Chapter XI: Friends
Alexa stormed away from Haldir, completely furious. What right did he have to speak of her friends so cruelly? She stopped when she reached a small glade. Sitting down, she leaned back against a tree and drew her knees up to her chest. She sighed heavily. It had been a long time since she and Haldir had quarreled. She frowned stubbornly. Well, I am not going to be the one to apologize. He is the one at fault here. A slight rustling in the bushes interrupted her thoughts. She looked up as a Dwarf entered the glade.
The Dwarf was short with a long, grizzly brown beard and equally grizzly brown hair. He was wearing the traditional Dwarven armor, and he had a large, double-headed axe strapped to his back and a smaller axe at his waist. His brown eyes were full of sadness, and his face was pale. This must be Gimli, she thought. The Dwarf froze as he saw her.
"Forgive me, my lady. I did not mean to disturb you," he said, his voice gruff.
She rose and smiled at him. "You are not disturbing me, Master Dwarf. Please honor me with your company."
Gimli stared at the Elven woman in surprise. Was she actually asking him to join her? He searched her eyes, looking for the typical Elven contempt, but all he found in them was a genuine kindness. He frowned slightly in confusion, but joined her. The Elven woman smiled warmly at him.
"I am Alexa. What is your name, Master Dwarf?" she asked.
"Gimli, son of Gloin, my lady." He frowned. 'Alexa.' Why was that name so familiar?
"I was greatly saddened to hear of Balin and his people's deaths in Moria," she said sadly. "Balin was a dear friend of mine."
Gimli glanced at her sharply. She knows Balin and claims him as her friend? How is this possible? As if she knew his thoughts, the Elven maiden continued.
"Balin, his people, and I shared a cave during a terrible snowstorm in the Misty Mountains many years ago. Balin and his people showed me great kindness and hospitality."
Gimli's eyes brightened in recognition. Balin had told him of this Elf! "Balin spoke of you, Lady Alexa. He told me of your staying with them, and of how you knew Garin the Great Storyteller." He eyed her skeptically. "He also mentioned something about drinking games."
Alexa laughed softly. "Yes. I have taken part in many a drinking game, Gimli. In fact, I played several with Balin in the mountains." She smiled in fond remembrance. "He did not lose well."
Gimli laughed. "He never could accept being beaten."
Alexa shook her head, and they both laughed. She smiled sadly. "I miss him."
"As do I, lass. As do I," he replied.
Alexa studied Gimli and frowned slightly. What could have made Haldir speak so ill of this Dwarf? "I am sorry for the poor treatment you received at the borders, Gimli," she told him.
Gimli looked at her in surprise. "It was not your fault, lass. I told the Captain what I thought of him and his treatment."
She nodded. "As did I. I do not tolerate anyone speaking ill of people that I respect."
Gimli sighed. "You would receive the same initial treatment if you entered our lands."
"Yes. Balin and his people were not welcoming to me at first. Why is there this distrust and hostility between Elves and Dwarves?"
"I am surprised that you do not know of this, lass. It has been going on for many years."
"I have not lived among my people for very long, Gimli. Not even a hundred years yet," she told him.
He nodded. "I will tell you then, lass. It began when an Elven king accused the Dwarves of stealing his gold. The Dwarves responded to this by saying that they did not steal his gold, but only took what was due them for payment for work they had done for the king. Ever since then, the Elves and Dwarves have regarded each other with distrust."
Alexa stared at him in surprise. "Is that the only reason for this quarrel?"
"It was the beginning. The feud has grown far beyond that now."
"Which people were telling the truth? Who really began this quarrel?" she asked.
"I believe my people, lass, but I truly do not know for certain," he replied.
Alexa nodded. "Thank you for telling me of this, Gimli." He nodded and she smiled. "I must go. I hope to see you again before the Fellowship departs."
"Yes, lass. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Gimli." She turned and left the glade, her heart heavy and thinking of Haldir.
Alexa walked aimlessly through the forest, thinking of all that Gimli had told her. She was still angry with Haldir for what he had said, but now she understood his animosity toward Dwarves slightly more. However, she was far too proud to seek him out and apologize. Besides, she was still hurt by his comment about her defending her own people. Did he not know the answer to that by now? She glanced up and saw a dark-haired man standing afar off. The man was dressed in the attire of a ranger, and Alexa immediately recognized him as Aragorn. She smiled and called to him. He turned and grinned when he saw her. She walked up to him, and they embraced each other tightly.
"It is so good to see you, Estel!" she told him.
"And you, Alexa! I have missed you, mellon nin," he replied.
"And I you, my young lord. It has been far too long."
"Yes, it has." He sighed heavily. "If only we were meeting under better circumstances."
"I know. I heard about Gandalf's death," she said gently. She knew that Aragorn had been close to the wizard.
Aragorn bowed his head. "His death was greatly felt by all of us."
Alexa reached out and gently squeezed his arm. She hated to see her friend hurting so, but did not want to press him further. Her brows rose in surprise as she saw the Evenstar around his neck. Arwen must have given him this.
"How are Arwen and your brothers, Estel?"
He smiled at her, but she could see the sadness that he tried to hide. "Arwen is well, as are my brothers." He brightened slightly. "They are ever the pranksters of Rivendell."
She laughed. "They will never change." Not that she wanted them to. She grinned impishly. "Do you remember the time we scared them so badly that they fell off their horses?"
He grinned. "Yes. I hid in the oak tree while you distracted them."
"And then you jumped out of the tree, howling like a warg, and frightened them so terribly that they fell off their horses and into the mud!" She laughed. "I will never forget the looks on their faces. I laughed so hard, my sides hurt."
"As did I," he said between laughs. "I did not think they would ever forgive us for that one."
"But they did... after they pushed us into the stream," she said wryly.
"Do not forget, we pulled them in with us. Our fathers must have laughed for a week. The four of us, completely drenched, were quite a sight, I am certain," he said.
Alexa laughed. "Yes. They were probably wondering what ever possessed them to have children in the first place."
He grinned at her. "Does Haldir know what a prankster you are?"
Alexa's light mood fell away at the mention of Haldir. She was still hurting from their fight. What has happened to me? I used to be able to deaden myself to everything, but now I am alive with feeling. And sometimes the feelings are so painful. She glanced at Aragorn, who was watching her expectantly.
"No, not really," she muttered.
Aragorn studied her. He could tell that something was wrong, which surprised him, for Alexa was usually very skilled at hiding her feelings. He was concerned, for she was his dear friend, and he hated to see her hurting.
"Is everything all right, Alexa?" he asked.
Alexa lowered her eyes. "Yes," she lied. "Everything is fine."
"Are you certain?"
She looked pointedly at the Evenstar around his neck, then into his eyes. "Yes."
He nodded, and she sighed in relief. He looked up at the evening sky, and returned his gaze to her. "I must return to the Fellowship, Alexa. Shall I see you again before we depart?"
She smiled. "Of course, Estel. Rest well, mellon nin."
"And you as well. Good night, Alexa."
They embraced, and he departed. She smiled. It was so good to see him again. She frowned. I hope everything is well between him and Arwen. She had few friends, but she wanted to see those that she did have happy. She climbed partway up a Mallorn tree and sat on a low branch. She leaned back against the trunk and stared up at the stars. She would receive no rest this night.