Onto Imladris

The trees were in sparse clumps here and there around them. Thin trees with pale green leaves and a white bark that peeled from their thin trunks. It was early still, the smell of the cheese and dried meat overpowered the floral scents of the wild flowers that sprouted up where their roots could take hold. The terrain was mostly uneven, a mix of moss covered rocks, various shrubs and tangle vine mixed in and around the trees. The air was warm and moist and the sky was filled with clouds, a sign that it might rain but the air did not smell as if it really would.

He listened intently to Vanya. She had a way of speaking that made him want to listen. She didn’t like wasting words and when he was younger she had ways of punishing him when he did not pay attention to her lessons. He had not been told any of that. His lineage was long and distinguished to be spoken of so. He wished he had known...someone from that time. Someone who could tell him everything he wanted to know about his father, his grandfather and others besides. When she said he was his own man though made him nearly spit. He hated it when she did that when they both knew that was far from the truth.

“Thank you for the history but I am not my own man. Just because you do not hold my leash physically…” He began in an angry tone. However when he saw her face he silenced the part of him that wanted nothing to do with being a King. Who he was wasn’t her fault but oh how he wished he could just side step fate and go his own way. “I’m...sorry,” He said softly and repacked what was left of the meat he had been eating. He should not speak so to the woman he loved and knew loved him. But that old argument...would it ever be settled? He honestly didn’t know if it would.

After they were moving again it did rain. Not hard but a thin, misty sort of downpour that lasted for hours. They were both drenched but it was nothing new to them. Weather was weather and they had leagues to go yet. They finally stopped when his eyes could no longer make out the ground in front of him. He started a fire from dead branches and bark that were still fairly dry. It caused alot of smoke but it wasn’t easy to see in the heavily clouded sky. Aragorn huddled over the fire and rubbed his cool hands near the flames. “Who is Gandalf? I’ve heard that name many times and know he is one of the Mithrandir. But he seems to be woven into the happenings of the world. I’d have thought he’d have better things to do than concern himself with men and elves,” He said thoughtfully.

Vanya had been expecting Aragorn's outburst, but where it had not bothered her before she found that it hurt her now. She looked away from him, but he would see that she was upset by what he said. She heard his apology, but she did not respond or look at him. She kept her eyes straight and a silence fell between them.

After a time it began to rain. However, neither of them stopped. They were used to walking in the rain or snow. Very little would stop them. They needed to press on and get to Imladris. Silently she wondered if Lord Elrond would know that the relationship between Aragorn and herself had changed. She ignored the falling rain that drenched her clothes and hair. She had pulled her hair back into a long braid, but a few pieces had come out while running and now clung to the sides of her face and neck.

Finally, when it became too dark for Aragorn to see they stopped and made camp. They still had not spoken, but each did their part to set up camp for the evening. While Aragorn built the fire, Vanya hunted for food. She came back with two smaller rabbits and sat down to skin and gut them. Aragorn finally broke the silence and asked her about Gandalf. She knew Gandalf quite well. The two had met on several occasions and enjoyed one another's company.

"Gandalf has not only taught things to the elves, but has learned from them as well. He is a guardian of Middle Earth and as such he wanders the lands. He is extremely powerful, yet does not appear to be at first glance. I trust him completely...unlike Saurman."

“Sarumon,” Aragorn repeated. Now that name was more familiar to him than the other. He nodded at the mention of him and frowned at Vanya’s attitude toward him. “Why do you not trust him Vanya? Rohan seems to. They helped build...uh...his tower? Orcthanc I think they call it yes?” He said but was not certain about its name. He had never seen it, only had it described to him. Rohan’s people were also ‘his’ people. The entire kingdom of men was as far as he was concerned. The battle with Sauron and then also the battle of the 5 armies involved men. Others too but so many men died and many more would if his dreams held any truth to them. Dark, disturbing dreams he did not speak of, not even to Vanya.

There was little talking while they jogged but each time they stopped he’d ask more questions. His people’s history, her people’s history, Of Hobbits and of Dragons. Of the Mithrandir and of the Valar. And of Sauron, the rings and the Nazgul. Aragorn was a curious sort and almost never forgot what he was taught or told. For a human he was extremely intelligent and that only seemed to make him that much more attractive. He was mature too unlike other men his age. He did not leer at her or go all dreamy eyed about her when they were working like now. He was not cold either toward her but anyone watching him would not know that he was in love with Vanya. He had been in dangerous situations too often to let his attention to the world falter.

Vanya explained to Aragorn why she did not trust Saurman. It was more a feeling than anything solid, but it was a feeling that only grew overtime...a feeling that was deep in her gut. She believed Saurman was going to betray Middle Earth, although she did not tell Aragorn this. They continued on as quickly as they could. Vanya was surefooted on the uneven terrain and at times she led and at times Aragorn did. However, as they moved Vanya kept her senses on high alert for any sign of danger. Now that she knew the Wraiths were returning she could not allow her guard to slip at any time. They would hunt Aragorn and anyone else they believed to be a threat to their Dark Lord.

