Legolas sat cross-legged on the ground, scribbling furiously in a small book with a quill. "I've got it!" he exclaimed suddenly, looking up at Aragorn and Gimli with a bright grin. "I've written a ballad for the ages!"

Aragorn and Gimli exchanged a look. They had been traveling with Legolas for weeks, and they knew that the elf had a tendency to get carried away with his artistic pursuits. They braced themselves for what was to come.

Legolas took a deep breath and began to sing. "In the land of Middle-earth so grand, there was a man, a dwarf, and an elf band. They fought and they sang, and they did many things, and they never lost sight of their grand plans!"

Aragorn and Gimli exchanged another look, this time more incredulous than before. The song was already starting to grate on their nerves.

But Legolas was undeterred. He continued to sing, each verse growing longer and more elaborate than the last. He sang about battles and friendship, love and loss, and anything else that came to mind.

Three hours later, Aragorn and Gimli were at their wit's end. They had tried to be patient, but they couldn't take it anymore. "Legolas, please!" Gimli begged. "Make it stop!"

But Legolas was lost in his own world. He sang on and on, lost in the beauty of his own creation. "And so they journeyed, through mountains and glades, and never once did they falter or fade!"

Finally, Aragorn snapped. "Enough!" he roared, startling Legolas out of his reverie. "We appreciate your artistry, Legolas, but we have places to be and things to do. Can't you sing a shorter song?"

Legolas looked hurt, but he nodded. "Of course, my friends," he said. "I'll try to make it shorter."

And with that, he launched into another three-hour ballad, leaving Aragorn and Gimli to groan and wonder what they had done to deserve this.