RAVISHING AN ELF
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. They all belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.
PAIRINGS: Aragorn/Haldir, Legolas/Haldir, Legolas/Aragorn
WARNINGS: This can only be described as hesitant consent (even though nothing much happens). There is also reference to rape.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic came about because I was talking to my friend Sarah (doodlebuguk) and we have a theory that when Legolas goes to stand behind Haldir in TTT (movie) he is sending a secret look to Aragorn about a potential threesome. And so this fic was born.
This is based on movie-verse, so you can assume that the battle of Helm's Deep plays out the same way, including the death of Haldir.
A little fact for you all to bear in mind as you read this fic: According to the Oxford English Dictionary (Pocket edition), "ravish" is an old word for "rape". Thus, there is a double meaning to the title that shall become clear as you read.
Legolas watched in amusement as Aragorn enthusiastically hugged Haldir. The Marchwarden of the Lothlorien elves seemed taken aback by the ranger's greeting, conceding only to wrapping stiff arms around the man. As Aragorn pulled back, Legolas moved to stand by his kind. It had been so long since he had seen the Guardian, and the Mirkwood elf tingled just from standing near him. He longed to hug Haldir the way that Aragorn had, but Legolas knew that the other elf would never forgive him if he did. Instead, he comforted himself with the knowledge that they would have at least some time to spend together before the impeding battle for Helm's Deep.
Looking over at Aragorn, Legolas was stunned to see an almost sexual gleam to the ranger's eyes. Despite the fact that the man and elf had been lying together for many months, the Elven prince had not seen anything near that look for a long time. Aragorn was clearly trying to hide his lust at another – and Legolas didn't need two guesses to work out who it was.
Aragorn locked eyes with Legolas. He knew that if he were to broach the subject he wished he would have to tread carefully. The Mirkwood elf had never made it secret that he was involved with the Lothlorien and although Aragorn didn't mind sharing, he felt that Haldir might.
Legolas smiled back at Aragorn, the look in his eyes conveying all. His expression was a silent signal to the ranger – a signal that said, "He will lie with us. I shall make sure of it."
~*Aragorn*~ ~*Haldir*~ ~*Legolas*~
Twenty minutes later, Legolas and Haldir were walking towards the Hornburg Armoury. The Lothlorien elf was now fully relaxed, feeling no need to maintain his aloof manner with the person he had loved for six centuries. Legolas smiled a little at his companion. "I am glad you are here, Haldir."
"No more glad than I, my dear Legolas." Haldir reached for the other elf's hand. "It has been too long."
At the loving tone in Haldir's voice, Legolas felt a pang of guilt for what he was about to do. Although their plan had sounded fine while he was discussing it with Aragorn, now that it came to putting it into practice Legolas found himself waiver. Was it fair of him to practically force the Guardian into something he most likely would not be comfortable with?
Haldir noticed his beloved's silence and said, "What is the matter, Legolas? It seems that something troubles you."
"I just fear this battle, Haldir." Well it wasn't a total lie, Legolas reasoned to himself. The forthcoming battle was scaring him – the other elf didn't need to know that something else was amiss.
Haldir sighed. "We all fear this battle, Legolas. The men are not prepared for it."
Legolas was about to reply when he saw Gimli approach. This had been part of the plan – the dwarf had agreed to join because, as he put it, "Nothing that will bring that arrogant elf down a notch or two can be all bad." Legolas had resisted the urge to retaliate only because they needed Gimli's help for this plan to work.
As Gimli approached them, Haldir turned to regard him, slipping back into his more formal manner. "Ah Legolas, the dwarf is here."
"The dwarf has a name, Haldir." Legolas' tone was half-warning, half-joking. Then, turning to the newcomer, he asked, "What can I do for you, Gimli?"
"I…er…I need to speak to you for a moment, Legolas. Actually, it's the King that needs you. Wants you to…give his lads a quick lesson. The youngsters need a bit of help with their bows."
