CHAPTER 6. AWE AND ANXIETY
The sun was sinking below the horizon when Arod slowed to a trot beside the wall of the Helm's Deep fortress. The fortress stood in ruin, a mass of crumbling stone and rusting, discarded weaponry. The whole mountainside was eerily still; unnervingly so. Glancing around, Legolas suddenly remembered the battle in vivid detail - everything from the roars of the oncoming Orcs and Uruk-hai, to the clang of metal-on-metal. He recalled with uncanny clarity the breaching of the wall and the rush of enemy soldiers, the oncoming weapons of fire burning like beacons through the black night. He saw the bowstrings, taught and awaiting, whilst swords were drawn from their sheaths and shields readied for collision - he frowned at the grim memory.
The Elf dismounted with impossible agility, landing lightly on the rocky ground. He glanced around at the barren, rocky mountainside, his sharp eyes catching the glint of metal from a few feet above him. He sprung nimbly up onto a nearby ledge and reached for the object. Drawing it down, he observed a dented but recognizable Rohan sword.
"Ah, at last. I was beginning to tire of riding." Gimli said gruffly, having dismounted the horse himself. He glanced sideways curiously at the weapon in Legolas' hand. The Elf examined it with a look of disapproval, before casting it away with a clatter.
"This place is naught but the remnants of battle." he said with disdain. "It is apparent that I do not enjoy the return visit any more than my first encounter with this place."
"Why should you fear this place?" Gimli asked, almost jeeringly.
"I fear it not. It... repulses me." he answered hesitantly.
"You are a warrior, and an excellent one at that. How does it repulse you, the mere sight of a battleground?" Gimli said quizzically.
"All Elves are warriors when need be, but we despise conflict nonetheless." Legolas answered flatly. "We lack the aggression and hatred of Men, and seek to avoid violence if ever possible. Even in war, we of elven kind cannot bear to cause unnecessary harm to any race of Middle-earth."
Aragorn's face flickered through his mind's eye, but he pushed it away instantly. Now was not the time to be recalling those bitter memories, as well as the bloody ones of war.
"But you were a victor in this battle, were you not?" Gimli questioned confoundedly.
"In war, there are no victors." Legolas replied shortly, staring at the crumbling battlements with a cold and distant air. "Come; lead the way to the Caves. I have no desire to remain in this place, where only memories of death and despair linger."
"As you wish." the Dwarf replied promptly. "Though we will have to pass on foot from this point. The path is steep, I'm afraid."
And with that, Gimli stumbled ungainly forward, with Legolas following behind, leading Aros by the reins. The horse whinnied nervously on occasion, disheartened by the eerie stillness of the ruins. Legolas whispered comfortingly in Sindarin, stroking its white muzzle reassuringly whilst feeling the very same discomfort as the steed. He trailed hesitantly after Gimli, and was very relieved when his companion suddenly exclaimed:
"Ah, here is the entrance! Prepare your Elvish eyes for the beauty of the Glittering Caves."
Legolas quickened his stride to catch up with the Dwarf, and gazed at the opening to the Cave. The entrance was wide and open, and sloped back into darkness.
"Well?" Gimli said brusquely, surveying the Elf for a reaction whilst bouncing on the balls of his feet like an impatient child. "What do you think?"
"I think that it is too dark for me to make fair observation." the Elf mused. "A torch would not go amiss, I believe."
Gimli grumbled to himself, but set down his pack and extracted from that the supplies they had brought for such on occasion. Meanwhile, Legolas secured Arod's reins to a nearby tree; he knew from experience that animals, especially horses, were not overly partial to caves.
Dwarves can light fires almost anywhere, wind or none, and within moments Gimli had the twigs roaring fiercely. He shoved the torch roughly into Legolas' hand.
"Will you be requiring anything else, my pampered, pointy-eared partner?" he asked sarcastically.
"No, that will do, I believe." Legolas replied, with wide-eyed innocence. "Lead the way, Master Gimli."
