A huge thank you to Crackers, who did another awesome job beta-reading this chapter!


After sheathing Angrist, Curufin quickly lost interest in the girl and took his time to study the room he had found (hacked) himself into. Arms folded, sharp eyes scanning each and every corner, a black rectangular box that sat uselessly on a small, plain-crafted oak table caught his attention.

He approached it, giving it a hard stare before tapping the top of it with his index finger. Curious, he picked it up and held it arm's-length from his face.

Elf watched him, nervously rubbing her wrist to keep herself from staying still in shock. Still huddled in the corner, she saw the most dangerous person who had likely ever been in her house fiddle around with a Playstation3 console.

The Noldorin prince held it close to his ear as he shook it, expecting some sort of rattling sound. Doing so, he discovered that the top of the box could slide open. Placing it back down on the coffee table carefully, Curufin eagerly picked up a thin disc that resided inside. He turned to Elf, frowning.

"What is this?" He lifted the disc for her to see.

Elf sat up a bit, trying to remain still despite her nervousness. "That's … Assassin's Creed."

Curufin's frown deepened; he was clearly even more confused.

"It's a game … that you play …" Elf bit her lip, realizing she must have made no sense.

However, Curufin had moved on and put the Playstation back in its original state. "That doesn't sound like a very safe game for someone like you to be playing."

Elf suppressed a laugh, instead covering her mouth tightly. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw Curufin carelessly (yet no less purposefully) tip one of the packages on the floor.

It landed with a thud, causing the sitting girl to jolt and fall backwards into the wall.

Rolling on its side, many of the packaging peanuts spilled on the floor.

Curufin smiled thinly as a groan sounded from under all the polystyrene. "Woops."

"Who … who is in there?" Elf shakily rose to her feet, using the wall for support – she was probably going to faint, if not die.

"I know you're awake, brother."

"Leave me alone."

Curufin placed a hand on his hip. "Come now, do not be so rude. Our host wants to meet you."

No reply came. Almost seeming to sigh, Curufin reached into the polystyrene pile and pulled up a tall, golden-haired figure.

Elf's arms gave in, and she shrank back into a small huddle. Handsome and fair, this elf stood just a little taller than her first guest. His long, gold hair fell over his shoulders, although a few locks were displaced and rather tangled.

Doubting this was Maglor, this could only be Celegorm, the third son of Fëanor and among them the most fair.

Mere inches from his younger brother's smirking face, Celegorm scowled. "That … was very unnecessary."

Shrugging, Curufin made as if to turn around and open up the next package. Instead, though, he instantly turned back to face his old Partner-In-Crime, sniffing him and looking at him in disgust.

"You smell of dog." he said, sitting on the couch and folding his arms.

Celegorm flinched, obviously offended. "What did you just say?"

"You smell of dog,"

Confused, Celegorm's hand lightly caressed his matted hair. He was no less surprised to find the state he was in.

Curufin's lips curled into a smile. "Did you think Huan was Lúthien?"

Whatever Elf's thoughts were of the term 'horrified', they instantly changed to appreciate the expression on Celegorm's fair face.

Curufin chuckled and gestured for his dumbstruck brother to sit with him. "I jest, Tyelko, I jest. Come, relax! We'll fix you up later."

Awkwardly sitting in this foreign home, the brothers conversed in Quenya regarding the architecture and the faults in the structure of the old house. Curufin sat back, occasionally nodding and pointing at the strange carvings on the pristine white ceiling.

Elf had thought the time she met her favorite radio hosts a few years back was worthy to render her speechless. But this … this was beyond her! Two characters from her favorite book – Celegorm and Curufin, the disaster duo of Beleriand – were casually relaxing in her lounge room.

Eyes wide and hand trembling across her mouth, the starstruck girl was frozen in shock, staring at Celegorm.

Unaware of her, Celegorm pointed out a large crack above the door. "How long do you think that's been there?"

Curufin's grey eyes pierced the ugly tear on the wall and he thought for a moment. "It looks like it has been there a while ..."

"What is that?" interrupted Celegorm. He had caught sight of the Playstation.

"Oh. That's nothing, really." Curufin shrugged. "You just play games on it."

"How can you possibly ..." Finally noticing Elf gawking at him, Celegorm nervously motioned at her. "How long has she been staring at me like that?"

"Ignore her. She did it to me not too long ago."

"And who is she?"

"Our host."

Realizing how strange she must have appeared, Elf clumsily jolted upwards, her head swimming with fear, excitement and absolute confusion.

