Chapter Text
Normally nimble feet were slow and far heavier than normal. He didn’t even attempt to weave around the thick tree roots that pushed up through the dirt and leaf bed, nor did he bother to follow any particular trail. He didn’t even know if he’d been on one to begin with, as he’d not been paying attention. He wasn’t certain how he’d gotten here and he didn’t spend any time pondering it. Not even the whispers and friendly concern of the ancient trees around him could bring his mind away from the oppressive mist that fogged his mind and vision.
His foot, which for some reason he didn’t care to recall was bare, nearly caught over a large fallen branch to make him stumble. He didn’t though he did reach out with one hand to brace himself in a purely automatic move. The thick knobby bark of the ancient tree felt comfortingly real and solid under his long fingers. He closed his eyes and tried to take more comfort in the untamed expanse of wood all around him but very little comfort managed to reach him through the fog.
His fingers traced the rough texture of the trees for a minute and let his mind drift off to other things. A harsh memory rose unbidden and his hand abruptly dropped from the tree. His eyes opened again and he let out a sigh far heavier than he thought one of his kind could produce. He began moving again for no other reason than he had to distract himself from his thoughts. It wasn’t working in the slightest but old habits died hard and wandering through woods always distracted him from his concerns before.
These ancient trees were different than the ones that normally comforted him but they tried to call out to him anyway. They tried and he appreciated it but their efforts were not truly helping.
He caught the sound of running water just before he ungracefully stumbled into a small clearing. The spring bubbled up from between several rocks covered in rich emerald green moss. The flowing water splashed down to pool in between tree roots and other rocks before draining away into a small stream. Pearls of water looked like crystals where they landed on the thick moss. The pool was not very deep but clear as the open skies. Without any conscious thought, he fell to his knees beside the spring. The thick moss cushioned his knees from the hard landing though he’d barely paid attention to that.
Leaning over he dipped a hand into the water. The icy coldness of it was shocking but helped him focus for a moment. He wasn’t sure why his feet had decided to bring him here. He hadn’t intended to come here. He hadn’t intended to go anywhere really. Not at the time. Especially not so ill suited. He hadn’t a weapon on him. Or shoes. Or even apparently a tunic. He frowned in confusion. Why was he so ill dressed in the first place?
Then he recalled. Last he’d felt himself he’d been in the midst of getting dressed after bathing. He must not have finished before-
He closed his eyes tightly as he remembered precisely what had interrupted him. Damn his ears. For all the help they were in tracking in the woods they were cruel to his heart to allow him to hear what he didn’t want to know. Burning hot tears escaped his long lashes to skim their way down his pale face and fall into the spring with barely a sound. It was only a few of them but they left clear trails that he didn’t bother wiping away. It wasn’t as if anyone was around to see his first tears in centuries anyway. He slowly sat back and let his hand leave the icy water of the spring, which seemed to have replaced his blood entirely.
His whole chest ached as his heart struggled to continue a steady rhythm when it seemed to be so cold that it wanted to freeze his insides solid. He let out a deliberately slow breath and shifted back to rest his back against the hard uneven bark of one of the trees. He needed to pull himself together, he knew. This wasn’t at all like him. He stared at the bubbling water of the spring and tried to recollect himself.
It was hard, his mind simply didn’t want to focus and the pain in his chest was ever present. His eyes never left the water flowing over the rocks but he no longer truly saw it. So consumed with trying to fight his way back to full control of his mind and heart, he didn’t notice the sun rise. It shifted through the sky without him noticing and he was utterly unaware of the sun still as it set again a number of hours later.
Nothing disturbed him though the ancient trees did rustle and creak in concern. They could not reach him with their calls so they settled into a thicker grouping to ensure nothing dangerous could reach the distant one sitting among the roots like a lost child.
Leaves drifted down from the trees, a few landing on his pale golden head and into his lap. He didn’t notice even slightly. The stars and moons rotated in the heavens above the forest and he never once looked up at them. His skin as smooth and pale and fair as it was, seemed slightly less than it had the night before. The brilliance that seemed to radiate outwards had reduced and the life animating his blue eyes so that they nearly glowed even in dimness had fogged over so that the blue faded to nearly grey. And still he could not find it in him to move.
