Gimli grunted as he dragged himself through the rough terrain. He was drenched in mud, his muscles were sore, he felt chilled to the bone, but worst of all, he was hungry, incredibly hungry. The enemy wouldn't see them coming but rather hear his stomach approaching. It made him lose his concentration, and that was something heavily required on this mission. He tried to remember why exactly he had agreed to come.

He'd only been back several weeks and he'd been incredibly bored. His hands itched to do something. Cold had descended so he had been in charge of cutting up enough wood to supply the people for warmth. He scoffed. Three years of military training, rigorous and intensive, and there he was, in the middle of Mordor chopping up wood. He'd been frustrated and tired and so when one of the military generals, Gimli believe his name was Glorfindel, asked him if he wanted to help with the mission, he'd agreed immediately, without even knowing what it actually entailed. Looking back he declared himself an idiot. While he'd felt useless before, he now could remember the smiles on people's faces whenever he came in carrying the logs. He had been useful after all. He wouldn't mind going back there now; he ached for some warmth, a shower would be heavenly. Gimli didn't think there was a part of his body clean at the moment. He had long given up trying to wipe the grime off his face with the grime on his hands.

Next to him lay Ereinion, the second in command. There were two other soldiers who had trained in Doriath. Gimli was the only one from Erebor. Not that he minded very much, they generally left him in peace. But there was one that tested his patience. The journalist. Gimli had practically laughed in the blondes face when he'd requested to come along. Come along! As if this was some school trip. The man might have been leanly built, but he was also way too tall and thin. Not one who couldn't fend for himself in the wild, not with such perfectly styled hair.

Those volunteers, who thought coming here would be a walk in the park, who thought they could do everything and not break a nail. Sissy's every single one of them. Gimli couldn't stand them.

Thus far the journalist had survived, proving to be sturdier than originally thought and much to Gimli's chagrin the lad had been very good with a bow. At least he could protect himself, because Gimli had no intention of looking out for his sorry ass. He might be ok with being an wood chopper but definitely not a baby sitter.

But the man's name sounded familiar… he couldn't quite place it. Everyone called the man Lego, an unfortunate nickname Gimli assumed. The young sturdy redhead avoided the man at all costs. He had never been very good dealing with his anger management; it was one of the reasons why he'd joined the army, to let of some steam. But he did have a lot of pride and felt a large amount of responsibility. He wasn't going to start a fight if it was avoidable because it would end badly for all of them.

The sun had gone down and when the sky shifted from twilight to dusk the small party made a small camp. They kept a fire low, which provided they with just enough light to see what they were doing. They were closer to their target, the city of Pelargir. Recently had been recaptured by enemy forces leading to further devastation. Pelargir had been in and out of enemy control since the entire conflict started. Legolas even remembered that as a young child his father would talk about it. The aim of their mission was to infiltrate the centre of the harbour city and take out the leaders, so to weaken their defences so that coming forces would be able to take it over and bring it into Gondor forces control. The large forces were a day away, waiting for Glorfindel's command. But first they had to make it to the city unseen. They were close, so close that Gimli could practically smell it. It affected them all. They became quieter and more withdrawn. They all knew the plan, the only thing they could do now was pray that everything would go well, and they'd all get out alive.

Two days passed and Glorfindel and one of the Doriath soldiers had gone to explore the city, memorizing the changing of the guards and the ins and outs of the fortress and the palace where the leader lived. Glorfindel came back filled with hope.

"It's time. I will send word to the waiting forces. We will attack right before dawn tonight. With any luck we can create so much confusion and fear that our aid, arriving midday tomorrow, will have limited resistance." At his words Gimli felt a spurge of adrenaline go through him. Looking around he would see in the eyes of the others that they felt the same. He felt excitement just also incredibly anxious. He hadn't really thought much of his life back home, not much of his father or mother, but now, knowing real danger was coming, he couldn't help think back on all those great times. Whenever his mother made his favourite food or when his father would bring him to wrestling matches, after which he always got ice cream. It was at that moment that he wondered if they would be proud of him. He hadn't gone into accounting, as his father had liked. He'd always pushed himself into dangerous situations despite his mother's warnings. She had probably preferred him to use his physical abilities to play Olympic sports. At least then she'd have more control over his well being. Now they had no control at all, in fact they didn't even know where he was. He had known about this mission before coming back for Thorin's birthday but had sworn he wouldn't tell anyone. He wondered if he died here and the mission failed, would they tell them what happened? Would his parents be told about this? Would it ease their pain in some way?

