Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1
IT HAS DELETED MY STORY!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???? STUPID, STUPID MACHINE!!!!!!!
AND ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS ARE GONE AS WELL!!!! *wails*
WELL, I WON'T GIVE UP SO EASILY!!!!
SO, THIS IS A REPOST, FOLKS, SORRY.... NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON, I PROMISE!!!
A/N:
*faints*
Uhm, yes, that about sums it up. I can't believe how many reviews I got ... THANK YOU!!!! *hugs all of them*
I am so happy you like it and I truly hope you will enjoy the rest of it as well - but you never know... *evil giggle*
For those of you who wondered: Estel is supposed to be 22 or 23 years old, so it takes place about 2953 (TA).
And yes, the fair prince of Mirkwood is making his appearance in this chapter! It's a rather short one, but well...
Well, on to the next chapter, there's not much action in it, I'm afraid, but that's all coming in the next part ... and the next ... and the next ... *g*
Chapter 2
"No."
"Brother…"
"No."
"Elbereth! Stop being so thick-headed! Come on Estel, he won't kill you!"
"Are you so sure about this? I for my part am not."
"You know how he is, brother, he is … like a big fluffy dog, and you know what they say: Barking dogs never bite."
Aragorn turned unbelieving silver eyes on Elrohir, who was perched comfortably on a sturdy branch just above the balcony in front of Aragorn's room. He then dropped his gaze to his boots, which were swinging idly back and forth on the other side of the wooden balustrade, and shifted slightly. The young human looked at the struts that were keeping it upright; each of them was carved into the figurine of a different animal.
As a child he would spent days just sitting on the balcony, looking at the silver swans, deer and wild boars, imagining them coming to life, which seemed not too unlikely, considering the realistic carving of the wooden animals.
"Estel?" Elladan's soft voice drew him back from his thoughts.
He looked up at his elder brother, smiling faintly and trying to make out his brother's silhouette in the growing twilight.
"Do you think we, I mean, I went too far? I can't remember him being this angry since I told father in front of the whole court that he was in love with that Lórien maiden when I was six years old."
He tried to suppress a grin at the memory, which faded quickly when he remembered the situation at hand.
"And it's been nearly a week now," he added thoughtfully.
Elrohir laughed lightly, clearly remembering the incident.
"Ah, yes, little brother, his face truly was a sight to remember. Rarely have I seen him that embarrassed. But no," his face turned serious again and he hopped down from his branch to settle lightly down next to his human brother on top of the balustrade, "I do not think he is still angry with you. Just go and apologize. He will understand."
Estel looked at him doubtfully.
"Do you really think so? The last time I saw him he had a definitely wicked sparkle in his eyes, you know, the one that warns of impending doom and destruction which are about to descend on the person unfortunate enough to have angered him."
Elrohir laughed, resting a hand on the young ranger's shoulder.
"Don't worry, little brother. It will be alright. His hair is almost back to normal now. He will not harm you…permanently."
He stopped to flash a mischievous grin in Aragorn's direction, who merely rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Besides, I absolutely refuse to escort Glorfindel to the southern borders tomorrow if you two keep shooting these looks at each other," he added smiling.
Aragorn scowled at him, shrugged off his brother's arm and climbed off the railing that encircled the small platform above the Rivendell gardens.
"Ah well, I'm going. But if he kills me, you are the one who has to tell father."
He turned and quickly walked across his room, heading for Elladan's chambers at the end of the corridor.
He heard Elrohir chuckle behind him, and just before he closed the door, he heard his brother call out in a mocking voice: "Just remember, Estel: A dog! A green haired one! Just don't let him latch onto your leg and you should be fine!!"
Scowling darkly, Aragorn decided that Elrohir was enjoying his discomfort far too much.
'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'I think I will have to teach him a lesson about not laughing at your brother's pain. I wonder if there's any of the calenril left…'
Entertaining himself with thoughts of how exactly he was going to wipe that smug grin off Elrohir's face, he reached his oldest brother's door.
Raising his hand to knock, he steeled himself and stretched out his other hand to grab the door handle.
Elrond was sitting at a desk in one of the storage rooms he used for stocking various herbs and occupied himself with the tedious task of grounding dried roots into a fine white powder.
The small room was warmly lit by half a dozen glow lamps, positioned all over the long shelves.
He preferred to do this on his own; this way he could let his mind wander while doing something useful and make sure at the same time that the powder actually remained in the small stone mortar.
He had learned that lesson the hard way. The Lord of Rivendell could still remember the day his then very young sons had stood in the door, asking him if they could help, hopeful eyes shining brightly in their identical angelic faces.
No, he told himself firmly, he would never again allow anyone to touch his herbs unsupervised. At least no one under the age of 3000 years. He could still hear Celebríans laughter when they had entered the room an hour later to find their sons covered from head to toe in white powder – along with everything else within reach of the two young elflings.
At the thought of his beloved wife, who had passed long ago into the West, his heart clenched in grief. It was truly amazing, he thought bitterly, that even now, after more than 500 years, her passing still felt like a raw wound in his heart, a wound that would never heal until he himself journeyed to the Havens.
His dark thoughts were interrupted when his younger elven son came sauntering into the room, and, with an air of familiarity that spoke volumes for long experience, began to open several wooden cabinets and pull out various supplies.
Enough supplies, Elrond noted suspiciously, to tend a fair sized army.
Almost afraid to ask, he cleared his throat, glancing at his son inquiringly.
