Work Text
Year 51 Fourth Age
His brown hair stuck to his face as he stood, panting, in the rising sunlight. The fire in his heart overwhelmed his entire body. With a harsh cough, he allowed the break that both of the new Red Company recruits so desperately needed.Aderthon didn't want to admit that he felt as exhausted as they appeared, staggering to half lean against the citadel wall in the training grounds he'd officially taken over for the most elite of the Reunited Kingdom's soldiers. They could seek that, but he wouldn't. He didn't lean, didn't seek out any aid except the water skin that lay cast aside on a wooden table. As he lifted the black leather waterskin to his lips, the morning light caught the glint of metal around his finger.He paused. Staring at it for a moment mere inches from his face, Aderthon felt the weight of an hour of predawn training crash onto him all at once, mingling with the months of despair and loneliness that had followed what the scholars now called the Second Battle of the Pelennor. He had no interest in abandoning the Free Peoples of Middle Earth, not while Eldarion lived at the least. But this ring, this cursed artifact that no matter how purified by Lady Lúthien, kept him straddling the lines of life and death, and severed him from his parents.Ironic. Fate, doom, seemed to truly love to damn Fëanor's line to atonement for an oath ill-sworn. He had Lady Lúthien's blood as well. Was her part in Sauron's downfall catching up with her descendants through his ring?Movement beyond the Ring of Berúthiel tore his thoughts away. The two young men, both singled out of their training with the Citadel Guard as prime candidates for the Red Company had stood back up tall. Aderthon couldn't help flashing them a small smirk. He took a quick drink.Moving back over to their large, packed dirt circle, he twisted his wrist, Galmegil glinting golden red in the dawn. He didn't train his recruits with blunt swords. Neither his, nor theirs. The Red Company took only the best. It would always take only the best. Either they controlled themselves enough to neither harm nor be harmed, or they did not belong.Perhaps the Doom of Mandos hung over them. Perhaps they had no hope of finding a way to destroy this accursed ring. But as the recruits, Berenor and Malrin, stood ready to oppose him without hesitation, Aderthon just nodded.They would just have to do without hope, then.Aderthon faked left. Neither fell for the tease. As Berenor, brought his steel blade up to block the following strike, his grip never wavered. Blue-grey eyes stared back at Aderthon, unfazed, beneath matted, golden hair. His brown furrowed as Aderthon placed more weight. He gritted his teeth, grunting in pain.The flash of metal from his right caused Aderthon to release the pressure and dodge back around to face Malrin. The man's sword kicked up sand where it sliced the boot prints left by Aderthon's fierce approach."Good." Aderthon nodded, smiling again as he moved a few steps back. "Much better than yesterday. Now you're thinking like a team."Neither responded. Sweat caused their skin to glisten and their faces had flushed ages ago as they struggled to keep up with Aderthon. But he readied himself once more. "Again.""Aderthon!"All three in the ring paused at the sound of Eldarion's call. Aderthon turned to his cousin, surprised to find him standing under the low white stone arch at the courtyard's entrance. Eldarion had been up far too late those days to get up early. He'd been sticking his nose is ancient texts with scholars from across Middle Earth, elf, man, and dwarf. They all sought the same thing: answers to ending Berúthiel's ring without ending Aderthon himself.Both exhausted young men managed to find the strength to bow their heads to Eldarion. "My Lord!"He nodded to them, but focused still on Aderthon. "Come here."Aderthon sighed. Sheathing Galmegil, he trudged across the short grass to stand with Eldarion in the shade of the archway. "Why do you interrupt me?""Don't use that tone with me," Eldarion warned him. But he didn't sound angry, just tired. They were all tired. "I'm interrupting your training for a good reason.""Let's have it then."Eldarion smiled. "You aren't going to like it though," he said, patting his cousin on the shoulder for a moment. "I'm here to order you to take the day off from training."He didn't wait for Aderthon's response. He walked over to the recruits instead, leaving Aderthon to fume in isolation. His grip around Galmegil's hilt tightened. The metal of the sword and the ring began to clash, biting into his flesh, but Aderthon ignored it. His fury gave him strength.An iron tang filled his mouth as he bit his cheek to stay silent when Eldarion dismissed