For Disclaimer please view Chapter one.

Author's note: Thought I would surprise you with a little chapter! It's short, but hopefully you'll like it, I know I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all your reviews.

Kersi.

Chapter 26: Strength, Love and Courage

He would never be able to hide the blank ink spilled all over his hands. He was running so quickly that he did not realize that someone had been in his path. He bounced off this person and fell to the hard marbled ground, closing his eyes to prepare himself for the impact. When he opened them he found a face he did not expect.

"I did not see you there." He said putting one dyed hand on the ground to hold himself up and the other to the back of his head, where it had hit the ground. The Elf in front of him looked at him curiously and smiled. Aragorn observed her eyes, she looked as if she had been crying. Her eyes were shining brightly and he noticed the skin under her eyes and her cheeks were still wet from the tears. "You…you are Aurel." He had heard about Elrond's two daughters, though he had never met them. Since he could remember, he only ever saw Elrohir and Elladan, but only for months at a time. They would sometimes leave for several months, and on this occasion, young Aragorn had not seen them for over a year. He was lonely in Imladris, there were no children to play with, and he found Elrond to be very strict, as all the Elves besides the twin brothers, had been. He had been told that the youngest of Elrond's children was to arrive very soon, and was curious to see what she looked like, but he had not expected to see her for a long time.

Aurel wrinkled her nose at the odd way her name sounded when he said it and helped him stand up. His small hand was still at the back of his head. Immediately she was concerned for him and she gently turned him around to look at his head, placing one hand over the spot that hurt. He could feel a tingling sort of feeling start at the top of his head and slowly spill down to the rest of his body and it made him giggle. This seemed to make Aurel happy as she turned him around.

"Aragorn!" shouted a familiar voice. It was Elrond. Aragorn trembled in fear. Instinctively, he clung onto the dress that Aurel wore. She looked up, surprised it seemed, to hear the tone in her father's voice. The way that Aragorn held onto her made it seem like he had done something wrong. She grabbed a hold of his wrist so tightly that it made Aragorn want to shout out.

"No please don't take me to him Lady! Please, he will never forgive me, it was an accident." He begged, and when she began to drag him along, he kept on begging, so much so that she effortlessly picked him up and covered his little mouth.

"Aragorn!" shouted Elrond and this time it seemed closer.

Just as Aragorn thought that he was done for, Aurel opened the door to another room, slipping in quietly and just in time as well, for Elrond happened to walk by, now he understood what she had been doing. She set him down, feeling that he had calmed. She pressed her ear against the door to hear if Elrond had left. She smiled as she turned to face Aragorn. He had a look of relief on his face. He felt her gaze upon him and looked up at her. He had made a right mess of her dress! There were little hand prints on the skirt and on the sleeves, she noticed him staring and looked down at her dress. By her reaction you could tell that she was slightly disappointed at being such a mess. Aragorn was about to open his mouth to say something, but she quickly put her fingers to her mouth to indicate silence and then there was knocking at the door. His eyes widened and she motioned for him to find any place to hide. Once she saw that Aragorn was hidden she opened the door slowly, and only popped her head out. That was the last the Aragorn saw for he did not want to get caught, the rest was only what he heard from Elrond.

"Aurel. I am looking for a young human boy, have you seen him?" Then there was silence. "He has spilled ink all over my maps and letters! I have told that boy to not play in my study!" His tone became gentler. "It is good to have you back home, I am sorry if I have disturbed your rest…" The door closed. It was almost impossible to hear the footsteps of the Elf that came to find him and the slight ruffling that her dress made alerted him. She motioned for him to step out from where he was hiding, and he did so cautiously. It was then he noticed that they were in a bedroom, specifically, her bedroom. It was plain for her, he thought. He had expected Elrond's daughter to be more tasteful, though he was comparing to the other Elven females he had met. For the time being she seemed preoccupied getting some belongings in order, and he took the time to really look at her. He thought she did not look like Elrond at all, except for the long dark hair, perhaps she looked more like her mother. As he walked around the room observing things, she stopped what she was doing and smiled at him. There was a tenderness there that he had not expected and he found himself wishing he remembered his own mother more. Still, there was a tinge of sadness in her smile, and as she went back to organizing her things, he noticed the scars on her neck. It made him stop his walk; he was fixed on the pattern of them. She caught him staring and frowned, she picked up some clothing that had been lying on her bed and walked into the small room adjacent to the one they were in. He stood there for a while, not knowing what to do, if he should stay or if he should go. He decided to stay, for he had no where else to go without the risk of being caught. When Aurel finally did step back out, she had changed her dress, for one that was of a different colour, she also came out with a silver bowl, filled with water. In one of her hands she held a cloth, and she set it down on a small table near the balcony of the room. She sat down on the long chair that was next to it and motioned for Aragorn to come forward. He took slow steps, it was then he saw the first real resemblance to Elrond, the facial expression she was making, stern but gentle. As soon as he was close enough, she grabbed one of his little hands and dipped the cloth she had into the warm water in the bowl. She gently took the cloth and began to wipe away the ink off of Aragorn's hands. It had not taken very long to completely remove the ink from his hands. "Thank you.", whispered Aragorn. She only nodded her head in response.

