An Assurance of Peace

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy belongs to J. R. R. Tolkien. I'm writing this for fun, not money.

Big thanks to NirCele for beta reading this story for me.

Since the beginning of his reign, King Elessar had sought to bring peace between the people of Gondor and the Haradrim. It was not an easy task. War, which had waged between the countries for generations, had left many scars. As a healer, Aragorn was skilled in mending wounds, but he knew that some scars ran too deep to ever fully heal. Still, he dared to hope.

Therefore, not long after his coronation, he sent to all the numerous tribes of Harad messengers bearing news of his wishes for peace and friendship. Some of the chieftains obstinately clung to their old grudges, but not all. Perhaps many of the Haradrim had also grown weary of fighting, or perhaps they simply realised that without their old ally, they could not defeat Gondor if war were to break out again. Whatever their motives, ambassadors of Harad soon began arriving in Minas Tirith, much to the dismay of many of the city's inhabitants.

Of all those who opposed Aragorn's decision to extend friendship to Gondor's old enemies, and there were many who did, none were as vehemently against it as the royal guard. These men were soldiers. They, and their fathers, and their grandfathers had fought against the Haradrim in battle. They had seen the bloodlust in their opponents' eyes, had felt the cold steel of their blades, had watched in horror as their comrades were slain. The horrors of war were not easily forgotten; they plagued the men in their waking and sleeping hours. These memories created wounds in which bitterness and hatred festered.

The guards regarded the delegates from Harad with thinly veiled suspicion and hostility. Already there had been an incident. A guard, a soldier who had spent more than half of the years of his life defending Gondor in battle, had drawn his sword when one of the Haradrim had reached into his robes for a handkerchief.

The reaction had been an automatic one, one that he had learned from experience in his many years of serving on patrols. Still, to draw a weapon on an ambassador is a grave offence. The Haradrim, outraged, had demanded the guard be punished for his wrongdoing. It was not a request that Aragorn could deny, but the guard's blood which was spilled by the lash only served to further incite his fellow soldiers.

Many Haradrim also held on to their grudges, and the discussions that Aragorn shared with them were full of cleverly disguised insults and malice.

It was a relief then, when he received a letter from the chieftain of a distant tribe which had seemed quite amicable and full of an honest desire for peace.

The chieftain, Adnan, had written:

"It would delight me to gift to you an assurance of my goodwill, so that you may never doubt that peace will reign between our people, and so that friendship may flourish between us."

Aragorn had been pleased by the offer, delighted that his efforts were beginning to bear fruit. His scribe had penned a gracious reply accepting his gift, which Aragorn then signed and sent to Adnan.

A few days later, men from Harad arrived bringing with them Adnan's gift to him, but it was not anything that Aragorn had ever expected.

Aragorn was certain that the child could not have been any older than his own son, Eldarion, who was only seven summers. The boy's dark eyes showed apprehension, and his small, chestnut-coloured face was twisted with worry. In the stead of a Harad child's typical trousers and tunic, he wore traditional Haradrim robes. The outfit seemed to engulf the small boy and looked slightly absurd on him. Still, Aragorn regarded him solemnly from his throne, and attempted to understand why the tribe had chosen a mere youth to come to Gondor as their envoy.

King Elessar," said the boy in common tongue; his words were awkward and uncertain, betraying his unfamiliarity of the language. He had spoken formally, but in the high-pitched voice of one still a long way from manhood. "I am Aqil, son of Adnan. I am honoured to be accepted into your house."

Aqil sent a swift glance at one of the Haradrim who had escorted him to the city, searching for assurance that he had said his line correctly. He received a curt nod in response.

"You are most welcome here, Aqil, son of Adnan," Aragorn replied. It seemed the right thing to say; some of the nervousness faded from the child's face and the fear in his eyes appeared to abate. It was clear that his acceptance was important to the child, yet Aragorn could not understand why, or even understand why the child had come to Gondor at all.

"Aqil is very pleased to be granted this opportunity to serve you as a sign of the goodwill between our people, King Elessar," the Haradrim beside the child said when Aqil failed to speak again.

It was then that Aragorn understood. The child had not come bringing a gift from his father's tribe, the child was the gift. Aragon did not know how to respond to that.

"You must both be tired and hungry from your long," he said eventually. "Why don't you refresh yourselves and then join me for supper later this evening?"

The custom was not one that Aragorn was entirely unfamiliar with. He had heard of such things being done before. In Harad, children of chieftains or other well-respected tribesmen would sometimes be sent to live amongst an enemy tribe. They were hostages, held to ensure that their tribes would not attack the other. It was a custom that was meant to guarantee peace, for if war was to break out, the children were certain to be among the first casualties.

It was a custom that Aragorn abhorred. How could anyone take such a young child from his family for the purpose of politics? How could one justify stealing a child of his home, and sending him to live amongst strangers?

Yet, despite his feelings, Aragorn also knew that to refuse the offer now would bring dishonour to both the boy and himself. If he refused now, it would seem as though he had found the boy unworthy of becoming a member of his household, a prospect that would surely shame the poor child. And after offering friendship to the tribe, to reject their offer in return would only serve to make him appear false and dishonest in their eyes.

At supper, Aqil had been given the seat beside Aragorn, a place of honour. The boy seemed less nervous than he had earlier, and he responded respectfully to all of the king's polite inquiries about himself, his answers revealing that he was had been well educated and was well mannered.

Aragorn paused for a moment between questions, distracted by the serving of supper, and Aqil's valiant attempts to apply the etiquette he had been taught to the strange foods sitting before him. When he brought his soup bowl to his mouth and began to drink, Aragorn gently explained to him that things were done differently in Gondor, and showed him how to use his spoon to scoop up the soup. This brought a faint blush to the boy's chestnut-coloured face.

"It must be difficult for you." Aragorn mentioned evenly, finally speaking what had been weighing on his mind. "To have left your family, and traveled to strange lands so far away."

"It is my duty." The young child's face was solemn as he answered Aragorn. "My father is a chieftain, and it is his responsibility to care for the needs of his people. As his son, it is my duty to serve my tribe. I am my father's youngest son, and so I will never lead my people, but still I will serve them as I can. It is a great honour for me."

The boy had spoke, not as if reciting lines he had been taught, but with true sincerity. Looking at him, with his eyes burning with pride and determination, Aragorn was reminded of a time long passed. He recalled when he had left Imladris, the place of his childhood, to fulfil his duty as a chief of the Dúnedain. He could not deny that he had felt sadness when leaving his home, but his responsibilities had been more important than his sorrow. Recalling this moment of his past, he understood Aqil.

Perhaps he would be their hope. A symbol of peace between Gondor and Harad, a bridge between the two countries.

And from that moment on, King Elessar took Aqil as his son.

Author's Note: This story is based on actual historical events where children would be used as hostages to prevent war. The idea was that if war did happen, the children would be murdered, but, like in this story, the children would sometimes be treated more like foster children than hostages.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review and let me know what you think.