Vanya answered whatever questions Aragorn asked her to the best of her ability. She hid nothing from him, and told him the truth. He deserved the truth if he was going to one day be king. When they stopped that night, Vanya sat near him by the small fire they made. It had stopped raining, though the sky was overcast and hid the moon and stars from view. She was quiet for a long while before looking at him.

"I believe that you deserve to be King, Aragorn. Not only that, I believe it is your destiny. You have heart and courage like no man I have ever known before...not even my own father. Everyday I love you more and more and everyday this feeling I have in my heart that you will be the one to reunite the kingdoms of men grows stronger. I know that this is not what you want, but while I am near you this is what I will believe and I will protect you...not just because I feel I have to, but because I want to. I don't want you to grow to resent me because of this. I don't want whatever time we have together to be overshadowed by this. And so I offer you this. If it is your wish when we get to Imladris I will leave and let you go your own way."

There was a bit of leftover rabbit and he listened to Vanya as they ate. The clouds kept the air warmer than the night before but even thinking about someone who was sent to Middle Earth to help was actually going to do something terrible left a chill in his chest that he could not shake. When she began...again about the future, about how she knew he should be King he he said nothing. This had been a going argument between them and her opinions on the matter were well known...by now. He would not refute her this time though. His heart just wasn’t in it. However what she said next made him nearly gape.

“Vanya, I will go my own way regardless if you are with me or not. When I speak of it I speak of how you ‘want’ me to go a certain way. How Elrond ‘wants me or pushes me’ in the direction he wants me to go,” He said then set the small bits of tubers and rabbit back into the waxed paper he had wrapped it all up in. Cheese had been in that paper before he put the rabbit in it and it gave off a slight scent of mold. He looked over at her and studied her face.

“If you want to be with me, if...if we are to be lovers or whatever else, You will need to understand that. I don’t want you to go but if you intend on chivvying me the way you or anyone else wants, then I don’t want you with me. I will not be manipulated by you or anyone anymore,” He said. His words sounded forceful but his tone was softer, more serious than angry. “Would you even tell me something you knew I’d want to know if it involved me if someone else told you not to?” “Would you keep secrets and knowledge from me if not knowing led me to where you believed I needed to go?” He asked. “Trust is a two way street and I don’t think I could trust someone who would not be that honest with me. We all hedge what is best for us, for others, for the world. But what about fairness and what is just? Is it just to keep me in the dark when there was actually a decision for me to make? I should be ‘allowed’ to make my own decisions. If I’m not than how could I be a King anyway?” he asked. “When it comes to it, I’d have to put the crown on anyway. I won’t wear it otherwise,” He said as he looked away into the forest.

Aragorn's response surprised Vanya. He didn't become angry, but he spoke in a stern and steady voice. What he said had been exactly what she had wanted him to say. The Aragorn who sat before her now was no longer just a man. He was something more...not quite a king yet, but in time he would get there. The choice would need to be his own and he would need to understand what he would be sacrificing in order to ascend that throne. The world of men would be looking to him for his guidance and protection. He would have to accept that responsibility willingly.

She sat there for a long moment before she slowly rose to her feet. She walked over to him and straddled his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck gently and kissed him deeply and lovingly. When she finally pulled back, she looked down into his eyes.

"I love you Aragorn and I will follow you until the end."

If he had been a bit less ‘travel worn’ Aragorn would have made love to Vanya right then and there. As it was though her kisses were heavy but her taste was sweet and bright like it always was. With Elven blood in her Vanya didn’t need much sleep. Therefore Aragorn always took first watch and she would stand watch for the remainder of the evenings into dawn. This time, during his 4 hour stint, wolves had prowled near to their camp but seemed to keep their distance. Large, lean forest wolves who were not ready to have to fight for their supper. They were usually wary of the humans that ran like they did but on two legs. Ran and fought the shadows that now walked the forests of the world. He stared at Vanya as she slept. A lean, tall, beautiful woman who managed to look freshly washed even after several days out in the wilds. Aragorn did not look so clean. His long, dark hair hung thickly onto his shoulders and it had gone flat and heavy down the sides of his face. He checked his wounds once more during those hours and considered more than once just leaving her there. Leaving her to carry the message and stepping away in the opposite direction. If he did he knew she’d not follow him. She had a goal to speak to the council about the Wraiths. But Aragorn wasn’t exactly certain he was ready to return to Imladris so soon. That and Vanya’s claims that she would let him go his own way, regardless of what Elrond said.

And so it was when Vanya woke just after Aragorn was supposed to wake her for her watch, she noticed immediately he along with his backpack and equipment were gone.

