Chapter Three
Callórë decided to spend the rest of his journey home with the party heading for Imladris. After all, one could never see enough of the fair Arwen Undomiel. And Haldir's cousin intrigued him.
Haldir noticed his old friend's interest in his cousin with mixed emotions. On one hand, Callórë was a good friend and Nileth could do no better for a husband, but on the other hand, Nileth was his cousin, his 'sibling' so to speak. He would kill anyone who came near her and Callórë was definitely trying to come nearer. It didn't help that since the orc attacks the maidens no longer ate amongst themselves, but with the warriors.
Haldir smiled. That was where Nileth always wanted to be anyway. He leaned against a tree trunk listening to the laughter and carrying on of the others. He allowed himself to slip back in his memory to his training and Nileth as a young maid of a mere two hundred...
~^*^~
Haldir was trying to catch a fish with his bare hands. It was one of the many tasks of a warrior to be able to provide a meal.
He was just leaning forward to grab a large silver fish when the unthinkable- no, the undesired happened.
Nileth.
She bounded from the tree line, throwing all her weight onto the unsuspecting Haldir.
He fell forward into the river with her clinging to his back. But he caught his fish. Oh, yes, Haldir caught his fish all right. He caught it in the front of his tunic, thanks to Nileth.
He had tried to loosen her grip; only to loosen his tunic front. The fish, startled, flipped straight in. Nileth, upon feeling her cousin's duress, had hauled him to the shore where he could stand.
~^*^~
He was never allowed to forget how he looked on that shore, with his tunic ripped and flopping about with a fish in it and Nileth trying to dry him off before he was caught.
Then there was the time...
~^*^~
Nileth was going out on her first herb gathering trip without Galadriel to supervise her.
Haldir had stormed into the Lord and Lady's quarters, demanding to be assigned to his cousin's entourage. To get rid of the annoying elf, Galadriel agreed.
The trip hadn't turned out so bad, except for the sleeping arrangements. Haldir tried to hang a hammock over Nileth's tent. And she finally agreed to let him.
But first, he had to swim to shore after she dumped him in the lake they camped beside. And then, the next morning, he had to hunt his cousin, who had determined the ground was uncomfortable. She had decided after he was bedded down again to find a tree.
She had given him a heart attack by choosing a branch overhanging the water, and not just any tree branch, but one about fifty feet above the water.
~^*^~
Haldir smiled and looked at Nileth, sitting between a young elf boy and one of the elder warriors.
She caught his smile and smiled back. Then, she noticed the glint in his eye. "HALDIR, NO!"
"Callórë, did you know my cousin is part eagle?..." A/N: I'll be skipping ahead the next time you see these characters. I realize the journey from Lothlorien to Imladris would take a few days. So they will be seen next in Imladris, or just outside. Suffice it to say, Callórë infatuated with Nileth.
`~`~`*`~`~`
Somewhere near the border of Mirkwood...
As the foraging group from Lasgalen rode into the forest, another group of travelers prepared to enter the dangerous Mirkwood.
"Now everyone stay close to Umbothel." Aragorn said, surveying his band. Then he saw Umbothel's face. "Not for her protection." He quickly added. "But for your own. We will be entering the domain of Thranduil. Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to anger him. No eating off the trees. No drinking from the streams. Am I perfectly clear?"
Gruff cries of "yessir" and "yep" filled the air.
"Then let us mount."
"Wait!"
Aragorn turned. Riding towards them were the twins. "What?"
Elladan smiled. "You didn't think we would just let you ride off alone, did you?"
Elrohir spoke up. "Honestly, we aren't as rude as you are-"
"Not even noticing us out on the veranda waiting-"
"For you to come out! Really!" Elrohir then turned to Umbothel. "And you. You didn't even notice-"
"Have I taught you nothing?"
"Nothing- really, Umbothel-" "These men are depending on you to protect them-"
"Now be a good girl and run along home."
Umbothel was shaking in anger. "My great-great-great uncle, the one you call Ada, sent me on this mission. You go home." With that she stepped forward and pulled a leather strap on Elladan's horse, which was closer.
Elladan landed in a heap on the ground, staring up at Umbothel as she continued.
"And I knew you were there. I chose to ignore you. After all, you are only my third cousins." With that, she strode over to her mare and mounted, ignoring the stares of the Rangers.
`~`~`*`~`~`
About a day's ride later, Elladan rode up to apologize. But to no avail, every time he opened his mouth he made a fool of himself.
After his eighth attempt, he dropped back to join Elrohir.
"Back already?"
He glared at his twin. "You should be the one to apologize. You were the one who insulted her, telling her to go home."
Aragorn dropped back. "Elladan, quit trying to apologize for Elrohir. All you are doing is making her angry. As for you," he turned to Elrohir, "you need to apologize when we stop to camp-"
"I thought you said not to do anything to make Thranduil upset-"
Aragorn smirked. "That was before I had the sons of Elrond with me. Now we can stop and camp. After all, he can't get too awful mad at you. You're Elrond's sons."
Elladan turned red and Elrohir hung his head.
"What did you two do?"
