Aragorn walked slowly though the palace's halls and occasionally glanced out the windows to view the sunny courtyard. The night before, after reporting back to Eldarion, he had retired to his room and slept. He dreamed of many things, including a small visit from the Valar. They told him that he was doing a good job and suggested that he speak privately with Alcarohtarë. What they wanted him to speak with her about they never said except that he would know. Aragorn had awoken more confused that when he went to sleep. So now he was wandering around the palace thinking and keeping an eye out for Alcarohtarë. Reaching out, his fingertips brushed against the cold stone of the hallway. Memories lived in these stones, memories that he remembered clearly as if they occurred the day before; his children's peals of laughter as he chased them around the halls and swung them up into the air. A smile flittered across his lips when he recalled his daughter's squeal of excitement when her arrow hit the target's bull's eye for the first time.
A similar squeal brought his attention to a window overlooking a small garden. Glancing out, he spied Alcarohtarë spinning in the garden with her arms wide open and beaming smile on her face. Aragorn quickly descended the stairs and stepped into the sunlight and tilted his head upward towards the sun. He understood why elves loved to be out in the open and not in buildings or enclosed rooms. The sunlight seemed to flow trough his body and he could feel life swirling around him. Sighing happily, he dropped his gaze and slowly walked towards Alcarohtarë.
"May I ask what has caused such a thrill of excitement in you, my lady?" he asked to catch Alcarohtarë's attention.
"Lord Renatus, forgive me, I did not see you there," Alcarohtarë said as she held a hand to her chest.
"I did not mean to intrude. I will leave if you wish for privacy."
"Nay, please, come and join me. I always welcome a new mind to talk with. I seem to have picked my brother's clean," she laughed and gestured to a bench.
"Your mother use to love coming to this garden. She would spend hours upon hours here reading a book or just listening to nature around her," Aragorn commented as he looked around at the lush plants.
"Some of my earliest memories consist of playing here with my mother and father when father was not working," Alcarohtarë said softly and dropped her gaze.
"Is something wrong, my lady?" Aragorn asked, noticing her downcast gaze.
"Nay, at least I do not hope so. I am reminded of the stories I read and hear about that tell about the trials my parents went through to be together. I find myself in a similar situation."
"How so?"
"Do you vow to not speak of it with my brother?"
Aragorn nodded as he twisted around to face Alcarohtarë to give her his full attention. He could see that she needed to speak to someone about what troubled her.
"This letter is from my love. He and I have known each other for about eight years. We started to become close after my father passed away and the bond has only gotten stronger. I find myself wishing I was in his arms every moment of every day. He once told me that when he is with me he sees our world in a grain of sand, and the Undying lands in a wild flower. To hold infinity in the palm of his hand, an eternity in an hour. I am wrapped in his love and I could never feel safer," she said softly as the look of love danced across her face.
Aragorn felt his heart swell in pride and happiness as he listened to his daughter. She was in love and it sounded as if the young man loved her back. Along with his feelings of pride and happiness he had the overwhelming urge to find this blacksmith and make sure that he knew if he ever hurt his daughter that he would suffer horribly. But Aragorn knew that it was his fatherly instincts talking and he had seen the effects of Elrond's protectiveness of his daughter. If his daughter truly loved his man, than he would not stand in the way of their happiness. He wished that he could have stayed and been able to walk her down the aisle but he couldn't do that without revealing who he was. So many wishes and desires that he wanted but none could be done.
"And what is the problem, my lady?"
"He is a blacksmith. I find myself in the same situation that my parents were in. We are of two different classes and my brother would not approve in my choice of loves. We are two star crossed lovers lost amid all the clouds."
"That is very similar to what your parents went through but I will give you a bit of advice that Aragorn once gave me. It does not matter who you love, it only matters that there is love. If he be a blacksmith, a soldier, a merchant, or a wander as…Aragorn once was, then if he is the one you love then do not let go. So few find their true loves in their life time than once you find them do not ever let go. If your brother does not approve then you do not need his approval for your feelings, for they are your feelings, not his," Aragorn stated truthfully as he watched his daughter.
"What kind of trials did my parents go through?"
"Many, my lady. They were on two different sides of lives. Lady Arwen was an elf, the Evenstar of her people; Aragorn was a man, Isildur's heir, and a Ranger of the North. Upon their first meeting, Aragorn knew he loved Arwen but Lord Elrond forbid any relationship. He was trying to protect his daughter from the bitterness of mortality. When her love for the Ranger refused to wane, Elrond turned to Aragorn. The elf lord told him that Arwen will marry the King of Gondor Arnor and nothing else. It was what she deserves and has earned, he said."
