"Hey, psst! Merry and Pippin get over here!" Stacie caught the two Hobbits' attention. They immediately ran over to where she was crouched down. A sparkle of mischief was in her eyes.
"Do you love practical jokes?" They eyes widened, but a grin overtook their faces.
"Of course! What have ya got in mind?" Pippin asked. Merry looked just as excited.
"Follow me." She led them out of the city gates to where a deep pond was. The two nearly started to burst out laughing when they saw their target. There in the water was Gimli...skinny dipping. His clothes lay a few feet from the shore line.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She said in a hushed whisper. They nodded, wide smiles on their faces. They waited until the dwarf had his back turned and was a little farther away. He was singing to himself. The three ran forward and grabbed all of the dwarf's belongings, leaving only his underwear on the ground. Once they accomplished their task, they ran straight ahead. They immediately started to bust up laughing.
"I can't believe we just did that!" Merry exclaimed.
"Now what?" Pippin asked.
"Well, we have two options. We can leave Gimli some dignity and scatter his clothes about and make him look for them. Or, we can be totally cruel and take them with us, so then the Dwarf will be stuck entering the city with nothing but undershorts on!" Once again, they all fell into a fit of laughter.
"That would be cruel! But perhaps we shall leave him at least a little pride." Pippin suggested. The girl sighed.
"I suppose you're right. But if we're going to do that, why not stick them up in trees?"
"Oooh! But...you shall have to be the one for that task."
"Fine by me!" She took the articles of clothing and scattered them amongst the trees, high up in the branches. She sighed in content. An idea made its way through her head as she thought about what to do next for fun.
"Do any of you know your way well around this land? I mean, if you got lost would you know how to get back?"
"No, not really. Why do you ask?" Merry gave her a strange look.
"Why not go on a little adventure, then? Come on, we'll be back by dark!" The two followed her, adrenaline running wildly threw them. They always loved doing these types of things.
Six hours later...
"Legolas, will you please escort Stacie to the banquet hall? Dinner is nearly served." Elessar asked.
"I shall try. I have not seen her all day."
"Hmm...neither have I now that I think about it."
"It's odd that you mention that." Frodo said. "Merry and Pippin have been gone all day, as well. It is odd that they would miss a meal." The Elf groaned.
"This cannot be any good. Three troublemakers put together will do more harm than good. Gimli, why the sour face?" He asked as he saw the dwarf enter, grumbling all the way.
"I was swimming in the river, and someone took my clothes, and put them high in the treetops! I shall find him and make him suffer!" Legolas, Aragorn, and Frodo nearly fell over laughing.
"I see nothing funny about this!"
"Try she and two he's." Frodo said.
"What?! Do you mean that Stacie had two Men-"
"Hobbits." Aragorn corrected him.
"Why! Just wait until I get my hands on those three!" Legolas sighed.
"Good luck. No one knows where they are at, and just out of curiosity, where exactly did you swim?"
"Outside the city gates, about a mile or two."
"Legolas?" Aragorn began.
"Consider it done." The Elf rushed out of the hall and towards the stables. He rode Arod out of the city gates, bow and quiver on his back, and sword by his side.
"Where the heck are we?!" She cried. It was raining, and all three of them were hungry and tired. Merry stopped short.
"Didn't we cross a bridge when we first began?"
"Yeah, why?"
"There it is!" They all ran excitedly towards it, the Hobbits in front. Merry and Pippin were safely across as Stacie started to walk across. She was halfway done, when a board broke lose and fell into the water, causing her feet to fall beneath her. She clung to the edges of the wood for dear life. Her legs were in the water, and the current was strong and wanted to pull her beneath its surface. Her heavy shoes were of no help whatsoever.
"Stacie! Hold on!" They cried out.
"Help me! My fingers on slipping on these boards." Just as she finished, her hands could hold on no longer. She fell into the deep water with a scream.
"We have to go in and save her!" Merry cried out.
"But I can't swim!"
"Neither can I." Just as they were about to give up hope, a rider came galloping across the fields. It was Legolas. He pulled up beside them.
"Where's Stacie?"
"She was crossing the bridge and fell into the water. Legolas, what're we going to do?" Without another word, he jumped down from Arod and dove into the water.
Stacie's lungs were aching. (If only I let my dad talk me into taking swimming lessons when I was younger.) She tried kicking her legs, but her dress wouldn't allow it. It just helped in pulling her down. Her heart starting beating wildly, and panic started to overtake her as her lungs screamed for air. She was horrified as she saw her life flash before her eyes...she screamed, forgetting about holding her breath.
Legolas looked frantically around the depths of the water. He knew every second was precious. Luckily for him, Elves had a better at holding their breaths than humans. When his eyes finally found Stacie, his heart jumped for joy. She looked half dead as he quickly swam over to her and took hold of her in his arms and kicked his way to the surface. He quickly made his to the shore.
After getting her on her side onto the ground, everything was alright. The water she swallowed spewed from her mouth, after a nice little coughing fit that is. She gasped for air.
"I'm never trusting you two again!" Were the first words to come forth from her mouth.
"Now wait a minute! You were the one who wanted to go on an adventure." Merry said, upset that the blame was put on them
"An adventure! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Legolas shook his head. "You weren't even prepared for one." Stacie crossed her arms and looked at the ground.
"Can we go back now?" The four of them walked beside Arod. They had suggested she ride on the horse, but Stacie refused.
