The journey continued. Four days had passed since Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli left Amon Hen to search for Merry and Pippin that had been captured by the Uruk-Hai.

They had reached a hill and Legolas ran before the others to see if he could spot the orcs.

"I see them!" he shouted.

Aragorn ran to him and put a hand on his own forehead to protect his sensitive eyes from the sun. And truly, by the horizon he could distinguish something that moved. "Good Legolas." He laid a hand on the blond Elf's shoulder and squeezed it carefully and looked for Gimli.

The Dwarf stood on his left side and he, as well, watched for the orcs. "It is no use, we will never catch up with them." He said and sighed.

"I have not gone this far just to give up." Aragorn said and looked gravely at him.

Legolas looked at them. "I thought that the Dwarf was of the stubborn kind."

Gimli mumbled something and the two others laughed. "Come on then, should we continue! And I will show you that the Dwarfs do not give in so easily." The Dwarf started to walk but Aragorn took a grip around his shoulder.

"Nay Gimli. We will stay here, behind the bushes, for the night."

Legolas laid carefully down his bow and arrows.

Aragorn followed his every move.

The Elf's blond hair reflected the sun so it looked like it was made out of shimmering gold.

Elves were fairer than any other living creature from Middle Earth, but this Elf were something special. *That* Aragorn knew.

Legolas felt every look that Aragorn gave him. He knew that the Man had watched him for quite a long time and many times during their journey. He did not know why, but he felt much more secure when Aragorn looked at him.

They lighted a fire and ate food that they had been given from the tree-elves from Lothlórien.

"I take the first guard." Gimli said and the two others did not protest.

But Aragorn knew that he would not sleep much this night.

Legolas as well felt that because he went to Aragorn and put a hand on the Man's shoulder and whispered: "It is something with this place I do not like. I feel very… worried."

Aragorn felt how the Elf's hand tightened around his shoulder. He looked at it and stopped himself from kissing it. "I agree with you Legolas. There is something that is not right with this place."

Legolas went away from the fire and looked quiet out into the dark night, but could not hear or see anything. After a while he laid down and slept a worried sleep.

Aragorn could not sleep. He heard Legolas whimp in his sleep and understood that he had nightmares.

Gimli sat by the fire with his axe and looked out into the dark.

After a while the Man stood and went to the Dwarf. "Get some sleep Gimli. I cannot. I cannot find rest on this ground."

Gimli looked at Aragorn and nodded. He went away from the fire and soon he was asleep.

Aragorn sat quiet and thought: "Why do I not feel secure here? But it is not just me. Even Legolas… Legolas. That beautiful Elf. Why does it feel so… so… wonderful when he looks at me? Everytime he touches me I always get goose bumps… even though it is his little finger. And when he speaks… Ai! Then I cannot help myself." he sat there in his own little world and did not hear that someone came up behind him.

"Aragorn?" a voice asked and the Man jumped to his feet and in the same time he drew his sword.

"Do not fear, it is just me."

Then he saw who it was. "Oh Legolas, you scared me. Do not *ever* do that again."

The Elf smiled and Aragorn could not help it, he had to open his mouth in astonishment, then he smiled as well. "I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you." Legolas continued.
Aragorn took a deep breath and sat down. "Okay." He looked at the Elf that stood beside him. "Sit."

Legolas sat down beside the Man and drew his knees to his chest and then he wrapped his arm around them. "Is it not hard to leave the one you love behind, not knowing if you ever are going to see her again?" he asked after a while.

Aragorn looked puzzled at him. "Who?"

Legolas laughed and looked surprised at the Man. "Arwen of course."

Aragorn herd that when the Elf said her name he had disgust in his voice. He felt stupid. "Oh… her. I guess. But let us not talk about it anymore."

Legolas smiled for himself and looked away so he would not show Aragorn his smile. But deep down inside he knew that the Man had seen it… which he had.

The night passed by slowly. Legolas and Aragorn sat up all-night and talked.

Aragorn looked at the blond Elf that sat beside him and saw how graceful he shock his head to get the hair out of his eyes. His hair that looked so soft and smooth. His hair that always got stuck on his, dark repeatedly blinking eyelashes. His hair that… he awoke from his dream by a wolf that howled not far away. Aragorn stood, so did Legolas.

Gimli woke from his sleep and went to the two others. He had his axe in his hands and stood beside Aragorn's left side.

