Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Rivendell ❯ The South ( Chapter 5 )

Title: Rivendell 5/?

Author: Sony_Mouse

Pairings: 1+2+1

Warnings: Fusion (of sorts), Tolkien LOTR Characters, violence

Archives: GWA (if you want my fic, you can have it, just tell me where your site is)

Disclaimers: ALL characters belong to either Sunrise, or Tolkien (or in a way, Peter Jackson :)

Notes: I have been on a huge LOTR binge lately (which is probably, no which IS the reason why you're getting these parts out so quickly.) I'm re-reading the books, I'm watching the LOTR extended DVD on a daily basis (so many fun extras to go through) not to mention the great audio commentary by cast. In the end, it just puts me in a mood to write more of this fac. The good news for all of you is that the movie is about to come out, and then I'll most likely be UNSTOPPABLE. :)

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"All right then . . . If you want, we'll go south . . . We can leave tomorrow. " Then at a loss for words again, he turned to leave. "Good Night to you Heero."

He calmly walked back towards the Main Hall without once looking back, he would mostly likely head straight for bed.

Heero was left standing by the large Oak in wonderment. What had just happened? Had Duo really just agreed out of his own free will to accompany him south as a guide? Heero hadn't even known he had planned to go south until the moment he'd told Duo. But yes, that was exactly what he now wanted to do.

He would go south, see what else he could learn, and hopefully help out in some way of his own. And Duo would take him there.

Duo had said as much, despite his confusion towards Heero, despite his lingering hatred for Heero, despite all that, Duo would take him there.

Chapter 5: The South

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I . . .

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

The decision to leave so soon was not taken well at all by the King of Mirkwood, he had hoped his guests would at least stay for a couple of weeks or more. Despite this, he couldn't stop their leaving, and wouldn't have tried if he could. The news was also made worse when King Thranduil learned that his only son Legolas planned to leave him as well, at the earliest possible opportunity.

All minds were made up and soon after Heero and Duo left Mirkwood, Legolas would make his own way up to Rivendell. He hoped to bring news of Gollum's escape, the attack of Orcs, and of course, of Duo's well-being.

So on the morning after the Royal Ball, King Thranduil was forced against his wishes to stand outside the Elvenking's Gate and say farewell to his guests. He had not tasted any wine since the night before, and was entirely sober for the departure.

With his son at his side, King Thranduil walked elegantly up to the Ranger Heero, and placed in his hand an Elven blade made in the Woods of Mirkwood. Touched by the lovely offer, Heero begged not to be given such a gift.

"I thank you greatly for your kindness, but a gift so fine would be impossible for me to accept."

The King smiled with wisdom in his eyes, something Heero had somehow overlooked when the King had sat drunken upon his throne.

"You have lost the most important thing a Ranger can have at his side, you've lost your sword, and you did so for the life of an Elf. That noble act in itself deserves a reward. Do not worry yourself Ranger, this sword does not hide what you call 'Elven Magic', nor is it the finest of all our weapons. But it was made by the Elves of Mirkwood, and that alone should be reason enough for you to have it on your side during your dangerous journey south."

Unable to possible say no, Heero accepted the gift with gratitude, knowing this sword was worth at least ten times the one he had lost.

The King turned to the Elf Butler Galion who stood behind him, and nodded towards him. His servant then bowed low to the king before handing him a finely crafted spear. King Thranduil took it and walked slowly away from Heero until he stood in front of the Gondolindrim Elf, Duo, Son of Voronwë. As he had done with Heero, he presented the spear to Duo as a gift.

"I am sorry I cannot offer you any of our horses. They are all needed at this time. But instead I offer you a weapon that is good use in long walks. May it be as useful to you, as the spear Aiglos was to the Great Gil-Galad of Ages past."

Unlike Heero, Duo accepted the gift right away, trying hard to hide the joy that filled his entire being at his new weapon being compared to that of his hero and idle Gil-Galad. Duo bowed low before the King and murmured his thanks in Elvish.

