Aragorn vs. Jon Snow

## Description

*Returning from exile to save their kingdoms from a great evil, these two heirs bring their blades to one last battle.*

## Interlude

Hiro: Heroes of fantasy. Heirs to old kingdoms. Masters of the blade.

**MBStarscream: And total badasses!**

Hiro: Aragorn, the rightful king of Gondor from Middle-earth.

**MBStarscream: And Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch from Westeros.**

Hiro: I'm Hiro Hamada.

**MBStarscream: I'm MBStarscream.**

Hiro: And it's our job to examine both warriors' strength, abilities, weapons, and weaknesses to see who would win in a fight.

## Aragorn

Hiro: During the Third Age, in the northwest region of Eriador, Arathorn II and his wife Gilraen the Fair bore a child who was the last descendant of the great warrior Elendil and his two children, making him the legitimate heir to the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. This child's name... was Aragorn II Elessar.

**MBStarscream: According to legend, "Elessar" came from a stone *called* the Elaesser brought by the wizard Gandalf from Valinor, realm of the Valar. He gave the Elessar to the Elven Lady Galadriel and remarked prophetically that she would pass it to another, who would also be called Elessar.**

Hiro: Losing his father at the infamous age of two, Aragorn was fostered in Rivendell by Elrond, with his lineage being kept a secret to protect his identity and life. He would learn his true name and ancestry at the age of twenty, and given the Ring of Barahir and the Shards of Narsil.

**MBStarscream: Aragorn thereafter assumed his proper role as the sixteenth Chieftain of the Dúnedain and the Rangers of the North and left the comforts of Rivendell for the wild, where he lived with the remainder of his people, whose kingdom had been destroyed through civil and regional wars centuries before.**

Hiro: As Aragorn grew, so did his skill as a warrior. Through decades of training with both men and elves and thanks in part to his heritage, he is one of the greatest swordsmen in Middle-earth, maybe *the* greatest. He's killed the leader of the wargs, one-shot an Orc captain, and killed a bunch of Urak-hai, which are generally stronger and more skilled than the average orc.

**MBStarscream: Due to the large amount of time Aragorn has spent in and leading the Rangers, he has developed fantastic navigational and tracking abilities. Gandalf himself said Aragorn was the greatest traveler and huntsman in the entire world out of the last 3,000 years. He's able to read footprints and deduce who they belong to, and once found clues as to where orcs were resting.**

Hiro: Aragorn can fought continuously for several days without proper rest, and has tracked Hobbits for hundreds of leagues of a few days without sleeping. He can even resist Sauron's malice and evil, being able to contend with him in a battle of wills through the Palantir, which one must have an extremely strong will to use.

**MBStarscream: Aragorn is also an excellent healer, being able to identify Samwise's wound as not poisoned and keep Frodo alive after he was stabbed with a poisoned dagger.**

Hiro: This healing ability of his is called "healing hands of the King". By crushing the leaves of the Athelas plant, a seemingly useless herb that grew in Gondor, and stirring them in a bowl of warm water, the sweet scent can wake you from a fever. Aragorn also seems to have some kind of foresight, being the first member of the Fellowship to detect something-including Legolas, who has practically superhuman eyesight.

**MBStarscream: He's also the first of the group to regconize wolves howling, and could hear Frodo drawing his sword while he was asleep. I better make sure not to draw *my* sword next to this guy.**

Hiro: Uh, right. Anyway, Aragorn's descendancy gives him superior physical traits to most humans, making him stronger than virtually every mortal warrior that participated in the War of the Rings, being unharmed in all major battles such as at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

**MBStarscream: Aragorn possesses a greater share of the Númenórean blessings than any named character for the past 2,000 years. This should put him above lesser Númenóreans/Dúnedain such as Boromir the Steward, who is stated to have inspired fear in the Witch-King and is implied to have survived a duel with the Nazgûl. The Unfinished Tales note that, had Aragorn been present during the attack of the Nine upon Sarn Ford, the Dúnedain might have been able to fend them off, implying his comparability to them. Further manuscripts of the "Hunt for the Ring" state the Witch-King feared Aragorn as a "great power".**

Hiro: Aragorn also possesses unnatural longevity thanks to his heritage, living all the way up to the age of 210. But his main weapon is the sword Andúril. Meaning "Flame of the West" and composed of andúnë and ril, this sword, originally named Narsil, was used during the Last Alliance during a duel against Sauron, while the broken weapon would later be used to cut off the finger of the Dark Lord. Even after its reforging, the narration notes that the blade is just 'as deadly as of old', with Sauron still fearing the blade even after thousands of years.

