Unique

Disclaimer: Tolkien owns LOTR.

Author's Note: I was inspired to write this story, so I did. Enjoy!

The night that a two year old human boy had been safely delivered to the protection of the elven realm of Imladris, everyone's lives dramatically changed. The child's mother accompanied her son, Aragorn, and they spent a good year and a half together until one stormy night.

Elrond and his twin sons awoke abruptly to the terrified screaming coming from the human boy's bedroom down the hall. The three wasted no time in leaping out of bed and nearly collided into each other in the hallway.

Thunder resonated throughout the hidden valley, causing the floors to slightly vibrate. Lightning flashed outside, illuminating a screaming toddler shaking on the cold, hard ground.

Little Aragorn had been sleeping peacefully, snuggled within the crook of his mother's arm. Surprisingly, the storm was not the cause of the babe's awakening. He awoke because the warmth that usually existed when he cuddled with his mother was no longer there. Her whole body had gone cold and her secure hold around his little waist slackened off and sent him tumbling off of the edge of the big bed they had shared.

At three years old, he was deeply confused by what had happened. His mommy was always warm and she had never dropped him before. And when he shook her arm that was dangling off of the bed she did not respond. The toddler saw that her eyes were open and believing she was really awake, tried to get her attention. He whispered "mommy" but when that didn't work he raised his voice a little louder in the hopes that she would hear him the second time. After a few more attempts to rouse her, he sat defeated on the floor and sobbed until at last, he was reduced to screaming. Although he was extremely young, he was very intelligent for his age. He somehow 'knew' that something was horribly wrong with his mother and it was this knowledge that scared him so.

It only took the three elves a matter of seconds to come flying through the door. Elrohir, the youngest of Elrond's twin sons, picked up the crying child and tried to soothe him while his twin hurriedly lit the candles that were scattered about the room. His father immediately went to Gilraen's bedside and checked to see what the problem was.

The ancient Elf Lord sighed deeply as the heavy blow of what just took place struck a painful blow to his heart. Her soul had departed and the friend he had come to know drew breath no more. He estimated she had been dead for at least a couple of hours. He closed her glassy, unseeing eyes and whispered an elven farewell.

Elrond told his sons to take Estel out of the room and to the Hall of Fire. He called an elf maiden who had come out into the hall to see what the commotion was about and had her go and summon his two advisors, Erestor and Glorfindel. A few minutes later, he explained to them about what had happened.

The following morning brought forth grief and lamenting in the house of Elrond. The storm had died down in the wee hours of the morning but bleak, gray rain clouds remained as testament to the grief that was taking place on earth far below.

That afternoon was Gilraen's funeral and they decided to place her grave within Rivendell itself. As everyone in turn said their farewells (mostly those that had known her), it began to pour rain. Elrond's mood was dark and he felt that the rain was befitting for this day as his tears were soon mixed with the rain.

Little Aragon did not attend the funeral on Elrond's orders. As intelligent as the child was, he was still foreign to the concept of death. So the wise Lord knew well that allowing the boy to see his mother committed to the earth would only cause more grief and pain.

That night Elrond went to check on little Aragorn to see how he fared. He was fast asleep sucking his thumb but the tear stains on his face were testimony enough. He felt that the boy should not sleep alone in the event he was to awaken to find himself in an empty room by himself. The moment Elrond decided to move the child to his room, one of his sons beat him to it.

"Elrohir?"

"Yes adar?"

"What troubles you?"

"I was just thinking. What if Aragorn awakens by himself, especially after what happened?"

Elrond gave his son a sad smile and looked back at the sleeping babe.

"Aye, I was considering moving him to my bed."

"As was I…Please, may I care for him this night?"

Elrond looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his consent.

"If he wakes up and you can not console him, do not hesitate to come and get me," Elrond added as an afterthought.

"I shall."

They wished each other good-night and Elrohir lovingly picked up the sleeping boy before returning to his room. After making sure he was tucked in safely next to the wall (so the child would not roll off the bed), the young elf quickly slipped into elven sleep.

About four hours later, Aragorn awoke. This time he had a reason. He had to go potty. He rolled over and his breath hitched in his throat. He recognized the elf he was sleeping with but what startled him was that his eyes were open. The last person he awoke to with eyes open had been his mother. And the small connection forming within his young mind told him that something was wrong with the elf next to him for his eyes to be open in the middle of the night.

"Ro?"

The baby boy got no answer and that familiar deep fear he had felt only the night before resurfaced. Tears ran down his face and he lightly touched the elf's face and frightfully whispered his name a second time. When he got no response again, that was the straw that broke the oliphants back for young Aragorn. He sat up and screamed shrilly and began to cry.

