Chapter 17

Disclaimer: you know how it works.

A/N: I am sorry if Arathorn seems a bit evil, he is just jealous of how Elrond and Aragorn connected. BUT where are my reviews??

"Past the point of no return -
no backward glances:
our games of make belive
are at an end . . .

Past all thought of "if" or "when" -
no use resisting:
abandon thought,
and let the dream descend . . .


What raging fire shall flood the soul?
What rich desire unlocks its door?
What sweet seduction lies before us . . .?
Past the point of no return,
the final threshold, what warm,
unspoken secrets will we learn?
Beyond the point
of no return ."

"The bridge is crossed so stand and watch it burn"

Elrond watched as his son took the hand of…….no Aragorn was not his son he was Arathorn's child. He watched as the child he had raised and loved looked over his shoulder one last time at him and then disappeared.

Gandalf held Aragorn's hand and gasped as it turned cold. His features loosened and a look of peace came over him.
Hermione fainted and was just caught in time by Ron. Harry stared the blood leaving his face; he looked at Estel's lifeless body.
"Get them out of here," Gandalf ordered Madam Pomfrey.
"Estel," Harry wheezed.

Elrond gasped as he re-entered his own body, tears streamed down his face at once. He stumbled out of his room and fell into Glorfindel's arms, "Elrond!"
"Estel! My Estel is dead!" the elf lord sobbed.
"It will be alright my lord," Glorfindel tried to calm the lord of Rivendell.
"No, Arwen will follow him into the halls of Mandoes," Elrond gasped.

Colours swirled around him and Aragorn hesitated, "What is this?" he demanded.
His father turned to him, "Your memories my son, this is your whole life even things you can not recall," Arathorn was looking at an image of the twins hushing a crying baby Aragorn.
"How long do I have to look?" Aragorn asked.
"As long as you want my son," Gilraen smiled.
"If you touch them you can re-live the moment," Arathorn said.
Aragorn came to an image of Elrohir and Elladan diving into water looking petrified, gently he touched it.

"Estel!" Elladan cried as he watched the boy been carried away by the rapids.
"Elladan what are you doing?" Elrohir cried as his twin dived in.
"Saving him!" he called back swimming towards Estel, Elrohir dived in after his twin.

Aragorn pulled out of the memory, "I remember that," he sighed.
Gilraen walked to his side, "As do I," she sighed.
"I still think ada's comment about them looking like drowned rats is funny," Aragorn smiled.
Arathorn looked at his son with disdain he was jealous of how much of a father the elf had become to his son.
Aragorn touched another memory:

Estel sat crying in Elrond's lap and the elf lord rocked him gently, "It is alright now my son," the elf whispered.
"They said that I am worthless and that you only took me in because of duty," Estel sobbed uncontrollably.
"That is not true my son, yes I did owe your father the life of the twins but I took you and your mother in on my own free will," Elrond said gently.
"Is Estel alright?" Elladan asked entering with Elrohir.
"Why do the elflings hate me?" Estel whimpered.
"They just don't understand and we have spoken to all their parents, most made them apologise," Elrohir went to his father's side.
"They said that you and Dan only pretend to like me," Estel whimpered.
The twins laughed, "Estel, you could be the heir to the throne of Gondor and anger us to the extreme but you will always be welcome here no matter who tries to kill you or harm you. You are our little brother and we don't care who you become we will always love and welcome you here," Elladan vowed, "We promise."
"As do I," Elrond promised.

Aragorn pulled out of the memory and turned to his parents, "I have lingered here long enough," he said.
Arathorn nodded "Come my son it is time for the last part of the journey to the halls," Arathorn beckoned his son.

Elrond and Glorfindel raced to Arwen's chambers and burst through the door. Arwen lay on her bed gasping for air, "Estel, don't leave me," she begged.
"Arwen, don't you leave the twins and I it was Estel's choice. You need not follow him! Please do not follow him!" Elrond begged.
"Ada, where would I be without him?" she breathed.
"my only daughter, you have known him under a year less then a blink in our lives…," Arwen cut her father off.
"But I will never forget him, he is dear to me."
"As he was to me," Elrond agreed.
"Do not talk about him like that!"
"What?" Elrond asked confused.
"In past tense!"
"Arwen, he is dead," Elrond sighed, "we can't change that."

