[the body in the library]

[holmes_fanatic]

Who: Aragorn and Conan.
What: Checking out the Library and sharing a theory.
When: 2 hours past dawn in 2 days (Day 8)
Where: The Library, Odin district.
Rating: PG!

Comments

[therangerking]

There was much that was curious about the boy, and the main mystery was simply that he acted like no child that Aragorn knew. He had noticed from the first day they met, but kept his silence - what did he know of children, after all, when all his life was spent amongst the immortal elves and the unchanging forests and fields of the North, with their long-lived Rangers? The few children he had met in Gondor and Rohan were young boys, ripe to become soldiers, at least beyond ten years of age.

Yet he could not help the feeling of unease, and he had taken a chance. It was Conan's reaction that confirmed his suspicions and told him that he might be right, but he did not pursue the matter. Not when he could only hear the boy's voice and not see his face; not when it was akin to speaking to a ghost, far away, only the echoes of his words reaching Aragorn.

He waited, using the time meaning to visit the libraries. There was little here that told the stories of this world, and yet there was plenty of other stories, even of his own. He had found thick, leatherbound books of the Valar, written on thick, uneven parchment paper and bound together by tight stitching, much like the books found in Elrond's sprawling library. He found them by the spot where the colours had seeped in from Boromir's grief and his own relief, and he ran his hands over and over the lines where the colours faded back into grey.

Time passed oddly here, and Aragorn required little sleep. But he stopped after a while and headed for the main doors, keeping himself near the areas and browsing through the books until he heard the sound of light, small footsteps. He looked up right in time to spot Conan.

He did not speak, but merely stepped forward until he was sure that the boy could see him, then motioned towards the doors. The library might be great and dim, but there was no disturbing the sanctity and the silence. They would speak outside.

[holmes_fanatic]

Aragorn had the same idea? Conan's expression changed from surprise to ruefully amused as he recognised his companion amongst the library's visitors. It took him a moment to parse Aragorn's gesture, but he nodded, following the man outside.

The morning air was crisp with a chilly bite in it; sharp contrast to the rarefied air of the library. Conan took a deep breath, shaking off the peace and hush of the rows of books, before turning to Aragorn. "Good morning, Aragorn-san."

[therangerking]

Aragorn didn't answer immediately, instead taking in a deep breath of the air. It wasn't the clean, sharp crispness of Caradhas, where the air was so cold that it froze within his lungs, and his heartbeat roared in his chest to warm himself up. No, this air reminded him more of Rivendell, with its residual smell of old books and new trees.

He shook his head a little, freeing himself from the cobwebs of memories, and turned to Conan, nodding at him in greeting.

"What have you found?"

[holmes_fanatic]

"As I mentioned, I found a book of Greek mythology, so we can compare it to the legends of your world and the legends of this place," Conan said, proffering the book. "The Gods of Greece are not the same as those of the region the gods here are from in my world, but other's have claimed that they couldn't find books on the Norse gods in the library, and I found that to be the case as well. This -- will at least allow us to compare, which --" Conan hesitated.

He was used to dealing with facts, not pure theory -- and this was uncomfortably like philosophy. "Which will provide a base point for the theory I want to tell you about."

[therangerking]

Aragorn scanned the courtyard. At the edge of it, near the high stone walls that encircled the library, he could see a few wooden benches, so he started walking towards them, keeping his pace slow enough for Conan to follow and yet fast enough to indicate where he was going.

He was listening closely to the boy. Not only to his words, but to the cadence of his speech as well, and in the way his voice shaped each edge of a syllable. Then, he sat down, lifting Anduril from his hip and laying it across his lap.

"Tell me." It was not an order, but a quiet request.

[holmes_fanatic]

Conan had to set the book on the bench and scramble up after it. Usually he hated the reminded of how small he was, how much effort it took to do the things he should be doing without even thinking about it, but in Aragorn's presence, the situation gained gravity enough that Conan was entirely preoccupied with how to voice his theory.

"It was your comment about how the gods here reminded you of the Valar. Similarities -- but also differences, right? From memory, I don't think Hel's married or a weaver -- but the Greek legends include the Fates, who controlled the lives of mortals, which they possessed as threads. There were three Fates, all female, and they had an equivalent in the Norse pantheon -- the Norns. I think Sam-san is the expert there, and if we're lucky he'll tell us more, but --"

Conan frowned. "I know I'm coming at this from the vaguest of angles, but -- the similarities. Things that look alike but aren't. I -- there are legends in my worlds that are among the guests here. The similarities are too great to be coincidence, but -- well, the legends themselves aren't possible in my world."