Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Blue Yonder ❯ Return of an Old Friend ( Chapter 45 )

Disclaimer: I disclaim that I ever owned anything that deals with LOTR, except my copies of the books and movies.

Wild Blue Yonder

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Chapter 45 - Return of an Old Friend

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Rain fell back across the bed as Legolas flung open the door and shouted down the hallway to his friend. Just when it seemed they were getting somewhere, something always seemed to interrupt them. Was it fate that they would never have any time to themselves until this journey was over. Just thinking about that was enough to give her a headache.

Sitting up, she looked on in amusement as Legolas hung half in and half out of the door to their room. She could tell that he was gesturing wildly by the movement of his body and that he was very pleased that his long time friend had finally arrived. She could assume that the aspirin that she gave him had finally kicked in, since he was speaking loudly with the other man in the hall. Leaning forward, she put her elbows on her knees and braced her chin in her cupped hand as she listened, unabashedly at the fascinating conversation going on between Legolas and Gimli.

"Well, there you are laddie. Gandalf told me you were feeling mighty poorly and said that you were still in your room." Gimli said, his voice booming loudly through the hallway.

"Yes, I was feeling a bit poorly, however I am much better now. How have you been my old friend?" Legolas asked as he leaned against the open doorway looking down at the much shorter man in front of him.

Gimli sighed deeply, his broad, stocky shoulders sagging. "Been doing good, though I could do with a bit more adventure now and then. Gets a bit boring sometimes, just wandering around my mountain."

Legolas smiled warmly, sympathetic of the longing he heard in his old friend's voice. Gimli, however, pulled himself together quickly.

"So what's so urgent that you need my help?" Then his dark eyes widened and sparkled with hope. "Is it another adventure?"

"Could you two please keep it down out here, some of us are trying to die," came a hoarse voice from behind them. Turning the pair found a rumpled bleary-eyed Elrohir standing the open door to his room, he was still wearing the clothing that he had on from the night before, his hair in tangles, a dark bruise blooming on his chin and smelling heavily of alcohol.

"Now my fine elf friend, what happened to you?" Gimli asked, moderating his tone down from its usual bellow.

"Why don't you ask her, it was all her idea." Elrohir said, gesturing past them. Legolas and Gimli turned back to the other door to find Rain lounging nonchalantly against the door jam, her bare feet crossed at her ankles and her left hand planted firmly on her hip. The fingers of her right hand wiggled in greeting at the dwarf.

Gimli's eyes narrowed as his gaze skimmed thoroughly over this newcomer. Despite the elvish clothes, which were extremely flattering to her shapely figure, he could see she was no elf. Taking a second glance, he could not deny her rather exotic beauty.

Being a typical male dwarf, he tended to be drawn to the more stocky, buxom figure of lady dwarves. But he could certainly understand Legolas' interest though. Then another thought occurred to him. It was morning and this lovely creature was in his friend's room. A slow knowing grin curled his bushy moustache upward.

"Legolas, you sly dog, you found yourself a wench while you were here. Quite a beauty if I say." Gimli leered, looking over her and back to him. "Must have been a good night."

"I wouldn't have said that." Elrohir said softly, what little color he'd had draining away as he looked past the two friends in the doorway.

Rain felt her warm smile slip at the suggestive remark from Gimli. She fought to keep it in place as disappointment and a deep hurt squeezed her heart painfully. As per usual, she slipped into her 'hard as nails' mode.

"Oh, that's fine Elrohir. Master Gimli doesn't know better does he. I may just have to wipe that smirk off his face though." Rain said cheekily, however her eyes had turned hard.

"Now Rain, you know he doesn't know yet about the quest. Please give me a chance to let him know." Legolas said placatingly, his hands spread wide as he stepped in between Rain and Gimli. "You can't misinterpret what he has said if he doesn't know better."

