*~* "My good Legolas, do you know that the caverns of Helm's Deep are vast
and beautiful? There would be an endless pilgrimage of Dwarves, merely to
gaze at them, if such things were known to be. Aye indeed, they would pay
pure gold for a brief glance!"
"And I would give gold to be excused," said Legolas; "and double to be let out, if I strayed in!" ~ J.R.R. Tolkien "The Two Towers" *~*
"THE FAERIE GOBLET"
Chapter 9 ~ Gimli, son of Glóin
Legolas dropped to a crouch. Ignoring the rock walls that seemed to press in on him from either side, the Elf studied his quarry. So far the creature was unaware of him. Once provoked it could be deadly. But Legolas was hungry after so many days of riding and here was his best chance for sustenance.
Cautiously unslinging his bow, Legolas crept forward with all the silence and skill of an Elvin hunter. His soft tooled boots made no sound on the rocky path deep in the cave. Holding his breath in anticipation he reached forward with the tip of his bow and tapped the beast sharply on the shoulder with it.
"AAARRRRRGGGGGG!!!" roared Gimli the dwarf as he tossed his hammer and chisel in to the air and whirled around to meet whatever had crept up on him in the cavern.
"LEGOLAS!!"
The Elf toppled over backwards on the path, holding his stomach as he hooted with laughter.
"YOU STUPID TREE SQUIRREL! I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!"
"What with?" Legolas gasped. "You tossed your hammer a good twenty paces."
Gimli grumbled and threw the Elf a dark look as he went to retrieve his tools. "What in the name of Middle Earth are you doing here anyway? I didn't expect you for another month."
"I thought to come early and therefore surprise you." Legolas grinned at his own joke. "Are you not glad to see me?"
"Mmph!"
Actually, Gimli was very glad to see his friend. It was always a pleasure when Legolas joined him at the Glittering Caves.
Not that I'd admit it right now, he thought grumpily.
Bending over, Gimli picked up his hammer. The chisel was nowhere to be seen. But when he looked up at Legolas, the Elf held it in his hand, his eyes glittering playfully. Retrieving it, Gimli couldn't suppress the grin that was creeping onto his face. Legolas grinned back and bending over gave Gimli a surprisingly hard hug.
Gimli glanced at him. The hug had a tinge of misery to it and as they stepped out into more brightly lit areas of the Glittering Caves the dwarf could see the tension in the muscles around Legolas' mouth. There were dark smudges on the pale skin beneath the Elf's eyes as well and he'd clearly lost more weight. Legolas' merriness obviously masked great suffering. And Gimli was fairly certain what that suffering was, but before he could ask about it, Legolas gestured at the cave around them.
"You've accomplished a great deal since I was here last. Did you not tell me that you would take but a small chip of rock in an anxious day? I see more than a few chips removed since last winter."
"Aye! We found this new passageway." Gimli preceded him eagerly into a roughly cut arch momentarily forgetting his concern about Legolas. He did remember Legolas' dislike of dark places though and lit two lanterns.
"Thank you," Legolas murmured gratefully as he accepted the lantern. He really did not want to follow Gimli into this fresh cavern. He could feel the weight of the earth pressing down all around, closing him in. The air was old, as if the wind had not stirred it since Illuvatar sang it into being. Its stale dampness gave him the shivers. But the look on Gimli's face told him how important this new discovery was, so he let the dwarf lead on and shut out his own discomfort. Gimli talked excitedly of the new discovery and Legolas tried to focus on the dwarf's words, letting his friend's enthusiasm carry him along the dark passages.
"And this," Gimli said proudly, stopping before a tall white stalagmite, "I've named for the Lady Galadriel since it reminds me of her."
Legolas cocked his head to one side. "It reminds me of a white lump of stone."
"Elves!" Gimli cried with disgust. "You have no imagination."
"On the contrary," Legolas laughed. "I have plenty of imagination. But at least I know the difference between a beautiful woman and a pile of rocks."
Gimli made a noise of disgust. "Just wait until we've shaped it, then you'll see something!"
"Yes, a lump of rock that's been shaped, no doubt," Legolas teased.
