He slipped the mail shirt over his head, and his hand brushed against the jewel that lay round his neck. Silently he cursed the day he left the elf, remembering the comforting words that had been whispered at their parting. And now they were unlikely to meet again, for if he survived the battle he would eventually die, but his lover was immortal. Lorien was so far away and Aragorn knew he would perish without hope, slaughtered by the merciless Uruk-Hai.

Turning, he reached for his sword.

'Here.' Legolas passed it to him. 'I'm sorry for despairing earlier. Please forgive me.'

'There is nothing to forgive' the man replied in elvish. They embraced each other as a sign of their friendship renewed, though Aragorn was disturbed at where Legolas's hands were wandering over his body. He relaxed in the arms of the elf, wishing there was no war to fight, that he could stay there forever. Or lie in the arms of another blond elf, the one from the Golden Wood.

He remembered how he had met his lover; through Arwen, his foster sister. She had introduced Haldir to him, and they had instantly connected. Now, when people asked him where he had first found love, and he told them it was in the woods of Lorien, they always assumed he meant Arwen. Aragorn didn't know how he felt about Arwen - he knew she loved him and he loved her too, but not the way he felt about Haldir. That was different - it was special, unique.

Not that it mattered, seeing as he would die soon with neither of his lovers near him. Gently he eased the Mirkwood prince away from him, reminding the elf that there was a war to fight. They both turned when they heard the heavy footsteps of the dwarf entering the room. Aragorn stifled a laugh at the sight of Gimli trying to wriggle into the armour. There were voices outside - the king addressing his army. Not that they were really an army, Aragorn thought, just a group of wounded fighters, boys, and old men. He could hear a horn blowing somewhere.

Legolas leapt up. 'That's not an orc horn.'

Aragorn recognised it - he felt to pangs close to his heart, one of pure love, and the other of fear for his loved ones. He could not believe Haldir would come.

---

The stronghold of Rohan lay ahead of them, with the mountains beyond it. They were very close now, about twenty minutes away. He was relieved, after all the miles he and his warriors had come since the summons from Imladris. But he knew the orcs were close behind him.

'Sound the horn. Let them know we're here.'

The clear ringing made his spirits rise. 'Come on. Almost there now.'

---

The elves marched up the path towards the door, with Haldir leading them. He was proud to take charge, because he knew that they could do well if they were lead properly. All of them carried bows and knives, some bore swords. He wondered what the king of Rohan would have to fight with. Haldir realised the king was newly cured of Saruman's treachery, but he had still expected more than the rabble that was before him. He saw children still unsure how to draw a bow, old men who hadn't fought for ten years. His keen elf-eyes searched the crowds, looking for signs of the man he had hoped to find.

Then Haldir saw the king reach the foot of the stairs, wonder and gratitude in his face.

'We are sent by Lord Elrond of Rivendell to honour the alliance that was made between men and elves in the second age.'

The silence was profound. It was broken by the sound of feet running down the stairs. Haldir looked up and smiled as his favourite human came through the door.

'Haldir!' Aragorn was about to throw himself into the elf's arms but stopped himself, conscious of the Rohirrim around him. Instead he grasped Haldir's shoulder tightly, and whispered 'You are most welcome.'

Haldir smiled at him, and then looked towards the door where Aragorn had come from, wincing as he recognised the blond-haired prince. He hurriedly pushed all thoughts of Legolas to the back of his mind and said, 'It is an honour to fight among men again.' And he was sure Aragorn knew which man Haldir felt most honoured to fight with.

---

Aragorn's head was whirling with thoughts. He always liked to know what was going to happen, but this was something he hadn't foreseen. He remembered the expression on Haldir's face when he saw Legolas: shock, disgust and hate. But, and Aragorn was sure of this, there was a tiny bit of love as well, and it should have been his love. Why hadn't Haldir known Legolas would be here? He'd known about Gimli and Aragorn. And what had happened between the elves to make Haldir look at Legolas like that? Something in Aragorn wanted that to be a rhetorical question.

