Title: In the Face of Darkness
Author: Eyes of Pearl
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Lord of the Rings (the books or the movies). They belong to their respective owners. The song "Fallen" is sang by Sarah McLachlan and does not belong to me.
After "Truly Belong", I came back with another story. This has nothing to do with the last story but I want to write something for it. I have been too busy with school and stuff.
Anyways, hopefully you guys will like this one. It will be short with only two parts. The first part focuses on Aragorn around the time when he felt Rivendell after Elrond said he can no longer be with Arwen. I probably don't have the right sequence, so don't be too mad at me. The second part deals with one of the sailor scouts and her judgements upon the weakness of Man.
xlxlxlxlx
Chapter 1: The Weakness of Man
He left the splendor of the Elven haven behind, not once did he look back, at least he had that much self restrain. Imladris had been his home, his heart's sanctuary, his own salvation, for it was the home of the Evenstar. He had loved her. No. That could not be farther from the truth for he loves her still. He is an edain , a second born who paled in comparison with the fairest of all first born. But despite any control that he might have possessed, one cannot prevent the biddings of the heart. Whenever he was in her presence, he found a sense of tranquility washing over him. It was only when she was out of sight, would he release the breath that he was holding. The clutch of his fist would relax but still he would catch himself starring in the direction of which she departed from hoping to catch one more glimpse of her.
Outwardly, he may be nonchalant with his feelings, but with his father, the great Lord Elrond, he could deny them no longer. Lord Elrond was said to be with the gift of foresight and perhaps he knew that such feelings were inevitable but that did not prevent him from speaking to his foster son.
xlxlxlxlx
Heaven bends to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight
xlxlxlxlx
Aragorn had recalled the meeting vividly. He was summoned to Lord Elrond's private study where he was met with stern and erected back of the Elven Lord. Aragorn remembered that as a child, he had received many lectures from this very room. From the stifling atmosphere, no doubt, this one would be as well.
"Come here, Estel. Tell me what you see." Elrond could sense the hesitance from his foster son and for a moment his paternal instincts took over. What he was about to say shall cause a rift between them, that he was certain. However, when he looked towards Aragorn, he strengthened his resolve.
xlxlxlxlx
Aragorn stood next to his Adar and looked out upon Rivendell. His eyes scanned the courtyard and immediately his gray blue eyes caught the raven tresses of Arwen. She was in the garden with some of the other maidens. For a moment, he pierced his gaze in her direction and channeling his energy towards her. Somehow, she had felt his presence or perhaps, she was simply tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked up and returned his gaze.
Elrond had followed the direction of which Aragorn was looked at before he immediately walked away from the window. Sensing the change in the demeanor of the Elven Lord, Aragorn turned and spoke, "I'm afraid that I do not have the sight of Elves, Adar."
"No, you do not, Estel for simply you are not an Elf." At this, Aragorn inwardly winced. It was something that he was constantly reminded of when he was much younger. Whenever he fell ill or injured, or become forgetful, the fact that he was slower to pick up on certain skills, or walk with heavy footfalls, the simple reason was that he was Man living among Elves. Hearing it from his father had struck a deep chord.
xlxlxlxlx
Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear
xlxlxlxlx
"When I stare beyond the reaches of my realm, in my mind's gaze, I can see the ocean. I hear it calling to me in the moments of great solitude. Though I am of the Nordor race, it beckons to me. Still, I remain for the sake of duty to the people of Middle Earth. My children would be heartbroken at my passing and I cannot not bear them the pain."
"What are you saying?"
"You are aptly named Estel, for you are indeed the hope of Men. That is your duty upon Middle Earth, but your trials would be hard."
"I did not choose this path for I would gladly forsake this life for another."
"Yet you cannot. It is in your bloodline, your destiny to fulfill, such is the path as Isildur's heir." At this, Aragorn felt himself rubbing against the ring on his hand, a symbol of his lineage. He met the piercing gaze of the Elven Lord, waiting for him to continue.
"I know of your feelings for the Evenstar. She is of the Eldar race and it is within her blessings to leave these shores. She is the hope of the Elvenkind. Spare her from the fate of mortality."
Aragorn understood now, again he was reminded of the fact that he was a human, below the Elven race. He had fallen in love with Arwen who was graced with the darkest beauty of all the Elves. "Long have I try to resist the callings of the heart but is it not her choice to choose her destiny?"
"She is my daughter, Estel! Do you know of what you ask? Can you bear to take her from her own people? Can you prolong death, pain, suffering and grief in the world of Men when no ship would carry her to the West? You will die, Estel! She will fade away to be a faint memory in the halls of Man."
"I cannot help the fraility of the humankind. I too have this weakness flowing through my veins and yet, I am burdened with the destiny as Isildur's heir, Aragorn, son of Arathorn. No, I can neither bear the guilt of taking Arwen from her people nor can I bear a fair being losing their immortality for a Human. I regret that I ever lay my eyes upon Arwen. I regret that my heart cannot restrain its every emotion. I regret having to come to Imladris, tainting the Elven realm with my faults, quenching their hope."
xlxlxlxlx
Though I've tried, I've fallen ...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell I told you so ...
xlxlxlxlx
He left then, oblivious to the shock and saddened face of his foster father. He did not look back, only marched to his room and retrieved his belongings: his travel pack, his daggers, his healers pack. He was leaving and perhaps with time, he could prove his worth, redeem his honour, outrun his destiny. He listened for the footsteps of his foster father, but he heard none as he went off to the stables.
"Estel? Where are you going?" He hesitated as he grabbed hold of the saddle of his horse.
"Forget me, Arwen. You belong with your people. I am a Man, weak ... I do not have the strength to be the person that you want me to be. Just forget me, dear Evenstar. Namarie..."
