Hello Everyone and thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter. I have personal notes for you at the bottom! (^_^)
I forgot to include a disclaimer initially so I will put one in here now: We don't own anything Tolkien related… but I am sure you all already knew that, lol.
For those of you who wanted to know when I am going to update 'Fading Hope' I ask for patience. I am having a bit of trouble writing the next chapter but I am by no means abandoning the story.
Without further ado – here is the next chapter….
Chapter #1 ~ Of Unfolding Prophesies
Gimli sat in the center of the Speaking Forest, the town's pub, surrounded by the grinning faces of enthusiastic villagers. In front of the dwarf sat a variety of half-filled drinks; bubbling golden liquid coated with a foamy froth, within their clipped clay mugs. The air was abuzz with zealous offers to pay for more rounds, as the villagers, with all eagerness, tried to repay the dwarf for his aid. Gimli leaned back contentedly, reaching for his pipe as he was asked once again to recount the tale of his heroic rescue.
For the dwarf's part the attention was truly welcomed. He basked in the praise he was receiving; allowing a rather goofy grin to spread across his face, though his relaxed attitude was probably assisted by the amount of ale he had consumed. Still, the innocent excitement of these people was contagious and Gimli found himself enjoying their company more and more.
He only wished Legolas were here to enjoy it with him.
The elf had come off the worst for the fight. He had received a nasty cut to the back of his head and one of his arms was broken. Yet the healers had, with all good nature, assured the dwarf that the elf would heal and so it was only after he was satisfied with those assurances that he had allowed himself to be led to the pub, where he now celebrated contentedly.
Yet the liquor was starting to make him feel sleepy and sluggish and with these feelings came a desire to return once again to Legolas' bedside to keep watch over his friend. So, with a slightly stumbling, jerky motion, the dwarf rose, deferring the moans of disappointment and requests to remain with a small dismissive hand gesture.
"No, no, my friends. This dwarf knows his limits," he managed to stammer out. "I've got to check on the elf," he explained, completely missing the dreamy expressions that covered the room upon hearing this.
"Ah, yes. Return to your service, we shall not detain you," someone called out, though Gimli did not mark him, instead concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other as he made his way to the door.
He stumbled out of the room, into the fresh air a moment later. It was soothing to suddenly be hit by the air's cold caress after the rather stifling, stagnant heat of the pub. The dwarf blinked rapidly, trying to coax his eyes to remain open. He felt rather surprised by how effected by the drink he was. It was obviously more potent then what he was accustomed to and he silently cursed his over indulgence of the stuff.
Biting back a belch he stumbled forward, already familiar enough with the town's layout to bring him back to the house Legolas had originally been brought to. Yet frowning, he realized there was one other thing he needed to see to before he could go to the elf. Sighing and grumbling under his breath he heaved himself forward on heavy limbs.
"Lad," he called out, seeing a young boy perched on a porch star gazing, "show me to where you keep your horses if you would be so kind."
The spindly youth slipped from his perch and approached the dwarf with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You address me? Talk to me?" he stammered out, his voice a squeaky tenor due to his obvious excitement.
"Yes, boy," Gimli said, trying to not sound to impatient, but his head was starting to pound and all he really wanted to do was find somewhere to sleep.
"Oh! Thank-you! Thank-you! To have chosen me! Such an honour!" the boy cried out, his lanky frame quivering with jubilance. He started forward quickly in an attempt to comply and managed to trip into the dirt in his haste.
Gimli started forward in concern, reaching out to help the boy back onto his feet but the youth proved to be quick and nimble; springing to his feet with surprising speed, his face smudged with dirt and red with embarrassment. He shot Gimli an apologetic look before beaconing wildly, "This way, Master! Just follow me! I will show you! Yep, just over here."
Gimli vaguely wondered, as he watched in a dumb-founded stupor, whether the boy would continue to repeat himself whenever he spoke. He then set off after the boy, keeping close enough so that he might be able to steady the youth should it look like the child would fall again.