Haldir shot an icy glare at Gimli. "Tell the King that my elves will gladly help."
"Your elves speak little common," the dwarf returned. "And also, the King sent for Legolas."
Legolas took a deep breath. This was his last chance – he could tell Gimli to leave them and take Haldir somewhere else. Then the thought of upsetting Aragorn crept into his mind and firmed his resolve. Turning to the Marchwarden, he said, "I'm sorry Haldir, but if the King needs me…"
Haldir didn't seem thoroughly convinced by this, but decided to give his love the benefit of the doubt. "Very well, Legolas."
"Wait for me in the armoury." Legolas gave Haldir one final, gentle kiss before turning to Gimli. "Lead on, my friend."
~*Aragorn*~ ~*Haldir*~ ~*Legolas*~
Haldir watched as dwarf and elf left him. He wasn't sure what was going on, but something wasn't right with the Mirkwood prince. The Guardian sighed as he pushed open the doors to the armoury. How he longed to hold his lover for as long as he could before they both went into battle, possibly to their deaths.
As soon as he stepped foot into the armoury, he heard a familiar voice say, "Close the door, Haldir."
"Aragorn?" The Lothlorien elf drew back further into his aloof demeanour. He wasn't sure what Aragorn was doing in the armoury but it seemed the ranger was far less surprised to see Haldir.
Aragorn smiled as he stood up fully from the column he had been leaning against. "Why so suspicious, Haldir? Just close the door, please?"
Haldir still did not move. His mind whirled with possibilities. He and Legolas had been on their way to the armoury…Aragorn was here, seemingly expecting Haldir to be alone…
The ranger's smile widened as he walked over to the door and closed it himself. "I apologise. I forgot that you do not take orders from anyone, least of all a mere man such as myself."
Haldir glared at him. "Was that a veiled insult?"
"Relax. I was merely teasing you." Aragorn approached the Lorien elf, fully taking in his almost regal appearance. The ranger could not believe that someone who seemed so untouchable was now within his reach. He was grateful to Legolas for sharing this beauty with him; letting the man touch that which had only been touched by one other before.
Haldir followed Aragorn with his eyes, suspicious as to what the man was up to. He felt a little trapped and longed for Legolas to return to him, to diffuse this tense situation.
Aragorn moved to stand in front of the elf. His eyes roved over the other's body as he murmured, "You must be hot, Haldir. Take off your cloak."
Haldir instantly pulled his red cloak closer around him. "Aragorn, what madness has possessed you?"
"None, my friend," Aragorn replied, reaching for the clasp of the cloak. "But it would not do to have one of our main warriors collapse from heat exhaustion."
"I'm sure the storm will help nicely with that then," the elf retorted, swiping at Aragorn to stop him coming any closer.
From behind him, a voice cooed, "It's alright, my love."
Haldir spun to face the door, where Legolas was stood watching. "Legolas, perhaps you can talk some sense into Aragorn. I fear he has gone mad."
Legolas grinned, "He has gone mad alright, Haldir my love. Mad over you."
Haldir fell silent at this. He opened his mouth a couple of times to reply, but none came. He was too stunned to even try and react when Aragorn again reached to remove his cloak.
Legolas smiled as he came to stand closer to his Elven lover. "Never did I think I would see the day when Haldir of the Golden Wood fell silent."
Haldir eventually managed to find his voice again. "What did you mean by your last comment, dear?"
"Exactly what I said. Your amazing beauty and charm have driven Aragorn to madness as they do myself." Legolas wrapped his arms around Haldir, wanting to comfort him a little, wanting to help him relax.
Aragorn smiled as Haldir leant back into the other elf's embrace. "How strange it is to see you show affection. Legolas must be truly special."
"He is," the Lothlorien Guardian replied, before turning his head to look at the Mirkwood prince. "Why have you set me up like this?"
