Estel

[Algamesh]

I'm going to post a segmented story here that I work on from time to time. It attempts to visit a time when Aragorn was very young and not yet aware of his heritage. I'll add to it every once in a while. I hope you find it entertaining!

[Algamesh]

Estel

Estel stood over the gilded case and gazed thoughtfully at the shards of the ancient weapon. The soft light of the nearby lanterns reflected majestically from the metal but ever the darkness clouded the largest rent in the blade. "Tis a soot that may persist until the blade may be forged anew.", is all that Elrond, Master of the House and of Rivendell would utter in response to the young man's questioning. Still, a desire to grasp the hilt or to run his hands along the edge of the blade persisted. A desire which had been denied by the proclamation of Elrond.
"Estel, perchance one day you may earn the honour of touching the heirloom of Elendil, a king of high renown who walked in an age long past. But that day is not today." Ever this was the answer given by the Master of the House.
"Look Elrohir, once again we find our little brother gazing at the weapons of his betters, although broken they may be." Estel immediately turned around to find the sons of Elrond, Elrohir and Elladan, leaning lazily against the near wall and smiling at him.
"Must you Elves step so softly?" replied the young man, as the heat crept slowly into his face.
"Did you hear that brother?" said Elrohir, "Even now, we are footpads in our own home."
The Elves laughed and Estel found himself grinning. He loved his adoptive "brothers" and in turn they were very fond of this orphaned youth of only fourteen years. It was often that each in turn, or at times together, would visit with him and tell stories of great battles and tales of valour and renown. They would always accompany him on his travels along the borders of Imladris, the valley of Elrond's folk. By Elrond's decree, he could go no further though his heart desired sojourn.
"But come now, Estel," said Elladan. "Today you ride with a host of Elves led by none less than the Glorfindel, whom even the foulest of ancient foes fear. A sword you shall have and may it be black with orc blood within the week!"
Estel stepped back and found himself speechless for a moment.
"Does Master Elrond know of this?" asked the young man.
"Surely he does," answered the Elrohir. "He has made this arrangement himself, though I do not begin to understand it. Perhaps his larder grows weary of your large appetite and he hopes you may find sustenance elsewhere for a time." At this, the brothers return to laughter at the expense of their young charge.
"But hurry now," continues Elladan. "Father wishes to speak to you concerning a matter of some importance. You will find him in his chamber."

[Algamesh]

Estel turned to ascend the stairs and began his slow journey through the warmly lit hall towards the chamber of his foster father. He gazed upon the ancient tapestries and other products of ancient elven craftsmanship. Three ages were depicted in the artwork of this majestic household and Elrond’s visage was present throughout. The immensity of the Elf Lord’s age was daunting for the youth and he oft times found it hard to grasp the history surrounding this aged being. Of battles, Elrond would speak but a little. He was especially close concerning the events of the almost mythic Battle of Dagorlad. Estel always found himself pondering over the hints and scraps that he could glean from the songs and ballads concerning this time of strife and sorrow. He wondered about the great kings of Numenor that the Elves seemed to hold in such high regard. As he approached the door of Elrond’s study, Estel stopped for a moment to gaze at his favorite painting.
Standing on a rock outcropping within a desolate land stood four figures. The two prominent beings were Gil-galad the great Elven King and his ally Elendil, the mighty liege of the Numenorean people. Facing one another they cross swords and a light surrounds them. In the background, holding high the heraldry of the Houses are Elrond and the son of Elendil, Isildur. Surrounding them exists a great host of both Elves and Men, shoulder to shoulder with weapons and armor shining brightly.
The scene always brought hope to the young man’s heart and thus restored, he opened the door to find the Lord of Imladris waiting.
“Well, young Estel,” begins Elrond. “The day comes at last when you will do battle against the hosts of the Enemy. Do I err in this decision to send you forth into darkness, thou dim you may only find it to be?”
“If it is the will of my lord, then I shall serve this duty,” replied the youth. “But, if it is permitted for me to ask, why the now.”
“You are grown of stature and many dark days lie ahead of us,” stated the wizened Elf. “We shall have need of such strength soon as the North may provide. You have learned much of wisdom and lore here in this House but you know little of the blood that is spilt to provide you with such security. This you may learn in a short while. But rest now. I would discuss the origins of those which you seek so that you may learn what hatred lies between the Orcs and the Elves.”
Estel lowered himself into a comfortable chair and listened quietly as Elrond talked far into the night. He spoke of creation and the betrayal of Melkor, the awakening of the Elves and the coming of Men. But of the Orcs, Elrond spoke much. He revealed to the young man that the brood of Morgoth accounted its origin in the torture and perversion of great Elves from long ago. Estel wept openly as Elrond described the first meeting of Elves and the newborn Orcs. Of how they became aware of their plight upon viewing their former brethren and threw themselves upon weapons and over perilous cliffs in the despair of forgotten memory. Memory, which Morgoth required many more years to completely destroy, through his cruel methods. Eventually, as a yellow moon hung low in the southwestern sky and the East began to hint of the morning to follow, Elrond bade the young lad to sleep for awhile.