The King waved farewell to both his departing guests, and then feeling that his work was done, he returned through his Great Gate with his small entourage of servants trailing behind him. The only Elf who now remained was Legolas. He took his father's absence as a chance to say goodbye in a much less formal way.

"It is a shame that I am not to travel to Rivendell with your company Ranger, but I will make the best of it."

Duo huffed at this.

"It's a shame for both of us Legolas."

The young Prince laughed lightly and gave Duo a knowing look.

"Do not feel so badly for yourself. It could be worse. It is better to have the company of a noble Ranger than say that of a Dwarf."

Both Legolas and Duo smiled at the small joke, but it seemed to go over Heero's head. Although Heero knew about the bad relations between Elves and Dwarves, he would have had to have been one to understand how deeply that mistrust went.

"I fear in this instance I would even prefer the company of a Dwarf over that of Heero, however . . . " Duo paused before going on, knowing that the Ranger could hear every word they spoke. "Heero has proven himself as noble as you say. I may not desire his company, but his skills will be a great asset."

Heero had to repress the smile that threatened to sneak onto his face. This new journey may not be as bad as he feared. At least Duo was willing to admit he had some good qualities.

"I wish you success on your journey South, and I hope to have success on my own journey to Rivendell. Despite my father's misgivings, I'm eager to travel to the House of Elrond, and admit only to you that I although I love my father dearly, a small reprise from him might do us both good."

Thinking back at their first audience with the King, Heero had to agree with the young Prince. "I also wish you success on your journey, Prince of Mirkwood."

The conversation at an end, Legolas turned to Duo and spoke to him in Elvish.

" Andelu i ven, Duo Voronwëion. Nai tiruantel ar varyuvantel i Valar tielyanna nu vilya."

Duo nodded his head in understanding, enjoying at the same time how it annoyed Heero would be to hear him speaking in the Elvish Language. Knowing that the Ranger could speak none of the Elvish Languages at all.

Legolas turned to face both Elf and Man.

"Namárie Duo Verowëion! Namárie Heero Herumorion!

Ready to reply, Duo was surprised when it was Heero who answered appropriately.

"Namárie Legolas Thranduilion"

Legolas then waved farewell to both travellers in an Elvish fashion before turning to reenter through the Elvenking's Gate, fallowing his father's footsteps.

Duo immediately turned to face Heero, his spear subconsciously pointed towards the Ranger.

"Since when have you spoken Elvish, and in the Quenyan Dialect none the less?"

Heero smirked to himself, trying to act as if he was hiding some great secret, but seeing the spear pointed innocently in his direction, he answered truthfully.

"I have never spoken Elvish in my life. However, I have been forced to learn simple greetings in many different languages throughout my travels. So I am still ignorant to what Legolas said to you in confidence."

Slightly relieved, Duo relaxed and began to walk down the path that wove through the forest.

"He warned me that the road we now travel on is a dangerous one, and then he wished us well, saying 'May the Valar protect you on your path under the sky'. It's the Elven way of saying farewell."

Believing Duo, Heero began to walk as well and quickly caught up to the Elf. As he walked besides Duo, he still held his sword in hand, and turned it over and over again to inspect the Elven inscription. He could read none of it, but found the design to be one he liked greatly. If Duo remained friendly with him today, he might even ask him over the campfire what the words meant. He hoped that they would have other friendly things to discuss as well.

Sheathing his new sword in his scabbard, Heero took the opportunity to look over at Duo. The young Elf now had his hair done up on a long braid that trailed down his back, leaving only a few long strands in front of his Elven ears. The strands had somehow managed to escape from the confines of the braid. Heero felt that it only added to his fine features. Duo had also returned to wearing his green and brown travelling clothes, now well washed by the Wood Elves, and as always, had at his side the useful Elven dagger.

Heero had also reverted to his normal clothes, feeling much more comfortable in them then in anything else. His new blade hung at his side, and his cloak, cleaned of Duo's blood, was once again wrapped around his shoulders.

They walked with much caution, knowing that although the realm of the Wood Elves was once again safe, Orcs had stayed around its borders in an attempt to scare visitors off, and for other reasons that neither Heero nor Duo could yet guess at.

