Title: A choice of four
Author: Maeglin Yedi ([email protected])
Website: http://forever-rebel.net/maeglinyedi/
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A choice of four 2
By Maeglin Yedi
Aragorn’s pov
Never before have I seen such beauty. Such grace. Such perfection.
Never before have I seen hair that resembled the sun’s golden rays more or eyes that make you feel like you’re drowning in the deep of the ocean when he casts them upon you.
Oh, I have heard tales about the Prince of Mirkwood. Many tales that tell how he is a skilled Archer, a brave warrior and a lifelong friend of my dear Tannilien. But never had I thought that all these fine qualities would reside in such an unbelievable beautiful form.
I cannot stop watching him. Watching as he rides his white mare next to Tannil on our long journey to Gondor. Watch him be at ease with the woman that holds a special place in my heart.
And how my heart desires to tell this Prince how he affects me. But I cannot. This Prince is not meant for me. I am but a mere human. A Ranger. Elves are not meant for our mortal kind.
However these two Elven friends are on their way to be presented to a human. It does not make sense to me but I will not doubt the decision my dear father and friend, Lord Elrond, has made.
He knows what is best for his people. For Middle Earth.
And even though it fills my heart with great sorrow that one of these beautiful and lively Elves will be wed to the oldest son of the Steward of Gondor, I will not let my own feelings get in the way of the task Elrond has asked me to perform.
Keep watch over these two Elves. And that is what I do. I keep watch and let my eyes wander time and again over the beautiful appearance of the Prince of Mirkwood.
“Dear Aragorn,” I hear a voice besides me. My mind has wandered of again and I did not hear her approach me. She rides her brown stallion with grace and looks at me with an innocent sparkle in her eyes.
“Yes, Tannil,” I answer her and cannot help to think that such an innocent immortal deserves a better place in life than at the side of the Steward of Gondor.
“You must tell me all about your journeys. You have been away for so long that it seems that I hardly even know you anymore,” she tells me and I smile.
Yes, it has been many years. But she has not changed. She is as she always was. And as I remember her. And her innocence would make me believe that I am the elder but I know that she was born many centuries before me and that she will live on many centuries after my life has faded away.
“My travels were long and the road was often filled with a lonely heart,” I tell her and she seems to lose herself in thoughts of sadness.
“If your heart was lonely, why did you not return home sooner?” she asks me and again I smile.
It was not entirely of my own free will that I left the only home I had ever known. The day Elrond told me of my true heritage, my true kin, I knew that I needed to search for answers outside of Rivendell. And so it happened that I left my home and became a part of Middle Earth in a new way. As a Ranger. As a man who will fight for the good of all races of our world.
And during my travels I hoped to find answers to the questions that kept me awake at night. What does it mean to be the heir of Isildur? What strength or weakness lies in my blood? And I am sorry to say that the answers are still to be found. Even the many years of solitude were not enough to for me to find the purpose of my destiny. A destiny as a King of the land of men.
“A lonely heart was painful at times but it was not enough for me to return from the path that I had chosen,” I tell the Elven Lady that rides besides me. Again she seems to drown in grief and she gives me a sad smile.
“Just remember that your presence was dearly missed by some of us,” she whispers right before she rides off to join her Elven friend once more.
And again I do what I was asked to do. I keep watch. And I watch them. The familiar and comforting beauty of the Elven Lady and the challenging and appealing beauty of the Elven Prince besides her.