A/N: Not mine. All stories in the series are independent of each other.
Legolas/Arwen appear to be 10 years old.
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Karma
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Arwen was on a rampage.
All week long she was terrorizing the residents of Rivendell with practical jokes. Pie in the face for Elladan and Elrohir, rearranging Elrond's organized library, forks on chairs, writing "secret admirer" letters to and from unsuspecting elves, frogs in beds...anything she could think of.
Every time she would be heard laughing her head off in some corner or hideaway where she witnessed the whole thing. And every time Elrond would bring her in and have a talk with her. And the next day she was at it again.
No one was safe...
Not even her good friend, and partner-in-crime, Legolas.
For him, she had rigged the door to her room so when he entered, he would be covered in honey and feathers. Arwen couldn't wait.
"Legolas!" she called to him from her window to where he was playing below. She could barely contain her giggles as she heard his footsteps approaching her room.
"Arwen?" he politely knocked on her door.
"Yes, Legolas, please come in! I need your help!" Arwen replied between deep breaths to keep her from laughing.
"What do you- " Legolas never finished his sentence. Upon pushing open the door he found himself covered in honey and feathers before he even knew what was happening. By chance he looked up only to see a metal bucket come rushing to meet his fair face.
With a loud crushing sound of metal meeting bone the bucket broke poor little Legolas' nose. Immediately, his honey covered hands went to his now bleeding and broken nose.
"Legolas!!" Arwen squealed and jumped off her bed. Only moments ago she was laughing hysterically until she saw the bucket slip from where she had placed it. She witnessed in slow motion as it fell upon the unsuspecting elf below.
Arwen stood before her best friend, but didn't know what to do. Blood seeped from between his cupped hands and puddled onto the floor below. Tears were welling up behind his big glittering eyes as he met her gaze, his expression matching her own. They were panicked.
"Arwen? Legolas? What is..." Elladan trailed off as he came to see a blond haired elf covered in what appeared to be honey and feathers ... and blood. Elrohir was behind him and they both rushed to aid the younger prince.
"Go and fetch father!" Elladan fiercely commanded Arwen in their own tongue.
But Arwen didn't move. She couldn't. She was scared and panicked. Legolas was bleeding all over the place. She had never seen that much blood before and it frightened her. What was going to happen to him?
"Arwen!!" Elrohir's demanding voice woke her from her trance. She snapped back into her senses and ran as fast as she could, screaming for her father at the top of her lungs.
Elrond found his daughter in hysterics as she pulled and dragged him back to her room. Surveying the scene, he immediately picked up Legolas and ushered him away, Elladan and Elrohir not far behind.
Finally left alone, Arwen wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and began to clean up around her. What had she done?
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Celebrian entered her daughter's room later that evening and found Arwen alone in the dark. She was sitting on the edge of her bed just staring out into the sky through her open balcony doors. Celebrian found it slightly eerie that the princess who was so bright and full of energy seemed so lifeless.
But as Celebrian sat down next to Arwen, she found it not so. Arwen looked at her mother then, huge droplets of tears fell from her violet eyes and remorse was clearly written in them.
"Will he be alright?" Arwen's voice cracked as she whispered the question.
"We believe he will be fine though he gave us all quite a scare," Celebrian tried to ease her daughter's worries. Then in a more serious tone, she asked, "Arwen, what did you do to Legolas exactly?"
Arwen picked up her head from where she had laid it on her mother's lap and wiped her nose on her sleeve again. "I played a joke on him."
"And what have we told you about doing that?"
"It's wrong and humiliating and not funny at all...no matter how much I think it is. And that it's unbecoming of not only Elves but of Princesses too. And that I shouldn't do it because I could hurt someone's feelings ... or I could hurt someone, like I hurt Legolas today," Arwen responded with her head down.
"So now do you understand why we told you all these things?" Celebrian asked and Arwen nodded.
"Can I see him?" Arwen asked in a low voice.
"In the morning, darling, he needs his rest." Arwen just nodded but couldn't shake the idea that Legolas hated her.
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The next morning Arwen woke up and immediately sprang from her bed. She made
a mad dash to Legolas' room and had just rounded the corner when she her father speaking in a low voice to her brothers, Elladan and Elrohir. The serious expressions on their faces brought worry back into her heart and she became filled with dread.
She slowly approached the three elves and they finally took notice of her. Elrond regarded Arwen for a moment before turning and entering Legolas' room. Both her brothers moved in her way to prevent her from seeing anything within the room.
Arwen's eyes again swelled with tears as her brothers kneeled on the ground before her and looked directly into her eyes. She was afraid of what they were going to tell her, she was so afraid that she found it hard to breathe.
