Dinner at the Golden Hall of Edoras was lively and cheerful, the plates were full of exquisite meals and wine was plentiful. Éomer's mind, however, could not stay on the food for a long time and his eyes often drifted towards his guest.

"Not that I mind your visit, Aragorn," he finally said, "but you have not yet told me the true reason behind your arrival."

King Elessar looked up from his plate and met his gaze. "Does a man need a reason to visit a good friend, Éomer?" He asked.

The King of Rohan laughed. "Unfortunately, a king often does. As much as I would love to travel whenever I wanted and visit my loved ones abroad, it is hard to leave my duties behind, and I always come up with a good reason to relieve my conscience. So what reason did you come up with this time, my friend?"

Aragorn hesitated. "To be honest, I was hoping to see Gimli here."

Éomer grinned. "I knew you were not merely visiting a good friend!" His grinned broadened when he noticed that Aragorn was looking down guiltily. "Worry not," he continued. "Lord Gimli has been informed of your arrival and is expected to be in Edoras by tomorrow morning."

Aragorn sighed in relief. He repeated the dwarf's letter in his mind, and his worries returned tenfold. The message he had received was short and to the point.

We need to talk.

Gimli

The man had to admit that he was not truly surprised. Gimli was rarely generous with words and often said only what needed to be said, skipping all unnecessary formalities. This letter, however, had troubled him greatly. It was simple, and yet he felt that it was laden with great urgency. The king's heart would truly feel lighter if he knew what Gimli wanted to tell him. As it was, he could only imagine that it could not be anything good.

-:-

Soon after breakfast on the following day the arrival of The Lord of the Glittering Caves was announced. Aragorn resisted the urge to rush out of the room and meet Gimli as soon as it was physically possible, even before he had entered. Finally, with the use of great self-discipline, he managed to gain control over his body. Soon the gates opened and the dwarf strode into the hall.

"Well met, Lord Gimli," Éomer greeted him with a smile. "How do you fare? Is everything well in the Glittering Caves?"

"Fine, fine," Gimli replied impatiently. "All is well and many of my kin have already moved to the caves although some still reside in Erebor. But this is not why I am here. I came here to speak to the lad," he said quickly and waved his hand in Aragorn's direction.

Some of the Gondorian warriors who had come to Rohan to escort their king raised eyebrows and exchanged shocked glances. Their eyes turned towards their liege, clearly expecting the dwarf to be punished for his insolence. Aragorn laughed instead.

"I would love to speak to you, my friend, but surely you do not wish to be impolite towards out host," he said and nodded at Éomer.

The King of Rohan smiled. "Oh, no, Aragorn, I am not at all offended. In fact, I believe it is a good idea for you and Gimli to have a talk." Éomer's eyes locked with Gimli's and for a moment Aragorn had the feeling that something unspoken passed between the two. He frowned in confusion but decided to think about that later.

"Come," Gimli grabbed Aragorn's arm and practically dragged him out of the room. They entered a nearby chamber and the man whirled around to face his friend.

"What happened, Gimli?" He all but cried. He could hardly control his worry anymore.

"It's the Elf," Gimli murmured softly. Aragorn nodded and let the dwarf continue. He had a thing or two to say about "the Elf", but decided to let his friend speak first.

"Remember when Éomer visited you in Minas Tirith two months ago?" The man nodded again and Gimli went on. "I rode with him until he reached Gondor. I did not follow to Minas Tirith, however, but continued to Ithilien instead. This is why we did not meet then."

Aragorn was not surprised. He knew that Gimli would have wanted to see Legolas first. "I remember, Gimli," he said. "But what is wrong? Why did you wish to speak with me?"

"What is wrong?" Gimli cried. "What is wrong? I will tell you what is wrong!" The dwarf looked at the man who seemed slightly startled by his sudden outburst and continued in a softer voice. "His laughter is not the same anymore, Aragorn! His eyes do not shine the way they used to! He speaks to you and then his face turns blank and he gazes west, as if looking at something that only he can see. Nothing is the same after he heard those blasted gulls! He is suffering, dying inside! We need to help him!"

