Disclaimer: I think you all know this by now, but none of it's mine.
A/N: Wow, how was that for the last chapter? I surprised all you guys, didn't I? -grin- Well, now we get to see what sort of trouble Elladan's been getting into!
lakcma- Yes, it was a rather interesting twist, wasn't it? -grin- Now the real question is -why- isn't he turning Elrohir in? -evil laugh-
Elladan sighed. Elrohir hadn't been lying about all the rules. Shortly after arriving in Lothlorien he had everyone coming up to him and reminding him of the rules. He was positive that if anyone mentioned the rules again he would scream.
So far the rules had hindered any and all plans he had made before arriving in Lothlorien. He couldn't play pranks, he couldn't antagonize the dogs, and he couldn't climb the insanely high trees. He didn't know how he was expected to survive the next six months. He was beginning to wonder how some of the rules came into being. He knew there was an interesting story behind all of this; he just had to get his brother to talk...
He heard a soft knock on his door. He sighed again and called out "Come in." The door opened slowly to reveal Haldir standing there. Elladan sighed for the third time in two minutes. "Yes, I remember the rules." He started to say in a bored voice. "Rule number one..."
"Elrohir?" Haldir interrupted. "That's not what I was going to tell you."
Elladan blinked. "You weren't?" He asked, clearly shocked. He felt immensely relieved though. Now he wouldn't have to repeat the rules for the 24th time that day. "What did you want then?"
"You're late for your archery lesson." Haldir said before walking out the door. Elladan squeaked and bolted out of the room after him.
It definitely was an interesting lesson, to say the least. Archery had been the one thing he was never the best at. That was Elrohir's job. He always excelled at the sword. His instructors could not understand how two weeks could completely ruin his archery skills. They eventually put it down to a lack of practice, yet how two weeks could ruin his skills were just beyond them. He groaned when he received extra archery lessons with none other than Haldir.
After archery Elladan to his sword lessons, which he was being aloud to have again, due to the fact that "he" needed a lot of help with the sword. However, he astounded the teachers by "having improved so drastically". They praised him continuously, until it got to the point where it was incredibly annoying. Like his archery teachers, they couldn't figure out how he had managed to improve so much. They finally agreed that he must have been sneaking out and secretly working on his skills after his lessons were cancelled. Haldir just stood off to the side and said nothing.
XXXXX
Three months later...
Elladan sat at the top of one of the tallest trees in Lothlorien, a history book he was supposed to be studying abandoned and laying on the branch next to him. Elladan was trying to concentrate on not falling off the branch. He had forgotten that Elrohir wasn't supposed to be in the tops of the trees, but the urge to climb the huge trees had made him temporarily forget that. Now, he suddenly realized why this particular rule was set.
Since arriving in Lothlorien, Elladan had managed to convince Galadriel and Celeborn to remove some of the rules, such as the one about no swimming, after proving they weren't needed anymore. However some rules, like the ones relating to archery and climbing trees, they had insisted on keeping. This only made Elladan more determined to find out the stories behind them.
But right now he had a slight problem. The problem was that he had no desire to climb down the tree now that he was at the top of it. He also had no desire to call for help, so he was stuck at the top until someone found him, or he gained enough courage to climb down.
And climbing down did not look like it was going to happen anytime soon.
Elladan tried not to look down. Out of all the stupid things he had done since arriving in Lothlorien, this was the worst. From far below him, he heard a familiar voice calling "Elrohir? That had better not be you I see in the top of that tree!" It was Haldir. "If you don't climb down now, I swear I will go up there and drag you down!" Elladan gulped. Being rescued by Haldir would be far worse than him having to face his fear and climb down. With a small shudder, Elladan began his descent.
Somehow Elladan managed to make it down without falling or seriously hurting himself. When he reached the bottom, he braced himself for Haldir's anger. Surprisingly, it never came. What he did say, however, made Elladan's blood run cold.
"I know who you are, Elladan."
XXXXX
Three months later...
So far, Elladan had managed to avoid seeing Haldir again. He had managed to talk his archery instructors into finding someone else to help him. He had managed to avoid the places Haldir usually showed up. He even stayed out of trouble and didn't get lost, so Haldir wouldn't have to come looking for him.
What he forgot to do, however, was to watch out for Haldir when he was around Caras Galadhon.
He had been lucky for the past three months, managing to avoid Haldir. Yet his luck was bound to run out at some point. He had accidentally walked into Haldir on the edge of Caras Galadhon- quite literally actually.
"Ha-Haldir!" Elladan squeaked, backing up a bit until he was up against a tree. "Ni-nice to s-see you."
"Relax Elladan; I'm not going to tell anyone who you are." He said, taking a step closer. He must have seen that Elladan didn't believe him, so he sighed and handed him a short letter.
Elladan cautiously grabbed it and quickly read it over. It was from Erestor...
Mae govannen Haldir!
How are you dealing with the other twin? The one here isn't too bad, yet I have recently uncovered an interesting piece of evidence. It seems the little balrogs have managed to trick us once again. The one you're currently dealing with is actually Elladan, while Elrohir is here in Rivendell.
Now, before you tell Galadriel and Celeborn this, think about it carefully. We can use this to our advantage. Or have you forgotten the prank Elrond and Celeborn played on us a century ago?
-Erestor
Elladan looked up from the letter and handed it back to Haldir. "I'm going to kill Elrohir when I see him..." He muttered. "So basically you're using us as revenge?"
Haldir nodded. "You can also think of it as revenge for them separating you two." Elladan rather liked that idea. Yet he was still curious about something.
"What was the prank they played on you?"
Haldir grinned slightly. "That, young one, you're going to have to wait to hear. I'm not telling it to you without Erestor there to back me up. Lucky for you we're leaving today. Have you finished packing?"
Elladan squeaked and ran off to finish packing. Haldir watched him leave. "That's what I thought." He said softly.
A/N: Looks like there's another elf in on the plan now? And what is the prank Erestor and Haldir mentioned? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out! Remember, reviews feed my muse!
