Another Innocent Bedtime Adventure
Written by Aralondwen
With many Major touches by ClariceTook!
Summary: Gandalf recalls when Estel gets in trouble yet again! Didn't you ever wonder what happened the first time Aragorn tried that pipe, and how Elrond got the skylight he ALWAYS wanted?! Read this and then you'll know!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything so don't sue! (or I'll frame this disclaimer and hang it around my neck when I make my appearance in court)
Author's note: I have finally posted the long awaited sequel! I really hope you like it! This story was actually based on a real life roof incident! Don't ask want happened, lets just say that my brother(who this fic is dedicated to) used to be Dennis the Menace.
My sincere thanks goes out to all the wonderful reviewers of Innocent Bedtime Adventure! You're all so cool!
And a special thank you goes out to the InSaNe OnE, who helped me find enough courage to actually post this! And of course, ClariceTook, the comedic genius that I could not have wrote this without! Thanks so much my friends!
Please! (gets down on hands and knees)REVIEW this!
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Aragorn watched the hobbits as they crowded around Gandalf, eagerly telling stories of their youthful adventures. Frodo had just finished a story of when young Merry and Pippin had terrorized Hobbiton with their bareback sheep stunts. The ensuing laughter could hardly be quenched!
Gandalf chuckled, "How could I not have heard the rest that one?! It seems I left Hobbiton in the nick of time."
Aragorn laughed and pulled out his pipe, he waited quietly until the giggles had died down. The fire popped and he raised his head to find the old wizard watching him, a devious grin plastered on his face. Aragorn immediately felt wary, he didn't like that look his old friend was giving him.
"What?" he asked carefully.
Gandalf smiled, "I was just recalling the first time you tried that thing."
Aragorn froze, his eyes widened in horror, "Gandalf, NO! I'm begging you, not *THAT* one! Please spare them that!"
Pippin and Merry leaned forward, their eyes full of interest, "This must be good then! Tell us, Gandalf!" The rest of the hobbits nodded in agreement, ignoring the pleading Ranger.
Aragorn gave one last try, "All of you must be very tired. Why don't you go to bed? Save the story for later……..Much later" he mumbled quietly to himself.
Gandalf laughed, ignored Aragorn's pleading gaze and continued on with the story. "Now lets see, where to start?...."
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Elrond settled down heavily into his seat. 'Finally, some peace and quiet!' He sighed and leaned forward to examine the pile of old papers on his desk, but a sudden soft thud* caused his head to turn upward. He listened for a moment, but when he could hear nothing else, he turned back to his reading.
A few moments later and another *thud* sounded above. Elrond turned his head upward once more. The sound came again; and the elf lord could see a little cloud of dust that was roused by the impact. A puzzled look crossed his face as he slowly rose from his chair, still watching upward.
One more loud *THUD* caused his frown to deepen. 'Someone is ON the roof! But who…..' He didn't have to finish the thought; he knew exactly who it was!
"Estel." He breathed out the name like a tired sigh. 'What had the twins dared him to do this time?' When a loud cracking sound reached his ears, Elrond calmly took a few steps backward and watched the roof, waiting for the inevitable.
One last loud *CRACK* signaled the coming chaos and a few moments later the area was engulfed in a blizzard of wood and dust! Elrond couldn't yet see the boy, but his sharp elven hearing didn't miss the small cough emitted from the dust cloud or the muffled curse that followed.
The dust slowly cleared, revealing the young boy that was tangled in a pile of various roof materials. Elrond looked down on the boy trying to look intimidating. If he didn't have to teach the boy a lesson, then he probably wouldn't have been able to control the laughter that was threatening to consume him. But, for the sake of discipline, he threw on a stern face and readied himself for the speech he was about to deliver.
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Estel slowly opened his eyes, though he still couldn't see anything in the thick cloud that surrounded him. He took in a breath of air, the thick dust caused his mouth to feel dry and cracked, and his vision slowly became clear as the cloud slowly fanned out around the room. He looked around and cringed, 'Of course! Of all the rooms in the house, he had to fall right into the middle of his father's study! That was just his luck!'