"Mmph!" Gimli stomped back toward the way they'd come and Legolas followed him with relief. He'd come to appreciate the Glittering Caves for their wonder and natural beauty, but he would never love them as Gimli did and only endured them for his friend's sake.
"How did you find me anyway?" Gimli asked as they walked back out into the main cavern. "I saw no one accompanying you."
"I followed my nose," Legolas said wrinkling that particular appendage delicately.
"Well I would smell as rosy as you, if I did nothing but lie about on my back and sing to the stars all the time!" Gimli blustered. "But we Dwarves are of a more industrious nature!"
Legolas chuckled. "Actually, I am quite dusty from the road. Lead me to someplace where I may wash and then I'll tell you why I came a month early."
Gimli glanced over Legolas' lean frame. "You can tell me while we eat. You've lost weight again. I'll have our cooks prepare something special."
"I am well," Legolas said quickly. Too quickly. "You need not go to any extra trouble on my account."
"Its no trouble. I'm sure they can rustle up some nice dark, bitter ale to go with it."
This time it was the dwarf's turn to laugh at the face Legolas made.
~ ~ ~
"What do you make of it?" Legolas asked as he leaned back in his chair. They sat in the main underground hall at an enormous table. True to his word, Gimli had made sure that it was nothing less than a feast that was set before Legolas. Fortunately there was good wine to go with it and the Elf had not been forced to endure the bitter ale preferred by Dwarves. The fare had been excellent and Legolas was feeling comfortably full. Gimli had insisted upon pushing new dishes in front of him all evening and Legolas knew the dwarf was worried about him.
Even now a Dwarf maiden hovered at his elbow, eager to bring him something else. Legolas accepted another glass of wine, but refused the honey cakes she offered. He thanked her and gave her a smile. She was a pretty girl, if one's tastes ran toward short, plump women with bright cheeks and masses of curly auburn hair.
Legolas' didn't. He preferred women with dark gold hair and long legs.
Sighing and halting that treacherous thought before it went any further, Legolas turned his attention back to Gimli. The dwarf was examining the hobgoblin's strange silver goblet. Legolas had recited the entire story to him and now the dwarf lent his practiced eye to the object.
"It is pure silver," Gimli said finally, a note of puzzlement in his voice.
"Is that remarkable?"
"Yes." Gimli set down the small bubble of glass through which he'd been magnifying the goblet. "Normally silver is mixed with other metals to give it greater strength. Yet," he scratched a rugged fingernail across the surface of the silver, "this is quite hard. Very odd."
"But what does that tell you?" Legolas persisted.
"That it was made by no craft that I know of."
Legolas sat up. "You mean that it is not of dwarvin origin?"
Gimli shook his head. "No, nor any other that I am acquainted with. I have never seen such high quality."
"Could it have been made by magic?"
"Possibly." Gimli hastily set the goblet down on the table and Legolas noticed him surreptitiously wiping his hands on his breaches.
"That was the conclusion Aragorn and I reached," Legolas continued. "There is a possibility that it was even made by the same magic that forged the Ring."
"This is from Mordor?" Gimli asked, astounded.
"I know not, but I wish to find out. I asked Aragorn for permission to take it to Rivendell. There are at least two wizards there and I wish to consult them about it and the hobgoblin."
Gimli looked quickly at his friend. The dwarf knew of course who one of those wizards was and he wasn't sure it he liked the idea.
He wasn't sure he liked it at all.
Fifteen years ago when Gimli had briefly met the wizardess Alede, she had saved Legolas from the dungeons of Orthanc. But at the same time, she'd imprisoned Legolas in a cage of guilt. It had taken months for Legolas to shake it off. Then he'd traveled home to Mirkwood and once again come under the spell of the mysterious Alede. The Elf had returned to Gondor in a cloud of joy. But the joy had not lasted. In the months that followed he had become despondent and unhappy.
So, while Gimli himself had formed a favorable opinion of the young wizardess during his brief conversation with her, he was not in favor of the emotions she seemed to create in his friend. Legolas had given him few details about her, saying only that she was in love with him. But Gimli suspected it was far more complicated than that. The dwarf would like nothing more than for Legolas to forget her altogether. Traveling to Rivendell was not a plan that he favored.
