Hey. It's me again. (Duh!) Nice reviews! I love it and love you for it! So, you like Gimli? I like him too!!! (Heck! I like every character in LOTR except the baddies! OMG! Didn't I tell you Eomer look hot in the movie?!)
They found the mouth of the cave not by accident. The stone of Manya had led them to it, glowing even brighter when they reached the cave opening. The opening was ten feet wide and seven feet high, enough for the tall elves to walk in without slouching forward. The only problem was the menacing looking dwarves guarding it, glowering back at them.
"Elves!" One dwarf spat. "What business are you here for? Speak quickly before you taste the bitter end of my axe!" The dwarf held up the said axe in warning.
The elves had already nook arrows to their bows, aiming for the dwarves' heart. "Think you can outrun our arrows, don't you?" Keldarion smirked, grasping his own sword in his fist. "You'll be dead even before you take a step forward, dwarf."
The dwarf growled. Ignoring Keldarion's words, he advanced forward in anger, followed by his fellow comrades. "Wait!" A voice came from inside the cave, halting the dwarves. An elder dwarf, obviously the leader of the clan, emerged. He looked at the scene before him, saw the troop of elves, and sighed in resignation. "I knew it would come to this," he said softly, then turned to the still angry dwarf. "Didn't I tell you before, Tarang? This is the kind of conflicts I'm trying to avoid."
The chieftain looked up at Keldarion, noticing the prince's regal persona as the leader of the elves troop. "You are looking for someone, I believe."
Keldarion stared at the dwarf, his eyes glinting dangerously. "And you know who we're looking for. Where is he? What have you done to him?"
The dwarf straightened, a little intimidated by Keldarion's terse voice but proud enough not to show it. "We have done nothing to harm him. He stepped into our trap by his own mistake."
Keldarion strode forward, glaring at the dwarf. "And what business you have that made you set the traps in our woods? What were you trying to create? Open war?"
"We have no intention whatsoever to initiate a conflict with you elves. It was the prince's own misfortune to stumble into the trap that was meant for the spiders!" The dwarf snapped back, his back tense and taut.
"You can't blame us for the stupid elf's own carelessness!" the other dwarf called Tarang joined in.
"That 'stupid elf' is my brother!" Keldarion exploded. The dwarves went silent, staring at Keldarion in astonishment. They looked at one another in uncertainty, instantly aware of the elves' mounting fury. The strings of their bows were still strung taut, ready to be released. The dwarves knew that they would all be dead even before they could raise their axe.
The leader of the dwarf cleared his throat. "You really are Prince Legolas's brother?"
"None other. If I'm not mistaken, your clan is lead by Gloin, son of Fundin. Will that be you?" Keldarion asked, hoping that they could get over this pointless conversation immediately so they could take Legolas out of this place.
"Indeed, I'm Gloin." Gloin nodded. He saw the prince's eyes keep straying to the cave, searching for his brother's figure. "We keep him inside. He is injured but we have already treated his wound."
"Take me to him," Keldarion demanded. "And do not attempt to surprise us with any sort of offensive attack if you don't want your home swarming with elves warriors!"
**************
Gimli sat beside Legolas's still body, cooling down the elf's burning forehead with a damp cloth. Legolas's raging fever was still rising. The prince was cringing in pain, moaning and groaning. Long strands of golden hair plastered against the side of his flush face. He shivered; sometimes he felt incredibly cold that his whole body shook. Then he would feel unbelievably hot that he cried out, the sound muffled by the gag in his mouth.
Never before had Gimli felt so confuse. He wanted to help the elf. He hated to see the beautiful creature suffered unnecessarily like this. But he also knew about the long time animosity between the dwarves and the elves. He was still very young, only a boy, but he had heard many tales of long ago conflicts between the two sides. He had been raised to think of the elves as the enemy.
Legolas moaned again. His eyes glazed as he stared pleadingly at Gimli. "I'm sorry, Prince Legolas, for I cannot set you free. The other dwarves would not like it and it would only get me into trouble," Gimli said softly, still applying the wet cloths over Legolas's fevered brow.
