Disclaimer: I own nothing. All the characters, cultures, places, etc. belong to the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien. The only thing I created was the plot of this fan fiction and a few minor characters. Every recognizable thing was taken from Tolkien's books.
I know this part isn't exactly correct to the books (Arathorn was killed shot in the eye while riding against orcs with the Sons of Elrond, etc.) so please don't mention that; I already know. Please review! N
Mari-Er
An Aragorn and Legolas fan fiction
A black-feathered arrow sang through the night. The long shaft twisted and spun as it flew through the chill night air. It hit the man squarely in the eye. He instinctively threw his arms out to catch his fall, but the force of the blow sent Arathorn tumbling onto his back, and he fell silent--the wooden arrow lodged in his head.
The day itself had begun gloomily; gray clouds billowed in the sky all morning, and the air smelled heavily of rain. They had not minded though; the family had been content in their small cottage where they lived alone in the woods of Western Minhiriath. Orcs seldom bothered them--let alone entered the shade of the trees. Until today. The little family of three had hardly noticed when the unusually large number of orcs entered their clearing. And by the time they had noticed, it was far too late.
Aragorn watched as his father fell in a heap, blood gushing from his eye, and the image sank into his memory. His mother cried out and ran over to the small child, picking him up and cradling him in her pale and slender arms. He gazed fearfully up into her chalky face--her eyes wide and darting--and began to panic. Suddenly her face faded even whiter and she buried his face into her chest, hiding his eyes from the gore. But his ears still heard the sickening ring of steel and the sound of tearing flesh, and he knew his father was no more.
Blinded by tears, Gilraen stumbled through the brush and foliage. The orcs, having finished with the remains of Arathorn, chased the woman and her child, taunting and yelling in their own horrid speech. Gilraen was desperate and tired--her breath falling in and out in great heaves. Finally, she stopped at an old tree and scrambled up its rough bark.
The orcs surrounded them and cursed them in their foul language. They threw sharp rocks and metal--with every blow, Aragorn was held tighter in his mother's grip. The filthy beasts began to hack at the base of the tree and it moaned and creaked beneath Aragorn's trembling, tiny feet.
Suddenly, a rush of wind tore at the tree like a hurricane. A deafening roar ripped at their ears and shook the earth around them until Aragorn was sure the tree would topple to the ground. The orcs began to panic and back away, their eyes wild with fear, and soon they all fled, darting here and there amongst the trees.
An enormous shadow passed over Aragorn's head. He glanced up at the sky and saw a gargantuan winged beast, the head itself as big as a hill, and each scale as large as the boy staring up at it. Its reptilian eyes glowered and scanned the ground--the child and his mother shielded by the limbs of the oak. Steadily, the creature slowed to a pause, and for a moment, it seemed that the beast looked directly at Aragorn, and their eyes locked. Aragorn was filled with a sudden fear and unrest as he stared helplessly in the hardened, lustful eyes of the beast. Then, an instant later, the monster soared off in a whirlwind, leaving Aragorn and Gilraen alone and trembling in the trees.
TBC