"Why can not Aragorn go?" Gimli finally asked. "He has more knowledge of magic and wizards than either you or I."
"He has a kingdom to rule," Legolas said reasonably.
"So do you," Gimli reminded the Elf.
"Technically Lord Faramir is ruler of Ithilien," Legolas said.
"Technically," Gimli echoed, "you rule your own people within Ithilien."
Legolas gave him the wide Elvin shrug. "Yes, but my people do not need constant supervision."
"That's a matter of opinion," Gimli snorted.
Legolas waved it away. "I have already spoken with my steward. All will be well. If this goblet is indeed from Mordor, then I would like the best advice that we may receive."
Gimli shook his head. "I do not care for wizards."
"You liked Gandalf well enough."
"True, but he was different."
"Come, Gimli do you not hunger for the open road? It is long since we traveled to Rivendell. I long to see it again." Legolas could see that Gimli was weakening. "Adventure beckons us like a wood nymph, Gimli. Let us heed her call!"
The dwarf shook his head. "If we go meddling in the affairs of magic and wizards, 'adventure' will likely leer at us like a filthy tramp." The dwarf heaved a sigh. If he could not dissuade Legolas, the least he could do was keep an eye on the wayward Elf. "Very well. I'll go." *
Legolas chuckled with relief. "Good. Then you'd better partake of one of the honey cakes that this sweet lady keeps offering. You'll need your strength if you are to travel with me."
"It is you who will need your strength Master Elf. A strong wind could blow you off that beast of yours, so thin have you become."
"Then I will fly to Rivendell and make much better time than you."
"I always knew that Elves' were feather brained."
The bantering continued long into the night and by the time Legolas went to bed he was tired enough to ignore the roar of the sea, which only he heard.
~ ~ ~
A/N: *I have to give credit where its due. This is a tribute to my very favorite novel "The Elfin Ship" by James P, Blaylock. The original quote goes, "His destiny which just that afternoon had beckoned like a wood nymph, now winked and leered like a soggy and bedraggled tramp." This is a delightful book and if you can find it in a used bookstore or library, I highly recommend it.
Time to find out who was eavesdropping on Alede and Baird up in that tree! Chapter 10 "Elrohir, Son of Elrond" coming soon!
"And I would give gold to be excused," said Legolas; "and double to be let out, if I strayed in!" ~ J.R.R. Tolkien "The Two Towers" *~*
"THE FAERIE GOBLET"
Chapter 9 ~ Gimli, son of Glóin
Legolas dropped to a crouch. Ignoring the rock walls that seemed to press in on him from either side, the Elf studied his quarry. So far the creature was unaware of him. Once provoked it could be deadly. But Legolas was hungry after so many days of riding and here was his best chance for sustenance.
Cautiously unslinging his bow, Legolas crept forward with all the silence and skill of an Elvin hunter. His soft tooled boots made no sound on the rocky path deep in the cave. Holding his breath in anticipation he reached forward with the tip of his bow and tapped the beast sharply on the shoulder with it.
"AAARRRRRGGGGGG!!!" roared Gimli the dwarf as he tossed his hammer and chisel in to the air and whirled around to meet whatever had crept up on him in the cavern.
"LEGOLAS!!"
The Elf toppled over backwards on the path, holding his stomach as he hooted with laughter.
"YOU STUPID TREE SQUIRREL! I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!"
"What with?" Legolas gasped. "You tossed your hammer a good twenty paces."
Gimli grumbled and threw the Elf a dark look as he went to retrieve his tools. "What in the name of Middle Earth are you doing here anyway? I didn't expect you for another month."
"I thought to come early and therefore surprise you." Legolas grinned at his own joke. "Are you not glad to see me?"
"Mmph!"
Actually, Gimli was very glad to see his friend. It was always a pleasure when Legolas joined him at the Glittering Caves.
Not that I'd admit it right now, he thought grumpily.
Bending over, Gimli picked up his hammer. The chisel was nowhere to be seen. But when he looked up at Legolas, the Elf held it in his hand, his eyes glittering playfully. Retrieving it, Gimli couldn't suppress the grin that was creeping onto his face. Legolas grinned back and bending over gave Gimli a surprisingly hard hug.
