Chapter Five: Spiders

Alexis got up and walked over to her brother. "I'm sure we will run into them. Today hasn't been our day for luck brother."

"...you have a point." Legolas replied. But it was too late anyway, as the 'kids' ran out into the forest looking happy. Thranduil immediately dashed up a tree dragging a surprised looking Elrond behind him while Celeborn was trying to lose Glorfindel who wouldn't stop following him around. Galadriel was looking for a reflective pond and Haldir was just standing there.

Alexis went over to the armory and got her arrows, mostly black, and two daggers.

"Don't take those." Legolas said, not turning away from the forest. "If we must shoot them, use normal arrows. We will not destroy the forest and the kids because we want to get a few spidrens."

Alexis looked at him "ok then" she put them up and grabbed some green and brown regular arrows and followed her brother.

"I last saw Thranduil and Elrond up in the trees" Legolas announced, noticing that Galadriel had found her pool and was chatting to Haldir. Celeborn was sitting next to them and ignoring Glorfindel, who was looking at Celeborn in an...interesting...way. "These ones are close to the Palace; they ought to be fine while we look for the missing ones."

"I agree. The guards will keep the spiders away from them. Where should we start?"

"Up in the trees, silly."

Alexis blushed." I knew that." she said as she went and got in one.

Legolas jumped up into another tree and started looking around for tracks of passage. It wasn't that hard to find them, for Thranduil had been partially dragging Elrond.

Alexis saw then. Elrond was now hanging tied up with vines. "I found Elrond!" she yelled to her brother.

"Great...bring him down to the others, then come and help me find Father. You saw how fast he is now..." Legolas said. He thought, He could be halfway up the Mountains by now...

"Got ya!" she yelled as she cut Elrond down and put him with the others. He thanked her and she jumped back in the trees. She was hopping branches when she saw something run past her. "He went north, Legolas!"

Legolas nodded, knowing she didn't see, and headed north. North...north...I know there's something to the north...but what?

Alexis continued running after her teenage father until he tripped her with a vine and she fell out of a tree past Legolas, who tried to grab her but no such luck, and into something very sticky. She was worried. "Legolas...."

"Alexis?" Legolas looked. "Don't move! You're in spider webs!" While he was looking down, Thranduil jumped in front of him.

"Hi!" He said cheerfully, not seeming to notice that they were in a spidrens web. Legolas tried to say something but couldn't think of anything to say. Thranduil called down to Alexis, "I'm sorry about the vine! I thought you'd be a good enough climber to avoid it." He looked innocent. Legolas tried to hide his smile. He and Alexis had always pulled the "innocent look" as kids when they were snubbing someone and pretending not too know...no wonder their father had always figured it out...

Alexis stayed very still. Her arrows had all been scattered across the web. Not very helpful. She sighed. She just hoped they hadn't woken up the spiders. "Well father....you shouldn't do things like that you know." she said

Thranduil grinned and nodded, and then..."AHHH!" sounded a voice. That sounded like Haldir... Legolas thought. "I think I figured out where the Spidrens went..." He sighed. "To capture the other kids. Alexis, quick! Can you get out? We need to take them by surprise if we're to take them at all..."

"I know I should have taken the black ones but no..." She tried to get out but the more she tried the more she got stuck. "No I can't. Can you?"

Legolas looked around. He was also in a net, it seemed. His foot was stuck. He just hadn't noticed until Alexis had mentioned it. He tried to free his foot. He successfully tangled himself up. Thranduil burst out laughing. "Oh, shut up..." Legolas hissed. Thranduil reached out and took one of Legolas's knives. He then cut Legolas free, still giggling.

Alexis looked over to them. "Hey what about me?" She said. But then she felt the web moving'. "Legolas!" she yelled. "Help"

Legolas leaned down and cut a few threads. "You should be able to do the rest..." He told her.