---

'Haldir! I didn't think to see you here.' Legolas entered the room that had been given to Haldir and his army, with a huge smile on his face.

'Nor I you,' Haldir said warily. He wondered how many of his elves knew about him and Legolas, maybe none of them. But probably lots.

'Thought you'd come and take away our glory, did you?'

Haldir couldn't tell what the prince meant by that; it could have been a joke but, knowing Legolas, that was unlikely. 'Elrond sent us. His army came to Lorien and then our army joined them.'

'And who leads Lord Elrond's army?' Legolas asked.

'I do.'

'Well, aren't you lucky?' Legolas snapped. Haldir saw envy in his blue eyes.

'I guess so.' He looked at the younger elf, and thought it was just typical of Legolas that, after days of trekking through Rohan with little rest and no baths, Legolas still managed to look better than anyone else.

'So if you werent expecting me here, how did you know about Gimli? Or,' and his voice was a soft hiss, 'Lover Boy?'

'Legolas, please!' he pleaded. 'We will be fighting orcs very soon, so we shouldn't fight between ourselves.'

'Yes, but I wasn't fighting you, I asked you a question. OK, if you wont answer that, here's another one. DO YOU LOVE ARAGORN?'

Haldir went pale. He couldn't tell Legolas, he knew the other elf would use it as a weapon against him.

'I would tell, Haldir, if I were you,' the prince's voice said softly. 'You wouldn't want your elves to find out what happened in the gardens of Rivendell, would you? And I don't think you want Aragorn to know either.'

'Elbereth!' Haldir swore. 'Why do you do this to me, Legolas? You know already, that I love Aragorn. And I will never love you again, before you get ideas.' He paused for breath, then said quietly, 'Elves were not made to be evil, Legolas.'

Legolas's face was white with fury. 'You keep the Dunadan, then, and I'll keep my secret. But not for long. Neither will be kept for long.' With that he turned and walked gracefully out of the room, leaving a shocked Haldir behind.

'Was that Legolas?' asked an elf who had been nearby. Haldir looked; it was Rumil, his brother. A person he could trust.

'Yes, it was. And I don't think he's very happy.'

'I hope you didn't have an argument with him. Because when the prince of Mirkwood is angry, someone's going to suffer.'

---

Legolas ran blindly to the wall, his face covered in tears of anger and shame. He was appalled at the things he had said to Haldir, but he had neededto know whether the other elf loved his Aragorn. His Aragorn! Legolas dismissed the thought, knowing Aragorn had never truly loved him, despite what people said. He was alone, totally alone, while Haldir had Aragorn and Aragorn had Haldir. The prince's pride could not let that happen. No one would just forget about him like he didn't exist. He looked around the wall, and saw groups of tired but valiant men, and elves in bright armour.

One group of elves was quite close to his solitary place, and coming closer. Legolas realised they were walking round the wall, surveying it. He studied each elf as they went passed and their names formed in his mind. Orophin. Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond's sons. So he wasn't the only prince here! Legolas had thought one of the twins would command their father's army, but that had gone to Haldir. Oh, if only Thranduil had sent an army! They would be the best fighters, the greatest archers and he, Legolas would be their leader. He looked at the smaller elf behind Elrohir and jumped in shock. A face so young and smooth, as if the elf was only just out of childhood, but still not mature. A proud face, like the princes of Imladris, or more like their sister. Blond hair the exact same colour and shape of Haldir's. And the eyes of Lord Elrond and his sons, and his daughter...

It had to be. The key to his secret was here, in front of him. Legolas tried to remember the elf's name, was it Earendil? Yes, Arwen called the child after her grandfather who she'd never met, only seen in the skies. This be why the twins were here, obviously to look after their nephew. And Aragorn didn't know! Well, he'd know soon. And everyone would see what happened.

---

The room was dark and warm. Aragorn lay on the makeshift bed, wishing there was more time before the war, realising he and Haldir would only have one night together. If Haldir came to find him.

Though he knew Haldir would. He knew that, to the elf from the Golden Wood, he was irresistable.

