Title: The Price of Being King
Rating: PG13 (just to be on the safe side)
Disclaimer: I don't own The Lord of the Rings nor am I profiting from this story. Any similarity between this story and other fan fiction pieces is purely coincidental. According to Tolkien Aragorn was fostered in Rivendell after the death of his father. I'm expanding on that idea and considering Aragorn to be part of lord Elrond's family. I'm also giving into movie verse on the subject of Legolas and considering them very old and dear friends.
Summary: Life is a series of choices, but every choice has a consequence. The newly crowned king of Gondor must make a choice, which will affect Middle Earth for eternity.
A/N: I wrote this story because I wanted to investigate the events in Aragon's life which made him the noble ranger we saw in the trilogy. This story is different from most because I'm basing Aragon's actions in a present situation on events which have occurred during his lifetime and you as the reader get to share those memories with him.
The months following the War of the Ring had been a series of ups and downs for the new king of Gondor; evil had been destroyed, his kinsman was killed, he finally got to marry Arwen, and his father left Middle Earth. Due to all the changes in his life Arwen thought Aragorn needed to get out of Minus Tirith, therefore a group consisting of the new king, his friend Legolas, his steward and the royal guard rode out to tour the outlying areas of Gondor. In five months of travel the group had seen destruction but they had also seen communities coming together to overcome hardships. The last stop before returning to Minus Tirith was Poros, a small settlement located where the Harad road crossed the Poros River. As they were approaching the settlement the group got quite a shock when they saw a plain littered with hundreds of animal carcasses.
Aragorn called the group to a halt and surveyed the area for any danger, finding none, he dismounted and knelt near a carcass, "What were these creatures?"
Faramir, the steward of Gondor, looked up from the skeleton he was examining, "Harad deer", he said absently. He looked around the field at the large number of skeletons, "They used to be plentiful in South Ithilien but we haven't seen any on this trip. I guess this explains why."
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Jauron, the head guard inquired of nobody in particular.
"No" Faramir replied.
Aragorn sighed as a memory resurfaced, "Yes" he nodded towards Legolas, "we have, about fifty years ago".
"Nay, my friend it was not fifty but sixty years past." Legolas interrupted.
Aragorn smiled at his old friend, "if you find my memory so lacking perhaps you'd like to tell the tale."
"Nay, Estel, I don't have the stomach to recall that tale." Legolas replied than walked a short distance away and climbed a tree.
Aragorn smiled sadly as he watched his friend walk away than turned toward his companions, "As I was saying sixty years ago Legolas and I were in the Iron Mountains."
Flashback
"Estel you're a ranger, you should be able to find our way out of these hills!" Legolas playfully chastised his friend.
"Yes, well I'm a tired ranger" the man snapped. When he saw the flash of concern in the elf's eyes he added with a small smile, "I'll rest but not until we're out of this valley."
"Well I hope we're out soon mellon nín, those storm clouds are getting closer every second", the elf responded.
"I think it's just a round this bend" the ranger assured. He walked confidently around the bend and was so shocked that he came to a complete stop.
"This doesn't look like the way out", Legolas commented casually as he surveyed the sheer granite wall in front of him.
Aragorn sneered at his travel companion, "I can see that!"
The harsh reply to the prince's attempt at levity caused the elf to turn and observe his friend, the ranger's eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags under them, he stumbled, and his shoulders were slumped. "Estel, I'm sorry I shouldn't have taunted you when you are so tired. I wish I could be of more assistance, but ..."
"you have no memory of the trip" Aragorn finished for his friend.
"No" the elf admitted "I remember nothing between leaving Mirkwood and being rescued from the Easterling camp."
The ranger nodded absently as he intently studied his friend's eyes then gently tipped the elf's head to the side and traced the healing wound with his finger, "Well you were hit pretty hard, the memories may or may not come back."
