Oh shit, not another one Helena couldn't keep her groan quiet as
Legolas pointed out their quarters for the evening, a cave. A rather large
cave, but still, a cave. Legolas went off to hunt for food while Helena
volunteered to find firewood, see if I spend a second in a cave if I can
help it Gimli wasn't very happy with the idea of her going off again, but
relented at a look from Helena that questioned his desire to reproduce in
the future. "Just don't go far Tarin, there are worse things than wargs
about." Gimli warned, "and stay on the ground no matter what." Rolling her
eyes at the name and repressing a shudder Helena nodded and went around the
cave entrance and out of sight.
Returning about a half-hour later with arms full of kindling and wood Helena dumped it at Gimli's feet with a huge grin on her face. "We'll have a fine fire tonight won't we master Gimli?" Gimli looked over the wood and grudgingly admitted that the wood was of fine quality and began to build a fire with it. Helena however wasn't finished with him yet, "No Gimli, I have a chore for you to help me with" Helena held out her hand to help him up. Blatantly ignoring the offered hand Gimli got to his feet, "What is it Tarin?" Gimli's eyebrows drew together as he waited for an explanation. Helena just walked out of the cave and eventually, grumbling, Gimli followed her.
After a few minutes of walking Helena stopped in a small glade. Pointing at some herbs she instructed Gimli, "We can gather some rosemary to flavor the meat with here." Turning to face a huge bush she added, "I'll gather some mulberries too." With that Helena began to pick the berries and put them on a blanket she brought along. A comfortable silence followed only interrupted by Helena humming some of her favorite melodies. Gimli came up behind her to lay a handful of rosemary on the blanket too; Helena whirled around and caught his hand, "No Gimli, not in there. Rosemary mixed with mulberries, that'd taste interesting," Helena made a face to punctuate her meaning. Gimli's face turned red, "how else do you propose to transport the rosemary?" Now who's the useless one? Much to Gimli's astonishment Helena took off his helmet and held it out to him, "use that." Ignoring the sputtered remarks about how a helmet was not meant as a basket she blissfully went back to berry picking and singing. Grumbling Gimli complied with her and used his helmet to store his rosemary in. Helena caught a glimpse of this, smiling; he's kinda sweet when he's not insulting
Soon Legolas found the pair, he saw Helena first because she was making the most noise. Watching her half pick, and half eat the berries while humming a tune that he found to be pleasant to hear. Legolas next turned toward Gimli. The sight of his fierce warrior friend on his knees selecting large quantities of rosemary and placing it in his helmet caused Legolas to loose his composure for a moment and break into a huge grin. "Legolas! Back from hunting so soon?" Helena had caught sight of him and announced his presence to Gimli. The warrior dwarf saw Legolas's grin and quickly gained his feet, grabbed the rosemary out of his helmet and promptly put the helmet back on his head. Regaining his composure Legolas turned toward Helena, "Yes I've found a brace of hares to eat. Are you finished here?" Nodding Helena went up to the cave; Legolas waited for his friend. "Well master dwarf it lightens my heart to see you and Tarin getting along so well" "She found some berries and wanted to pick them, she probably would have found another warg if I didn't go with her" Gimli responded. At the cave entrance Helena called down to them, "the rabbits look wonderful but someone other than me will be preparing them!" Gimli grunted, "useless female."
Helena was just finishing up with her dessert of mulberries when Legolas got up, bid both Helena and Gimli goodnight, he sat at the edge of the cave starring at the stars. Helena began to lay out a blanket to sleep on when she heard strange melodic sounds, turning she saw they were coming from Legolas. "Legolas?" she moved over to him, he seemed oblivious to the world, "what are you doing?" She reached a hand out to touch him but Gimli stayed her hand. "Leave him Tarin," Gimli told her, "he is communicating with Nurhyandoien." Gimli was rewarded with a very confused look from Helena, "Nurwhatien? Who's that? And if he's so close why didn't Legolas just call out?" Gimli led her away from Legolas so as not to disturb him and sat Helena down next to the fire, "Nurhyandoien, she's Legolas's wife. She's not here, she's in Rivendell right now visiting -." Needless to say Helena heard the 'Legolas's wife' part and blocked out the rest. "Legolas is married?" Gimli nodded in response. Digesting this information she tried to sort it out with her brain, of course he's married, why wouldn't he be? He's a prince, he's wise, strong, handsome, wait stop this line of thinking RIGHT NOW he's taken. Anyway I'm a DWARF OK it's not that bad after all. There are other fish in the sea; I CAN get over that . . . handsome . . . wise . . . strong . . . useless elf! Coming out of her mental argument Helena found herself humming "I'm a Survivor" Gimli was just watching her.