Arwen broke into harder sobs. The twins entered the room.
"Ada, there is a darkness over Rivendell! What is happening?" Elladan asked.
"Estel is passing on, I know because I tried to stop him but he is loyal to his real father," Elrond sighed.
"But what of the promise we once made to him that no matter what we love him?" Elrohir asked.
"I kicked him out why would he believe we love him?" Elrond sighed.
"I can't believe he left us," Elladan sighed.
"He must have seen Arathorn as the answer to all his problems," Glorfindel said quietly.
"Maybe, or he thought he was no longer welcome here," Elladan responded.
"No," everyone turned to Elrond, "He thought I did not care that I only cared for duty. This is my fault."
"You must not blame yourself Ada," Elrohir went to his father's side and looked at Arwen who had tears running down her cheeks, the two embraced, "It is alright Arwen," he whispered.
"But it is not Dan!" she cried, "Estel, my hope! He is gone!"
"Shh," Elladan whispered rocking his sister back and forward.

Madam Pomfrey put a curtain around Estel's bed and lay Harry and his friends each on beds. She also sent a runner to Dumbledore. The wizard was quick to arrive.
"Gandalf are you alright?" He asked walking to his friend's side.

"He was my charge and I failed him," Gandalf breathed.
"He was also mine, it as much my fault. He was a student at my school and now he is dead," Dumbledore sighed.
"Elrond will hang me by my beard," Gandalf sighed, "No matter what he said Estel was always his baby, even if he wasn't his real son."
Dumbledore laid his hand on his friend's shoulder, "I am sure Estel is happier now then he was in life with so much responsibility on his shoulders at such a young age. He is no doubt back with his family and he is now getting to know his father and you told me one of his greatest wishes was to know his real father. Now he can."
"I don't mean to sound selfish," Gandalf said dryly, "But he was the hope of Middle Earth."
"Obviously it is not his place to save Middle Earth," Dumbledore stated.
"He was the last of his line there is no other who can lead the men of Gondor as their king," Gandalf growled, "The elves did their part in raising him yet I could not do mine in guiding him."
"You did well I could see much of your teachings in him, how he died is not your fault from what I heard he fell down a flight of stairs."
"He was pushed."
The two old wizards turned to see Hermione staring at Estel's body amazingly calm.
"Pushed? Miss Granger?" Dumbledore said in surprise.
"By Draco Malfoy."
"Do you have any evidence?" Gandalf asked.
"Sorry, only verbal threats he made to Estel," she sighed.
"I am sorry Miss Granger but we would need other evidence," Dumbledore sighed.
"Who is this Draco Malfoy?" Gandalf asked.
"He is a boy from Slytherin he has been giving Estel a hard time ever since he became a student, he keeps threatening him," Hermione explained.
"I'm sorry Miss Granger but without evidence I can not do anything," Dumbledore sighed.

He beckoned Aragorn towards the last archway but Aragorn's eyes were trained on the one they had come through, "Come my son," Arathorn said.
Aragorn slowly turned to his father, "My fate does no lie in front of me but behind me," And with the speed of an elf Aragorn ran back the way he came and towards where he knew life was. He could see the light of the world he knew but he suddenly skidded to a stop as the eye of Sauron appeared.
"No happiness awaits you there lad only pain and suffering. In that world there is only hardship and regret, not happiness like you shall find here," Aragorn turned to see Arathorn looking at the eye, "That is what you will face."
Slowly Aragorn walked to his father and embraced him, "We shall meet again, in the next life."
Arathorn knew his son's mind was made up and returned the embrace, "I'll be waiting."
Aragorn turned to the eye and ran at it his eyes only focused on the light behind it.

Gandalf after many hours covered Aragorn's dead pale face, and slowly we went to leave the hospital wing. Was that a cough? Gandalf shook his head thinking his mind was playing tricks on him but as he listened he could here gasping. He pulled back the curtains from Aragorn's bed and found the young man sitting up not looking all too alive but he was.

A/N: See you people need to trust me, like I would kill Aragorn.