A soft knock on the door made him look up. Two long raps and three fast, that was Haldir's knock. 'Come in.'

Haldir entered the room, his walk light. He closed the door behind him and came towards Aragorn. The man sensed he was uneasy. 'What's wrong, Haldir?'

The elf was startled. 'Legolas hasn't said anything?'

'I haven't seen Legolas all afternoon. Should he have said something?'

Haldir was uneasy. 'Yes... er, no.'

Aragorn said, 'That doesn't matter now. I'm here, and you're here, and only the stars can see us.'

Soon they were lying together on the bed, enveloped in a passionate kiss. Haldir felt fire run through him, and wondered how he had ever let Aragorn leave when the Fellowship passed through Lothlorien.

'When the war is over, and the lands are calm again, we can finally be together,' he told the man beside him. 'I will forsake my immortality to be with you.'

'That's what Lady Arwen said.'

'Did she? Do you still have feelings for her?'

'Elrond would never let me have her, and though she's very beautiful, you are more beautiful. You have my heart, and you know it.'

'Nay! she is more beautiful than I am. But if you say so, I'll have to agree.'

'Good.' He stroked the elf's body gently, listening to the sounds of pleasure that came from his lover.

'I would, you know,' the elf said suddenly, as if he thought Aragorn hadn't believed him, 'Give up my immortality, I mean. Though I have no necklace to give you.'

'Your heart is enough for me.'

Suddenly the peaceful night was split by the sound of a horn blowing.

'The enemy has been sighted!' Aragorn cried. He got off the bed and ran to the window. A gigantic host of Uruk-Hai were approaching. Aragorn and Haldir dressed quickly, and the man turned to leave the room.

'Wait!'

He turned back to look at the elf. Haldir's back was to him, the elf was looking out of the window at the stars. Aragorn said, 'What is it?'

'When Legolas tells you... I didn't mean for it to happen, OK?' He left the room. Looking towards the window, Aragorn saw one star was brighter than the others against the dark sky.

Earendil.

---

They stood on the wall, facing the approching army. Legolas felt no fear, just a rush of energy and an eagerness to fight. The elves, Legolas as well, raised their bows. On the other side of the wall, Theoden's men raised their bows.

The Uruks halted. One of them, their leader, climbed onto a rock. The silence was deadly.

One man couldn't bear it any more. He aimed and fired, killing an orc in the front row. The others turned to look at their fallen comrade. Fury was in their roars as their leader commanded them to charge towards the wall.

'Release arrows!' Aragorn yelled in elvish. Most arrows found their mark -no one shoots better than an elf - but only a tiny thousandth of Saruman's orcs were slain. Legolas raised his bow and felt a thrill as his arrow brought death to an orc down below. But some of the Uruk-Hai had bows as well. An elf next to Legolas fell from the wall, an arrow in his throat, screaming. Legolas saw another three elves fall and then he unfroze and fought. His arrows sand of death as they shot down into orc throats.

Soon the orcs were putting ladders up so that they could climb the walls. Legolas hacked at a string supporting a ladder, and it fell, flattening many orcs. But not all the warriors were as lucky as him. Many were dieing from Uruk weapons.

Aragorn was still marching up and down the wall, giving orders. Legolas looked at him as the elf drew his bow, and knew that Aragorn had been with Haldir that night. He felt angry. Both had shunned his love, and both would feel his wrath.

But the orcs would feel it first.

---

Haldir thrust an elvish dagger into an Uruk's throat, killing it immediately. He whirled and turned to face another orc. Next to him he watched his elves go down, and avenged their deaths. Near him a younger elf was fighting hard, but he was too young for wars, Haldir realised. He fought his way towards the youngster and speared an Uruk-Hai from behind.

'Are you OK?'

'I'm... fine.' The boy was gasping for breath. 'Just a little wounded.'

Haldir quickly drew him back, out of harm's way. He checked the boy's wound.

'You'll live.'

'Thanks. You saved my life.'

