Author's note: In true hobbit style, I'm giving you all a present for my
birthday, the last chapter of Flight of the Dragon. There's also virtual
cookie cake. I would have saved some of the real cake, but my maths group
decided we needed the brain food since some evil person gave us an exam on
my birthday.
Anyway, enjoy the story and virtual cake.
***
Rion sat at the bow of the ship, keeping out of the way of the sailors, since they knew their job better than he did. He could see nothing ahead of them but sea, but he knew that somewhere was his home. Gondor.
After a while someone came to stand beside him. Even without looking he knew it was his father.
"I would imagine you have a lot to tell me," Elessar said. Rion nodded, and began. He described his capture and the nightmare journey, he described his meeting with the king and his attempted escape, he described Ari and the man who had tried to kill him. At that, Elessar got almost furious.
"He wasn't under orders from King Ramel," Rion said, "I think he liked Ari, and got annoyed that a prisoner was spending so much time with her. I can understand why he might," he added with a sad smile.
Rion continued his story, talking about Traag. That clearly surprised his father. They discussed the possibility that Ari might be right, and Traag was a decent person. Finally they agreed that although the possibility existed, it was very unlikely.
They finished talking, and sat down against the wooden rail at the edge of the ship, watching the sailors work. It felt right that they could do this, not needing words, just needing to reassure themselves that the other was there. After some time Mir came up to them. He bowed his head slightly to the king, who stood up.
"I think you two need to talk," he said, leaving.
"I'm sorry, Rion," Mir said, "I should have trusted you about Ari."
"She wasn't a spy," Rion snapped, more angrily than Mir deserved. He was angry that Ari had been snatched away from him just when he realised his feelings for her, and Mir was the only target for his rage. "All she wanted was to be friendly and you just had to make things hard for her."
"You can't blame me for not trusting her after everything we were put through. How was I to know she wasn't just. . ." His words were cut off when Rion struck him across the face, the blow almost sending him sprawling on the deck. For a few shocked moments he just blinked at Rion, then turned to go. Rion saw the hurt on his face, and the anger faded.
"I'm sorry," he called after Mir's retreating form. Mir didn't answer. Rion sat for a moment, wondering what he should do, though he already knew. He needed Mir now, and couldn't push him away. Besides, they were sharing a cabin so they should be on decent terms for the journey home. The longer he waited, the more Mir would resent his actions. He stood and walked to the cabin, the only place Mir could have gone on this ship.
He knocked gently before pushing the door open. "I'm sorry, Mir, I. . ." he began, before realising he was talking to an empty room. Where could Mir have got to?
He finally found him below decks in the long room at the base of the ship. It was awkward to walk here, because of the way the walls sloped into the floor, and it was filled with crates and barrels, since there was no other use for this space than storage. Mir was sitting in a dark corner between two crates. Rion wondered why he was hiding down here, then the dim light let him see the glistening tears on his friend's cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Mir," Rion said, and Mir jumped slightly. Apparently he had been too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice that he wasn't alone any more. "I shouldn't have hit you."
"Why did you?" Mir asked quietly.
"Because I was angry. Not at you, you just happened to get in the way. I'm sorry."
"You're not angry at me?"
"No. Well. . . a little. But anger doesn't excuse what I did. Forgive me?"
"If you'll forgive me for not trusting you."
"It's a deal."
***
The journey home was much more pleasant than the journey out, though the two boys quickly became bored. They caused chaos in the ship's galley on several occasions, but Elessar put a stop to that by threatening to lock them in their cabin.
To everyone's relief, they passed through no storms. A fair wind drove them quickly towards Gondor. At last the ship sighted land, and entered the wide estuary of the Anduin. A part of Rion couldn't quite believe it. He expected to wake up at any moment, discover that this was just a dream and he was still a prisoner in Tharden.
The rest of that day was frantic. When they reached Minas Tirith, Arwen had insisted on hearing all that had happened to her son. He had thought it a long tale to tell his father, but his mother kept interrupting and asking questions rather than waiting for him to finish.
They had eaten dinner, and then talked some more. It seemed to take forever before Rion was able to slip away, overwhelmed by all that had happened. His room was just as it always was, allowing him to imagine briefly that he had never been away. He collapsed onto his bed fully clothed, exhausted from all the excitement. He'd find the strength to change into his nightclothes soon.
He'd just dosed off when he was awoken by a soft tapping. He thought at first that someone was at the door, then realised the sound came from the window. He opened it, to reveal a face he hadn't expected to see again.
"Ari?" It took his astonished and tired mind a few seconds to realise that Ari was seated on the back of Traag. Ari moved slightly, and Rion climbed gracefully through the window to sit behind her on the dragon's back. His arms wrapped round her waist as Traag's great wings lifted them into the air.
He looked down at the moonlit kingdom below him. Never had his kingdom seemed so beautiful. They soared above it, part of the world and yet not. Neither Rion nor Ari spoke for a while.
"Will this work?" Rion asked at last, "Meeting like this?"
"Maybe," Ari said, "we won't know until we've tried it. But I think we can make it work." She turned towards him.
They kissed, on the back of a dragon above the kingdom of Gondor.
THE END
Yay! Happy ending. There may be a sequel, but probably not. It depends whether the muse attacks me with one or not. Hammy, you said you liked Eldarion fics, well he has a part in Fortune Prevails, another one of my fics, and appears in Fortune's Loss. So you could go read those if you haven't already.
