Disclaimer: I own nothing it all belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.
My father had warned me that dwarves were insufferable. Really, I had no idea. Gimli, Son of Gloin made me furious. True, neither of us had gotten the Ring in the end, and both of us were part of the Fellowship; but the way he spoke to me made my toes curl and my ears burn. As if a dwarf was better than an elf! Ridiculous!
He glared across the stone dais at me, while I resolutely ignored his gaze. In the background, Elrond was discussing the niceties of how the Fellowship would travel to Mordor. All I wanted to do was put an arrow through Gimli's skull.
"I expect you all to be ready to leave tomorrow" Gandalf was saying. "We will make for the High Pass."
"The High Pass is watched" I cautioned. "There is a great force gathering there, though for what I know not. We may be able to sneak by, but we are a large company."
The old wizard harrumphed.
"Well, we will come to that dilemma as we draw closer to the Misty Mountains."
"The way by Isengard is no safer" Aragorn supplied. "We know that now."
We discussed it no further, though there was a sense of uneasiness that accosted us. The Council was dismissed, and we made for our separate tasks. I had had arrows made and fletched for me in the days prior, and had gone about oiling my quiver and bow that morning before the Council. My pack was supplied with lembas, and my water skin filled. I had clothing patches with needle and thread, and a fresh pair of footwear. The only thing left for me to do was compose a letter to my father, explaining my decision. I balked at the idea, as I had no doubt he would be against it. It was a dangerous venture, one that did not guarantee success. Still, it would be good for the Greenwood to have a member of my people be somewhat invested in the fate of Middle Earth. Too oft had we been prone to retreating into the pristine quiet of the Woodlands. Still, it was with a heavy heart that I sent the missive off. Adar would be hurt and angry, and I worried that he would be lonely without me in the Caverns.
"The Council seemed almost as surprised to see you volunteer as me" Frodo remarked thoughtfully.
We were sitting in the annex of an archway overhanging a waterfall. It was near evening, and someone had brought out the lanterns. There was a soft breeze, and the last rays of the sun were peeking over the top of the Vale. Frodo had his cloak wrapped around him, and a book in his lap.
"The folk of the Greenwood are little pressed to meddle with the affairs of Men" I said, looking down at the head of brown curls.
"Like Hobbits" my small conversant said wisely.
"Quite like Hobbits" I agreed.
Frodo's hand drifted to his neck, where the Ring hung ominously.
"Do you think we've made an awful choice, doing all this?"
"I think you have made a far graver choice than I" I said slowly, and he looked disheartened. "But the choices we make
make us wiser, though not necessarily in favorable ways. We can only take each day at its time, and understand that all is not certain." I grimaced. "I regret that I cannot assure you that our decisions will bring anything positive to light. We can only sit with the reassurance that our intentions are honest and good-willed."
We sat in silence a while longer then, until I decided to get one final night's rest in a feather bed. I didn't particularly need it, but a part of me knew it was a luxury I would not be able to partake in for a long time after. I meditated briefly before going over my list for the trip one last time. Soon after, I crawled into bed and went to sleep one last time under the eaves of Rivendell. And while my mind was at rest I took comfort in the fact that while I ventured out into the world, I did not do it alone.
The morning of our departure dawned cold and crisp. I rose early and dressed in my traveller's garb, leaving my bow and arrow in my rooms. Restless feet led me back to the courtyard where the Council had met, and I stood on the perimeter, chewing on my lip as I stared at the stone dais where the Ring had sat. Great sacrifices had been made just to bring it here. What more would the Evil thing take from the World before all was said and done. So absorbed was I in my thoughts, I didn't hear the footsteps behind me. So I started when the individual at my back spoke.
"So we're to do a mission together."
"So it seems" I agreed. "Quite an important mission too."
"I haven't the faintest why you agreed to it."
I startled at the harsh note of disgust, and I turned to face Aragorn fully. On his face was a thunderous scowl.
