#3 – Transportation

"No, stop it," Erestor said, slapping away Elladan's hand. "I don't need help mounting my own horse."

The Peredhel looked shocked. "But you've never ridden a horse before!"

Erestor laughed and swung his leg over the saddle, seating himself with ease. "That's absolutely ridiculous, Elladan. I just don't usually need to ride – I have plenty to do here without traveling somewhere."

"But – but Glorfindel told me you've never gone riding before," protested Elladan.

"Oh, did he?" Erestor turned his head to look at the golden-haired Elda mounting his own horse, then grinned evilly when Glorfindel let out a short shriek as his mount bucked wildly, throwing him off. "Well, look at that," Erestor commented casually. "It looks as though Glorfindel is having trouble getting on his horse. Why don't you go help him?"

Elladan gave him a confused look, then hurried to do as he said. A few minutes later, with much grumbling from Glorfindel and more than a few muttered curses, he had brushed himself off and was checking to see what the problem was. Elladan looked vaguely amused, then reached under the saddle blanket and pulled out a fuzzy ball with sharp spikes sticking out of it. He winced in sympathy for the horse, but then Glorfindel reached over and snatched the item.

"Erestor!" he howled, whirling to look accusingly at the adviser, who looked quite smug.

"You can now give back my hair clip you won in the last bet," said Erestor.

Glorfindel glared at him.

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#5 – Threats

"Give me my books!"

"Nope," said Glorfindel cheerfully, holding the two books high in the air and above Erestor's head. "You said that you were going to come to supper, and now I find you sneaking off to your room with these things."

"Give. Them. To me. Now." His eyes were slitted and angry, but Glorfindel wasn't intimidated. After all, the adviser was more than a head shorter than him, with no way of reaching the volumes using his height.

"You're just going to go off and read," rebutted Glorfindel. "And you promised that you were going to eat!" He noticed that Erestor wasn't disproving his statements.

"I will send you on a month-long patrol by tomorrow evening if you don't give them to me!" Erestor threatened, refusing to jump to try reaching his books Glorfindel had just snatched from him.

"Only if you promise that you won't go off and read them; you'll come eat supper with everyone else," Glorfindel persuaded, but Erestor wasn't convinced. He considered stomping on Glorfindel's toes, but it probably wouldn't even hurt the annoying Elda.

"Whoa!" yelped Glorfindel, jumping back as Erestor kicked at his shins. "Valar, Erestor, resorting to violence? That's beneath you!"

"Says the person who just stole my books," snapped Erestor, glowering at Glorfindel and deciding not to repeat the action, since he now seemed to be expecting it.

"Excuse me," a quite familiar voice said, and Erestor lost his aggressive stance to offer a nod to the blonde-haired elleth that had just stepped up beside them. Her stomach was swollen, and she wore a silver gown that accented her gleaming eyes.

"Celebrían," said Glorfindel, his tone obviously disapproving as he lowered the books. "Shouldn't you have someone escorting you?"

"Oh, of course, but Elrond had to go fetch the boys," she said brightly, her smile lighting up the corridor, and sidled next to Erestor, slipping her arm through his. He scowled at Glorfindel, suspecting the Balrog-slayer of having planned this, but Celebrían pouted innocently and leaned some of her weight on his. "Will you help me to the dining halls?"

"Of course, my lady," he said, ever politely, and frowned at Glorfindel, raising a questing eyebrow. Glorfindel laughed and handed the books to him, then walked away, whistling merrily under his breath.

Erestor rolled his eyes and tucked the books under his other arm, then carefully stepped forward and glanced down at the heavily pregnant Celebrían. "Shall we?"

"Yes, let's," said Celebrían, smiling guilelessly. "You are staying for supper, aren't you?"

Erestor restrained himself from sighing heavily. "Yes, I suppose I will."

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#13 – Rebellion

"Go sit down in my study and wait for me, right now!" Elrond ordered, pointing to the door and staring down his eldest son.

"Fine," sulked Elladan, his eyebrows lowered rebelliously and he turned to stomp out of the room. Elrond sighed when the door slammed behind him and he gave his law-father an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

Celeborn snorted. "Oh, don't worry. At that age, they're usually like that. You should have seen Celebrían when she was young!"

"Was she really like that?" Elrond asked, intrigued by the idea of his regal wife acting like Elladan just had.

Celeborn sniffed, insulted. "No, of course not. She was a perfect angel. They got it from your side of the family, I'm sure." He leveled Elrond with a suspicious glare.

Elrond wondered if it would be remiss to roll his eyes, but he had just reprimanded Elrohir for that earlier, so he restrained himself.

Celeborn remembered Celebrían standing with her hands on her hips, scowling at him just like young Elladan had a moment ago, and he held back a laugh.

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#55 – Hot

"I'm cool," Elrohir said, preening in his mirror. A moment later, an identical face appeared next to him and winked.

