Disclaimer: see chapter 1.
****
CHAPTER TWO: FOR SURE
'Come, let's eat.' Said Thranduil as he guided his son and the ranger towards the banqueting table. Following their king's lead, soon the entire company were seated around both sides of a large, horseshoe table that was groaning under the weight of fresh fruits, breads and game.
The king sat between Aragorn and Legolas on the outside of the table with the twins facing them from the inside.
The meal was delicious, helped along by the wine that flowed freely. No sooner had a cup been drained, it was refilled. Aragorn passed much of the meal in conversation with the king and with the elf maidens who sat nearby. He could not help but notice however, that their attention was being drawn to the prince as he kept the twins amused with tales of what had happened in Mirkwood since their last visit.
The prince addressed the twins. 'How does Arwen fare?' he asked.
'She asked that we convey her fond regards to you,' replied Elladan. Aragon inexplicably felt his hackles rise at this turn in the conversation. That Arwen, should hold this arrogant elf in high regard made him strangely jealous.
'Father, keeps hinting at a union between the houses of Rivendell and Mirkwood' said Elladan casting Legolas a mischievous grin.
'What, and be related to that old goat?' declared Thranduil in mock alarm.
'I do not think I could survive a union with your sister,' said Legolas remembered all the bruises and indignities he had suffered at her hands in the past. Not having knowledge of this shared history, Aragorn took the comment to mean that Legolas thought he was too good for her. This was getting too much. He reached over and grabbed his cup of wine. In doing so, he suddenly became aware that he still carried Legolas' arrow in his pocket. He had intended to make some discrete enquiries to ascertain to whom it belonged. Now he knew its tenure, he had an idea.
He pulled the arrow from his pocket and addressed the king. 'I wonder your majesty, if you know to whom this belongs. I came across it yesterday and it would be a pity not to return such a finely crafted weapon to its owner.'
The question had the desired effect. Aragorn was sure he saw the prince flinch as his father took the arrow and examined it. He turned to his son. 'I do believe this is one of your arrows is it not Legolas?' Legolas took it from is father. There was no denying its ownership. 'Yes it is indeed one of mine. I thank the ranger for returning it to me'. If he had hoped the matter would rest there, he was wrong.
'You really should take more care of your weapons, Legolas.' Said Thranduil, then of Aragorn he asked 'How came you across it'.
There was a silence. The king looked at Aragorn expectantly, Legolas looked at him in alarm and the twins looked at each other in trepidation of the conflict to come.
Aragorn enjoyed watching the prince squirm for a moment longer. 'I found it embedded in a tree when I was searching for my lost hunting knife.' The look that passed from Aragorn to Legolas did not go unnoticed by the king. He looked at the arrow now laying on the table, then to Aragorn, mentally making the connection between the ranger's facial wound and the archer's weapon. 'Really?' he asked rhetorically. And there it was left. The prince and the twins visibly relaxed and everyone reached for their drinks in synchronisation.
***
It felt like a dragon had made a nest in his head and it sounded like one was trying to get out by bashing a hole though his skull. He pulled a pillow over his head to try and smother it. The banging got louder.
'Aragorn are you still asleep?'
'Argghhh' groaned the ranger, realising that it was Elladan, or possibly Elorhir, making the infernal racket. 'Go away!'
Unperturbed The door swung open and both the twins came piling into the room, throwing themselves onto their brother's bed.
'Argghhhhh - please go away and let me die in peace'.
'What, when the sun is shining so brightly?' questioned Elladan, he gestured to what loosely passed for a window. 'No, you can't die today'.
Blasted elves, thought Aragorn. Last night they had seemed to consume vast quantities of alcohol without becoming the slightest bit inebriated. What possessed Aragorn to think that he could do the same was at this moment quite beyond him. The dragon started flying around his head again. 'Argggghhhh'.
The door to the room opened and two elves entered carrying silver platters of forest fruits and freshly baked bread. 'Ah breakfast' said Elladan as he reached up to take a roll of the platter before the server had a chance to put it down. Elrohir looked into a cup carried by the second elf and grimaced at the green liquid contained inside.
'It is Hocur' stated the Mirkwood elf. Legolas sent it for the human. He said that the man could not take his drink and might have need of medicine.'
'He's not going to like that', Elorhir wafted the air in front of his nose and headed to a sweeter smelling part of the room. Elladan took his place. He took the cup and dismissing its bearer, carried it to the lump in the bed.
'Sit up Aragorn and drink this. It will speed your recovery.'