"Arwen...listen to what we're going to tell you," Elrohir began but he could not finish. He had not the words to tell her.
"Legolas is very ill. He has taken a turn for the worst," Elladan paused, "Do you understand?"
Arwen's heart felt like it just hit the floor and was pulling the veins in her arms and legs down with it. She didn't understand. What had happened to him exactly? How could something so small as a practical joke end up like this?
"Arwen..." her mother's voice called from behind her. Arwen spun around and ran to the arms of Celebrian.
"What is happening to him?" she asked through her sobs.
"Legolas is having trouble breathing. Besides his nose, something-we still are not sure the cause-but something caused a rupture in his chest. His lungs are filling up with blood and it's increasingly difficult for him to breathe."
Arwen stood still. Time stood still. Did this mean she was going to lose her best friend? It wasn't supposed to be like this ... it all went horribly wrong. Oh, what did she do?
"I want to see him," she said after a while.
"Your father is doing everything he can for him. Right now, you need to wait- "
"No! I want to see him now!" Arwen screamed. Why wouldn't they let her see him? Didn't they understand? Even though he might hate her, he still needed her and she needed to be there for him.
Celebrian looked towards her sons and Elrohir went inside Legolas' room. After what seemed like an eternity-but only a few moments, Elrohir emerged from the room.
"You may go in, but you must understand that his condition is highly unstable. Be gentle and wary of the things around the room," he spoke to her before opening the door so she could enter.
Arwen held on to her mother's hand for support. She wasn't sure what she'd see, but she needed to be in there. With him. They entered the room and nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
There was blood everywhere. Basins filled with bloody water, cloths and rags just soaked in it. The room even reeked of the bloody mess it contained. It was enough to make Arwen throw up right then and there, but then her eyes fell upon the figure lying on the bed.
Arwen let go of Celebrian's hand and walked over to Legolas' side. There was a bandage on his nose, but she could see spots where blood had soaked through. His skin was a sickly, pasty color; sweaty yet cold to the touch. It was creepy to her that his eyes were close. Also, she noticed that there were splashes of blood all over his sheets and clothes. But what Arwen found most disturbing was the noise he was making as he was breathing.
Arwen couldn't describe what she was feeling. She felt so guilty and wanted very badly to make it all just go away. He was in so bad a state and it was all her fault. Oh, how she wanted to take him away where he didn't have a broken nose and...and...everything else.
Everyone watched as the Elven Princess pulled herself up on the large bed where her best friend lay. Carefully, she picked up his hand and held it between her own.
"Oh, Legolas, "she breathed, "I am so sorry! It wasn't supposed to be like this ... not at all! Please, please, please, make it through this ... you are my best friend and I'd be lost without you. Please Legolas!" Arwen sobbed and wiped her nose on her sleeve again.
"I promise I'll never ever play another joke again ... just please don't leave me. Please stay ... you can play a joke on me if you want, and...and you can even have my arrows from grandmother...just please be okay..." she cried miserably.
"Okay," came a soft voice.
Arwen's head snapped up and she saw Legolas sitting up and grinning at her like a fool. Her eyes grew huge with surprise as she threw herself at him and enveloped him in a tight hug.
"Ow, you're really going to give me breathing problems!" Legolas said laughingly as Arwen immediately pulled back in horror.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she said covering her mouth.
"It's okay," he laughed, "I'm not dying! I'm fine, mostly."
"But-all the blood" she pointed around the room and looked at him quizzically.
"It's not real ... well, some of it is. This," he pointed to his nose, "This is real."
"But Ada was here, and Naneth, and Elladan and Elrohir..." she looked around the room to her family that was gathered there. They were all smiling back at her, much to her dismay. They were all in on it...and none of it was real!
"That wasn't very nice," Arwen pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.
"That wasn't very nice what you did to Legolas," Elrond said, "I admit that this was a bit extreme ... but you didn't seem to heed our previous warnings and hurting Legolas was the last straw. Something had to be done and our young prince was more than willing to aid us."
Arwen glared at Legolas, but he just replied, "You know, I could just hate you for the rest of our lives."
She immediately stopped with the glaring.
"See Arwen, there was something I neglected to tell you about playing jokes," Elrond continued, "Karma."
"What is that?"
"What goes around comes around!" Legolas piped up. Obviously, he had a lesson on the subject the night before. "Oh and by the way, Arwen, I believe you owe me some arrows..."
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do! You said it right around the time you were declaring your unconditional love for me," he grinned.
"I said no such thing!"
"Yes, you did and I've got a room full of witnesses!" Legolas said very smugly.
This angered her even more. She balled her fists and made to hit him when he put his hands up in defense and pointed to his nose.
"Hey! I would watch it if I were you! Remember... Karma."
Arwen gave up and pouted.