"So if you're cool, does that mean I'm hot?" Elladan said.

Elrohir stared for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "No, Elladan, don't be silly."

Elladan sighed dramatically, wiping his brow with one hand. "Is it hot in here, or is just me?"

"It's just you," Elrohir said automatically, feeling a cool breeze float past his face, then he huffed in frustration. "I can't believe I fell for that."

"I am so hot," Elladan complained.

Elrohir rolled his eyes again.

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#65 – Inner Beauty

"You see? Lindir, the one with the harp right there," Glorfindel said, pointing out the dark-haired minstrel that was at the front of the group.

"Oh, everyone knows who the Head Minstrel is," assured the maiden with a grin.

"Good. Whenever you're ready – but preferably when he's in the middle of a complicated song-thingy," Glorfindel instructed, then snickered and moved away.

The elleth did indeed wait, moving closer across the floor of the Hall of Fire until she was only a dozen or so yards away. Then, when the shy minstrel looked up, his fingers dancing nimbly over the strings of his harp, she smiled boldly – and then winked right at him.

Lindir's fingers stuttered on the harp and the fluid notes lost their rhythm. The other musicians quickly caught up the slack he had caused and the song flowed on as beautiful as ever, but Lindir's cheeks were flushed and he ducked his head to continue playing.

The maiden smiled proudly and she looked over at Glorfindel, who grinned widely.

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#82 – Fickle

"I'm sorry, meleth, I can't eat this," Celebrían said, pushing the plate of food away from her with an apologetic look on her fair face. "The baby is protesting."

Elrond made a mock horrified face at his wife's rounded stomach. "You naughty little girl, you! Keeping your mother from eating!"

Celebrían laughed, and Elrond turned his head to call to the door, "Elladan! Elrohir! One of you come here, please!"

Only a moment later, the door bounced open and a dark head popped through. It was Elladan, his eyes gleaming with laughter at something Elrohir had just told him. "Yes, Ada?"

"Can you fetch something else for your mother to eat?"

"Of course. What would you like, Nana?"

She hesitated, then a pensive expression crossed her face. "Are there any of those sweet rolls from breakfast left over?"

"I'm sure the cooks would be pleased to provide some," said Elladan. He grinned. "Anything else?"

"A glass of sweetened milk?"

Elladan bowed theatrically. "Right away, my lady." He vanished, the door clicking shut behind him.

Elrond raised an eyebrow at Celebrían. "It seems your sweets craving has resurfaced."

"Oh, shush," she said, elbowing him. "You know you're going to eat some of my rolls when they get here."

"That's true," Elrond admitted unashamedly, and that famous Peredhil grin his sons had inherited appeared.

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#90 – Fountain

Glorfindel couldn't look away from the fountain. It was situated in the middle of the courtyard, with high pillars of water spurting from them, and swirls of liquid running down the marbles sides into the shallow pool. His eyes, dark blue now, were trained on the crashing of foam against the water and if anyone looked closely at him, they could tell he was trembling ever-so-slightly.

He wasn't seeing the fountain, of course. He was remembering flashes of dark hair, the roaring of flames and a gaping maw; then a scream, wild and feral, as two opponents fell together into a deep fountain that looked far too similar to this one. A call from behind him. "Leave him, Glorfindel, protect the women and children!"

A hand suddenly fell on his shoulder and he flinched, barely able to keep himself from lashing out at the intruder. His gaze left the fountain, however, and he turned his head slightly to see Elrond standing beside him, appearing slightly worried. "Are you well, Glorfindel?

Glorfindel looked back at the fountain, the memories receding back into the place where he usually kept them, and he returned fully to the present. He faced Elrond and gave him a blinding smile. "Of course, of course! Just recalled something from a time ago."

Elrond didn't look convinced, but nodded. "Join us for dinner on the patio?"

"Sure," Glorfindel agreed, but gave the fountain a last haunted look over his shoulder as he followed Elrond.

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#92 – Letters

"Nana, Ada, look, I did-ded my wetters!" bubbled Arwen, bouncing up onto the couch between her parents. Elrond raised an eyebrow at Celebrían, and she mouthed 'letters' to him.

"You did?" Elrond exclaimed, catching on. "Well, let's see them!"

Arwen produced the folded sheet of paper from behind her back and handed it proudly to Elrond, who opened it. He moved his head aside to Celebrían could examine it as well.

"This is wonderful, penneth!" Celebrían said, pulling her daughter onto her lap and kissing her head of dark curls. "Did Erestor help you with this?"

"No, I did-ded it all by mythelf," Arwen said proudly. "He thaid that I was vewwy thmart and I wath an angel compare-ded to my bwothers."

"She's talking in code, I think," Elrond remarked casually, but she didn't get it and he refolded the paper, then leaned forward to press a kiss to her chubby cheek. "Good job, my dear. I am very proud of you!"

Arwen beamed.