Title: Elvellon and Mílellon
Author: Lady Jet
Author's E-Mail: lady. Legolas/Gimli
Rating: PG-13
Summery: Based on the Plot Bunny by rainydayman "I am looking for a story in which Gimli is turned into a beautiful elf (like-rivaling-Galadriel-beautiful), much to his horror, as he travels to Mirkwood to visit Legolas. Legolas is drawn to him right from the start and unabashedly tries to court him (hence chases after the poor soul with elvish persistence). Gimli, while residing with the elves, refuses to tell them who he really is out of embarrassment and has to make up a story accounting for why they have never heard of him. He also has to acclimate himself to elvish customs, trying not to give himself away while sometimes slipping accidentally into his own native customs. Any embarrassing situations arising from that would be appreciated. By the end Gimli is turned back to his original form, but Legolas' affections still remain true."
Disclaimer: I own only Nethalas and Adatel. Legolas and Gimli and even this idea are owned by Tolkien and rainydayman respectively.
Chapter 2: Morning in Mirkwood
Gimli woke early the next day to the sounds of singing in the halls. He smiled gently and remembered his time in Loth-Loríen, and the Lady Galadriel. He suddenly got up in fear and hurried to his pack that was placed near the hearth and his axe. The sudden fear of Legolas innocently going through his bag and finding the three golden hairs from the Lady Galadriel and figuring out who he was, sent his heart racing and his mind reeling in horror. As he pulled the hairs encased in crystal and gems for protection, he sighed in relief. He looked upon the hairs and shook his head sadly. The crystal and gems were far too dull and lack luster next to the fine hairs braided gently together. He wished he would have been able to find more beautiful things to encase them with, but that would only take away from their beauty.
"Coeiond, I see you are up." Gimli jumped slightly and turned to Legolas who was dressed in a far more casual manner, in his doorway. He quickly slipped the hairs back into his pack and stood nervously.
"Yes, I was just making sure that I had enough food for the journey home today." He smiled slightly hoping to be left alone. Legolas frowned and went in.
"Oh, I was hoping that you would join me outside today for some target practice. Perhaps even stay a while longer. I enjoy your company, Coeiond." Gimli could hear that the elf was trying hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice; though Gimli could hear it as he heard it so often in the journey of the Fellowship. Gimli sighed slightly and smiled a bit looking at him. He knew Legolas was well over one thousand years old, but he was still a lad in his eyes.
"If that is what you wish, Legolas, then I shall stay for a while longer." Gimli could have chuckled at the brightness that came from Legolas' eyes.
"Very well, I shall leave you to prepare. I will wait for you," Legolas said smiling gently his eyes softening with love. Gimli nodded and turned away from his eyes nervous of what he had gotten himself into. He heard Legolas leave and sighed rubbing his forehead.
"It seems that lad can still make me do stupid things. As if letting him win at the final battle of the War of the Ring was bad enough." Gimli frowned and got up emptying his pack quickly finding his comb and brush. While looking for a change of clothes he noticed that he would no longer fit into his dwarf clothing. He frowned and looked to the clothes from the day before. They were still slightly stained and dirty from the walk and night of the party, but they were the only things that would fit him. Muttering to himself in his own tongue he began to undress and dress again. Then set out to brushing his hair back and braiding it into a thick tail behind his head.
Gimli walked out of his room and looked around, seeing Legolas at the end of the hall, his quiver on his back and his Loth-Loríen bow in his hand. Gimli couldn't help but smile at the sight of Legolas with his cherished gift from the Lady of Light. He quickly tried to hide it as he walked up to his friend.
"You do not have a change of clothes, Coeiond?" Legolas frowned a bit. Gimli frowned and shook his head.
"No...I did not plan to stay more than a few hours...I apologize." Gimli silently hoped that the strawberry blond elf would allow him to leave, but luck was not with him.
"If you wish, you can borrow some of my clothes. You are about my size; and I would not mind it." Gimli tried hard to fight down the bile that rose into his throat at the sweetness that laced the prince's voice. Gimli smiled a bit and shook his head.
"No, no, I'll be fine, really..." But the look on the elvish prince's face told him other wise.
"I'm afraid I must insist...look. You have holes in your shirt. Come along, Coeiond."
"Very well," Gimli spoke quietly, allowing the princely form to drag him off to his rooms. Gimli muttered in his tongue about how stupid he had acted since he arrived. Legolas stopped and looked at him oddly.
"Were you just speaking in Dwarfish?" he asked. Gimli could have hewed his neck right there with his own axe from embarrassment. There was no way out with lying and he nodded slowly.