Legolas felt another pang of guilt at Haldir's uncertain tone. The Marchwarden was never uncertain – or at least, Legolas had never seen him thus. Pulling away, the prince moved to Aragorn's side. "This isn't a set-up, Haldir love. Is it so wrong of me to want to share one of my loves with another?"
The man and elf instantly realised that this was the wrong thing to say to Haldir. Any hints that the other elf had been relaxing vanished and he fixed a sorrowful look on Legolas. "You love another. Or others, by the sound of it."
"Haldir, no!" Legolas mentally kicked himself for upsetting his beloved. "I mean…I love Aragorn. But there are no others except you."
"Legolas has always made it clear to me that he will eventually return to you," the ranger added, in an attempt to help.
Haldir did not appear convinced. "But Legolas…"
The other elf was instantly back at his side, desperate to console him. "I am truly sorry, Haldir. I did not expect that I would fall in love with another and I certainly did not wish to. I would never wish to hurt you, but Aragorn…"
Haldir sighed. "I do not wish to hear excuses, Legolas."
Legolas looked at him fearfully. "Haldir?"
With the faintest of smiles, Haldir continued, "At least it is not the dwarf."
Legolas and Aragorn laughed at this. The former took Haldir's hands in his own. "So you forgive my time with Aragorn?"
"Not fully," the other elf confessed, "but in time I feel I will."
Legolas hugged his beloved to him. "You are far too good to me, Haldir love."
Aragorn couldn't help but grin at the sight of the two elves hugging. He longed to pounce on them both, there and then, but he knew that they still had to persuade Haldir further.
As the Guardian pulled back, he whispered, "What would you have me do, Legolas?"
Legolas locked eyes with him. "You trust me, don't you Haldir?"
"Sometimes more than I trust myself," the other elf replied.
"You trust that I would not hurt you, nor leave you with someone that would?"
"I trust that if another did try to hurt me, you would protect me."
"Very well." Legolas turned to Aragorn. "Just be gentle with him – as I have told you before, I am the only one he has lain with up until this day."
Realisation dawned within Haldir and he suddenly panicked. Momentarily forgetting that Aragorn could speak Elvish, he turned to Legolas and said in his native tongue, "Why do you make me do this to you?"
"You shall not be hurting me, darling Haldir," Legolas replied in Elvish, knowing that Aragorn would not feel excluded. "I just wish to share how wonderful you are with Aragorn."
"So I am naught but a trophy?" Haldir knew this wasn't true, but he couldn't help but say it anyway.
"You are far more than a trophy to him," cut in a third voice, also speaking in Elvish. Haldir looked up, stunned for a moment that Aragorn had spoken in a language other than common. The ranger continued in the same language, "If you wish to blame anyone for this Haldir, blame me. I was the one who persuaded Legolas to share you." Falling back into common, he muttered, "At this rate the Uruks will be upon us whilst we argue."
Haldir froze again, not knowing whether this was a hidden attack on him. Legolas soothed him, saying, "I understand that you are hesitant, my darling Haldir. But you know I would never set you up to get hurt."
Haldir turned to face him, still looking a little scared. "And after this it shall go back to normal – just you and I, no others?"
"If Legolas so wishes, I shall release him to join you after this battle is over." Aragorn had quickly realised that if he wanted anything from the Marchwarden, he would have to placate him.
Legolas nodded. "When all this is over, we shall return to Lothlorien."
Haldir sighed. He still wasn't happy with the set-up, but he knew he would do anything to keep Legolas. In a voice little more than a whisper, he said, "Then I shall do as you wish."
Aragorn couldn't help but thrill at the submissive tone of one who was usually in command. He stepped forward and reached for Haldir's hand. "Shall we, then?"
"I will be here the whole time," said Legolas. "You need not fear anything, my love."
Haldir shot a look at the other elf. "But surely…"
"It shall not upset me to see you with Aragorn. I love and trust you both." Legolas gave Haldir a gentle push towards Aragorn. "Now go, before the Uruk-hai arrive."
