I cannot believe we're on chapter 50 of this story! It would not be possible without you all and your encouragement and ideas over the last few YEARS! I so appreciate those of you that have stuck it out with me through the writer's block and long wait times between chapters. You mean the world to me.

I hope you enjoy this update!

Chapter Fifty (Aragorn)

"This is lunacy, Mareke," I said through gritted teeth.

Servants were bustling around our rooms, packing our things for our long journey and stay in Harad for Adnan's birthday celebrations.

"You have said your piece several times now, Aragorn," Mareke replied blithely as she walked past me, rubbing her swollen stomach.

"And it has fallen on deaf ears every time," I responded shortly.

"No, I assure you, I hear you. Everyone has heard you."

"And yet no one listens. It is as though I am not the King."

Mareke sighed and turned to me, a silk slip in her hand. "Relax, my love, please."

"Relax! How am I supposed to relax?" I folded my arms across my chest and glared at her. "You want me to relax when you, nearly seven months gone with our twins, want to go on a journey by horse and boat that will take nigh a fortnight? And we will have two other children, one who has a terrible record with travelling."

Mareke gave me a bemused smile which made me want to yell all the more.

"We have plenty of time to get there," she said gently. "There should be no rush. And we have nurses and friends going who have offered their help and support, Aragorn." She stepped toward me, reaching up to stroke my cheek. "It will be fine, but we will need you to be your normal collected self."

I sighed, turning my head so I could nip at her palm. "You will be the death of me."

"Possibly, but that is very far in the future," she laughed.

I could not help but join her as I pulled her as close as I could get her with one hand, allowing the other to press itself to the restless babes she carried.

"How do you feel?" I asked quietly.

"Fine. I feel absolutely fine."

I pressed my forehead to hers and took a deep breath.

"Mama!" We both turned at the sound of our youngest.

"I am so sorry, Your Majesties," Lady Belethiel said breathlessly as she came in after him, dropping a quick curtsy. "He got away from me while I had my back turned overseeing the packing of his things."

I had to laugh at the poor woman. Arathorn was getting quicker and craftier. He could move without being seen when he wanted to.

I hefted him onto my hip. "Leave him with us for a while," I bid her. "It looks like you could use a break."

"Mama, Mama, Mama," he said over and over again, reaching for his mother. I tried to restrain him.

"Oh truly, Aragorn," Mareke sighed, pulling him from my arms and into hers. "I carry him all the time when you are not here to see it." She turned back to our son. "Why do we not go into the gardens and take a packing break?"

"Yes!" Shuk exclaimed, wiggling to be put down so he could run ahead of his mother.

"The death of me!" I called after her.

Mareke merely gave a shrug and disappeared outdoors.

I turned with a sigh and headed for my study.

ooooOoooo

I was an anxious mess a few days later when we arrived at the stables. Beinion, Vanya, Legolas and Gimli were all waiting for us. The horses had been saddled and packed with provisions.

Adnan eagerly made his way to Fahall. It would be the first time the boy was taking him farther than Annuminas and I knew he was excited.

Next to Fahall was Duma. It had not been a discussion that he would go with us. He had been Adnan's companion for as long as I had known the little boy and truthfully, I wanted the cat to go to Harad for the extra protection he offered to my son.

Whatever Adnan and Mareke had discussed in private had been a success for he had not once seemed downhearted at the prospect of returning to Harad. I was sure it was not yet a reality and that when it came time for us to leave, those feelings would most likely change, but in the interim he seemed optimistic.

I turned from Adnan just in time to see Mareke mount her mare with the assistance of a stablehand and mounting stool. My eyes closed as I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh she is tougher than all that, do you not think?" Gimli asked, coming up next to me.

"I do not know," I sighed.

"Well I shall tell you who it is you should be worried about on this trip and that is me," Gimli jested. "I have not sat a horse for this long for a long while and I am not so happy about it."

I chuckled. "I am sure you are not."

Gimli gave me a warm smile before going off to mount his own horse.

When I mounted and situated, Legolas handed Shuk to me. He was not thrilled that he could not ride with his mother, but there was simply no room for him.

As we left the stable, I kept an eye on Mareke who was riding next to Vanya who seemed to be fretting.

Beinion rode up next to me. "It was her decision to leave the girls behind and yet she panicked this morning." He swiped a hand over his face.

I had to laugh. "You should have seen Mareke when we left the boys to go to Rohan for the Eomer-King's wedding. Do not worry, she will arrive and she will enjoy herself and the respite."

"I hope you are right."

Our party rode all day with only a brief stop for an afternoon meal. The whole time, I did not take my eyes off of Mareke. She seemed to be faring well enough and so I kept my distance so as not to irritate her.