Elrohir turned, giving his father a lopsided grin while picking up a bunch of dried athelas and an armful of bandages, and tried to stuff them into a bag made of soft grey elven cloth.
"Good evening, father. A rather enjoyable night, is it not?"
Elrond wasn't fooled for a second by his son's display of innocence.
"Dare I ask what these," he pointed to the sack Elrohir was now filling with an assortment of styptic herbs, "are for?"
Elrohir shrugged, closing the sack and turning to leave the room.
"I just noticed that the supplies back in the main room were getting low again and I thought, with Legolas arriving in a week, we probably ought to replenish our stocks. You know how the two young ones are," he said, shaking his dark head in mild disapproval.
"Elrohir…" his father growled quietly as his son turned to leave the room.
The younger elf turned back and shrugged, now grinning broadly.
"You never know what will happen around here, do you? I mean, accidents just happen! Especially here. Especially when Estel's around."
His father raised a dark brow in question.
"I told Estel to go and apologize to Elladan. And considering the looks Elladan has been giving him for the past week, I think it's best to be prepared for all eventualities," Elrohir explained, quickly leaving the room before his father could ask him any more questions.
Elrond let the pestle he had been holding in his hand sink down onto the desk, the mortar sitting forgotten in front of him.
'Estel is apologizing to Elladan … alone? Without a single witness present?' he thought horror-stricken, remembering the look of murder in the eyes of his eldest whenever he saw his young brother.
He sighed deeply and resumed his work, trying very hard not to think of broken bodies or gaping wounds. If he hadn't heard from Estel in two hours, he would organize a search, he decided, his headache returning with a vengeance.
"What have I done to deserve this?" he muttered to himself, not really expecting an answer.
Aragorn was standing in Elladan's room, trying very hard to master his fear.
All of a sudden, he understood perfectly well why most orcs tended to flee once they saw one of his brothers in full battle-mode.
'Yes,' he thought, 'suddenly the thought of a nice, dark hole in the ground to hide in seems very appealing to me.'
His eyes fixed firmly on the mantelpiece behind his brother's head, the latter still of a faintly greenish colour, he took a deep breath and, trying to ignore the wicked gleam in his brother's eyes, he launched the speech he had been preparing in his mind for the last few days.
"Elladan, please hear me out, this is very important to me. I am really sorry I dyed your hair. I shouldn't have done it; my behaviour was more than childish and did not enhance the prestige of our House in the slightest. I honestly regret the taunting you had to endure because of my actions, and the fact that I used calenril so that it won't wash out completely for the next few weeks either."
He swallowed nervously, thinking that this wasn't sounding at all the way he had planned. Feeling very much like an insect caught in a spider's web, and a sadistic spider at that, he watched the gleam in Elladan's eyes grow even more wicked, if such a thing was even possible.
Hastily correcting himself, he continued.
"Uhm, I mean, it was irresponsible of me to dye your hair in the first place. I should never have done that."
Resisting the urge to shift part of the blame on Elrohir, he watched his brother slowly get up from his bed he had been sitting on and added quickly,
"And I will never do it again, of course. Forgive me."
He opened his mouth to say more, but closed it with an audible snap when he looked his brother in the eye, who had crossed the room and was now standing right in front of him.
Feeling strong hands grab the front of his worn tunic and very nearly lift him off his feet, he closed his eyes and sent a prayer to the Valar for a quick death.
When he felt himself still dangling in the air a few heartbeats later, he first opened one, then both eyes to face his elven brother.
"So, little brother," Elladan said in a dangerously low voice, adjusting his grip on Aragorn's shirt slightly, "You think that's enough? That I will just forgive this little … incident? Don't forget, young one," he added, knowing full well how much that term irked the human, "Elves have extremely long memories. We don't forgive easily, and we never forget."
Looking into Aragorn's wide, frightened eyes, he fought very hard to maintain his composure. 'Ah,' he thought, 'just to see him like this has been worth the whole thing.'
Trying to find his voice, Aragorn managed to croak, "Y-You can't kill me, f-father would have your h-hide!"
Grinning evilly and lifting Estel even closer to his face, Elladan replied in a soft voice,
"Ah, dear brother, but you assume they know where you are. Don't worry. I will make sure they never find your body."
Glancing at the silver eyes which grew even wider at that, he was unable to stifle his laughter, and, letting his brother drop down to the floor, he let his body slide down the wall, laughing helplessly.
Desperately trying to calm his racing heart, Aragorn picked himself up and sat down on Elladan's bed, scowling at his elven brother, who was – literally – rolling on the floor laughing. He ran a slightly shaking hand over his face.
"That was not funny, Elladan! You scared me half to death!!"
"Oh, but it was, little brother!! I would gladly go through the same again if it meant I could see that wide-eyed look on your face once more. I will treasure this moment to the ends of time!" Elladan managed after a few minutes, calming down slightly.
Aragorn looked daggers at his brother, but couldn't quite hide the relief that was showing on his face. "So you're not angry with me?"
Still snickering, Elladan got up a little less graceful than usual and seated himself next to his youngest brother.
"No, little one," he replied, shooting Estel a nasty look, "I am not. But that does not mean," he lifted a finger, which, Aragorn noted, made him look a lot like Elrond, "that I won't retaliate. You should tread very carefully in the near future."
He gave his young human brother a grin, who returned it, eyes laughing.
"But tell me, Estel, how did you come up with this cursed weed? I'd never have remembered it…"
Aragorn drew himself up proudly, giving his elven brother a lopsided grin.
