Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything in this story belongs to Tolkien. R&R
Legolas and Gimli had only traveled towards Helm's Deep about and hour when Gimli stopped, claiming he was starving.
"You never can satisfy your hunger can you?" Legolas implied with a laugh as he watched Gimli eat two pieces of lembas (an Elven Way-Bread).
Gimli glared up at Legolas. "You try being a Dwarf and going for hours without eating anything."
At this Legolas laughed again. He walked over to his horse and stared at the distant mountains. He could almost make out the opening of the caverns Gimli wished for them to explore. He didn't think the caverns would amaze him at all, as he was not a Dwarf and didn't have as much respect for mines and caves as Gimli did. Legolas was more looking forward to being able to return to the forest which they had once cut through. Gimli would not allow Legolas to stop and explore the forest then, but he promised to return there if Legolas would return with him to explore the caverns of Helm's Deep.
"Are you quite finished eating yet?" Legolas inquired to Gimli, drinking his water as if he had never had a taste for it.
"Fine, Master Elf, let's get going," said Gimli, as he finally gave in to Legolas' urge to leave. "as I know you are eager to get through the caverns so you may visit your forest."
Legolas laughed once more and mounted his horse, helping Gimli up behind him. He whispered something to his horse, which now began to trot at a steady pace.
They rode on for about two more hours before Gimli was able to even make out Helm's deep, where as Legolas could see the entrance to the caverns as though he were standing almost in front of it.
As Legolas gazed at the mountains he noticed the inside of the caverns seemed to be glowing.
"Does the inside of the cavern glow?" he asked Gimli curiously.
"Only if the light of a fire is cast upon the walls." Gimli replied with a startled expression. "Do you see something with your elf eyes that I cannot?"
Legolas sat in silence staring at the caverns for a few minutes. Then he bent and whispered elvish to his horse, which Gimli could only mean "faster" because at that moment the horse began to run at an alarming speed. Gimli grabbed Legolas in shock as so not to fall from the horse, mumbling something about "absurd elves."
Within the time period of a half-hour they had reached the entrance of the caves. Legolas slid from the horse with the grace of any elf and slowly he guided his reluctant horse deeper into the caves. Gimli protested and attempted to jump from the horse but accomplished more of a tumble off the animal.
"Do you really think your beast should be taken into the caverns?" Gimli questioned.
"If he gets frightened he will leave, I will not stop him." Gimli made a sort of "humph" noise at this but did not make any further comment.
They walked a little further into the caverns when Gimli suddenly looked up.
"What is it?" Legolas questioned following Gimli's gaze.
"All of the torches are lit," Gimli answered in an almost frightened voice, "they weren't lit last time I came down here."
"Do you think there is somebody in here?" Legolas glanced at Gimli, a little shocked to see a look of fright on the Dwarfs face.
"I don't know," Gimli replied warily, "Maybe it's really nothing to be afraid of, maybe somebody left the torches lit last time they came here."
As soon as Gimli got the last word out he heard a sudden noise coming from a branch off on the right. He jumped and pulled out his axe a quickly as is possible for a dwarf to move, and Legolas fitted an arrow into his bow quicker than Gimli had ever seen anything move before.
"Please don't hurt me," they heard a small voice beg. At the same time a small boy, no older than ten crept out of the tunnel.
Legolas looked at the boy a little shocked. "What are you doing down here?"
"I came in here to explore earlier this morning and I got lost. You're not going to hurt me are you?" The boy asked a little terrified as he looked at Legolas' bow and arrow.
Legolas lowered his bow almost embarrassed and looked over at Gimli who lowered his axe as well. "No, we wouldn't hurt you." Legolas said finally.
The boy looked relieved. "Can you help me find a way out of here?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, we will help you. Here, come ride the horse, you look tired." Legolas beckoned to his horse.
The little boy walked towards the horse both eager to get out of the cave, and cautious to trust these strangers. Finally he was next to the horse and Legolas helped him to mount it, then he lead the horse back along to the front of the cave with Gimli trudging along behind them. As soon as they got the boy to the mouth of the caverns the he jumped off the horse, excited to be out of the caves.
"Where is your home?" Legolas asked the now anxious little boy.
The boy said nothing, but pointed towards a cottage on a nearby hill. Legolas looked at the cabin, confused a little because he had not noticed it on the way to Helm's Deep. Maybe we were just in too much of a hurry. Legolas finally concluded as the boy ran towards the cottage. Legolas waited until the boy was safely inside then turned to Gimli. "Shall we reenter the caverns?"
"Yes we shall." Gimli replied almost eagerly.