When we stopped for the night, though, I could tell she was weary.

"Mama." Arathorn was once more clinging to his mother's skirts, but as our tents were being assembled she did not even attempt to lift him.

I scooped him up from behind so that he could get closer to her. She took his chubby fists in her hands and kissed his cheeks, rubbing her nose against his.

We ate once more and then Mareke waved Lady Belethiel over. "They will sleep with you tonight," she said.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the woman replied. "Come little princes. Let us go and see what my tent has to offer."

Adnan grumbled. Not often was he still lumped in with his younger brother, but he went anyway with a subtle look from me.

"Let us retire as well," I said when the boys had disappeared with Lady Belethiel.

Mareke nodded and followed me, passing by as I held the tent flap open for her. When I entered, she was standing in the middle of the tent rubbing at her lower back.

"Go ahead and say it," she said, without looking at me.

"I shall refrain," I said with a slight laugh. "Even though I was right, it does not do me any good to see you in pain."

Mareke sighed. "How noble of you."

"Why do you not sit down?" I glanced in the corner of the tent where there were two low slung canvas chairs.

"My legs ache from sitting all day," she replied.

I stepped behind her and took over the rubbing of her sore muscles. She leaned her weight into me as my hands went around to her hips, kneading there and then running with some pressure beneath her stomach.

"Only a week left," she said, turning in my arms and hiding her face against my chest.

"And then a boat and more horses through the desert."

Mareke looked up at me scowling.

"I could not help myself that time." I kissed her forehead.

A large bowl was brought in, along with a pitcher of fire-warmed water. We both stripped out of our riding clothes and washed the day's travels from our skin as best we could without access to a lavatory.

"Well I am never going to get down there," Mareke said, standing in just her slip before our bed.

The bed was merely a pallet mattress and was lying right on the ground.

"Give me your hands," I said, taking her small brown ones in mine. "Turn around."

As gently as I could, I lowered her until she was on the pallet. I went around to the other side and joined her.

"I am going to have to stay here until the babies are born," she said.

"Perhaps you should have stayed in your palace until then."

Mareke punched me on the shoulder.

ooooOoooo

It took a little over a week to reach the river and the boat that would carry us into Harad.

Mareke looped her arm through mine as we ascended the gangplank. We had gotten only a little further south of Minas Tirith and still it was warmer.

Vanya was fanning herself once we were all on deck.

"I had quite put the heat of Harad behind me after my first visit," Gimli grumbled.

"We are still in Gondor, mellon," Legolas said with a smirk, which caused Gimli to begin blustering, much to Adnan's delight.

Mareke ignored the jesting going on around her, instead grasping at the railing of the deck.

I glanced over at her and she looked pale and clammy. "Are you alright?"

"Just getting my sea legs," she replied quietly.

I had hoped that the sailing portion of our journey, but might be easier on her, but it was not looking as though that was to be the case.

It was not much longer before the gangplank was drawn up after all of our things were loaded onto the vessel and we continued our journey once more.

"I am going to speak with the Captain," I said to my wife. "Would you like me to escort you to our cabin first?"

Mareke shook her head. "I can manage. Thank you, though."

I pressed a kiss to her temple and felt how clammy she was.

"I will go with you, Mareke," Vanya offered, seeming a bit nervous herself.

My wife smiled and looped her arm through Vanya's before they both disappeared into the hull.

The boat was enormous. It had to be to fit not only our entire company, but our trunks and even the horses as well. If all went according to plan, we would be on the boat for less than a week before the last few days of riding through the desert to reach the Haradrim capital.

Luckily, sailing on the river meant that the water was mostly smooth, instead of choppy like the sea.

After speaking with the Captain for a quarter of an hour, I remained on deck with Legolas, Gimli, Beinion and Adnan. Lady Belethiel had taken Shuk to see if she could not get him to take a nap as well as give his mother a break. So far, he was not doing any better on the trip to Harad than he had on his first trip to Rohan.

When the sun began to set, I made my way down to our cabin to check on Mareke, but as I descended the stairs, I was roughly shoved to the side by Vanya. "Move, Your Majesty!"

I would have laughed at her treatment of me, if my eyes had not adjusted to the dim lighting to see her helping Mareke, who looked positively green, up the steps and to the railing.

As quickly as I could, I followed them and flanked Mareke's other side as her whole body heaved. Vanya had her dark, wild hair clutched in her fist and I rubbed her back until she was through.

When she straightened, she looked at me miserably. I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Here is another chance, Your Majesty," she murmured against my chest.

I shook my head and wrapped her in my arms. "I will refrain once more."

