Title & Chapter Number: Hearts in Lothlórien 2/10
Author(s): - Author's Index
Fandom: Middle Earth
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the work of the Masterful Tolkien. Tolkien's the man! Also, I shamelessly stole, er, borrowed the series title from Stephen King's "Hearts in Atlantis." And the chapter title from Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence." This story, however, is all mine. I make no money off of this and probably should be working on something where I might actually make some money…but here ya' go.
Warnings: Slash, (DUH!)
Betas: Salina
Cast: Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, Sam, Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Galadriel.
Timeline: TA-AU
Spoilers: None
Summary: Gimli is summoned to Galadriel's chambers and a special bond is formed.
Notes: In this one I wanted to do a little more with Gimli's crush and fascination with Galadriel. I am a believer in the fact that Gimli is a big ole softie under all that hair and armor. I also liked the new footage of Gimli and Legolas in the boat as they leave Lothlórien. There is a nice smile on Legolas' face as Gimli tells him the story of her gift to him. I tried to show how two people could capture one heart. I hope it worked. More Big Huge Thanks to Salina for the Beta and to Rebecca for the encouragement.
Burden of Desire
~*~*~*~
"…and it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding."
-- The Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien~*~*~*~
He is standing just outside the door to my dressing chamber. I can feel him out there. If I look at the door hard enough, I think I can see him, pacing back and forth, staring at the floor. He is puzzled as to why I have summoned him to my dressing chamber of all places. He is not the only one. I sent one of my ladies-in-waiting to fetch him and the look on the poor girl's face when I asked for the Dwarf to wait on me…it was a priceless image. I wish Celeborn could have seen it, though I doubt he would find it as amusing considering how he feels about Dwarves.
I think of the little I know of the Dwarf that is currently residing in my land: Gimli son of Gloin. He is proud and stubborn, this I have already perceived. The similarities between my husband and this Dwarf are so strong it is a bit unnerving. If I were to get them in a room together for any extended period of time, they would either kill each other or become life-long friends. I think there is enough to deal with at the moment and I will not test my luck, as they say.
Tap. Tap.
It is so quiet I barely hear him knock on my door. I imagine he is hoping that I will not hear him and he might slip away quietly. "Enter," I call out. He hesitates for a moment and then the door swings opens.
Gimli looks quite a bit better than when I first saw him upon the Fellowship's arrival in Lorien. He still seems tired, from both physical and emotional strain. But he is at least clean and well fed now, which I gather does a bit to lift the spirit of a Dwarf.
I smile at him. He blushes and tries to avert his gaze from me. I stand from my chair in front of the mirror and approach him.
"Come in, Gimli son of Gloin. Be at home here."
He moves a few steps farther into the room and still averts his eyes from my body. It is then that I realize that I wear naught but a nightgown. I pick up my robe and put it on, tying the belt tight and hoping to alleviate some of my guest's discomfort.
"Please," I motion to the chair next to the fireplace that is roaring with flame. "Sit."
He nods his thanks and pulls himself up into the oversized chair. I am again reminded of the long ages that have passed since a Dwarf was ever inside the borders of this land. I pull a stool over and set it in front of him, then gather my hairbrush and hand it to him.
"Gimli, I have sent away my waiting-maiden so that we might have some privacy for this discussion. And now I realize that I haven't had my hair taken down properly. Do you suppose it would be too much trouble for you?"
I hope to make him relax, but quite the opposite happens. Gimli's mouth falls open in astonishment and his face turns the color of the flames in my fireplace.
"I…My…You," he sputters. Then he takes a deep breath and nods his head. "It would be my honor."
I smile at him and nod my head in return. Then I sit on the stool and put my back to him, so that he might undo my braids. I wish I could see what is inside his head but I have sworn to myself that I would not search inside him for what he does not offer freely.
As he leans forward to begin undoing my hair ties, I feel his heart beat against me. It is racing and his breath is warm on my neck.
We sit in silence for a long while. Gimli lets down my hair, running his fingers through it as it falls across my shoulders. His fingers fumble at first, but as he releases each braid his fingers become sure of themselves, and his heart beat calms.
