Title: The Trees Are Speaking To Each Other
Author: Sivan Shemesh
Beta: Ancient Dame
Rate: PG-13/T
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Warning: Angst, horror, friendship/drama, h/c. Post Ring-War. Gimli angst.
Summary: Halloween ficlet. "…Nobody cares for the woods anymore."
A/N: Written for Challenge #1 of Leaf & Stone Yahoo Group.
Fangorn Forest
At night…
Master Gimli walked through the Fangorn Forest alone knowing that his friend, Lord Legolas waited for him in the middle of the forest.
He did not know why he had agreed to meet the elf in the middle of the forest at night nor did he know for what purpose the prince needed him.
Trees, he hates trees, especially when they spoken to each other.
Gimli shook his head and set his mind to pass it through and in one piece.
He heard a loud groan behind him. He jumped and raising his axe, moving his head slowly, and then stopped, as he heard another groaned next to him.
"… Legolas…" Gimli called out his voice shaking, hoping that at least his friend was nearby.
He felt a branch touching his right leg and lowered his head. He started moving his hands that held the axe and cut down to free his leg. But it did not help.
The axe fell from his hands, and Gimli could see his hope of survival fading as it touched the ground.
Gimli's worst nightmare came alive, as each tree sent branches towards the lonely dwarf, grabbed him and set him flying in the cold air night, until one ent, took the dwarf by his head, and opened his mouth.
"Legolas… where are you lad? I am going to be eaten by tree…" Gimli asked out loud.
He could see the ent's mouth opening large as the branch moving him closer to the mouth.
"No… please… Legolas, laddie, where are you?" Gimli cried as he tried to cover his eyes, not wishing to see the ent's mouth.
"Gimli!" He heard the voice, but did not react, as his mind tried to focus not to be eaten by a tree.
"Gimli!"
"GIMLI!" He heard the shout again.
Where is Legolas? He asked himself
"GIMLI, wake up, mellon-nin." Was he dreaming?
Legolas watched as his friend opened his eyes. "What happened to you, mellon?"
"Am I dead?" Gimli asked.
Legolas raised his eyebrows as he heard the dwarf's words.
"Mellon-nin, are you all right?" Legolas asked, still looking, searching his friend's face. He could see how frighten the dwarf was.
"Am I near trees?" Gimli asked with suspiciously.
"No, why?" Legolas asked worriedly as he wondered what had happened to him.
"I could swear that I see how the tree was trying to eat me." Gimli replied weakly.
"It was only a nightmare, mellon-nin, rest," Legolas said to him softly, and added, "Tomorrow we will be riding to Fangorn Forest. I already asked my Adar to wait for us in the middle of the forest, at night."
Gimli frown at him, and yet said nothing, as his mind went back to the horror he had just experienced.
The End!