Gimli looked around again and met the eyes of the journalist. There was a strange mix of fear and determination in them. Gimli huffed at himself before passing ale to the man. Pale blue eyes met his one brown ones and the journalist smiled.

"Thank you."

"Its nothin', ye'll need it." Gimli said gruffly, before turning his attention to sharpening his weapons, and from the corner of his eye, he saw the blond do the same. The rest of the evening they spend sharping weapons, loading and packing equipment and going over the plan, until they could dream the layout of the harbour city and the main building they would target. They quickly ate some food that would last them for a few hours. Then they doused the fire and everyone tried to get a little sleep while Ereinion kept watch.

That night Gimli dreamed of blazing fire while Thranduil and Tauriel's face haunted Legolas. Both men were glad when Ereinion woke them up. It was dark, the only light came from the stars. There was a new moon that night which was beneficial as it made sneaking in a lot easier. Drawing his black hood around him, Gimli checked once more if everything was in place. Satisfied, he slipped after the others into the darkness, on to Pelargir.

When they reached the city wall under the cover of darkness, Ereinion and one from Doriath ran forward, pressing their backs against the cold wall, ready to climb it. Waiting the listened whether to hear if they advance had been heard, but it appeared not. Then they scaled the wall. The changing of the guards had begun and there was no one on that section of the wall. Silently they climbed on and hide themselves in the shadows. The journalist readied his bow; his task was to kill the new guard as quickly as possible, while the two on the wall would make sure he made no sound. The guard came into view. He didn't look very pleased and his eyes seemed tired or at least that's what Gimli heard Glorfindel say, he himself didn't have such brilliant night vision as the rest of the party. They waited several minutes for the guards to settle. From their disinterested positions, they wouldn't be too much of a problem.

The journalist had probably received a signal, because suddenly an arrow flew swiftly and silently through the air. Bull's-eye. Gimli could make out the guards shadow, the arrow sticking out of his heart. But before he could offer a cry, Ereinion and Doriath 1 silenced him quickly. They removed the dead mans armour, stopping the wound from bleeding too much. Then Doriath 1 put on the clothes and strapped the helmet on his head. He would now be in charge of keeping watch and ensuring their way out when necessary. Ereinion disappeared again in the shadows as they hid the body of the guard. Then the others started to climb over the wall. Gimli tried his best to do it as silently as possible but towards the top it became troublesome. A hand reached out to him and without thinking he took it and was pulled on. It irritated to see it was the journalist who helped him, who was currently smiling at him, obviously glad they survived the first part. Gimli didn't return his smile.

"I didn't need ye help." He whispered hoarsely and the blond merely shrugged his shoulders, with a pleased grin on his face.

The party slipped into the city, stepping through the shadows and empty alleyways. It didn't take long for them to near the building that was being used as a palace for the leader of the city, Lord Umbar. A few buildings before it, they climbed onto the roofs, that way they could reach the palace unseen. One by one they jumped the distance to land on a flat side of the palace roof. From there Glorfindel had found another unguarded entrance into the building. Reaching the door, Gimli felt his heart beating in his chest. He hoped getting in would prove as easy as getting the hell out.

They sneaked through the hallways, several times they were almost caught by a guard or wandering servant. Gimli wiped away the sweat from his brow. Beside him he saw the journalist and others looking perfectly calm. Stupid fairies, he thought. Glorfindel had followed the Lord's movements and had some idea where he might be. They had tried the bedchamber, but found it empty. Now they tried location B, the Lord's study and library. It didn't take long for them to find it. Within minutes they found themselves inside.

Lord Umbar's chambers were dark and musky. Silently they approached his study. Angamaitë sat in his chair by the fire, he held a book in his hand, but didn't appear to be reading it. Suddenly his let out a laugh that sent chills through Gimli's spine. As quick as lighting he turned around and the party drew their weapons. The Lord's dark eyes scanned over them looking slightly amused.

"There, there, what do we have here, my assassins committee? I have to say I am flattered to receive so many of you." The man said, his lips curling into a grim smile. His dark hair stuck to his face. "Well I can't say I am surprised, sorry to disappoint. I received news from my brother in Gundabad of an attack there. I knew it was only a matter of time before you came to see me." The Lord said smugly.

