Thanks for the great feedback on the prologue – I am glad to see well known names
again … :-)
And the begging and threatening hints worked once more… the next chapter was
quickly written and would have been posted much sooner if only I had had an internet
connection…
As always, thanks to Little My for beta reading!!!
On with the story and let me know what you think!!!
___
Gimli had lost any feeling of time as he stumbled forward. His head hurt and
sometimes his vision blurred, and he had to concentrate to focus on something. The
feeling of nausea had remained, intensifying when he moved too quickly so he kept
his movements slow and steady. His right arm throbbed, and as every attempt to use
it brought little black spots dancing before his eyes he had quickly refrained from
doing so, keeping it cradled against his side.
When he finally reached a small creek, he almost passed it by. Belatedly, the soft
rippling sound of water penetrated the fog that had settled over his mind and he
realized its meaning. He moved his head carefully, not wishing to worsen the pain he
already felt, and found the source of what he could hear. A few steps took him there
and awkwardly he knelt down. He could see his reflection in the water, and the dried
blood on his temple. It took him more strength then he would have ever thought
possible to simply bow his head and wash his face.
Sudden noise behind him brought him to his feet much faster than was wise, and for
a moment darkness threatened to overcome him. Even though he was close to losing
his grip on consciousness, his hand still went to his belt to grab for the handle of his
axe that was not there.
He desperately fought the grey veil that seemed to obscure his vision as the sound
came closer - a rustling of leaves and something else. In the same moment he
realised it to be the sound of hooves, a well-known silver haired horse broke through
the undergrowth, trotting towards Gimli. She came to a stop in front of him and when
he did nothing to acknowledge her immediately, she let out a whine and nudged him.
The prodding at his shoulder brought Gimli out of his bewilderment and his hand
came up to pet her without thinking. His eyes quickly took in that she still carried his
possessions. Quite obviously they had not been able to unload their spoils before
Selena managed to escape them. A smile grazed Gimli's lips as he thought of the
damage an angry horse could inflict. He circled her to make sure she was not
wounded and with relief he found nothing. A quick check assured him that his supply
of water and food was still attached to her back. Eating was off limits for only the
thought of it made his stomach turn, but the water skin would be surely needed.
Taking a piece of cloth from one of the bags, he returned to the water to clean the
wound on his arm. He could not get a good look at it, due to the position of the injury
as well as his difficulty in focusing. Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the hot pain as
he dabbed at the wound and removed the grime and blood as best he could. He
knew the danger of infection and that it had already been too long until it was
cleaned but there was naught he could do. Once more, he forced himself to his feet
and searched his bag until he found the small pouch containing healing herbs.
Shaking fingers undid the cord that kept it closed and removed a few leaves to apply
them to the deep gash. Using another piece of cloth, Gimli wrapped his arm in a
makeshift bandage, using his teeth to secure it with a knot. He could only hope that
the herbs would ward off any infection.
Getting onto Selena and riding was out of the question, for Gimli knew that he would
not be able to endure the movements of the horse. Walking was the most he could
take. But he stayed close to the horse as he moved on, and more than once his hand
came up to steady himself against her solid body.
@@@
As they reached the camp, their mood was quite sour. One of them wore a bloody
bandage where the dwarf's axe had grazed him. The second one was limping as he
had not been fast enough to completely get out of the way of a horse kick. The third
one showed a nicely swelling hand in purple and blue where said horse had
managed to bite him. And all of this for no more than an axe and one piece of
jewellery.
They found four other men sitting around a small fire, greeting them with sneers.
'What did you do, take on an army?'
It would have been too embarrassing to confess what truly had happened, so one
dwarf became ten and the small horse grew to a demonic beast. But when the
question came up of (added "of") what the spoils had been, they could only exchange
glances. Their reluctance to tell only stoked the other's curiosity. Dwarves were well
known for their craftsmanship and oft they carried pieces of it with them.
'Do not make such a mystery out of it,' one man taunted. 'Or I might have my doubts
that you even saw a dwarf and did not simply get into a brawl.'
Not able to resist the challenge, the one who had raided the dwarf's pockets held out
a small piece, glittering in the sun.
'This is only one piece of many we got from them,' he bragged.
The small thing wandered from hand to hand, a look of envy crossing most faces. No
one asked to see anything else, as it was quite usual to hide what had been robbed
or stolen even from their comrades. It does no good to trust a thief, and most of these
men were far worse than just thieves.
The last one to look at it was a tall man with a hard face, and eyes that seemed to
shine with a strange light. He took it with his left hand, holding it up to admire it. A
strange look crossed his face and his eyes narrowed as he looked more closely. The
small object was made of mithril and inlaid with gold, forming a beautiful design.
