The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 871 Aragorn's Choice
"Why do I feel that Aragon is coming for us?" Adolf Heinri drew a route on the sand table map and was surprised to find that this guy was coming directly for the Kingdom of Lagrange!
"Yeah!" Roland nodded indifferently. It's not strange that Aragorn came, it would be strange if he didn't come! In history, after knowing his true identity, this kid traveled to the two southern kingdoms, serving under the then Regent of Gondor and the King of Rohan. The kid was very smart and didn't directly raise the banner and go back to inherit the throne. Instead, he wisely went to the two kingdoms for a wave of practice and training, which was regarded as a strong improvement of his originally scarce ruling ability and military experience!
It is precisely because of the accumulated experience and decades of experience in the two countries that Aragorn has developed that kind of tenacious character and so-called personal charm. You should know that this old man was 87 years old when he came on the stage! But for Aragorn, a Dunedain, he has only lived one-third of his life. Well! 87 years old is the age to go out and explore!
At this time, Aragorn was very young and had little experience in life. On March 2931, 3 of the Third Age, Aragorn, son of Arathorn II, the chieftain of the Dunedain, was born. Legends say that the wizard Gandalf brought an elven gem from Valinor. He gave the gem, called "Elessar", to Lady Galadriel and predicted that she would give the "Elessar" to someone who would also be called "Elessar" in the future. This "Elessar" would be a healer and a restorer. He was Aragorn, and when he became king in the future, he was called King Elessar.

Then, tragically, when Aragorn was two years old, his father Arathorn was shot in the eye by an Orc's arrow and died. According to the tradition of the Dunedain, Aragorn was sent to Rivendell and raised by Lord Elrond. Elrond was afraid that Aragorn would die like his father and grandfather, so he ordered him to keep his identity a secret. Aragorn was named "Estair", which means "hope" in Elvish.

In his early years in Rivendell, he traveled with Elrond's twin sons, Elrohir and Elladan. In 2951 of the Third Age, when Estel was twenty years old, Elrond revealed his true name and his origins to him when he returned triumphantly from one of his journeys. He gave Aragorn the heirlooms of the House of Elendil, the Ring of Barahir and the fragments of the sword of Narsil. At this time, Arwen, daughter of Elrond, returned from Lothlórien, the residence of her grandmother, the Lady Galadriel. Aragorn and Arwen met in the woods of Imladris. Like Beren and Lúthien in the First Age, Aragorn fell in love with Arwen at first sight.

Then came the familiar plot... Aragorn and Legolas went out traveling together, and the year 2953 of the Third Age was the day when the White Council met for the last time. It was because of this journey to the East that Aragorn missed the opportunity to make friends with Gandalf. Well... in a sense, it turns out that Gandalf, the troublemaker in Middle-earth, was the right choice. After all, how could a wizard who could pull Bilber out of Bag End for an expedition be a good person? Hehe!

"Don't worry about him, just let him do what he wants! He will come to us on his own initiative!" Roland waved his hand and said affirmatively. Maybe Aragon would even recommend himself to Roland and use Roland as a springboard.

Roland was actually considering whether he should accept Aragorn's loyalty if Aragorn really came to pledge allegiance to him. The upside was that he would have a free thug for ten years, but the downside was that it would be difficult to trick Aragorn in the future! Moreover, many things in the kingdom were not allowed to be known by Aragorn. For the sake of confidentiality, it seemed a bit unrealistic for Aragorn to work for Roland. However, it was unclear whether Aragorn would bow down to Roland like he did to the King of Gondor Rohan!
……

"Shall we cross the river?" Legolas pushed open the window and stretched out his hand, but Aragorn subconsciously took a step back.

"..." Legolas shook his head speechlessly.

"It's snowing too heavily! The Rapids River won't freeze, but all kinds of floating ice will affect the ferry. Let's wait until spring!" Aragorn shook his head, turned around and began to organize the straw papers on the table. These records were all information he had accidentally collected from the residents here.

"Why are you collecting these?" Legolas looked curiously at the papyrus that was filled with news that Aragorn had heard from the streets and overheard.

"Well, let's analyze it! I heard that the Kingdom of Lagrang is interested in the griffins of the Grey Mountains!" Aragorn rubbed his chin, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“???” Legolas frowned.

"They have been planning to take those griffins for a long time! They have dragon riders, so it won't be a problem for them to take down those griffins!" Legolas shook his head. The Kingdom of Lagrang has been interested in those griffins for a long time. They had been eyeing those griffins a few years ago. The reason why they didn't take action was because the strategic center of the Kingdom of Lagrang had already tilted to the east, and the dragon riders were scattered, so they couldn't encircle those griffins. After all, those griffins are a complete tribe! If they really fight to the death, a third-level dragon rider is likely to fall on the spot! Hunting dragons is a bit exaggerated, but it is still possible to take away one or two dragon riders!
"What do you think if I choose to work under King Roland to gain some experience?" Aragorn did not hide his thoughts and expressed his intention to use King Roland's platform as a springboard for training. "Are you serious about this?" Legolas was shocked. He did not expect Aragorn to really work for King Roland!
"Well, the platform here is good, I want to try it!" As the leader of the Dunedain, Aragorn has been with the elves of Rivendell for so many years, and his noble qualities and theoretical knowledge have been trained with the two sons of Elrond! The only thing he needs is a platform to show his talent!
"Then let's wait until spring, winter is too dangerous!" Legolas nodded and agreed with Aragorn's opinion.

"I'm afraid this winter is a bit boring!" Legolas knocked on the table boredly, his eyes drifting towards the castle in the distance.

"It's okay. If you're bored, just go sit in the tavern downstairs. It's nice to listen to the locals bragging and chatting!" Aragon smiled.

"Alas..." Legolas sighed.

……

"That Aragorn hasn't crossed the river yet?" Nyx looked down at the hidden guard kneeling below, with a smile on her face. Obviously, this man who was the focus of Roland's attention aroused Nyx's interest.

"Yes, he hasn't been seen at the ferry these days!" the hidden guard whispered.

"Strange, why is he staying at the port? Doesn't he plan to come over?" Nyx rubbed the gold ring on her finger and thought. After all, it didn't make sense for the heir to the King of Gondor to stay in a remote place like the Kingdom of Akvia!
"Will there be too much snow in winter?" the hidden guard reminded.

"Forget it, never mind! Let Roland worry about it! These dirty political games better not bother me!" Nix said with a headache. She just wanted to be an innocent queen.

"Go find Yun Feng and Lord Joltea! Follow their decisions and Roland's orders!" Nyx waved and turned away.

(End of this chapter)