I don't have much of a preface for this one! Thank you for your continued reviews and ideas! Enjoy!

Chapter Forty-Nine (Mareke)

I had never been so physically miserable in my life. I was nearly halfway through my pregnancy and still I was sick to my stomach nearly every day. I could sleep for ten hours and still wake exhausted, half awake at all times.

Aragorn fretted over me constantly which did not help matters. He was struggling to balance the extra responsibilities from both the boys and the Realm that were falling to him, as I could not get out of bed some days.

"I do not know how you do it," he said one night in late February. He had sent all of the servants away and was tending to the fire himself.

I watched as he stripped down and joined me under the heavy blankets.

"I am sorry I am not much help," I said quietly.

"No, I did not mean to guilt you," he said, pulling me against his side and kissing my temple. "You are doing important, if arduous work, in bringing this little one into the world." He pressed a hand to my stomach that was growing alarmingly fast.

"You do not have to tend to the boys like I do. I had much more free time to give them than you have ever had with your duties. You will spread yourself too thin," I said gently. "Lady Belethiel is here to help. Let her do her job."

Aragorn sighed. "Somehow you managed to raise our children, do work for the orphanage, and attend just as many meetings and hearings as I did."

"That may be, but I was not a slave to my study outside of those things." I rested my head on his chest and looked up at him. "I, nor the boys, will think any less of you if you need some help." I sighed. "Hopefully, I am over all of this soon."

"I hope so too. I do not like to see you like this."

We were silent for a moment. "Have you spoken to Adnan about the new baby?" Aragorn asked.

I was not up and about often in those days, but I knew I was approaching the end of when even the heavy Gondoran gowns would cover the ever-swelling bump. I shook my head.

"I think we should do that soon," Aragorn said quietly. "I know it did not go well the last time, but he has matured considerably since then."

I nodded my agreement. "There are many talks I must have with him. He leaves for Harad in less than six months time and he is unaware."

"We should do that soon as well, though perhaps the less time he has to dwell on it the better," Aragorn mused.

"Perhaps, but I think it should be done at the same time. I do not want his last memories to be only of serious talks. I could get it out of the way and then enjoy your birthday celebrations."

Aragorn pressed another kiss to my forehead. "Very good, but when will we tell Shuk about the babe?"

I laughed. "We can tell him, but I am not sure he will truly understand until the child is here."

"He will be devastated," Aragorn chuckled.

ooooOoooo

It was just shy of a week later, when I finally felt well enough to don more than a nightgown or a robe and greet the world outside of my bedchambers once more.

"Mother!" Adnan exclaimed, greeting me from where he was eating breakfast with Shuk and Aragorn.

"Good morning," I said, bending over and pressing a kiss to his curls, before I sat next to him. I did not tempt fate by filling a plate and so I sat and watched my men.

""Are you feeling better?" Adnan asked. "We have been worried."

"I am." I smiled at him. "So much better, in fact, that I'd like to have lunch just you and I. Do you think you could spare some time for your mother?"

Adnan nodded enthusiastically.

"Perfect. I will see if we cannot have some of your favorite foods."

Adnan stood and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"Enjoy your lessons," I called after him.

Shuk scrambled down from his seat and toddled over to me, reaching to be held. I obliged and lifted him onto my lap.

"Are you sure you do not want me to join you for lunch? Part of it is half my news," Aragorn said.

I shook my head "No, I think it is more important that he and I discuss Harad alone."

"Very well," Aragorn stood and offered me a gentle smile. He walked around the table to kiss my lips and stroke my hair. "Then I will see you this evening. I love you."

Shuk and I sat alone at the table. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be with my family after those few months alone in my bedchamber. Of course, Aragorn had brought the boys to see me and I had made the occasional brief appearance, but it had been far from our usual routines.

It was yet too cold to go into the garden and instead we made our way into the nursery. I settled myself in a chair while Shuk began pulling out his blocks and puzzles and wooden figurines.

At the sound, Lady Belethiel came into the room, looking flabbergasted to see me there. "Oh Your Majesty!" she dipped into a quick curtsy. "Forgive me, I was not sent for."

I waved her concern away. "I will tend to him this morning. I fear you have not had much time to yourself of late," I said. "Take the morning to yourself. However, I would be grateful if you could keep him in the nursery for lunch. I would like to be alone in the dining room with Adnan."

"Of course, Your Majesty." She gave another curtsy and headed for the door. Before she left she turned and said, "Congratulations."

