#arathorn

Even in Rivendell we have indication that she wasn't entirely at ease; she says to Aragorn upon discovering his feelings for Arwen, Therefore I am afraid; for without the good will of Master Elrond the Heirs of Isildur will soon come to an end. But I do not think that you will have the good will of Elrond in this matter. She seems to be very aware that they are entirely at the mercy of Elrond's whim and doesn't want to risk losing his favour.

Before she dies, she says she's aged by care and cannot face the darkness of [their] time, and when Aragorn tries to comfort her and tell her to have hope she replies with one of the saddest lines in the whole legendarium and disappears from the story to die alone.

Here they are! Sorry for the wait.

They're having a nice time, and nothing unfortunate happens to anyone in this picture for sure.

I went with warmer/ more golden colored stars for Arathorn and colder/ bluer colored stars for Elladan and Elrohir to kind of play with with the human vs. elf sun and moon thing. Technically everyone here is peredhil. But still.

Arathorn son of Arador

The 15th chieftain of the dunedain and the father of Aragorn.

I like to think this is how he would have looked when he first met Gilraen.

ARATHORN II (T.A. 2873-2933, died aged 60) was the fifteenth Chieftain of the Dúnedain. He was the father of Aragorn II, King of the Reunited Kingdom.

In the last year of his father's reign as Chieftain in T.A. 2929, Arathorn sought Gilraen as his wife. She was only twenty-two, and her father, Dírhael, opposed the marriage. He warned that Arathorn would not live long, yet Ivorwen, Gilraen's mother, who was gifted with foresight perceived that hope would be born from their marriage for the people of the Dúnedain. Thus, Gilraen and Arathorn were married in 2929.

The next year, 2930, Arador, Arathorn's father, was slain by trolls, and Arathorn became Chieftain. A year later, Gilraen bore him a son whom they named Aragorn. Young Aragorn would never know his father; in 2933 Arathorn went hunting orcs with Elrond’s sons Elladan and Elrohir, but was shot through the eye and died. Gilraen took their son to Rivendell to be fostered by Elrond.

(from Tolkien Gateway)

How much more complicated would it make things if Arathorn was a trans man? He and Gilraen can't have a kid because of that, but they WANT one (also there's the whole thing about the line of kings and needing a blood heir, but that's secondary here) so, they need to do something about that right?

So, a plan is hatched. A list is drawn up!

A) They need a male with the relevant bits. B) It needs to be someone very certainly NOT anyone they know to be politically awkward. C) It very very much needs to be an individual disinclined to claim the child and cause trouble. D) It needs to be someone Arathorn and Gilraen are comfortable bedding a few times (A: ... well, you wouldn't have to if you don't want to? G: Shuddup, we are doing this TOGETHER.)

That .. kind of rules out a lot of people they know. Most of the rangers, most of the people that live in Imladris.

BUT THEY FIND A PERSON. (And if maybe one of those points up on that list is brushed aside, well ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

Maybe it's a simple married couple and genetic material donor have several encounters and then the donor walks away after a child is made thing. Maybe it became more than that. No one is telling.

However it goes, Aragorn happens!

Everything is fine and there's no fallout and- then Arathorn dies. And Gilraen takes their son to Imladris.

And Elrond takes one look at a child that definitely has FAR more than a trace of elven blood. And very familiar eyes.

E: Wh- who did you say you chose, when you and Arathorn decided to have a child?

G: A friend.

And that's all she'll say. Elrond managed to get her to confirm the friend was an elf, but that's all she EVER says.

... But Elrond knows those eyes. The curve of that jaw. Those curls are perhaps coarser yes, as edain hair often is. There is undeniably a great deal of Arathorn in the child, yes, but many traits that clearly came from elsewhere.

He wrapped his own small hands in hair like that a very very long time ago.

He can't not see Maglor Feanorion in his own foster son any more than he could unsee the sun. It's never confirmed, but-

Elrond has a headache (and a heartache).

-

Aragorn is a peredhel AU!

Aragorn as Maglor's kid AU!

How much would this screw up things? Depends! Is Aragorn mortal, or does he have a CHOICE to make? *shakes the box of dolls gleefully*

I kind of like the idea of a have your cake and eat it too thing where Aragorn and Arwen still become King and Queen of Gondor, but its kind of like they're more of regents laying the groundwork for whichever child of theirs chooses mortality. Arwen Knows at least one will, she's Seen it.