Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR and I am making no money.
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As sleep slowly faded Aragorn reached out with his mind. Denethor and Boromir would reach Minis Tirith this morning, Elrohir and Gimli were riding hard to catch up with rest of the west gate force, Fro- Suddenly realizing what he was doing Aragorn slammed up mental shields that he had not even know he had. Closing his eyes he forced his racing heart to slow. Swallowing hard her rolled over to pull Arwen close against him. His betrothed snuggled in close, smiling slightly at him as her eyes slitted open.
"Morning." Lightly she reached up to brush his hair back, her touch bringing a soothing coolness and light to his troubled mind. "Tell me," she requested.
Not sure how to respond her gently pushed her away and rolled to his feet, stalking to the window. The burnt out landscape that cried out to him in pain met his troubled gaze. The unusual burst of anger had startled him and increased his unease. Needing Arwen's goodness and light Aragorn walked back to the bed and knelt down on the floor beside her. "The Ring and I are becoming more and more closely bonded. I am doing things with thinking about them, using the power the Ring gives me."
Her puzzled gaze focused on him as she gently stroked his hair back. Her love seemed to derive a simple peace from the motion. "Things? How? You are not choosing to use the ring."
His haunted eyes rose to meet hers. "No. You do not understand. The Ring does not take me over." He turned his gaze back to the window for a few moments. "The reason it was so easy to destroy Sauron." At her start he looked back at her with a saddened gaze. "Yes, it was easy, so very easy. When Sauron created the Ring he put his life force into it, binding himself and the Ring as one. When the Ring abandoned him and accepted me I was then able to use all of Sauron's stored life force against him. Now it is my turn. The longer I wear the Ring the more of my life force will join with the Ring. We will become one."
"Bu you are good," Arwen immediately protested. "Would not stealing your life force change the ring? Were we wrong all these years?"
His ironic laught was bitter as he pushed away from the bed to move back to the window. "No. We were all too right. The Ring was made with malice and that ill will was forged into its very core. And it is not stealing my life; rather we are uniting into one. Soon it will not be a matter of whether or not I am strong enough to destroy the ring; it will be a matter of whether or not I can survive its destruction. And it must be destroyed. No matter the consequances."
Unnoticed by the couple Legolas slipped out the door after a quick glance at Halbarad.
Arwen gasped, her hand going to her mouth in dismay. "I did not know."
"None of us knew," he replied. Slowly he turned to face her. I will destroy the Ring," he vowed. "But in doing so I may well destroy myself."
Horrified Arwen rose and ran over to embrace him. "I will not let you go without a fight. You must go to Mount Doom now."
"No." He shook his head sadly "My life is a small price to pay for the safety of Middle-earth. Once the threat of the orcs is past I will go."
The door opened and Legolas re-entered. "Gandalf and Elrond will be here momentarily."
Without turning away from his beloved Aragorn nodded his acknowledgement. "My thanks. What time is my meeting with the Easterlings and the Haradrim?"
Unable to believe the sheer joy he was feeling as he approached the gates of Minis Tirith Boromir glanced over at his father. What he saw surprised him. It was a look of greed and possessiveness. As they rode through the city he was amazed by what he saw. He had been sure the people would be celebrating. After all they had sent messengers to all members of the Alliance of Light that Sauron had been defeated. Even more alarming was the fact that the pople were all eyeing his father with distrust. While Denethor had never been loved as Faramir was he had always had the respect and appreciation of the people. The steward's heir wondered how bad things had really been while he was gone. Faramir's cryptic words of warning as they were departing rang again in his head. 'Distrust and discord are growing. I fear for our people's future if something is not done soon.' Looking around him as they made their way to the palace Boromir agreed. Gondor needed her king more than he had guessed. After knowing Aragorn for months he believed with all his heart and soul that the ranger had the ability to heal the hurts of not only his home, but that of all the people's of Middle-earth. Under Aragorn's guidance the fourth age could be a time of peace and prosperity and unity between all the races of Middle-earth as had never been seen before. Now he just had to convince his father of that fact.
As they approached the seventh circle and the citizen's gazes grew more wary Boromir resolved to find out what had happened to his father and his people. There had to be away to turn his father away from the dark path the steward seemed determined to follow. Remembering the words of both his king and his brother he resolved to follow his father when he retreated to the tower. The land needed healing, not more hurt and distrust. Somehow Boromir would see that peace had a chance. The king would come to Minis Tirith and be welcomed with open arms and glad hearts.
