The Grey Ship that Sailed
Summary: When Legolas and Gimli get ready to sail to the Undying Lands, they reflect on their lives, friendship, and respective unrequited loves. Legolas/Gimli friendship, Legolas/Aragorn slash/one-sided romance, and a bit of Gimli/Galadriel one-sided romance too, I suppose.
Disclaimer: This work is fiction inspired by the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is purely for entertainment purposes, not profit. I own nothing pertaining to it. All rights belong to the Tolkien estate.
It was late in the afternoon as Gimli wandered down a small wooden dock in the shipyard, which swayed lightly with the waves brought in from the gulf, his arms stretched wide to steady himself. As a dwarf, he was unaccustomed to having the ground move beneath him. He'd take sturdy rock paths over floating wooden planks any day! How elves could stand the contraptions was beyond him, but he knew they'd say the same things of mines and other things dwarves held dear.
At the end of the dock he found Legolas. Just in time, too. It was difficult for Gimli to get around anymore and he wasn't sure how far he could have searched before needing to rest his aching joints. Legolas was talking with another elf, who was silver-haired and looked impossibly old for an elf. He also had a beard! Gimli had never seen such a thing; and for a dwarf, he'd met a rather large number of elves in his day. Of course, he knew this elf. Cirdan. Shipwright they called him.
When they heard him approach, his footfalls heavy in his boots, both elves turned in his direction. Cirdan bowed his head in greeting, which, coming from the Eldar, Gimli took as a great honor. He bowed back as well as he was able. Legolas's face lit up in a smile. He looked barely a day older than when Gimli first saw him all those years ago in Rivendell, decked in his green cloak and his bow slung across his back. It brought back many memories that made him feel young again. But that was Rivendell and this was a different elven city nearly halfway across Middle-Earth.
"Leave it to an elf to make an old dwarf wander in search of him." Gimli teased.
"Mellon nin! You did not need to walk all the way out here. I would not have kept you much longer." Legolas's voice was warm and the elf patted his shoulder affectionately.
"Aye, but I cannot suffer to sit around at a time like this, restless. This is the last I'll walk these lands, I may as well enjoy it while I can."
"Indeed. I was talking with Cirdan about our journey. The time has almost come." The relief was obvious in his words. It was then he noticed there was a heaviness to his friend's shoulders that hadn't been there the last time he saw him.
"Prince Legolas built the vessel himself these past few weeks. He has quite a talent for shipbuilding, for someone who has lived so long among the trees." Cirdan gestured to a modest grey ship further out and tied to the end of the main harbor. "I have inspected it myself. It is ready for your passage. You may even leave upon the morrow if you wish it."
"Tomorrow, aye, that will do. As good 'a time as any. Tonight we will feast, catch up as old friends, and say good-bye to Middle Earth."
"That sounds quite agreeable!" Legolas bid Cirdan farewell in a tongue Gimli knew very little of. Then the two companions headed back toward the ancient port city of the Grey Havens, which was nearly empty. So few elves remained. Gimli thought of his own people, still dwelling far beneath the mountains. He missed the deep caverns and winding tunnels, but he was too old and too weary to stay there any longer. Plus, he had known, standing in Lothlorien many years ago, gazing upon Lady of Light, it was his fate to sail across the sea, should the Valar permit it.
"Come, let us sit in the gardens so you may rest before the feasting hall is ready for supper." Legolas led them down a short, winding path and into a beautiful clearing filled with colorful flowers. The area was bathed in sunlight that filtered through the branches of thick-trunked trees. They found an ornate wooden bench and Gimli groaned as his weight shifted off his feet. Both of them rested, inhaling the sweet pollen and salted sea-air for several minutes in silence.
"Mithlond is very beautiful. I used to hear about it in stories when I was an elfling. It is wonderful to see it at last." Legolas finally said.
"It does have its merits. And the stone architecture is admirable." Said Gimli, though it was obvious he remained lost in thought.
"What is on your mind?" The elf asked.
"I am thinking about how I will get to look upon the fair Lady Galadriel once more." He said softly. "It has been many years, yet I can still see her in my mind as though it were yesterday."
"Do you still have her gift?"
