Night in the Galadhrim

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Aragorn got to his feet slowly and rather stiffly. These past few days had taken a heavy toll on him. It was impossible for him to comprehend that Gandalf was not coming back. The wizard had been around for forever, and Aragorn had always been able to turn to him when he was lost, not physically but mentally. True, the wizard would answer with nothing but a riddle, but Aragorn had valued Gandalf's friendship so highly. Now, he was gone, and Aragorn had been thrust into the leadership position that he had never wanted but the wizard had always hinted that he'd take someday.

Gandalf's...death (it still was so hard to think) was just the beginning of what Aragorn knew was going to result in the breaking of their Fellowship. Something was awry with Boromir. Aragorn respected the man very much, and knew that he was noble, but he was just the type to be corrupted by the Ring, by the power and the possibilities that Boromir believed it offered his people. Aragorn had watched Boromir's eyes follow Frodo's steps of late, and he knew that he had to be constantly on guard, for the little hobbit's sake, and for Boromir's as well.

Perhaps it was the incredibly painful blow of Gandalf's death coupled with this possibility of danger form Boromir that made Aragorn wonder where things had gone so terribly wrong. Their Fellowship had been forged with the noblest intentions, and now it just seemed as if it was crumbling around them. The Lady of these woods had echoed these same fears when his gaze had met hers. She seemed to almost challenge him to fill the spot that Gandalf had left vacant.

Aragorn saw Legolas smile at him, and he walked over to the elf, grateful for his friendship.

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Aragorn sighed softly. "The lament is difficult and painful to hear. It seems almost to tear at me."

He stopped speaking to take a deep breath, to hear more of what the elves had to sing for their Mithrandir. He had known Gandalf for years, and he had been both a mentor and a close friend. "I do not wish for Gandalf to pass without recognition, but the song has been the first thing that has truly been able to convince me that he is gone."

Taking a long draw from his pipe, Aragorn stared blankly ahead. This was the first place where he actually felt as if Frodo was safe from the evils which were so heatedly pursuing them. He took his pipe from his mouth and ran his hand over his weatherbeaten face. Without the sense of desperate urgency, Aragorn was left feeling rather old and tired. It was a strange feeling, and it bothered him deeply. Aragorn supposed that it was only a sign that they times were taking a heavy toll on him.

Aragorn managed a small grin at Legolas. He was aware that his intuitive elven friend was watching him, and Legolas truly did not need more to worry over. "This is the place to grieve, if there ever was one, Legolas," Aragorn said softly.

He knew that Legolas had more on his mind than Gandalf, though. He had sensed that beginnings of a crack in their Fellowship as well, just as Aragorn had. He allowed his gaze to flicker over toward Boromir. Everything seemed poised to fail, and Legolas must have sensed that as well.

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"Running the risk of sounding selfish, my friend," Aragorn said, speaking quietly to Legolas, "we must find ways to keep you from dwelling in your grief. Your loss would be more than our crumbling Fellowship could bear."

Inspecting his pipe without truly seeing it, Aragorn inhaled deeply. Boromir. The man troubled Aragorn in the same fashion that he made Legolas uneasy. Had not he been prepared to use his own sword upon Boromir shortly before they tried the pass of Caradhras?

But, something deep within Aragorn made him reluctant to admit his fears about Boromir to Legolas, and he really could not understand why. Perhaps it something to do with the knowledge that haunted Aragorn's very existence, the knowledge that his own race of men was diseased with weakness and corruptibility.

If Boromir, a noble, righteous man who only desired good for his people were to fall to the power of the Ring, Aragorn would be the sole representative of men left in the Fellowship. The Lord Elrond made a mistake placing any men in the Fellowship at all, perhaps.

Aragorn rubbed his eyes wearily. It was truly ironic; he had spent his life in exile, trying to hide from the power and the greed and the shame that the One Ring symbolized. He had never dreamed that he would actually come into contact with the Ring itself.

Part of him needed to believe that Boromir would not try to harm Frodo or take the Ring. If Boromir were to fall, would not he, would had a weakness and a frailty for the Ring in his blood, soon follow? He sighed. He had promised Frodo that he would do everything in his power to protect him, and if that included facing the defects in his kind, so be it. He could not dwell on the what if questions now. Legolas had noticed dangerous signs in Boromir; maybe the elf would recognize the symptoms in Aragorn if the Ring ever caught hold of him.

"I have had the same fears about Boromir," Aragorn at last admitted. "I know that he believes the Ring could save Gondor, and nothing I can say will ever dissuade this belief. It is a pity, indeed, that such great evil can spring from such a noble cause." Aragorn paused a moment before asking, "What do you propose we should do?"

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Aragorn started slightly and then positioned himself so that he could more easily view Legolas and his face. Lady Galadriel had made Legolas look into her Mirror, an occasion which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on what one saw. One could see what would happen, what might never happen, or what had already come to pass. In these troubled times, however, it was doubtful that there would be much hope for seeing happiness in the Mirror. Gnawing on his pipe, Aragorn wondered if he even wanted to ask Legolas what he had seen.

The elf did not appear to be too deeply troubled, which Aragorn took as a good sign. "What did it show you, mellonamin?" he asked.

It could be maddening, looking into the Mirror and then trying to decipher what you had seen. Aragorn wasn't sure if he would trust any member of their Fellowship other than Legolas to look and then remain sane. It was the Galadriel's choice, though, ultimately, and he had a feeling that others might gaze into the Mirror at her command during their stay in her woods. She was wiser than he,he knew, so he was glad that she did was she thought best.

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Aragorn clamped his teeth tightly down on his pipe as Legolas relayed what he had seen in Galadriel's Mirror. The elf's words seemed to turn his blood to ice, and he knew that his friend was greatly troubled by such visions as well. He wished there was something that he could say or do to assure Legolas that things would turn out as they should, but he could not do so. What was the Lady Galadriel doing? Their hope was dwindling as it was, crumbling into nothingness with the loss of Gandalf and the behavior of Boromir. There had even been slight changes in Frodo lately. Why would Galadriel show Legolas things that could break his heart. The sight of his Ada and the Spiders was so horrific and painful in itself. Aragorn unconsciously shook his head. And then there was these sights that Legolas had seen of him... It did not appear that Aragorn was going to survive these times then, if he was seen entering the Door Under the Mountain. He had never really expected to emerge from this quest unscathed, but he just hoped that he would be able to see Arwen one last time. They had not had the happiest of partings.

But, other than that, what happened to him was not that important in the overall picture. He had promised his life to Frodo to see the Ring destroyed and its Bearer protected. Legolas' words about Gandalf not fascinated him. Perhaps... no... the wizard had died, and Aragorn was going to have to accept that harsh fact.

"I am sorry that you had to see such things, mellonamin, especially the sights of your Ada." Aragorn spoke slowly and chose his words carefully. "I do not know why the Lady Galadriel should choose to allow you to view such sights. Perhaps she thought that seeing Gandalf unharmed and sleeping would comfort you in some way. There must be some meaning to all of this, but it escapes me."