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Legolas leapt back as another chunk of the stairs crumbled into the bubbling lava below. He barely had time to right himself before he ducked out of the way of a flying arrow, releasing one of his own in return. A direct hit. The moment of satisfaction was short lived as the Fellowship was forced to move forward lest they go down with another hefty piece of the stairs. The elf took up the rear, letting loose arrows at their pursuers. He was able to fell a couple more before they were forced onward.
“They’re closing in!” he called over his shoulder after downing another. It mattered not how many he eliminated; it was as if there were two to three more to take their place.
“Keep moving!” Boromir ordered, as he and Aragorn ushered the others along.
The elf spun back around, firing two more arrows. He was buying as much time as he could, but there was only so much he could do and still keep up with his companions. Gimli wasn’t much farther ahead of him and it was hard to tell if he was trying to wait for the elf or if he was genuinely struggling to keep up. If Legolas was being honest, he had no doubt it was the second reason.
“Surely you can move quicker than that, elf!” He called back, ax clutched in his hands.
Without turning around, Legolas didn’t miss a beat. “Perhaps you would like to switch places and hold them off. How far can you throw an ax?”
Gimli grumbled under his breath and left it alone. There was no talking to the man. Elves were so damn pompous it infuriated him on another level. This was not the time nor place to argue; there was too much at stake and none of them could afford to let their guard down. He focused his attention back forward and worked on closing the gap between himself and the others. The dwarf was somehow able to avoid all the breaking edges of the stairs, but the one thing he failed to notice was the stray arrow headed right for his head.
“Gimli!” Legolas called out in a last minute warning, leaping over the large gap between them in order to grab him and stumble back just as another large piece plummeted into the lava.
The shorter man’s breath was caught in his chest as he stood, still in shock, back against the elf. It took him a moment longer to notice his current position.
“Get off me!” he demanded, tearing himself away. “I don’t need the help of a damn elf!” He took a step, pausing halfway. His whole body stiffened. The gap between their platform and the next had nearly doubled. There was no way he could jump that. He had his doubts Legolas could even jump it. The only way to go was back. That, too, was a death sentence.
“Legolas! Gimli!” Aragorn shouted, skidding to a stop to turn back to them.
The elf was quick to wave a hand. “Go on!” he called back, notching another arrow. He was well aware of his ammo dwindling; it was all he could do to keep his control. “We’ll find another way out!” he assured. Aragorn was hesitant, but he nodded. They both knew what the priority was here, and it was neither Legolas nor Gimli.
“Another way out!?” Gimli exclaimed. “What other way out can you see that I cannot?”
“Back,” Legolas replied plainly. Gimli didn’t understand how he could say that so casually as if it was a simple matter.
The dwarf echoed the word. “Are you insane? There’s a whole army on our tail! We’ll be marching right to our deaths!”
“Perhaps not,” Legolas said softly, firing another arrow into the fray.
“Well, if you have an idea, then spit it out, will ya?”
Legolas was silent for a moment as he scanned their surroundings and it became abundantly clear there was no plan. He was really just going to make a run for it and hope for the best. Gimli’s heart dropped with the realization.
The elf really was insane.
“We just go for it?” he asked, still in disbelief.
Legolas tilted his head and gazed down at the dwarf. “Unless you have a better idea.” And he had to admit that he did not. He could not think under such conditions, not when he was too busy trying not to get struck down by one of the orc’s infection-riddled arrows.
“Just go!” he finally decided, turning the ax handle in his hands.
The slightest of smiles graced the elf’s face as he made the first move. “Try not to fall behind!” he called back, leaping onto the lower platform. Even as he said that, he waited down below while Gimli jumped, ready to steady the dwarf should it be necessary.
They kept up a steady and somewhat quick pace until they reached the beginning of the stairs. That was the point in which they had to decide their next move. There was no way they could go forward.
“We go down,” Legolas decided without further discussion.
