FIC: To the winner, the spoils

Author: Selena

Fandom: LOTR

Pairing: Legolas/Gimli

Email: kennedy_bowman@yahoo.co.uk

Rating: PG (there are no naughty bits)

Sequel: This is a seguel to the Battlefield, but you don't have to have read that to read this.

Summery: they finally get round to settling their debt.

Disclaimer: Don’t own them, but I wish I did.



To The Winner, The Spoils
By Selena

It was the end. The ring had been destroyed, Sauron defeated and the fellowship disbanded. Aragorn had assumed his thrown and the world of men had been united. All was good in the world and yet Gimli was unhappy. He had returned to his homeland and been welcomed back as the concurring hero that he was. There had been many feasts (which he loved) and many Dwarf women (which he didn’t love as much) throwing themselves at him. Yet still he was unhappy. He had left the most recent feast without telling his friends and his family where he was destined. They would not understand and they would in all likely hood cast him out if they knew his heart. He was having trouble coming to terms with it himself. Oh it had been different when the fellowship was together. They all faced one foe and were unsure of their lives after the deed was done. That uncertainty had lead to, things. But now that all was returned to the way it should be, Gimli was uncertain of where his heart lay. But he knew that he would be unable to rest until he had settled an old score, and time was running short. He just hoped that he had not left in to late.

It took him a full three days to reach the outskirts of Mirkwood. He had gone from haste to dallying, unsure of what he would say or do once he got there. He stood outside the great forest, watching, waiting. For what he didn’t know. Sadly he turned away, unable to bring himself to go any further.

“This is madness,” he muttered to himself “They are as like long gone from this place. What would a beautiful princeling want with an old Dwarf anyway? It was folly to come here.”

“What folly was it, Master Dwarf?” A silken voice called from the trees.

“Legolas?” Gimli called back “Is that you?”

Legolas gracefully leapt from the cover of the trees and in an instant was at his friends’ side.

“I have waited a long time for you” Legolas admonished. “My kin have since gone from here and they urged me to go with them.”

“Why did you not?” Gimli asked as he reached out a rough hand to gently take Legolas’s slender wrist.

“I feel that my time is not yet over, there is one thing that I must do before I leave this world.”

“And what might that be, Master Elf?” Gimli said, fighting hard against the lump in his throat, it was not seemly for a Dwarf to show emotion. Legolas cupped Gimli’s small face and bent down to lay a kiss on his lips.

“Our journey was long and hard, my friend and at times lonely. You comforted me when I was lost and far from home and for a time I felt like I had a home with you. I thought that might go away when I was back with my people”

“And did it?”

“No, my love. It did not. I missed you so. I thought you would have come for me before now.”

“Come for you?”

“To claim your prize, unless of course you want to admit that it was I who won.” Legolas stared down at his lover, using one finger to trace the line of his jaw. Legolas tangled the other hand in the dwarf’s beard pulling Gimli closer to him. Gimli raised his head, waiting for another kiss. Suddenly Legolas was gone, he jumped away from the Dwarf and vanished. Gimli looked around but could see no sign of the Elf, a tear stung in his eye when he thought that Legolas would run from him. He soon caught sight of where his Lover had gone, a pale bare arm stuck out from behind a large rock. Quickly it was pulled back to be replaced by Legolas’s head. Gimli saw bare shoulders and his eyes lit up.

“Are you coming, Master Dwarf” Legolas called to him

“With utmost certainty, Master Elf”



END