They travelled South for three days without problems. They'd even managed to keep their fighting to a minimum, not wanting any Orcs to hear their loud confrontations. But even as hard as they both tried, and as badly as Heero wanted them to be friendly towards each other, they kept settling into their old ways and would begin to fight.

By the forth day they had nearly reached the Southern edge of Mirkwood when they came across a small stream that gently cut its way through the forest. Duo had been weary of any streams, pools or waterfalls ever since that incident with the Water Creature, but even he could not argue Heero's reason for stopping. They needed to refill their water supply since it would be awhile yet until they reached the Great River.

They decided they would stay there for lunch since it was a nice spot, but feeling the need not to repeat history, Duo spoke strong against staying there any longer, and kept the farthest away from the stream as possible. He let Heero refill their water supply while he ate some an apple he found in the trees and watched him.

The Ranger had already taken off his long cloak and laid it on the ground for them to sit on while they ate, and had long since taken off his black leather coat since the weather was so humid during the day and he had built up a sweat from all the walking they'd done. So as he knelt by the stream, Heero began to take off his cotton shirt and roll it up into a loose ball. This left his arms and chest completely free of obstruction, much to Duo's great annoyance.

"What are you thinking Heero? Haven't you learned anything from our last trip, I would not bathe in that water if I were as unwashed as you!"

Glaring over at Duo, Heero continued to roll his shirt. "I'm not taking a bath, I'm soaking my shirt in the cold water so I'll have something cool to wear over my body."

Duo sneered at this, not enjoying the view of Heero's body one bit. He'd never seen Heero without a shirt on before, and he didn't like it. It was the same thing as when they were at the ball, and Heero had worn the fancy Elven clothes that accentuated different parts of his Human body, Duo hadn't liked that either. Human bodies were generally broader than Elves, not nearly as lithe in form, and usually had more muscle showing along their arms and chest. Heero was no exception, years of training in the wild had toned his body considerably, and Duo knew he wasn't weak since he'd fought with him on several occasions. Although Elves didn't look as tough as Humans did, they were usually stronger, owing to many other things that Elves had and Humans didn't.

Duo made a face at Heero to show his displeasure of having to see the Ranger like this. Why couldn't Heero have a smaller frame, like Elladan, or Elrohir, or Legolas even? Why did he have to look like he did? He looked like a Human, and for some reason Duo found that made him extremely uncomfortable.

As Duo started to thinking just why it made him uncomfortable, he slowly slipped into thinking about his past. Heero, who was watching Duo as well, could see the look that Duo was now giving him, and he slowly saw it change from that of disgust to a badly hidden worry in his eyes and far off look. Placing the now wet shirt over his body, Heero walked back to Duo and leaned over him, thinking that the Elf had heard and saw him approaching. He spoke in a defensive tone, slightly hurt by Duo's feelings towards his own body.

"You could have just turned your head as I changed, if you found it so offensive."

Duo suddenly screamed in surprise, panic clearly in his voice, he pulled his dagger from his side and roughly pinned Heero to the ground, dagger biting at his throat.

Heero looked up into Duo's frantic eyes in shock, afraid to even speak while Duo could kill him with the smallest flick of his wrist. He tried to convey in his eyes that he wasn't going to fight back, and waited as patiently as he could under the circumstances for Duo to calm down.

Duo did finally calm down as soon he saw a thin red trail of blood trickling down Heero's neck where his dagger was pressed against it. His eyes widened as he realized that he had Heero pinned underneath him helpless to fight back. Without even bothering to get up, or even remove his dagger from Heero's neck, Duo began to scream loudly at the helpless Ranger. Furious at him for reasons he himself didn't even understand.

"You bastard! Don't you ever sneak up on me again like that again! I nearly killed you! I wish I HAD killed you. I can't stand you. Why do you continuously do this to me?"

