Title: Playing Cat and Mouse

Author: Sivan Shemesh

Beta: Aranel

Rate: G/K

Disclaimer: Not mine, but the plots.

Warning: Angst/humor, friendship, pranks, AU. Might OOC.

Summary: Gimli and Legolas friendship. Drabbles, ficlets inspired by bunnies or prompts.

A/N: Written for 'The Tolkien Tango'.

Prompt #03: Goblins

While enjoying the beauty of Mirkwood, Eldarion saw how pale Legolas suddenly was.

He tugged Legolas' clothes, and looked with worry toward the elf, wishing to know what was going on.

Legolas stared at the view before him, and remembering that they had only passed the garden, he knelt beside the boy and asked, "Eldarion, do you remember the right way to the palace?"

The boy nodded.

"I want you to run toward the palace, and when you get there, alert the guards, and tell them that I am near the waterfall. I need you to be safe, Eldarion, I do not wish you to get hurt."

Eldarion nodded, then his little face creased with worry, and he asked, "But what about you, Uncle Legolas?"

"I will be all right, now off you go."

Eldarion ran toward the palace, pausing only behind a tree to catch his breath, and glancing behind a fraction of a moment to see how Legolas was fighting for his life as some ugly creatures attacked him. The boy sighed heavily, and broke into a run to seek aid for Uncle Legolas, as he did not wish him to get hurt.

The boy kept running, and stopped as he was at the middle of the bridge, catching his breath, and gathering himself, easing the scared look on his face, as he continued running toward the long, open doors of the palace into his parents' love.

"ADA! ADA!" Eldarion called.

Elessar hurried toward his son, wanted to know what was upsetting his son, and why he had returned without Legolas. Arwen instinctive turned to the boy, and King Thranduil and Gimli quickly joined them.

"What is it, Eldarion?" Elessar asked, his hands soothing the boy's back, trying to calm him down.

"Uncle… Legolas… in trouble… ugly creatures attack him…" Eldarion replied, still trying to catch his breath.

Thranduil growled in anger as he murmured, "I hate those orcs…"

Eldarion stared at the king, frowned, and suddenly said, "But they were not orcs – something else, possibly."

"How do you know they were not orcs?" Thranduil asked with curiosity.

"Because Ada showed me once how the creatures looked like so I could fight them, and the creatures that I saw were not orcs!" Eldarion insisted, looking at the king.

A cough was heard behind them, and all turned around to see Gimli.

"Forgive me for interrupting you, but why have we done nothing to help Legolas?" Gimli asked.

"My guards are already there to protect their prince, Master Dwarf." Thranduil replied to Gimli, and then he turned toward the boy and asked with concern, "Did you notice if Legolas was hurt?"

The boy only nodded, letting a few tears fall freely down his cheeks before he replied, "I saw him getting hit."

"Tell me what you need and I set the room, and hope that we can save him," Thranduil told Aragorn, "My son's stubbornness will get him killed one day."

Moments later, the guards brought Legolas' limp form in, and all of them could see how the blood soaked up in the prince's clothes.

"What was attacking my son?" Thranduil asked the guards.

"They were the goblins, Your Majesty, and we made certain that we killed them all." Galdor replied.

"Set Legolas in his room; Aragorn is waiting, do whatever he tells you." Thranduil ordered and hoped to see his son's smiling at him soon.

Once the guards settled Legolas in his room, Eldarion could not help himself as he held Legolas' hand and begged with pleading eyes the still form, "Please live… Uncle Legolas… Thank you."

Arwen gently pulled him away, gathering the boy in her arms, and letting him cry his soul out. Only by letting Aragorn do his work, could Legolas be saved from certain death.

Gimli stood at the door frame, staring at the pale form of Legolas, wondering if their plan to surprise the elf would ever happen.

TBC... and the plot is not over yet...