Battle of the Hairstyles
Legolas stood in front of his bed in one of the many guest rooms in the Last Homely House, folding his clothes and placing them in his pack. He and his father had been in Imladris for the last few weeks, visiting Lord Elrond and his sons. Now it was time to depart.
During the stay, Legolas had greatly enjoyed the company of Elladan and Elrohir. They had gone hunting several times, as well as swimming in forest lakes. The twins were his two closest friends, and were almost like the brothers he had never had. Upon Legolas's arrival, however, the twins had introduced him to somebody new.
"Legolas," Elladan said, holding the hand of a small human child. "This is Estel, the newest member of our family. Estel, this is Legolas. He is our dearest friend." Estel's blue eyes went wide as he saw the strange elf before him.
"Well met Legless!" he exclaimed, shaking Legolas's hand with all the politeness of a five-year old. Legolas and the twins chuckled.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Estel" Legolas replied, giving a small bow at the waist. He was surprised when small hands suddenly grabbed at his long hair. Crouching down to Estel's height, he allowed the awestruck child to examine it.
"Your hair is yellow!" Estel pronounced.
"It is indeed" Legolas agreed, standing up and ruffling the boy's own hair. "And yours is brown, if my eyes do not deceive me. Now come, eat with us in the dining hall."
Estel laughed gleefully, following Legolas and the twins as they headed to the aforementioned hall.
Legolas had to admit that the child had grown on him during his visit. Now that he was returning to Mirkwood, he found that he would miss Estel's lively antics.
Shouldering his pack, Legolas headed for the courtyard. His father, as well as Elrond, the twins, and Estel were waiting when he arrived.
"Ah, Legolas," Thranduil greeted his son. "Are you ready to depart for Mirkwood?"
"Yes Ada, I-" Legolas began, but was cut off by Elrohir.
"Actually, your Majesty" the raven-haired elf interjected, turning to Thranduil. "Elladan and I wanted to go on a last walk in the woods with Legolas before he leaves. Is that alright?" Legolas looked hopefully at his father.
"Of course, Elrohir," the king kindly replied. "As long as the three of you are not torn to pieces by orcs!" It was no secret that Legolas and the twins had a penchant for getting into trouble.
"Do not worry, Ada," Legolas laughed. "We will be fine."
"Wait!" Estel suddenly piped up. "Can I come too?"
"Of course you may, Estel," said Elladan. "Now come, let us be off!"
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The four friends ventured into the woods, talking and joking all the while. Estel stuck by Legolas's side, asking him the occasional question.
"Legless, Elrohir says you're good at archery. Is that true?"
"Legless, how come I make noise when I walk and you don't?"
"Legless, why is that flower purple?"
Legolas answered Estel's questions as well as he could, amused by the child's curiosity.
Suddenly, he froze.
"Legless, why-"
"Shh!" Legolas hushed him quickly. "Do not speak." Beside him, Elladan and Elrohir had also stopped walking and were nervously glancing about.
"Wolves!" Elladan exclaimed, drawing his bow. The pack came charging out of the trees, as if on cue. Estel screamed, horrified.
"Legolas!" Elrohir shouted, already fighting a wolf that had pounced on him. "Get Estel to safety!"
Without hesitating, Legolas grabbed the kicking Estel and began to place him on a tree branch out of harm's way. However, he found himself flung to the ground by one of the wolves. Estel also hit the ground with a loud "oof!"
Legolas brought up his knee between himself and the snarling wolf as he fumbled for his knives. To his alarm, the wolf stopped his efforts by slamming its heavy paws on top of Legolas's arms. Legolas struggled, but he was quickly losing hope as the wolf's teeth grew nearer…
The wolf's jaws stopped just inches from his throat. It looked up, in the direction where Estel now stood, flinging pebbles at the wolf. The beast jumped off of Legolas and headed for the defenseless child. Estel screamed in terror as it lunged for him.
"No! Estel!" Legolas sprang to his feet and shot the wolf in the head, felling it. Its body dropped to the ground right beside Estel.
Looking around, Legolas saw that the twins had slain the remaining wolves. With a sigh of relief, he took Estel by the hand and followed his friends back to The Last Homely House.
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After hearing the story of Estel's rescue by Legolas, Elrond was overjoyed. Despite Legolas's modesty, the elf lord insisted that Legolas and Thranduil remain in Imladris for another week. Happy with this arrangement, Legolas returned to his room to unpack his things.
"Legolas," said Thranduil, appearing in the doorway. "I wanted to tell you that I am very proud of you for saving Estel's life."
"Really, Ada, I did nothing heroic," Legolas said for the twentieth time. "I did what anybody else would have done."
"Still," Thranduil replied. "It was a valiant deed nonetheless. Legolas, I believe it is time for you to receive your warrior braids."