Amid Duo's loud rantings, Heero's own temper got the better of him. He didn't know what the hell Duo was talking about, but he knew it wasn't his fault that Duo had reacted badly. To add to it all, he was still upset that Duo had seemed to be so disgusted towards his body when Duo's own body was all Heero could think about. Feeling his anger rise, Heero pushed Duo off of him with much more force then necessary. He watched with a small sense of victory as Duo flailed to the ground, dagger in hand. It didn't last long, and Duo was once again standing up, dagger at the read to slice Heero open if he so much as advanced a step. Heero did advance, yelling just as loudly as Duo had only moments before.

"You can't stand ME? Well I definitely can't stand you. You are nothing but a self-righteous, stuck up, annoying, immature Elven brat who can't bear to admit when he's wrong. And you're wrong. You're always wrong!"

Hearing the insults, Duo lunged for Heero with his knife, missing him, but just barely. He was even more upset now then before. "Well if I'm such a horrible person then maybe you shouldn't have asked me to take you South. You should have just gone home where you belong. Your plan to go South was foolish in the first place. I don't even know why I agreed."

Trying to advance again, Heero made a grab for the knife, missing it entirely.

"Well why did you agree to come? You obviously can't stand to be around me. Everything I do disgusts you. My plans disgust you, my ideas disgust you, even my body disgusts you. If only I was as great as you then maybe I wouldn't have made the mistake of coming to tell Aragorn something he had already known. Or maybe I wouldn't have lost my sword in that pool of water. And maybe I wouldn't have made the biggest mistake of all, saving your life!" Heero was now playing off of his insecurities, but was too mad to notice.

Duo sneered back at Heero. "Well maybe I didn't want you to save my life. Maybe I would have rather died then spend one more moment with you and your 'disgusting' body!" He accented the word 'disgusting', not knowing just how much he was hurting Heero by doing so.

Apparently it was too much, because Heero completely lost it then. He grabbed one last time for Duo's dagger, only getting it this time because he let it cut him clean across his palm as he held onto it with a firm grip. He then pulled Duo tightly against him.

Duo didn't resist, but only because he was slightly stunned by his blade cutting deep into Heero's hand. But Heero still had one good hand, and with it he grabbed the back of Duo's head, drawing it in towards his him until he was able to force Duo's lips tightly against his own.

Heero kissed him hungrily, with all the drive in his body, not ever wanting to let the Duo go. He wanted this, he needed this, and it was Duo's fault for making him feel this way. He wasn't disgusting, his body wasn't disgusting, and he would show Duo just that.

He let go of Duo's dagger so that he could wrap his bloodied hand around Duo and pull the startled Elf closer to him. In the distance of his mind he heard the dagger drop softly to the ground as it fell from Duo's weakened grip.

As much as his body needed Duo in that moment, it also needed air, and he was forced to pull away marginally for a brief second. He would have begun the kiss all over again if he hadn't at that moment caught sight of the look in Duo's eyes.

The Elf was stunned, absolutely stunned. Shock wasn't even a strong enough word to describe how deeply he was surprised by Heero's completely unexpected actions. He just continued to stare at Heero as if he were an apparition and not real, because this couldn't really be happening.

Seeing all this, Heero slowly let him go, scared at once by the look in those normally cold eyes. Duo immediately backed up and stared in confusion at Heero. His mind just not being able to grasp the idea that Heero, had just pulled him in close and kissed him. The same Heero who was a Human!

When the fact finally did set itself into Duo's mind, he was furious. So much so that he couldn't even speak anymore. He took one sure step towards the Ranger, raised his fist, and hit him as hard as could in the face.

Heero's head wiped back from the blow, but his body hadn't moved an inch. Without making a move to step forward, he slowly brought his head back around to look directly at Duo, his eyes begging for Duo to forgive him, to somehow understand his actions, but he wasn't even sure if he understood why he did it. It was just something he had to do. While they had fought, his whole body had screamed at him to make Duo understand him, and then he had just kissed him. And the truth was, he didn't regret it for one second.

Had Duo gotten more of chance, he might have regretted it very quickly, but at that moment the very Orcs they had been cautioned about had chosen that moment to attack.

They had heard the two fighting, and had came at least 70 strong to kill or capture whoever it was stupid enough to be yelling in their new territory.