She managed to get to one of her daggers and finished cutting herself free and get a few of her arrows in the process. "Get him back home I'll take care of this one" She said aiming 2 arrows at the spider. "He's in big trouble, you know that right?"

Legolas shook his head. She must not have heard Haldir. "Yes, he's in trouble. But the other ones are also in trouble, since that was THEM screaming a few seconds ago. I think the spidrens got them. Don't blow up Celeborn!" He said sharply as she aimed a black arrow at one of the spidrens that was carrying an Celeborn-like shape.

"Ehh...I won't, just be ready to get him when he falls!" She said as she shot the arrow. There was a five sec delay so Celeborn should be safe. Legolas got him as Alexis ran to free the others. Legolas jumped forward to grab Celeborn and motioned for Thranduil to follow him.

Suddenly Thranduil mentioned, "Are spidrens really this dumb to walk into a place with elves in it?" Legolas looked at his father.

"Er..." And the surrounding spidrens attacked.

Alexis was a little father ahead when all of a sudden she was surrounded by spiders. "Oh no..." she said before being forced to surrender.

Legolas had a headache and he was lying in the mud. Not good. He lifted his head and opened his eyes. That was the only part of his body he COULD move. His eyes focused. He was surrounded by spidrens. Worse.

Alexis was very much in the same spot. She couldn't move at all. She looked around as best as she could. They had gotten everyone. All the important elven nobles...not bad. Then her head started pounding. Alexis looked around again. "Legolas?" she whispered. "What happened?"

Legolas twisted his head painfully. "What do you THINK?" he hissed in irritation. The migraine wasn't doing wonders for his already bad mood...

"Oh just great! Now what?" Her head ach was getting to her as well. "You know this is the first time they've managed to get all the even nobles at once?"

"SHHH! They don't KNOW these are the nobles! Quiet!"

"Technicality they only know we and father are so they would just jump to the conclusion that the others are"

"Not exactly...they're kids again, and father only came here when he was older. Naturally, none of the others have ever been here as children..." he said when the spidrens returned and picked them up, dragging them towards a clearing.

Alexis was thrown on to ground along with the others as she looked up and gulped. Not good. "Hello..."she managed to get out.

It was a huge spidren. And it was wearing a cruel mockery of the Mirkwood crown; leaves woven together. Legolas resisted the urge to tell them that oak leaves and aspen leaves did NOT go well together...

The Spidren got off his 'throne'-rock-thing and looked at them. "Guard the edges of the clearing, even the trees...lets see them caged in. Release them from the webs."

Elrond and Celeborn ran immediately and hid behind Alexis. Poking their heads from behind her every so often. "What do you want with us? What have we done?" she asked her head ach getting worse.

Legolas rolled his eyes. These are SPIDRENS, and she asks them for reasons?

She closed her eyes for a moment. She put her head in her hand. It was getting worse. She opened her eyes again and everything re focused. What now? She thought.

Legolas sat up and looked at the kids. Celeborn, Elrond and Galadriel were near Alexis, Haldir and Glorfindel over there...er. Where is father?

"ARG! Get the elf-child out of that chandelier!"  The Spidren King yelled.

Ah, yes... Legolas smiled to himself.

Alexis shook her head and pulled him down. Could it get any worse? She thought

Legolas knew what his sister was thinking. No. He thought. Then he altered that when he saw Thranduil ask the King Spidren, "Are you fat because you're stuffed with webs or is it because you ate too much?"

Alexis gave Thranduil the look. The one he always gave her and put him with the others. "Stay" she said as she turned back to the King Spidren. "He didn't mean that, honestly"

"He's insane and he's off his medication for the day." Legolas said, mentally rolling his eyes. If they fall for that...

"He is?" The Spidren King said, relaxing from his rage a bit.

Dear Elbreth. They are soooo stupid... Legolas thought.

Alexis gave a sigh of relief. She opened her moth to say some thing but quickly closed it again... when Elrond said, "Well, he does have a point..."

Legolas hissed, "I know YOU'RE suicidal, but don't kill us too..."