Legolas drew an arrow on his bow and took two steps backwards and walked into Aragorn that had drawn his sword. He inhaled quickly when he felt the Man's muscles against his back.

Then everything happened quickly. From every direction the wolfs, at least 15 of them, came running towards the friends. The friends did the best they could, but when there were only three left alive something happened that made Legolas blood turn to ice.

Aragorn had dropped his sword and a wolf came running towards him.

Legolas and Gimli did not see the wolf until it was all over Aragorn, biting and tearing him.

Aragorn screamed in agony and then Legolas and Gimli saw what was happening.

Legolas send away an arrow that hit the animal right between its ribs.

The wolf fell down dead beside an unconscious Aragorn.

Legolas ran to the Man and shook him.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked right into a blue pair, Legolas'.

The Elf took one of the Man's arms and laid it around his own shoulder and helped him to his feet. "I will be right back. There is a brook nearby. I am just going to clean his wounds!" he shouted to Gimli that gathered the wolfs on top of each other and meanwhile he took out Legolas arrows.

They finally came to the brook and Legolas laid down Aragorn beside the pouring water. It seemed like the sound of water made Aragorn come to his senses, because he sat and looked around.

"Lay down!" Legolas commanded and put a hand on the man's shoulder.

Aragorn looked down at it and then on Legolas, right into his blue eyes. He wetted his lips and opened his mouth to say something, but when there came no sound he closed it again.

Legolas held a bit of cloth in his hand, but when he looked into Aragorn's dark eyes he totally lost his control and dropped it into the water.

Aragorn's brown hair fell into his eyes with such a careless elegance that Legolas needed to touch it, which he did. He took one of the Mans curl and took it away from his left eye.

Aragorn closed his eyes when Legolas touched his hair. He felt how he started to shiver and that also Legolas shivered. Slowly he opened his eyes again and looked at Legolas.

The moon was big and full and reflected its glow into the Elf's blond, smooth hair.

At last Aragorn laid down.

Legolas looked puzzled at him.

"I were suppose to lay down." he said and smiled.

Legolas smiled back. He took up the cloth again and started to clean Aragorn's wound at his arms. "I think I have to ask you to take of your shirt." he said with a trembling voice.

Aragorn started to take of his blooded shirt and Legolas felt how he blushed. The Man laid down again and Legolas continued. He laid his arm on the other side of Aragorn to get more support and then, without warning, Aragorn took a firm grip around the Elf's wrist. Legolas looked frightened at him.

Aragorn rose to a sitting position and Legolas backed. The Man looked into the Elf's blue eyes and leaned towards him but the other backed even more.

"What are you doing?" Legolas asked frightened.

Aragorn stopped and looked with a puzzled face at him. "Er… I really do not know." he said and felt how he blushed. He let go of Legolas wrist but he did not withdraw.

He smiled to the Man that sat before him and leaned forward and kissed carefully his cheek. He laid his hands on Aragorn's cheeks and they looked at each other.

Aragorn made himself free from Legolas hands and the Elf looked confused at him. The Man smiled towards him to calm him down. Then he leaned forward and kissed with tenderness his shivering, slightly wet lips.

Legolas returned his tender kiss with a hot kiss and tried to get his tongue pass Aragorn's lips and teeth.

Aragorn felt Legolas' tongue against his lips and opened carefully his mouth to let it in and play with his own.

They started to kiss each other with a heat like the burning sun and forgot everything. Where they were and that they had a really important mission ahead.

Their kiss soon became interrupted because they heard Gimli shout to them:

"Aragorn! Legolas! Someone is coming!"

They looked at each other, without a word they ran to the dwarf and Legolas listened with his sensitive ears after some kind of noise.

But he did not hear anything. "Are you sure that you heard something?" he said and looked at Gimli whose face started to turn red in anger.

"Nay! I did not hear, but I saw. I saw something move through the threes." he snapped.

Legolas was about to say something but Aragorn stopped him.

"Lau Legolas" he said in Elvish. It was a long time ago he had said something in Elvish to Legolas. Aragorn did not want to be rude when their third companion did not understand that language.

Legolas fell silent and looked with sparkling eyes on Aragorn.

But the man looked at the horizon. "The dusk is near. It is time to go."

They did what he said, because after Gandalf's death the leadership had fallen upon Aragorn.