Title: Lord of the snowball

Author: HMP

Rating: PG (just to be sure)

Summary: A missing scene from Mount Caradhras. There's snow, how can a hobbit resist?

Copyright: I don't own any of the places or characters, they are all from Mr. Tolkien. I promise to bring them back in even better condition then I found them. I do own the story idea and writings, this doesn't travel anywhere without my name.

The fellowship was climbing mount Caradhras. They were making their way to Mordor, even when none of them really wanted to go anywhere near that foul place. It was all for the faith of Middle-Earth, they were the ones who could save it from the shadow that was ever growing in the west.

This was what Legolas was thinking about as he walked on top of the snow, leaving not more then a slight footprint, as elfs do. He was following Aragorn, who seemed to know where he was going, at least Legolas hoped he did. It had gotten pretty quiet now, the constant chitchat of the hobbits seemed to have faded away over the hours. Even the grunts of Gimli when he yet again sank so deep in the snow that Boromir had to help him out, much to the dismay of the dwarf hadn't been heard in a while.

Legolas wondered if something might have happened, surely one of them would have called if they had stopped to rest. He needed to check anyhow, at least to calm his thoughts.

He turned to face his followers just when out of the blue a snowball hit him right in the face. The elf stepped back and wiped the white stuff of his face, hearing giggles from a few feet down and he knew everyone was now staring at him. 'If it's that dwarf I'm going to...' he thought to himself. His vision now restored he found the fellowship all looking as innocent as a hobbit child who just stole his first cookie. "I guess none of you did this?" he said with a slight smile, looking particularly at the dwarf (who seemed to be holding down his giggles the most). "Don't make a fuss about it, Legolas." Aragorn smiled as he lay a hand on his shoulder. "It was just a snowball and I'm sure it wasn't anything perso..." A new snowball aimed for the ranger hit him the same way it had hit Legolas. Now the ranger didn't seem so happy with the situation, actually he looked like he would explode even with all the cold that had hit his face hard. "Don't make a fuss, Aragorn, it's just a snowball, have a sense of humor." Legolas chuckled. "But I do believe I know who our foe might be." he whispered "Have you noticed how there are two of our fellowship missing?" Aragorn looked down at the rest, Legolas was right, for in fact, two of the young hobbits were gone.

Legolas pointed at a rock that was just high enough for a hobbit to hide behind but where he could still, if he stood up, perfectly look over. "Would the one who's doing this please stop!" Aragorn said rather loudly at the rest of the fellowship though pointing to the ground to show that they had to stay where they were. "So that we can head on." He and Legolas turned around and walked a few paces. Aragorn made the symbolic sign to be quiet to Legolas by putting his finger to his mouth, with the other, he pointed at the rock. Slowly the two moved towards it, now the ranger could also, as Legolas' elf ears, hear the giggles coming up from behind it. They both scooped up a big hand of snow, modeling it into a ball.

"They don't know what hit them!" Pippin whispered between giggles. "They're heading on, just wait a few moments and then we'll join them. They'll never know it was us!" Merry grinned. "Why don't I hear them then?" Pippin asked. As Merry thought about this the two previous preys jumped on the rock both throwing their snowball at the two hobbits who yelled out in surprise. "Run Merry!" Pippin yelled when Aragorn and Legolas grabbed at the snow filled ground again. Merry didn't need to hear this twice and jumped up, wiping the snow half from his face and running towards the rest of the fellowship, quickly followed by his cousin.

Legolas threw his snowball, aiming at Meriadoc, but the Mirkwood elf wasn't as good with handling a snowball as he was with bow and arrow. The hobbit ducked and the projectile flew past him finding it's way into a very hairy place. "AAARGH!" Gimli roared as he found his vision blocked and his beard filled with cold snow all by the cause of 'the elf'. He scooped up his own portion of snow, and threw it in the form of a, rather miss-formed by the gloves, ball at his pointy eared adversary. Apparently it doesn't snow in the deep mines of the dwarfs either as again the mass decided to take it's own way, and in fact straight at Sam who was looking amazed at the situation. He fell backwards as he got hit and, looking up, found himself face to face with a laughing and pointing Frodo.

Right there Sam forgot his 'lower status' for a moment and flinged one at his master who looked in disbelief at him for a second, but quickly attacked back. Aragorn and Boromir (who hadn't been spared of a stray snowball too) were still in a battle with Merry and Pippin, who managed to get meddled in the Sam/Frodo situation and soon joined in the dwarf and elf fight.

It was a big war of snowballs flying around and nobody could be sure who was on whose side. In fact, it was so complicated and everyone was covered in white snow that much that you couldn't tell elf of man or dwarf of hobbit (or even Hobbit of man when they tried to hide between rocks).

At the side of this all stood Gandalf, leaning on his staff, chuckling to himself. This surely pushed the moods of the fellowship into the good direction. A welcome change to the endless walking. Thinking this he pulled his pipe from his staff and got ready to light it when yet another stray snowball stopped him. All went silent as they all stared half scared at the elderly wizard. Gandalf stared back, no emotion could be read from his face, except a slight amazement. 'We're dead' Pippin thought, but then Frodo spoke "Oh, come on Gandalf! It's just a snowball nothing to make a fuss about!" Aragorn busted out in a laugh, quickly followed by the younger hobbits and soon the rest of the fellowship. Finally even Gandalf started chuckling again as he put his pipe away (it wouldn't light up anymore, with the wet snow).

Soon the fight commenced again, and now even Gandalf threw the occasional snowball, but he did keep his distance. Suddenly Gimli hit Frodo hard, he fell back and started rolling down the mountain, loosing the ring in the process. Everyone stopped as Frodo scrambled back to his feet Boromir picked up the ring by the necklace it had been hanging from Frodo's neck. He looked at it as did Frodo...

~ HMP