"My people...we deal a lot with the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, we know their language or at least some parts of it. It's become a bit of a bad habit for me..." Gimli smiled shyly and swallowed watching the eyes of the prince carefully. Legolas chuckled slightly and nodded.
"So it seems. Very well then come on." Without another word, Gimli was led to the large rooms of Legolas' bedchamber. Gimli was amazed at the large complex of the rooms, carved beautifully into the rock and earth with windows letting the light come into the underground rooms. He stood at the threshold as the princely figure headed into a wardrobe and brought out some clothing that had seen better days, and Gimli knew very well what they went through.
"They're warn, but clean. I'll see if I cant find another shirt though..." Legolas frowned and looked over the hole filled shirt and put it back into the wardrobe. "Feel free to get dressed while I look for another shirt." With that, Legolas headed into a separate room. Gimli sighed and took the under shirt and leggings behind a curtain and undressed. He looked over the clothes that had seen the last war of the third age and no doubt the last war that any elf would take part in and frowned. He was filled with a fear about soon all the elves leaving the shores of Middle Earth for the rest of time, and knew that soon the kingdoms and lordships of all the elves would fade or be destroyed; especially the beautiful forest of Loth-Loríen.
Shaking off the fear of the future, Gimli began to dress in Legolas' offered clothing. He dressed as well as he could with the strange clothing, unsure of exactly how the belts went. He wondered how much of a fool he looked like. He adjusted another belt in the fashion that he had seen his friend when they were on the road of the quest. He came out from behind the curtain and saw Legolas standing there with a new shirt for him.
"Ah, good they fit you, Coeiond. Though a little tight. As I mentioned last night, you are very well worked for an elf." Gimli felt a flush come about his cheeks and he turned his head away.
"I appreciate the kindness you have shown me, Legolas. It is more than I have received even from your brothers. For whatever reason, I do not know why, I am an unwelcome guest here." Gimli looked up as Legolas sat down on a chair.
"It is because you have red hair, as silly as it may seems. Surely your people have heard of the children of Fëanor?" Gimli suddenly realized and recalled the stories of the Kin-slaying and nodded slowly.
"The thought slipped my mind," he admitted. His hair...how elves grated his nerves at times at their preadjusts. Then again his people were just as guilty. The sons of Fëanor were not welcome to the dwarves, and though only one was left on the shores of Middle Earth, there would be no peace between the dwarves and the sons of Fëanor.
"My father is worried that you are a kin to them, but I know that to be untrue. Out of the seven sons of Fëanor, only one had a child, Celebrimbor, and the only one left is Maglor, who has not taken a wife out of fear and the fact he is hated by all...unless I am wrong," Legolas' voice suddenly took on a harsher tone, but more out of fear that the one he was attracted to was that of the enemy. Gimli looked at him in shock and shook his head.
"No, no. I am not of the spawn of Fëanor. Perhaps I should leave though, lest your kind become suspicious and no longer wish me in their presence." He went to go behind the curtain and undress when Legolas' hand was placed on his shoulder.
"My kind? Coeiond, you speak as though you are not an elf yourself. If you just explain to my father all will be forgotten. You are welcomed here, by me and I believe that to be enough for those who distrust the color of your hair." Gimli cursed the stiff neck of his dear friend and wanted to just say that he wished to leave; but his respect for the prince and his deeply ground fact that he was a guest in the house of a king refused to let his wants come before that of his dear friend.
"Perhaps you are right. Maybe then things will be better off between your family and myself." Gimli rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness and blinked as Legolas pulled his hand down and smiled.
"I am right, mellon. But here, put on your shirt and let us relief some tension before talking to my father." Gimli nodded and quickly slipped on the shirt without bothering going behind the curtain and fixed his hair. He looked up as Legolas held out a bow to him.
"What...?" Gimli swallowed nervously and looked at the elf.
"You said you lost yours, you may have one of mine. I have more than enough; but come, we're losing sunlight." Without another word Legolas left and Gimli followed nervously holding onto his axe and the bow.
On the target field, Gimli felt slightly more at ease, at least until he saw that no other elf held an axe of any sort. Gimli felt dread come upon his heart and he considered leaving as quietly as he could muster, even with elvish feet, so's not to alert Legolas. He didn't even get a step back before Legolas put a hand on his shoulder.
"If you wish, I will let you have the first shot." Gimli smiled weakly.
"No, no I wouldn't want to impose. You may have the first shot..." Gimli bowed slightly to the prince.