"Aye." He patted his breast pocket. "I've never been without it, nor has a day gone by that I haven't thought of her."
Legolas smiled warmly at him. "I'm glad you decided to sail with me. She shall be glad to see you again, as well."
"My time here was coming to an end, so your invitation was a merry tiding."
"My time has ended as well. There is nothing left for me here." A sadness fell over Legolas's face. Gimli patted the elf's knee.
"I was sorry to hear about King Aragorn's passing. Did you see him often?"
"I did, though it was never enough. Being near him in Ithilien helped soothe my aching heart, but any distance would still have been too much to bear. Now that he is gone, I can feel myself fading. Each day that passes, the weariness settles deeper into my bones." Legolas turned to see sorrow on his friend's face. "Nay, do not feel sorry for me. I chose my fate the moment I set eyes on Estel, when he brought the creature Gollum to my father's kingdom. I found him to be noble and kind and I knew I would never find anyone that could compare to him in my heart, but it has not been so terrible. We have lived eventful lives, truly, have we not?"
"We have, aye. We've had grand adventures fighting trolls and exploring, Legolas. And though I am a dwarf and you an elf, we are very much alike. I never would have thought it possible."
"I am honored to be sailing to the Undying Lands with you, mellon nin. Your friendship has served me in some of my darkest hours and given me comfort."
"The honor is all mine, Master elf." Gimli patted his arm. "You were the most loyal of friends, to both myself and Aragorn. You kept your promise and traveled down into the Glittering Caves with me, and you stayed nearby to support and cheer him until he died."
"Do you think he knew? I know we could have never been together, but do you think he knew I l-loved him?"
"It's hard to say. You kept close all those years, even when many of your people had sailed on. I think deep down, he knew, and it gave him strength. That in his own way, he loved you back."
"Thank you. To have had him in my life at all is a gift from the Valar. Still, your words bring me great comfort. But let us not sit here and mope! We should head to supper, where we shall drink and tell old stories. Tomorrow we leave here to be reunited with our friends and loved ones. I find that to be a happy occasion."
"Aye! Let us see if you can still hold your liquor!"
They were nearly to the docks, when Gimli slowed his pace and fidgeted nervously.
"Are you coming, or did you forget something?" Legolas teased.
"Of course I'm coming! It's just…just…" The dwarf sputtered.
"What is it that is troubling you, mellon nin?"
"What if we don't get there? What if the Valar turn me away?" Gimli couldn't meet the blond's eyes.
"If that is what's the matter, do not trouble yourself over it."
"Why not? A dwarf has never passed into the Undying Lands."
"Gimli, my old friend, you are more than a dwarf." Legolas knelt so he could look him in the eye. "You are one of the bravest people I know, and a member of the fellowship. You protected the ring-bearer and swore your life to him. You have earned your place there. The Valar will admit you to pass. Fear not."
After Legolas's speech, Gimli cracked a small, but proud, smile.
"Now, are you ready to continue?" Legolas asked, standing back up.
"Aye, your words ring true enough. Let us keep walking!"
A few moments later, they stood on the wide stone pier. Their boat bobbed alone in the harbor, waiting for them.
"You never did tell me, what do you think of my handiwork?"
"It's a fine ship, Legolas. A fine ship indeed." Gimli slowly walked forward, Legolas's arm on his shoulder, steadying his frail body against the gentle rocking of the water, and the two of them climbed aboard the ship that would take them to the Undying Lands.
"Are you ready for our last adventure, mellon nin?"
"Aye, I am. Just in time, too, because I find I've gotten too old for adventures." He said as he sat down.
Legolas laughed, a sweet ringing sound, and Gimli found himself laughing along with him.
"Farewell, friends. One day we shall meet again, when my job here is done." Cirdan said. Then he gave the boat a firm push and it floated away from the stone harbor.
"Thank you, Cirdan. Farewell until then!" Legolas called back to him.
Once they were in open water, the white sails filled out with wind. They carried the ship at a steady pace. It did not take long and the Grey Havens faded into the distance and the shoreline followed; the last of Middle-Earth the pair would ever see. Legolas laid a hand over Gimli's aged hand, and they waited, together, to see their friends again. As the western horizon stretched ahead, seemingly endless, they were gladdened that it felt like going home.