The stars wheeled over the land, clear and frosty in the cold winter night. Morning was not far off; a faint glow in the east heralded the coming dawn, and the icy snow sparked and caught the sun's first light. The frozen waterfalls of Imladris glittered faintly, and a weak flow of melted water cascaded to the snowy ground and trickled on downwards.

Aragorn, son of Arathorn, wandered alone through the barren grey woods, his steps heavy and his head bowed. His stature was not that of a king; his entire being was one of grief and despair, and his dark eyes were empty and lifeless.

He was a ranger. She was a lady, high ranked and fair beyond reckoning. What chance did he have of winning the heart of Imladris's Evenstar, the lovely daughter of Elrond Half-Elven? He had seen her first upon a midsummer's day, and his heart had been stolen – not by her unequalled beauty, but by the kindness in her eye. She had looked upon him and smiled, surely thinking him a boy of twenty summers, no more. She knew, perchance, of his heritage... but hers was so much greater.

The first seeds of love had entered Aragorn's mortal heart, and he despaired, hoping in vain. The dawn was coming indeed, but no light would it shed upon his forsaken heart.

A love unrequited – a lady most fair, and a king without a crown. Hopeless it seemed, yet did not his Elven name verily mean hope? Estel he was to her, Elrond's son, a foster brother. A brother who longed for more than the affections of brother and sister.

Aye, he had a chance. And he would seize it. He would show her who he was – crownless, homeless, but not heartless. He promised a love that would last the ages, not merely the handful of years of a mortal life.

Spring came, and joy lighted his step; and the next day at the hour of sunset Aragorn walked alone in the woods.


A/N: Italicised line at the end is from Appendix A in ROTK.