"Namir, Radag, you're unharmed. It is alright". Namir came aware to the scent of grass and blood and river. There were other scents tangled in that, wood and Legolas' elf scent, but those three were the most prominent. As he breathed, he could hear the creak of sails and the hollow noise of waves lapping at the side of the boat. He blinked open his eyes, head aching like he had hollowed it out and a dry emptiness in his lungs.

Legolas was leaning over him, golden blonde hair glinting in the weak sunlight. Spots of blue peaking through the clouds above them and casting the prince's face in shadow. Still, Namir could see the smile blooming as the elf smoothed some hair out of his face. "Miog", Legolas breathed as the skin-changer sat up. "You had me worried. Agorel Vae. You have made me so proud".

"Oh", Namir breathed as the elf pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. For some reason he felt like crying and tears built in his eyes. He barely ever cried. He hated the feeling, the vulnerability yet there was a need to weep as everything he had been ignoring hit him at once. Things had been good since he was freed. He had been getting better and other than the night terrors he had been fine. What had happened in the mountain was not fine and he felt as weak as he was when he was back in that cell. "I'm sorry".

"There's nothing to apologise for", Legolas murmured against his temple. "You were so brave". Namir let out a deep shuddering breath as he relaxed into the elf's hold. Hugging the blonde back with a fierce need to feel his warmth.

Footsteps alerted them both to Gimli's arrival. Neither moved much, other than to pull back slightly to face the dwarf. Gimli was paler the normal, obviously affected by the whole ghost experience too. He sat down heavily on a rock in the grass at their side and gazed down the slope of the base of the mountain to the grey river below. They were still high up enough to look down stream to the white city of Gondor in the distance. "You feeling better lad?" He asked as he stuck his pipe in his mouth, not lighting it but merely holding it. "Gave us a right scare when you dropped like that".

"Yes", Namir nodded. One hand reached up to massage the scars on his neck soothingly. "I don't really like spaces where I can't see the sun anymore. Sorry, I doubt I will be visiting Erebor any time soon".

"Aye", Gimli sighed, then chuckled. "Though after the incident with the Arken stone, several dwarfs still hate you. King Fili likes you though, since you saved his and Kili's lives after all. maybe stay in Dale if you ever visit. They would be glad to know that you're alive".

"If my father lets me out of his sight anytime in the next couple of hundred years", Namir muttered.

"We need to destroy the ring before we can go home", Legolas reminded.

"I still don't understand that thing", he scowled. "Why is war always fought over jewels and jewellery? My race was never like that".

"Yes yes", the dwarf grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Skin-changers were very peaceful". Legolas hummed as he began to undo the tangled remains of Namir's long braid. The older huffing as he turned around to face out over the plains below as a comb began to fight it's way through his dark waves.

"I never said we were peaceful. Just that we didn't have war in the same way you lot have it. From what my father told me, our race was divided into clans based on our animals. We don't start shifting until we are around five or so and our bodies are able to take the change. Before them, we can be any animal and our eyes would change between them. But it is common for animals to run in families".

"So you could have been a bear like Iar Brog ?" The elf asked, fingers moving smoothly. Namir had been debating about cutting his hair back to it's original length but Legolas seemed to love braiding it. He knew that hair braiding was important in elf culture. So maybe he would keep it long. He was starting to enjoy these close moments of calm like this.

"Yes", Namir nodded. "But my mother had been some sort of cat beast. We do not know what type. Wether she was more of a jaguar, or a cheetah, or a tiger. Our forms are similar to animals but not exactly the same. Too big, or a blend of different types. The fact that I became a cat was purely due to chance but apparently I loved climbing as an infant".

"So your race did have battles", Gimli prompted.

"Beorn only knows what he was told as stories. Most of our race didn't read or write so we told our tales to each other. Our history spoken rather than put into books. But there was clan battles over mates, territory, food and resources. Things which affect survival rather than gold".

"How did they fight over mates?" Legolas asked, sounding interested as his hands weaved.

"Beorn told me of the story of Inola and Hati. Inola was a great black fox like beast who fell in love with a wolf from a northern tribe. But Hati was being wooed by another wolf called Koa. Inola asked the wolf clan permission to woo Hati, but she was denied as Hati was seen as the most sought out mate in the tribe". It was relaxing telling this story. It reminded him so nighttimes by the fire as a small child with his father. The familiar bedtime story soothing. He closed his eyes and leant into Legolas' touch.

"The clan of smaller beasts where Inola came from, took offence at the rejection. For the wolves deemed them lesser creatures for rejecting their offer of mates. If it had been allowed for Inola to woo Hati and for the she-wolf to later reject her effort, then there would have been no bloodshed as it would have been between the two of them. Instead the rejection of mates from the beginning, banning Inola from wooing her love, that was the insult. It led to a fierce battle between the two clans where many lives were loss. It only ended when Hati, who had fallen in love with Inola as well, was attacked. Inola, not wanting to loose her love, jumped in front of the beast in human form. She was torn open".

"What happened then?" Gimli said, listening eagerly. It reminded Namir of Kili, Fili and Ori. The way the dwarves of the company had hung on his words back when they were younger. It reminded him how old he was compared to those around him. Even his lover was almost a thousand years younger than him.

"Hati swept up her bleeding lover and fled both clans. With the women gone, the fighting stopped as both clans were left with death and rejection. The leaders realised how small minded they had been, how quick to anger. We skin-changers have always had tempers that run more animal than other races. There were some versions of the story where both women died and joined the earth together as mates. There are other versions where Hati took Inola to a wizard and the brown wizard healed her. The two women travelled together for the rest of their lives".

"What about their clans?" The dwarf had shuffled closer.

"Their clans set up trade routes between each other. Koa, who had been wooing Hati, he mated a woman from the small beast tribe and solidified their union. Apparently their treaty lasted right until the great slaughter. Unlit the orcs rounded up our race and slaughtered us all". Namir's voice turned dark and bitter at the end, but it was a age old hate that would never go away. Sometimes he wondered if his race had survived, if he had his mother and his siblings then would he have ever met Legolas. He liked to think that he would have.

"That was a good story". Gimli hummed.

"Done", Legolas stated as he let the finish braids go. They spilled over Namir's shoulders. A dozen or so tiny little braids that spilled from a ponytail at the back of his head. The skin-changer shook his head to feel them move.

"I like this", he smiled. "Thanks".

"Black sails are coming from the north", Aragorn announced as he rounded an out cropping of rocks to their left. "We should prepare to board". The man had a lingering smell of death about him now, and it made Namir wrinkle his nose with disgust. It didn't scare him as much as it did in the cave but still, his animal instincts didn't want to be any nearer than they had to be. He guessed that the ghosts had agreed to fight for them.

He stood up and held out a hand to pull the elf to his feet. Legolas taking it despite not needing it. Gimli grumbled next to them and Namir hoisted him up too. "It's good to see you awake", Aragorn nodded at him with a smile. "You gave us all a fright".

"I am fine", he replied, and he truly did feel a lot better. Still not settled, for he guessed that the trauma would shadow him for many years to come, but better than he had been before the mountain. "Just stay a good distance back from me until you have released the ghosts from their oath. They make you reek of death and I find it hard to be near you". Aragorn nodded and kept a distance ahead as they began their track down the mountain. Legolas intertwining his hand with Namir's as they walked.

unedited

Me just completely making up skin-changer legends and history because there is actually not very much information about them.

Agorel Vae- you did well.
Iar Brog- old bear. (Legolas' nickname for Beorn).