AN: sorry for taking so long to post the next chapter…things had gotten really crazy around here and I have started college so I have gotten really busy. I hope you guys will like the next chapter.
Chapter 2: Home
Shortly after Estella fell asleep, the adults decided to call it a night early. Aragorn and Arwen now understood why Galadriel wanted them to come to the academy. Estella needed them there to begin healing from the emotional wounds caused by her friend's death.
Aragorn walked over to Glorfindel and took her into his arms. The elf lord stood and took the jacket that she had been wearing and draped it around her shoulders.
Rose had stayed awake and yawned as she stretched and sat up. Dimitri removed his duster and draped it over her shoulder as he stood up. He reached down and helped her stand. Rose stood close to him as he hugged her.
The group left the auditorium and headed toward the dorms. Janine took the moiri kids to their dorm and made sure the kids got to their dorms safely. Dimitri went with the others and showed the fellowship where they would be sleeping and then brought Estella's family over to the girls' room.
Rose unlocked the door and slowly turned on the lights. Estella had remained asleep for a few minutes longer.
"So the two of you share the room?" Elrond asked as Aragorn set Estella down on her bed.
Rose nodded, walking over to her dresser. She pulled out a pair of fuzzy red angry bird pajama pants and a black tank top bra to wear to bed.
Just as he set her down, Estella's eyes flickered open. She stared up at him with swollen puffy eyes. Aragorn sat down across from her and pulled her into his arms.
"I love you so much Estella." Aragorn said, holding her close.
Arwen walked over to the bed and sat down beside Aragorn, taking Estella's shaking hand. She knew that Estella was going to be alright, she just needed some time to heal.
Estella looked up and smiled back at her mother. She was so happy to have her parents with her, protecting her from everything dark in the world.
"And I love you also, you are our hope." Arwen told her, reaching out and pushing a wavy lock of hair from her face.
"I love you too, more." Estella replied, "I missed you so much…I thought I would never see you again."
Elrond, Celeborn and Galadriel smiled softly as did Glorfindel, Erestor and the twins. They all had missed her terribly when she left.
"I know you did, my little one, but it had to be done so you could come home when you were needed." Celeborn told her.
Estella smiled as she looked over at him as she looked over at her family, to include Rose. She smiled at her best friend, standing in the door way of the bathroom with a smile on her face.
"You look exhausted." Rose said, smiling at Estella.
The peredhil smiled back, seeing the same in her friend's face. She could also feel the mascara she had been wearing was smudged under her eyes.
"Yes and so do you." Estella replied, smiling back.
Elrond noticed that his granddaughter needed to sleep a full night in order to handle being in Middle Earth the next day.
"Maybe you both should go to sleep early tonight." Elrond said, causing Estella to smile.
"I need to shower first, but I agree." Estella replied as Rose flopped on to her mattress after retrieving the remote to the TV and cable off her dresser.
"Hey, you know that your brother got you the Avengers movie to watch, Little Widow." Rose teased.
Estella laughed as she walked over to her dresser and pulled out a black tank-bra shirt and hot pink and black flannel pajama pants and black fuzzy socks. Aragorn looked at them with a raised eye brow.
"Why do you call her little widow?" Aragorn asked.
Estella and Rose both began to laugh when he asked. That night had still been fresh in their minds.
"You have to see the movie first we can explain it Ada, otherwise it would not make any sense." Estella replied.
The ranger accepted the answer and smiled. He could only imagine the story behind the nickname his daughter had.
"Hey, do I have any more detangler shampoo?" Estella asked, stopping short of the door.
"Yeah, Dimitri brought it by this morning… he figured you would be running out soon." Rose, "And he go you your favorite scented conditioner."
"Yes!" Estella cheered, disappearing from the room.
About 20 minutes later, Estella came out of the bathroom with her long black hair blow dried straight and brushed out. She looked more like princess than before.
"Feel better?" Rose asked, knowing that showering sometimes helped her feel better if she was upset.
"Much better, so ready to watch the movie?" She asked, noticing that the adults had assembled on the couch the living room portion of the dorm room.
"Yes, I'm watching from my bed." Rose replied, snuggling under the warm layers of her bed.
"I might do the same, if ada scoots over." Estella said, looking over at her father who was lounging on her bed.
Aragorn scooted over enough for her to get underneath the blankets. He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her and held her close. The ranger was thankful that she was alive and in his arms.