"What are you looking at?" Vanya demanded of the crew who were standing around watching us. They quickly went back to work, averting their gaze from Mareke.

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at my wife's fierce friend.

"I am sure this happens all the time on a boat," Vanya said as we descended the stairs to our cabin once more.

"Would you like to lie down?" I asked my wife, holding the door open.

Vanya had disappeared to her own cabin, promising she would be back shortly to check on Mareke.

"I do not know," she replied, walking around the small room, one hand pressed to the small of her back. "I thought this would be the easy portion and now I'd rather be on a horse."

"I will send for some things to help settle your stomach," I said, stepping out.

Adnan was standing just outside the door.

"Is Mother alright?" he asked quietly.

I sighed. "Those babies are giving her a very hard time." I put my hand on his shoulder and guided him with me toward the small kitchen that would serve us while on board. "Let us see if we cannot muster up some tea and biscuits for your mother."

The kitchen did what they could and Adnan and I returned, but Mareke was not in the cabin. We went back onto the deck and saw that she had been set up in a chair at the bow. Her curls were blowing in the breeze and Shuk was curled around her stomach, head peeking out of a light blanket.

"It was that room," she said. "There is no air down there."

Adnan handed his mother the cup of warm tea and I held the plate of biscuits.

"My boys are too good to me," she said with a soft smile.

"Do you intend to sleep out here?" I asked, crouching down next to her and running my fingers through Shuk's curls. He gave a deep sigh and cuddled close to his mother.

"In this chair if I have to," she replied.

Adnan and I walked around the deck of the boat to leave Mareke and Shuk in peace. He had been restless on the journey and so to see him so subdued for his mother was a rare treat.

"I think I have an idea," I said to the young boy. "But I will need your help.

An hour later, we had gathered all of the blankets and pillows we could find. I had also managed, with Adnan's assistance, to drag a couple of mattresses up the stairs and to the opposite side of the deck where Mareke could not see us.

"Mother!" Adnan exclaimed, when we went back around to find her and Shuk in the same spot where we had left them. "You have to see something!"

Mareke looked up at me. "He is right. You do." I took Shuk off of her lap and then Adnan pulled her to her feet.

In the middle of the boat, surrounding the helm, there was a build-out to keep the captain and crew safe from the elements if sailing on an unpleasant day. We walked around that and came upon what Adnan and I had created.

"Oh my," she said quietly.

From the helm to the railing of the boat, we had secured sheets and underneath that were the mattresses, pillows and blankets.

"So you do not have to sleep in your chair," I whispered before kissing her cheek.

Mareke looked up at me and her eyes were welling.

"Tears and sick to your stomach on the same day?"

She burst out laughing and hid her face in my shoulder.

"Do you like it?" Adnan asked earnestly.

Mareke looked down at her son and shook her head. "No." His face fell as he looked at me. "I love it."

"Mother!" Adnan exclaimed.

"I cannot thank you enough for this. Will we all fit?"

"We should," I said.

That night, after the boys and I had dinner and Mareke nibbled at a heel of bread, we were in our makeshift cabin. Adnan and Shuk were sharing the smaller mattress and I held Mareke against my side.

"Are you comfortable?" I whispered.

"No," she whispered back. "But at this point I would not be comfortable at home either."

I chuckled. "Well you might as well be on a boat then."

"That is what I was trying to tell you the whole time."

I pressed a kiss to her temple, but she looked up at me and kissed me soundly on the lips.

"Stop!" Adnan exclaimed next to us. "I can hear you kissing!"

ooooOoooo

We were lucky in that the rest of our travels were rather uneventful. Of course, Mareke felt more miserable and tired as the days wore on. When we crossed the border into Harad and were joined by her father's guards, I watched her visibly exhale in relief that the journey was nearly over.

As we rode into the city and toward the palace, I was ready to trade my northern clothes for the light linens I had packed for our stay in the desert. I could feel the sweat rolling down my neck and back as the sun beat down on us.

It was the middle of the afternoon when we finally made it through the walls of the palace. Hashad and Khatun stood waiting for us.

Adnan leapt from his colt and bolted for his grandparents who happily wrapped them in their arms. I had Shuk on my hip and I joined them, not wanting to watch Mareke dismount her horse as everything made me nervous.

"My, my. Look how big both of you have gotten," Khatun said, grinning at her grandsons.

Hashad had never met Arathorn and he beamed at his youngest grandson.

"He will warm up," I assured them when Shuk buried his face in my shoulder. "It is good to see you both."

They nodded and looked over my shoulder as Mareke approached.

"And you have grown too," Khatun said with a laugh, pressing her hands to her daughter's stomach.

