The Sealed Door – Chapter 1
Pairing: Aragorn x Legolas
Warning: Male x Male Relationship, major OOC, AU, characters from The Hobbit
A/N: I'm still looking for a more fitted title for this story. I just hope this one will do for now.
This story is un-betaed. Don't flame me, please. It won't get me anywhere. Critiques and advices are much more appreciated.
Eight straight nights of having the same dream, almost made Aragorn believe that it was not really a dream anymore, or at least not an ordinary one. Those soft lips, the feel of warm skin, it felt beyond real. Even now his eyes were still hurt from the blinding glare of golden hair pouring over his eyes. The aching feeling he felt in his chest did nothing to ebb away the anxiousness he carried since the first night he had the dream.
"Hm, I recommend this weed," he groaned over the white smoke he blew from his smoking pipe, trying to relax. A new type of weed he just only got the chance to smoke it, a generous gift from his Hobbit friends of The Shire, his not too secret hide out.
"Longbottom Leaf. The finest pipe-weed in South Farthing. I might order a year's worth of this one again next time I visit The Shire."
He enjoyed the feel of the smoke flowing down his lungs like water through his throat, and blew it slowly from both his mouth and nose. It was out of this world. Those Hobbits really knew what they have. He continued the routine in silence, until a familiar voice bellowed somewhere under him.
"Your highness!"
He adjusted his body on the oak branch he was sitting on, looking down. A dusty blond haired man was glaring up at him with a stern face. He smirked, that was the face his friend always put whenever he got into trouble.
"I thought you'd be here. His majesty is looking for you."
"What matter?" he asked nonchalantly, still unwilling to move from his sweet spot.
"Your future wife."
Aragorn's temple twitched at his friend's words. He knew that this was his duty as the crown prince of the kingdom of Gondor. Choosing a wife was a matter of state. She was not only going to be his wife but also the next queen of Gondor. It should be handled carefully, and he couldn't choose by himself. But he didn't like the idea at all. Could he really live the rest of his life with a woman he didn't love?
"Tell my father, I have no interest in the women he chose."
He heard his friend sighed. "But there must be one you're taken a liking to. Like-"
"Princess Eowyn?" Aragorn cut in, holding in a smile as he heard his friend almost choked at the name he mentioned. He always knew that his dear friend, Faramir always had a fond feeling upon the tomboyish princess of Rohan.
"Y-yes," Faramir answered shortly.
"I don't like her except for a friend," he said firmly, and he knew that the princess thought the same.
"But, your highness!" Faramir exclaimed, still persistent to push the issue of marriage on him.
Aragorn clicked his tongue. "Then you marry her!" He shifted his body and lay on the branch. He hoped Faramir understood the sign.
"Well, I can't do that! She… She is above my station." Faramir ended in a low almost defeated voice.
The prince sighed. One other thing in his kingdom besides the arranged marriage that he hated. The boundary between social classes in Gondor was lined firmly. You could not marry a person from a different social class, especially someone above your rank. Faramir was the second son of the kingdom's steward. They had influence, but not a royalty, nor even nobility. They were just an old family that had served the royalty since ages ago.
Aragorn finally stepped down of the branch. He landed smoothly on the ground in front of Faramir, patting the young man's shoulder with his free hand. "When I become the king of Gondor, I'll change the system for you."
Faramir smiled. Although Aragorn was his lord, but the prince was always think of him and his brother as his friends not his servants. The prince even told them to call him by his name and not his title. But as expected, they couldn't ignore the manner. And it was their pride as a part of the family. He clasped Aragorn's elbow tightly. "But to be a king, you have to be married first, Prince Aragorn." He teased.
Aragorn rolled his eyes. Then they laughed together at how funny the situation they were in now.
Something was falling hard.
They stopped their laughter and looked around them. There was nothing unusual. Aragorn gestured Faramir to follow him and tucked his pipe in his belt after he ceased the glowing ember in it. They walked stealthily, ruffling the bushes they were passing, nothing suspicious behind them. Until they finally got to an old abandoned path, directing them to the part of the garden that was sealed by high iron fences that entwined with many twigs and yellowish vines, it looked almost impossible to break. They couldn't see what was inside. So many leaves piled on the fence; they still couldn't see anything even after Aragorn had picked many of the leaves out.
"We cannot go there, my lord. That part of the garden was sealed since hundred years ago." Faramir warned.
"But there must be something in there. That sound was coming from inside this garden. Maybe there was someone who came in by chance and tripped their feet or something. Then we must help them." Aragorn said, ignoring his friend's warning.
"That's impossible." Faramir reasoned. "Only royalties and a few people can go inside this garden. And you know that no one can go inside that one, even the royalty. It's forbidden." He pointed to the fence.
"Why?" Aragorn asked impatiently.
Faramir shrugged. "I don't know. Because it's haunted?"
Aragorn groaned in exasperation, rolling his eyes. Sometimes his friend was too paranoid for his own good. He approached the fence and shook it. As he'd been expected, it didn't budge. Then he looked around for a footing to jump, but he didn't see one either. He was getting more impatient.
Faramir followed Aragorn, tracing the fence. Aragorn thought there must be an opening somewhere, and he found one, just around a corner before a stone wall standing as high as the fence, there was a hole covered with leaves with fractured irons sticking in every angle as big as his body could fit in. They had to clear the path first. Aragorn kicking around the sticking irons and with an effort they finally fell to the other side of the fence.
"Let's go!" Aragorn exclaimed excitedly. And Faramir didn't have any other choice than to follow him. He couldn't let his prince to go alone to somewhere unknown, could he?
With a little of struggle, leaves and twigs sticking around their bodies. They finally went through the fence and landed roughly on the other side of the garden. The second they set their eyes inside was heart-stopping. From outside the fence, one could assume that this part of the garden was unattended. An eerie place where a ghost could pop out from anywhere like Faramir believed. But it didn't. It wasn't a place ghosts would dwell in.
This place was even far more beautiful than the palace garden outside. Tall old trees, fresh green leaves fell down around them like the rain, colorful flowers were blooming in every corner. Even the small river that divided the garden in half was streaming steadily with clear, sparkly water.
"Did we somewhat fell off the cliff and died, and now we're in heaven?" Faramir uttered in astonishment, eyes wide capturing his new surroundings.
Aragorn chuckled lightly. Well, he couldn't blame Faramir for it. This place was something they'd never seen before. Birds were singing cheerfully from beyond his sight. He also smelled sweet scent everywhere, emanated from the flowers. Strangely he couldn't hear or smell anything from beyond the fence earlier. This garden must be bound by a very powerful magic. He read about this in the book. And they somewhat breached it.
Aragorn's ears pricked up. He heard rustling sounds and groaning of pain somewhere near them.
"What's wrong?" asked Faramir. Aragorn touched his own lips with his forefinger.
"I heard something." He concentrated his ears more. "This way!"
They ran towards the spot Aragorn believed was the source of the sound was. They stopped abruptly when they saw a hand sticking out from under the bushes.
"A person?" asked Faramir again.
They approached the bushes gingerly, steadying their stance in case that person suddenly turned to attack them. When they were near enough, Aragorn ruffled open the bushes. The next thing he saw made him utterly stunned.
He saw his dream.
End Note: My first series for this fandom. Hope you like it. Took me a long time to start writing it since I got the idea, hahaha. Well, I just hope it won't take me another long time to write the continuation. Maybe. As you probably know, I'm a very slow writer.
Thank you very much for your kind responses for my first fict for this fandom "Song for You" Makoto ni arigato gozaimashita!