"It may be for the best if they don't" Legolas muttered than looked at his friend, "You didn't exactly come out unscathed yourself." He took Aragorn by the shoulders and turned him to face the granite wall again. "We both need to rest and the storm is getting closer lets see if there isn't a cave we can shelter in until morning."
The ranger looked at his elven friend as if he had just announced he intended to marry a dwarf woman and move to Moria to raise a family, "You want to go in a cave!?"
Legolas shook his head and gently pushed past the ranger, intently studying the cull-de-sac, "It isn't that I want to mellon nín but that there isn't any choice." The keen eyes of the elf finally found what they sought, "Oh, there we are, a place to spend the night and then in the morning we can set out for home".
They had nearly reached the cave when a horrid smell reached the ranger, "What is that smell!?"
Legolas narrowed his eyes, "I'm not sure, I first smelled it when we entered this canyon but it seems to be getting stronger the closer we get to that cave."
Aragorn removed his flint and steel from his pack then ripped a strip of cloth off his tunic and wrapped it around a stick. He used his flint and steel to set the fabric on fire than lifted the torch and headed for the cave. The ranger felt alone so turned and found the prince staring at him, "What? The housekeeping staff wouldn't know what to do if my tunics returned in one piece. Besides," he added as he ducked into the cave "we need to see what is creating that smell." The sight inside the cave made the ranger stop dead in his tracks. The edges of the cave were littered with stacks of mountain sheep carcasses, some lacking horns and some lacking heads but all were rotting in the enclosed space.
As Aragorn moved further into the cave to discover the cause for the carnage, the entrance was unblocked and the prince followed his friend inside. "What happened here?" The elf bent to examine the carcass nearest to the door, "These animals have been killed by someone but they didn't take the meat. What could have possibly happened to the hunters?" Legolas turned confused and concerned eyes to the ranger, "Do you think they were captured by the Easterlings?"
Aragorn saw the anguish in his friend's eyes and cringed, the sight alone was enough to distress an elf, a race that loved and respected all animals, but the thought that the hunters were undergoing the same physical abuse that the elf himself had endured was driving the prince to despair. The ranger sighed, how could he keep from lying to his friend yet allow the elf to maintain some semblance of compassion for the second born. After several moments of thought he had come to no answers and decided that the best thing was to be honest and trust in his friend, "No, mellon nín I don't think they were captured by the Easterlings – I think it was the Easterlings that did this."
Legolas looked at his friend dumbfounded, "But why? Why would they leave the meat? Surely we didn't scare them away from this area but all they took were the horns"
"and some heads." Aragorn finished with a sigh. "Legolas, the Easterlings killed these animals to collect trophies that they could sell. I saw it in Gondor - some people put animal horns or heads on their walls as decorations."
"They were killed for decorations!" Legolas thundered. "Mankind first doomed all of Middle Earth to live in continued darkness when Isildur refused to get rid of the ring." Aragorn winced but Legolas continued "and now they decimate the animal populations for wall hangings!"
Aragorn reached out for his friend but Legolas turned around and walked to the mouth of the cave where he tried to gain control of his emotions. Aragorn gave Legolas a few minutes then joined him at the entrance of the cave, "Not all humans approve of this sort of thing you know."
"I know and I'm sorry I didn't mean . . . "
Aragorn cut him off, "I know Legolas, I know." He slapped his friend on the shoulder and headed out of the cave, "We need to find a place to camp tonight."
Legolas caught the man's shoulder, "We can't go out there, it's pouring."
"Yes, but neither you or I want to spend the night in here," Aragorn flashed his friend a smile "and I think an elf and a ranger will survive a little rain." So the two beings left the only shelter for miles and went out in the rain.
End of flashback
"How did you know it was the Easterlings?" Faramir asked.
"They were protecting a wain which was covered with some blankets." Aragorn replied.
"Did you find the Easterlings?" Jauran inquired.
The king shook his head, "No, they were gone when we went back to the camp and we were too injured to follow them."
