The light faded away.
Legolas and Gimli, who were sitting beside each other at that time, found themselves in the midst of a wood, the view of the sea beside them. Legolas got up, gazed above him and around him, then pressed a hand to the trunk of a tree nearby.
"Where-where are we?" Gimli asked. He was also lying flat on the ground, making both of them feel as if they had just woken up from a dream, or from unconsciousness.
"I don't know," Legolas said. "We don't seem to be in Gondor anymore. Are there any forests near there?"
Gimli shrugged. "I believe we must see where we are, then. And who brought us here."
They wandered through the forest for a while, squinting at the sun above them. Legolas leapt up onto a raised part of the ground and stopped all of a sudden, jaw slack and face marked with surprise. Seeing this, Gimli went over to him, unsuccessfully trying to see the horizon.
"What do you see?" Gimli said.
"Something," Legolas absentmindedly said, though he didn't turn, eyes still gazing over the landscape.
Gimli found somewhere else to get a better view and saw why his friend was stunned.
Before them were ruins of what seemed to be an old palace's courtyard, pillars broken and cracked, grass growing in between the cracks. The cathedral-like arch was still visible, though near collapse, and there was a circular platform in the middle. A breeze came, as if to welcome them, and for the first time the two felt the air of the forlorn place, an air that told them that they were somewhere else-not Middle-Earth, but just as magical.
"This palace looks as if it had been attacked."
"My word," Gimli said. "This might've been a glorious place before!"
"Aye," Legolas said, then found a way down to the courtyard, Gimli behind him.
They found apple trees lining the outside ("All the better-at least we won't starve!" Gimli said.) and found a place nearby an ivy-covered wall where they could take shelter from the sun. Sitting down on a rock platform, Legolas saw something catch the sunlight, hidden in the grass...
He took it and raised it for Gimli to see.
"A knight," he said. "From a chess set."
The horse was made of gold, one of its eyes a ruby. The other socket, however, had lost its jewel.
"Fancy that," Gimli said. "The one who owns such a set must be wealthy."
With this he leaned against the wall behind Legolas, which shuddered and slid to the side, revealing portion of a wooden door behind it. Gimli started, then pushed against the rock until it revealed the whole ivy-clad door.
"In the name of Durin," he gasped.
"Let us see what lies within," said Legolas and, finding a sturdy branch, pried the planks apart with the help of Gimli. After hacking and pulling the rotten wood away, they managed to break down enough of the door to make an opening wide enough for both of them to fit.
The inside was well lit with the sun streaming through the roof, stairs leading down below to what seemed to be a treasure chamber, with statues of kings and queens standing behind chests. Despite a few rocks and dust and collapsed columns, the place was safe from whatever attacked the place and Legolas and Gimli wasted no time going down to the chamber and checking things out.
Gimli went over to the chest of the younger king and pushed open the chest.
Gold and silver and weapons dazzled his eyes, jewels and books and coats stacked on top of each other, preserved from the disaster that befell the place. He picked up a helmet, too narrow for him, then took out a dagger just his size.
Legolas picked up a shield resting against the corner, the design crusted with dust. He took a deep breath and blew on it.
The face of a Lion gazed back at him, eyes kind and mane gloriously framing the feline face. His fingers ran across the design and he traced the etchings, intrigued at the reason why such an animal would be presented on golden weaponry. Replacing the shield back where he found it, he walked over to the chest of a queen with a face more mature than the others but younger than the king on on the far right.
He opened the chest, and marveled at what was inside. Dresses and books, the typical things, but what caught his eyes was a bow and a quiver of arrows. Perfect. He was an archer, after all.
Picking up the bow, he ran the hand on the designs of the bow, then took an arrow out and examined its shaft and fletching, which was still firm and untouched. Even the string, which he had assumed he'd have to replace, turned out to be in perfect working order.
"Oh, you've found your own weapons now," Gimli said, walking towards Legolas in full armor, presumably found from one of the treasure chests.
"It befits you well, Gimli," Legolas said.
Opening the chest in front of the eldest king, Legolas pulled out a sword.
"Nay, laddie, won't it be rusted?"
He unsheathed it and the blade caught the light. Well, then, that's all good and well.
He was about to strap it to his side when they heard footsteps coming from above them, then four children–two boys and two girls wearing strange clothes–came to them, surprised. Legolas stepped back, notching an arrow to his bow and standing in front of Gimli, who huffed at him.
"I don't need your protection," he said.
"That's-that's my bow and arrow," the older girl said, her voice catching in her throat.
Legolas and Gimli, although they knew that the children were talking in a different language, through some magic or the world's air, they understood it completely.
"Forgive me, my lady," Legolas said, speaking in the same language and approaching her. "Here. Take your belongings. I did not know that they were of your possession."
The girl took the bow and quiver.
"Who are you?" the eldest said.
"I am Legolas, and this is Gimli."
"Are you Narnians?" the youngest asked. She seemed to be the kindest of the four and she curtsied. "My name is Lucy."
"We are not one of these... Narnians you speak of. We are lost-"
"No, we are not," Gimli said firmly. "So if you will excuse us-"
The eldest gazed at the sword by Legolas' waist and his eyes widened. "That's my sword!"
"You're not very good robbers, now, are you?" the younger boy said, a smirk on his face, tossing something cylindrical in his hand.
"I am most sorry," Legolas said, handing over the sword with a solemn bow, the boy taking it with a similar bow.
"I'll grant you are not robbers?" he said, strapping the sword to his side.
