Disclaimer: I do not own any of these Tolkien characters. The only character I do own here is Benjamin, the Caretaker.
CHAPTER ONE
Legolas opened his pack and pulled out a bottle of shampoo and some soap. He was going to take advantage of the fact that their journey at this point finally led them to this pool of water with a lovely fountain.
The other members of the Fellowship didn't mind letting him be the first to bathe, as they were tired and wanted to rest for a few minutes. But they also insisted Aragorn have a bath and shampoo right away, too, as the greasiness in Aragorn's hair was really bothering them. So they practically shoved Aragorn towards the direction of the water where Legolas was bathing.
The sounds of the water cascading from the fountain was soothing. Legolas savored the moments in the water as he lathered himself all over and then rinsed. He gladly let Aragorn use some of the shampoo and soap, as he was as eager as the others were for Aragorn to be rid of the grease, dirt and odor from his body. It wasn't easy to stay upwind from Aragorn during their journey.
Suddenly a man dressed in a blue robe appeared and shook his head.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said softly. "Wouldn't you know it? I step away for just a few minutes to relieve myself and come back to find intruders in the Fountain of Youth. Oh, dear."
Legolas and Aragorn looked up in surprise.
"Who are you?" they asked in unison.
"My name is Benjamin. I am the Caretaker of this Fountain of Youth which you both have unfortunately tainted with whatever it is that is causing those bubbles of lather. Gentlemen, this fountain is not meant to be used for personal grooming."
"Fountain of Youth?" they asked, again in unison.
"Yes. And since only a few drops of water would have been enough to maintain your youth, I fear that bathing in this fountain will have a far greater effect on you. I pray I will be able to dig up an antidote to reverse what is going to happen."
Legolas and Aragorn got out of the water and were about to ask more questions of this strange man in the blue robe when suddenly they both began to change.
"Aragorn, what's happening?" cried Legolas. "I feel very strange!"
"I don't know, Legolas," said Aragorn. "I am also feeling very strange."
"What part of 'Fountain of Youth' did you two NOT understand?" asked Benjamin, shaking his head.
A few seconds later Legolas and Aragorn became very young toddlers. Legolas appeared to be only two and a half years old in Earth years. Aragorn looked like a four-year old lad.
"Well, at least you didn't change into embryos. That's a load off my mind," said Benjamin.
Legolas nervously looked around him, not knowing where he was, as his mind was now that of a very young child. He wanted his mother and she was nowhere in sight, so he began to cry.
Aragorn was confused by his surroundings, too. He heard the sobs coming from Legolas, so he turned to look. What happened next was so very sweet that it melted Benjamin's heart as he watched.
Aragorn immediately went over to Legolas, put his arms around him to comfort the crying blond elf child and made soft cooing sounds.
"Don't cry, please don't cry," whispered Aragorn in Elvish. Legolas buried his face on Aragorn's shoulder and they held each other tightly.
"Well, aren't you both precious?" Benjamin said softly. "You look so cute that I almost hate having to find a solution to change you back to your former selves."
Suddenly Benjamin realized they were not alone, for the other members of the Fellowship had come over to check out the fountain.
Benjamin braced himself for the explanation he'd have to give them. He saw the wide-eyed looks of surprise and confusion on their faces when they saw the two little young tykes in place of the grown man and elf they expected to find.
After hearing Benjamin's explanation, Frodo stared at little Legolas and little Aragorn. It felt weird to no longer be one of the smallest in the group. Frodo slowly walked over to the toddlers, smiled and spoke softly so as not to frighten them.
"Hello, Legolas. Hello, Aragorn. Do you remember me? I'm Frodo."
He didn't think they would remember him, as their minds were now those of little children. He was right. He was a stranger to these toddlers. So were the other members of the Fellowship.
Legolas looked nervous again as he clung to Aragorn. The two youngsters stared one by one at Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Gimli, and Boromir.
"It's too bad Gandalf isn't still with us. He might have been able to come up with a spell to change them back!" said Frodo.
Sam suddenly cried out, "Frodo! Look!" He pointed to Sting. It was glowing bright blue.
"ORCS!" cried Frodo. What now? Instead of mighty Aragorn and skilled archer Legolas by their side to protect the Ring-Bearer and the other Hobbits, the Fellowship now had to protect these two helpless innocent toddlers! They still had Gimli with his ax and Boromir with his sword and shield, but Frodo feared the Orcs would defeat them all for sure during this latest encounter.
CHAPTER TWO
Benjamin quickly assessed the situation, then took charge. He had heard stories about the Orcs before, and he could sense from the way the members of the Fellowship reacted that the Orcs were not coming to join them for a civilized afternoon tea.