Gimli glanced at him. The hug had a tinge of misery to it and as they stepped out into more brightly lit areas of the Glittering Caves the dwarf could see the tension in the muscles around Legolas' mouth. There were dark smudges on the pale skin beneath the Elf's eyes as well and he'd clearly lost more weight. Legolas' merriness obviously masked great suffering. And Gimli was fairly certain what that suffering was, but before he could ask about it, Legolas gestured at the cave around them.
"You've accomplished a great deal since I was here last. Did you not tell me that you would take but a small chip of rock in an anxious day? I see more than a few chips removed since last winter."
"Aye! We found this new passageway." Gimli preceded him eagerly into a roughly cut arch momentarily forgetting his concern about Legolas. He did remember Legolas' dislike of dark places though and lit two lanterns.
"Thank you," Legolas murmured gratefully as he accepted the lantern. He really did not want to follow Gimli into this fresh cavern. He could feel the weight of the earth pressing down all around, closing him in. The air was old, as if the wind had not stirred it since Illuvatar sang it into being. Its stale dampness gave him the shivers. But the look on Gimli's face told him how important this new discovery was, so he let the dwarf lead on and shut out his own discomfort. Gimli talked excitedly of the new discovery and Legolas tried to focus on the dwarf's words, letting his friend's enthusiasm carry him along the dark passages.
"And this," Gimli said proudly, stopping before a tall white stalagmite, "I've named for the Lady Galadriel since it reminds me of her."
Legolas cocked his head to one side. "It reminds me of a white lump of stone."
"Elves!" Gimli cried with disgust. "You have no imagination."
"On the contrary," Legolas laughed. "I have plenty of imagination. But at least I know the difference between a beautiful woman and a pile of rocks."
Gimli made a noise of disgust. "Just wait until we've shaped it, then you'll see something!"
"Yes, a lump of rock that's been shaped, no doubt," Legolas teased.
"Mmph!" Gimli stomped back toward the way they'd come and Legolas followed him with relief. He'd come to appreciate the Glittering Caves for their wonder and natural beauty, but he would never love them as Gimli did and only endured them for his friend's sake.
"How did you find me anyway?" Gimli asked as they walked back out into the main cavern. "I saw no one accompanying you."
"I followed my nose," Legolas said wrinkling that particular appendage delicately.
"Well I would smell as rosy as you, if I did nothing but lie about on my back and sing to the stars all the time!" Gimli blustered. "But we Dwarves are of a more industrious nature!"
Legolas chuckled. "Actually, I am quite dusty from the road. Lead me to someplace where I may wash and then I'll tell you why I came a month early."
Gimli glanced over Legolas' lean frame. "You can tell me while we eat. You've lost weight again. I'll have our cooks prepare something special."
"I am well," Legolas said quickly. Too quickly. "You need not go to any extra trouble on my account."
"Its no trouble. I'm sure they can rustle up some nice dark, bitter ale to go with it."
This time it was the dwarf's turn to laugh at the face Legolas made.
~ ~ ~
"What do you make of it?" Legolas asked as he leaned back in his chair. They sat in the main underground hall at an enormous table. True to his word, Gimli had made sure that it was nothing less than a feast that was set before Legolas. Fortunately there was good wine to go with it and the Elf had not been forced to endure the bitter ale preferred by Dwarves. The fare had been excellent and Legolas was feeling comfortably full. Gimli had insisted upon pushing new dishes in front of him all evening and Legolas knew the dwarf was worried about him.
Even now a Dwarf maiden hovered at his elbow, eager to bring him something else. Legolas accepted another glass of wine, but refused the honey cakes she offered. He thanked her and gave her a smile. She was a pretty girl, if one's tastes ran toward short, plump women with bright cheeks and masses of curly auburn hair.
Legolas' didn't. He preferred women with dark gold hair and long legs.
Sighing and halting that treacherous thought before it went any further, Legolas turned his attention back to Gimli. The dwarf was examining the hobgoblin's strange silver goblet. Legolas had recited the entire story to him and now the dwarf lent his practiced eye to the object.
"It is pure silver," Gimli said finally, a note of puzzlement in his voice.
"Is that remarkable?"
