A/N: In theThe Return of the King book Gimli and Legolas didn't go to the Glittering Caves together until after King Theoden's funeral. In this story there's no time for that so I've changed it so that they visited there on the way back to Edoras after picking up Merry and Pippin from Isengard.

The funeral procession proceeded to Rohan, meeting almost no unscheduled hindrance on the way. Its participants had exited the gates of Minas Tirith as the city's people looked on and wept for the fallen hero of the War. King Théoden's body was then born across Pelennor Fields, pausing just long enough at a convenient place on the way to the road that led to Rohan for the Rohirrim to sing about the deeds of the king who'd died there. One of Rohan's chief commanders, Elfhelm, had taken Eomer aside there and suggested that it might be more proper to take the time to go to the actual place where Theoden met his doom to pay these respects. Eomer staunchly refused, citing the fact that the memory of everything that happened there was still to fresh on Eowyn and Merry's minds for them to endure returning to that horrible place.

So they left the sight of the White City and continued on until they were completely out of the realm of Gondor. Along the way the diverse participants in the processional drifted out of their assigned spots in the line and converged into smaller groups. Eomer rode at the head, as was expected, with Elfhelm and his other high commander, Gamling, at his side. Behind them rode the hobbits, who traveled alongside Eowyn and Faramir. This was more because of their similar situations than conscious choice: Eowyn and Merry's official loyalties laid with the king of Rohan while Faramir and Pippin were in the service of the new King Elessar. Positioning themselves between the two parties was the only fair compromise.

Following them were Aragorn, Gandalf, and all but one of the elves present there. The wise old wizard was curious about the Man's unusually silent demeanor but was too occupied with speaking with Galadriel and Celeborn to be very troubled by it; his time was over and Aragorn needed to be able to handle whatever was bothering him on his own. Elrond half-listened to the discourse between his in-laws and Gandalf, but made sure to keep an eye on his foster son's mood and whether or not Arwen or the twins saw it. Thankfully, those three were too busy peeking behind them and whispering to notice the sullen air that hung around the king.

What was distracting them wasn't the carriage directly following them, bearing the coffin of King Theoden, nor the troops from Gondor and Rohan that marched after it. It was on the one horse that remained out of any group, trotting near the coffin. Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen didn't understand why its two riders – Legolas and Gimli – stayed away; they hadn't invited Legolas to travel with them but that had never been an issue before. Knowing that Gimli held Galadriel in such high regard, the three couldn't help but think that they were staying away due to a decision made by the blonde elf. Legolas had been pulling away from them lately and anything that threatened to break the strong bonds that existed between the four of them had to a something terrible indeed. Unfortunately, neither the twins nor Arwen could decide on what they should do it remedy it.

Unaware of – or perhaps not really caring about – the speculation taking place between the children of Elrond, Legolas kept a steady hold on Arod to make sure that the steed stayed a respectful distance from the carriage. "Laddie," said a voice behind him.

Legolas didn't answer. "Laddie," Gimli tried again, louder this time. The elf, having a pretty good idea about what was coming next, reluctantly turned around. "Why don't we ride ahead and join Aragorn's party? That way you can talk to that Man and all of those crazy elves and I'll get the chance to speak with the fairest Galadriel."

"You have the tongue of a poet, Gimli," said Legolas. "I – I don't feel like traveling in their company right now."

"Well, what about joining the young hobbits?" pressed Gimli. "Or the troops or anyone else? Here the only people I have to talk to are a dead Man, a horse, and an elf that's not much more verbose than the first two. I'm feeling a little lonely back here."

"I'm sorry, my friend," replied Legolas in an oddly detached voice, as if he were merely reciting the words instead of actually meaning them. Yet they didn't seem insincere; if Gimli was asked about it he would have said that it sound as if the elf was trying to make his way through a haze that no one else could see. It was an unusual state for the normally focused Legolas to be in and the dwarf found it very disconcerting.

"Don't be sorry," said Gimli. "Just talk to me. I miss our merry debates."

