Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Lord of the Rings.
Note: Thanks for the reviews. So we will meet the Dunedain camp today. All of the names of the Dunedain are mine, except for a few. Let's begin. Just a quick note. The timeline might be a bit off and while Aragorn became chieftain at two years old, I made Halbarad chieftain in his absence. I think Halbarad might be younger than Aragorn is but I hope that you will overlook this minor setback.
Aragorn took a deep breath, as he walked behind Glorfindel and Elrohir. Elladan was walking behind him, a light touch on the shoulder, guiding him towards the encampment. The man's keen eyes had already spotted the guards in the trees, as well as the scouts who had traveled on horses to the encampment, to send word of their arrival.
Butterflies were making a home in his stomach and Aragorn was playing with the idea of turning around and going home, hiding under the blankets, like a child once again. Besides the wrath of a very angry elven lord, he would not be able to live with himself if he ever did that.
The camp did not look like any other human village that Aragorn had been to. The tents were small, with the exception of several larger ones. It seemed that people mostly lived outdoors instead of indoors. They all had the same dark hair and the grey eyes that he had, although some sported blue grey eyes, and others green grey eyes. However, the same intense look was present.
They looked weary from living in the wild and even the children seemed wary of the strangers as they entered the small village. Aragorn's eyes traveled back and forth between the people on either side, who had all come out of the small huts to come and see the new arrivals.
They were wary but not afraid or hostile towards him. He sensed a barely suppressed joy and he wondered if they knew. He forced himself to walk with straight shoulders and then took a few steps forward, falling into step beside Glorfindel and Elrohir.
Elrohir immediately fell back to walk next to Elladan and Glorfindel nodded at Aragorn in approval. The man felt his heart swell a little and he raised his head another inch as they began to walk towards the tent standing in the middle of the camp. The tent was bigger then the rest of them and guards had taken position right alongside the tent, with the guards being a young man and an older one.
Then the flaps opened and a man stepped out. Aragorn's eyes widened before they narrowed. He knew this man, having met him once. The tall man with dark hair was somewhat shorter than Aragorn, but stood broad in the shoulders. Grey eyes lifted up to meet Aragorn's own, and the man took two steps forward.
He was dressed in a dark green cloak, loose trousers with velvet dark boots and a dark tunic. The man took two steps forward and then asked in a deep voice which Aragorn remembered from a day in his childhood. "Mea Govannen Glorfindel, it has been a long time since I last saw you. And Elladan and Elrohir Elrondion, you are welcome here."
"We bring a guest, Halbarad, acting chieftain of the Dunedain. I would like to discuss something in private." Glorfindel's voice was soft and Halbarad nodded, glancing at Aragorn before he said.
"Come in and we will break fast together. We will discuss many things."
Halbarad ushered them inside and Aragorn looked around. There was a table set up with bread, soft cheese, meat and several goblets of wine. The rest of the tent was filled with various maps and scrolls and Halbarad gestured for them to sit down.
But before Aragorn could even pick out a chair he wanted to sit upon, Halbarad approached him. "Tell me your name." The older man instructed softly and Aragorn took a deep breath, testing the still unfamiliar name upon his tongue.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn." The younger man eyed the older man before him who stood at arm's length.
"I am Halbarad, acting chieftain of the Dunedain in your absence. I welcome you back to your people, kinsman." Halbarad was looking at Aragorn with a smile before he caught the young man in an embrace. Aragorn could feel the hard muscles against his own and he breathed in the scent of firewood and pipe weed, strange and unfamiliar.
He pulled back and allowed himself to be looked over by Halbarad's keen eyes. "The last time I met you, you were a small child on Elrond's knee. I am glad that you have grown up much. Why have you come, Aragorn?"
"I have come to meet my people." Aragorn felt nervous but he did not want anybody else to answer for him and he took a deep breath, aware of every pair of eyes upon him and continued. "I have come to learn about the Dunedain. I have come to be trained with them and to learn all I can learn to lead them when the time is right."
