Other World

On the third day we reached the river Mering, which was in the middle of Firien forest, but according to Gimli it did not seem to be dangerous. "The only thing you will find here, lass, is the last beacon of Gondor," he said just as we were entering the forest. Quite unlike the Druadan forest, I had no sensations of dread as we rode slowly under the leafy canopy. "Only the guards live around here."

"Beacons?", I asked. Something rang in my head, but I couldn't grasp it with certainty.

"Amon Anwar is the last beacon peak between Rohan and Minas Tirith," Legolas explained, falling back again. Our conversations had been kept to the absolute minimum over the past few days. Even Gimli seemed to have noticed, for when we sat by the fire in the evenings, he shifted uneasily in his seat. "It is not dangerous," the Elf added when he saw my suspicious look with which I was examining the surroundings. "But some trees here have been awakened, I hear them whispering."

"However," Gimli pointed out, "roaming bands of orcs have been seen here in recent months. They come from the White Mountains and attack travelers. We should keep an open eye, Legolas."
The elf nodded. "I shall ride ahead," he said curtly, and spurred his horse. Left behind were Gimli and I. After we had ridden silently side by side for some time, I said, "It feels very different here than in Druadan Forest."

He looked up. "In what way?"

"More peaceful."

"Aye, it is. Don't get me wrong: Legolas riding ahead was purely a precaution."

Involuntarily, I had to smile. Gimli, in particular, had seemed concerned with making the journey special for me since the day we had set out from Minas Tirith. Without the fear of being attacked by dark creatures. That this was not easily possible in Middle Earth was obvious. Nevertheless, I appreciated his efforts. As for Legolas, by now I wasn't even sure if he had come along voluntarily.

"You know," Gimli said after another few minutes had passed, "traveling is a dangerous thing."

"And yet you do it happily," I replied with a smirk.

"I have heard that is true of you as well."

"From whom?" It took me a moment to grasp the hint. "Legolas?"

"Aye."

"Well." For a moment I hesitated. "That's right. I have traveled a great deal. But that in no way compares to traveling here. How much more has he told you?"

Gimli laughed. "You do not need to worry, his mouth was as shut as the stone doors of my people without the proper key."

"Is that so?" asked I with a raised brow.

"Aye," Gimli replied firmly.

I let his words run through my mind for a moment. Gimli, unlike Legolas, had always accepted that there were things I didn't want to talk about. He had never pushed - in some ways he seemed calmer and more composed than his elvish friend. Which surprised me, considering Legolas was considerably older in years. Perhaps it was time to let my second traveling companion in on my secret as well. Legolas trusted him, and I was sure he would have told him about it if I hadn't made him promise not to.

"He would trust you with his life," I said. An observation, not a question, yet the dwarf nodded. "Then I will do so, too."

And then I told Gimli, as well, all that I had so far shared only with Legolas. The dwarf listened, attentively, and asked only a few questions of clarification. When I had finished, he murmured more to himself than to me, "Sometimes such strange things do not happen without reason."

"I wish they did, but I haven't found one yet that explains it all," I said quietly.

"In any case, it explains where you got the idea of mixing cherries in your beer." He shook his head. "A twisted thought."

"If only you knew!" I grinned. "It's better than it sounds." And then, as the dwarf continued to shake his head skeptically, I added, "You've traveled to the Glittering Caves with Legolas before, haven't you?"

"Aye." Gimli seemed to lighten up at the memory. "It was a wonderful visit. The first one where I was able to see the true beauty of the caves. We visited far more than just Aglarond, though. Although that would have been enough for me," he said with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Fangorn?", I offered.

"Aye." Gimli shifted his sitting position. "Middle Earth is a truly beautiful place."

"I have that feeling, too," I said with a smile. "Your friendship with Legolas is unusual, isn't it?"

Gimli nodded thoughtfully. "Elves and dwarves are very different, but the Elven Princeling and I share a close bond, just as you and he do, if I may say so."

I felt my cheeks begin to burn and I hated myself for it. "There is no bond between us."

The dwarf mumbled something unintelligible into his beard until he finally said, "I know a bond when I see one, lass. The boy hasn't admitted to many in his life, certainly not to mortals like us. That's a big thing for elves."

I stared at the trees passing us with a furrowed brow. Gimli had not previously struck me as someone who said things just to have said them. When in doubt, he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself. It must have cost him some effort to let me know about this. So I wondered: what did he want me to understand? "Why?"

He took his time answering, seeming to sort out the words in his head beforehand. Finally he replied, "Now that I know what I know about you, I realize why you allowed it to happen."
"Allowed what?", I asked, honestly confused.

"Elves only commit to a mate once in their lives - through marriage."

"Yes, and? Are you suggesting that I made advances to Legolas?"

I saw Gimli shifting uneasily in his saddle again. He was uncomfortable with the conversation, but he had instigated it and I didn't understand where he was going with it.

"No, that's not what I was implying, lass."

"But?"

"He's making you some."

My heart leapt. Did he know about the thing that had happened in my room? No, I couldn't possibly imagine that. But then what did he mean? "I don't recall anything like that. And I do think I would have noticed," I said, dumbfounded. "And aside from that: Making advances to someone and getting married are two different things, aren't they?"

"Your world is a different one. And contrary to what you might think, those two things are very close for elves in fact."

Involuntarily, I had to swallow. Had Gimli just told me in a roundabout way that I was about to break the elf's heart? But how, if absolutely nothing had happened between us - except for the thing in my room? And had anything really happened there? If I was honest: No. It was a mere snapshot. Created out of the moment and ended just as quickly - not by me, mind you. But what if I only saw it that way, precisely because I wasn't at home in Middle Earth? Because I didn't know the customs? Wasn't that what Gimli had been trying to tell me?

But I didn't get a chance to answer him, for at that moment Legolas returned. I gave the dwarf a look in which I put all my cluelessness. Perhaps he understood that I had not done any of this on purpose. And that I had no clue what I could have done differently.

He seemed to understand that better than I had assumed, for he gave me a wink before asking Legolas, "No orcish trash to be seen?"