your father's," he said handing it to Estel. The one action seemed to rip the Elf Lord's heart out. Finally admitting to himself that he wasn't Estel's father.

Estel took it slowly opening the pouch and tipping out a ring. He studied it carefully, it was made of silver accented in gold and set with a fiery green crystal held between two snakes coiled tails. Estel slipped the ring back into the leather pouch holding it out to Elrond.

"I do not want it," he said ire creeping into his voice. "I do not want any of it."

Elrond pushed the pouch back to Estel. "It is yours."

Theadanstood up walking back into the room and folding his arms across his chest.

Elrond sighed heavily, he had known it would be differcult, but he had hoped that maybe Estel would be just that little bit more grown up about it. He stood up and followed the human resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Estel slapped it away and Elrond looked at his son hurt.

"Estel..."

"I need to be on my own Elrond," Estel said icily and Elrond felt his heart twist painfully in his chest. He knew Estel was just confused and taking out his anger on him, but it still hurt not to hear the one who had been his child for so long call him father. It was you who told him not to call you that, he chastised himself.

He took a deep breath and nodded leaving the young human to his thoughts, maybe it would do him good.

As his father left Estel looked down at the pouch in his open palm before closing it into a fist. He looked up out of one of the picture windows of Imladris, how had this happened? Hours ago he had been Estel, happy, carefree Estel; now he was Aragorn son of Arathorn, heir of Isildur.

Elladan and Elrohir were waiting anxiously in the hall when their father returned.

"Well?" Elladan asked when Elrond stayed silent.

"He knows," Elrond answered blankly.

"And?" Elrohir asked agitated.

"And he doesn't want any of it," Elrond said looking at his sons. "He wants to be on his own."

"You left him on his own?" Elrohir asked concerned.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Elrond asked ire creaping into his voice.

"Not leave him!" Elrohir said angrily. "He needs reassurance, not to be left on his own. You know him, he can be stupid when he's in a mood."

"He's not in a mood," Elrond said quickly.

"He just found out he's carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders," Elrohir said wondering what on earth had possessed Elrond to leave his Estel. "Wouldn't you be in a mood?"

"He wanted to be on his own," Elrond said flatly. "I will respect his wishes and you should too, when he has calmed down we will talk to him."

Elladan and Elrohir exchanged worried glances but did as their father told them and followed him back into the dining room.

After a long and grueling argument with his sons Elrond had gone in search of Estel only to find the boy in the last place he looked even though it was one of the most obvious. Estel was standing in front of the masterpiece depicting the moment that Isildur had cut the ring from Sauron's finger. The human in the painting was pressed back into a rocky wall, brandishing a broken sword as the demon advanced upon him. Behind Estel a stone elf woman held the shards of that very sword on a tray covered with velvet.

Elrond walked silently up behind the boy, noticing the way he bit his lip and clutched the leather pouch in one hand. Estel's eyes were filled with sadness and his forehead was creased in concentration.

"It means more to you this time does it not?" he asked softly recalling a time when Estel had simply deemed the painting nothing of interest. Back then he had wanted nothing to do with the fresco painted on the wall now he seemed unable to take his eyes of it.

Estel did not answer just stared memorizing the painting. It was his history now, not just a well painted picture. It was part of him; the man depicted in the painting was his ancestor the same blood ran in his veins, the same weakness...

"I do not know how to feel about it," he answered finally tearing his gaze away from the painting, turning away and walking over to the shards of Narsil looking at the blade before tentatively lifting the hilt and what was left of theswordattached to it.

He swallowed hard. "This is the sword of a king," he looked at itslowly tilting the blade so that it caught the moonlight the runes upon thesword shining pale silver. Turning away heplaced the blade carefully back down and Elrond noticed a glimmer of respect pass across the humans face. "Something which I am not."

"Something which you will be," Elrond said quietly. "The path of destiny is never easy but-"

"Destiny!" Estel exploded. "My destiny is so clearly paved in stone and I want nothing to do with it! The only reason I would ever be proud of my lineage is because it means that some of the blood in me is the same as that which flows through your own veins. At least in some way I am related to you. But I hold no respect for my ancestors. They could have rid the world of darkness forever but they did not, what honor is there in that? It was Isildur's weakness that drove him toit and the same weakness is in me! It runs through my veins with his wretched blood and if I could I would draw it out, but I cannot." He paused staring at the painting. "You were there you saw it take him. I do not want my destiny. I do not want to be remembered as he is."

There was a terrible fire behind the sadness in the human's eyes and his words were sharp as a double edged blade.

It was not that Estel was not proud of who he was, it was that he was suddenly afraid. There would be a time when the world would look to him and he would be tested like all those who had fallen before him, why should he be any different?

"Estel," Elrond said placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Be young, you have your whole life left ahead of you. Do not let one thing spoil it. When the time comes destiny has a way of creeping up on you and before you know it you'll be walking its path. You cannot run from such a thing. Do not worry about how it will come about, do not worry about how you will fair on your judgment day just live your life now and let everything work itself out. People make mistakes, no one can blame you for that, and after all you are only human."

A smile graced the boy's lips and his face softened his eyes shining.

"And you know we'll always be here for you don't you?" Elrond asked the boy. "Your brothers and I. We're not leaving you for a long while yet, and by then you won't even notice that we've gone. The path of destiny is not one that has to be walked alone."

"I'm glad to hear it," Estel said beaming. He looked down at the pouch tipping the ring out and slipping it onto his finger; it was a perfect fit. He looked at it tilting his hand slightly so that it caught the light. "I tried to throw this into the river," he said sadly. "But I couldn't."

Elrond gave him a sad smile. "Do not bother yourself with being Aragorn," He said as he and his son walked back to join Elladan, Elrohir and Glorfindel in one of the large lounges of his house. "You can be our Estel for a little while longer."

This has been edited since the Teitho contest and it is better, although not by much.

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