Duo and Heero immediately forgot their own problems and reached for their weapons. Duo picked up his spear and Duo unsheathed his sword. The attack came from all sides, but they weren't about to let that stop them. Both being able fighters, they slashed their way through the fighting Orcs. Heero soon finding out that his new blade could cut through even the toughest of Orcs. Duo was just piercing the hearts, necks and heads of any Orc that came near him, taking out ALL of his frustration on them.

Despite all this, it wasn't enough. They were outnumbered, and soon found more Orcs were coming to aid their fallen friends. Just as it was getting bad, it soon got worse. Heero was forced to use both his hands at one point to stop an attacking Orc, but the blood from his cut left hand made the sword's handle slippery. He accidentally let the sword slip through his fingers and fall far enough away that he couldn't reach it.

The Orc he was fighting actually smiled as he brought up his rusty sword to stab through Heero's heart. Heero couldn't get away fast enough and dreaded the blow that was now sure to come. Instead he saw a spearhead cut through the Orc's torso, nearly piercing himself in the process. It was Duo, he'd compromised his own position to help out Heero, although Duo didn't seem too happy about it.

He picked up Heero's sword and quickly flung it at the fallen Ranger. "Start killing before I skewer you like the worthless Human you are."

Heero took the sword eagerly, but even as he began to fight again, knew that the battle was lost. There were just too many of them.

This would have remained true, if it hadn't been for an outside attack suddenly picking off Orcs from behind. Both Duo and Heero could hear a loud battle cry as the unexpected help came to their rescue, helping them kill all the Orcs until not a single one was left standing.

Surveying the damage, Heero immediately looked to see if Duo was injured in the fight. He soon spotted him, only to see him being attacked by one of their saviours.

To Heero's great surprise he noticed that it was a small band of Dwarves that had saved them, and a few of them were trying to hack Duo's legs off with their large axes.

Duo was well able to handle the situation, being more than an experienced fighter, but what made Heero really hesitate to help him was when he noticed the amused looks coming from all the other Dwarves. They were obviously just teasing the Young Elf and greatly enjoying it.

Heero immediately ran up to the oldest looking Dwarf and thrust his sword to his neck, speaking in a deadly tone. "Call him then off NOW!" The Dwarf sighed loudly, as if Heero had spoiled as his fun and yelled something out in Dwarvish that made the attackers suddenly stop and back safely away from Duo.

As soon as Heero had lowered his sword the old Dwarf calmly turned to face him. "It's not often that we find Elves alone, you should let us have our fun, especially since we just saved you."

"It was much appreciated, but not enough that I wouldn't kill you if he was harmed in any way during your 'fun'."

All the Dwarves seemed to chuckle at this and placed their axes down for the moment. Duo no longer glared at Heero and took to giving dirty looks to each one of the Dwarves. He started to walk to Heero's side out of habit, but stopped himself and stayed a few yards away.

"We're glad our help was appreciated, but we should thank you Human. The chance to kill Orcs is always a delight for us, Dwarves. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Dór, and I'm the leader of this fine group of Dwarves."

Dór, who was really only a bit taller than Heero's waist, began to name off every single one of the seventeen Dwarves standing around still chuckling at Duo. Heero had no chance of remembering any of their names, but offered his none the less.

"I am the Ranger Heero, and this is . . . " As always Duo interrupted him before he could finish.

"I am Duo, and I would warn you to watch what you say about me Dwarves. The only reason why I didn't kill your fighting companions here was out of thanks for saving our lives. Do not think I would ever hesitate to kill a Dwarf."

Heero could feel the tension building all around him, and was amazed that for once he was barely part of the focus. Duo seemed to have forgotten his hatred against him for the moment, but seeing the dangerous look in his eyes, Heero knew it wouldn't last long.

Dór looked at Duo and then back at Heero. "So why is an Elf and a Human travelling around these parts together? An unusual combination if I do say so myself."

Heero wiped the black Orc blood off his blade before once again sheathing it. "The Heir of Voronwë has been so kind as to agree to guide me south. We are travelling that way to seek out some business of ours."