“Down how!? You expect us to burrow through the stone?” Gimli scoffed. Before his question was answered, the elf grabbed onto the edge and started scaling the wall. “Hey! I am no- I can’t…” he trailed off, grumbling to himself and followed suit. He was surely going to fall to his death. Not that it mattered. It was either that or be slain by orcs and he preferred the former.
His arms were shaking as he followed the elf down the wall. At least it wasn’t very far before they reached a lip they could drop down to. As soon as his feet hit the ground. Legolas grabbed his shoulder and yanked him against the wall. Gimli was too on edge to make any smart remarks on the matter.
Slowly, the shuffled along the edge, arrows bouncing off the surrounding rock. There were a few close calls before they were finally able to break away and jump to a thin stairway leading to a higher level. They weren’t out of the woods, but they had a good lead. That was all they would need.
Legolas had to crouch as the stairs sank into the stone, transitioning into a tunnel. It was a tight squeeze and Legolas kept a palm along the wall, breaths quick until they finally broke through and he felt as though he could breathe a little easier. As soon as he was free, the elf pressed his back against the wall and just listened for a few minutes.
There was a little bit of commotion, but it was muffled and nearly muted.
“We’re clear,” he whispered, carefully removing himself from the rock to take a steady step away. Now it was time for the hard part, finding another way out of there. The escape was nothing in comparison with the maze of a cave system that was Moria.
Even with Gimli, it wasn’t going to be easy. And with Legolas’ senses all thrown out of whack, he wasn’t going to be much help. Whatever they were going to do, he would rather it be done soon. The less time they spent wandering around, the better.
“I hope you know these tunnels well enough,” Legolas said softly, kneeling slightly. Even though he was confident they weren’t being followed, he didn’t want to take any chances and never let his guard down.
“What? You think all dwarves know the layout of every mine and cave? Don’t be foolish,” he huffed, tapping the hilt of his ax on the stone floor. He tapped it a few more times before humming to himself. “But, I can at least make some good guesses,” he added with a small cock of his head. “This way leads to a dead end; we have to go the other way.”
Legolas nodded. He would have little choice than to take the dwarf’s word for it. He would know better than anyone, he supposed, not that he would ever say that out loud. The elf rose to his feet - stiffly. It was a slight hitch in his movements that Gimli did not overlook, but also did not comment on.
They moved silently, pausing periodically to take a quick listen before moving along. They had no idea where they were going or what possibly awaited them around each corner. For all they knew, they could be wandering aimlessly towards their waiting doom. And Gimli’s concentration was slowly dwindling as Legolas’ breaths were starting to be heard. Breathing in and of itself wasn’t odd, but when they came from a perfectly silent elf, it was off putting and distracting.
It wasn’t until a rock skipped past him after Legolas had stumbled over it did he stop and turn to face his comrade.
“Are you trying to alert enemies?” Gimli hissed. As he faced Legolas, he looked the man up and down, taking in every detail he could without being too obvious about it.
“Apologies,” Legolas said, voice a bit strained. “Traversing is difficult when there’s no light.”
Usually, that would have been a viable excuse, but up until then, Legolas had shown little difficulties. And now they were getting progressively harder to ignore.
Gimli was about to let it slide as nerves - knowing full well how out of place the elf must have been there - until something did in fact catch his attention as his eyes slowly adjusted. A small patch on the elf’s tunic that appeared a couple shades darker than the rest. His eyes fell on the spot and didn’t stray away.
“When were you hit?” he asked, voice accusatory.
Legolas stood straighter to stare down at the dwarf. “Tis no more than a graze. For an elf, this is nothing. Let us continue forth.”
No, that was not enough of an answer. “Was it an arrow?” His tone was hollow. He wondered how he didn’t notice. They’d been walking for quite some time and until right then, he was none the wiser. The elf had kept the injury to himself and if not for being underground, he likely could have kept it a secret forever. Even knowing, there was not a speck of pain on the man’s face.
“As I have said, it merely grazed me. Elves are not so weak as to succumb to something so trivial.”