A grumble emerged from under the pillow, which Elladan could just make out to be 'I don't want anything from that condescending, knife-stealing elf', punctuated with a few extra expletives.
Running out of patience with his brother Elladan signalled for Elrohir's help. Between them the twins wrestled away the pillow and bed coverings from Aragorn and forced the reluctant ranger into a half sitting position. Elladan thrust the cup to his face 'Hocur - drink'. Aragorn opened one eye sheepishly and glanced into the cup. The smell itself was enough to turn his stomach. Could it be that Legolas was trying to poison him? No, if he had wanted him dead, he would be already. Ever the pragmatist, Aragorn reasoned that nothing could make him feel worse than he did right now and this 'Hocur' might just work. Holding his head in one hand, just to make sure the dragon didn't force its way out while he wasn't paying attention and taking the cup with the other, Aragorn gulped down the putrid liquid. 'Urgghhh.'
'Well, that's an improvement on Arggghhhh, I suppose' said Elorhir.
***
Whatever was in the hocur, it certainly did the trick. Aragorn's hangover quickly dissipated and he felt remarkably healthy and alert as he strolled down to the practice field with the twins. The 'field' turned out to be little more than a clearing in the woods. At the far end, amongst the trees a line of straw figures had been erected and, to Aragorn's chagrin, dressed in a manner not dissimilar to the attire favoured by rangers and men. At the other end of the field the prince himself stood alongside an older elf, possibly his mentor. The trio stopped to observe as in one fluid movement Legolas strung two arrows to his bow and let them fly towards his target. The first arrow struck the heart of one straw man; the next embedded itself into the arm of a second on the other side of a tree.
It was a remarkable shot, yet the prince was clearly disappointed. 'I think I misjudged the changing wind direction' he suggested to his companion.
'That might be it, or it could be that your aim was slightly off' came the reply although obviously said in jest.
The trio who had been watching approached. 'You still trying to master the old two arrows at once trick Legolas?' asked Elladan.
In reply, Legolas rapidly fired off a succession of double shots creating two perfectly parallel lines of arrows in a nearby tree. 'The problem, my friend, is splitting the arrows to take out two targets more than 6 feet apart. Do you want to try?' he asked.
'Not, I' said Elladan, my skill with a bow is no match for Mirkwood's finest archer.
'Perhaps Aragorn would like to try' the prince held out his bow to the man. After a moment's hesitation, Aragorn accepted the bow. 'It is a fine weapon' said Aragorn admiring its craftsmanship.
'Amongst my people, it is a tradition that warriors are presented with a gift on reaching maturity. Not merely maturity of age, or of skill, but when it is grasped how to live a compassionate and moral existence in the midst of blood and darkness. This was a gift from my father.' Aragorn nodded although he did not truly understand. It did seem strange that an elf that attacked him unprovoked, and stole his knife, was talking to him of morals and compassion. He would speak of the knife again later.
Legolas handed him a single arrow and pointed to a target that was set well back amongst the trees. 'See the straw man in the hat? It is a hot day, he has not need of it.' Aragorn nodded and notching his arrow took aim and released the projectile. To his credit it struck the straw man but considerably lower than his head. 'Well, you certainly would have ended his chances of fatherhood' smiled Elrohir.
Legolas did not comment. He handed Aragorn another arrow. 'Try again'. Aragorn notched the second arrow and placed the target in his sights. Legolas came up beside him and adjusted the position of a finger on the bowstring, and raised the man's chin a fraction. 'Now listen and feel for the movements in the air. Let your senses guide you.' Aragorn closed his eyes and fancied that he could see the path of the wind between him and the target. He breathed in, opened his eyes and took the shot. The arrow hit the straw man directly between what would have been his eyes. The hat however remained firmly on his head. He handed the bow back to its owner. 'You need more practice' said the prince 'just a couple of thousand years or so'. Then to show what his 2000 years of training had achieved, Legolas sent the hat soaring into the air and punctured it with the three remaining arrows in his quiver before it could hit the ground. Legolas handed his weapon to the steward who took his leave and headed off to retrieve the spent arrows.
Aragorn spied two wooden staffs leaning up against a nearby tree. He picked one up and gave a few practice swings. It was an elegant weapon, and although heavier than he expected, it felt comfortable and well balanced in his hands.
'Hey Thrandullion, let's see what you can do with this' he tossed the second staff to Legolas which he caught easily.
'Oh no,' sighed the twins in unison. 'This will not end well'.