"Really?" Legolas asked, surprised. He had been hoping to get the small yet meaningful braids for a long time.
"Yes," his father said, sitting down on the bed. "Come sit, and I shall do them for you."
Thranduil's slender hands worked carefully, braiding the small sections of hair behind Legolas's ears. Within a half hour, Legolas had two perfect warrior braids.
"Hannon le, Ada. They are wonderful" Legolas told his father, stroking one side of his hair. The hairstyle seemed to suit him perfectly.
"You deserve them, my son" Thranduil replied, leaving the room. "Goodnight."
Legolas tucked himself under the blankets, still feeling his braids in wonder. He couldn't wait to show Elladan and Elrohir.
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"Good morning Legless!" Estel shouted as the blonde elf walked into the breakfast nook.
"Good morning Estel. Good morning, Elladan and Elrohir" Legolas replied, taking a seat at the table.
The twins immediately noticed his change of hairstyle.
"Elladan! Look at Legolas!" Elrohir exclaimed, pointing at the warrior braids. "Did your father do those for you last night? They look nice on you."
"He did," Legolas answered, picking up an apple. "Thank you."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Estel hop out of his seat and run towards Elrond's chamber.
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"Ahh," sighed Elrohir, leaning back in the patio chair he was sitting in. "This is the life, is it not?" He, Elladan, and Legolas were reclining in the courtyard, sipping fine red wine. Elladan and Legolas nodded their agreement.
A high pitched voice interrupted the comfortable silence.
"Legless! Legless! Look at me!"
Estel was running as fast as his tiny legs could carry him, two flawless warrior braids on either side of his face. True, they were much shorter than Legolas's, but they were unmistakable warrior braids just the same.
"Look at you!" Legolas exclaimed, smiling at the human child. "You look just like me!"
"I know!" Estel gushed. "My ada did them for me."
"You do look rather stunning Estel! In fact, I might say you look better than Legolas!" Elladan joked, setting down his wine glass. The three elves burst into laughter, making room for Estel to sit among them.
Legolas was the first to stop laughing. He felt one of his braids carefully. Did Elladan really mean what he had said?
Don't be silly, he told himself. You didn't get your warrior braids to feel threatened by a five year old human. Besides, Estel will probably just undo them tonight.
He was wrong. The next morning Estel came prancing into the kitchen with the braids still untouched.
"Look Legless! Look!" he had insisted, pointing at them.
Legolas was beginning to feel irked. He had waited nearly three thousand years for his braids to grace his head, and now a five year old who had never held a bow had the same hairstyle as him. However, he was determined to remain patient.
"Oh yes," he replied. "We're twins, just like your brothers." Estel beamed.
On the third day of seeing Estel's braids, Legolas decided he had had enough.
"Estel," he said gently, sitting beside the young human in the parlor. "I was thinking. Warrior braids are a very special honor. In fact, real warrior braids are something only adults can get. Adults like, well, me. If you wear them now, they won't be special when you get them when you're older! So, I was wondering if, um, maybe I could be the only one to have them from now on." Confident in his speech, Legolas placed a hand on Estel's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"No," said Estel plainly.
Legolas was shocked. He was a prince! How dare this little human child tell him "no"! He was about to say so, but quickly stopped himself. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Estel.
"No? Why not?" he asked, trying not to sound demanding.
"I like them," Estel replied. He stood up and began walking towards the door. Legolas stared after him.
"Oh," Estel turned as he reached the exit. "And Elladan said my braids were prettier than yours."
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Legolas awoke bright and early the next morning. He stared at his reflection in the wall mirror, examining his dual braids. They looked just as perfect as they had on the first day his father had made them, but they no longer held any joy for him. If a human child had the same braids as him, then what was even the point? Finally, Legolas made up his mind.
He didn't want warrior braids anymore. If Estel wanted to demean his hard-earned hairstyle, then let him! But Legolas wasn't going to be copied any longer. It was time for a change.
"Ada," he called as his father passed by his doorway in the hall. "Can you come in here for a second?"
"Of course! What do you need, ion nin?" Thranduil asked, stepping into the room.
Legolas sat down on the bed with a sigh.
"Can you fix my hair?" he asked mournfully.
"Your hair?" Thranduil echoed. "What's wrong with your hair?"
"Well…" Legolas thought for a moment. "I was wondering if maybe I could just have a regular braid today. Just one, in the back."
His father seemed to crumple. His expression was one of pain and betrayal.
"You don't like the warrior braids I made you?" he finally asked in a small, slow voice.
"No, no, I love them Ada," Legolas said quickly. "It's just that…the twins and I are going hunting today, and I don't want to mess them up." In truth, Legolas had kept his distance from the twins since he had found out about Elladan bad-mouthing his braids.
"Well, if that's what you want," Thranduil agreed, sitting down and beginning to undo Legolas's left warrior braid.
