The old ways

" Amin feuya ten' lle!" Haldir turned away and picked up his clothes to get dressed. He stopped himself short before throwing the vial with the oil against the next tree. He had so little time with his beloved, they would leave soon and even in the few precious hours they had for themselves, this cursed dwarf had to interrupt.
"Come Legolas, let him stay lost. Let us go back to our home." Haldir glanced back.
"No, Haldir. I will bring Gimli back to the camp and follow you later. Wait for me, will you?"
Haldir shot around "What, why do you put up with him? Is he so much more important to you, than the time I want to have with you? Someone will find him in the morning."
"A 'maelamin, Nothing is as important to me than you, but we agreed to travel together, we are a fellowship, we look after each other. When we are out there again, we will need to depend on each other. Don't you understand? If anything happens to Gimli now, we will miss his axe in battle. Uuma dela, I will be with you shortly."
Haldir snorted and left the little clearing with long strides.
"Come now Master dwarf, let me bring you back and let me get back to my business." Legolas bent down for his clothes and gave Gimli a annoyed look.
"It wasn't my fault that you were so loud!" Gimli was angry with the elves. Why did they have to treat him like dirt underneath their fingernails.
"It was not your right to come here. Can't you give people their privacy? No matter how loud we would have been, no other elf would have dared to come here and watch two others who are obviously engaged in private matters." Legolas glared at the dwarf.
"Come!" he oed aed and headed into the woods. Legolas never glanced back to see if the dwarf really followed him and strode quickly in direction of the camp.
Gimli tried his best to keep up with the elf but it wasn't easy in the dark so he failed miserably. "Wait, Legolas. Don't go so fast. He can hardly see where you are going."
"You should thought about that before you spied on us." The reply came from somewhere deep in the woods before him.
"I didn't spy on you, fool of an elf. I told you I was lost! I heard your voice and I thought maybe you could help me."
Legolas suddenly appeared right in front of him "Help you? After you stayed and satisfied your sick curiosity by watching us? You can't be serious!" Legolas looked outraged.
"I had my eyes closed! I had my hands over my ears! I was mortified after I saw what you two were up to. I mean, what do you see in that arrogant bastard. Not that I want to think about the fact that you are both male." Gimli looked at Legolas sternly.
Legolas looked as if he was about to loose his temper. "That arrogant bastard happens to be my bonded, my husband. What we do to or with each other is our own to decide. The fact that we are both male does not matter. It is quite common among us elves. But what would a dwarf know about that?"
"Your HUSBAND?" Gimli couldn't believe his own ears. "You are saying, that you are...., you are married??"
"It is called bonded among our people. And yes I have been bonded to Haldir for over a thousand and five hundred years by now."
"Why didn't you greet him in a more friendly way then, when he met us?" Gimli started to grow curious.
Legolas face softened a bit "We hadn't been on all too friendly terms when we parted the last time."
"But you obviously made up now, didn't you?" the dwarf inquired.
"Yes, we have." Legolas relaxed visibly and a small smile played around his lips.
"It was about time. I never thought we would though."
"When did you part?" Gimli moved alongside the elf, who had started moving through the woods again with a more moderate speed, making sure the dwarf was able to follow.
"It was about a thousand years ago." Legolas looked back at the dwarf.
"What? A thousand years ago? Weren't you in love anymore, or does love not matter in a bonding?" the dwarf looked utterly dumbfounded.
The elf dropped his head slightly, as if to hide his features. "Love is the only reason for a bonding. And yes we were and still are very much in love. Then obviously love is not always enough. We had our differences, I was very young and eager to live my life, fight for my people and see the world. Haldir thought otherwise. We fought and after some time I left him. We never saw each other again until now."
"Obviously time does heal wounds." Gimli shook his head.
Legolas shot Gimli a smile "Yes, maybe it does. Look, we have arrived." He gestured towards the camp a few yards ahead. "Will you manage from here on?"
Gimli snorted and strode towards the clearing and waved Legolas off.

Haldir paced the talan waiting for Legolas, he had calmed down and felt somewhat embarrassed because of his outburst and he desperately wanted to apologise to his bonded.
Soft footsteps of leather boots on the stairs announced Legolas and Haldir hurried to meet him. "Legolas, my love come to me." Haldir opened his arms and waited for his lover.
Legolas hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Haldir's expression he sank into his arms.
"I am sorry for my behaviour earlier on. Can you forgive me?" Haldir nuzzled Legolas neck.
"Only if you continue this." Legolas smirked.

It so happened that the dwarf and the elf of the fellowship met under mysterious circumstances every other day in the golden woods and were even accompanied by the head march warden of Lorien from time to time. Legolas showed Gimli the beauty of nature whilst the dwarf told him about the history of his people. To everybody's astonishment a fast friendship formed between those two, a wonder nobody would have believed in. The weeks passed by all to quickly and the preparations for their departure were nearly finished.

Haldir grew more and more nervous the nearer the time came. He had restricted himself from saying anything to Legolas about not leaving, not wanting to start one of their fights they used to have all those years ago, but when the fellowship was given their elven cloaks and he fastened the it around his husbands shoulders he couldn't help but whisper in his ear "Please my love, don't leave. I'm afraid I might never see you again."
To his surprise not the expected anger hit him, but a tender hand that reached out to stroke his face. "I will always come back to you! Should I fall in battle I will wait for you in Mandos' halls. Nothing can keep us apart. We will see each other again, melme." Legolas gifted Haldir with a tender smile.
The tall elf cast his eyes downwards not wanting his opposite to see the worry and grief, but a slender finger tilted slipped beneath his chin and tilted his face up. "Believe me, my love. All will be well. Do not worry too much. I am in good company," Legolas laid a hand on Gimli's shoulder, who now stood beside him "and we will look after each other."
Haldir caught Gimli's glimpse who smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't fret, marchwarden. I will bring your better half home safely."
Aragorn called for them, ordering everybody into their boats. Legolas got a few astonished stared from the rest of the company when they saw the elf give Gimli a hand helping him into one of the boats and then taking a seat behind him. Boromir laughed at Aragorn "I have seen the most wondrous things in my live, but this outbids them all."