Taking a steadying breath Helena decided any conversation beats the silence and self-humming, "So what is it with looking at the stars again?" Gimli pointed to the stars, "Elves were born under the stars, under the stars their aura is the strongest. And when they look at the stars they can communicate emotions and feelings to one another. He is communicating with his wife now, there is no more open way to express emotions to one another." Helena gazed at the stars wishing to be able to do that, "what a wonder that must be to communicate with feelings." Gimli nodded solemnly, "It is a wonderful gift and a marvelous feeling." Helena turned toward him, eyes filled with wonder, "You can do that? You can communicate feelings through the stars?" "No Tarin, not through the stars, the stars are for the elves. The earth is for the dwarves. We live in caves because we sense each other through the ground." Helena looked around her at disbelief; this, this, hole in the ground, cold and lifeless is a lifeline for dwarves? Slowly Gimli took her hand and laid it flat on the ground.
At first Helena felt nothing but cold rock but slowly, very slowly she became aware of warmth coming off of the rock. A slow vibration was in the earth, a steady tempo. Her face lit up as she discovered the rock was alive! This is so unreal! The cave was alive, the entire earth was alive and it conveyed feelings to her that she read as clearly as if the earth had spoken to her. She wasn't even aware that Gimli's hand was still on hers until he spoke, "that is how I found you with the warg. You were on the ground, the earth sent me your terror in shock waves." Helena meet Gimli's eyes, "Thank you Gimli" "You're welcome Tarin," with that Gimli and Helena lay down to sleep. For once the rock on which she slept seemed inviting, warm, and comforting. The last waking thought Helena had was that she didn't mind him calling her Tarin anymore.
Returning about a half-hour later with arms full of kindling and wood Helena dumped it at Gimli's feet with a huge grin on her face. "We'll have a fine fire tonight won't we master Gimli?" Gimli looked over the wood and grudgingly admitted that the wood was of fine quality and began to build a fire with it. Helena however wasn't finished with him yet, "No Gimli, I have a chore for you to help me with" Helena held out her hand to help him up. Blatantly ignoring the offered hand Gimli got to his feet, "What is it Tarin?" Gimli's eyebrows drew together as he waited for an explanation. Helena just walked out of the cave and eventually, grumbling, Gimli followed her.
After a few minutes of walking Helena stopped in a small glade. Pointing at some herbs she instructed Gimli, "We can gather some rosemary to flavor the meat with here." Turning to face a huge bush she added, "I'll gather some mulberries too." With that Helena began to pick the berries and put them on a blanket she brought along. A comfortable silence followed only interrupted by Helena humming some of her favorite melodies. Gimli came up behind her to lay a handful of rosemary on the blanket too; Helena whirled around and caught his hand, "No Gimli, not in there. Rosemary mixed with mulberries, that'd taste interesting," Helena made a face to punctuate her meaning. Gimli's face turned red, "how else do you propose to transport the rosemary?" Now who's the useless one? Much to Gimli's astonishment Helena took off his helmet and held it out to him, "use that." Ignoring the sputtered remarks about how a helmet was not meant as a basket she blissfully went back to berry picking and singing. Grumbling Gimli complied with her and used his helmet to store his rosemary in. Helena caught a glimpse of this, smiling; he's kinda sweet when he's not insulting
Soon Legolas found the pair, he saw Helena first because she was making the most noise. Watching her half pick, and half eat the berries while humming a tune that he found to be pleasant to hear. Legolas next turned toward Gimli. The sight of his fierce warrior friend on his knees selecting large quantities of rosemary and placing it in his helmet caused Legolas to loose his composure for a moment and break into a huge grin. "Legolas! Back from hunting so soon?" Helena had caught sight of him and announced his presence to Gimli. The warrior dwarf saw Legolas's grin and quickly gained his feet, grabbed the rosemary out of his helmet and promptly put the helmet back on his head. Regaining his composure Legolas turned toward Helena, "Yes I've found a brace of hares to eat. Are you finished here?" Nodding Helena went up to the cave; Legolas waited for his friend. "Well master dwarf it lightens my heart to see you and Tarin getting along so well" "She found some berries and wanted to pick them, she probably would have found another warg if I didn't go with her" Gimli responded. At the cave entrance Helena called down to them, "the rabbits look wonderful but someone other than me will be preparing them!" Gimli grunted, "useless female."
