The Tapestry by Fernstrike

[fernstrike]

B2MeM Prompt and Path: Lost and Found. Green path.
Format: Triple drabble
Genre: General
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Aragorn; Faramir; Original character
Pairings: None
Creator’s Notes (optional):
Summary: A late night conversation leads Aragorn to seek a lost tapestry in the archives of Minas Tirith.
Also available on AO3!


At night, Aragorn descended to the fifth level. Only his circlet and stature suggested his nobility. The old archive warden dipped a curtsey at the door, eyes wide with recognition.

"Can I help you find something, my king?" she asked.

"I seek an old tapestry," he said gently, stooping in the torchlight. "Supposedly depicting the arrival of the Elendili in Arda."

The warden looked doubtful. "It is only storied to be here, Lord. Even my master knew not its place. But, perhaps..."

"Please try," he urged. "I will be glad to help you look."

~~~

It had been Faramir's fault. Up late, they'd taken a pause from poring over messages from Arnor and Near Harad.

"I haven't sifted through this much paper since my days of study," said the prince, rubbing his temple.

Aragorn took a sip of his light wine. "You learnt much in the archives, though."

"Not nearly enough! Tracing back the lore was not easy...much was lost. The records of the King's Writer, the memoirs of the intermediary lords, the tapestry of the Elendili..."

"What?" Aragorn sat up.

Faramir told the tapestry's tale. Thought lost in ancient Minas Ithil, supposedly recovered millennia ago - a depiction of the moment the feet of the Faithful touched these shores. Aragorn needed to find his line, like it had found him - the very beginning of the Kings.

~~~

"Amazing," the warden breathed. "It was here, all this time."

Aragorn touched over the fabric - dull blue, greyed white - and his finger passed through a moth-bitten hole. Working until past dawn, they'd sifted through a hundred scrolls - yet it was luck that found it. A misstep and a tumbling shelf revealed a crevice in a back wall. Secret, the Elendili tapestry had lain there, never quite lost, intended to be part of Gondor forever.

Comments

[zdenka]

I like this. What a thrilling find for them!

[fernstrike]

Thank you! I can't imagine how exciting it would have been for them to stumble across it at last :-)

[kayleelupin.livejournal.com]

What an amazing find! I hope the tapestry can be restored to its former glory. Or at least preserved so no more damage takes place!

[fernstrike]

Indeed it is! And by a sheer stroke of luck, too.
I'm sure Aragorn will put much work into fixing up the tapestry, and displaying or storing it as best befits it :-)

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

Lovely! I can imagine the joy of finding such an heirloom.

[fernstrike]

Thank you! Yes, especially because of how much it means to him personally :-)

[shirebound]

Ohhhh, wonderful. I love it when the past touches the present.

[fernstrike]

Thank you! I love that too - things that were hidden and thought lost that somehow are discovered once again. It's like discovering ruins and ancient objects in the heart of a city, and getting the chance to learn their stories!

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Oh excellent, and lucky Aragorn is married to an elleth who probably will be able to repair the ancient tapestry.

- Erulisse (one L)

[fernstrike]

Yes indeed! And I'm sure she'd be more than happy to oblige, and work some elven skill to restore it :-)

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I love this and can understand why it means so much to Aragorn.

[fernstrike]

Thank you! Yes, it really is a significant heirloom of his bloodline :-)

[hhimring]

I like the idea of the tapestry and that they found it.

[fernstrike]

Thank you! I'll be honest - I almost considered not letting them find it - but I think it was an important moment of closure, and definitely meant a great deal to Aragorn :-)

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

Oh, how amazing, what a great find. To have been hidden away for the better part of an Age, and then discovered, almost by chance....well, that reminds me of Aragorn's ancestors' own story, actually!

[fernstrike]

Yes! It's a perfect mirror of his own line (and I think finding it perhaps brought some closure to his ascent to the kingship).
It's interesting how these things are best found when they're more or less unlooked for, or unexpected!

[independence1776]

I love this.

[fernstrike]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear it :)