Chapter 10 - Musings
Aragorn was wearing a path into the floor of his study. The rhythmic tapping of his boots on the marble floor echoed around him, but he was unaware of it. He had been pacing for the better part of the day his thoughts circling through his mind at a frenzied pace as he did so and yet, he was getting absolutely nowhere, either with his walking or his musings.
Legolas had left Minas Tirith over a fortnight ago and Aragorn felt like his hands were tied. Aragorn had then watched Alcandir ride out of sight several days later, his feelings of control vanishing with the departing bounty hunter.
It was a seldom occurrence for the King of Gondor to feel as though a situation had spiraled out of his control. He hated feeling helpless. He wanted to be moving. He wanted to know what was happening to his friend. He should have been the one to go after Legolas and bring him back.
He understood and generally agreed with his advisors. It would be a death sentence for Legolas, as well as himself, if he were to set foot inside Harad. If they didn’t know who they had in their possession right now, they definitely would the second they saw the King of Gondor and his entourage coming toward their city.
Yet, it was taking all of Aragorn’s self control to stay within the White City. There was a pull on his heart, urging him out of the safety of his realm. There was also a nagging whisper in the back of his mind pushing him to hurry. So why was it that he was fighting the urging and nagging?
Have I become so bound by duty to my people that it outweighs my duty to a friend?
It was this thought that ate at Aragorn the most. His duty and loyalty to Legolas. He knew that if it were him that had been taken that Legolas would have probably retrieved him by now. He wouldn’t have let the words of some haughty advisors discourage him from pursuing his friend. He wouldn’t have sent someone in his place to rescue the one time ranger.
Why do these thoughts plague my mind?
Aragorn knew that his friend understood the feeling of being tied down by royal duty. When the pair was younger and traveling Middle Earth together Legolas had always had the burden of obligation to his family and realm. It was this obligation that had probably kept the pair out of getting into more trouble than they had. It was also this duty that had caused so much strife between Legolas and his father, the result of which Aragorn had been witness to many times. Standing side by side with Angrod, as the King and Prince of Mirkwood argued over the latter’s wish for more freedom.
Holding Angrod back had proven to be just as difficult. Angrod and Legolas had been friends for ages, long before Aragorn had even been a twinkle in his parent’s eyes. Angrod had a fierce loyalty to his Prince and sitting on his hands was not something that he was accustomed to and Aragorn was certain that the dark elf was mimicking his actions in a room just down the hall.
Aragorn’s head began to ache as he continued to shove the nagging voice further into the back of his mind. His hands pained him from being clutched so tightly at his sides
Soon after Alcandir had departed, Aragorn had sent a rider to inform Faramir of the disappearance of their friend. He had a difficult time coming up with the words to explain what exactly had occurred, for he himself wasn’t even sure. How did one go about explaining all that had happened in a mere letter? It had take the King hours to come up with the appropriate words and even once he had completed the letter it still didn’t seem adequate.
Of course it didn’t take long for Faramir to show up inside the White City once he had received the message and it was no less than Aragorn had expected. The steward had dove right into work in an effort to relieve some of the pressure and stress that Aragorn was feeling and the King was grateful for the aid. From the day the two men had met Faramir had always been a loyal friend and steward to Aragorn and never was it more appreciated than at this moment.
It was not necessary to send word to Eomer, the King of Rohan was already en route to Minas Tirith. He had planned to escort some new horses to the White City and in the process have some time to visit with his friends and sister. The trip had been planned several months ago and Eomer was expected to arrive within the next few days.
This was not a conversation that Aragorn looked forward to. Eomer and Legolas had developed an unusual, amusing friendship. It was one formed by their combined goal during the war of the ring, but made strong due to the aggressive introduction that the two had shared. A standing joke that had started when Eomer had attempted to ease the tension that existed between the two once the ring had been destroyed.
Elf and King had been sitting across from one another, on either side of Aragorn, at the King’s coronation feast. No words had been exchanged between the two until, coincidentally they had both reached for a tray of fruit at the same moment. The two, strong willed individuals froze, hands extended, holding one another’s gaze. A small smirk formed on Eomer’s face and a comment slid between his lips.
Aragorn smiled slightly at the memory as he attempted to recall exactly what it was that the King of Rohan had said. Something akin to pleading Legolas not to raise his bow in defense of his choice of fruit.
An internal debate had raged over the decision to send word to Gimli, he knew that the dwarf would want to know and would be extremely angry if he found out something had happened to Legolas and he had been kept in the dark. But was it necessary to worry the dwarf with vague information? Aragorn continued to ponder this, he just didn’t know what was right in this situation.
Telling Arwen had been difficult as well. She had been stunned and saddened. Arwen had taken on somewhat of an older sister relationship with Legolas. She had been the focus of two older brothers’ protection and when Legolas had come along she felt it her responsibility to look after the younger elf.
His frustration over being confined in Minas Tirith increased daily. He wanted to scream and he often found himself doing just that at one of the house staff or advisors who happened to cross his path at the wrong time. The more he thought about the restraints that came with being King, the more angry he became. Aragorn found that he often walked with his fists clenched tightly at his side and his expression hard.