Having reluctantly pushed his horse almost to exhaustion it was with a great sense of relief that Elrohir at last caught sight of the west gate force. Behind him he could feel Gimli breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief. They had rode for hours with only the briefest of rest breaks. Elrohir was actually surprised the dwarf had not spoken out already. Dwarves were not known for thier enjoyment of riding. So anxious was he to reach his brother and get the party moving that at first he did not notice the woman riding at Elladan's side. "We need to move faster," he announced without preamble.
"Why?"
The soft, melodious voice caused Elrohir to turn sharply and his jaw to drop in shock. "Grandmother, what are you doing here?"
Elladan started laughing so hard he almost fell off his horse.
Galadriel simply gave the near hysterical twin an amused glance. "His reaction was much the same as yours only your father was forced to nudge his jaw closed," she reassured the younger twim. "Now what is so important that you felt the need to ride your horse to the point of collapse? Good afternoon, Master Gimli," she greeted the dwarf who bowed to her as best he could on horseback in acknowledgement, blushing.
Elrohir swallowed hard, not sure how to explain his knowledge. He just knew they had to move faster and that the other force would leave Barad-ur sooner than expected. "Time is running short for Estel," was the only explanation he could come up with.
Her eyes going out of focus for a moment Galadriel nodded, signalling the rest of the party to increase speed as Elladan rode off to confer with Eomer and Imrahil. Her gaze moved to meet her grandson's. The fear and almost haunted look in his eyes surprised her. "We will not let Estel fall," she reassured him. "Now you need to change mounts. I believe the Rohirrim have brought extra."
Bowing his head in acknowledgement Elrohir rode after his brother. To his great relief the party had increased their pace to a fast trot.
Time, he was running out of time. The thougth kept running through Aragorn's thoughts as he dismissied the Haradrim and Easterling leaders. Involuntarily his gaze moved down to the One Ring. How could he even think of destroying it. With it, for the first time in his life, his senses were sharper than an elf's. Other men may think his skills were exceptional but he had grown up never being able to reach the level of his teachers. He loved his father and brothers and knew they loved him as well, but occassionally he had felt inferior to them, and the few other elven youngsters in Imladris had often teased him. With a strong effort of will he tore his gaze away and moved to look out the window. No, that was not true. He was a better swordsman than many elves, as an archer he was on equal footing with most. He respected and was respected by most of the elven lords. And as much as he did not wish to rule, the Dunadain followed him without question. The Ring was not necessary to make him complete. He had been content without the Ring, or so he kept reminding himself. Soft, almost soundless footsteps were nearing the door. As he turnd to face them he reached out and touched the person's mind without thinking. Arwen. Horrified by his thoughtless actions Aragorn whirled around to stare out the window, desperately trying to regain his composure.
Feeling her love's tension and dark thoughts Arwen hurried into the council room, barely acknowledging Halbarad as he held the door open for her. "Estel." She rushed over to embrace him.
He pulled her into his arms, clutching her as he would a lifeline. "Stay with me," he breathed in a barely audible voice. "Don't leave me."
Hurriedly she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight. "Never. You are my sun and my moon. Without you I could not live." Pulling away slightly she looked up into his cloudy eyes. Their usual fire and intensity was muted with fear and pain. Gently she brushed his unrly hair back from his face. His eyes closed and some of the tension eased out of his body. "I am here. I love you," she repeated.
"Thank you," he breathed, dropping a light kiss on her head. Straightening he turned to Legolas and Halbarad. "We need to find Gandalf and Elrond."
Keeping her arm firmly around his waist Arwen walked with Aragorn towards the courtyard. "They are assembling the force for the Dimrill Dale party. We need to stop in our room so I can change."
"No." Aragorn stopped walking and turned her to face him. "I need you to stay here." Seeing that she was about to protest he laid a silencing finger over her lips. "It is not that I think you can not take care of yourself or would not like to have you by my side." He was silent a moment, trying to put his knowledge into words. "As much as I want to keep you by my side it would be better for me if you remained."
Biting back her sharp protests Arwen allowed her hand to softly caress his cheek. It seemed the easy motion brought him a measure of peace. "Why?" she carefully kept her voice soft and undemanding.