~*Aragorn*~ ~*Haldir*~ ~*Legolas*~
Aragorn lead a hesitant Haldir to the centre of the room. The ranger could not believe what he was about to do – secretly, he had lusted after this elf since Lorien. He cupped Haldir's face with one hand, allowing the fingers of the other to stoke his cheek. Aragorn felt the elf wince a little as his caress travelled to a pointed ear. In an attempt to soothe, the ranger moved his lips to the ear, gently kissing it. This movement only caused Haldir to flinch away completely, a foreign glaze in his eyes. Aragorn glanced at Legolas, who seemed a little concerned. "Legolas, what…?"
Legolas had his gaze fixed firmly on the other elf, who was almost cowering away from Aragorn. "I do not know why he reacts thus."
Aragorn gently reached out to touch Haldir's arm. "I'm sorry Haldir. I meant you no harm."
Haldir glanced at Legolas for reassurance. Seeing his love nod, the Marchwarden took a step closer to Aragorn. "It is I who should be apologising. It's just…"
"It's alright." Aragorn leant in and gently kissed Haldir. "It was wrong for me to assume that all elves are the same in these respects."
"Most are, or so I'm told," Haldir replied, but did not elaborate further. As Legolas watched him, the Mirkwood elf got a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong with Haldir – something troubled the Guardian. And I did not even notice until now, he thought to himself.
Aragorn was also a little concerned about the Guardian, but he knew that Legolas would step in if he noticed Haldir getting too uncomfortable. He moved in to kiss the elf again, trying not to become too forceful.
Haldir was slow to respond, but eventually he seemed to relax into the kiss, even going so far as to wrap his arms around Aragorn before the man did the same with him. Aragorn gently wound a hand through Haldir's long platinum hair, his actions concealing his desire to throw down the elf and fuck him senseless. The Marchwarden's hesitance seemed to be waning by the minute and Aragorn realised that it would be much better to let the elf take the lead. At least to start with.
Legolas watched Aragorn's gentle approach. Gentle was not the sort of word he had expected to associate with either of his loves, but it seemed to be what Haldir needed. The Mirkwood elf's concern grew as he continued to watch. He had expected the Guardian to grab his chance at control to establish exactly what he wanted – that was the normal way, after all. But now he seemed to have resigned himself to letting the man have control. The ill feeling inside of Legolas grew as instinct told him that Haldir would probably be the same with him.
Sensing Haldir's reluctance to take the lead, Aragorn decided to move things along a little. Pulling back a little, he started to fumble with the buttons on the elf's shirt. Both Aragorn and Legolas were surprised to note that Haldir stood stiffly, as though this were something he just wanted to be done with. Then, as Aragorn managed the last button, the elf seemed to panic. He pulled away and ran to a corner of the room, that same odd glaze in his eyes. Aragorn let out a frustrated sigh. "Haldir, if you wish to do this then we must hurry, else the keep will fall and we won't even notice."
"Don't be too harsh on him." Legolas walked over to the frightened elf and wrapped an arm around him. "Something is amiss."
Haldir leant his head on Legolas' shoulder, wanting the other elf to hold him forever. Legolas felt him tremble beside him, and his concern grew even further.
Aragorn sighed. "Can't you convince him that I don't want to hurt him?"
Legolas thought for a moment then said, "Perhaps if I joined you…would you want that, Haldir darling?"
All pretence of aloofness and pride were lost from the Marchwarden as he whispered, "Do not leave me, Legolas."
Legolas almost cried at the child-like plea. With a glance at Aragorn he said, "I shall guide you through this, Haldir. I do not know what scares you, but I will fight it with you."
Aragorn had to stop himself from grinning. While he loved the idea of taking both elves at the same time, he knew that the situation was more serious than any of them had reckoned on. Instead, he said, "Know, Haldir, that I would not dare hurt you even without Legolas here. But if you feel you need him, I have no objections."
