Author: Mirrordance

Title: Love, War

Summary: The War brought them together, but the peace will tear them apart. How much is a man willing to pay to keep a friendship, and how much is a friend willing to lose for revenge? Slash.

TIMELINE: the story happens about a year or two after Return of the King— the exact year is immaterial really, just as long as certain future events operate as a given: one, peace is yet to be attained with the Eastern tribes of Middle-Earth. Two, Ithilien is already restored and Legolas lords over the elven colony there, just as Gimli is lord of the Glittering Caves. Three, Eomer is already engaged, as is Eowyn and Faramir. Four, that Elrond and Galadriel have already sailed away to Valinor. The fic is generally faithful to the book and the movie with respect to the major events, although some factors about it may be considered as an AU; the irrepressible Haldir, for instance, is very much alive in this piece.

ORIGINAL CHARACTER GUIDE:

The Sang-age Tribe: a tribe name created from Latin roots which means 'belong to blood.' They a creation of the author and is supposed to be one of the multitude of Easterling tribes, not particularly powerful but also influential. excuse any possible inconsistencies haha.

King Nathaniel: the King of the Sang-age tribe.

Prince Nicolo: Heir of Nathaniel, a renown and vicious warrior.

Danielli: the king of another Easterling tribe, and a dear friend and ally to Nicolo.

Princess Nadina: Nathaniel's daughter, Nicolo's sister, and Danielli's wife.

Lilian: Legolas' murdered betrothed. An elf from Lothlorien.

Adriano: Nicolo's impulsive young aide and valet.

Jonah: an old Easterling warrior.

PART TWO: Possibilities

Chapter Fourteen: The Nature of Love and War

The Road East

In the interest of appearing impartial, Elrohir commanded the Eastern soldiers to form a single line, and the Western soldiers another single line, and these two lines traveled parallel to each other, side by side.

Elrohir had thought the job was going to be a difficult one, but he didn't think he'd encounter such adverse reactions even with just filing out of the Rohan camp.

The thing was, the Western soldiers tended to band together, and the Eastern ones kept to themselves as well. The question in that case then, was which group to put in the rear or in front. When the Easterlings were put to the rear, they said it was unfairly riskier for them, and besides, the Men of the West did not trust their old foes with covering their backs. When the positions were reversed, they pretty much gave the same arguments, except they swapped positions.

Elrohir's eyes nearly crossed with his ire. "You are soldiers, damn it," he told them darkly, and at the sight of the rising of his considerable elven temper, they were going to follow when Elrohir grudgingly ordered them into the single-file position they were currently employing. It was strategically unquestionable, and no one was going to explicitly say that they were afraid of who they'd be riding beside, or wanted better company.

Besides, Elrohir thought wryly, The travel will be much quieter this way. He also thought that breaking up the cliques will keep them from plotting against each other or pointedly leaving out the other group; they might even learn to speak, to get along. They'd all have to, eventually, if the treaty pushes through.

Elrohir, Haldir and Gimli headed the two single-man lines. The dwarf rode with Elrohir at the moment, though the impervious Mr. Gimli pretty much shifted riding parties at whim and will. The only rider he was apparently used to tolerating for a long time was the absent Legolas.

"I cannot believe I am picking up pointy ear's wife," he grumbled, shifting in the saddle, thoughtful.

Haldir's forehead creased. Upon being apprised of the situation before the beginning of the journey, he was stunned and saddened to have heard that Lilian died a few years ago.

"He loved Lilian so much," Haldir said quietly, shaking his head in marvel, "And to wed her murderers… What must be going on inside his heart, I wonder."

"I imagine the first thing he's to do," said Elrohir, "is speak with King Thranduil about all of this. I imagine Legolas' father won't be much pleased with a half-Eastern future heir to Eryn Lasgalen. But then," the elf sighed, "He's always been a bit of a progressive. Legolas' eastern alliance will expand their territories, multiply their riches, create new commerce opportunities, give them new constituents. It might not be so bad."