"I, er, didn't mean to … I mean, I didn't think you'd both, you know … not that I didn't want you to! I just don't know what to … oh," Flustered, Elf covered her face in shame. "You probably don't know what I'm talking about, do you?" she mumbled into her hands.

"You didn't have to do … whatever that was." Celegorm straightened up and gave her a hard look. "It would help if you could start off with how we got here."

"Isn't it obvious?" a voice said, causing both Celegorm and Curufin to jump. "We came in boxes, did we not?"

No one saw or heard Maglor climb out of his box, so they were slightly startled to see him lightly perched on the antique cabinet, golden harp tucked under his arm.

Maglor gave it a few light plucks and smiled softly at the sound.

"Makalaurë, I'm not sure about you, but I don't remember being sealed in a box and sent in somebody's house," Curufin said.

"Perhaps if we were to ask the girl on the matter, she could tell us."

The three sons of Fëanor all turned to where the girl stood, only to find she wasn't there any more.

Elf had been long gone. After successfully getting to school on time, she enjoyed her long day, which consisted of laughter, easy work and a good time with her friends. When she returned home hours later, she found that there were never Elves in her house, and that those dreaded packages had never existed in the first place. And the girl lived happily ever after … in her dreams.

In reality, Elf had the door slightly opened, ready for her escape. She had her bag tossed over her shoulder, and was awkwardly trying to squeeze through the narrow space.

The three guests stared at her conspicuous action. Curufin was trying not to snigger, and Celegorm wasn't sure whether to say anything or not, so he looked to Maglor.

Maglor had hopped down from the cabinet and now stood in the middle of the room.

He cleared his throat for Elf's attention.

With half her body already slipping through the door, the failing escapee significantly paled and slowly turned to face her dreaded guests.

Maglor gave her a gentle smile. "You were not thinking of leaving us here unattended, were you?"

Elf vehemently shook her head.

"Yes, you were," Curufin sneered.

"No! No, I wasn't! I was just er," She slipped back into the lounge and thought rapidly for an excuse. "I was … thinking … that you should wake Turgon up!" she exclaimed, searching the Elves' faces for a reaction.

Maglor placed his harp on the coffee table and smiled. "That's a great idea," he said, grabbing Elf's hands and dragging her to the last package. Elf silently groaned, thinking seconds too late that this would be another chance to run for it.

"Turukáno is here as well?" Celegorm raised a perfect brow before exchanging a displeased look with Curufin.

The birthday girl knelt by Turgon's box with Maglor, who was lightly shaking a figure from underneath the polystyrene.

"Is he … alright?" Elf asked, worried. She still hadn't explained the whole 'Plush Toy' concept, so if Turgon wasn't up yet …

A muffled voice was heard from under the packaging peanuts, and a dark-haired Elf sat up. He looked frantic, and spotting Maglor beside him, started speaking hurriedly in (much to Elf's inconvenience) Quenya.

Maglor hushed him and replied in the same language, gesturing to his brothers and then to the girl, explaining all he knew.

Turgon nodded slowly, taking this in before inspecting the girl, who was still kneeling beside the package.

"Do you know where we are?" he asked, rising to his feet and looking around curiously.

Maglor turned to Elf expectantly. "I am eager to hear what she has to say."

Curufin was disgruntled. "We can't exactly trust this girl, Káno. We don't even know her name."

"Did you bring us here in these boxes?" Celegorm wondered, addressing Elf.

Elf rose to her feet warily, trying to keep her eyes on all four Elves. Elf wasn't very tall; in fact, most people in her family would be considered lucky to reach five feet. Therefore, being in a room full of Elves who stood about seven feet tall was completely alien to her. It unnerved her almost as much as the fact they had slaughtered their own kin.

"Er, hi. My name is … Elf." she started, giving a small wave.

Celegorm coughed.

Turgon looked unsure if she was being serious, and Curufin smirked. "That doesn't sound like a very clever name. You are certainly no Elf."

"Let her speak, Curvo," Maglor chided.

Elf shuffled her feet and stared down at the carpet.

"Well … you see, it's my birthday today. And a few days ago these strange packages were found on the doorstep, addressed to me. Inside were all of you … in um, plush form,"

"Plush form?" Turgon wondered, seeking an explanation.

"Yeah … you were all made of fabric and filled with cotton." Elf saw Celegorm about to protest, so she hurried along.

"Anyway, inside one of them I found a letter – a really scary letter, and it told me you were all going to activate on my birthday, like you were some sort of birthday present. I kind of didn't understand what it meant by 'activate' until I woke up and found Huan on my -"

"Huan is here, too? Where?!" Celegorm jumped to his feet, eagerly glancing around as if expecting the hound to appear out of thin air.