Vanya wished they could have made love, but she knew that Aragorn was tired and that it was too dangerous to do so outside when both of them would be distracted. After the attempt on Aragorn’s life by the Wraiths she wasn’t going to take any chances. After a time she laid down to rest. She didn’t require much sleep and normally only closed her eyes and fell into a meditative trance, but tonight she was tired and she found she slipped into a deep sleep almost immediately. She dreamt that night. She dreamt of Aragorn becoming king, but the moment the crown was placed on his head he was attacked by the Wraiths. She dreamt of the woman he would marry, Nauriel, and of her place at this side. She would do what Vanya could not. She would be his lover, companion, love of his life, best friend, and his Queen. She would remain by his side through thick and thin and get him through the toughest times of his life. Lastly, she dreamt of her own death. She knew it would come. Her dreams about it had become clearer and more frequent lately. She could never see what would kill her, but what she always saw was her dying in Aragorn’s arms.

Something startled her awake. She knew before she even looked over to where he should be that he was gone and yet it still broke her heart to know that he wasn’t there. She knew she could not follow him. She needed to get to Imladris and alert the council to the Wraith’s presence. She also knew that he needed to do this. He needed to be alone to clear his head. She didn’t envy the responsibility resting on his shoulders.

Since she could see easily in the dark she rose and packed up the camp. She looked one last time to the spot where he had been sitting before she left and continued on towards Imladris. Two days later she reached the valley. Because she was very well known in Imladris she was not stopped or questioned. However, she did ask to speak to Lord Elrond immediately.

Imladris looked much like it had in the last age and the one before that. Elrond, the legendary half elf spoke to a tall man in a thick gray robe and matching gray hat. Vanya knew who it was but the hushed, urgent words that passed between them were not for her ears and so she did not attempt to listen in to their conversation. She was well known here and welcomed with refreshment and lodging if not a chance to freshen up. The elves that tried to urge her to rest before an audience with Elrond never seemed to change their expressions nor the tones of their melodic voices. Hair like spun silver or sunlight, flesh like the softest porcelain with garments of intricately weaved and embroidered silk, they left her in the courtyard where golden blossoms bloomed on the trees that had stood there for centuries.

“It is, agreeable to see you Vanya,” A voice chimed from behind her. An elf had stepped from one of the golden, trunked trees to regard her. He bowed gracefully to her and gestured for her to take her ease on one of the many carved, wooden benches that sat here and there about the courtyard. Alluin was tall and built like a blade. Far older than she his long, golden hair seemed to almost glow in the sunlight that bathed the trees in its warm glow. He wore a fine, gold robe with matching slippers and moved with the quiet grace that most elves shared. Alluin had asked for her hand long ago but she had refused him. They continued to be good friends but he would not retract the offer and has of yet, not asked another. “I’m surprised you arrived alone, you’re...friends, they are well?” he asked politely. In the distance the voices of male elves sang softly and birds chirped in harmony as if to the song however off time just a bit.

When Vanya realized that Lord Elrond was speaking with Gandalf she quietly moved away so as not to interrupt their conversation. Whatever they were discussing was serious and Vanya wondered if Gandalf knew already that the Wraiths were rising. The peacefulness of Imladris sometimes comforted her and other times unnerved her. She was not used to relaxation. Keeping in one place was not in her blood. She needed to be moving almost constantly and thus was often uneasy in this place. However, she decided to wait in the courtyard until Lord Elrond could see her.

She had her back turned to Alluin when he first spoke to her and she looked over her shoulder at him. It had been sometime since she had been in his company, but wasn't surprised to see he had not changed. Years ago Alluin had asked for her hand in marriage, but she had refused him. It was not in her heart to settle down in one place for the remainder of her life. She felt she still had things she needed to do, and not much time left to do them (though she did not tell Alluin this). However, despite her refusal of his proposal they remained friends. She enjoyed his company and he supported her unusual ways. She felt she could confide in him, although at the same time she also kept things from him as well.

"I am well now," she replied to him as she took a seat on the bench beside him. "I was badly injured while fighting a mountain troll recently, but my wounds have since healed. Another member of our group was not so lucky though."

Upon hearing that one of her company had died Alluin closed his eyes briefly in reverence to their passing. It was a very respectful thing to do though most elves did not much concern themselves with those that passed including other elves. However Alluin ‘felt’ her words and what the dead had meant to her and he moved to sit next to her. Alluin was a full elf and was about to ask why she had returned when he detected something...different about Vanya. A fleeting emotional attachment. A fear of loss, no...a worry. Her worry for someone else? He could not be certain but something was definitely different about her.

