Home Sweet Home

Thanks to everyone who reviewed Part One. Review replies will be left at the end of this chapter :)

I'm sorry about the delay in updating, but I had a horrid case of writers block. Hey, we've all had it, right?

Part Two

Legolas stretched slightly in his bed, smiling to himself. The sun had risen and the gentle rumble of activity in the palace and its gardens could be heard, but he wasn't really paying attention to that. For now, Legolas was just glad to be home. Or more specifically, in his bed. There was truly nowhere he wanted to be more than lying in that soft, slightly bouncy bed half covered by the natural, warm covers staring up at the detailed ceiling with the early-morning sunlight casting shadows and bright spots around his bedroom.

This was what home meant.

However, home also meant that he was very close to his friends, a thought that hadn't crossed his mind until Kemen and Hathel both bounded into his room energetically.

"Good morning!" Kemen called over to the bed as he cheerfully pulled open the curtains, allowing a large amount of light to enter the room and momentarily blind Legolas.

"Still asleep? This won't do." Hathel added, smiling broadly. He kneeling on the edge of the bed. "You know that Aelin and Linnod will be back this afternoon so you had better get up now."

Legolas pulled himself up until he was leaning back on his elbows and glared at the other two. "Do you have no respect for others privacy?" He asked. "I don't see why you have to come in and disturb me."

It wasn't that Legolas was particularly tired. He wasn't. But he had just been enjoying the peaceful quietness of the morning, and did not appreciate it being disrupted.

"Because, mellon-nin, you have a lot of explaining to do. About a lot of things." Kemen had moved over to the bed as well, and stood next to Hathel. "The sooner you get up, the sooner you can get this over with and move on to other, more pleasant things."

"Like archery practice." Hathel put in hopefully.

Legolas rolled his eyes. He knew that neither of his friends would be leaving before he got up, and he was no longer in the mood for lying in bed doing nothing. No matter how comfy that bed was. "Alright. I'm getting up. Are you happy now?" He asked as he climbed out of the bed and moved over to his bathroom.

"It was your father who asked us to wake you up. He wants to talk to you. With the Dwarf." Hathel explained as he and Kemen headed towards the door.

"The Dwarf has a name, you know." Legolas paused as he wondered what Hathel would do.

"I know, Legolas. But there is no harm in calling him by race." Hathel replied, before both he and Kemen disappeared through the bedroom door.

Legolas walked into the bathroom to wash and dress. He wondered what his friends really thought of Gimli...and what they thought of him. Their opinion had to have changed, now. He could see it in their eyes, when they looked at him, even when they tried to pretend otherwise. It was then that Legolas remembered that after this, he was supposed to be going on to visit Gimli's home, in the mountains. He shuddered. Maybe they should have just gone straight back to Minas Tirith and saved themselves all of this trouble.

Gimli had been awake since dawn. He had been mislead by Aragorn's light teasing throughout the Fellowship, calling Legolas's home and 'cave', much to the Elf's chagrin. He had gone on to assume that it was, in fact, a cave. Even the tales from his own people hinted that it was a cave, or certainly had the features of one.

He had been wrong. Thranduil's Hall's were certainly not caves. At least, not in the sense that he knew them. While it was true that it was half above-ground (where the most-used rooms and living quarters were) and another half was underground, where the less used rooms and dungeons were, it wasn't a cave, although the underground section could resemble a cave if you squinted. But it was far to light and airy even there for Gimli's liking. He was above ground, anyway, and had been unable to sleep in what he could only describe as a bad attempt at a cave impersonation.

When his bedroom door was knocked on, loudly, he was already dressed and ready for the day. He also made the mistake of assuming that it was Legolas on the other side of the door, having finally dragged himself out of bed. He was wrong about that, too.

"Master Gimli." It was Legolas's friend - no, two of them. The ones that had returned to the palace with them the previous day. Gimli tried in vain to remember their names, but couldn't. In any case, the two Elves strode confidently into the room. "King Thranduil wants to speak to you and Legolas."

Gimli nodded, and moved over to the door to go. One of the Elves stopped him, though. "Legolas isn't quite ready, you know. Why don't we stay and talk?"

Gimli eyed the Elf suspiciously. The Elf - Kemen - gave him a friendly smile and said, "We have Legolas in common, anyway. If you're good enough for him, your good enough for us."

"Even if you are a Dwarf." The other added, wrinkling his nose. Gimli started, but the twinkling in the Elf's eyes told him that it hadn't been a serious remark.