Ebonyeyes, you said you wanted Mir to get slapped. Was this close enough?
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed. Everyone else, this isn't good enough.
Anyway, enjoy the story and virtual cake.
***
Rion sat at the bow of the ship, keeping out of the way of the sailors, since they knew their job better than he did. He could see nothing ahead of them but sea, but he knew that somewhere was his home. Gondor.
After a while someone came to stand beside him. Even without looking he knew it was his father.
"I would imagine you have a lot to tell me," Elessar said. Rion nodded, and began. He described his capture and the nightmare journey, he described his meeting with the king and his attempted escape, he described Ari and the man who had tried to kill him. At that, Elessar got almost furious.
"He wasn't under orders from King Ramel," Rion said, "I think he liked Ari, and got annoyed that a prisoner was spending so much time with her. I can understand why he might," he added with a sad smile.
Rion continued his story, talking about Traag. That clearly surprised his father. They discussed the possibility that Ari might be right, and Traag was a decent person. Finally they agreed that although the possibility existed, it was very unlikely.
They finished talking, and sat down against the wooden rail at the edge of the ship, watching the sailors work. It felt right that they could do this, not needing words, just needing to reassure themselves that the other was there. After some time Mir came up to them. He bowed his head slightly to the king, who stood up.
"I think you two need to talk," he said, leaving.
"I'm sorry, Rion," Mir said, "I should have trusted you about Ari."
"She wasn't a spy," Rion snapped, more angrily than Mir deserved. He was angry that Ari had been snatched away from him just when he realised his feelings for her, and Mir was the only target for his rage. "All she wanted was to be friendly and you just had to make things hard for her."
"You can't blame me for not trusting her after everything we were put through. How was I to know she wasn't just. . ." His words were cut off when Rion struck him across the face, the blow almost sending him sprawling on the deck. For a few shocked moments he just blinked at Rion, then turned to go. Rion saw the hurt on his face, and the anger faded.
"I'm sorry," he called after Mir's retreating form. Mir didn't answer. Rion sat for a moment, wondering what he should do, though he already knew. He needed Mir now, and couldn't push him away. Besides, they were sharing a cabin so they should be on decent terms for the journey home. The longer he waited, the more Mir would resent his actions. He stood and walked to the cabin, the only place Mir could have gone on this ship.
He knocked gently before pushing the door open. "I'm sorry, Mir, I. . ." he began, before realising he was talking to an empty room. Where could Mir have got to?
He finally found him below decks in the long room at the base of the ship. It was awkward to walk here, because of the way the walls sloped into the floor, and it was filled with crates and barrels, since there was no other use for this space than storage. Mir was sitting in a dark corner between two crates. Rion wondered why he was hiding down here, then the dim light let him see the glistening tears on his friend's cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Mir," Rion said, and Mir jumped slightly. Apparently he had been too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice that he wasn't alone any more. "I shouldn't have hit you."
"Why did you?" Mir asked quietly.
"Because I was angry. Not at you, you just happened to get in the way. I'm sorry."
"You're not angry at me?"
"No. Well. . . a little. But anger doesn't excuse what I did. Forgive me?"
"If you'll forgive me for not trusting you."
"It's a deal."
***
The journey home was much more pleasant than the journey out, though the two boys quickly became bored. They caused chaos in the ship's galley on several occasions, but Elessar put a stop to that by threatening to lock them in their cabin.
To everyone's relief, they passed through no storms. A fair wind drove them quickly towards Gondor. At last the ship sighted land, and entered the wide estuary of the Anduin. A part of Rion couldn't quite believe it. He expected to wake up at any moment, discover that this was just a dream and he was still a prisoner in Tharden.
The rest of that day was frantic. When they reached Minas Tirith, Arwen had insisted on hearing all that had happened to her son. He had thought it a long tale to tell his father, but his mother kept interrupting and asking questions rather than waiting for him to finish.
They had eaten dinner, and then talked some more. It seemed to take forever before Rion was able to slip away, overwhelmed by all that had happened. His room was just as it always was, allowing him to imagine briefly that he had never been away. He collapsed onto his bed fully clothed, exhausted from all the excitement. He'd find the strength to change into his nightclothes soon.
He'd just dosed off when he was awoken by a soft tapping. He thought at first that someone was at the door, then realised the sound came from the window. He opened it, to reveal a face he hadn't expected to see again.
"Ari?" It took his astonished and tired mind a few seconds to realise that Ari was seated on the back of Traag. Ari moved slightly, and Rion climbed gracefully through the window to sit behind her on the dragon's back. His arms wrapped round her waist as Traag's great wings lifted them into the air.
He looked down at the moonlit kingdom below him. Never had his kingdom seemed so beautiful. They soared above it, part of the world and yet not. Neither Rion nor Ari spoke for a while.
"Will this work?" Rion asked at last, "Meeting like this?"
"Maybe," Ari said, "we won't know until we've tried it. But I think we can make it work." She turned towards him.
They kissed, on the back of a dragon above the kingdom of Gondor.
THE END
Yay! Happy ending. There may be a sequel, but probably not. It depends whether the muse attacks me with one or not. Hammy, you said you liked Eldarion fics, well he has a part in Fortune Prevails, another one of my fics, and appears in Fortune's Loss. So you could go read those if you haven't already.
Ebonyeyes, you said you wanted Mir to get slapped. Was this close enough?
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed. Everyone else, this isn't good enough.