Beneath the Veil

Beneath the Veil

Chapter 1
Author: Frosty the Orc Princess
Codes: Aragorn, Legolas, Elrond, Eowyn, Gimli, OC, AU
Rated: NC-17
Summary: After Frodo and Sam fail their mission, Aragorn takes over. Can he handle the power of the ring?
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. If I did, I would be rich, and I most certainly am not rich. :(


*

Aragorn sat staring out at the rolling hills, bathed in a gentle morning light. Everything was sharper, brighter. He rolled the small piece of jewellery around in his palm, rubbing the soft gold warm. He could feel it tug at his heart, hear the whispers in his mind. He knew it was dangerous. But what other choice did he have?

Sighing, he stood and pocketed the ring. He could see the two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, swordfighting on parapet below. The small weapons clanged sharply in the air, causing Aragorn to wince slightly at the sound. He smiled, though, watching them. They were so resilient. He wished he could be so brave.

"They are remarkable, aren't they?" Eowyn approached Aragorn's side and smiled, watching the young hobbits. "Even after losing so much, they still fight. It is more than I w hav have expected from them."

Aragorn blinked into the wind. "They are a loyal race," he replied, "They will do what they can to continue Frodo's mission." He paused then, and every trace of mirth fell from his face. "They miss him. And Sam. They will never be the same."

Touching a hand to Aragorn's arm, Eowyn smiled softly. "You knew them as well. Will you never be the same?"

Aragorn's hand skirted his pocket. "No," he said, shaking his head, "I do not think I will."

Eowyn's smile faded, and she sighed. "Sauron has not yet won. We have the ring. I have hope still."

He turned to say something, but thought better of it. Rubbing her shoulder, he left the tower, taking the stairs down to the city of Edoras. It had only been days since Aragorn had been given the ring, found by a guard on the body of Frodo, murdered on the outskirts of the Dead Marshes. It wasn't known what had killed the two hobbits and Gollum, but Aragorn knew it couldn't have been anything looking for the ring, for it was still upon Frodo. How ironic, that out of everything looking to kill the ringbearer, it was likely a wild animal that did him in.

Aragorn clenched his eyes shut and exhaled deeply. It had not been easy, taking the ring from the Rohan guard. It held easily to those weak of mind. Aragorn had not wanted it, knew that it would be better in the hands of someone less inclined to allow the ring's will to take over, but Gandalf had chosen him. The wizard had shown faith, so Aragorn took it reluctantly.

"Are you alright?" Aragorn startled and turned to see Theoden looking him over, his brows knit.

"I'm fine," he replied, rubbing his face. "Just a little tired, I think."

The King nodded solemnly. "It has not been an easy month," he said, "You should get more rest. There is a journey ahead."

Aragorn nodded. A journey. Yes, he was to take the ring to Mount Doom, throw it into the mountain and watch it be destroyed. It was his burden now. He often found himself forgetting that.

"Perhaps you are right," he replied, "I will go lie down, for a little while." He frowned, as if remembering something. "I have been up all night."

Theoden nodded. "My messengers have informed me that there is a group of elves headed this way," he said, and Aragorn looked up, "I know not who they are, but I suspect this has something to do with the death of the ringbearer."

"Yes," he replied, "It probably does. When will they arrive?"

"By tomorrow evening at the earliest. I have informed the soldiers that they should be allowed entrance." He raised his eyebrows inquiringly. "Tell me that that was the correct choice."

Aragorn knit his brows. "Yes. Yes, of course. They are our allies." Theoden looked concerned, so he continued, "We should welcome them. We need the help. If you'll excuse me, I think I will go rest."

He left the King's company quickly, walking up the steps towards the hall where the bedrooms were. When he was out of sight of Theoden, Aragorn massaged his temple softly. It worried him to no end how he was responding to the ring. The history of his family did not give him any hope in this, no matter how often he was told that he was not Isildur himself. Swinging open the door to his room, he entered and shut it quietly, not wanting to gain the attention of anyone who might be around. The whispers in his mind were becoming dominating.

He needed some rest.

*

Gimli had searched long and hard the entire city before being told that Aragorn had gone for a nap. Sighing heavily, he sat down on a rock beside Legolas, who was tending to his quiver.

"Napping!" he said gruffly, tapping his axe on the dirt ground, "At this hour! How much sleep does one person need?"

Legolas peered up at the window that was Aragorn's bedroom. "He did not sleep last night," he said, "He worries."

"We all worry," replied Gimli, tapping his boots with the axe, "This ring will be the death of us all."

Blue eyes met his green ones. "I would think to have succeeded this far, you would have hope," he replied, "Indeed, the ring does present a threat. But who else would you have keep it? Certainly not me?"

Gimli smirked at Legolas' innocent gaze. "You are right. Aragorn is who I would choose." He shook his head then, watching Merry accidentally knock Pippin off his feet. "I feel for those hobbits."

The glimmer in Legolas' eyes lessened, as it always did when sadness entered his mind. "As do I. The loss, though, is felt by us all."

Merry took Pippin's hand, pulling him to his feet. The young hobbit frowned and dusted off his clothes. "There is talk around here that elves are on their way," said Gimli, raising his eyebrows, "Have you heard?"