The walk home seemed like an eternity. Not a word was said the whole entire time. The Hobbits and girl all knew they were in trouble. A royal smackdown was most likely in store for them. Were they ever right...
"Do you love practical jokes?" They eyes widened, but a grin overtook their faces.
"Of course! What have ya got in mind?" Pippin asked. Merry looked just as excited.
"Follow me." She led them out of the city gates to where a deep pond was. The two nearly started to burst out laughing when they saw their target. There in the water was Gimli...skinny dipping. His clothes lay a few feet from the shore line.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She said in a hushed whisper. They nodded, wide smiles on their faces. They waited until the dwarf had his back turned and was a little farther away. He was singing to himself. The three ran forward and grabbed all of the dwarf's belongings, leaving only his underwear on the ground. Once they accomplished their task, they ran straight ahead. They immediately started to bust up laughing.
"I can't believe we just did that!" Merry exclaimed.
"Now what?" Pippin asked.
"Well, we have two options. We can leave Gimli some dignity and scatter his clothes about and make him look for them. Or, we can be totally cruel and take them with us, so then the Dwarf will be stuck entering the city with nothing but undershorts on!" Once again, they all fell into a fit of laughter.
"That would be cruel! But perhaps we shall leave him at least a little pride." Pippin suggested. The girl sighed.
"I suppose you're right. But if we're going to do that, why not stick them up in trees?"
"Oooh! But...you shall have to be the one for that task."
"Fine by me!" She took the articles of clothing and scattered them amongst the trees, high up in the branches. She sighed in content. An idea made its way through her head as she thought about what to do next for fun.
"Do any of you know your way well around this land? I mean, if you got lost would you know how to get back?"
"No, not really. Why do you ask?" Merry gave her a strange look.
"Why not go on a little adventure, then? Come on, we'll be back by dark!" The two followed her, adrenaline running wildly threw them. They always loved doing these types of things.
Six hours later...
"Legolas, will you please escort Stacie to the banquet hall? Dinner is nearly served." Elessar asked.
"I shall try. I have not seen her all day."
"Hmm...neither have I now that I think about it."
"It's odd that you mention that." Frodo said. "Merry and Pippin have been gone all day, as well. It is odd that they would miss a meal." The Elf groaned.
"This cannot be any good. Three troublemakers put together will do more harm than good. Gimli, why the sour face?" He asked as he saw the dwarf enter, grumbling all the way.
"I was swimming in the river, and someone took my clothes, and put them high in the treetops! I shall find him and make him suffer!" Legolas, Aragorn, and Frodo nearly fell over laughing.
"I see nothing funny about this!"
"Try she and two he's." Frodo said.
"What?! Do you mean that Stacie had two Men-"
"Hobbits." Aragorn corrected him.
"Why! Just wait until I get my hands on those three!" Legolas sighed.
"Good luck. No one knows where they are at, and just out of curiosity, where exactly did you swim?"
"Outside the city gates, about a mile or two."
"Legolas?" Aragorn began.
"Consider it done." The Elf rushed out of the hall and towards the stables. He rode Arod out of the city gates, bow and quiver on his back, and sword by his side.
"Where the heck are we?!" She cried. It was raining, and all three of them were hungry and tired. Merry stopped short.
"Didn't we cross a bridge when we first began?"
"Yeah, why?"
"There it is!" They all ran excitedly towards it, the Hobbits in front. Merry and Pippin were safely across as Stacie started to walk across. She was halfway done, when a board broke lose and fell into the water, causing her feet to fall beneath her. She clung to the edges of the wood for dear life. Her legs were in the water, and the current was strong and wanted to pull her beneath its surface. Her heavy shoes were of no help whatsoever.
"Stacie! Hold on!" They cried out.
"Help me! My fingers on slipping on these boards." Just as she finished, her hands could hold on no longer. She fell into the deep water with a scream.
"We have to go in and save her!" Merry cried out.
"But I can't swim!"
"Neither can I." Just as they were about to give up hope, a rider came galloping across the fields. It was Legolas. He pulled up beside them.
"Where's Stacie?"
"She was crossing the bridge and fell into the water. Legolas, what're we going to do?" Without another word, he jumped down from Arod and dove into the water.
Stacie's lungs were aching. (If only I let my dad talk me into taking swimming lessons when I was younger.) She tried kicking her legs, but her dress wouldn't allow it. It just helped in pulling her down. Her heart starting beating wildly, and panic started to overtake her as her lungs screamed for air. She was horrified as she saw her life flash before her eyes...she screamed, forgetting about holding her breath.
Legolas looked frantically around the depths of the water. He knew every second was precious. Luckily for him, Elves had a better at holding their breaths than humans. When his eyes finally found Stacie, his heart jumped for joy. She looked half dead as he quickly swam over to her and took hold of her in his arms and kicked his way to the surface. He quickly made his to the shore.
After getting her on her side onto the ground, everything was alright. The water she swallowed spewed from her mouth, after a nice little coughing fit that is. She gasped for air.
"I'm never trusting you two again!" Were the first words to come forth from her mouth.
"Now wait a minute! You were the one who wanted to go on an adventure." Merry said, upset that the blame was put on them
"An adventure! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Legolas shook his head. "You weren't even prepared for one." Stacie crossed her arms and looked at the ground.
"Can we go back now?" The four of them walked beside Arod. They had suggested she ride on the horse, but Stacie refused.
The walk home seemed like an eternity. Not a word was said the whole entire time. The Hobbits and girl all knew they were in trouble. A royal smackdown was most likely in store for them. Were they ever right...