I apologize for my long absence. I was suffering from writer's block after the last update and so I must thank The King in White for helping me with this idea. I want to keep this story realistic and this was a good way to do it I think. Also, I apologize for the length. I wanted to get something out to you and so it ended up being a little shorter than my usual updates. Anywho, enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Three (Mareke)

We returned to Minas Tirith and it was completely different than any other time I had returned to the city. It felt hopeful. As I associated the place with my husband and sons it was somewhere I actually wanted to return to.

There were no crowds to cheer our arrival, but I assumed that would never be the case. I cared not. I could only think of getting my hands on my sons. I hurried through the levels of the city.

"They are not going anywhere," Aragorn laughed behind me.

"I conceded that I enjoyed our time away, now let me have my reunion."

I was practically running through the palace to to our private chambers.

Finally, I entered the nursery to find Lady Belelthiel helping Adnan with his writing and Arathorn lying on a blanket on his back, kicking his feet and gurgling contentedly.

I gave Lady Belethiel a grateful smile before going to my eldest.

"Oh Adnan." I knelt by his small chair and wrapped in my embrace, but his body stiffened and he tried to pull away. "I missed you," I said quietly, releasing him.

Adnan would not look at me. I bit back my hurt and disappointment and rose to my feet.

I knew there was one person who would be happy to see me and I bent and scooped him up, burying my nose in the soft folds of Arathorn's skin.

Holding my youngest in front of me, I realized he had not changed as much as I had feared he would during my time away.

"He looks more like you than ever," I said to Aragorn, who had stepped up behind me and cupped his son's soft, round cheek with his rough hand. The other rested on my hip.

"It is uncanny," he agreed. "Though I see traces of you."

"You flatter me," I laughed and handed Arathorn to his father so I could speak with Lady Belethiel.

"Your Majesty," she said, rising from Adnan's side and giving me a curtsy. I drew her away from my eldest's always listening ears. "The princes were wonderful while you were away," she said with a smile.

"I am glad to hear that. Now it is my arrival I am worried about." I gestured to my son who was still pretending that we had not entered the room.

Aragorn had taken Lady Belethiel's place next to Adnan and the boy was ignoring him even as Aragorn was trying to speak to him about what all the boy had done in our absence.

"If he will ignore the King then we must have greatly offended him."

"It is a hard age, Your Majesty," she assured me. "Your son is learning that you and the King have duties that will take time from him. He knows he is important, that he stands to be a man of great circumstance. Leaving him was for the best. These lessons for his ego are important."

"You are very wise," I said with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Adnan has come to mean very much to me since he arrived. I want to do my best to ensure that he grows up to be the best man possible."

"We are very fortunate to have you," I agreed. "What do you recommend the King and I do now that we are home?"

Lady Belethiel sighed. "It will be hard for you and will be going against your instincts, but I believe that you go on as normal. Do not overcompensate for your absence. There will be times in the future when you cannot be with him and he needs to grow accustomed to that."

"You are right. That will be difficult."

"He will come around. I know he adores both of you."

I nodded. "Thank you for all you did in our absence," I squeezed her her hand gently. "Now take some time for yourself in the next few days."
"I appreciate it, Your Majesty."

I watched as the other woman went to Adnan and whispered something to him, squeezing his shoulder before she left. A pang of jealousy went through me that my son could be so receptive to a woman who did not share his blood. It was of course not very mature of me to want him to understand all that I had done for him in his short life, but someday he would and in the meantime we would get through the difficult parts with as much grace as we could muster.

Aragorn stood with a sigh, Arathorn still cradled against his chest.

"Well that went well," he said, joining me near the door to the sitting room.

"Adnan, I am sending for dinner. Please join us shortly," I said as Aragorn and I left the room.

When the door closed behind us, I addressed Aragorn's puzzled stare. "Lady Belethiel advised that we go on the same as though he was not having this attitude and eventually he will come around."

Aragorn sat on a sofa with a sigh. "I hate this. Perhaps you were right and we should have not left them."

"No. It was good to go away for a while. For everyone. I also hate this, but as you pointed out before we went to Rohan, this will not be the last time we have to be away from him and he needs to adjust."

My husband nodded. Our son began to fuss where he sat in his father's lap.

I looked at the babe uncertainly. There had been a discussion with my healer about how I might continue to produce milk for my son even while I was away and not nursing him. I wanted a few more months to share with my son.

I had put the herbal concoction she gave me into tea multiple times a day while in Rohan and followed all other instructions she had given. I knew it might not work and that a wet nurse would have to supplement for awhile, but I was determined to try.

