The way to Gondor (Aragorn and Legolas fanfic)

A wise letter

Legolas POV

Forgive him? Who did he think he was? And who did he think I was?

An elf is not stupid, and he knows the sight of dishonest men. One of them was standing right in front of me. Yes, I would forgive him, but would I ever speak to him again? No.

"Legolas, won't you say anything?", he begged me, but I turned my head away. At that, he stared at me, then went over to the window and breathed deeply. I noticed the shieldmaidens hidden glance, but apparently she composed herself and didn't "comfort" him right in front of me. She was still noble, but her heart had turned to be as cruel as Aragorn's. Gandalf cleared his throat. 

"Thank you Aragorn, for sharing this with us. I now want you both to read a letter. It was sent from a good friend of mine, and a very wise one too."

Lady Éowyn turned her head towards the wizard and listened interestedly. But Aragorn didn't move, and neither did I. Whatever letter this was, it was dispensable. 

Nevertheless, Gandalf wouldn't leave this room before he had gotten what he wanted. Instead, he pressed the folded piece of paper into my hand and looked at me expectantly. It irritated me, but I had to open the letter and start reading.

"Dear Gandalf, 

I received word from the high lady Galadriel from Lórien, and I dare to say, her report about the fellowship we sent out from my lands troubled me more than it brought me happiness. I am glad to hear, that each one of the companions seems to be alive and at good health, however, the white lady was very determined to tell me, that this wouldn't be the case for much longer. But she promised to keep an eye on them, so I believe, if you haven't heard other news, we shouldn't worry too much.

However, there is another matter I want to discuss with you. Unfortunately, I am not certain, whether you are informed about said matter or not, yet, I need to explain it to you, because it may affect the fellowship on their path to fulfill the task. As you may know, my daughter Arwen Undómiel is engaged to Aragorn. My opinion on this choice is of no importance, but I will tell you anyway, that it was not what I wanted for my daughter. The reason for this wasn't clear to me at first (apart from him being mortal), because Aragorn is of honorable origin, and when the time comes, he will be the king of Gondor. There was something else troubling me."

Without my wanting to, the letter did interest me. Why wouldn't Elrond want Aragorn as a husband to his daughter? And how could this possibly affect us? I felt the darkness faden from my mind, and suddenly I saw the world clearer again, my eyes focused on the small dark lines from the elven lord's quill.

"As elf of power, I am equipped with the gift to get an insight on the thoughts of my opposite, if I let myself do so. I use it seldom, but in this case, I felt the need to understand. Yet, I am still a bit ashamed, that I let myself down to such a low act, which you can tell Aragorn himself, if the matter ever comes up. Now, let me explain what I saw: You would believe there was love in a newly engaged man. You would believe there was happiness and joy. Indeed, there was love, a fierce and passionate love. But my fears had been proven true, because the love was not directed towards my daughter. I cannot tell you more about it, because it isn't justified to unfold a persons most profound thoughts. You may however develop your own theories about this.

Moreover, did I find happiness? Not the slightest part of it. Aragorn was at the time in deep sorrow and pain, and I couldn't understand why. Maybe you can make more sense of it. Now, what does this have to do with Arwen? Since the fellowship left my home, she isolated herself more and more, and always wore a face of dark feelings. A few weeks ago she stopped eating, and didn't want to leave her room anymore. When I asked her, what was wrong, she always told me she felt so cold, cold and without life. Of course I was worried, and at first I suspected an ancient illness, that strikes elves from time to time. It is called ring lhîw and very dangerous, as it sucks out the will to live. But as I questioned her more about her condition, I understood, that her coldness didn't come from the outside, it came from within her. It was her heart that became colder and colder.

While reading this, Gandalf, you surely understand what that means. There are few diseases on this earth that have the same symptoms. A broken heart is not dangerous for mortal men, but one of two reasons why an elf can die. I am really worried about Arwen! Especially, because I know, I cannot do anything about it. I've now sent her to Minas Tirith with some of my people, and she will hopefully arrive there in the spring, after a visit in Lórien. 

You might ask yourself why I wrote you this letter. Even though I know, that Arwen's time on this earth will be ending soon (she will follow me to the undying lands), I need you to make sure, that Aragorn knows about this. He can then decide for himself, if he wishes to head for Minas Tirith, or if he rather chooses to stay away, to not make my daughter suffer more than necessary. But I have something to ask of you, Gandalf. If my daughter cannot be happy with him, make sure someone else can! Otherwise, her love would be wasted. When fate decides to interfere, the measures that have to be taken will be clear for you.

To end this letter I send you my best wishes and thoughts for your task, and I wish luck upon all members of the fellowship. May the fate of one elven princess not darken the future of thousands of men, may the darkness be banished from this world, and may love and happiness again dominate the life in Middle-earth!

Yours sincerely, 

Elrond, lord of Imladris"

I looked up.