They remained in the caverns for what Legolas considered too long, even though even he had to admit that the caverns were marvelous upon entering. When they finally reemerged into the sunlight Legolas glanced over in the direction of the cottage, only to realize that it was no longer sitting upon the hill. Legolas stared at the spot for a long while before bringing up the strange revelation to Gimli, who stared at the spot as though willing the cottage to reappear.
"How, I wonder, does an entire cottage get up and leave it's spot upon the hill atop which it is supposed to be perched?" Gimli finally said, breaking the strange silence.
"It is impossible I think, Master Dwarf," Legolas replied, "unless there never was a cottage perched atop the hill."
"I saw the boy enter it with my own eyes, and dwarf eyes, though not as powerful as elf-eyes, do not often lie." Gimli declared with pride and wonder in his voice.
"Consider this, Dwarf, the cottage was never there, but someone, a powerful wizard perhaps, bewitched the hill so it would appear that a cottage was sitting atop it."
Gimli pondered this for a good minute. "But why, Master elf, would somebody wish to defy our eyes into believing there was something there that does not exist."
By this time the sky was getting dark so the two of them decided to stop and sleep there. Legolas waited until Gimli was asleep then he went to the spot on the hill where he could have sworn he had seen the cottage. After searching for quite some time he had no luck in finding anything odd besides the missing cottage. He slowly made his way back to where Gimli was sleeping and turned to stare at the spot where the cottage no longer stood. He lay down and stared at the night sky until he heard a sound close by and jumped up, bow at the ready.
"Gimli!" Legolas said in low urgent voice, trying to wake the sleeping dwarf.
Gimli woke with a start and seeing Legolas at the ready he pulled out his axe.
Legolas stared into the darkness and then shot off an arrow, which hit what was unmistakably an orc. Legolas replaced his missing arrow as quickly as he had shot it. Gimli, who could not see far enough into the darkness to see the band of orcs approaching, stood next to Legolas with his axe at the ready. Legolas continued to shoot arrow after arrow into the darkness, never once missing an orc. All of the sudden one of the orcs shot an arrow trough the darkness and hit Gimli in shoulder. Gimli yelped and dropped his axe, he quickly bent over and picked up the fallen weapon and ran at the nearest dark figure, as could make out quite a few by now. He swung his awe with one hand over and over until finally there was no more orcs left. Gimli dropped his weapon to the ground and gripped his shoulder, which was now filled with a white-hot pain. Legolas quickly made his way over to his friend. He ripped the cloth away from Gimli's wound and cringed at the smell. The arrow, which Gimli had been pierced with, had been poisonous.
Legolas and Gimli had only traveled towards Helm's Deep about and hour when Gimli stopped, claiming he was starving.
"You never can satisfy your hunger can you?" Legolas implied with a laugh as he watched Gimli eat two pieces of lembas (an Elven Way-Bread).
Gimli glared up at Legolas. "You try being a Dwarf and going for hours without eating anything."
At this Legolas laughed again. He walked over to his horse and stared at the distant mountains. He could almost make out the opening of the caverns Gimli wished for them to explore. He didn't think the caverns would amaze him at all, as he was not a Dwarf and didn't have as much respect for mines and caves as Gimli did. Legolas was more looking forward to being able to return to the forest which they had once cut through. Gimli would not allow Legolas to stop and explore the forest then, but he promised to return there if Legolas would return with him to explore the caverns of Helm's Deep.
"Are you quite finished eating yet?" Legolas inquired to Gimli, drinking his water as if he had never had a taste for it.
"Fine, Master Elf, let's get going," said Gimli, as he finally gave in to Legolas' urge to leave. "as I know you are eager to get through the caverns so you may visit your forest."
Legolas laughed once more and mounted his horse, helping Gimli up behind him. He whispered something to his horse, which now began to trot at a steady pace.
They rode on for about two more hours before Gimli was able to even make out Helm's deep, where as Legolas could see the entrance to the caverns as though he were standing almost in front of it.
As Legolas gazed at the mountains he noticed the inside of the caverns seemed to be glowing.
"Does the inside of the cavern glow?" he asked Gimli curiously.
"Only if the light of a fire is cast upon the walls." Gimli replied with a startled expression. "Do you see something with your elf eyes that I cannot?"
Legolas sat in silence staring at the caverns for a few minutes. Then he bent and whispered elvish to his horse, which Gimli could only mean "faster" because at that moment the horse began to run at an alarming speed. Gimli grabbed Legolas in shock as so not to fall from the horse, mumbling something about "absurd elves."
Within the time period of a half-hour they had reached the entrance of the caves. Legolas slid from the horse with the grace of any elf and slowly he guided his reluctant horse deeper into the caves. Gimli protested and attempted to jump from the horse but accomplished more of a tumble off the animal.
"Do you really think your beast should be taken into the caverns?" Gimli questioned.
"If he gets frightened he will leave, I will not stop him." Gimli made a sort of "humph" noise at this but did not make any further comment.
