Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
I am not an expert on Elvish translation, so please correct me if I use or translate a word incorrectly.
Elladan and Elrohir are the human equivalent of nine, Nadalle is the equivalent of an 8 1/2 year old, Arwen is the equivalent of six, Laurelian is the equivalent of a 5 3/4 year old, and Legolas is the equivalent of nine.
Elrond stared at the letter in his hand. He read it over for the fiftieth time. Surely he was reading something wrong. Elrond groaned and threw his head onto his desk.
"I've never seen that one before." a voice said.
Elrond looked up to see the still pink-haired Erestor standing in front of his desk. He held the letter out to him.
"Here, you read it and see if you have the same reaction after you finish."
Shrugging, Erestor complied.
Lord Elrond, the letter began,
I apologize for the appalling lack of communication between us over the last three hundred years or so. I have been occupied with some mini-catastrophes the Greenwood has experienced lately, including an exploding cake, a fire, and a wild-goose chase across Middle-Earth. How is life for you in Imladris? Knowing you, mellon-nin, it is probably calm and peaceful, nothing like my life lately.
"If only he knew." mused Elrond.
Anyway, I would like to claim a favor you owe me for saving your life. I am needed urgently in Lothlorien indefinitely. Unfortunately, my son Legolas and daughter Laurelian cannot accompany me. Is there any chance you could keep watch over them while I am in the Golden Wood?
Erestor lowered the letter. "So far, hir-nin, this sounds harmless. Why the frustration?"
"Keep reading."
Just as a side note, Laurelian is relatively easy to care for, as she is very much like her reserved, sophisticated mother. Legolas, on the other hand, will most likely give me gray hairs soon. He is very much like me (and you, incidentally, mellon-nin). Elrond, do you recall the time when you, me, Erestor, and Glorfindel dyed some of my ada's hair gray as a joke? Reminisces aside, I am sure you will agree to having Legolas and Laurelian stay with you for a while. My errand will probably not exceed three months. I am sure your sons are very well-behaved and will be a good influence on my wayward son.
Sincerely,
Thranduil
P.S.
Good luck.
Erestor finished reading. His face paled. He turned to Elrond. "Hir-nin, you are not considering this, are you?"
"Well, I haven't talked it over with Celebrian yet, but I do owe Thranduil that favor."
"But," Erestor sputtered, "We have three tricksters in our midst already. We do not need one more. If this Legolas is anything like his father, this will be a disaster."
"Technically speaking, we have five. That is, if you include us. Thranduil did." Elrond replied, smirking slightly. "Ai Valar, as much as I do not want to do this, I suppose I will have to. At least the elleth Laurelian is not supposed to be a troublemaker."
"Hir-nin, in my mind, ALL elflings are easily imprinted upon. With your two sons, Thranduil's son, Glorfindel, and quite possibly Arwen, I don't think she has a chance of escaping corruption." Erestor retorted. He ran his hand through his shock of pink hair. After a moment of reflection he added, "I think Elladan and Elrohir are already corrupting Vennelin's daughter Nadalle as well."
Erestor thought for a moment. Suddenly, he turned to Elrond. "Why does Thranduil not send his children to the Gray Havens? I'm sure Lord Cirdan would put them to work quickly. That way, they'd stay out of mischief." he suggested.
"The sea longing."
"Why can't he take them to Lothlorien with him?"
"Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin. Too many troublemakers there."
"And there aren't too many here?" Erestor asked sarcastically. "You yourself admitted that there are five tricksters in our midst."
"And you said there might be more." Elrond shot back. He sighed. "Ai Valar. Why me?"
After several minutes of silence, Erestor spoke again.
"By the way, who do you think was responsible for ruining Lindir's party? Whoever it was, I'd like to thank them. Somehow, the honey, feathers, and hay removed the revolting pieces of some unknown substance off of me."
"Guess."
Before Erestor could guess, someone knocked on Elrond's study door.
"Enter." Elrond commanded.
A young, brown-haired elf stepped inside and shut the door. His hands were behind his back as if he was holding something. The elf stared uncertainly at Elrond and Erestor, fidgeting as he did so.