"I have been told that Ada did not want to take the throne."
Aragorn sighed and allowed himself to retreat into the memories. He clearly remembered the shock he felt upon hearing Elrond's demand. The anger, sorrow, and guilt that plagued him and seemed to shadow any other feeling he had. But then, his marriage day, the joy, and the happiness he saw in Arwen's eyes made everything worth it.
"Nay, Aragorn did not want the throne of Gondor. He knew of what his forefathers did before him. Evil was allowed to roam these lands free because of Isildur's folly. And Isildur's blood ran through Aragorn's veins along with his weakness. He did not want the responsibility; he did not want to fail," Aragorn said quietly as his old demons of self-doubt resurfaced.
"My father seems to have more layers to him than I was aware of," Alcarohtarë commented sadly and picked slightly at her dress.
"Your father was a very complex man, Lady Alcarohtarë. But he loved your mother, you, and your siblings very much. You would scream and he chased away your fears, you cried and he gently wiped away your tears before righting what was wrong. And he loved your mother more than life itself and Valar bless her, she loved him back just as much. He did not deserve her though."
"I beg your pardon?" Alcarohtarë questioned, offended that Renatus would imply such a thing about her father.
Aragorn smiled at her offended tone. Her temper was quick to ignite just like his once was upon a time. Specific buttons had to be pushed for his temper to rise. He could see more of himself in Alcarohtarë every day that he interacted with her.
"I do not say this to insult him. Only that it was true. She once was a star just out of his reach that he could only love and admire from afar. She was the most beautiful of her people, a maiden; and he was a scruffy Ranger who had more scars upon his body than you could count. But they loved each other and that was all that mattered."
Alcarohtarë nodded and turned her gaze back towards the garden. She was quietly mulling over his words and applying it to her situation. Her love for her blacksmith was true; she felt it in her heart and soul. She wanted to run out of the citadel, leap into her love's arms, and never leave. Aragorn smiled and stood as he glanced towards the bright blue sky.
"I shall be leaving you now, my lady. I need to speak with your brother and discuss what to do about the Corsairs. Enjoy this glorious day."
Aragorn bowed and silently departed the garden and went into the Citadel again. His eyes adjusted quickly to the dimness as he walked now with a purpose. His legs took him to the throne room where he imagined Eldarion would be. Nodding to the occasional guard, he moved to the heavy double doors with a guard on each side. They opened the doors to allow him entrance and he heard the raised voices ahead of him as he walked in. A large table was to the side of the room with maps, papers, and books spread out on top. Eldarion paced in the middle of the room as several advisors stood stoically to the side and watched their king. Aragorn's son was expertly twirling a dagger in one hand as his other hand occasionally waved in the air.
"Lord Renatus saw the Corsairs' ship! He heard them conspiring against the people of Gondor!" Eldarion yelled and continued to pace.
"How do we know that we can trust this elf? We know nothing of him except his name and where he comes from," Iorlas snapped with his arms folded into his robes.
"Lord Legolas was there as was Lord Gimli! Are we to doubt them? My father trusted them with his life and that is enough for me to them also! Renatus included!"
Aragorn stood silently behind a stone column and watched the exchange between king and advisors. He remembered Iorlas from when he had been one of Aragorn's advisors. A good man with a sharp mind but wary of new things and new people.
"Your father was a fool."
Everyone's head snapped around to look for the speaker. A dark haired man stepped out from behind other advisors to enter his king's field of vision. Aragorn's eyes narrowed at his first glance of the advisor. Instinctively, he didn't like the young man. Eldarion's eyes also narrowed as he slowly walked towards the other young man. If Legolas had been there and knew who Renatus really was, he would have laughed hysterically at the family resemblance.
"And why do you say that, Dervarin?" Eldarion asked with a low, deadly voice.
"He was a fool for not dealing with the Corsairs when he had the chance."
"He chose not to kill hundreds of people unless every other option had been explored. War is not a solution, only a new problem."
"He did not kill hundreds of people because he was weak! The Corsairs are ignored by this kingdom because Elessar did not want to jeopardize his comfy and high seat above everyone else."