"That was a disturbing tale but we shouldn't jump to conclusions", the steward advised. "We don't know that these animals were killed for trophies, yes the heads are missing from some but then again so is the flesh."
"They may have been picked clean by the carrion fowl" Legolas chimed in as he walked up to the group.
"True old friend, but as Faramir says let's find out the whole story before we make any conclusions." Aragorn replied as he mounted Roheryn. The rest of the party quickly followed suite and soon they were headed for Poros where they hoped to learn what had befallen the herd of Harad Deer. The group attracted a great deal of attention as they rode through the streets of the small settlement so by the time they reached the center of town a large party was waiting for them.
"Greetings Sadaraszar" Faramir called as he dismounted and approached the man at the head of the group.
Upon recognizing the rider Sadaraszar, the mayor, broke into a wide smile, "Faramir as I live and breath." Then he turned to address the men behind him, "It's the steward's son." Once the crowd knew the identity of this guest the mayor turned back to the man before him, "How are you boy? How are your father and brother, did they make it through the war all right?"
Faramir smiled sadly, "I'm fine Sadaraszar but I'm afraid both my father and brother passed on some time ago." The steward collected himself then smiled and turned to the man behind him. "However, I'm not here to bring bad news but rather glad tidings and a new beginning for Gondor. My lord major I'd like to introduce you to the new king of Gondor, King Elessar."
Sadaraszar and the other men's eyes opened wide with stock and they immediately fell to their knees in front of the king. Aragorn chuckled at the abrupt change in the men, "Arise my friends. Just as you are unused to having a king I'm unused to being a king and therefore don't like my friends on their knees."
The men stood and Sadaraszar addressed the king, "My lord what brings you to Poros?"
"I'm making the rounds of the outlying settlements in order to ascertain the damage done by the war. Sadaraszar, perhaps you can clarify something for me, as we were riding up we noticed a large number of Harad deer dead in the plain. What happened to them?"
Sadaraszar nodded, "Yes, well those deer have a great deal to do with how Poros managed during and after the war. The crossing of Poros has always been vulnerable to attack by the Haradrim and this war was no different. We were often attacked and all our livestock was killed, which forced us to rely on the Harad deer for survival. We were too busy defending ourselves to bury the bones so we piled them on the plain, which had the added bonus of keeping foul beasts away from town."
"We saw no herds of deer as we approached, where are your hunting grounds?" Legolas inquired.
"Unfortunately the herds are gone, fifteen months of an entire settlement surviving on them drastically reduced their number." Sadaraszar replied sadly.
"Why did you not send to the white city for aid?" Aragorn questioned.
"We did, but the road is treacherous and our messengers never got through," replied Ezendiũr, one of Sadaraszar's advisors.
Aragorn sighed as the weight of the matter settled firmly on his shoulders, "How much food do you have left?"
Sadaraszar and his advisors exchanged glances before the major sighed in his turn, "None, we ran out this morning."
Translations:
Wain – wagon Mellon nín – my friend
A/N: This story was written in honor of Earth Day (okay so I missed by a lot) because I think elves were the Middle Earth equivalent of environmentalists. At the end of each chapter I'm going to post notes about how the topic of that chapter relates to issues affecting our world. The issue in this chapter was trophy hunting, which does occur in our world. Don't get me wrong if someone hunts an animal for the meat and then decides to mount the head I have no problem with that, I don't understand but it's okay if your into that. However there are hunters in this world, which target some of the worlds most beautiful animals just so their heads can be hung on the wall or parts can be used in decorations. Elephants and Rhinos have been impacted especially hard by this trend as they are often killed for their tusks or horns and the bodies left rotting in the hot sun. The ivory trade has resulted in the wild Asian elephant population being reduced to 40,000 animals in thirteen countries. The Black rhino has been reduced to a wild population of 3000 due to poaching for rhino horn. We can all do our part to discourage this type of poaching by not buying articles made from animal parts.
All reviews are deeply appreciated but please state your comments politely. I'll update on Thursday.