He nudged the side of his horse and galloped out of the palace. His eyes concentrated on the road ahead. Arwen watched him leave, and as she went towards her own horse, hoping to following, she saw her father standing before her. "Adar? Estel... he ..."
"I know, my daughter. I am sorry, but it is his path. His destiny lies elsewhere in the world of Men. He must find himself first ... and it just cannot be."
"Adar, I love him. I cannot forget him."
"He has made his choice, Arwen. He is part of them and they will eventually die. We are the first born. No, your life will be long, and it is in our blessing to sail to the West. I can see in your eyes that you feel for his departure but do you have no love for me? Would you not stay and spare me from my grief?"
xlxlxlxlx
We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believe that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
xlxlxlxlx
Meanwhile, Aragorn rode hard well into the night, hoping to put as much distance as he could with Rivendell. The skies ahead darkened as the rain let out its downpour. Before long, he was soaked to the skin. His cloak drenched and brought him no comfort, only the cold. He scorned the weakness of Men who unlike the Elves was not immune to the changes of the weather.
When the horse exhausted itself, he was forced to dismount. After retrieving his packs, he unconsciously looked towards the direction from which he had came. The conversation ran through his mind as he steeled his resolve, too stubborn to back down from his decision. The horse sensing the sadness from the rider, nudged him on his forearm. Aragorn gently rubbed the horse's nose and whispered in its ear to return to Imladris. The horse hesitated waiting for its master to follow but when Aragorn turned his back, the horses needed no furtherguidance for it knew the way back.
Aragorn continued on foot, confident that the rain would wash away his tracks. He had no destination, only the sole aim to escape. All his life, he was somewhat out of place. He was not an Elf, though his foster father had treated him well. Elladan and Elrohir, the Elven lord's twin sons were very overprotective of him, liked older brothers should. In their eyes, he would always be a child ... a youngling to the Elves who had a few millennia over him.
xlxlxlxlx
The lonely light of morning
The wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I have held so dear
xlxlxlxlx
The rain continued to fall for the next couple of days, but Aragorn barely rested. His thoughts twirled in numerous memories and often they swayed toward the last conversation that he had with the Elven Lord. Aragorn was weary in both mind and body, and so his senses was not as keen as before. If it was, he would have sense that the danger that had been trailing him and the approaching dangers.
When the first arrow struck his life arm, he cursed his own foolishness. He unsheathed his sword and faced his foes. "Orcs!" He muttered under his breath.
The rain had stopped to a small drizzle but the ground was slick and it was hard for Aragorn to get a solid grip. If he was an Elf, then he would not have this problem, he thought.
The foul creatures were disorganized in their fighting style, but they outnumbered him. He swinged his sword in defence of an incoming blow from the left. With the flick of his wrist, he knocked the sword out of his foe. Swinging a clear upper hand, he sliced its head off. Aragorn had no time to ponder over the corpse as he immediately parried to the right and ran his sword through the nearest Orc. Everything was rhythmic at this point. Jabbed, parried, upper cut, defend .... swing around ... dodged ... cut ... twist, flicked, parried ... jabbed .... Aragorn fought with his precision but without the usual grace. Several times, Orcs penetrated his defence with their swords. He calculated the number of foes in his head, assessing the dangers. He could not hear whether there were more Orcs coming from the woods, but then again, he lacked to superior hearing of the Elves.
At this, he suddenly lost his concentration and tripped on the mud slicked ground. However, he recovered his senses fast enough to kick the Orc that he had been fighting from underneath. Somehow the enemy fell the wrong way and its sword suddenly ended up in the right of Aragorn's thigh. He screamed at the sudden pain but he quickly grabbed one of his daggers from his boot and ran it through the Orc. Pushing the lifeless body off of him, Aragorn quickly picked up his discarded sword to block an incoming blow to his head. With a resolute war cry, Aragorn heaved himself off the grounds and pushed the Orc backwards. This time it was the creature that lost its balance for an easy kill.
The arrow in his arm began to throb and his leg wound bled profusely. He had no time to inspect them another managed to come from behind. The hair at the back of his neck pricked at the intrusion. He surprised his enemy when he suddenly turned around and grabbed the Orc with surprising strength and used its as a human shield. While he parried with another on his right, he noticed the onslaught of arrows coming his way. He pushed the Orc in their path before charging once more. In their confusion, he quickly finished them off.
As he surveyed the area, lifeless bodies of Orc littered the area. He walked towards one of the fallen Orcs and retrieved his dagger. It was dripping with black blood. Aragorn grimaced as a wave of pain hit him and he realized the various cuts that adorned him. Some were just mere scratches while others cut deep and would probably need stitches. The arrow in his left arm was still there. He pulled off his gloves and quickly bit on it. Without a thought, he pulled it out and clutching hard upon the contraption in his mouth. The tip of the its was covered in yellow substance, poisoned ... he thought. The substance seemed foreign to him even with his many healer's training under Lord Elrond.
Again, he berated at Men's ignorance and the lack of the Elven's natural healing abilities. He did not have the Elven's natural healing abilities, and without it, his body was too weak to fight the poison. He was exhausted and his eyes felt like lead. His head was swarming, probably from the effects, but he had no heart left to battle both physically and emotionally. His injured leg buckled from beneath him and he succumbed to the darkness even before he hit the ground.
xlxlxlxlx
Heaven bent to take my hand
Nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I though were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turned their heads embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
But it's one missed step
You'll slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed ...
xlxlxlxlx
End of Chapter 1
The next part and conclusion should be up within a week, so don't forget to r/r.
Aug 2004: This has been revised and the first chapter has been turned into a songfic.