"Quickly now," he said to the Fellowship members. "Take the little ones over toward my shelter there. Stay by this side of the Fountain of Youth. Are there anymore in your group?"
Boromir replied, "No. We're all accounted for here. I can hear the Orcs coming from that direction." He pointed west.
Benjamin nodded. "Good. I have an idea on how we can prevent a massacre."
The Caretaker of the Fountain of Youth rushed over to a large tree. He took hold of a branch and gave it a push. A large boom cracked loudly from a nearby dam. The dam parted and water gushed out just as a large group of Orcs came into view.
Frodo and the others watched in amazement as the powerful blast of water sped toward the Orcs, swept them off their feet and drenched them. The Orcs were caught completely by surprise. They floundered about in the water, slipping and falling, screaming and gasping as they tried to fight their way out of the continuous gush of water that engulfed them.
"We don't have long before the supply of water runs out. Then the Orcs will be back on their feet," said Benjamin. "If this doesn't work, you must flee!"
Frodo quickly scooped up little Legolas, and Sam did likewise with little Aragorn. The toddlers squirmed and cried in protest at being separated. Legolas stretched out both arms toward Aragorn and whimpered. His face clearly showed his frustration from being torn from Aragorn. Aragorn didn't like being separated from Legolas either, but he tried to reassure the other toddler by smiling and waving at him. Legolas stopped whimpering and settled down in Frodo's arms, but he wouldn't take his eyes off of Aragorn.
Borormir, Gimli, Merry and Pippin had their weapons drawn and ready to do battle, if needed. They would fight bravely and go to the end to protect the Ring-Bearer and the toddlers.
Fortunately, that was not necessary. As Benjamin had hoped, the huge rush of water had the desired effect on the Orcs. Instead of dangerous creatures rushing over to attack the members of the Fellowship, there was now a large group of infant Orcs crying loudly and crawling about on the soaked ground. The water had come from the same source as the water in the Fountain of Youth.
Gimli stared at the baby Orcs for a moment, then said, "Well, they'll be a lot easier to kill now."
Merry said, "Yes, but that wouldn't be fighting fair, would it? I mean, they're BABIES now. They can't hurt us."
Gimli replied, "Haven't you ever heard that the only good Orc is a dead Orc?"
Pippin said, "Maybe Gimli is right, Merry. We don't know how long these Orcs will stay as babies. What if they change back soon and come after us?"
Boromir said, "Benjamin, do you know how long these Orcs will stay like this?"
"No," replied the Caretaker. "I wasn't even sure if the water would affect their species. Fortunately, it did. But I'm sure you'll be able to have at least a few days to get ahead of them toward your quest. If you leave now, I doubt the Orcs will be able to catch up with you."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" said Frodo. He held up little Legolas who was staring in amazement at all the baby Orcs crying and crawling along the wet ground. Little Aragorn was doing likewise as Sam held him.
"Oh, yes. I must check my book. There should be something in it about reversing the effects."
"You mean you don't already know?" asked Pippin. "As the Caretaker, shouldn't you already know how to do that in case something like this happens?"
Benjamin gave Pippin a look that clearly meant, "Back off, pipsqueak!" Then he softened his look and said, "I suppose I should, but in all the years as the Caretaker, that's never been necessary. If you'll give me a few minutes, I'll consult my book. Excuse me." He went inside his shelter.
Benjamin emerged from his shelter a few minutes later with a triumphant look on his face. "I found it!"
Benjamin grinned at Frodo. "Here you go, little one." He handed Frodo a piece of paper. "It's a list of herbs you'll need to make the cure. Follow the directions exactly to the letter and your companions will be back to normal in no time."
Frodo and Sam read the piece of paper and smiled.
"Don't you worry, Mr. Frodo," said Sam. "I know about these herbs. I'll go fetch them right away!"
"Thanks, Sam."
Frodo breathed a sigh of relief as Sam ran off into the woods to fetch the herbs.
Sam returned a few minutes later. While Frodo and Sam prepared the cure under the supervision of Benjamin, the two toddlers played together. Every now and then Frodo glanced over at them and smiled. They look so cute, Frodo thought.
"Okay, time to administer the cure," said Benjamin. Frodo and Sam picked up the toddlers and brought them over to Benjamin who carefully fed each toddler the proper dose of herbal mixture.
"It'll have a side effect while it works its way through their system," explained Benjamin. "These little tykes will feel drowsy and fall asleep for about an hour. But when they awaken, they'll be back to normal."
