Elrond sat sternly waiting for everyone to arrive for the latest council meeting. Erestor and Glorfindel were already there and he had a feeling something was not right with either of them. They waited for Elladan and Elrohir who were late as usual. No, Elrond corrected himself, that was unfair. Elrohir was always late but Elladan never was. It made him uneasy.
He turned his gaze to Erestor who was nervous and jumpy. Every little noise made him leap to attention. Elrond had been concerned about Erestor for a few days now, culminating when he had found him obviously hiding behind some flower pots for no identifiable reason. Something was going on but he had no idea what and Erestor had resisted all attempts to get to the bottom of it.
He looked across the table to where Glorfindel sat. He was a complete mess and made no attempt to hide it. He looked as if he had not slept for a month but more than that, he was awash with misery. Elrond looked closer, was that a bruise he saw on his jaw? He was about to question him when Elrohir sauntered into the room.
" Sorry Father," he said sounding not remotely sorry at all. Elrond glared at him. Elrohir gave Glorfindel a sidelong glance and some of his cockiness seemed to disappear but then when Glorfindel caught his eye he stared angrily back at him. What was going on there? Elrond wondered.
He wondered even more as Elrohir steadfastly walked past Glorfindel without another glance and sat as far as humanly possible away from him, even though it meant he was at the far end of the long table. He gave up trying to understand his son sometimes he really did.
He returned his attention to Glorfindel.
" Have you hurt yourself Glorfindel?" He enquired sternly.
Glorfindel jumped with surprise, his hand flying to his face to cover the bruise. A strangled sound came from Elrohir at the far end of the table.
"No, no , all is fine." Glorfindel stuttered.
Elrond looked at him even more carefully.
"That is a bruise you are so very badly trying to hide from me."
"It is nothing Elrond, a novice mis-hit when we were sparing….an accident, one of those things, nothing more than that."
Elrond frowned, was that a sigh of relief he heard from Elrohir? He was about to say more when Elladan walked in. He said nothing to explain his late arrival but he was like a coiled spring. Elrond could feel the tension radiating from him. He kept his eyes on the ground and went to sit with his brother at the end of the table. Glorfindel sucked in his breath and let out a sigh.
Well something was obviously wrong with Elladan too, Elrond thought but he could not get away with being late for no good reason.
" You are late Elladan." He said,
" Yes" was the reply. Elladan kept his eyes on the table and his hands on his head.
" Do you care to illuminate me as to why." Elrond waited for an appropriately contrite answer from his son who was always at great pains never to be rude.
" No." Was all he got.
" Are you well Elladan?" he inquired, " You look as if you have a headache."
Elladan kept his eyes fastened on the table in front of him.
" No." He repeated.
Elrond rolled his eyes, so monosyllables were all he was going to get from Elladan today.
Erestor cleared his throat,
"Perhaps we should start?"
Elrond bought his thoughts back to the important business of the council meeting. He would have to try and sort out all these other apparent problems later.
" Yes, yes," he said officiously, " We will start with the plumbing."
Elrohir let out a loud groan. "No Father, please not the plumbing, I cannot stand it!"
Elrond opened his mouth to lecture his son on the importance of waste management when Glorfindel spoke.
"Much as I hate to agree with someone so rude and uncouth as Elrohir I would rather not discuss the plumbing either Elrond."
"I do not think you get to cast aspersions at my brother" snapped Elladan who suddenly seemed to regain the ability to speak in sentences. "For he is not as rude as you!"
Elrond gasped in surprise…what on earth had got in to Elladan.
But Glorfindel was not cowed. "You have just as little interest as I in the plumbing Elladan and well you know it!" He said with a glare.
Elladan leapt to his feet still holding his head in his hands.
" Stop it! I have asked you to stop doing this. Why do you persist in it?" He cried. Elrohir grabbed him and dragged him back into his chair.
Elrond felt quite bemused at what was happening, had they all gone mad overnight?
"Um….Elrond" said Erestor beside him, "perhaps we should move on to the next item on the agenda…. It seems plumbing is a rather contentious topic today."
Elrond nodded his head. Anything to restore some semblance of order.
" Yes, very well. I thought we should discuss the visit of the Wood-Elves. I sent a message asking Legolas to join us but he is not here yet."
"Legolas!" Squeaked Erestor, "here?" At that very moment there was a knock on the door.
" Yes," said Elrond firmly, " This must be him now. Really Erestor you sound almost afraid of him. There is nothing to worry about. He is in fact a very shy and timid child." There was a snort from Elrohir and Elrond spun around to send him a glare of disapproval before he opened the door.
" Welcome Legolas" he said effusively, thinking he must make the poor boy feel at ease somehow. But the Legolas who strode in to the room was a very different one to that he had seen at their last meeting. He was confident and princely.
" It is an honour Lord Elrond." He said and bowed politely, hand on his chest, then took a seat between Elrohir and Erestor.
Erestor leapt to his feet eyes flashing wildly. "Elrond, I must go!"
"What?" Elrond was astonished at this, " We have only just started!"
"An emergency…..a gardening emergency, I completely forgot!" Erestor was heading to the door.
"Are you quite well Erestor?" Elrond was now very concerned, " I have told you to leave the gardening to the gardeners. Whatever can be so important."
