Summary: There was a reason that Elves did not fall in Love with Dwarves, it was a lesson that Legolas Greenleaf learned all to well.
When they first saw eachother Legolas had been hiding from his Father and his advisors, the young dwarf had glanced his way and scowled so harshly that Legolas had thought himself burned.
He had searched out the young dwarf for curiosities' sake and over the course of the Dwarves' unintentioned stay they had somehow become friends, friends who never had the chance for more.
Before he had left the Dwarf had placed a bead from his hair into Legolas' hand and promised that he would come back and they could talk about courting and Legolas had taken the one of the simple beads from his own hair, they went unseen unless they were being looked for, and given it to the Dwarf. That exchange had been the last time he had seen his Dwarf, though at the time he didn't know it, and throughout the following weeks he had waited, walking on air.
He had seen his first true battle mere weeks later, with a single bead on a simple chain hidden under his tunic, knowing that his Father would take it away should he see it. It had been long after the battle had ceased that he had heard about the demise of Thorin Oakenshield and his nephews, and, with the same curiosity that had led him to search out the dwarf in the dungens, he searched for his dwarf, finding only his companions.
"What are you searching for, Legolas?" Gandalf asked him when he saw him with yet another dwarf staring at him.
"Gandalf," Legolas grinned suddenly, "You traveled with the group that my Father... Detained right?"
Gandalf nodded once.
"Good!" Legolas walked over to the Wizard, pulling the beaded string from under his tunic, " Can you tell me where the owner to this is, only he refused to tell me his name, would you happen to know it?"
Gandalf looked into Legolas' wide innocent blue eyes, "Oh, Legolas, my dear boy."
"Gandalf?" The wide grin slipped off of Legolas' lips, "What is wrong?"
"I am sorry, Fili has passed." Gandalf whispered.
"What?" Legolas shook his head. "No, we were supposed to meet once their journey was over. He must have..."
"Legolas, Fili was Thorin's nephew, he is gone, sent to rest with his forefathers." Gandalf said softly placing a hand on the ElvenPrince's shoulder. "I am sorry you missed it."
Legolas drew in a sharp breath, "Me too."
Legolas had barly managed to keep his Father from finding out as he took his rage and his sorrow out on the Darkness that dwelled in his Father's forests, and he waited for the Fading to begin, only even after ten years all he could feel was a heavy ache where his heart rested in his chest. He sought answers in the Library of his Father, of the Lady Galadriel, and it wasn't until he searched the Libraries of Lord Elrond that he found his answer, a simple tale, a child's tale, about a Dwarf and an Elf that had been overlooked in the very back of the Library.
It told a sad story about an Elf who had fallen for a Dwarf, much like him and when the Dwarf had died she had waited for the Fading to take root, but it hadn't, for a hundred years she had waited, before she had grown reckless, searching for death, and she had found it in a battle. The ending words had been cautioning Elflings to beware their Hearts around Dwarven folk, for the slight against Aule had not been overlooked when he had breathed life into his creation, for when a Dwarf took an Elven heart he took their Fading too.
And under his tunic, resting over his aching heart, was a simple silver bead carved with the sign of Durin and there it would rest forevermore.
"Gimli." Legolas said drawing the dwarf's attention. "Would you be willing to walk with me?"
Gimli nodded, standing up, nodding to the group he was sitting with.
"I understand that the Lady Galadriel has drawn your eyes." Legolas murmured as they walked.
Gimli started to protest.
Legolas chuckled, "If you sought to hide it you did a poor job, my friend, but that is not why I asked you to walk with me."
Legolas sat on the grass that lined the banks of the river, "Sit." He said patting the grass next to him.
Gimli sat, "Why did you then?"
"Do you know that there have been dwarven and elven couples throughout our history?" Legolas asked.
"No, I didn't." Gimli said with a frown.
"There are no stories sung or written about them because of how tragic they are." Legolas explained drawing up his knees and leaning on them, "At least that is the reason Elves do not speak of them, why Dwarves don't, I do not know."
"Why are you telling me this, laddie?"
Legolas looked at the dwarf and smiled, "He spoke of you a few times, mostly as a fellow prankster, and he would have been happy to know that you grew into your beard."
"Who?" Gimli demanded.
"Elves do not speak of Dwarf and Elf relation because when the dwarf dies the elf is unable to follow." Legolas looked out at the river, "When Elves love, they love much like Dwarves, long and everlasting, when an Elf's love dies it does not take long for the Elf to follow, we call this Fading. With Dwarves it is different, for whatever reason, be it Aule's anger at his secret creation being denied in favor of the Elves or what have you, Elves do not Fade if their Dwarven love dies before they do, more often than not they take a ship to the Undying lands soon after, but they do not Fade."
"You are telling me to be careful?" Gimli asked.
"I am telling you just in case you find an Elf that is not married to set your sights upon." Legolas turned to him with a slight grin as Gimli sputtered.
"So, who was he?" Gimli asked.
"His name was given to me after he died, after a great battle for his home, and after I heard of his death, though at the time I did not know it was his death I had been told of." Legolas murmured as he pulled the stringed bead from under his tunic, showing it to Gimli.
"Fili." He whispered, looking at Legolas.
"Yes, his name was Fili, Heir of Durin, Nephew of Thorin Oakenshield, King of Erebor." Legolas said softly.
Gimli hesitated, "Sixty years ago two of my best friends set out on a quest... neither of them returned, but before they set out we played childish games together, would you like to hear some?"
Legolas smiled, "Nothing would make me more glad."
So Gimli told him about his childhood and for a while Legolas forgot that Fili was gone, even though the ache in his chest spoke otherwise.
So... This is some combination of a prompt I read, [The company is lost in Mirkwood and get taken captive. Before the King, Fili looks up to check his kin are all okay... and meets Legolas' eyes. That's it, bam, they're totally head over heels for their One. It's not the ideal courting environment or situation, but that won't stop them from trying! (Legolas is able to bring Fili sweets and gold an flowers but Fili has no resources in his cell and is just like 'Here. This is a stone that was in my boot?')
BONUS: They swap jewellery/braid each others hair before Fili leaves DOUBLE BONUS: If Fili dies at the BOTFA, Legolas wears his gifts forever more. ] Which I read in a Story.
Its also a little bit on why Legolas would still be alive after. The Idea hit me like a ton of bricks while I was reading a different story, More of a what if Elves couldn't Fade if they took a Dwarven Lover. Because I was thinking about how in the Hobbit Elves are close to Erebor and even if they hate eachother there had to have been at least one or two Elf/Dwarf couples or am I alone in thinking this? So that is my totally illogical what if thing-a-ma-bob, so there.