Elf gulped, remembering chaining the large dog to a pole. "He's … outside."

"May I see him?" Celegorm asked.

All four Elves looked at the girl, awaiting her answer. Elf wasn't sure letting them outside would be a good idea – until her own thought struck.

"Follow me."


The Elves' long strides echoed in the hallway, causing the old house to groan slightly. Elf made sure to stay well ahead of them, which she found difficult despite the fact she was practically jumping like a little jack rabbit.

Maglor found himself distracted for a while, pressing the keys of an old piano that leaned against the wall. It didn't catch his attention for long, though, and soon all four of them walked single file behind their host.

"Where is this letter you received? I'd like to read it over." Elf heard Turgon's voice from behind her.

"I'll find it for you later. First we should see Huan," she said, opening a door that led to the side of the house.

If I don't take care of these guys soon, I'm going to be so late for school!

She led them down the creaking verandah, the flooring of which one foolish enough could probably jump and fall through.

Locating the pole she had attached Huan to, she was mortified to find the silver chain lying abandoned on the verandah, with no Huan.

"I swear he was -" she started, pointing a shaking finger at the chain.

"He was there! I -"

"You chained him to a pole?" Celegorm asked in disbelief.

Elf turned to him, eyes wide and frantic. "What was I supposed to do!? Let my family see him!?"

Curufin walked to the broken chain and inspected it. "This isn't very strong chain. No wonder it couldn't hold him."

Celegorm snorted. "You thought you could chain a hound of Oromë, and expect him to sit idly by." He shook his head and chuckled. "Stupid girl."

Said girl's cheeks burned fiercely. "So, where do you think he's gone?"

Curufin suddenly dropped the chain and shrugged. "Wherever it pleases him."

The guests lightly stepped off the verandah and wandered into a wild garden no one seemed to tend anymore. Turgon easily stood over the wire fence, and he studied the vast amount of land before him.

"You and your family are farmers, I gather," Maglor said.

Elf had her head in her hands. Just thinking of how furious her family would be after sitting in the car for so long made her nauseous. She was surprised no one had come looking for her.

She looked at Maglor and nodded.

"My father does all the farm work, though. My sisters and I just help occasionally."

Celegorm was leaning over the back gate. He had two fingers in his mouth, and projected a long, sharp whistle.

It pierced Elf's ears, and she blinked rapidly as the sound echoed in the distance. "Why did you do that?"

Celegorm gave her a quick smile. "To call for my hound, of course."

Elf's own dogs heard Celegorm's piercing whistle, and they barked and howled from their kennels in response.

Turgon turned to look at Elf, surprise written on his noble face. "How many dogs do you have?"

"Erm, just a couple."

Huan the wonder dog leapt over the iron gate with ease, almost colliding with his beloved master.

His white fur was drenched with murky water. Panting, the hound shook his fur, flicking mud all over Curufin's legs.

He narrowed his eyes at the dog and scowled. "And where have you been?"

"There must be a swamp nearby. Or a dam." Celegorm grinned as he rubbed Huan's chest.

While he was doing so, Elf nervously eyed the laundry room, a rickety grey structure built separate from the house. Rather than resembling any normal laundry, it looked like the perfect place to shoot a horror film in need of a rotting jail cell set.

Seeing that her guests (those strange 'birthday presents') had all calmed down, she realized it was now or never.

"Um, guys?" she meekly started. "We have a slight problem ..."

The fantastic four (five, if you count Huan) stared at her silently.

"Whatever is the matter?" Maglor's grey eyes revealed deep concern. As far as he knew, everyone was safe and sound …

Elf laughed nervously. "Well, despite the fact you guys are supposedly fictional, and that you are definitely standing in front of me alive and breathing, I have to run along now."

"You're just going to leave us?" Celegorm wondered, rising to stand taller by his canine sidekick. "Are you going to come back?"

"Valar forbid ..." Curufin murmured.

"Ah … yes. I will come back … eventually. But for now, I have to keep you somewhere out of sight so my dad doesn't see you when he comes home."

"And what would happen if your dad sees us?" challenged Curufin, sensing something beyond the girl's words.

"He may do something drastic … so, why don't you guys stay hidden somewhere for … I don't know … a few hours?"

She was rewarded with silence.

"Hide us?"

"Yeah … in a room of sorts." She smiled at Curufin, who looked skeptical.

"I promise to let you all out as soon as I come home, and we'll deal with my parents then. Okay?"

The group of Elves all looked at the eager girl before them, caught between trusting this rather eccentric and delusional child or their own intellects.

