A/N: Hey, this is just a little one-shot I cooked up while studying. Hope you all enjoy and review!
Romen

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The Tutor

"Ah, quel amrun Estel. It seems that you finally decided to get out of bed."

Elrohir smiled wryly. "Yes, we were beginning to believe that you would never emerge from under your blankets."

Estel glowered at them, the fire in his eyes taking them aback. He plopped down in his chair, his shoulders hunched as he brooded over his bowl of porridge.

"Are you going to eat anything?" Elrohir asked, glancing at the oldest twin.

"Cold," the young adan grunted, pushing the bowl away, his eyes darkening. He ran one hand over his face, yawning.

"You have dark circles under your eyes," Legolas noted worriedly. "You're pale."

Estel shot him a glare. "Thank you, naneth."

"Are you well?" the prince pressed, leaning forward.

Estel rolled his eyes. Ever since he had caught cold a few weeks ago, Legolas had been on edge. Every time the adan sneezed or coughed, the elf would jump, whirling around wildly as if afraid that Estel would cease to be at any minute. In fact, they had had a very interesting conversation.

Estel had been studying in the library. Well, he had actually been falling asleep with a book propped in front of his face. At any rate, Legolas had startled him from his stupor.

"Estel."

The fourteen year-old had started, blinking before his eyes found the stone-like face before him. "Legolas! Don't do that again! You- distracted me from my studies."

"I need to speak with you."

Ignoring the fact that he was being unusually serious, he had nodded, setting down his book and pushing himself up in his chair. "What about?"

There was a small beat of silence before, "You know that I love you as a brother."

Estel frowned. "Uh...yes..."

"And that I would defend you from any foe, even if it led to my death."

"Um, yes..."

"And despite our past disputes, I hold no grudge or ill will against you."

"We haven't had many past disputes," Estel pointed out.

"Yes, well..." He looked down. "I will always recall the times we had together, even...when you are not here."

"That's nice."

"Estel!"

"Hmm?"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Mmm." He watched as the elf chewed on his lip. "Really, Legolas, I'm listening. Pray continue."

The prince heaved a heartfelt sigh. "I just wanted you to know that I will always treasure the memory of our friendship."

"That's good. I always thought you would forget about me when I died."

"What?" Legolas cried, his eyes widening in horror.

"I'm just joking," Estel said quickly. "Don't worry, Legolas; I'm sure I have a few more years left."

"I am serious, mellon-nin." The elf drew his eyebrows down in concern. "I will always appreciate our friendship, and it will always be a part of me."

"Great. Let's go get something to eat."

Estel scowled, glancing up at his friend as he drew himself from the memory. "Legolas, I'm not sick." He massaged his aching neck with one hand. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Ah, so it was your candle that I saw." Elladan swallowed whatever he had been chewing. "What were you doing? Replying to a secret admirer?"

The adan was too fatigued to retort. "I was studying."

Elrohir raised one eyebrow higher than the other. "Studying?"

"Yes, studying. Erestor is putting a lot of pressure on my studies lately, and I'm having a bit of trouble..." He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "I just don't understand it."

"What is it?" Legolas cocked his head to the side.

"Uh...just something in math, I guess." He took a drink of water. "I don't know."

"Math?" Elladan crossed his arms. "What kind of math?"

Estel shrugged. "I don't know. Just...strange math."

"You should have asked earlier!" Legolas exclaimed. "I would have readily assisted in your studies."

The adan grimaced. "What?"

"Why would he ask you, mellon-nin? We're the math experts," Elladan objected, gesturing towards the younger twin.

Legolas snorted. "I think not. Who was the one who failed all of their exams?"

"No, really, it's fine," Estel interrupted. He hated to watch them go at it, especially this early in the morning. "I'm starting to understand it now; all of the studying has really benefited me."

"Estel, do not be embarrassed about difficulty in your studies," Elrohir replied gently. "We've all struggled at some point in our lessons."

