Chapter 48:

"I know that this is for the best, but I do not want to be parted from you," Legolas said as he gently ran a finger down the side of his wife's face. "Nor from our little ones. I can feel them growing stronger each day."

Aria did not say anything as she curled into her husband's tight embrace and inhaled his scent. Even after being on this journey for several months, he had not lost the smell of the forest and cinnamon. She closed her eyes and allowed the scent to envelop her.

"I could ride with you as well." Legolas suggested as he held Aria close to him.

She opened her eyes and looked up at her husband as a smile slowly crept its way across her face. She ran her fingers through his hair while she considered what he had suggested. "As much as I want to say yes to that, Aragorn needs you by his side more. It is only for a few days. A week, maybe 10 days at most."

"How can you be so certain?"

She raised an eyebrow to him. "It is a three day ride to Minas Tirith. Then a day or so plotting how to get the beacons lit, then a day or so for things to get situated here then another three days before you and everyone else arrives in Minas Tirith. Besides I already know that Denethor is not going to like it when Gandalf announces the return of the King to Gondor and he is especially not going to like the fact that the unborn heirs to the throne are half elves."

"You are not going to tell him right away are you?"

Aria shook her head no. "Besides I have Haldir with me now, along with Tauriel. Denethor does not have to know that he cannot lift a sword. So he would be a fool to try to harm me. But that is not the point. The point is that Aragorn and I cannot be anywhere near each other until that ring is destroyed. There has to be an heir to the throne of Gondor. And I carry two of them," she said as she moved Legolas' hands to her expanding stomach, where the twins were safely nestled as they grew.

Legolas sighed as he kissed his wife's lips. He knew that she was right. Going to Minas Tirith probably was the best thing for her. Tauriel and Haldir would be with her to help her through any nightmares, as would Gandalf. But putting her that close to Mordor worried him. Yet he knew that he would soon be heading in that direction as well.


Merry, Aragorn and Legolas watched from the watchtower as the four horses made their way across the plains of Rohan and disappeared into the distance.

"He has always followed me everywhere I went since before we were tweens. I would get him into the worst sort of trouble I was always there to get him out. Now he is gone. Just like Frodo and Sam," Merry said looking up at the human and elf.

"One thing I have learnt about hobbits: they are a most hardy folk," Aragorn said smiling down at his friend. Legolas nodded in agreement.

"Foolhardy maybe. He's a Took!" Merry said laughing.


As they rode, Aria was getting various snippets of visions. Yet it was unlike any vision that she had ever seen before. It was more like a message – sort of like the one that she had seen from Lady Galadriel before. Instead this was from Arwen.

She saw someone taking the shards of Narsil from their Ada's library and beginning to reforge them into a new sword. Then she saw Arwen reading a book before it falls from her hands as she rubs her fingers with their Ada looking worriedly at her. That was when Aria realized what had happened. Arwen had chosen to be a mortal. All the gifts of the Eldar where leaving her. No wonder their Ada looked worried and no wonder he was having the sword reforged. He was going to make sure that Aragorn became king so that Arwen's decision would not have been in vain.


"Minas Tirith." Gandalf said as the group sat on their horses just on top of a hill overlooking to city. "The city of Kings."

Aria smiled as she looked at the great white city against the mountainside. She had never seen it before, only heard of it. Since she had married so young, she had not traveled Middle Earth as much as her brother had. She was not complaining about being married one bit. But this city was a spectacular.

The group rode through the city until they made their way to the uppermost level. That was where they stopped and dismounted their horses. Haldir and Tauriel were going to wait outside, while the others ventured in.

As the trio of Aria, Gandalf and Pippin made their way towards a set of large white doors, Pippin spotted the white tree from his vision a few nights ago. It was surrounded on all sides by guards. "It's the tree! Gandalf, Gandalf!"

"Yes, the white tree of Gondor. The tree of the King. Lord Denethor, however, is not the king. He is a steward only. A caretaker of the throne."

Gandalf stopped at the door before opening it and turned to look at the hobbit. "Now listen carefully. Lord Denethor is Boromir's father. To give him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise. And do not mention Frodo or the Ring. And say nothing of Aragorn either. In fact, its better if you do not speak at all Peregrin Took."

Aria had to with hold a chuckle. Were all hobbits like this?

The trio entered the massive hall and approached a throne where a man was sitting on a seat at the base of a throne, which sat higher up. "Hail, Denethor, son of Ecthelion. Lord and Steward of Gondor." Gandalf said.

Denethor did nothing. He did not even look up at them. All he did was stare at something in his lap. So Gandalf continued. "I come with tidings in this dark hour. And with counsel."