Finally, Turgon spoke up. "So … where is this room you were thinking of?"


Celegorm sniffed the laundry (cell) room, nose wrinkled in disgust. "What is this place?"

Elf, who stood outside behind the displeased group, refused to look at them. "The laundry ..."

Curufin inspected the broken-down washing machine, before looking down at the mouldy sink next to it. "Why would you wash your clothes in such a place?"

Pacing the rather large space, Maglor chose his words carefully, as not to hurt the girl's feelings. "Its interior is … cosy."

Turgon peered down the drain of the sink, unnerved as he was sure a spider was in there, secretly looking up the wise Noldo's nose. He shivered. "So, how many hours are we talking about?"

"Um … like, sevenish?"

"Seven!?" Celegorm looked alarmed.

Exactly what I think concerning school hours …

"Well, school finishes a quarter past three, and it takes an hour for the bus to get here so … yeah, seven."

Like the part the number seven played in The Silmarillion, it didn't settle too well in the real world. Celegorm turned to Curufin, and the two conversed in hurried whispers. Turgon found himself face to face with a rusting showerhead, and to his horror, two thin dandy long legs were dancing upon it as if to mock him. Maglor, however, was in the middle of calculating how long his two younger brothers would stay put. So far, he was at 20 minutes at the most. Not even a quarter of the time Elf was going to be absent.

Celegorm appeared to be listening intently to Curufin, and finally nodded and turned to reason with this mortal – while still looking charming, as usual.

"Look, we appreciate your concern for our wellbeing, but perhaps there is another room more suitable to … what do you think you're doing?"

Realizing she had taken way too much time on this matter, Elf alarmingly made a grab for the laundry door and bolted it shut – not before she heard Celegorm's muffled voice shout something.

She picked up her schoolbag, and was about to make a run for it when she heard Celegorm AND Curufin shout something. Now isn't that a comforting thought?

She groaned, knowing she was wasting valuable time uselessly standing there. But she couldn't just leave them like that without saying anything.

"I'm really sorry! But you have to stay there until I get home! Please, just wait for me, and don't do anything stupid!"

"Stupid!?" Curufin's furious voice spat at her. "You're the only one doing anything stupid here!"

Elf sighed and sprinted down the verandah to face her mother and sisters, still waiting for her in the silver Ford Falcon. "I'm really, really sorry!" she called over her shoulder.

"Who does she think she is!?" Celegorm faced his older brother, angered that Magor did nothing but sit lightly upon an unstable bench and lean his head against the brick wall.

"Honestly, the nerve of that girl … treating us as if we were her prisoners!"

"Let it go, Turko," Maglor said, closing his eyes. "She's just a girl."

Turgon was searching for any means of escape. There was a window above the sink, but it was far too small for any of them to crawl through, and as he raced to a metallic door down the back, he was dismayed to find it sealed shut.

"There's no way out!"

Curufin rolled his eyes. "Tell us something we don't know."

Huan, unlike his enraged and reckless master, was content to lie lazily on the ground.

Celegorm was pacing the length of the room with long quick strides, hands behind his back. "This place can't be completely secure. There has to be a weak spot somewhere ..."

"Tyelkormo," Maglor warned. "I said, let it go."

Turgon was the only one actually doing anything, trying his luck with lockpicking the way out with his brooch.

"So, she thinks we are her birthday gift, does she?" Curufin smiled, as he often did.

Celegorm gave him a look. "That is what she said."

"And she thinks she can place us wherever she likes, and expect us to do whatever she says?"

Maglor frowned. "Curufinwë … don't do anything Atar would do ..."

The currently plotting Fëanorion and Celegorm exchanged a knowing look, causing Maglor to shake his head.

"Oh no, we are staying right here!"

"Turukáno, move."

"What did I just say!?"

Not at all kindly, Curufin shoved his cousin away from the door.

Had someone been unfortunate enough to be standing right outside the door, they would have been crushed.

With strength only one of the Eldar possessed (and a rather violent one, at that), Curufin managed to kick it off its hinges, laying it broken across the verandah.

Celegorm patted his brother on the shoulder, impressed with his handiwork. "Well done, Curvo. Now, let's go show this, 'Elf' how to properly treat an honorable member of the House of Finwë, hm?" Chuckling, he carelessly stepped on the defeated door and walked out victorious, a grinning Curufin following close behind.

Huan placed a large paw over his eyes.


I hope 2014 has been great for you guys so far, and that this chapter that I just couldn't finish was enjoyable. And seriously, you all leave such kind reviews; I really love reading them all! :)

But anyway, happy (belated) New Year to everyone!