I smiled as she left us and then turned my attention back to Shuk, who was trying to ram a piece of his puzzle in the wrong spot.

"Let me help you," I said, easing myself onto the floor and taking his chubby hand in mine to get him to relinquish the piece.

We passed a very pleasant morning together and before I went to meet Adnan, I pulled Shuk into my lap. "You are going to be a big brother," I said to him, placing my hand on the swelling that was his sibling.

He just stared up at me.

"Baby," I said, taking his hand and pressing it to my stomach. Still he gave me no reaction. I knew he understood. He and Elboron were of an age and he knew that Elboron had a little sister.

"You will be the death of me," I said, kissing his forehead. I set him back on the ground and then used a chair to pull myself back to my feet just as Lady Belethiel entered.

I had tried to focus all morning on my youngest son so I would not dwell on the impending conversation with my eldest.

I had never let my son have even the slightest inkling that he would return to Harad without me and I realized, as I sat there, that I might have made a mistake. With so little time left it would be hard for him to adjust to the idea before we were on our way back to Harad.

I took a deep breath and then exited the nursery. Adnan was already sitting at the table, loading his plate.

"Where are your manners? Has Aragorn let them disappear while I've been indisposed?"

"I was not going to eat until you had joined me," he swore.

"I am not sure I believe that. I can see you've already nibbled some of your cheese,"I said with a light laugh.

Adnan tried to hide his smile as I sat across from him.

I put a few things on my plate and then bid him to eat. "I wanted to have lunch with you so we could talk about a few things, Adnan."

"Like the baby you are having?"

I raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback. "I suppose it is rather obvious, is it not?"

He only nodded. "You look like Eowien and Vanya."

I sighed. I should have known I had waited too long. He had ample examples around him and had for the past couple of years. "I am sorry I did not tell you sooner," I said.

Adnan looked down at his plate.

"Are you upset with me?" I asked gently. "If you are, you can tell me."

He shook his head and actually smiled at me.

"I am glad. Aragorn and I will need your help in convincing Shuk to be happy as well."

My son laughed and I joined him, but the smile soon melted from my face.

"There is something else we must discuss," I said quietly.

Adnan looked at me expectantly as he lifted a fruit tart to his lips.

"Do you remember when your Haradrim tutors arrived?"

He nodded, still munching away.

"Well they came here with a purpose," I said slowly.

"To teach me about my heritage and to make my Haradrim better," he responded.

I nodded and was silent for a moment, unsure of how to break the news to him that he would not be with us for much longer. "Yes. But they came here to teach you those things because you are now the Crown Prince of Harad. Do you know what that means?"

Adnan gave a confused shrug.

I took a deep breath. "It means that when your jidd passes away, you will be the King of Harad. And so your jidd sent those tutors so that you could begin to learn about the Realm you will rule over someday."

"But not for a long time, right Mother?"

I closed my eyes to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Hopefully, your jidd will live for a great many more years."

"That is alright then. I will continue to learn."

"Jidd has ordered that you are to return to Harad to be with him. To learn how to rule from him."

Adnan froze. "When, Mother?"

I reached for one of his hands. They were not the soft, pudgy hands I had once known. His pale palm was covered in calluses from practicing with his blade and bow and riding his colt.

"We will all go to celebrate your tenth birthday in Harad and you will be officially recognized as the Crown Prince." My voice nearly broke. "And then you will remain with your jidd, jadda and Baran."

Adnan sat in silence for a long moment. I held his hand tightly. By that time, the tears were streaming freely down my face. He stared down at his empty plate.

"So you are replacing me with this new baby?"

I lunged for him then, wrapping him so tightly in my arms that if I had been aware I might have been worried that he could not breathe. "Adnan, no!" I objected vehemently. "I could never! I would never want to do that. You are my firstborn. I have longed you longer than anyone else." I held him at arm's length. "This baby has nothing to do with you leaving, I swear to you. It is strange timing is all."

He still looked uncertain.

"I will be in Harad as often as I can with or without the rest of our family here. And you will come back to Minas Tirith. This will not be a goodbye. We will see each other as often as we can manage."

I looked deeply into the dark eyes that matched my own and squeezed his hands again. Suddenly, his arms were around my neck tightly. I held him close and cried into his hair. He did not make a move to break our embrace. Instead, I felt his tears on my neck. I stroked his back and held him until he was ready to separate.

"Why can I not stay here with the Haradrim tutors?" He asked quietly.