When his father was finished, Legolas had a neat plait of hair down his back. Satisfied, Legolas thanked his father and headed for the breakfast nook.
Estel was already at the table, eating a danish and still wearing his miniature braids. Legolas tried not to smirk as he filled his plate with food.
"Good morning Legless" said Estel.
"Good morning" Legolas replied, purposefully swishing his single braid as he turned to look at the child. "I see you're still wearing your warrior braids."
"Yes," Estel answered. "You're not wearing yours."
"That's correct, I'm not," Legolas agreed, spreading jelly on his toast. "I've decided that warrior braids just aren't for me."
Estel stared at him for the remainder of the meal. After breakfast, he took off for Lord Elrond's chamber.
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Legolas smiled as he drew back his bowstring. He had never felt so relieved. Now that Estel was no longer copying his hairstyle, he had come to the archery field for some practice. An arrow flew from his bow and landed directly in the bulls-eye of his target.
Now that he thought about it, he realized how silly the whole ordeal really was. Even though warrior braids were hard to earn, they were just braids. There was really no use in getting so worked up over a simple hairstyle. He notched another arrow.
"Hi Legless!" shouted a high pitched voice. Estel was walking toward him, hair in a single braid down his back.
The arrow flew wild and embedded itself into a tree. Legolas could feel his blood beginning to boil.
It was on.
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The next morning, Legolas asked his father to give him a simple ponytail. Thranduil complied, and Legolas walked into the breakfast nook, sitting as far away from Estel as possible. Still, he felt the child's eyes on him as he ate, studying his hair.
Sure enough, Estel showed up with a ponytail less than an hour later. Legolas was busy reading a book when the young human sat in the chair beside him, waving his hand in front of Legolas's face.
"Can I help you?" Legolas asked, setting down the book.
"No," Estel replied, pointing to his head. "I just wanted to show you that I have a ponytail too."
"Ah, yes" Legolas agreed, burying his face back into the book. But he wasn't focusing on the tale within its pages.
He was formulating a plan.
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Legolas got up before anyone else the next morning. Sneaking into the bath chamber, he grabbed as many hair gels, sprays, and tonics that he could find.
He didn't need his father's help for this one. Without hesitation, Legolas took a huge handful of gel and worked it into his hair with reckless abandon. He then used a comb to make his hair stick out in all directions. He finished the 'do with a massive amount of extreme-hold hairspray.
Laughing almost maniacally, he studied his hair in the mirror.
It was a masterpiece.
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Legolas strode into the breakfast nook, standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. Everyone stopped their eating and stared at him. Elladan and Elrohir let out collective gasps. Thranduil's cup of tea fell from his hand and shattered on the tablecloth.
"L-Legolas," he sputtered. "What in Middle Earth have you done to your hair?"
Legolas left the entrance and took a seat at the table. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and spooned some eggs onto his plate.
"It was time for a change, Ada," he replied, matter-of-factly. "I needed a new hairdo"
"But Legolas…" Lord Elrond goggled at him from across the table. "Why did you choose such a…strange style?"
"I'll tell you why," Legolas said, pointing his fork accusingly at the other elf. "Your son, Estel, kept copying and copying my hair, and I decided to put a stop to it. When he sees…"
Legolas trailed off as Estel walked into the room.
The five year old's hair looked like it held at least ten pounds of product, and it was sticking out in every direction.
"Look Legless," he said. "We match."
Legolas's mouth dropped open as he stared in shock at the sight before him.
"But-but how?" he questioned. "Estel, how did you-"
"I snuck into your room and watched you. It was pretty funny, actually. I thought elves were supposed to have really good hearing." Estel grinned smugly.
"THAT"S IT!" Legolas screamed, flinging his plate across the room. It hit the wall with a loud smash! "YOU ARE AN EVIL AND CONIVING DEMON IN THE BODY OF A CHILD! YOU HAVE MOCKED AND MIMICKED EVERY HAIRSTYLE I'VE WORN, AND I'VE HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH! TOMMOROW MORNING, MY HEAD IS GOING TO BE SHAVED! AT LEAST THAT WAY I WON'T HAVE HAIR FOR YOU TO COPY, YOU WICKED CREATURE!"
And with that, Legolas stormed out of the room, not to be seen for the rest of the day.
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Legolas woke up the next morning, ready to face the day. He was still a bit embarrassed about his outburst yesterday, but now that would no longer be copied, he felt that it was worth it.
He put on his dressing gown and headed for the breakfast nook.
Walking into the room, he greeted everyone already at the table. He glanced over at Estel. Sure enough, the boy was completely bald, having shaved his head.
However, this didn't bother Legolas.
He had two perfect warrior braids on either side of his head.
It was years before Estel completely forgave Legolas for the incident.
THE END