The elf missed them too; the fact that soon all of them would come to an end made him all the more melancholy. "I'm not much of a riding companion these days," he admitted. "I don't wish to keep you from whatever time you have left to spend with Galadriel. Maybe Aragorn, Gandalf, or one of the twins would allow you onto their horses."

"Blast it, Legolas!" scolded Gimli, furious and exasperated. "Don't think that I'm going to abandon you to attend to my own fancies. I care that you're not very talkative, but not because I long to hear someone else's voice. For the past few weeks you haven't said one thing to me that I haven't had to force out of your mouth and everything I managed to wrench out was so – defeated and despairing. That's not you, laddie! I'm…well, I'm…"

Legolas turned his head to look at his quizzically. "I'm…worried about – well, about you," the dwarf mumbled in a rush. When the prince raised his eyebrows at him Gimli flushed and hastened to continue. "Now don't let that go to your head, and definitely don't let it get around to the others. By Aüle, I'd never hear the end of it!"

"I would never do anything like that," promised Legolas, his amusement colored by a warmer emotion. "I'm touched by your concern, friend Gimli. Don't worry; your secret's safe with me."

"And yours would be with me as well." Gimli gave him a hard look and the elf's heart seized up in his chest. How much could he have guessed? Legolas was torn between utter dread and a sense of relief at being able to unburden himself to a friendly set of ears. "Elladan and Elrohir told us how guilty you felt when they told you about what happened in Mirkwood while you were away. You've been letting it eat away at you since the coronation."

Thank Elbereth his true secret remained undetected! As wonderful as it might feel to spill his soul, the fewer people who knew about the baby the easier it would be to protect it. "This is my burden," Legolas told him.

"But it's not one that you need to suffer with alone," protested Gimli. "Do you think that I won't be able to understand what you're going through?"

"I think," answered Legolas cautiously, "that no one can really –"

"Stop right there; not another word," Gimli ordered firmly as his eyes flashed. "You aren't the only one who was separated from his people when they needed him most. Think about it, laddie: if Mirkwood was attacked, what are the chances that the Lonely Mountain remained unscathed? Already I've heard rumors about attacks on the dwarves and Dale men. Some say that – that King Dain has fallen and I can't help believing it to be true. Death and destruction will most likely greet me at home upon my return and that gives me as much pain as you. Can't we then help each other, and allow the people we love to help us as well, though this difficult time instead of isolating ourselves even more?"

The people we love. Elbereth, Legolas didn't think he could take much more of this. It was taking all of his restraint not to spill his secrets to Gimli right then and there; the mention of those loved ones that were supposed to relieve their burdens almost shattered his resolve. The dwarf had become very dear to him – his best friend really, especially after the abrupt ending of his relationship with Aragorn – and it was easy to imagine him offering the support that the elf so desperately wanted. He could feel a comforting hand on his shoulder as he confided how he was cast aside by the Man. Unlike the fickle Lord Elrond, Gimli wouldn't judge him for having a relationship with Aragorn nor make subtle remarks about his intentions or fidelity. What's more, Gimli might even be happy about the baby; they could spend the rest of the journey to Rohan talking about what its gender might be and possible names. He could see the dwarf acting as giddy as any real grandparent would be, unlike the child's actual grandsire who acted as if its existence was the more horrendous thing in the world.

Through all of those wonderful fantasies, Legolas still held his tongue. 'Don't you dare!' he ordered himself. 'Your plan depends on absolute secrecy to work; your baby needs you to stay strong. Gimli would mean well, but he could never keep something like this to himself. The last thing you need is for him to fly into a protective fury. Even if he decided that Aragorn was entirely in the wrong Gimli would still let him know about the pregnancy, if only to yell at him for leaving me.'

What Legolas needed was a good distraction. Fortunately he didn't need to make anything up; there was something that he needed to speak to the dwarf about. "Gimli, may I ask you something?" he inquired.