"Like I said, I'm doing a lot better now. Why don't we go through the gardens?" he added hastily, trying to look enthusiastic.

"What kind of brothers would we be if we didn't help you out, tithen gwador?" Elladan stood, pushing his chair in. "Come, show us your work."

"No, this really isn't necessary..."

"Stop pressuring Estel," Legolas said, sending a wave of relief through the young adan. "If he doesn't want your help, then you shouldn't force it upon him. We both know that I am more suited to be his tutor, right Estel?"

"Tutor?" Who had said anything about a tutor? Estel bit his lip. This day was just going from bad to worse. "Uh...Well, I am sure that you all have- your strengths," he finished lamely.

Elrohir smiled softly. "Don't be afraid of hurting Legolas's feelings, Estel. He won't be angry."

"Really, I'm sure you all could offer great assistance, but..."

"Then you're going to have to decide." Elladan moved over to stand beside his brother. "Who do you think would be the better tutor?"

"Heheh...Um..." He paused. Despite the fact that he didn't want any of them to help, he had to admit that Legolas would probably be the best choice. The twins just didn't seem serious or studious enough. Still, none of them were known for their academic inclination, and he was a bit worried about what the twins would do to him if he didn't choose them. They would find some way to get revenge, and it definitely wouldn't be pleasant.

"You all could help!" 'What am I saying?' he thought to himself, licking his lips nervously. "Like I said before, you all have different strengths. Dan, you're a quick thinker, and Ro- uh, you're good with, um, numbers. Legolas, you, uh, you're very concentrated and aren't easily distracted. Yes, you all have different strengths, and I think that having all of you lend me a hand would prove to the most successful." 'Or not.'

Legolas glanced at the twins warily, hesitating. "I understand your decision, Estel. You don't want to betray your brothers, and I respect that. Fine; they can come along, and maybe they'll learn something themselves."

"Ha!" Elrohir snorted. "I'm proud of you for letting him build himself up, Estel. You're a good friend."

"All right, enough talk." Elladan waved them away. "Show us your work."

(Space)

"Here they are." Estel set the books down at the desk, plopping down in one of the chairs and trying not to feel too sorry for himself. "That's all of them."

"Hmm." Elrohir lifted the first book off of the stack, flipping through the thin leaves. "Did you bring a quill pen?"

"Uh-huh." He dipped it into the ink well, bending over a piece of parchment.

"Well?" Legolas snapped.

Elrohir glanced at him. "Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to give him any instruction?"

"Of course I am. It isn't like you've been any help thus far."

They glared at each other, their faces set. Estel kept himself from heaving a sigh.

"I've mostly been having trouble with problems like these," he explained, setting a piece of paper in front of them and watching as they examined what he had written the previous night.

"What part are you having trouble with?" Elladan asked bluntly, frowning.

Estel scooted his chair closer to them. "Well, I can mostly remember the process, but when I get to a certain point, I just get...confused."

"What confuses you?" The oldest twin tilted his head to the right.

"Well, I just...don't really know what to do." He ran a hand through his hair. "I just forget everything, and I feel a bit lost."

"Where?"

"Well, I don't know. I just don't get it."

"How long have you been studying this?" Legolas queried, his brow furrowed.

Estel shrugged. "A few weeks, I guess."

"How much do you study on a daily basis?" the Sylvan elf continued, reaching for the book.

"I don't know...An hour or two, I suppose."

"Do you quiz yourself or read straight from the book?"

"Both."

"Do you scan the text and review chapters or do you read word-for-word?"

"Um...scan the text?"

"Has Erestor ever worked one-on-one with you?"

"Are you ever going to end this interrogation?" Elrohir interrupted idly. "I don't know about you, but I think Estel actually wants to get some work done."

"I was just trying to get an idea of how he's studied in the past," Legolas justified.

"Whatever. Anyway, Estel, let's take a problem from the text." He snatched the book from Legolas's hand, opening to a random page. "Here we are. Why don't you give this problem a try."