"What is your name, boy?" the dwarf inquired.
"Rulif," the lad replied, his matted blond hair sticking up in various directions, bobbing with his constant energized and erratic movements.
"Ah," the dwarf said still eyeing the boy uncertainly. Gimli placed him at around fifteen years old, obviously going through that awkward stage where he was growing too quickly.
"There!" the boy cried, pointing to a paddock, his face breaking into a chip-toothed grin as he completed his task. "Right there!"
"Well, here you are, Rulif, for your troubles," Gimli said gratefully, passing the boy a copper coin. The boy looked at the offering with wide eyes, accepting the coin in awed silence. Rulif then dropped to the ground, kissing the soil at Gimli's feet, much to the dwarf's astonishment, who shuffled backwards a few steps. "Now, none of that," Gimli grumbled in embarrassment.
"I won't forget your kindness, Master. No, I most certainly will not forget!"
With that the boy backed away, his eyes still locked on Gimli, before turning quickly, stumbling to the ground once again, rising and tearing back off in the direction of his home. The dwarf stared after the departed child for a long moment, still completely unsure what to make of the encounter.
Shaking his head, Gimli turned his attention back to the enclosed pen. He approached the rails stiffly, suddenly remembering his headache, to look into it hesitantly, still somewhat unsure of why he even felt the need to have come here in the first place.
Arod lay there calmly, though the horse raised his head when Gimli peered in. The horse had been treated with reverence and now rested comfortably as he recovered from his injury. Snorting slightly, the horse gazed at Gimli disdainfully, the dwarf reciprocating the look.
"Well, you better heal quickly you over-sized pigeon. The elf will want you to get better," Gimli muttered to break the awkward silence that seemed to have settled over them. He glanced quickly around to make sure no one had overheard or seen the interaction though. The last thing he needed was to have others know he was talking to a horse.
Arod snorted irritably, completely insulted at being referred to as a bird. The complete ire in the horse's eyes made the dwarf laugh lightly. "You are too much like your rider," he scolded lightly. Gimli reached through the wooden rails to hesitantly pat the horse rather clumsily upon the nose although, for a moment, he thought the horse might bite him for engaging in the contact, no such retaliation occurred.
"Just get well," he mumbled, before turning with a shake of his head. A dwarf, talking to a horse. This is the elf's fault, Gimli thought irritably. Rubbing off his silly elven ways upon me! Humph.
With a final mumbled complaint Gimli started to shuffle off in search of Legolas and a bed.
~*~
Legolas slowly became aware of his body once again. First came the knowledge that his head was pounding, and his body was pulsating with discomfort. It was decidedly an unpleasant way of returning to the conscious realm. Secondly came the intense and almost overpowering urge to be sick, yet, swallowing thickly, he refused to embarrass himself by giving into the impulse.
Blinking watery eyes, Legolas slowly allowed the world around him to come into focus. He felt rather startled to find himself staring into the wide brown eyes of a dusty, olive-toned face. Trying to pull back in shock served to bang his already tender head against the slate he lay upon, his eyes snapping shut once again in pain.
"Easy there," said a deep voice, soothing and almost hypnotic in tone. "Do not move so hastily. It was quite the blow you took to your head." A hand then, calloused and rough palmed, gently stroked the side of his face to settle on his brow. It was a gentle action, yet Legolas felt almost inclined to pull away.
"Lie still," the voice commanded once again, as if sensing the elf's desire to break away. "I will not harm you, though I doubt I could. My name is Addrodoc and I am both a healer and a priest here." The roughened hand moved with deceptive tenderness from Legolas' face down the side of his neck til it reached his arm. The sudden contact made Legolas wince, as fresh pain shot throughout his body.
"I have set this. The break itself was clean enough," Addrodoc continued soothingly. "It should heal well. You will be perfect once again shortly."
Legolas slowly forced his eyes open to examine the man who was leaning over him. It was the same face who he had seen before he had blacked out.
