The next morning dawned fair over Rivendell but for two young elves it done nothing to ease the pains in their hearts. They were up at first sunlight and dressed in their uniforms, hair braided back from the sides with the braids fastened together at the back of their heads. Once they heard people start to move they made their way to the dining room by themselves, now knowing the way. They ate a little bit of bread and fruit quickly and then made their way to the school room quickly. The moment Erestor entered the school room where Legolas and Adela sat waiting for him, he knew that they were worse off for the encounter with Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir last night which Glorfindel had told him about.
Erestor had made some adjustments to the school room last night, after the study hour and they now had a carpet area with bookshelves surrounding three sides of it in one corner of the room with a rocking chair for him to sit on and the whole room was a lot more light and airy.
Seeing the downcast faces of the two young elves that he had managed yesterday to open up to him, Erestor stifled a sigh. He walked over to the carpet area and sat down in the rocking chair. Neither Adela nor Legolas made any move to go over to him so he called them over. Still neither twin spoke and word and their gazes were focussed on the floor. Erestor took one of their hands in each of his own and pulled them close. Seeing that Adela seemed close to tears he pulled them both on to his lap with ease. "Now then, why don't you tell me what's wrong? Where are the bright youngsters who I enjoyed teaching about Imladris yesterday?" he asked gently.
"Elladan and Elrohir came into our room last night," Adela started shyly and looked to her twin to help. Despite being the younger twin Legolas was ok with doing most of the talking for the two of them, although Adela usually done most of the talking when it was someone who was nice to them but it was clear to Legolas that his sister did not what to talk about this.
"They started to tease us, pick on us," Legolas took over and by the sound of his voice Erestor was reminded of how young they really were. "Then when we asked them to leave us alone they told us that we weren't welcome here, that they didn't want us here." Legolas took a deep breath, trying to get his raging emotions under control. "Then we told them that we didn't want to be here and Lord Elrond heard us. Than, I think it was Elladan who said we were ungrateful and Lord Elrond agreed with him and told us to think about the way things stand when it wasn't even our fault! Elladan and Elrohir provoked us!" Legolas finished with his voice quivering slightly but he was glad that both he and Adela had gotten that off their chests.
"Is it true?" Adela asked Erestor. "Aren't we welcome here?"
"Of course you are welcome here," Erestor reassured the two of them. "You will always be welcome here." Legolas and Adela looked happier now that this statement had come from an elder's mouth.
Unnoticed by the three of them another elf stood in the doorway. Erestor was looking down at the twins and the twins were looking up at Erestor and everything was calm when the other elf crossed the room and knelt down in front of the rocking chair. He took Legolas and Adela's hands in his own. "Elladan and Elrohir said what?!" he asked the twins gently.
Both twins managed to stop gasps of surprise. "Lord Elrond!" Adela stuttered out.
Elrond gave both twins a little smile and repeated his question, "What did they say to you?"
"I think that there exact words were that they didn't want us here," Adela told the Lord of Rivendell quietly.
Elrond looked shocked but he managed to keep his anger in check. "How would you two like the morning off and come with me while I go and meet Arwen in the library?" he asked the two, trying to make up for his harsh behaviour towards them last night.
Legolas and Adela had instantly perked up as soon as he mentioned the library. "You like reading then?" Elrond asked with a small chuckle.
"Yes Sir," came the polite chorus back. Legolas and Adela slid off Erestor's lap and went and stood near Elrond. Elrond smiled down at them and playfully pulled the end of their braids that caused them both to giggle slightly. Despite what had happened last night, they had now both decided that the Lord of Rivendell seemed to be a nice elf.
Erestor smiled at Elrond and told the twins that he would supervise them for their study hour before the evening meal that night, before leaving them alone with Lord Elrond who sat down in the rocking chair and pulled both the young Mirkwood elves close, so that they were leaning against him, though they were still standing.
"So, what did you study yesterday?" Elrond asked, hoping to draw the two out of their shells more.
"Geography," came the whisper back, the twins weren't as confident now that Erestor wasn't in the room.
Elrond smiled down at them again and stood up, deciding that the twins would probably be more open with him around Arwen, who had stood up for them against her brothers last night.
Legolas and Adela looked at each other, slightly confused. "Which rule do we use?" Legolas asked his twin in a whisper.
"Not sure," Adela whispered back and then they both realised that Lord Elrond was looking at them, slightly puzzled.
The elder elf bent down on one knee and looked them both straight in the eyes. "What rules do I need to know about?" he asked kindly.
"The only rule we've been given in Rivendell is that we have to hold an elders hand when walking with them and not follow Father's rule about walking," Legolas told him quietly, looking at the floor for some reason.
"And what would your father's rule be?" Elrond asked, curiously whilst raising Legolas's chin. Legolas knew better than to look down again and kept his gaze steady.
"When walking with an elder children are to stay three paces behind and slightly to the right," came the recited and memorised answer back.
Elrond looked taken back. "Okay then, the rule with me is that you have to hold my hands, ok?"
"Yes, Sir," was the immediate and automatic reply.
Elrond couldn't help smiling when the twins took his hands without question when they had left the schoolroom. He also couldn't help wondering what other rules Thranduil had even though he wasn't actually sure that he wanted to know, if they were anything like the first one he'd heard.
Once at the library the twins were soon absorbed in a History textbook and Elrond whispered to his daughter, "Three paces behind and slightly to the right?"
"Yeah, I know," Arwen whispered back. "They're really sweet once you get to know them. It's a shame they got into an argument with Elladan and Elrohir last night."
"That was Elladan and Elrohir's fault and I will be talking to them about it later," At this Legolas and Adela's heads raised and both Elrond and Arwen sent them a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, well, just imagine what it would be like if I raised the three of you like Legolas and Adela have been raised," Elrond told his daughter and the four stifled laughter.
Legolas and Adela shared a look, they knew how lax things were around here, so different from home and they still missed Mirkwood a lot, but things were getting better. "Elladan and Elrohir wouldn't survive a week in Mirkwood!" they giggled together and were rewarded by Elrond sweeping Adela on to his lap and Arwen hugging Legolas.
Maybe Rivendell wasn't as bad as they first thought it was both twins thought.