The Queen of Middle-Earth | Aragorn & Hermione

Chapter 13

I never knew until that moment how bad it could hurt to lose something you never really had. - The Wonder Years

____________

Gimli chopped the Warg's head, which he had been lying under the whole time, to ensure that he was really dead. He looked up to find dozens of men and Orc lying lifelessly on the ground. He searched for his friends, finding Legolas in a worried state running around the field searching for someone with Théoden following in his footsteps. The dwarf rushed to them looking at him questioning, but dared not to ask, he knew who the elf was looking for. "Aragorn?!" He yelled turning around, but didn't get the answer he wished for. Instead an Orc, which was lying on the ground with a knife, stabbed in his chest made rattling and slight laughing noises.

"Tell me! What happened to him?" Gimli asked forcefully, with his axe pointing at him, ready to chop his head off as well. He felt someone standing beside him, he knew without looking, that it was Legolas.

"He's," the Orc coughed, "dead!"

The elf's face turned as pale as possible for his kin. In his eyes there was pain and anger.

"He fell of the cliff." he continued stertorously.

Frodo had overheard their conversation from a distance. He turned around in disbelief, after helping Sam get up and ensuring he wasn't hurt either. He had known Aragorn for a while now and he never had even thought about him being able to get killed. The Dúnedain was as solid as a rock. He had fought so many battles and had always survived everything. It couldn't be the truth! Legolas seemed to think the same.

"You are lying!" The elf had seized the Orc by the collar, looking at him in fury. The creature didn't answer anymore, he coughed one more time and then the life in his eyes faded as he passed away.
The elf threw the body on the floor in disgust, getting up as quickly as possible to walk towards the cliff, where Aragorn apparently fell of. He jerked to a halt, when he saw something shiny lying on the ground, just before the cliff came to an end. He took it in his hands and recognized the locked of the witch. He breathed in slowly. It seemed the Orc was right, Aragorn had definitely been there and tracks told him, that a Warg had been running off the mountain. He looked down into the depth and saw a rapid stream, pouring to the east, away from Helm's Deep. His grip around the locked tightened.

Sam collapsed on the floor, crying. The adrenaline had fulfilled its deed and now he felt the fear and sorrow return to his body. When he heard about Aragorn's death, his feelings overcame him.

"We have to save him!" A mad Gimli cried, trying to get out of Boromir's arms, who had caught him the second he wanted to jump off the cliff, to find and save his friend.

"You will kill yourself!" Boromir yelled at him, holding him tightly, trying not to get hurt by the dwarf's wavering arms and legs.

"But we have to do something!" The dwarf was furious, how could everybody just stand there?

"There is no use." Théoden was standing next to Legolas watching the river, where Aragorn probably fell in. He now turned around to Gimli. "The cliff is too high, he could have never survived."

Frodo's face was filled with tears, when he heard the King's words and Merry and Pippin were crying as well.
Legolas turned to look at the man of Rohan angrily and incredulous, how could he just say something like this, without remorse. Théoden didn't say anything to the elf, he understood the pain of the loss and instead only placed a caring hand on Legolas' shoulder.
Gimli had finally managed to calm down, so Boromir let go of him, to take care of the hobbits. The dwarf walked up to the cliff and came to a stand next to the elf.