Middle-earth, the royal capital of Gondor—Minas Tirith.
After destroying The One Ring and eliminating Lord Sauron, Aragorn was crowned by Gandalf and officially entered the white royal city as the King of Gondor.
Aragorn's ascension as King Elessar marked the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth Age. Middle-earth officially transitioned into an age ruled by men.
That same year, Rivendell's Elven lord Elrond arrived with his daughter Arwen. Gondor welcomed its queen, and the wedding was held on Midsummer's Day.
Aragorn happily gained the childhood sweetheart who had raised him, while Elrond miserably lost his prized daughter. It was especially upsetting because, before becoming his son-in-law, Aragorn had always been his foster son.
After taking the throne, Aragorn reorganized Gondor's council, dispatched messengers to spread the news, and drove out all remaining evil forces, bringing peace to Middle-earth.
After many years of recovery, old wounds healed. People gradually forgot the Dark Age ruled by fear, and Minas Tirith became a sacred land for mankind in Middle-earth, synonymous with prosperity and stability.
A gentle breeze swept over the gleaming white city. Aragorn looked down from above at the plains, where Mount Doom at the end of the distant mountains, once shrouded in shadow, was now merely an overlooked tourist attraction.
It had lain dormant for many years, silent and still.
Memories of comradeship rose in his heart, smiling faces passing one after another—Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Boromir, Gandalf, Russell...
The corners of Aragorn's lips lifted as he softly recited each name. But when the final face appeared, his entire expression froze, and his smile was no longer quite so warm.
Honestly, even after all this time, whenever he recalled it, that last face was still far too infuriating.
Aragorn still remembered a poet once visiting him, claiming