Faster than Aragorn's elven eyes could follow, Eldarion had his hand wrapped around the other man's throat and lifted him a few inches off the ground. The dagger was pressed dangerously against Dervarin's jugular as Eldarion's grip tightened. Fire burned brightly and deadly in the king's eyes as his stare seared through the man.
"You would do best to hold you tongue, Dervarin. Keep in mind that the only reason you are here is because you saved my sister's life and you are a skilled soldier. If you dare to disrespect my father again then I will have you thrown out of the city. And you will refer to him as King Elessar. Am I clear?" Eldarion snarled as Dervarin nodded slightly against the king's grip.
Eldarion released his hold and turned his back to the advisors.
"All of you, leave," Eldarion commanded quietly with his head bowed.
The men filed out and the sound of the closing door echoed in the large throne room. Aragorn watched as Eldarion turned to the table and braced his hands on the table top. He stared at the papers and shuffled through them with hands as Aragorn stepped out from behind the column. The dagger that resided at the king's hip was quickly in his hand ready to throw when he perceived movement.
"Lord Renatus, I did not see you there. I apologize," Eldarion stated and slipped the dagger back into its sheath.
"I should beg your pardon, my king. I did not mean to sneak up on you."
Eldarion waved him forward and looked back to the documents and maps on the table. Aragorn glanced at the items on the table and picked up one of the books to read the spine.
"'Diplomatic Warfare'? There is nothing diplomatic about warfare, never was," Aragorn said and tossed the book onto the table.
"But sometimes war is a fact of life. A fact that I despise with my entire being. My father told me how ugly war is; the lives needlessly lost. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields where Rohirrim and the Dúnedian of the North lost their lives with Gondor soldiers, the battle of the Hornburg, and countless other bloody battles that I have been told of."
Aragorn bowed his head in memory and respect of those who lost their lives at those battles. He remembered the cold rain at Helm's Deep and the screams of dying men and elves. How those screams haunted him some nights when sleep eluded him. He had seen the Nazgul's winged creatures sweep down thirty men in one pass. The shock he felt when he saw Eowyn slay the Witch King was still fresh in his memory. Swallowing hard, he lifted his head and locked gazes with Eldarion.
"Those battles were very bloody, yes. But they were unavoidable, as if this matter with the corsairs. The Corsairs have never liked Minas Tirith, or Gondor for that matter. They are good fighters but do not do so fairly. Their only goal is to win by any means necessary," Aragorn supplied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Meaning they fight dirty."
Aragorn chuckled as he nodded, a whisper of a smile upon his lips. Eldarion looked to everything on the table and waved a dismissive hand to it.
"Then all this is useless. These books and papers describe how a war should be fought not how it really is fought. I can find no good descriptions on any wars or battles that my father fought in. He kept no accounts either."
Aragorn smiled sadly and new what he needed to do. Looking at his son, he knew that it was time.
"Walk with me, my king. I shall tell you a story," Aragorn said and motioned for the king to follow.
Eldarion looked curiously at him but followed as they slowly walked from the throne room. Aragorn clasped his hands behind his back and watched the floor as they walked along, wondering where to begin.
"Your father traveled across many lands when he was still alive and saw many battles. When Lord Elrond told him of his heritage, he started a journal. A record of all he saw, who he met on the road, and countless other things which he wrote about. He also wrote about battles and wars he had participated in or watched. He knew that you cannot fight fairly if your opponent is not fighting fairly. So, on occasion, he had to fight dirty to keep his kingdom safe. In his journal he describes the battles, ploys, soldier movements, and ever sketched out diagrams. Some of it is vague but mostly detailed."
"That journal would help me greatly if it still existed," Eldarion commented softly as they turned down another hall.
"It does exist."
"Where is it then? It is not in the library or with my father's things."
"He hid it. This journal contained all his thoughts and emotions from learning of his heritage until he was unable to write any longer. If it fell into the wrong hands then it could be used against you or the next descendent or the entire kingdom and he did not want hat. So, he hid it away."
Aragorn stopped in front of a door and Eldarion realized that they had arrived at the doors to his sleeping chambers. The room use to be his parents while they were king and queen and he had moved in eventually after about a year. They fond family memories were still too fresh at the time and it took him several months for him to be able to walk into the room without a wave of grief washing over him. Aragorn glanced to Eldarion for permission to enter his chambers and slowly opened the door upon receiving a nod. The room looked just as he remembered except for a few small differences. Slipping out a small dagger, Aragorn walked to the desk in the center of the room and knelt on the ground. Tracing his fingertips across the hard wood before finding the specific board. Sliding the blade into the slit between two boards, he pried the board up and set it aside. Reaching into the dark space, he pulled out a wrapped bundle and stared at it for a moment remembering the night he had hid the bundle. It had been raining, the room was dark except for the crackling fire, and his wife was down in the banquet hall waiting for him to join the festivities.