"Gimli," I venture at last, "what do you think of my land?"
"It is beautiful," he replies. "But then of course it is. It is *your* land."
He picks up the brush and begins combing through my hair.
"And my people are treating you well?"
He chuckles and I am surprised to hear the sound. "They are not?" I ask him.
"My Lady, your people treat me fine. I want for nothing while I am here."
He pauses then and it does not take a glance inside his heart to know what he is thinking. He does want for *something*, but it is nothing that my people can offer him.
I wait for him to continue.
"I would stay here forever, in your land, if you would but allow me too. Yet, I don't think that a hundred years here would ever stop the looks I receive from your people. Kind and courteous they are, but curious as well."
I tilt my head into his slow brushing of my hair. "It is true that relations between our races has been strained since the beginning of time. To many Elves, just the thought that a Dwarf would volunteer to go on any quest that did not include riches is a bit puzzling. As I suspect your people would believe of an Elf."
"I do not deny this. Though I myself make no such claim. Not anymore, not after…"
The hand holding the brush stops moving. The room is still and silent, save for Gimli's breathing behind me. A moment passes in silence and then he returns to his brushing.
I think it best not to push this matter further. Instead I turn to something that I saw in him when he first arrived here: guilt, over the matter of Gandalf's fall.
"Tell me, Gimli, if you will, when you entered the Mines of Moria, did you truly expect to find Balin and the others alive?"
"I did. It may seem foolish to one as wise as you, but my cousin Balin was as smart and strong as they come. I thought no evil could come from that, from him."
"The evil did not come from him alone, Gimli. It was there all along, waiting in the darkness for its moment to arise. With the shadow of Mordor falling on the lands once again, it was only a matter of time before the Flame was awoken."
"Perhaps, but it brings no honor to the family of those who awoke it."
"Whatever shame you may feel your cousin has brought on your family, know that everything you have done so far with this Fellowship erases all the wrongs of your ancestors and your heirs to come. It takes a true heart to lay down your life for the good of Middle-Earth."
I turn now so that I can face him. He stares at me, his gaze unwavering.
"You are a pure spirit, Gimli son of Gloin. Let no man tell you otherwise. And you have the blessing of this house upon your head."
I lean forward and kiss him on the forehead. I hear his breath catch.
"I did nothing to deserve this. I would have laid myself down on the floors of Moria and died next to my cousin. I do not deserve such blessings."
I see him struggling to stop tears from forming in his eyes.
"But you did not lay down and die, Gimli. You pressed on. Why then did you do this?"
"There were no other options. I swore to protect the Ringbearer. That in turn means protecting all the Halflings. If harm were to befall any of the Hobbits, Frodo would not have the will to go on. And Frodo *must* go on. Therefore, I must go on as well. Even if I am more of a burden than a help."
I place my hand on his cheek and watch as he closes his eyes to avoid my gaze.
"You are no burden, Gimli. Why would you think that?"
"What help was I in the attack in Moria? I could not slay the Cavetroll. I could not save Gandalf. I did nothing to help the Fellowship. I was not nearly as useful as…"
He eyes fly open now and I see panic in them. He thinks I am inside his head and have read his thoughts.
"Calm yourself, Gimli. I see not what you intended to say. I do wish you would tell me though. It might help ease the burden."
"It is not a burden that can be eased."
"Twice tonight you have stopped short of telling me. Won't you tell me now?"
"It matters not. At the end of this Quest, we shall be going to different places and perhaps then the pain will be over."
I am puzzled now and I try hard to restrain myself from invading his privacy and his heart.
"Is this because when the war is over, you shall return to your people?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "It is because when we die, Elves and Dwarves go to two different places."
I try not to smile at this, for he is baring himself to me and smiling would be inappropriate, though I am happy to hear my suspicions confirmed.
He speaks of Legolas.
"Do you think that death is the only way this shall end?"
"It is likely that I will perish on this Quest. The odds are against us. And if I survive, he may not. I fear it is not in the stars that we should both be left standing. So whether I die or he dies is irrelevant."
He stares into the fire now. "Either way, I will pass on."
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