"Ah, my brother, that truly is a long tale. Where should I begin…"
Elrond eyed the door that led to Elladan's chambers suspiciously.
It had been well over two hours now, and he was beginning to get a little bit worried.
Not that he really thought Elladan would harm Estel, no, but sometimes it was hard for an elf – and for a furious elf even harder – to remember that humans didn't possess the firstborn's resilience, nor their strength. It was especially hard with Estel, who was, in some aspects, more an elf than a human.
Elrond shot another glance at the door.
Shaking his head, the Lord of Imladris finally decided to act.
Straightening his back and running a hand over his robes, he quickly moved over to the door, knocked and, without waiting to be admitted, entered the room.
Fully expecting to see a battlefield that made Dagorlad pale in comparison, he was more than just a little surprised to see his oldest and youngest son sit peacefully side by side on the floor.
His long legs stretched out before him, Estel was clearly about to finish a lengthy tale.
"…and this, dear brother, is how we got the calenril out of father's storeroom."
Elladan nudged his brother in the ribs, clearing his throat.
Estel looked up and smiled at his father.
"Good evening, ada! A nice clear night it is, is it not?"
Fighting off the distinct feeling of déjà vu, Elrond decided that he really didn't want to know.
He looked sternly at his innocently smiling sons and reminded them not to forget that they had to escort Glorfindel to the southern borders of his realm on the next day.
Looking scandalized at the mere thought that they could forget something as important as this, Elladan and Estel assured him that they were aware of that fact, gazing at him innocently.
Elrond shook his head in amusement, and, knowing when to admit defeat, he said, "Very well then. I will not ask what happened, for I do not wish to know. Estel," he turned to his youngest, "you should go to bed. You are still young and need your sleep," he added, a mischievous gleam in his grey eyes.
Estel started to protest, while Elladan tried very hard not to laugh, not too successful one might add.
"But, ada, I…" he started, but closed his mouth, taking a look at his father's stern face.
"Fine then. I don't mind," he grumbled, standing up and leaving the room, scowling at his foster father and brother.
Elrond turned to his snickering eldest, "That goes for you too, young one."
Taking one last look at his son's stunned face, he turned and walked out of the room, finally allowing the smile he had been stifling all the time to show on his face.
'Ah,' he thought, walking towards his own chambers, 'I will never truly understand them, I fear. Sometimes one could swear that they turn from adults to 6-year-old human children in a matter of seconds!'
Elrond hastened his steps when a sudden shudder of dread swept through his tall frame, leaving a feeling as if a blanket of darkness had just enveloped his mind. He decided to stop by Elrohir's room, just to make sure his younger elven son was alright.
He had lived far too long and seen too much to ignore such a warning, unclear as it may be.
The dark-haired elf shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable spot in the branches of the tree he had chosen as a vantage point. And it was an excellent choice, he told himself again.
The tree was situated on top of a small hill, just inside Rivendell territory, and offered a perfect view on the path that led down from the front gates, at least if one possessed elven eyes. If anyone left this way, he would know. He had arrived a few hours earlier, carefully avoiding all posts and sentinels that guarded the entrances to the Last Homely House.
He clutched a dark branch so tightly his knuckles showed white through his pale skin, trying very hard to fend off the overpowering wave of hatred that swept through him. Now that he was so close to his target, he found it nearly impossible to wait. Every single fibre of his being screamed for blood, the blood of the person who had taken away from him what he loved most in all of Arda.
Pushing his emotions back into the dark corner of his mind where they had been locked up for the past 3000 years, he breathed deeply to calm himself.
No, he told himself, this way the entire affair would be much more enjoyable. Much more enjoyable.
Pushing back his quiver, the elf settled down on the branch to wait for the sun to rise over the gorge and herald the beginning of a new day.
Legolas Greenleaf couldn't sleep, a fact that greatly annoyed him. Elves did not have trouble sleeping, he told himself firmly and had to grin, suddenly glad Aragorn wasn't here to witness this. He would tease him mercilessly about him doing things a proper elf shouldn't. Sighing he pushed back his blankets, got up and donned an old tunic. Pushing the embroidered curtains aside that were moving slightly in the night breeze, he stepped onto his balcony that overlooked the palace gardens.
Legolas took a deep breath of the cold air and tried to calm his troubled mind, pale moonlight highlighting his long, unbraided fair hair and making it gleam like spun silver.
Deciding that he would relax much better in a tree than down here on the balcony, the young elf quickly looked around him and, satisfied that no one else was in sight, jumped lightly into the branches of one of the trees that grew in front of his windows.
Settling himself down comfortably, he allowed his tense muscles to relax and his eyes to become unfocused. If his father caught him here, in a tree in the gardens, clad only in a pair of breeches and an old shirt, he would be in deep trouble. The King of Mirkwood was always adamantly demanding that Legolas behave like the prince he was, which sometimes caused them to clash.
'Well, I will not get caught,' Legolas thought wryly, 'If I get caught in my own gardens, by my own guards, on a tree in front of my own room, I really deserve to be locked away in the dungeons for the next few decades.'
Relaxing into the hold of the tree, he listened to the sounds of the whispering trees, allowing them to lull him to sleep. But just before he could enter the realm of elvish dreams, he jerked wide awake, his eyes opening fully with a start.
There it was again, the feeling of dread that swept over him every time he allowed his consciousness to relax. Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead wearily.
He just didn't know what this feeling meant, and that alone was enough to drive him insane.
Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he got up and prepared to return to his rooms.
Landing lightly on top of the railing, he took one last look at the twinkling stars and made his way back inside.
He dropped down tiredly on top of his bed and decided that worrying about something he couldn't help was not really a wise course of action.
Allowing his eyes to adopt the glassiness of elven sleep, he tried to get some rest.
'It won't do me any good if I fall asleep on my way to Rivendell tomorrow,' he mused, and with the thought of the twins and his best friend on his mind, Legolas finally drifted off into a world of troubled dreams.
TBC...
Ada - father (daddy)
Reviews? Yes please!! I'm STILL nervous about it!
Additional A/N:
Elizabeth Goode: Thank you! You are my first reviewer ever!!
Mercredi: Yes, I do indeed try to follow the tradition of the glorious C&S! I TRY! Thanks so much for your review! And you are right, nobody seems to have trouble telling them apart, well in later chapters there will be more outer ... differences. Just wait... *evil grin*
Gemstone: Well, updates... I try to post this twice a week, but it depends how much work I have to do for college. I'll try to update every 3 or 4 days though!
Mbali: I'm sorry it doesn't work with with Wordpad, have you tried downloading Netscape? It's free and doesn't take too long, and once you get to know the Composer, it's working quite well... (*points at bars* I did them myself!! On purpose!!) You are writing a new fic? Oh yes!!! Post it soon! Please!!!
Reginabean: Thank you for your review! Well, English _isn't_ my first language, and there are lots of mistakes in it ... I'm still trying to find all of them... It's hopeless. *g*
I'm on your favorites list! Yay! Thanks!!
Wolfete: And another favorites list!! Thank you! *huggles her* I'm honoured!!
Ellewyn Greenleaf: *watches Ellewyn the impatient elfling from a safe distance* See? I updated!! As soon as I could, too... We have our finals soon as well, I just try and ignore that fact ... that even works for a while ... *looks at pixie stix* Ahm, well, thank you, I guess? Just what I wanted! *g*
Hwoarang Girl: Thanks so much for your kind words! *hugs her* Yes, family life is _always_ hectic, I don't think it matters whether you have two elven brothers or an older brother and a younger sister like me - it's hell! Sometimes, at least... *g* I was really nervous about writing Glorfindel, he is so wise and old and ... well, reborn! He won't be there for the whole story, I'm afraid!
Elfchic02: Well, I _hope_ it's gonna be good! Thanks for your review!
Vana Burke: *pats her back* But of course I will continue! I'm not that evil... *g* You added me to your favorites list!! Thanks so much!! And yes, sometimes siblings can be hazardous to your health, I can still remember the day I poured a bottle of glue over my brother's head ... He almost killed me - literally!
Sailor Gaia: I'm glad you liked it! I was laughing quite hard when I was writing that bit, myself... *g*
Faith: Don't worry, the fair prince of Mirkwood will have his fair share of appearances in the future, especially once he manages to get to Rivendell ... I mean, IF he manages to get to Rivendell... *evil grin*
Calcus Angel: Yeah, green hair is something new, isn't it? I hope you'll like the rest as well!
Carrie-n-Emmithar, wait, that's just Carrie, isn't it?: Wow! Thanks for reviewing! I just love your stories!! And thanks for stopping Elladan from killing himself, it's always sooo annoying when he does that... *sigh* And I'm sorry, I don't think I can tell you why the elf wants to hurt your fav elfses and Aragorn. It would spoil the surprise just a bit, don't you think? *g*
Slea: Hope this is soon enough? I'm not C&S, unfortunately, so I won't update every other day, but I think twice a week should be doable... I'm glad you liked the first bit! And you added me to your favorites!! Thanks!! *hugs her*
Halo: Halo, Halo, Halo, how many times have I told you: Don't zap my characters unless you have absolutely no other choice? They will get some kind of brain damage or something ... just think of what happened to Éomer!! We zapped him _way_ too many times!!
ThE iNsAnE oNe: *looks at your dangerous dog* Well ... I have updated!! Don't tell it to attack me, please!! Have mercy!! LOL. I know this kind of dog, I have one myself; they are _very_ dangerous... Yes, I think Elladan is not too happy with you right now...and can you blame him? *evil laughter* Thanks for adding me to your favorites list!! *hugs her*
Freakizimi: Thanks a lot for the compliment! I think I'm so afraid to misspell something or use the wrong tense that I read it over and over again until I have found most of the mistakes... But somehow there are always _some_ *glares darkly at them* I miss...
CalliTrakand: *blushes* Oww, you are too kind... But thanks!! I try to write as detailed as possible, I'm glad someone noticed... *g*
Lina: *looks at the happy dancers* Well ... this is the strangest party I have ever seen!! Including that christmas party two years ago, and _that_ means something... *g* *hugs Lina* I could never forget you!! NEVER!! How? Who else is even more concerned about my baby's safety than me? And it's not Nólad who is angry, well, perhaps a bit, but he's not really evil. The other elf is, though...Quite evil... *evil grin*
Echo_sackett: Thanks for the review!! I hope you'll enjoy the rest as well!
Zam: Oww, the orc horde remembered to send their greetings? That's so sweet... *sniff* I hope they like it too!! I'm really happy _you_ like it though, and you've even added me to your favorites! Thanks!! *huggles her and gets dragged off by Snikdûl when she won't let go* Thank you!!
Thank you sooooooo much for all your lovely reviews!! I've printed all of them and plan to use them as my new wallpaper...