"What attack?" Gimli couldn't help himself from asking, and kicked himself for being such a fool as he looked at Glorfindel. This amused the man even more.

"Well, I see you aren't very informed." He observed and Gimli felt the man look at him from top to bottom, judging him. "Would you like me to tell you dwarf?" Gimli balled his fists in anger. His lack in height had always caused others to tease him, leading to many hard-handed fights. But it hurt to admit that especially besides such incredibly tall men, he did indeed appear like a dwarf. Angamaitë didn't wait for his response.

"A small force of idiots from Mirkwood thought they were strong enough to break into Gundabad's defence system." And he let out a shrill laugh. "Fools." He sneered and his dark eyes flickered to the journalist, who had stiffened and paled. "Their leader joined them for once, it's been an age since he has." The man licked his lips and took a step closer. "Didn't daddy tell you? He suffered great losses, the coward." He sheered and Gimli saw anger burst in front of the blond eyes. His cursed inside. How had he been so stupid to not realize that the journalist was Legolas Greenwood, Tauriel's adopted brother? He felt like an idiot as well as sorry for the young man. His hands reached for his throwing axes as he saw Legolas gripping his bow tightly. The Lord saw as well and gave them a mocking smile, raising a thick eyebrow.

"You really think I'd let you kill me in my own home?" He quickly turned his head slightly to the door, hand reaching out for a warning bell beside him. But before his fingers touched it, an arrow was yanked through it. Angamaitë gave a scream pulling back his wounded hand, cradling it with his other. His eyes flashed murderously at Legolas who'd released his arrow.

Gimli ran to the door, blocking it from potential guards. The man screamed again, and loud footsteps came closer as well as shouts. Glorfindel and Ereinion seemed to have enough and charger at the man. The man was a born fighter, dodging their attacks. Meanwhile Gimli was helped by Legolas and Doriath 2 to secure the door as numerous guards were trying to open it. Lord Umbar had manage to secure a fireplace rod as weapon, wielding it in his left hand, his wounded one dangling useless by his side, blood dripping from it. Yet he fought with confidence.

Gimli and Doriath 2 were now in charge of a second door while Legolas shot anyone daring to come in the first. They heard the clashing of swords and rod behind him. At one point, no one recalled how, parts of the library had be lit ablaze, burning collection of books at a time. Confident Doriath 2 could handle the other door, Gimli tried to douse the fire. He heard the Lord laugh and not long after a window shattered. Knowing he couldn't stop the fire, Gimli used it to block the doors. The people behind it shrieked in pain and fear as flames engulfed them. This gave them time to turn to the on going battle. Glorfindel and Ereinion were sporting several scrapes, but Angamaitë had it worse. Parts of his wounded hand were now completely missing and he had cuts running across his face as well as chest and legs. But he maintained the wicked grin on his face. His back was to the broken window and he swung his vicious rod around him to keep the fighters away. Swiftly he climbed into the windowsill as something strange flickered in his eyes. The man knew he would die. He turned his body as if ready to jump. Glorfindel took a step towards him as if trying to call him back but the man turned even further. Gimli thought he would jump at any second, ending his own life. But right before he did, Angamaitë turned once more, something shiny flying from his hand, and with that he let himself fall backwards, out of the window, sealing his own fate.

Gimli felt something rushing passed him but was unsure of what it was. Smoke began to get heavier, flames licking at the door entrances. Their only way out was through the same window the evil Lord had dropped himself. He was about to smile when he heard a groan beside him and turned. The blood left in his face drained away. The shining object, a sharp dagger, was protruding out of Doriath 2's heart. The soldier had a look of shock on his face, clasping his chest, as if unsure what had happened to him. His brown eyes sought Ereinion who rushed towards him with a wail of agony.

"Aeglos! Aeglos! No god damnit! Look at me! Look at me! You're fine; we're going to get you out of here safe and sound. Look at me!" Ereinion practically shouted and Gimli felt tears streaming down his face as he saw Glorfindel inspect the wound, his face turning ever more grim by the second.

"Gil…Gil-Galad…" Aeglos managed to stutter, blood trickling softly from the corner of his mouth and Ereinion, also called Gil-Galad, wiped it away with his finger.

"Yes?" the dark haired warrior asked softly.

