Prompt: Imagine Aragorn teaching his eldest daughter to shoot.
A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been such a long time, since I published something, but here's a new fic. It's Aragorn/Daughter!Reader, and I'm considering making it into 2 parts.
You sat down on the balcony in your room and sighed, your eyes threatening to reveal everything that you've tried to hide from your parents. You were their first child, their oldest, but your parents - the King Elessar, and his wife Arwen - were always busy with your brother Eldarion, or with your other 4 siblings. It was expected, with a family this size, that some of you were going to feel a little left out.
But it always seemed to be you. Every time you ventured into the main citadel or somewhere else in the castle, you constantly saw your parents spending time with your siblings; when you went to ask them something, or to actually spend some time with them, they were too busy. When you were 11, you stopped asking.
From a young age you were told that you always had to smile regardless of the situation, and to leave the warmongering and civil duties to the men. As a princess of the Reunited Kingdom, you were also expected to become a calm, sophisticated and talented woman. To not question the world. It was easier for your sisters; they took after your mother both in looks and personality. Yet there was you- curious, strong-willed and the complete opposite of them all.
As for your supposed talents… to be honest, you still hadn't found it yet. You couldn't play an instrument; your singing voice was non-existent. You couldn't draw, or do anything that your mother or sisters could. However, you could write about mythical futures, where people were able to fly within weird metallic contraptions - heading across the world in hours.
You were nine years old at this revelation, yet when Arwen heard about this, she forbid you from writing any more about them; the contraptions, she said, were too similar to those used by Mordor and Isengard during the Second War of the Ring.
Going into Gondor was out of the question. Any attempt in socialising with others the same age ended in vain or embarrassment - each time somebody realising exactly who you were, the formalities began. Your birthright had made it seemingly impossible for you to make informal acquaintances. You just stayed within the citadel a lot, mainly in your room, reading history books from the archives.
There were occasions where you'd have to attend feasts, celebrations or similar things; no matter how much you didn't want to attend, you had to. You complied reluctantly, mainly just to please everyone else. Normally you sat away from the majority of where the attention was directed, hoping that you wouldn't get noticed much. Then the Lady Eowyn began to sit with you during these events - Lord Faramir was usually deep in conversation with some officials - and she told you some of the many tales of valour that she knew. Some were hers. Some were your parents; all were enticing.
You wanted to be like some of those mentioned in the stories. You wanted to show everyone that you were capable of something like they were. But you were never going to get that chance, unless - Eru forbid - the world heads back to war, or something drastic befalls your brother. As much as you wanted to prove yourself, you didn't feel that the two options were worth it.
You heard Eldarion begin talking to someone on the floor below, and glanced over the side to see who it was. Eyes wide, you noticed that it was your father; it was the beginning of his weekend off - how on Arda could you forget?!
There was a brief moment when you considered calling down to them, or to head down there; thinking about how much trouble you that could get you into, you left them alone, instead choosing to head inside and read some more stories.
Later that night, after supper, and a few long hours since you and the rest of the citadel had gone to rest for the night, you came up with an idea. An idea that would let you get to prove something, while not getting in trouble with anyone. Hopefully.
Aragorn was growing concerned; you hadn't turned up for breakfast the next morning. Thinking that you'd simply overslept, he made his way upstairs to make sure. When he opened your bedroom door, finding your room empty, he felt his heart skip momentarily.
He stepped in further, and still hadn't found you. He walked around the entire room - nothing. He stepped out onto the balcony, the only place he had yet to check. When he discovered that it was also empty and devoid of life, he stood there for a few moments, thinking deeply - and hastily. Where else could you be at this time? When he heard the sound of an arrow being fired, he snapped out of his thoughts before glancing downwards, over the side towards the private archery range. A small glance down told him most of the story, and he headed down there so you could tell him the rest of it.
You'd managed to find Eldarion's archery equipment while he was at breakfast, and you headed down to the archery range, so you could get a few hours practising before you believed that you would be discovered.
Letting the next arrow fly, you huffed in annoyance, as you spectated it soar straight past the line of targets. Reaching down to grab another arrow from the quiver standing up on the ground, you stopped and spun around to see your father when your heard him. As you spun around, you hid the bow behind your back, hoping that he hadn't seen it.
"Father!" You gasped in surprise as Aragorn walked towards you. "W-w-what are you doing here?" you asked, hoping to postpone the certain telling off you were going to get.
"Looking for you; you've missed breakfast." He replied, now standing close to you. Averting your gaze with a small "Oh…", you look down at the ground. Aragorn notices the bow in your hands and gently takes it from you; you simply let go. He glances curiously for a moment, before staring at the bow. He understood - sort of.
"You stole Eldarion's bow?" He asked, amused. But you were scared that he was about to tell you off, so you missed the humour.
"I believe that I borrowed it without asking." You reply, muttering your response. "It's completely different." Aragorn laughs and you look up at him, startled - although you don't let it show.
Then unexpectedly, Aragorn talks to you, calmer than you were expecting him to. He steps back slightly. "Point at me." He says, and you glance at him confused.
"I'm sorry, what?" you comment, slowly. "You want me to point at you?" He nods, smiling kindly.
"Yes, with just one hand." He responds and you do just that. You raise your arm for a few seconds before lowering it.
"Why did I have to do that?" you ask, hoping he hadn't tricked you or anything.
"Because you need to know which hand to hold the bow in." Aragorn replies, laughing as your face breaks out into a smile and you hug him tightly. This was an unexpected surprise indeed.