**MBStarscream: If Sauron's afraid of that thing, you know it's gonna do some damage.**

Hiro: Aragorn can strike with this sword hard enough to split a metal helmet and one-shot the orc wearing it, deflect thrown daggers, and behead the Mouth of Sauron, Sauron's most devoted servant during the War of the Ring. Leading the armies of Gondor and Rohan against the Black Gate of Mordor, Aragorn provided the distraction needed for Frodo and Sam to destroy the One Ring, destroying Sauron once and for all.

**MBStarscream: With Middle-earth finally free, Aragorn was crowned king of Gondor and Arnor and ruled for 122 years, the perfect ending for a perfect warrior.**

Hiro: Well, *perfect* is a bit of a stretch. One weakness displayed by Aragorn was his tendency to be overly cautious and hesitant to act at times. This was particularly evident in his reluctance to claim the throne of Gondor, even though it was his rightful inheritance.

**MBStarscream: Additionally, Aragorn was prone to self-doubt and was not always confident in his leadership abilities. Another weakness is his underestimation of his own abilities, which can hamper his decisions and choices.**

Hiro: But Middle-earth owes itself to Aragorn, the greatest swordsman - and king - that the land has ever seen.

*Aragorn: For Frodo.*

*Waving his sword, Aragorn runs towards the orcs, yelling. Merry and Pippin run in after him, the rest of the army soon following.*

## Jon Snow

Hiro: 300 years ago, the continent of Westoros was united under the Targaryen dynasty, establishing military supremacy through their control of dragons. The Targaryens ruled for centuries, continuing beyond the extinction of the dragons.

**MBStarscream: Their dynasty eventually ended with a rebellion led by Lord Robert Baratheon, in which Aerys "the Mad King" Targaryen was killed and Robert proclaimed king of the Seven Kingdoms. Near the end of Robert's rebellion, Lord Eddard Stark bore an illegimate child named Jon and raised him in Winterfall alongside his lawful children.**

Hiro: Jon was close with his father, half-siblings, and uncle, but felt like an outsider among his family ever since he learned what it meant to be an illegitimate child and why he wasn't Catelyn's favorite. Developing observant traits as a result, Jon's illegitimacy left him with the desire to prove himself.

**MBStarscream: When his father leaves to King's Landing, he chooses a life of hard duty in the Night's Watch to earn his own honor. And he would go a long way to get that honor.**

Hiro: As a noble, Jon received a high level education and was trained from an early age in the traditional martial skills of Westeros; swordmanship, archery, riding, military strategy and tactics, etc. Jon's skill with a sword is such that he has developed a reputation as a great swordsman among the people in the North.

**MBStarscream: Jon doesn't even need a sword to fight; he can physically fight against a Wight and a White Walker, and was able to kill Styr with his bare fists. He's easily knocked out and disarmed members of the Night's Watch, broken free from the grip of a Wight, and broke Ramsay Bolton's forehead, nose and ribs with a single strike.**

Hiro: Jon isn't just physically tough; he's taken plenty of punishment, like shots from arrows, severe beatings, and stabbings. He's climbed a 700ft fortification in extreme conditions, survived after falling into freezing water, and taken blows from White Walkers and Bear Wights.

**MBStarscream: Jon possesses the strong supernatural power of skinchanging, the ability to inhabit the body of an animal and control its actions by opening the "third eye". Much like his half-brother Bran Stark, Jon is a strong skinchanger, but unlike Bran, he is untrained and unaware of his true potential.**

Hiro: Additionally, Jon has the capability to form bonds with dragons and ride them thanks to the blood of Old Valyria flowing through his veins; this has allowed him to ride Daenerys Targaryen's dragon Rhaegal on many occasions.

**MBStarscream: Jon has many other qualities that make him a great warrior. He was the first man in thousands of years to make an alliance between the wildlings and Northmen, and was chosen as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and King in the North because his men believed in him.**

Hiro: Through a mounting rage, Jon can go into a berserker mode, in which he fights like a madman and his hate keeps standing despite being wounded and exhausted. His main weapon is Longclaw, a Valyrian steel hand-and-a-half sword that can cut Wights in half with little difficulty. Valyrian steel is lighter, stronger, harder, and sharper than any common steel and metal on Earth, and even the best of mail is hard-pressed to turn this steel.

**MBStarscream: No wonder this sword was able to behead Janos Slynt with ease. Jon has proven to be a worthy Lord Commander, slaying multiple evil men and villains and having become the 998th Lord Commander at the age of 16.**

Hiro: Jon would later be resurrected by Melisandre after being killed by Allister Thorne, and would become the new King in the North after his late brother Robb Stark. After learning his real name was Aegon Targaryen and that he was heir to the Iron Throne ahead of his aunt, Jon fought valiantly in the Battle of Winterfell, helping to stop the Long Night and save the whole world from the wrath of the Night King.