Rose started the movie and shut off the lights off in the room. She and Estella enjoyed her family's reaction.
When the battle sequence started, Elrond and Celeborn chuckled at the reference made about Legolas. They all laughed when Estella said that Hawkeye was the better archer than he was.
Suddenly, both girls gave a very loud yawn. Galadriel smiled softly as did Arwen. They both knew that the girls were tired and needed to go to bed.
"Perhaps you two should go to bed." Galadriel said, lookin at the two girls who were half asleep.
"But I'm not tired…gra...ndma." Estella yawned, snuggling into her father's shoulder. "I'm not either, Lady…Galadriel." Rose replied, yawning midway through her sentence.
"Oh, I am sure." Galadriel laughed, watching the pair as they fell asleep.
Aragorn held Estella close and began to sing an elven lullaby that he would sing to her when she was a baby. She would always be fast asleep before he even finished.
Rose listened to the song that he was singing and found herself drifting off. She felt more at peace than she had in a very long time.
Elrond walked over to the TV and DVD player and turned them off, leaving only the small bedside lamps by the girls' beds to be the only light in the room.
The group smiled to hear the girls were both a sleep by the end of the lullaby. Arwen smiled, remembering how she would find her daughter a sleep in her lover's arms when Estella was a baby. She would often find Aragorn sleeping then as well.
Estella turned her head to face her father and said something incoherently in her sleep. The ranger smiled and kissed her raven waves gently. He loved his daughter and was happy to see the peaceful look on her face.
Glorfindel smiled when he seen Estella's face and was thankful as well. He could not shake the look on her face when she told them what had occurred after her 16th birthday.
"She has been through just as much as any in this room." Glorfindel said softly.
"Indeed she has, but she has become stronger because of it…This will help her as well as the others on this quest." Galadriel said.
The group agreed with her statement and sighed. There was a peace in the room that everyone enjoyed. Elrond, Celeborn and Galadriel all thought it was time to get some sleep.
"Perhaps it is time for everyone to get some sleep." Elrond said, noticing that Aragorn was softly snoring beside Estella.
"I agree, ada." Arwen said softly, smiling at the pair on her daughter's bed.
The group all said their goodnights and went their separate ways as they went to their rooms. Arwen smiled as she walked over to the bed.
She walked to the other side of Estella's bed and laid down beside her. The elleth reached out and gently pushed a wild wave from her daughter's face and tucked it behind her ear.
Aragorn opened his eyes and smiled softly at her. He remembered the night that she had given him his beautiful daughter. He was so thankful for Estella and for Arwen that night.
16 Years Earlier…
Aragorn rushed down to the healing talan in Lothlorien with all his might after changing from his dirty clothes. He wanted to get there before the birth of his newborn child happened and be there for his or her mother. It had been three days since a Lorien scout was sent to where a group of Dúnedain rangers were camped out.
The group grabbed their things and prepared to leave for Lothlorien. The twins were gladdened by the news as was Aragorn, but he was worried about his future wife and child. He wanted to be there for the child's birth, but knew that he may not make it there in time. It was the longest three days of the ranger's life.
"Estel, will you please slow down." Elladan said, struggling to keep up with the ranger.
"I shall remember that when you have your child, brother." Aragorn replied, as they turned down the healing talan.
"Arwen is just fine, she is strong." Elrohir said, suspecting the reason for his little brother's haste, "As will the babe."
Aragorn nodded as they reached the healing talan, they saw two elf lords waiting outside. Aragorn recognized the dark haired elf as his adopted father, Lord Elrond of Rivendell. The other was Lord Celeborn, the Lord of Lothlorien and grandfather to the twins and Arwen.
"I see you made it, Estel." Elrond teased.
The ranger nodded, just a scream of pain echoed out through the wood. He instantly went to go inside, but Elrond and Celeborn stopped him.
"She is alright, Estel." Elrond told him. "But she is in pain; I need to be there with her." Aragorn replied, suddenly worried.
Suddenly, the elleth's cries of pain were replaced by the sound of a baby crying. The ranger froze when he heard the cry. His child had finally arrived and his whole life was going to be changed forever.
A few moments later, Lady Galadriel, Arwen's grandmother and the Lady of Lothlorien came out, a smile upon her lips. She looked over at Aragorn with a smile.