Rating: PG13 (just to be on the safe side)
Disclaimer: I don't own The Lord of the Rings nor am I profiting from this story. Any similarity between this story and other fan fiction pieces is purely coincidental. According to Tolkien Aragorn was fostered in Rivendell after the death of his father. I'm expanding on that idea and considering Aragorn to be part of lord Elrond's family. I'm also giving into movie verse on the subject of Legolas and considering them very old and dear friends.
Summary: Life is a series of choices, but every choice has a consequence. The newly crowned king of Gondor must make a choice, which will affect Middle Earth for eternity.
A/N: I wrote this story because I wanted to investigate the events in Aragon's life which made him the noble ranger we saw in the trilogy. This story is different from most because I'm basing Aragon's actions in a present situation on events which have occurred during his lifetime and you as the reader get to share those memories with him.
The months following the War of the Ring had been a series of ups and downs for the new king of Gondor; evil had been destroyed, his kinsman was killed, he finally got to marry Arwen, and his father left Middle Earth. Due to all the changes in his life Arwen thought Aragorn needed to get out of Minus Tirith, therefore a group consisting of the new king, his friend Legolas, his steward and the royal guard rode out to tour the outlying areas of Gondor. In five months of travel the group had seen destruction but they had also seen communities coming together to overcome hardships. The last stop before returning to Minus Tirith was Poros, a small settlement located where the Harad road crossed the Poros River. As they were approaching the settlement the group got quite a shock when they saw a plain littered with hundreds of animal carcasses.
Aragorn called the group to a halt and surveyed the area for any danger, finding none, he dismounted and knelt near a carcass, "What were these creatures?"
Faramir, the steward of Gondor, looked up from the skeleton he was examining, "Harad deer", he said absently. He looked around the field at the large number of skeletons, "They used to be plentiful in South Ithilien but we haven't seen any on this trip. I guess this explains why."
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Jauron, the head guard inquired of nobody in particular.
"No" Faramir replied.
Aragorn sighed as a memory resurfaced, "Yes" he nodded towards Legolas, "we have, about fifty years ago".
"Nay, my friend it was not fifty but sixty years past." Legolas interrupted.
Aragorn smiled at his old friend, "if you find my memory so lacking perhaps you'd like to tell the tale."
"Nay, Estel, I don't have the stomach to recall that tale." Legolas replied than walked a short distance away and climbed a tree.
Aragorn smiled sadly as he watched his friend walk away than turned toward his companions, "As I was saying sixty years ago Legolas and I were in the Iron Mountains."
Flashback
"Estel you're a ranger, you should be able to find our way out of these hills!" Legolas playfully chastised his friend.
"Yes, well I'm a tired ranger" the man snapped. When he saw the flash of concern in the elf's eyes he added with a small smile, "I'll rest but not until we're out of this valley."
"Well I hope we're out soon mellon nín, those storm clouds are getting closer every second", the elf responded.
"I think it's just a round this bend" the ranger assured. He walked confidently around the bend and was so shocked that he came to a complete stop.
"This doesn't look like the way out", Legolas commented casually as he surveyed the sheer granite wall in front of him.
Aragorn sneered at his travel companion, "I can see that!"
The harsh reply to the prince's attempt at levity caused the elf to turn and observe his friend, the ranger's eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags under them, he stumbled, and his shoulders were slumped. "Estel, I'm sorry I shouldn't have taunted you when you are so tired. I wish I could be of more assistance, but ..."
"you have no memory of the trip" Aragorn finished for his friend.
"No" the elf admitted "I remember nothing between leaving Mirkwood and being rescued from the Easterling camp."
The ranger nodded absently as he intently studied his friend's eyes then gently tipped the elf's head to the side and traced the healing wound with his finger, "Well you were hit pretty hard, the memories may or may not come back."
