10. Tokens (Aragorn)
Still deliberating Elrond's tale of bloodlines and kingdoms, he rises in the night to look again at those things with which he has been gifted.
These are the appointed tokens of his manhood. He sees a shattered blade that should have been taken for its metal long since. A ring that remembers an alliance of dead men. A claim to a throne already occupied, passed from father to son like some useless curio: a bankrupt coat of arms, an empty sheath.
He wonders if such antiquities will ever gain new meaning, and senses that it will only be in violence.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
