The Siege of Moria
Chapter One
Gimli awoke with a start and sighed, for he was troubled. It had been 2 years since The Battle of the Black Gate and, although the hospitality of Elessar and Gondor was the best on offer, he yearned for adventure. For the past three weeks his dreams were interspersed with the image that was burned into his mind - the sight of Balin's tomb. He dressed quickly and after a moment's deliberation, slipped his belt of throwing axes on and headed off to find Legolas.
Legolas stood 20 feet from the standing position at the archery range. Despite the extra distance, he still achieved a bullseye each time. The Gondorian archers that normally milled about now stood in a group around the elf, watching in awe as he displayed his prowess with a bow. After five minutes of continuous archery, Legolas paused. If the men around him had been looking, they would have seen his superior ears twitch as they picked up a noise from far off. Smirking, Legolas resumed his practice, waiting. ANother five minutes passed, whereupon the men gathered round the range heard what legolas had smirked at.
"Where is the Elf? Eh?" Gimli barked as he strode out into the archery range. "Get outta the way, come on!" he continued, muscling his way through the throng of admirers. "There you are lad, showing off as usual! One of these days, it's going to backfire on you and I'll be there, ready to laugh in your face!"
Legolas glanced at the dwarf, then in one fluid motion, raised his bow and loosed an arrow at the target. It struck the very centre with a satisfying thud. Gimli frowned then stepped forward. "Get outta the way." He spoke with quiet determination. He drew an axe from his belt and with barely a pause, launched it at the target. It flew through the air, spinning as it went and finally hit the board, splitting Legolas' arrow straight down the middle.