“You’ve grown close to someone,” He said outright but his words were soft and quiet just for her ears. Elves were not victims of emotions like jealousy however it did spark his curiosity it seemed. “A liability in what you do. No matter how much you try to deny that you are a woman. Have you decided to notice the difference between men and women? A lesson ‘most’ of us learn at a much younger age,” He quipped. It was a running joke he had with her. “Vanya, always trying to deny her outward beauty, I must meet this man that holds your heart,” he said with a grin. In truth he was delighted. He loved Vanya and has always wished for her happiness regardless if she married him or not. A true friend in any case, one who could get away with what he was saying here and now without a reproachful rebuttal though he enjoyed it when she did choose to argue with him.

Vanya deeply appreciated Alluin’s response to the mention of the death of her friend. Most elves would not have shown as much respect as he did. However, thinking about the death of her friend caused her worry for Aragorn to increase. Her worry must have shown in her eyes because Alluin took notice. She would have been surprised if he had not. She looked at him slightly when he commented that she had grown close to someone.

“I have,” she slowly admitted. She was then quiet a moment before telling him the truth. “It is Aragorn. I...I am in love with him.”

Alluin listened closely to what Vanya said. She was in need of comfort he saw and knew there was something she wasn’t telling him. At mention of Aragorn’s name his eyes shuttered over toward where Elrond and Gandalf were speaking. It was a very quick glance but one that Vanya would catch. Obviously Alluin knew something and what he knew involved Aragorn. He smiled at her how he used to smile when he was about to say something important.

“I will not tell you that you’ve erred but I feel I should be honest. A company or Elves is coming and ‘Arwen’, Elrond’s daughter is among them,” He said. But it was the way he said it that was more important than what he said. Elrond's actions almost always had a purpose. His gift of foresight was well known among their people. The obvious question would be why her and why now? Elrond was extremely protective of Arwen but her coming was not by chance or that she wanted to visit her father. Especially now. Arwen was quite lovely even by elf standards and also quite young. Alluin nodded as he saw everything sinking in to Vanya’s head. And if Aragorn were to learn of what Elrond was doing he’d not only be angry, he might balk in any direction but the one he needed to go.

“I believe he expected him to be with you though I can not be certain of it,” Alluin said. “Not everything that is foreseen happens I think. But I think you know that better than most,” he said and clearly meant her falling in love with someone so young...and human to boot.

Vanya could sense Alluin’s uneasiness. He knew something and when she saw his eye glance over to where Lord Elrond and Gandalf stood talking she knew that whatever was being discussed involved Aragorn. She suddenly had a feeling that whatever Alluin was going to tell her she wasn’t going to like. However, she listened quietly as he told her that Lord Elrond was having his daughter, Arwen, brought to Imladris. She knew in her heart then that Lord Elrond wanted his daughter to be with Aragorn. He had a gift of foresight and she knew he must have seen that Aragorn would be King of Gondor one day. She wondered if he had seen the other woman, Nauriel, or not. In her dreams Aragorn only married her. He never ended up with anyone else. She found that she was not jealous or upset to know that Aragorn was ultimately going to marry someone else. She knew it must be because she knew she was going to die. Her story was going to end, but Aragorn’s would go on. She knew though that she would have an impact on his life and that kept her spirits up.

“My time with Aragorn will not be long,” Vanya told him. “I have seen things too and I know that I am going to die. However, the woman I have seen Aragorn with is not Arwen.”

Alluin looked over at Vanya and his eyes blinked. That and spots of color appeared in his cheeks but was gone a moment later. She had upset him that much was clear.

“You know that what you saw is only one possible future. Foresight is not finite. Nor will I believe your death is necessary and do not think I don’t know what you are thinking. I don’t need to be able to hear your thoughts for that,” He said dryly. “It is arrogance to believe that you play a necessary role in any man’s fate Vanya. I do not want you to die,” He said softly. His voice wasn’t pleading with her exactly but it carried with it the emotion he felt from her just suggesting that she knew when her death would occur. For anyone else, any human it would be the same as weeping. “If you know then come and stay with me. Be my wife and live a life of happiness and meaning,” he said. He had told her long ago that he had wanted a child. Her child, a girl or boy, it didnt matter. Only that it was a product of them both.

Vanya looked at Alluin and part of her wanted to say yes. She could not deny that she was weary, but she knew she ultimately would not be happy. She perhaps did love Alluin in a way, but it wouldn't be fair to either of them for her to say yes. She took one of his hands into her own and held it as she looked into his eyes.

"I wish I could say yes Alluin," she said softly and with affection in her voice. "But my place isn't here. I cannot be the woman you want me to be. I wish I could." A few tears then came to her eyes. "I hate saying no to you. I care so much about you and it hurts me to say no. I want to give you everything you wish for and it breaks my heart that I cannot." She bent her head down over his hand and kissed it as a few tears slipped from her eyes and onto his skin. "I'm so sorry."