He shifted a bit, trying to see if anything hurt more than the rest. His arm hurt but he didn't dwell much on it, the sight of who stood before him was much worse than any pain. He peered up cautiously at the stern-faced elf lord above him, and he couldn't help the grimace as he quickly looked away from his father's intense gaze.
He got up slowly and watched his adopted father warily. Elrond was laughing on the inside, how could he not at the sight before him! Estel wasn't just dirty; he was way beyond filthy! The boy rose stiffly and stood stock still before his father, waiting for the speech he knew was sure to come.
Elrond looked his son up and down; Estel was one giant dust bunny! Not a spot on his body was spared of the thick, clingy dust. His eyes went all the way down, taking in Estel's entire appearance, until finally his eyes came to rest on a small object at the boy's feet.
Elrond stooped and picked up the object. He studied it for a moment, he smelled the pipe in his hands and quirked an eyebrow. Estel gulped and looked down at the floor. Elrond fingered the pipe in his hands and studied his youngest son; there was a story behind all this, he just knew it!
Elrond watched the boy another short moment, contemplating what it was he was going to say. He sighed and broke the long silence, "Estel, where did this come from?"
Estel looked up at the gaping hole above him and replied sheepishly, pointing upward.
"From the sky?"
Elrond went along with it, "As did you. So I'm going to assume that, no doubt, the pipe was in your possession in the first place." He repeated his question, "Now, where did you get it?"
Estel paused for a moment before answering flatly, "Gandalf gave it to me."
"Gandalf gave it to you?" he echoed the answer dubiously.
"Yes."
Elrond nodded, "Why would Gandalf give YOU a pipe?"
Estel paused again, doing some rapid thinking, "Because I'm young and need more experience in the way of the world. And Gandalf, being the WISE wizard that he is, decided to help me on this journey of self-discovery."
Elrond sighed deeply, his tone signaling he was losing patience, "Estel, Why do you have the pipe?"
Estel was getting better at the storytelling so he decided to see how far it would take him. 'It might give me some time……At least until father gets the chains and hot oil ready,' he thought ruefully.
"Didn't you know? Gandalf's a big pipeweed dealer now! Sure you think he's here because he's your friend, but in actuality, he just comes around because he loves the food." Estel nodded his head for emphasis.
"Is that so?"
Estel nodded again and continued to spin his tale.
"Yeah, it's not my fault you ignored all the tell-tale signs!" he paused a moment as Elrond fixed him with an expressionless glare, "You know……the bags under the eyes, the stringy hair, and you had to have noticed all the grey! Didn't you ever wonder why his clothes were THAT color?! Really Ada, we should screen these people before we allow them to just waltz into our home. Who knows what trouble they might get into?!……"
Estel trailed off as Elrond stared at him and wrinkled his brow, "Trouble?"
Estel winced and glanced up at the gaping hole in the roof once more, "Well, you always did want a sky light."
Elrond followed his gaze, "I did?"
"Sure! You just didn't know you did till now." Estel was determined to try ANYTHING to stave off the lecture he knew he was going to get.
"You're stalling, Estel." Elrond gave the boy his best 'I'm-not-falling-for-it' glares.
The boy looked to the floor in defeat, "Alright. Shall I go call the guards?"
Elrond sighed in exasperation, "I never said that."
Estel mumbled under his breath, "That glare suggests otherwise."
Elrond opened his mouth to deliver a lecture to break the record books, but he never got his chance. The heavy door flung open and the figure of a tall man stood in the doorway. A cloud of smoke barreled past the grey figure, escaping from the closed room to fan out into the hallway.
Gandalf ambled into the room, surveyed the scene and peered through the hole in the ceiling almost knowingly, "I see you got that skylight you always wanted."
Elrond's eyes went wide, "When did I EVER ask for a skylight?!"
