Disclaimer:I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of it's characters...
Please Review!^^
Chapter 4: Gimli Grows Weary of Waiting…
~)0(~
Darkness is the absence of light.
Even his own Elvish light, the soft glow that infused his every pore, it seemed as dark as Sauron's soul in this room; so tight and dark and small…he closed his blue eyes against the over-whelming panic of his soul. Elves were never made to be confined…his hand attested to that…but his mind wandered…
Her words so cryptic… "If I cannot have him, he cannot have you!"
What did she mean? What purpose was there to have falsely imprisoned him thus?
Maybe Gimli had been right, should he have thrown himself at her feet and begged for mercy…? Nay, if he had, his father would have had him killed…but there may not be need of that, for he was still trapped within a stone tomb of ever-closing walls and dripping water.
~)0(~
Gleaming brightly in the noonlight, his axe-blade had never been keener to hew Orc heads from their bodies…and yet, he continued, the whetstone providing a comforting 'schick schick' to his tumultuous mind.
The Elf was probably fine, just…out singing to a tree or some-such, yes…that had to be it…singing to a tree…but he would not worry his companions thusly; he would have told them…
The whetstone clacked off the harsh grey walls and echoed, Gimli grasped the haft of his axe tightly, standing and striding out of the room; stone brought no comfort to a mind full of questions, only action could dissuade the irritating whispers of worry ghosting through his thoughts.
He trudged up the steps and into the main halls of Helms Deep, glancing about him for the fool Elf…but he found no trace of him, instead stumbling upon a scene most peculiar. It seems Aragorn had found a passage secret, one hand pushed back a concealing tapestry, and the other held a lit torch aloft…the Ranger stared avidly down into the dark depths of the unknown; restrained only by the slender hands of Eowyn, wrapped about his bicep.
They argued softly, so he strained to hear them…
"I must go, My Lady…he may need me…" reasoned the calm, even-toned voice of Aragorn, trying to gently shake her death grip from his arm; the Shieldmaiden, however, had no intention of releasing him, throwing back, "And yet, you cannot be certain he is down in the old Fortress, can you?"
It was then he made his presence known, "Aye, but it does no harm to look, Lassie…what resides in the old Fortress that has you so wary?" She merely gaped a moment, as if seeking a plausible answer, then her features gave way to stone, closing off to the world; and she walked off in silence.
"Ah, Gimli, you certainly do have a way with the women-folk…" smiled Aragorn at his Dwarven Companion, then gestured to the gaping maw of nothingness before them, "Would you care to accompany me…somewhere an Elf has most certainly gone before…?"
That did it, Gimli blustered down the stairs in huff, muttering about various things, but mostly Elves; Aragorn merely followed with an amused smile on his features…
~)0(~
She paced.
When her treachery was known, his heart would be closed to her for good…but she had been so certain that without the Elf, she stood a chance. Sadly, it appeared that being a 'Gwador-nin' was far too precious to both of the males, and blinded his heart to her desires…
Sighing softly, she sat on a chair on the middle of an abandoned room and gazed out the window, awaiting their coming…
~)0(~
Their path was long, full of shifting shapes in the shadows and winding, not a soul could be keenly made out…but there was a definite feeling of eyes; the shiver down your spine of gazes capturing your every movement…
"Aragorn…?" came the gruff voice, helm shining intermittently in the flickering torchlight; the Ranger gazed at what he believed to be Gimli's eyes, "What is wrong, Gimli?"
The Dwarf blustered and puffed up like an angry cat, "Why would you assume something is wrong? I am underground, the place a Dwarf should be! Why-…" he made to continue, but a silhouette of a hand waved away the words before they were spoken…
"I also am wary of these dark depths, my friend; there is no shame in admitting it." Smiled the Man, patting the other heartily on the shoulder for support; the beard twitched slightly, and Aragorn assumed it meant the Dwarf was smiling…though one could never tell…
~)0(~
Lolling on the ground before them, light near spent and sputtering; giving up it's fight with the encroaching gloom, lay the light Eowyn had dropped in her frenzied rush from the place in confusion, guilt and shame. Though the two companions were not to know that…
"Look here Aragorn! See how the light illuminates the door!" cried an excited Gimli, tugging the man closer into the circle of light; the circle of dying firelight is spurred on by the other torch, bringing sharp relief to the decaying door, hanging stoutly from the wall.
There were shards of wood about the area, looking to have been thrust outwards from an impact upon the inside of the wooden obstacle, but no, the great iron bar was in place, sealing the door shut.
Or so the companions came to believe upon first glance.
~)0(~
A second inspection revealed the bar to be flawed, cracks ran up and down the solid metal bar, chipping in some places, but definitely the result of being struck from behind the door with a heavy object, or something of great force…
Aragorn felt his heart sink, slowly, as he examined the scene, leaning forwards to tap gently on the door, "Legolas…? Are you in there…?"
~)0(~
A voice…
The sound of two heartbeats echoing in the gloom…the sizzle of fresh flame rose over the sputtering death of the torch he had listened to for hours on end; was this rescue?
Had someone finally seen through the deceptive face the Shieldmaiden wore, seen his disappearance as a sign…?
It mattered not.
They were here…
~)0(~
TBC
==============REVIEW======