Had Sauron know the real truth about the existence of Isildur's Heir, his
frustration would have met an unparalleled high. The truth was that when
Elrond had arrived in accordance with Gilraen's plea for help, he had been
of great to help her. Gently he had told her to empty out a chest that had
once belonged to Arathorn. In that chest they placed the sleeping Aragorn,
not yet even two years old, on a rich red robe that had belonged to one of
his ancestors. They had closed the chest and secured it on the wagon as if
it was nothing more than mere baggage and the boy slept there comfortably
under and elven spell all the way into the safety of Rivendell,
successfully fooling the watching Nazgul into believer that a child had
never existed. Once in Rivendell, Elrond took the boy, whom he called
Estel, or hope, and raised the child as his own son. The elf twins, now
the heir's brothers, helped to raise the boy in the elven way. Estel
learned and grew quickly, as human children tended to. He spoke in the
elven speech and hunted and moved in their ways as he was taught.
Elrond was careful to hide Estel's true lineage from him, knowing the results if he did otherwise could be tragic. The boy was led to believe that he was indeed human, but that Elrond was indeed his Ada. Elrond regretted only that the boy did know he was not elven and was confused as to the truth of his real father. It was clear to see that Estel longed to know about his father from the day that some of the elf children cruelly pointed out that he was not an elf like his brothers or his father. Elrond's heart had been torn the and Gilraen had cried when the boy had firmly questioned her as to who he was and where he had really come from. Elrond could not answer the boy truthfully, but told him merely that he was more elf than he thought. After all, the boy was descended from Luthien herself, though he did not need to know that lest he discover the truth in his curious and unrelenting ways.
The boy grew strong and his skills as a swordsman and a tracker were almost as good as that of a real elf when he entered into his adolescent years. Elrond had long since realized that his time with Estel was growing short and that Estel was indeed fast approaching the time when he must be told the truth about his ancestry. This was something that Elrond both looked forward to and feared, knowing well that with no doubt Estel would accept his lineage and be proud, but the truth would take the boy Elrond had learned to love as a son away from Rivendell and thrust him into great danger. When Estel reached his twentieth year, Elrond felt he could put the task off no longer, especially when Aragorn had by chance stumbled across Arwen, Elrond's beautiful daughter, the Evenstar of the Elves.
Estel fell immediately in love with the beautiful creature and it consumed his thoughts. Elrond, with the watchful eyes of the great elven lords, was grieved for the air seemed to sing of his love for her. It was then that Elrond feared that his daughter would never cross the sea with him. This was a thought that he could not bear. It was not long when Estel came to his father asked him for permission to marry Arwen. At that moment, Elrond told Estel, whom he now proudly called Aragorn the son of Arathorn, the whole truth.
Estel had stared blankly at Elrond at first and slowly the Elf lord reminded the man of the reason why the story of Isildur had been taught to him from such a young age and with such detail. Aragorn was, to say the least, shocked. However, he did not argue or question, nor could Elrond detect any doubt in his foster son's shining gray eyes. He only asked, "Father, what do I have to do?" Elrond had sighed heavily as if the weight of all of his years and the sadness of the state of affairs had finally come up on him. He bid that Estel, correcting himself to call the beloved child Aragorn, to sit. Explaining slowly to the handsome young man, Elrond told him of his fate, promising him that when the time came, he would someday sit on the throne of Gondor in the White City, Minas Tirith. Elrond then promised Aragorn that on that occasion, he would promise to give the man Arwen's hand in marriage, while hoping that Arwen would never return the same feelings that Aragorn felt for her.
Aragorn, newly burdened with truth, spent two full days wandering the wood of Imladris, lost deep in thought, while Gilraen waited for him, fearful of where her son's thoughts would guide him. She knew well that the chance was great that his decision would take him far away from her. Gilraen, with the nobility to have been a queen, had intuition to match and she was quite right, for when Aragorn returned, he was determined to leave Rivendell. He had decided to join his father's people in the North, the Rangers, the Dunedan. With great conviction, he felt that not only would Arathorn, his blood father, have wanted this, but also his beloved Ada, Elrond, would also approve.