As I lifted Arathorn into my arms and took a seat in an armchair before the fire, Aragorn rose and sent a servant off for a private dinner. We would not have much time alone in Minas Tirith and so we would enjoy the privacy that night.

I winced when Arathorn's hungry mouth found my chest. It had been nearly a fortnight since I had nursed him and the sensation was almost foreign to me.

"Is it working?" Aragorn asked, sitting next to me and putting an arm around my shoulders. He cupped Arathorn's head and stroked his feather-soft hair with his thumb.

"I think so. Perhaps a little bit. It will take time."

Just after I switched Arathorn to my other side, Adnan came in.

"Have you washed up?" Aragorn asked him.

He shook his head and wandered off to the bathroom.

While he was gone, the food arrived. I readjusted my dress and put Arathorn against my shoulder, patting him firmly on the back.

I sat across from Aragorn and we waited for Adnan to join us before eating.

"So Adnan, unfortunately my afternoon is taken up with a council meeting, but I thought perhaps you and I could go on an early morning ride tomorrow," Aragorn suggested brightly.

"No thank you," he said.

"Adnan," I began.

"I said no thank you. It was not rude." He began eating very quickly, obviously eager to get away from us.

We remained quiet for the rest of the meal and within only a few minutes Adnan had asked to be excused.

Half an hour later, I went to check on my eldest, but when I pushed his bedroom door open I found him sound asleep in his sleeping shirt. He had tucked himself into bed and my heart went into my throat. I thought perhaps that he no longer needed me.

I slowly made my way back to my chambers. Aragorn was going into them with Arathorn as well. I had not, as I had known, been able to feed him enough to get him through the night and so his father had taken him to the wet nurse, far away enough from me that I did not have to see.

When the baby was sleeping snuggly in his cradle, Aragorn walked to me and wrapped his arms around me tightly, my forehead pressed against his chest.

"It will get better. Everything takes time," he said quietly.

I nodded against him.

"Now let us get some sleep before we are faced with the real trials tomorrow." He took my face between his hands and kissed me soundly on the lips.

We both stripped down, not bothering to put away our clothes off the floor. I nearly fell into bed, and Aragorn once more wrapped me in his arms, pressing a kiss to the nape of my neck.

I lifted his arm and pressed a kiss to the dark tattoo on the inside of his forearm.

ooooOoooo

The next day, Aragorn was up before the sun and so I was left to have breakfast with Adnan before he went back to his lessons.

"What will you be doing today, do you know?" I asked him, not expecting an answer.

He gave a shrug. I had been correct.

"Legolas said you were going to start reading a whole book upon his return," I said.

"An easy one," he said grudgingly.

"It is still impressive," I said. "Perhaps you could read part of it to your brother and I."

Again I only received a shrug.

Thankfully, Legolas arrived a few moments later and set off with Adnan, who was not mad at the Elf for leaving him I noticed grimly.

I took Arathorn into my study with me to respond to a few letters and look over the documents that had come in from the orphanage in my absence. I laid Arathron on a plush blanket where I could see him. Before I sat down, I opened the door to the garden and very quickly Duma was inside as well. I had missed the presence of the cat while away. He had always been a part of Harad that I liked to have around when I could.

I watched as the cat leaned down and licked Arathorn's chubby cheeks, causing the babe to squeal and belly laugh with pure mirth. I could not help but to laugh lightly as well.

Much like his father, Arathorn did not often openly express his emotions so when he laughed or cried it was a relief.

Eventually, Duma settled down and laid on his side so that Arathorn was against his warm belly. One paw was lying over the stomach of my son and they both dozed off. If any other mother had come upon such a scene she probably would have fainted. Even though Duma had been a gift to Adnan, he had immediately become the protector of my youngest as well.

Later in the afternoon, after both I and the wet nurse had fed Arathorn, he and I headed to the orphanage.

There were a few older boys and girls there, which meant that the apprenticeships were being implemented and they felt as though they could stay at the orphanage while learning their trades.

I was presented to two of the adolescents. The boy was working with a carpenter and doing quite well and I informed him that I would very much like to see his work I was hoping to have new things made for my chambers.

"And this is Alya. She is working under the head housekeeper in the home of Lord Beinion and Lady Vanya."

I smiled brightly at that. I had no idea that my friend had gone so above and beyond.

"It is a new appointment and I am learning much," the girl said humbly, eyes diverted from me.

