"It seems that no matter how hard I try, I always fail. He doesn't belong to me anymore. He belongs that elf, Arwen. How did we fall apart? We were together for thirteen years! The worst part is, he lied to me for a long time after that, telling me that he still loved me, but we couldn't be together because he was afraid someone would find out. Ha. Everyone already knew. We were no secret, even if we pretended to be. I spent so many nights wondering what was really going on. You can imagine my pain when I got word of it. I left immediately. God, those days are such a blur. I can't remember where I left from or where I went to. I just remember crying the whole way. It still hurts. More now, because it's becoming final even as I write this. He's marrying her. How could I let this happen? It can't be his fault, so it must be mine. I couldn't even look him in the eye when he told me, though I had the dignity to hold back tears. He smiled at me and told me how happy he was that this day had finally come, and I stood and smiled, painfully, and vainly tried to smother the flames ripping and burning somewhere in the vicinity of my heart."

Halbarad sighed and set down his pen, muttering, "Never going to change. He's not mine. Not now, not ever."

"Hallie!" Always shows up at the worst times…It was Aragorn.

"Hello, my lord." Halbarad said with the same forced smile that had lingered about his face ever since the news had come that Aragorn and Arwen would be married.

"No need for such formality, my friend! I just did not expect to see you here. I thought you had business elsewhere."

"That matter has been taken care of." Halbarad said softly, looking down at what he'd just written:

"Carry me away on your tear stained face,

Lyr of the Sea.

Destroy my body.

It burns where his skin once met mine,

And touches long forgotten by him

Still tear at my mind.

Lyr of the Sea,

Have mercy, destroy me."

The last line, Aragorn read aloud. Halbarad pulled the journal close to him, in an almost protective way, but Aragorn simply looked at him. He could not tell if the look on his friends face was fear or pain or pity and he did not wish to know, but as Aragorn walked away, they shared one thought:

"Why did I let this happen?"