The stables at the Cat and Cheese Inn had an assortment of animals housed in them, all too tall for Gimli's liking. He grimaced in distaste at what he was about to do: he did not like horses, and he definitely did not like thieving, and yet he was about to become a horse thief. If only he had known if any of the beasts belonged to Chezner or his fellows he could have rescued another abused slave, albeit an animal one. As it was, he went after a medium-sized black horse that looked relatively harmless. He was certain that if the horse tried to bolt on him, he would be unable to control it.
A quick knock to the back of the head was all that was needed to take care of the teenaged boy who was in the stables, apparently there to guard the horses. Gimli caught him before he could fall and lowered him gently to the ground--no need to leave the lad with any more bruises than necessary.
Gimli tried not to let his nervousness show as he took the black's reins and tugged it forward. He could remember Legolas lightly chastising him once, when they both rode on Arod, for being so afraid. "Your fear is affecting Arod," he had told Gimli gently. "He feels it, and so he is also afraid."
Gimli must have learned the lesson well. The horse shook its head a few times but it did follow the dwarf, even if it was reluctantly, showing no signs of bolting. Gimli's next greatest fear was that someone on the street would recognize him or the horse and realize that they didn't belong together. But with darkness the streets appeared to have emptied, and no one intercepted him on his way back to Legolas.
A prickle of fear made its way into Gimli's chest when he could not see anything in the alcove he had made Legolas conceal himself in--but then, that was the point. "Legolas?" he called out softly, hardly daring to raise his voice higher than a whisper. "Legolas, it's me. Gimli." Damn those elvish cloaks--he couldn't tell if Legolas had fled or not.
Then a blond head poked out from the shadows and Gimli could breathe again. Legolas took a few hesitant steps forward; then something seemed to change in his attitude and he fairly flew to the horse, grasping its head and murmuring in Elvish. Gimli tried not to be irked at having received a less affectionate greeting than the horse. He opened his mouth to tell Legolas to get up on the horse, but found there was no need to: Legolas had already done so. As the Elven Prince held down a hand for Gimli a tingle went through the Dwarf's spine. It was the same maneuver they had performed on Arod--as if the last year had not happened at all. Gimli even entertained a fleeting wish that when he woke the next morning he would find the last year had all been a terrible dream. He would endure the uncertainty of winning the war rather than the certainty of Legolas' pain.
Legolas kneed the horse forward, and as ever with Elves the animal responded as though it had been its own thought. "No, lad, not this way," Gimli said hastily, realizing Legolas was heading for the north way out of town when Edoras was south of here. Legolas tossed one glance back over his shoulder, his fair visage confused and more than a little panicked. Wondering at his boldness, Gimli threaded his arms around Legolas' waist to take the reins out of his hands. "Let me get us on the right road to Edoras, then we can let the animal run."
Gimli did not miss the way every muscle in the Elf's body became tense as a drawn bowstring when his arms encircled his friend's waist, but fortunately Legolas did not attempt to throw him off the horse. Gimli was well aware that in this fey mood Legolas might become incapable of differing between friend and foe.
Legolas sat rigidly as Gimli attempted to see around his shoulder and maneuver the animal. He had ridden ponies before and was confident in his handling of the reins, but the horse seemed in no mood to take direction from anyone but the Elf. It was sidestepping nervously, feeling to Gimli like it was getting ready to bolt.
"Legolas, can you calm this thing down?" he hissed into his companion's ear. "Tell it everything is well."
Obediently, Legolas leaned down and murmured a bit of Elvish to the animal. "Noro, beinil. Estelio nin." And immediately, the horse gentled and began to accept Gimli's urging to the south of the city.
As they circled back past the brothel, an action made necessary by Legolas' taking the horse off in the wrong direction, Gimli felt Legolas grow even stiffer against him. The building was deceptively quiet. He felt Legolas' thighs tense as though he would spur the horse on, and spoke frantically to him. "Legolas, do not cause the horse to run! We may not have been discovered yet, but if this thing goes cantering through the city at full speed we will be. Please, trust me. Wait until we get outside the city."
Legolas was quivering, but he remained unmoving as the horse trotted obediently towards the trade road that Gimli knew would eventually take them back to Edoras. But the second they passed the last small hut on the very ends of the town, Legolas lost his control. Gimli felt the Elf's thighs shift as his heels dug into the side of their mount, breathing "Drego!" into the animal's ear.
Instantly the horse was off, and Gimli had to close his arms convulsively around Legolas' waist to keep from falling off. Gimli heard Legolas make an unhappy noise low in his throat, as the Elf's hands simultaneously tried to take the reins from Gimli's and disengage Gimli's arms from around him. Still out of breath from the suddenness with which the horse had taken off, Gimli surrendered the reins easily, aware that nothing he could do now would stop Legolas from fleeing, or slow him in his flight. Thinking it would be less stressful on his Elf, he moved his grip to Legolas' arms; but Legolas fought this even harder, threatening to upset them both. "Legolas, stop!" Gimli cried. "Stop fighting me. I have to hold onto somewhere to keep my balance, I'm sorry!" He grabbed the Elf's waist again, trying to keep his grip as noninvasive as possible. Legolas calmed slightly at the subtle difference in the hold Gimli had adopted this time; his hands held Legolas' waist lightly, as opposed to his arms being wrapped around and his hands meeting over the Elf's stomach. Legolas threw a look over his shoulder, and Gimli honestly couldn't tell whether it was made up of reproach or apology. Then Legolas turned forward and was urging the horse on again.
