Author: AmberKid

Feedback: always welcome, if not craved

Archive: just ask

Warning: Yaoi, maybe a little OOC

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I'm just a poor university student, so don't sue me.

Writer's notes: Okay, this is the last chapter, but I'm seriously thinking about writing a sequel...^_^

Part three



Still pondering over Galadriel's words, Aragorn returned to the camp. The cheerful voice of Pippin echoed through the whole camp, as he called out to the approaching man.

"Hey, Strider, is everything alright with you? You look so...so..." Pippin had to try hard not to laugh out loud. Seeing the "ever so confident" Aragorn in total confusion might have been a scary sight, but this priceless "What the heck is happening here?"-look on his face was far too amusing to really worry about it.

It took afew moments until Aragorn reacted to the question of the giggling hobbit.

"Huh? Oh...nothing. It...It's nothing, really..."

Hearing that took the last of the hobbit's self-control, not that they had much of it remaining. Both, Pippin and Merry, fell to the floor, bursting into laughter. Not that Aragorn noticed. He was already lost deep in his thoughts again. He just couldn't get Galadriel's words off his mind.

"...Real enough for other ears to be heard..." she had said.

Looking up, although his eyes weren't really focussed, Aragorn's eyes met with those of Legolas. Seeing the elf, Aragorn remembered, how he had blushed earlier that morning. His face grew pale, as he connected this image to Galadriel's words. From one moment to the other Aragorn's heart felt like it was tightly grasped by an ice cold claw.

"What if _he_ has heard? What if he knows about...my feelings now?"

Aragorn felt that he could not stand Legolas' presence, it hurt and made the grasp of fear in his heart even more unbearable. He turned around and left the camp on the same path that he had just returned on.

Through this whole incident Legolas had watched Aragorn closely. He had seen Aragorn's emotions change, from confusion to the deepest fear. That fear he had seen as soon as their eyes had met.

Legolas thought about following Aragorn, but somehow he was afraid to. He had just decided not to follow him, when he heard Galadriel's voice in his head.

"If you really feel something for this man, deep inside your heart, you should follow him now..."

Her voice sounded encouraging enough to Legolas to push aside all his doubts. Slowly he lead his footsteps down the path that Aragorn had taken.

He didn't have to walk long before he found Aragorn, who was sitting under one of those large old trees, almost hidden between the roots. Slowly Legolas went closer, until he stood right next to Aragorn.

"What's wrong with you..?" Legolas' voice was full of concern. Aragorn's reply was almost harsh.

"Leave me alone...!" he said, turning his face further away from the elf, although he knew that this behaviour would hurt Legolas. And it hurt himself, deep inside.

Seeing tears glittering in Aragorn's eyes, Legolas kneeled down beside him. Carefully placing one hand on Aragorn's shoulder, he whispered: "How could I leave you, now that you need me more than ever..."

When Aragorn did not frighten away from his touch, Legolas slowly wrapped his arms around the other.

Giving in to this soothing, comforting embrace, Aragorn leaned himself against the elf's chest.

"You don't hate me...for these...desires?" he whispered, suddenly too weak to raise his voice. Legolas smiled. "How could I? I am more than happy, now that I know that your heart answers to those feelings I kept hidden for so long..."

Hearing this, Aragorn turned around and looked at Legolas as if he saw him for the first time.

"You...you feel the same?"

Legolas didn't answer, instead moved his face forward and tenderly kissed Aragorn.

Standing on a balcony, Galadriel watched tose two from above. Seeing them together brought back a stinging pain to her heart, but at the same time she was overwhelmed by happiness because those lovers had finally found together.

Sighing deeply she tried to push the pain aside. Speaking quietly and only to herself, she said: "Only those, who know the burning pain of loneliness inside their own hearts, can help others to overcome it...and make them listen to their hearts desire..."

The end