"Get…out. Tell…tell…my brother…tell…Lindon…I love…love him. Will you…?" Aeglos gasped. He had fallen unto the ground, his hand over his heart. Glorfindel had pulled the dagger out.

"Of course I will." Ereinion promised, tears dripping from his cheeks unto Aeglos', who gave him a smile. He took several more weak breaths before he closed his eyes and stopped moving. Ereinion looked at him in shock.

"No…no….it can't be…not like this…" Glorfindel held his shoulder trying to give comfort. They were distracted by more shouts coming from the door. Several guards were trying anew to get into the room.

"Ereinion, we have to leave now." Glorfindel said and the warrior gave a quick. "We can't take him with us." Again a nod.

"I know that." And Ereinion reached around Aeglos' neck to receive a necklace, his weapons and several other small belongings. Then he looked at the door and the fire. "I can't leave him like this, if they do come in, who know what they'll do to his body. Help me move him into the fire." The four of them each held a part of Aeglos and carried him as closer to the fire as possible. Gimli shuddered at the feeling of the already cold skin. He reached into his inner pocket and got out a flash with Ereborian whiskey. His looked at Ereinion with permission who nodded. He poured the contents in a symbol of respect over the fallen soldier. As soon as the flames tasted the alcohol they engulfed the body, making the remaining party jump anyway quickly. Legolas and Gimli made it for the window, swiftly slipping through it and on to the roof. Below them a crowd had gathered, but they were too busy with the body on the ground to notice them. Ereinion and Glorfindel joined them quickly and they ran as fast as they could back to the wall from which they came.

Getting closer they saw there was panic on the wall. They were relieved to see Doriath 1, Lindon still there.

"Thank god you guys are back. Several here were commanded to come to the palace to aid the Lord. I was praying to Valar that they wouldn't ask me. Also the troops are here, I had contact with their leader, once we jump off this wall, they will attack." Then the soldier let his eyes roam the party and his eyebrows furrowed. "Where's my brother?" Gimli breath caught in his throat and he looked away. The silence he received confirmed Lindon's fears.

"Good god…" he said and swayed on his feet. Ereinion and Glorfindel came to his support. With begging eyes he looked at his commanders. "You can't be serious…" he whispered and Ereinion closed his eyes before pulling out the necklace and Aeglos' weapons.

"I am so sorry Lindon…I don't know what to say…" And Lindon let out a sob.

"He was my brother…my baby brother…he can't be dead… can't be…"

"Lindon, you're brother fought bravely and his death was honourable, I don't think he was in much pain, it happened so quickly and suddenly. But we will have time to mourn later, we first have to get out of here." Glorfindel said, trying to sooth the poor young man.

"I can't just leave…His body…"

"We made sure they couldn't touch his body, its currently burning in the room, probably killing several who try to come close."

In a daze, Glorfindel led Lindon and the others from the wall. Due to the panic and chaos on the wall, they weren't noticed. They ran back into the forest. Once they were under cover, Ereinion produced a horn and blew it. The loud, low sound carried far. It didn't take long for there to come a response and with that the troops attacked the city of Pelargir.

Several long hours passed. The party had created a large distance between them and the city and set up camp. Ereinion and Lindon had distanced themselves from the rest. They would go back to the main city, where Lindon would be brought back to his family and allowed time to recover from the terrible fate of his brother. After a while they got news that the troops had won and Pelargir was back into allies control and the smoke of fire and destruction cleared up. Gimli saw Legolas sitting on one of the small hills, looking out in the distance. He sighed, picked up two bowls of stew while balancing some bottles of ale and walked over.

"Here." He grunted and Legolas looked up in surprise. "Thought ye'd want some food. Ale's never bad at times like these." With a nod Legolas accepted the food and gestured for Gimli to sit next to him. They sat together in silence for a while.

"Well, that was that." Gimli finally said and Legolas gave a nod though he remained staring out in the distance.

"Indeed."

"Have ye heard anythin' from ye da?"

"No, but I know he is fine, he's a strong man."

"So I'd heard. Are ye ever worried bout him?"

"Sometimes, but not often." And then Legolas turned to the red-haired soldier beside him. "I am more worried about my sister."

"Tauriel?"

"Yes, you know her?"

"Kíli's my cousin."

"I see."

"She was mad when ye left."

"Yes."

"Why didn't ye tell her, she's a strong lass."

"I know she's strong, but that doesn't mean I won't protect her."

