Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, other than a couple elves in my stories.
Note: I forgot one detail in my last chapter. When Legolas snuck into the twins' room and saw two elfling-shaped lumps topped with dark hair (Nadalle and Arwen), I forgot that their hair had been dyed in the chapter before that. An explanation is that Legolas' dye was not as permanent as the twins' dye, allowing the dye to be washed out after a while.
Legolas sulked for three days straight after his last failed prank. Not only had his prank failed, but he had also been humiliated in front of the twins, Nadalle, Arwen, Lord Elrond, Erestor, and quite a few other elves. To make matters worse, Lord Elrond had acted like it had been his fault, and not the twins.
As he sat pouting on his bed, he heard a knock on his door.
"Who is it?" he mumbled.
Glorfindel opened the door. "Just me."
Legolas scowled slightly.
"Your ada is returning to Imladris early, Legolas. He will be here in a week." Glorfindel stated.
Legolas' face brightened immediately. "Really? That's great!"
"Good." Glorfindel responded. "I apologize for the twins' actions. They're... usually like that. I've been the victim of several of their pranks before."
Legolas managed a small grin.
"Anyway," Glorfindel continued after an awkward silence, "Lord Elrond sent me to tell you the news."
"Thank you." Legolas replied.
Glorfindel smiled and shut the door.
After Glorfindel left, Legolas continued sulking on his bed. Suddenly, he had an idea.
"The prank has to be simple and easy, yet bad enough to get them in trouble." he mumbled. A devious grin appeared on his face. "I've got it."
Once he decided on a prank, Legolas swung onto the tree outside his window and climbed down into the garden. As he walked through the gardens, he hid behind bushes and trees whenever he saw another elf approaching.
Finally, he reached his destination. Legolas breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the twins would be training until sundown, so they wouldn't see where he was in the woods, or what he was doing. If any other elf asked, he would simply say that he wanted to be with some trees. As a wood elf, Legolas would most likely get away with the lie.
"Now, all I need are some spiders, various insects, special herbs, and a skunk or two." Legolas muttered to himself. "Oh, and maybe a frog or toad."
Legolas wandered through the woods for a while, searching for what he wanted. He walked further and further into the woods. Finally, Legolas had collected everything he needed except for a skunk (or two).
"Alright. Now, what did ada do to lure a skunk into his bag?" Legolas scratched his head, trying to remember what Thranduil had taught him. "Oh right, crush the athelas leaves together with the ledmii twigs and pleincr berries. Then, put them in the bag, and wait.
Legolas followed the instructions perfectly. Then he began to wait.
And wait.
And wait.
And wait.
After half an hour of waiting, a skunk finally walked into the bag, ate the mixture, and fell asleep.
"Finally." Legolas sighed. He decided to wait ten more minutes. Three more skunks sauntered into the bag.
Legolas smiled. Sealing up the skunk bag, he quickly collected the rest of his boxes and bags and set off for Imladris.
There was only one problem.
He was lost.
Legolas almost screamed with frustration. Then, he remembered another helpful tip Thranduil had given him.
"If you are ever lost in the woods, hug a tree." Thranduil's voice echoed through Legolas' head.
Legolas promptly went over to the nearest tree and hugged it.
"Yes?" the tree answered, sounding slightly embarrassed.
"I'm lost." Legolas replied. "Can you help me get back to Imladris?"
"The Last Homely House?" the tree asked.
"Yes."
The tree was silent for a moment. Legolas looked expectantly at it for a while.
"Please don't stare at me, elfling. It makes me nervous." the tree complained.
"Sorry."
After an awkward silence, the tree finally gave him directions.
"Turn north and walk straight until you reach a lake. Then, turn slightly northeast and continue walking until you see a tree in the shape of a triangle. Go through the triangle, just for fun, and turn south. The Last Homely House is not far from the triangle tree."
"Thank you!" Legolas smiled.
"You're welcome."
It was almost dinner when Legolas snuck back into his room. He chuckled as he did some quick calculations in his head to make sure that the skunk would not wake up too soon. After reassuring himself, he changed, washed his face and hands, and joined the other elves for dinner.
During dinner, Legolas apologized for being rude to the twins and for trying to prank them. The twins accepted his apology. Legolas also dropped a couple hints about gifts he was going to give them to make up for his actions.
" 'Ro, do you think he means it?" Elladan whispered to his brother when Legolas wasn't looking.
Elrohir shrugged. "I don't know."
Elladan sighed. "Well, we'll just have to find out then, won't we?"
Elrohir nodded and took another bite of pie.
Legolas apologized to the girls as well. Nadalle grinned and waved his apology away, while Arwen demanded his untouched dessert in return.
"But I like apple pie!" Legolas protested. "Look, I have something for you later."
"OK." Arwen contented herself with her own piece of pie.
After dinner, Legolas excused himself and rushed to his room. He began preparing his prank.
First, he placed the spiders in a bag that would open easily.
Second, he put the five frogs in a box labeled, "GONDORIAN CHOCOLATE", and the ten toads in a box labeled, "LUSCIOUS LOLLIPOPS".
Third, he took one skunk out of his bag, then put it back. He decided that he didn't want to touch them just yet.
With everything completed, Legolas had only to wait until dark to carry out his plans. He amused himself with a book for several hours.
Finally, darkness fell over the valley. After a while, Legolas could no longer hear voices or footsteps in the hall. Smirking, he set his plan in action.
Sneaking out his window once again, Legolas crept around the Last Homely House, depositing his "presents" at the recipient's door.
"I can't wait to hear them scream!" Legolas chuckled to himself. He had given up on the idea to blame the twins.
"Now, for the lords Elrond, Glorfindel, Erestor, and..." Legolas paused. Earlier, he had caught four skunks, but he only had to prank three lords. Shrugging, Legolas decided to hide the last skunk in the twins' bedroom.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
Translation of Elvish Words:
Ada: Father
Athelas: a plant of Middle-Earth with extraordinary healing powers. Also called kingsfoil.
Note: ledmii and pleincr are my inventions. They are not (to my knowledge) from Middle-Earth.
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews.
Heads up: I may be going on a temporary indefinite hiatus soon. Don't worry though, I hope to come back after a couple months! It's just that I need a small break from fanfiction.
~Kate