Two days later, they came across a group of Gondor's men. They had been part of some scouting or rescue party and weren't hard to follow.
Legolas and Gimli had been in there pursuit for little over an hour, both had to admit they did enjoy tracking and hunting even if they weren't as skilled as their Kingly friend. It was sport though, easy sport as the men were a noisy bunch that left a clear trail behind them.
Legolas and Gimli waited for them to enter a valley for they couldn't take the higher paths across the ridges with their strangely assembled group of various animals; mules, horses and a cow, before they cut them off. They had women and children in their group too and made very slow progress. It looked as if the Gondorians had come across the others and were doing a round trip with the idea that they returned to civilisation.
Legolas would bet his quiver that there were at least two of Rohan's riders in their midst.
It was easier with one horse and a dwarf for Legolas to lead the way along the tight little paths to the other end of the valley.
It must have been a strange sight for the party, who had not come across any creatures from another species for weeks that didn't wish them harm, to see outlined by the sunset a dwarf and an elf waiting for them.
Legolas and Gimli made a sight for sore eyes as the weary travellers shielded theirs. None of the men were riding; they had given up their horses and pack animals so that the women could ride. But they knelt bowing their heads and yelled for their entourage to stop.
It was a strange thing to see an elf or a dwarf outside their own worlds, even more so now that the elves had almost all left and that the dwarves spent even more time underground. Even stranger was it to see an elf and a dwarf together. But stories spread and grow wings to become myth.
Everyone knew about the dwarf and the elf who became friends. Everyone knew of the nine who set out to save Middle Earth. No one bowed their heads and murmured silent respect to every other soldier they came across, for when war consumes everything and everyone, everyone suffers. There was just a nod of acknowledgement and then possibly the offer of a drink.
They helped the men set up their makeshift camp and discussed travel plans and kingdom plans and old stories and even the weather. They laughed and they joked and Legolas showed them which berries were good to eat and which weren't.
When it got too dark and cold and everyone had curled up to sleep Legolas sat apart watching the mountains yearn.
"These are all who remain of those who were captured by the barbarians," Gimli nodded quietly to the women and children. "I don't know who I pity more. The men who were tortured and killed or the women who were-"
Legolas closed his eyes. "Mihan said that their group isn't an ambush or an attacking party. They stumbled across the small settlement and heard the common tongue being spoken by captives. They had not decided what to do after their Lord died. There were twenty of them and they managed to rescue all of the living captives but five losing seven of their own."
"They should have send a few, followed the tribe if they moved on and-"
"It would have taken them days to reach anyone," hissed Legolas. "It was luck that Rohan's riders were anywhere near. Rohan will have word by tomorrow at the latest, Aragorn will know soon after. They will be safe now."
Gimli sat down heavily. "Bravery and stupidity are often the same thing."
"The first night we spent at your home Master Dwarf," Legolas began. "I wish to speak to you about it."
Gimli shook his head. "I don't think there is anything that requires speaking of."
Legolas stared at the floor before answering, when he looked up his eyes were dull and shadowed. "We are both battling feelings of belonging. We have visited your home where we were hailed and visited my home. We should find a place where we will both be useful."
Gimli chewed his lip. "You are considering returning to aid Aragorn in his kingdom? He...he will be very welcoming."
But first we will adventure. We will see the brightest stars and the darkest stones of the darkest caves. "Gimli I am scared," his voice fell even lower as a small child stirred in its mother's arms. "Gimli I am very scared," he tapped his forehead. "I hear certain sounds, smell certain scents, even the way the wind blows through my hair as we ride and...and it's happening again. Suddenly I am in the midst of battle, suddenly there are children screaming and running from Orc raiders. Suddenly..."
He fell silent. It was a peaceful but cold night, nothing could be heard but a few small animals scuttling, the deep breathing of the sleeping and the rocks settling.
Gimli met his friend's eyes. "Please-"
Legolas silenced him. "My heart pounds, my muscles tense. There is nothing I can do to stop them when these...these images return to me. I see Frodo, I see the Halflings being taken, I see the Halflings dying because I am not quick enough or fast enough. Borimir cries out to me. Aragorn falls. I see him standing over Aragorn and I cannot be there...and you...and you..."
