Stand not alone: Chapter 5!
Two days had passed, and Gloin yet had no word from his messengers to the Wood. He hadn't wanted to believe that things could amount to such a conflict with the Elves; he had no fondness for their kind, of course not! But he could tolerate them. He was extremely concerned about his messengers; they were his friends after all. They should have sent him word by now! His thoughts were becoming angry, and anger and worry make for a deadly combination in such mighty men as he. His mind was made up; he would journey to see Thranduil himself. The king was obviously to good and proud (and stubborn) to come to the Misty Mountains, so he would travel to that dank wood instead.
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The scene in the hall had been one of great informality for many days, Sam, Rosie and their child sat around a small table, Merry and Pippin had found that there were many places to find trouble in such a grand palace, and Frodo was content, for the time being, to tell Aragorn news of home.
"You should have seen his face Strider! It was more priceless than all the riches in Minas Tirth!" Laughed Frodo.
"My, Old Butterbur still isn't too quick to catch on, I see" smiled the King.
"Still, he is quick to tell all who listen that the King of Gondor speaks so highly of his ale, the Prancing Pony barely has a free room anymore."
"And he always said I was trouble!" Aragorn shook his head. "I would like to visit Bree again sometime, just to see the look on Butterber's face would be worth it. I wonder if he would still shout at me and throw me out for getting mud on his clean floor!" The two laughed as they sat on the steps in front of the throne, there was a sight cry from the other end of the Hall where Pippin had found something new to fall off."
"PIP!" shouted Merry, "You are going to break everything here before you finally break that head of yours!" The Hobbits and Aragorn smiled in their direction and Elanor burst out in giggles at her uncles. The guards at the entrance looked at each other sideways and then at the commotion in the Hall. Aragorn had preferred that they attend duties elsewhere, but they insisted that the Royal Guard should be at hand at all times, and eventually, Aragorn had given up arguing and just left them to it. They seemed a little uneasy at the behaviour of the group, and wondered greatly how beings could show such disrespect for authority in the presence of their King. That was part of the reason Aragorn allowed them to stay, the entertainment value of the looks on their faces at the friends was more than worth the inconvenience.
"My Lord" said one of the guards after a few moments, walking into the Hall and greeting Aragorn. Two figures in the entrance caught Aragorn's eye and the corners of his mouth tugged into a smile. "Lord Gimli and Prince Legolas, My lord." He bowed and stepped backward. Gimli and Legolas walked towards their friends. The guard looked sternly for a moment as Legolas formally bowed to the King, finally some normality!
"GIMLI!"
"LEGOLAS!!" Merry and Pippin shouted, grins beaming on their faces. The face of the guard changed again, and turned to shock as the two Hobbits rushed to the two newcomers, almost talking the guests off their feet in their embrace. Rosie and Sam also rose to their feet, and Sam scooped up Elanor in his arms.
"It is good to see you all!" laughed Legolas.
"Aye!" Gimli, who was still deep in a hug with Merry (which had taken him by surprise) laughed.
"About time you two got here" Aragorn put a hand of each of their shoulders. "I was in half a mind to send out a search party for you both!"
"You know us, Estel," said Legolas, who shot a look at Gimli. "We always manage to get held up."
"Eh," said Pippin to Legolas, "I didn't know you were a Prince!" Gimli laughed, and Legolas and Aragorn smiled at each other, laughter showing heartily in their eyes.
"You really are quite stupid sometimes, Pippin" frowned Merry in his embarrassment.
"Its them Tooks" smiled Sam, who had walked over to Frodo, his family with him. "Not too bright" he said, winking at Pippin. "It is great to see you," he said, with a nod from Frodo.
"Come, My friends, you must be tired from your journey" said Aragorn, "You should rest."
"He means pull up a step and tell us of your journeys," laughed Frodo, sitting back on the steps by the throne.
"Well" said Gimli, "We are all here, I don't see why not."
"But" said Pippin, "We aren't all here, Gandalf-"
-"Is right behind you" called the Wizard, who had silently been watching the exchanges with a thoughtful twinkle in his eye.
"GANDALF!"
"Uh-oh" sighed Aragorn, as the two hobbits finally released the Elf and the Dwarf from their grip and ran now towards Gandalf with excitement. "Be careful!" he called, "He is an old man, after all!" The room seemed filled with warmth as they all enjoyed each other's company.
"What the?" Legolas searched at his heals; he thought he felt something tug at his leggings. "How did you get there?" He was generally surprised that the Hobbit child had snuck around him without even his elf senses noticing. Mimicking Aragorn's earlier actions, he lowered himself to the floor. "How do you do?" he asked softly. Elanor looked nervously to her mother who smiled back, and then to her father, who was also smiling at them both.
"Hello" she said, in a voice barely above a whisper. She was more nervous around this one than she had been around the others. She had heard many great tales of the Elves from her father, who had passed on his fondness to his child. She was fascinated to finally meet one! Innocently, she broke eye contact with the elf and drew her attention to the pointy ears, partly covered with long, gleaming hair. Legolas smiled and let her push a strand of hair behind his ear and gently touch the tip with her hand. Realising she was quite probably being very rude, she pulled her hand back and pushed a strand of her own hair behind one of hers. "I always wanted pointy ears" she smiled, slightly embarrassed.
"And I've always wanted such warm hands" he smiled, taking her hand in his and kissing the back. "Pleasure to meet you, my lady" he smiled. A sound escaped Gimli's lips as the Elf stood upright again. Elanor looked from Legolas to the dwarf. She had also heard many stories about them, although not as much as the fair woodland folk. She studies his rugged features for a moment. He was completely different from the other one. He looked quite rough; normally she would have been quite scared of someone with appearance.