"Yes." Gimli set down the small bubble of glass through which he'd been magnifying the goblet. "Normally silver is mixed with other metals to give it greater strength. Yet," he scratched a rugged fingernail across the surface of the silver, "this is quite hard. Very odd."
"But what does that tell you?" Legolas persisted.
"That it was made by no craft that I know of."
Legolas sat up. "You mean that it is not of dwarvin origin?"
Gimli shook his head. "No, nor any other that I am acquainted with. I have never seen such high quality."
"Could it have been made by magic?"
"Possibly." Gimli hastily set the goblet down on the table and Legolas noticed him surreptitiously wiping his hands on his breaches.
"That was the conclusion Aragorn and I reached," Legolas continued. "There is a possibility that it was even made by the same magic that forged the Ring."
"This is from Mordor?" Gimli asked, astounded.
"I know not, but I wish to find out. I asked Aragorn for permission to take it to Rivendell. There are at least two wizards there and I wish to consult them about it and the hobgoblin."
Gimli looked quickly at his friend. The dwarf knew of course who one of those wizards was and he wasn't sure it he liked the idea.
He wasn't sure he liked it at all.
Fifteen years ago when Gimli had briefly met the wizardess Alede, she had saved Legolas from the dungeons of Orthanc. But at the same time, she'd imprisoned Legolas in a cage of guilt. It had taken months for Legolas to shake it off. Then he'd traveled home to Mirkwood and once again come under the spell of the mysterious Alede. The Elf had returned to Gondor in a cloud of joy. But the joy had not lasted. In the months that followed he had become despondent and unhappy.
So, while Gimli himself had formed a favorable opinion of the young wizardess during his brief conversation with her, he was not in favor of the emotions she seemed to create in his friend. Legolas had given him few details about her, saying only that she was in love with him. But Gimli suspected it was far more complicated than that. The dwarf would like nothing more than for Legolas to forget her altogether. Traveling to Rivendell was not a plan that he favored.
"Why can not Aragorn go?" Gimli finally asked. "He has more knowledge of magic and wizards than either you or I."
"He has a kingdom to rule," Legolas said reasonably.
"So do you," Gimli reminded the Elf.
"Technically Lord Faramir is ruler of Ithilien," Legolas said.
"Technically," Gimli echoed, "you rule your own people within Ithilien."
Legolas gave him the wide Elvin shrug. "Yes, but my people do not need constant supervision."
"That's a matter of opinion," Gimli snorted.
Legolas waved it away. "I have already spoken with my steward. All will be well. If this goblet is indeed from Mordor, then I would like the best advice that we may receive."
Gimli shook his head. "I do not care for wizards."
"You liked Gandalf well enough."
"True, but he was different."
"Come, Gimli do you not hunger for the open road? It is long since we traveled to Rivendell. I long to see it again." Legolas could see that Gimli was weakening. "Adventure beckons us like a wood nymph, Gimli. Let us heed her call!"
The dwarf shook his head. "If we go meddling in the affairs of magic and wizards, 'adventure' will likely leer at us like a filthy tramp." The dwarf heaved a sigh. If he could not dissuade Legolas, the least he could do was keep an eye on the wayward Elf. "Very well. I'll go." *
Legolas chuckled with relief. "Good. Then you'd better partake of one of the honey cakes that this sweet lady keeps offering. You'll need your strength if you are to travel with me."
"It is you who will need your strength Master Elf. A strong wind could blow you off that beast of yours, so thin have you become."
"Then I will fly to Rivendell and make much better time than you."
"I always knew that Elves' were feather brained."
The bantering continued long into the night and by the time Legolas went to bed he was tired enough to ignore the roar of the sea, which only he heard.
~ ~ ~
A/N: *I have to give credit where its due. This is a tribute to my very favorite novel "The Elfin Ship" by James P, Blaylock. The original quote goes, "His destiny which just that afternoon had beckoned like a wood nymph, now winked and leered like a soggy and bedraggled tramp." This is a delightful book and if you can find it in a used bookstore or library, I highly recommend it.
Time to find out who was eavesdropping on Alede and Baird up in that tree! Chapter 10 "Elrohir, Son of Elrond" coming soon!