"How was the journey?" Hashad asked.

"Miserable," Mareke responded. "I am glad we have finally made it."

"Why do we not get you all settled in your rooms and you can relax before we share a private dinner," Khatun said.

Mareke looped my arm through the free one that was not holding Shuk. She leaned on me heavily as we followed her parents to the rooms we had shared before.

Adnan entered before us, but Hashad held him back. "We have bigger chambers for you, Adnan."

The boy looked up at his mother and I could tell that neither of them had been prepared for such a thing. For his entire life his bedroom had been in his mother's suite of rooms.

"How exciting," Mareke finally said.

"Fit for a Crown Prince, I am sure," I added quickly, nodding at him.

"You should get settled in your new rooms and then join us for a swim," Mareke suggested. "I think that would be just what we need to refresh ourselves."

"Alright," Adnan said, turning to his grandfather who led him away.

I placed a hand on Mareke's back and guided her into the rooms we had shared on our previous visit.

"That was difficult," she said when the door was closed behind us.

"I know," I kissed her cheek. "But he does need to get used to not being so close."

Mareke nodded. "I am going to change for that swim."

She disappeared into her closet and I set Shuk on the floor to strip him down. He was still little enough that he could go swimming wearing nothing at all.

By the time Mareke joined us, we were already in the pool outside of her rooms. Her face transformed as she stepped down into the water. "That is miraculous."

Shuk reached for his mother from where he was clinging to my back and so I pulled him through the water so he could get to her.

A half an hour later, Adnan finally appeared in just his breeches. He looked rather flustered.

"Is everything alright, habibi?" Mareke asked.

He sighed. "I did not know how to get what I needed from my bags."

"The servants are there to help you," Mareke said. "They will make your life a good deal easier. They will learn what you need eventually, but in the meantime all you must do is ask for what you need or want in as polite a manner as you can."

Adnan did not seem convinced that it could be that easy, but he jumped into the pool nonetheless.

ooooOoooo

I had been wondering when we would see Baran and I did not have to wait long. He joined us that night for dinner in Hashad and Khatun's private dining room. He spoke mostly to the other King and told him of all he had been working on that day and week. He barely paid any attention to anyone other than Hashad and Adnan, who was happy to see his uncle again.

Shuk had found his way to his grandmother's arms and was sitting there happily, trying all of the sweets she put in front of him after dinner.

"When he refuses to sleep, I will be sure to send him to your rooms," Mareke said, reclining in her chair and rubbing her swollen stomach. The pool had helped her feel much more comfortable, but I feared that as far along as she was with two babies her respites would be brief.

I waited for a lull in the conversation between the other two men before I stood. "Baran, I was hoping you and I might have a private word in the gardens."

He looked up at me and gave a deep sigh. "Of course, Your Majesty."

I squeezed Mareke's shoulder as I walked past her chair and entered the gardens with the man I despised.

"What can I do for you?" he asked quietly.

"You and I have had to put our differences aside once before and I would ask that we do that again," I said, once I deemed we had walked far enough away from the entrance.

"How so?"

"I cannot hope to ever replace Adnan's father, but he has become quite dear to me in the years that I have known him. I know that you mean a great deal to him as well and that you care for him very much in your brother's absence."

Baran merely nodded.

"It would be foolish to allow ourselves to believe that the threat to Adnan has disappeared with his other uncle. He would have had many who were loyal to him and were hoping to gain something when he ascended the throne. With the King's guidance, Adnan will be a much better judge of character for which I am grateful. But I fear those judgements will cause him to have many enemies in the men who preferred the scheming and plotting of Na'man."

"I have thought about this a great deal," Baran said, clasping his hands behind his back and looking over at me briefly.

"I am glad to hear it. I will be leaving a contingent of my own men to guard Adnan night and day and I am sure that you will be doing the same. My men will need direction. If I cannot be here to protect him, then I would ask that you utilize those men I leave to ensure that Adnan is safe. They will be instructed that they are to listen to you above all others."

Baran raised an eyebrow in my direction.

"I know you love him. You have known him his entire life and he is your people's hope now. But to his mother and I, he is a little boy who will be far from us and in a fair amount of danger. I would put our animosity behind us for him so that he can grow into the King that Harad needs."

There you go! I enjoyed writing this one! Those babies are coming soon! What do you want to see for this family? You guys have given me some great ideas that I'll be utilizing coming up, but I'm always happy to hear more. I'm also always happy to nerd out with new friends if you want to message me for any reason! I love all of your reviews so much so send me all of your thoughts, praises, constructive criticisms! Whatever you've got, I'm happy to hear it!

Happy reading,

Avonmora