He thought it would be safe to leave at that point, so he said his goodbye and left her sitting there. He reached up for the handle and as he opened the door, he found Elrond there. "So this is where you have been hiding."

Frozen from the surprise, little Aragorn did not say a thing, and jumped when he felt the weight of Aurel's hand on his shoulder, a protective hand, a comforting hand, and he leaned into her and bowed his head in shame.

Elrond looked up at his daughter. "And you. Could you not wait a few days more before defying your father?"

"I am sorry for the mess I have created. I did not mean to spill ink on everything…I will go and clean it." said Aragorn.

"That has already been seen to." said Elrond.

"Oh."

"What punishment do you think you deserve?" asked Elrond.

Aurel shook her head, Aragorn did not know why, but Elrond did react to it. "You cannot possibly think that this would go unpunished…I have punished you and your siblings for far lesser things." It hit him all too quickly, the look on Aurel's face, the way she held on to Aragorn, the light in her eyes. What had happened exactly? He had certainly not seen this side of his daughter for hundreds of years; she seemed to be more alive.

"I will take any punishment you give me, I deserve it." Aragorn said, and stood up straight, appreciating that Aurel seemed to be on his side. Somehow having her there made him feel stronger.

"Well spoken for a child, perhaps I will be more lenient on you this time. You must remember, Estel, you are yet to be six years of age, you must behave and stay away from my study!"

Aragorn nodded quickly.

"As for your punishment, I think it would be appropriate that you extend your thanks to my daughter for helping you. Since you two decided to spend this day together, you will do the rest of your schooling with her, and learn from her. She will have many things to teach you." Aurel did not seem pleased, but Elrond certainly was. "Don't you think that just because you are grown that I cannot punish you as well Aurel." And with that Elrond gave a flash of a smile and left them.

Aragorn looked up at Aurel and she looked down at him, she looked worried. Aragorn shrugged his shoulders, it would not be so bad, he liked Aurel already and felt safe around her. The curious human gesture that he had just made, made Aurel smile and the worries disappeared…and his whole life, whenever he was around her, it was the same feeling he felt when she had first placed her hand on his shoulder; strength, love, and courage.

He smiled in his memories of first meeting Aurel and noted that not so many things had changed. She was still his teacher, and he was still there willing to learn. He dreaded having to go to her and apologize, what was he to say?

"Lord Aragorn." said Eowyn.

He frowned. He had been sitting in the dining hall alone with his thoughts, thinking of a way to approach Aurel, just as she had said, Eowyn had come to him and he did not wish to see or speak to her.

Eowyn noted his cold demeanour and lack of response. "I come to apologize if that makes any difference."

He looked at her. "I am not the one whom you should have sought out then."

She nodded. "I thought that I should speak to you first, to explain myself."

"What does it matter that I know why you did what you did? It is not me whom you have offended. Understand that." He stood to leave.

"No. but it was because of you that I did what I did."

Aragorn stopped.

"Jealousy, my lord."

"Jealousy?"

"I know it was petty of me, but Lady Aurel spoke to me of she whom you love."

Aragorn shook his head in confusion. "Why would she speak to you of her?"

"She said that I was no match, the words hurt me, and I acted rashly. Now I have misplaced the little trust she held for me. The little trust you held for me."

"And what brought you to come here and speak to me? Is it because you believe that I have lost trust in you? Or because you thought that perhaps I would understand what you did and not look down upon you for it?" He walked closer to her.

"I did not want you to think ill of me."

"I do not think ill of you Lady Eowyn, we all make mistakes."

She gave a small smile.

"Do not mistake what I say for redemption, Lady Eowyn. I will not be able to look at you in the same way again. Earn your trust, but do not come to me for comfort." With that he walked out of the dining hall and left her standing there in shock.


"Why are you here?" asked Aurel of Legolas, who had been accompanying her wherever she went.

"Does it bother you?"

"It confuses me."

"Do you wish me to leave?"

She shook her head, "No, I do not, but why do you wish to stay?"

"Is that not always the way things were? I get the feeling that even when we were at odds we were still together most of the time."

Aurel smirked.

"Good, then that memory is correct."

"You are different, less apprehensive than you were before."

"And are you glad for it?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you are. Was I that much different before? I feel at peace by your side, I do not feel there is any other place for me."

"Yes, that feeling is the same for me." She said, pondering how it was possible to be speaking with Legolas without falling apart. "You are still yourself Legolas, but I imagine this more open side of yourself is what you were like before…" She stopped herself.

"Before all the mess that occurred between us." He finished the thought for her.

She nodded her head.

He suddenly stood up, "I have made a decision, and I do not know if this is right or wrong."

"A decision about what?"

"To tell you. That, although there is much history between us that I do not understand…"

Aragorn walked into the room, and both Elves looked at him. "Aurel, may I speak with you?"

Legolas nodded his head slowly and looked disappointed, knowing that he should leave. Aurel followed him with her eyes as he slowly walked towards the door, but he stopped as if refusing to be interrupted and faced her to say. "Gerich veleth nín, Melethril." He smiled noting the look in her eyes and left the room.

Aragorn smiled tenderly at her and she was so overcome with emotion that she embraced him. "Oh Estel." And there it was again, something that was never absent around her; strength, love and courage.

(You have my love, Beloved.)