"I...don't understand" I said confusedly.
"Your first mission" he all but spat. "Your first mission out from under the hand of your father and you choose this?!"
"And you think I am not worthy?" I retorted feeling my own ire begin to rise. "I am not a child Estel!"
"You could die" he said bluntly. "You could die and then what would happen to your Father?"
"Says the heir of Gondor" I scoffed. "You could die and then your line would be ended."
"You and I both know that Men will walk this earth long after your kind are gone" Aragorn shot back. "Whether I live or not."
"I want to do this!" I retorted. "And why shouldn't I? I'm just as qualified as you."
"That you may be, but you and I both know the costs of this mission will be high."
I sat down disgustedly; first my father and now this?! Would I ever be free from the meddlesome opinions that saw me as a coddled princeling?
"I would think you would support me" I said bitterly. "After all, what do we strive for in this world but a means for Good to triumph over Evil?"
A hand on my shoulder startled me, and I looked up to see Aragorn looking contrite.
"I'm sorry" he mumbled. "I know you are just as learned as I am, if not more. I've just never been on a quest that seems so futile and desperate. And I'll be damned if I see you come with me only to fall, without a single word of caution."
For a while, only the sound of leaves skittering across the courtyard could be heard as we were still; contemplating what lay ahead. I was both confused and flattered. I understood that he saw me as a dear friend, and took my livelihood deeply to heart. But it wasn't as if I couldn't take care of myself, and he knew it. For years, we had both trained our differing abilities to a level of mastery very few could achieve. We were not only warriors but healers and scholars in our own rights; we did not go forth blindly. Neither of us were ignorant. And so Elrond found us; silent, with his hand on my shoulder and our eyes to the future. We did not speak of the argument, having come to an unspoken truce. And so we left Imladris with a priceless charge, with the sun at our backs and a black, soundless view ahead.
"I cannot abide by the elf skipping about this terrain! It is made for regular, sturdy footsteps I tell you! Not twirls and leaps!"
A flock of birds took flight at Gimli's insistent growling. We had been travelling nigh three days and already the dwarf had found numerous problems with my presence. I rarely slept, so I must be snooping about the pack for extra food. I spoke to the trees - few as there were in such rocky terrain - so I must be insane. And now, I stepped lightly, so I must be dancing and making light of the others' toil. I myself had avoided confrontation with Gimli at all costs. Indeed, I did not deign to speak with him at all, unless it was to defend my supposedly 'terrible' behavior. Boromir appeared to care little for our quarrels; pressing on at a steady pace whilst willfully ignoring us. Gandalf kept up good spirits no matter what nature of events befell us, and our banter earned the occasional raised bushy brow but naught more. The Hobbits, save Frodo, seemed to find our spats rather funny, poorly stifling snickers in the background. Aragorn was sick to death of it, and seemed rather close to strangling one or both of us.
"I do not leap, dwarf" I said through gritted teeth. "And if I should walk half as loud as you do, every troll within a league would know we were coming!"
"Why you-!"
"-Enough!"
There was a loud *thump* and everyone looked around, shocked to see Aragorn, Son of Arathorn had dropped his pack and was standing with his arms folded.
"Mr. Strider?" Sam said uncertainly.
"You" he hissed at me. "You know better than to rise to petty insults no matter what race they come from." I blinked stupidly as he turned to Gimli. "You need to concentrate on our journey, and not the mannerisms of others." Gimli harrumphed and looked at the ground. "And you three" Aragorn addressed the Hobbits. "You need not laugh at their ridiculousness." The Hobbits looked bemused, Aragorn ran a hand over his face. "We are camping here, despite the fact it is only midday, and you'd best expect to do double-time tomorrow to make it up. Mayhap that will teach you to get along."
