Disclaimer: I have borrowed Tolkiens characters, they are not mine. I´m not making money with this fic.
Beta: Celebwen.
Sins of the Ancestor
(written for the teitho challenge 1; Friends in small places.
see www.aragorn-legolas.
Legolas called out to his friend. "Estel, where are you?"
"Up here," came the answer. Legolas followed the sound up the tree he was standing by.
"Trying to become a wood elf, ranger? What are you doing in a tree?"
"Excuse me? This is not a tree, it is my tree, and if you must know, I'm hiding."
"Hiding? The great Aragorn, son of Arathorn hides? What for? Pray tell me oh mighty Ranger. What in Rivendell is so utterly terrifying that it sent you cowering in a tree?" Legolas spoke in a teasing voice.
"My destiny," Aragorn replied tartly.
"Oh." Legolas instantly sobered. "That again. Well... that's it. I'll come up."
"Can't," Aragorn said.
"Why not?" Legolas asked, confused.
The prince's friend pointed at a sign at the base of the tree house he was in.
"Forbidden for Elves and Girls," it read. Aragorn grinned.
"Are you always this childish when you are hiding, Ranger?" the elf asked.
"Legolas," the ranger said. "I'm hiding in a tree house I built when I was nine. Now what did you expect?"
Legolas started climbing the tree. "Well," he said. "I'm a mighty wood elf and I will not be stopped by a sign. Besides, this tree is inviting me, even if you're not." As he reached a branch at the same level as the tree house he looked around. "This place is tiny," he said. "Hardly worthy of the name tree house. You should have called it tree closet, for that's what it is…"
"See," Aragorn said. "That's why there are no elves allowed. They always look down upon great human efforts. Well come on, join me. Be the first elf ever invited into Estel's Mighty Tree Palace."
The elf joined the ranger on the small platform. If they both dangled their legs over the edges, there was just enough room for the both of them.
"You have to admit this place is small," Legolas said to start the conversation again.
The ranger playfully slapped him on the head. "Quit whining, Elf, and realize the honor of being here!"
Legolas grinned.
"So, what makes you think your destiny won't find you here? Is it because this tree house is too small to be spotted by the naked eye?"
"Legolas! Stop making fun of my house! It is a very precious childhood memory to me, alright? And it is the best shelter I've got from my destiny, because when I'm here I'm not Isildur's heir. I'm just Estel, son of Elrond."
Legolas sighed. "Estel and Isildur's heir are one and the same person. I've told you that a thousand times already."
"And I told you a thousand times, I don't want to be Isildur's heir! As you must understand!"
Legolas looked at him. "To tell you the truth, Aragorn, I really don't."
Aragorn looked at him angrily. It was so obvious, and Legolas certantly wasn't stupid.
"Well, haven't you heard? Isildur was the one that allowed evil to endure."
"Is that what those Noldor have been telling you?" Legolas asked, part of him teasing, and part of him deadly serious.
Aragorn was growing more annoyed by the minute.
"That is what my father has been telling me, yes. And he was there, so I think he would know. Why? Have you heard a different story?"
"Well lets just say... Noldor have a tendency to interpret things their own way. Take for instance the Avari. The Noldor have been telling everyone that those elves didn't travel to Valinor simply because they were too scared to. But in
fact they just didn't want to go. Thats why they were called the unwilling. Not the undaring."
"We were not talking about Avari, we were talking about ancestors," Aragorn said grumpily.
"Very well," Legolas answered. "Here's another example. My grandfather Oropher. The thing most remembered is how he led our people into war and caused the death of two-thirds of his army because he didn't follow Gil-Galad's commands, but governed his own battles."
"And you are telling me now this is not true?" Aragorn couldn't believe his best friend would deny history like that.
"I'm only saying that those who call Oropher stubborn tend to forget the fact that Oropher was leader of a pack of Silvan elves combined with refugees of Doriath. And due to their history, those elves would have died before submitting themselves to Noldor ruling. Oropher knew this and did exactly what his subjects demanded of him."
"Alright," Aragorn relented. "But we're talking about my ancestors. Or, ancestor; Isildur. The man that had the chance to rid the world of all evil, but failed. The man that should have thrown the ring of power into Mount Doom, but didn't. The man who's greed prevented total victory after the battle of the Last Alliance. You can't deny that fact."
"I'm not denying it," Legolas answered, trying to make his friend understand. "I'm just saying that those who view
Isildur in that way tend to overlook just one small fact."
"Oh really," Aragorn said sarcastically. "And what's that?"
Legolas grinned and grabbed the rangers arm, pulling him close to whisper in his ear.
"That without Isildur, there would have been no victory in the first place."
After that statement Aragorn was silent for a long while. Legolas understood. He would have left his friend alone to think, if he would have found the space to move without disturbing him. However, there wasn't any space in the tree house to do so, so he stayed, as silent and motionless as he could. His friend needed to figure this one out himself.
After ages of sitting thus, Aragorn suddenly spoke.
"We have to go. I believe there are a couple of hobbits, a wizard and a dwarf waiting for us."
Legolas smiled. "You forgot your subject."
"Not funny, elf! Boromir is not my subject!"
Legolas smile grew wider. "Whatever you say, you're the king. And I'll be glad to finally leave this tree hovel."
"Legolas..." Aragorn said with a warning voice.
"Tree cabinet? Tree cupboard? Tree coffin?" At that point the ranger pushed the elf of the platform. He turned around in midair a few times and landed gracefully on his feet, though crouching to absorb the impact.
"You know, one day," Legolas said, "One day I will do that to you. See how you like to be pushed out of a tree."
"You wouldn't," Aragorn said with a smile as he climbed out of the tree.
"Would't I?" Legolas asked. "Why not?"
"Because," Aragorn said as he dropped beside the elf. "I wouldn't land on my feet. And you would have to carry me back to Ada and explain my broken bones."
"You're right," Legolas agreed. "Well in that case… I will just have to settle for this" The elf shoved Aragorn, causing the ranger to loose his balance, as the elf ran away in the direction of Imladris. The ranger leapt up and chased after him.
He stopped as he ran past the shards of Narsil.
Aragorn had always viewed the broken sword as sign to the destruction of the blood of Numenor. A symbol to represent the broken line of kings.
Just this day he had playfully accused all elves of looking down upon the great works of man. Now that he saw the shards, he realized that he had done the same. The fact that it was so symbolic had made him forget the reason why
the sword was broken: To cut the Ring of Power off Sauron's finger.
For though Isildur had been responsible for the survival of Evil,
he had also been responsible for the survival of Good.
The End.