Common Ice

One moment Gimli was drowning in a mud-brown puddle, the next the ground had fallen away and the water had become blue. Uselessly, he started trying to swim up, if he was even going the right way, he noted with grim humour. His armour and axe were dragging him down. Yes the axe was an heirloom, but Father would rather have him than just Great-Grandfather's axe. Half-reluctant still he released it, there was no hope to get the armour off in the water. Panicked as it was getting harder to hold his breath, he struck for the surface again.

With all the fighting he'd done already, combined with having to swim he was tiring fast. Everything was going black around the edges, no ! He was not going to give in, he refused. Suddenly he crashed into a thick layer of ice. Ice ? There should not have been any Mahal damned ice ! The oddest thing happened as his vision shrunk, he was watching himself with a crazed look trying to smash through the ice. A rush of bubbles before he was sinking and everything disappeared.

Dimly, he felt an arm wrap around his waist then pulling up. Air, sweet, sweet air before he was choking and coughing up water as a hand rested on his chest. Instinctively, he groped around for his axe then was very confused when he found it.

After picking it up, Gimli opened his eyes and growled, "Rragh ! Lemme go you blue-balled, thrice cursed, son of a goblin !" as he swung it at the looming orc's face. Surely, an orc's having red-eyes meant it would be even more trouble than normal.

The orc's hands rose and thick ice formed between them, the axe didn't even sink into half of it. It left him even more confused orcs couldn't summon ice, they couldn't do magic at all. Was he an elf wizard ? Found his eyebrows furrowing as his gaze moved to the creature's ears - they didn't have tips like Legolas's did. It couldn't be an elf...unless his ear-tips had frozen off. Said thought was horrifying since he knew how sensitive Legolas' ears were to sound, never mind that they were probably even more sensitive to pain.

Said strange creature suddenly burst into warm laughter. The water that flowed over the creature's skin froze in beads and the long black-hair gleamed with frost as the ice trapping his axe melted.

The man's voice was too warm, smooth and quiet to belong to an orc. "I know not what an orc is, Master Dwarf, but you have made my formerly dreary day much better. I am Loki Laufeyson, Crown Prince of Jotunheim."

Never had he heard of Jotunheim, much less, he assumed the people would be called Jotnar before. At least, they would be so called if the Elves or the, even prissier sounding, Eldar had their way about it. Unless that actually was what the Jotnar were called.

A dull thump as his axe landed on his chest and he pushed himself up. "Erm, my apologies Loki me lordly lad. I am Gimli Gloinson at your service."

Loki smirked at him, "A dwarf at my service, hmm ? Well, well, I never dreamed this day would come."

"It's only good for one day, so ya better get started."

They both burst into laughter. Loki was a far different prince than Legolas who never would have said anything like that, and it was refreshing. Especially after the last days, and today's, particularly tense situations.

Loki wondered, "How did you end up in the Lake of Blood, Gimli ?"

Lake of Blood ? That did not sound nice at all, like the Paths of the Dead. Again, he shuddered remembering the eerie feeling of disembodied coldness as the Dead had surrounded himself, Aragorn and Legolas. The others would wonder what had happened to him, but there wasn't much that he could do now. After all, he was not going to see if it would work in reverse.

So, he just shrugged, pulled his helmet off and planted his axe in the snow. Everything around them was covered in snow and ice, but the great mountains that loomed above them. Framed by billowing black-clouds a light-emerald green moon hung in the sky, shedding a beautiful light over all. When he started trying to wring water out of his braids and beard he couldn't help musing that beards were a good thing. Not only did they help absorb unpleasant impacts, but they also kept a lot of water away from the face. So, he wouldn't have to worry about freezing right away.

Gimli grumbled, "I have not a damn clue ! One second I was killing Orcs left and right - the Elf and I were having a competition, then Aragorn was shouting something in Elvish to Legolas. The next something gave a great boom and I was drowning in that puddle. Some magic, probably some prissy elf that I accidentally insulted, did it."

A second passed as Loki stared at him then said, "Forgive me this, but...you have the most beautiful hair I have ever seen. Perhaps that was a cause ? You are the only male besides myself that has, easily, visible hair on Jotunheim this is...fascinating."

Only male with hair ? It seemed to imply that none of them had beards as well. What horror, he couldn't imagine life without a beard now that he had one. For a barely haired, ruby-eyed, sapphire-skinned creature Loki was...not hideous, but still looked too elvish for his liking. Loki's jewel-like colours were more beautiful to him.

Replaced his helmet onto his head, hefted his axe and questioned, "Are you damnably daft, Loki ? You think that whoever caused this did so because they were envious of my hair."

"Why ever not ? Quite a few of the male Jotnar, and even some female, are envious of mine. So, why would elves not be jealous of yours ?"

Before he could answer, a giant voice boomed, "Mother would see you, Loki. Hmm, whatever are you doing with a little bug ?"

He shouted, "Bug ! I am not a bug, you giant orc-lover. I am a dwarf of Durin's Folk !"

Outraged, he turned to glare up at the eight-foot jotun who shook the ice as he approached. Seeing the strange, bald, jotun's incredibly blunt features as the jotun crouched made him far more appreciative of Loki's delicate looks.

Loki broke in firmly, "Enough, half-brother Helblindi ! I saved Gimli from the lake and he is coming to the castle."

They started out of the mountains toward a far city, after Loki summoned a dark-sapphire cloak and, shearing it in half with an ice knife so it would fit, handed it to him with an apologetic look. As he pinned the cloak with the diamond that was beautifully carved like a wolf's head, he noticed that Loki had barely anything on. What he did have on was a tight, short, skirt-like thing that went from hip to thigh and was made of a dark-emerald almost black leather.

An almost inaudible whisper from Loki, "Do not mind my brother, Gimli. He was cheated out of a very nice dragon-scale cloak by a dwarf fifty years ago. He merely took it out on you because you are the first he's seen since. Also, he's about as smart as thin ice sometimes and we are not on common ice."

It startled him when a hand landed on his shoulder and Gandalf said, "Whether there is common ice or not, Crown Prince Loki, I am afraid that Gimli has many people worried at the moment. Though he may have one here as well."

Gimli exclaimed, "Gandalf !? What are you doing here ? You should be in Rohan." as he turned to look up at the wizard.

Said white-haired wizard shook his head, "I was informed of your...predicament and asked to bring you back. If young Prince Loki wishes I can bring Gimli back when it is safer for him to return."

It was an odd thing to feel his heart beating so fast without a source of fear or panic in sight as Loki replied, "I would wish it yes, Master Gandalf. Though your name is rather odd, you have a staff, but you are not an elf."

"Much odder things have happened I assure you. Tell your mother that I send greetings and blessings to your peoples."

With a smile Loki answered, "I will give them. I suppose this is good-bye for now, Gimli."

"Ahck, I'll come back, Loki. After all, I haven't done my service yet."

Loki's laughter echoed in his ears as he and Gandalf disappeared in a flash of bright, white-light. Suddenly, they were surrounded by the riders of Rohan, then Gandalf lifted him onto Shadowfax. Heavy-hearted, he wondered if he really would get to see the jotun again.

Gandalf murmured, "Patience, Gimli, the War will be over soon and then you can return to him." as Shadowfax, with the Rohrrim behind them, raced toward the fortress.

Return ? It sounded so...romantic...that way. Yes, Loki was pretty funny, smart and, compared to Helblindi, gorgeous, but he only wanted to be friends. Okay, so even he already knew that was a lie. When he got back to Helm's Deep the Elf didn't need to know about Loki...yet.