Author's Note: Merry and well met, my friends! I woke up and pulled up to shades to find it snowing outside! This lovely day to start my day has put me into a lovely mood of denial for the length of the day! So, to lighten your day up a little, I have written this! It shall be concluded by Babmidnight with chapter 8, so this is the last word from me on this one! Hope you enjoyed our lovely romp into the silly! Please review, it will brighten me up all the more!

Blessed Be!

Chapter 7: Deceitful Rocks

By: Elvensong

Gimli sighed, looking down at his quite unconscious partner.  His mind swarmed with thoughts of how to wake the Elf, for he had carried him a while now and he was bored with it.  The Elf was far too light to ever become too much of a burden, Gimli simply missed the arguing.

            Struck by a brilliant moment, Gimli went searching through his bag for the object.  Having found it, and found there was still a ample supply left, he took out his flints and lit the biggest, fattest, weed pipe he had, stuffed with the most pungent weed obtainable.  He blew all the smoke towards Legolas until the Elf was surrounded by a white cloud of smoke. 

            His rewards for his clever plan were quick indeed, for soon Legolas shot up coughing in fits.  Gimli had personal knowledge and the distain Elves have for pipe-weed, for he had blown smoke at Legolas many, many times since they first met in Rivendell.

            "Good morning, friend Elf." Gimli smiled wide, smoke coming out from between his teeth.

            "Gimli? Why are you doing that?" Legolas just sat there rubbing his temples. "You know I'll have a headache for a week now."

            "Oh really? How terrible!" Gimli sat down and puffed some more while Legolas tried to gather himself and his thoughts.

            "Ok, Gimli, where are we?"

            Gimli snorted at the question, then remembered he had been carrying the Elf during his little "nap".

            "We are a ways down the corridor where we last saw the light.  I decided this would be the best route since leaving you under the dripping hole in the ground lost its appeal after a couple hours."

            "I see."

            Legolas rose and brushed himself off. "What happened to the sounds we heard?"

            "They faded quite some time ago. I have not heard them since." Gimli put out the pipe, wishing to save some of it if his companion had another moment of exhaustion.

            Once they were packed up they continued down the long corridor with the elusive light.  It was a hopeful sign, but no matter how much they walked they light itself was not doing anything in particular.  It just shone, but getting any dimmer or brighter except for the fact that it was constantly surrounding them.

            Depression got the better of them as what they both knew to be true was confirmed.

            "You know, Gimli, this light is coming from the stones in these walls, they incandescent."

            "Yeah, they're called lantern rocks in the common tongue."

            "I see."

            "Yup."

            "Now what?"

            "I don't know."

            "Oh. Don't they need a light source in order to glow like they are?"

            "Yes, but they're so reflective, one can never tell where the light is originating."

            Legolas sighed. "Oh."

            "I've got worse news than that?"

            "Oh?"

            "The troll of doom is back." Gimli said with a nonchalant tone.

            "Oh." Legolas looked behind them to where Gimli was glancing. "So it is."

            Without another word, the two broke into a run leaving two small dust clouds where they were previously standing.

            "Legolas?" Gimli said in between harsh breaths.

            "Yes, Gimli?"

            "Do you notice this cave is getting warmer?"

            "I did, we're also going slightly uphill! The ceiling is getting lower!"

            Gimli slowed his running. "I doubt the troll can follow us now, it probably can't get through these narrow passages."

            "I'm sure you're right, but if things continue this way, we're not going to be able to get through these narrow passages."

            Suddenly, the sounds of laughter echoed throughout the corridor once more.  Legolas was close enough to hear faint words in amongst the sounds.

            'So,Gimli……….right down the shaft………..been down there how long………funniest thing that has happened in a long time………..leave it to Gimli to forget about the giant hole in the floor………..took the Elf with him……..

            Legolas glared down at Gimli who was looking at him with a hopeful expression and a stupid grim on his face.