"You are young to lead us and you have much to learn but tonight we shall celebrate. Isildur's heir has returned to us, our chieftain has come back to lead us."
"You will allow me to lead our people even without testing my abilities?" Aragorn sat down next to Glorfindel. The blue eyes of his mentor were focused upon the table, yet Aragorn knew the elf could hear everything without even having to focus.
Elladan and Elrohir were speaking softly to one another, not wishing to intrude upon the conversation between Aragorn and Halbarad. "We will test your abilities and it might be a while yet before you are ready to lead us. You have much need of experience, some of which we can give you and other of which you need to gather on your own."
"You would have me send away?" Aragorn knew he was asking question after question but he really wanted to know. He needed to know.
"You will remain with us and train. Many of the Dunedain venture out into the wild at one point to go and explore. You will lead patrols but not until you are older and have proven yourself worthy. You will be working along side of me while I will begin to pass on the duties of the chieftain."
Halbarad looked down at his plate and gestured to the others to eat. Aragorn took a slice of cheese, thinking over the words while he munched on it before he said. "There are more villages out there, aren't there?"
Halbarad looked up but the older man looked a little bit sad as he answered. "There are. But our villages are scattered and our people easy targets. Your father died when he was hunting orcs. There were many times in the past few years when I wished that we had survived but we have dwindled greatly. Many orcs still hunt us and the children born to us often do not survive the first few years. You bring us great hope by returning to us."
"Are all the villages up north? Does Gondor even know that the Dunedain are still alive?"
"Gondor knows but the steward reigns there. They are busy protecting their own borders from the things that still live in Mordor and from enemy lands. The northern kingdom has been destroyed and the Dunedain are the last survivors but even our life span has greatly dwindled."
"Is there nothing we can do?" Aragorn was distressed. He felt Glorfindel's hand on his own but he pulled it away as he began to realize that he could not protect his people from the things they faced.
"No. We can protect our people to the best of our abilities but because of the vastness of the land. Our people are scattered and these are dark times. The orcs overcome our camps when they see them and we do not have enough warriors to protect everybody. Our sons do not have enough numbers to raise an army. The elves have to protect their own, there is nothing we can do, Aragorn."
The man sighed heavily and he once more felt Glorfindel's hand over his own. This time he didn't pull away. Aragorn glanced up and then asked.
"Do you know these lands well?"
"I know them like the back of my hand. It has been many years since we came across this patch of land and made it our own. We have kept it safe from the orcs who come across this valley and we receive aid from Rivendell when we have need of it. I think in time you will know these lands better then anybody else alive."
Aragorn sighed again and he glanced up at Halbarad. The older man was smiling at him. "You worry about your people. This is good, Aragorn. I have a feeling that in your time, the rangers will once more become a noble breed. Long have we been mistrusted by the other people but we have not forgotten where we have come from. Long years may still be before you but in the end, the reward will be sweet."
"I still have a long way to go. Elrond has said that my road will be long and I will toil harder then any other men. This is not an encouraging thought; I do hope that he will realize that." Aragorn took a sip of his wine, his heart slowing down as he felt the brief touch of Glorfindel's mind upon his own.
It soothed him a little as Glorfindel said. "Elrond is wise and he has a touch of the foresight. In time it may prove to come to pass or it may not. But the fact remains that you still have much to learn. However, as Halbarad has said, tonight there is a change for a celebration."
And as Aragorn met the smile from across the table he knew that in the upcoming months he would train and live with his people and in time he would set out on his own again to explore the lands of the north and perhaps in time Gondor and Rohan as well but for now, they would celebrate the fact that he had returned to his people.
I hope you liked it. The next chapter will be when Aragorn leaves the Dunedain for a few months to do some exploring on his own. He will catch up with Gandalf during that time too. Review of course.