Chapter 3~ Of Maps and Make-Up
Rumil shook his head and bent his head down over the map.
"Remind me" said Orophin as he sat down next to Rumil "What exactly are we going to do?"
"I have had it up to here with Haldir's practising" scowled Rumil "'Tis all he does now. It's up with the birds, dancing all around the talan then going to bed so late that he may as well be getting up instead!"
"Yes, I know that part" sighed Orophin "But what are we going to do?"
"Ah yes" said Rumil, proudly spreading the map out on the floor. "I've worked out an escape plan for us. What we do is go down, late at night and sneak out via the west talans" he said, tracking the route with a finger. "We then head down to Nimrodel and out of the woods via the south border, and then, dear brother, we are free!"
"Don't you think he'll notice we're gone?" asked Orophin, biting his lip.
"Nah. He's always too preoccupied. Besides we could go tonight. He's bound to want to stay behind after dance class so it'll give us time to get packed while he's not here."
"While who's not here?"
Rumil nearly leapt a foot in the air.
"Haldir!" He said in surprise while trying to sit on the map to hide it "How are you brother?"
"I am well, thank you. But tell me, what is that you have there?"
"Er. . .Nothing. Nothing." Replied Rumil hastily
"Yes there is, you're sitting on it" Haldir said, getting suspicious.
"It's for my, my.."
"Geography class." Finished Orophin, grinning.
"Geography?" said Haldir, raising an eyebrow
"Er.yes. So would you mind giving us some peace and quiet while I work?"
"Of course." Said Haldir "I'm glad to see you doing something constructive for a change." He walked off into one of the side rooms and shut the door.
No sooner had Haldir gone, a head poked around Rumil's bedroom door.
"Celwyn" Rumil snarled "What do you think you're doing here?"
"I only wanted to know if you've made any progress on the escape plan yet."
The side door was flung open and Haldir strode in.
"So that's what you're planning, eh?" He bent down and pulled the oversized map from underneath Rumil "I'll take that!"
"Celwyn!" Rumil yelled. But Celwyn was gone.
"Typical" snarled Rumil "What?" he looked at the floor where Haldir's foot has tapping impatiently up to his serious face.
"Explain" he said, pointing at the map.
"What is there to explain?" said Rumil stubbornly "You've already heard what we're doing."
"I want to hear it from the horse's mouth"
"The what?" exclaimed Rumil in outrage.
"It's a phrase Elrond taught me" said Haldir proudly "Just tell me"
Rumil took a deep breath.
"We were going to sneak off and escape while everyone was asleep."
"Oh really?" said Haldir now sounding faintly amused "Taking anyone with you?"
"Oh just orophincelwynandme" said Rumil quickly
"Why?"
"Because we are sick to death of you prancing around the talan from dawn till dusk like some faerie with a large happy-balloon inside you!"
Haldir just looked at them. Then grinned..
"Why didn't you say so?"
Rumil looked scared by this very un-Haldir-like response but had barely time to dwell on it when he grabbed Rumil and Orophin and pulled them to their feet.
"Now, let's go and see Sir Elrond and see if he has any tips he can give you two."
"Erm...Haldir?" said Orophin cautiously.
"Yes, dear brother?"
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Better than I have in years, Orophin. Why do you ask?"
"It's just that you aren't acting like yourself."
"I'm just so happy that I've finally found a decent hobby that we can all enjoy"
"Oh" was all that Orophin could manage to say.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Haldir led the pair down to Elrond's quarters. On the way though, they passed the notice board and Rumil's expression got much darker.
"I didn't know there was a special dance club meeting today" said Haldir looking at the notice pinned up on the board.
"Neither did we" said Orophin dully then turning to Rumil, he said "I took that down this morning!"
"Why is it back up then?" hissed Rumil.
Orophin shrugged "It's not fair. Of all the clubs in the world, it had to be dance!"
The brothers were interrupted from their conversation with a shout of both revelation and supreme surprise from Haldir.
"The meeting started ten minutes ago!"
"And?" sighed Rumil
"And what? Come on, we might've missed something important!"
Haldir dashed off in the opposite direction to the main hall while Rumil and Orophin ran to catch up with their brother.