Outside of the forest, there were those that began to move past worried to near panicked. Nobody had seen their friend in far too long. Letters and searches flew every which way. Surely he’d just wandered off on some whim and lost track of the time? It wasn’t much like him but then he’d been acting strangely for a few days before he disappeared. A curse was muttered in a particularly guttural language as he dark eyes glared across the night landscape. “What’s that elf gotten into now?” he grumbled before turning away to go… do something. He wasn’t sure what but he had to do something. His dearest friend was missing with no word and the strangest of circumstances. He hadn’t even taken the stupid horse! Or his precious bow!
Though the war was won, leaving to venture into the wilds without any sort of weapon was simply foolish. Even for the most foolish elf he’d ever met. The sound of bare feet running closer caught his attention and he turned to see one of the little curly haired menaces hurrying towards him. As soon as they’d heard their friend had disappeared they’d come hurrying from their homes though they had very little experience in finding missing elves. Still, they had insisted on coming. Thankfully, only the one was currently ambushing him. “Gimli! Any news?”
He scowled a little and shook his head. “Daft elf’s still not come back,” he answered gruffly. He somewhat regretted his tone when the shorter male’s slightly rounded face fell in a wholly unnatural way. It just didn’t look right to see the little one’s beaming face look so forlorn. “We’ll find him, Master Pippin,” Gimli said in a slightly softer tone. “He probably just went off and wandered away. You know how he gets.”
“Without his shoes?” Pippin asked incredulously. “He’s not a Hobbit!”
Gimli made a face. That had been one of the more unusual and slightly disturbing things they’d found when they realized Legolas was not in his room, or indeed anywhere in the Glittering Caves, that in his room they’d found he’d taken nothing with him. Legolas was a silly elf but not that terribly silly. Even the redheaded dwarf was having trouble rationalizing why the elf Prince would have left without even shoes on his feet. While on occasion he’d seen Legolas without shoes it was usually only after having just finished bathing. He was not terribly prone to wandering around barefoot.
Gimli reached out and put a heavy hand on Pippin’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Pippin, we’ll find him.”
“What if something happens to him before we do?” Pippin asked, eyes shining with worry.
“Legolas can look after himself,” Gimli reminded as gently as he could. “He took down an oliphaunt without help. He can handle whatever he might find out there.”
Pippin did seem to calm down a bit at that reminder. “It’s just so strange… like someone just snatched him up,” he said. His eyes went huge again as that new thought settled in his curly head. “You don’t think that could have happened do you, Gimli?”
The dwarf snorted. “If someone took Legolas they’ll bring him back soon enough with all the singing he does. Annoy them into submission he would.”
The Hobbit brightened some at the joke though he still held worry in his eyes. “I like Legolas’ singing.”
Gimli chuckled slightly and ruffled the Hobbit’s curly hair. “I’m sure he’d be glad to hear that, Lad. You should tell him once we find where he’s run off to.”
Pippin still looked unsure but nodded anyway. “I should go find Merry, Éowyn is supposed to be back soon. She’s probably found him!” he said as cheerfully as he could. Gimli nodded even though he highly doubted that. None of the search parties had come back with Legolas. There was little to make him believe that would suddenly change. Pippin scampered off with his forced cheer to go and find his cousin so that they could ambush the Shield Maiden as soon as she arrived. Gimli felt somewhat guilty for not attempting to dissuade them. It wasn’t exactly fair to be jumped as soon as you got back from searching all over the Riddermark for an elf that had always been frustrating difficult to keep track of.
Gimli sighed and shook his head before starting to walk. If only someone had seen the Woodland Realm’s Prince leave then it wouldn’t have been a problem. But apparently, nobody had. Gimli was not pleased at all when he heard that the guards had somehow overlooked Legolas leaving. Even if it was in the middle of the night Legolas was an elf. He bloody glowed under the stars and moon. How could someone miss such a thing?
Legolas’ unfortunate tendency to wander had made it so that his absence was missed far later than it should have been. There had been some hope when they discovered Arod still in the stable that a few riders would be able to catch up with him on the open plains. That was proving painfully untrue.
Without really meaning to, Gimli ended up in front of said horse’s stall like he had for the past several nights in a row. “He’s still not back, horse,” Gimli said despite still feeling somewhat foolish for talking to a horse. He was a dwarf. He wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with horses but that damned elf rubbed off on him.