Enclosed in this was a small vial, and as he turned it he could see the sparkle of
golden hair.
Realisation hit and it almost dropped from his fingers as he jumped to his feet,
sudden agitation on his face.
'You took this from a dwarf?'
'Aye, I did.'
'Is he dead?' The intensity of his voice and the look in his eyes took the other by
surprise.
'Uhm… I mean… aye, he is dead.'
He had exchanged another quick glance with his two comrades ere he spoke, a fact
that was missed by the questioner as his dark eyes had returned to study the small
object in his hand.
'Do you have any idea who he was?' he quietly asked. Not waiting for an answer he
kept on talking. 'Do you know what this is?' He held the piece up to the sun once
more, waiting until all eyes had come to stare at it.
'It is a locket crafted to contain three strands of hair. Three strands of hair given to
Gimli the dwarf as a gift from Galadriel, elven witch and Lady of the Woods of
Lothlorien.'
He paused, letting his words sink in and enjoying the mixture of awe and dawning
worry on their faces.
'It is said that he always carries it with him, wherever he goes.'
He cast one more glance towards the three that had brought this object into their
possession. He doubted their story very much, for he knew they would not have
lasted against ten dwarves. Not if one of them had been Gimli son of Gloin. But the
small token in his hand was proof that they had at least encountered him, and he
would not have parted from it while he was still alive.
A cruel smile crossed the man's face as he thought of the dwarf's death. He would
have loved to have been the one to deliver the killing blow himself. A sudden thought
made him raise his head and look at the three men again.
'Did you see any sign of an elf accompanying him?'
All three shook their heads, puzzled by this question.
'The dwarf was a close friend of King Elessar of Gondor,' he spoke, and his fingers
still played with the small object they held. They had not dared to ask it back from
him, for even among these men he was feared.
'Why should we care about the King of Gondor?' one sneered. 'This is Rohan and his
word does not count here.'
'But Eomer our king does listen to him. If word spreads that Gimli son of Gloin found
death here they might come to hunt us.'
'They have tried to find us for so long, they will not find us any easier now.'
Dark eyes burned at them as he knew well that at least one would come to seek
revenge for the death of his friend. If no one else, the elf would come.
And finally he would be able to take the revenge he had dreamed about ever since
he had been forced to leave Gondor.
again … :-)
And the begging and threatening hints worked once more… the next chapter was
quickly written and would have been posted much sooner if only I had had an internet
connection…
As always, thanks to Little My for beta reading!!!
On with the story and let me know what you think!!!
___
Gimli had lost any feeling of time as he stumbled forward. His head hurt and
sometimes his vision blurred, and he had to concentrate to focus on something. The
feeling of nausea had remained, intensifying when he moved too quickly so he kept
his movements slow and steady. His right arm throbbed, and as every attempt to use
it brought little black spots dancing before his eyes he had quickly refrained from
doing so, keeping it cradled against his side.
When he finally reached a small creek, he almost passed it by. Belatedly, the soft
rippling sound of water penetrated the fog that had settled over his mind and he
realized its meaning. He moved his head carefully, not wishing to worsen the pain he
already felt, and found the source of what he could hear. A few steps took him there
and awkwardly he knelt down. He could see his reflection in the water, and the dried
blood on his temple. It took him more strength then he would have ever thought
possible to simply bow his head and wash his face.
Sudden noise behind him brought him to his feet much faster than was wise, and for
a moment darkness threatened to overcome him. Even though he was close to losing
his grip on consciousness, his hand still went to his belt to grab for the handle of his
axe that was not there.
He desperately fought the grey veil that seemed to obscure his vision as the sound
came closer - a rustling of leaves and something else. In the same moment he
realised it to be the sound of hooves, a well-known silver haired horse broke through
the undergrowth, trotting towards Gimli. She came to a stop in front of him and when
he did nothing to acknowledge her immediately, she let out a whine and nudged him.
The prodding at his shoulder brought Gimli out of his bewilderment and his hand
came up to pet her without thinking. His eyes quickly took in that she still carried his
possessions. Quite obviously they had not been able to unload their spoils before
Selena managed to escape them. A smile grazed Gimli's lips as he thought of the
damage an angry horse could inflict. He circled her to make sure she was not
wounded and with relief he found nothing. A quick check assured him that his supply
of water and food was still attached to her back. Eating was off limits for only the
thought of it made his stomach turn, but the water skin would be surely needed.
