A/N: I realised that the only character I have developed so much it´s become like a character of my own is Legolas - probably because I´ve been writing and thinking of writing so much about him. And I decided I needed to know some other characters just as well, to make them as alive in my head as that little princeling. This story came from the idea that I would ask other characters about the one I wanted to know more about, and I didn´t intend to publish it at first - but it turned out pretty funny.

Pieces of a puzzle

"Aragorn?"

"Yes, Pippin."

"Why do you ask about him?"

"Oh, I just – I just need to know. I doesn´t have to be anything long. Just something."

"Well, Aragorn – he´s two persons in one, really. Although the more you know him you realise it´s the same person. First there is Strider, the Ranger, and he is mostly mysterious – but he´s very friendly too. And then there is Elessar. And he´s noble and kingly and courteous and – he even smells good."

"But still the same person?"

"Yes, actually; once you get to know them both, you find parts of Strider in Elessar and parts of Elessar in Strider. And together, they´re Aragorn."

"Thank you, Pippin."

"Oh – one thing more!"

"Yes?"

"He really understands pipe weed. And that proves he is a good man."

"First of all, you must know that to me he is Estel. Aragorn, Elessar – above all, he is Estel. I gave him that name. I brought him up with it. And even when I doubted him or he doubted himself, I always thought he was the hope we were waiting for."

"And he was."

"Yes."

"Did he doubt himself often?"

"Not often. It happened. To be honest," (a sigh), "I do not know much about what he did or thought or felt after I told him of his heritage. He left, you know, and was gone for very many years."

"Thirty, I think. According to the Appendixes."

"To the what? No, never mind – it´s possible it was thirty years, but I wouldn´t be sure. I don´t count them as you mortals do. But he was gone, and even if he returned to Imladris many times after those years he never stayed long. He said he held nothing against me, but if he ever lied I think he did that then, because we have never spoken to each other in the same way again – never."

"I am sorry."

"So am I, young one, but that is the way it is. I always knew the knowledge of his heritage would be a burden to him. Perhaps by blaming me he gave me some of that burden – unconsciously of course, because he would never let anyone else carry his burdens consciously – and in that case, I do not mind carrying it. His loot in this world is a heavy one as it is."

"Thanks, lord Elrond."

"Yes, he doubted himself. Not often. He never said anything. But sometimes you could see that on him – that he didn´t believe in what he was doing."

"And what made him believe in himself again?"

A smile, a slight shaking of the head. "I do not know. Sometimes all he needed was to rest, I think. Sometimes the company of friends. Sometimes just seeing the sun rise."

"Aragorn is a quiet type, isn´t he?"

"He is. He shows rather than tells."

"But he needs his friends?"

"Who doesn´t? Oh, I know what you mean – he does keep to himself a lot of time. Hates having servants around him. But he can be very social I his own way. He likes to listen. I think, what he likes most, is sitting with his friends and watching, listening to them. Without really participating."

"I like to do that too, sometimes."

"Yes, sometime you just don´t feel like talking. But Estel – you don´t mind if I call him that, do you? - is like that very often. And that´s not wrong, is it?"

"I guess not. But, Elladan?"

"Yes?"

"Is Estel as much your brother as Elrohir?"

A smile. "He is indeed. Elrohir is – Elrohir and I are closer to each other because we are bound to each other. This will sound weird, but there is a connection between our souls that we don´t share with anyone else. But Estel is my brother just as much as Elrohir – and Arwen of course."

"Yes, that is kind of weird. It made me quite angry at first. I understand why ada didn´t want it. But then – I guess I had no choice but to accept it. They didn´t care about my opinion anyway."

"And now?"

"Now? It´s quite obvious they´re happy, and I wouldn´t want any of them to be unhappy. So I guess it´s all right. But imagine seeing your brother and sister marry."

"I have only got brothers."

"Well, imagine seeing two of them married!"

"I see what you mean. One more thing, Ro – can I call you Ro? Everyone does in fanfiction."

"In what?"

"Oh – forget it. Can I?"

"Sure."

"You have been travelling a lot with him, haven´t you?"

"I sure have."

"And fought battles?"

"Yep."

"How... how is that?"