**MBStarscream: But even after the Night King's defeat, things still managed to go downhill. Years of trauma, loss, fear, and jealousy caused Daenerys to descend into madness and vengeance, leading her to cause mass destruction across King's Landing with her dragon Drogon even after they surrendered to her, and despite attempting to redeem her, Jon had no choice but to put her down for good.**

Hiro: Jon's journey was a long one, and one that would reveal his many flaws. He holds great resentment and bitterness for being treated as the bastard of the Stark bloodline, and despite his honorable qualities, he can be naive at times, wanting to see the best in people even after the betrayals and horrors he has seen.

**MBStarscream: He is also occasionally cruel, arrogant and wrathful in a few instances and sometimes outright lethal. He had no problem strangling Peter Baelish to death, killing Bolton soldiers in pure rage before punching Ramsay in the face, being willing to kill Theon Greyjoy even after he was redeemed, and almost murdering Thorne because he mocked his father's arrest, the last seen as disrespect for his duty.**

Hiro: But after saving Westeros from the Night King and the fallen Daenerys, Jon would accept his sentence to the Night's Watch with dignity and return to Castle Black to lead the wildlings to their lands beyond the Wall, proving that even bastards can have honor.

*Jon Snow: You all crowned me your king. I never wanted it. I never asked for it. But I accepted it because the North is my home! It's part of me, and I will never stop fighting for it, no matter the odds!*

## Fatal Fiction

*Mario flips a coin.*

Hiro: Well, Jon Snow gets a leg up in territory, but can he keep up with the king of Gondor?

**MBStarscream: I'm confused. Would a crossover between these two be called Lord of the Thrones of Game of the Rings?**

Hiro: You and your questions, Starscream.

*The Wall*

A great war raged beyond the Wall.

The snow ran red with blood as men from both sides cut each other down savagely. It seemed that peace between Westeros and Gondor was not to be.

From hundreds of feet high, the commanders of their respective armies watched the battle below, standing side-by-side. Two men who had lived in exile for so long, only to discover their true destinies as rightful heirs. Two men who could not compromise, which led to pointless bloodshed. The resignation in their faces as they watched their armies slaughter one another said everything.

"I know why you want the One Ring... Lord Commander."

**Jon Snow** didn't turn his head as the man to his right spoke his title. Nor did he acknowledge that **Aragorn** had just admitted that he knew why he was desperate for that ring. His only focus was the massacre below him.

"But I cannot let it be taken away from Frodo." The king continued, his eyes also on the battle. It seemed all the One Ring was good for was causing violence that didn't need to happen.

When Jon finally responded after another painful silence, he still did not divert his eyes from what they were seeing far below.

"You'd forsake both of our kingdoms... for a friend. Over a ring."

More silence reigned between the heirs as the snowflakes danced around them.

"...Yes."

Another moment passed before Jon spoke again.

"Well, there's one thing we can agree on."

Jon stepped away from the Wall's balcony and drew Longclaw, pointing it at his fellow exiled heir-turned-king.

"The ring will be in the hands of whoever lives."

Aragorn nodded solemnly as he drew Andúril to meet Jon's challenge.

"For Frodo."

**FIGHT!**

Jon charged Aragorn, and Andúril met Longclaw head on.

The two clashed their blades repeatedly, Valyrian steel clanging against andúnë and ril with every swing of each sword. Aragorn managed to shove Jon back, prompting the Lord Commander to forsake Longclaw for his bow and arrow. Aragorn raised Andúril to block the arrows fired at him as he advanced on Jon, swinging his sword to cleave Jon's bow in half and knock him off his feet. Jon redrew Longclaw as he got back up and engaged Aragorn in sword combat once more until Aragorn slashed through Jon's left shin, drawing blood.

Jon grunted in pain and kicked Aragorn in the chest, knocking him back a fair distance. Aragorn tried to swing again at Jon's leg, but the latter jumped back and the two warriors locked their blades together. Aragorn then freed his left hand and drew his elven dagger, slashing at Jon's stomach, but the chainmail blocked most of the blow. Jon hit Aragorn in the chest with his sword pommel and stepped back, then thrust at Aragorn, slicing his side, but not doing much damage. Aragorn put his left hand to his side and tried to stop the bleeding, but then shook away the pain and slashed again at Jon, jarring Longclaw from his hand. Jon drew his dagger and leapt at Aragorn, trying to stab him, but Aragorn grabbed his hand and threw him away.

Pushing himself up to his feet, Jon rushed at Aragorn with his dagger just as the king tackled at him. The two rolled all over the floor, trying to pin the other until Aragorn managed to hold Jon down and raise his dagger, the Lord Commander fighting to keep the weapon at bay as the two men struggled. Just then, a series of ferocious barks cut through the air before Aragorn was tackled off of Jon by a large mass.