Malrin and Berenor for the day. They left after curt bows and ragged, breathy courtesies to Aderthon. Soon only the songs of morning birds filled the courtyard where Aderthon stood rigid in the center, while Eldarion stared at a decimated straw training dummy by the wall."Was it your father that ordered it?" He finally managed to choke out the question when Eldarion turned back his way a minute later. "Or my sister?"As Eldarion moved to the exit, he didn't wait for Aderthon. "Wrong on both counts. Though Círeth had mentioned a desire to shoot a few arrows in you to strand you in the healing houses. I ordered it, alone."Aderthon sighed. He gritted his teeth but jogged after Eldarion, catching him as their boots hit the cobbled road. "No news from Akilina then?""I'm afraid not. She's due back today though. Alagos is returning with her.""Círeth's second in command?"Eldarion nodded.They strode side by side through the waking city. Few nobles woke before ten o'clock in the morning, it seemed, but the servants and soldiers rose with the dawn. The fire in his heart cooled as Aderthon watched the people. Even if Akilina had learned nothing from the ancient texts of the coven regarding how to destroy the ring, at least the people of the Reunited Kingdom would give him purpose."Come on. Change and get breakfast, then we've got council meetings at ten." Eldarion paused as they reached Aderthon's house. "And before you complain about this order, know it does not come from me.""I would never disobey an order from my King," Aderthon said.Eldarion just let out a sharp laugh as he turned away that left Aderthon smirking. It had been disobeying the orders of his uncle that had landed him in this predicament and half a dozen others previously. With a long deep breath of the spring in Gondor, he closed his eyes and tried to relax."What's this? Lord Aderthon, enjoying a moment to smile at the scent of flowers?"If the scent of flowers hadn't been enough to leave him smiling, the sound of lilting voice did it. He opened his eyes. Nimwing, dressed as she did most days in a gown of white with her golden hair loose to flow in the wind, wandered over to him. Aderthon couldn't speak, other than to say her name."I received word from your sister last night.""Fëalas?" He perked up at the mention of the younger twin. She'd been gone for months, working with her rangers to establish a more firm peace along the borders of Harad.Nimwing nodded. "Yes. Some of Lord Legolas's folk and her own are establishing a connection with the men of Near Harad. They hope to share knowledge of plants and animals between them, with her Rangers acting as a go between."Politics. Aderthon didn't have much of a mind for it. He could understand it well enough but the drivel that could spout from old men in seats of power and young ones who sought only to acquire more bored him."Is it going well, then?" He asked.Nimwing laughed. "You don't need to pretend to be interested on my account, Aderthon. Besides," she added, backing up and moving away, "I would guess you'll hear all about it at the council meeting."He called after her. "Will you be there?"She didn't respond, but she did smile, and he couldn't help doing the same. Of course she would be there. Nimwing somehow managed to tread the line between action and talk, perfecting both. It amazed him. Even Eldarion couldn't always muster the same grace as she when frustrated with the politics of court. Nimwing said she owed it to centuries of patience with an old Sindarin warrior. Aderthon figured she just had more than her fair share of the loveliness of Elbereth in her.He tried to emulate her. He really did. Ten o'clock came and he took his seat to Eldarion's right, Círeth beside him. He caught a glimpse of Nimwing further down the line, official emissary of Amon Loth, beside Elboron and half a dozen other men of the Reunited Kingdom both north and south. With them were several dwarves including Nîm son of Gimli and Ambi of Dain's house, as well as Merry and Pippin. Amdirien sat beside Arwen as she always did, and beside her, Adíra had been given a place as one of the few Haradrim in Minas Anor's walls.He really tried to be like Nimwing. She sat straight, listened with intent. Nimwing rarely raised her voice and never snapped. But she also did not back down, and though Men of the Reunited Kingdom rarely found themselves awed by elven kind, she could make the best of them second guess harsh tones.Aderthon, however, did not find it easy to keep his tongue in check. His body ached from overuse. A burning like smouldering hot coals filled every muscle in his body, and he knew Eldarion had been right to make him stop. He'd been up early training the Red Company recruits every day