Chapter 1 - Vital Information (aka - the bit they forgot to mention in RotK)
"Ladies and gentlemen, elves, hobbits, dwarves and wizards," began Aragorn, whilst sat on his throne in a field somewhere in Gondor. It was the day after his wedding to Arwen, and he had gathered all of his visitors together again in order to make an important speech ."It is my pleasure to see you all again one last time before we disperse to our respective lands. However, that was not the sole purpose of this gathering. I requested your presence to inform you....." He paused suddenly in his reverie, noticing something that displeased him toward the front of the crowd. "Peregrin Took, don't even think about going to sleep during my first official speech as king. You know how much I've been looking forward to ruling all of Middle Earth, don't spoil my moment."
"Uh Strider, I mean, your majesty," intercepted Merry, who was sat next to Pippin - also enjoying his ale in the warm sunshine. "You do know that you only get to rule Gondor don't you?"
Aragorn sat silently for a few seconds trying to remember why that comment sounded familiar. He had been told that before, a few months ago, by........ now who was it? Ah! Boromir. The thought of Boromir and his unfortunate death made him feel uneasy, so he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and continued, hoping to eradicate his mistake.
"Yes, I am fully aware of that Master Brandybuck, but all I was insinuating was that I am that happy to be wedded to the beautiful Arwen, and be in the company of such honourable people - I may as well be ruling all of Middle Earth." Aragorn stopped again and lowered his head to glance at the crowd settled on the grass. Half of them were tittering to themselves due to the awkward moment presented to the king, and the other half were falling asleep. He was losing them, and had to act and act fast if there was to be any hope of maintaining his reputation.
"Ladies and gentlemen - and all the rest of you," he began again, hoping to raise a reaction from the crowd. Mission accomplished, they looked up, he had their attention. Now the fun would start. "The reason you are all here today - aside, I hope, from the free beer ("Hey, I paid for mine," shouted a disgruntled dwarf about four rows back.) - was to hear my very important announcement. This time next year, Gondor will be hosting the first ever 'Official Olympics of Middle Earth'. Every race and species is invited to participate, that is, entering for the various races and events that they are eligible for. Some events will be open to all, whereas some are too specialised and therefore not appropriate for universal entry. You will be informed of these events in the coming weeks. Any questions?"
Stupid question really. Almost every hand in the field was raised.
"Master Gamgee?" Aragorn began with. He wanted to start with a familiar face.
"Your Highness Mr Strider Sir, I wanted to know how many people are allowed in each event."
"Good question Samwise. The truth is - there is not just one answer. You will be informed when more information about the individual events is available, as such things are not set in stone yet. However, I can tell you that representatives for each set of Middle Earth occupants will be chosen through extensive mini competitions. Anything else?"
The questions continued for a good three quarters of an hour, until both Aragorn and the audience were exhausted. Some of the questions had been sensible, some had been odd, and some had been downright stupid. Eventually, the crowd left, and Aragorn retired to his 'palace'. The first stage of the Official Olympics of Middle Earth was in place.
A/N - I have no idea if this has been done before, but I was bored at work the other day and was thinking up ideas for fanfic. This is what happened. Please review with your suggestions for improvement, and also for Olympic events. The wackier the better!
Keep reading (please! Don't give up on me just yet!), and review, review, review! People who write nice reviews get to win their class in the Official Olympics of Middle Earth!
Rachel xx