Aragorn son of Arathorn, also known as Estel, left Rivendell with very little but a horse, given to him by Lord Elrond, a sword forged as a gift by his brothers, an elven cloak, and finally a smile from Arwen and a kiss on the forehead from his mother. Estel rode away from his childhood home, the place he loved, not even stopping to look back. His heart yearned to stay there with his mother, with his beloved brothers and kind father, and most of all his heart cried out for Arwen, but fate called and tugged at his conscious. The Heir of Isildur rode high, and as Elrond watched his departing son with great sadness, he could not help but think that the boy looked just as Isildur had, riding proudly to battle with ranks of men behind him.
Many a year passed, yet Aragorn remained in the wilderness, learning the ways of the world and leading the elusive Rangers of the North. The Rangers, who seemed to have readily parted their coveted ranks, sent Aragorn all the way to the front to lead them without argument or question. The wisest knew that they stood in the company of a man who was destined to be king. It was a happy day when Aragorn, known among the elves still as Estel, but Strider to the Rangers, came to the aid of a certain wizard who was fighting off wargs on a dark and exceptionally rainy night. The two made quick work of the wargs and Aragorn came into the acquiantance of Gandalf the Grey. For his part, Gandalf knew from the moment his eyes came to rest on the dark, weather troddenyoung man, that this was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the Heir of Isildur. In that very moment, the truth was made clear to Gandalf that evil was indeed gathering again and there would be no future Heir to look to that would right the folly of Isildur. The young Ranger in his company would be the one who would assure that the ring was destroyed, despite the cost, and see Sauron defeated. Soon enough, the two became fast friends and Aragorn was often embroiled in whatever trouble Gandalf was mixed up in.
Aragorn traveled far and wide, even into his lands of Gondor and the lands of Rohan, which were the lands of his ancestors. There he went by the name of Thorongil and served under Thengel of Rohan and EcthelionII, the steward of Gondor. The years seemed to dissapear quickly and Aragorn's visits to Rivendell were rare. When he was there he would spend the time in company of his brothers and fathers, never ceasing to search for Arwen Undomiel, but she had returned to Lorien where she stayed with her grandmother. Chance smiled at Aragorn, and one of his many duties carried him to the fair land of Lorien, where he once again stood face to face with the Lady Arwen. In the time that had passed since their first meeting, Arwen had found, much to her surprise, that she cared deeply for Aragorn, more deeply than she had cared for anyone before. On the top of Cerin Amroth, they pledged to each other their love for the rest of time. Aragorn gave her Barahir's ring and Arwen was pleased to promise him that she would bind herself to him, no matter the cost, forsaking her immortality to be with him forever.
Aragorn's duties once more took him from his beloved and he continued in the ways of a Ranger. Aragorn was a mysterious character, wandering, doing good, but trusted by few, as all the Rangers were. He was known by many names, but the people called him Strider, givenin evidence of his long legs and powerful stride. Few had bothered to make the mistake of crossing the curious Ranger after a short, yet remarkable altercation at the inn, The Prancing Pony, in Bree. From that time, the story of a tall, dark Ranger who could dispatch five strong opponents in a brief time on his own spread like wildfire through the provinces, and most would cower from him when he was in sight and tell stories that might have even been true about the Ranger known only to them as Strider. Aragorn little minded this and was indeed amused by it. The more traveling he did, the more he learned of the world and how far Sauron's fare reaching claws of treachery had darkened the land. He soon grew care worn, but in brief unobserved moments, he would smile and there stood the man, or exactly, the future King of Gondor, standing proud and looking serenely about.