They walked a little further into the caverns when Gimli suddenly looked up.
"What is it?" Legolas questioned following Gimli's gaze.
"All of the torches are lit," Gimli answered in an almost frightened voice, "they weren't lit last time I came down here."
"Do you think there is somebody in here?" Legolas glanced at Gimli, a little shocked to see a look of fright on the Dwarfs face.
"I don't know," Gimli replied warily, "Maybe it's really nothing to be afraid of, maybe somebody left the torches lit last time they came here."
As soon as Gimli got the last word out he heard a sudden noise coming from a branch off on the right. He jumped and pulled out his axe a quickly as is possible for a dwarf to move, and Legolas fitted an arrow into his bow quicker than Gimli had ever seen anything move before.
"Please don't hurt me," they heard a small voice beg. At the same time a small boy, no older than ten crept out of the tunnel.
Legolas looked at the boy a little shocked. "What are you doing down here?"
"I came in here to explore earlier this morning and I got lost. You're not going to hurt me are you?" The boy asked a little terrified as he looked at Legolas' bow and arrow.
Legolas lowered his bow almost embarrassed and looked over at Gimli who lowered his axe as well. "No, we wouldn't hurt you." Legolas said finally.
The boy looked relieved. "Can you help me find a way out of here?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, we will help you. Here, come ride the horse, you look tired." Legolas beckoned to his horse.
The little boy walked towards the horse both eager to get out of the cave, and cautious to trust these strangers. Finally he was next to the horse and Legolas helped him to mount it, then he lead the horse back along to the front of the cave with Gimli trudging along behind them. As soon as they got the boy to the mouth of the caverns the he jumped off the horse, excited to be out of the caves.
"Where is your home?" Legolas asked the now anxious little boy.
The boy said nothing, but pointed towards a cottage on a nearby hill. Legolas looked at the cabin, confused a little because he had not noticed it on the way to Helm's Deep. Maybe we were just in too much of a hurry. Legolas finally concluded as the boy ran towards the cottage. Legolas waited until the boy was safely inside then turned to Gimli. "Shall we reenter the caverns?"
"Yes we shall." Gimli replied almost eagerly.
They remained in the caverns for what Legolas considered too long, even though even he had to admit that the caverns were marvelous upon entering. When they finally reemerged into the sunlight Legolas glanced over in the direction of the cottage, only to realize that it was no longer sitting upon the hill. Legolas stared at the spot for a long while before bringing up the strange revelation to Gimli, who stared at the spot as though willing the cottage to reappear.
"How, I wonder, does an entire cottage get up and leave it's spot upon the hill atop which it is supposed to be perched?" Gimli finally said, breaking the strange silence.
"It is impossible I think, Master Dwarf," Legolas replied, "unless there never was a cottage perched atop the hill."
"I saw the boy enter it with my own eyes, and dwarf eyes, though not as powerful as elf-eyes, do not often lie." Gimli declared with pride and wonder in his voice.
"Consider this, Dwarf, the cottage was never there, but someone, a powerful wizard perhaps, bewitched the hill so it would appear that a cottage was sitting atop it."
Gimli pondered this for a good minute. "But why, Master elf, would somebody wish to defy our eyes into believing there was something there that does not exist."
By this time the sky was getting dark so the two of them decided to stop and sleep there. Legolas waited until Gimli was asleep then he went to the spot on the hill where he could have sworn he had seen the cottage. After searching for quite some time he had no luck in finding anything odd besides the missing cottage. He slowly made his way back to where Gimli was sleeping and turned to stare at the spot where the cottage no longer stood. He lay down and stared at the night sky until he heard a sound close by and jumped up, bow at the ready.
"Gimli!" Legolas said in low urgent voice, trying to wake the sleeping dwarf.
Gimli woke with a start and seeing Legolas at the ready he pulled out his axe.
Legolas stared into the darkness and then shot off an arrow, which hit what was unmistakably an orc. Legolas replaced his missing arrow as quickly as he had shot it. Gimli, who could not see far enough into the darkness to see the band of orcs approaching, stood next to Legolas with his axe at the ready. Legolas continued to shoot arrow after arrow into the darkness, never once missing an orc. All of the sudden one of the orcs shot an arrow trough the darkness and hit Gimli in shoulder. Gimli yelped and dropped his axe, he quickly bent over and picked up the fallen weapon and ran at the nearest dark figure, as could make out quite a few by now. He swung his awe with one hand over and over until finally there was no more orcs left. Gimli dropped his weapon to the ground and gripped his shoulder, which was now filled with a white-hot pain. Legolas quickly made his way over to his friend. He ripped the cloth away from Gimli's wound and cringed at the smell. The arrow, which Gimli had been pierced with, had been poisonous.