The next morning it took the twins a little while to remember where they were when they awoke. Oh of course, Rivendell. They dressed quickly in their uniforms and then wondered what to do. They did not want to go wandering along the halls of Rivendell by themselves.
They were saved that trouble when a blonde haired elf came for them. "That's Glorfindel, right?" Legolas whispered to Adela.
"Yes, he's the one who showed us our way here last night," Adela confirmed.
Seeing the twins shyness Glorfindel smiled at them both and offered them both a hand. This caused the twins to look at him confused. "Have you never held someone's hand before when you were walking?" Glorfindel asked them, now also confused.
"Only in private when it was just our family," Adela told him.
"Out in public children have to stay three steps behind and slightly to the right of their elders," Legolas told him. "That's the rule."
Glorfindel was shocked. "And I suppose that you're wearing uniforms?" he asked them.
"Of course, father insists that we all do," Adela told the Rivendell elf.
Glorfindel took a deep breath and crouched so that he could be at eye level with the two elves from Mirkwood. "Here in Rivendell you'll be following Lord Elrond's rules, right?"
"Yes," the twins answered together.
"And as one of Lord Elrond's advisors, I'm allowed to make rules, ok?" he asked gently.
"Ok."
"Well, my rule is that when you are walking with me you will both take my hands, one at either side, understand?" Glorfindel couldn't believe he had to make a rule just so that Thranduil's children would hold his hands so that he wouldn't lose them. Not that he actually expected them to walk off on their own now. Earlier on he had but after speaking to the two of them he realised that Thranduil must be stricter with his children than Lord Elrond thought. "Now, are you ready to go?" he asked gently.
"Yes, sir," the twins answered in unison.
"Good, come along then," Glorfindel stood to his full height and once more offered the twins his hands. This time they took them without question and the three left the room.
Walking them to the dining room Glorfindel made sure that they twins were sat together. He did notice, however that the twins didn't seem to eat much but then again maybe they never ate much, they were young after all. After they had finished eating Legolas and Adela didn't have much of a clue as to what to do next. They decided that the best course of action would be to wait for Glorfindel and to hope that the other elf hadn't forgot about them. He hadn't of course.
Whilst they were sat waiting an elf with long dark hair that Elrond's came and sat down opposite them. She introduced herself as Arwen, daughter of Elrond.
"I'm Adela," Adela told her shyly "and this is Legolas my twin brother."
"King Thranduil's children?" Arwen asked.
"Yes," Legolas answered, also shyly.
"Ah, Glorfindel, I see you're in charge of our two friends from Mirkwood," Arwen greeting him.
"Indeed I am," he told her. "Have you seen your father? I need to speak with him urgently," Glorfindel asked.
"He's probably in his study," Arwen told him, "Otherwise I don't know where he is,"
"Do you mind looking after Legolas and Adela for a while, while I go and talk to him?" Glorfindel asked before walking off without waiting for an answer.
By this time the dining room was empty and Arwen stood up. As she did not offer the twins here hands they fell in step three paces behind her and slightly to the right. It only took Arwen a minute to notice this. "What are you doing back there?" she asked, "Come and walk up here, next to me," she told them.
"Father's rule," Adela told her. "Children are to stay three paces behind and slightly to the right at all times."
"Although Glorfindel did give us a new rule this morning," Legolas spoke up. "When we walk with him, we are to take him by the hands."
"Well, that rule counts for me, as well," Arwen told them and offered them both her hands. "And what are you wearing?"
"Our uniforms," Adela told her, as if it was the most obvious thing in all Middle Earth.
"Uniforms?" Arwen asked.
"Yes, Father insists," Legolas told her.
"These ones are our general uniforms and the ones we wear for lessons," Adela also put in helpfully.
"General uniforms?"
"The ones we wear when we're out with our mother and father, if we are not riding that is," Legolas explained. "If we are riding that we would have our riding clothes on."
"Of course," Arwen replied, slightly dazed by all this information. "Do you have play clothes as well?"
"Play clothes?" Adela questioned.
"Clothes which you can wear outside and get dirty without having to worry about it."
"Well, we have work clothes for when we're helping with the horses or walking trails," Legolas offered.
"That's not quite what I meant," Arwen told them stopping at a bench in the gardens. She sat on the bench and motioned for the twins to sit down on either side of her. "I meant clothes that you can wear in your free time."
"We wear our uniforms in our free time," Adela told the now-very-confused Rivendell elf maiden.
"Don't you go outside in your free time?" she questioned.
"Sometimes, but that's usually to hike a trial to work off some pent up energy, so we would be in our work clothes," Adela explained.
"What about getting dirty?" Arwen just had to ask.
"Why would we get dirty?" Legolas asked thoroughly confused.
"When you play outside you normally get dirty, don't you?"
"Play?" both twins questioned together.
Arwen sighed. "Yes play, in your free time."
"Oh no," Legolas said. "Free time is a time to quietly read a book and relax, to hike a trail quietly so as not to disturb any one else and to catch up on or do some extra studying," he told her.
"What?" Arwen gasped, very shocked. "You don't know how to play?"
"We're not allowed to play, father says so, it's a waste of time," Adela informed her.
"Obviously Rivendell and Mirkwood have different ideas as to what's a waste of time," Arwen informed them. "Come, let us head back inside," she instructed them whilst standing and offering them her hands.