As Aragorn turned for another pass, he found that he couldn’t contain his frustration any longer. With a strained yell, he kicked out at a desk chair standing just to his right, sending bits of wood flying across the room. He stood, watching pieces of the shattered chair bounce off of the wall and clatter to the floor only to realize that he felt no better. It would take every piece of furniture in Gondor to appease his pent up anger and frustration and even then, Aragorn knew that he would still feel the failings that overwhelmed him.
The door to his study swung slowly open and Arwen stepped gracefully into the room, a tray of fruit and cheese balanced in her arms. She paused, looking at the broken pieces of wood spread across the floor and Aragorn could tell she was working out the discovery in her mind. But she didn’t say anything regarding the source of Aragorn’s released anger, instead she stepped over the broken pieces and inched her way closer to her husband.
"I thought you might be hungry my love," she smiled slightly at Aragorn and he couldn’t help but return the gesture, there was something about her smile that eased his mind.
"I thank you. Please sit with me. Your company would be most welcome." Aragorn gestured to a chair across from his desk, one that had so far escaped his temper, and the pair lowered themselves into the seats.
They sat in silence, the tray of food going untouched. Aragorn kept his eyes to the floor, not knowing what to say to his wife. He felt as though he had let so many people down. He should have insisted that Legolas take an escort back to Ithilien with him. He should have forced him, whether he wanted one or not.
"Do not blame yourself." Arwen’s sudden words startled Aragorn, somewhat for their breaking of the silence, but mostly because of the way she had precisely hit on his negative thoughts. "Legolas is a stubborn elf. He would have done what pleased him in the end."
Aragorn released a quite sigh the raised his eyes to look into her’s "I feel stuck, I should be doing more to bring him home." She looked sad, yet understanding and compassionate at the same time. There was so much turmoil going on inside of her and he hated to see her in such a state.
"You are doing all that you can. I have no doubt that you will do everything in your power to bring him home to us."
Aragorn let out a another sigh, this time somewhat louder and hung his head once again. He wasn’t sure how much he could do. He would walk into Harad on his own two feet if it would help, but he knew that it wouldn’t. It was disconcerting to know that it would actually hinder and endanger Legolas’ life if he were to personally get involved.
For now, Aragorn would have to continue to suppress his urging and pace the floor, waiting for word from Alcandir. He just hoped that it would come sooner rather than later. There was a storm brewing inside of the King and he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to hold it back.
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This job was headed for failure before he had even gotten word of it and Alcandir knew it. Those taken into Harad were never seen again, not even by the likes of him and he was a very good bounty hunter.
He had been tracking the men responsible for the disappearance of the King’s elf friend for many leagues now, stopping first at the sight of the ambush. The forest was eerily quiet and unnerving. No birds sang in the bows overhead nor did the squirrels scurry about the forest floor . Alcandir wanted to leave this area quickly. Even his horse seemed agitated in the clearing, unable to hold still as he had perused the ground
Alcandir could tell that Legolas had put up a good fight and had eventually lost. He could tell that Legolas had even managed to kill a couple of his attackers, but it did him no good. He suspected the reason for the loss. He knew many of the methods and tools used by the Haradrim and if the elf had been tagged then the final result was inevitable and Legolas had no chance, even before the fight had begun.
It didn’t really matter what type of trail or clue might have been left behind, Alcandir knew where he was headed and he was not looking forward to going to the desert land. He couldn’t understand how anyone could live in such a place. A land so hot and barren, it held no hope and the sooner he got in and out of there the better.
He had been to Harad on a couple of occasions while in search of wanted men, neither time had gone the way he had planned. He had come very close to failing at the job on both occasions, the only two times he had ever come close to failing.
Alcandir had already taken to traveling at night. As a matter of fact, he traveled both day and night to begin with. He had vainly hoped that he might catch up with the abducted elf and his captors before entering Harad, therefore saving himself the misery of traveling into that forsaken land. He would take short breaks to water and rest his horse and then they would resume their journey. Soon, however, he would have to start traveling strictly by night as the heat would become too intense for day travel.
He groaned at the idea of the hot weather and toyed with the idea of abandoning this job altogether. He could just head north instead and pretend that he had never heard of Legolas or his plight with the Haradrim. Return home and see old friends. It was just a couple of elves after all, they were all leaving Middle Earth anyway, even if he returned Legolas to his friends they would all be parted again soon.
Perhaps he would be saving them all needless suffering. They would mourn the loss of their friend for a couple of days, maybe a week and then their lives would return to normal. If he were to be lucky enough to retrieve the elf then not only would King Elessar and his friends suffer from the worry they were experiencing at the moment, but they would be subjected to sorrow once again when Legolas went over sea.
A debate was waged inside of his head and he kept toying with the idea of turning back, subconsciously slowing his horse as he weighed his options
Damn me for being a man of my word.
Alcandir could not, in good conscience, leave the elf to this fate. He knew what awaited the elf in Harad and it didn’t bode well. In addition, he had promised the King that he would bring Legolas home, regardless. So, he would travel to that awful land and he would do everything in his power to return the Elf Prince to Minas Tirith.
Alcandir was already gaining on them. He could feel it. All he needed to do was keep riding south and head for the first city inside their lands. People would talk. People always talked. They were proud of the jobs they did and if someone had captured an elf they would be over the top with pride and eager to share their amazing story.
Alcandir would find Legolas, he was determined now. Both his and the elf’s future absolutely depended on it.