"It may be for the best if they don't" Legolas muttered than looked at his friend, "You didn't exactly come out unscathed yourself." He took Aragorn by the shoulders and turned him to face the granite wall again. "We both need to rest and the storm is getting closer lets see if there isn't a cave we can shelter in until morning."
The ranger looked at his elven friend as if he had just announced he intended to marry a dwarf woman and move to Moria to raise a family, "You want to go in a cave!?"
Legolas shook his head and gently pushed past the ranger, intently studying the cull-de-sac, "It isn't that I want to mellon nín but that there isn't any choice." The keen eyes of the elf finally found what they sought, "Oh, there we are, a place to spend the night and then in the morning we can set out for home".
They had nearly reached the cave when a horrid smell reached the ranger, "What is that smell!?"
Legolas narrowed his eyes, "I'm not sure, I first smelled it when we entered this canyon but it seems to be getting stronger the closer we get to that cave."
Aragorn removed his flint and steel from his pack then ripped a strip of cloth off his tunic and wrapped it around a stick. He used his flint and steel to set the fabric on fire than lifted the torch and headed for the cave. The ranger felt alone so turned and found the prince staring at him, "What? The housekeeping staff wouldn't know what to do if my tunics returned in one piece. Besides," he added as he ducked into the cave "we need to see what is creating that smell." The sight inside the cave made the ranger stop dead in his tracks. The edges of the cave were littered with stacks of mountain sheep carcasses, some lacking horns and some lacking heads but all were rotting in the enclosed space.
As Aragorn moved further into the cave to discover the cause for the carnage, the entrance was unblocked and the prince followed his friend inside. "What happened here?" The elf bent to examine the carcass nearest to the door, "These animals have been killed by someone but they didn't take the meat. What could have possibly happened to the hunters?" Legolas turned confused and concerned eyes to the ranger, "Do you think they were captured by the Easterlings?"
Aragorn saw the anguish in his friend's eyes and cringed, the sight alone was enough to distress an elf, a race that loved and respected all animals, but the thought that the hunters were undergoing the same physical abuse that the elf himself had endured was driving the prince to despair. The ranger sighed, how could he keep from lying to his friend yet allow the elf to maintain some semblance of compassion for the second born. After several moments of thought he had come to no answers and decided that the best thing was to be honest and trust in his friend, "No, mellon nín I don't think they were captured by the Easterlings – I think it was the Easterlings that did this."
Legolas looked at his friend dumbfounded, "But why? Why would they leave the meat? Surely we didn't scare them away from this area but all they took were the horns"
"and some heads." Aragorn finished with a sigh. "Legolas, the Easterlings killed these animals to collect trophies that they could sell. I saw it in Gondor - some people put animal horns or heads on their walls as decorations."
"They were killed for decorations!" Legolas thundered. "Mankind first doomed all of Middle Earth to live in continued darkness when Isildur refused to get rid of the ring." Aragorn winced but Legolas continued "and now they decimate the animal populations for wall hangings!"
Aragorn reached out for his friend but Legolas turned around and walked to the mouth of the cave where he tried to gain control of his emotions. Aragorn gave Legolas a few minutes then joined him at the entrance of the cave, "Not all humans approve of this sort of thing you know."
"I know and I'm sorry I didn't mean . . . "
Aragorn cut him off, "I know Legolas, I know." He slapped his friend on the shoulder and headed out of the cave, "We need to find a place to camp tonight."
Legolas caught the man's shoulder, "We can't go out there, it's pouring."
"Yes, but neither you or I want to spend the night in here," Aragorn flashed his friend a smile "and I think an elf and a ranger will survive a little rain." So the two beings left the only shelter for miles and went out in the rain.
End of flashback
"How did you know it was the Easterlings?" Faramir asked.
"They were protecting a wain which was covered with some blankets." Aragorn replied.
"Did you find the Easterlings?" Jauran inquired.
The king shook his head, "No, they were gone when we went back to the camp and we were too injured to follow them."