Gimli rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, but proceeded to enter the cavern. Legolas froze, smirking, before following after him, ducking slightly through the low-lying entrance.
"Ah." Gimli sighed, running a stubby hand along the cave wall. "I am very glad to return here."
"I am reluctant to mention this, Gimli, but this does not seem to be a cave of any particular superiority." Legolas commented pointedly. "Of course, I am not a Dwarf, so I know not of what makes once cave distinguished from the next, but for all intents and purposes..."
Gimli turned around, smiling knowingly.
"Even you, Elf, will see what is special about these caves soon enough." he replied mysteriously. "That is, if you put a stop to your constant chatter and interruptions."
Legolas held up his hands in a sign of innocence, and beckoned for Gimli to continue. He walked onward eagerly, with the elf trailing curiously after him.
The cave continued, gradually sloping downwards into the depths of the mountain. The air grew steadily colder, and the light from the torch in his hand penetrated the pitch-darkness with increasing difficulty. Yet the Dwarf continued, unperturbed and apparently certain of their route.
As they descended further and further downwards, Legolas' sharp Elvish senses began to distinguish a strange aura in the space around him. He frowned, unable to identify the slight change in the air. He was surprised to find the sensation (or perhaps it was a scent, for he did not truly know what he was detecting) vaguely familiar, but the memory that came to him gave no assistance in identifying it.
Gimli turned around suddenly, and, seeing his look of puzzlement, gave him a smug smile.
"Ah, so you can sense it too, eh, Elf?" he laughed gruffly. "I was doubtful that you would notice. It is a predominately Dwarfish matter."
"A Dwarfish matter?" Legolas repeated, bemused. "I merely sense a change in the air; I do not recognize it. In all my years in Middle-earth, only once can I recall such a sensation."
"Oh, yes, and what was that?" Gimli prompted.
"At the Mines of Moria." Legolas replied blankly.
Gimli grinned. "Not bad at all, my friend. You Elves are observant, I give you that."
"Do you wish to elaborate, or leave me guessing a while longer?" Legolas asked, shaking his head but smiling in amusement.
"As much as I enjoy your confusion, I will explain." Gimli replied, turning back around and striding forwards a few paces. "Or, more aptly, I will let it explain. After you, my Elvish princeling."
He gestured to what Legolas had assumed was a dead-end, but on closer observation he noticed that there was a small opening near the floor. It was narrow and only rose up to the Elf's knee. He raised an eyebrow with a questioning glare at Gimli, before getting to his knees and sliding through the gap, careful not to tear his clothing on the jagged rocky ground.
I cannot even begin to imagine what the Elves in Mirkwood would say if they saw me now, Legolas mused. Prince of the Greenwood, crawling through caves with a Dwarf for company.
Shaking his head, he pulled his slender frame through the gap and got to his feet. He glanced up at the cavernous space around him and gave an audible gasp.
The walls, unlike the dark, rocky ones of the previous caves, were embedded with thousands of coloured jewels and gemstones, glinting out of the dark walls. The very stone itself shimmered silvery-grey by the light of the torch. The roof arched high above their heads, and was studded with more impossible amounts of glimmering gems. An underground stream trickled gently through the cave, reflecting the breathtaking spectacle that surrounded them.
"Gimli son of Glòin, you have understated these caves!" he exclaimed, the sound bouncing and echoing off the walls.
"Nonsense, I told you long ago about their greatness!" Gimli replied, hauling himself gracelessly through the small entrance and stumbling to his feet.
"Yes, but I thought that was typical Dwarfish over-exaggeration!" Legolas replied, laughing.
"Well, they are not called the 'Glittering Caves' without reason." Gimli commented in amusement. "So, are they worthy of your presence, Elf?"
"I think a more appropriate question would be whether or not I am worthy of their presence." Legolas said, still glancing around in awe.