Helena was just finishing up with her dessert of mulberries when Legolas got up, bid both Helena and Gimli goodnight, he sat at the edge of the cave starring at the stars. Helena began to lay out a blanket to sleep on when she heard strange melodic sounds, turning she saw they were coming from Legolas. "Legolas?" she moved over to him, he seemed oblivious to the world, "what are you doing?" She reached a hand out to touch him but Gimli stayed her hand. "Leave him Tarin," Gimli told her, "he is communicating with Nurhyandoien." Gimli was rewarded with a very confused look from Helena, "Nurwhatien? Who's that? And if he's so close why didn't Legolas just call out?" Gimli led her away from Legolas so as not to disturb him and sat Helena down next to the fire, "Nurhyandoien, she's Legolas's wife. She's not here, she's in Rivendell right now visiting -." Needless to say Helena heard the 'Legolas's wife' part and blocked out the rest. "Legolas is married?" Gimli nodded in response. Digesting this information she tried to sort it out with her brain, of course he's married, why wouldn't he be? He's a prince, he's wise, strong, handsome, wait stop this line of thinking RIGHT NOW he's taken. Anyway I'm a DWARF OK it's not that bad after all. There are other fish in the sea; I CAN get over that . . . handsome . . . wise . . . strong . . . useless elf! Coming out of her mental argument Helena found herself humming "I'm a Survivor" Gimli was just watching her.
Taking a steadying breath Helena decided any conversation beats the silence and self-humming, "So what is it with looking at the stars again?" Gimli pointed to the stars, "Elves were born under the stars, under the stars their aura is the strongest. And when they look at the stars they can communicate emotions and feelings to one another. He is communicating with his wife now, there is no more open way to express emotions to one another." Helena gazed at the stars wishing to be able to do that, "what a wonder that must be to communicate with feelings." Gimli nodded solemnly, "It is a wonderful gift and a marvelous feeling." Helena turned toward him, eyes filled with wonder, "You can do that? You can communicate feelings through the stars?" "No Tarin, not through the stars, the stars are for the elves. The earth is for the dwarves. We live in caves because we sense each other through the ground." Helena looked around her at disbelief; this, this, hole in the ground, cold and lifeless is a lifeline for dwarves? Slowly Gimli took her hand and laid it flat on the ground.
At first Helena felt nothing but cold rock but slowly, very slowly she became aware of warmth coming off of the rock. A slow vibration was in the earth, a steady tempo. Her face lit up as she discovered the rock was alive! This is so unreal! The cave was alive, the entire earth was alive and it conveyed feelings to her that she read as clearly as if the earth had spoken to her. She wasn't even aware that Gimli's hand was still on hers until he spoke, "that is how I found you with the warg. You were on the ground, the earth sent me your terror in shock waves." Helena meet Gimli's eyes, "Thank you Gimli" "You're welcome Tarin," with that Gimli and Helena lay down to sleep. For once the rock on which she slept seemed inviting, warm, and comforting. The last waking thought Helena had was that she didn't mind him calling her Tarin anymore.