Return to Mirkwood COMPLETE

Title: Return To Mirkwood
Chapter Four
Author: Sarah
Pairing: Legolas/Gimli
Rating: R
Warning: Slash.
Disclaimer: I love them and thank Tolkien for them. They are not mine. The original ideas and characters are mine. The Legolas and Gimli I write belong completely and solely to Tolkien. They are not related to the movie characters.
Archive: Axe and Bow. Others please ask.
Feedback: please.
Author notes: Thank you to everyone who gave me fb. It helps a great deal. Thank you to Marigold for the beta work and for telling me I should write this story. Any mistakes left are mine.
Thank you to Brazgirl, Leannan, Erunyauve, Indril, and Nina for the kind reviews. Brazgirl: I guess they can only hope they weren't heard. :}


"Did you manage to stay awake?" Legolas teased.

Gimli chuckled. "If not, it was a wonderful dream." He sighed. "But as comfortable as I am, I am not used to sleeping sideways in a bed."

Legolas moved off his love but as soon as Gimli had resettled he cuddled in close. "Do you feel guilty, my beloved?"

The question was asked very softly but Gimli heard it clearly enough. He searched his heart for the answer. Gloin had spent his time in a dungeon, not on some soft, scented bed sharing ecstasy with his one true love and he, Gimli, supposed he ought to feel disloyal and guilty but...

He had promised Legolas his faithfulness. They had not talked of anything else but certain things had simply been understood.

Things like loyalty, and did he not commit himself to caring for his elf's heart and with that any other needs Legolas might have the instant he had accepted Legolas as his lover? Did their bond include only faithfulness in bed or did it involve far more?

Gimli knew the answer.

He had never told Legolas about certain matters simply because not talking about those things to outsiders was deeply ingrained in him as it was in all dwarves. One of the things he had not told Legolas was that his mother had died shortly before Gloin had left with Thorin. His father had still been deeply mourning the loss.
Now as he thought about it, the memories saddened him and he felt confused. He loved his father and nothing else besides Legolas would ever cause him to do anything that might look like a betrayal to Gloin.

Legolas, though, was his one love. His father himself had deeply loved his mother and had put her first in all things. He had been protective of her.

Surely his own true love came first. With Legolas it did. It must for Legolas could die of grief over their love, might even follow through on his declaration that he would die when Gimli died, giving up his very immortality. Gimli felt the guilt of this wash through him.

If Legolas was to have only what seemed a short life span to an elf was Gimli to now deny that elf? And especially in his elf's own bed? Nay, no matter how much he loved his father, he would not do this.

Legolas was running his fingers over Gimli's chest, patiently waiting an answer. "My elf, I do not feel guilty. Though perhaps I feel guilty for not feeling guilty."


Laughter from Legolas gladdened the dwarf's heart. The laughter stopped abruptly. "Oh, Gimli, I'm sorry. I should not laugh. I've always greatly admired the way you never held me to account for things that happened in the past."

"I love your laughter. I would not have anything stop it." Gimli said.

There were other issues here and Gimli felt they must be dealt with. He knew some of it was dealing with who Legolas was completely not just one aspect of his elf. Thinking as he did of the elf as a warrior, he often tended to treat Legolas in that way.

Yet he was, also, Gimli's lover and it was best not to let hurt feelings continue. "Legolas," the dwarf slid his hand under his elf's chin and pushed gently as an invitation for the elf to look up. Blue eyes met his own. "Elf you are not still concerned over the depth of my love for you, are you?"

"I know you love me. I know, too, you may lose your family over this and that you are willing to do so. Only..." Legolas paused. "Never mind, it does not matter."

Gimli thought about this statement. If he said such a thing to Legolas it would most likely mean his pride was involved and being hurt was one thing he wasn't fond of admitting. "Which part of my not so nice behavior upset you today?"

"I understand that your anger has nothing to do with me but Gimli, you wouldn't even look at me tonight when we came to bed."

Gimli traced his fingers over the face of his beloved. “At least you chose something I think I can fix. Sweet love, I wanted to think and looking at you while you are undressing is one of the best ways I know to cause me to not be able to think at all."

"That is the only reason?"

"Yes, what did you imagine?"

"I didn't know what to conclude. I just felt. You always stare at me as if..." Legolas paused searching for the right words.