Gimli was going to press further, but shut his mouth with that. Arguing wasn’t worth it. Legolas was too damn stubborn to listen to reason. Huffing out an exaggerated breath, Gimli turned back around and began leading the way once more. Still, it was hard to focus knowing he was traveling with a wounded man.
“Fine, but I’m not carrying your corpse out of here,” he muttered.
It became even harder to ignore when the slight stumbles became more frequent and the hitches in his breath grew more audible. Whatever nonsense he was spewing about elves was clearly just for show. Anyone could see how much he was struggling just to keep up with the dwarf’s slow pace. But, Gimli knew no matter what he said, Legolas was not going to listen to him.
Time was lost to them, so they had no idea how long they had been traveling before they finally stepped out into a small hall. At last, they could breathe with ease. Or, well, Gimli could. Legolas only seemed to struggle more as time went on. And it caught the dwarf completely off guard when the elf braced himself against the wall and pressed one hand to his side.
“Aye, lad, you alright?” Gimli asked in a rare moment of genuine concern.
Legolas cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes,” he said plainly, leaning back against stone. Gimli watched on as the elf removed a shaking hand from his side, stained with fresh blood.
“Maybe we should take care of that,” Gimli suggested. If it was bad enough to make Legolas need a break, then that was reason enough for worry. And to his shock, the elf actually agreed and unsheathed one of his blades to trim away a section of his tunic for better access.
It was as he had said, the wound wasn't all that deep; it just grazed him and the bleeding had already slowed down. And yet, it still ailed the elf like nothing Gimli had ever seen. Given, he hadn’t seen much and Legolas didn’t appear that bad off, but based on his experience, this has been among the worst. It was the first he’d seen actual signs of discomfort.
As he got closer, he noticed the slight tremor in Legolas’ hands as he inspected the wound.
From what Gimli could see, there wasn’t a whole lot of blood loss to begin with which left his mind to drift in one direction and it was not a pleasant idea. As his gaze wandered to the elf’s face, there was a sure sheen that he couldn’t deny. Legolas was sweating. He didn’t think they were capable of that.
“Do you feel unwell?” Gimli asked before he could stop himself.
Legolas’ eyes fell on him, his usual sense of pride shining bright. “I feel fine,” he declared, making quick work of the wound before rising back to his feet. “We don’t have the luxury to waste valuable time here. Come.” He strolled by Gimli, gait steady and graceful. Again, if he hadn't seen for himself, Gimli would have thought nothing wrong.
He let out a sigh and retook the lead. They had to get out soon. Now with Legolas’ slowly declining health, there was a great deal more urgency. Even if he refused to admit it. Due to utter luck and maybe a touch of skilled recall on his part, Gimli entered an area he remembered them passing through. From there it was a matter of retracing their steps.
“Aha! I told you I knew what I was doing!” Gimli exclaimed. “I know exactly where we a- Elf?” He quieted as he turned to find Legolas again leaning heavily against the wall, head slightly bowed.
Legolas took a deep breath only for it to hitch instantly and result in a few, stifled coughs. His fingers curled, knocking a few pebbles loose to clatter across the floor. The other hand slowly rose to his chest as his breath staggered in.
Gimli had had enough.
“You’re not well, are you?” he accused. That arrow was no normal arrow, that much was plainly clear. The fact that Legolas was an elf was the only thing keeping him on his feet for so long. Had it been anyone else, Gimli had no doubt they’d already be dead, or close to it.
There was no lying about it. “I am not,” he said softly. “Being down here isn’t helping.”
“We should be out of here soon enough.”
Legolas appreciated the sentiment, but he wasn’t so sure about that. The entrance was completely collapsed in, so that way wasn’t viable unless Gimli was planning on them digging their way out. There was the possibility that he wasn’t planning on going the way they had come at all and simply decided to choose another path to go down.
Whatever the dwarf was thinking, he’d have no choice but to follow along. In the shape he was, he was doing well just to keep up.
“Very well,” Legolas said after a moment. “Shall we carry on?”
