Chapter 2~ The many undiscovered talents of Master Erestor
"Let's see now." Haldir ran his gaze along the notices that were pinned up on the board while Rumil and Orophin exchanged nervous glances.
"Do you realise that this is his big chance to make fools out of us?" Orophin hissed to his brother
"I know that, Orophin but if we don't do something soon he'll have a nervous breakdown!" Rumil whispered back
"It's not my fault he has a short temper with in-animate objects" shrugged Orophin.
"Ah ha!" Haldir's triumphant voice suddenly cried making the two brothers jump out of their skin. To their dismay he sounded ecstatic with what he had found.
"And?" Rumil inquired nervously
"There is a cookery club every Tuesday. What about that?"
"NO!" cried Rumil and Orophin simultaneously.
"The problem with you two-" began Haldir as he turned back to the board "-is that you're too fussy"
"Us? Fussy?" exclaimed Rumil "We're not the ones that destroyed the pearl and ivory chessboard after reading the same sentence just three times."
Haldir pretended not to hear while the pair exchanged exasperated looks.
"Okay, how about this?"
"What?"
"There is a club on tonight in the main hall that is run by. . .ah."
"Who?" Orophin sounded quite worried by the tone in Haldir's voice.
"Elrond."
"What? What's he doing here?" asked Orophin
"It says that he's here on vacation for three weeks and is starting up dance classes."
"D-Dance?" Rumil and Orophin gaped at Haldir in the utmost horror.
"It's the only one left" he shrugged "Unless you want to try knitting!"
Rumil and Orophin turned to each other.
"A little privacy please" said Orophin "Brotherly conference"
Haldir sighed and turned his back to them.
"What do you think?" asked Orophin "I mean, if that's what it'll take to get Haldir's temper under control I think we should go for it."
"But Orophin, can you seriously see us joining a dance class?"
""No, but what's the point in being immortal if we don't try new things?"
Rumil sighed. "I suppose it can't hurt to try it."
They turned back to face Haldir's back.
"You can turn around now" they said.
Haldir looked at the solemn faces of his brothers. "Well?"
The evening came too quickly for Rumil and Orophin who were looking distinctly paler with every hour that went by. Haldir, on the other hand, had never looked more elated.
"I'm so glad that we finally can do something together, as brothers!" he sighed with happiness.
When the "hour of doom" (as Rumil called it) finally arrived, Haldir chivvied the disgruntled pair out the door and practically frog-marched them along to the main hall. From the looks on their faces you would think someone had died.
"Gather round, gather round!" Elrond called to the surrounding elves once they were all inside the hall. "There are so many here and so many long faces too" he said gazing around at the small group in front of him "Well, we can change that very soon! After all that's what we're here for."
Rumil shifted his gaze from Elrond's literally glowing face to Haldir's excited grin then down to his brother's appalled pout and sighed "We must be mad to have agreed to this" he said shaking his head.
"Now then does anyone here know anything about dancing?" Elrond asked. A couple of hands went up. "Anyone willing do give a demonstration?" he asked, beaming. The hands went down abruptly.
"Just as well I brought my assistant then!" Elrond beamed round at the group. "Now he's quite knowledgeable on dancing so I don't want any of you to become disheartened. After a few sessions I am sure we'll be up to his standard. Now without further ado may I present my assistant, Erestor!"
From the un-noticed far corner of the room, a tall black-haired elf dressed in a grey tunic and black shoes walked slowly up to Elrond. From the expression on his face Rumil imagined that Erestor would rather be hand- feeding a rabble of Orcs than do what Elrond had in store.
All the elves looked at each other and some looked like they were about to burst out laughing for it was widely known that Erestor was the most serious elf in Rivendell and led an extremely boring and dull life, though whether this was cause of his own doings or whether the centuries of being Elrond's advisor had taken their toll, no-one really knew.
A pale pink tinge appeared in Erestor's face as Elrond grinned happily at his advisor.