The times grew dark and the day came when Gandalf sent word to Aragorn by way of a bird that he had discovered the One Ring at the home of a hobbit named Frodo in the shire. Aragorn had at first been crushed, realizing that his fate and destiny had finally come. Strider's destiny plauged him, his identity confirming that he was indeed of noble heritage and that most of his ancestors had done well, but he feared Isildur's folly with the ring. He feared how he would handle the ring, afraid that he would be no better than Isildur. The thought of failure such as Isildur's would kill him, and he knew the same blood ran through his veins. When he had spoken of this to Arwen, she had assured him that he should not worry, but only her words could not keep the king from doing that very thing. None the less, he set out eagerly to help Gandalf in whatever capacity he could, and it was lucky for all involved that he had. He found the hobbits alone in the town of Bree and rescued them from the dreadful Nazgul. Aragorn hated those black riders and feared their evil presence, but he was not afraid to fight them. He led the hobbits away from Bree, doing what he did best as he led them through the wilderness. The face that the hobbit Frodo had the one ring made Aragorn somewhat nervous. It was such a small piece of metal that so much of his destiny seemed tied to.
After their arrival at Weathertop, Aragorn had left the hobbits to scout and looking back, he had cursed himself throuroughly for the mistake. He had carried Frodo with a heavy heart, praying that they would reach Rivendell in time for Lord Elrond to put his healing touch on the young hobbit. As the Nazgul drew closer to them, Frodo's condition worsened at the poisoning of the morgul blade. Though he knew he could not heal Frodo, out of desperation, Aragorn sought the king's foil plant and was indeed caught off his guard. He would never forget the cold steel resting under his chin an the light voice of the most beautiful creature in the whole of Middle Earth mocking him gently - indeed, a ranger caugth off his guard. Letting Arwen go and take Frodo was one of the hardest decisions that Aragorn had ever had to make, placing Frodo out of his control and Arwen into harms way. He was risking all that he held dear. He could not hold her back and so he did what he could to give her time and she rode harder than she ever had before. In the end, she had indeed been right and there in Rivendell, only two short days later, they were all safe, resting and alive. Aragorn had wished only that they could have stayed long, but destiny would not wait.
Thus, Aragorn left Rivendell once again, having pledged himself to protect Frodo at all costs and he carried with him a part of his Evenstar, a parting gift, her namesake necklace and the promise of her bind to him. The Fellowship was relying on him and he would not let them down. After all, he was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, future King of Gondor, and the heir of Isildur.
Elrond was careful to hide Estel's true lineage from him, knowing the results if he did otherwise could be tragic. The boy was led to believe that he was indeed human, but that Elrond was indeed his Ada. Elrond regretted only that the boy did know he was not elven and was confused as to the truth of his real father. It was clear to see that Estel longed to know about his father from the day that some of the elf children cruelly pointed out that he was not an elf like his brothers or his father. Elrond's heart had been torn the and Gilraen had cried when the boy had firmly questioned her as to who he was and where he had really come from. Elrond could not answer the boy truthfully, but told him merely that he was more elf than he thought. After all, the boy was descended from Luthien herself, though he did not need to know that lest he discover the truth in his curious and unrelenting ways.
The boy grew strong and his skills as a swordsman and a tracker were almost as good as that of a real elf when he entered into his adolescent years. Elrond had long since realized that his time with Estel was growing short and that Estel was indeed fast approaching the time when he must be told the truth about his ancestry. This was something that Elrond both looked forward to and feared, knowing well that with no doubt Estel would accept his lineage and be proud, but the truth would take the boy Elrond had learned to love as a son away from Rivendell and thrust him into great danger. When Estel reached his twentieth year, Elrond felt he could put the task off no longer, especially when Aragorn had by chance stumbled across Arwen, Elrond's beautiful daughter, the Evenstar of the Elves.