for weeks, and taking few breaks during the day from the Company itself. He would not allow some small piece of metal crafted by a craven, traitorous Maia Ages ago to cause his men to fall into disrepair.He would do without hope. He had a duty to his cousin, his king, and his people. Though the endless arguing and debating of the people in the council chamber did force him to pause and reevaluate his resolve.They argued over the costs of repairs. They argued over the costs of raising another army. By the end of the session, Aderthon noticed even Lord Aragorn's frustration at their lack of urgency. Didn't they realize that the Reunited Kingdom sat more defenseless now than it had in the many decades since the War of the Ring?"I think we have had enough discussion for one day," Queen Arwen said. She cut off the debates before they could continue, and the room went silent. None would argue with the queen.Aragorn nodded. "Agreed. We will discuss the matter of funding later." He stood with Arwen, and the rest of the gathered people's followers, until at last the only ones who hadn't drifted out of the room were Aderthon, Eldarion, and Elboron."You would think they'd never fought in a war," Elboron said. He sounded neither angry not cross, merely bemused, as they came together a few meters from the doorway. "Most of them have seen two, some have seen three."Before either Aderthon or Eldarion could answer, however they were interrupted by the groaning of the massive wooden doors being heaved open. Inside walked Círeth's right hand man, Alagos, dressed in dark greens and browns. Beside him walked Akilina in the black leather of her order."Forgive the intrusion, my lords," Alagos said. "I was looking for my Captain.""There is nothing to forgive," Eldarion insisted. He turned to the woman from Rhûn as Alagos left. "You have news, Lady Akilina?"She shook her head. "None. Our only hope remains what we'd already discussed."Aderthon gritted his teeth and turned away to look out the window of the Tower. Then they really were without hope. If all they had were whispered rumors of Morgoth's ancient fortress beyond the East, the ring had claimed him. Aderthon tuned out the questioning between Elboron and Eldarion and Akilina.Only when the doors creaked open again and Alagos spoke did he turn back."Apologies again, my lords. But there's an elf here to speak to King Elessar—"A sharp, clear voice interrupted the ranger. "Indeed I am here for him, but the prince and his cousin will do for now."Aderthon looked him up and down. Flaxen hair as smooth as silk framed a pale face with grey eyes. He didn't need Alagos's words to tell him this was an elf, and one who had seen many an age if he had to guess. The elf's gaze flickered immediately from the people to the ring on Aderthon's finger, before he glanced back up."And who might you be, Master Elf?" Eldarion asked. "And from where do you hail?""I am Eglanor, wanderer and master of knowledge." He pointed to Aderthon. "I've come to help you with your jewellery problem."
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The Dispossessed
There was no denying the beauty of the elf that had boldly entered behind Alagos. His hair, a warm gold that shined in the light of the council room, hung loose to just beneath his shoulders. If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve assumed Eglanor to be of the Vanyar, whose beauty had been recorded in the illustrated histories the Reunited Kingdom had brought from Imladris. But few even partly of that kindred lived in Middle Earth.“Aderthon of the House of Feanor, is it?”“Feanoriel. Our house goes by the name given to my mother,” Aderthon corrected. He didn’t miss the way Eglanor straightened at his words, and he worried briefly that he may have offended this elf. He did not wish to offend any of that fair kind, least of all one who seemed to have some knowledge of his predicament. “We take Feanoriel in honor of her, and Maglor, who worked to restore the dignity of the House of Feanor.”“Indeed. It is a miracle that house has regained any respect,” he said. But he gestured a dismissal with his hand and continued on. “Well, Reuniter. News of that ring of yours has traveled quite far.”Sparing a glance at Eldarion, he decided to take a lesson from Nimwing and practice diplomacy. Aderthon turned back to Eglanor. “Indeed, lord? And how far would that be?”