"Lindir, music please!" Elrond called to a second blonde elf sitting on a chair near where Erestor had been. A small harp was between his thighs and he looked up from the instrument when he heard Elrond's voice and began to play.
On cue, Erestor took a deep breath and began to dance. Slow at first, following the music with his silent feet then quicker as Lindir's skilled and elegant fingers began to run faster over the harp strings until finally he stopped, one leg slightly off the ground and his head bowed downwards as Lindir struck the final note.
The surrounding elves just stared in amazement at Erestor's performance and finally the silence was broken by someone clapping. Then others joined in until the whole hall was applauding. Rumil and Orophin turned to each other and grinned as they saw Haldir's horror-stricken face.
"We're supposed to do that?!" Haldir sounded quite breathless with fear.
Rumil and Orophin grinned and Orophin rubbed his hands together, a wicked smirk playing on the corner of his lips
"Excellent, now we can watch our 'dear' brother doing pirouettes and I can bribe Erestor for, oh, many, many things for many, many years!"
Rumil gazed across at Erestor who was now sitting back next to Lindir, his face a furious pink.
"You know" he said turning back to Orophin "I wonder if our Lord and Lady know about Erestor's performance."
No sooner were the words out of his mouth, the door burst open and two figures rushed over to Elrond.
"We aren't too late are we?" asked one of them.
"No no my Lady" he replied "Please, pull up a chair!"
The other figure turned to face his companion.
"Just you remember, Galadriel 'dearest', this was your idea!"
"Oh, stop fretting, Celeborn 'darling'. Its all you males do these days."
"And you exactly do you know all of us do it?" asked Celeborn with a raised eyebrow.
Galadriel suddenly looked slightly guilty.
"Well, you know how it is, my love" she simpered "It was calling to me. A-And you know that Thranduil's mind has always been weak to resist it's magic and-"
"That's it" cried Celeborn "I say it every year, but this time I mean it. That darn mirror is going!"
"Let's see now." Haldir ran his gaze along the notices that were pinned up on the board while Rumil and Orophin exchanged nervous glances.
"Do you realise that this is his big chance to make fools out of us?" Orophin hissed to his brother
"I know that, Orophin but if we don't do something soon he'll have a nervous breakdown!" Rumil whispered back
"It's not my fault he has a short temper with in-animate objects" shrugged Orophin.
"Ah ha!" Haldir's triumphant voice suddenly cried making the two brothers jump out of their skin. To their dismay he sounded ecstatic with what he had found.
"And?" Rumil inquired nervously
"There is a cookery club every Tuesday. What about that?"
"NO!" cried Rumil and Orophin simultaneously.
"The problem with you two-" began Haldir as he turned back to the board "-is that you're too fussy"
"Us? Fussy?" exclaimed Rumil "We're not the ones that destroyed the pearl and ivory chessboard after reading the same sentence just three times."
Haldir pretended not to hear while the pair exchanged exasperated looks.
"Okay, how about this?"
"What?"
"There is a club on tonight in the main hall that is run by. . .ah."
"Who?" Orophin sounded quite worried by the tone in Haldir's voice.
"Elrond."
"What? What's he doing here?" asked Orophin
"It says that he's here on vacation for three weeks and is starting up dance classes."
"D-Dance?" Rumil and Orophin gaped at Haldir in the utmost horror.
"It's the only one left" he shrugged "Unless you want to try knitting!"
Rumil and Orophin turned to each other.
"A little privacy please" said Orophin "Brotherly conference"
Haldir sighed and turned his back to them.
"What do you think?" asked Orophin "I mean, if that's what it'll take to get Haldir's temper under control I think we should go for it."
"But Orophin, can you seriously see us joining a dance class?"
""No, but what's the point in being immortal if we don't try new things?"
Rumil sighed. "I suppose it can't hurt to try it."
They turned back to face Haldir's back.
