*thoughts or internal voices*
// memories //

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Chapter Three - Hope in the Darkness

Aragorn lost track of time as he lay quietly in the darkness. Eventually his mind latched onto one thought. Why was he still alive? It was miraculous that he hadn't been killed when the rocks fell on him, though he had obviously been injured. And yet, he had not succumbed to one of those injuries. Perhaps none of them were life threatening; at least, not initially. But he knew that the longer he lay here, the more likely it was that one of the numerous cuts he had sustained would become infected. So he would either die from an infection or from thirst. A human could only survive for so long without water.

Now that he was thinking about it, though, why hadn't he suffocated? The small pocket of air around his face created by the arm he had placed over his head had surely been exhausted by now. There must be a fresh supply of air reaching him for him to still be alive. He concentrated on the sensations coming from his body, cringing at the pain this brought. Why was it that simply thinking about an injury always made it hurt worse? After many long moments, he realized that his left hand felt cooler than the rest of his body. It was hard to judge accurately, for most of his body was either screaming in pain, or had gone numb from his forced stillness in an awkward position. But if his hand was cooler, it could mean that it was close to a draft, a source of fresh air. His left hand was probably closer to the outside. If he were able to dig, he now had a direction to move toward.

Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain caused by the movement, he moved his hand as best he could. He felt the rocks around him, and as his hand closed around a loose rock, he pulled experimentally on it. The rock fell and came to rest against the back of his head. Wincing, he felt the new edge jabbing into his body. That brought one point quickly home. Even if he could dig with one hand and the limited movement that he had, he had no place to put the rocks that he could pull loose. Unsettling the rocks around him was also a very real danger. He could end up cutting off his air supply, or causing more rocks to settle down upon him. All in all, he knew his only choice was to wait for help to arrive, or for death to take him. But, Valar, he hated being helpless! Lying still with his eyes closed, he waited for sleep to steal over him. At least in his dreams he was not alone, stranded in the dark. In his dreams, he could be with the people he loved, even if they were not real. A smile curved his lips as Arwen's beautiful face drifted through his thoughts.

// They were standing on a balcony overlooking the gardens, but all of Aragorn's attention was focused on the elf in front of him. A frown curved her full lips downward and her brow was furrowed in worry.

Aragorn cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "What worries you?"

"I fear for your safety," she replied softly.

Aragorn chuckled gently. "I am standing with you on the balcony of our father's house. What could happen to me here?"

"It is when you are not here that I fear for you. Your life is fraught with danger and peril. Too many times have you been brought back here near death, and how many times have you been injured that I do not know about?"

Aragorn stroked one hand gently through her silken tresses. "I am sorry to worry you, Arwen, but you know my life can be no other way. Darkness is sweeping over these lands. Would you have me cower here in safety and leave my battles to others? You know very well that I cannot do that."

"No," Arwen agreed. "It is your destiny to battle this darkness. You will do that, and you will one day defeat it. Do not let my concerns prevent you from fulfilling your destiny, my love. I simply do not wish to lose you."

"You will not lose me," Aragorn said gently. "Not if I have any say in the matter." He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers.

She sighed against his lips and relaxed into his embrace, twining her arms around him. When the kiss ended, she remained in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. He barely heard her whispered words. "Stay with me, Aragorn. You can't leave us all yet…hold on just a bit longer. Help is coming. Hold on for me, please, Aragorn."//