Rating: R (Slash. Really, I'm serious.)
Notes: Movie-verse. Timeline: Set between when Aragorn says, "Then I shall die as one of them!" up to the scene where Gamling dresses Theoden for war.

Tumbled by Dracostella
"Then I will die as one of them!" Aragorn said and stepped away without looking back.

Legolas started to follow him, but a firm hand grasped his waist.

"Let him go, lad," Gimli said. "Let him be."

Legolas froze in place, his eyes falling to his feet. Low anger rose in his mind, he had not lived nearly three thousand years to be counseled for youthful transgressions. Gimli withdrew his hand.

"He is weary, heart and body," Gimli said. "Have you heard nothing of Theoden's harsh words to him? He is not one of you, Elf. Grant him that."

Legolas said nothing.

Farmers, ferriers, and stable boys bustled around him; putting on armors and handling weapons with the naiveté of babes.

"We have followed him this far, and he has not led us astray," Gimli said. "For my part, I will make this stand with men to the bitter end--" I too shall die with them. Legolas heard Gimli's unsaid declaration.

"Gimli--"

Swinging his axe over his left shoulder, Gimli walked past him. "I'm going to wash off the stink of the wolves of Isengard before tonight."

The dwarf winced and slowed when he claimed up the stairs.

"Gimli?" Legolas called after his friend, but the dwarf did not seem to hear him.

"Damn wolves," Gimli muttered underneath his breath. "Damn horse."

Legolas followed his friend instinctively, although he felt the sharp eyes of men on his back. Men who would not last the night.

Legolas lost sight of the dwarf at the top of the stairs, but he saw Aragorn seated on the steps of Rohan's Great Hall. Dark hair pasted every which way, face half buried in his hands, Aragorn looked more worn than Legolas could recall. He is not one of you, Gimli had said. Indeed not. The elves were leaving Middle Earth instead of fighting for its claim. Legolas grasped his bow, and exhaled slowly.

Aragorn did not see him, and Legolas walked away without speaking to him.

For the first time since he set out with the Fellowship, Legolas walked without knowing his destination. Before he could determine his bearing, his feet took him to the stables.

Idly, Legolas wondered if he had become so desperate that he sought the company of horses over his companions.

To his surprise, he heard Gimli's voice speaking from inside.

"Don't look at me like that, you willful beast," Gimli said softly, as if speaking to a child. Then Gimli growled. "Now the elf has me speaking to horses."

Without thought, Legolas walked into the stables. He could not see Gimli, but he could hear the dwarf speaking from Arod's stall. Legolas did not think Gimli would know their ride from any other horses.

Opening the gate to Arod's stall, Legolas found a half naked dwarf wholly covered with bruises dripping in water.

Arod's head moved to hover Legolas's shoulder. Arod regarded Legolas with one eye, disapproval clear in its large brown eye.

Gimli dropped the wet cloth he held back into a water bucket near him. "Can a dwarf not get a moment of peace?"

"Why did you not tell me you were injured?" Legolas asked.

"A few bruises are hardly worth speaking of," Gimli said.

Stepping closer to the dwarf, Legolas reached out and firmly poked one of the blossoming bruises.

"GAH!" Gimli backed away so quickly, he stumbled, and his back crushed into the wall. Before Gimli balanced himself again, Legolas used his body to keep Gimli pressed against wall. Gimli's eyes widened, but before the dwarf could speak a word, Legolas pushed his mouth over the dwarf's.

The dwarf's hand reached up, and harshly clasped Legolas' hair. For a moment, Legolas thought Gimli would yank Legolas away, but instead Gimli forced Legolas closer. Gimli's mouth opened underneath Legolas' and the dwarf tasted like blood and metal.

Fighting for dominance of the kiss, Legolas darted his tongue into Gimli's mouth and felt more than heard Gimli's groan. Fire burnt through the elf, and he pushed his tongue in further.

Suddenly, the dwarf shoved Legolas back, using his extra weight to force Legolas to the ground. Unprepared, Legolas fell, but Gimli fell back with him never breaking body contact. Arod neighed, but Legolas cared not what the horse thought.

Lust and desire for control tore at Legolas until he writhed underneath the dwarf's hard body. His hands groped Gimli's back blindly, and the dwarf hissed and thrust his hips roughly into the elf.

Legolas bucked and doubled the speed. The dwarf growled and captured Legolas' mouth again, trapping Legolas in feel and the heat of Gimli's tongue. The kiss continued until they were both through.

Legolas kept a firm grasp on Gimli even though the dwarf did not try to pull away. Lying still, Legolas breathed in deeply, trying desperately to brand this moment into his memory.

"Never would I have I thought I would be tumbled by an elf, whilst a horse watched on," Gimli spoke into Legolas' hair.

Legolas laughed. "I have not tumbled you yet, Gimli," Legolas said. "I have not been inside of you."

"An Elf mount a dwarf? Never! I will certainly be on top. Or shall I have to knock you unconscious first?"

Legolas smiled. "If you fell more orcs than I tonight, you will not need to knock me unconscious."

"You choose your challenges poorly," Gimli snorted.

"But I choose my mate well," Legolas said.

Gimli stiffened, still on top of Legolas.

"Lle naa vanima," Gimli said at last.

"So you know more of Elvish than cursing us with plagues," Legolas tugged gently on Gimli's beard.

Gimli pulled away from Legolas and shielded his eyes from the elf's glow.

"Neither of us may last the night," Gimli said. "It is not only men who shall fall tonight."

"Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha ar' thar," Legolas declared.

Gimli did not reply, and Legolas thought perhaps the dwarf did not understand what was said. Then the dwarf kissed him again. Soft beard pressed against his face.

"I make the same oath to you," Gimli said at the end fo the kiss.

~fins

Elvish:
Lle naa vanima: You are beautiful.

Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha ar' thar: I will follow you to death and beyond.
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Author's Sidebar: (Dante would have cast me to the seventh level of hell for this. I shall drag Peter Jackson down with me, because this is his fault really.)

***

Haleth stared at the sudden light from the stable.

"What is that my lord?" he asked.

Lord Aragorn seemed taken back by the light, and muttered underneath his breath, " . . . afterglow."

"My lord?"

"Elf battle glow," Aragorn coughed. "It helps them fight better in battle."

Later, standing on top of Helm's Deep, Haleth wondered why the other elves did not shine of battle glow. They must have glowed before they came, Haleth decided.

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Author's notes:
While Gamling dressed Theoden, a light glowed behind them. Sunlight does not glow like that.

And did you notice just how lecherously Legolas smiled while he was on Helm's Deep and he was beating Gimli on the number of orcs he was killing?

Again, I blame Peter Jackson. It is all his fault.

Oh hell, there was no excuse for this.

Further Author's notes:

Legolas is definitely more aggressive and badass in the movie verse than in the book verse. I cannot imagine Legolas tumbling Gimli quite so roughly in the book verse. And after writing Legolas like the speaker of Loreena McKennet's songs in 'Indicia', I needed a movie verse Legolas to balance things out.

The author will go and take some horse tranquilizers now, because it is obviously needed.