"Oh no you don't," countered Gimli. "I'm not about to let you change the subject. This will only continue to fester inside of you if you keep trying to suppress it. No fake excuses or light conversation – we're going to talk about –"

"I'm not trying to change the subject," interrupted Legolas, keeping his voice bright and calm. "What I have to say concerns all that we've been talking about – going home and other such things; in a way, at any rate. We made a bargain, my friend, as we rode together to Isengard."

"Aye, I remember," recalled Gimli with a wry smile. "You would visit the splendor of the Glittering Caves in return for getting to drag me into that accursed, tree-invested forest. A fortunate agreement for you, indeed! You would have missed seeing those breathtaking caverns without it."

"Yes, I must admit that you were right in that respect," conceded the elf. "And now is my opportunity to prove you wrong. I upheld my end of the bargain on the way back to Edoras after leaving Isengard; and since we are traveling to Isengard once more after the funeral I think then will be an ideal time for you to accompany me in exploring Fangorn Forest."

Gimli cringed and shifted uncomfortably. "Legolas…"

"You're not trying to get out of our agreement, are you?" asked Legolas, teasingly suspicious.

"No," replied Gimli defensively. "It's just that I don't think it would be a good idea for you to use our bargain to try to escape your problems. They'll be waiting for you when you leave."

"I'm not doing anything of the sort," the prince retorted. "I – I – you said it yourself, Gimli: our kingdoms will need us for a long time after we return" – and what a bitter pill it was that he could never go back to Mirkwood! – "and I cannot see when there will be a time when we could go if we don't do it right away. Please, Gimli."

Gimli looked unhappy but Legolas suspected that it had more to do with thinking about his imminent return to that mysterious forest than worrying about the elf or delaying his return to his people. "Well then," the dwarf said reluctantly. "Let it not be said that Gimli the dwarf broke his word to a friend. But mark my words, Legolas: you'd best be a better companion than you have been since the war ended. I don't want be stuck out in Fangorn with no one but trees to talk to."

"That wouldn't be a good thing," agreed Legolas with a small smile. "You always manage to insult them when you speak in their presence."

"Trees with thin skin," grumbled Gimli. "Who ever heard of anything more ridiculous than that?"

It was surprising how accustomed Legolas had come to hearing the dwarf grouse. He was glad that he wouldn't have to leave that strange source of comfort behind him just yet. Out of all of his traveling companions (save Aragorn, who was in a different category than the rest of them), Gimli was the one that Legolas was going to have the most trouble saying goodbye to. The pain of that was made all the worse by the fact that when they finally parted ways he couldn't see a time when he would be reunited that dear dwarf again. The trip into Fangorn would give them one last adventure together; a pleasant memory for when the loneliness set in. Legolas would have been tempted to go through with it even if it wasn't also a vital part of his plan.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Arwen frowned anxiously as Legolas returned her waves for him to join their party with a bow and a shake of his head. "I don't understand," she fretted to her husband, father, and brothers. "He's never been this inconsolable before. What could be wrong with him?"

"He will be fine, my daughter," Elrond tried to comfort her. He followed her gaze to look at Legolas and found that he was unable to hold the younger elf's eyes for too long without his guilt threatening to overwhelm him. "He's just worried about his father and Mirkwood –"

"Nonsense," scoffed Elrohir with a sudden fierceness. "I know Legolas better than the lot of you, except for perhaps Aragorn, and I say that this is something terrible. If he was just worried about what was going on at home he would have been crawling the walls of the city, not sleeping later and later and walking around as if he were sleepwalking."

"I agree with Elrohir," concurred Elladan. "Not with all that rubbish about him knowing Legolas best; with the rest of it. It's as if Legolas has lost something precious to him. You know," he added thoughtfully. "He's actually reminding me of how Ada behaved right after Nana took the ship to Valinor. Was he – did he – do you think that it's possible that he fell in love with someone?"

