Author: MistofStars
Pairing: Legolas/Aragorn, if we ever get there ha ha...
Rating: T
Warnings: a bit of angst, slash (if we ever get there coughs), more to come...
Author's note: This has almost nothing to do with that what Tolkien wrote or with that what PJ's movies showed. So, yeah, I'm a liar coughs ...
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, this is all just a beautiful lie. I don't make money with this. Everything's made up! Totally made up!
Comments: Appreciated!
Whispering Lives
Chapter 1: Revealed Truth
The young man sat on his bed, his knees pulled to his cold body. He had pillowed his face on his knees,
and sometimes he used them to stroke some tears from his cheeks. He was all alone in the surrounding darkness
and even the white walls of his room appeared like grey veils of the night that couldn't give any comfort.
The human had sat here, it seemed, for hours, and his bitter tears still kept on falling from his eyes.
Quietly he cried, but he felt that he was too exhausted to carry on, so he wiped the last cold tears from his left cheek and lay down on his bed. Once again he heard Elrond's words in his head. Words that the Lord of Rivendell had spoken to him today and what they had revealed was the worst message Aragorn had heard so far in his young life.
Yes, Aragorn, that was his real name and for the first time he had heard of it today.
"Listen to me, Estel. I can't change the facts, although I wish I could. You really are Aragorn, son of Arathorn. And you
are the last one in this world that has a true claim to the throne of Gondor."
Aragorn remained silent for a while, too astonished to speak.
"And what was the reason that brought my mother to Rivendell?" He asked, and his voice was filled with bitterness.
Elrond gave him a sorrowful look. He knew each of his words would hurt this young man, but the time had come
to lift the dark secrets that the elf had to hide for so many years.
"The enemy had searched for you, and they are still searching for you. They would kill you immediately if they found you.
Rivendell was a safe place to come to, and I hope it still is."
Aragorn nodded morosely. It was a hard destiny that had been put upon his shoulders. He did not speak for a while.
The last birds twittered in the trees of Rivendell, while he and Elrond kept silence. Autumn had come to the valley of the elves, and cold winds swept dead leaves over the ground. The sun shone on Aragorn's dark hair as if it wanted to console him with its warm light.
"I want to abandon all my claims. I have lived happy years here in your house, my lord. I want to continue to live here.
I don't need a kingdom... I don't need glory", Aragorn mumbled quietly.
He knew he behaved like a little child, although he was already twenty-four, but he couldn't help it.
He felt so lost and confused right now.
"It's not up to you to decide that, if you ask me. I cannot change your bloodline. I have kept your mother's secret saved for a long time, but I cannot hide it from you forever. Why do you think do you bear the name Estel? Your fate is not only filled with death and persecution. There is also hope and power in your blood, and I foresee that you will do great deeds. So do not desperate! There might be a day when this upcoming darkness will end and maybe you will be the King of Gondor, Aragorn."
The young man looked into the elf's eyes. Tears were almost escaping his eyes as he looked up to Elrond, who had always been a father to him. Elrond's words seemed so useless to him; they didn't change the facts or the situation he was put into. He loved Rivendell and he loved Elrond, and it was unbearable to imagine he would have to leave this place and all those he loved and knew.
"Don't call me that name", he said furiously.
He stood up and with the back of his hand he stroked the tears away from his cheek.
He took all his courage to look into Elrond's face again.
"I am Estel, not Aragorn." He said firmly.
Elrond did not reply.
His strong eyes looked into Aragorn's, and soon Aragorn felt that his will diminished.
"I cannot be Aragorn", he whispered finally and his voice broke, filled with hurt.
Quickly he turned around and walked away. Worried Elrond examined how the human entered the house.
He sighed and couldn't change feeling sorry for him.
Tired Aragorn pillowed himself on his bed and he crawled under the warm blankets.
Silently he stared at the dark ceiling, unable to sleep yet.
