I stared down at the trio of boats, bobbing gently on the river's current, quite certain that somewhere Mahal was laughing at me. Boats. We were leaving Lothlórien by boat. Of all the ways we could have gone, on our own two feet as we had come, perhaps? But no. I was going to strangle Aragorn the very second that I saw him - he'd certainly by this point sunk low enough for me to reach. Alas that Celeborn had pulled him away for a private conversation.

"Try not to look so grim, mellon nin," Legolas teased. He was kneeling in the boat that we were to share downriver, organising our packs as best he could in the small space. He held out a hand to me, grinning. "We could always arrange for a barrel for you instead."

I threw one of the wrapped blocks of lembas at him, growling when he caught it with a laugh and a "Thank you, mellon nin!" Forget Aragorn, I was going to strangle this blasted Elf first, consequences and fellowship be damned. Must it always be the fate of the line of Durin to leave Elven lands by their rivers?

"Are you two fighting again?" Boromir called from where he, Merry and Pippin were busy packing their boat with, admittedly, considerably less throwing.

"Of course not!" Legolas called back, at the exact moment I said:

"I am considering drowning him."

Legolas and I stared at each other for a moment before Legolas' mask cracked and he gave a decidedly unprincely snort. "I would like to see you try."

"Get out of the boat then."

"Make me." His eyes flashed with impish glee and the urge to strangle him increased ten-fold. I took a deep breath, urging myself back to calm. I am a Dwarf of the House of Durin, I reminded myself sternly. I am above such pettiness, even if he is not.

"Pardon me for interrupting," a new voice said, and I turned to see Galweth, the winner of the archery contest emerge from the trees. I had never seen her up-close before, and I had to admit she was fair to look upon - if not as much as the Lady Galadriel, but that was an impossible standard to hold any other Elf to. Galweth was not as slender and slight-looking as I'd been led to believe all Elves were; she was broad across the shoulder, with strong toned arms, and a powerful build. This was an Elf built to be an archer, I could tell, though her stance reminded me more of a Dwarf.

Legolas all but tripped over himself climbing out of the boat. "Lady Galweth," he eventually managed, without a trace of awkwardness. "How can we help you?"

Galweth smiled at him, her dark brown eyes sparkling with mirth. "I came to bid the Fellowship farewell. I heard you were leaving on the morrow." Her Westron was heavily accented and stiff, but the fact that she spoke it at all was, by my estimation, a miracle in Lothlórien.

Legolas nodded. "We are, indeed. Permit me to introduce my companions?" Galweth nodded and murmured greetings to each of us as Legolas went round our small group, naming names. At Frodo, Galweth paused, her expression very serious as she stared at him, until Legolas snapped something harsh in Sindarin and she jumped, rapidly chattering out apologies. Frodo managed to smile back at her, but the sad dark look never left his eyes - I would need to be sure and keep a closer eye on him. I had been so wrapped up in my own issues with Legolas that I'd nearly forgotten my promise to my father and Bilbo that I would protect Frodo as best I could. Ever since Khazad-dum, I had not seen Frodo smile truly, not even among the other Hobbits.

"So this is the Dwarf everyone speaks of," Galweth said, looking down at me. There was something off about her tone, something condescending that I did not appreciate. Legolas shot me a warning look as I bristled.

"Oh?" I said, keeping my tone deliberately casual. "What do they say?"

"Many things." She smiled again. "Mostly they say that you must be special indeed, for Ernil Legolas to have so fought so hard to stay with you."

"It was not just for Gimli's sake," Legolas interjected, looking very uncomfortable.

"I know that; others are not so convinced." She looked me up and down, her gaze suddenly ancient and piercing. "You are of Erebor, are you not?" She smiled when I nodded. "I thought so. And what thought you of the Hadhodrond?"

"Khazad-dum," Legolas explained at my blank look. "She means Khazad-dum."

I struggled to find my voice, feeling pinned by the force of her eyes. "It was beautiful, and very great," I said, hearing my words crack as loss surged in my throat, hard and hot. "I regret that it stands empty and defiled, but it was not worth so many lives to keep it." I thought of the skeletons lying forgotten in the dust, the broken crystal lamps, carvings smashed to ruins, all that was once magnificent lost to the darkness. I thought of the more recent bodies, of the tomb of Balin who had been friend and mentor both, of the bodies of Ori and my own uncle Óin, who would never receive proper burials and be returned to the Stone as is right. I wrestled with my grief, trying to force it back down. I would not embarrass myself now, not in front of the Company and a stranger.

"When I was younger, I went often-times to Hadhodrond," Galweth explained, kneeling before me. "There I met Dwarves for the first time in my life, and there I was welcomed as a friend. I had one friend in particular, who I counted closest above all. It was she who taught me this language, and I named her Elf-friend in return. Her name was Svior." Galweth's handsome face crumpled for a moment and I saw the depths of grief that echoed my own. "Forgive me. I do not know if she still lives, or what became of her and her family. But one of the last times I saw her, she gave me a gift." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wrapped package. "I have kept it for many many years, remembering my friend and the fellowship that once existed between our kinds." She looked between Legolas and myself and pressed the package into my hands. She cut off my protests and stood with a sigh.

"Truly, I had no desire to join this Fellowship," she explained with a small sad smile. "I took part in your contest only to see for myself an Elf fight to be allowed a friendship with a Dwarf once more. I am reassured. I wish you luck on your Quest." She bowed respectfully to our dumbstruck Fellowship, grasped Legolas' upper arm and whispered something in Elvish to him and then was gone.