"I stare at you as if I can not believe your beauty or the pleasure you give me. Which is true. As if I could devour you. As if you are a rock wall to be climbed..."

Gimli was interrupted by soft elven lips against his and a flickering tongue across his mouth. "A wall to be climbed? Your comparisons are most unusual but they thrill my heart. If you climbed me you'd have to use your hands and...yes, I do like that."


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Several hours later Gimli woke suddenly. Something had awakened him. A nagging feeling ,a feeling in the heart, faint but clear that *all was still not right with his elf.*

The feeling had been there when Legolas woke him up at the end of the party, he realised, but so many stronger emotions had pushed it aside. Now, it seemed to have a life of its own, insisting that it be acknowledged even if it meant waking him up.

Yet Legolas appeared to be fine. He was snuggled up to Gimli's side with his fingers curled into the dwarf's beard, eyes open and still asleep. They had bathed again, together this time, before sleep and all had seemed well.

Gimli ran his fingers gently across Legolas' shoulders. So strong and firm. He was uncertain of the time but he could sense that Legolas was starting the focus on surroundings that signaled awakening.

Gimli tried to draw the feeling in his heart out. Faltering in his attempt to do so, Gimli continued to wonder over it. Was it due to his closeness to Legolas that he was now beginning to know by instinct when all was not right with his elf? Would such an instinct grow in time until he could feel it strongly? Gimli very much hoped so. It would be a great gift to know his lover so well.

Legolas' fingers had gone to his hair and with a kiss to his neck, Legolas moved to Gimli's pillow. He buried his head in Gimli's hair and began making humming sounds. Whatever was bothering him if something truly was, it couldn't be on his mind now. He didn't even seem concerned about the meeting with his father, which
had to be soon.

"You make it difficult to think."

Amusement coloured Legolas' voice, "You were trying to think? About what?"

Gimli sighed. "Perhaps I've become as crazed as you but some instinct tells me something else is bothering you. Is it the meeting with your father or is there another matter?"

Gimli perceived there was another matter instantly. He knew it from the way Legolas stiffened and went silent, fingers stopping in their motions.

"We have a little over an hour before the noon meal. Are you hungry?"

The thought of food was a happy one but Gimli was aware that he hadn't been answered yet, which was an answer itself. "I want to eat but not until I do something about this 'won't go away' feeling that you are unhappy about something."

"You are a dwarf. You feel no such thing."

Gimli considered this statement. It had not been said offensively; more as a 'dwarves are not sensitive to such things as elves are' comment. "I can't make it a strong feeling nor do I understand it exactly but it is there."

"Elves can tell their lover's feelings if they have a strong enough bond. I never heard of anything like that with a dwarf."

Gimli heard undisguised hope in the elven voice now and discerned that Legolas desired him to have this instinct as much as he wanted it.

"It is there, though." Gimli did not enjoy trying to describe feelings but it seemed necessary. "It is like a small fault in a jewel, perhaps not seen by most but an expert detects it instantly. I can feel and sense this as one would find something wrong if one knows the stone well."

There was no response from Legolas and Gimli felt frustrated and sad. He was not explaining this well enough for an elf to understand and Legolas was most likely confused. He began to search his mind for a reference Legolas could comprehend.

All of sudden Legolas left his side and pounced on top of him with enough force to almost take his breath away. The elf almost sang his next words "It is like a tree that has a sickness. Those that are attuned can tell with a touch but the signs are so faint that those who do not have knowledge of trees cannot tell. You do indeed feel our bond, maybe as much as any elf would as our joining is new yet. I cannot express to you how much joy this brings me, Gimli." He began to rub his body like a cat across Gimli and rain kisses all over his dwarf's face.

Gimli, who had already began to harden, felt himself tighten unbearably now. His elf was still talking, "That makes me extremely happy, overjoyed, and," a pause, "Gimli this feels good." He started to rub his chest against Gimli's. "You're hard and soft at the same time. This is very pleasant. I wonder if..."

Gimli tugged the hair in his face a bit, "Nay elf, we will talk about what is bothering you if it kills us both. And I have questions about this bonding."

Legolas' response was to flatten himself against Gimli and push his erection against the dwarf. "Please not now. I will tell you, I promise. I'll answer anything you want. Later. But I'm so very happy now, thrilled, overjoyed, and I want to forget fathers and upsets. And we can talk as we get ready to leave. Right now, I want to do something else."


TBC