"You can turn around now" they said.
Haldir looked at the solemn faces of his brothers. "Well?"
The evening came too quickly for Rumil and Orophin who were looking distinctly paler with every hour that went by. Haldir, on the other hand, had never looked more elated.
"I'm so glad that we finally can do something together, as brothers!" he sighed with happiness.
When the "hour of doom" (as Rumil called it) finally arrived, Haldir chivvied the disgruntled pair out the door and practically frog-marched them along to the main hall. From the looks on their faces you would think someone had died.
"Gather round, gather round!" Elrond called to the surrounding elves once they were all inside the hall. "There are so many here and so many long faces too" he said gazing around at the small group in front of him "Well, we can change that very soon! After all that's what we're here for."
Rumil shifted his gaze from Elrond's literally glowing face to Haldir's excited grin then down to his brother's appalled pout and sighed "We must be mad to have agreed to this" he said shaking his head.
"Now then does anyone here know anything about dancing?" Elrond asked. A couple of hands went up. "Anyone willing do give a demonstration?" he asked, beaming. The hands went down abruptly.
"Just as well I brought my assistant then!" Elrond beamed round at the group. "Now he's quite knowledgeable on dancing so I don't want any of you to become disheartened. After a few sessions I am sure we'll be up to his standard. Now without further ado may I present my assistant, Erestor!"
From the un-noticed far corner of the room, a tall black-haired elf dressed in a grey tunic and black shoes walked slowly up to Elrond. From the expression on his face Rumil imagined that Erestor would rather be hand- feeding a rabble of Orcs than do what Elrond had in store.
All the elves looked at each other and some looked like they were about to burst out laughing for it was widely known that Erestor was the most serious elf in Rivendell and led an extremely boring and dull life, though whether this was cause of his own doings or whether the centuries of being Elrond's advisor had taken their toll, no-one really knew.
A pale pink tinge appeared in Erestor's face as Elrond grinned happily at his advisor.
"Lindir, music please!" Elrond called to a second blonde elf sitting on a chair near where Erestor had been. A small harp was between his thighs and he looked up from the instrument when he heard Elrond's voice and began to play.
On cue, Erestor took a deep breath and began to dance. Slow at first, following the music with his silent feet then quicker as Lindir's skilled and elegant fingers began to run faster over the harp strings until finally he stopped, one leg slightly off the ground and his head bowed downwards as Lindir struck the final note.
The surrounding elves just stared in amazement at Erestor's performance and finally the silence was broken by someone clapping. Then others joined in until the whole hall was applauding. Rumil and Orophin turned to each other and grinned as they saw Haldir's horror-stricken face.
"We're supposed to do that?!" Haldir sounded quite breathless with fear.
Rumil and Orophin grinned and Orophin rubbed his hands together, a wicked smirk playing on the corner of his lips
"Excellent, now we can watch our 'dear' brother doing pirouettes and I can bribe Erestor for, oh, many, many things for many, many years!"
Rumil gazed across at Erestor who was now sitting back next to Lindir, his face a furious pink.
"You know" he said turning back to Orophin "I wonder if our Lord and Lady know about Erestor's performance."
No sooner were the words out of his mouth, the door burst open and two figures rushed over to Elrond.
"We aren't too late are we?" asked one of them.
"No no my Lady" he replied "Please, pull up a chair!"
The other figure turned to face his companion.
"Just you remember, Galadriel 'dearest', this was your idea!"
"Oh, stop fretting, Celeborn 'darling'. Its all you males do these days."
"And you exactly do you know all of us do it?" asked Celeborn with a raised eyebrow.
Galadriel suddenly looked slightly guilty.
"Well, you know how it is, my love" she simpered "It was calling to me. A-And you know that Thranduil's mind has always been weak to resist it's magic and-"
"That's it" cried Celeborn "I say it every year, but this time I mean it. That darn mirror is going!"