Chapter 21

"Ah finally, dinner! I'm starving!" Elrohir said loudly when they entered the dining room. Erestor looked at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Please Elrohir, behave for once?" Elrond intermediated before his advisor would have.

"Yes, why don't you?" Elladan responded and pushed his brother in the ribs.

"Why don't you?" Elrohir answered and pushed Elladan again.

"No fighting!" Elrond quickly froze the little skermish. "Why don't you two make youself helpfull and go help to bring out the food?"

Without knowing it Elrond had played right into their hand and both brothers immediatly took the opportunity to finish their plans. Rushing out to the kitchen they did cause a little suspiscion for Glorfindel who found it strange that they would actually hurry to do some house work. Shaking his head he sat down and waited for his plate.

They placed each plate in front of everybody and then sat at the table themselves.

"Yummy, that smells good" Elrohir said and immediatly dugg in, closely followed by Elladan and everybody else.

"It tastes good too" Elladan replied, "doesn't it Ada?"

"Of course it does, it always does" he answered and continued eating.

The twins continued eating but couldn't help peeking at Erestor every now and then. It was obvious that Elrond's advisor didn't enjoy his food as well as the other did. He ate slowly and pushed the food around on his plate.

"Aren't you enjoying your meal Erestor?" Elrond asked as he noticed the behaviour.

"Frankly my Lord, it lacks the good taste you all seem to find in it" Erestor replied.

"Come one now, it can't be that bad" Elrond laughed, "it's all the same, why shouldn't yours taste less good then ours? Come on now, can't leave a bad example, empty your plate still the same."

Hardly hearable Erestor sighed and continued eating, although he could clearly feel his stomach revolt to the taste.

"Are you going to bring up some food for Lorwen too after dinner?" Elrond asked both twins, neither in particular.

"Yes" they both answered in unison, trying to stiffle their giggles as they continued eating and watching Erestor.

"What's wrong?" Elrond immediatly asked, knowing his sons only to well.

"Nothing Nothing, just didn't image that there was something Erestor didn't like eating" Elladan replied quickly.

Answering with a grim and sarcastic smile Erestor took one more bite and suddenly his stomach had enough. Stammering an excuse he pushed his chair backwards with such force it fell to the ground. Not even looking at where it landed he rushed out the room and headed straight for the outer door.

He had barily reached it as he felt the urge to throw everything he just ate back up. Janking open the door he sprinted the last few yards to reach the flowerbeds bordering the frontporch.

"What's wrong with him?" Glorfindel asked as he looked at the door where he left the room puzzled.

"An upset stomach perhaps" Elrond replied, "I'd better go check on him" he said, whiped off his mouth on the napkin, threw it next to his plate and stood to walk after his advisor.

"Obviously he doesn't want his food anymore" Elladan sighed and stood to remove the plate and the evidence of what they did from the table.

Not thinking clearly Glorfindel nodded, stood and went after Elrond wondering what got into Erestor. Grinning widely Elrohir winked at his brother and followed the blond elf after wiping the smile of his face.

They found Erestor laying flat on his stomach, his head over the edge of the porch. His body contracted involuntary as his stomach did as it was ordered, to push all what was in it, out.

"What's wrong with him?" Glorfindel asked looking at Elrond who was sitting next to him with a very concerned look on his face.

"I don't know" Elrond answered puzzled. "It's not natural to thow up so violently and this long from out of nothing."

"Maybe it was something he ate?" the blonde elf mesmerised.

"It can't be" Elrohir replied, trying his best to look worried aswell, "we ate the same food he did". Internally he was dying of laughter, pretty soon he would burst if he didn't leave.

"Go get him a glass of water" Elrond bid him, frowning at his son's immediate retreating back. "Did you see them slip something in his food?" he then asked his friend.

"No" Glorfindel answered in thoughts, "they wouldn't go that far to pull a prank would they?" he asked pulling himself out of it.

"You never know with either of them" Elrond sighed, "mostly they don't understand the consequences their actions have! We'd better take a look at his food" Elrond said, feeling his advisors forehead he shook his head and stood.

"I'm afraid we are too late for that..." Glorfindel replied, "Elladan already started clearing the table after you left, he said he wasn't hungry anymore."

"Valar!" Elrond shouted and rushed in to the kitchen. "Elladan!" he shouted, "stop right now!"

Elladan hadn't expected him to come bursting into the kitchen and dropped the plate he was cleaning. It fell to the ground, shattering into thousand pieces. The elfling immediately started to pick up the pieces as he feared his father would be furious because he dropped the plate. Wanting to clean it up so quickly he cut himself pretty nasty on one of the larger pieces. Wincing he pulled his hand back, making the cut even larger and backed away from the pile of shattered porselin holding his wrist with his other hand.

"Have you injured yourself?" Elrond asked quickly when he saw his son backing away and holding his wrist.

Elladan nodded, tears already appeared in his eyes as Elrond carefully guided him away from any stray piece and sat on his knees in front of his eldest.

"Let me see" he bidded and gently remove his hand covering the wound which was now bleeding severly. "You missed the artery" Elrond said softly, relief sounding through his voice. Grasping a towel that laid on a table nearby, he quickly bound it around his son's wrist and applied some extra pressure.

"I think it will need some stitches hen nîn" he softly spoke as he stood.

Elladan nodded and swallowed a sob.

"I only wanted to help" he murmured. That brought Elrond back to the reason why they came in here in the first place. He looked at Glorfindel who was already rummaging in the bin where they keep their leftovers before feeding them to the animals.

"We are to late" he answered Elrond's unspoken question and dropped everything back in. Washing off his hands he saw his friend frown and head out to Erestor again who had already pulled himself to his feet again and was staggering towards the stairs.

"I think..." he said breathing heavily and leaning against the doorway, "that I..." and inhaled very deeply again, "am going to... bed." Sweat clearly covering his brow his face looked as pale as freshly fallen snow on an early wintermorning.

"I'll help you" Elrond said and crossed the distance with a few strides and grabbed his elbow to guide him up the stairs. When he came down again a bit later he ordered both his sons into his study.

Sitting nerveously on the bench they wondered if Elrond knew what they had done.