"That was a disturbing tale but we shouldn't jump to conclusions", the steward advised. "We don't know that these animals were killed for trophies, yes the heads are missing from some but then again so is the flesh."
"They may have been picked clean by the carrion fowl" Legolas chimed in as he walked up to the group.
"True old friend, but as Faramir says let's find out the whole story before we make any conclusions." Aragorn replied as he mounted Roheryn. The rest of the party quickly followed suite and soon they were headed for Poros where they hoped to learn what had befallen the herd of Harad Deer. The group attracted a great deal of attention as they rode through the streets of the small settlement so by the time they reached the center of town a large party was waiting for them.
"Greetings Sadaraszar" Faramir called as he dismounted and approached the man at the head of the group.
Upon recognizing the rider Sadaraszar, the mayor, broke into a wide smile, "Faramir as I live and breath." Then he turned to address the men behind him, "It's the steward's son." Once the crowd knew the identity of this guest the mayor turned back to the man before him, "How are you boy? How are your father and brother, did they make it through the war all right?"
Faramir smiled sadly, "I'm fine Sadaraszar but I'm afraid both my father and brother passed on some time ago." The steward collected himself then smiled and turned to the man behind him. "However, I'm not here to bring bad news but rather glad tidings and a new beginning for Gondor. My lord major I'd like to introduce you to the new king of Gondor, King Elessar."
Sadaraszar and the other men's eyes opened wide with stock and they immediately fell to their knees in front of the king. Aragorn chuckled at the abrupt change in the men, "Arise my friends. Just as you are unused to having a king I'm unused to being a king and therefore don't like my friends on their knees."
The men stood and Sadaraszar addressed the king, "My lord what brings you to Poros?"
"I'm making the rounds of the outlying settlements in order to ascertain the damage done by the war. Sadaraszar, perhaps you can clarify something for me, as we were riding up we noticed a large number of Harad deer dead in the plain. What happened to them?"
Sadaraszar nodded, "Yes, well those deer have a great deal to do with how Poros managed during and after the war. The crossing of Poros has always been vulnerable to attack by the Haradrim and this war was no different. We were often attacked and all our livestock was killed, which forced us to rely on the Harad deer for survival. We were too busy defending ourselves to bury the bones so we piled them on the plain, which had the added bonus of keeping foul beasts away from town."
"We saw no herds of deer as we approached, where are your hunting grounds?" Legolas inquired.
"Unfortunately the herds are gone, fifteen months of an entire settlement surviving on them drastically reduced their number." Sadaraszar replied sadly.
"Why did you not send to the white city for aid?" Aragorn questioned.
"We did, but the road is treacherous and our messengers never got through," replied Ezendiũr, one of Sadaraszar's advisors.
Aragorn sighed as the weight of the matter settled firmly on his shoulders, "How much food do you have left?"
Sadaraszar and his advisors exchanged glances before the major sighed in his turn, "None, we ran out this morning."
Translations:
Wain – wagon Mellon nín – my friend
A/N: This story was written in honor of Earth Day (okay so I missed by a lot) because I think elves were the Middle Earth equivalent of environmentalists. At the end of each chapter I'm going to post notes about how the topic of that chapter relates to issues affecting our world. The issue in this chapter was trophy hunting, which does occur in our world. Don't get me wrong if someone hunts an animal for the meat and then decides to mount the head I have no problem with that, I don't understand but it's okay if your into that. However there are hunters in this world, which target some of the worlds most beautiful animals just so their heads can be hung on the wall or parts can be used in decorations. Elephants and Rhinos have been impacted especially hard by this trend as they are often killed for their tusks or horns and the bodies left rotting in the hot sun. The ivory trade has resulted in the wild Asian elephant population being reduced to 40,000 animals in thirteen countries. The Black rhino has been reduced to a wild population of 3000 due to poaching for rhino horn. We can all do our part to discourage this type of poaching by not buying articles made from animal parts.
All reviews are deeply appreciated but please state your comments politely. I'll update on Thursday.