Estel glanced at the problem, his mouth going dry. "Umm...I don't think I can do this."

"It's easy," Elladan insisted. "All you have to do is simplify the expression." 'At least that's what it says.'

"Let me see." Legolas glanced at the page. "All right, Estel, write this down."

Estel grabbed his pen, dipping it in the well and hurriedly scribbling 28 (50 (x -16y)).

"All right. First, look at -16y. Are you looking, Estel?"

"Yes, I'm looking."

"Now look at x. Are you looking?"

"Uh-huh." Estel picked up his quill pen, dipping it in the ink well, preparing to write.

"Obviously, we cannot do anything with them. Now look at the parenthesis."

"Yes." Was it just him, or was time passing very slowly?

"...and the other."

"Oh, sorry, Legolas. Can you repeat that?"

Legolas blinked. "Yes, but you really should try to pay attention otherwise this will all be very fruitless. Now let's start from the beginning. Look at the -16y. Now observe the x. Obviously we cannot do anything with them. Now turn to the parenthesis. They surround the x and the -16y. They are the core of the expression. Now move to the next number..."

Estel fiddled with his pen, watching as Legolas droned on and on. Maybe he should have just asked the twins (even though he wouldn't have gotten anything done). At least they would have gotten to the point.

"...and so that brings us to the answer. Did you understand that, Estel?"

"Yes, I did." He sat up a bit straighter. 'Just don't say it all again!' "It seems so clear now."

"Good. I knew that you would catch on quickly. Now repeat it all back to me."

"What?"

"You can't possibly expect him to remember that boring speech!" Elladan exclaimed. "I almost fell asleep myself."

Legolas massaged his temples. "You just have a short attention span, Dan. You can't even sit through a five minute conversation..."

"Needless to say a four-hundred year long speech."

"I've had enough of this."

They whirled around as Arwen appeared from behind an arm chair, her eyes cold. She folded her arms against her chest, shaking her head (thought she looked a bit bemused).

"What are you doing here?" Elladan asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I was trying to read, but ever since you four came in here it's been nothing but a nuisance." She walked over to them, pulling over a chair and leaning over Estel's shoulder. "What are you working on, penneth?"

"Math," they all said in unison.

"I can see that without your genius deduction," she replied wryly. "Ah, you're trying to simplify an expression."

"Yes, but I'm having a bit of trouble with it."

"Let's try a different one, shall we?" She gently took the quill pen from his hand, gracefully writing. 2 (5 (x -3y)). "Now remember, with an expression like this, you always start in the center and work your way out."

Estel blinked. "So...I'm concentrating on x and -3y?"

She nodded. "Exactly. Do you know what operation we must perform?"

"Multiplication?"

"Very good. However, we cannot multiply x by -3y, since you cannot multiply letters. So we move to the next inner number, which is...?"

"Five. So -3y would be -15y, and x...?"

"X would automatically become 5x for now. Remember, in an algebraic equation, your main goal is to isolate x, or whatever you happen to be solving for. It might be something else, like n or y, but don't worry about that right now. Do you know what the next step is?"

"Well, now that five is gone, I should multiply everything by two, so it becomes 10x -30y."

She nodded, smiling. "Very good. If the problem was written like so, this would be the correct answer. However, it might have an equal symbol outside of the parenthesis, with a number following." 2 (5 (x -3y))562.

She cleared her throat. "We have already completed the first steps of the problem, so we can already move on. Do you know what to do? By the way, you're solving for x."

"Yes." 10x -30y 562

"Good. Now remember, you want to isolate x. In order to do this, you must dispose of the negative 30y. You do know how to get it to zero."

"Add a positive 30y."

"Yes, very good. Now remember, what you do to one side, you must also do to another. Put a positive 30y next to 562."

Elladan frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

Arwen rolled her eyes, heaving a small sigh. "I don't make the rules, gwador, I just enforce them, while you do neither. Anyway, now our next goal is to cancel out the ten."