'Do not worry, my cousins. I will go easy on him.' Legolas smiled.
Aragorn faced his foe square on, adjusted his weight and waited for the prince to make the first move. Legolas, held his own staff casually in one hand but there was nothing casual about the look in his eyes. Aragorn had been around elves long enough to know that an attack was imminent and when it came it would be fast. It was. Aragorn felt the strike of the princes' staff against his own before he saw it coming, but he was ready and deflected the blow easily to return it with one of his own. His weight gave him some advantage over the lean elf and was delighted when Legolas momentarily lost his composure and was driven back a step. Any advantage he gained was quickly lost when the elf swung the staff in a low arc forcing Aragorn to leap into the air to avoid his legs being knocked out from under him. In retaliation he swung his own staff at the princes' head only to strike air as the elf deftly rolled to one side and came up behind the ranger landing a blow across his back. Aragorn spun around and thanks to his well-honed reflexes was able to grab the end of Legolas' weapon in one hand as it was about to crack open his skull. The prince allowed himself a smile before he twisted under Aragorn's arm and used the staff as leverage to throw him over his shoulder to lie in an undignified heap at his feet.
The prince stood leaning on his staff, highly amused at the sight of the man lying winded on the ground. He reached down a hand to pull Aragorn to his feet. That was his fatal mistake. In a movement that rivalled anything that the elves were capable of, Aragorn pulled on Legolas' arm with all his might and used his booted feet to catapult the prince over his head. The prince hit the ground with a mighty thud and let out a gasp of pain. Aragorn pushed home the advantage leaping to his feet and thrusting the end of the staff down towards Legolas' face. He stopped with an inch to spare. 'Yield!' He demanded. Legolas eyes were squeezed tightly shut and no words would come from his mouth. Obviously in some pain, all the elf could manage was a feeble gesture with his left hand. It was enough. The prince had yielded to the ranger.
Aragorn turned his back on the fallen elf and looked to his brothers, but any adulation he was expecting did not materialise. The twins pushed past him towards the prince.
'You have dislocated his shoulder,' Elladan scolded his foster-brother.
Aragorn feeling suitably admonished kept his distance whilst his brothers put their field-medicine training into practice quickly snapping the prince's arm back into its socket. Until that moment Aragorn had not appreciated Legolas' extraordinary grasp of Westron curses.
*****
Later Aragorn stopped outside the prince's door and took a deep breath. He knocked. 'Enter ranger' came the reply from within.
'Blasted elf' muttered Aragorn, 'can even see through doors'. He entered the room where Legolas was sitting being tended to by a one of the court healers 'It will be tender for a few days, milord, but there is no permanent damage' stated the physician as he tied off a sling around the prince's neck. The physician gave a respectful bow to Legolas and a casting a dismissive glare at Aragorn left the room,
Legolas stood to acknowledge Aragorn's presence. 'Although we elves have excellent hearing and a well developed sense of smell, we have not yet mastered the art of seeing through solid objects.' This was said without humour and Aragorn didn't know whether to be embarrassed or annoyed that his comment had been overheard. Blasted elf-ears!
He thought it best to simply say what he came to say and then leave as quickly as possible. 'Forgive me Legolas, I did not mean to hurt you'.
Legolas sighed and placed his good arm on Aragorn's shoulder. 'There is nothing to forgive, Aragorn. I should not have underestimated you. You are a fine warrior.'
Aragorn shrugged. 'It seems that you are intent on proving me otherwise'
Legolas gave a sad smile. 'My people are diminishing and the darkness is growing. The fate of Middle Earth now lies in the hands of mankind. In you Aragorn, lies my people's hope for this land, our hope that all we have loved and fought for will continue and not fade with us. Are you Estel?'
Aragorn was beginning to understand. He had been tested, to see if he was worthy of the name the elves had bestowed upon him. Estel - Hope. This was his legacy, although he did not want it. 'I do not know' Aragorn replied, 'but perhaps with the help of my friends, I can be.' Aragorn turned to leave. As he reached the door Legolas called him back. 'Aragorn...'
As he turned back to face the prince he was met by a rush of air as a knife sliced past his head and embedded itself in the door frame. It was only when he turned to see it was his hunting knife quivering beside him that he realised it had nicked the top of his ear drawing blood.
'A gift for you'
Aragorn glared at the prince whose skill was clearly not diminished by having his good arm in a sling.
'Whoops,' said Legolas 'I guess my aim is a little off this morning.'