Legolas locked eyes with the man and managed a small smile. He knew that Aragorn would have no objections – he had grown to know the ranger too well. Turning back to Haldir, he said, "So…shall we?"
Haldir forced himself to pull away from Legolas. "I suppose we should."
Aragorn finally allowed himself to smile as he reached out his hands. "Come then, my dear elves."
Taking a hand of each of the elves, Aragorn led them back to the centre of the room. Legolas took Haldir's free hand in his own, silently reassuring the other elf. He was a little surprised by the strength of Haldir's grip, but figured that they were all acting a little oddly because of the forthcoming battle. He turned to look at Aragorn and said, "Maybe you should undress first. He may feel less threatened then." Legolas didn't know why Haldir should feel threatened, but if there was any way he could ease the other elf's fear then he would.
Aragorn nodded. "Very well." Inwardly he still just wanted to grab Haldir and ravish him. He had been hoping that the pressure of time would have added intensity, but the elves seemed to be ignoring this restraint. He stripped off as hastily as he could, all the while keeping eye contact with Haldir. The elf seemed to be watching with a puzzled, almost suspicious look in his eyes.
As the man removed his clothing, Legolas felt a strong desire to test something. He reached to stroke Haldir's hair and 'accidentally' brushed a finger over his ear. The wince from the other elf confirmed Legolas' suspicions – it was not just Aragorn.
Aragorn, now naked, moved to approach Haldir. "Will you let me unclothe you, or would you rather Legolas did?"
Even before Haldir had replied, Legolas reached for the unbuttoned shirt and eased it off the other elf's back. The sight that greeted him horrified the Elven prince – the Guardian's back was dotted with faded bruising. Knowing that Haldir was not the sort to bruise easily, Legolas moved from faint concern to full-on alarm. He gently ran his hand over the Lothlorien's back, half feeling that this was a dream and that the bruising wasn't real. However, the gentle whimper of pain from Haldir confirmed the reality of what he was seeing – someone had very definitely hurt his beloved.
Haldir turned to look at Legolas. He wanted to talk to the other elf, tell him the true reason for his odd behaviour. But something was stopping him – something more, he felt, than the fact that Aragorn was in the room. He could hear the man gasp as he laid eyes on the elf's injured body.
Aragorn moved closer to Haldir. "You came to face battle while you are hurt."
"I am not hurt." The Marchwarden was beginning to put up barriers again, trying to move back to the aloof distance he was used to keeping with others. "And Rohan needs us."
Legolas saw a strange flash in his love's eyes. Nuzzling him slightly, he whispered, "You know you can tell me anything, darling."
Beginning to accept defeat, Aragorn spoke up. "If you wish, I shall leave you."
Haldir shook his head. "We have a deal of sorts. It is my duty to keep to my side of it."
"I would come back to Lorien with you no matter what," said Legolas. "Don't feel you have to hurt yourself for me to do so."
The Marchwarden seemed resolved. "No Legolas. I need to do this."
"Fine." Legolas reached for the first button of his own shirt, but was stopped by the other elf.
"No Legolas. I need to do this alone."
Legolas didn't like the idea of deserting his beloved, but he knew that Haldir was immovable once his mind had been made up. "As you wish, my darling. But I shall step in if you need me to."
~*Aragorn*~ ~*Haldir*~ ~*Legolas*~
Haldir took a deep breath as he approached Aragorn. The ranger instantly wrapped his arms around the elf, pulling him in for a kiss. He felt a strange urgency driving Haldir, but put it down to a final recognition of their limited time. As the kiss grew deeper and more passionate, Aragorn pushed the elf back so that he was backed into the table in the centre of the room. His hands roamed over Haldir's chest to his trousers. He felt the Lothlorien elf tense slightly as he began to push them down, but was met with no real resistance.
Despite his concern, Legolas could not help but grin to himself as he realised the next issue that had to be broached. Both of his lovers had been lucky in that Legolas had no real objection to being bottom. Now that the two tops were together, it would be interesting to see who would yield to whom.