[Algamesh]

The surrounding slope was littered with the bodies of many brave warriors. Men and Elves who were effortlessly cast aside by the heavy hand of malice. The King of Gondor, Elendil himself, lay crumpled and broken nearby. A smoldering corpse, bearing the insignia of the Elven King on his scorched breastplate, still clung tightly to the rent haft of Aeglos. Towering before him, the dark figure slowly turned and stared at the boy with glaring red orbs that pulsated with deadly hypnotic frequency...

"Nooooo ...!", shouted Estel as the terrifying image jolted him from restless slumber. Once again, his clothes were soaked with sweat and every muscle in his body trembled and ached. He hated the vision. A vision that had haunted his dreams from time unaccounted.

"Are you well, little brother?", questioned Elrohir as he rushed into the chamber at the sound of the youth's abrupt shout.

"Yes Elrohir, I'm fine", replied the boy. "I've had those terrible dreams again...”

"Fear not!", reassured the twin son of Elrond. "Remember that you dwell in Imladris and no vision of evil can harm you here! Glorfindel has only now just arrived and we are beginning to assemble. Come Estel, leave your apparitions for the moment and let us descend to the courtyard. Already a small but dreadful force gathers north of the valley and we are ready to drive the foul ones back into the roots of the earth from whence they came."

Elrohir turned and approached a small ironbound wooden chest lying at the foot of Estel's bed. Moments later, he produced a weighty package and tossed it to the lad.

"You shall find some garments within that will prove to be more suitable for the days to come", instructed the Elf. "Dress quickly and arm yourself, I will meet you below!"

Elrohir eyed the boy with obvious amusement and then proceeded quietly (as is the way of Elves) into the hallway beyond.

[Orc]

Outstanding. Very well written.

I like the concept of exploring Aragorn's youth - plenty of things to play with there.

[Algamesh]

hehe ...

I don't know how the word "s****s" translated into "s****s", in Pt. 2 of the story. I just wanted to bring this to everyone's attention and give the correct wording so you aren't thinking that I'm trying to make a useless attempt at profanity :embarras: !

I'll try to beat out a Pt. 4 this weekend ... I'm still pondering where to go from here ...

[Algamesh]

ARRGGHHHH ... good filter!

Ok ... the word is sc*aps, just put an 'r' in for the asterisk.

[Orc]

I think it filters **** or rather krap with a 'c'

I'll bring this to the attention of the 'powers that be'

[Illuvatar]

Ahh yes....VERY well written Algamesh!! :thumbs:I'm looking forward to the next installment.

As you may have noticed, I have edited Part 2. lol...

Quite the editor we have eh? :o I'm still trying to get the hang of the censorship options, apparently certain words that can be used as parts of other words need to be in {} type brackets. I have made the necessary corrections, and we should have further problems with the word SCRAP!!rofl rofl

But :shhh: :shhh: , don't tell anyone okay?

[Pil]

:shhh: :p

[Pil]

P.S. VERY GOOD!!!!! entdraught

Algamesh...you are extremely clever! :p

[Algamesh]

Thank you Pil! Clever, eh? Kewl!

Anyway, I'm trying to find the time to post a continuation. I know where I want to go next but I do not want to rush the architecture of the tale. Bear with me a few days and I'll try to get something posted!

[Algamesh]

The youth stared at the package for some time wondering at the contents. Slowly, he pulled back the woolen blanket, lowered himself onto the cool stone floor and approached the foot of the bed where Elrohir placed the parcel.

The bundle was even heavier than he imagined. He decided to leave it lay on the edge of the bed for fear of dropping it and damaging the mysterious contents. Carefully, he untied the strings and pulled gently at the wrappings. A bright gleam of metallic silver met his eyes as the assortment of items began to be revealed. A slender hauberk with silver fittings was wrapped within a beautifully woven green cloak. Black leather breeches were neatly folded and stored under the other garments. Estel was particularly drawn to the device on the breast of the hauberk, a gold-trimmed tree with flowing branches surrounded by stars. The image seemed a vision of something half-remembered ...