"I am sure you are," I agreed. "Now would you mind looking after him while I have a conversation with Melda?"

Before she could agree or disagree, I had handed Arathorn over to the girl who I could hear spluttering "Crown Prince" over and over as I joined Melda in her small office.

"You shock a different child every time you come here, Your Majesty," Melda laughed.

"It is good for them," I smiled. "The Crown Prince is just another baby in this city."

We spent the next hour going over different documents, with columns of money donated and supplies needed, ages of children and other apprenticeships.

"We are certainly on an upswing," Melda said with a confident smile.

"I am glad to hear that," I replied, standing. Almost immediately, Alya was at my side and I took Arathorn back into my arms. "Thank you for that," I said kindly. "He gets rather heavy after a while."

The girl stood there speechless as I left.

At the mention of Vanya, I realized it had been long since i had seen my friend. With both of us having little ones and Aragorn and I traveling to Rohan we had all been busy.

I climbed the few levels to her and Beinion's home and requested to see the lady of the house.

"What a surprise!" Vanya exclaimed, Marilla on her hip.

"When I heard you were a participant in the apprenticeship program through the orphanage I had to see you and thank you."

Vanya laughed and shook her head. "You have turned me into quite the philanthropist."

Vanya ushered Arathorn and I into her sitting room and we sat and chatted about everything I had missed while I was gone.

We must have lost track of time as before I knew it the sun had set and Beinion came home looking weary and irritated.

"Oh, Your Majesty," he said when he noticed me, bowing quickly.

"I did not expect anyone out of the council meeting until the sun was coming up," I said with a light laugh.

Beinion did not join in my amusement. "You may want to return to the palace. The King was not in a pleasant mood when he adjourned our meeting."

I stood and propped Arathorn on my hip. Without a word, I left their home and climbed back to the palace with my son gurgling happily.

When we approached our rooms, I hesitated at the door. I did not want to be faced with the reality of whatever was happening. We had had such a lovely time in Rohan and I had hoped that that feeling might persist, but I imagined that was not to be the case if Beinion had looked so distraught.

With a deep breath, I pushed the door open and was immediately confronted with Aragorn pacing around the sitting room.

"Where have you been?" he asked, turning to me immediately.

"We went to the orphanage and then stopped by Beinion and Vanya's." I laid Arathorn on a blanket on the ground and then went to Aragorn, grasping his forearms to stop his moving. "What happened at the council meeting?"

Aragorn sighed and looked down at me. "I asked for only a few things to be accomplished while we were away, but somehow they did not get done."

I raised an eyebrow. "Nothing arduous. Small tasks. Pulling information on a few laws that were decidedly outdated, seeing if money could be moved around for the last few rebuilding efforts."

"Why were they not accomplished?" I asked, sitting on the sofa and drawing him down next to me.

"There is no good reason," he said bitterly. "I was told paperwork was lost. Scheduling was impossible to get the necessary men in the same room at the same time."

"And do you think it will be done now that you are back?" I asked a sense of foreboding running along my spine.

"I do not know. Beinion informed me that he thought all of this was happening on purpose, that my own councilors are trying to gridlock me and my initiatives."

ooooOoooo

Two months later, we both knew that it was intentional. Portions of harvests were supposed to have come in from the countryside, but it was not nearly the amount that was supposed to be turned into the monarchy.

The nobles who owned the land used for farming told Aragorn and his council that it had been a bad year, but there had been no previous indications that that was the case. It had almost been the perfect year. There had been plenty of rain, not too much sun.

Most of the council did not question what was told to them. Only Aragorn and his younger councilors were outraged.

Living with Aragorn put everyone on edge. Of course he was under an extraordinary amount of duress. The crops that were sent into the city were necessary for the survival of those who could not provide crops and livestock for themselves to survive through the winter.

"Lives are at stake here," Aragorn said as he paced, once more, around the sitting room. He ran his hands through his hair over and over. I studied him from where I sat on the sofa. The few months since we had returned from Rohan had aged him terribly

He grew more and more frustrated. "This cannot go on like this! There is no call for any of this! They do not need that much of their harvest! The amount that was agreed upon is more than enough for the nobles and their dependents to live on. There is no need for them to keep more back." He put both hands on the small table in the corner and bowed his head. "I should hang every last one of them for this!" he nearly yelled, slamming his fist on the table so hard there was a resounding crack.

"Aragorn!" I exclaimed, going to him quickly. I was stopped quickly when I heard Arathorn crying in the nursery. I changed direction and hurried in to scoop the babe up before Adnan woke. My youngest hardly ever woke in the night and he hardly ever cried, but the noise must have scared him awake.