He felt so angry for being who he was, so disappointed for being beguiled by everyone all those years.
He had always felt, somewhere deep in his heart, that there must have been more to the story he had been told since he had lived in Rivendell.
But still the young man had always hoped that he could live in this lovely place forever, in peace.
He had wanted so much to believe in this great future of his- However, he had had a foreshadowing in the last years that things might change soon. And now he finally knew what the black cloud, that had followed him for so long, implied.
And it was too horrible to bear.
He turned around and sighed. His eyes burnt. He knew he would beg on his knees immediately to change things.
But there was no way for things to be changed. No one could help him in this situation.
He was all alone, and there was no one and nothing to hold on to.
(...)
A few days had passed since their conversation, and Elrond began to feel worried about Aragorn.
The young man had become very taciturn and he seemed to have lost his appetite as well.
It was obvious to everyone that something bothered the human, but he didn't speak to anyone.
Now another day had awoken and the early sunlight shone on the marbled terraces of Rivendell.
Thick white mist filled the air and the coldness of autumn had finally arrived. Silently Elrond watched the sun come up, while he stood on the balcony of Aragorn's chamber.
"Why do you go, Estel? You know that there are many that want you to stay. I want you to stay", the elf said quietly, and he was not able to hide the sadness that had entangled his heart.
It was madness to travel the wilderness at the beginning of a cruel winter.
Aragorn joined Elrond and stepped beside him on the balcony.
He could not look into Elrond's face, because he feared the love he felt for him would make him stay.
The elf had always been there for him, had raised him, and had taught him so many things...
"My heart tells me to go", he responded. He paused to fight against the pain in his throat and the tears that filled up his eyes.
"I feel like I'm torn in two, my lord. I want to belong to your people and to this place, but I fear I cannot stay any longer.
My place is not in Rivendell." He turned away.
His hands grabbed the last of his belongings from his bed and he put them into his travelling bag silently.
Suddenly he felt a warm and strong hand on his shoulder; Elrond's hand.
"To me you will always belong here, Estel", Elrond said softly. A little smile came to Aragorn's lips and he turned around and saw that Elrond smiled too, but tears had come to his eyes. Aragorn fell into the arms of his educator and hugged him. "Like father and son" both thought, but none of them dared to say so.
Moments later Aragorn travelled on a road that led away from the elves' valley.
One last time he turned around and looked back to the place that had been his home for all his life. He felt his heart sink and then he walked away to become another lonely wanderer in Middle Earth.
(...)
The years passed on by silently in Rivendell. Spring followed winter, and the summers remained for a long time in the peaceful dell, until autumn and winter came back again to the elfish stronghold. So it had been for thousands of years, and the four years that had perished since Aragorn's leave-taking were only a tiny timeframe in this ever repeating game of the seasons. But to Elrond and all those that loved the human these four years had felt like an eternity.
Not a day had waned on which Elrond had not thought and worried about Aragorn- the enemy could have
killed him already and if the enemy had not caught him yet there were still other dangers that dwelled in the lands of wilderness. In all this time he had not received any message from Aragorn, no sign of life.
He didn't know where he was or if he was alive at all. And because Elrond loved
him like a son he was of course furious and grieved at the same time.
This day was just another in autumn, and it was so alike the day Aragorn had left Rivendell 4 years ago that Elrond lingered in his memories about him for a long time. But nobody in Rivendell, including Lord Elrond, could see at the moment that a strange man walked his way in homeward direction. As a matter of course this man was nobody else but Aragorn himself, and he returned to his home again, after all these months he had spent in the back countries.
He had lived some time with other Númenóreans who resided somewhere in Eriador. Soon he had become their leader. Aragorn had fought alongside them many times against evil creatures that strolled around in Eriador- he did not want
to return to Rivendell feeling like a complete useless being and since it had seemed necessary to protect others and since nobody else felt willing to do something, he had decided to lead the last of the Dúnedains into battle.