With a small smile for her consideration Aragorn dropped another light kiss on her head. How he wanted to do more, but now was neither the time nor the place, and he wanted to be fully himself. "I know I will be forced to use the power of the Ring to clear Moria. But I do not want to use it unless I absolutely have to and as little as possible. If you were to come with us that would not be the case. I will be unable to keep from watching over you constantly. With the Ring I can do it and still keep my attiontion on what I am doing. But if something threatens you I will lash out with the power of the Ring. It will not be a matter of whether or not I choose to, I will."
Slowly, reluctantly Arwen nodded her agreement. She would not risk letting him fall faster into communion with the ring. The light she brought him would not be stronger than the darkness that would be caused when he defended her. And she knew as surely as he did that it would happen.
Glad she had accepted so easily Aragorn began walking again, leaving his arm around her waist. "Besides I have a task I would ask you to complete. It needs to be done by someone I trust. Sauron stole and hid varoius valued items throughout his fortress. After Moria is cleansed Barsad-ur will be destroyed and before that is done I would like as many of these items as possible removed." He looked down so their eyes could meet. "I trust your judgement on what should be kept and what destroyed. A small force will be left to assist and protect you. Mainly Lothlorien archers and a few of Faramir's most trusted rangers. They know they are to obey you. You have two days. You need to be out of Barad-ur by sundown on the second day. Then I want you to head for Edoras."
"Not Gondor?" she asked, puzzled. "The white city is nearer."
Aragorn gave a sharp shake of his head. "I do not trust Denethor," his eyes began to glow slightly and his voice hardened when he mentioned the steward.
Instinctively Arwen reached up to caress his cheek as Legolas and Halbarad tensed behind them. "I will go to Edoras," she reassured him. "And Boromir will handle his father."
Slowly the glow in his eyes faded and Aragorn simply looked tired and worn. "Thank you." They walked into the courtyard to see the horses and men already gathered. They made their way over to where Gandalf and Elrond were talking with the four hobbits. Aragorn immediately took the younger two aside. "Merry, Pippin, I have a favor to ask of you. I have requested that Arwen remain behind to settle matters here. I wish you to assist her."
"We want to go with you," Merry immediately protested.
"We can fight," Pippin seconded.
The ranger bowed to one knee so he was at eye level with the two hobbits. "I know you can, that is one of the reasons I wish you to remain. I trust you to keep an eye on my beloved." He smiled up at her.
Arwen knelt beside him, squeezing his hand. "I too would rather ride to Moria," she told Merry and Pippin. "But," her gaze moved to the imposing ediface behind her for a moment. "There are things that need to be done here."
Looking back and forth between them Merry reluctantly nodded. "We will do as you ask."
"What of Frodo and Sam?" Pippin asked. "Are they to stay as well?"
For a moment Aragorn's saddened gaze focused on the former ringbearer. "No. Frodo will ride with me and Sam goes where Frodo goes." Standing he gave Arwen a quick but heartfelt kiss. "Namarie, my love." Quickly he strode over to the horses and mounted Roheryn. "Where are the dwarves?" he askes as he, Legolas, and Halbarad joined the wizard and elf lord.
"We sent them on ahead with their ponies," Elrond answered. "It will not be a problem for us to catch up to them before we reach Moria and this way we can all move faster."
"Thank you ."
As they rode out of the black gates Faramir joined them. "Can you trust the Haradrim and Easterlings not to attack our sparsely defeneded people on their way back to their lands?"
The ranger's answering grin was slightly malicious. "They were warned of the consequance of such ill advised actions."
Gandalf was eyeing Aragorn closely. "A peace made by threats is no peace."
Aragorn shot a quick glare at him before looking away for a few moments to regain control. "I am aware of that. When we meet to negotiate a treaty the Ring will have been destroyed." Involuntarily his left hand clenched protectively at that thought. "But it will serve to protect out people while the armies are otherwise occupied."
Holding Aragorn's gaze Gandalf nodded. "I am glad to hear that."
"I am not that far gone into darkness yet," the uncrowned king replied, facing forward. "Not yet," he repeated so soflty only Elrond, riding beside him with his elven sharp ears, heard the soft, fear-filled plea. "Not yet."
Behind them Arwen stood with one hand on Pippin's shoulder and the other on Merry's. She held back her tears as she watched them ride into the dimming evening. Behind them the sun slowly set, allowing Middle-earth to sink into darkness.