"What can I say? You already know he´s an excellent warrior. He´s not afraid to get dirty. He doesn´t mind mud. Legolas hates that. Dan hates it even more."

"And you?"

"I´m used to it. But if you want to know about his time with the Rangers, the one you should really ask is Halbarad."

"Can you precise what it is you want to know?"

"I´m afraid not. I want to know everything. You know – about his personality. What did he think? What did others think about him? Did he like to be the Chieftain? Did he like to be a Ranger? Such things."

"Well... he doesn´t say much, as I think you already know. A quiet person. But he liked to be a Ranger, he really did. He liked the freedom. Ranger life could be a pain in a private place, you know – mud, rain, cold, hunger, and then a damned lot of battles – but many of my best memories are from those times. We laughed, we had fun – all of us. Aragorn too. So yes, he liked that life. And to Aragorn, helping those who needed help was what he wanted to do. That was his call. I think he felt that being a Chieftain was a hard task at times, but it also meant he could do things his way."

"And he like to do things his way?"

"He refuses to do it someone else´s."

"And the other Rangers? Did they like him? Though I believe I know they did."

"Of course they did. People who didn´t know the Rangers, they could be afraid of him, or suspicious – as to all of us. But we, we loved him. When he got older, he became a bit of our father."

"One thing more, Halbarad."

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me where mortals go when they die?"

A smile. "I am afraid not."

"Why not?"

"I cannot."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Hey! Hey, Saruman!"

"Yes?"

"Hey, Saruman!"

"Yes?"

"Hey, Saruman!"

"Yes!"

"KNIFE!"

"Aragorn is a great man, isn´t he?"

"He is indeed."

"But he also seem to be so... normal."

A nod. "He is, too. Sometimes he seems so noble and stern, and in the next moment he looks at you with mirth in his eyes, and then you know he´s just a man. The greatest of men who ever lived, if you ask me, but not more than a man. And somehow that´s what is so amazing."

"You didn´t like him from the beginning, did you, Sam?"

"Not from the beginning – and how could I? I mean, you should have seen him – face all covered by that hood, dirty and smelly, and with that sword – I had barely seen a real sword before, you know. But he turned out to be a good man. And a great man, like I said."

"Can you tell me something about him that isn´t in the book?"

"Let me think... I didn´t write down all his jokes, but he really likes jokes. Sometimes he practised little pranks on us too – on Legolas, mostly. Or Gimli, but not from the beginning. And I think I never wrote how much he likes stories. I think when you live such a hard life as he did back in his Ranger days, you need something to distract you, something with a happy end. So he really liked stories."

"You can´t have two people speaking at the same time; people will be confused."

"But I want both of you in the story!"

"Then you´ll have to write our names after each line." (Faramir.)

"Or before it might be better." (Éomer.)

Faramir: "Yes, that might be better."

"Can we go on now?"

Faramir: "Yes. Well, one thing about Aragorn is that he is very straightforward. He can be very quiet and mysterious, but if he speaks, then you know he speaks the truth."

Éomer: "You know where you´ve got him. You don´t always know what he is going to do, or why, but you know he will tell you when time comes."

Faramir: "Somehow you trust him even when he refuses to say anything, just because you know he does what he think is best."

Éomer: "And he´s very focused. He doesn´t suddenly change his mind or hesitate. Like a certain sister of mine."

Faramir: "Do not speak ill of your sister."

Éomer: "I speak ill of my sister if I want to. She´s my sister."

Faramir: "She´s my wife."

Éomer: "She´s my sister!"

Faramir: "Wife!"

Éomer: "Sister!"

Faramir:"Wife!"

Éomer: "Sister!"

"Thank you, gentlemen."

"Oh, no – we didn´t trust the Rangers in Bree. They seemed mysterious and.. well, unreliable."

"But they saved you a lot of times, didn´t they?"

"Yes, they did – apparently. But you see, they didn´t say it. They weren´t boastful, not at all. They came in the night, fighting off the wolves or the goblins or the bandits or whatever it was, and then they left. If they stopped by at my place for the night, they didn´t mention they were the ones who had chased off the enemies. All we saw was some shadows that looked almost as fearsome as the ones they fought."

"And Strider himself? You saw him sometimes, didn´t you?"