The Dwarves immediately went silent, and all that could be heard was the exasperated sigh coming from Duo. Obviously Heero had said something the Elf hadn't wanted the Dwarves to hear.

It was Dór who first spoke again. "HE is the Heir of Voronwë. I should say he knows these parts well enough then to guide a hundred Men like you." Heero looked puzzled enough for the Dwarf to continue. "Do you not even know who you travel with? It is a wonder he does not slit your throat while you sleep."

Managing to hide his expression of curiosity, Heero made his voice sound as uninterested as possible. "It seems that everyone else has heard of the famous 'Heir of Voronwë', but me."

Dór chuckled out loud again."You would have to be from these parts to know why he's so famous. I was not alive at that time, it must have been a good thousand years ago, but the stories still remain of the savage Elf who lived. in the wild."

Duo remained silent through all of this, but was clearly unhappy with his being talked about. Heero noticed this and had to hold back his curiosity until a later date, this conversation was clearly taking its toll on Duo if he was silent throughout it all.

"If it was a thousand years ago, then I'm sure it must have been a different Elf. Now there are more important things for us to discuss than the possible story of some legendary savage."

Dór now looked annoyed. "It's not just some story. Dwarves are very careful with how we keep our history. And that Elf standing there looks at the very least a thousand years old, I'd say much more in fact. I wouldn't expect a Human to know their ages, no offence meant, but we Dwarves live longer than you do. Which is still nothing compared to the Elves."

Heero realized with a start that he didn't even know Duo's age. Of course he had known that Elves lived long lives, they were after all immortal, unless killed by a wound. But Duo had never talked about his age. Still . . . he surely couldn't be that old.

"I'm 1,678 years old." said Duo in a mocking voice, almost as if it was worth hearing about his past just to prove Heero wrong. "And you must be mistaken with your history, I was much too young to be the Elf you speak of, I was only 50 at the time of those rumours. And the Ranger is right for once, we have more important things to discuss than Dwarvish bedtime stories. The Ranger and I are going to head south until Nightfall, then make camp. You're 'welcome' to join us is you want, in thanks for helping us out, but do not feel obligated. We all know the important work Dwarves have to do."

The sarcasm in Duo's voice was skilfully held just beneath the surface, but it was enough to make Dór start to growl. " We would love to camp with you for one night Elf. Seeing as you just came from the Wood Elves and have brought food with you. We may as well have some supper before we are off. We doubt the Wood Elves will be so generous to us."

Not smiling in the least, Duo leaned down to pick up Heero's discarded cloak and mashed it together in a ball. He then threw it hard at the rangers face before leading the band of hungry Dwarves to the south where they were get some dinner.

As he stalked past Heero, he quickly muttered something only that only they could hear. "You have amazing luck today Ranger. First to be saved by Orcs, and then by Dwarves. I wonder who will save you when we are finally alone!"

TBC . . .

Ah my notes for this chapter...

ELVISH: Yes, that was the real thing, I aimed to be VERY exact, and ended up just using translations from a very nifty site. But it is the real thing. And the observant reader might have noticed I added -ion to their names in Elvish, that's because -ion means -Son of> So Duo Voronwë (or Duo, Son of Voronwë) because Duo Voronwëion. Ok, it was interesting when I learned it... lol

DWARVES: I was too tired to actually research any Dwarvish speech for you to hear. But if you want to read some, then here. "Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul" I don't know what it means, but it's supposed to be very rude ;)

But yes, I just had to write them in. If Duo didn't have enough people around him he didn't like, now he's got Dwarves. But he doesn't hate them, they just annoy him (he mistrust them) as all Elves do.

I'm getting more nervous with every chapter I come out with, (I'm nervous about the kiss scene in this one) but it's basically because I'm getting deeper in the plot, and each time I write a new one I have to wonder if I did that last one justice or if it's going downhill. But those are just my insecurities lol. I recently read a fic were the author was proud that she never begged for comments. And I thought "God, are we two different people!"

In other words, comments are always very appreciated, help me write more, sometimes even give me ideas, and always give me confidence. So comment away lol

Sony_Mouse@hotmail.com