Haldir smiled. 'My pleasure.' The boy's eyes were full of gratitude. 'Though, aren't you a little young to be fighting Uruk-Hai?'

'I'm not that young. But that wasn't the real reason I wanted to come. You see, when I was born my father abandoned me and my mother, and ran off with someone else. My uncle told me that my father would be here today, fighting for the Golden Wood.'

'Oh? Did you find your father then?'

'Yes, I did.' The boy pulled his helmet off, and blond hair like Haldir's fell down past his shoulders. His face was as beautiful as Luthien Tinuviel's and herdescendent, Lady Arwen Evenstar. 'You are my father.'

Unfortunately for Haldir, that was the exact moment Aragorn, Legolas and Elrohir walked past.

---

Aragorn and Legolas were fighting at the front of the wall again. Tears ran down the man's face as he thought of the boy who was the child of the only two people he'd ever loved, apart from his mother Gilraen. He felt alone and betrayed. He realised that Arwen's and Haldir's relationship had happened after he had met them both, so they must have known he loved Haldir, and he had probably loved Arwen at the time too.

'What's wrong, Aragorn?' asked Legolas, firing at an orc down below them.

'Like you didn't know!' He beheaded an orc attacking from behind, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and continued, 'He was their son, Legolas! Not the son just one of them, but both! The child of the only people on Middle-Earth who I loved! And they must have laughed at me when I never knew! I feel so alone, everyone I loved is gone.'

'You're not alone,' Legolas said quietly. 'You have me.'

Aragorn turned on him, fury in his face. 'I wouldn't know now if it wasn't for you! You must have seen him with the boy, you told me to come with you! And you even made Elrohir come, so he could give evidence! And then you say it's OK, I have you to love! You set me up, and you expect me to love you!'

'But I love you, Aragorn.' Legolas's voice was a whisper among the death screams of Uruks. 'I have always loved you, even when you ignored my love. I would do anything for us to be together...'

'Like tear my relationship with someone else to pieces?'

They were both silent, and then Aragorn said, 'How did you know about it?'

Legolas drew his bow. 'It was several years ago, I don't remember how many. I was staying in Lorien at the same time as Lady Evenstar. You were hunting goblins in the north.' Aragorn nodded, and Legolas continued, 'I saw them together a few times. I was jealous at first, because long ago I used to love Haldir. But he had ridiculed me in front of many elves. I knew you had met and loved both Lady Arwen and Haldir, and because of my grudge against Haldir I wanted to find out what was happening, but Haldir had just left for Imladris and I knew he would be staying for a long time. Then Arwen started getting larger, and she was often sick. Finally I realised what was happening. I asked her myself, and she confirmed it. Soon after that, she had twins.'

'TWINS???' Aragorn gasped, his face white.

'Yes. A boy and a girl. Because Haldir wasn't there - and I don't believe he even knew - she called them after her grandparents, the ones she had never known. Earendil and Elwing. Lady Galadriel looked after them when Arwen went back to Imladris. When Haldir returned, she told him. He refused to know them, realising he had been disloyal to you. But one day, his daughter was ill, and at that time I was in the Grey Havens. She was very young, but she went to Valinor with some of the elves from Haldir's family. Arwen never knew until Elwing had gone, and then she was furious with Haldir for not telling her. She made sure her son came to Imladris, where her brothers looked after him when Arwen was away.'

'Haldir didn't know? Until it was too late?'

'That's right,' the elf said. He skewered an orc on his dagger and looked at Aragorn. 'Now you're going to tell me you still love him and I should jump off the wall.'

'I love him, yes.' Aragorn smiled weakly. 'But I don't think you should jump of... Legolas! Kill that orc!'

Legolas aimed his bow at an orc carrying a torch. Suddenly he realised: the orcs had put some kind of explosive under the wall and the fire would set it off. He shot and hit, as usual, but the arrow didn't slay the orc.

'Kill him, Legolas!' Aragorn yelled. 'Kill him!'