"Important?" panted Orophin after their seventh staircase dash "Highly unlikely."
They reached the main hall just as Haldir slipped inside in front of them.
"We aren't too late are we?" They heard him say.
"No, no not at all." They heard Elrond's voice answer.
Orophin and Rumil made their way towards the doors and slipped inside just as Haldir had done. What they saw made their stomachs turn in sync.
In the middle of the room, there was a small cluster of elves sitting in a circle and in the middle of that circle, stood Elrond. But it wasn't Elrond, the dignified Elf-Lord of Imladris who they never dared to play a prank on for the threat of being Erestor's assistant. The Elrond standing in the middle of the circle was dressed in the strangest and most ridiculous garb that Lorien had ever seen.
For a start he wore a knee high dress, pink in colour. On his feet he wore high-heeled boots of black and he had even gone so far as to wear black fish-net tights. His hair was done in a high ponytail and his face was plastered in make-up.
"Please, take a seat" he said.
Orophin and Rumil stood as still as stone and gaped at Elrond.
"I thought, now that you are all experts at dancing, we could put on a little show for your family and friends."
"And we'd all have to dress like that?" a young elf piped up.
"No. Some of you can be involved in sorting out the costumes for other performers and some of you can be involved in the make-up" replied Elrond.
"He means if we perform, will we have to wear that?" said a second.
"No, there are different costumes" he assured them.
"Oh wonderful!" sighed the elf.
Suddenly from the far side of the circle came a high-pitched voice.
"Oh Celeborn darling, won't this be fun? I've always wanted high- heels!"
"That's the spirit my Lady" said Elrond. "Now I'll just hand out these sheets of information about the performance I think you'll find very interesting. Now whoever wishes to participate should sign their name on the piece of parchment that is coming round the circle."
Orophin and Rumil exchanged horrified glances and quickly made their way over to where Erestor was sitting. The dark-haired elf's face and expression were both very fixed and he made no sign that he had seen them approach, only that he pointed to some remaining chairs.
"You know" Erestor said "I think that knitting club is starting to look very appealing!"
Rumil shook his head and bent his head down over the map.
"Remind me" said Orophin as he sat down next to Rumil "What exactly are we going to do?"
"I have had it up to here with Haldir's practising" scowled Rumil "'Tis all he does now. It's up with the birds, dancing all around the talan then going to bed so late that he may as well be getting up instead!"
"Yes, I know that part" sighed Orophin "But what are we going to do?"
"Ah yes" said Rumil, proudly spreading the map out on the floor. "I've worked out an escape plan for us. What we do is go down, late at night and sneak out via the west talans" he said, tracking the route with a finger. "We then head down to Nimrodel and out of the woods via the south border, and then, dear brother, we are free!"
"Don't you think he'll notice we're gone?" asked Orophin, biting his lip.
"Nah. He's always too preoccupied. Besides we could go tonight. He's bound to want to stay behind after dance class so it'll give us time to get packed while he's not here."
"While who's not here?"
Rumil nearly leapt a foot in the air.
"Haldir!" He said in surprise while trying to sit on the map to hide it "How are you brother?"
"I am well, thank you. But tell me, what is that you have there?"
"Er. . .Nothing. Nothing." Replied Rumil hastily
"Yes there is, you're sitting on it" Haldir said, getting suspicious.
"It's for my, my.."
"Geography class." Finished Orophin, grinning.
"Geography?" said Haldir, raising an eyebrow
"Er.yes. So would you mind giving us some peace and quiet while I work?"
"Of course." Said Haldir "I'm glad to see you doing something constructive for a change." He walked off into one of the side rooms and shut the door.
No sooner had Haldir gone, a head poked around Rumil's bedroom door.
"Celwyn" Rumil snarled "What do you think you're doing here?"
"I only wanted to know if you've made any progress on the escape plan yet."
The side door was flung open and Haldir strode in.
"So that's what you're planning, eh?" He bent down and pulled the oversized map from underneath Rumil "I'll take that!"
"Celwyn!" Rumil yelled. But Celwyn was gone.