"Didn't seem like protectin' to me." And Legolas turned to glare at him.

"What do you mean?" And Gimli shrugged.

"Well, I don't think runnin' away without sayin' anythin' is protectin' someone."

"Don't you."

"No I don't."

"It wasn't a question, just an observation."

"Touchy are we? Tell me, why did ye do it." And Gimli was met with several seconds of silence.

"Because I love her." Legolas finally answered.

"Of course ye do, she's ye sister."

"She is sometimes… and sometimes she's not…sometimes I love her more than that." Now it was Gimli's turn to remain silent, as he had to process those words.

"I see." He finally said and was surprised to hear Legolas laugh beside him. "What's funny?" He grunted, worried he'd said something wrong.

"Nothing particularly, I am just glad you don't judge me."

"Well I have to tell ye I am shocked, but having met her, let me tell ye she's not my type, but I can imagine she breaking a few hearts."

"Yes, and she does so without even knowing it."

"So I assume she doesn't know."

"No heavens no, it would be my greatest nightmare. To be honest it is one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to come here." Gimli looked at him in surprise.

"Ye what?"

"Seeing her so happy, I couldn't bear to do anything I'd regret. I hoped by coming here I could clear my head. And I do like Kíli, I can see he treats her well."

"Well I am biased of course, but even then I'd say you're a lost cause, they love each other too much."

"I know, she would be far happier with him than with me."

"Aye." And Legolas looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you Gimli, for being so honest."

"Likewise, I'm glad I could help."

"Would you mind keeping this…"

"A secret? Of course I will lad. You know what they say, anythin' that happens in the army stays in the army. Honestly I think its best. If we would tell everythin' that we said and did here, it would be far safer here than at home, I can tell ye that." And Legolas burst out laughing.

"Definitely."

"Now once we're back at camp, you should get that arm checked." Gimli said pointing at the cut on Legolas' arm. The blond shook his head.

"It's only a cut, I hardly feel it."

"Lad, it's an excuse to meet all those nurses, never mind the cut. I've seen men purposely cut themselves just to have an excuse to see a bonnie lass." And Legolas grinned at him as Gimli rolled for both of them a cigarette. Taking it, Legolas inhaled deeply.

"Thank you, I think I will. Are you sure you're not bruised yourself?"

"I might be." Gimli winked and with that the two new friends watched the sun go down once again.

Éowyn sat on the couch reading her book. Heavenly smells floated towards her from the kitchen as Faramir was cooking a feast. He had promised to do so for weeks, and now finally he had the time to do so, much to Éowyn's delight. As she happily listened to her fiancé humming in the kitchen, she heard the phone ring. Quickly she marked her page and hopped of the couch to reach the phone on time.

"Hello!"

"Hello Éowyn."

"Aragorn! How lovely for you to call! Is everything going alright there?"

"It's going fine, thank you. Is Faramir there, I need to speak to him."

"Of course, hold on a sec." And she put down the phone.

"Faramir honey?"

"Yes darling?"

"It's Aragorn on the phone, he wants to speak to you."

There was a bustling sound in the kitchen and Faramir appeared, his apron marked with tomato sauce.

"God now? Would you mind stirring? Its almost done." He asked his eyes begging. As she handed him the phone she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Oh course love." And with that made her way into the kitchen. There was a marinated chicken in the oven and a pan of sauce on the heat and she quickly started stirring as she tried to listen to what was being said.

"Great to speak to you man, how are things? Will I finally hear what all that DNA was about, you aren't trying to clone me are you, that would be a bad idea." Faramir laughed into the phone, but soon he fell silent giving short aha and yeah answers. Deeming it hopeless, Éowyn focused on their dinner that was indeed almost ready. When the alarm went off, she took the chicken out of the oven and placed the sauce from the heat. Carefully she poured it onto the chicken. Armed with gloves she lifted the tray into their small dining room, onto the set table, next to a large salad.

"Honey, dinner's ready." When she got no response she walked into the living room. The phone call had already ended and Faramir was sitting on the couch, heads in his hair.

"Faramir, what's wrong? What was that about? What did Aragorn say?" She fired rapidly, sitting down next to him in a few strides, draping an arm around him.

"It's so strange, I don't know whether to be happy or sad…" Faramir said softly.

"What darling?" Éowyn asked again and he turned to look at her.

"Aragorn told me…that I am an uncle…"