"Fine, talk to him, but I expect an apology before the day is through," she said as she swirled back into the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Legolas and Elrohir both winced at the sound, before they turned back to the confused dwarf.

"You gonna let a wench get away with talking to you like that Legolas?" Gimli asked in outrage, aghast at the woman's gall and total disregard for his friend's station.

Elrohir's raging hangover was quickly forgotten when he saw the fiery anger brewing in Legolas' blue eyes. " 'Las," he said with caution, "don't do something you'll regret. You've been friends for a long time and Gimli doesn't have all the facts."

Legolas barely spared him a glance as he drew up to within an inch of his 'old friend', anger and indignation rolling off of him in waves.

"That wench, as you so rudely called her, is the reason why I summoned you here in the first place!" Legolas snarled, his long fingers clenched tightly into white knuckled fists. "I would never have expected such a discourtesy from you, or have you been rattling around alone in that mountain so long that you've forgotten, or have chosen to ignore common decency and discretion?!"

Gimli's eyes widened in shock and his mouth gaped in a silent O. He'd never seen Legolas lose his temper, didn't even think it was possible. Much less at him. He turned and looked askance at Elrohir.

Elrohir sighed wearily. "Rain has a rather ... special place in Legolas' heart, a fact which has a tendency to make him leap before he looks nowadays." He cast a rather pointed look in the other elf's direction.

Gimli nodded rather contritely. "Then you have my most humble apology, my friend. Perhaps you are right, in that I may have been too long in trundling around in my mountain on my own."

Legolas ran a weary hand over his drawn face, his shoulders drooping. "No. It is I who must apologize to you. Elrohir is correct about my brash behavior at times."

"Well then, laddie, why don't we start from the beginning and you can fill me in so I don't blunder into any more sensitive areas," Gimli replied with a gentle grin.

"Let's go into Elrohir's room," Legolas said as he led the way. He wanted to be comfortable, since he had A LOT to explain.

~*~

"Damn men, can't live with them, can't kill them unless you have a good place to hide the bodies." Rain muttered as she stomped angrily back across the room, snatching up her boots before plopping down on the edge of the mussed bed.

She knew she was being unreasonable, however it was just the way the dwarf had said those things as he had looked at her, that torked her off. And here she had been anticipating the meeting of Legolas's best friend.

Shoving her feet into her boots, she quickly laced them up before standing up and grabbing a small pouch that she stashed in her front pocket of her vest. Striding back across the room, she opened the door and exited the room, loudly shutting to door behind her. There was no sign of Legolas and his companions, she could assume that they had gone into Elrohir's room. Turning she loudly stalked away, muttering all the while under her breath.

Behind her in the Elrohir's room, the trio winced as the door across the hall slammed shut and angry muttering could be heard as Rain stomped down the hallway.

"Man, Legolas but you are going to have a fun time calming her down later." Elrohir chuckled wryly, looking over at the pale face of his companion.

"Don't I know it," he groaned, his hands coming up to cover his face, "And I thought we had gotten past this stage."

"Nope, women never get past this stage, you just have to learn how to deal with it. Especially if you plan on being with her anytime in the future." Elrohir said as he patted Legolas on the back sympathetically.

"And how would you know since you have never had someone this close before." Legolas said as he looked up at the grinning Elrohir.

"Ah, but you have to remember, I have a sister."

"Well, if it were me, I wouldn't do anything," Gimli said shaking his bushy head.

Legolas frowned. "What?"

Gimli leaned forward. "Let her come back to you. A mistake was made and it's up to her to recognize that. You're a grown elf! You can't be chasing her down every time there's a little upset. You must be strong. She'll respect you more if you do."

"Great advice, Gimli! No wonder you're still a bachelor after all these centuries. I'm surprised some 'dwarfette' hasn't ripped off your family jewels, rammed 'em down your throat and told you to "respect that"!" Elrohir replied sarcastically.

"Bah! The reason I haven't taken myself a bride is that I haven't found the right one yet!"