"The last time we were here was about five hundred years ago. And... um... we kinda got the princes into trouble..."
"Callórë was always the fun one. He would sneak out with us and stuff like that. But Legolas..."
"Legolas was a bit of a stuffed shirt. He... well... he got what he deserved."
"What did you do to the crown prince of Mirkwood?"
"Well..."
"Which time?"
"How about the time you dunked me in the ice stream while I was asleep?" A voice rang out of the forest.
"Legolas?" Elrohir ventured.
"Halt!" shouted Aragorn.
Umbothel, not knowing why they had stopped rode back to give Aragorn a piece of her mind.
Then another cry rang out of the woods. "UMBOTHEL!!!"
A figure leapt from the trees, knocking Umbothel from her saddle.
"Lorintal? Lorintal, it is you!!"
Aragorn and the sons of Elrond stared as the two girls embraced, obviously friends.
Elrohir found his voice. "Umbothel, why don't you introduce us to your friend?" he asked in his silkiest voice.
Umbothel smirked. She had known about Elrohir's obvious weakness for the female gender, and normally she wouldn't have given it any thought. But this was Lorintal. "This is Lorintal, my dear friend." She turned to Lorintal. "The ugly one who asked for an introduction is Elrohir. The one who looks like him except dirty is Elladan. And the funny looking one is Estel."
Aragorn nodded. Perhaps it would be best to answer to his elvish name.
"Estel?" Legolas appeared on the branch above him. "I have not seen you in an eon! And you are still in one piece." The blonde elf shook his head in wonder.
"Yes, he is." Elladan spoke up. "Now why don't you come down, Legolas, where we don't have to crain our necks to see you?"
Legolas laughed. "What are you doing in Mirkwood?"
"Delivering a prisoner to the other side." Elladan gestured to a small hunched creature, chained between two Rangers. "Where the next dungeon is."
Legolas shook his head. "Why not keep him in a dungeon at Lasgalen? We could watch him as well as any man."
Elladan nodded. "That would be... much easier."
Legolas continued. "I don't know why you didn't ask us in the first place..."
`~`~`*`~`~`
Soon the creature known as Gollum was safely locked away in the dungeons of Mirkwood. And Legolas and Lorintal had help finding the desired herbs.
Several days later...
"What are we going to do with them?" Thranduil asked, shaking his head after hearing of the last exploit of the Rivendell twins. Now that Estel was gone, the twins had gone wild with the pranks. Not even he was safe.
"Milord" a messenger interrupted.
What will the messenger say? Will the sons of Elrond and Legolas put aside their differences and become friends? Will Nileth ever appear again in this story?
Callórë decided to spend the rest of his journey home with the party heading for Imladris. After all, one could never see enough of the fair Arwen Undomiel. And Haldir's cousin intrigued him.
Haldir noticed his old friend's interest in his cousin with mixed emotions. On one hand, Callórë was a good friend and Nileth could do no better for a husband, but on the other hand, Nileth was his cousin, his 'sibling' so to speak. He would kill anyone who came near her and Callórë was definitely trying to come nearer. It didn't help that since the orc attacks the maidens no longer ate amongst themselves, but with the warriors.
Haldir smiled. That was where Nileth always wanted to be anyway. He leaned against a tree trunk listening to the laughter and carrying on of the others. He allowed himself to slip back in his memory to his training and Nileth as a young maid of a mere two hundred...
~^*^~
Haldir was trying to catch a fish with his bare hands. It was one of the many tasks of a warrior to be able to provide a meal.
He was just leaning forward to grab a large silver fish when the unthinkable- no, the undesired happened.
Nileth.
She bounded from the tree line, throwing all her weight onto the unsuspecting Haldir.
He fell forward into the river with her clinging to his back. But he caught his fish. Oh, yes, Haldir caught his fish all right. He caught it in the front of his tunic, thanks to Nileth.
He had tried to loosen her grip; only to loosen his tunic front. The fish, startled, flipped straight in. Nileth, upon feeling her cousin's duress, had hauled him to the shore where he could stand.
~^*^~
He was never allowed to forget how he looked on that shore, with his tunic ripped and flopping about with a fish in it and Nileth trying to dry him off before he was caught.
Then there was the time...
~^*^~
Nileth was going out on her first herb gathering trip without Galadriel to supervise her.
Haldir had stormed into the Lord and Lady's quarters, demanding to be assigned to his cousin's entourage. To get rid of the annoying elf, Galadriel agreed.
The trip hadn't turned out so bad, except for the sleeping arrangements. Haldir tried to hang a hammock over Nileth's tent. And she finally agreed to let him.
But first, he had to swim to shore after she dumped him in the lake they camped beside. And then, the next morning, he had to hunt his cousin, who had determined the ground was uncomfortable. She had decided after he was bedded down again to find a tree.
She had given him a heart attack by choosing a branch overhanging the water, and not just any tree branch, but one about fifty feet above the water.
~^*^~
Haldir smiled and looked at Nileth, sitting between a young elf boy and one of the elder warriors.
She caught his smile and smiled back. Then, she noticed the glint in his eye. "HALDIR, NO!"
