Drinking Songs

A/N: If you've seen the extended version of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, you'll surely recall that memorable scene in which Gimli and Legolas have a drinking contest. This is what happens afterward. You would have noticed, how just before Gimli passes out, Legolas raises his hand to his face and says this: "I feel something. A tingling… in my fingers. It is affecting me." Meaning Legolas is, of course, getting drunk. A rare thing for elves, likely not one Legolas would have experienced before. I was rather put out that they just left the situation, as I thought it was an excellent opportunity. I took the opportunity and wrote the following ficlet. Enjoy, and please R/R!

Chapter 1: I didn't know elves acted like that…

Legolas watched with acute amusement as the fool dwarf crashed to the ground. Take on a Mirkwoodian elf in a contest of drinking? Imagine! But he was feeling rather… odd. Could it be? No! The alcohol could not possibly be affecting him! But as he walked several steps, he seemed to swerve, incapable of walking in a straight line. This was absurd! But indeed, he was having trouble keeping his balance.

As he made unsteady progress toward where he had seen Aragorn last, he heard someone snicker and whisper to someone else, "Look. The elf's drunk!" Legolas shot him what he hoped was a scathing glare. He was not drunk! Him! Drunk! Legolas Greenleaf Thranduillion, Prince of Mirkwood, was not drunk! It was one of the most ridiculous things Legolas had ever heard, second only to that time Elladan had told him Arwen fancied Aragorn… oh wait, that turned out to be true.

Speaking of his human friend, he saw him standing near a table not to far away. He did get there, and nearly fell onto Aragorn when he reached him. The man looked at him rather strangely and grabbed Legolas by the shoulder to steady him. "Legolas, mellon nin!" He said in a shocked fashion. "How much have you had to drink tonight?" He shook his head incredulously. "I was under the impression you didn't even like drinking!"

Legolas placed a hand to his temple, which was throbbing incessantly. "Gimli… contest… ohhh!" He groaned.

Legolas did realize that he had indeed felt like this before, when he and the twins had gone on that bender… and Elrond got them into trouble and Thranduil got them out of it saying that it was perfectly healthy to drink excessively once in a while, and then Elrond had gone on about bad parenting… but they had been young then. He smiled at the memory.

Aragorn looked worriedly at his friend. It really was not healthy for elves to drink that much. He knew that from Elrond, who had also related to him with much fury a seemingly irrelevant but very severe argument he had had with King Thranduil many years before concerning parenting skills. The incident had always baffled Aragorn, and he quite wondered how it could be in any way related to the subject of elves drinking.

The man looped a supporting arm around Legolas's chest, and therefore was entirely ready for it when Legolas fainted. As the elf was so light, Aragorn had no trouble at all taking him to the next room and putting him to bed. "He'll be mad at me in the morning," Thought Aragorn, "But It'll be worth it!"

A/n: I hope that you found the first half of this story entertaining, and will read the next half, 'The Morning After'. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease R/R I won't write more until I get some reviews.