Of Fathers and Lovers
An auburn haired dwarf sat down in a pile of straw, exhausted. Through his squinting eyes, he saw that the men were no better. Most were leaning against their weapons for support, and minor wounds crisscrossed their bodies. Gimli sighed, relishing the groan of his bones and muscles. There were some nicks and dents in his helmet, and some minor cuts and bruises. That had been a harsh battle, and Gimli wasn't even bothered by the fact that he lost to the pointy-eared elf. His newly-formed friend was nowhere to been seen. Probably showing off to the children to how great he is, Gimli thought with a snort. Although he and Legolas had put aside their differences, Gimli still could not shake the thought of the elf as arrogant and vain. He remembered what his father had told him about the only son of Thranduil when he was imprisoned, sixty years ago. "I never saw a more arrogant elf as him, Gimli. He looked down even on you, even though you were but a wee lad." And yet Legolas was nothing but arrogant. He was confident for sure, but he had not insulted Gimli or his race since the dwarf had met him…something that Gimli definitely had done.
Gimli had not expected to become friends with his father's prisoner's son. He was certain that Legolas had expected that either. What will our fathers say? Gimli snickered at the thought of horror echoing of Thranduil's vain face, and his own face softened at the thought of his father. Although somewhat narrow-minded, Gloín son of would accept Legolas with time. He's definitely more accepting than that prick of an elf, Gimli thought. Then suddenly a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Are you thinking about my father?" Gimli turned to find his tall blond friend standing in front of him. The dwarf gave a start prudent question. These damn elves are really good at reading people, aren't they?
"How can you tell?" Gimli asked gruffly.
"I have experienced the same feeling," Legolas stated quietly. Gimli stared at him disbelievingly, but Legolas was not lying. He knew the elf long enough to know if the elf was not telling the truth. "I have experienced the same feelings for my father as you have, Gimli…anger…and even hatred." Legolas sat down beside Gimli without making a sound, his eyes not meeting his short friend. It seemed that his soulful blue eyes were somewhere far away. His thin soft hands were clenched at his sides, and were whiter than snow. There was no sight of the proud elf Gimli knew.
"How can you hate him?" Gimli asked bewildered. "You…locked my father up on your father's orders." Legolas gave him a dry chuckle.
"That is what you don't understand, mellon. My father is as cold as the winter's wind as he was to me…the same as your father. I have never known him to treat me with affection even as an elfling, and whatever love he had of me then disappeared when your father and his company left six decades since." Gimli was silent as Legolas explained the complicated relationship with his father. But there still was a piece missing.
"What exactly happened to cause…" Gimli couldn't find a word to fit in the sentence.
"I fell in love."
Gimli laughed at his friend's statement, almost causing tears to leak out of his eyes, but he stopped once he saw Legolas' stoned expression. "Who…was she?" he whispered carefully.
"She was the captain of my father's guard." Legolas sighed, his eyes glazing over once more. "She was a fierce warrior, lethal with a bow and arrow…and my first friend."
"She must have been beautiful," Gimli replied.
"Indeed she was," Legolas said with a faint smile, "but not in the traditional way of elves." Gimli frowned in confusion, not knowing what he meant. "She had red hair, almost as bright as fire, and brown eyes. Although considered lowly by my people, she was anything but that to me." Legolas paused for a moment, fingering his bow. "She was the only friend I had for hundreds of years. Her parents were killed by orcs when she was an elfling, and when she was found, she was made my companion by order of my father. We had experienced a similar trauma, so we should be able to understand one another, is what he said." There was a catch in Legolas' voice when he spoke. "My mother had been killed by orcs not long before Taruiel's parents were."
"Did you see…?" Legolas' nod was all he needed. "Oh, laddie…" Gimli awkwardly placed his arm around his friend's shoulders.
"Ever since my mother's death, my father had isolated me from the outside world. As a young elf, I suspected he wanted to protect me, but it wasn't until later did I realized that he simply wanted to control me. Taruiel showed me the beauty of the land despite of what happened to her parents and my mother. She showed me…everything that I know now. I think now," Legolas said slowly, "that she needed me as much as I needed her."
"When did you start to develop feelings for her?" Gimli whispered. He was aware of how hard his friend was trying to conceal his pain.
"Does it matter when it started, mellon? All I knew was that the world seemed more beautiful and majestic with her, and that I would have sacrificed my life for her safety…but her heart belonged to another."
"Someone favoring the great prince of Mirkwood?" Gimli joked in mock horror. He was satisfied to find Legolas smiling, if ever so softly. "So who was he?" he asked, serious.
"You have heard him in your stories, I suspect. He was the younger nephew of Thorin Oakenshield." Shock shook like fire when Gimli understood who Legolas was referring to.
"I have heard of Killi," Gimli stated sadly. "It was said that he fell for a young elf maiden, an enemy, and they perished together hand in hand in the Battle of the Five Armies." He glanced at Legolas, who was still as if made of stone. "I never thought it was true."
"It was true," Legolas said. His voice could almost be not heard over the din that now awakened in the hall. "It was very true. My father wouldn't even let me see her put to rest. I was a fool to fall for someone such as her, he told me." A grim smile echoed on his face. "And still I anger him at the memory, although six decades have passed."
Gimli could not speak from the amount of information he had heard. Through his tired eyes, he could almost see the agony in Legolas that his friend had kept inside him for so long. Gimli now understood why Legolas was so different from the elf his father had met. Taruiel, the she-elf he had loved, had changed the way the prince thought about dwarves and the world. I suppose I should thank her for that, Gimli thought wryly.
"There were so many dead bodies after the battle. Men. Dwarves. Elves. It was that moment that I realized that what Taruiel was trying to tell me came clear. We are all of the same race, trying to live and fight against evil. Deep inside, all of us are the same." Legolas closed his eyes, and Gimli saw faint tears sliding down his face. "I realized what my only friend and love was trying to tell me that day she died. That was why I joined this quest. It wasn't just the strained relationship with my father and I. We don't exist in each other's eyes. Taruiel…what have wanted me to do this. She cared about this world so much. She wouldn't want to see it destroyed."
Gimli had a sudden memory of Legolas' arguing with Aragorn before the battle of Helm's Deep. "You were arguing with Aragorn because of the battle you witnessed. It was similar to the Battle of the Five Armies."
"I didn't want anyone important to me die again. I didn't want…to say goodbye again," Legolas whispered.
"It brings tears to my eyes to know that you care that much about me, laddie." Gimli said.
"Hannon-le, mellon-ni."
"You're most welcome, Legolas."
Regarding the fate of Taruiel, I can't see her living at the end of this trilogy, because Killi dies in The Hobbit. It would be too sad. I hope I didn't mess up this story too badly.