****
CHAPTER TWO: FOR SURE
'Come, let's eat.' Said Thranduil as he guided his son and the ranger towards the banqueting table. Following their king's lead, soon the entire company were seated around both sides of a large, horseshoe table that was groaning under the weight of fresh fruits, breads and game.
The king sat between Aragorn and Legolas on the outside of the table with the twins facing them from the inside.
The meal was delicious, helped along by the wine that flowed freely. No sooner had a cup been drained, it was refilled. Aragorn passed much of the meal in conversation with the king and with the elf maidens who sat nearby. He could not help but notice however, that their attention was being drawn to the prince as he kept the twins amused with tales of what had happened in Mirkwood since their last visit.
The prince addressed the twins. 'How does Arwen fare?' he asked.
'She asked that we convey her fond regards to you,' replied Elladan. Aragon inexplicably felt his hackles rise at this turn in the conversation. That Arwen, should hold this arrogant elf in high regard made him strangely jealous.
'Father, keeps hinting at a union between the houses of Rivendell and Mirkwood' said Elladan casting Legolas a mischievous grin.
'What, and be related to that old goat?' declared Thranduil in mock alarm.
'I do not think I could survive a union with your sister,' said Legolas remembered all the bruises and indignities he had suffered at her hands in the past. Not having knowledge of this shared history, Aragorn took the comment to mean that Legolas thought he was too good for her. This was getting too much. He reached over and grabbed his cup of wine. In doing so, he suddenly became aware that he still carried Legolas' arrow in his pocket. He had intended to make some discrete enquiries to ascertain to whom it belonged. Now he knew its tenure, he had an idea.
He pulled the arrow from his pocket and addressed the king. 'I wonder your majesty, if you know to whom this belongs. I came across it yesterday and it would be a pity not to return such a finely crafted weapon to its owner.'
The question had the desired effect. Aragorn was sure he saw the prince flinch as his father took the arrow and examined it. He turned to his son. 'I do believe this is one of your arrows is it not Legolas?' Legolas took it from is father. There was no denying its ownership. 'Yes it is indeed one of mine. I thank the ranger for returning it to me'. If he had hoped the matter would rest there, he was wrong.
'You really should take more care of your weapons, Legolas.' Said Thranduil, then of Aragorn he asked 'How came you across it'.
There was a silence. The king looked at Aragorn expectantly, Legolas looked at him in alarm and the twins looked at each other in trepidation of the conflict to come.
Aragorn enjoyed watching the prince squirm for a moment longer. 'I found it embedded in a tree when I was searching for my lost hunting knife.' The look that passed from Aragorn to Legolas did not go unnoticed by the king. He looked at the arrow now laying on the table, then to Aragorn, mentally making the connection between the ranger's facial wound and the archer's weapon. 'Really?' he asked rhetorically. And there it was left. The prince and the twins visibly relaxed and everyone reached for their drinks in synchronisation.
***
It felt like a dragon had made a nest in his head and it sounded like one was trying to get out by bashing a hole though his skull. He pulled a pillow over his head to try and smother it. The banging got louder.
'Aragorn are you still asleep?'
'Argghhh' groaned the ranger, realising that it was Elladan, or possibly Elorhir, making the infernal racket. 'Go away!'
Unperturbed The door swung open and both the twins came piling into the room, throwing themselves onto their brother's bed.
'Argghhhhh - please go away and let me die in peace'.
'What, when the sun is shining so brightly?' questioned Elladan, he gestured to what loosely passed for a window. 'No, you can't die today'.
Blasted elves, thought Aragorn. Last night they had seemed to consume vast quantities of alcohol without becoming the slightest bit inebriated. What possessed Aragorn to think that he could do the same was at this moment quite beyond him. The dragon started flying around his head again. 'Argggghhhh'.
The door to the room opened and two elves entered carrying silver platters of forest fruits and freshly baked bread. 'Ah breakfast' said Elladan as he reached up to take a roll of the platter before the server had a chance to put it down. Elrohir looked into a cup carried by the second elf and grimaced at the green liquid contained inside.
'It is Hocur' stated the Mirkwood elf. Legolas sent it for the human. He said that the man could not take his drink and might have need of medicine.'
'He's not going to like that', Elorhir wafted the air in front of his nose and headed to a sweeter smelling part of the room. Elladan took his place. He took the cup and dismissing its bearer, carried it to the lump in the bed.
'Sit up Aragorn and drink this. It will speed your recovery.'