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As sleep slowly faded Aragorn reached out with his mind. Denethor and Boromir would reach Minis Tirith this morning, Elrohir and Gimli were riding hard to catch up with rest of the west gate force, Fro- Suddenly realizing what he was doing Aragorn slammed up mental shields that he had not even know he had. Closing his eyes he forced his racing heart to slow. Swallowing hard her rolled over to pull Arwen close against him. His betrothed snuggled in close, smiling slightly at him as her eyes slitted open.
"Morning." Lightly she reached up to brush his hair back, her touch bringing a soothing coolness and light to his troubled mind. "Tell me," she requested.
Not sure how to respond her gently pushed her away and rolled to his feet, stalking to the window. The burnt out landscape that cried out to him in pain met his troubled gaze. The unusual burst of anger had startled him and increased his unease. Needing Arwen's goodness and light Aragorn walked back to the bed and knelt down on the floor beside her. "The Ring and I are becoming more and more closely bonded. I am doing things with thinking about them, using the power the Ring gives me."
Her puzzled gaze focused on him as she gently stroked his hair back. Her love seemed to derive a simple peace from the motion. "Things? How? You are not choosing to use the ring."
His haunted eyes rose to meet hers. "No. You do not understand. The Ring does not take me over." He turned his gaze back to the window for a few moments. "The reason it was so easy to destroy Sauron." At her start he looked back at her with a saddened gaze. "Yes, it was easy, so very easy. When Sauron created the Ring he put his life force into it, binding himself and the Ring as one. When the Ring abandoned him and accepted me I was then able to use all of Sauron's stored life force against him. Now it is my turn. The longer I wear the Ring the more of my life force will join with the Ring. We will become one."
"Bu you are good," Arwen immediately protested. "Would not stealing your life force change the ring? Were we wrong all these years?"
His ironic laught was bitter as he pushed away from the bed to move back to the window. "No. We were all too right. The Ring was made with malice and that ill will was forged into its very core. And it is not stealing my life; rather we are uniting into one. Soon it will not be a matter of whether or not I am strong enough to destroy the ring; it will be a matter of whether or not I can survive its destruction. And it must be destroyed. No matter the consequances."
Unnoticed by the couple Legolas slipped out the door after a quick glance at Halbarad.
Arwen gasped, her hand going to her mouth in dismay. "I did not know."
"None of us knew," he replied. Slowly he turned to face her. I will destroy the Ring," he vowed. "But in doing so I may well destroy myself."
Horrified Arwen rose and ran over to embrace him. "I will not let you go without a fight. You must go to Mount Doom now."
"No." He shook his head sadly "My life is a small price to pay for the safety of Middle-earth. Once the threat of the orcs is past I will go."
The door opened and Legolas re-entered. "Gandalf and Elrond will be here momentarily."
Without turning away from his beloved Aragorn nodded his acknowledgement. "My thanks. What time is my meeting with the Easterlings and the Haradrim?"
Unable to believe the sheer joy he was feeling as he approached the gates of Minis Tirith Boromir glanced over at his father. What he saw surprised him. It was a look of greed and possessiveness. As they rode through the city he was amazed by what he saw. He had been sure the people would be celebrating. After all they had sent messengers to all members of the Alliance of Light that Sauron had been defeated. Even more alarming was the fact that the pople were all eyeing his father with distrust. While Denethor had never been loved as Faramir was he had always had the respect and appreciation of the people. The steward's heir wondered how bad things had really been while he was gone. Faramir's cryptic words of warning as they were departing rang again in his head. 'Distrust and discord are growing. I fear for our people's future if something is not done soon.' Looking around him as they made their way to the palace Boromir agreed. Gondor needed her king more than he had guessed. After knowing Aragorn for months he believed with all his heart and soul that the ranger had the ability to heal the hurts of not only his home, but that of all the people's of Middle-earth. Under Aragorn's guidance the fourth age could be a time of peace and prosperity and unity between all the races of Middle-earth as had never been seen before. Now he just had to convince his father of that fact.
As they approached the seventh circle and the citizen's gazes grew more wary Boromir resolved to find out what had happened to his father and his people. There had to be away to turn his father away from the dark path the steward seemed determined to follow. Remembering the words of both his king and his brother he resolved to follow his father when he retreated to the tower. The land needed healing, not more hurt and distrust. Somehow Boromir would see that peace had a chance. The king would come to Minis Tirith and be welcomed with open arms and glad hearts.