IT HAS DELETED MY STORY!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???? STUPID, STUPID MACHINE!!!!!!!
AND ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS ARE GONE AS WELL!!!! *wails*
WELL, I WON'T GIVE UP SO EASILY!!!!
SO, THIS IS A REPOST, FOLKS, SORRY.... NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON, I PROMISE!!!
A/N:
*faints*
Uhm, yes, that about sums it up. I can't believe how many reviews I got ... THANK YOU!!!! *hugs all of them*
I am so happy you like it and I truly hope you will enjoy the rest of it as well - but you never know... *evil giggle*
For those of you who wondered: Estel is supposed to be 22 or 23 years old, so it takes place about 2953 (TA).
And yes, the fair prince of Mirkwood is making his appearance in this chapter! It's a rather short one, but well...
Well, on to the next chapter, there's not much action in it, I'm afraid, but that's all coming in the next part ... and the next ... and the next ... *g*
Chapter 2
"No."
"Brother…"
"No."
"Elbereth! Stop being so thick-headed! Come on Estel, he won't kill you!"
"Are you so sure about this? I for my part am not."
"You know how he is, brother, he is … like a big fluffy dog, and you know what they say: Barking dogs never bite."
Aragorn turned unbelieving silver eyes on Elrohir, who was perched comfortably on a sturdy branch just above the balcony in front of Aragorn's room. He then dropped his gaze to his boots, which were swinging idly back and forth on the other side of the wooden balustrade, and shifted slightly. The young human looked at the struts that were keeping it upright; each of them was carved into the figurine of a different animal.
As a child he would spent days just sitting on the balcony, looking at the silver swans, deer and wild boars, imagining them coming to life, which seemed not too unlikely, considering the realistic carving of the wooden animals.
"Estel?" Elladan's soft voice drew him back from his thoughts.
He looked up at his elder brother, smiling faintly and trying to make out his brother's silhouette in the growing twilight.
"Do you think we, I mean, I went too far? I can't remember him being this angry since I told father in front of the whole court that he was in love with that Lórien maiden when I was six years old."
He tried to suppress a grin at the memory, which faded quickly when he remembered the situation at hand.
"And it's been nearly a week now," he added thoughtfully.
Elrohir laughed lightly, clearly remembering the incident.
"Ah, yes, little brother, his face truly was a sight to remember. Rarely have I seen him that embarrassed. But no," his face turned serious again and he hopped down from his branch to settle lightly down next to his human brother on top of the balustrade, "I do not think he is still angry with you. Just go and apologize. He will understand."
Estel looked at him doubtfully.
"Do you really think so? The last time I saw him he had a definitely wicked sparkle in his eyes, you know, the one that warns of impending doom and destruction which are about to descend on the person unfortunate enough to have angered him."
Elrohir laughed, resting a hand on the young ranger's shoulder.
"Don't worry, little brother. It will be alright. His hair is almost back to normal now. He will not harm you…permanently."
He stopped to flash a mischievous grin in Aragorn's direction, who merely rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Besides, I absolutely refuse to escort Glorfindel to the southern borders tomorrow if you two keep shooting these looks at each other," he added smiling.
Aragorn scowled at him, shrugged off his brother's arm and climbed off the railing that encircled the small platform above the Rivendell gardens.
"Ah well, I'm going. But if he kills me, you are the one who has to tell father."
He turned and quickly walked across his room, heading for Elladan's chambers at the end of the corridor.
He heard Elrohir chuckle behind him, and just before he closed the door, he heard his brother call out in a mocking voice: "Just remember, Estel: A dog! A green haired one! Just don't let him latch onto your leg and you should be fine!!"
Scowling darkly, Aragorn decided that Elrohir was enjoying his discomfort far too much.
'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'I think I will have to teach him a lesson about not laughing at your brother's pain. I wonder if there's any of the calenril left…'
Entertaining himself with thoughts of how exactly he was going to wipe that smug grin off Elrohir's face, he reached his oldest brother's door.
Raising his hand to knock, he steeled himself and stretched out his other hand to grab the door handle.
Elrond was sitting at a desk in one of the storage rooms he used for stocking various herbs and occupied himself with the tedious task of grounding dried roots into a fine white powder.
The small room was warmly lit by half a dozen glow lamps, positioned all over the long shelves.
He preferred to do this on his own; this way he could let his mind wander while doing something useful and make sure at the same time that the powder actually remained in the small stone mortar.
He had learned that lesson the hard way. The Lord of Rivendell could still remember the day his then very young sons had stood in the door, asking him if they could help, hopeful eyes shining brightly in their identical angelic faces.
No, he told himself firmly, he would never again allow anyone to touch his herbs unsupervised. At least no one under the age of 3000 years. He could still hear Celebríans laughter when they had entered the room an hour later to find their sons covered from head to toe in white powder – along with everything else within reach of the two young elflings.
At the thought of his beloved wife, who had passed long ago into the West, his heart clenched in grief. It was truly amazing, he thought bitterly, that even now, after more than 500 years, her passing still felt like a raw wound in his heart, a wound that would never heal until he himself journeyed to the Havens.
His dark thoughts were interrupted when his younger elven son came sauntering into the room, and, with an air of familiarity that spoke volumes for long experience, began to open several wooden cabinets and pull out various supplies.
Enough supplies, Elrond noted suspiciously, to tend a fair sized army.
Almost afraid to ask, he cleared his throat, glancing at his son inquiringly.