Now a smile appeared on the man's lips- finally he saw his former home again: Rivendell.
All his sorrows, fears and exertions were forgotten for now.
He had experienced the cruelty of nature and also some treachery of men he had known.
His insight into human nature had grown, without question, but this lesson had taken its toll often enough.
Aragorn felt tired, as tired as never before.
When he had walked over the bridge that led over the brawling river a young elf ran to him, screaming in his joy.
His face was only a huge grin, and laughter escaped his mouth several times while he was running to Aragorn, who could not stop laughing also.
"Estel, you're back!", Elladan called happily and he ran into Aragorn's arms and they embraced each other tempestuously, both of them chuckling in sheer delight. They separated and looked into each other's face, seeking for any change in the features of the other man. To Aragorn Elladan hadn't changed a bit, but the elf recognized more tiny worry lines on Aragorn's
forehead. The years in exile had left their marks on the man.
"I always knew you would return some day", Elladan smiled.
And he put his arm around Aragorn's shoulder and led him to Elrond's house.
They had only walked a few steps, chatting lightly with each other as though nothing had ever separated them, until they recognized a person standing in their way.
They looked up to the person's face and they saw Elrond smiling deeply moved.
Relief flooded his mind and heart to see the human alive again.
Aragorn felt pure pleasure to see Elrond again, and he couldn't believe that he really had left his home for so long.
"My Lord Elrond...", Aragorn said, because he could not think of anything to say, and then he bowed to him.
"Welcome back, Estel. Long have I desired to see you again... I am happy that you've returned", Elrond answered and then he linked arms with Elladan and Aragorn and with a ripple of laughter he walked with them into his house.
"Tonight there shall be a feast for you and then you can tell me everything of your journey."
(...)
This night became a feast indeed: The tables in the dining rooms were overloaded with food, and all guests were chattering and laughing all the time; it was one of the happiest evenings in Rivendell since years. Aragorn made the crowd laugh often with his stories and experiences of his journey, but there were also a lot of details and serious things he did not speak about.
Only with Lord Elrond he talked about happenings which did not allow laughing about them.
For now the human sat contently on his chair at the table- he had eaten more than enough. He spent some quiet moments watching the other beautiful cheerful faces – laughing, drinking and talking. He smiled. It was good to be home again.
"So, how does it feel to be back", Elrohir asked suddenly, as if he had read the human's mind.
Aragorn smiled at the elf to his left.
"It's good", he responded. He paused for a second.
"It's nice not to have to think about things like where to sleep, what to eat, what to do... It's pretty becalming to be back and safe again", he mused quietly and then he took his glass and sipped a bit of his wine.
"My, my, Estel", Elrohir said amused. "You have changed indeed. But it seems to come mostly from the inside, I guess."
Surprised Aragorn looked into Elrohir's thoughtful features.
"Oh, stop thinking so hard, you two!", Elrond laughed suddenly. He had walked to them unnoticed.
"We're heading for some singing and tales. Will you join us?"
Soon the troop walked to the nearby halls. As soon as the doors were opened songs met their ears and to all of them the singing felt like pure delight. Aragorn smiled and realized how much he had missed these long nights in the Halls of Fire.
When they had shut the heavy doors behind them, Aragorn became aware of a beautiful clear voice that sung a sad, melancholic song. He didn't see the singer yet, but he felt drawn to this angelic voice immediately. It gave him a strange feeling to hear this bittersweet song. Finally he had sat down nearby the fireplace, and in the gloomy room his eyes had searched and found the singer. The words were sung in elfish language and Aragorn had only started to listen when the third strophe had begun:
"The sun shone through the trees and
wind touched my face like a feather
I stood under those leaves I loved
but sorrow filled my veins
We would wear the crown so high on our heads
if not hopelessness dwelt in our chests
We never said we could be brave
and we never asked for glory
Oh Eru, hear our silent prayers
If I keep looking to the ground
I will never see the light"
The young slender elfish singer had golden hair that sparkled in the fire's light. And in his eyes he bore a light too that made the young human fidgety and calm at the same time. He saw the gorgeous face of the elf and couldn't comprehend how much glory and beauty a person could carry in itself. Astonished and spell bounded he examined the elfish man; he felt his heart beat harsh against his chest, and the blood whooshed in his ears. Who was this stranger?
