Author's Note: Well, this fic is inspired by Thundera Tiger's Beyond This World and Enya's song Exile. A little ficlet on Aragorn's death, from the viewpoint of a soldier.

Disclaimer: Yet again, all recognizable characters belong to Tolkien. I am only borrowing them and promise to return then (mostly) unharmed.

"My light shall be the moon.
And my path -- the ocean.
My light, the morning star,
as I sail home to you."

-- Enya

As I stood outside the Halls of the Kings, warm, salty tears poured down my face. I turned my head to survey the large crowd of Gondorians who had come to bid farewell to our greatest king. Not a single of them possessed dry eyes. Women leaned heavily on their husbands' shoulders, and children clung to their mothers' skirts, their cries echoing off the stone walls of the Rath Dínen. Every face reflected the sorrow I felt churn in my heart. Every face but two.

Aside from the crowd stood the most ethereal creatures the world had ever known. One was our lady, Queen Evenstar, and rightly was she named. I remember once I had seen her in the gardens with her beloved lord and the prince of another realm. She had been the picture of contentment, her eyes shining with a warmth and love for the man beside her that would have made any other envious.

Still she held all the mystery of the night, and all the radiance of the stars, but her eyes were painfully dull, devoid of all emotion but sorrow, a deep age old sorrow, which made me shudder to see. At her side stood the king's dearest friend. If the Lady was the star, then he was the moon. His blue eyes had once been windows to his soul, honest and bright, full of unquenchable loyalty, love, and an odd fondness whenever he laid them on his lord. But like the Evenstar, they had lost their warmth. They were now cold and icy as winter's heart, yet . . . yet he did feel this loss. Beneath the ice lay deep anguish and pain, as if he was broken, a part of him missing.

To see them together as such would twist anyone's heart. No being should have to endure such pain. Watching them, I wondered what would happen to them now? Our lady had given her life for this man who was no longer with us, so where was she to go? What was she to do? Perhaps she would stay in Minas Tirith and guide Prince Eldarion? But in my heart, I knew the truth. Our fair Evenstar would fade. But what of Prince Legolas? Would he too fade? Or would he strive on?

A gruff voice, laced with underlying tones of sorrow, spoke at my elbow, and it was then I realized that I had spoken aloud.

"Nay, he will not continue. There is nothing left to hold him here. Soon, he will sail."

I turned to find the dwarf lord of Aglarond beside me, also observing the Elves from afar.

I opened my mouth to offer condolences for his loss. I knew him to be a close friend of both the Elves and the king, but something stopped me.

A voice, light as the wind, heavy as the darkness which lay over the city, floated to us in a slow, haunting melody. Every sob was stifled as the soprano carried on the air, making its way into every heart. All eyes turned to the Queen, who had begun to sing. And then, the Prince by her side, too, began to sing, his rich tenor harmonizing hauntingly with the lady. On and on they sang, sometimes in their own tongue, sometimes in Westron. They sang of joy and sorrow, hope and loss, life and death. Long they sang, unto the night as the stars began to shine, and never did any of us think to leave. We listened silently, too caught up in the beauty, the message, to notice much anything else; even the children were silent.

When at last the song was ended, we left with peace in our hearts. We understood now, that life and death were an endless circle that would continue unto the end of Ilúvatar's Song.

Although Elessar Telcontar was no longer with us in this world, he was watching from on high. I turned to catch a last glimpse of the Elves, for a feeling told me this would be the last time I ever saw them. What I did see only further lightened my heart:

Some light had returned to their eyes, and their heads were turned to the stars.