The old ways

Haldir closed his eyes and fought down the urge to touch himself. The memory had been very vivid and his body had reacted strongly to it. He stood and stretched, considering a short walk, to get his senses back and to calm down the erection he was wearing. He doubted that his army would approve of the state of their commanding leader.

A slight gush of wind ruffled his hair as he turned back downhill towards the large camp. Even though he had just remembered a loving and gentle time a few moments ago, still somewhere in the back of his mind the feeling of dread and danger lingered and made him shiver with coldness that did not come from the outside but rather from his inner being.
Something or someone did feel wrong, something was about to happen. And Haldir was almost certain that it had something to do with Legolas. He hoped he would see his husband at Helm’s deep, and be able to protect him through the upcoming battle. Galadriel had only mentioned that she suspected the battle to be fierce and long but not what they were up against. The mentioning of a fierce battle was enough for the marchwarden to be worried. The Lady tended to understate things and Haldir had learned to interpret her words. It was going to be a living hell.

Legolas had just finished dressing himself in his usual attire, when a hesitant knock announced an early visitor. He smiled to himself, knowing for certain that it was the dwarf standing at the other side of the door. Gandalf would have walked in after knocking, Aragorn would never knock that carefully and neither Eowyn nor Theoden would wish to enter his room at a time like this.
“Come Gimli, the door is open.”
The door swung open and before his visitor was seen he already heard the friendly grumble of the dwarven warrior “I didn’t breath that loud, did I?”
“No, my friend you didn’t. I guessed and obviously I guessed right. Come in and wait until I am ready, so we can both go down into the hall for a little breakfast.”
“Are you forgetting that you still need to discuss a few things with me and Gandalf, Master Elf?”
Legolas frowned visibly, “No I haven’t forgotten. I’d rather not discuss it now, though.”
“But you can not wait. Now is the time. We need your advice on the upcoming battle, even though your bow will be sorely missed, you can still give us some tactical hints , can’t you.” Gimli folded his arms before his chest.
“Gimli, you sound like you think I would abandon you on this quest.” Legolas tilted his head a little and studied the face of his friend carefully.
“No, I don’t think that you are ‘abandoning’ us. I know that you would stand by our side if it weren’t for your condition. I’m not blaming you. I understand perfectly. I am sorry, maybe I have chosen the wrong words, I....”
“Shhh...!” Legolas silenced the dwarf gently. “I did not misinterpret anything you said, but I think you got to the wrong conclusion. I am not leaving the fellowship. I am going with you to Helm’s deep.”
“Legolas, even you might think that it is safer in Helm’s deep, I strongly advice to leave in direction of Lothlorien. If you leave now, you can make it. A single rider will not be of interest to wandering hordes of orcs. They will come here anyway.” Gimli strode over to one of the chairs in front of the fire and sat down heavily.
“Gimli, you still are not understanding. I am NOT leaving. I will fight alongside you. And from there we will go on, to Gondor and to Mordor if need be.” Now Legolas crossed his arms defensively in front of his chest.
It took Gimli a few seconds to comprehend. “What?” He hollered. “You can not possible be serious about that. I will not let you near any battle or foe in that condition of yours. You have not only your life to protect now. How can you be so, .... so uncaring?” Gimli had jumped up and now glared at the tall elf.
“Gimli, please calm yourself, I...” “Calm myself? This is outrageous. Propitious. Unbelievable. You cannot....”
“Gimli!” Legolas had raised his voice “Listen to me. I know it is very hard to understand this. But we are talking about the fate of Middle earth. We elves are the ones responsible for this world. The Valar gave us the duty to look after Middle earth and all its creatures. It is not just a duty, it is our fate. I cannot simple abandon this, not in a time like this. I know in what great risk I will put myself and the child in, but it is my duty.”
“Your duty?? Where are all those, ah so responsible elves now, that Middle earth needs them? I thought children were so precious to your people? How can you endanger it like this.”
“Gimli, do you honestly believe, that I went through all this trouble, to get fertile, I became pregnant, kind of by accident and now I am going to throw it all away? Do you believe that I don’t care? This child means more to me than you can possible understand or comprehend. But if I stray away from my course now, and maybe it was this one arrow I could have shot, that holds the fate of Sauron or any of his servants, and Middle earth falls; what kind of world will it be? I wouldn’t be able to leave anymore. What would happen to Valinor? How could I raise a child here? Gimli, I have to go!”
Gimli was just about to give the elf his answer, when the door opened and Gandalf strode in. One look the two friends told him all he needed to know.
He turned to Legolas “So you have chosen to come with us then?”
Legolas look at Gandalf “Yes.”