Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR but I wish I did

Many Thanks to my beta Irish Anor!

Please R&R

Prologue

The Call had come just as the sun began to rise.

"Summon Haldir and tell the Lord and Lady!"

It had passed among the different fleets, finally reaching the gates of Caras Galadhon: the heart of Lórien. Once within the gates, the message was carried two separate ways; one to the Lord and Lady and the other to Haldir. The messenger found Haldir preparing to leave for his patrol as he stood next to one of the many mallorn trees with in the city. The elf, though he had been running for a long while, had not lost his breath. The messenger was the Brother of Haldir: Rúmil.

Haldir smiled as his brother came to him. Yet the expression Rúmil carried told Haldir something indeed was very wrong.

"Haldir there has been an attack on the patrol that guards our eastern rim; they fought valiantly but took heavy casualties; their captain was injured gravely." The words Rúmil said started to strike him; he knew who the captain was. Haldir said nothing as he grabbed his bow and quiver and sprinted rapidly towards the gates.

Rúmil followed him but Haldir was too quick. The two elves ran out of the gates and into the forest. His mind was focused on her and only her. A captain of Lothlorien, a close friend and his love… he could only picture her lying on the ground. She was on his mind her eyes closing for the last time. Her last breath ebbing from her lips… What was the weapon used to pierce her? An arrow from an orcish bow? A dark and foul sword? A spear? He could only imagine.

Each step he took seemed to take a life time; every step he took was one more step that she would be taking closer to the door of death. Soon in the distance he saw two elves, followed shortly by ten more elves walking at a quick pace towards him. The two elves carried in-between them a stretcher and on the stretcher Haldir saw her lying motionless, her eyes closed. He joined the band of elves and as they gazed upon their captain's face, they saw something that they had never seen within his eyes before: the look of pain.

As he stared at her appearance, he saw the red of blood—she had been pierced with many arrows. Another captain came up to Haldir as the troop passed him. He was still recovering from the shock.

"Haldir, she is gravely injured; barely hanging on to life. Comes now does the Lady, perhaps she may be able to save her."

Haldir followed the troop. The elves were moving at a quick march and would get to the city soon. As they walked, Haldir heard the account of what had happened. They had been ambushed on the opposite side of the Nimrodel. The warriors had run out of arrows and were in thick combat when the captain who was speaking came into the picture. He had seen the Captain who led the troops charge the orcish lines, and fall as she and her patrol were attacked. His patrol attempted to ambush and the orcs were all slain… but she had fallen and her wounds were grave. Now she was being carried back to Caras Galadhon on a sheet.

As they approached the city, Haldir knew in his heart this would be the last time he entered the city with breath still on her lips.

The elven warriors were met by Rúmil as they passed the gate. Haldir went to the front with Rúmil, but said nothing as they approached the large Mallorn Tree in which the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn lived. They made the long trek up to the top where Galadriel was waiting with some of her maidens. The other elves were left at the entrance; only the stretcher bearers, Haldir, Rúmil, and the other captain allowed in. They followed her to a room with a bed and Celeborn waiting inside. They gently transferred her from the stretcher to the bed.

"She is fading… quickly some water," Galadriel said, still talking in her serene voice. As she started working on the injured she-elf, they all watched, seemingly unable to turn away as Galadriel cleaned the wound and slowly removed one of the arrows. Blood trickled out of the wound and Galadriel closed it. Soon all the arrows were gone and she lay there bandaged on the bed.

Hours later Haldir stood and watched as her body was carried away.

The next day Haldir watched as her body was prepared to rest for eternity. A silver circlet was on her head and she was dressed in the attire of a Captain of Lórien: her bow on her chest, a full quiver of arrows and her sword at her side. He followed silently as she was put onto a cart draped with grey cloth. She was pulled outside of the city gates and then pulled to another set of gates guarded by two stone statues of Elven warriors. Here the fallen warriors of great battles and wars past were buried.

Hundreds of rows of stone beds were in this gated area and on each bed were the carven figures of a stone elven warrior. In the center of this area was a statue of Amroth: the last King of Lothórien. She was taken past the statue and at the foot of a Mallorn tree was laid to rest in her new stone bed.

A slab of marble was placed over her body, sealing her in it forever.

Haldir came everyday and watched as she reappeared from the stone slab, a Captain of Lothlorien. He comes everyday before his watch and continued to come even when the days became darker and a shadow began to stir farther east in the Land of Mordor.