Gimli quietly cracked the door to his quarters open. Peeking outside, he found that there was no one in sight. My, how they made this all too easy for him. Shouldn't they have learned by now?He was determined to get them back good this time. He stealthily stole up the steps to Legolas's room. Or, at least he tried to be stealthy. Being a dwarf whose favorite activity was eating didn't aid him in the area of stealth.
He entered Legolas's room and left again without fault. He then moved on to Aragorn. As he crept up to the edge of the bed, Aragorn shifted in his sleep. Gimli froze, hardly daring to breathe. Aragorn reached out and took Gimli's hand, which he had left lying on the bedside.
"Arwen… I missed you," Aragorn mumbled softly.
Gimli's face turned bright pink in the dark, his eyes darting around, trying to devise a plan of escape. He cleared his throat.
"I missed you too, honey," the dwarf replied in his best high-pitched voice.
"Your hands are cold," Aragorn remarked.
"Err… uhh…" Gimli stuttered. "It's nothing to worry about. Get back to sleep, dear."
Satisfied, Aragorn smiled and rolled over, falling back into the depths of his dream.
Gimli breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped he never had to do that again. He finished up his prank-playing and exited the room.
Grinning to himself, Gimli set out for his own bed. It had been a successful night. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he paused for a moment, as if considering something. His grin growing wider, he turned and went back up the steps, heading down the corridor in the direction opposite of his own quarters, going straight for Gandalf's room.
Minutes later, he ran from the wizard's room, giggling to himself. This was one of his best ideas yet.
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Legolas stood at the window, peering outside as the light rain gently fell onto the ground. A cool breeze shifted through the trees, blowing back his golden hair. He frowned. During the night, Gimli had been at it again.
"Good morning, Legolas," Gandalf called into the elf's room. "You, too, Aragorn," he said as when he saw him sitting on the elf's bed.
"Gandalf, you're awake?" Legolas asked quickly, turning around to face the doorway, but Gandalf had already passed by it. "Beware when…"
He was cut off by a cry coming from the bathroom.
"…you look in the mirror," Legolas finished with a sigh.
"I should find myself a pair of earplugs," Aragorn remarked glumly, "if there will always be someone screaming in the morning."
Gandalf appeared in the doorway again, lips bright with a dazzling red lipstick, complete with an array of sparkles. Unfortunately for them, Legolas and Aragorn looked quite the same.
"I shall turn him into a toad!" Gandalf declared, turning to find the dwarf.
Aragorn and Legolas hurried after him.
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It was not long until they found him, sheltered from the rain under the gazebo situated just in the center of Rivendell. Aragorn and Legolas were the first to approach him.
"Gimli son of Gloin, I know you are the culprit for this!" Aragorn accused.
The dwarf sat comfortably in his shelter, sipping away at some hot cocoa, complete with melting marshmallows. He sat the mug on the bench beside him; then stretched slowly.
"Indeed I am. Congratulations on your find, Mr. Sherlock," he replied sarcastically. "I ordered some Permanent Kiss off QVC the other day. Given the state of kindness we have received one another in as of late, I could not bear to be so selfish as to keep it all to myself, and naturally shared with you. I knew you would just love the results."
"Permanent Kiss?" Legolas exclaimed in dismay. "You mean that it won't come off?"
"Well, that is generally what permanent would mean," Gimli said smugly.
"What?" Aragorn said, astounded. "This is just great for my image! I'm supposed to be the rugged outdoorsy type; and last time I checked, rugged outdoorsy type guys don't wear lipstick! Whatever will Arwen have to say when she sees this?"
"Now then… That's just too bad for you, isn't it?" Gimli said, chuckling all the while.
Just then, Gandalf came storming onto the scene.
"You! What have you done to us?" the wizard demanded, fury in his eyes.
"I…" Gimli began calmly.
"No!" Gandalf shouted. "I am the one speaking here. When a wizard speaks, no one dares to interrupt him, least of all you, you fool of a… a…" He turned to Legolas and Aragorn. "What is Gimli's last name anyway?"
They looked at one another questioningly. What was the dwarf's last name? Funny, they had never wondered what it was, let alone realizedthat they didn't know. The two looked back at Gandalf and shrugged, perplexed.
"Fool of a dwarf then!" he exclaimed. "Yes, that will do. That will do quite nicely indeed… Bah! For this, I shall turn you into a toad!"
Gimli stared at him wide-eyed. "Now Gandalf, maybe…"
"Silence, fool of a dwarf! I will make you a toad with one quick swing of my staff. And that would only be if you are lucky," he threatened. "Perhaps I will turn you into sometime much more terrible instead!"
A hint of a smile snuck onto Gimli's face.
"What do you find so humorous?" Gandalf boomed.
"You, my dear friend, do not have your staff with you," Gimli boasted.
"Ahh!" Gandalf cried. "I shall destroy you! Legolas, Aragorn! Come aid me!"
The wizard turned to look at his two friends, expecting them to be eager at a chance to get their revenge on Gimli. Instead, they were paying absolutely no attention whatsoever to the current conversation, but were holding one oftheir own, arguing and pondering over what Gimli's last name could possibly be…
"Fine," Gandalf grumbled. "I shall do away with him on my own!"
He leapt in the dwarf's direction. Gimli jumped up and vaulted himself over the side railing of the gazebo, with Gandalf in close pursuit. Legolas and Aragorn remained under the roof, out of the rain, desperately trying to solve the puzzle of Gimli's name, completely unaware of the loud shouting coming from Gimli and the wizard.
A/N: Please leave me a review to let me know how you are enjoying the story. I hope you are liking it so far. Suggestions for future pranks would be helpful, too, as I find I am beginning to run out!