Again, I don't own Tolkien...
Legolas had been riding to Lothlorien on an errand for his father, Thranduil. Between Mirkwood and the Golden Wood, he noticed a man sitting next to a broken cart on the side of the path. Legolas reined in his horse.
"May I be of some assistance to you?" Legolas inquired.
"Maybe you can be," the man answered. Legolas mentally cringed at the man's use of language but excused it as he was a man and not properly trained on how to respect the beauty of language.
"What ill has befallen your travels?" Legolas asked.
"The wheel of my cart has broken and my companion dog has run off. Could you help me fix the wheel?" the man explained, rising from the ground. Legolas silently studied the man. He certainly wasn't like any of the other men he had seen, and he had seen many in his travels.
"The man was very tall, taller than he was, which was surprising, considering that elves were generally regarded as the tallest of all Middle Earth creatures. His hair was curly and gray, reminding Legolas of the hair of the hobbits. He wore two pieces of glass in front of his eyes, connected by thin pieces of silver. His clothes were a very vibrant shade of green and his shoes were curled at the toes.
Legolas assisted the man in fixing the wagon wheel, and the minor repair was completed quickly. He retrieved his horse and went to bid the man farewell.
"If it would not be too much trouble, could I ask you one more favor?" the man asked.
"Certainly," Legolas replied, not wanting to appear impolite, although he did want to continue on his way.
"Where I come from, we refresh ourselves with a small meal of milk and cookies. Would you join me?" the man asked.
"Yes, I will," Legolas consented, desperately wishing he could ask Pippin what exactly a "cookie" was.
Legolas woke up lying in the back of the man's cart. He looked around, trying to ignore the throbbing pain of his forehead. The cart was in the middle of a bright room with white tiled floors and walls. Vibrant green and red stripes broke the monotony and assaulted his eyes. The few windows were adorned in red and green fabric and revealed a white powder covering the ground outside.
"Where am I?" he mutter, trying to sit up.
"You are in the North Pole," the man answered, handing him a stack of clothing.
"What? Where in Middle Earth is such a location? And what are these?" Legolas asked, looking at the clothing. A bright green tunic, red leggings, a red and green hat with metal adornments, and pair of those ridiculous shoes sat in his lap.
"It is your uniform. Put it on, I won't look," the man. Legolas decided to be polite and put on the clothing, guessing it was the custom of this place known as the North Pole.
"I refuse to wear such garments! My people do not don such unsightly rainment! And I demand to know who you are and what it is that I am doing here!" Legolas exclaimed, starting to peel off the offending garments.
"I am Noodles. You are an elf, correct?" the man asked. Legolas stopped pulling at the fabric.
"Yes, I am," he conceded.
"Then you belong here. You are an elf and elves help Santa make toys for children," Noddles explained.
"Who is this 'Santa'?" Legolas demanded.
"You will find out soon enough. Come with me," Noodles answered. Legolas rolled his eyes and followed the man, figuring it would be better than having his sensitive eyes tortured by the bright white and green and red of the walls. Noodles guided him through a maze of rooms. The last was abuzz with noise, grating on Legolas's delicate ears. Noodles opened the door.
Thousnads of elves sat at long wooden benches. Some hammered at boxes. Some whittled away at wooden dolls with small knives. Still others sat before the different carvings painting delicate elven designs.
"Find a seat and start working," Noodles instructed.
"I am the crown prince of Mirkwood! I refuse to work as a slave, making toys as the dwarves do and the perian amuse themselves with!" Legolas exclaimed, indignant at the idea.
"Sit," one of the elves muttered to him. Legolas sat next to him, resigned, and picked up a paintbrush.
"Good, the work is going smoothly. Keep it up," Noodles said to the room as he left.