Aragorn groaned slightly as Haldir began to kiss his jaw. He was glad to notice that the elf was beginning to relax a little. As the Guardian's lips travelled from jaw to neck, Aragorn realised how lucky Legolas truly was. It was clear that Haldir was skilled in the art of lovemaking, and it seemed almost selfish of him to share it only with the Mirkwood elf. The ranger groaned as a hand travelled south from his chest, arching his back slightly and bringing himself closer to the elf's touch.
Legolas smiled as he watched Aragorn's response to Haldir's touch. The Mirkwood elf had always thought himself lucky to have a lover as talented as the Lothlorien, and he knew that Aragorn was beginning to appreciate just how the two elves had stayed together for six hundred years. Not that it was all down to the sex, but it certainly helped.
Haldir pulled back a little to lock eyes with Aragorn. "I take it you have the oil?"
Aragorn nodded and called over to Legolas. The elf pulled out a little vial from his pocket and threw it towards the ranger. Aragorn caught it expertly and held it so that Haldir could see. He smiled as he saw the elf reach out for it. Pulling it out of reach, he said, "Turn around."
These two words seemed to panic Haldir. The elf shook his head vehemently and tried to back away. Realising that the table stopped his retreat, the Guardian shot a desperate glance at Legolas.
The Mirkwood prince knew that he should try to persuade Aragorn, but there was a strange, nagging feeling inside of him that told him it might be better if Haldir yielded instead. Cautiously approaching the other elf, Legolas said, "I know it will be strange for you, Haldir my love, but it really is nothing to be scared of. Aragorn knows what he's doing."
Reluctantly, Haldir nodded and turned to face the table. As he bent over in anticipation, he heard the gasps he had expected.
Aragorn had to grab hold of Legolas to stop him collapsing at what they both saw. The bruising that had started on Haldir's back travelled all the way down to the back of his thighs. The bruising around his legs and buttocks was a lot darker than elsewhere, causing the Mirkwood elf to feel a little ill. Suddenly he felt he could understand just what had gotten into the other elf and the guilt he had been denying flooded back to him.
Aragorn was as speechless as Legolas, unable to believe what he was seeing. He felt guilty at having been so harsh with Haldir, wishing he had taken the time to fully appreciate the elf's fear.
After several moments of silence, Haldir spoke up. "Well come on then. Get it over with." His tone was strangely aloof, not the familiar arrogance but a mere attempt at distancing himself from physical reality.
Aragorn could not bring himself to move. Legolas moved forward a little then backed off, wanting to help his love but fearing rejection at the same time.
Eventually, Aragorn spoke. "I cannot bring myself to do this. I will leave you two elves to talk."
He dressed himself as quickly as he could then left the room, pausing only to add, "I will see you outside, at the walls."
~*Aragorn*~ ~*Haldir*~ ~*Legolas*~
An uneasy silence fell over the room for a few moments after Aragorn had left. Legolas walked over to the other side of the room and picked up the cloak that had been discarded earlier. He idly played with the clasp, trying to bring himself to talk to his beloved.
His thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound. Looking up, Legolas was horrified to see Haldir sat on the ground, curled up and crying. 'No! This can't be real!' he thought even as he watched. 'Elves don't cry, especially not Haldir!'
The prince rushed to the Guardian's side, gently wrapping the cloak around the trembling body. "Haldir, my love, my darling! I am sorry!"
"You…have done nothing wrong," Haldir whispered between sobs. "I should have…said something."
Legolas hugged his fellow elf to him, silent encouragement for the Marchwarden to let out his pain. He whispered soothing words in Elvish, wishing that he could find the cause of his beloved's anguish and make everything better. As he gently stroked the other elf's hair, his keen eyes spotted the thing that made Haldir's ear so sensitive. The reddish specks could only be defined as teeth marks – although teeth marks from what, Legolas could not tell. Looking down into his companion's eyes, he asked, "What happened, my poor love?"