"Perhaps you come to explain this," Denethor finally said looking up at them and showing them what looked to be a broken horn of sorts. "Perhaps you have come to tell me why my son is dead."

Remembering how Boromir had died trying to save him and Merry, Pippin moved in front of Gandalf so he could speak - much to the wizard's dismay. "Boromir died to save us, my kinsman and me. He fell defending us from many foes."

Aria and Gandalf watched as Pippin moved further up and knelt before Denethor. "Pippin…" Gandalf warned. But it was too late.

"I offer you my service, such as it is in payment of this debt," Pippin said.

"This is my first command to you. How did you escape and my son did not? So mighty as a man as he was?" Denethor asked.

"The mightiest man may be slain by one arrow and Boromir was pierced by many," Pippin answered.

As soon as Denethor heard that, the pain was visible on his face. Gandalf moved forward and hit Pippin with his staff so that the hobbit would move out of the way so that Gandalf could talk to Denethor once again. "Get up!" he said to the hobbit.

Turning back towards the Steward he said, "My lord, there will be a time to grieve for Boromir but it is not now. War is coming. The enemy is on your doorstep. As steward, you are charged with the defense of this city. Where are Gondor's armies? You still have friends. You are not alone in this fight. Send word to Théoden of Rohan. Light the beacons."

"You think you are wise Mithrandir. Yet for all your subtleties you have not wisdom. Do you think the eyes of the White Tower are blind? I have seen more than you know. With your left hand you would use me as a shield against Mordor and with your right you would seek to supplant me. I know who rides with Théoden of Rohan. Oh yes, word has reached my ears of this Aragorn, son of Arathorn. And I tell you now. I will not bow to this Ranger from the North. Last of a ragged house long bereft of Lordship."

"Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the King, steward," Gandalf said with force. Aria could not help but stare down Denethor at this point. She was fighting every urge not to say something to him – he had not only disgraced the memory of her father but also disgraced her entire lineage.

At that point, Denethor jumped up angrily and moved closer to Gandalf. "The rule of Gondor is mine and no others!"

That was that last straw for Aria. She was fed up with this nonsense. "That is not even your call to make. It is the high council's. Besides there is already is second in line to the throne behind Aragorn." Aria said stepping forward.

"And just who do you think you are?" Denethor asked.

"Lady Aria, daughter of Arathorn, Princess of Mirkwood," Gandalf quickly said, moving in between them.

"An elf?" Denethor asked a bit confused.

"No," Aria answered. "I am married to one."

She was about to open her mouth to say something else, but the look that Gandalf gave her made her rethink that. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the hall. Gandalf turned after her. "Come!" he called to Pippin as he left the Great Hall.


"All had turned to vain ambition. He would use even his grief as a cloak! A thousand years this city has stood and now at the whim of a madman it will fall! And the white tree, the tree of the King will never bloom again." Gandalf said venting as the trio walked through the courtyard towards the tree of the King where the guards stood around it.

"Why do they still guard it?" Pippin asked. Even Aria was curious about that, yet she was still furious about the confrontation with Denethor. So she held her tongue.

"They guard it because they have hope. A faint and fading hope that one day it will flower. That a king will come and this city will be as it once was before it fell into decay. The old wisdom born out of the west was forsaken. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living and counted the old names of their descent. Dearer than the names of their sons," Gandalf said as they walked towards the parapet at the end, where Haldir and Tauriel were waiting for them. "Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry or in high, cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the people of Gondor fell into ruin. The line of Kings failed. The white tree withered. The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men."

Out in the far distance, surrounded by dark mountains sat Mordor. Aria could feel the evil pouring from that place. She hoped that this would be the closest she ever got to it.

"Mordor," Pippin said.

"Yes, there it lies," Gandalf said. "This city has dwelt ever in the sight of its shadow."

"A storm is coming," Pippin said.

"This is not the weather of the world. This is a device of Sauron's making. A broil of fume he sends ahead of his host. The Orcs of Mordor have no love of daylight, so he covers the face of the sun to ease their passage along the road to war. When the shadow of Mordor reaches this city it will begin." Gandalf said looking down at the hobbit.

"Well…Minas Tirith…very impressive." Pippin said looking up at Gandalf. "So where are we off to next?"

"Oh it is too late for that Peregrin," Gandalf said looking towards Mordor. "There is no leaving this city. Help must come to us.

Haldir reached out and took ahold of his wife's hand and squeezed it gently. He only hoped by the time that Mordor's forces reached the city that he would be well enough to pick up a sword once again. Gondor would need all the help they could get.

