Title: Unwanted Destiny
Author: Keppiehed
Rating: G
Word Count: 507
A/N: This was written for A to Z Prompts, the prompt was "animosity"
Disclaimer: This all belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien
The tension fairly roiled off of the members of the secret council as it was adjourned. Everyone dispersed gradually and drifted away with their own kin, anxious to be gone from the talk, yet they knew that such weighty subject matter would not be easily forgotten, nor should it be. The Ranger from the North stood apart from the others, alone and without clan present to align with. He held his own counsel as he kept his eyes on the others, his thoughts veiled to anyone except perhaps the elf who reigned there.
Elrond, the lord of Imladris, watched the departing company and waited for the Ranger to speak. When it seemed he would not, the elder elf sighed. "Much troubles you, Estel," he pointed out quietly, deliberately speaking in the common tongue. "Yet I sense it is not the task set before you, as I would expect. What is it that causes your gaze to darken?"
The younger man held his silence for a moment and instead of answering directly, nodded his head towards the last departing contingent. They were bickering amongst themselves and making a boisterous noise in the peaceful clearing. "I sense trouble there," Aragorn murmured.
Elrond allowed himself to focus on the men. "Ah, yes, the host from Gondor," he said thoughtfully. "They bear you animosity, that much is evident. Yet I feel that it has some part to play in the way events unfold. After all, this has been a long time in coming. Your return to the throne cannot be without some ruffled feathers. Surely this is not what is bothering you?" Elrond allowed a sparkle to enter his eyes.
Aragorn turned sharply. "You know I do not seek the throne! It is not what I want. It is what I have been avoiding all these long years. For it to be a source of tension on this most important of journeys– the quibbling of men about politics, of all things– is simply ludicrous!"
Elrond frowned. "Whether you will it or not, Estel, events are already in place that cannot be altered. You have no say in the feelings of others, and that includes the feelings of the son of the Steward of Gondor. His jealousy and sense of duty are strongly ingrained and I am afraid that they cannot be subverted, even now. Perhaps they can work in our favor, though. Only time will tell. It is your place to submit to your own destiny, not to determine the fate of others," Elrond chided grimly.
Aragorn stared out, unseeing, at the now empty clearing. "I am but a man. Isn't that enough?" he asked.
Elrond didn't answer, but left him to his reverie. He would need all the strength he could get in the coming weeks and months. A sense of foreboding settled over him as he turned to go, and the shadow of Mount Doom seemed to stretch long and catch them even where they stood, far away in the West.