The sunlight filtered through the window of the king's bedchambers, a gentle breeze shifted the light curtains.

Aragorn was awake. An empty space beside him, the ruffled sheets the only sign that someone had been there the night before.


My lover's gone,
his boots no longer by my door,
he left at dawn,
and as I slept I felt him go
Returns no more,


He had known this was going to happen from the beginning and he had done all he could to prepare himself, but it still grieved him that he would never again wake up next to the one he loves and that he was now gone forever.

The sea had been calling to him for years now and he had seen the longing grow slightly stronger in his eyes every day.

It hurt him to see the one he loved wasn't as happy on these shores as he had once been. It hurt even more to know that he as the only reason he stayed, Gondor was once more a beautiful land thanks to the Elves and the Dwarves working together to restore it to its former glory.

Everything had been perfect.

The One Ring had been destroyed and slowly Middle Earth was becoming the peaceful land it once was. He had his queen by his side and a few months time he would have an heir to his throne.

He was happy.

Then on one fateful night everything changed.

Arwen.

He still missed her, even after all these years. She had been on her way back to Gondor after saying her goodbyes to her father who was about to sail to the west. He would have gone with her but he was forced by his advisors to stay to discuss Gondor's safety from the remaining orcs and other foul creatures of Middle Earth. If only he had gone with her insisting that the talks could wait he would have been able to protect her from the orcs that had attacked and killed her and her guards.

The whole of Gondor had mourned the loss of its queen, no one more so than its king. He had never felt so alone as he had then. Gandalf had sailed west with Frodo, Sam had a family, Merry and Pippin were protecting the Shire and Gimli had returned to the caves. Only Legolas had remained in Gondor with him.

Legolas. Ever the loyal friend and yet, he was so much more.

The Elf had helped him through the hard times, gave him a reason to go on, gave a shoulder to cry on during the lonely nights, comfort him when he needed it. All without a word of complaint.

And now he was gone.


I will not watch the ocean,
my lover's gone,
no earthly ships will ever
Bring him home again,
bring him home again


Years later his feeling had changed towards his loyal friend, touches didn't seem so innocent anymore, glances were no longer just looks of respect but also of love.

Even after all the years he still remembered their first night together, every touch, every caress, every kiss and the overwhelming feeling of content. They both were happy for many years after. They travelled together to distant lands and saw many wondrous sights few had seen. But no matter where they went, Legolas always felt the sea calling to him. It was growing stronger all the time.

Upon their return to Gondor Legolas had started to spend more time in the castles gardens. He later said he did this to try and forget about his longings for the sea by surrounding himself with nature instead of walls of stone. Aragorn was with him whenever he got the chance to be. Sometimes Legolas would awake during the night and sing in the gardens at the stars and the moon. This became a nightly occurrence and he prince was, despite his and Aragorn's best efforts, becoming restless with Middle Earth and longed for the west.

Aragorn felt guilty for tying the Elf down and being the reason for his lover's silent suffering.

So he made a decision that would cause him great pain but one that he would never regret doing, and would have done so again if given a second chance.

He would let him go.

They spent their final night together lying in each other's arms after making love for the last time. Aragorn stayed awake most of the night studying the image of his lover lying asleep in his arms for the last time. It would be an image he would never forget for the rest of his days.

He didn't know when he fell asleep but somewhere in the depths of unconsciousness he felt soft lips on his and a whispered "Thank you" before he was dragged back into the depths of his dreams.


My lover's gone,
I know that kiss will be my last,
no more his song,
the tune upon his lips has passed
I sing alone,
while I watch the ocean,
my lover's gone,
no earthly ships will ever Bring him home again,
bring him home again.


As he stood on the top of the cliff looking out over the sea the king of Gondor smiled sadly. His love was happy now, that was all that mattered in the end.

It was then Aragorn finally understood what so many people in love had been talking about or all those years...

If you love something let it go.