“Aye, if you’re able.”
“I am.” Legolas straightened himself up as if to make his point clear. “We’ve no time to waste.”
Gimli nodded with a smile. Say what he will about the elf, there came a few times where he had to at least admire their mettle. “Let us make haste.”
All the pressure was on him. Not nerve wracking at all. Every second they were down there was another second he could sense the elf weakening behind him. He wasn’t worried though. There was no room for sympathy in him for the likes of an elf. Respect was one thing, bun concern was pushing it a bit. At the same time, that didn’t mean he wanted to watch one suffer.
He moved as quickly as Legolas could keep up. It was clear it was getting to be too much for the guy, but they had to find a way out. No one was coming to save them; they had to get themselves out.
The tunnels twisted and turned and he was given little time to think about each turn he took. He just prayed to whatever God was still willing to humor him and went on. Though he didn’t spare sympathy, he couldn’t help but harbor some level of guilt when Legolas was forced to duck and crouch through the narrow entryways. And he did everything in his willpower to stifle any sounds of discomfort.
They both sighed in relief when the tunnel opened up again and they both had room to stretch a little bit. Legolas took that opportunity once more to take a short break to catch his breath. Another thing Gimli had never seen before: an elf doubled over, gasping in air.
He gave the lad a few moments until his breathing was steady enough for him to raise his head back up.
With no words spoken between the two, it was obvious to both he needed a little longer before continuing. His eyes fell to the floor as he blinked, confusion creasing his brow. Even in the dark, Gimli could see the light sheen spreading over his face. There was a subtle sway to his posture that had the dwarf stepping forward before Legolas could stumble forward, instantly losing his footing.
Gimli barely made it in time before the elf fell against him with all of his weight, which was a lot less than he had been expecting.
“Whoa, Lad,” he gasped out in surprise. “Legolas?” He was so hot, he could feel the heat though both layers of their clothing. It was a wonder he’d stayed conscious for so long.
“Ye’h,” he breathed out shakily. He swallowed hard and went to push himself back up. The voice almost caught Gimli off guard. So he was still awake somehow. Likely from damn stubbornness alone.
Despite Legolas’ efforts to pull himself away, Gimli kept his hold firm. “I got ya,” he assured, slipping an arm around the elf’s waist. The height difference made it a little awkward, but with the way Legolas was leaning, it seemed to be necessary. “Ready to get out of here?”
“Read m’mind,” Legolas whispered.
That’s what finally had Gimli truly worried: Legolas accepting the help. His pride was dropped and he took assistance from a dwarf.
Steeling himself, and taking almost all of the archer’s weight, he guided them forward, moving on instincts alone. He had no idea if he was going the right way or not, and honestly, he didn’t put too much thought into it. The more he dwelled on the what ifs, the more all those doubts ate away at him, and that wasn’t doing either of them any good.
Every minute, Legolas was leaning against him more and more until Gimli was all but dragging him. The heat soaking through was getting so intense that even he was beginning to sweat. He didn’t think it possible for so much heat to come from one person. The man mumbled things here and there and it took Gimli a moment to realize he wasn’t actually talking to him. He was just rambling in his worsening delirium.
At some point, Gimli had stopped trying to strike up a conversation. He just checked every now and then to make sure he was still conscious. Which he was, but just barely. That was just enough to satisfy him.
He had no idea how long he was walking for, but they had to be getting closer. They were steadily going up; that was a good sign. And even better, the paths were narrow enough to keep enemies out.
They went up a few more spirals and Gimli flinched as something bright shone down directly into his eyes.
“Ha ha!” he cheered, earning a flinch from the elf. “Would you look at that, lad!” He nudged his companion. “Lad?”
No response.
Gimli leaned in close, heart hammering in his chest. Slowly, he relaxed his shoulders. There was a soft, slightly erratic breath.
He was still alive. That’s all he needed to know.