Gimli chuckled hoarsely, as the Elf moved towards the glimmering wall. He ran a hand along a silvery vein in the rock.
"Is that-" he began, before the dwarf interrupted.
"Mithril? Yes. That was the scent you detected earlier. The walls are filled with it."
"The jewels in this cave alone would be worth as much as the treasures of the Lonely Mountain!" Legolas exclaimed, running a hand along the encrusted wall.
"Perhaps, though I doubt that any Dwarf could ever have the heart to mine these caves." Gimli replied, glancing around with an affectionate and uncharacteristically dewy gaze. "Some things should just be left to themselves. This place is near enough to sacred to count as one of those things."
"Surely you could not expect to leave without a token of this place?" Legolas said in surprise. "I am no Dwarf, but I was under the impression that you were all but kin with metal and stone."
"You seem to have a strange impression of dwarfkind, my Elven friend." Gimli replied, chuckling lightly.
"Enlighten me, then." Legolas replied, sitting down and making himself at ease before glancing up at him expectantly. "I have had little to do with your kin; tell me of them."
Gimli laughed a loud, booming sound that reverberated off the gem-studded walls.
"Now, this is unheard of." he commented, sitting down beside Legolas. "An Elf, inquisitive towards Dwarfish culture? Usually your kind are too busy despising us to ask any such questions."
"Now, now, there is no need to start that debate." Legolas said immediately. "I assure you, in all my years I have heard it quite enough."
"No, I insist." Gimli disagreed. "I wish to settle the matter with one Elf, at least, if not the rest of you. You hold a grudge over us because... Why?"
"Because the Dwarves slew the ancient Elven king, Thingol, in the vain pursuit for one of the Silmaril, the jewels hallowed by the Valar themselves." Legolas answered smoothly, recalling the information from tales he had heard hundreds of times.
"And, pray tell, dear Elf, how long ago did this tragic event occur?" Gimli inquired cynically.
"Approximately 6,500 years ago." he answered, rolling his eyes.
"Is that not time enough for you and your kin to simply move on?" the Dwarf prompted pointedly.
"Apparently not." Legolas chuckled. "They say that Thingol was a king of unmatchable might and wisdom."
"Ah, well, there you go. It all makes sense now." Gimli said sarcastically.
Legolas smiled sympathetically, understanding of his intolerance in the disputes between their people. The Elf himself was in agreement - he put little weight in the old contention of Elves and Dwarves - yet he knew that many of his kin in Mirkwood had very different opinions. His own father, King Thranduil of Mirkwood, had little patience with Dwarves, and resented any that wandered into their Elvish haven in the Greenwood. He knew that his Adar had reason, for he was one of the few beings remaining in Middle-earth that remembered the fierce battles between their races, and yet Legolas had more than once attempted (in vain) to debate the matter.
"Do you recall our first meeting?" Legolas asked suddenly, interrupting the trickling of the stream as it ran gently through the cavern.
"Of course: the Council of Elrond." Gimli replied immediately, somewhat surprised by the question. "Back then, I was of the opinion that you were a snobby Elvish princeling."
"And I thought you a scruffy, inarticulate little creature." Legolas commented, smiling slyly. "It appears my observations were quite accurate."
The Elf easily dodged a poorly aimed punch from Gimli, who was laughing too hard to aim an attack with any degree of accuracy. Long did the Dwarf's guffaws echo through the cavern, before there was silence but for the trickle of the underground stream.
"Are there more caves like this one, Gimli?" Legolas inquired.
"Oh yes, hundreds!" Gimli answered happily. "Some smaller, and some even larger than this - long tunnels of stone, and underground pools glittering with the reflections of mithril and gold. Veins of precious ore glint within the polished stone, and there is chamber after chamber of diamonds and crystals... They are mighty indeed to behold."
"And we shall." Legolas agreed. "But for tonight, I think we should retire. I am uneasy about leaving Arod tethered outside, but there is naught chance of fitting the creature through the entrance through which we came."