Alexis rolled her eyes. Nice idea this was.

Elrond looked at him." Well duh..." he trailed off.

Alexis turned back to the Spidren King. "Why not let them go? They'll just drive you insane." She thought for a moment. "See what they've done to us?"

The Spidren King evidentially didn't believe them...Legolas whispered to Galadriel, "Do the mirror cheer."

"Look into the mirror, rah, rah, rah! Give me an M! Give me an I! Give me a ROR! What does that spell? MIRROR! YAYYYY!" Now the Spidren King was looking rather disturbed.

Alexis whispered something about sugar in that chandelier to Thranduil and he was rapidly tearing it apart looking for the sugar. "See what I mean?"

Legolas gave Elrond a knife. Elrond promptly began to narrate his obituary. Haldir was playing with his pocket protector. Alexis decided he didn't need any help to look insane...Celeborn was starting to sing love songs alternatively to her and Galadriel...no help needed there either. Alexis smiled. "See. I told you."

The Spidren King was starting to look very disturbed and rather afraid...just one more thing...Legolas's eyes lit up with an evil look. He jumped up to Thranduil and told him, "There WAS sugar in this chandelier, but the Spidren King, the big one, hid all of it in his crown..." Thranduil looked at the Spidren King. Now, with any luck, Father will be as light on his feet as he always is... Legolas thought.

Alexis smiled. She was laughing so hard to herself as Thranduil jumped on the Spidren.

"AH! GET OFF!" the Spidren King yelled.

"NEED SUGAR!" Thranduil yelled.

Alexis smiled. "See they'll drive you insane! Why not let them go"

The Spidren King looked up at his hyper child-shaped hat. "Get. Them. Out. Of. Here." He hissed.

Alexis grabbed Thranduil. "There is more back home." she said gathering up the others and started to usher them back to the edge of the clearing.

Thranduil promptly sat down and started to pout. "We still have some of those...Pixie Sticks...at home." Legolas informed him. There was a blur and Thranduil was pulling on the others, yelling at them to go faster. Alexis followed them.

Legolas looked at Alexis. "The trick was that he did the same thing when he was an adult..."

Alexis looked at her brother. "I know....I have to hide them you know..."

"I have some hidden too...It helps when Father's being stubborn." Legolas replied.

"I know..." They started to follow the kids out of the clearing when 2 spidrens rushed in front of them.

"Who ever said that you could leave?" one of them hissed. Legolas and Alexis shared a glance which plainly read: "Uh, oh..."

"But we have to watch them!" She yelled. "That's how we ended up in this mess in the first place!"

"Besides, they won't show me where the Pixie Sticks are if they don't get out, thus I'll have to return to eating your King's crown...I think it was partially made of holly! It tasted great!" Thranduil said, sounding more coherent.

Legolas frowned inwardly. That sounded rather coherent for Father in his current state...

Alexis looked to Thranduil then back to the guard. "He will...." she looked back to him. He looks a little bigger...Then looked to Elrond who had stopped singing his obituary. That has to be a good thing...

Galadriel seemed to have misplaced her pompoms... Legolas thought randomly, still staring at Spidren. She didn't even lose them in the trees or anything...

Haldir stopped playing with the pocket protector...must have gotten bored with it.....What...Celeborn has his full attention on Galadriel now...good. Alexis thought.

Legolas shifted slightly and bumped into Thranduil. Who nearly reached Legolas's shoulder. And he hadn't before. Elbreth! They're going back to normal! Thank...Oh no. WHY NOW?

Our one chance of getting away and NOW THEY GO BACK TO NORMAL! Alexis almost screamed to herself.

Legolas thought of something that may be able to work. He widened his eye, looked at the outside, and said, "Oh, no! Not that! Not again!" Then he whistled the Ice Cream Truck song...There were several blurs of motion and Legolas and Alexis were being dragged off towards the Palace. Saved by the Ice Cream Truck bell...