Legolas closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He felt so terrible he wished to die. Why can't they at least untie me? Can't they see? I don't even have the strength to speak! What made them think I could pick myself up and run way? He drifted off into painful oblivion, and then snapped awake when his ears caught the sound of a familiar voice.
Keldarion?
**************
Keldarion's eyes widened when he saw how bad Legolas's condition was. He whirled around to face Gloin with great fury evident on his fair features. "You said you didn't harm him! But why is he bound and gagged?!!!"
Gloin turned to Tarang, glaring at him in disappointment and anger, knowing that the younger elf was responsible for keeping Legolas that way. Tarang glared back, daring his superior to say anything. Gloin kept his silence. No point in worsening the situation anyway.
Keldarion huffed in anger before he rushed towards Legolas. He stared at the young dwarf who was still tending to his brother with the damp cloth. Gimli halted, and got up to his feet nervously. The expression on the elf's prince was fit to kill, so were the other two elves' behind him.
"Legolas?" Keldarion knelt by his brother, gently taking the gag off Legolas's mouth. Legolas's eyes had fluttered open when he heard his brother's voice. With all the remaining energy he could muster, Legolas smiled and whispered, "Kel."
Keldarion gathered the limp form of his brother into his arms, nearly crushing him; so grateful he was that his brother was still alive. Elladan and Elrohir helped cut the bonds off Legolas's hands and feet. The crown prince checked his brother's vitals in great worry. Legolas's complexion was deathly gray; his glow grew fainter. Valar! He could barely even speak!
"What...took you…so long?" Legolas asked in a weak voice. He licked his lips, feeling incredibly thirsty once again. The twins laughed softly. "He had a little…err…problem…with our sister," Elrohir said, a tongue in his cheek. Legolas frowned. "Arwen? How…"
"Save that story for later," Keldarion cut in, glaring at the twins. "Right now, you need to be tended to. You look like an orc!" Legolas laughed weakly, before he broke into a spasm of coughing. They stared in dismay when Legolas started to cough up blood.
"I'm afraid…the poison…had consumed me." Legolas indicated his wounded thigh. The bandage was soaked through. Wiping the blood off his brother's lips, Keldarion turned to the silently watching dwarves. "Don't you have any better place for him to lie down?" he demanded.
"Yes. My chamber," Gimli said, ignoring Tarang's and the other dwarves' gaze of disbelief. Gloin stared at his son in thoughtful silence, wondering at the boy's generosity. To an elf of all people!
Keldarion picked Legolas in his arms as he stood up. Then he followed the young dwarf, with Elladan and Elrohir right behind him. The other dwarves also followed, albeit reluctantly.
As soon as he put Legolas on Gimli's sleeping pallets, Keldarion asked for a bowl of fresh water. The young dwarf was ever ready to do the prince's biddings, much to the other dwarves' disgust. But then they watched in amazement as Keldarion put the shining stone of Manya into the water, flourishing the liquid to shine brilliantly.
Holding his brother up, Keldarion told Legolas to drink it. Already thirsty beyond belief, Legolas gulped it down. Then he choked when the water went down the wrong way. He pushed the bowl away feebly.
"Don't stop," Keldarion coaxed. "Finish it."
"No more. I can't." Legolas shook his head, burying his head deeper into his brother's chest. He gasped in pain for breath.
"You have to. Nothing else could neutralize whatever poison you have in your body," Keldarion tried again. "I don't want to force it down your throat but I will if I have to," he threatened. Legolas glared. "Don't you dare."
"Then finish it."
Legolas complied; taking more careful sips this time. The dwarves kept on looking wide-eyed as Keldarion asked for more water to be poured into the bowl. Legolas's head was laid down upon the pillow, a blanket tucked around him. Only his injured thigh was exposed for Keldarion's gentle treatment.
He drifted off into oblivion, but in much lesser pain than before…
TBC…