A grumble emerged from under the pillow, which Elladan could just make out to be 'I don't want anything from that condescending, knife-stealing elf', punctuated with a few extra expletives.
Running out of patience with his brother Elladan signalled for Elrohir's help. Between them the twins wrestled away the pillow and bed coverings from Aragorn and forced the reluctant ranger into a half sitting position. Elladan thrust the cup to his face 'Hocur - drink'. Aragorn opened one eye sheepishly and glanced into the cup. The smell itself was enough to turn his stomach. Could it be that Legolas was trying to poison him? No, if he had wanted him dead, he would be already. Ever the pragmatist, Aragorn reasoned that nothing could make him feel worse than he did right now and this 'Hocur' might just work. Holding his head in one hand, just to make sure the dragon didn't force its way out while he wasn't paying attention and taking the cup with the other, Aragorn gulped down the putrid liquid. 'Urgghhh.'
'Well, that's an improvement on Arggghhhh, I suppose' said Elorhir.
***
Whatever was in the hocur, it certainly did the trick. Aragorn's hangover quickly dissipated and he felt remarkably healthy and alert as he strolled down to the practice field with the twins. The 'field' turned out to be little more than a clearing in the woods. At the far end, amongst the trees a line of straw figures had been erected and, to Aragorn's chagrin, dressed in a manner not dissimilar to the attire favoured by rangers and men. At the other end of the field the prince himself stood alongside an older elf, possibly his mentor. The trio stopped to observe as in one fluid movement Legolas strung two arrows to his bow and let them fly towards his target. The first arrow struck the heart of one straw man; the next embedded itself into the arm of a second on the other side of a tree.
It was a remarkable shot, yet the prince was clearly disappointed. 'I think I misjudged the changing wind direction' he suggested to his companion.
'That might be it, or it could be that your aim was slightly off' came the reply although obviously said in jest.
The trio who had been watching approached. 'You still trying to master the old two arrows at once trick Legolas?' asked Elladan.
In reply, Legolas rapidly fired off a succession of double shots creating two perfectly parallel lines of arrows in a nearby tree. 'The problem, my friend, is splitting the arrows to take out two targets more than 6 feet apart. Do you want to try?' he asked.
'Not, I' said Elladan, my skill with a bow is no match for Mirkwood's finest archer.
'Perhaps Aragorn would like to try' the prince held out his bow to the man. After a moment's hesitation, Aragorn accepted the bow. 'It is a fine weapon' said Aragorn admiring its craftsmanship.
'Amongst my people, it is a tradition that warriors are presented with a gift on reaching maturity. Not merely maturity of age, or of skill, but when it is grasped how to live a compassionate and moral existence in the midst of blood and darkness. This was a gift from my father.' Aragorn nodded although he did not truly understand. It did seem strange that an elf that attacked him unprovoked, and stole his knife, was talking to him of morals and compassion. He would speak of the knife again later.
Legolas handed him a single arrow and pointed to a target that was set well back amongst the trees. 'See the straw man in the hat? It is a hot day, he has not need of it.' Aragorn nodded and notching his arrow took aim and released the projectile. To his credit it struck the straw man but considerably lower than his head. 'Well, you certainly would have ended his chances of fatherhood' smiled Elrohir.
Legolas did not comment. He handed Aragorn another arrow. 'Try again'. Aragorn notched the second arrow and placed the target in his sights. Legolas came up beside him and adjusted the position of a finger on the bowstring, and raised the man's chin a fraction. 'Now listen and feel for the movements in the air. Let your senses guide you.' Aragorn closed his eyes and fancied that he could see the path of the wind between him and the target. He breathed in, opened his eyes and took the shot. The arrow hit the straw man directly between what would have been his eyes. The hat however remained firmly on his head. He handed the bow back to its owner. 'You need more practice' said the prince 'just a couple of thousand years or so'. Then to show what his 2000 years of training had achieved, Legolas sent the hat soaring into the air and punctured it with the three remaining arrows in his quiver before it could hit the ground. Legolas handed his weapon to the steward who took his leave and headed off to retrieve the spent arrows.
Aragorn spied two wooden staffs leaning up against a nearby tree. He picked one up and gave a few practice swings. It was an elegant weapon, and although heavier than he expected, it felt comfortable and well balanced in his hands.
'Hey Thrandullion, let's see what you can do with this' he tossed the second staff to Legolas which he caught easily.
'Oh no,' sighed the twins in unison. 'This will not end well'.