“Far enough. I’ve come from the East, where I had been visiting lands long forgotten by the elves west of the Orocarni, and never known by the Men of this age, or even the one before.”Eldarion stepped forward. “Forgive me, lord, if I overstep my bounds. But how many ages of this world have you wandered, gathering knowledge?”A smile spread across Eglanor’s face. He moved towards the nearest window, cutting between Eldarion and Aderthon. Sparing a brief glance outside, he merely shrugged. “More than most, perhaps any that remain here in Middle Earth.”Only when the great doors groaned on their hinges did Aderthon realize Alagos had disappeared to retrieve Aragorn. The king strode inside, Arwen beside him, a tight smile forced on his face. Eglanor stopped in his tracks when they joined the group. Aderthon supposed even an elf such as Eglanor could recognize greatness when in its presence.“Father, this is Lord Eglanor.” Eldarion jumped to introductions immediately. “He says he has knowledge related to the Ring of Beruthiel.”“Ring of Beruthiel?” Eglanor’s fist clenched. “I must say, for being a descendant of Luthien, you aren’t very knowledgeable of the victories won by your forebears, Prince Eldarion. That is Sauron’s ring.”“Do not fear, Master Elf, we know that well enough.” Aragorn smiled. “To have you in this city is an honor. And to hear you bring knowledge that could save my nephew brings me even greater joy. Truly this is a hope unlooked for.”Eglanor let out a single laugh. “Unlooked for and unexpected, indeed. What good fortune that I would be passing by Minas Anor. But before we get to the information I bring, I do have two simple requests.”Aragorn waved him off. “Name it.”“First, I have made many enemies in my travels. I have been over and across the sea, through mountains and under them, and I fear there may come a day I require a place to stay, protected from those who would see me suffer.”Aderthon couldn’t help but flash a small smile at Eldarion. He wondered if his cousin thought as he himself did, that Eglanor knew how to wax poetics and play politics as well as even Nimwing herself. And as he suspected, Aragorn was quick to agree to that request.“Of course. So long as the Reunited Kingdom stands, I strive to offer protection to any who would request it of us.” Aragorn nodded. “And your other request?”Eglanor smiled. “A trivial one, but one I feel is necessary. I request a pardon for any misdeed I may be charged with that I may or may not have committed.”Aderthon frowned. “What?”Eldarion echoed him, but Aragorn and Arwen both stayed silent for several moments. “You ask for pardoning of crimes, master elf?”“Indeed. Simple enough for a king, no?”Aragorn scoffed under his breath in disbelief. “You must think me either stupid or naive, Master Elf. I cannot pardon you from crimes I am not aware of.”“You can, and you will, or you should, if you will expect my assistance with that ring your nephew has bound himself to.” Eglanor pointed at him, and Aderthon shuddered for a moment. “The line of Feanor has always had too much affection for jewelry.”Aragorn straightened up, and a sharp glance at Aderthon shut him up before he could say anything in his own defense. Instead, Aragorn responded. “I could charge you for your crimes instead, Master Elf.”“On what grounds, King Elessar? You do not know of any crime I may have done.”“Watch your tongue, Master Elf,” Aderthon snapped. “I may need your assistance, but that does not mean I will sit by as you use this to your advantage against my uncle and king.”“Aderthon,” Arwen warned.Silence reigned in the council room. Elboron, Akilina, and Alagos had left them at the beginning of the audience, but the rage building up in his chest, pounding in his ears, distracted Aderthon enough that it didn’t matter only five of them stood there together. He had to bite his cheek to keep from speaking out again, but he would never speak against his queen.Aragorn broke the silence. “I will have someone escort you to a guest house in the upper circle, Master Elf. You will have my answer by tomorrow morning.”“I await it, eagerly, King Elessar.”With two quick but firm knocks on the door to the rest of the citadel, Aragorn summoned a guard. He entrusted Eglanor with him, and soon Aderthon stood alone with the three other members of the royal family. Before he could speak, Aragorn cut him off.“Aderthon-”“I will not deny that he is rude-”“Aderthon.”“-but we cannot think of denying him this simple request!”Aderthon had finally tasted hope. It was within his grasp, answers to desperation that he thought mere hours ago would forever go unaided. But in this hour of need, this elf, by seemingly the grace of the Valar, had appeared to lend him a hand.“Aderthon, you know that is no simple request,” Arwen said, voice soft. She frowned. “What he asks is unprecedented. Dangerous, even.”Aragorn agreed with her. “I cannot pardon a man whose crimes I do not know.”“Father,” Eldarion said, with a sigh. “I know it seems foolish. But what choice do we have? Aderthon is bound to that ring, he straddles mortality and immortality, and risks life as a shade forever if he is not severed from it.”