"She is waiting for you, Aragorn." She said as she walked to her husband's side.
He nodded, wasting no time to see the love of his life. Aragorn walked to the room that the healer pointed him to and softly knocked.
"Come in." A tired voice replied.
He opened the door to see Arwen lying against the pillows holding a tiny bundle in her arms, smiling down at the babe.
"Arwen." He said softly, causing her to look up with a smile.
She smiled tiredly as she scooted over enough for him to lie beside her and patting the bed beside her. Arwen was overjoyed at that moment. She was excited to see his reaction when she told him that he had a daughter.
"Estel, come meet your daughter." Arwen said softly, tired from the birth of her child.
Aragorn froze when he heard her tell him that. A girl; he had a perfect and no doubt beautiful daughter. He walked over to the bed to sit by Arwen, kissing her softly.
"I missed you, meleth nin." Aragorn said softly, not wanting to wake the tiny child. "And I missed you as well, Estel." She replied as he gently kissed her.
Suddenly, the baby began to cry softly, balling her tiny hands into fists, wanting her mother and father's attention.
Aragorn broke the kiss and smiled at the tiny baby in Arwen's arms. He could not help but wonder at how beautiful she looked.
Arwen watched the way he looked at their daughter and was happy to the look of joy and happiness about him.
"Would you like to hold her?" She asked, causing him to look up at her.
Aragorn slowly nodded as he watched the baby open her eyes. Arwen noticed the baby looking at her father for the first time.
"Say hello to you ada, little one." Arwen said, passing her to her father's arms.
Arwen helped Aragorn hold her he the right way and stared down at her with amazement. He looked down at the tiny baby, taking in her features for the first time.
The baby had icy blue eyes that were nearly identical to her great grandfather's. But her hair was the exact same color as his. Aragorn was happy to know that she was now here and was healthy.
"She is perfect…thank you my love." Aragorn said, looking at Arwen. She smiled back, kissing his cheek, thankful and happy.
"You are very welcome…what are we going to name our little princess." Arwen asked, leaning over to look at the baby's wondering eyes.
As he stared down at the tiny babe in his arms, he only saw everything that was good and pure in the world. He saw hope that all the evil in the world would one day be gone. She was his hope.
"What about Estella?" He said, looking at Arwen.
She smiled, agreeing with the name. She could see that the tiny baby in her lover's arms had given him a new sense of hope that would give him the strength to do anything.
"Perfect." Arwen said, smiling as she ran her hand over the massive amount of black hair that covered her head, "It fits her perfectly."
The three spend the rest of the night together, adjusting to the newest edition of their family. It was night that neither the ranger nor the elven princess was ever going to forget…
Now…
Arwen noticed the look in Aragorn's eye and smiled. He always had a certain look in his eyes whenever he thought of or spoke about Estella. She just wondered what memory of their daughter he was thinking about.
"What one?" She asked, smiling at him.
"Hmm?" Aragorn replied, looking at Arwen. "What memory of our daughter were you thinking of?" Arwen said, smiling brightly at him.
Aragorn smiled again, knowing that she knew.
"The night she was born." Aragorn replied, causing Arwen to smile brightly. "She is the best thing that happened to either of us." Arwen replied, as Aragorn gently moved their daughter to lie on the pillow for a moment.
"Yes she is, but you too are the best that happened to us." Aragorn replied, gently leaning over to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.
She returned the kiss with a smile as she looked up at him. She loved him so much.
"I love you, Estel." Arwen replied as he broke the kiss. "And I love you too, my Umdomiel." Aragorn said, smiling down at her.
The couple stared into each other's eyes for a few more moments before either of them looked around.
The room changed drastically. It was no longer Estella and Rose's dorm room. It was now Aragorn's room in Rivendell. They were now home.
Aragorn and Arwen quickly changed from their clothes and put on the bed clothes. Their sleep teenage daughter remained fast asleep, oblivious the change of scenery. The couple climbed into bed, each laying on either side of Estella.
"Welcome home, Little Ranger." Aragorn whispered, smiling at another memory as he kissed her head.
The three were a family again that night, just like they were on the night she was born. There was a peacefulness that they had not felt in a long time. Their hope had returned home.
AN: I hope you all like the chapter. I thought it would be cool to give some insight on Estella's birth and how her parents came up with her name. I hope you all like the chapter and please remember to review and tell me what y'all thought of it.