Arod whickered softly and lipped at Gimli’s tunic. The dwarf grunted and pushed the horse’s large head away. He glanced down the stables and saw nobody so he begrudgingly pulled out the apple he’d brought -entirely by coincidence, of course- and held it up for the horse. Instantly it disappeared and Gimli grunted again. Now he was doting on the stupid horse of all things! “Fool elf didn’t mention where he was off to did he?” he asked.
There was, understandably, no answer. “You’d be more useful if you were a bloodhound, Arod,” Gimli grumbled. “At least then you might be able to track him.” Horses weren’t exactly tracking animals. There was no need to track when you chewed on grass all day.
Then again…
It wasn’t entirely unheard of. Brego had found Aragorn that time he fell… Gimli eyed the horse he’d ridden for so long behind Legolas for a moment. Horses bred and raised by the men of Rohan were said to be far more than other horses. No. No, it was a foolish thought. But, hell, he hated waiting around for the others to come back with nothing to show for it.
Gimli cursed to himself even as he went up to his room and gathered his rucksack and axe, which had definitely not been sitting by his door waiting. No. Never. They had been by the foot of his bed, thank you very much. Thinking that he must have been losing his mind and Elfish foolishness was definitely a contagion of some sort that seriously needed a cure discovered, Gimli quickly went back to the stables. “Alright, horse,” he said as he unlatched the front of the stall. “I can’t ride you proper but you have to lead me to that daft elf.”
It took some doing to get Arod saddled properly and then in to the saddle but Gimli managed it with the help of a few boxes and hay bales. He would have no real control or anyway to say, get back on if he fell, but it would be faster than walking. Arod looked back at him with one huge eye and Gimli scoffed. “Just find him, Arod. He’s been gone too long,” he told the horse. Arod’s ears flicked a few times before the horse started walking quite calmly out of the stall and stable. “Don’t go off running or anything,” he added as he grabbed hold of the reins and let Arod decide where they were going.
He didn’t dare stop and get down from Arod. Nor did he rush the horse that would occasionally stop dead and look around the plains. His ears would twitch and then he’d snort before choosing a direction. The horse felt entirely too big without an Elf to share his back with. Oh, he’d ridden without Legolas before, and he hadn’t liked it. He liked it even less now though he wasn’t as nervous about being so high off the ground.
Gimli found himself terribly unhappy at the lack of Elvish singing going on. Though he complained about it, Legolas’ voice did fill the silence nicely. Even if Gimli couldn’t always understand whatever the blasted songs were about. Then again, Legolas had been unusually quite before he disappeared. Ever since the party that had been thrown and left both of them raucously drunk. Gimli wasn’t even sure how he’d ended up in his bed by the end of it and he was sure he’d been sure he’d said something that offended the Elf at first. Legolas denied it though something that happened had clearly bothered him.
Gimli hadn’t had time to pry the real reason for the Elf’s mood from Legolas. He was forever being called away to oversee something and rarely had time to chat. Now the Prince of Mirkwood was gone and Gimli was certain it could all be traced to that night though he had no earthly idea what could have evoked such a reaction. And days later at that. Legolas had stewed for three days before apparently leaving in such a rush he’d forgotten his boots.
No, whatever happened was more than just Gimli making a fool of himself so perhaps someone else had upset the Elf? He couldn’t imagine any of his Dwarven brethren saying anything. Not when he’d been so clear already it wouldn’t be tolerated. But strong mead and beer tended to bring out the worst in people. Well, he would just have to force the Elf to be out with what was bothering him when he was finally found. That was all there was to it.
Arod was relentless as he walked through the rolling hills of Rohan. Gimli was somewhat annoyed at how long it was taking but he knew enough to know that he’d fall off if Arod moved any faster without something significant to hold onto. He’d had that lesson already. Painfully. It was rather humiliating falling in the middle of a whole bunch of horse folk. It would be worse out here where he’d have to find a way back up.
It was almost like the first trip through Rohan, only instead oh hunting for Hobbits with an Elf and man he was hunting for an Elf with a horse. Arod rarely paused to rest and Gimli dozed off only very lightly before they, after two days of impressive effort from Arod, they arrived at a place that Gimli was truly truly hoping they wouldn’t arrive at.
