Synopsys: A short story about a friend asking for favor. 'Never let me captured alive.' Warned Legolas to his friend Gimli. At first Gimli thought he was exaggerating, until Legolas told him the grim secret about a certain elf that had been captured by the orcs.
The Elven Prisoner
After the death of Boromir, everything changed drastically. Orcs are real. They are dangerous and they love killing. And now it was just the three of them. Aragorn was badly disturbed by Boromir's death. He had no idea about the perfect way to explain it to Boromir's father. Boromir was his favorite son, though Aragorn fancied Faramir more.
After what happened in Helm's Deep, Aragorn regained his spirit back. On the sail to Minas Tirith, he was much more alive and optimistic. Legolas, however, were not as optimistic as his comrade. As the others were drinking for better future on the dock, he was quiet in one of the cabin, all by himself. And that was how his newly found best friend found him.
"Does the river bring the elves gloom?" Asked Gimli and put down one of his axes down, ready to sharpen it. One couldn't be too prepared.
"It doesn't. The coming war does." He answered gravely.
"You were so brave at Helm's Deep. Where did the bravery go?"
"It is not the bravery that I have lost, my friend. It is quite the opposite; I have just witnessed how the orcs could bring down many brave men. Dwarfs. Even elves."
The words forced Gimli to remember Boromir. He was brave and strong. Yet still he fell by the arrows of orcs. He remembered the warrior elves of Lothlorien. He remembered Haldir. Death with honor.
"Are you afraid of death?" Gimli dared himself to ask. The elves are blessed with immortality. Maybe it is very precious for them. How would Gimli, a dwarf, know this? He also asked himself.
Legolas shook his head sadly.
"There are much worse things than death."
Gimli said nothing. He expected Legolas to explain more. He had not the least idea about whatever the elf was moping over. But the elf remained silent and sad. So Gimli continued sharpening his axe. It calmed him.
Suddenly, Legolas turned his blonde head to Gimli and spoke in begging tone.
"You are my friend, and we will fight together against the vile orcs." His sentence was that of affirmatives, but the tone was questioning. A bit surprised by the suddenness, Gimli answered in positive.
"Then, my friend, will you grant me this one favor?" Said the elf half whispering. The way he said it was like he was afraid, and the Legolas that Gimli knew was no coward. What was this all about? Gimli couldn't help wondering, holding his breath as he waiting for Legolas' plea.
"Never let me captured alive."
It wasn't what he expected to come out of the elf's mouth. Gimli's eyes were so wide opened as he scrutinized the Elf's face to find any sign of drunkenness, though he had found out that alcohol didn't affect him much.
"Now you are frightening me, Legolas!" Cried the dwarf. He stepped backward after realizing how much closer Legolas had leaned forward toward him.
"It is war, Legolas, they shall not burden their mind with prisoners. They would just kill! Being a prisoner is not an option!" Explained Gimli kindly. So that was it, he thought. The elf wasn't afraid if death. He was afraid of being a prisoner, to lose honor. The sudden revelation brought a smile to the dwarf's hairy face.
But it still couldn't cheer the elf. He was still gloom and grave. Even worse than before. Gimli sighed and gave up. He put down his axe and sat down beside the towering elf. By now, he was used to the far difference in height.
"What is it that worries you, friend?"
Legolas glanced at him before answering. His blue eyes were deep and glowing with grieve.
"My lineage is blessed with physical beauty." He said hollowly. In a way that he meant this one sentence to explain everything. Which of course still left Gimli clueless. Now the poor dwarf just stared at his friend looking for more answer.
"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" he asked Legolas. Honestly, he wasn't sure where this was going.
"I believe you are."
"Are you trying to tell me that you are afraid the orcs would humiliate you… er… sexually?" Gimli wished it was the case. Or he would feel very dumb and inappropriate to bring that out. His friend, however, was very pretty, even a dwarf like him could tell. He remembered how the peasant girls looking at Legolas. At that time, Gimli was so sure that one of them would jump to kiss him or take him away. But to be afraid of orcs in such a way? The worst they could do was cooking you. And they should kill you first. You cannot season a living meal, can't you? He asked himself.
"I'm glad you get it." Answered Legolas quickly. Gimli noticed the elf's pouting mouth had arched upward slightly.
