Chapter 17 (Present) – Failed King part 2

Isildur smirked and suddenly Aragorn found himself sitting in his throne, two guards holding a peasant by the arms in a kneeling position.

"This man was found insulting your rule in one of the pubs. Now he stands trial before you. What shall be the punishment?" the predecessor stood beside the King.

Just like at the meeting, only Elessar was able to hear and see him. Something he was grateful to.

"For that? Nothing more than a night in the stables," the former Ranger looked at the shadow with confused eyes.

Isildur shook his head and said: "This is how you will have to enforce law and order. Let him go, and other will think you weak. He must be made an example of."

"I will not kill for such trivial reasons," their conversation seemed to happen only in the King's head as no one even knew he was speaking.

"Alright then. Not killed but still… How about banished?"

A look of disbelieve was plastered on Aragorn's face as he heard that. Banish someone for this? It is simply unbelievable.

"What sort of punishment is this?! What he has done is nothing to acquire such a severe sentence!"

"He must be made an example of! If you do nothing, then others will grow bold as well and Gondor would fall into chaos! You accepted my help remember? You can not go back now."

"No! This is not what I agreed upon. Only that you would help me make the correct decisions!"

"Then what is this? This is also a curtail decision! How naïve are you?"

"This is a death sentence! I will not go through with this!"

"You stupid, ignorant brat!" the shadow hissed and Elessar found the throne room gone and he was back in the white void.

"You think you can be the good hearted King and still expect others to follow you? No! They think you too weak to lead them!"

"You lie! I have seen the brave men of Gondor follow me to the Black Gates!"

"They followed you because they wanted to protect themselves! It would not have mattered who it was!"

"You keep saying we are the same! Yet I have yet to be called mad by my own allies! I can't believe I agreed to this…" he breathed in shame and closed his eyes.

"If you do not accept me willingly, then I shall do it by force!" and at that, cracks appeared in the null. Soon it started collapsing, now small now large parts started crumbling and falling into the nothingness.

"What have you done?!" Aragorn turned around and watched in horror.

"From this moment forth, I am King of Gondor," Isuldur's eyes were white as his shadowy appearance started deforming and flowing towards the King.

Panic flashed in Elessar's eyes as he tried to move, but found his feet rooted to some sort of surface. Soon after, his hands and legs were gripped by the shadow mist and pulled separate. He could feel as another shadow went under his shirt and up to his neck, gripping him, but not enough to keep the air from his lungs.

"Now, you just stay put while I take care of matters," the predecessor re-formed and checked the heir over.

When he saw the anger and hatred in Aragorn's eyes, his smirk grew wider as his arm deformed again: "But worry not. I would not have you miss it," and from the shadow arm, a circle was formed. A dark one, which had a small light dot in the middle.

The light dot soon started to grow bigger and bigger until it covered the circle, with only the edge covered in darkness.

Isildur motioned with his head to the circle, grinning. The shadow that held his neck loosened a bit, but only enough so he could turn his head. Swallowing, the former Ranger looked towards the light and dark before horror filled his eyes.

Through the circle, he saw the same peasant from the throne room, the same guards and the same position.

"W-What is this? What have you done?" his voice was trembling.

"You will be able to see everything, as though through your own eyes. Anything that happens, you will know, you will feel, smell, hear, taste and see. There is only one thing different now."

When Aragorn remained silent, he continued: "You are now a prisoner of your own mind. I shall be taking over your body, to do what you were too weak to."

"No! You can't!" he started pulling on his restrains, trying to break free. He could not allow this mad man to control his body!

"I already have," and with that, the shadow around his neck tightened, but still loose enough to allow breathing. The other four around his arms and legs tightened and stretched so he feared they'd tear him apart.

When the extension stopped, he gritted his teeth as his limbs burned. Now even breathing was an effort.

"If you will excuse me, my Lord," Isildur smirked and did a mock bow, before vanishing from the shattered null, leaving the King.

Taking a few deep, calming breaths as best he could, Elessar turned his gaze at the circle when he heard a guard ask: "What is your decision my Lord?"

"Hang him," came his voice, but it was not Aragorn who spoke those words.

The former Ranger would have grabbed and even fought them he not been restrained as his eyes showed pain and defeat. It was his entire fault… How could he have been so weak?

The two guards looked at each other and then back at their King. The peasant was trembling with fear as he heard his sentence.

"Are you sure my Lord?" one of them asked.

"Yes and you will be joining him," his voice hissed. "Guards!" he called and three men walked in, bowed and waited for the order.

"Take this present and the guards to the dungeons. They will hang tomorrow afternoon," he ordered as everyone looked wide eyed.

Without a word, the three men grabbed their allies and the peasant and dragged them out of the throne room.

"This is how you enforce order, Aragorn," a voice he knew spoke beside him. He didn't even bother to look at him, but kept his gaze on the circle.

"Oh, come now. Do not tell me you feel pity for them?" The King didn't answer.

The shadow frowned and disappeared without saying another thing.

This was simply unreal… Everything he had done to be different, to not fail Gondor as the King, has been destroyed. His worst fear has become reality. No matter how much he tried, he could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was as if a powerful dark force kept him from seeing the light… or was it simply that there was no light in this pit of darkness and doom?

He had accepted the help of a man he knew brought noting but despair and destruction. He had been so weak, to allow this man to take him prisoner in his own mind and have control of his body. His closest friend and advisor had turned against him. And he hadn't even told Arwen about this… for he was too scared on what she might think.

That he had gone mad? That he is playing her for a fool? That he was never the man she thought him to be…

And that's when it hit him. Arwen! She had no idea of what was happening! She would not know that it is not Elessar, but Isildur that is in control. She would hate and despise him for actions he had not committed…

And then the light in the circle flickered as it showed that Aragorn's body was moving. But where it planned to go, he didn't know.

Back in reality, Aragorn's body started shaking as he tried to shift from the position he was in. Without even knowing what was happening around him, he wanted to be freed from it, as it was most uncomfortable. Both of his hands were tied tightly by a rope around his wrists and around two thick trees nearby, as his feet hardly touched the ground. Beside him were, in a similar fashion, Faramir, Dona and Eomer, each seemed to be asleep.

Around them floated many shadows, each staring with their eyeless faces at their pray. And when they saw the movement of resistance with Strider, another one flew so it only inches away from him.

"Hisss love… will be hisss undoing…" it spoke, voice cold as ice but dripping with poison. A second later, it started to force its way into the King's body, through his nose and mouth until it fully vanished from sight.

But with its entry, a whole new world of pain, fear and despair opened to Strider as he was about to experience a living nightmare.

To be continued, in Failed King part 3