"Ah, Yilrend. Do you have something for me?" Elrond asked, holding his hand out for a letter. Yilrend was the son of one of the messengers and newly apprenticed to one of Elrond's secretaries. Sometimes, he had trouble remembering how to carry out his orders.
"No my lord. A messenger brought a message not fifteen minutes ago." The youth paused, unsure of what to do next.
"Well," Erestor broke in impatiently, "What is the message?"
Elrond placed a restraining hand on his friend and councillor's shoulder. Seeing the move, Yilrend continued speaking.
"King Thranduil has entered the Valley of Imladris."
The two older elves stared at Yilrend.
"He is accompanied by a small amount of soldiers and two elflings."
Erestor looked accusingly at Elrond. "You said you didn't agree to this!"
"I never said that." Elrond replied defensively. "I said I hadn't talked it over with Celebrian. All the same, I didn't agree to this."
Yilrend glanced at the two arguing elves, and quietly excused himself. As he opened the door, two black-haired elflings knocked him over as they bolted into the room. From the floor, Elladan and Elrohir looked up guiltily, and helped Yilrend to his feet. After he found his footing and breath again, Yilrend left the room and shut the door behind him.
"Ada?" Elladan said as Yilrend disappeared. "Naneth told me to tell you that King Thranduil is in the courtyard."
"Thank you, Elladan." Elrond sighed. He could feel a headache coming on already.
Suddenly, someone jerked the door open. A tall, blue-haired elf strode into the room. He was wearing a crown that seemed to be made of twisted stems and leaves, a silver robe, and black riding boots. His gray eyes twinkled mischievously when he saw Elrond's eyes widen and Erestor's face pale.
"Give me a chance next time, mellon-nin." grumbled Elrond, crossing his arms. "I only received your letter two days ago."
The blue-haired elf chuckled. "That should have been plenty of time."
"Well it wasn't." Erestor growled. Just then, Glorfindel threw open the door. His eyes were widened in fear, his face was pale, and he was breathing hard as if he had been running.
"Lord Elrond, King Thranduil is here. I suggest you hide." Glorfindel panted, leaning on the wall for support. "If you need me, I will be hiding in the gardens." Suddenly, he spotted the elf. Glorfindel screamed and ran out of the room.
Elrohir watched his retreat, fully amused. "Ada, he screamed the same way Arwen screamed when 'Dan and I dumped a jar of worms on her head." Too late, Elladan elbowed his brother, trying to silence him.
The blue-haired elf shook his long hair sadly at Elrond. "Elrond, I thought your elflings would be better behaved than mine."
"What did you expect, Thranduil?" Elrond smiled. "You know how I am, and how Elros was. It's in their nature."
"By they way," Erestor interjected, "What happened to that beautiful, golden hair you were so proud of?"
Thranduil grimaced. Instead of answering, he strode out of the study and down the hall. After several minutes, he returned with a small, young elleth with bright pink hair and an ellon with blond hair that looked a little older than the twins.
"Guess." Thranduil commanded, a twinkle in his eyes.
Erestor pouted like an elfling. "Why is everyone telling me to guess today? I don't know!"
"I thought you were the intelligent one of us!" Thranduil laughed.
"He hasn't been the same since we dyed his hair." Elrohir stated matter-of-factly.
Thranduil looked from Elrohir to Elladan to Elrond to Erestor to Laurelian. He burst out laughing. All the other elves stared at the Elvenking, who was now rolling on the floor from laughter. Finally, his laughter began to subside. Wiping tears from his eyes, Thranduil remarked,
"Well, Elrond. It looks like you have your work cut out for you."
"I still haven't said yes." Elrond retorted.
Translation of Elvish words:
Mellon-nin- my friend
Hir-nin- my lord
Elleth- female elf
Ada- father or daddy
Naneth- mother or mommy
Ellon- male elf
Author's Note:
So, what did you think? Review and rate, please!
A shoutout to attheturnofthetide for voting for the name "The Terrible Tricksters" instead of "The Terrible Troublemakers." Thank you for your input.
~Kate