Arwen's nostrils flared protectively. "And that person left him?" she asked angrily. She looked over at her husband, who wasn't meeting her gaze. "Do you know who it is, Aragorn? Tell me and I'll let that unfaithful scoundrel have it!"

"I – uh – I – it's not really my place to say," coughed Aragorn. "Things happened that were beyond their control –"

"You're not defending the person that broke Legolas' heart, are you?" Arwen demanded incredulously. "Beyond all control – what kind of excuse is that? I swear, my husband, there should be a law against people being unfaithful to those they claim to love. Since I came to Gondor I've encountered so many noblemen who think it's just fine to have a wife and a lover. Hrumph! They'll parade around with those lovers, being affectionate in public and their wives are expected to pretend not to notice. And what do you think would happen if either the wife or lover was ever with someone else? Every nobleman would demand their heads, as if it's okay that they cheat and not if the wives and lovers do! If that's the type of person who Legolas fell for, he's better off without him; anyone who can't give Legolas all of what he is doesn't deserve him."

Aragorn's cheeks burned. "That's not what happened –"

"Peace, Aragorn," admonished Elrond tensely. "And you should keep calm too, Arwen. Don't make any assumptions; perhaps other circumstances are keeping Legolas and this person apart – circumstances far nobler than fickle affections."

Taking this into consideration for a moment, Arwen furrowed her brow. "Yes – yes, you're right. Oh, it makes perfect sense now! I know who he loves," she declared, not noticing the way that her father swallowed or Aragorn tensing up. "This depression didn't really take hold of him until after the wedding. He spent the next six weeks in a funk, so drained of energy that he couldn't find the strength to braid his hair. When did that all change? When did he snap out of it and do up his hair again? The morning that the processional began. Think about it: King Eomer left soon after the wedding and returned the night before Legolas' miraculous transformation. I believe that Legolas is in love with King Eomer and was grieved by their separation; and now more so because they're going to be separated again by their obligations do their respective kingdoms."

Aragorn tightened his hold on the reins so much that his horse threw its head back in protest. "I don't think that's true at all," he asserted. While he understood that there would be dire consequences if anyone found out about his relationship with Legolas the Man couldn't stand the idea of people thinking that the one true love of his life was in love with someone else. "The fact that he braided his hair is proof of nothing. Legolas knew that we were setting out and probably wanted to look princely in order to properly represent Mirkwood at the funeral."

"But I saw them together," protested Arwen. Together? Aragorn's skin got clammy. "As did you; they were speaking to each other at the reception before he came over to see us."

Why did she find it necessary to scare him like that? "Legolas was asking about the funeral," replied Aragorn, relieved that she didn't witness anything more serious and also annoyed that she was talking about things that she knew nothing about. "It's not as if they were whispering sweet nothings to each other."

"Are you sure that's all they were talking about?" pressed Arwen.

"Yes," was Aragorn's hard and abrupt reply.

Elrohir frowned as he processed what both of them had said. Legolas was most depressed right after the War ended…lost in his melancholy as he resigned himself to stay in the city until the funeral… "That's it," he murmured as the answer – so obvious, really, now that he thought about it – came to him at last. Glancing back at his poor friend the elf bowed his head sadly and closed his eyes.

"What?" asked Arwen fretfully.

"You were almost right, dear sister," said Elrohir while he blinked several times as if to hold back tears. "Legolas is in love with a king, but not the one that you guessed."

So someone had finally figured it out. Aragorn cleared his throat, half sick to his stomach at the thought of having his secret exposed so openly and half giddy at the prospect of no longer having to live a lie. "I can explain –"

"There's no need for that, Estel," Elrohir told him with a wave of his hand. "I know why the relationship had to be kept a secret and, being his friend, of course you helped. Though I do wish you would have said something to your own wife and brothers at the very least; we could have done more for him, or at least have been there to listen. Legolas shouldn't have to internalize the pain of having his lover die. An elf can die of grief for reasons less than that!"

"Come…come again?" asked Aragorn in a choked voice. He certainly wasn't dead, though he felt like it most of the time.