'Do not worry, my cousins. I will go easy on him.' Legolas smiled.
Aragorn faced his foe square on, adjusted his weight and waited for the prince to make the first move. Legolas, held his own staff casually in one hand but there was nothing casual about the look in his eyes. Aragorn had been around elves long enough to know that an attack was imminent and when it came it would be fast. It was. Aragorn felt the strike of the princes' staff against his own before he saw it coming, but he was ready and deflected the blow easily to return it with one of his own. His weight gave him some advantage over the lean elf and was delighted when Legolas momentarily lost his composure and was driven back a step. Any advantage he gained was quickly lost when the elf swung the staff in a low arc forcing Aragorn to leap into the air to avoid his legs being knocked out from under him. In retaliation he swung his own staff at the princes' head only to strike air as the elf deftly rolled to one side and came up behind the ranger landing a blow across his back. Aragorn spun around and thanks to his well-honed reflexes was able to grab the end of Legolas' weapon in one hand as it was about to crack open his skull. The prince allowed himself a smile before he twisted under Aragorn's arm and used the staff as leverage to throw him over his shoulder to lie in an undignified heap at his feet.
The prince stood leaning on his staff, highly amused at the sight of the man lying winded on the ground. He reached down a hand to pull Aragorn to his feet. That was his fatal mistake. In a movement that rivalled anything that the elves were capable of, Aragorn pulled on Legolas' arm with all his might and used his booted feet to catapult the prince over his head. The prince hit the ground with a mighty thud and let out a gasp of pain. Aragorn pushed home the advantage leaping to his feet and thrusting the end of the staff down towards Legolas' face. He stopped with an inch to spare. 'Yield!' He demanded. Legolas eyes were squeezed tightly shut and no words would come from his mouth. Obviously in some pain, all the elf could manage was a feeble gesture with his left hand. It was enough. The prince had yielded to the ranger.
Aragorn turned his back on the fallen elf and looked to his brothers, but any adulation he was expecting did not materialise. The twins pushed past him towards the prince.
'You have dislocated his shoulder,' Elladan scolded his foster-brother.
Aragorn feeling suitably admonished kept his distance whilst his brothers put their field-medicine training into practice quickly snapping the prince's arm back into its socket. Until that moment Aragorn had not appreciated Legolas' extraordinary grasp of Westron curses.
*****
Later Aragorn stopped outside the prince's door and took a deep breath. He knocked. 'Enter ranger' came the reply from within.
'Blasted elf' muttered Aragorn, 'can even see through doors'. He entered the room where Legolas was sitting being tended to by a one of the court healers 'It will be tender for a few days, milord, but there is no permanent damage' stated the physician as he tied off a sling around the prince's neck. The physician gave a respectful bow to Legolas and a casting a dismissive glare at Aragorn left the room,
Legolas stood to acknowledge Aragorn's presence. 'Although we elves have excellent hearing and a well developed sense of smell, we have not yet mastered the art of seeing through solid objects.' This was said without humour and Aragorn didn't know whether to be embarrassed or annoyed that his comment had been overheard. Blasted elf-ears!
He thought it best to simply say what he came to say and then leave as quickly as possible. 'Forgive me Legolas, I did not mean to hurt you'.
Legolas sighed and placed his good arm on Aragorn's shoulder. 'There is nothing to forgive, Aragorn. I should not have underestimated you. You are a fine warrior.'
Aragorn shrugged. 'It seems that you are intent on proving me otherwise'
Legolas gave a sad smile. 'My people are diminishing and the darkness is growing. The fate of Middle Earth now lies in the hands of mankind. In you Aragorn, lies my people's hope for this land, our hope that all we have loved and fought for will continue and not fade with us. Are you Estel?'
Aragorn was beginning to understand. He had been tested, to see if he was worthy of the name the elves had bestowed upon him. Estel - Hope. This was his legacy, although he did not want it. 'I do not know' Aragorn replied, 'but perhaps with the help of my friends, I can be.' Aragorn turned to leave. As he reached the door Legolas called him back. 'Aragorn...'
As he turned back to face the prince he was met by a rush of air as a knife sliced past his head and embedded itself in the door frame. It was only when he turned to see it was his hunting knife quivering beside him that he realised it had nicked the top of his ear drawing blood.
'A gift for you'
Aragorn glared at the prince whose skill was clearly not diminished by having his good arm in a sling.
'Whoops,' said Legolas 'I guess my aim is a little off this morning.'