After their study hour Legolas and Adela went to the dining room with Lord Elrond, who was supervising them. They were still thinking of the Mirkwood rules and did not speak during dinner unless they were asked a direct question. And then they only answered quietly and politely. They didn't really know what they could do from after supper until bedtime, so they just went back to their room. Before they left Mirkwood they had promised their family that they would write a letter to them at least once a week, which they could give them once they returned. They decided to write the first of the letters now. Adela was going to write to their father and Legolas to their mother.
A little while later the letters where finished, the ink was dry, they were put in envelopes and sealed with the recipients name wrote on the front and then put in the box that they had brought along especially for letters. They would give the box to their family when they returned home to Mirkwood.
Now that they had finished their letters they didn't know what to do now. Legolas flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "We would never of had this problem in Mirkwood," he spoke aloud.
"I know," Adela told him. "We'd be out walking a trail, or practicing weaponry, or playing tag quietly with some of the others. Or we might have been out with Mama and Papa or riding with Danini. We wouldn't have been stuck in our room anyway. Papa believes in everyone getting fresh air."
"Yeah, I wonder what we can do around here in the evenings?" Legolas asked his twin.
"Haven't a clue," Adela told him. "Do you want to go and have a look around outside? We can be back before curfew."
"Yeah, let's go." Legolas and Adela grabbed their dark blue jackets and left the room.
They walked hand in hand down the staircase and peeked round the front door. Plenty of people still seemed to be moving about so they saw no reason as to why they shouldn't be out as well. They decided that they would just stay in the main courtyard and wandered round, just looking. After a while they sat down on a bench and began to talk again.
"I wonder if we have a different curfew here?" Legolas asked.
"I wonder if we're even allowed out on our own here! We'll be in big trouble if we're not," Adela told her twin.
"Well, no one said we couldn't," Legolas pointed out.
"Yeah, I know," Adela, told him. "But maybe we should go back inside anyway, Lee. It's not like there's anything to do out here, anyway."
"Yeah, I know Della. Maybe it will be best if we go back inside. We could go and see if Elladan and Elrohir are in their room," Legolas suggested.
The twins made their way back inside and up the stairs. "I wonder which room is Arwen's?" Della asked.
"Not sure," Lee replied. "It'll probably be best if we just go back to our room."
"Yeah," Della agreed.
Since they were busy talking they didn't hear anyone coming up behind them until it was too late. Elladan and Elrohir grabbed them around their waists and picked them up, much like their older brothers would have done if they were having a family night together.
"And what are you two up to?" Elladan teased.
"Nothing, we're bored," Legolas told them.
Elladan and Elrohir shared a look and carried the twins to their room. Once in it Legolas and Adela took a good look around, since they hadn't got one the last time and discovered that it was much like their own.
"So, been up to anything interesting today?" Elrohir asked.
"Just our normal lessons," Adela told him.
"Who tutors you?" Elladan asked.
"Erestor," the youngest two told him together.
"Oh, he can be quite demanding when it comes to studying," they were told.
"Well, he's nicer than our old tutor back in Mirkwood," Adela told them. "What have you been up to today?"
"Nothing much, just odd jobs for Ada."
"Oh, so is there anything to do around here on an evening?" Legolas asked.
"Normally children get together and play games, what did you do at Mirkwood?" they were told and asked.
"We'd be outside riding or walking or playing 'tag' or practicing weaponry," Legolas told them.
"Well, that sounds ok," Elrohir, told them, "Ada said something about you not being allowed to play."
"We only play tag to warm up for weaponry practice or to run off pent-up energy and then we do not make any noise. Children are to be seen and not heard and there are more useful things to do with your time than wasting it by playing," Legolas and Adela recited together. Elladan and Elrohir simply looked at them in shock.
"Ok, maybe Ada was right," Elladan, muttered. "On both you not knowing how to play and not breaking rules."
"But we've broke loads of Papa's rules since we came here," Legolas told them.
"Yeah," Adela agreed. "Children of the King should not show weakness in front of anyone, this includes holding each other's hand for support," came the recited rule. "We've done this all the time in Rivendell."
"Children are to be seen, not heard and should only speak when spoken to," Legolas told them. "I don't think we've been following that rule."
"Whoa," Elladan muttered. Legolas and Adela offered him weak smiles.
"Where you allowed to play at all?!" Elrohir asked.
"Only when we were alone with just our family. To do so in public would be improper," came the answer and the recited rule.
"Okay, okay, okay! Too many rules!" Elladan told them with a laugh. "Come on, we're going to raid the kitchens!"
"We're what?!" Adela and Legolas asked together, in utter shock, if they got caught they would surely be in trouble.
"Oh, come on," Elladan told them. "I'm hungry and I'm sure that there's some chocolate in there somewhere, we won't get caught."
"And you can be certain of this?" Legolas asked.
"We've done it loads of times," Elrohir told them, "don't worry. And besides Ada doesn't usually mind."
"Yeah, usually," Adela shot at them. "And aren't you two already in trouble with him?"
"Come on, it doesn't matter, we won't get caught and if we do, we won't be in trouble," Elrohir reassured them.
So, with that, Legolas and Adela followed the Rivendell twins towards the kitchens.