This is a story I wrote at least 4 years ago, because I finally finished reading all the appendixes to the books and was saddened by the fact that Estel died, and Legolas and Gimli sailed away. So I came up with this, a way for me to reconcile all those emotions I had :D I'm not entirely happy with it, especially the later chapters, but I can't bring myself to rewrite it yet.
To everyone who is looking for Arwen, sorry but I just don't like her, regardless of the movie or book form, and I didn't feel like trying to write her. However, I don't actively hate her and so I just ignored her character instead of adding anything that could be considered bashing.
This is part 1/4.
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, it all belongs to the amazing J.R.R. Tolkien.
~Life After Death~
A Forgotten Tale of Middle Earth
Chapter 1: From Life Into Death
The typically bright city was shrouded in a cloak of darkness. The normally happy and cheerful people were quiet and subdued, going about their business as quickly as possible. Black cloths hung from every window and many businesses were closed. The city of Minas Tirith was in mourning for her dying king.
Inside the castle was very similar to the outside, a dark quiet world permeated by the feeling of death. One room in particular was steeped in this foul stench. The room was sparsely furnished, containing a fireplace that provided that only light, and two chairs. In the middle of the room was a large bed and on that bed was a human, pale and wrinkled with snow-white hair.
To an untrained eye, he seemed to be simply asleep but if one looked carefully, they could see the tense muscles and heavy breathing that were characteristic of a nightmare. The door opened and a lithe figure slipped in silently. He quickly approached the bed, firelight glinting off his golden hair. He sank down on the bed and gently grasped the hand of the one lying there.
'Ah Strider,' the being thought, 'the end may well be upon us finally.'
Suddenly, the man's body was wracked with a violent coughing fit. His eyes shot open and he turned a terrified expression on his friend.
"Help, Legolas!" he gasped out as he fought for breath.
"ELLADAN! ELROHIR! COME QUICKLY!" Legolas yelled. Two identical brown-haired elves burst into the room and helped Legolas to prop the human up and feed him some calming herb tea. The fit soon subsided, leaving a very weak king and three terrified elves behind.
"Hannon lle, mellyn nin." Aragorn said.
"Sidh Aragorn, do not talk. Save your strength." said Elrohir.
"Alas muindor, it is too late. I can feel the call of Mandos and I know that you three can sense that as well." Aragorn whispered. The three elves knew this was true but their hearts continued to resist this eternal parting.
"You three are my dearest friends, indeed more than friends. You have stuck with me through thick and thin, always supporting and helping me." Aragorn said.
Legolas immediately protested, "You have done the same thing for us many times Strider! We will always stay with you."
"True Legolas, but 'tis a difficult thing for a Firstborn to bind themselves to an adan. My lifespan is but a drop in the cup of your lives and yet you have bound yourselves to me: heart and soul. I know how easy it is for an elf to die of grief and I beg you not to give in to the overwhelming feelings. Sail to Valinor straightaway. Take all the remaining elves with you and complete your families, for I know they miss you. Be happy and never look back." By now the tears were rolling down everyone's cheeks. "I have only one final request. Do not remember me only as Elessar or Aragorn. Remember the child Estel and the ranger Strider who shared so many adventures with you. But most importantly, never forget me."
"Oh tithen pen, we could never forget you." Elladan whispered. "You were truly the hope of Men, but you were also so much more than that. When Nana was captured by the yrch and sailed to Valinor, Elrohir and I were consumed by our anger. We spent all our days mercilessly slaughtering the orcs. We were slowly fading from our grief and our father was not much better. Then we found you, Estel. Even though your parents, our dear friends Arathorn and Gilrean were dead, you became a light in our dark lives. You showed us that there was still more to live for in this world. Without you we would not be here now. There is no way in all of Arda that we could ever forget you, muindor."
"No matter what happens you will always be our tithen muindor." Elrohir added.
"Indeed Estel, it is much the same with me." Legolas said. "Before I met you, I was deep in grieving for my own naneth, Trëicia, who was killed by humans long ago. I firmly believed that all humans were evil and needed to be wiped off the face of the earth. But then you stumbled into my life that fateful day and taught me that there is always good, but sometimes it is hard to find. You saved all of us from grief and hatred Estel. We may sail away to Valinor to be with our families but our families will never be complete without you. There will always be a gap in all our lives and hearts that will never be filled. We will always miss you."
"Ah Legolas, you were always such a good friend. My only regret is that I cannot come with you to Valinor. I hope that the grief fades and you three may find peace and happiness. Tell Ada goodbye for me, Elladan and Elrohir. I will miss you dearly, muindor nyn." Then Aragorn back turned to Legolas. "As for you my dear elf, you will sail to Valinor and see your brothers and father again and one day be reunited with your mother. You need not grieve for me. I have lived my long years and they have been all the better for having you as a brother. I consider Elladan and Elrohir brothers by blood, for they raised me. But I consider you a brother of my heart, for I chose to make you an important part of my life. Amin mela lle, muindor-nyn. Namàrië."
"Namàrië, Estel" the elves whispered softly.
And with that, King Elessar Telecontar of men, Aragorn son of Arathorn, Strider of the Dunèdain, and Estel of the Elves, was gone. With his last breath, the remaining remnants of the old age were gone. None now lived on Arda who could still remember the events of the Third Age. Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas stayed in the palace for another month, preparing the body and attending the funeral service. They showed no emotion in public and many thought them to be cold, heartless figures. But the three elves were slowly being torn apart inside.
One night, three small figures could be seen riding away from Minas Tirith. That was the last time an elf was seen on Middle Earth. Legolas gathered his remaining kinsmen and they all set sail for Valinor. The Age of the Firstborn was well and truly over. After many years the common knowledge of these events passed into stories, stories into legends, and legends into myths. The elves, dwarves, and other magical creatures of Arda were forgotten, replaced by the ever-growing world of Men. And that is how this particular story was simply forgotten, lost in the lore of a long-ago land.