"Callórë, did you know my cousin is part eagle?..." A/N: I'll be skipping ahead the next time you see these characters. I realize the journey from Lothlorien to Imladris would take a few days. So they will be seen next in Imladris, or just outside. Suffice it to say, Callórë infatuated with Nileth.
`~`~`*`~`~`
Somewhere near the border of Mirkwood...
As the foraging group from Lasgalen rode into the forest, another group of travelers prepared to enter the dangerous Mirkwood.
"Now everyone stay close to Umbothel." Aragorn said, surveying his band. Then he saw Umbothel's face. "Not for her protection." He quickly added. "But for your own. We will be entering the domain of Thranduil. Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to anger him. No eating off the trees. No drinking from the streams. Am I perfectly clear?"
Gruff cries of "yessir" and "yep" filled the air.
"Then let us mount."
"Wait!"
Aragorn turned. Riding towards them were the twins. "What?"
Elladan smiled. "You didn't think we would just let you ride off alone, did you?"
Elrohir spoke up. "Honestly, we aren't as rude as you are-"
"Not even noticing us out on the veranda waiting-"
"For you to come out! Really!" Elrohir then turned to Umbothel. "And you. You didn't even notice-"
"Have I taught you nothing?"
"Nothing- really, Umbothel-" "These men are depending on you to protect them-"
"Now be a good girl and run along home."
Umbothel was shaking in anger. "My great-great-great uncle, the one you call Ada, sent me on this mission. You go home." With that she stepped forward and pulled a leather strap on Elladan's horse, which was closer.
Elladan landed in a heap on the ground, staring up at Umbothel as she continued.
"And I knew you were there. I chose to ignore you. After all, you are only my third cousins." With that, she strode over to her mare and mounted, ignoring the stares of the Rangers.
`~`~`*`~`~`
About a day's ride later, Elladan rode up to apologize. But to no avail, every time he opened his mouth he made a fool of himself.
After his eighth attempt, he dropped back to join Elrohir.
"Back already?"
He glared at his twin. "You should be the one to apologize. You were the one who insulted her, telling her to go home."
Aragorn dropped back. "Elladan, quit trying to apologize for Elrohir. All you are doing is making her angry. As for you," he turned to Elrohir, "you need to apologize when we stop to camp-"
"I thought you said not to do anything to make Thranduil upset-"
Aragorn smirked. "That was before I had the sons of Elrond with me. Now we can stop and camp. After all, he can't get too awful mad at you. You're Elrond's sons."
Elladan turned red and Elrohir hung his head.
"What did you two do?"
"The last time we were here was about five hundred years ago. And... um... we kinda got the princes into trouble..."
"Callórë was always the fun one. He would sneak out with us and stuff like that. But Legolas..."
"Legolas was a bit of a stuffed shirt. He... well... he got what he deserved."
"What did you do to the crown prince of Mirkwood?"
"Well..."
"Which time?"
"How about the time you dunked me in the ice stream while I was asleep?" A voice rang out of the forest.
"Legolas?" Elrohir ventured.
"Halt!" shouted Aragorn.
Umbothel, not knowing why they had stopped rode back to give Aragorn a piece of her mind.
Then another cry rang out of the woods. "UMBOTHEL!!!"
A figure leapt from the trees, knocking Umbothel from her saddle.
"Lorintal? Lorintal, it is you!!"
Aragorn and the sons of Elrond stared as the two girls embraced, obviously friends.
Elrohir found his voice. "Umbothel, why don't you introduce us to your friend?" he asked in his silkiest voice.
Umbothel smirked. She had known about Elrohir's obvious weakness for the female gender, and normally she wouldn't have given it any thought. But this was Lorintal. "This is Lorintal, my dear friend." She turned to Lorintal. "The ugly one who asked for an introduction is Elrohir. The one who looks like him except dirty is Elladan. And the funny looking one is Estel."
Aragorn nodded. Perhaps it would be best to answer to his elvish name.
"Estel?" Legolas appeared on the branch above him. "I have not seen you in an eon! And you are still in one piece." The blonde elf shook his head in wonder.
"Yes, he is." Elladan spoke up. "Now why don't you come down, Legolas, where we don't have to crain our necks to see you?"
Legolas laughed. "What are you doing in Mirkwood?"
"Delivering a prisoner to the other side." Elladan gestured to a small hunched creature, chained between two Rangers. "Where the next dungeon is."
Legolas shook his head. "Why not keep him in a dungeon at Lasgalen? We could watch him as well as any man."
Elladan nodded. "That would be... much easier."
Legolas continued. "I don't know why you didn't ask us in the first place..."
`~`~`*`~`~`
Soon the creature known as Gollum was safely locked away in the dungeons of Mirkwood. And Legolas and Lorintal had help finding the desired herbs.
Several days later...
"What are we going to do with them?" Thranduil asked, shaking his head after hearing of the last exploit of the Rivendell twins. Now that Estel was gone, the twins had gone wild with the pranks. Not even he was safe.
"Milord" a messenger interrupted.
What will the messenger say? Will the sons of Elrond and Legolas put aside their differences and become friends? Will Nileth ever appear again in this story?