For Disclaimer please view chapter one.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, for those of you who do not know, I live in London, and the bombing of the bus was near to where I lived, there is police tape and white screens surrounding me, and the bus and debris still not has been cleaned. I am a little shocked, but more sad than anything else, it's hard to think about.

I have more in store and wanted to post more, but it would have taken me longer, so I leave you with this little piece to keep you updated on what's going on. Thanks for reading and for all your reviews. And all I have to say to all of you who are sad about Aurel, is "Have Hope." :o)

Kersi

Chapter 31: The Pain of Losing a Mate

He held her in his arms and wailed but not for long, for the first time in a long time he felt peace in his soul, or what he thought was peace. It was moments later when he realized that it was not peace he was feeling, it was emptiness, she was gone, and whatever part of him that was bound to her was gone as well. He looked down at her tear-stained face, he wanted to shake her, to see if she would wake, but he could not bring himself to move.

The twins arrived diligently and Elrohir gave out a roar of a no as he saw Aurel lying motionless in Legolas's arms. Elladan was equally as pained, but did not express himself, he only went to her slowly, and touched her face for a moment, before accepting that his worst nightmare had come true, his youngest sister was dead. He shook his head and looked back to a denying Elrohir. "It is as we see it." Was all he said to his twin brother.

"No!" shouted Elrohir and he quickly went to Aurel and snatched her away from Legolas's arms. Elrohir lay her down on the ground and began to try some healing chants. In the background Legolas stayed as he was, and only gave off a blank stare.

"Stop. There is nothing you can do, that body does not house a soul any longer." said Elladan.

"I refuse!" shouted Elrohir, not paying attention to Elladan. "You are not dead Aurel, you will wake, you will heal…"

Elladan went to Elrohir and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Leave her be!"

"If you will not attempt anything that is at your own choice…" grumbled Elrohir.

Elladan used all his strength to pull him away and they both tumbled to the ground together. Neither moved for a while, and then crying could be heard coming from Elrohir as he crawled back to his sister's body. "Aurel." He cried and leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. "Aurel." And his shoulders shook back and forth with his sobs.

Aragorn came running up. Having seen the twins together, he knew that they had found Aurel. He came upon the scene with empty hands, ready to do anything he could with the healing skills he had acquired over the years, but it was too late. He stopped himself from going to her. Elrohir's eyes filled with anger and rage as he looked upon Aragorn.

"You left her to die!"

Aragorn shook his head. "No." But the no he whispered could not be deciphered as to whether he denied the accusation against him or if hearing that Aurel was dead was a shock. He looked at Aurel's body, the last time he had seen her she still had some life.

Elrohir stood from the ground. "You left her to die! You are a coward!"

"Stop it Elrohir." urged a desolate Elladan.

Aragorn only kept looking at Aurel.

"She raised you as she would a son! You left her to bleed!" Elrohir began to break down again. "And now…" His head fell forward, "…why did you not try to help her?"

"She cannot have fallen…she is strong." said Aragorn.

"Not strong enough." replied Elladan, "Not from that type of wound."

Aragorn, who seemed to be in a trance, went to Legolas's side. He still sat there motionless. "Legolas…I am sorry."

Legolas slowly looked up at him. "At least you were saved."

It was like a strike to the heart to hear those words come from his mouth.

"I would not exchange one life for another." replied Aragorn.

"She is gone and you are not.", said Legolas. "I, too, would not exchange one life for another; yet here we are. My mate is dead, that means nothing to most. But you are Elessar now, and your loss would have been greater."

Aragorn could not believe the words he was hearing from him.

"She saved you because she understood that." Legolas looked away from him, closing his eyes, letting the pain consume him. "I will not last long."

Aragorn looked back at the twins, Elladan answered his questioning look.

"The pain of losing a mate. A thousand times the hurt that any man could ever feel. So you see brother, death may be your fate…but we have stronger bonds to our kin, to our land….there are many types of death, and the physical is only one of them…" Elladan could say no more as tears filled his eyes and he tried to comfort a broken Elrohir.