"Our people need you to learn everything that you can from your jidd and those others around you. They will need you to be a strong, noble and kind ruler. The best place to learn to do that is in Harad, among those people you will rule. You have learned much from Aragorn and the court of Minas Tirith. Think of the man you will be when you can combine that with what you will learn in Harad. You will be the greatest king our people have ever seen."

It was nearly imperceptible, but I thought I noticed his chest puff out a bit.

His cheek was still soft beneath my hand as I stroked it. "But we still have time together here."

ooooOoooo

"I want you, Adnan and I to go to Annuminas before your birthday," I said that night as I laid with my head on Aragorn's chest. "To spend time together with just the three of us before…"

I had told him of Adnan and I's earlier conversation while we had prepared for bed.

"Have Faramir come here to manage things and we will leave Shuk with Lady Belethiel. I think it would be good for Adnan and I know it is something I need."

Without hesitating, Aragorn agreed. "I think that is a very good idea," he said quietly.

A new worry had come to mind in the hours since talking with my eldest. It seemed as though since I had finally shared his fate with him, that I was really allowing myself to understand that his leaving and living in Harad would be a reality.

"I am scared for him to go back there, Aragorn. It is a treacherous place. I fear that there are those who may have remained loyal to my brother, who will try to harm Adnan in retaliation or make some attempt at a coup. We have seen how those we think are loyal to the Haradrim crown can be bought and swayed."

That rendered my husband silent for a moment. "I will send men. They will be loyal to no one but myself, your father and Adnan. And they will never be away from him," he said. "Men of this new guard, who do not have the cowardice or greed in their veins that those before them had."

I learned to kiss him on the lips.

"I love you."

ooooOoooo

Because I was nearly halfway through my pregnancy and still not quite feeling like myself and it being the middle of February, our ride to Annuminas was not pleasant.

"Rest," Aragorn bid me when we arrived. "Us boys can entertain ourselves for the afternoon."

"That sounds like I should be worried about you getting into trouble," I said with an indulgent, if weary, smile.

"We would never do such a thing. Would we, Adnan?"

My son shook his head, but I could see the mischief in his eyes.

Aragorn kissed my cheek and sent me on my way to the bedroom. I thought I had never felt such luxury as the bed I fell into.

ooooOoooo

"What time is it?" I asked blearily as I felt the bed shift under Aragorn's weight.

"Nearly midnight,'" he replied.

"Midnight!" I exclaimed. "I will sleep through our entire stay here."

Aragorn chuckled. "Just today. You needed it."

"What did you get up to?"

"We wandered around a bit, found the prints of a wild hog we might be able to stalk while we're here, had dinner and then played cards for entirely too long."

"I look forward to joining you tomorrow."

"Did you see Miriel before we left Minas Tirith?" he asked.

My silence was answer enough.

"As soon as we return then."

ooooOoooo

In the morning, I rose before Aragorn, which I was not sure had ever happened in our marriage. "Do I not deserve a respite too?" he asked as he rolled over.

I laughed before kissing the crown of his head.

Adnan was already sitting at the dining table eating his breakfast. "Is Aragorn sick?" he asked, when he saw that I was alone.

I laughed again. "No. He is sleeping in." I shrugged. "Who ever heard of such a thing." Joining him at the table, I studied the assortment of food laid out before me, but decided against eating anything. I feared that I might ruin our morning together if I ate something that did not agree with me. "What do you say about going into the winter market this morning?"

Adnan nodded agreeably. When he was through eating we donned our heavy cloaks and other cold weather attire and headed out into the stalls.

"These are not Gondoran," Adnan said when we came across a stall selling Rohirric horse blankets.

I shook my head. "No they are not." I nodded towards another stall a ways up the street that was selling bolts of Haradrim silk and spices. "Nor are those."

"How did they get here?"

"Aragorn and I worked with Eomer and Lothiriel as well as jidd on a trade negotiation."

"I cannot believe these goods are all the way here in Annuminas," he said in wonder as we continued along.

"It is quite impressive."

As we walked, the people made their obeisances, murmuring a multitude of "Your Majesties" and "Your Highnesses" to Adnan and I. I waved the formalities away and stopped at many of the stalls to ask about their wares and how their first winter in Annuminas had gone. If there were any complaints or concerns that I thought the Realm could fix, I promised to take it back them to the council in Minas Tirith.

They all wished me congratulations on the impending birth of the newest prince or princess of the Reunited Kingdom.

