"Where can you get axes in this place?!" asked Gimli. "I do need some backups, you know." He looked to Aragorn, as though he knew that Aragorn knew about the black and gold door. Aragorn slowly smiled and led Gimli down a few flights of stairs.

It was a week after the meeting, and Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli and Borin were all packing their belongings, or some of them at least. Gimli was the first to ask for backup weapons, so everyone else followed. When they reached the right door, Aragorn gave Legolas the honor of opening it up. "I'd be obliged to....."

Borin gasped and Gimli let out a small shout when theye entered the 'weapon room'. Then he laughed and said, "There's a lifetime supply!" and invited himslef to only the best of axes his size. Borin and Legolas traveled over to the arrows, and Aragorn said, "I'll be upstairs packing."

Aragorn folded up an extra cloak, and put it neatly into his pack. Since his pack was small, he had to pack carefully. He had only a few extra cloaks and leather pants and vests. There was an extra pair of boots too. Aragorn laid out his weapons (a sword and machettes) on the bed. He sighed, just as there was a knock on the door. He ran over to the door and pulled it open. Lord Elrond stepped in and closed the door behind him. He also sighed and said, "I hope that I am not putting you under pressure, making you go on yet another perilous journey. I just thought that since you are a Ranger, you could handle it all."

Aragorn gave a short smile and breathed out. "I feel honored when I am asked to do the dangerous tasks. It only means that I have potential or that I am the best."

"Yes.....I suppose so.....Aragorn, I was hoping that after you defeat Sauruman," he smiled, "that maybe Elves and Men will live together in one big kingdom. Together as one.....but there is only one thing: as good as a king that I am, I wouldn't be able to handle that many people. There are thousands of Men and a lkot of Elves. I don't know the ways of Men as well as you do." He looked Aragorn straight in the eye. Aragorn understood what Elrond wanted. Aragorn was up to the job of king too.

Aragorn held out a hand so that he could shake Lord Elrond's hand. But suddenly his dream came back to him, and he withdrew. Elrond looked confused and was about to ask, when Legolas and Gimli came barging in. They were packing in Aragorn's room also. And Aragorn was feeling very grateful for them at that moment, because he didn't want to explain anything. Kings, kingdoms, and battle together was a lot for him right now.

Legolas could sense that Aragorn was feeling quite tense. He peered at him as Lord Elrond left and Aragorn stood looking horrified.

"Aragorn, what is on your mind?" asked Legolas quietly.

Aragorn stared for a moment longer until Legolas interrupted his thoughts. Suddenly, his heart began to beat very fast. Was he going to die at the end of a grueling adventure? He certainly hoped not! But then he calmed down.....he was not afraid of death and he wasn't going to be now! Aragorn looked at Legolas and blinked.

"What!? Nothing is wrong, Legolas. The day that something is wrong with me is the day that the world is coming to and end." He smiled at Legolas and swiftly began to pack again. Legolas just shook his head and knew that since Aragorn was troubled, something was going to go wrong sooner or later.

An hour later, all four of them were ready to go. They had a food supply to last them until the Glanduin River, where there was a small village. Each had weapons and clothes, and that was it. When they were told by Lord Elrond that they were leaving tomorrow, Legolas, Aragorn, Borin and Gimli each went their seperate direction again to have some alone time with the ones that they loved and would miss the most.

Aragorn stayed with Lord Elrond to discuss the matters of Aragorn becoming king. The first question he had was, "Where would you want them all to settle together. No place would ever suit both Men and Elves. The Shire is off limits, and Gondor and Mordor are both forest-less. That would make the Elves not too happy. I suppose that Men could live in the Mirkwood Forest though.....what do you say to that? There are not many Elves in Mirkwood anymore, on account of Sauruman and that it wasn't that inhabited in the first place. Would it be big enough?"

Lord Elrond listened patiently to Aragorn and then said, "That's what I was hoping you would come up with. I know that there are numerous amounts of Men and Elves, and I had an idea that-" But Aragorn cut him off. He had suddenly realized something. "There are kings and lords in Gondor and Lorien and many other places. You want Men and Elves to live together, but what you might get is the Elves of Mirkwood and Rivendell and-" And this time Lord Elrond cut him off. "Aragorn, you are not getting this. When you bring back Sauruman, you will have defeated him! Everyone will praise you then! They will do anything to kiss the hands of the person who rung Sauruman's neck! You will become the king of Middle-Earth. You will become the person that you were meant to be.....a long time ago. You will be famous throughout the lands and be told about in stories a thousand years from now." Elrond firmly put a hand on Aragorn's shoulder and waited for a reply. Aragorn nodded and took a step back. "I will be king."