As they made their way through the many passages of Thranduil's underground stronghold the dwarf queried his friend about this mysterious elf maiden.
"So tell me something about this fierce Lady I am about to meet," he asked, then as an after thought, "she's not related to that rude, glaring Captain of yours, is she ?"
Legolas smiled.
"Her name is Gwaithwen and if you thought Sindadur could glare pray you do not get on her bad side ! She works mostly in the kitchens now and organises many of the palace staff. We are very close and she holds a special place in my heart though this does not prevent her from inflicting physical abuse should I cross her on occasion !" the Prince informed his friend, grinning broadly at several incidents which sprang to mind.
What he did not tell his friend was that Gwaithwen had become a surrogate mother to him when his own mother had died so unexpectedly and tragically after his birth and that she too loved Legolas as though he were her own son.
As they got closer to the kitchens the smell of his favourite almond cakes grew stronger.
Legolas led his friend to a large archway at the end of one of the corridors and stood silently at the entrance.
Inside a single elf worked at a large wooden table, stirring something in an oversized delph bowl with an enormous wooden spoon.
A functional apron protected her flowing fawn gown and like her face it was spotted with flour. She was possibly similar in age to Sindadur, maybe even older as her long chestnut brown hair which was neatly tied back in a simple braid contained many silver highlights. When she turned they were met with large expressive doe eyes of the deepest brown, brimming with love and joy. As her eyes took in her visitors she smiled broadly, placed the spoon aside and began to brush the excess flour from her hands onto her apron. Then she opened out her arms in greeting.
"Legolas penneth-nîn, tol enni." (Legolas my young one, come to me)
The Prince complied at once and rushed into her welcoming arms for a loving embrace.
"Greetings Gwaithwen, it is so good to see you, I have missed you greatly" he spoke softly into her ear then sniffed the air , "and your almond cakes !"
"I heard you had returned, it is a great relief to my heart my dear to see you home safe, though I wonder why it took you so long to find me ?" she asked raising a delicate eyebrow as she jokingly chided the Prince.
Legolas could only throw Gimli an 'I told you so' glance over his shoulder, so he pleaded his case.
"Peace Gwaithwen, you know I came here as soon as I could. I value my health too much to risk your wrath by delaying our reunion !"
To which she gave him a final squeeze then she untwined herself from her royal charge and held him out at arms length looking over every inch of him with a critical eye, checking that all was well. Only when he had passed her inspection did she continue to speak.
"Ah ! You have grown my child since last I saw you and you are even more handsome to my eyes if that is possible, Ilúvatar himself must be jealous."
Much to Gimli's amusement this last comment caused his friend to blush uncontrollably and he fidgeted as he stared at the floor.
"Gwaithwen please," he begged " you embarrass me in front of my friend, besides I have not changed a single bit since we parted as well you know !" He took her tenderly by the hand.
"Come there is someone important I wish you to meet."
He gestured to the dwarf waiting patiently nearby who then stepped forward some what reluctantly from the archway.
"Gwaithwen this is my good friend Gimli, son of Glóin, a member of the Fellowship I journeyed with to Mordor, who claims to have saved my worthless scrawny hide on many occasions. Gimli this beautiful wood elf you see before you is Gwaithwen but be warned elvellon do not let her sweet looks and soft voice fool you. Those same honey tones that oft sung me to sleep as a babe can be as harsh as orc whips and have cut this elf down to size countless times and she is lethal with that wooden spoon my friend, I swear I still bear the marks to prove it !"
"Nonsense Legolas, nothing you did not deserve" she admonished gently then moved to Gimli and bowed slightly.
"It is an honour to meet you Gimli and you have my thanks for keeping this young upstart out of trouble."
"The honour is all mine my Lady" he answered, returning the bow graciously, "anyone who can get away with beating sense into this elf has both my respect and admiration. I only wish that you had used something bigger than that wooden spoon for I fear not all of your valuable lessons made it through that thick skull of his !"