"Perhaps there is one thing I can teach you about being a ruler," I said quietly as we headed back up the steps to the palace. "You should always be accessible to your people. They are the ones you will make decisions for regarding their livelihoods and their protection among a great many other things. You will want to do what you can to ensure that they do not see you as some aloof King on your lofty throne, far away behind the palace walls."

Adnan nodded thoughtfully next to me.

Aragorn was standing at the top of the steps when we got to the level on which our chambers were.

"Look who woke up just in time for lunch," I jested.

He gave me a grin and pulled me into his side, kissing the tip of my frozen nose.

ooooOoooo

The two weeks we had allotted to be in Annuminas went far too quickly for my liking. We spent our time exploring the palace, visiting the market, and cozy in front of the fireplace. Aragorn and Adnan even tested the thickness of the ice on the lake by slipping and sliding around on it.

The last few nights I was left alone as Aragorn and Adnan very much wanted to see if they could hunt the wild boar whose tracks they had seen on our first day.

Camping in the snow sounded nothing short of miserable to me and so I was happy to stay behind while my son got a lesson in being in the elements.

I could not remember another time in my life when I had been completely alone, save the servants who came and went quietly. There was no husband, no sons, no Lady Ioreth or friends. I finished a book without interruption. I was allowed to be in peace with the child I carried without having to haul Shuk around or shuttle Adnan from lesson to lesson. I cherished that time immensely, but when it was over, I was overjoyed to have Aragorn and Adnan back. It also meant that I would soon be reunited with my youngest, who I had missed despite the desperately needed time alone with Adnan.

"We got him!" Adnan exclaimed jubilantly when they returned.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"We ate him of course. Killing is not for sport," Adnan said matter-of-factly. I glanced over his head at Aragorn. "But we kept these." He brandished the two tusks. "Strider says he and I will have matching blade handles made out of them."

"They will be exquisite, I am sure," I said quietly. "Now why do you not go and have a bath. You smell as though you have been in the wild for days."

Aragorn stepped toward me and wrapped me in his arms.

"He will treasure his memories with you always," I whispered against his chest.

ooooOoooo

When we returned there were only a few days before Aragorn's birthday celebration. Most of the arrangements had been made before we went to Annuminas, but there always seemed to be something cropping up that needed tending to.

Eventually, I managed to get an hour to myself so that I could summon Miriel to discuss if there was anything that could be done to mitigate the fatigue and nausea I was still experiencing.

When the young woman entered my bed chamber, she rose from her curtsy and then studied me closely.

"How was the trip to Annuminas, Your Majesty?" she asked, laying her supplies out on the vanity.

"Overall it was wonderful, but I am still not feeling very well. I had thought that I might be less tired and queasy by now, but it has persisted."

Miriel nodded. "For some women it lasts for the entire pregnancy. For others, they never experience unpleasant symptoms at all."

I sighed.

"But I have an idea of what might be causing your persisting symptoms, so let us take a look, shall we?"

ooooOoooo

I went through Aragorn's celebrations that night in a sort of daze. I spoke to everyone I should have and said the correct things. I managed to dance with Aragorn, though I was rather unwieldy and, frankly, not paying much attention.

"Is everything alright, Mareke?" Aragorn asked when I had trodden on his foot for the second time.

"We will discuss it when we are in private," I said. I knew I should not have said that, that he would be on edge for the rest of the evening and I was correct.

After another hour, he approached me where I stood listening to Vanya chatter about something or other. I did not pay her much attention, only nodded here and there.

"Let us retire, Your Majesty," Aragorn said quietly as he approached, tipping his head in Vanya's direction.

"We do not have to. We can stay. Enjoy your celebration."

"I have had a fair few birthday celebrations and there will be a fair few yet to come," he said.

I acquiesced and allowed him to lead me to our chambers.

Once there, I checked on both boys to make sure they were sleeping soundly and then entered our rooms. Aragorn had disappeared into the wash room and so I went to the vanity, leaning over to take my earrings out and unfasten the necklace I wore.

I watched Aragorn approach in the mirror. He pressed himself against my back and his hands slid around to cup my stomach. "It is later and we are in private. What did we need to discuss?"

I moved his hands so that one stayed on the bottom and the other moved a little higher up on my stomach.

"We are having twins."

I hope you enjoyed this update! It's hard to believe that the next chapter will be FIFTY! I realized it's been quite a while since I wrote in anyone POV besides Mareke and Aragorn. Let me know who you'd like to read in the next few chapters. Thank you to those who continue to review and provide ideas! I love your headcanons and huge plot points alike so keep them coming. I also take constructive criticism.

Happy reading,

Avonmora