Legolas's next arrow was sharp and deadly. But the dying orc managed to sprint just far enough so that his torch lit the explosives. His body was consumed in fire as the wall exploded into tiny pieces, destroying the night.

---

Haldir watched it happen. He had been shocked by the look of hurt and betrayel on Aragorn's face when he'd seen the elf child, and he was shocked now as he saw Aragorn's body thrown into the air with half the wall. He hoped Aragorn would survive, and that if he did, he would be able to forgive Haldir for giving Arwen a child.

---

Legolas scrambled onto the next part of wall, dust hin his face. He had been lucky, he was at the edge of the wall that had gone. Looking down with watering eyes, he saw Aragorn's body lying motionless on the ground. Cold fear gripped him as an army of Uruk-Hai rushed towards the unconsious man.

---

Aragorn awoke with an army of orcs in front of him and an army of elves behind. As he climbed to his feet he heard a dwarvish war cry from above and saw Gimli hurtling down off the remainder of wall. Dwarves are very strange, he thought, and then the armies collided.

Haldir saw Aragorn fighting, still groggy from fainting, and fought his way towards him. 'Aragorn, are you hurt?'

'A little,' the man admitted. 'Oh, Haldir...'

'I'm so sorry,' said the elf, decapitating an orc with his dagger. 'So, so sorry.' Can you still love me, he thought.

'It's OK. You probably hurt Arwen more than me.'

The elf thought about this as he fought. He was about to reply when charging Uruks forced them to part. He thought he saw Aragorn mouthing I Love You, but he wasn't sure.

---

Bodies lay around him and still the Uruk-Hai kept coming. He saw Haldir on the other side of the place where the wall used to be. King Theoden yelled down to him from the top of the wall, 'Fall back to the keep! Fall back!'

So Aragorn passed it on, in elvish of course. 'Fall back to the keep, fall back everyone!' He saw Haldir shout it to his elves as well. Aragorn noticed Haldir slip, he was wounded! He ran towards the elf, the cries of battle in his ears.

---

Haldir cursed, his hand stinging as he slayed the orc that had wounded him. He should have been more careful! Below him he saw Aragorn, shouting and gesturing to behind Haldir. The elf frowned, trying to make out what Aragorn was saying.

'There's an orc behind you with a big axe! Look out!'

But just before Haldir could move, he felt a pain in his head. The world grew dim around him and he fell to his knees.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' Aragorn ran towards him, killing orcs as he went. He lifted the elf's head. Haldir's eyes were blank. He had never felt as angry as this in his life as he swung his sword crazily, creating a space around Haldir's body.

When he was calm, he ran back to Haldir and lifted him again. The elf's eyes fluttered open. 'Aragorn. Please forgive me.'

'It's OK. Oh live, Haldir, live!'

'No. It's too late now. I never thought I would die like this. I thought I would die a human, having given my immortality away for you.' Haldir struggled to see Aragorn's face.

'No, Haldir, don't die! You can't!'

'I am dying. Aragorn, Arwen always loved you. She'll be loyal to you now. You should father her next child.'

'No! I love you!' Aragorn's sight was blinded by tears.

'I only ever loved you, too.' Rain was falling through the black night. Goodbye, the elf thought, and slipped away.

---

Aragorn left the body where it was, vowing to come back later and bear it to Lorien himself. He could see Legolas waiting for him at the top of the steps. He decided to take Haldir's advice and wed Arwen when the war was over, whatever Lord Elrond said. She was the only person left in his life now.

---

Somewhere a maiden was singing a mournful song, telling of loss and death. Looking around, Haldir saw a great hall, the Hall of Mandos. It towered above him. Its doors were shining and one of them was opening to him.

Turning, the elf looked behind him and saw Middle Earth. He saw all the Elvish havens; Mirkwood, the Grey Havens, Imladris and Lothlorien. He saw the green slopes of the peaceful Shire and the towering peaks of Caradhras and surrounding mountains. He saw the brilliance of Minas Tirith and the desolute Mordor.

And he walked away from it into the Hall of Mandos.