Before anyone could answer, the old wizard noticed the object in Elrond's hands, "Is that MY pipe? I've been looking for it everywhere!" He took the pipe from Elrond's open hands and whipped out a small pouch of pipe weed. In moments it was lighted and he was smoking lightly, filling the air with of a cloud than before.
Elrond rolled his eyes and slowly turned to face the boy that was trying to sneak out the door. "Estel, where do you think you're going."
Estel's eyes went wide but he answered quickly, "To the dungeons."
"We don't have any dungeons!"
Estel thought about it a second, "Mirkwood does."
Elrond raised an eyebrow, "Mirkwood?"
"Yes," Elrond could see the gears in the boy's mind begin to turn again, "I'll go there for my punishment! Legolas can guard me! He'll make sure I don't get into any trouble." The boy's explanation dripped with sarcasm.
Gandalf barely surpressed a chuckle, Elrond turned and glared at the old wizard, "Don't encourage him!"
Estel had taken the distraction and made a break for the door. Elrond could only glare at the teenager's back as he hugged the wall and slipped out the door without a sound.
The wizard walked to Elrond's side, but the elven lord was still staring at the door that the boy had just escaped through, the lecture was still on his lips.
Gandalf finally let out one last large puff of smoke before putting his pipe away. He glanced upward once more and tilted his head to the side in examination, "I like it. The room needed more light anyway. Remember the last time Estel needed more reading light?"
The wizard didn't answer the question, he knew that Elrond was very much aware of the little episode he was referring to.
Elrond glanced at him, trying glare but failing miserably. How could he forget the sight of his desk bursting into flames?!
The elven lord peered at the wizard, trying to look like none of this was amusing, but the charade did not last long. A smile began to curl on his lips, and within moments it was a full grin. He tried to hide the bubbling laughter that was inside him but he could hold it in no longer. Gandalf smiled and turned to walk out the door. Elrond caught his breath to ask a simple question, "Mithrandir, why do still come around here?"
Gandalf smiled, a twinkle caught his eye, "Because you are my FRIEND!…." The wizard made the comment far to enthusiastically, "….besides, the FOOD here is UNMATCHED!" The old man whisked out the door, mumbling something about going to the kitchens, leaving a giggling elven lord in his wake.
Elrond only laughed harder at the old man's reply, the situation was just too amusingly ironic! The elder elf collapsed on the couch, wiping the tears from his eyes and holding his stomach in painful laughter.
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Gandalf watched amusingly as the gaze of all four hobbits fell again on the embarrassed ranger. Aragorn rolled his eyes, "Sure it was funny to him, but I didn't see the light of day for weeks after that little caper!"
The hobbit's giggles were endless and Gandalf chuckled heartily, but Aragorn just glared at the old wizard in fake anger.
Gandalf got another evil grin, "That was nothing compared to what happened during your punishment!"
Aragorn's eyes widened even more at the mention of yet another of his youthful escapades. He fell back on the ground putting a hand over his eyes, shaking his head. "I just knew that was going to come back to haunt me!"
As everyone else started to giggle hysterically, Pippin leaned over toward Merry, "Why did this story sound so familiar?"
Merry just stared ahead, his eyes glassed over in remembrance, "Green Dragon…..Ale…. Greased Pig…….and a gagged, unconscious Frodo."
Pippin sat up a little straighter as the memories flooded back to him. "Ohhhh."
Frodo overheard their conversation and his eyes widened, "I thought you two said that was all just a bad dream!"
Pippin pointed innocently at Merry, "It was his idea!"
Merry looked at the finger then back up at Pippin, "It was NOT! It was YOURS!"
Pippin made a face, "I resent that accusation…"
The banter continued long into the night, the spinning of tales and the painful laughter was FAR from over….
THE END!
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Author's note: Did you like it? PLEASE tell me what you think! (gets down and grovels at her reader's feet) Please tell me!
By the way, Happy New Year to everyone!