"Come on, Legolas, you can't be serious! The orcs wouldn't do it! Female human are whom you should be afraid of, but orcs do not appreciate beauty! The only way they are attracted to other race is to kill them and eat them! They even eat their kind!"
Legolas shook his head, leaving his blonde lock moved graciously.
"It happened." He said shortly. Gimli didn't take it.
"Nonsense! Whoever told you that couldn't be serious. And I will not kill my friend just to feed off his fantasies."
"The one who told me not to be captured alive, it happened to him." Legolas said it in heavy grief.
"Him? It's a male elf? Who is it?"
Legolas looked at him and asked him,
"Who is the prettiest elf you know?"
"Well, aside from you and Lady Galadriel, I don't know much about beautiful elf…" He had not finished his sentence yet when suddenly he remembered his father, Gloin, when telling him about his journey in northern Elven realm.
"The prettiest elf I have ever seen. He is greedy, yes, but he is also beautiful. That evil tempter, King Thranduil Oropherion, he is capable to turn a sane man crazy just by his tempting glance." Gimli remembered word per word how his father described the king. The realization was terrifying. Legolas' lineage is blessed with beauty he said? The king? Legolas is son of…
"Mahal! Your father!"
Legolas looked sadder than before as he leaned back to the wooden wall.
"I will tell you this grim story of my father. Just promise me you will not ever retell this." He asked, his eyes stared hollowly to the ceiling. Beside him, Gimli nodded silently.
"At the end of the Last Alliance, my grandfather, King Oropher died. My father, the late king's only son was lost. His people thought he had died in the battle and mourn over the huge loss. No one tried to save him. The truth was, he was captured by the orcs.
You may think that I dread too much for the prospect of being captured by the orcs. Decades later, Celebrian, Elrond's wife was captured by the orcs. It happened that she was the daughter of Celeborn, cousin of my father, King Thranduil. She was saved soon, but the terror she had to suffer was unbearable not only for her who suffered it directly, but also for those around her. They couldn't bear the after effect they saw on her. So the Lady of Rivendell left for Grey Havens. The memory of the tragedy was too haunting to stay on Middle Earth.
She was captured for three days. My father was held for three months."
Legolas then heaved a desperate sigh.
"It was hell. Father told me no detail, but made me sure not to be captured alive."
Gimli was speechless. He really knew nothing to say. He was sorry for whatever orc's wickedness King Thranduil had to suffer. But he really couldn't bear the idea of killing this blonde elf he recently had accepted as his best friend even if that to avoid him from being raped by orcs.
"Then, how he escaped? Did you save him?"
"No. He had not a child back then. He had not even met my mother yet."
"So, how?"
"An orc saved him."
Again, Gimli was speechless. Was he hearing right?
"Will you, er, will you repeat that part?"
"An orc saved him."
"Accidentally?"
"On purpose. Ironically, the orc died and my father was saved. He is one rare orc."
They were quite after that. Long eerie silence.
"I'm sorry, my friend." Said Gimli breaking the silence.
"I cannot grant you this one favor."
"Why not?" Legolas face turned even sadder then he already had.
"You are my best friend, I cannot let you die. Your father made it, Legolas. Of course you can make it too. Even if you must endure torment, terror and dreads, you must live. Rather than making sure you are dead, I choose to make you stay alive!"
Gimli cursed mentally. Unlike Aragorn and Legolas, he wasn't good with words. What he had said was the best he could come up with.
Anyway, it made its way to cheer Legolas, even for just a little bit.
"So you want me to live no matter how hard life is?"
"Yes! Don't be a weakling! You, just like your father, is a noble sindarin elf! You are perfectly capable to survive anything!"
Legolas finally smiled.
"And I bet I can survive a cup or two wines."
"Now you read my mind, my friend. Come on, my axe is sharp enough now, it is time to have some drink. And this time, maybe, I can outnumber your cups!"
Both friends laughed heartily and walked out to the dock.
Gimli denied his friend a favor, but he also gave Legolas something more; a hope.
A/N: I always think that in Lord of the Ring fandom, their friendship is underestimated. Come on, guys! Their friendship brings back the good relation between dwarfs and elves. And it reminds us that friendship can be made cross race. Readers, remember to review, ok?
And for those who wants to know about king Thranduil's tragic imprisonment, you can check my other fanfictio: Too Pretty.