"So...I put 10 over 10...?"

"Yes, very good. So 10 now becomes a fraction; 10/10, or one whole. Remember that in algebra, what you do to one side, you must do to another. So..."

"I see." x 562 +30y/10.

"Very good Estel. That is your answer. Now why don't you try one of the other problems on your own now, and see if you have any trouble." She turned around, fixing her brothers with a smug expression on her face.

"We could have done that," Elrohir said defensively.

Arwen scowled. "Sure you could have, if the three of you would have ever stopped bickering. Besides, Estel had already asked me to give him a hand later this evening."

Legolas blinked. "He came to you for help?"

"Yes, he did! I actually like algebra, something that is probably incomprehensible to all three of you. I had a little trouble at first, just like most people, but once I caught on I used to give myself random problems to solve to pass the time away."

Elladan looked disgusted. "I can't believe that we're related."

"Why didn't he ask us for help?" Legolas asked in disbelief, glancing at the youngest twin.

"Because you're his friends!" Arwen exclaimed. "Legolas, would you have ever asked Dan and Ro to help you with your studies? Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know." She clasped both of her hands. "My point is that he probably was a bit uncomfortable with that kind of set up." She grinned. "Besides, everyone knows your reputation when it comes to academics."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Elrohir sneered.

"You know perfectly well what it means. How is that coming along, Estel?"

Estel nodded. "Fine. I think I understand it now."

"Good. Just remember to start in the center, and that your main goal is to isolate x." She gave him a small pat on the shoulder. "Now, as for your friends here..."

(Space)

Arwen glanced over the oldest twin's shoulder, heaving a sigh. "Dan, I told you to start in the center. Is that really so hard to conceive?"

"No," Elladan growled, scratching out what he had written and glaring at his sister sideways as Elrohir dropped his pen and ducked under his desk, his face looking unusually red.

"Really, Elladan, this is the tenth time that you have had to start over. You haven't even gotten as far as the third step."

He glanced at her, his lip curling. "You're really enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now try again, and this time take it seriously."

"She's getting revenge," he muttered under his breath once she was out of ear-shot, his eyes narrowing as he watched her sit down beside Estel.

"For what?" Legolas asked softly, glad that he had an excuse to stop pretending that he was working.

Elladan's face twitched. "I don't know. I can't really remember what we last did to her, but I know that she's doing this to make us suffer. Purposefully."

"Then let's go do something else," Legolas exclaimed. "We don't have to do this." He threw down his pen. "This is ridiculous. My father hired the best tutors in the kingdom to teach me. I shouldn't have to go through this!" 'Despite my past test scores.'

Elrohir shook his head. "Bad idea. She'll black-mail us."

"Black-mail?"

"Yes. She'll black-mail every one of us. Dan is right, Legolas; she's getting revenge. I don't exactly recall what we did, but it most likely doesn't deserve this sort of punishment. Still, it's better that we don't let her threaten us."

"I can hear you," she called over to them, not looking up from Estel's work.

Elladan rolled his eyes, crouching over his piece of parchment. "We'll think of something to do to her. I don't know what it will be, but we'll think of some form of pay-back..."

"Come now; it isn't that bad, is it?"

Legolas glanced up at Estel. "You are finished?"

The adan nodded. "Yes. It isn't very hard. I'll see you all at lunch, I suppose." He pitted on his heel.

"Wait!" Elrohir cried, clutching a fist-full of his tunic. "You're not going to leave us here, are you?"

Estel bit his lip. "Sorry, Ro, but I have other things that I want to do."

"Fine. It's not like we're not insulted when you don't want to spend time with us." Elrohir let go of him, leaning back in his chair and dejectedly watching as Estel left the room.

"You deserve it," Arwen pointed out. "After all of the grief you've caused..."

Elladan scowled. "You just wait, Wen. We'll find a way to get you back..."

"I'd like to see the day, gwador. By the way, you need to start in the center."

The End