5 Lessons on Warfare Estel learns from the Elves... And the one time he needed to remember them all.

Characters that will appear: Estel/Aragorn, Elrond, Legolas, Elladan, Elrohir, Glorfindel, Gandalf and Thranduil, as well as a few extra guests!

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Tolkien.


Estel's first lesson comes from Elladan.

Elladan barely has time to open his eyes before the little boy launches himself onto the bed.

"Dan!" The giggling bundle cries, wrapping his arms around the sleepy Elf's neck. "Missed you!"

Elladan smiles, pulling the toddler into a tight hug.

"And I missed you, Little Estel! But why are you out of bed so early?" He asks, barely holding in a yawn.

"It's not early, it's breakfast time! Ada said to come wake you and Ro!" Estel replies, smiling brightly.

"Well, you have succeeded in waking me, Estel. Why don't you go and see if Elrohir is awake while I change?" He suggests, ruffling Estel's hair. The boy giggles again, nodding as he scrambles off of the bed, running into the next room.

Elladan slowly swings his legs out from under the covers, wincing at the twinge the movement sends through his hip. He stretches as he stands, heading over to grab a clean tunic from the closet. Once he's changed he pauses to look at his relatively scruffy appearance in the mirror, grimacing at the bruise still visible near his hairline.

A sudden tug on his tunic catches his attention and he looks down.

"Ro's snoring, Dan." Estel informs him, clearly amused. Elladan raises an eyebrow, laughing slightly as he scoops the toddler up.

"Is he indeed? I must see this for myself!" He cries, quickly hurrying to his twin's room.

Elrohir lays face down on his bed, his legs hanging over the edge. His boots lay in the middle of the floor as if they've been kicked off- Elladan can't help but notice Elrohir is still wearing the same clothes as the night before.

He must be tired. Perhaps we should leave him. Elladan thinks to himself. But no, he realises that Elrohir wouldn't want to miss out on time with Estel.

"That's not Elrohir, Estel!" Elladan whispers, a glint in his eyes. Estel frowns, looking up at him curiously.

"Then who is it?" He asks.

"Unless my eyes deceive me, we have stumbled across a Bed Troll!" The Twin informs him, keeping his face as serious as he can. "And there is only one way to defeat a Bed Troll, Estel."

"What's that, Dan?" Estel whispers back, eyes wide.

"We must launch a surprise tickle attack!"

With no other warning, Elladan bounds across the room, tumbling the small human onto the bed.

"Elrohir! It's time to wake up, dear brother!" He cries gleefully, before jumping on top of his snoring twin. Estel giggles with delight, scrambling to help tickle his sleeping brother.

Not expecting such a rude awakening, Elrohir reacts quite violently.

With a yelp of shock, the younger twin tries to sit up automatically squirming to escape the tickling hands. Elladan rolls off of his twin just in time to avoid being thrown onto the ground as Elrohir tries to flip over, tangling himself in the blankets. Estel scrambles back from the panicking twin, squealing with laughter. The laughter is quickly cut short as Elrohir tumbles off of the bed, hitting the ground with a thump.

For a moment there's silence, then a groan.

"Ro!" Estel cries, scrambling to the edge of the bed. "Ro, you alright?!" He peers over the edge, eying the younger twin.

Elrohir stares back at him, blinking slowly in an attempt to clear the haze of sleep from his brain.

"Estel? Did you just throw me out of my bed?" He asks slowly. Elladan joins Estel, peering down at his brother with a grin.

"From what I witnessed, you threw yourself out of bed." He offers. Elrohir scowls up at him, but Elladan doesn't miss how the tension leaves his twin as he relaxes.

"Are you alright, Ro?" Estel asks again, a trace of concern still in his voice.

"I am well, Estel. But I-"

"What is going on, here?" A clear voice cuts through the room. The three brothers freeze before slowly turning to look towards the door.

Elrond stands in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyebrow raised high as he takes in the state of his Sons. Estel lies on his stomach, innocent eyes meeting those of his adopted Father. Elladan lays beside him, propped up on one elbow. His face is slightly obscured by his unbraided hair, still tangled from sleep. Elrohir…Elrond has to take a deep breath to keep from pinching his nose as he eyes him.

Elrohir lies on his back, one leg still on the bed. His sheets- which should be on the bed- are tangled around him, as if he's been caught in a net. Like his brothers, he smiles innocently up at his beloved Father.

"What is going on here?" Elrond asks again, stepping into the room. "Estel, I thought you were fetching your brothers for breakfast?"

"There was a Troll, Ada!" Estel cries, as if that should explain everything.

"A Troll?" Elrond and Elrohir ask as one, confusion on both of their faces.

"Yes, Adar. Estel and I discovered a Troll in Elrohir's room." Elladan agrees, smiling down at the little human.

"And where has this Troll vanished to?" Elrond asks, leaning down to assist Elrohir to his feet.

"It…It climbed out of the window!" Estel replies. "It saw Dan and I comin' to rescue Ro and ran!"

"I see. So, a Troll managed to find its way into Elrohir's bedroom without anyone realising. Then, after you and your brother made an attempt to rescue Elrohir, the same Troll managed to escape through the window. Without being spotted?" Elrond reiterates, his eyebrow slowly raising higher. Estel seems to hesitate before firmly nodding.

"Yes, Ada. That's really what happened!"

Elrond hums, looking over at Elladan. The older twin has fallen back onto the bed, holding a hand over his mouth to keep in his silent laughter. Elrohir looks thoroughly confused as he looks between his twin and Estel, his tired mind not quite processing what's going on.

"Do I need to send Lord Glorfindel out to hunt down this Troll?" Elrond asks, amusement creeping into his voice. Estel's eyes widen slightly in horror.

"No! Glorfy doesn't need to hunt for the Troll! It's gone now." Estel half yells. "Dan and I defeated it!"

"Is that so?" Elrond hums, looking once more between the three brothers. He seems to consider something, before smiling gently.

"You must be hungry after such a difficult battle. Come, let us go and find our breakfast. Before the tea goes cold."

Not needing any further prompting, Estel scrambles off of the bed and over to the door.

Elladan rolls off of the bed, quickly following the energetic human out of the room. He hears Elrohir and Elrond slowly follow him out of the door but keeps his focus on the little ball of energy hurrying down the hall.

"Estel, wait for me!" He calls out. Estel stops immediately, waiting for Elladan to reach him before continuing down the hall.

"Elladan?" Estel asks, slipping his hand into the twin's as they walk.

"Yes, Estel?"

"Can we go Troll Hunting again after breakfast? I think there's a Book Troll in the Library. We should find it before it captures 'Restor." Estel looks up at him, a twinkle in his eye. The innocence of the child seems to melt Elladan's heart and he smiles softly.

"Of course, Estel. I'd be more than happy to go Troll hunting with you whenever you'd like." He informs him. Estel beams up at him, skipping along.

"You promise you'll always go Troll Hunting with me? When I ask?"

"Yes, Estel. I promise."

0o0o0o0o0

Fifteen years later, Elladan finds himself hanging by the ankles in the middle of a Troll Camp, watching as the unconscious Mirkwood Prince is dragged across the damp grass. Somewhere to his left he can hear Estel cursing up a storm, while Elrohir carefully picks his way through the trees on the right, doing his best to avoid detection. As he observes the camp, a thought crosses his mind.

"Estel?" The twin groans, turning his head to eye the human. Estel pauses in his cursing.

"Yes, Elladan?"

"Once we are free of this mess, let's stick to hunting Bed Trolls."


Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think so far.

(Chapter 2: Estel's second lesson comes from Glorfindel. It's not a lesson he'll easily forget.)