Legolas felt his voice rise in his throat; questions to ask, answers to demand trying to emerge all at once. Yet all he could feel was the thick, foul bile that burned at his throat threatening to spill over his pale lips and so he kept silent, eyeing the stranger.
If Addrodoc noticed the elf's discomfort, he said nothing, instead busying himself with organizing his utensils and other supplies. After several long moments of silence Legolas could not take it any longer. "Where?" he finally managed to croak out. His voice sounded hollow and alien to his ears.
Addrodoc turned to face him, and smiled crookedly. "My lord, you are being cared for at the most sacred place of our village. Some call it the temple, some the sept, or for others, the shrine." Addrodoc placed a small cup to Legolas' lips and the elf found himself drinking reflexively, even though his mind chastised him to be more cautious of this stranger. "But it really has no name. It is a place of worship and reverence to our gods."
Why had he been brought here? To a sacred temple?
"Wh.." Legoals could not finish the question and Addrodoc pressed more of the cool liquid to his lips. The elderly man looked down upon the elf seriously, frowning. "You must rest, and regain your strength. You will be well in a few days if you allow yourself to heal now."
Legolas found himself nodding in agreement, his eyes already half closed. A sudden thought hit him and he spat out the word before sleep over took him, "Gimli?"
Addrodoc shrugged. "Your servant is being well cared for." Legolas felt a small, impish smile blossom upon his lips. Servant? Gimli would be most displeased to hear that he was being called the elf's servant, though Legolas himself felt rather intrigued by the idea.
He allowed himself to drift off into the realms of elven dream's then, content in the knowledge that his friend was safe and that he would recover. His last thoughts were of the sweet taste that lingered in his mouth from the drink he had been given...
~*~
Gimli stumbled around the room feeling his frustrations mounting. He had managed to find the building Legolas had been originally taken too, but it now seemed as though the elf had been moved elsewhere. He had tried to get where that new location was from the remaining healer, but the man seemed intent upon evading the question, much to Gimli's annoyance.
His head was pounding, his eyes watering begging for a chance to rest and the whole of his body felt leaden, yet Gimli could not, in all good consciousness, rest until he had verified the safety of his friend.
"I know he is no longer here! Where is it he rests now?" Gimli said very slowly, pronouncing each syllable forcefully.
The young man in front of him squirmed. "Not here, that is correct," he responded sheepishly, his eyes searching the floor with seemingly great interest.
Gimli rubbed his brow, grinding his teeth together and resisting the un-dwarfish urge to scream. He did not understand how this man could seemingly remain so ignorant of the question he was asked. Gimli himself was not so drunk as to not be able to speak coherently, though he would not know it from this conversation.
When the pair had spoken earlier over the elf's prognoses the man, Fredren, had seemed articulate and bright enough. His present behaviour seemed at complete odds to the helpful being he had been mere hours ago.
Gimli slumped dejectedly into a chair, eyeing his opponent in a calculating and speculative fashion. If he wanted to discover where the elf was he was going to have to try a different tactic, for the one he employed at present was not proving to be terribly effective. Yet, the dwarf was not of a subtle nature; he simply lacked that trait in his identity and he was not entirely sure how to go about tricking the answer from the human, especially in his semi-intoxicated state.
Clearing his throat he made his first attempt, "Did someone take him elsewhere?" Even through his semi-addled thoughts he knew this was not the sort of subtlety he had been going for. Closing his eyes slightly, he berated himself under his breath.
"You are talking to yourself," Freden said nervously, his fingers drumming together. "Does your master call to you?" This second question was asked quickly, a degree of fear in his voice that caught Gimli's attention, for all the dwarf was confused by the words.
"What if he does?" Gimli questioned slowly, not about to lose an advantage should he actually have one.
The man in front of him trembled slightly, now looking even more uncomfortable then before. Shuffling his feet he finally collapsed to the ground melodramatically. For Gimli it was the second time someone had dropped to the ground before in the span of only a few hours and he was beginning to reassess his conclusions about this place being decent.