The little girl-Lucy-sneezed and turned a crimson color.
"Shall we settle this outside?" the boy said and after they had taken what they needed (permitting Gimli and Legolas to arm themselves), they went back up outside to the bright sun, where they introduced themselves to each other better.
"So where are you from?" the younger boy said, dark eyes trained on Gimli.
"Well, can we trust you?"
He gave him a smirk and glanced over to his brother.
"We are from another land... I hail from Mirkwood and Gimli from the Glittering Caves," Legolas said.
"I see..."
"May we know your names?"
The eldest nodded, and gestured to each person as he introduced them. "This is Susan, Lucy, Edmund, and I am Peter."
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you."
"Do you want to come with us?" Lucy asked. "If you are lost, you can come with us until you find Mirkwood or the Glittering Caves."
Legolas glanced towards Gimli, who seemed about to veto the idea, and he quickly agreed to accompany them. "It would be our pleasure," he said. "to walk amongst the Queens and Kings of this land."
Peter started and frowned. "How did you know that?"
"Well, Peter, they kind of saw our castle," Edmund said. "Even a Giant could put two and two together."
"It's settled then," Peter said. "Legolas of Mirkwood and Gimli of the Glittering Caves will come with us... at least until they reach their respective homes."
And thus the Pevensies added an Elf and a Dwarf to their small party.
The Pevensies, Legolas and Gimli walked through the forests, admiring the forest, picking yet more apples and getting to know each other more.
"So, Legolas, what is Mirkwood?" Edmund asked. "It's a wood, sure, but specifically, what's there?"
"Some of my kind, the Silvan Elves, reside there. I live in our palace, with my father."
"Elves?" Peter said. "I don't remember there being Elves in Narnia before."
"A palace... So you're a king as well? Or maybe a prince of sorts?" Edmund said.
"And you are also a king?" Gimli asked Edmund, eyeing his face and mentally noting how much he looked like the statue in the treasure chamber.
"Yeah. I'm King Edmund the Just, and my brother is High King Peter the Magnificent. Our sisters, Queen Lucy the Valiant and Queen Susan the Gentle, ruled alongside us during Narnia's Golden Age."
"That seems a long time before," Legolas said.
Peter turned to look at him, a nostalgic expression on his face as he added, "Now all of those are but memories of times gone by..."
"Look!" Lucy called out, pointing towards the river under them.
"A boat, with someone inside it..." Susan said.
"My word! There are dwarves here as well?" Gimli exclaimed, recognizing the short stature and face of the man tied up in the boat. Two soldiers wearing armor talked to themselves in a whisper, then picked up the dwarf, about to throw him into the water.
"Don't you dare!" Gimli shouted, raising his axe to throw when an arrow sailed past him, hitting the helmet of the first soldier. He was about to complain to Legolas when he saw the Elf still about to reach for his bow, gazing over at Susan. It might be only him, but he saw the hint of disappointment in his face.
"Drop him!" Susan said.
Both of the soldiers obliged, leaping into the water and throwing dwarf while screaming, "Ghosts!"
Peter dived into the water with Susan by his side to save the dwarf while Edmund headed for the boat. "Legolas, Gimli, before it drifts, quick!"
Three pairs of hands gripped the boat and dragged it to shore, Peter and Susan carrying the dwarf and setting him down on the sand. Drawing her dagger, Lucy cut off the bonds and the dwarf gasped out, spitting out his gag and coughing. Everyone politely waited for him to finish.
When the dwarf started to get up Peter opened his mouth to introduce himself when he was interrupted by an indignant complaint from the dwarf.
"Drop him?! Is that the best you can do?" he spat.
"I don't think he's my kind of dwarf," Gimli said.
Legolas held back the temptation to tell Gimli that he was exactly like that. Behind him Susan opened her mouth to snap at the former prisoner, Edmund managing to keep her from saying anything at all.
The dwarf threw down his gag, glared at about everyone, then huffed and averted his eyes. "But you don't seem to be ghosts anyway, and I am truly obliged, since you saved my life."
"Ghosts? Why should we be ghosts?" Lucy asked.
"I've been told all my life that these woods along the shore was full of ghosts as they were of trees. That's what the story is. And that's why, when they want to get rid of anyone, they usually bring him down here-"
"To leave to the ghosts?" Legolas said, face spelling out skepticism.
"Yes, actually," the dwarf said. "But I wondered if they really didn't drown 'em or cut their throats. I never quite believed in the ghosts."
"Those two cowards of soldiers seemed to believe so, don't they?" Gimli said with a cackle. "Cowards, they are, cowards!"
"Oh," Susan said. "So that's why they both ran away."
They gazed in the direction the men went, a slight breeze blowing. Edmund squinted into the view and faced back to them, disappointed. "They got away to the mainland."
"I wasn't shooting to kill, you know," Susan said.
Legolas and Edmund stared at her, the same thought running through their minds. Of course Susan wouldn't miss at such a short range. When they met eyes, Edmund shrugged.
"Aren't you going to invite me to breakfast?" the dwarf said.
"There aren't anything but apples in this accursed orchard," Gimli said. "Better than nothing, though, I shall suppose?"
"Fresh fish is still better. Never mind that then, looks like I'll have to invite you to dinner then. I saw some fishing tackle in that boat. And anyway, we must take her round to the other side of the mainland coming down and seeing her."
"I ought to have thought of that myself," Peter said.
With that, the party headed to the river and the boat.
TBC...