Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Lord of the Rings.
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"Ada, Ada, wake!" Eldarion was sitting on his father's legs after climbing up the bed, still panting slightly from the walk down to Aragorn's bed. Aragorn grumbled something underneath his breath and Eldarion's face lid up into a smile at the thought of his Ada's awakening but when the man turned, the child's smile drooped.
"Ada, wake, Ada." The child tried again, Aragorn did not respond and instead turned on his side, throwing the toddler off his legs. Eldarion landed on the ever vacant spot next to his father in a heap. He set his jaw in a firm way and chewed his lip to prevent himself from crying. Instead he climbed to his feet and shook his Ada, hoping that the king would awake.
This did not help and the child sat back, thinking off a story his uncles had told him when he was younger about his Ada and he smiled, brow furrowing on how to pronounce the word. Finally he settled upon what he thought was right and while inhaling deeply, he cried as loud as he could. "Amwush, Urks, Amwush."
Aragorn shot up out of his bed, a knife in his hands and his eyes wide and blurred while he looked for the source of the Orcs and the ambush. His gaze finally settled upon his son and while signing he put the knife back underneath his pillow, sleeping in would not be allowed to him this morning, damn his brothers.
"Must you wake me with the very words I dread to hear, ion Nin?" Aragorn tried to sound stern but as another tired groan escaped him, he laid back down, feeling Eldarion crawl into his arms. "Yes, Ada." The child replied, lying his head down on his father's chest and within moments he was asleep again, and Aragorn did the same.
A couple of hours later Aragorn woke up and stretched, shifting the waking bundle in his arms. "Ada, wake." The command came once again and Aragorn groaned but then smiled when he felt his son kissed his bristled cheek. "Ada tickles." The child eventually replied and Aragorn laughed again, drawing his son close.
"Do you wish to see the horses today, meleth?" He asked the little boy in his embrace. Eldarion's eyes widen and he smiled so brightly that it would have lid up the entire sun, if possible. "Yes, can we ide?" He asked, slurring slightly over the words. "It is ride, Eldarion and yes of course we can. But let us eat first." Aragorn smiled once again at his son before looking out at the window, the sun was shining brightly outside and the man felt the familiar pull at the nice weather, the pull to get out of the city.
He dressed quickly, pulling old ranger garb out of his closet before he even realized it and immediately shifted to something a tat nicer and cleaner. He then dressed Eldarion, old clothes that could get dirty and perhaps even tear and it would be alright. Gentle tugging the shirt over his son's head, he then lifted the boy and settled him upon his hip, settling into an easy pace to the dining room, where he found Faramir and Eowyn already eating.
He settled his son in a vacant chair and set himself in the chair, prepared for him. He smiled at Eowyn and Faramir and said. "Good morning, how fare you all this beautiful morning?" Faramir smiled back at him and he answered. "Fine, as well as can be expected."
Eowyn did not smile at him and answered with a gaze at Faramir. "That is easy for him to say. He does not have a child that will keep him awake at odd hours of the night and a husband who sleeps through it all. But when the child is born, you can guess who can get up in the middle of the night to feed it." The former shield maiden laughed in a way that had both men draw in the breaths and lean back in the chairs. Eldarion followed the exchange between the adults with an open mouth before he took a bite of his piece of bread with cheese; he then tugged at his father's hand, drawing the King's keen gaze to his own.
"Ah yes, finish up eating, ion Nin, we are leaving soon enough." Aragorn could not suppress a smile when he saw Eldarion's hopeful look and the boy nodded. "Where are you going?" Faramir asked, drawing the attention of both of the Telcontar sitting at the table toward him.
"Riding, I am going to show him how it is done." Aragorn finished his own bread and juice, not seeing the look that Eowyn send his way. Blame it on her pregnancy or not but the former lady of Rohan could not take it anymore and she said, in a frosty whisper. "Are you not spoiling him, Aragorn? He is but a child, he cannot ride, and he is too small. Think for once."
The king of Gondor stiffened and while with hard fought patients, he put his glass down and looked up, saying. "I am not spoiling him, Eowyn. I merely wish to show him the things I did as a child in Rivendell."
"But he is a prince and he should be raised as one. Arwen would do so." She shot back, taking aback Faramir. "A prince or not but I wish for him to have a childhood filled with fun. He is barely 2 years old; there is enough time for lessons later. Arwen and I discussed this." Aragorn was still controlling his tone of voice.
"Then perhaps you have been wrong. You do not know what she would have liked because she is dead, dying when she gave birth to the very son you are trying to raise." Eowyn had not meant to say this but she did and a stunned silence followed before Eldarion admitted a small cry and shot away from the table. Aragorn made a move to stand but Faramir stood up instead, shaking his head before he turned back to his wife and hissed. "You do not have the right to say thus and you shall apologize before I make you face the consequences." He then walked off; tracing the steps the young prince had taken earlier.
"I am doing the best I can do. My wife is dead as I know very well. I do not know how to raise a child but I am trying and at this moment, that is all I can do." With those words he pushed his chair back and walked away, knowing he could not handle it if she would come after him.
He dropped his head in his arms and leaned against the wall, his mind screamed with rage. "Legolas, why did you have to leave? Why could you not have stayed here and be by my side, like you were meant to be?" He drove his fist in the wall, succeeding in making his knuckled bleed before he walked away, in search of Faramir and his son.
He did not find them in any of the room in the house that they would normally occupy and started walking towards the stables, hoping the horses might give him some comfort. He heard the whinnying of the horses long before he walked into the stables; he soon found Brego, the horse he had ridden in the war standing close by.
Stroking the horse's neck, he started speaking, about the plans he had, what he wished for and how everything had ended so wrong. Brego nuzzled his neck and with a soft moan Aragorn remembered the times long passed when somebody had done the same thing but for a different purpose. He kept his thoughts away from Legolas but could not keep his hand from going the pendant he wore. He stroked the soft outline, feeling the mithril cool against his bare flesh.
Tears gathered in his eyes and he leaned forward once more, his hand still stroking the horse's neck. "Ada, no crying." He could feel hands tug at his trousers and with a sob he leaned down and gathered Eldarion in his arms. "I am so sorry, my son. Eowyn did not mean those words she said. I am still sorry that you had to be witness to it." He rocked the boy; tighten his hold on him when Eldarion seemed to relax.
"I found him in the garden, close the Arwen's shrine. He was in tears." Faramir's voice caught through the silence that surrounded them. Aragorn found his steward standing in the doorway and the man walked inside, looking at the two people before him. "Perhaps you should tell him about her. He should know." The steward advised quietly.
"Perhaps I should." Aragorn mussed, keeping in mind the precious charge he was still holding in his arms. "I wish to apologize for Eowyn's behaviour earlier, you did not deserve that and she should not have spoken in such a way." Faramir placed his hand on Aragorn's shoulder and squeezed gently.
"Do not. I will speak to her when I can handle it, though I think it shall be many days before that." Aragorn's voice was firm and angry while he swept his son on his shoulders and answered his voice sadder this time. "I shall do as you said and tell him about Arwen. Do not let anybody disturb me." With those words he walked off, bracing himself for the conversation that he needed to be had.
After the very difficult conversation Aragorn settled back against the tree, a smile on his face as he watched when the sun sank below the horizon and Eärendil appeared in the sky. He smiled once again and began the story of Eärendil against his only son, smiling when the boy begged for more and that was how the remaining of the night was spent for the king and prince.
Hope you liked it. Please review and leave an idea what you wish to see.