"Well, that was certainly something," Boromir broke the silence, his heavy hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

"I'll say," I muttered, staring wide-eyed at the package in my hands. What did it mean? What had I entered into by accepting it? Not that Galweth had left me much of a choice. But was I now beholden to her? Did I owe her a debt? I looked to Legolas for an explanation, any explanation at all.

"It was a gift, freely given," Legolas said, and though he smiled, his gaze was sharp and serious. "That is all, I assure you. I would not have let her give it, otherwise."

I nodded, feeling a knot of tension loosen in my chest. Nothing malicious meant, no, of course not. But, still I couldn't help remembering the warnings my father and mentors had drilled into me from childhood - a gift from an Elf is always fraught with meaning. They will use anything to trip you into owing them. Do not trust them.

"Well, Gimli," Frodo said, looking over my shoulder with those sombre blue eyes. "Are you going to open it?"

"I suppose I'd better," I said, my tone more jovial than I felt. With the utmost care, I unwrapped them small package and could not help the small gasp of surprise. Inside the wrappings was a locket, small and laced with silver around the frame; I had seen the like many times before at home, for they were often gifts given between close friends and kin. My father had one with illustrations of my mother and myself inside. Gently, I prised it open, and was not surprised to find it empty - but I had no doubt that something had once nestled within it. On the back, however, I could feel the old runes engraved there - runes of friendship and solidarity, of the love between those sworn to defend each other in battle. As my fingers traced them, I could feel tears prickling hot at the corners of my eyes. This was not a gift lightly given, nor should it be given away like some common trinket.

"It is beautiful," Legolas remarked softly, and the others agreed, their expressions ranging from stunned to awed.

"She should not have given me this." I hurriedly wrapped it again and thrust it towards to Legolas. "You must return it to her. This-it is too precious to be given to a stranger."

Legolas shook his head, pushing it back towards to me. "Galweth knew what she was giving you, my friend. She is older and wiser than both of us; if she felt this was appropriate to give to you, then it would be rude to return it."

I scowled at him and felt the tension gather in the air, as sudden as a summer storm in the mountains. Boromir chuckled awkwardly.

"Perhaps we should continue to pack, hm?" he said, more to the Hobbits than myself or Legolas. "Come along, before Aragorn returns to scold us for being lazy."

I grit my teeth, biting back harsher comments until the others had moved sensibly away. "You don't understand. This was made for her. I cannot accept it."

But Legolas would not budge. I knew we were causing a scene, again, but it was imperative that I make him understand. "Gimli, she would not take it back, even if I tried to make her. The locket, surely that is not as important as what was inside? The locket is just the case, the contents were another matter entirely. Galweth has waited a long time for this, I think."

I paused, looking up at him, seeing that strange fey expression creeping onto his face. He was right, of course, as he so often was when he was in these moods. It was infuriating and frustrating, but I knew he spoke truly. I sighed, looking down at the locket again. "I won't wear it," I said stubbornly. I would keep it, in the spirit of what was meant, but nothing would convince me to break faith and wear something not intended for me.

Legolas shrugged. "That is your choice, just as it was Galweth's to give it to you."

He watched as I tucked the wrapped locket into my breast pocket. And then, as suddenly as it had come, the tension between us fled. We might be friends now, but we were still getting used to each other's tempers - it would take time, time we perhaps did not have, before our friendship could be considered stable.

But I was patient, I could wait for that. Something deep in my spirit told me that this would be worth it.

Legolas clapped me on the shoulder and grinned, mischievous and bright, his mood as mercurial as ever. "Come, friend Gimli. We'd best return to packing also, unless you wish to be yelled at by Aragorn. No doubt he will not be in the best of moods after so long speaking with Lord Celeborn."

I snorted, but could not help but agree. "True enough, lazy Elf. Let's go. I want to be finished before Boromir, else he'll be unbearable the whole way downriver."

I dodged Legolas' faux-offended swat and grinned at Boromir's indignant shout that he would have his boat packed and Aragorn's as well at the rate we were going. "That sounds like a challenge," I remarked to Legolas, watching his eyes light up.

"Well then," he answered. "I suppose the only thing to do is to show him up."

My grin stretched wider. "Exactly what I was thinking, my friend."

I could already tell this friendship would definitely be worth being patient for. It might be a trial at times, but weren't all friendships? Legolas was daft as a rabbit, ever distractible and secretive to boot, but still I now couldn't help but already regret the day when we would eventually part. But that was a thought for later. Right now, we still had a long trip downriver to go, and the rest of the Quest as well.

I might very well change my mind, but somehow, I doubted it.

A short epilogue I said, coming soon I said. I'm terrible, it would have been sooner if I wasn't such a perfectionist, I swear, and I'm so sorry you all had to wait so long. Real life is currently a btit of a Mess so I have very little writing time. But its here now, and I have time to get more chapters written now, woo.

But alas, this marks the End of Trial By Patience! Thank you all who have read along, who are still reading this message, who have left comments or favourited it, because you are all the best people ever. This would not have gotten finished without you. There's at least one more story planned for the Trials series (which apparently I've since forgotten the WIP title for). For those of you still wondering what exactly happened between Legolas and his older brother (since I've had a few people ask), I'm a terrible person and I'm going to direct you to my other fic Fragments of A Forgotten Truth, where all will be revealed... (eventually). But if you're signing off here and have no interest in my other fics, then thank you anyway! You're still great.

Honestly I should get a blog or something so that people can drop me fic ideas, I do love chatting to you all.