"They can't deal with this," Erestor gasped, " It has to be me, I am sorry," and he was out the door before Elrond had a chance to say more.
Elrond gazed after him with dismay. Surely he had completely lost his mind. He glanced back to the others who were also looking after Erestor in some bemusement.
"Well…..I am sorry about that Legolas, most unusual…." He tried to regain control. " Elladan, since Erestor has strangely departed, you can take the minutes." And he pushed Erestor's quill and paper down to that end of the table.
"Now." Elrond had a bad feeling the rest of this council meeting might not improve but he tried to sound commanding, " Tell us of your visit Legolas, does it go well do you think?"
" Definitely my Lord." Legolas was nothing if not immaculately polite. Thranduil had bought his boy up well Elrond thought, perhaps he should send his sons to Mirkwood for a time, it might rub off on them.
"and there have been no untoward incidents, no misunderstandings we could improve upon?" He asked. "I see your homesickness has improved."
Legolas looked at him strangely. " I am unsure what you mean by homesickness," he said, "but yes since you ask there has been an incident. I do not appreciate being made to look a fool." And he looked pointedly at Glorfindel and Elladan.
Elrond was taken aback. Someone had insulted the Prince?
" Why do you look at me?" Glorfindel asked, " I have offered you no insult."
"Oh have you not," Legolas said smoothly, " I say otherwise, you and Lord Elladan both. But I will have you know I am aware of it now. Your little game is over. There will be no more laughter at my expense!"
Elrond was horrified, what exactly had been going on?
"What do you mean," cried Elladan, " I admit I have been rude at times, but laugh at you? I have not, I would not!"
" What is this about Glorfindel? Elladan?" Elrond snapped at the same time as Elrohir put a warning hand on Legolas's arm,
" Legolas please stop this" he whispered.
Legolas sprung to his feet.
" Do not think because we are lovers you can control me!" He said cooly to Elrohir, " For I will not be manipulated as easily as that."
Elrohir's face blanched as he looked desperately at his Father.
" You are what?..." Both Elrond and Glorfindel spoke the words together.
" Legolas….." Elrohir was pleading with him now.
" That's right. I am not ashamed of it. Are you?" Legolas turned to Elrohir as he asked him the question.
Elrohir shook his head numbly. He was not ashamed but neither did he want it announced to his father in the middle of a council meeting. He began to wonder exactly what he had got himself into as far as Legolas was concerned.
" Indeed." Legolas turned to Glorfindel as he spoke. " In the Wood we do not hide behind untruth and deception, If I choose to lie with someone I do it with pride, and I care not who knows it." Elrohir sank down very low in his chair and Legolas continued, " I think YOU Lord Glorfindel could benefit from that lesson, could you not?"
The room was filled with a horrified silence. Elrond had no idea what was going on and no idea what to say. He felt he was seriously losing control of the whole situation. He glared at Elrohir. What was the boy thinking, creating some political nightmare all because he could not keep his hands to himself.
Legolas turned to him.
" Lord Elrond. I apologise for disrupting this meeting. I have let my emotions get the best of me and I am sorry. Unfortunately I became aware of a ….problem last night and it still rankles, I am still angered by it. I should not have spoken as such. It was not appropriate. I think perhaps I should leave before…the situation gets out of hand."
Elrond was flabbergasted, He still had only a tenuous hold on what may have happened. "Of course" he managed to stammer, " If you wish." If only they had stuck to talking about the plumbing, he thought.
Legolas repeated his formal bow and strode from the room sending one last scowl in Glorfindel and Elladan's direction as he did so.
The door swung shut behind him and for a few minutes all sat in numb silence.
Finally Elrond decided he had better say something.
" Do you have something to tell me. Elrohir?"
Elrohir hung his head.
" Could you not just have stayed away from him, just this once?" Elrond was very disapproving. "We will talk on this later you and I. Do not think I will forget this. In the meantime, Glorfindel, Elladan. I want explanations. What have you done to insult the Prince?"
"Honestly Elrond I do not know." Glorfindel replied. " I can think of nothing I have said or done that would have offended him, perhaps some cultural difference?"
Elladan rubbed his head and Glorfindel turned to him, " I wonder if, perhaps you were jealous- "
Elladan stood up angrily. " I have had enough!" He shouted. " I have asked and asked you to stop. Get out of my head. Get out and stay out. My thoughts are not yours to see! Leave me alone, just leave me alone!" And enraged he knocked over his chair and stormed out of the room.
Elrond was speechless. Where had that come from and what was it about? He looked to Glorfindel who seemed just as astonished.
" I don't know what upset him…." Glorfindel stammered looking at Elrohir. "I wondered if he may have been jealous if you have formed a bond with Legolas that took your time and attention. I thought that may explain his rudeness." He held his hands up helplessly, " I have no idea what I have done wrong."
Elrohir stood "I better go after him Father."
"Yes." said Elrond, as Elrohir turned to go. " But do not forget I will be speaking to you later!" He called out to Elrohir's departing back.
Elrond moved his attention to the only one left in the room. Glorfindel slumped on the table in front of him, his head in his hands, totally despondent.
" So Glorfindel," Elrond was at his most stern.
" I think you have some explaining to do."