"You are the son of Glóin, yes?" Kemen asked. He was clearly thinking of the Dwarves imprisonment.

"Yes, I am." Gimli replied loudly.

"Ah." Hathel said, and then he and Kemen exchanged looks.

Nothing was said for a while, and everyone avoided each other's eyes until finally (it seemed like an age) Legolas appeared in the doorway.

"Is everyone ready? Did you sleep well, Gimli?" He asked brightly.

"Oh, yes, yes." Gimli lied quickly. He hurried off of the bed and over to Legolas, who moved speedily out of the way for the Dwarf to stump past. After Kemen and Hathel had also exited the room and gone down to the dining hall, the two of them made their way to Thranduil's study.

They made small talk about nothing along the way, with neither of them saying what the really wanted to say.

"Adar, what do you think of the Dwarf?" Maegóre asked. He was trying to be nonchalant about this, but he really wanted to get this important question out of the way before his brother and the Dwarf turned up.

"Well," Thranduil was considering the question from where he sat behind his desk. "I haven't exactly had a chance to talk with him yet. Only time will tell, I suppose. If Legolas has befriended him, then he must be a one of a kind." He looked across to where his eldest was sitting and remembered what Legolas had told him the previous night. Maegóre has already judged him. "And you? What do you think of him?"

"Oh." Maegóre replied breezily. "Likewise, I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting him properly."

"I see." Thranduil said, and he did see. He had brought up these children almost single handedly for most of their lives. By now, he could certainly tell when one of them was trying to hide something. Well...he could tell when most people were trying to hide something from him, but it was especially pointless for his children to try. In any case, it was pin-pointing exactly what they were hiding that usually proved to be the problem for Thranduil.

It was at this point that there was a sharp knocking at the door - clearly Legolas and his new friend - so Thranduil called for them to enter and waited for them to seat themselves.

Gimli looked about the room. It was quite a sizable room, will neutral tones. The main object of the room was a well-crafted mahogany desk, with several matching chairs. There was also a few smaller tables heavily piled with papers. Stack and stacks of papers covered nearly every surface except the desk, but there was a large pile on the floor that seemed to have come from the desk anyway. It was upon this sight that Gimli became very relieved that he was not a king. The walls hosted many shelves, (Mahogany. Thranduil seemed to favour this.) which were all filled with various books, documents and writing equipment. Squeezed into the only bit of worthwhile wall was a framed portrait of what appeared to be Legolas's family several centuries ago.

There were four of them; Thranduil and his wife were seated on a sofa, with Legolas and Maegóre between them. Maegóre appeared to be at a human age of about ten, but Legolas was only a small child of, at most, four. (Hardly any time between them at all, indeed! Gimli snorted) Their mother had dark brown hair, with the green eyes that Maegóre had clearly inherited and an easy, gentle smile. She had one arm around Legolas with the hand just brushing Maegóre's neck, and Thranduil was in the same position, only he had his arm around Maegóre. Gimli noticed that Thranduil didn't seem to have changed at all, except maybe his clothing. They looked very happy there. Gimli wondered just how old it was.

"Good morning." Thranduil said, once the two of them were sitting down. Maegóre hastily greeted them too, and Legolas and Gimli replied.

Once the niceties were out of the way, they moved onto more pressing matters. "So. Legolas." Thranduil began in a voice that Legolas recognised only too well. "Are you going to tell us about your travels, then?"

"Where do you want me to start?" Legolas asked. He tried to keep his tone normal, but he was secretly quite worried about telling his father and brother about what he had been up to over the last few years.

"At the beginning. When you joined the Fellowship." Maegóre suggested. "What in the name of the Valar possessed you to join anyway?"

Legolas took a moment to gather his thoughts, shot a look at Gimli and began to speak. "Well, there had to be an Elf representative in the Fellowship. Lord Elrond was quite set on having Glorfindel go, I think, but in the end he decided on me."

"You must of said something to make him choose you." Thranduil said. He was certainly going to Have Words with Elrond the next time he saw him.

"Well, yes. I did, looking back on it. But it was more of a spontaneous act then anything. I think Mithrandir spoke with him too. Although he apparently suggested Elladan and Elrohir as well as me, but it...didn't go down so well with Lord Elrond."

"I can imagine." Thranduil stated. He would have to talk to Mithrandir, as well. Why on Arda hadn't Elrond sent one of the twins? Why his child? It was probably because of that human, Estel. Not that there was any point in talking to Aragorn. It simply didn't work.