Elrohir turned, giving his father a lopsided grin while picking up a bunch of dried athelas and an armful of bandages, and tried to stuff them into a bag made of soft grey elven cloth.
"Good evening, father. A rather enjoyable night, is it not?"
Elrond wasn't fooled for a second by his son's display of innocence.
"Dare I ask what these," he pointed to the sack Elrohir was now filling with an assortment of styptic herbs, "are for?"
Elrohir shrugged, closing the sack and turning to leave the room.
"I just noticed that the supplies back in the main room were getting low again and I thought, with Legolas arriving in a week, we probably ought to replenish our stocks. You know how the two young ones are," he said, shaking his dark head in mild disapproval.
"Elrohir…" his father growled quietly as his son turned to leave the room.
The younger elf turned back and shrugged, now grinning broadly.
"You never know what will happen around here, do you? I mean, accidents just happen! Especially here. Especially when Estel's around."
His father raised a dark brow in question.
"I told Estel to go and apologize to Elladan. And considering the looks Elladan has been giving him for the past week, I think it's best to be prepared for all eventualities," Elrohir explained, quickly leaving the room before his father could ask him any more questions.
Elrond let the pestle he had been holding in his hand sink down onto the desk, the mortar sitting forgotten in front of him.
'Estel is apologizing to Elladan … alone? Without a single witness present?' he thought horror-stricken, remembering the look of murder in the eyes of his eldest whenever he saw his young brother.
He sighed deeply and resumed his work, trying very hard not to think of broken bodies or gaping wounds. If he hadn't heard from Estel in two hours, he would organize a search, he decided, his headache returning with a vengeance.
"What have I done to deserve this?" he muttered to himself, not really expecting an answer.
Aragorn was standing in Elladan's room, trying very hard to master his fear.
All of a sudden, he understood perfectly well why most orcs tended to flee once they saw one of his brothers in full battle-mode.
'Yes,' he thought, 'suddenly the thought of a nice, dark hole in the ground to hide in seems very appealing to me.'
His eyes fixed firmly on the mantelpiece behind his brother's head, the latter still of a faintly greenish colour, he took a deep breath and, trying to ignore the wicked gleam in his brother's eyes, he launched the speech he had been preparing in his mind for the last few days.
"Elladan, please hear me out, this is very important to me. I am really sorry I dyed your hair. I shouldn't have done it; my behaviour was more than childish and did not enhance the prestige of our House in the slightest. I honestly regret the taunting you had to endure because of my actions, and the fact that I used calenril so that it won't wash out completely for the next few weeks either."
He swallowed nervously, thinking that this wasn't sounding at all the way he had planned. Feeling very much like an insect caught in a spider's web, and a sadistic spider at that, he watched the gleam in Elladan's eyes grow even more wicked, if such a thing was even possible.
Hastily correcting himself, he continued.
"Uhm, I mean, it was irresponsible of me to dye your hair in the first place. I should never have done that."
Resisting the urge to shift part of the blame on Elrohir, he watched his brother slowly get up from his bed he had been sitting on and added quickly,
"And I will never do it again, of course. Forgive me."
He opened his mouth to say more, but closed it with an audible snap when he looked his brother in the eye, who had crossed the room and was now standing right in front of him.
Feeling strong hands grab the front of his worn tunic and very nearly lift him off his feet, he closed his eyes and sent a prayer to the Valar for a quick death.
When he felt himself still dangling in the air a few heartbeats later, he first opened one, then both eyes to face his elven brother.
"So, little brother," Elladan said in a dangerously low voice, adjusting his grip on Aragorn's shirt slightly, "You think that's enough? That I will just forgive this little … incident? Don't forget, young one," he added, knowing full well how much that term irked the human, "Elves have extremely long memories. We don't forgive easily, and we never forget."
Looking into Aragorn's wide, frightened eyes, he fought very hard to maintain his composure. 'Ah,' he thought, 'just to see him like this has been worth the whole thing.'
Trying to find his voice, Aragorn managed to croak, "Y-You can't kill me, f-father would have your h-hide!"
Grinning evilly and lifting Estel even closer to his face, Elladan replied in a soft voice,
"Ah, dear brother, but you assume they know where you are. Don't worry. I will make sure they never find your body."
Glancing at the silver eyes which grew even wider at that, he was unable to stifle his laughter, and, letting his brother drop down to the floor, he let his body slide down the wall, laughing helplessly.
Desperately trying to calm his racing heart, Aragorn picked himself up and sat down on Elladan's bed, scowling at his elven brother, who was – literally – rolling on the floor laughing. He ran a slightly shaking hand over his face.
"That was not funny, Elladan! You scared me half to death!!"
"Oh, but it was, little brother!! I would gladly go through the same again if it meant I could see that wide-eyed look on your face once more. I will treasure this moment to the ends of time!" Elladan managed after a few minutes, calming down slightly.
Aragorn looked daggers at his brother, but couldn't quite hide the relief that was showing on his face. "So you're not angry with me?"
Still snickering, Elladan got up a little less graceful than usual and seated himself next to his youngest brother.
"No, little one," he replied, shooting Estel a nasty look, "I am not. But that does not mean," he lifted a finger, which, Aragorn noted, made him look a lot like Elrond, "that I won't retaliate. You should tread very carefully in the near future."
He gave his young human brother a grin, who returned it, eyes laughing.
"But tell me, Estel, how did you come up with this cursed weed? I'd never have remembered it…"
Aragorn drew himself up proudly, giving his elven brother a lopsided grin.