Elrohir's deep slumber was shattered and in a panicked confusion, fell off of the bed. He quickly got to his feet and tried to approach the distraught boy but Aragorn's eyes went wide and he screamed twice as loudly as before. He scrambled away from Elrohir's outstretched hand and continued screaming as if he was being murdered. In the frightened child's panic, he accidentally wet himself.

Elrond raced into the room and tried to get Aragorn to calm down. Aragorn went straight into Elrond's arms without hesitation and would not look at Elrohir. Sobs quickly replaced his terrified screaming.

"Elrohir, what has happened?"

"I don't know adar! He just woke up screaming!"

"Aragorn, what troubles you so?"

Aragorn's response was to snuffle into Elrond's shoulder and continue sobbing.

"Perhaps light will be shed on this incidence come the morn," Elrond replied softly.

"I am sorry Ada."

"It was not your fault, ion nin. Go back to sleep."

Elrond carried a still sobbing Aragorn to his room. The first thing to be done was to change both the boy's wet clothes and his own. Elrond was very patient and thus was not too upset at the babe's accident. After all, he already experienced fatherhood thrice already!! Elrond had an extra pair of sleep pants brought to him along with a cloth diaper. After the little boy was dry, Elrond quickly changed himself.

Then, the Elf Lord sat down upon his bed and began to rock the crying edain. He began to softly sing in the hopes that the babe would go back to sleep. Mid-way into his singing, Aragorn sat up and yawned, rubbing chubby little fists against his face. He looked up with sad, confused eyes and met wise, compassionate, gray ones. The child's lower lip began to quiver and his breathing picked up. Elrond by now knew those to be warning signs that the child was about to resume crying again.

"Aragorn, what is wrong?"

"Ro"

"What about Elrohir?"

Aragorn's quick breathing slowed down and his lower lip turned into a frown as the little boy tried to use what limited vocabulary he had to explain what was wrong with Elrohir.

"Ro, bad"

Elrond seriously doubted that Elrohir would do anything to hurt the child. The next word stunned the Elf Lord silent.

"Mommy"

Elrond was confused for a moment and figured that Aragorn just missed his mother. The healer really didn't know how to explain the concept of death to a 3 year old. The only thing a child of that tender age can truly comprehend is sleep. Death is too complex for one so young. Elrond sighed and tried thinking of an explanation worthy of a 3 year old.

"Aragorn, your mommy is gone."

"Gone?"

"Yes, young one."

"Mommy be back?"

This was breaking the Elf Lord's heart. He took a deep breath to compose himself and continued.

"No, Aragorn. She went bye-bye."

"Bye-bye?"

"Yes."

Aragorn's brow furrowed and he looked at his lap trying to understand and then back up at Elrond's face.

"Ro gone?"

This was totally unexpected. Elrond had not expected Aragorn to connect Elrohir with his mother in any way whatsoever. But a sneaking suspicion was growing within his mind and he began to piece everything together bit by bit.

"No, Ro is not gone."

"RO GONE!!"

Elrond was stunned at the forcefulness of Aragorn's words. He was about to reprimand the child for being so outspoken when the little one burst into tears again.

"Aragorn, what makes you think that Elrohir is gone?"

When he received no answer, he absent-mindedly began to stroke the sobbing child's back in a soothing manner. The wheels in Elrond's head were turning faster now and then he had it, the answer to all the riddles after rethinking the past night up to present moment.

He remembered having to close Gilraen's eyes after finding out that she had died. Elrohir earlier that night took Aragorn to sleep with him. Elrohir had said that he didn't know why Aragorn had been so hysterical because he woke up to hear the child screaming. It all made sense now. The toddler had no knowledge that elves slept with their eyes open. Neither did the babe truly know what death was. Although Elrond was fascinated with the fact that little Aragorn put a label to what he had witnessed. He believed that anyone that had open eyes in the middle of the night was hurt. So, in Aragorn's terms, that was 'bad'.

"Oh Aragorn"

Elrond held the child closer and wished that the little boy didn't have to suffer so.

Pretty soon, the sobs stopped and when Elrond looked down, a sleeping face graced his eyes. He wiped off the child's tears with his thumb and kissed him on his brow before tucking him in bed. He prayed that he wouldn't wake up again that night. He really wanted to avoid a repeat of the 'sleeping with eyes open is bad' episode.

Elrond snuggled under his blankets and fell asleep. Even in sleep, his paternal instincts were still active because he kept a secure arm around Aragorn's little waist to prevent him from falling off of the bed, just as his mother used to. A few minutes later, peace reigned once again over the Last Homely House.

To Be Continued…

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