"Hoi,"! Gimli the dwarf said. "That's my horse you're messin with, laddie"!
His companion, Legolas, smiled mischievously and pretended to cut Thrandins' (Gimli's Pony) mane with his knife. Gimli pretended not to care or notice, but Legolas smiled again when he caught Gimli anxiously looking over the fire at him to make sure he was not damaging his "horses" beautiful coat. The pony had been a gift from King Théoden, and only Gimli could handle it. Legolas still had Arod, the large white horse from Rohan.
"Humph! Not a nice sort of thang to be a 'doing to me horse, me pointy eared elf prince ling, ha!" he said.
Legolas's elf eyes would have burned holes into mithril, but instead he smiled and laughed, and Gimli was glad, for he had grown to love the sound of his laugh. After they doused the fire, they set off for Fangorn Forest, the first place they were going to on their adventure.
As they were walking across the plains of Rohan, Gimli sighed wistfully and said, "Well, when it comes to numbering the women who ye've wooed ye got me beat, laddie. Clack! Wait! I didn't mean it!" he said as he looked down a arrow that was strung and pulled back all the way on Legolas's 170 pound Lothlorien longbow. Yet again the elf just grinned, his eyes twinkled and he unstrung his bow.
After about an hour of silence, Legolas adopted a thoughtful look and waited for Gimli to comment. It was not long in coming. "Alright, Legolas Greenleaf, What are ye thinkin?" he said.
Legolas sat tall in his horse triumphantly before speaking. "Well," he said. "Since I spent my time teaching you (and of all things you are a dwarf) how to ride, you'll have to teach me something, my friend"
"Like what, my noble, princely, wise, companion?" Gimli said sarcastically.
"I know!" Legolas said a minute later suddenly as if thinking of it for the first time. "You can teach me all the secrets of dwarfen weapon craftsmanship."
Gimli looked at him stunned. "Well, that's that's just not possible not possible, no way laddie! An ELF, knowing the secrets of my people the dwarfs?" He huffily turned and pretended to be interested with a group of trees on their right.
Legolas, however, would not let the matter drop. "I taught you all the secrets of elvish riding, the elven language, (not to mention giving you my bow and teaching you to use it) and you went from trying your hardest not to fall off, to how I have taught you to ride bareback, without bridle. And you say I cannot know the secrets of the dwarfs?" He adopted a betrayed look on his face, and looked at Gimli.
"Well, I guess you can learn on the way there," Gimli said. Somehow, he couldn't say no.
As darkness fell, the sky became dark blue shaded with purple. Legolas seemed to breathe in the atmosphere and gain new energy from it. Arod still trotted along dutifully, whilst Gimli and Thrandin started to lag behind. Looking at Gimli, Legolas winked and nodded toward a copse of trees a mile away. "We should stop there for the night. Good shelter, cant been seen by those humans following us, and should be warm."
Gimli looked relieved and grateful as he said; "right, that will bout do it".
When they reached the copse, Legolas seemed to tense and look around attentively at the surrounding trees. "Something is not right here, Gimli. The trees are uneasy." As they lay down to sleep, Legolas and Gimli went to sleep with one eye open.
Legolas woke in the middle of the night to screaming, the sound of battle, and then laughing. "What can that be, Gimli? That sounds like the voices of elves. What could be happening?" Legolas's fair face was now troubled and looked very concerned. "And orcs! Many of them it would seem! Come, we must help them for if the orcs are making sport, then that is, that is....."
"...disheartening or disgusting, and I suppose an even share of both," Gimli said as he grabbed his bow and axes. Legolas had given Gimli his old bow and taught him how to use after Galadriel gave him the enchanted Lothlorien longbow.
"Right, said Legolas. Let's go!" he said, grabbing his daggers, sword, and bow. Running swiftly and silently, they raced towards the noise.
His companion, Legolas, smiled mischievously and pretended to cut Thrandins' (Gimli's Pony) mane with his knife. Gimli pretended not to care or notice, but Legolas smiled again when he caught Gimli anxiously looking over the fire at him to make sure he was not damaging his "horses" beautiful coat. The pony had been a gift from King Théoden, and only Gimli could handle it. Legolas still had Arod, the large white horse from Rohan.
"Humph! Not a nice sort of thang to be a 'doing to me horse, me pointy eared elf prince ling, ha!" he said.
Legolas's elf eyes would have burned holes into mithril, but instead he smiled and laughed, and Gimli was glad, for he had grown to love the sound of his laugh. After they doused the fire, they set off for Fangorn Forest, the first place they were going to on their adventure.
As they were walking across the plains of Rohan, Gimli sighed wistfully and said, "Well, when it comes to numbering the women who ye've wooed ye got me beat, laddie. Clack! Wait! I didn't mean it!" he said as he looked down a arrow that was strung and pulled back all the way on Legolas's 170 pound Lothlorien longbow. Yet again the elf just grinned, his eyes twinkled and he unstrung his bow.
After about an hour of silence, Legolas adopted a thoughtful look and waited for Gimli to comment. It was not long in coming. "Alright, Legolas Greenleaf, What are ye thinkin?" he said.
Legolas sat tall in his horse triumphantly before speaking. "Well," he said. "Since I spent my time teaching you (and of all things you are a dwarf) how to ride, you'll have to teach me something, my friend"
"Like what, my noble, princely, wise, companion?" Gimli said sarcastically.
"I know!" Legolas said a minute later suddenly as if thinking of it for the first time. "You can teach me all the secrets of dwarfen weapon craftsmanship."
Gimli looked at him stunned. "Well, that's that's just not possible not possible, no way laddie! An ELF, knowing the secrets of my people the dwarfs?" He huffily turned and pretended to be interested with a group of trees on their right.
Legolas, however, would not let the matter drop. "I taught you all the secrets of elvish riding, the elven language, (not to mention giving you my bow and teaching you to use it) and you went from trying your hardest not to fall off, to how I have taught you to ride bareback, without bridle. And you say I cannot know the secrets of the dwarfs?" He adopted a betrayed look on his face, and looked at Gimli.
"Well, I guess you can learn on the way there," Gimli said. Somehow, he couldn't say no.
As darkness fell, the sky became dark blue shaded with purple. Legolas seemed to breathe in the atmosphere and gain new energy from it. Arod still trotted along dutifully, whilst Gimli and Thrandin started to lag behind. Looking at Gimli, Legolas winked and nodded toward a copse of trees a mile away. "We should stop there for the night. Good shelter, cant been seen by those humans following us, and should be warm."
Gimli looked relieved and grateful as he said; "right, that will bout do it".
When they reached the copse, Legolas seemed to tense and look around attentively at the surrounding trees. "Something is not right here, Gimli. The trees are uneasy." As they lay down to sleep, Legolas and Gimli went to sleep with one eye open.
Legolas woke in the middle of the night to screaming, the sound of battle, and then laughing. "What can that be, Gimli? That sounds like the voices of elves. What could be happening?" Legolas's fair face was now troubled and looked very concerned. "And orcs! Many of them it would seem! Come, we must help them for if the orcs are making sport, then that is, that is....."
"...disheartening or disgusting, and I suppose an even share of both," Gimli said as he grabbed his bow and axes. Legolas had given Gimli his old bow and taught him how to use after Galadriel gave him the enchanted Lothlorien longbow.
"Right, said Legolas. Let's go!" he said, grabbing his daggers, sword, and bow. Running swiftly and silently, they raced towards the noise.