"But elves carry anger to the depths of the Earth," Haldir argued, "And the King is the least of his problems. He'd have to contend with his people as well. Mirkwood was particularly war-ravaged, being so near to the enemy. They'd have crossed blades with the Easterlings. They'd have come so close to each other you can smell them. Many elves died preserving that Kingdom, and then the Prince weds one of them."

Gimli shook his head in dismay. "Why would Legolas want to do any of these things? Such headaches…"

Elrohir thought back to the conversation he had with said elf some days ago.

"I curse the fates," Legolas had said, "Elves should have kept to elves and mortals to mortals. Friendships and loves were not made to cross these lines, they only guarantee tragedy. Who were we to think we could escape destiny? Or perhaps we were all too short-sighted. We sacrificed our hearts and our futures for immediate and short-lived gratifications. Foolish."

"You are right," Elrohir said grimly, "Such headaches. And I know not how he came to this decision of his. I haven't felt… I don't feel that he has so fierce a love for this land, lately, to merit this sacrifice."

Haldir glanced sidelong at him. "I've noticed the same."

"He has love," Gimli argued, cryptically, "It's just for… for something else." He did not elaborate on what he meant. Instead, he set his jaws and diverted the subject. "I am thinking perhaps I've failed him as a friend, somehow."

"And how did you come to this ridiculous thought, Master Dwarf?" the former Marchwarden asked him.

"He has no one to speak with," Gimli replied, "I've not been around enough, I suppose."

"Neither has he," Elrohir pointed out, "I see no reason for you to feel guilt over this, mellon-nin. Our lives have diverged. Much as we may not want to believe it. When your Fellowship parted, you must have known that somehow, you will never come together in the same way again."

"I know," said Gimli, glumly, "It's just that he seems as if he is so alone."

They camped after a full day's ride.

The longer they traveled, the more comfortable the atmosphere became between the former adversaries. Not that they found much to speak of or bond over; it was probably just that the length of the road was making tension impractical and tiring.

They built a campfire, and sat around it randomly, man from the East finding himself sitting next to one from the West, sitting beside an elf, beside a dwarf… it made for a very strange-looking camp, but hardly an uncomfortable one.

The young Adriano, who wasn't a soldier, was tasked by Nathaniel as the main emissary and therefore outranked all the other Eastern soldiers. But he took careful charge of making the meals, and was diplomatic enough to have made enough for everyone, instead of just for his countrymen. The ranking Western soldier, Tadeo, looked over his shoulder as he worked, to ensure no poisoning or other suspicious activity. Adriano glared at him hotly for a long moment, before deciding Tadeo might as well be useful and shared the work with him. The duo made for the best tasting camp-broth any in the group had ever tasted.

Elrohir watched the interplay with a light in his eye, right over the fire which another tandem of East and West had helped create. Things weren't so bad, he mused. Peace can be made to work.

"What is Princess Nadina like?" Elrohir asked the Easterling beside him, an aging guard named Jonah.

The old man's face broke into a quick smile, as if a flash of Nadina's memory crossed his mind. "Beautiful."

Gimli smirked. "Well let no one accuse you of being very wordy, old man. What sort of woman is she? Can she cook? Can she fight?" his tone took on a bit of intensity, without his knowing. He wasn't quite aware that he was trying to get information on his best friend's wife-to-be. "Is she a good mother? I heard she has a son…"

The conversation was intriguing the Western soldiers as well, and they turned their attention intently upon the Easterlings. They knew nothing of the woman their much-celebrated Legolas was to wed.

"She is a wonderful woman," Adriano answered for his group, "Dark hair, clear blue eyes and golden skin. She is colored like the dessert; open blue skies, golden sands and shadows. She has a smile that can make a man believe he owns the world." He hesitated. "One that we've not had the pleasure of seeing in a long while."

"Why is that?" Elrohir asked.

"Of the dead one should speak no ill," Adriano said, "But… but to answer your question the only way that I can, master elf… I served as valet to Prince Nicolo who is Nadina's brother and her husband's general, so I've seen much. King Danielli is a great warrior, but there is only so much of one man to go around, you see. Her husband was not with her much. And in the times that he was, his love is… it is not very conventional, or easy to note. Some might even say, that he did not quite know how to love her." Adriano's voice took on a more edgy tone, "Which means that her marriage to your elven prince should not be much different from what she is accustomed to."

