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Chapter Four: Aragorn, Adventures and Amours
With Legolas having eaten his ambrosia, it was time to focus on the younger members of the family. The twins finished high school and graduated with honours.
The next few days were spent at home, typically like this:
Boromir came out of his trance. "Tia?" he called. "
He wants to know why we're not making progress."
Tia muttered under her breath. "He's communicating directly now? Tell him that we're on schedule, we're just waiting for something."
"What?" Aragorn asked, landing with a thump.
"Well, not to put too fine a point on it, this:"
"Poor Mom," Boromir said, sadly. "I'm gonna miss her."
"Me, too." Aragorn replied. "But did you see that dive? That was awesome!"
"Okay, boys, pack up," Tia told them. "You can get over your grief on the plane."
"Plane?" Aragorn asked.
"China. Grand Tournament. Let's go!"
The twins grinned and ran for the taxi. Legolas stayed behind a bit with Tia, struggling with the bags.
"I think I should feel worse about Grim coming for Hailey," he said quietly. "I'm not screaming or weeping or anything."
"It's the stone heart, Lasse," Tia told him, softly. "We are working to a schedule, and grieving takes a lot out of you. It's for the best, really."
The boys wasted no time getting set up in China. The morning after their arrival, they began issuing challenges to anyone who had ever been near a Martial Arts Tournament. Both twins having reached level 10 in Martial Arts before arriving, they had a great run of successes. Then Aragorn called his next opponent. Tia sucked in her breath as the competition arrived.
"What?" Aragorn asked, face flushed with victory and anticipation. "I'm on a roll!" He squinted at the figure mounting the stairs. "Is that her?"
Tia hissed between her teeth. "She's an old lady, Aragorn."
He shrugged. "Yeah, I see the cane. So? I'll go a little easy on her if you want."
"Foolish boy!" Tia snapped. "Have you forgotten Rule One?"
"Rule One," he mumbled, leaving her to greet his partner. She smiled broadly and handed her cane to an onlooker.
There were, perhaps, stranger battles fought elsewhere in the universe, but this was one that no one present ever found an equal too. Abi Yat Sen kicked Aragorn's butt six ways from Sunday. She took him down easily, never losing the smile on her face. She accepted every re-match, excusing herself a few times to take advantage of the washroom facilities, and then came back and beat him down again. Finally on the 9th match, Aragorn managed to win. Exhausted, dripping in sweat and hungry enough to eat even Boromir's cooking, he staggered back to Tia. Legolas approached Abi and invited her out for dinner.
"Rule One?" Aragorn panted, hunched over, his hands on his thighs. He peered up at her from behind sweat drenched hair.
"Do not act incautiously when confronting little bald wrinkly smiling men." She grimaced. "Or little old ladies with canes, in this case."
Abi Yat Sen would be the fiercest competition Aragorn would face. He sailed through the rest of the tournament, causing everyone to heave a huge sigh of relief. The twins spent a day meditating in the Scholar's Garden, while Legolas did some necessary shopping.
"Aragorn!" Tia called, breaking through his concentration. "Have you been wearing that all the time we've been here? Capris? Really?"
Back home, Legolas got busy planting his new exotics in the garden. It was vital for future generations to have access to them...
and then he just goofed off in the sprinklers for a while.
"And I'm fishing in the dark on an island in France because...?" Aragorn asked.
"Because the grapes aren't quite ready. If you get tired, your sleeping bag's in your pocket."
Back from his trip, he was quickly cornered by Boromir. "How was it? Did you see a lot of art?"
Aragorn yawned. "It was boring like you would not believe, mate. Shopping, pick up some grapes, and pull frogs out of a canal all night. You go next time, okay?"
Once he was over his jet lag, there were two very important tasks for Aragorn. Boromir had already enrolled as a Painter, and Aragorn joined the police force. In the long term, however, the second task might prove more important. Legolas sat him down.
"You need to get married." he told his son, bluntly. "We need the next generation and I need someone else to play dominoes with. Boromir cheats."
Boromir waved cheerfully at them from over his easel. "All the time, Dad."
"But Dad," Aragorn said, "I don't have time for all that."
"Try the computer," Boromir said, wiping his brushes. "They've got online dating now."
"Fine." Aragorn switched on the screen and dove into the deceitful world of internet romance.
There was Tenisha:
She had all the qualities of a good Dynasty spouse but one. She was married.
There were the old ladies, who sent cards and gifts. Aragorn was intrigued, but Legolas put his foot down. "When you finish all your requirements, you can squire the old dears around to your hearts content. We need fertile."
Katrina was cute, they hit it off. She was single. She was breathing. Her hair was brown, not grey.
"Move her in, she'll be perfect" Tia said. But then the unthinkable happened. No sooner had she got her bags unpacked then the sparkles showed up.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Tia exploded. Legolas was calmer. He looked over the new housemate appreciatively.
"I'll take care of this," he said, with a sly smile. "Aragorn, back to the computer!"
"I'll marry her," Aragorn said, pointing to a photo. "I'm exhausted and I have work in the morning!"
"No Sasquettes, hon. Go meditate, that always makes you feel better." Tia said, as she watched Legolas from the corner of her eye.
"You didn't want Aragorn, you need a mature man, he's just a baby," Legolas was purring at Katrina.
"Man, y'all just get weirder and weirder the more I play," Tia muttered.
