Thalion Faer, Doltha Hún

The members of the Fellowship had stayed in the kingdom of Gondor for a few weeks while the hobbits were on the mend. The people of Gondor resumed their duties and their desire to rebuild the city in this time, successfully clearing out all debris from the city and its surrounding area.

The corpses of the enemy had been divided into piles near the base of the mountain of Amon Din before being burned. In this time the fallen soldiers of Gondor and Rohan had been buried and mourned in a funeral service. It was the biggest union of the realms of men since the battle, and the land would forever stand as a reminder of the battle.

Gandalf had come and gone in the days after the battle and coronation, having replaced Saruman as head of the order of Istari. He also took it upon himself to spread the word of the victory, the king, and above all else the fall of Mordor. He was back in the city on this day, with the intention of accompanying the hobbits back to the shire when they departed the following day.

A small company of men had volunteered to venture into the ruin of Mordor to assess the damage and draw up plans for where to begin reconstruction. The expectations had been simple: we wanted to know if there were any buildings still standing that had not been wholly destroyed, we wanted to know if the sea of Núrnen had been completely poisoned or dammed up. What the men had returned with was something much greater than just a positive report.

They had brought back the one part of Mordor that had not been destroyed by the explosion of Orodruin: the palantír of Minas Ithil. One of the four stones of Gondor, it fell into the hands of Sauron when the lands past Ithilien were claimed for Mordor and Minas Ithil was renamed Minas Morgul. The palantír had no doubt been kept in the tower of Barad-Dûr, and somehow been recovered from the ruin during the expedition. Along with the palantír of Orthanc, taken from Saruman, there were now two palantíri recovered.

“Will we have the ponies ready for the hobbits’ departure tomorrow?” I asked, stroking Feredir’s side as he walked alongside Brego. Aragorn nodded, leading the way through the free lands of Gondor to some secret location.

“Legolas is showing the bakers how to make Lembas bread so they will have rations for the journey home.” He smiled and I laughed, knowing that the appetite of the hobbits would require copious amounts of the bread, despite its extremely filling qualities.

Ithilien had remained, for the most part, untouched by the filth of Mordor. Wildflowers still dotted the untamed grass, birds still lodged in the trees and rock faces, animals still leapt across the paths at the sound of the horses’ hooves. Now, with no enemy threat beyond the mountains, it was at last returned to its state of peace.

We rounded a bend in the road before he steered us off the path altogether. It was some time before we found a path again, but when we did I stopped Feredir to take in the sight. It was a large clearing where a waterfall led into a pool at the base of some rocks. I recognized the place as the fabled Henneth Annúr, or Window of the Sunset. It had been used for centuries as a hidden outpost for the soldiers of Gondor who braved the land closest to Mordor.

Aragorn dismounted Brego before crossing over and helping me off Feredir. We had fallen into the practice of abandoning our crowns when we were in private, neither of us needing a reminder. He offered his hand I and took it as he led me along a path along the inner wall of the Forbidden Pool. The path grew narrower the closer we got to the falls, almost disappearing by the time we made it to the entrance. He helped me across and led me up the winding path.

The sound of the waterfall diminished the deeper and higher we went. The rock walls were cold and damp, etchings scribbled into the walls with names and dates; a history book in itself. Aragorn must have been in this place before, for he knew which direction to turn as if he had been here all his life. The waterfall seemed to grow closer again and when we stopped at last the sight was breathtaking.

We were behind the waterfall, behind the very window of the sunset. The oranges and pinks and purples of the sky filtered in through the water, painting it as the sun began its descent below the mountains. After a few moments Aragorn took a contraption from the corner and set it up in the water’s path, diverting some of it away to form a literal window. Through it the lands of Gondor could be seen, from Mount Mindolluin past Cair Andros to Nindalf. All of Ithilien, the reconstruction of Osgiliath, and the shining city of Minas Tirith.

He laid a blanket before the falls and motioned for me to sit beside him. I leaned against him, taking comfort as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He pressed his lips to my forehead and we sat in silence, watching the sun disappear. A pair of birds flew in through the window and fluttered into the back of the cave, their frantic actions making me laugh. I sat up to watch them but caught Aragorn staring.

“What is it?”

“Menin ceni hin lin sila i ‘eladhach.” He mused; your eyes shine when you laugh. A blush crept upon my cheeks and I smiled. He pulled up a fold in his robes and took something from his pocket. He opened his palms to show a beautiful necklace, no doubt crafted in Rivendell, with a blue gem in the middle. Motioning for me to turn, I felt the cold metal on my skin as he lifted my hair to fasten the clasp.

“It belonged to my mother,” He explained quietly, grazing the metal with his fingers. “She said that I would one day give it to the queen.”

“Hannon le.” I bowed my head ever so slightly and he smiled, his hand moving to my cheek. We looked at one another for a moment and I was overcome with the multitude of feelings I had for him. I could not recall what all those years in the wild had been like before him; and no part of me desired to remember. “Le melon, Aragorn.”

“Le melon.” He said right back, taking my face in his hands and bringing my lips to his. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him against me. This was what it felt like to be rescued. Aragorn had found me, helped me up every time I lost my footing, gave me the world and asked for nothing in return. He was a paragon of honesty and righteousness, he was selfless beyond measure; he was everything the leader of Gondor should be. My king was my husband, and my husband was my king.

-=-=-=-=-=-

The remainder of the Fellowship stood before us at the gates of the city, where a massive crowd had formed to bid our guests farewell. The hobbits had their ponies, packs filled with lembas and pipe weed and other goods. Gandalf stood by them with Shadowfax, Legolas with Hasufel and Gimli standing by with members of his kin who had come to escort him home. We gave them all as many gifts as we could, but now that the hobbits had returned to full health there was no reason for them to stay any longer.

“There is one last gift for you, my friends.” Aragorn announced. I stepped forward and unveiled the palantír of Minas Ithil, presenting it to Frodo. The four of them—especially Pippin—looked up at us nervously.

“The palantír of Orthanc will stay with us.” I began. “Keep this safe in the shire, and know that if you should ever find yourselves in a troubling situation, you may call on Gondor for aid.”

“Thank you, my lady.” Samwise said as the four of them bowed. I smiled, kneeling so I could embrace them all one last time and placing a kiss on their heads.

“Give my love to Thranduil.” I said as I crossed to Legolas, embracing him and sighing at the knowledge that my heart would ache in his absence. “Bring him when you come to visit.”

“I shall.” He promised, turning to say goodbye to Aragorn as I faced Gimli and his company. They bowed in unison, arms resting on their axes. I smiled and pressed my lips to Gimli’s forehead.

“I have not forgotten your promise of a feast, my friend.” I teased as he released a hearty laugh.

“And you shall be welcome any time, lass.” He looked past me and nodded to Aragorn. “You too, laddie.”

Aragorn smiled, bowing his head to the dwarf as I returned to his side. The company prepared to depart and the crowds bowed, some throwing flowers and others applauding. These were their heroes, the saviours of the world. They deserved all the praise in the world.

“Farewell, friends,” Aragorn began. “And may the sun shine on your path.”

They filed out of the gates, each turning their separate ways as the people waved after them. Aragorn took my hand as we watched them disappear beyond our sight. I knew it would not be the last time I would see any of them, but my heart ached nonetheless at their departure. Although we were separated, scattered across the world, we would forever be bound by friendship and love.