Crossing the Line
Eleniel: 17
Estel: 22
Eleniel glanced at Elladan from across the dinner table, the elf talking in hushed whispers to his twin. She turned to look at Estel, who was sat next to her, and grinned. "So," she said, "how are we going to do this?"
The young human leaned in closer and began talking quietly to his sister, the two of them glancing up once or twice to catch a glimpse of their brothers doing the exact same.
The four siblings had placed a bet. It was quite an unusual one, but it was a bet all the same.
They had agreed to give five gold coins to the pair that were able to make their father raise his eyebrows first.
The elf lord did it so often that the elves and human claimed it would be easy, but so far, they hadn't seen their father's dark brows rise even an inch.
"Ada."
Eleniel and Estel looked up as Elrohir started speaking. "I was reading something oddly curious earlier…"
Elrond nodded, turning his head to look at his son. "And what may that be?"
"Nothing."
The Lord of Imladris glanced up as the whole table fell silent, and stared at his son. "What was that?" he asked.
Elrohir looked at his father. "Nothing," he said with a shrug, before taking a bite from his meal and ignoring Elladan's sniggering.
Elrond's eyebrows didn't rise, but they did furrow. "Alright, then…" he said, ignoring it and turning back to his food. "How was your day today, Eleniel?" he asked a while later, deciding to change the subject.
"Nothing," Eleniel told him, and Elrohir burst into laughter, his brothers soon joining in while the other people sat at the table looked on in utter confusion.
Elrond practically threw his fork down on the table and sat back in his chair, dramatically folding his arms over his chest and glaring at his daughter. "Could you perhaps act like the well-behaved elfling I raised you as and answer your adar's question?" he asked, and the young elleth could practically feel his eyebrow raising, but no. His eyes pierced hers, and she smiled, although her heart was pumping wildly now and she unconsciously squeezed Estel's hand nervously.
"No, thank you, Ada."
Elrond's eyebrows couldn't have furrowed more, and the twins had to clap their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing. Their sister really had crossed the line, now, and she hadn't even won!
Glorfindel had been watching everything which had been happening throughout the whole meal, and he had finally begun to piece things together. Earlier, he had overheard the siblings discussing something to do with Elrond's eyebrows and gold coins, and now this? They had placed a bet!
"Well," he said, standing up and yawning, "I am going to leave you to your family, um… arguments, and head off to bed. I have a date tomorrow that I must be up early for."
Elrond's eyebrows shot up higher than anyone had ever seen, and his children gaped at each other in disbelief.
"You… you have a date?" Elrond asked, eyebrows still raised. "With- with an elleth?"
Glorfindel smirked. He walked over to his friend and pat him on the shoulder. "No, my friend, I am just five coins short of buying this beautiful sword I saw in the market earlier. You can give me the money later, my elflings."