With that, up he went, dragging his charge along with quiet apologies. By the time he reached the top, he realized it wasn’t the best opening and would take some maneuvering to get through. Some flexibility that he couldn’t force the elf into on his own.
“Hey, lad!” he said with a bit of volume and tapped the elf’s face. “This is no time for a nap, you need to wake up. I cannot do this on my own.”
A few seconds later, Legolas’ eyes fluttered and he cracked them open about halfway. He hummed lowly, and gazed around as clarity slowly returned to his gaze - still bright with fever.
“We’ve got a way out,” the dwarf announced, nodding towards the thin opening. “It’s a bit of a tight squeeze, but I reckon we can work with it.” He’ll surely have a bit more of a difficult time than the lithe elf, but not so narrow that he wouldn’t be able to wriggle through. Gimli led Legolas a bit closer and let go to allow him to work his way through.
It took a few seconds and a bit more effort than it would otherwise, but he got to the other side and managed to stumble a bit out of the way to give the dwarf some room. As expected, it was a deal harder for him and took a few extra moments and a couple more swears, but eventually, he got through and took a minute to catch his breath.
By the time he was composed, Legolas was still fighting for his own, crouched a few feet away.
Gimli started to approach, but the elf held a hand out. “I’ll survive,” he said, hand pressed to his chest. Well, he did appear to have a little bit more color to his face at the very least. Maybe those couple hours half unconscious gave his body the little extra boost it needed. Their healing abilities truly were something to be marveled.
Not that Gimli was impressed or anything.
“I think we should set up camp,” Gimli suggested, looking at the still present flush to the other’s cheeks. Sure, he was starting to look better already, but he doubted pushing him was going to do any favors. He was unsteady enough on his feet as it were.
Legolas nodded, seeing as the sun was already beginning to set. He would never admit it openly - Gimli didn’t need him to - but he was utterly exhausted.
They made sure to put more distance between themselves and the mountain, taking the easiest path down they could find. That didn’t mean Legolas had the easiest time getting down and still tripped and faltered a couple times, but now more aware, refused Gimli’s hand.
That was a good sign, at least. His infuriating stubbornness was returning.
As Gimli gathered wood and got their things laid out, Legolas worked on the fire, something he could do with minimal movement. As soon as it roared to life, he leaned in close, letting the warmth chase the chill from deep within his bones. He’d never been so cold in his life. He shivered just as Gimli returned with an impressive armful of logs.
He took a seat next to the elf. He never would have thought he could sit there like that and not be overwhelmed with a sense of awkwardness. It was better described as comfortable.
They sat like that in silence, neither discussing the events of the day. For the first time, after Gimli added more fuel to the fire, he saw the elf lie down and turn to his side, away from him and the fire. It must have really been rough for him to actually go to sleep and trust Gimli to keep an eye on things.
Throughout the night, Gimli glanced back to find Legolas still in the same position, sleeping soundly without a single sound. Part of him wandered if the guy was even truly asleep. But, after a hitch in his breath and a small jolt as he woke up, he didn't question it any longer.
Legolas slowly sat up, clearing his throat as he did so.
Gimli stayed quiet, just watching cautiously as the elf worked his way to his feet with a bit of residual stiffness.
“You should get some rest,” Legolas stated, matter-of-factly, moving to sit back by the fire.
“I’m not the ill one,” Gimli reminded.
“Nor am I.”
Gimli raised an eyebrow and suppressed a scoff at the comment. “Last I checked you were nearly roasting alive.”
“That was some time ago. Elves mend swiftly.” It sounded almost like a challenge. “I will be well enough come morning. I do not need sleep such as yourself.”
“‘By morning’, meaning you are not currently,” he countered.
Legolas just offered a slight smile. “You’re free to so as you wish, but I will be staying right here.”
“Then I guess we’re both going to be sitting here,” Gimli huffed, leaning forward on his ax.
As much as Legolas wanted to be insulted, he knew the dwarf was just doing so wanting to keep an eye on him. An unnecessary gesture, but he nodded anyway.
“I suppose we are.”