And with that, he grabbed his pipe, lit it, and sat down; a glowering expression on his face daring us to say anything. Gandalf's beard was twitching mightily as he too sat, whistling a merry tune. Frodo laid out his bedroll and promptly fell asleep, apparently having decided to take advantage of the extra rest. Merry and Pippin set about helping Sam tie up Bill, and Boromir found a lofty perch on a rock to watch they way behind and ahead. That left only Gimli and I, standing side by side, looking resolutely away from one another. Aragorn eventually rose to find solace further away, sparing neither of us a glance. Gimli cleared his throat.
"I suppose we're going to have to give it a rest" he growled.
"It seems we have no choice" I said bitterly. "I'm going to meditate" I added after a moment, he grunted in response.
I left to find a suitable spot, well away from the others. I was grumpy, admittedly, and felt guilty for subjecting the rest of the party to such punishment. I had half a mind to tell Gimli we ought to gather everyone and form some measure of apology. My pride squashed this idea before it could form into anything lucrative, however. What gave Estel the right to boss me around in any case? He had the Evenstar hanging about his neck now, maybe that filled him with a greater sense of responsibility. For some reason, it only filled me with ire whenever I caught sight of it. Maybe because I had no token from a lover of my own.
"Or maybe, because you wish the token he carries was from you" a slow, insidious voice whispered in the back of my mind.
I wrenched the thought from my consciousness, dashing it into a metaphorical dust. There would be none of such thoughts, they were dangerous and deadly.
"Legolas."
I was pulled from my meditation like one who has been asleep before a thunderclap. I was doused in the bright afternoon light; reminding myself where I was and what I was doing. My fingers curled reflexively as I drew a deep breath to ground myself. Aragorn knelt before me, his grey eyes solemn and stern, the Evenstar hanging from his jeck….
...I wanted to yank it off.
'Tis a strange thing, to want to rip jewelry off a person like it might save their life. It was as if a snake slithered about his shoulders, and I but wanted to save him. But the sensible part of me whispered that it was not a snake but a token, a token of protection from the Lady Arwen. Arwen, who was kind and loyal and the lady whom he loves. To do such a thing would surely enrage him and I did not want that because he was surely my friend...my-
"-Friend?" I said aloud; and it must have seemed as if I was asking because his face softened and he clasped my shoulder.
"Of course" he said roughly. "Mi van mellyn, remember?" I smiled shakily, still lost in the cloud of my thoughts. "Maybe I should not have been so harsh but the better we all get along, the more successful this mission will be." He took a seat beside me and pulled out his pipe. "Remember, we all want the same thing; to see the One Ring destroyed." I nodded and he smiled. "You do leap sometimes, you know. Are you sure you're not giving us a show?"
And a part of me despaired at how easy it was for him to charm mr. Surely, an elf of several thousand years of existence shouldn't be so easily placated. And yet, with a jest full phrase and a flair of humor my pride and discomfort disappeared. I was laughing and smiling, unable to do anything to stop it. And of I fell short of defending my honor that day, I cared not. There was only now and him. And by the Gods I was lost and it was hopeless. I knew, but at the same time I didn't. There was only now.
Translations:
Iston-U-Iston- I know...I do not know."
Mi van mellyn- we are friends
Author's Notes:
I'm soo sorry for the long delay. My computer is broken. So I've had to type this all up on my smartphone which is a chore and a half I'll tell you that right now. Every chapter I submit has been handwritten in a notebook first (kinda nerdy, whatevs) so I literally write each chapter twice. I don't know when I'll be able to afford a new one so please be patient with me.
Hmm, so Legolas might be starting to wrap his head around things. No way of knowing for sure so stay tuned. I know not all of you will appreciate Aragorn's tantrum of sorts but it was oh so satisfying to write. Anyways, bye for now. I'll give you a tentative date of Christmas for the next chapter possibly chapters. Again, like three chapters are written down its all just a matter of tapping it into Google Docs, copying and pasting and then reformatting and submitting. Which is really a pain.
~How lost, how lost, how lost we are
In the dungeons of passion we start
What cost, what costs, what costs we bar
For the sordid affairs of the heart~