Gimli grinned mischievously.
"Perhaps not through that entrance, no." he agreed slowly. "But there is an entrance not far from here that could fit ten horses side-by-side, and still have plentiful space to spare."
"What?" Legolas exclaimed furiously, scowling as he faced the Dwarf. "And yet you made me crawl through a hole that would be considered a tight fit for a hobbit?!"
"Well, it was very funny." Gimli commented innocently.
It was Legolas' turn to attack, and his swipe met its target. He cuffed Gimli playfully on the back of the head, whilst the Dwarf doubled over with laughter.
"Peace, my friend, peace!" he choked, eyes watering as he struggled for breath amidst his cackling, whilst the Elf pummelled every inch of dwarf he could reach.
Legolas retracted, smiling in spite of himself.
"You sneaky cave-dwelling vermin!" he laughed, casting an amused glare at his friend. "Well, if you are finished misleading me, I would like to be shown the nearest exit. Preferably a more dignified one this time."
Gimli, still grinning, got to his feet and began to lead the way through the cavern, followed closely by Legolas. As they walked, they passed through chambers that even in the dim torchlight could not be mistaken for anything but breathtaking.
Legolas murmured words of amazement under his breath in Sindarin, and despite the fact that the Dwarf did not know the tongue, he smiled smugly.
"I would give gold to be excused, and double to be let out, if I strayed in!" Gimli said in a mocking, high-pitched tone, repeating the words Legolas had once related to the Glittering Caves. The Elf smiled sheepishly; suddenly aware of how foolish he must have sounded to Gimli at the time.
"Here we are. We are back where we started." Gimli announced, throwing an arm forwards to indicate the direction. "If you would fetch the horse, I will set up our beds in the main cavern."
Legolas nodded, and watched the Dwarf trail back into the tunnel. Once the small figure had disappeared into the darkness, Legolas strode purposefully back to their horse, who was standing idly by the tree where he had been left, chewing slowly at a clump of leaves.
As slender fingers worked to untie the knotted reins, his eyes darted around the mountainside. The watchful, spying eyes from the previous night were not by any means forgotten, and were the main reason Legolas had wished to retrieve their steed: it would be cruel to leave the animal alone and exposed when there were scouts of unknown purpose in the area.
Legolas led Arod back the way they had come, progressing more slowly than he had with Gimli. Unlike the Dwarf, his bearings underground were not as strong as in the open, and he carefully retraced their path back to the main chamber.
He glanced around the cavern in confusion: there was no sight of the Dwarf. His thoughts instantly flew to the image of the eyes. Panic filled his senses as he jumped to conclusions.
Fool, I should not have left him alone, Legolas cursed himself.
"Gimli?" he called out in alarm, his knuckles white with their tense grip on the reins. "Gimli!"
"I am here." said a gruff voice from behind him.
Legolas pivoted speedily, and sighed audibly in relief at the sight of the Dwarf.
"Miss me, did you?" Gimli commented, eyebrows raised curiously at the Elf's strange behavior.
"Indeed." Legolas replied, smiling slightly, stepping forwards to relieve the Dwarf of the bundles of blankets in his arms. Together they set up makeshift beds on the stone floor, whilst the horse sniffed around the cavern inquisitively.
"Tomorrow will be a day of exploration." Gimli announced, settling down onto his bed whilst Legolas did the same beside him. "If you think you have been awed by what you have seen thus far, you are in for a surprise indeed."
"I await it with baited breath." Legolas replied sincerely.
The Dwarf made a satisfied noise before falling silent, and within minutes his snores echoed through the cave.
Legolas lay there for a long while, staring up at the distant, glittering ceiling. He was far more comfortable here, hidden away in the vast cavernous maze of caves, than he had been the night previously. Indeed, he was almost at peace.
After some time had passed, his exhaustion won over, and his eyes flickered shut into a dreamless slumber.