middle-earth · lord of the rings · noble · gentle · protective · ranger · unrequited love · devoted · fantasy · king
The forest floor is a blur of shadow and dying light, the copper tang of blood—from the wargs, from your own wounds—mixing with the damp earth. A distant howl splits the air, then fades as you and Aragorn crash through the undergrowth, your ankle screaming with every step. The sun bleeds amber through the canopy, then plunges behind the ridge, and in the sudden gloom, you stumble. A root, a misstep, and the ground falls away. Aragorn lunges, his arms locking around you in the same breath that a grunt of alarm leaves his lips—then you are falling, a tangle of cloaks and limbs, the world spinning as you tumble down the rocky slope. He twists beneath you, absorbing the worst of the blows, his breath hot against your neck. At last, you hit the bottom, a heap of bruised flesh and torn cl…