Home Sweet Home

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! It's thanks to you guys that I finally managed to find time to write this :P (For people I couldn't reply to, I've left my reply at the end.)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you don't recognise.

Part Two


Homecoming means coming home to what is in your heart. ~Author Unknown


Gimli stood in the centre of the apartment living room. He was the only one there, and he was enjoying the first moment he had had to himself since he had arrived home barely three hours ago. During that time, he had been bombarded by both his friends and people that he didn't particularly like, as well as relations, both distant and close. They had fired question after exclamation after question at him and - especially after the rather arduous journey - he was quite exhausted. Finally, peace had come after his parents had fought the cheerful citizens off and hustled him away to their apartment.

He had had just enough time to re-acquaint himself with his own rooms, bathe, change and do all the other mindless chores that had to be done after such an absence, and he was now waiting for the rest of his family to appear.

"Gimli-"

The Dwarf glanced up and smiled as his mother made her way across the room towards him. When she opened her arms, he practically dived into them, for once not caring that he was a grown Dwarf and did not stoop to such childish actions. They spent several long moments together before drawing apart.

Inga, his mother, stood back and held her son at arms length. She had not been able to look him over properly since he had come home at all, and she felt relief wash over her as she noted that Gimli was fine.

"I am so proud of you, my son," she said finally.

"Thank-you," Gimli replied simply, although there was a lump in his throat and the tips of his ears had gone red.

Inga clapped her hands together and smiled widely. "It is almost time for the celebration feast," she announced. "Why don't you find this Elf they tell me you have brought home?"

Gimli grinned sheepishly. "You will like him, Mam," he assured her. "He's alright, for an Elf."

"We shall see," Inga murmured, but she continued to smile at him jokily. "These Wood-Elves are odd folk. One came by to talk to your father just the other day, and he was extremely strange." She tapped the side of her head mischievously. "Their brains are mixed up, if you ask me."

"You must be talking about Legolas's brother, Maegóre. I quite agree - but he is nothing like Legolas, save in looks."

"Just as mad as his father, if you ask me." Glóin announced. Both his wife and son jumped slightly, not having noticed his entrance. He smiled gently at Gimli. "Welcome home, son."

"It's good to be back," Gimli replied truthfully. His mother nudged him gently.

"There is no place like home, eh?" She said playfully, before adding, "I will go and get your cousins. We will meet you outside the Hall. Go and get that Elf of yours, Gimli, and don't be late."

Gimli rolled his eyes, calling out, "He is not my Elf!". Glóin clapped him on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't want anything to happen to you so soon after your homecoming, Gimli, so go and do as your mother says." Glóin instructed. Gimli had to agree. He did not know if anyone had ever crossed his mother before, for if they had, they hadn't lived to tell the tale.

Glóin hurried off to catch up with his wife, while Gimli left the apartment at a more leisurely pace. He was thrilled to finally be home and wanted to take some time to breath in the air. As he walked, he trailed he hand along the wall, smiling with pleasure at the careful crafting and carving of his people below his hand. Every grove, ridge or chip brought back a flood of memories. He could almost taste the sweet, familiar surroundings. He could easily lose himself-

"Gimli, I'm glad that I've found you."

Blinking his eyes a few times, to bring himself back to the present, Gimli focused on the Dwarf standing in front of him.

"Azaghâl, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be preparing for the feast?" Gimli questioned. He looked longingly over his friend's shoulder. They were not far away from the Hall, and the low rumble of people having fun was drifting from the open doors. To be honest, he wanted to collect Legolas as soon as possible and get himself down to the celebration - he hadn't had a proper meal in weeks. The food he had been given at Legolas's home was nothing like what he considered 'good food', and he was looking forward to showing his friend a true Dwarven gathering.

Azaghâl looked at Gimli remorsefully. "I have a message from the Elf."

Gimli blinked. "I'm going up to get him now. He can tell me himself."

Azaghâl shook his head and reached out to stop Gimli from moving on. "No, you don't understand," he said. "The Elf wants me to tell you that he is unable to come to the celebration tonight. He apologizes. He sends his regards. He insisted that under no circumstances are you to come and get him tonight."

Glaring at his friend, Gimli stood up straighter. "Damn that," he snapped. "What's wrong with him? I came to his celebratory feast, he can come to mine."

"Typical Elf," Azaghâl observed.

"Excuse me," Gimli continued, "I'm going to-"

"I don't know, Gimli," Azaghâl interrupted, stopping his friend in his tracks. "He was pretty insistant. He sounded quite ill-"

"Ridiculous. Elves don't get ill."