Aragorn slowly untied the twine holding the bundle together, and pulled aside the flaps of worn leather. The bundle contained his thick journal, diagrams of battles, personal notes on weaponry and armor, battle plans thought up late into the night, and his most inner thoughts that he shared with almost no one. Standing, he looked up to Eldarion before sighing.
"While you read this, please, do not judge your father by his comments, thoughts, and actions. He did what he needed to do to protect his life, family, and kingdom. Despite what some people may think, he was only a man. A great man, but a man nonetheless."
Aragorn handed his son his life written down. Pausing for only a moment, he turned and started to leave the room.
"Renatus."
Aragorn stopped and turned back to Eldarion. The king's eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he looked to the elf.
"Yes, my king?"
"Thank you. You have given me back a piece of my father and I thank you for that."
Aragorn bowed and left silently to leave his son with his father's memoirs.
To see your world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower. To hold infinity in the palm of your hand, An eternity in an hour.—William Blake
()()()()()()()()()()
Well, there is the new chapter. I hope everyone likes it. I do not think I made you wait that long for this chapter. At least I hope I did not. If I did then I am truly sorry but that is what I get for working on three stories at once on this site and two more on other sites. I actually finished this chapter on the 9th of August in Charleston but I did not have internet access so I could not post it. So you are getting it on the…15th, I think. Heehee, Linuvial Greenleaf was probably losing her mind while I was gone. Anyhow, review for me and it will make me write a lot faster.
Oh, and everyone should go and read Linuvial Greenleaf's new fic 'Dementia of Love'; it is marvelous story with a plot line that I really have not read anywhere before. It has the normal elf and ranger angst but there is a new twist in it that will shock you. So go and read it.
Linuvial Greenleaf- I swear, every time I talk to you I blush really badly. No, I do not intend to kill off Alcarohtarë. That would just be far too mean, even for me. Right now, Legolas has a grudging respect for Renatus/Aragorn; things will be strained but they will try to be civil towards each other. Cat fight between the two elves with the dwarf watching and taking bets…yeah, I can see that. Legolas as Thomas Bourne is enough to make any girl swoon. Do not think I have ever swooned over a guy. Highly doubt it. Hopefully, I can get me a really short cable and be able to get online down here in the hotel so we can talk again! But not sure if that will work.
Got-lotr- YEAH! You have computer access! Cheers for you! Sugar is good to be high on. I hope I updated soon enough; I try really hard to get new chapters up speedily.
Kelly Kragen- I have several ideas on how Legolas will find out but I have not yet decided on which one I am going to chose. It would have to be such an emotional scene when I do write it. Gah, I can not wait now to write it. The ending…I really do not know how I will end it. Probably a bittersweet ending. Not depressing but not happy either. Arwen will not appear; I highly doubt that I will have Eldarion and Alcarohtarë find out about Renatus. At the end of the story, they may have suspicions but nothing confirmed. But that could change with the way that my mind works. Enjoy!
I missed the last boat- I just have to say first off that your penname is hilarious. Very unique. Thank you very much for the compliment and you are making me blush over here. I just have a huge load of different types of angst in this story, do I not? I never liked writing stories that the characters have everything easy. I want pain, heartache, danger, trails (as in tests of the sort), I want them to go through the emotional trauma to make them worthy of something and I feel as if this story as captured that; and the entire emotional side of Aragorn's conflicts. Slight tension will be there but I do not think that I will create any fist fights. Maybe a sparring session that gets a bit out of hand but that would be about it. Until next time. Cheers!
Cloud-123- They are, finally; men just can not get along easily, can they? Must be that damn y chromosome.
LOTRFaith- Mental pain is the best! Heehee. I still have to pound out some of the more finer details but I am sure that it will be very emotional, whatever I write.