"Very well." Legolas chuckled slightly and went up the farthest target line, almost two hundred yards from the target itself. Gimli watched in awe and blinked as he could easily make out the bulls eye from his place behind Legolas. Gimli watched in awe as the blond notched his arrow into the fine string of his bow and pulled back with hardly any problem. Without a second's hesitation the arrow was loosed and hit the center of the target.
"Amazing," Gimli said with true appreciation of the feat.
"It was nothing, Your turn Coeiond." Legolas smiled and backed up so that Gimli could have a shot. Gimli smiled and nodded.
"Right." Gimli swallowed nervously and stood up to the farthest mark. He wouldn't be outdone by going closer. Gimli plucked an arrow nervously from the quiver and strung it to the bow. His nerves twitched as he pulled back the tight weapon. Trying his best to aim while trying to keep the weapon's string back, he released, missing the target and hitting the dirt backdrop.
"Some elf you are," an elf called with a smirk throwing back his raven black hair. Gimli felt a humiliating blush come to his cheeks and he tightened his grip upon the bow again.
"Thoronram, silence. You've missed a few targets yourself today. Don't mind him, Coeiond, he's not even past his majority yet," Legolas said a warm hand upon Gimli's shoulder. Gimli shrugged it away looking down and to the side. Legolas frowned a bit and saw the axe. "Perhaps you could show us how you use your axe?" Gimli looked up in surprise and coughed.
"Of course. Though I am afraid of more ridicule because I use one." Gimli looked into those amazing gray eyes that glittered with a smile.
"Nonsense. I myself know something of axes, though I'm no wear near the prowess that my friend Gimli is. Perhaps I may learn from you as I have from him." Gimli blushed again and nodded setting the bow down.
"Of course, I will be more than willing to teach you."
Did that really come out from my mouth? Gimli thought in horror as he hefted the throwing axe. He pushed it out of his mind and eyed the target. Relaxing his body, he drew the axe over his shoulder and flung it end over end into the target. The elves at the target field gaped as the end of the axe still hummed from it's sudden impact.
"Amazing," Legolas breathed. Gimli smirked a bit his pride swelling as the raven haired elf, Thoronram tried to pull the axe from it's place, with no success.
"Such power I've never seen. And the accuracy! I dare say it's hit dead center!" the young elf cried gaping. Gimli laughed to himself and strolled leisurely down the line and grabbed the handle.
"I hope it is, or else my aim is getting off." With a single pull Gimli freed his axe from it's unwilling hilt, swinging it over his shoulder.
"I've never seen an elf with such skill with an axe," Legolas said coming up behind him. Gimli looked at him and smiled a bit.
"Like I've said before, we deal a lot with dwarves. We trade not only weapons and food but knowledge and skills. A few dwarves know of the bow and use it as a weapon, and it is the same with my people. I took up the axe better than the bow," Gimli lied easily. Legolas chuckled and gently took the axe from Gimli's callused hand and hefted it's weight.
So familiar, this elf and this axe, he thought to himself. Gimli looked at the blond beside him and watched as he tried to execute a few moves that Gimli had taught him; all be it rather unskilled.
"Loosen your grip as you go to release," Gimli advised, watching him. Legolas smiled and did so, tossing the axe into the air and barely catching it.
"My apologies, I admit I am not at all skilled as you are, mellon nin." Legolas held out the axe, grip first. Gimli nodded and took it, slipping it gently into the holster by his side.
"Think nothing of it, Legolas. I am not as skilled as you are with the bow, and I dare think I never shall." Legolas smiled and gently patted Gimli's shoulder.
"Don't say that, you have eternity to learn it! Just as I have with-" Legolas frowned and looked away a pained look in his eye. Gimli frowned and gently touched the elf's shoulder.
"Legolas? What is wrong?"
"I-it's just that I care about Gimli. He has become such a good friend to me; but..." Gimli frowned worriedly.
"But what Prince Legolas?" The elven prince looked to Gimli with tears in his eyes.
"But he will die. He is mortal, and though his life is longer than that of men, he will still die, and I will be the only one left of the Fellowship." Gimli's heart stung with his own thoughts to mortality. "Im nifred nona eriol, Coeiond," Legolas said his voice weak with tears. Gimli gasped a bit as the elf embraced him and began to cry gently. Though unsure of what was said Gimli nervously returned the embrace.
"I am here for you, Legolas," he said gently, allowing the prince to cry upon his shoulder.
Glossary of Elvish Words and Phrases:
Chapter 2:
Thoronram - Eagle-wing (used as a name)
Im nifred nona eriol - I fear to be alone