"I have," replied Legolas, going back to his quiver, "They have most likely heard of the ringbearer's fate, and quite possibly already know about Aragorn." He looked up when a hobbit squeaked. "Are those swords sharp?"

Gimli frowned as Pippin stormed off, dragging his sword behind him. Merry followed him down the hill. "Sounds like it."

"Legolas, Gimli." They both turned at the soft voice. Eowyn approached them, her face worried. "Have you spoke to Aragorn today? I'm worried about him."

The dwarf and the elf exchanged glances. "It is to be expected that he will act unlike himself," said Legolas, "Unless he becomes possessive, I would not worry too much."

Eowyn smiled weakly. "It is hard to help." She took a seat beside Gimli, who moved slightly to make room on the rock. "I do not know much about this ring, but I can see it bother him."

"The Ring of Power is a terrible force," said Gimli earnestly, "But Aragorn has strength and character. If anyone can resist its power, he can."

Eowyn nodded, not sure if she was fully convinced.

*

He thought he heard his name being called, but when Aragorn awoke, he was alone.

The first thing he did, without even realizing it, was pat the pocket where the ring took residence. He recognized that he did this, and tossed back the thin covers in annoyance.

"Gandalf," he whispered to himself, looking out the window at the early evening sky, "I hope you're right about this."

A knock at the door caused him to lose his thoughts. He opened the door to the concerned face of a certain blonde elf he didn't really want to speak with at the moment.

"Legolas," he said, rubbing his eyes, "I hope you are not here to check up on me."

Lowering his head and smiling, the elf stepped by him. He looked around, his blue eyes taking in every corner of the small room. "I thought you might be hungry," he said, frowning at the rumpled bed. "Have you been sleeping all this time?"

Pursing his lips, he glared at the elf. "And what if I have?" he asked, crossing his arms, "If I was needed, I am sure I would have been summoned."

Legolas blinked softly and approached his friend. "I meant no accusation," he said, and Aragorn could easily tell that Legolas was being honest, "Will you come to dinner?"

Aragorn sighed and nodded. "Forgive me," he said as they left the room, "I find myself becoming short with many people lately."

"It is not surprising. You carry a heavy burden. Your friends are only concerned for your well-being."

He nodded, "I know, I know." They entered the dining hall, where most of the King's company were already seated. "This is proving more difficult than I had imagined."

"How so?" asked Legolas as they sat down, but he was interrupted by others at the table.

"Well, look who it is!" exclaimed Gimli, "Sleeping beauty!"

Aragorn laughed along with the rest of the table. Legolas, though, remained watchful of his friend. He grew more concerned each day, seeing how quickly Aragorn seemed to be succumbing to the ring's power. The human remained strong, but his temperment was changing quickly.

When Aragorn began staring at the hobbits, his expression distressed, Legolas became worried. "Aragorn," he said, and it took a moment before the human looked at the elf. He lowered his voice. "Are you alright?"

He didn't speak right away, but when he did he sounded confused as to why Legolas was concerned. "I'm fine. Why?"

The elf shook his head softly. "You seemed distant," he replied, then changed the subject, "Have you heard we are getting visitors?"

By now the rest of the table had taken to their own conversations. Aragorn cast a swift glance at the hobbits, then looked back up at Legolas. "I have," he said, "It would not surprise me if Elrond was among them."

"Why do you say that?"

Aragorn picked up his fork and began poking at the food on his plate. "If anyone recognizes the weakness of men, it is Elrond." He sighed and set down the fork, pushing the plate away.

"Perhaps they are coming to help." Legolas didn't know why the elves were on their way to Edoras, but he felt the need to lend hope to Aragorn. He took a deep breath, realizing that he could not recall a time past when Aragorn had needed hope or encouragement from someone else.

"Perhaps," he replied, looking doubtful. "Has anyone heard from Gandalf?"

The wizard, after making sure the ring was safe with Aragorn, had gone on a journey to Gondor. He had hoped to convince Denethor to join Rohan in its fight against Sauron. "No," replied Legolas, "There has been no word."

Aragorn leaned back in his chair and sighed. His fingers found the pocket where the ring lay, and he began tracing the outlined form. It relaxed him, he found. Already the tension was seeping from his shoulders. The noise in the hall began to wane.

A hard whap on his arm brought Aragorn back to the present. "Did you hear what I said?" asked Gimli, frowning, "There's pie!"

Before Aragorn could respond, the dwarf has risen from his seat and headed to the table at the head of the room. "You should eat something," said Legolas, and Aragorn frowned.

"I'm not hungry." Standing quickly, he left the table and headed out of the hall.

Legolas sighed. He had seen how Aragorn had touched the ring in his pocket, noticed how he had become entranced by it. "Where did Aragorn go?" asked Pippin, returning to the table with a plateful of apple and boysenberry pie. "Didn't he want dessert?"

"Maybe he doesn't like pie," added Merry, setting down his own plate.

Legolas raised his eyebrows at the enormous servings. "I think he just needed to do something," he said. Frowning at Pippin's torn shirt sleeve, he added, "You two really need to be more careful with those swords."

*

TBC