Gimli, in defense of his dear friend, felt rightfully slighted. "Legolas knows how to love, lad. More than you can possibly know."

"He cannot love her," argued Adriano, "He hates all of us. A hater cannot know how to love, it doesn't make any sense. I wouldn't even be surprised if he went and killed her. But far be it for me to question the wisdom of King Nathaniel in giving the Prince his own daughter. It is not my place."

"You people once killed the only woman he had ever loved," Gimli pointed out, bristling, "The only person he'd have been able to spend the rest of the eternity of his life with. You'd hate yourself too."

"We've killed his woman," Jonah said, "Perhaps. But certainly he's killed husbands and sons and fathers of our country too. Such is the nature of war. He has no right to despise us."

"But such is the nature of love," Haldir argued, "To hate that which destroys what the heart longs to protect."

"Nevertheless," Elrohir said, "We see by this alliance that such things have been put aside for the greater good. For love or for hate, past is past and we are all in a position to save our futures, now. It is not an opportunity we should lose."

Adriano stared at them thoughtfully. "You all have fierce respect for this elven prince of yours. Fierce love, even."

"We've only ever known him as a foe," Jonah said, brows furrowing, "A foe of the grandest sort. I was there that day he took on a mumakil and all that it bore. I couldn't believe my eyes. He is a great warrior, and we appreciate that he is now in our fold. You say in a way that is so fiery and believable that we can trust him. But can we trust him with Nadina's heart?"

"She is our muse," said another Easterling, sounding besotted, "She is Marin resurrected. She is the dessert…"

"Legolas will treat her with the respect she deserves," Elrohir promised them, "I do not know if he has the heart to make her smile. That price is much more steep."

"Can she make him happy?" Gimli asked in return.

"Nadina can make anyone happy," Jonah boasted, "She grew up under my watchful eye. A beautiful child with a kind heart."

"I hope so," Gimli muttered, though of course he was skeptical. He knew for a certainty that Legolas' heart and happiness belonged elsewhere. It was lodged in a place where the elf himself could not reach it nor remove it and channel his desires elsewhere. But by the gods, did he deserve to be happy. Gimli just didn't think Legolas could find it in this lifetime.

I may be thickheaded, he thought to himself, I may be accused of being obtuse. But I was never blind nor deaf.

The dwarf knew why Legolas was pushing through with the treaty, underlined though it was by an alliance with a race he so profoundly hated. It was because to push through with the treaty, to kill his hate, showed his greatest love too… Now as a dwarf, and even for so candid a race he was particularly blunt, even for him, it was that one thing he dared not voice.

Legolas does this for his love of Aragorn, Gimli thought, experimentally. He's never phrased it quite so plainly, even in the silence of his own contemplations. It seemed forbidden to believe, and it was a dangerous guess. Dangerous because in his heart he knew it to be absolutely true. All three of them knew it to be true, except they never once spoke of it explicitly, so dangerous were these words. But they all knew it. Just as they all knew they shouldn't speak of it, because it ultimately would come to nothing. It was useless, and hurtful, to waste breath and words on impossibilities.

To be continued…

HEY GUYS! thanks so so so much for the c&c's. thanks also to those who took the time to read. As long as you're around, I think I can keep this thing going haha, so MASSIVE thanks to all of you! oh and by the way, another two chapter post. have fun and 'TIL THE NEXT POST:)

to abernaith: haha, i know, it's slow. i meant for it to be, because i couldn't find the appropriate transition. i'm trying to make it gradual, kind of slow but sure because i'd hate for my readers to feel like it's suddenness is like being tossed into frigid waters. i fear the perception of being unnatural because this is my first a/l so i'm being very careful. also, i have a thing for slow-burning, indulgent and more quiet, intimate kind of romances. nothing too explicit, nothing really really said or shown but still palpable. anyway, you'll see in the next few chapters that we're finally getting somewhere, haha. i hope you don't fall asleep in the meantime haha :)