Estel fell immediately in love with the beautiful creature and it consumed his thoughts. Elrond, with the watchful eyes of the great elven lords, was grieved for the air seemed to sing of his love for her. It was then that Elrond feared that his daughter would never cross the sea with him. This was a thought that he could not bear. It was not long when Estel came to his father asked him for permission to marry Arwen. At that moment, Elrond told Estel, whom he now proudly called Aragorn the son of Arathorn, the whole truth.
Estel had stared blankly at Elrond at first and slowly the Elf lord reminded the man of the reason why the story of Isildur had been taught to him from such a young age and with such detail. Aragorn was, to say the least, shocked. However, he did not argue or question, nor could Elrond detect any doubt in his foster son's shining gray eyes. He only asked, "Father, what do I have to do?" Elrond had sighed heavily as if the weight of all of his years and the sadness of the state of affairs had finally come up on him. He bid that Estel, correcting himself to call the beloved child Aragorn, to sit. Explaining slowly to the handsome young man, Elrond told him of his fate, promising him that when the time came, he would someday sit on the throne of Gondor in the White City, Minas Tirith. Elrond then promised Aragorn that on that occasion, he would promise to give the man Arwen's hand in marriage, while hoping that Arwen would never return the same feelings that Aragorn felt for her.
Aragorn, newly burdened with truth, spent two full days wandering the wood of Imladris, lost deep in thought, while Gilraen waited for him, fearful of where her son's thoughts would guide him. She knew well that the chance was great that his decision would take him far away from her. Gilraen, with the nobility to have been a queen, had intuition to match and she was quite right, for when Aragorn returned, he was determined to leave Rivendell. He had decided to join his father's people in the North, the Rangers, the Dunedan. With great conviction, he felt that not only would Arathorn, his blood father, have wanted this, but also his beloved Ada, Elrond, would also approve.
Aragorn son of Arathorn, also known as Estel, left Rivendell with very little but a horse, given to him by Lord Elrond, a sword forged as a gift by his brothers, an elven cloak, and finally a smile from Arwen and a kiss on the forehead from his mother. Estel rode away from his childhood home, the place he loved, not even stopping to look back. His heart yearned to stay there with his mother, with his beloved brothers and kind father, and most of all his heart cried out for Arwen, but fate called and tugged at his conscious. The Heir of Isildur rode high, and as Elrond watched his departing son with great sadness, he could not help but think that the boy looked just as Isildur had, riding proudly to battle with ranks of men behind him.
Many a year passed, yet Aragorn remained in the wilderness, learning the ways of the world and leading the elusive Rangers of the North. The Rangers, who seemed to have readily parted their coveted ranks, sent Aragorn all the way to the front to lead them without argument or question. The wisest knew that they stood in the company of a man who was destined to be king. It was a happy day when Aragorn, known among the elves still as Estel, but Strider to the Rangers, came to the aid of a certain wizard who was fighting off wargs on a dark and exceptionally rainy night. The two made quick work of the wargs and Aragorn came into the acquiantance of Gandalf the Grey. For his part, Gandalf knew from the moment his eyes came to rest on the dark, weather troddenyoung man, that this was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the Heir of Isildur. In that very moment, the truth was made clear to Gandalf that evil was indeed gathering again and there would be no future Heir to look to that would right the folly of Isildur. The young Ranger in his company would be the one who would assure that the ring was destroyed, despite the cost, and see Sauron defeated. Soon enough, the two became fast friends and Aragorn was often embroiled in whatever trouble Gandalf was mixed up in.
Aragorn traveled far and wide, even into his lands of Gondor and the lands of Rohan, which were the lands of his ancestors. There he went by the name of Thorongil and served under Thengel of Rohan and EcthelionII, the steward of Gondor. The years seemed to dissapear quickly and Aragorn's visits to Rivendell were rare. When he was there he would spend the time in company of his brothers and fathers, never ceasing to search for Arwen Undomiel, but she had returned to Lorien where she stayed with her grandmother. Chance smiled at Aragorn, and one of his many duties carried him to the fair land of Lorien, where he once again stood face to face with the Lady Arwen. In the time that had passed since their first meeting, Arwen had found, much to her surprise, that she cared deeply for Aragorn, more deeply than she had cared for anyone before. On the top of Cerin Amroth, they pledged to each other their love for the rest of time. Aragorn gave her Barahir's ring and Arwen was pleased to promise him that she would bind herself to him, no matter the cost, forsaking her immortality to be with him forever.
