Gigolas (Legolas/Gimli) One Shots Book

The Sea Has Its Songs

Author: Destina
Summary: Why Legolas waited so long to sail over the Sea, and why Gimli went with him.

"But when King Elessar gave up his life, Legolas followed at last the desire of his heart and sailed over Sea." -- Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Whenever he saw the Sea in daylight, Gimli Gloin's son marveled at the sun's shimmering on the water. In all the mines of Moria, no one had found jewels with such a sharp sparkle; gold, with its fine sheen, could not compare. The beauty of Belegaer was one of the world's treasures but one he had come slow to appreciate.

It said the Elves had songs for every myth, legend, or event in the history of their people but few songs for the Sea. In her depths were the last mysteries of the Ages; in the mirror of her beauty, endless cruelty, and mercy could be found. Belegaer was unknowable, unchanging since even before the world made round, her heart was vast and wise. Though many travelers came into her embrace, few would ever find the shores they sought.

Beneath his feet, the ship swayed gently, carried forward on the crest of a wave, but Gimli had no fear. The boat was sturdy enough, for he had seen it built and knew of its strength; each board was cut true, and each seam made sound by the Elves, who crafted all with care. Long days had he stood on the rise above the river Anduin, watching the Elves with quick hands work a kind of magic he understood well.

He was a craftsman in his own right. From his forge had come the Gates of Gondor, the finest works of mithril and steel ever seen in Middle-Earth, fit for Kings alone. It had been his sacred trust from King Elessar, and he had fulfilled it, though it took many a year and a backbreaking night of labor. It would be his legacy.

Of late, the work tired him, and when he took rest in Ithilien, he saw the eyes of his love rest upon him, and shadows passed there. So often they were apart, each compelled to govern those places where they chose to dwell. But there were other choices they had made together, and Legolas was always his in every moment they shared.

It grieved him to be long apart from Legolas, and so it was that he had journeyed from Aglarond in February as spring approached. A great desire was in his heart to see Legolas, to know the touch of his strong fingers and see the fire in his eyes, for dwarves got drawn by fire, and he greatly missed that warmth. He had not been disappointed by the brilliant smile of his love, or the caresses that left him hard and shivering, or the tongue and teeth that greeted him and made him welcome in their bed once again.

But bliss was to be short-lived. Riders came from the realm of Gondor, bearing down on their great black horses as though made heavy by weights unseen. Ill tidings they brought, but Legolas did not need their message; he had known the moment it came to pass that King Elessar was dead.

For on the day Elessar passed from Middle-Earth, all the world held its breath. Even the trees of Ithilien, famous for their graceful beauty, were still; no breeze stirred the air.

"Such is the Gift of Men," Legolas had whispered, and Gimli had looked to him, startled, but Legolas said no more and had parted company with him until morning. He had gone into the forest with a strange mix of sadness and fear in his eyes but would not speak of it and had turned Gimli away when he would have offered comfort.

Gimli could give no comfort. For long had Gimli known of Legolas' love for Elessar, and their time together before war tore Middle-Earth apart and remade Aragorn, son of Arathorn, into a King for the Ages. It was a tale he had heard in quiet moments on their journey when his love for the elf prince was new and not yet tested by time.

It was a painful tale for Legolas to tell, one he shared in tiny fragments over many years, a story of how he came to know Aragorn and what they shared. For two years, they were as one, Elf and Man, and in that time, they revealed much to one another and knew each other as well as any two who love. Legolas spoke of those days with hushed reverence, with adoration not for a King but for a man, and for the devotion they shared when Elessar was young and known by other less glorious names.