"Ah, my brother, that truly is a long tale. Where should I begin…"
Elrond eyed the door that led to Elladan's chambers suspiciously.
It had been well over two hours now, and he was beginning to get a little bit worried.
Not that he really thought Elladan would harm Estel, no, but sometimes it was hard for an elf – and for a furious elf even harder – to remember that humans didn't possess the firstborn's resilience, nor their strength. It was especially hard with Estel, who was, in some aspects, more an elf than a human.
Elrond shot another glance at the door.
Shaking his head, the Lord of Imladris finally decided to act.
Straightening his back and running a hand over his robes, he quickly moved over to the door, knocked and, without waiting to be admitted, entered the room.
Fully expecting to see a battlefield that made Dagorlad pale in comparison, he was more than just a little surprised to see his oldest and youngest son sit peacefully side by side on the floor.
His long legs stretched out before him, Estel was clearly about to finish a lengthy tale.
"…and this, dear brother, is how we got the calenril out of father's storeroom."
Elladan nudged his brother in the ribs, clearing his throat.
Estel looked up and smiled at his father.
"Good evening, ada! A nice clear night it is, is it not?"
Fighting off the distinct feeling of déjà vu, Elrond decided that he really didn't want to know.
He looked sternly at his innocently smiling sons and reminded them not to forget that they had to escort Glorfindel to the southern borders of his realm on the next day.
Looking scandalized at the mere thought that they could forget something as important as this, Elladan and Estel assured him that they were aware of that fact, gazing at him innocently.
Elrond shook his head in amusement, and, knowing when to admit defeat, he said, "Very well then. I will not ask what happened, for I do not wish to know. Estel," he turned to his youngest, "you should go to bed. You are still young and need your sleep," he added, a mischievous gleam in his grey eyes.
Estel started to protest, while Elladan tried very hard not to laugh, not too successful one might add.
"But, ada, I…" he started, but closed his mouth, taking a look at his father's stern face.
"Fine then. I don't mind," he grumbled, standing up and leaving the room, scowling at his foster father and brother.
Elrond turned to his snickering eldest, "That goes for you too, young one."
Taking one last look at his son's stunned face, he turned and walked out of the room, finally allowing the smile he had been stifling all the time to show on his face.
'Ah,' he thought, walking towards his own chambers, 'I will never truly understand them, I fear. Sometimes one could swear that they turn from adults to 6-year-old human children in a matter of seconds!'
Elrond hastened his steps when a sudden shudder of dread swept through his tall frame, leaving a feeling as if a blanket of darkness had just enveloped his mind. He decided to stop by Elrohir's room, just to make sure his younger elven son was alright.
He had lived far too long and seen too much to ignore such a warning, unclear as it may be.
The dark-haired elf shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable spot in the branches of the tree he had chosen as a vantage point. And it was an excellent choice, he told himself again.
The tree was situated on top of a small hill, just inside Rivendell territory, and offered a perfect view on the path that led down from the front gates, at least if one possessed elven eyes. If anyone left this way, he would know. He had arrived a few hours earlier, carefully avoiding all posts and sentinels that guarded the entrances to the Last Homely House.
He clutched a dark branch so tightly his knuckles showed white through his pale skin, trying very hard to fend off the overpowering wave of hatred that swept through him. Now that he was so close to his target, he found it nearly impossible to wait. Every single fibre of his being screamed for blood, the blood of the person who had taken away from him what he loved most in all of Arda.
Pushing his emotions back into the dark corner of his mind where they had been locked up for the past 3000 years, he breathed deeply to calm himself.
No, he told himself, this way the entire affair would be much more enjoyable. Much more enjoyable.
Pushing back his quiver, the elf settled down on the branch to wait for the sun to rise over the gorge and herald the beginning of a new day.
Legolas Greenleaf couldn't sleep, a fact that greatly annoyed him. Elves did not have trouble sleeping, he told himself firmly and had to grin, suddenly glad Aragorn wasn't here to witness this. He would tease him mercilessly about him doing things a proper elf shouldn't. Sighing he pushed back his blankets, got up and donned an old tunic. Pushing the embroidered curtains aside that were moving slightly in the night breeze, he stepped onto his balcony that overlooked the palace gardens.
Legolas took a deep breath of the cold air and tried to calm his troubled mind, pale moonlight highlighting his long, unbraided fair hair and making it gleam like spun silver.
Deciding that he would relax much better in a tree than down here on the balcony, the young elf quickly looked around him and, satisfied that no one else was in sight, jumped lightly into the branches of one of the trees that grew in front of his windows.
Settling himself down comfortably, he allowed his tense muscles to relax and his eyes to become unfocused. If his father caught him here, in a tree in the gardens, clad only in a pair of breeches and an old shirt, he would be in deep trouble. The King of Mirkwood was always adamantly demanding that Legolas behave like the prince he was, which sometimes caused them to clash.
'Well, I will not get caught,' Legolas thought wryly, 'If I get caught in my own gardens, by my own guards, on a tree in front of my own room, I really deserve to be locked away in the dungeons for the next few decades.'
Relaxing into the hold of the tree, he listened to the sounds of the whispering trees, allowing them to lull him to sleep. But just before he could enter the realm of elvish dreams, he jerked wide awake, his eyes opening fully with a start.
There it was again, the feeling of dread that swept over him every time he allowed his consciousness to relax. Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead wearily.
He just didn't know what this feeling meant, and that alone was enough to drive him insane.
Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he got up and prepared to return to his rooms.
Landing lightly on top of the railing, he took one last look at the twinkling stars and made his way back inside.
He dropped down tiredly on top of his bed and decided that worrying about something he couldn't help was not really a wise course of action.
Allowing his eyes to adopt the glassiness of elven sleep, he tried to get some rest.
'It won't do me any good if I fall asleep on my way to Rivendell tomorrow,' he mused, and with the thought of the twins and his best friend on his mind, Legolas finally drifted off into a world of troubled dreams.
TBC...
Ada - father (daddy)
Reviews? Yes please!! I'm STILL nervous about it!
Additional A/N:
Elizabeth Goode: Thank you! You are my first reviewer ever!!
Mercredi: Yes, I do indeed try to follow the tradition of the glorious C&S! I TRY! Thanks so much for your review! And you are right, nobody seems to have trouble telling them apart, well in later chapters there will be more outer ... differences. Just wait... *evil grin*
Gemstone: Well, updates... I try to post this twice a week, but it depends how much work I have to do for college. I'll try to update every 3 or 4 days though!
Mbali: I'm sorry it doesn't work with with Wordpad, have you tried downloading Netscape? It's free and doesn't take too long, and once you get to know the Composer, it's working quite well... (*points at bars* I did them myself!! On purpose!!) You are writing a new fic? Oh yes!!! Post it soon! Please!!!
Reginabean: Thank you for your review! Well, English _isn't_ my first language, and there are lots of mistakes in it ... I'm still trying to find all of them... It's hopeless. *g*
I'm on your favorites list! Yay! Thanks!!
Wolfete: And another favorites list!! Thank you! *huggles her* I'm honoured!!
Ellewyn Greenleaf: *watches Ellewyn the impatient elfling from a safe distance* See? I updated!! As soon as I could, too... We have our finals soon as well, I just try and ignore that fact ... that even works for a while ... *looks at pixie stix* Ahm, well, thank you, I guess? Just what I wanted! *g*
Hwoarang Girl: Thanks so much for your kind words! *hugs her* Yes, family life is _always_ hectic, I don't think it matters whether you have two elven brothers or an older brother and a younger sister like me - it's hell! Sometimes, at least... *g* I was really nervous about writing Glorfindel, he is so wise and old and ... well, reborn! He won't be there for the whole story, I'm afraid!
Elfchic02: Well, I _hope_ it's gonna be good! Thanks for your review!
Vana Burke: *pats her back* But of course I will continue! I'm not that evil... *g* You added me to your favorites list!! Thanks so much!! And yes, sometimes siblings can be hazardous to your health, I can still remember the day I poured a bottle of glue over my brother's head ... He almost killed me - literally!
Sailor Gaia: I'm glad you liked it! I was laughing quite hard when I was writing that bit, myself... *g*
Faith: Don't worry, the fair prince of Mirkwood will have his fair share of appearances in the future, especially once he manages to get to Rivendell ... I mean, IF he manages to get to Rivendell... *evil grin*
Calcus Angel: Yeah, green hair is something new, isn't it? I hope you'll like the rest as well!
Carrie-n-Emmithar, wait, that's just Carrie, isn't it?: Wow! Thanks for reviewing! I just love your stories!! And thanks for stopping Elladan from killing himself, it's always sooo annoying when he does that... *sigh* And I'm sorry, I don't think I can tell you why the elf wants to hurt your fav elfses and Aragorn. It would spoil the surprise just a bit, don't you think? *g*
Slea: Hope this is soon enough? I'm not C&S, unfortunately, so I won't update every other day, but I think twice a week should be doable... I'm glad you liked the first bit! And you added me to your favorites!! Thanks!! *hugs her*
Halo: Halo, Halo, Halo, how many times have I told you: Don't zap my characters unless you have absolutely no other choice? They will get some kind of brain damage or something ... just think of what happened to Éomer!! We zapped him _way_ too many times!!
ThE iNsAnE oNe: *looks at your dangerous dog* Well ... I have updated!! Don't tell it to attack me, please!! Have mercy!! LOL. I know this kind of dog, I have one myself; they are _very_ dangerous... Yes, I think Elladan is not too happy with you right now...and can you blame him? *evil laughter* Thanks for adding me to your favorites list!! *hugs her*
Freakizimi: Thanks a lot for the compliment! I think I'm so afraid to misspell something or use the wrong tense that I read it over and over again until I have found most of the mistakes... But somehow there are always _some_ *glares darkly at them* I miss...
CalliTrakand: *blushes* Oww, you are too kind... But thanks!! I try to write as detailed as possible, I'm glad someone noticed... *g*
Lina: *looks at the happy dancers* Well ... this is the strangest party I have ever seen!! Including that christmas party two years ago, and _that_ means something... *g* *hugs Lina* I could never forget you!! NEVER!! How? Who else is even more concerned about my baby's safety than me? And it's not Nólad who is angry, well, perhaps a bit, but he's not really evil. The other elf is, though...Quite evil... *evil grin*
Echo_sackett: Thanks for the review!! I hope you'll enjoy the rest as well!
Zam: Oww, the orc horde remembered to send their greetings? That's so sweet... *sniff* I hope they like it too!! I'm really happy _you_ like it though, and you've even added me to your favorites! Thanks!! *huggles her and gets dragged off by Snikdûl when she won't let go* Thank you!!
Thank you sooooooo much for all your lovely reviews!! I've printed all of them and plan to use them as my new wallpaper...