Gimli let his head rest against Legolas's shoulder. "Only dreams Legolas," he murmured. "They haunt the best of us."
Legolas snapped his head away shaking it. "No. Day and night. Always! Always the same Gimli! No. I refuse it. I won't accept it! I can't!" he felt anger shaking him. He pushed himself to his feet and began to walk away.
Gimli took a deep breath, resisted the urge to use rather colourful language and started to follow. "Legolas you're not well. Sit dow-"
"No! I am not a child," he snapped. "Gimli I am no child. Stay and watch over Arod," he commanded.
Then he disappeared into the mountain pass silently and as quickly as the disappearing sun. Gimli sat down quietly and searched for his pipe feeling hopeless and despairing. Part of him wondered why he hadn't tried to follow. The other part knew why he had not.
Please...do not do anything hasty dear elf.
It was before dawn when Gimli woke. He rolled over to find Legolas's blankets still empty. The elf had not returned. One of the women was feeding her child; she herself still had the strange paint that the savages had marked her with on her face.
Gimli quickly averted his eyes and sidled over to the Gondorians who were on guard. "Have you seen a tall blond elf in a foul temper? Probably looking for a wild beast to fight so that he can die in its jaws like a hero in a child's bedtime tale."
The men looked up from their game of dice throwing. Gimli was in no state to lecture them on how you were meant to guard a camp full of vulnerable. But the first point was that you didn't lounge around playing dice and not keeping your eyes open.
"He hasn't returned," the younger said rubbing his chin. "Old Tom said you two argued," he raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I call eight."
The older turned his head on one side. "I call seven."
Gimli looked up at them in distaste, for although they were seated on two upturned barrels they still were taller than him. "Should I not return by the time you move on take the-take our horse with you. If we do not meet you by the time you reach your destination take him to your King and tell him that we are dead."
The older's eyes narrowed. "Do you really believe-"
"If he refuses to go with you even if the Rohan can't persuade him then let him loose, he'll find his own way," Gimli cut across. Then slinging his axe over his shoulder he strode towards the valley opening.
Legolas stared across the small pool with glassy eyes.
The words had hit hard, like a hammer against his heart, breaking it, shattering it. The war was over. But nothing could ever undo years of it. He was a warrior, a hero, a saviour. Yet he wept like a child and had a mental state as stable as Eowyn's when he'd last met with her. She'd been several months pregnant and had screamed at Farimir for not returning with the fruit she had demanded then sobbed when he did.
Legolas knew that the mountains had secrets, every living thing did. But the pool he had found was not visible to the mortal eye, he knew that. It was sheltered by a cave and the tiny engravings on one of the stones gave the impression it was a place that had been used by Dunedain as shelter.
Though what would draw them out here...
The surface of the pool was as still as glass. The water was clear, too clear to be natural and every so often the light tricked patterns across it.
Gimli's presence was announced long before he actually arrived. There was the crunching of dry ground, the knocking over of rocks and stones, the swearing and the coughing and then-
"The stones are alive," Gimli said as he clambered through the small gap that separated one world from a similar.
Legolas smiled wearily. "All stones are alive to you. Just as the trees are."
"In Fangorn the trees moved, these stones...they move too," Gimli gestured around with one arm. "There were stories once. When I was a lad, about how dwarves, trolls and stone people all came from the same place. The mountains, deep deep underground. They say we hatched from one stone egg. The first dwarf, the first troll. The shell became the first stone person, unfolding itself into a creature in its own right."
"I'm sorry Gimli," Legolas lowered his gaze. "I was wrong to grow angry with you. I...I just felt so tired," he began to move his hands away from playing with the clasp of his cloak to gesture as if doing so would bring the words forth from his mouth. "I-"
Gimli chuckled. "You know the problem with you elves? You don't know when to be quiet."
"You know the problem with you dwarves?" Legolas asked. "You change your minds like a woman changes her gowns. You told me to talk to you and talk I am trying to do!"
"And talk is not what you are ready to do!" Gimli replied. "Not yet. Now eat," he pulled out a squashed piece of bread from a cloth bag and a chunk of stiff meat. He folded the bread over the meat and shoved it at the elf. "You're skin and bone. I may not have your sight but I know you have not eaten since we left the mountain."