"Ah Gimli you speak the truth," she nodded in agreement, "if he were mine I would have him confined to Eryn Lasgalen still, knowing the trouble he gets into, he seeks danger like the bees seek pollen."
"I am beginning to regret introducing you two, I fear you will be plotting against me in no time and I am at a loss to say who will have the most damming influence !" the Prince worriedly declared.
"Come my new friend, you must try some of my freshly baked almond cakes, I have a batch ready for tasting" offered Gwaithwen as she picked up a thickly folded piece of cloth resting on the table.
She moved to a hot stove which seemed to fill an entire wall and removed a tray of little golden brown cakes. The aroma was enticing and Gimli began to lick his lips in anticipation.
"They do smell wonderful my Lady" he praised.
"Wait until you taste one and please Gimli call me Gwaithwen everyone does, why should you be any different and in truth I am unaccustomed to such displays of respect" she sighed, sharing a secret wink with the dwarf.
Legolas was left to roll his eyes and groan.
"Then you must allow me the honour of paying you the respect a Lady such as yourself truly deserves" he replied grandly with a huge beaming smile to match.
She returned to the table with the hot tray and began to place the cakes on a plate to cool, just as she was finishing a pale hand reached over to take a cake but it was promptly whacked by her wooden spoon which seemed to appear from thin air.
"Ouch ! Gwiathwen one of these days you will break my hand !" the Prince protested feigning hurt as he clutched his chastised fingers to his chest.
"And one of these days you will learn manners befitting a Prince" she scolded in return.
Gimli did his best to disguise his deep chuckles as a sudden coughing fit but his efforts merely earned him another elven glare from his archer friend.
"Surely it is only proper that your guest should sample them first ? Is it not so in your dwarven halls Gimli ?" she queried her new kindred spirit.
"Indeed it is my Lady and in my home you would be treated as royalty, your every wish catered for, you would want for naught and I would never dream of looking to my own needs before your own " he crooned , bowing low once more.
"Why thank you Gimli, such manners are so refreshing, there you see Legolas your friend knows how to make someone feel welcome !"
The poor Prince released a dramatic sigh and raised his hands in supplication.
"Fine ! Fine ! I surrender," he pleaded, "no more please."
Then he turned to Gimli.
"Please most honoured guest," he invited, bowing low as his soft voice dripped in sarcasm, "will you try one of these delicious almond cakes ?"
He offered the full plate to the dwarf who replied, "Why I would be delighted" as he returned the elf's bow and carefully removed a single cake from the plate.
He then proceeded to nibble daintily on the tiny morsel or as daintily as is possible for a dwarf.
The Prince merely watched the whole scene in stunned silence as Gimli finally finished the little cake with an expression of exaggerated bliss.
"Truly my Lady they are exquisite, they melt like honey in the mouth and taste just as sweet, my compliments."
"Not as sweet as your tongue dwarf" Legolas muttered under his breath but his remark was pointedly ignored by both Gimli and Gwaithwen.
"Why thank you Gimli" she replied, " it is good to know my efforts and talents are appreciated by someone."
Poor Legolas could take it no more.
"Oh for the love of the Valar would you two please stop and you dwarf, I have seen you eat an entire pheasant in half the time it took you to eat that minute cake!"
"Pay no heed friend Gimli," she advised, "Ilúvatar willing some of your impressive manners will rub off on him. Now you must forgive me but there is work to be done here. We will soon have the evening meals to prepare and I would not see our guest disappointed with our fare."
"Say no more my Lady we shall leave you in peace," Gimli crooned, bowing again, he continued, "Till we meet again."
Once again the young Prince found his eyes roaming to the high ceiling in response to his friend's new found diplomatic skills.
"Until later LADY Gwaithwen" he bowed and then added, "…….traitor !" as he was practically dragged from the kitchens by his shorter companion.
"Come Master Elf, I am keen to meet more of your friends, especially if they are half as interesting as the Lady Gwaithwen."