Having reluctantly pushed his horse almost to exhaustion it was with a great sense of relief that Elrohir at last caught sight of the west gate force. Behind him he could feel Gimli breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief. They had rode for hours with only the briefest of rest breaks. Elrohir was actually surprised the dwarf had not spoken out already. Dwarves were not known for thier enjoyment of riding. So anxious was he to reach his brother and get the party moving that at first he did not notice the woman riding at Elladan's side. "We need to move faster," he announced without preamble.
"Why?"
The soft, melodious voice caused Elrohir to turn sharply and his jaw to drop in shock. "Grandmother, what are you doing here?"
Elladan started laughing so hard he almost fell off his horse.
Galadriel simply gave the near hysterical twin an amused glance. "His reaction was much the same as yours only your father was forced to nudge his jaw closed," she reassured the younger twim. "Now what is so important that you felt the need to ride your horse to the point of collapse? Good afternoon, Master Gimli," she greeted the dwarf who bowed to her as best he could on horseback in acknowledgement, blushing.
Elrohir swallowed hard, not sure how to explain his knowledge. He just knew they had to move faster and that the other force would leave Barad-ur sooner than expected. "Time is running short for Estel," was the only explanation he could come up with.
Her eyes going out of focus for a moment Galadriel nodded, signalling the rest of the party to increase speed as Elladan rode off to confer with Eomer and Imrahil. Her gaze moved to meet her grandson's. The fear and almost haunted look in his eyes surprised her. "We will not let Estel fall," she reassured him. "Now you need to change mounts. I believe the Rohirrim have brought extra."
Bowing his head in acknowledgement Elrohir rode after his brother. To his great relief the party had increased their pace to a fast trot.
Time, he was running out of time. The thougth kept running through Aragorn's thoughts as he dismissied the Haradrim and Easterling leaders. Involuntarily his gaze moved down to the One Ring. How could he even think of destroying it. With it, for the first time in his life, his senses were sharper than an elf's. Other men may think his skills were exceptional but he had grown up never being able to reach the level of his teachers. He loved his father and brothers and knew they loved him as well, but occassionally he had felt inferior to them, and the few other elven youngsters in Imladris had often teased him. With a strong effort of will he tore his gaze away and moved to look out the window. No, that was not true. He was a better swordsman than many elves, as an archer he was on equal footing with most. He respected and was respected by most of the elven lords. And as much as he did not wish to rule, the Dunadain followed him without question. The Ring was not necessary to make him complete. He had been content without the Ring, or so he kept reminding himself. Soft, almost soundless footsteps were nearing the door. As he turnd to face them he reached out and touched the person's mind without thinking. Arwen. Horrified by his thoughtless actions Aragorn whirled around to stare out the window, desperately trying to regain his composure.
Feeling her love's tension and dark thoughts Arwen hurried into the council room, barely acknowledging Halbarad as he held the door open for her. "Estel." She rushed over to embrace him.
He pulled her into his arms, clutching her as he would a lifeline. "Stay with me," he breathed in a barely audible voice. "Don't leave me."
Hurriedly she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight. "Never. You are my sun and my moon. Without you I could not live." Pulling away slightly she looked up into his cloudy eyes. Their usual fire and intensity was muted with fear and pain. Gently she brushed his unrly hair back from his face. His eyes closed and some of the tension eased out of his body. "I am here. I love you," she repeated.
"Thank you," he breathed, dropping a light kiss on her head. Straightening he turned to Legolas and Halbarad. "We need to find Gandalf and Elrond."
Keeping her arm firmly around his waist Arwen walked with Aragorn towards the courtyard. "They are assembling the force for the Dimrill Dale party. We need to stop in our room so I can change."
"No." Aragorn stopped walking and turned her to face him. "I need you to stay here." Seeing that she was about to protest he laid a silencing finger over her lips. "It is not that I think you can not take care of yourself or would not like to have you by my side." He was silent a moment, trying to put his knowledge into words. "As much as I want to keep you by my side it would be better for me if you remained."
Biting back her sharp protests Arwen allowed her hand to softly caress his cheek. It seemed the easy motion brought him a measure of peace. "Why?" she carefully kept her voice soft and undemanding.