"I'm sorry, Lord! It is just Addrodoc said that you would not be needed tonight and asked that I keep you here! Forgive me for interfering with your master's divine plans! It was due but to my ignorance that I acted against you. The temple! He has been taken to a place worthy of his magnificence."
A heavy and oppressive silence enveloped the pair, as Gimli heard and digested this information. Very slowly the dwarf began to understand the full complexities of the situation. These people thought the elf, and not just any elf but Legolas, to be some sort of divine creature.
The dwarf broke out into a fit of tear-inducing laughter.
Reviewer Responses:
Karri ~ You were our first reviewer for the story! I am also very pleased that you liked how we captured and portrayed Legolas, as keeping the characters as believable as possible is important to us. Thanks for your review and also thanks for the email. It was my pleasure to read and review your story.
sirithiliel ~ You are so loyal to me! I mean that whenever I post something you are there to review it! That means a lot to me. Here is one update and I hope to have Fading Hope updated by the end of next week. As to the prophesy… that you will have to read to discover. ^_^
Star-Stallion ~ My favorite part of the last chapter was the Legolas/Arod moment too, lol. I had fun writing it just because I had such a vivid picture in my head of the scene. Here is another update for you and thanks for your review.
Elfling ~ LOL. Yes, this is the new story I was talking about. It should be around nine chapters long and we already have half of it written. I am glad it caught your interest and I really hope it continues to hold it. I love reviewing your stuff and I am pleased that you feel the same way about my work.
elfchic02 ~ I am so happy you approved of the way we portrayed the characters. It is important to us that we stay as realistic with Gimli and Legolas' portrayal as possible. I am glad you found their banter humorous because both eLLe and I were both a little unsure. I love Arod as a character, and he is going continue to be a part of this story. Thanks so much for adding me to your favorites list. That was a huge compliment! *blush* ^_^
ShortRedHead28 ~ Thanks so much and I am glad you think this story shows promise. Thanks for your review.
Artemisa ~ LOL. Thanks for the show of confidence. ROFL. You *are* twins obsessed, not that I blame you. You make them into such endearing characters in your stories that I have found myself more and more taken with them. I am sorry to disappoint but they are not going to appear in this story – but in the next three chapters of so they *will* be in 'Fading Hope' and I am not lying to you this time, lol. eLLe and I do make a good team and this story could not have come into being without her help and her talents.
Pirate-chicha ~ Sorry. I am known for my cliffhangers and I simply have to end chapters making my readers groan, lol. Here is more and thanks so much for your continued support – I am so pleased you enjoy my and eLLe's writing.
randomramblings ~ 'Fading Hope'… well I have been having some problems writing the next chapter… a spout of writer's block if you will. So eLLe and I had been working on this story already and had a couple of chapters done so instead of posting nothing – we thought this might hold you over until chapter thirty is done. *grin* I won't abandon my story, I promise!
mistx2 ~ LOL. I will try to make him heal quickly for you but I have other stuff planned for him worst then a few scraps and bruises. As for what is going to happen next, lol… well you will have to keep reading to find out – and reviews make me post the next bit faster! ^_^
wellduh… ~ Yep, another fic. eLLe and I have actually been working on this for a while. We have the entire story planned out and have the first few chapters written so while I struggle with the next chapter of 'Fading Hope' we will post this. Thanks for pointing out the killing thing… it is not something I had considered… you might have a point though, lol. The way I saw the scene was them killing bandits who were attacking unarmed families… maybe we did not portray it as graphically enough to have it justify their actions. You found the battle violent? Do you think I should up my rating – I am never sure how to rate my writing, *sigh*. Anyway, thanks so much for your continued reviews and insights – I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. ^_^
Niori ~ Hey! It felt so good that so many of my 'Fading Hope' reviewers came here to support me with this newest story as well. eLLe and I are thrilled that you all seem to be enjoying this. I am really proud of this story and it should be around nine chapters long (including the prologue and the epilogue). I hope school is going well for you and you update your stories soon!