Elysia of Corellia- I AM SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! There was a hurricane, a tornado, a flood, my car broke down, my laptop broken down, I could not find anymore pens in the house, and my cat ate all the paper! IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!!! Heehee, (clears throat) anyway. I really so love getting long reviews. It lets me know that my readers like to talk to me and value my opinion on topics. My laptop is my baby; if my parents want to see me more during the days then I bring my laptop down to the living room and work on it there. I am an internet whore; sometimes I am and other times not. Some days I do not want to even get near my laptop; like the days that it pisses me off and I want to throw it out of the window.
But see, now he has a fresh, brand new body to batter up and put some miles on it. Which he will just have to do. See how much damage he can do to it. I bet the Valar are just over there on Valinor watching all of this and shaking their heads. One of the Valar: "And that was a rental." I swear, I am so evil to Aragorn and Legolas and the entire Gondor kingdom. And of course he is not going to listen to the other people to keep him safe, of course he is going to run head first into a mess with the Corsairs; if he did not then he would not be our loveable Ranger on the inside. An Aragorn twin running around…hmmmm. Definitely scary. But I really would not mind having two Aragorns. Oh, bad Spades.
I love reading your reviews, I really do. They are hilarious. And I am now going to go and hide behind something or hide in a bomb shelter to avoid Carcharoth and Elysia. It seems to be about two weeks when it takes me to get these chapters up but hey! There is good news! An Ancient Bond and Order of Glaurung are about to end and then this will be my only story. I have the sequel to An Ancient Bond in the works but I will not post that one until I have several chapters of it already written. So this one and my other two will be the only stories that I will have to work on. I may be able to get the new chapters out quicker. Does that save me from Carcharoth? (Spades reads the last bit before taking off an leaving a dust behind) HELP ME! Heehee, later hon.
Wolf Jade- Thank you so much for the compliments. I love reading them. I have learned to not say the next chapter will be out shortly because it usually is not. Something comes up and I get delayed and it takes me a while to write so I just say it is in the works. Ah, but Aragorn is really not an elf from the woodland realm. This new elf body is brand new to him and does not know what he can and can not do yet. The next few chapters will probably have a few funny moments when he realizes these small things.
Roccovende- What do you do at band camp? Just play your instrument and learn how to march? I am completely in the dark about band camp so you will have to enlighten me a bit. Well enjoy the new chapter and I hope you enjoyed your nice hot bath.
Sielge- I hope I made your day with this new chapter. I know I made my day with it. Enjoy!
Elven Kitten- He wants to tell him but he can not! It would just be wrong and cruel to divulge that information and then have to leave again. I have several ideas thought out about how they will learn but I have no decided on one yet. Namarie to you too!
Elvendancer- I can believe it about male ballet dancers. A lot of guys do not do it because the stereotypical thought is that all male ballet dancers are gay which is totally stupid but hard to dispel. Oh well, it is 12:16 while I am typing out these responses. I am just a night-owl; no one can change that. Enjoy!
Viviana- Thank you so much for the compliment. Stop, you are making me blush over here. Hope I did not make you wait too long for the update. Enjoy!
Jeffo- I thank you for your offer to help but I think that I am doing fine just on my own with my own references. My first mistake was because of The 'O' in 'Onen' had an accent mark above it and did not recognize it so it did not load when I posted the chapter. The second "mistake" is actually correct my way. I have researched it through my books and through other people that have learned the language. And I would really appreciate it if you did not post ads for your website on reviews. That is just rude and tacky. But I thank you for reviewing and have a good day.
Grumpy- Thank you for the compliment. Legolas is going to seem really ditsy in this story; it will be hilarious. This story is going to have a lot of twists and turns in it. I can not wait until I have it all written out.
Beling- Legolas just continued to dodge right around the real answer but that a male for you. I would beg the Valar too to give him back a few more hundred years but I think the plea would be denied. Just call it a hunch. Might be just a touch too much, though.
Uineniel- Thank you so much for the compliment. No, Renatus is not elvish. It is Latin meaning 're-born'. I had looked at the names in Elvish for 're-born' but none of them caught my eye and then I saw Renatus for Latin and it really struck me as a good name. So, I just put that in there and said that it was Elvish when really it is Latin.
Neoinean- Thank you so much for the compliment. I will try my hardest to keep up the excitement and good work. Cheers!
Dha-Gal- I am being so mean to Aragorn/Renatus in this story but it is just so much fun. Heehee.
Kalquelle- Those two are getting close to wanting to hurt each other; it is almost getting funny. My email addy is eeb1100 at I hope you can read this once I upload it. I really do.