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Fin
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naneth-mother
ada-father
------
Karma
------
Arwen was on a rampage.
All week long she was terrorizing the residents of Rivendell with practical jokes. Pie in the face for Elladan and Elrohir, rearranging Elrond's organized library, forks on chairs, writing "secret admirer" letters to and from unsuspecting elves, frogs in beds...anything she could think of.
Every time she would be heard laughing her head off in some corner or hideaway where she witnessed the whole thing. And every time Elrond would bring her in and have a talk with her. And the next day she was at it again.
No one was safe...
Not even her good friend, and partner-in-crime, Legolas.
For him, she had rigged the door to her room so when he entered, he would be covered in honey and feathers. Arwen couldn't wait.
"Legolas!" she called to him from her window to where he was playing below. She could barely contain her giggles as she heard his footsteps approaching her room.
"Arwen?" he politely knocked on her door.
"Yes, Legolas, please come in! I need your help!" Arwen replied between deep breaths to keep her from laughing.
"What do you- " Legolas never finished his sentence. Upon pushing open the door he found himself covered in honey and feathers before he even knew what was happening. By chance he looked up only to see a metal bucket come rushing to meet his fair face.
With a loud crushing sound of metal meeting bone the bucket broke poor little Legolas' nose. Immediately, his honey covered hands went to his now bleeding and broken nose.
"Legolas!!" Arwen squealed and jumped off her bed. Only moments ago she was laughing hysterically until she saw the bucket slip from where she had placed it. She witnessed in slow motion as it fell upon the unsuspecting elf below.
Arwen stood before her best friend, but didn't know what to do. Blood seeped from between his cupped hands and puddled onto the floor below. Tears were welling up behind his big glittering eyes as he met her gaze, his expression matching her own. They were panicked.
"Arwen? Legolas? What is..." Elladan trailed off as he came to see a blond haired elf covered in what appeared to be honey and feathers ... and blood. Elrohir was behind him and they both rushed to aid the younger prince.
"Go and fetch father!" Elladan fiercely commanded Arwen in their own tongue.
But Arwen didn't move. She couldn't. She was scared and panicked. Legolas was bleeding all over the place. She had never seen that much blood before and it frightened her. What was going to happen to him?
"Arwen!!" Elrohir's demanding voice woke her from her trance. She snapped back into her senses and ran as fast as she could, screaming for her father at the top of her lungs.
Elrond found his daughter in hysterics as she pulled and dragged him back to her room. Surveying the scene, he immediately picked up Legolas and ushered him away, Elladan and Elrohir not far behind.
Finally left alone, Arwen wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and began to clean up around her. What had she done?
------
Celebrian entered her daughter's room later that evening and found Arwen alone in the dark. She was sitting on the edge of her bed just staring out into the sky through her open balcony doors. Celebrian found it slightly eerie that the princess who was so bright and full of energy seemed so lifeless.
But as Celebrian sat down next to Arwen, she found it not so. Arwen looked at her mother then, huge droplets of tears fell from her violet eyes and remorse was clearly written in them.
"Will he be alright?" Arwen's voice cracked as she whispered the question.
"We believe he will be fine though he gave us all quite a scare," Celebrian tried to ease her daughter's worries. Then in a more serious tone, she asked, "Arwen, what did you do to Legolas exactly?"
Arwen picked up her head from where she had laid it on her mother's lap and wiped her nose on her sleeve again. "I played a joke on him."
"And what have we told you about doing that?"
"It's wrong and humiliating and not funny at all...no matter how much I think it is. And that it's unbecoming of not only Elves but of Princesses too. And that I shouldn't do it because I could hurt someone's feelings ... or I could hurt someone, like I hurt Legolas today," Arwen responded with her head down.
"So now do you understand why we told you all these things?" Celebrian asked and Arwen nodded.
"Can I see him?" Arwen asked in a low voice.
"In the morning, darling, he needs his rest." Arwen just nodded but couldn't shake the idea that Legolas hated her.
------
The next morning Arwen woke up and immediately sprang from her bed. She made
a mad dash to Legolas' room and had just rounded the corner when she her father speaking in a low voice to her brothers, Elladan and Elrohir. The serious expressions on their faces brought worry back into her heart and she became filled with dread.
She slowly approached the three elves and they finally took notice of her. Elrond regarded Arwen for a moment before turning and entering Legolas' room. Both her brothers moved in her way to prevent her from seeing anything within the room.
Arwen's eyes again swelled with tears as her brothers kneeled on the ground before her and looked directly into her eyes. She was afraid of what they were going to tell her, she was so afraid that she found it hard to breathe.
"Arwen...listen to what we're going to tell you," Elrohir began but he could not finish. He had not the words to tell her.
