Promise [brother!Aragorn]

The Other Ranger

His name was Aron, and he was a Ranger - one of the deadliest in a fight (and possibly the one to receive punches as much as he threw them) but also one of the most compassionate Men you could ever meet. Aragon found him wandering the Wilds near Dunland as a child and took him in, raising him as his younger brother and training him to be a Ranger like himself.

Like all siblings, even none-biological ones, they had their disagreements. Arin joined the Fellowship - against Aragorn's better judgment - but soon came to realize what the young Ranger could offer. He got along well with the Hobbits; his calm demeanor encouraging Sam to come out of his shell, and his rebel and cheeky side proving entertainment weever he was around Merry and Pippin. Not to mention he was also very good at having a debate with Gimli.

Arin was young, not quite middle aged but definitely not a teenager. He knew of the risks and dangers of the Wild, having been there often himself as a child. There were times when he didn't like Aragorn's restraint on his freedom, but there were other times when he respected it and knew it was for the better. Aragorn was far more experienced in things than Arin, therefore he looked up to his older brother as a role model.

Yes, he knew it was rather foolish to follow the Fellowship, but he was not going to be left behind on such a journey, not when he had a strong belief in the fight that Aragorn was going for by joining the Fellowship. It's not that he shadowed Aragorn's everywhere he went, but more that he wanted to have that trust and confidence in himself that he had Aragorn's back should his older brother be unable to fight on his own.

Aragorn was grateful for his brother's insistence at moving along, while in the back of his mind he still thought him foolish, but it was nice to have the young Ranger in his company, as their time together had been far and few between when they'd both travelled to Rivendell; Aragorn had found love, and Arin had been submitted to other studies with the Elves than those that Aragorn taught him as a Ranger.

Arin protected Merry and Pippin when the Crebain from Dunland threatened to spot them, he protected Sam from the snowstorm on the mountain that threatened to rip them apart by the word of Saruman, he fought valiantly to protect all four Hobbits against the Orcs in the Mines of Moria, he mourned along with the others when Gandalf fell to the Balrog, he marveled in the way of the Elves of Lorien...

And he fought with rage he didn't know he was capable of possessing when the Uruk-hai killed Borodin and took Merry and Pippin captive.

Arin understood his brother's reasons for letting Sam and Frodo go on alone, and when Aragorn announced they would be hunting down the filth that took their other two friends, he felt something now course through his veins. Not just determination, excitement and adrenaline - something else that he couldn't quite name. Whatever it was, it pushed him on as they ran for days on end with little rest in between to catch up to the pack of Uruk-hai who held Marry and Pippin captive.

However, as their journey took them to meet the Rohirrim, then to Fangorn where they encountered Gandalf the White, Arin felt his luck take a massive swerve downhill when he and the remaining members of the Fellowship went along with King Théoden to Helm's Deep. When Aragorn was said to be lost as he went over the cliff, the young ranger felt like his whole world had been torn apart.

Even when his brother returned, battered and bruised and more than exhausted but steady on his feet, Arin felt something change in his life. When he'd set out with the Fellowship, he'd known it wasn't just another fun adventure. He knew it was serious, he knew the fate of the world counted on their success, and he knew there was a possibility he or one of the others would not return. But when he thought he'd lost Aragorn, the reality of it all just seemed to hit him really hard right there and then.

So when Aragorn had turned up at Helm's Deep, very much alive, the first thing Arin had done was embrace him. The second thing he'd done was punch his shoulder. This was a common thing between the two of them, but this one was Arin's way of scolding Aragorn without having to say anything. Aragorn got the message.

But as the army of Uruk-hai approached Helm's Deep, and Arin stood to attention on the battlements with Théoden's men and the Elves of Lorien, he felt something similar to a bottomless pit swell up in his gut, but he pushed it away long enough so as to concentrate on not being beheaded, shot or stabbed. He often found himself back t back with either Gemini or Legolas, the three of them working well together. However, when a section of the battlements exploded, sending both Aragorn and Arin flying into the air and then crashing to the ground with the impact, the younger of the two felt his luck run even thinner.

He fought bravely alongside his brother and the Elves, but couldn't help but feel out of such, as if he weren't even there. Which is why he made the foolish but brave decision to jump in front of an Uruk-hai that was about to maim as unsuspecting Gimli - who was too busy trying to beat Legolas with the number of Uruk-hai he could kill.

Aragorn saw this from the corner of his eye, and felt an incredible weight settle around his entire being. He'd already seen the death of Haldir of Lorien, and on top of that Borodin of Gondor... but this just topped it off. With a roar of anger he sliced off the head of the nearest Uruk-hai and charged over to Arin, catching him in his arms just before he hit the ground.

Just at that moment Gimli also turned, and he instantly felt both guilty and stupid for not paying more attention. Aragorn wept openly as Arin gave his weak smile, no sign of fear nor regret in his dark brown eyes. With a heave of breath he whispered, "Amin naval auta yeste'," and his eyes fluttered shut.

I will go first...

A popular phrase the two of them had often said in the years they'd roamed the Wilds, Aragorn teaching Arin everything he knew. Often he'd said this whenever something had been suspicious, and he hadn't wished for Arin to get hurt. Arin had always retorted with a smart comeback before either waiting patiently for Aragorn to return or charging headfirst into the chaos with a huge smirk on his face.

He'd always said there would be a day when he got to say that to Aragorn, and that day had come. Aragorn pressed his forehead against his brother's, tears slipping from his eyes as he became somewhat oblivious to the ongoing battle around him. He'd just lost his little brother, and with what the Fellowship had faced so far, he didn't know how much more death he could take.

But whatever the case, Aragorn would keep fighting. He couldn't just keep fighting for the fates of all Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits, though. He wouldn't just keep fighting so that the world would be rid of the darkness that threatened them from Mordor. He wouldn't just keep fighting so that one day he could follow his birthright and heritage, follow the path he was meant to be on from the moment he was born.

He would keep fighting for Arin. He would keep fighting for his little brother, and fight. To remember how he was - How his eyes lit up at the sight of a challenge, how he laughed whenever he pulled a prank or told a joke, how he smiled whenever he was happy and living life to the fullest.

And that was a promise.

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I know, it's been a while since I published anything. Working my way through school internals and stuff, also writing stories but not going to publish anything yet, so for the time begin I have a few more short stories for you all.

Just some brotherly Aragorn love, 'cause he is awesome!

Hope you enjoy!

J xxx