The group headed for Isengard. Aragorn and Gimli rode beside Legolas in the rear, the rest of the Rohan army in the lead. Legolas held Haldir' body like a baby, ride with the reins in one hand, his other arm around the fallen's shoulders.

Aragorn glanced at Legolas. "Legolas-" he said in elvish. "What is in the locket?"

Legolas looked down at the folds of white in his arms.

"The leaves of Lorien."

*~*~*

The trio glanced up as a small man drew away from the group to ride near them. He had an unusual smile on his face, and Aragorn's hand went instinctively to the hilt of Elendil. But the man had no evil intentions, and Aragorn sidestepped his horse so he could ride between them.

"Quite a battle, wa'n't it?" the man said cheerily. "Nearly got me 'ead chopped orf a few times there. I hear you snared yerself, what was it? Fortyish of them things?"

Aragorn suppressed a smile at the man's simplicity. Legolas remained quiet.

"Around that, yes."

"Anyway, I'm Antil. Sorry t' hear about yer friend there. How's 'e holdin' up?"

Legolas's head snapped up and he glared at the man as if he'd lost his senses. Aragorn glanced warily at the elf.

"Legolas--"

"He is dead, you fool." Legolas snapped.

To everyone's surprise, Antil started to laugh heartily and long until fat laughing tears rolled down his cheeks. Legolas set his jaw, wishing he had just one arrow. The man wiped the the tears out of his eyes and smiled cheerily at Legolas.

"Ah, no 'e's not! He's jest unconscious, that's oll."

Legolas stared at the man. "Are you out of your mind? I saw him-"

"Yes, and while you were gone, I did a bit 'o work on the old boy. He lost his share o' blood, sure, but he never died. You just thought 'e did."

There was a stunned silence for a moment, and Legolas stared disbelieving at the bundle in his arms.

"So…"

Antil smiled, quite pleased with himself. "You betcha. I bandaged 'im up, gave him somethin' fer the pain, and something' to put 'im ta sleep, mind you, and he was out like a light. Alive, but out. He'll be asleep fer a few more hours. If he starts movin' any, jus' let me know and I'll give 'im another one."

Legolas seemed to have lost control of his facial expressions, switching from anger to surprise to absolute joy and back again.

"This is a joke."

"Not at'all. I'm dead serious!" Antil said. Then, with a laugh. "More dead than yer friend is there. See, look, 'e's startin' ta move again."

Four pair of eyes shifted to the bundle in Legolas' arms and, it seems, the simple man had worked miracles. Haldir was moving, just slightly. Legolas nearly dropped him.

"I wouldn' do thet if I was you." Antil laughed. "Drop him, and he might keel over for real this time..oop, sorry there. Thet must be a touchy subject.."

There was another stunned silence. Then, to everyone surprise, Legolas began to laugh, relieved. Aragorn smiled ruefully and Antil sat back, satisfied with his good deed. The Mirkwood elf pulled the cloth back and saw the proof of Antil's work. Instead of blue or grey as the dead should be, Haldir was his usual flush. Legolas let out a long whoop, and a tear fell on Haldir's pale face, but this time, the tear was one of joy.

*~*~*

A few hours passed and Antil told them his side of the story regarding Helm's Deep, and the quartet had many a laugh about his mishaps during the battle, though they suspected much of it was made up.

"So there I woz, surrounded by three or four enormous Uruks, each with elbow blades longer'n I woz! Lucky fer me, I'm so short, I could dash between their legs an' give 'em a kick on the arse!" Antil glanced over at Haldir. "Oh look, th' sleepin' beauty awakes."

Legolas glanced down, half expecting the elf to be some awful color of grey, but it wasn't a dream. Haldir opened his eyes groggily and groaned.

"I feel as if I've been drugged…"

Antil laughed and whispered to Aragorn: "close enough!" and the ranger chuckled. Legolas, on the other hand, was speechless. Haldir blinked, still under the effects of the drug he'd been given, and Gimli laughed heartily.

"It's good to see you alive again, elf! We all thought you'd gone off to Elvish Nirvana and left us behind!"

Haldir smirked. "I must say, it felt like I was dead for quite some time."

Legolas silently agreed.

Haldir lapsed back into unconsciousness a few minutes later, true to Antil's prediction and statement that the drug he'd given him was "strong stuff". When the party stopped for the night to camp, he was still asleep. The three members of the Fellowship took on shifts during the night should Haldir awake. It was Aragorn's shift when the elf finally came to.

Haldir groaned and shifted in the straightjacket-esque wrapping.

"What has that youth wrapped me in??" he asked, slightly irritated. Aragorn smiled.

"I judge he thought you wouldn't object, seeing as you had died."

Haldir chuckled. "Upset, was he?"

"Just slightly."

This silenced Haldir. "And my waking?"

Aragorn nodded in Legolas's direction. "Ask him yourself."

Haldir looked over at the youth, who was now fully awake.

Rising to his feet, Legolas unwrapped the elf just enough so his arms were free. Without a millisecond's hesitation, the elves were locked in another embrace. A few feet away, Aragorn smiled boyishly, the deep creases in his weathered face showing dark in the firelight.

Youths and their romantic ways…

"I promise you, if you ever pull a stunt like that again…" Legolas threatened and Haldir and Aragorn laughed at him. Legolas pulled away, his eyes blazing. "I could kill you, Haldir, but that would be slightly redundant."

Haldir was free of his shroud and joined Legolas at the base of the tree, not healed by any stretch, but well on the mend. The two elves soon fell asleep once more, Haldir's blond head in Legolas' lap. The white bandage had a few spots of red on it, and the wound would need to be cleaned and dressed with fresh cloth come morning. Antil would no doubt see to that.

Across from them, Aragorn sat smoking his pipe as he watched them. Rare were the little miracles like this, and well appreciated. Even now, he found it hard to believe the elf was alive. He had been stabbed by an Uruk axe, deep between the shoulder blades. He would carry that scar for the rest of his life. Although he knew it wouldn't matter in the least, whenever the scar was exposed in the course of undressing, it would serve to remind both elves of the reality of miracles, the kindness of a stranger, and of love, no matter how different.

The Middle, for you see, the battle is not yet over.