Aragorn sat on a sofa and bowed his head. He did not need to ask who 'he' was. "I know of what you speak, Gimli, for I have seen it many times. I want to help him, you have no idea how much I want to help him! I have even told him that he should give in to the longing and sail. Yes, it would break my heart to watch him go, but if it makes him happy, I would do it. And yet, he refuses. He is determined to stay here for as long as I live, but I fear that he will never feel true joy again. I do not know what to do, Gimli!" He buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily. For so many mouths he had been worried about Legolas, and now he finally had someone to talk to. But he doubted that any talking would help the elf.

"Perhaps there is a way to make him feel better," Gimli said hopefully.

Aragorn slowly shook his head. "No Gimli. I do not know how to explain the sea-longing to you, and I do not even think I understand it myself. But something I know is that it cannot be healed. It is like an old wound – no matter how many seasons pass, it will always be there. And it will always hurt."

"But an old wound could be treated too," the dwarf said. "True, it can never heal, but if you often apply healing salve to it, herbs and calming balms, it will not hurt that much. Perhaps the pain could even go away completely for a few short hours before it comes back once again."

"Of what salve do you speak?" Aragorn asked, his interest suddenly sparkled. "What could we do to lessen his pain?"

"We need to remind him of the times past," Gimli said. "We need to take him out and away from his duties for a while. Take him to his beloved forests, make him hear the birds and the trees once again! Let him remember the song of the forest and forget the song of the sea! Let us be the Three Hunters once again!"

Aragorn had risen on his feet. "You are right, Gimli!" He said enthusiastically. "This might help him! At least we have to try."

"We will!" The dwarf cried. "Let us set for Ithilien as soon as we are ready. Are you able to leave Minas Tirith for a few days?"

"I am sure I will find a way. I will send a message to Faramir at once. But, tell me Gimli, you said you had last seen Legolas two months ago. Why do you send for me now and not earlier?"

"Ah, it is just that I have been trying to come up with the best way to help Legolas. This idea came to me only a few days ago."

Aragorn suddenly frowned in suspicion. The dwarf had hesitated briefly before answering and there was something in his voice that made the man feels as if Gimli was hiding something. But what it was, he could not guess, and he decided to worry about this later.

-:-

Strangely, Éomer did not appear at all disappointed that Aragorn was leaving so soon. If the King of Gondor had not known better, he would have thought that Éomer actually wanted him to leave. Of course, he knew that this was not possible.

As they left, the King of Rohan and Gimli had exchanged a long look and a grin. Aragorn had observed them carefully. He was certain that those two knew something that he did not and were keeping it from him, but what it was he could not begin to guess.

They rode swiftly since Gimli had surprisingly agreed to share a horse with the man, and even more surprisingly the King had managed to persuade his escort to let him go on his own. Both Rohan and Gondor were quite safe, so neither the dwarf nor the man was greatly concerned about their safety.

After a long and a tiring ride, especially for Gimli, they finally reached the fair woods of Ithilien. Several elves spotted them and sent a message to their lord, while the man and the dwarf stopped for another long rest.

The forest was serene, and the silence was only interrupted by the cheerful voices of the numerous small birds and the happy song of a nearby stream. The serenity was soon shattered, however, by a cry of pure delight, and a golden-haired elf jumped from his steed and ran towards the duo. "What brings you here, my friends?" The elf asked after heartily embracing each one in greeting. "I had not expected to see you." And indeed he had not expected to see either of them. Rohan was far away, especially for someone who disliked riding as much as Gimli did, and the dwarf did not visit often. Aragorn's visits were not frequent either. The king had taken his responsibilities to heart and rarely left Minas Tirith. Sadly, after he had been crowned king, Aragorn had never left the White City for more than a day except when he was on a diplomatic mission abroad. This was something new for the former ranger, and Legolas was surprised that his friend was managing well with his new life.

But the greatest source of the elf's joy was that since the War of the Ring had ended he had never seen Aragorn and Gimli together. This was the first time that both of them had come to visit him, and for this he was immeasurably glad. He only hoped that they had come because they had both decided to take a break from their duties, and not because something was wrong. Aragorn's troubled sigh at his question, however, quickly dispelled all his hopes.