“I fear no shadow world, but I would do anything in my power to ensure that does not happen,” Aderthon agreed. “If this elf can help me, please. Let him.”Aragorn looked between Aderthon and Eldarion, silent. Under the weight of the gaze of his king and his uncle, Aderthon felt like a child again, dependant on his mother, father, and uncles. But he wasn’t a child. Not anymore. He’d been through too much, done too much with his blade and his battle cries.Aragorn’s gaze lingered on him for a moment. Then he sighed. “I cannot fool myself into believing you would not go even if I forbid you. There is too much of your mother in you, no matter how dedicated to this kingdom you are.”He didn’t even try to correct his uncle. Aragorn was right. Aderthon had gone through too much and done too much to get where he was to not see the rest through. Especially not since the arrival of a man with answers.“I will let you know of my decision tomorrow morning.” Aragorn spared a glance at his wife. Then he turned back. “Do not do anything foolish, Aderthon.”“You have my word.”Aragorn nodded. “Then rest. The night is not far off. Eldarion, come with us.”Aderthon spared a glance at his cousin. Eldarion patted him on the shoulder before moving past to join his parents, and with reds and golds blending in the sky, Aderthon moved to look out the window. Craftsmen, scholars, and peasants moved about below him. Not far, he watched as two children, a boy and a girl, played tag with a small, white dog.The girl couldn’t have been older than seven, her fair hair glistening pale in the dying light. Tinneth’s hair had often sparkled like that, though her silver, nearly white, hair had been unmistakable. No one missed when she flew past, jumping on boxes to reach heights far above her head.Aderthon clenched his hand. The ring pinched his skin and he focused on the cold metal. Closing his eyes, he tried to rid his mind of the sight of her blood on his sword. The anger he’d levied towards her had faded years ago, replaced only with regret. As he ran his thumb over the serpents on the ring, Aderthon watched the girl in the street.She stumbled. With a piercing cry, she shouted angrily at her brother who had pushed her. The boy grabbed her, trying to calm her down. Aderthon wondered where their parents were. Probably nearby, as the boy continued to shush the girl.A woman moved towards them. She was young, but no child, with hair whiter than even Tinneth’s had been and skin like porcelain. He couldn’t see her face as she picked the girl up off the ground and settled her, slipping a few gold coins into her hand before moving off.The girl stopped crying. Aderthon could see blood on her knees. As the sun began to set, leaving the streets in darkness lit only by lanterns, he turned away. Maybe this was his fate. Had the Valar seen fit to give him a doom like unto his forebears, to roam in Middle Earth, never to go to the Undying Lands?He opened the wooden doors and his boot echoed through the halls of the citadel. Perhaps this was his doom. But he had been through too much and done too much not to see it through. So see it through, he would.
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3 | COUNSELS TAKEN
The sun rose against a red sky. As Aderthon stared out over the city, the flowering White Tree behind him some fifty feet back, he tried to push all foreboding from his thoughts. Aragorn would deliver his decision soon enough. Until then, the waiting caused a pounding in the base of his skull and a tightness in his chest that Aderthon could not rid himself of.His right hand sat on Galmegil’s pommel. The smoothness of the mithril sat cool against his skin. He tried to close his eyes, but the darkness that engulfed him when he did made him even more uneasy. Even the breeze that blew his brown hair across his face did little to cool his anxiety.The sounds of heavy booted feet on the stone behind him pulled Aderthon away from his musings. He turned, and found the weathered face of his second in command highlighted by the sunrise. Aglaron, who hailed originally from Dol Amroth’s Swan Knights, wore his sword at his side and red cloak across his back. He’d seen many winters, being a contemporary of Lord Bergil who commanded the Northern garrisons, but could still beat any fresh-faced warrior that the Reunited Kingdom put forth.“My lord.” His low, gravelly voice wasn’t unpleasant to Aderthon as he came closer. “Staring off at the horizon will not ease your struggles.”Aderthon gave a half snort. “No. It won’t. But I have little else to do with my time right now.”“You’ve got your sword, and I have mine.”