Aragorn stared in utter disbelief at Haldir.

How could he be alive? Was everyone he thought to be dead secretly living in hiding?

Haldir called out something in elvish and at once all the hooded figures removed their hoods.

Elves. They're all elves.

Aragorn couldn't believe it.

"I know you have questions but they will have to wait. We cannot linger out here long and you are all wounded."

Two elves came over to help Aragorn with Legolas. At first Haldir didn't recognize the elf.

"What happened to him?" Haldir asked not realizing who it was.

"He was a prisoner of Sauron." Aragorn explained.

Haldir's eyes widened in disbelief.

"And he escaped?"
"He was set free."

When Haldir's only response was a confused look Aragorn told him, "I will explain everything later. We have to get help for Legolas."

"That is Legolas?" Haldir looked at Legolas, who was barely awake and was leaning heavily on the two elves.

"I did not recognize him." Haldir quickly pushed his curiosity aside.

He ordered his elves to move. They pulled their hoods back over their heads and formed a protective circle around the injured.

Aragorn knew they had to move fast but he was exhausted. His arm was bleeding heavily. The wound was much deeper than he had originally thought.

Gimli seemed alright, but Aragorn saw him stumble every now and then.

Legolas was still being supported by other elves, fighting to stay awake.

Stubborn elf. Why can't he just rest?

They ran for what seemed like hours to Aragorn.

He was getting dizzy. He stumbled, regained his balance, and then fell over completely.

He tried to get up but he couldn't. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to enter a sea of blackness.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

"Estel!" a voice called to him from the shadows.

He wanted to respond. But he didn't have the strength. It was much easier to just lay still.

"Estel! Wake up! Please!"

That voice... He knew it.

But it couldn't be.

Could it?

He had to see. He had to know.

He forced himself to open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was rock. Was he in a cave?

Yes. I am in a cave. But not mine. Where am I?

"Estel! Are you alright?"

The voice. He recognized it.

He turned his head to the side and smiled in disbelief.

"Elladan?"

The elf smiled.

"Hello Estel. I'm glad to see you awake and well."

Aragorn tried to sit up. He was lying on the stone floor with nothing but an old, worn blanket for a pillow.

Elladan stopped him and forced him to lay back down.

"Now is not a good time to try and move Estel. You have lost a lot of blood."

Aragorn groaned.

"Surely it wasn't that bad?"

"You were bleeding heavily from your arm. We feared that you had been poisoned and unfortunately you were."

When he saw Aragorn's alarmed expression he smiled softly.

"Do not worry, we removed all traces of poison from the wound. But just to be safe you are not to leave until we are certain.

"Who else is here?" Aragorn asked.
"The last I heard of  the elves was that they were all dead."

Elladan sighed.

"Many of us were slain and very few are left, but we are still thriving."

"And we will be doing much better now that we know our little brother is alive."

Aragorn was once again shocked as another familiar face appeared.

"Elrohir!"

The elf smiled.

"It's good to see you again Estel."

Aragorn suddenly noticed something about the younger of the twins.

"Elrohir, your hand..."

Elrohir sighed and looked down at where his left hand should have been.

"An orc took it off but I got my revenge. I managed to take off his head."

Elrohir smiled at Aragorn.

"Do not worry Estel. I am still a better fighter than Elladan."
"You never were a better fighter than me." Elladan stated.
"What are you talking about? I have always been a better fighter!"

Aragorn laughed softly at the twins argument. It reminded him of his childhood in Rivendell.

Which reminded him, "Your father is dead."

Elladan and Elrohir looked at him with pain in their eyes.

"I found him in Rivendell, and Arwen. I made sure they had a proper burial."

Aragorn looked at them in grief.

The twins sat in silence.

"I saw him die." Elrohir said quietly. "There was nothing I could do to save him."

Elladan shook his head.

"I was supposed to keep you and Arwen safe, I failed."

The three brothers sat in silence.

Aragorn suddenly remembered Legolas and Gimli.

"Are they alright?" he asked.

The twins looked up. They knew who he was talking about.

"They both lost a lot of blood but they are recovering. Though I worry about Legolas." Elladan told him.

"What's wrong with Legolas?" Aragorn asked his voice tense.
"We thought you would be able to answer that question." Elrohir said.
"What happend to him?"

Aragorn sighed and told the twins everything that had happened; starting with Boromir's betrayal.

The twins listened in silence. Their eyes never blinked. They took in everything Aragorn told them.

When he finished Elladan glanced at Elrohir who nodded slightly.

Elladan then turned to Aragorn and said, "Your news is grieving Estel. By your leave we will inform Haldir of what you have just told us."

Aragorn tried to sit up.
"I think you two owe me an explanation of how all of the remaining elves in Middle Earth have managed to remain hidden all these years."

"When you have fully healed we will tell you everything. But for now you need to rest, I will say nothing more about the matter."

Elladan stood up with Elrohir, who smiled sadly at Aragorn.

"Please rest Estel. You have been through a lot."

Aragorn sighed, but didn't protest. He laid himself back down and closed his eyes.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The twins walked side by side and spoke quietly about what they had just heard.

"Estel's news is disturbing." Elrohir said.

Elladan nodded in agreement.
"Although we knew most of it already. The thing that concerns me the most is this Amarth he spoke of."
"An elf that willingly serves Sauron cannot be an elf." Elrohir stated.
"But remember what Estel said? Amarth tried to convince Legolas to help him overthrow Sauron."
"Perhaps he hates Sauron as much as everyone else does. But he himself would not mind becoming the new Dark lord."

Elladan spotted Haldir nearby speaking with an elf.

"Haldir!"

Halfir looked over at the twins and dismissed the elf he was speaking with.

"How is Aragorn?" he asked.
"He has awakened and is recovering." Elrohir informed him.

Haldir sighed in relief. He then noticed that something was on the twin's minds.

Sensing this Elladan spoke.

"Estel told us some very disturbing news. There is an elf named Amarth who serves Sauron. He is powerful but we do not know what he is fully capable of."

Haldir's expression remained unreadable.

"I saw this elf when we found Aragorn and the others. I did not see him fight but he did seem dangerous."
"Should we inform them?" Elrohir asked.
"I will speak with Mithrandir but I would not disturb Thranduil."
"How is he?" Elladan asked. His voice full of concern.

Haldir's eyes clouded in sadness.
"He has not left his son's side, he knows that he is fading."

The twins exchanged a look. They had both seen an elf fade before. Their own mother, after she had been tortured by orcs, she had begun to fade. Until she decided to sail west.

The elves had noticed that Legolas was fading the moment he had arrived.

"Is there anything Mithrandir can do to help him?" Elrohir asked. "Or his father?"
"They have done all that they can. But Legolas is strong, I have faith that he will overcome it." Haldir assured him.

Elladan glanced sideways at Elrohir. They heard just about everything Legolas had been through, what Sauron and Amarth had done to him.

Eru give him strength. Elladan prayed. He cannot die, not like this.