The man and the dwarf exchanged a brief glance. They had both seen it – there was joy in their friend's voice, there was a sparkle in his eyes, and yet something was missing. Some note in his voice that used to be there, but now was gone; some twinkle in his eyes that appeared every time the elf was happy, but had never returned after Pelargir. Yes, something was missing, but they were determined to get it back.

"I am afraid it is a grave reason that brings us here," Aragorn said and Legolas sobered immediately.

"What is it?"

The man sighed and looked down. "I lost something," he said. "Something precious to me. Something I would give my life to get back." He noticed that Legolas opened his mouth to ask a question and raised his hand to stop him. "I am sorry, mellon nîn, but I cannot tell you yet what it is, or I will never get it back. All I can tell you is that Gimli and I have set to find it, but I need your help. I will never get it back if you do not come with us."

The elf blinked in confusion. Now this was mysterious. What could this thing be that Aragorn would never get it back if he did not come? And why telling him what it was would prevent them from finding it? Did Gimli know what they were looking for, or was the dwarf just as oblivious? Worry ate at his heart – what had his friend lost?

"Is it…" he started to ask but his throat constricted in fear. "Is it a person?" Ai Valar! Has Arwen been captured?

"No, Legolas, it is not a person, but it is something just as important," Aragorn said. "But as I said, I cannot tell you yet what it is, or I will never get it back. You will learn soon, but until then I will ask you to be patient."

Legolas nodded although his fear and confusion were only growing. What was this thing that was as precious as a person and Aragorn would give his life to have it back? How were they going to find it? "What must I do?" He asked out loud.

"If you wish to help, come with us," Aragorn said. "We must travel in the direction of Umbar, but we must not take any horses and will travel on foot."

"Of course I wish to help you!" Legolas cried although his confusion was constantly growing. Why did they need to travel on foot? "I can leave early tomorrow morning, but first I need to make some arrangements for my absence."

"Tomorrow morning is good," the man said. "I will also speak to Faramir while I am here. He will have to travel to Minas Tirith and stay there while I am gone."

Gimli walked to his elven friend and patted him on the arm. "Do not worry, laddie, it is not as bad as it sounds. We will recover what is lost."

Legolas frowned – did Gimli know what they were looking for? Was he the only one kept in the dark? And why Umbar? Had the Corsairs stolen something? He knew, however, that he would not be able to solve the mystery without additional information and decided to postpone his musing for later. The sooner they set to this trip, the sooner they would recover this lost object.

-:-

They departed from Ithilien on the next morning, and Faramir and Éowyn came to bid them farewell. The Steward and his wife would leave for Minas Tirith soon after their departure. For a brief second the Steward and the King locked gazes, and Legolas could have sworn that Faramir was grinning conspiratorially. What was happening? If Aragorn had lost something so important, why did no one appear worried?

With a sigh of surrender the elf gave up trying to solve the mystery and followed his friends in the woods. The first few hours he was feeling rather tense and lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out what had happened. Soon, however, his friends' cheerful banter persuaded him that whatever had happened, the situation was not as dire as he had thought initially, and he joined the light-hearted conversations.

Ah, it was good to be together with his friends! And it was so good to be the Three Hunters once again – not the King of Gondor and Arnor, the Lord of the Glittering Caves, and the Lord of Ithilien, but the Man, the Dwarf, and the Elf. Just like before –

– before he had heard it. The cry of the seagulls had changed him beyond repair, it had robbed him of all joy he could feel in Middle-earth. And he knew – the problem was not that Aragorn was a king now, or that Gimli resided in Rohan, or that he himself had duties in Ithilien. The true problem was that he was different. The little birds in the fair woods kept singing, the trees kept rustling their leaves, whispering him soft words of comfort, but he could hear their songs no more. All he could hear was the deafening roar of the distant waves and the fateful cry of the gulls.

He had noticed the worried glances Gimli and Aragorn exchanged every time he grew quiet and his gaze wandered beyond the horizon. Ai, he did not wish to scare them! He wanted to reassure his friends, to tell them that he was well… but he had no reassurance to give.

TBC