"Yeah, one dumb enough to buy that load of crap," Elrohir muttered.

Legolas tossed him a warning glance before he spoke to Gimli. "Rain is ... different."

"That's one way of putting it," Elrohir chortled. Legolas smacked him.

"Nonsense, laddie! It doesn't matter what the breed is, elf, dwarf or human, women are all the same the world over. They may profess to want independence, but what they truly yearn for is the strong, capable hand of a man for guidance, protection and discipline."

Elrohir leaned forward. "Tell me. You have a lot of strange moulds growing inside your mountain palace, don't you? Perhaps some funny little mushrooms?"

Bushy auburn brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Because SOMETHING has to be messing around with your brain! That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life!"

"Keep talking like that, and it will be the LAST thing you ever hear!"

"In case you haven't heard, we elves are immortal," Elrohir grinned impishly.

"That might be a challenge with an axe in the middle of your skull!!" Gimli growled ominously.

"Enough!" Legolas cried in exasperation before Elrohir could open his mouth to deliver a snappy reply. "Gimli, I really meant it when I said that Rain was different. She's like no other woman in this world, because she'd not from this world. Or this time."

"Could someone enlighten a poor confused dwarf to the situation going on? Who is this Rain you keep speaking of?" Gimli said gruffly, looking over at the two elves sitting on the edge of the bed.

"She is the lovely lady that you so calmly insulted in the hallway only moment ago." Elrohir said as he turned towards Gimli. "She is, well let's say, a very distant cousin of mine."

"Cousin? She sure didn't look like an elf to me?" Gimli grumbled, looking even more confused now then moments before. Huffing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his pipe. Lighting it up, he looked up at the other two men, a halo of bluish-gray smoke hanging about his head as he puffed on the pipe. "Now would you give me the whole story, from start to finish. I think that I may have an apology due someone."

~~*~*~~

"So as I understand, you overheard Elrond saying that Rain hold the fate of the elves in her hands." Aragorn said, looking over at Elladan. The trio had retreated to the privacy of Arwen and Aragorn's wing, and they now sat in the lushly furnished front room. Except for Elladan, who couldn't sit, but rather paced back and forth frantically in agitation.

"Yes! What did he mean by that? What fate is he talking about?!" Elladan ranted, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "I mean how ambiguous can you get?!"

"It means that you shouldn't be eavesdropping on other people's conversations, now doesn't it?" came a familiar voice from behind them. Turning as one, they all groaned as Elrond closed the door behind him and crossed the room towards his inquisitive family.

"I am sorry Father, but you still won't tell us what is going on and we need to know." Elladan said, hands spread before him in supplication. "Please! Won't you finally tell us what is wrong?"

"Although I don't approve of Elladan's methods," Arwen said softly, giving him a pointed glare, "I do agree we should know. We have all sensed that all is not right, and the feeling grows more urgent as each day passes, as if time itself were running out."

Elrond looked stern as he pulled up a chair and gracefully seated himself, adjusting his robes to drape comfortably around him. He could see the genuine concern in their eyes, and though he had hoped to spare them the gravity of their situation, he knew the time had finally come to tell them the truth.

"You understand that Rain has come to our world to retrieve the Sword of FÄ-adúril, which is a twin to the one that you carry Aragorn. It was created to serve the purpose of joining the two bloodlines of elves and men, however at that time it was decided that Elros, my brother, would instead renounce his immortality and take up the rein of men. Now that is now longer an option for that to continue." Elrond said sadly, his gray eyes filled with grace concern.

"You see, Rain is very special to the elves. Without her, we will cease to exist."

~*~

A/N: Here Rain was all set to meet Legolas's best bud Gimli, and the first thing that happens is he insults her. Man, what a crazy day...Also why is Rain so important to the elf-kind that it means their lives? Well, hang on for the next chapter and Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. ~DBZ Vegeta

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