A few songs later Aragorn had walked out of the halls- he had done nothing in the last hours but staring at the elf he didn't know. And the more he had observed him, his behaviour and his way to speak and to gesture with others, the more he had become amazed. Finally he had felt so stupid and small, unworthy of so much bliss and glory, that he had had to take a rest from all this greatness. The time in exile was forgotten for now- there he had been a great warrior and a person to look up to. But now he was back again in the dell of the immortal, beautiful and brave, and his self-confidence had shrunk quite a bit.
Night veiled Rivendell with its blue dress and a million silvery stars lit up the sky. Alone Aragorn stared out into the dark.
Everything was quiet for now- not even the singing or talking of the elves passed through the thick doors of the halls he had left before. All at once he noticed silent steps approaching him, and someone walked to his side. He turned his face to the stranger, and recognized the foreign singer he still did not know. Surprised he looked into the beautiful smiling face- the elf's eyes seemed to laugh with unhidden joy and kindness.
"We have not been introduced to each other", the elf said with a little wink.
"I didn't even know you took notice of me", Aragorn replied with a friendly smile.
The voice of the elf created a feeling of security in his heart, a hunch of a second home.
"I notice a lot, but others don't", the elf grinned, which made Aragorn laugh.
Curiously they stared silently into the other man's face.
"Who are you?", Aragorn finally asked.
"My name is Legolas Greenleaf", the young elf responded. Aragorn widened his eyes and bowed immediately to the elf.
"Am I right to assume that you're the son of Thranduil, who is the King of Mirkwood?", Aragorn mumbled embarrassed.
How was it possible that he had not been able to realize who was standing right in front of him?
Legolas remained silent for a moment.
"It is more than just a little surprise that you know that by just hearing my name. Would you explain me how you have come to such knowledge?"
Shyly the young man looked into the immortal's features.
"In my childhood Lord Elrond taught me names of important persons and your and your father's name were included in that list."
Legolas smiled and now he bowed to Aragorn.
"I'm flattered by your courtesy, young man. But I still don't know your name."
Aragorn frowned. What was he supposed to say now?
"I have many names, my Lord, and I don't want to be rude, it's just...", he stammered and looked down to the ground.
"I don't understand", Legolas simply said and Aragorn stared into his neutral face. Aragorn sighed quietly.
Somehow he had the feeling that this man was someone one could trust without regret.
"All here call me Estel. But my real name is Aragorn, and I am the son of Arathorn", he said. For the first time in his life Aragorn somehow felt proud of his ancestry, though he knew it was stupid to think so.
Legolas smiled knowingly at him.
"Then I guess we have similar destinies, my Lord."
Aragorn frowned and smiled a bit- he had no idea what this elf was talking about.
"Do explain, please", he demanded, but Legolas just smiled calmly at him.
"I don't think that tonight is the right time for that. But I would love to talk with you soon."
Aragorn just examined this strange young elf in front of him, trying to classify him. Somehow he seemed older and wiser than other elves he had met before- at the same time he appeared as vivid and cheerful as a human child. And then there were these blue and clear eyes, piercing him with a gaze of endless knowledge. Before Aragorn could deepen his thoughts the young elf had bowed to him again.
"Good night, Aragorn", he had said quietly and with one last smile he had turned away.
To be continued...
Uhm, what's going on with that strange elf? Pretty odd, if you ask me +coughs+
Isn't it great how I can make a time shift of 4 (!!) years, just like that? Sometimes I think I've gone crazy...
So, please, tell me if you think the same.