Fangorn Forest loomed ever unpleasantly above them and Gimli swallowed thickly. He should have known. Where else would an upset Elf go but to a forest? Apparently he was upset enough to forget the vow he’d made to not come here alone. That boded ill for, despite being Thranduil’s son, Legolas had never before broken his word. “You’re sure he’s in there?” Gimli asked.
Arod snorted and sidestepped anxiously. “Calm down now,” Gimli snapped. He knew this place unsettled the horse. Mahal’s Beard he was unsettled too but he was not about to give up just because of a few trees. That… ripped Orcs apart. And moved. Why couldn’t the Elf have gone to Edoras!?
Gimli took a breath and leaned forward to pat Arod’s dappled neck. “Easy, lad, I don’t like it either but we’ve been worse,” he reminded gently. Arod had been terribly scared of the Path of the Dead (again something they shared) but he’d made it through even if it was with constant cajoling and comforting from Legolas. At least this place was free of the living dead who couldn’t be fought against. At least Gimli could try and fight back. That was something. Arod still gave a few nervous steps and shook his head before nearly jumping forward.
“That’s it,” Gimli encouraged, as he held to the saddle tight. Arod’s ears were back as he carefully picked his way through the forest. It was extremely slow going as the roots were a tangle and the trees grew thick together. It was why they hadn’t brought the horses in the first time. Well, that and they were too terrified. But he would never be able to find Legolas in this place without Arod.
The forest was thick with not just trees but an almost malevolent pressure that made the air hot and oppressive. Gimli eyed the trees and patted Arod gently as he’d seen Legolas do over and over. The trees creaked and groaned around them and Arod nearly spooked but Gimli thought back to everything he’d seen Legolas do before and replicated it as best he could. Arod slowly calmed though his breaths were coming in hard puffs and his sides were streaked with sweat. “Easy then, Arod. Sooner we find Legolas the sooner we’ll be out of here,” he assured the horse.
The trees groaned again and Gimli swore that they shifted closer together. “Here now!” he shouted at them, he just knew they were magical enough to understand him. The Elf insisted on it and he’d seen what they could do himself. “We’re not here to fight trees! We’re looking for an Elf so keep your tempers to yourselves!”
Gimli winced and Arod whinnied as the trees grew louder in response. Gimli was nearly thrown but his strong forged limbs held tight until Arod managed to calm again. “You don’t want us here and we don’t want to be here! Just let us to our business and we’ll bother you no more! We’re not here to be enemies, just looking for a dear friend!”
The forest suddenly stilled and that almost seemed worse. Gimli tightened his grip, making leather creak beneath his fingers. Were they preparing for an attack? There were several minutes of silence and then, very hesitantly, Arod began to nervously pick his way forward again.
The trees stayed silent. Mostly. They still seemed to creak and groan as they were passed but not as much as before. Not so much to cause Arod to bolt dangerously. Fleeing from this thick forest would undoubtedly bring the faithful horse down. The roots were too closely woven together. Gimli patted Arod again. “That’s it, lad, ignore the trees and find Legolas. Then we’ll be rid of this place and you’ll have as many apples as you want.” He would shamelessly bribe the horse with whatever he could if it meant continuing so that they could quickly leave again.
It was impossible to tell time inside Fangorn. The trees so tightly wove their branches together that no sky could be seen. And yet somehow, underbrush still managed to grow. It was sparse and scrubby but it remained and added to Arod’s difficulties. The long suffering ever loyal horse deserved all the apples he got, Gimli decided.
Though the trees seemed to have quieted the roots were still giving Arod problems. It seemed like an endless dance for him to make it even a few steps forward. Gimli still didn’t like how the trees pressed down on him. Perhaps, with Legolas, they would behave more but as it were they left no reason for Gimli to desire wandering this forest. Though, if Legolas still wanted to return here after this trip, the Dwarf supposed he had promised. It would be worth it to show off the beautiful caverns beneath Helm’s Deep. He hadn’t yet gotten the chance to show them off properly what with the rebuilding efforts.