"Sshh sshh," I murmured to him. He was rubbing his face on my shoulder and whimpering. We came back into the sitting room and Aragorn was looking at me guiltily.

"I am sorry," he whispered, coming towards us and cupping the back of Arathorn's head. He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Why do you not send for Faramir? Perhaps he could help you get to the bottom of this," I suggested.

"That is not a bad idea," he agreed quietly.

ooooOoooo

Faramir arrived, along with Eowyn and Elboron, and the men immediately locked themselves in Aragorn's study.

Eowyn brought Elboron to my rooms and he toddled around, occasionally sitting next to Arathorn on his blanket and trying to make him play.

"Where is Adnan?" she asked. It was early evening and my eldest should have been done with lessons for the day.

"He is still angry with us for leaving him behind for Eomer's wedding. He has taken to wandering around with Legolas and Gimli in the evenings."

We were silent for a long while.

"I fear this is all my fault, Eowyn," I said quietly.

"Your fault?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have pushed his people too much. There was no grace in my actions. I wanted to change this culture that has been this way for ages."

"It needs to change," Eowyn replied.

"Perhaps it can stand to change, but I did not go about it the right way. I was demanding and acted like a battering ram against these customs. And now people will suffer because of my selfishness."

"Aragorn and Faramir will figure out a solution," she began, but I stopped her.

"Who did I think I was?" Now I was the one pacing. "I come from a people that have been enemies of Gondor for centuries. Not only am I foreign, but I was of the conquered people. Who am I to change anything?"

"Mareke," Eowyn stood as well. "It is not as bad as you think. You changed dresses and did not want to be confined. You did what many Gondoran women have wanted to do throughout time."

"But I am not the one to make those changes. Especially not in a matter of a couple of years."

I sighed and sat heavily. "Aragorn should not be having to deal with all of this." I put my head in my hands and felt Eowyn's gentle touch on my back.

"You know the people were not exactly fond of the idea of Aragorn taking the throne. He was not raised in Minas Tirith either. They see him nearly as foreign as they do you, I am sure."

"Which is why I should have been more accepting of the customs."

"We will all try to figure out the best course from here on. Do not forget that you have done much good for the people with your work at the orphanage."

I looked at her. "His council did not want to give me the money for that. It only made them less fond of me than they already were."

"Faramir and I will not leave Minas Tirith until we are sure that everything is settled and on a good path."

I nodded, grateful to have the White Lady in my life.

ooooOoooo

Arathorn's birthday came and Faramir and his family were still in Minas Tirith. He and Aragorn had put together a group of men to go out to the countryside and determine what was going on. Counts of crops and livestock were taken and when they returned they came with wagonfuls of the food that had been withheld from Aragorn initially.

Some of the burden lightened, but I knew Aragorn and I were both thinking of what was to be done next. How could we prevent further similar incidents?

We had a dinner with Faramir, Eowyn, and Elboron. Vanya and Beinion came with Marilla and of course Legolas and Gimli were present.

The mood was not light as it normally was at our small birthday celebrations. On top of what was going on in the Realm, Adnan was still sullen and not his outgoing self. When he was not eating, he had his arms folded across his chest and refused to talk to anyone.

He had held his ground since our return and with everything else that was going on, I had not had nearly enough time to focus on bringing him back around. It was clear that he did not enjoy the dinner being about Arathorn. It was the first time I had seen him truly jealous of his younger brother.

The party ended much earlier than such gatherings had in the past, but everyone was tired with all of the work they were putting in to correct what Aragorn and I had seemingly overdone.

After the boys were in bed, I crawled into ours where Aragorn was staring at the canopy. I moved closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I am so sorry, Aragorn," I began. "I did not realize what I was doing. I caused most of these problems you are facing now."

He pressed a kiss to my temple. "I do not want to speak of that tonight." He stroked my hair. "Our son just celebrated his first birthday. Let us not ruin that."

I nodded. "Perhaps we should have a grand celebration for him as we do for you. He is the Crown Prince."

"Perhaps," Aragorn agreed. "But now is not the time for that discussion either."

We laid there in silence and I knew neither of us were sleeping.

I hope you enjoyed it! It is now time for Aragorn and Mareke to show their strength as a unit. If you have anything you'd like to see that would fall in line with what needs to be done in the coming chapters, please let me know! I love ideas!

Happy reading,

Avonmora