Legolas then launched into the story of the Fellowship. Gimli noted with interest that Legolas didn't say anything about how the two of them had been at war with each other all the way to Moria, and had spent a large amount of time on the mountains plotting how to throw the other off the mountain and make it look like an accident. This was something they'd only recently admitted to each other, though.

Eventually, they reached Helms Deep in the story, and it was here that Maegóre interrupted Legolas.

"Dwarf? Have you nothing to say on the matter?" He demanded.

Gimli glared at the Elf. "My name, Elf, is Gimli, and I would thank you to address me so." He growled.

Maegóre looked slightly taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Who are you to speak to me so?" He hissed. "Remember, Dwarf, that you are a guest in this house and-"

"Enough!" Thranduil snarled. "Maegóre, I would expect better of you. Legolas, carry on."

With an acidic glare at his brother, Legolas continued with the story, only to be stopped again later, at Pelennor fields.

"I would presume, then, that the Dwarf has done absolutely nothing this far into it?" Maegóre asked in a light tone. He seemed to have opted for a different way of attack.

"No," Legolas explained. "I have explained much of his part this far through."

"Then why does he not speak?" Maegóre pressed.

"Maegóre! Must you always ask ridiculous questions?" Legolas snapped.

"It is not a ridiculous question, Legolas. He has yet to say a word about anything, yet he travelled to the Black Gates and back. I shall just presume, then, that he is like the rest of his race; with no opinion or intelligence to speak of." He leaned back in his chair.

Legolas appeared to be too mad to retort and Thranduil looked like he was trying to think of something to say. Gimli didn't think it would be a good idea to start an argument with Legolas's brother, especially on his first full day in Eryn Lasgalen. No matter how infuriating, arrogant, spoiled and argumentative that brother was. He still said nothing, just glaring at the Elf with distaste.

"Maegóre," Thranduil finally seemed to have something to say. "Apologize to Gimli, please. Then I think it would be a good idea if you left."

"What?" Maegóre asked in what seemed like genuine surprise.

"Ray," Legolas tried. "Please. Just go."

Maegóre looked thoroughly annoyed, but stood up to leave anyway. "I will leave. I won't apologize." He said defiantly, before stalking to the door and storming out of it.

There was a short silence in the room. Finally, Thranduil began to speak again. "I must apologize on Maegóre's behalf. I can assure you that very few here will share his opinion, and I will certainly talk with him about this later."

Gimli nodded. "Of course. It's a small matter. Go on, Legolas." He paused. "Tell him about your oliphant."

Thranduil raised his eyebrows. "Your oliphant?"

"Er," Legolas began. He was still seething over his brother. "Not my oliphant, really." He then began to tell his father about the battle, and 'his' oliphant, and continued until he reached the borders of Eryn Lasgalen. He spent a lot of time talking about Fangorn, Gimli noticed, but merely brushed over the Glittering Caves.

"Excuse-me." Gimli said, just as Legolas finished. "Have you nothing to say about those Caves?"

Legolas looked disgusted. "No. They were cramped and confined and stuffy. That's all there is to say about it."

"Cramped?" Gimli looked thunderstruck.

Thranduil remembered their conversation the previous evening, and rolled his eyes. "You can have this discussion over breakfast, I'm sure."

"We will." Legolas assured him, as he stood and went to the door. After Gimli walked through, he called goodbye to his father (as did Gimli) but Thranduil stopped him from leaving first.

"We will talk some more about this later, Legolas."

"After you've spoken to Maegóre?"

"Possibly at the same time."

"Fine. Goodbye, Ada." Legolas turned and walked through the door, shutting it behind him, but was surprised to fine that Gimli was nowhere to be seen.

Thank you for reading! Feedback would be great - I'd love to know what you thought about this!

Translations : mellon-nin - my friend / adar - father / ada - informal of father. Think that's all of them :)

Martiny The One And Only Still: Of course it can only end badly...although there is still time for Gimli to run!

Purplefluffychainsaw: I've tried to work more on my descriptions and stuff this chapter (although that has always, unfortunately, been a weak spot for me.) and thank you for reviewing!

Stargirl0507: Ew. Slash. Anyway, absolutely not, and thanks for reviewing!

tear-drowned-angel: I know. I feel sorry for Gimli too...but they're not all mean! Thanks for reviewing.

Manwaithiel Melda: I'm glad you like it! Maegóre seems to interest everyone. Thanks for reviewing!