“Indeed, that’s true.”Turning away from the Pelennor Fields, Aderthon allowed himself a small smile. He moved away from the edge. Unsheathing Galmegil, he couldn’t help but marvel at the dawn’s light reflecting off the blade. Hope stirred in his chest, a tiny flame, but there all the same. His mother had wielded this sword in the face of all despair, more than once.He glanced up. Aglaron watched him, falling into a practiced stance. Aderthon copied him.“Are you ready, old man?” he joked.Aglaron just scoffed. “Always.”“Good.”Their blades danced in the morning sun. Neither had the mastery, each equally skilled in his own right. As sweat built up on his brow, Aderthon smiled. They moved apart for a moment to rest.“Are you going east, my lord?” Aglaron asked. “Word travels fast in Minas Anor.”“Indeed it does. Like the walls have ears,” Aderthon muttered.Aglaron gave a short huff. “It was that way even when I was a boy. The day King Elessar healed Lord Faramir, half the town knew by evening. Whispered words that the king had returned floated down every street and back alley. Bergil insisted it to be true,” he added. “I was skeptical. I missed the Havens, and feared the return of the king would somehow cause my life to change for the worse.”Aderthon laughed. He shook his head. “I would hope it hasn’t, though war has not disappeared under his reign.”“Nay, it has not. But it never will. There will always be things in this world worth protecting with our lives.” Aglaron stood up straighter. “If you go East, I will accompany you.”“Aglaron.” Aderthon wasn’t sure what to say. There were few besides his own sisters and cousins that he trusted as much as his captain standing before him. “I cannot ask that of you.”It was Aglaron’s turn to laugh. “I know you well, Aderthon. I’ve known you since you were just training to fight for the king. I’ve also known Prince Eldarion. So I know you two well enough to know that even if King Elessar forbids you to leave, you will go, and he will follow. Two is not enough to pursue the destruction of that ring.” He gestured in the general direction of Mordor. “Even the halflings were four, and their company nine.”Aderthon stayed silent. The wind blew through what hair wasn’t stuck to his sweaty, reddened face. He didn’t know what to say at first. But as Aglaron didn’t retrack his request, he just sighed. “If we go searching for Utumno without the leave of the King, you could be tried for treason if we return.”“I trust King Elessar, and I believe he will give you leave,” Aglaron insisted. “But still, my request remains the same. I am already growing old. To die protecting my prince and my general would be a good death, whether out in the wilds, or here in Minas Anor.”“Aderthon! What are you doing?” Eldarion’s voice broke through the otherwise quiet air. He rushed down the walkway. “We are to meet with my father within the hour.”Turning from his cousin back to Aglaron, he paused. Then he nodded. “I would be honored to have you join us.” He turned back to Eldarion. “Calm down. I won’t be late.”As he joined them, Eldarion just shook his head in exasperation, mouth set in a thin line. He said nothing more to Aderthon. Instead he just turned to Aglaron and bid him a good morning.“To you as well, Prince Eldarion.” He sheathed his sword. “I will not keep you.”Eldarion shook his head. “You are fine, Aglaron. It is my foolish cousin who needs reminding of the time. You’re filthy.”“And I shall remain filthy,” Aderthon said, laughing. “I have to train the Red Company after this council, and there is no point in bathing twice.” He turned back to Aglaron. “Come on. King Elessar awaits us.”Though he seemed puzzled, Eldarion didn’t question Aderthon’s words as Aglaron went to walk to Aderthon’s left. Their red cloaks with silver trees of the Reunited Kingdom billowed behind them. The three men reached the doors to the Tower of Ecthelion as one and Eldarion nodded to the Citadel Guard on duty to open the doors.Aderthon wasn’t surprised in the least to find Círeth and Elboron already there beside Aragorn and Queen Arwen. Círeth had a frown on her face, arms across her chest, and red hair in a braid down her back. Elboron looked nearly as frustrated though less angry. They all looked up as the trio’s footsteps began to echo through the marble hall."I have made a decision." Aragorn spoke softly, glancing from Aderthon to Eldarion, and then to Aglaron who bowed. "Though my heart is troubled by it." He took a deep breath, exchanging uneasy glances with Queen Arwen before turning back to Aderthon. "I will give Eglanor what he asks, and you make take him as a guide, should he know the way to Utumno as we suspect. Eldarion may go with you, for I know he would follow anyway. But three is not enough to travel