"Of course!" groaned Elladan, chagrined at his own stupidity. "Asking King Eomer about the details of the funeral almost immediately, insisting on staying to participate in the funeral procession even when everyone would have understood if he left – why, now that I think about it, the funeral was almost the only thing he's talked about since the day of the wedding and coronation. Now that it's happening the poor thing cannot bear to leave the coffin of his lover."

"And I had to insist that he take part in the wedding," whispered Arwen, deeply ashamed that she read her friend's misery so wrong. "It must have been so difficult for him so soon after the person he loved was killed."

Too mortified to care if the others realized that he was choking Aragorn croaked out, "You – you think that Legolas is in love with King Theoden?"

"You don't need to protect them anymore," said Elrohir compassionately. "You should know better than to think that we'd judge him for falling in love with a lesser Man! The only thing that's important now is figuring out how we can help him through this difficult time."

"Perhaps Estel didn't know anything about it," suggested Elladan as he read what he thought was confusion in his foster brother's face. "Legolas is very discreet about these sorts of things. Don't you remember: Estel couldn't even tell us who Legolas had that fling with that one summer and he was actually in Mirkwood at the time and relatively undistracted."

Aragorn wasn't sure if his face felt like it was burning because of embarrassment, indignation, or just plain anger. "That –"

" – is a very insightful theory, my sons," broke in Elrond, giving Aragorn a meaningful look. "Pray do not mention any of it to Legolas or anyone else – since they valued their privacy so much, let them keep it."

"All right," agreed Elladan reluctantly as his twin nodded. "But there still must be something – I know!"

He turned his horse and sped off in Legolas' direction. "Greetings, Legolas, master dwarf," he said as he slowed his steed down to fall into pace next to Arod. "How are you feeling today, my friend?"

"Fine," answered Legolas, eyeing him suspiciously. They hadn't spoken to each other in days; what had compelled Elladan to inquire about his health now?

"That's good," said the dark-haired elf in a falsely casual tone. "Legolas, we – I – we – we were wondering if you could ride up to the front and ask King Eomer when our next stop will be."

"Why can't you do it?"

Elladan pretended to look awkward. "All right, the truth is that Estel wants Gimli to join us so that he can speak to him privately," he 'confessed.' "I told him that I would use sending you on that errand to distract you. Will you please do it so that he doesn't have reason to tease me later on about my cunning?"

"How can he speak to Gimli privately if all of you are going to be around?" demanded Legolas.

"Well, there's a reasonable –"

"Stop," requested Gimli in a weary tone. "It's best not to argue with the insane, laddie. I'll get on his horse, you talk to Eomer, and this can all be over with sooner rather than later."

From the short distance Aragorn, Arwen, Elrond, and Elrohir watched as Gimli clumsily climbed over onto Elladan's horse. Legolas then nodded at whatever the elf was saying before riding off toward the head of the processional. Elladan, now with Gimli in tow, headed back to his family. "What was that all about?" Aragorn wanted to know as the pair joined them.

"I thought that it might comfort Legolas to speak to someone who knew his lover well," answered Elladan.

"What?"

Arwen smiled compassionately at the baffled dwarf. "You must swear not to tell anyone, but Legolas is in love with King Theoden," she reported. "They couldn't share that with the rest of the world and now he's gone and Legolas is deeply grieved."

"I don't think that's so," said the perplexed dwarf. "I never saw any proof of that."

"Are you certain about that?" prodded Elrohir. "Didn't they ever touch or look at each other in a less-than-formal way?"

"Well, King Theoden did put his hand on Legolas arm when we thought that Aragorn was dead," said Gimli. "And Legolas did give him a rather intense look when Aragorn announced that the beacons of Minas Tirith were lit. Still, I would have known if anything had been going on between the two of them."

Elladan gave him a sad smile. "We'd all like to think that…"

Aragorn did his best not to grimace as his wife and brothers leaned in to convince Gimli about the existence of an affair that in truth never happened.

To be continued…