"Typical" snarled Rumil "What?" he looked at the floor where Haldir's foot has tapping impatiently up to his serious face.
"Explain" he said, pointing at the map.
"What is there to explain?" said Rumil stubbornly "You've already heard what we're doing."
"I want to hear it from the horse's mouth"
"The what?" exclaimed Rumil in outrage.
"It's a phrase Elrond taught me" said Haldir proudly "Just tell me"
Rumil took a deep breath.
"We were going to sneak off and escape while everyone was asleep."
"Oh really?" said Haldir now sounding faintly amused "Taking anyone with you?"
"Oh just orophincelwynandme" said Rumil quickly
"Why?"
"Because we are sick to death of you prancing around the talan from dawn till dusk like some faerie with a large happy-balloon inside you!"
Haldir just looked at them. Then grinned..
"Why didn't you say so?"
Rumil looked scared by this very un-Haldir-like response but had barely time to dwell on it when he grabbed Rumil and Orophin and pulled them to their feet.
"Now, let's go and see Sir Elrond and see if he has any tips he can give you two."
"Erm...Haldir?" said Orophin cautiously.
"Yes, dear brother?"
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Better than I have in years, Orophin. Why do you ask?"
"It's just that you aren't acting like yourself."
"I'm just so happy that I've finally found a decent hobby that we can all enjoy"
"Oh" was all that Orophin could manage to say.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Haldir led the pair down to Elrond's quarters. On the way though, they passed the notice board and Rumil's expression got much darker.
"I didn't know there was a special dance club meeting today" said Haldir looking at the notice pinned up on the board.
"Neither did we" said Orophin dully then turning to Rumil, he said "I took that down this morning!"
"Why is it back up then?" hissed Rumil.
Orophin shrugged "It's not fair. Of all the clubs in the world, it had to be dance!"
The brothers were interrupted from their conversation with a shout of both revelation and supreme surprise from Haldir.
"The meeting started ten minutes ago!"
"And?" sighed Rumil
"And what? Come on, we might've missed something important!"
Haldir dashed off in the opposite direction to the main hall while Rumil and Orophin ran to catch up with their brother.
"Important?" panted Orophin after their seventh staircase dash "Highly unlikely."
They reached the main hall just as Haldir slipped inside in front of them.
"We aren't too late are we?" They heard him say.
"No, no not at all." They heard Elrond's voice answer.
Orophin and Rumil made their way towards the doors and slipped inside just as Haldir had done. What they saw made their stomachs turn in sync.
In the middle of the room, there was a small cluster of elves sitting in a circle and in the middle of that circle, stood Elrond. But it wasn't Elrond, the dignified Elf-Lord of Imladris who they never dared to play a prank on for the threat of being Erestor's assistant. The Elrond standing in the middle of the circle was dressed in the strangest and most ridiculous garb that Lorien had ever seen.
For a start he wore a knee high dress, pink in colour. On his feet he wore high-heeled boots of black and he had even gone so far as to wear black fish-net tights. His hair was done in a high ponytail and his face was plastered in make-up.
"Please, take a seat" he said.
Orophin and Rumil stood as still as stone and gaped at Elrond.
"I thought, now that you are all experts at dancing, we could put on a little show for your family and friends."
"And we'd all have to dress like that?" a young elf piped up.
"No. Some of you can be involved in sorting out the costumes for other performers and some of you can be involved in the make-up" replied Elrond.
"He means if we perform, will we have to wear that?" said a second.
"No, there are different costumes" he assured them.
"Oh wonderful!" sighed the elf.
Suddenly from the far side of the circle came a high-pitched voice.
"Oh Celeborn darling, won't this be fun? I've always wanted high- heels!"
"That's the spirit my Lady" said Elrond. "Now I'll just hand out these sheets of information about the performance I think you'll find very interesting. Now whoever wishes to participate should sign their name on the piece of parchment that is coming round the circle."
Orophin and Rumil exchanged horrified glances and quickly made their way over to where Erestor was sitting. The dark-haired elf's face and expression were both very fixed and he made no sign that he had seen them approach, only that he pointed to some remaining chairs.
"You know" Erestor said "I think that knitting club is starting to look very appealing!"