Aragorn's duties once more took him from his beloved and he continued in the ways of a Ranger. Aragorn was a mysterious character, wandering, doing good, but trusted by few, as all the Rangers were. He was known by many names, but the people called him Strider, givenin evidence of his long legs and powerful stride. Few had bothered to make the mistake of crossing the curious Ranger after a short, yet remarkable altercation at the inn, The Prancing Pony, in Bree. From that time, the story of a tall, dark Ranger who could dispatch five strong opponents in a brief time on his own spread like wildfire through the provinces, and most would cower from him when he was in sight and tell stories that might have even been true about the Ranger known only to them as Strider. Aragorn little minded this and was indeed amused by it. The more traveling he did, the more he learned of the world and how far Sauron's fare reaching claws of treachery had darkened the land. He soon grew care worn, but in brief unobserved moments, he would smile and there stood the man, or exactly, the future King of Gondor, standing proud and looking serenely about.
The times grew dark and the day came when Gandalf sent word to Aragorn by way of a bird that he had discovered the One Ring at the home of a hobbit named Frodo in the shire. Aragorn had at first been crushed, realizing that his fate and destiny had finally come. Strider's destiny plauged him, his identity confirming that he was indeed of noble heritage and that most of his ancestors had done well, but he feared Isildur's folly with the ring. He feared how he would handle the ring, afraid that he would be no better than Isildur. The thought of failure such as Isildur's would kill him, and he knew the same blood ran through his veins. When he had spoken of this to Arwen, she had assured him that he should not worry, but only her words could not keep the king from doing that very thing. None the less, he set out eagerly to help Gandalf in whatever capacity he could, and it was lucky for all involved that he had. He found the hobbits alone in the town of Bree and rescued them from the dreadful Nazgul. Aragorn hated those black riders and feared their evil presence, but he was not afraid to fight them. He led the hobbits away from Bree, doing what he did best as he led them through the wilderness. The face that the hobbit Frodo had the one ring made Aragorn somewhat nervous. It was such a small piece of metal that so much of his destiny seemed tied to.
After their arrival at Weathertop, Aragorn had left the hobbits to scout and looking back, he had cursed himself throuroughly for the mistake. He had carried Frodo with a heavy heart, praying that they would reach Rivendell in time for Lord Elrond to put his healing touch on the young hobbit. As the Nazgul drew closer to them, Frodo's condition worsened at the poisoning of the morgul blade. Though he knew he could not heal Frodo, out of desperation, Aragorn sought the king's foil plant and was indeed caught off his guard. He would never forget the cold steel resting under his chin an the light voice of the most beautiful creature in the whole of Middle Earth mocking him gently - indeed, a ranger caugth off his guard. Letting Arwen go and take Frodo was one of the hardest decisions that Aragorn had ever had to make, placing Frodo out of his control and Arwen into harms way. He was risking all that he held dear. He could not hold her back and so he did what he could to give her time and she rode harder than she ever had before. In the end, she had indeed been right and there in Rivendell, only two short days later, they were all safe, resting and alive. Aragorn had wished only that they could have stayed long, but destiny would not wait.
Thus, Aragorn left Rivendell once again, having pledged himself to protect Frodo at all costs and he carried with him a part of his Evenstar, a parting gift, her namesake necklace and the promise of her bind to him. The Fellowship was relying on him and he would not let them down. After all, he was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, future King of Gondor, and the heir of Isildur.