Jon looked over to see his albino direwolf Ghost mauling Aragorn with her jaws, biting the king's arm as Aragorn tried to escape her grasp. Aragorn managed to kick Ghost off of him and picked up Andúril, facing the direwolf and his master. Drawing Longclaw once more, Jon let out a shout while pointing it at Aragorn, prompting Ghost to charge. Dodging Ghost's lunge, Aragorn charged at Jon and clashed blades with him as Ghost turned around and snarled, waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

Unfortunately, Aragorn was too occupied with Jon to realize that he had turned his back on a direwolf until teeth sank into his leg, bringing him to one knee. Jon kicked Aragorn onto his back and pointed Longclaw at him as Ghost snarled and circled the fallen king, bearing his fangs.

"Yield! We can end this peacefully." Jon said, keeping his sword locked on Aragorn as Ghost moved to stand beside him once more, ready to attack if Aragorn had so much as moved a muscle. Aragorn sat up, refusing to yield, and thrust Andúril into the air, screaming loud enough for the armies below them to hear. Aragorn's men gazed up the Wall and instantly understood their leader's command, abandoning the battle in favor of scaling the Wall as the Night's Watch followed behind. Jon watched both armies climbing the Wall before chuckling and turning back to Aragorn.

"You'll be dead by the time your men get up here." He said, preparing Longclaw once again as Ghost assumed an aggressive stance. Aragorn only readied himself again, gripping Andúril's handle. "Both of us will be."

Jon and Ghost charged once more.

It was a race between the Night's Watch and the Army of the West to climb 700ft of solid ice and aid their leaders, and both sides were like ants as they scaled the Wall. While the armies climbed for their lives, Aragorn was caught between a bastard son and his direwolf, doing his best to fend them off via Andúril as it swung and swiped at his foes. Ghost had received plenty of slashes to the face while Jon was doing his best to disarm Aragorn of the mighty sword. Many men lost their grip and plunged to their cold deaths, while others had the will to continue climbing, refusing to give up until they reached the top.

Ghost jumped at Aragorn once more, clawing his face, but after a fierce struggle for a weight advantage, Aragorn gained the upper hand and dropedp Andúril, took out his elven dagger, and kneed Ghost in the face, knocking him away. Jon rushed in to run Aragorn through with Longclaw, but Aragorn slashed through his side, making Jon yell in pain as he fell to his knees, blood gushing out of his body. Ghost furiously lunged to bite at Aragorn, but felt a hand around his throat and a dagger in his neck before his body was thrown at Jon, knocking them both down.

Jon pushed a lifeless Ghost off of him and looked at the slain direwolf in horror before turning his fury towards Aragorn, sending up and screaming as a berserker rage overwhelmed him. He swung Longclaw through the air wildly, parrying Andúril every time Aragorn tried to go in for an attack. Jon backed Aragorn up until he tossed Longclaw away, took out his dagger, and tackled Aragorn off the Wall, sending them plummeting hundreds of feet as they vied for control. Aragorn grabbed Jon's wrist as the maddened Lord Commander tried to stab through his neck with his dagger.

Every man they crashed into on their way down joined them in plummeting, screams echoing beyond the Wall. As Jon tried to stab at Aragorn with his dagger, he felt something sharp impale through his stomach and only realized that it was Andúril after the sword had pierced itself out of his back. Aragorn forced Jon beneath him the rest of the way until a large thud signified that the two had landed in the snow as other men soon joined them.

Aragorn pushed himself off of Jon and watched as the man slipped away, waiting until his foe had passed to pull Andúril out of his body and point it in the air triumphantly.

"Elendil!"

**FATALITY!**

## Results

**MBStarscream: Looks like Aragorn gets the Iron Throne.**

Hiro: You would think that Jon would have the advantage since Aragorn is in his late eighties, but even though he’s so old, he doesn’t seem to be affected by age the way other humans are since he’s blessed with long life, and as we’ve seen, he’s very skilled in combat. When it comes down to it, Aragorn has shown to be far more capable in battle and is more skilled than Jon, having faced much greater odds against much greater forces.

**MBStarscream: Even his much older age would be to his advantage, as it gives him far more experience than Jon has without taking away any if his advantages since he’s not feeble in any way.**

Hiro: Right. And long years of training meant that Aragorn outclassed Jon physically, his long lifespan gave him a rather superior intellect, and while his armor was lighter, it allowed greater mobility, and Ghost would hardly be of any help given that Aragorn is used to fighting more than one foe.

**MBStarscream: In the end, only one king could rule them all.**

Hiro: Aragorn wins.

## Advantages

### Aragorn (Winner)

* Far more experienced in battle
* Physically superior
* More mobile
* Is used to fighting multiple foes
* Longer lifespan gave him greater intelligence