Taking a piece of cloth from one of the bags, he returned to the water to clean the
wound on his arm. He could not get a good look at it, due to the position of the injury
as well as his difficulty in focusing. Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the hot pain as
he dabbed at the wound and removed the grime and blood as best he could. He
knew the danger of infection and that it had already been too long until it was
cleaned but there was naught he could do. Once more, he forced himself to his feet
and searched his bag until he found the small pouch containing healing herbs.
Shaking fingers undid the cord that kept it closed and removed a few leaves to apply
them to the deep gash. Using another piece of cloth, Gimli wrapped his arm in a
makeshift bandage, using his teeth to secure it with a knot. He could only hope that
the herbs would ward off any infection.
Getting onto Selena and riding was out of the question, for Gimli knew that he would
not be able to endure the movements of the horse. Walking was the most he could
take. But he stayed close to the horse as he moved on, and more than once his hand
came up to steady himself against her solid body.
@@@
As they reached the camp, their mood was quite sour. One of them wore a bloody
bandage where the dwarf's axe had grazed him. The second one was limping as he
had not been fast enough to completely get out of the way of a horse kick. The third
one showed a nicely swelling hand in purple and blue where said horse had
managed to bite him. And all of this for no more than an axe and one piece of
jewellery.
They found four other men sitting around a small fire, greeting them with sneers.
'What did you do, take on an army?'
It would have been too embarrassing to confess what truly had happened, so one
dwarf became ten and the small horse grew to a demonic beast. But when the
question came up of (added "of") what the spoils had been, they could only exchange
glances. Their reluctance to tell only stoked the other's curiosity. Dwarves were well
known for their craftsmanship and oft they carried pieces of it with them.
'Do not make such a mystery out of it,' one man taunted. 'Or I might have my doubts
that you even saw a dwarf and did not simply get into a brawl.'
Not able to resist the challenge, the one who had raided the dwarf's pockets held out
a small piece, glittering in the sun.
'This is only one piece of many we got from them,' he bragged.
The small thing wandered from hand to hand, a look of envy crossing most faces. No
one asked to see anything else, as it was quite usual to hide what had been robbed
or stolen even from their comrades. It does no good to trust a thief, and most of these
men were far worse than just thieves.
The last one to look at it was a tall man with a hard face, and eyes that seemed to
shine with a strange light. He took it with his left hand, holding it up to admire it. A
strange look crossed his face and his eyes narrowed as he looked more closely. The
small object was made of mithril and inlaid with gold, forming a beautiful design.
Enclosed in this was a small vial, and as he turned it he could see the sparkle of
golden hair.
Realisation hit and it almost dropped from his fingers as he jumped to his feet,
sudden agitation on his face.
'You took this from a dwarf?'
'Aye, I did.'
'Is he dead?' The intensity of his voice and the look in his eyes took the other by
surprise.
'Uhm… I mean… aye, he is dead.'
He had exchanged another quick glance with his two comrades ere he spoke, a fact
that was missed by the questioner as his dark eyes had returned to study the small
object in his hand.
'Do you have any idea who he was?' he quietly asked. Not waiting for an answer he
kept on talking. 'Do you know what this is?' He held the piece up to the sun once
more, waiting until all eyes had come to stare at it.
'It is a locket crafted to contain three strands of hair. Three strands of hair given to
Gimli the dwarf as a gift from Galadriel, elven witch and Lady of the Woods of
Lothlorien.'
He paused, letting his words sink in and enjoying the mixture of awe and dawning
worry on their faces.
'It is said that he always carries it with him, wherever he goes.'
He cast one more glance towards the three that had brought this object into their
possession. He doubted their story very much, for he knew they would not have
lasted against ten dwarves. Not if one of them had been Gimli son of Gloin. But the
small token in his hand was proof that they had at least encountered him, and he
would not have parted from it while he was still alive.
A cruel smile crossed the man's face as he thought of the dwarf's death. He would
have loved to have been the one to deliver the killing blow himself. A sudden thought
made him raise his head and look at the three men again.
'Did you see any sign of an elf accompanying him?'
All three shook their heads, puzzled by this question.
'The dwarf was a close friend of King Elessar of Gondor,' he spoke, and his fingers
still played with the small object they held. They had not dared to ask it back from
him, for even among these men he was feared.
'Why should we care about the King of Gondor?' one sneered. 'This is Rohan and his
word does not count here.'
'But Eomer our king does listen to him. If word spreads that Gimli son of Gloin found
death here they might come to hunt us.'
'They have tried to find us for so long, they will not find us any easier now.'
Dark eyes burned at them as he knew well that at least one would come to seek
revenge for the death of his friend. If no one else, the elf would come.
And finally he would be able to take the revenge he had dreamed about ever since
he had been forced to leave Gondor.