They sat in semi silence and they talked about the most unimportant things imaginable to man and their bodies touched. Gimly spoke of the rebuilding plans in architectural detail; particularly Helms Deep and Legolas nodded and tried to follow vaguely. Legolas felt strangely numb, almost empty.
Gimli watched the shadows move as the first glimmers of the sun fought them away. Soon dawn would be upon them and the party would ready itself for departure. Gimli inhaled the sweet scent of earth and leaves that radiated naturally from the elf. "I feared...I feared that you would do something," he thought for a moment, "something daft."
"I considered it," Legolas admitted. "Throwing myself off some ravine. Wandering off like they did in those tales about ageless rangers who wandered so long they lost themselves. I considered-"
"Finding a bear and fighting it with your bare hands?" Gimli suggested.
Legolas nodded chewing a piece of bread. "It crossed my mind."
When he didn't continue Gimli gave him a small prod. "But you came to your senses and decided that a live annoying elf is better than a dead one?"
I hope I will never be that...weak...strong...but if I see...if I hear them again...see what I could not do...the children that could not be saved...so many... "I do not know."
Gimli knew there were many approaches he could take. One being to brain the elf and tell him that if he dared take his own life he'd viciously kill him. Another to remind him that nothing they had done was done in order for his life to end in such a way.
Is going to the undying lands any different to dying? Didn't their souls go to the halls of Mandos and then...I do not want him to leave, to sail away from me. Be it the sea and dreams of the West that take him or the veil of death itself.
"I wonder, if it would end should I take to the water," Legolas said quietly. "Death might not be a release. If dreams are not then surely death would not be. If...if I had sailed when I should have..."
Gimli pushed himself up and pressed his lips to the elf's forehead. He felt Legolas's fingers entwine in his beard. "Don't think such things."
Legolas pulled away and shook himself as if getting rid of dirt. "I-I do not know what to do Gimli."
Gimli threw his head back. "Neither do I. We will just do what we always did. Stumble our way on using half baked plans and following our hearts. You can make that decision when you must."
A thousand unasked questions raced through Legolas's mind. He didn't ask any of them, instead he did was his heart bade him do. Leant forward and embraced Gimli with long arms, avoiding the axe that got in the way slightly and pulling him near gruffly.
Gimli buried his head in Legolas's chest and raised his head to meet the elf's lips. Tentatively and gently they caressed one another, not daring to go a step further, not willing to compromise or cease. Slowly Legolas breathed into Gimli, feeling the dwarf's breath mix with his.
There was no explosion of light of fusing of magic deeper darker and older than the earth itself. Their spit mingled and became one, their tongues danced. It was over as soon as it had begun.
Legolas stood unfolding his long legs out beneath him as he tossed the remainder of the meat into the lake.
An offering to the stone people.
Gimli followed him, picking up a few bread crumbs and tossing them as his gift. They arrived back at the camp to find the men had already packed up and had been debating whether to wait slightly longer.
Having nothing to pack but a few blankets they made their way to Arod and were soon ready to depart.
The stone people had left their own offering. Beside the sulky looking horse were two necklaces, made of leather thongs, both with three stone beads strung on it.
As they walked slowly leading Arod they gave messages to various Gondorians and Horsemen to be given to various friends.
They intended to leave the group soon but still they stopped for a short break with them and Gimli found himself enjoying slightly the normality of it all. The children squealed and played and Rohan's Horsemen told them off for scaring the horses. A mule was too stubborn and didn't want to go anywhere and a young man of Gondor was trying and failing to charm one of the young women they'd rescued.
Legolas took a sip of water. "Did you mean what you said on our last night at your home?"
Gimli steeled himself. "I love you."
"I love you too."
No stars combusted. No gods fell to earth. There were no flames of wrath and hate or icy tongues drowning all sound and being.
There was simply an elf and a dwarf and a horse.
Legolas almost laughed. It sounded like the beggining of a very bad joke.
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, so grateful to all those who messaged be to tell me they didn't remember a John and a Sherlock being part of The Lord of the Rings. Glad to know you're all awake when you read my chapter updates! Keep reading and keep enjoying ~Natalie River x