With a small smile for her consideration Aragorn dropped another light kiss on her head. How he wanted to do more, but now was neither the time nor the place, and he wanted to be fully himself. "I know I will be forced to use the power of the Ring to clear Moria. But I do not want to use it unless I absolutely have to and as little as possible. If you were to come with us that would not be the case. I will be unable to keep from watching over you constantly. With the Ring I can do it and still keep my attiontion on what I am doing. But if something threatens you I will lash out with the power of the Ring. It will not be a matter of whether or not I choose to, I will."
Slowly, reluctantly Arwen nodded her agreement. She would not risk letting him fall faster into communion with the ring. The light she brought him would not be stronger than the darkness that would be caused when he defended her. And she knew as surely as he did that it would happen.
Glad she had accepted so easily Aragorn began walking again, leaving his arm around her waist. "Besides I have a task I would ask you to complete. It needs to be done by someone I trust. Sauron stole and hid varoius valued items throughout his fortress. After Moria is cleansed Barsad-ur will be destroyed and before that is done I would like as many of these items as possible removed." He looked down so their eyes could meet. "I trust your judgement on what should be kept and what destroyed. A small force will be left to assist and protect you. Mainly Lothlorien archers and a few of Faramir's most trusted rangers. They know they are to obey you. You have two days. You need to be out of Barad-ur by sundown on the second day. Then I want you to head for Edoras."
"Not Gondor?" she asked, puzzled. "The white city is nearer."
Aragorn gave a sharp shake of his head. "I do not trust Denethor," his eyes began to glow slightly and his voice hardened when he mentioned the steward.
Instinctively Arwen reached up to caress his cheek as Legolas and Halbarad tensed behind them. "I will go to Edoras," she reassured him. "And Boromir will handle his father."
Slowly the glow in his eyes faded and Aragorn simply looked tired and worn. "Thank you." They walked into the courtyard to see the horses and men already gathered. They made their way over to where Gandalf and Elrond were talking with the four hobbits. Aragorn immediately took the younger two aside. "Merry, Pippin, I have a favor to ask of you. I have requested that Arwen remain behind to settle matters here. I wish you to assist her."
"We want to go with you," Merry immediately protested.
"We can fight," Pippin seconded.
The ranger bowed to one knee so he was at eye level with the two hobbits. "I know you can, that is one of the reasons I wish you to remain. I trust you to keep an eye on my beloved." He smiled up at her.
Arwen knelt beside him, squeezing his hand. "I too would rather ride to Moria," she told Merry and Pippin. "But," her gaze moved to the imposing ediface behind her for a moment. "There are things that need to be done here."
Looking back and forth between them Merry reluctantly nodded. "We will do as you ask."
"What of Frodo and Sam?" Pippin asked. "Are they to stay as well?"
For a moment Aragorn's saddened gaze focused on the former ringbearer. "No. Frodo will ride with me and Sam goes where Frodo goes." Standing he gave Arwen a quick but heartfelt kiss. "Namarie, my love." Quickly he strode over to the horses and mounted Roheryn. "Where are the dwarves?" he askes as he, Legolas, and Halbarad joined the wizard and elf lord.
"We sent them on ahead with their ponies," Elrond answered. "It will not be a problem for us to catch up to them before we reach Moria and this way we can all move faster."
"Thank you ."
As they rode out of the black gates Faramir joined them. "Can you trust the Haradrim and Easterlings not to attack our sparsely defeneded people on their way back to their lands?"
The ranger's answering grin was slightly malicious. "They were warned of the consequance of such ill advised actions."
Gandalf was eyeing Aragorn closely. "A peace made by threats is no peace."
Aragorn shot a quick glare at him before looking away for a few moments to regain control. "I am aware of that. When we meet to negotiate a treaty the Ring will have been destroyed." Involuntarily his left hand clenched protectively at that thought. "But it will serve to protect out people while the armies are otherwise occupied."
Holding Aragorn's gaze Gandalf nodded. "I am glad to hear that."
"I am not that far gone into darkness yet," the uncrowned king replied, facing forward. "Not yet," he repeated so soflty only Elrond, riding beside him with his elven sharp ears, heard the soft, fear-filled plea. "Not yet."
Behind them Arwen stood with one hand on Pippin's shoulder and the other on Merry's. She held back her tears as she watched them ride into the dimming evening. Behind them the sun slowly set, allowing Middle-earth to sink into darkness.