"Legolas is very ill. He has taken a turn for the worst," Elladan paused, "Do you understand?"
Arwen's heart felt like it just hit the floor and was pulling the veins in her arms and legs down with it. She didn't understand. What had happened to him exactly? How could something so small as a practical joke end up like this?
"Arwen..." her mother's voice called from behind her. Arwen spun around and ran to the arms of Celebrian.
"What is happening to him?" she asked through her sobs.
"Legolas is having trouble breathing. Besides his nose, something-we still are not sure the cause-but something caused a rupture in his chest. His lungs are filling up with blood and it's increasingly difficult for him to breathe."
Arwen stood still. Time stood still. Did this mean she was going to lose her best friend? It wasn't supposed to be like this ... it all went horribly wrong. Oh, what did she do?
"I want to see him," she said after a while.
"Your father is doing everything he can for him. Right now, you need to wait- "
"No! I want to see him now!" Arwen screamed. Why wouldn't they let her see him? Didn't they understand? Even though he might hate her, he still needed her and she needed to be there for him.
Celebrian looked towards her sons and Elrohir went inside Legolas' room. After what seemed like an eternity-but only a few moments, Elrohir emerged from the room.
"You may go in, but you must understand that his condition is highly unstable. Be gentle and wary of the things around the room," he spoke to her before opening the door so she could enter.
Arwen held on to her mother's hand for support. She wasn't sure what she'd see, but she needed to be in there. With him. They entered the room and nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
There was blood everywhere. Basins filled with bloody water, cloths and rags just soaked in it. The room even reeked of the bloody mess it contained. It was enough to make Arwen throw up right then and there, but then her eyes fell upon the figure lying on the bed.
Arwen let go of Celebrian's hand and walked over to Legolas' side. There was a bandage on his nose, but she could see spots where blood had soaked through. His skin was a sickly, pasty color; sweaty yet cold to the touch. It was creepy to her that his eyes were close. Also, she noticed that there were splashes of blood all over his sheets and clothes. But what Arwen found most disturbing was the noise he was making as he was breathing.
Arwen couldn't describe what she was feeling. She felt so guilty and wanted very badly to make it all just go away. He was in so bad a state and it was all her fault. Oh, how she wanted to take him away where he didn't have a broken nose and...and...everything else.
Everyone watched as the Elven Princess pulled herself up on the large bed where her best friend lay. Carefully, she picked up his hand and held it between her own.
"Oh, Legolas, "she breathed, "I am so sorry! It wasn't supposed to be like this ... not at all! Please, please, please, make it through this ... you are my best friend and I'd be lost without you. Please Legolas!" Arwen sobbed and wiped her nose on her sleeve again.
"I promise I'll never ever play another joke again ... just please don't leave me. Please stay ... you can play a joke on me if you want, and...and you can even have my arrows from grandmother...just please be okay..." she cried miserably.
"Okay," came a soft voice.
Arwen's head snapped up and she saw Legolas sitting up and grinning at her like a fool. Her eyes grew huge with surprise as she threw herself at him and enveloped him in a tight hug.
"Ow, you're really going to give me breathing problems!" Legolas said laughingly as Arwen immediately pulled back in horror.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she said covering her mouth.
"It's okay," he laughed, "I'm not dying! I'm fine, mostly."
"But-all the blood" she pointed around the room and looked at him quizzically.
"It's not real ... well, some of it is. This," he pointed to his nose, "This is real."
"But Ada was here, and Naneth, and Elladan and Elrohir..." she looked around the room to her family that was gathered there. They were all smiling back at her, much to her dismay. They were all in on it...and none of it was real!
"That wasn't very nice," Arwen pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.
"That wasn't very nice what you did to Legolas," Elrond said, "I admit that this was a bit extreme ... but you didn't seem to heed our previous warnings and hurting Legolas was the last straw. Something had to be done and our young prince was more than willing to aid us."
Arwen glared at Legolas, but he just replied, "You know, I could just hate you for the rest of our lives."
She immediately stopped with the glaring.
"See Arwen, there was something I neglected to tell you about playing jokes," Elrond continued, "Karma."
"What is that?"
"What goes around comes around!" Legolas piped up. Obviously, he had a lesson on the subject the night before. "Oh and by the way, Arwen, I believe you owe me some arrows..."
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do! You said it right around the time you were declaring your unconditional love for me," he grinned.
"I said no such thing!"
"Yes, you did and I've got a room full of witnesses!" Legolas said very smugly.
This angered her even more. She balled her fists and made to hit him when he put his hands up in defense and pointed to his nose.
"Hey! I would watch it if I were you! Remember... Karma."
Arwen gave up and pouted.
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Fin
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naneth-mother
ada-father