The way to Gondor (Aragorn and Legolas fanfic)

Wise words

Over the land there lies a long shadow, westward reaching wings of darkness. The Tower  trembles; to the tombs of kings doom approaches. The Dead awaken; for the hour is come for the oathbreakers: at the Stone of Erech they shall stand again and hear there a horn in the hills ringing. Whose shall the horn be? Who shall call them from the grey twilight, the forgotten people? The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come, need shall drive him: he shall pass the Door to the Paths of the Dead.

(Prophecy of the Dead, by J.R.R. Tolkien)

Legolas POV

The night was long and dark as I sat next to Aragorn on the grass lawn of the valley of Harrowdale, where the army had built up their tents to rest. As soon as the sun would rise over the mountains, Théoden would start riding to the east with the Rohirrim. But that was not where we would go. A few hours ago, lord Elrond had surprisingly made us a visit, and he had talked to Aragorn about his destiny. Destiny sounded so theatralic, but the word fitted: Aragorn was, after all, the long lost king of Gondor, and his life had been destined already before his birth. 

"Are you afraid, Estel?", I asked quietly, leaning my head on the man's shoulder. It was nice to feel his warmth, even though darkness was all around us, and I meant not only the time of day, but the darkness facing us from our enemy. 

"Im na-uilaw al-thossui (I am never not afraid)", he told me. "Ach im ceri- ú- dav ha torth- nin ind (Yet I do not let it control my mind). Long and dark is the way we must go, and if fear leads us, we might never return. Our hearts need to stay warm, stay hopeful."

"Cin on nin estel (you give me hope)", I answered. "You are the sun in my universe, you are the water that keeps me alive, you await me at the end of each path I take. My only fear is to someday not walk the earth next to you, to lose you...", my voice trailed off and I was lost in thought. 

"How philosophic you get at night", Aragorn chuckled. "But don't be afraid. I won't leave you alone, ever. You'll have to deal with me until the end of your life."

He pulled me closer and into a hug, a slight smile on his face. 

"Your life, you mean", I corrected him. Because he was of mankind, and even though he was blessed with a long life, it would end someday, like all lives of men ended when they were old.

"I meant what I said."

"But ... ", I started. My life was almost eternal, whereas his wasn't, so he just couldn't stay with me until my life ended. There was no logic in it. "You may have forgotten that I am an elf, Aragorn. My life will not end like yours, and inevitably, you will have to leave me alone behind. There is no choice!"

"Look at the stars, Legolas", he told me instead of an explanation. "Are they not immortal? Is not their life everlasting?"

He was silent for a minute, while we watched the stars on the firmament. I had always loved the stars, my kin even had a celebration for them each year, where we celebrated their beauty. Stars were always there, though you could not always see them. They protected you, they showed you the way, even though they were so far away on the vault of the sky. And their life was almost eternal too, just like mine.

"Just like you never doubt the everlastingness of the stars, you need not doubt that I will always stay at your side. There is a way", Aragorn finally said. The words of the high lady of Lórien came into my mind, and I repeated them, almost like a promise.

"'Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them.' "

"She is very wise", the man responded, and hugged me closer. "Let us go back to the tents. Tomorrow we must leave, and we should get some sleep before we go."

The stars wished us goodnight as we walked back to our tents. They also wished us goodbye, because it would be a long time until we saw them again.