"Hello there" he said, after realising that the Hobbit was studying him so. She smiled up at him and waved her fingers and smiled.
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As the red sun set over the horizon, casting long blue shadows over the white of the city, the wizard looked over the gardens, watching as the peaceful shadows moved silently over.
"How do you feel?" The dwarf was stunned (yet again) by the sudden appearance of the wizard (he seemed to be making a rather annoying habit of sneaking up on them as of late).
"Would you stop doing that!" he shot. "One of these days you will frighten someone to death!"
"I would apologise," sighed Gandalf, then a mischievous smile creped over his face, "But an old man does need to find a way to keep ones self amused."
"Right" Gimli smiled sarcastically.
"Are you fully healed?" The wizard's staff gestured towards the dwarf's side where he had been struck a few afternoons earlier.
"It's fully healed," said Gimli thoughtfully. "It ails me no longer, I can nay get over how quickly it closed up." He allowed a thought into his head; a thought that turned his gruff voice into another thoughtful laugh, so absurd was the idea. "It is as if it healed like that of an-"
"-Elf?" The Dwarf craned upwards to meet the White Wizards eyes, which looked completely dark, apart from the sparkle they held in their gaze.
"An elf" he confirmed.
"I believe that you may be closer to the truth than you believe, my friend. A spell that can bind two as one can do many things" he said. "You still both underestimate the position you are in. Maybe you share more than the same pain." Gandalf was thinking allowed, but he had already figured all this out earlier. "Is it possible that you share his healing abilities also?"
"I suppose it is possible." Gandalf took a deep smoke from his pipe, "yes, I believe it is possible." The look he gave Gimli confirmed that there was no room for much doubt in the Wizards words, as ever.
The sun fell further from the sky and the shadows around them became longer and darker as the orange glow on the horizon became ever more haunting.
"It would seem you have inherited more than a few healing abilities from our friend" said Gandalf finally. "I was rather surprised to find you in the gardens and not in the grand halls." Again he puffed from his long pipe. "Were I to look for the Elf in the caves below the city, would I find him?"
"I doubt that. I have no great fondness for the out doors," said Gimli, but the look in his eye betrayed him. "He is off somewhere playing with that bow and arrow of his."
"Then I will not find him here tonight" smiled Gandalf.
"You may," said Gimli as Gandalf turned to leave. "Indeed you may want to look in the healers stores." Gandalf raised an eyebrow over his shoulder, asking how Gimli would know this. "I think he locked his elbow" Gimli gave a laugh, though it was not genuine. "The fool strained his arm a little too much whilst shooting down a wolf on our way here, his arm is still a little sore." He unsatisfied his arm slightly. It was obvious how Gimli knew this.
"He didn't say anything"
"He wouldn't"
"And neither did you." This time Gimli's laugh was genuine.
"Aye, maybe I am as stubborn as he. Maybe we will be more inclined to look out for each other in our situation."
"I believe, master Dwarf, that hardly possible for you too look out for each other more than you already do.
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He had ventured into those parts before, and had no intention of using the front door subtly. Gloin calved his way through the grand wooden halls; three of his men at his heals, announcing himself to the Elf King on his arrival. The look on the kings face was one of fury s the dwarf invited himself to his throne and growled through his beard at the tall figure before him, and did not bow.
"ELF!" he said, "I would not call you Lord nor King if the stars died and the sky fell! Explain why it is you have slaughtered my men and our people!"
"I explain nothing Dwarf! Ere I find justice for those of my land who's hand your axes have fallen upon!"
"What?" The rage caught in Gloin's throat as much as to make him choke. "My people live in peace while yours travel beyond your lands to attack without reason!! Unless it be at your command!"
"Nay" said Thranduil, with what sounded like a wisp of despair in his voice. "None have ventured outside of the Wood for reasons of war or bloodshed, 'tis your men who have brought it here" his voice changed and anger flared in his face. What remained of his royal guard standing at the walls of his throne room, the hilt of their swords ready in their hands and their bows notched towards the ground, ready to be drawn and fired at their Lords command. "I say to you, dwarf! Explain what has been done to my people by the hands of yours!"
"We have spilled no blood!"
"It is the elves who has spilled no blood, would you have it that neither people has done harm and neither has suffered?"
"Tell me" said Gloin, breathing deep, as though he could hardly believe he was asking this. "Is there blood on the hands of any of yours?"
"Nay"
"And I tell you thus, there is none on the hands of mine."
"Yet I know that men have died"
"As do I." Both tried to read each other in the silence. "It would seem that there are workings that neither of us are aware of, and it is those workings who will drive us to war. I sent messengers but days ago to this land, now they lie dead within your boarders. I have seen it."
"I also sent messengers, Dwarf Lord, to the Mountains in which you dwell. Their horses return rider-less and bloody. Mountain folk were seen hunting then there after. Is it woodland people you have seen? Do they fire arrows and ride horses in your lands?"
"They do, elves as true as I stand, they were Mirkwood folk. Dead are men and friends by those arrows."
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BAH!! I just read through Appendices A again, NOW I'M BLOODY DEPRESSED!!! :o(
Sorry!! I know there's a lot of back and forth in this chapter; it will all come together eventually!! Promise-promise-promise!! Thanks for the Reviews guys!! I really appreciate it!! ~Hint hint~ I hope there will me a bit more action in the coming chapters!! (It's not like me to take this long to get to the good stuff; I'm usually straight in there with it!! Its SO much easier writing for superheroes!! This takes a little more thought and planning (two things which quite frankly, although I don't suck at, aren't on my 'things to do' list!!)