Gimli let him. The trickiest part of their escape was over now, but he held no illusions about their safety. As soon as they came to a major crossroad, they would have to send the horse back and abandon the road entirely to obscure their tracks. Two leagues outside of Herthdale there was a major meeting of three well-travelled roads, near one of the lesser peaks of the White Mountains. Legolas and Gimli would disappear into the forest and lie low in a grotto or cave for a few days while the men Chezner had hired to find them puzzled over the end of the horse's tracks and try to guess which one of five directions the Elf and Dwarf might have escaped to.
All of this was improvised in Gimli's head as they cantered away from the hated town. He was well aware that he was flying by the seat of his pants; this had to be the most hastily and sloppily planned escape in this Age, if not in the whole history of Middle-Earth. But he had meant what he had said to that girl, Cindy or whatever the name had been: he would not stand for Legolas to be abused in that place even one more night. If they made it now, so much the better. If they were caught and Gimli could tell there was no chance of winning out against them, he would kill Legolas with his own axe, and then himself. Death was preferable to what Legolas had endured, and Gimli was confident Legolas would rather die than go back.
There were no signs of pursuit as they cantered down the almost empty roadway. Those few people they did pass were all going in the other direction, and only had time to glance in surprise at the double-burdened horse as it sailed past them. Gimli hoped both that they would not be questioned too forcefully by Chezner and his men and that none of them would be able to give any useful information. When he saw the crossroad coming up in the distance, Gimli tugged on Legolas' cloak to get him to slow the animal.
They had not spoken all through their wild flight, not since Gimli had explained that he needed to hold onto Legolas to keep his balance. Legolas had not looked back at him since then, though his body was still very tense from the continual contact with Gimli's. Now Legolas looked back over his shoulder, a frown creasing his forehead.
"Slow the horse, lad," Gimli said in a calm tone. "We need to stop at the crossroads."
Legolas cast a worried glance at the road behind them. "We're not bein' followed," Gimli reassured him, wondering at how quickly he was becoming adept at reading the Elf's new body language. Not being followed yet, at any rate. Riders had probably already set out after them, but they were a good way behind and there was no reason to remind Legolas of that. Gimli was fairly certain if he did, he would be unable to get the Elf to stop. "Stop the horse at the crossroads and I'll tell you the rest of my plan."
Facing forward again, Legolas began easing the animal down from its canter. Gimli let out a long breath--so far the Elf was listening to him.
As they approached the crossroads Legolas brought the horse to a very slow walk, and finally he stopped it completely. Gimli immediately jumped off the horse, not caring that he stumbled as he hit the ground. Anything over a few moments on a horse was too long for him, and he estimated they had been riding for close to two hours. Legolas dismounted with more grace, seeming to flow off of the horse, but when he took on his own weight again he bent over slightly, hands on his thighs.
The horse nickered slightly and nudged Legolas' shoulder. Obviously already a life-long friend. Well, there was no help for it. Gimli could disguise his and Legolas' trail but there was no masking a horse's prints--or if there was Gimli, being a dwarf, did not know how to do it. And Legolas was not in any condition to.
Legolas seemed much calmer now that they were outside the city, but still not himself. Gimli did not miss how Legolas stood close to the horse, ready to bolt if he should feel threatened. "Legolas," he said in his calmest tone, "here's what I think we should do. We need to leave the road now, so that they can't follow us." A visible shudder went through Legolas at the words 'follow us.' "I also think we should send the horse back to the village now. He'll know the way."
"Ho nautha na-ho le," Legolas said softly to the horse, almost conversationally. The horse bobbed its head and nudged Legolas' shoulder again. Gimli had no idea what the Elf had just said, but it didn't sound like "go back to the village." He debated over his next words, but decided to risk it. "Legolas, please. We may not have the time to argue. Please trust me."
Whatever doubts might have been in the Elf's mind about sending the horse away, that quelled them. Legolas spoke quickly and softly to the horse. "Bad-amar, beinil. Hennaid evyr. Bad-amar si."
The horse responded instantly, rearing away from Legolas and galloping back down the road as if it had been told to flee. Legolas stared after it for a moment, then turned back to his companion, wrapping Gimli's Lorien cloak tighter about himself.
Gimli held out a hand to Legolas, but the Elf shied back, still looking ready to run. Gimli took a step back himself; he could not afford to frighten the Elf away. "Follow me."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elvish Tranlations (I hope. I definitely do not speak Sindarin, but this is what I meant to say):
Noro, beinil. Estelio nin =
(Run, beautiful one. Trust me. )
Drego =
(Flee)
Ho nautha na-ho le. =
(He thinks you are a he)
Bad-amar, beinil. Hennaid evyr. Bad-amar si
(Go home, beautiful one. Many thanks. Go home now).
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