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Tales of Life  by Aelaer

Well. This was difficult to write. For some reason the encounter in the palantír seems easier for me to write in movie-verse rather than book-verse (which I did in an unpublished ficlet of mine). The strength he must have had to wrestle the stone away from Sauron's grasp... well, I can only hope I did it some justice.


Prompt 34: Enemy
Ficlet: The Palantír
Rating: G
The Hornburg, March 6th, 3019

"'It was a bitter struggle, and the weariness is slow to pass. I spoke no word to him, and in the end I wrenched the Stone to my own will.'" ROTK, The Passing of the Grey Company

When Aragorn came to awareness, he found himself in nothingness. It was darker than a moonless night, and there was no sound as he took his first steps through the darkness. The shadows were dense and suffocating, and he found it difficult to breathe. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on peaceful thoughts and memories of light to help him through the unnatural dark.

He suddenly felt warmth on his brow, and light was starting to become evident behind his lids. Opening his eyes, he found that a small, but strong light came from his temple. Gently touching his forehead, Aragorn found that he adorned the Elendilmir and that the light came from it.

Before he could contemplate further on this discovery, the darkness was suddenly broken with a burst of fire. Now before the heir of Isildur stood the Lidless Eye, its flames encompassing his whole vision. Aragorn held his ground against the terrifying vision, staring unblinking into the black slit of its pupil.

A murmur of the Black Speech danced around the room with the flames, but the man paid no heed to the terrorizing, mocking tune and rather focused his will on the vision before him.

"Who are you that dares to challenge me?" echoed through his mind, but he said naught in reply. Rather he took a step forward, daring the Lord of Mordor to come see for himself. The slit grew larger, the black abyss of the pupil even darker as He took in the challenge the man before him presented.

Aragorn drew Andúril swiftly, and the Dúnadan could see that the Dark Lord recognized the blade. The murmur of Black Speech grew louder and angrier, and Isildur's heir could see images of older days playing in parts of the fire. Images of destruction and death covered in words of hatred and despair spun about him, and he nearly stumbled from the onslaught. Nonetheless he held his ground, and took another step forward, his blade out in front of him. Another step and he was closer to the abyss of the pupil of the Eye.

The words grew even louder, and the fiery images surrounding him came to life with sound. Screams of terror and cruel laughter mixed with the Black Speech formed a haunting melody that drowned his thoughts and made him stumble. The laughter became louder and echoed through his heart.

However, he did not despair. With a deep breath he straightened, rushed forward, and stabbed the darkness of the pupil straight through. A dark, angry yell broke through the Black Speech, and the images around him started to fade.

Suddenly the fire and shadow was gone, and there was nothing. With another deep breath, Aragorn regained his thoughts and then directed them to the Stone. And the Stone obeyed.


Aragorn was sadly not very descriptive in what Sauron looked like, but seeing as Frodo saw the Eye in Galadriel's mirror, and everyone references his Eye roving about, it seemed appropriate that he would be a, well, Eye looking in the palantír.





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