As they headed towards the main hall Legolas suddenly realised that he never tasted any of the cakes himself, momentarily abandoning his friend, he ran back to the kitchen only to find Gwaithwen waiting for him with the plate of almond cakes.
Both exchanged a knowing smile. He moved toward her and took a handful of the little treats then leaned in and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek.
As he turned to leave she spoke softly, "You have chosen well my child, that dwarf will be your friend 'till the end of his days, he cares for you very much."
"I know Gwaithwen and I him," he smiled and winked, "just do not tell him I said that."
The elder smiled in return and yet the worry in her expressive eyes was clearly seen by the young Prince.
"What ails thee Gwaithwen ?" he asked, concerned for his foster mother.
But she answered him with a question of her own.
"What does your father think ?"
A small crease appeared on the Prince's brow and he looked sadly to the floor.
"Ah Legolas," she sighed, "so it is as I thought."
She raised the young elf's chin with a flour splecked finger until she could see his eyes.
"It will be well my child, if anyone can convince him of Gimli's worth, then it is you," then she reached over and placed a tender kiss on his worried brow, "do not fret my Prince…..now go to that friend of yours, he is waiting" she commanded lightly.
Legolas smiled appreciatively at her kind words and nodded farewell.
He ran back through the archway and out into the hallway where he left his friend and divided the cakes up.
He kept two for himself and gave the remaining three to Gimli who promptly shoved all three into his mouth and began munching.
Legolas shook his head and began to laugh as he slapped his friend on the shoulders causing almond cake crumbs to fly out of the dwarf's open mouth.
Gimli started to protest loudly but it was difficult to make out exactly what he was saying between the chewing and flying crumbs.
"Oh yes Master dwarf, you are the very model of manners, if Gwaithwen could only see you now !"
Review Responses;
Messenger of the Elvenking ; Hi ! And many thanks for the BIG compliment ! To be compared to Mr. Tolkien (respectful bow) in any way, shape or form is amazing - Big Grin !Glad you like Sindadur, he is a kind of gruff/no nonsense elf, if you know what I mean ! Fimindor sounds interesting, so where do I read about him? Hope you liked Gwaithwen.
Sylvie ; Wow! No make that a Double-Wow! You are definitely on my X-mas card list ! Nearly had another "weepie-girlie-moment" ! I said before that a good review is like food for the soul, well I think mine has just pigged-out on a five course feast and may in fact be suffering from slight indigestion ! Thanks a million ! I shall now light two candles for that poor computer of yours ! Ah yes the "animosity", all shall be revealed in time…..dun,dun,duuuuunnnnnn!
P.S have a great Birthday next week !
Daw the minstrel ; Many thanks again for your kind words ! Glad you liked the bit about Legolas' "artistic" past, I like to think he has more than just the warrior side to his personality ! As for female warriors, I'm not that well versed on canon details to know if there were any, but I'd like to think that there were, especially in a kingdom like Mirkwood where the need for warriors was probably greater than any where else. Plus I'd like to think that Thranduil would be an "equal opportunities employer" - if you know what I mean !
Kestrel of Valinor ; Hi there! Hope you liked Gwaithwen ! You were right about her, she is going to get on great with Gimli, the are kindred spirits in many ways !
Alatariel Narmolanya ; Big hello ! And thanks ! So, how do you like my little "maiden" ? She's pretty formidable ! As for Legolas' and Gimli's friendship, it is safe….for the moment…
Authour's note ; Hi folks ! I know this has nothing at all to do with the story but I need your help. I have tried, GOD have I tried to put a wee few details about myself in the profile section, seems only fair as lots of other people have been kind enough to do so , but I can't put in anything ! When I click on settings, the page pops up and I'm told "Please Wait" - now I have waited and waited, until nearly an age has passed and still nothing happens….can any one tell me what I need to do …Thanks.
Should have next chapter up by Wednesday, all going according to plan !