Gimli wanted to call out to Legolas, surely the Elf’s pointy ears would hear him even in this oppressive forest. But the desire to remain as silent and hopefully unnoticed as possible overrode the desire to call out. Making loud noises here seemed as smart as making loud noises in Moria. At least there were no wells in Fangorn…
But there were apparently springs. He could hear running water nearby. “You should find that water, Arod,” he murmured to the horse beneath him. “You could use it.” Legolas would be furious if Arod were pushed too hard without a proper rest and Gimli wouldn’t forgive himself either.
Arod tossed his head and carefully stepped over a large root. He hopped forward over another before nearly having to sidestep. There was a particularly thick bunching of trees in front of them that the water seemed to be coming from. It would be a tight squeeze to get through so Gimli carefully shifted to try and make it easier. Without his legs on either side of Arod’s ribs the horse might just be able to fit.
It was still a squeeze but Arod managed to get through to the small clearing where the spring was bubbling almost too cheerfully. Gimli quickly forgot about the water though. His eyes widened at the sight of the figure sitting in the huge roots of one of the trees. “Legolas!” he practically fell out of the saddle before rushing forward. Legolas didn’t stir; he didn’t even blink. There were dead leaves tangled in his unbraided hair and gathered in his lap. His skin was oddly off. It looked more like paper, smooth and flawless but thin and ordinary. His brilliant blue eyes had turned a dim grey, like an unpolished river stone opposed to the jewel-like glow they’d had before. “Legolas?” Gimli knelt down in front of the Elf and cautiously put a hand on his friend’s knee.
Legolas was terribly cold and he still didn’t stir. But he could see his bare chest rise and fall ever so slightly so he was definitely alive. At first Gimli thought he was in that odd trance Elves called sleep. But then he realized it couldn’t be he’d seen Legolas ‘sleep’ before and it had never looked quite like this. It usually only took a brief shake to wake the Elf from his trance or reverie as he called it.
“Legolas, lad, come on and wake up,” he said giving Legolas’ knee a brief shake. Still the Elf remained still and entirely unresponsive. Gimli hated to admit fear. He always had. But the state his dear friend was in frightened him. He’d never seen anything like it.
He called again but Legolas still didn’t respond. “We have to get you back…” Gimli muttered as he reached forward and untangled the dead leaves from Legolas’ silken hair. He couldn’t remember seeing Legolas with his hair undone before and he rarely indulged in touching it but he was somewhat less than surprised that it slipped through his fingers like liquid gold. The leaves clung to those glorious locks stubbornly but Gimli carefully untangled each one. As he untangled the leaves and tossed them aside, Gimli couldn’t help but notice thin lines of silk spread between Legolas and the tree he was cradled against. Spider webs. Just how long had Legolas been sitting here?
Gimli felt a strange hand try to strangle his throat but forced himself to breathe through it. “Come on, lad, you’ve been out here long enough,” he said as he quickly batted the thin strands away. More than long enough.
Once Legolas was free of forest debris, Gimli took hold of one pale wrist to haul the Elven Prince away from the tree. He was far colder than Gimli expected. Like ice. Or a corpse. Gimli refused to think on that for more than a fleeting second. Legolas… flopped. Entirely lifelessly. Scarily so. His head fell back as if he couldn’t support its weight on his own. He’d never seen Legolas so utterly devoid of life. It brought tears to Gimli’s eyes though he tried to ignore that. “Come on, Legolas, cooperate now for once in your life,” he muttered, though it came out strangled.
He pulled Legolas bodily from the tree and hefted his long limbed companion onto his own back. It was awkward. The Elf’s pale limbs were everywhere but Gimli ignored that. Luckily, there were some rocks that looked large enough to give him a boost upwards. It took all of his strength and more time than he wanted to get Legolas onto Arod. Once the Elf was there he slumped like a puppet with his strings cut. Gimli swallowed hard and awkwardly pulled himself up onto Arod’s back. It nearly sent Legolas tumbling to the side but Gimli managed to grab hold of the ill Elf in time to save him. He made sure to sit in front of Legolas and pulled the Elf close so that his body was resting against Gimli’s back.
Golden hair spilled forward across Gimli’s armor as the Dwarf wrapped long pale arms around himself. He made sure to keep a solid grip on Legolas’ wrists even as he murmured to Arod. They had to get back to Helm’s Deep. Whatever was wrong with the Elf it needed to be fixed. And it needed to be fixed now.