"Uruk-hai…they ambushed us last night while we rested…some fled, some were killed…"
"And you were tortured?" Something sparked within Legolas as he vowed to avenge this attack during the battle.
Haldir looked away. In a small voice, he replied, "I was…ravished." The last word was barely audible.
Emotion flooded through Legolas as he heard this. "Oh Haldir! I should have known…"
"How could you?" Haldir's head was now resting on Legolas' chest. "I tried so hard to hide it."
"I should have known anyway." Faint tears trickled down the Mirkwood elf's face as he gently cradled his beloved. The beloved who had put so much faith into Legolas, only to be betrayed at every turn. "You must hate me."
"I could never hate you." Haldir lifted his head to kiss his lover. "It is you that keeps me strong."
Legolas opened his mouth to reply when the door to the armoury crashed open and Theoden stalked in, flanked by Aragorn and Gimli. "The Uruks are almost upon us. Master Haldir, your elves need organising. Aragorn has tried, but -"
In an instant, Legolas was on his feet. "Please Lord Theoden, do not trouble him thus. Haldir is hurt."
"Hurt?" Gimli couldn't help but scoff. "What, did he walk into something and dent his pride?"
Legolas shot a glance at the Marchwarden. He expected the other elf to react, to shoot down the dwarf with a callous comment. Instead, Haldir was acting as though he hadn't even heard Gimli. Realising he would have to defend his beloved, Legolas turned back to his friend. "Something happened on the way here. Something awful."
Behind him, Haldir was letting out a strange keening cry. Legolas instantly knelt next to him, wrapping his arms around his broken love. "Darling Haldir, what is it?"
Haldir did not reply. Legolas gently stroked the Guardian's hair, being especially careful to avoid the ears.
Aragorn spoke up. "We should wait outside. I'll try speaking to the Lothlorien elves again."
"Just tell them Haldir gives you authority over them." Legolas glanced up at the ranger, who seemed concerned. "I'll make sure he gets to the battle."
"In this state he may as well be back in Lothlorien." Gimli still could not bring himself to be sympathetic towards the Marchwarden.
Legolas glared at him. "Haldir will be at the battle, and he will fight well. I know he has the strength for it."
Theoden sighed. "I shall go and prepare my people. Aragorn, it seems you will have to try again with the elves."
As the two men left the room, Gimli shot a final glance at the two elves. "I just hope for your sake, Legolas, that he can pull himself together."
"He can and he will." Legolas watched as the dwarf left the room before turning back to Haldir. "Haldir my darling, we have to go."
Haldir looked up at him, fear apparent in his eyes. "Your words were kind Legolas, but I fear the dwarf may be right."
"He's not!" Legolas knew he couldn't let the Guardian slip into defeat. "I know you, Haldir, and I know that somewhere inside of you there's a desire for revenge. You have to control the frightened creature within you and tap into your strength reserves."
The Lothlorien elf nodded, pulling away slightly from his companion. "And this is the same elf who thought I could hate him?"
Legolas smiled weakly. "I cannot leave you to darkness, Haldir."
"There is no darkness with you here. I just fear for when we are separated." Haldir gathered his discarded clothing and redressed himself. "The frightened creature that you speak of has too strong a hold."
"Then I will try and make sure that you can always see me." Legolas moved to collect the weapons he had stored in the armoury for safekeeping. "And then when this is over I will help you fight these demons."
Haldir managed a weak smile at this. "Then I think I may get through this." Drawing on reserves he didn't even know he had, the Guardian slowly pulled up the walls that were his aloof personality. In a tone very much befitting his usual demeanour, he said, "Let us go and help protect Rohan for as long as we are able."
Legolas moved to link arms with his love. "Let us go and seek vengeance on those who would dare to hurt someone so precious to me."
The Mirkwood prince allowed Haldir one final deep breath before leading him out of the armoury and onwards to the battles ahead of them.