to the far East.""I will go, King Elessar, if you will permit me," Aglaron said, wasting no time. "It would be an honor to protect your son and nephew."Aragorn nodded. "Your offer is appreciated, and accepted.""I will go as well," Círeth added.Aderthon immediately protested, the same time as Aragorn. He would not see his sister put in danger for his own decisions. Eldarion shouldn't even have been going, had he had a say in the matter.But she wouldn't hear more. "I will not sit idly by as another sibling of mine faces imminent danger. You can keep me here no more than you can keep Eldarion." She turned directly to Aragorn. "If you forbid me this quest, I shall go alone, by paths known only to my Rangers, none of whom would betray my trust to those you'd send after me."Aragorn pursed his lips. But he nodded. "Very well. Though I am not happy about this." He sighed.Two quick knocks on the double doors stopped their discussion. Aderthon turned from glaring at Círeth to the entrance and was not surprised to find a member of the Citadel Guard guiding Eglanor towards them. The elf kept his head high."You have decided, then?" He asked, coming to stand before them.Aragorn frowned, but gave him a single, curt nod. He took a sheet of paper that Elboron, who had thus far remained quiet, held out for him. He handed it to the elf. "A pardon, as promised."Eglanor smiled wide. "Splendid. Then let's get down to business." He turned to Aderthon on his right and pointed to the ring. "As you've already guessed, I'm sure, there is only one place still in Middle Earth where that trinket can be destroyed. The fire mountain lies dormant, Angband is sunk beneath the waves, which means only Utumno's forges remain.""Does it remain?" Elboron asked.Eglanor nodded. "The Valar were strong and effective in their assault, but hardly thorough. Their overconfidence was their undoing in those years, but it seems that will be to your advantage now. Utumno's deepest reaches were untouched once Melkor was captured.""Morgoth," Aderthon corrected him. "My House named him that, and that he shall remain."Eglanor glared. "Indeed, now he is Morgoth. But he was Melkor at the time, Fëanorion."Aderthon went to deliver a biting insult, but Aragorn stopped him. He bit his cheek. Upon Aragorn's insistence, he let the elf continue on with his explanation."There are elves in the East, named Avari in the tongues of the elves here in the West. They are primitive, more primitive even than Men here." Eglanor made a face. "But still, gathering knowledge is a pastime of mine, so I spent many a year in the areas around Utumno learning what I could. I know paths that can get us to the fortress in relative safety."Aderthon felt a wave of relief wash over him like waves at the beaches near Dol Amroth. They had guessed rightly, then. Eglanor knew where to find Utumno. And what more than that, he was prepared to guide them. "I will follow you to the East.""Good. And I assume the Prince will be going as well?" Eglanor smirked. "you two are inseparable, do not appear so surprised that I guessed as much."Aderthon couldn't help glaring as Círeth told him she would be going as well. She shouldn't be going. She should be here, where she could be safe, and where he could not be responsible for another sister's death. But he also knew her threat to the king and to himself had been no bluff. Her rangers loved her, and he had no doubt they would aid her in a quest to go East with them."Aglaron will go as well," Aderthon told Eglanor. Be gestured to the man beside him. "He is one of my most trusted warriors and has sworn to see this through.""Lovely." Eglanor nodded then, and turned back to Aragorn and Arwen. "Anyone else?"Arwen let her gaze linger on him, frown deepening. But she deferred to her husband. Aragorn shook his head. "I will think about it. For now, rest, and enjoy the hospitality of Minas Anor.""I will, thank you.""Elboron, see him out.""Of course, my lord."Aderthon watched Eglanor leading Elboron back down the hall, past the Citadel Guards, until he disappeared behind closing doors. They would have to set off soon. Already the year had started to wane, and he had no interest in crossing the Orocarni in the winter. He sighed, then turned back to Aragorn."The Red Company has training soon. I thank you, again, for allowing this.""I promised your parents many years ago that I would protect you, and this decision must reflect that. To keep you here without hope of severing your tie to that ring is more dangerous than giving you a chance to free yourself."Aderthon nodded."You can thank me by all of you coming back alive," Aragorn added.Sharing a glance between Círeth and Eldarion, Aderthon took a deep breath. They would certainly try.