"Sure, I did. He came to the Prancing Pony and... well, sat in a corner. Listened. Never said anything."

"I´ve heard he is the listening type, not the talker. Maybe he enjoyed the sound of others, after spending so much time alone in the wilderness, only he didn´t feel like talking to them?"

"Maybe he is shy."

That is a thought that has never stricken me.

"But he turned out to be a good man, now, didn´t he Barliman?"

"Oh, indeed he did! Why, he even turned out to be the King! But I always saw that coming. I knew there was more in him than met the eye."

"...did you really?"

"I see you´ve gotten quite a lot of information, eh?"

"I have. He´s a complex person – he really has two sides, like Pippin said. Strider and Elessar."

"If you ask me, lass, Aragorn isn´t Elessar. He´s playing Elessar. Yes, he is noble, and yes, sometimes he is truly a king of old. But that is an instinct. When he is holding speeches, or when he negotiates, then he is playing a role."

"Then who is he really, Gimli?"

A puff of smoke, the smell of pipe-weed. "Really, lass, he is Strider. He is a man of the wilderness – with great knowledge of history and politics and such things, but not needing it. He was meant to rule a Kingdom, but he is built, formed, to serve it."

"Serve the people, you mean."

"Yes. Not the lords, not the politicians. He wants to protect those who needs it."

"And what is he more?"

"More? A quiet man, but also a story-teller and a singer. One who likes camp-fires and sleeping beneath the stars. And he has fire in his eyes."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he has spirit, lass. Meaning he´s fierce and passionate."

"First I thought he was just... heroic. But he isn´t. There is really no such thing as heroic. You just do what you have to do."

"You are heroic."

"No, I´m not. It just seems heroic because people think you weren´t afraid; but truth is, when you stand there, and face whatever it is you face, you don´t think. When I stood in front of the Ring-wraith, do you think I thought of what I was doing? Well, I didn´t. I just acted. I think it´s been the same thing with Aragorn, all the time. Every brave thing he did, he did without thinking. Because he had to."

"I still think you are heroic, Eowyn."

"Oh, maybe I am. But a hero is not what you think it is. And truly, when you are one, you don´t feel like one."

"I think, to know Aragorn, you have to understand him. His life. He grew up, as you know, in Imladris – a happy place to grow up in. There he learned much. He was a man of great knowledge and little experience when he began to travel with the Rangers. A rather sophisticated young man, if you ask me. A man of history and language and curiosity."

"And then?"

"And then he learned of his heritage. Try to imagine how that felt – to have the future of the whole world on his shoulders."

"But he hadn´t. No one knew if he would be King again..."

"Elrond thought so, and I think Aragorn thought so too. Sometime you know things, even if you are not gifted with foresight or something like that. Aragorn knew, and he feared it. It weighted heavily on him."

"So he left."

"He left. He had just met Arwen too, you know. He left for Gondor and Rohan and Harad, and became Thorongil. That was a long journey, and a lonely one. I think, on that journey, he learned loneliness, and grew used to it. He was less quiet before that."

"And then he became the Chieftain of the Rangers."

"Yes. Well he already was, but he began to accept it. But he learned one thing more on that journey, and that was wisdom: not such wisdom that comes from reading books, but wisdom that comes from living. It was an experienced, wise, stern man who returned from that journey."

"And then came the War of the Ring..."

"And he became King. And had to learn a new thing: patience with men. That was something he hadn´t got before he became King."

"But he also got Arwen, so he must be happy?"

"He is happy, he truly is. But he misses many things. Hadn´t it been for Arwen, he would not have been very happy at all."

"Thank you, Gandalf."

"You´re welcome."

"I think we´re starting to run out of things to say."

"Come on, there must be much more! You´re his best friend, you must know a thousand of things!"

"Of course I do – details. Like that he prefers cold baths to hot, can sing in his sleep, snores when he´s got a cold, can´t dance and is a terrible loser... of course, you have missed how physical he is."

"Physical?"

"Yeah, physical. It must have something to do with his being alone too much. I mean, look at me and Gimli – we´re mostly speaking with each other. Or friendship is, like, verbal. But Aragorn is more like a hugging and wrestling type. Not in a restless way – he´s a hunter, he can be still at least as long as a noldo, though not as long as a wood-elf. If think he just likes to... touch."