[Lady Melody]

very, VERY interesting

[Tar-Ancalimë]

Hey where did it go?? Why is it on the bottom?? Surely there is more! Continue!

[Pil]

I am intregued beyond BELIEF! Please continue the story...i think you've done an excellent job so far! :thumbs: :p

[Algamesh]

The story isn't dead guys ... just in a coma ;). I'll continue soon!

[Pil]

Coma....mecry...don't let it die then...hope you have time to continue it algy! :)

[Catz]

*catz slips quietly in, hoping to see a continuation and instead finds*
The story isn't dead guys ... just in a coma . I'll continue soon!

Hmmmm well that demands a post!!!;)
i shall hold you to that darlin';) lol and if its not forthcoming....i warn you now.....ill haunt you!!!lol roflmao lol
:catz:

[Pil]

As catz says...i think a bit of haunting is in order...algggggggggggy! it's time the story snapped out of its coma...cos i'm beginning to have dreams about the story...seriously...the bit on the stairs...i dreamt about it...but i woke up and got really freaked out where your story ended...:(...I need more...i'm not gonna let this story die either...there are a few that seem to be slipping out into the cyber void and i am only able to save a few... :p

[Pil]

I can see your name up there algamesh...you're here! :)

[Algamesh]

Seriously guys ... I am glad you enjoy the story thus far ... it is very flattering. Let me explain my difficulties at the moment.

My primary difficulty is that my wife is VERY pregnant and due anyday ... she has frequent labor difficulties and it's really cut into my net time. Secondly, I've been doing a major re-vamp on my own site and it's consuming much of what little time I have left. So ... don't worry ... the Estel saga will not die. I just need to get back to a normal routine around here and I can work on it. I have some exciting ideas for it that are beggin' to be posted! Stay Tuned!

Algy

[Pil]

:cuddles: Best wishes for your wife and yourself...i'll be impressed if you manage to find the time to write! :thumbs: notworthy :)

Good luck with the site too! :p

It's good to know this will not die...*pil places it back into coma mode*... :)

[Dawnnamira Nerwen]

So, where'd he go? Why hasn't he posted anymore?

Algy? My fellow mod? Where's the rest?

[Pil]

Our Algy has had a little kid! :gaga:

Good luck with everything Algy... the story will come in time dawn... :thumbs:

:read:

[Dawnnamira Nerwen]

I hope that it will. I hope so.

[Elbereth]

Any chance of continuing the story?
I want to know more
Aragorn's childhood isn't something I thought about before
Is the story out of the coma yet?
How are wife and baby?

[Algamesh]

WarRingers!

I will be pulling Estel back out of the coma over the next few days !!! I've had a bit of a brainstorming session and I've got my plotlines in order!

[Dawnnamira Nerwen]

Yay!

I'm eagerly awaiting more (of Estel, of course)!

(that rhymes...I had no intention for it to!)

[Pil]

OMG!!! :hooray: I'm sooooooo happy!!!! :) :) :)

Glad to see u back and writing Algy! :thumbs:

[Catz]

lol im a'waitin'.........................;)
seriously tho........glad to see youve got a bit of time to devote to this matey..........and hope baby and Mrs Algy are well ;) tho Aeryn must be growing fast now, getting on to 6 mnths old......heheh totally off topic i know ;)
:catz:

[Elleth]

That was great!:thumbs:

[Algamesh]

Well ... actually I started writing the next part last night and then I did a really smart thing. I checked the timeline in the ROTK appendices.

I was about to write something that involved the sacking of Dol Guldur and had I continued it would have been chronologically all wrong.

You see ... early in the story I mentioned that Estel was 14 years of age, which would have put the sacking of Dol Guldur about 4 years before. So, back to the drawing board ... lol

I just have to come up with a different angle and pay more attention to what I have written before ;)

More Soon!

-Algy

[Dawnnamira Nerwen]

Yay! more soon!

[Kenzie]

ooo really good ... i'l lookin forward to part five!!

[Estell]

This is lovely, Lord Algy, really intriging (how in Eru's name do you spell that?)

You may notice my name comes from Aragorn ... just added a double "L" to feminize it a little. I'm fascinated by how you show him. I'll subscribe to this one. I want to see what happens next. I love how you show Aragorn's youth, his fascination with the sword, his relationship to Elrohir ... it's really neat. Please continue.