As Aria stood watching the darkness spread from Mordor, she silently prayed that somehow the darkness could be stopped. It would take a miracle to do even that. And she then knew that she could not do it all on her own.


After getting settled into their quarters that night, Aria could do nothing but toss and turn. She tried feeling for her husband's presence through their bond, but he was just too far away. Resting her hands on her baby bump, she sighed contently. Connecting with the twins would just have to do. Closing her eyes, she felt for their 'little stars' as she often called them. She smiled as she felt their presences brush against hers.

A few days ago, Gandalf had told her and Legolas that he was certain she was going to have a boy and a girl – just like she and Aragorn had been. And the more that Aria felt her children's growing presence within her, the more that she felt that Mithrandir was right. She was going to have a boy and a girl. She could only imagine what her and Legolas' children would look like.

Would they have his hair color and her eye color? Her hair color and his eye color? Or a mixture of both.

They still had several months left until they would know for certain, but the prospect of being a mother scared her. Would she be good enough? Would she know what to do with two elflings at once? She was going to have to have a long talk with her ada. No. She was going to have to have a long talk with Talia. That was who could best help her out.

A soft knock on the door brought Aria out of her thoughts. She got up and opened the door just a crack as she held a knife in the hand that was against the door and peered around the edge of the door.

Standing on the other side of the door was someone she never thought that she would ever see again – let alone looking relatively good for the age she should be.

"Mara!"


Early the next morning, Gandalf lead Pippin though the streets of Minas Tirith. "Peregrin Took my lad, there is a task now to be done. Another opportunity for one of the Shire folk to prove their great worth," he said leading the hobbit to the base of a great watchtower. "You must not fail me."

Pippin nodded as he ran over to the face of the cliff and began to climb up towards the beacon so that he could dump the burning lamp onto the straw and set it on fire. Once he did, he watched it satisfaction before realizing that he needed to get down or else the flames would trap him as well.

Far below, Gandalf smiled with satisfaction as soldiers began to scurry around him in astonishment watching the beacon burn.

"The beacon! The beacon of Amon Dîn is lit." a solider said.

"Hope is kindled." Gandalf said with a laugh, knowing that he was pleased with himself.

"So this is how you are going to get your brother to the city?" Mara asked turning to look at Aria as they, along with Tauriel and Haldir stood watching the beacons light up across the White Mountains from the highest courtyard of Minas Tirith.

"Yes," Aria said with a smile.

"And you are sure that he is going to assume the throne. The people of Gondor need him."

"There is too much at stake for him not to," Aria said reassuringly. "Trust me."

The previous night when Mara had shown up at Aria's door, the two friends spent the entire night talking. Aria had come to find out that her friend was of Dúnedain descent as well. For most of her life, Mara had spent it moving from city to city in Gondor trying to fit in. She had never settled down and had a family nor had she found a place to belong until she moved to Minas Tirith several years ago. It was here that she heard rumors that the King would be returning soon. She had always known that the line of the Kings of Gondor were of Dúnedain descent – only to find out that her friend's brother was in line to be king.

"I hope so. That was why I made sure to come and find out when I saw you riding through the streets yesterday."

"And I am glad that you did."


One by one the beacons were lit across the White Mountains, signaling that war had come to Minas Tirith and to Gondor. Finally the last one was lit on the mountains just outside Edoras. Aragorn who was sitting outside that Great Hall spotted the beacon go up in flames. He sprinted into the Great Hall, shouting.

"The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit!" he yelled breathless as the king and his generals turn to look at him. "Gondor calls for aid."

The entire hall was silent while awaiting Théoden's decision.

"And Rohan will answer! Muster the Rohirrim!"

Éomer bowed to him then left to begin to assemble the Rohirrim.

Aragorn sighed in relief as he spotted Gimli and Legolas in the hall as well. He knew that they were both relived – especially Legolas. Aria had been gone for almost five days and now they were finally about to head towards Minas Tirith. Hopefully all of this would soon be over.


AN: Sorry for the delay…life got in the way. So I thought I would give ya'll an update before I have to have knee surgery tomorrow….thankfully I should be up and walking in a day or two. YAYAYA! It's been a painful 2 weeks since I hurt my knee.

Anyways, for those of you who are looking for something new and different to read, then why not check out my Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler story 'Heaven and Hell' or my BRAND NEW Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan story, "Reluctant Memories' – I would very much appreciate it. They are not getting any love at all, while Reflections Remixed does…

And on that note, here's another plug: check out SleepyHollow5's fic, 'A Road Less Traveled' – it's totally awesome!