"Not in a perverted way, I hope."

"No, no, not at all. And it isn´t just about touching, he´s moving a lot over all. He doesn´t use a lot of gestures when he speaks, but you can see what he feels by the way he stands or sits or moves. In that way he´s not very noldo. And he is like... if he is about to do something – whatever – he doesn´t always say he´s gonna do it. He just does. You didn´t know that, did you?"

"No, that was a new one. Thanks, Legolas."

"One thing more – the smell. You have heard about the smell, haven´t you?"

"I have."

"Good. Otherwise I´d have to describe it to you, and Valar – it´s not a pretty story. What about apples?"

"Apples?"

"He likes apples. And horses? He´s good with horses, as good as any elf. He understands them. Oh, and – he isn´t like me and the twins, but he does like pranks. Though he´s a bit too kind."

"Kind! I´ve forgotten to ask about kind!"

"Kind?"

"But I´ll ask someone else about that; you´ve been talking for almost half an A4. Thanks again!"

"What´s an A4?"

A smile.

"Kind, yes. Above all things, Estel is kind."

"It´s not always obvious."

"No, it´s not. He can be grim, and stern. He can do things than seem cruel because he knows – or believes – it will be good in the end. But it always hurts him terribly."

"Maybe he´s not so good at showing it?"

"Maybe he doesn´t bother to try."

"You know him best."

"And maybe Barliman was right, and my Estel is actually shy. Not shy as it not daring to talk or being afraid of people, but shy as in not wanting to open himself to strangers. As a Ranger you are mistrusted wherever you go; so much easier then to pretend you don´t care. But he did. He does."

"Yes."

"Also, Aragorn is not naïve. He is almost afraid of being naïve. In that way he´s a bit like Gimli, though Gimli is quicker to judge; they both tease Legolas for being childish because Legolas forgives so easily. But they mean well, all of them."

"Shy and kind – that doesn´t sound like Aragorn at all."

"Those are sides that doesn´t show. Those were the sides I fell in love with, but he didn´t admit them to exist until we were married."

"Thank you, my Queen."

"Call me Arwen."

"I thought that since you were a Ring-bearer, you might understand the burden that he has been carrying. It must have been hard for it, mustn´t it?"

"Very hard. He didn´t carry the Ring, but the fate of Middle-Earth was on his shoulders, as on mine. And that is a heavy burden. But none of us speak of that."

"You pretend it is nothing?"

"As long as possible."

"There was one thing more, Frodo."

"Yes?"

"I asked Sam the same thing – is there anything you didn´t mention about Aragorn in the book that is worth mentioning?"

"Well – I don´t know if this is worth mentioning, but he really likes pancakes. I mean really likes."

"Why are you asking me?"

"Oh, I don´t know – but I intended to have you in the story from the beginning. I like you. As a character, I mean."

"You flatter me."

"I mean it, Théoden. Can you say anything no one has said before?"

"Has anyone mentioned that he can watch the stars for hours?"

"He was my rival."

"Yes."

"But in the end, a noble man. Brave. A wiser man than me."

"Yes."

"And a great commander."

"Thank you, Denethor."

"Ladies last, is it?"

"I´m sorry, Galadriel."

(That scary I-know-everything-about-you-smile). "I don´t think you will ever find all the pieces of the puzzle this way. Why don´t you ask him?"

"Me? What do you want to know about me?"

"Everything! I want to know you; your personality, your feelings..."

"What if I don´t want to tell you?"

"Oh, come on! I already know a lot about you but I want to know the rest – I want to, sort of, put all the pieces together. You´ve got so many sides! Can´t you tell me, in your own words?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

A smile, a ring of smoke. "Because I enjoy being mysterious."

More A/N: In case you haven´t seen it, or didn´t recognize it, that knife-thing with Saruman comes from Annoying Orange at youtube. Silly and very unnecessary, yes. But great fun.

I wrote this for myself and for fun. I´m always happy for reviews, but the story is not to be taken very seriously - so please don´t :) There is, of course, a lot more about Aragorn than I wrote in this story, but it made me start thinking.

I might make more of these.