"Are you sure?" asked Frodo. "Not to question your ability as the Caretaker, I mean. It's just that, well, isn't the first time you've made this cure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. But if it'll make you feel better, you can stay here for the next hour until they awaken, so that I can be here in the unlikely event the cure doesn't work. However, that will delay you in your quest, won't it?"
Frodo nodded. He wanted to be sure nothing went wrong with the cure.
"We'll wait here with you until the cure does work," said Frodo. He held Legolas in his arms as the toddler quickly drifted off to sleep. Sam did likewise with little Aragorn.
Frodo gazed down at Legolas's face as he slept. The elf child felt light as a feather in his arms. Frodo marveled at his perfect delicate features. That tiny nose, those beautiful eyes, those soft pink lips, the tiny pointy ears, the pale soft skin, and that lovely golden blond hair. What a beautiful elf child, thought Frodo. His parents must have doted upon him when he was so very little. Frodo gently rocked back and forth as he carefully held little Legolas who seemed like a fragile doll that might break if dropped. He studied the tiny delicate fingers of the toddler's hands and the tiny toes of his feet. He gently stroked the golden hair atop Legolas's head. So soft, so lovely, thought Frodo. He gently kissed Legolas's forehead. Gee, I'm going to miss seeing him like this. He glanced over at Sam holding little Aragorn who was fast asleep.
"You'd both better set them down on the blankets now," whispered Benjamin. "Otherwise you'll find yourselves holding a full-grown elf and a full-grown man in any moment."
Frodo wondered how the time flew by so quickly. He didn't want to stop holding little Legolas, but he reluctantly got up and carried Legolas toward where the blankets were on the floor. Sam did likewise with Aragorn.
Frodo and Sam gently placed the toddlers on the blankets and watched in amazement as the transformation took place.
"What happened? How did we get here?" said Aragorn as he and Legolas looked around in total confusion.
Benjamin brought over their clothes which were now clean and dry.
Afterward Legolas and Aragorn listened as Benjamin and the others explained to them what had happened.
"You should remember, but apparently, the chemicals in the shampoo and soap affected the water in such a way that it resulted in you both not remembering what you experienced," said Benjamin.
Boromir said, "We'd best on our way now."
Frodo said, "Yes, I guess we should be going. Thank you, Benjamin, for all your help."
"You're most welcome, Frodo," said Benjamin. "I wish you well on your quest."
Benjamin waved at them as the members of the Fellowship continued their journey. He had much work to do now. He had to filter out the soap and shampoo chemicals from the water of the Fountain of Youth, not to mention the dirt, grease and hair those two left behind after they had bathed and shampooed in it. And then there was the much bigger task of closing the dam and refilling the large supply of water. And what about all those baby Orcs? He would have to contact his superiors about sending him some help to relocate those baby Orcs elsewhere before the water's effects wear off. The thought of suddenly finding himself in the midst of a large group of angry adult Orcs did not sit well with Benjamin. This job doesn't pay enough, he thought.
But then this could all be moot, if the Ring-Bearer does not succeed in his quest, thought Benjamin. For all of Middle Earth would be destroyed, including this Fountain of Youth and himself. Benjamin sighed and prayed for their success.
CHAPTER THREE
The Fellowship continued toward their quest.
Legolas could not help but notice the odd looks Frodo was giving him as they walked along.
"Why do you look at me that way?" he asked Frodo.
"What way?" asked Frodo.
"Strange and different. You never looked at me like that before the experience back at the Fountain of Youth. Did something happen that you are not telling me?"
Frodo looked up at Legolas, then tried to avert his eyes.
"I don't know what you mean, Legolas. Nothing happened. We just made sure you were both safe until we could change you back into your full-grown selves."
Frodo did not want to tell Legolas about how he could not get over the difference between toddler Legolas and full-grown Legolas. How could he explain the gooey-gushy feeling he had earlier when he carefully held toddler Legolas in his arms and marveled at his child-state beauty? And how could he explain the awe he held for Legolas as he saw him now as the Prince of Mirkwood, the very capable strong and fleet-footed archer and protector of the Ring-Bearer?
Legolas looked at Frodo, then decided to let the matter drop. "Very well. We shall say no more about it."
But Legolas smiled inwardly as they continued their journey. The Elf Prince was not going to say how he, unlike Aragorn, fully remembered everything that happened after the cure changed him back to his normal full-grown elf self. He clearly remembered the sweet and tender way Frodo held him and gently kissed his forehead. He also remembered how protective little Aragorn was of him. It was good to know that even during this frightening time when all of Middle Earth was in grave danger, and everything they knew and everyone they loved could be destroyed, that there was still room to show tender loving care for one another. Legolas could not think of a finer group of beings to make up this Fellowship.