"Well, homesick, maybe. Or perhaps he can't handle being in a real stronghold, not that pathetic imitation at his home," Azaghâl suggested. Sensing that Gimli was about to charge past, he hurriedly added, "really, Gimli, does it matter? Nobody really wants him there-"

"I want him there," Gimli growled.

"-and we are both late as it is! You are the guest of honour, my friend, and you simply cannot afford to waste anymore time! There will be other feasts for the Elf to attend, but you will only get this glory once, Gimli."

Gimli scowled. He didn't like this situation one bit, but Azaghâl had put up a good argument. Legolas would have to wait. "Come on, then."

Together, they made their way to the Hall. Azaghâl walked a half step behind the other Dwarf, ensuring that Gimli didn't catch sight of the satisfied smirk that had forced its way onto Azaghâl's lips.


Legolas leaned back against the wall. His knees were apart, his body relaxed, and he was close to falling asleep through sheer boredom alone. He would never be tired enough to actually try to sleep on that 'bed', of course, but he had been in this position for quite a while.

After forsaking any dignity he had left at all, Legolas had tried hollering for someone to come for a while before he finally had to admit that no-one was there, and if they were, then they obviously weren't about to let him out.

He had then spent a short amount of time exploring the room itself. It was very small, and had taken no time at all. If there were any secret passageways out of there, then Legolas was not a good enough expert in these matters to know.

Eventually, he had sat down and entertained himself with his own wit and imagination, but this, too, had not lasted very long. With nothing but the same boring, bland shade of grey surrounding him, (even the cotton blankets on the bed were grey, although Legolas could not tell whether this was their original colour, or a result of aging and overuse.) his eyes had soon glazed over. He had quickly lost track of time and for all he knew, an hour had passed or a day.

Legolas was quickly brought out of his sleepy state by the welcome snap of a key turning in the lock. In a second he had scrambled to his feet and reached for the handle, but the door swung open before he could touch it.

His way was barred by two Dwarves - Zaharûn and a burly Dwarf who may have been loitering around the entrance hall when Legolas and Gimli arrived. Legolas wasn't sure. Zaharûn, who smiled mournfully at him, held a wooded tray with a cloth covering over it.

"Here," the burly Dwarf grunted, nudging Zaharûn, who shoved the tray into the Elf's hands.

"Er-"

"We are going to need those weapons," the Dwarf continued relentlessly. He barged into the room, followed by his companion, and forcefully shut the door. Standing menacingly in front of it with his arms crossed defensively over his chest, Legolas found himself quite speechless.

"Didn't you hear me?" the Dwarf growled. "Give me your weapons!"

"What harm could I possibly do in here?" he demanded. "What is going on? Where is Gimli?"

"Weapons," the burly Dwarf snapped.

Zaharûn stepped forward and before the Elf could fully react - he was juggling that tray, after all - he had taken the knives from Legolas. He then stepped backwards and collected the bow, quiver and arrows that Legolas had placed on the bed a while ago.

"We'll be looking after these," Zaharûn muttered. The burly Dwarf stepped forward and checked that the Elf was hiding no more weapons. He swiftly removed the small dagger he found tucked away around his ankle and tossed it to Zaharûn, who deftly caught it.

"We'll need your cloak, and that bag," he continued, pointing to the drawstring bag that Legolas had dropped into the corner shortly after his arrival. It contained clothing, toiletries and some leftover rations from the journey. Legolas couldn't for the life of him work out why the Dwarves could possibly want that. The weapons, he could understand, really. But his cloak?

Instinctively, Legolas's hand moved up to the clasp and held tight, preventing the Dwarf from touching it.

"What on Arda do you want those for?" Legolas growled. "What is going on?" Without waiting for an answer, he stepped towards the door - and promptly doubled over from a harsh blow to the stomach that the burly Dwarf had sent his way.

Gasping slightly, he glowered at the Dwarf. Admittedly, he was reluctant to hurt one of Gimli's friends, whatever they were doing to him.

"Do not move," the Dwarf instructed, and Zaharûn took advantage of Legolas's position to pull his cloak off. He didn't touch the clasp, which Legolas wasn't holding any more, but used instead such force that the gold pin broke and fell to the floor. An angry red mark gracing his neck from where the cloak had bitten into him - Zaharûn had pulled the cloak off from behind - Legolas blinked and swirled around in time to see his attacker straighten after grabbing the broken clasp from the ground.

In seconds, the two Dwarves had exited the room. As the door slammed, Legolas leapt forwards but he was locked in before he could pull the door back open. Still, he threw himself at the door and pushed against it with all his might, yelling for the two Dwarves to release him.

No reaction.

After a few minutes of desperate behavior, he sank to the floor. Having set the tray down after doubling over, he pulled it towards him now and threw the cover off.

