The Forbidden Child

It had been almost a full year since Estel and Arwen's marriage and consummation had taken place. It had been almost seven months since Arwen had last seen her husband. Tonight, she would see him again. Arwen was not excited. She was deathly afraid.

A few weeks after the night of the wedding, Arwen found that she was strangely, unexplainably nauseous and spent most of her time retching up any food she ate. For the longest time, Arwen thought she was deathly sick.

Besides the throwing up, she found that she had an intense, lasting headache. All she wanted to wear were her nightgowns as they were her only articles of clothing that did not irritate her oddly tender breasts. It was not until she missed her second monthly period that she started to worry. When she missed it for the third time and the symptoms did not subside, that was when Arwen knew that she was pregnant.

Arwen leaned out of the window, the knowledge that a little child was growing inside her at the front of her mind. No sign of him. She sat roughly down on a chair when he did not show. Her head pounded with her eleven month long migraine. She was somehow still hungry but her stomach hurt. She felt as if she was going to burst into tears any minute or perhaps throw something at a wall.

In short, Arwen was very, very pregnant.

The past eleven months had been torture. Arwen had to hide out in her rooms, avoiding anyone loyal to her father who would rat her out. Luckily for her, she did not have to directly avoid Lord Elrond, as he had left for Lorien on some meeting or other.

Arwen's brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, were two of the few number of people that knew of her condition besides the regular physicians and handmaidens, and they were in charge of excusing her from all social meetings.

Despite her best efforts, rumors circulated Elrond's household, more annoying than dangerous. Arwen worried over the whispers. She wished to go out there and tell them, "The father of my child is my husband. The baby is not an illegitimate bastard, as you all so wisely theorize!"

She was also concerned that her worrying was bad for the baby.

The later it got, the more distressed Arwen grew. She knew Estel would come tonight but she was not ready. She was not ready to tell Estel that she was pregnant with his child. She fretted over his reaction.

Easily, he could defy that he had ever wed or lied with Arwen and the child would then live its life as a fatherless bastard. Not only that, but Arwen's reputation would be tarnished, and her father unquenchably furious.

Estel would never do that, though. Think, Arwen, this is your husband you think of, the man you love, Arwen reflected, attempting to calm herself.

A rustle of branches notified Estel's arrival.

Panicked, Arwen fumbled for something to cover herself but realized that nothing would disguise her humongous stomach so she retreated into the shallow shadows of her room. She almost tripped over her own feet in her haste. Pregnancy left her severely unbalanced.

Estel entered the room via tree branches, as he always did. Upon seeing Arwen tucked into a corner, Estel grinned. "Arwen, why do you hide from me?" he questioned laughingly.

A long, gaping silence. Estel wondered what surprise had planned for him. Arwen was completely terrified.

"Arwen?" Estel called again.

So Arwen subjected to her husband's call and stepped out of obscurity. Instead of pouring out all of the words that fought to jumble out of her mouth, Arwen held her breath to keep the words at bay.

Her stomach was huge. The news was obvious.

The silence that followed had seemed so long to Arwen but was only five seconds to Estel. He had hardly enough time to grasp the concept of his secret wife being pregnant.