4. Acceptance — Vilwarin
by Vilwarin
Aragorn was glad when he finally left the city. Never before had he been so mentally and physically exhausted. The Palantír, the army of the Dead, the battle and the healing had left him drained of all energy. He sat on a boulder not far from the Gates and let his head sink into his hands. The camp was only a stone's throw away, but he could not bring himself to face anyone, especially not his people. They would not speak of Halbarad's death before Aragorn addressed the matter, but he had no words for them, not yet.
He knew what Halbarad would have said. "Do not be ridiculous, death belongs to our lives like the air we breathe." And it was true. Every one of them knew death, but that did not mean that it was easier to accept. He felt the years weighing heavily upon him. He had buried so many already, family, friends, comrades. He stood up and looked towards Minas Tirith and the Houses of Healing. Life to the dying in the king's hand lying. He breathed deeply, turned his back to the city and continued his way to the camp. The Dúnedain had need of their Chieftain now, as had he of them.
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.