He was surprised by what he found. There was a small bowl of thick, if lukewarm, soup, chunks of bread, slices of cheese and meat,chopped fruit and a jug of water on the side. The word poison flashed briefly across his mind but it soon disappeared. Somehow, even though he had no reason to think this, he didn't believe that the warped Dwarves would want to poison him.

Shrugging, he began to eat, only now realising how hungry he was. The time it took for him to completely finish the plate was far too short for his liking, and the hours stretched ahead of him like sand in a desert.


Gimli eyed the drunken crowd with pleasure. The feast was a good few hours in by now and everyone was enjoying themselves. Sat up on the high table with his parents and the King, Gimli was having the time of his life.

Or at least...he would have been. Something was missing.

Across the hall, Gimli met Azaghâl's eye. The other Dwarf was sitting amongst a large group of their friends - it was one of the loudest tables in the hall - laughing cheerfully. He waved at Gimli, who waved back half-heartedly.

Setting down his tankard, Gimli made his decision. Muttering that he'd be back in a moment, he fought his way through the celebrating people until he escaped the hall. As soon as the doors fell shut behind him, the noise and clamour drifted away until they were just a lonely spot at the back of his mind. He would be lying if he said that he was not relieved. He had been to feasts before - of course; but being the guest of honour, it seemed, was an exhausting title. He was sincerely glad that this was a one-off.

Gimli took advantage of the abnormal quiet - everyone was in the hall, after all - to clear his head a little.

Looking back, his spat with Legolas seemed pointless and trivial. It may have just been the drink going to his head, but he truly couldn't believe they had made such a fuss of it and ruined the Elf's first day in the Mountain. The Dwarf doubted Legolas was homesick at all - he was probably just worried that Gimli would still not be speaking to him and the idea of that silent, awkward feast with a hall full of drunk Dwarves terrified him. If, that was, Legolas had even spoken to Azaghâl in the first place.

Gimli was not an idiot. He knew exactly how his friend felt about Elves, although he had hoped the other Dwarf would have acted a bit more mature, and certainly wouldn't put it past him to pull a stunt like this. Gimli frowned. Legolas wouldn't have been sorry about missing this meal, he was sure. It was spending hours stuck alone in his room that would bother the Elf.

Well, Gimli supposed, he was going to make amends for his previous actions. He might as well apologize for this as well.

He had almost reached the room that he had requested for Legolas. It was a guest room, and it was relatively near to his own apartment, but this night he planned to spend with his family. His father's apartment was a fair distance from his own, but there was nothing to be done. It was just one night.

Gimli frowned, noticing two figures up ahead him. Wondering briefly why they were out here, he smiled as he neared them, recognizing Zaharûn and his distant cousin, Odin.

"What are you two doing down here?" He called out.

Zaharûn and Odin exchanged glances before the former replied.

"We could ask you the same question, Gimli," the Dwarf smiled. "You are the guest of honour, after all."

"I'm here to collect the Elf," Gimli informed them cheerfully.

Odin frowned. "You can't," he said, "Didn't Azaghâl tell you? He is ill- homesick-"

"That's ridiculous. And if he is - which I am sure he is not - then I will sit with him. I am not comfortable without him."

"An Elf, Gimli? Really?" Odin asked in disgust.

Before Gimli could reply, Zaharûn quickly interrupted. "I don't think he really wants to be disturbed, anyway."

Grinding his knuckles, Gimli pushed past the two of them and stalked down the corridor until he reached his friends room.

"Fine, Gimli," Odin called. "We will meet you two in the hall." Without waiting for a reply, the two of them hurried off to the feast. Gimli rapped his knuckles on the door.

No answer. The Dwarf opened the door, stepped inside and lit a nearby candelabra.

The immediate area was bathed in light, but Gimli only needed this much to make his way to the bedchamber - it took him no time at all to notice that Legolas would not be found in this room.

Or the bedchamber.

The bathroom door was ajar, and the room was empty. Thoroughly confused, Gimli returned to the main room.

Legolas was definitely housed here. His cloak was clung over one armchair, leftover rations on the table. In the bathroom, there was a disorganised pile of toiletries ready for use. In the bedroom, spare clothing hung straight in the wardrobe and all his weapons were carefully arranged on the table.

Unfortunately, Legolas was not here, and for obvious reasons, Gimli needed to find him as soon as possible.


Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

Feedback and constructive crit will be printed out, framed, hung above my mantelpiece and religiously worshiped everyday ;P

Luna Quetzal - I know...nothing ever seems to go right for that Elf. Thanks for the review!:D

yamina-cham - Well, they do say you should skip right to the action to draw your readers in...I'm glad you liked Home Sweet Home, thanks! And you know, I'm in just as much suspence about what will happen as you are so I definitely can't tell you what's going on :P