Author's Note: Hey guys!!! We're back in business!!! Anyway, just to make sure, this is set only eight years after 'Princess of Mirkwood'. I've touched up the first and second chapters slightly for this reason. Let me know if there's something I've missed. Oh, and thanks for the support while I've been fiddling around with this.

"Ada, you cannot order me to leave," Legolas growled, fingers clenching on the cup of wine that had been pushed into his hand.

"Legolas, you are needed in Imladris," Thranduil sighed, "I know you wished to lead the attacks against the ors, but we do have other warriors, lest you forget. One of them may take your place while we attend Bronwe's begetting day."

"We?" The sweet voice was rising dangerously close to indignant shouting. "Both of us are going?"

Thranduil took the time to sip the rich wine he had poured them, amused eyes watching his fidgeting son over the rim of his cup. "Yes," he resumed, "You are a father and I am a grandfather and we had both better be in attendance."

"Elrond and I have..."

"Lord Elrond cannot raise a child single-handedly, much though he seems capable of it! Come, ion nin, we cannot simply leave our little Bronwe to the mercy of those of Imladris, can we?"

Legolas offered an unwilling smile, blue eyes warming just slightly from the frost that had previously lit them. He shook his fair head and leaned back in the chair. "Ah, but Erestor will have charge of her soon, Ada. And he too is an elf of Imladris."

Thranduil refused to concede- "He is just one exception amongst many, ion nin. What can one elf do alone? Nay, we must hurry to give him support in his difficult task!"

Legolas laughed out loud, ruefully letting go of anger with his father's teasing. Truly he did want to go. He hated missing any important day for his daughter, hated that he had never been there to see her first step or hear her first word. And visits had been less frequent as those dark shadows began to attack his lands. No, it may feel wrong to go; but he was not about to let himself look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Very well, Ada. When will we leave?"

"With your human friend, Legolas. The day after tomorrow, was it not?"

"Aye, Aragorn leaves two days from now. Are you sure, my King?"

The King looked up, face set in lines of serious belief. "No, I am not," Thranduil admitted, "but that is why we must go. Who knows what Bronwe may face on her next begetting day? And the time has come to ask Imladris for advise on our troubles, for they face somewhat of the same thing. I will return as soon as possible, but you... you must stay and be with your family for a few months. No, do not argue with me. As your King, I command it."

Legolas offered a bow of respect and acquisition and left, striding through the palace to find his friend. Without thinking he made his way to the forests just outside of the grounds, listening intently for the sound of quiet singing. Ah yes, there is was!

"Aragorn? Mellon nin, you really must stop running out into the forests like this."

The human looked up from the book he was reading and smiled. They had already sworn truce over their last argument a few days ago. Nevertheless, he judged it would be a good thing if he was to leave soon. Legolas was becoming unbearably frustrated as the days passed. It would have been amusing if it were not Aragorn who kept getting snapped at.

"Legolas, I'm running distance from the safety of the palace and I am well prepared for any attack," he reminded him.

Legolas looked at his friend and rolled his eyes. "Yes," he snorted, "And I suppose you were going to read them to death? Where is your sword, Aragorn? Or your knife?"

Aragorn dropped his book and looked around him, eventually looking up with a sheepish expression. "I, uh, must have left them in my room," he coughed.

"Perhaps we should return for them?"

Aragorn rose with whatever dignity was left to him and fell into step with the wood elf. Both contemplated the peace and solitude of their surroundings, wishing that war and death did not have to intrude in such an ugly way. But there was no help for it. War would have to be fought and Aragorn had a small inkling that he would be required to play a part.

"I have news for you," the voice broke into his thoughts and drew his eyes to the speaker strolling casually at his side, "I shall be accompanying you to Imladris."

Aragorn grinned and clapped a hand to Legolas' shoulder. "You will be welcome on the journey, Legolas," he chuckled, "And I would hate to say 'I told you so'; however..."

"This has nothing to do with what you told me or did not tell me, human! I would advise you to remember that." But the wrathful words were self-mocking and the blond offered a small shrug of defeat at the amusement being levelled at him. "Ada will come too, if you do not mind."

"No, obviously. My journeys are too often made alone. Besides, if I bring the party from Mirkwood in with me to Imladris, I shall be the most beloved man in all of Rivendell!"

A brow rose in silent enquiry.

"Bronwe will be delighted that I brought her Ada and her At'ada," Aragorn counted off, "Erestor will be thankful that I ensured no harm befell his lover, Lord Elrond will likely smile much more than he is wont to do because of the sight of you, which will make his children very happy and in the mood to coddle me. No, I see no problem with riding with you."

"Orc-brained," Legolas growled, turning pink at the very mention of his former lover.

Aragorn laughed and ducked a swing at his head, prompting an infantile chase through the remainder of the forest and into the palace, both shouting playful insults and empty threats at the other until they reached Aragorn's guest room and collapsed inside it, indulging in an enormous fit of the giggles.

And two weeks away from Mirkwood, Bronwe seemed to be undergoing the same treatment from her twin brothers.

The two had caught her interestedly going through their drawers and pulling their clothes onto the floor. Which had inevitably led to them chasing her around the Last Homely House until they caught her in the Hall of Fire and proceeded to tickle some sense into her head.

Squirming and squealing on the floor, with her hair tangled and a smudge of dirt on her nose, Elladan finally paused enough to let her sit up. Elrohir added a last wiggle of his fingers for good measure and followed suit, the both staring at their tiny sister with identical looks of serious reflection.

Bronwe finally stifled her laughter and sat still, demurely pulling her clothes straight and blinking innocently at her brothers. A lock of hair fell into her blue eyes.

"Bronwe, you know you shouldn't be in our room without permission," Elladan said gently, "It is not nice to do something like that."

"But I was..."

"No!" Elrohir was slightly more angry; though that was because she had managed to upset a bottle of ink on his favourite shirt, "There is no 'but' in this conversation. We are very upset, pen tithen, that you would do something like this."

"But I..."

"Bronwe," both brothers chorused warningly.

Glorfindel raised and eyebrow and hid a smile, melting back into the doorway as he watched the interesting little tableau. Elrond bumped into his back and found a hand clamped over his mouth to stifle his 'oof'. Glaring at his seneschal, he only quietened down when Glorfindel silently pointed over his shoulder to the three solemn figures still arguing in the room.

"But I was only looking for that book," she protested, "You know, the one with the pictures."

Glorfindel raised an incredulous eyebrow. Surely Elladan and Elrohir were not quite careless enough to leave that particular book outside?

"Which book?" Elladan asked, his heart clearly speeding up in apprehension.

"The one with the elves," she said plaintively, "I wanted to see the picture with the two elves who were fighting the dragon."

If anything, there were three sighs of relief. Elrond made a mental note to talk to Glorfindel or his sons about this book, a very small idea of what it was seeping into his brain. Elladan and Elrohir were just happy that she meant an old history book of theirs and not the book they usually kept hidden in their drawers.

"You should have asked and we would have given it to you," Elladan informed her, "Never ever go into our room again unless we say yes. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Elladan," she said meekly. Standing up, she scuffed the toe of her shoe against the floor as she tried to think of how to say what she wanted to say- "You won't tell Ada, will you?"

Elrond didn't know whether to be upset or amused. Glorfindel just grinned.

Elrohir looked at his brother and grinned too, but more because they remembered saying that themselves to whoever had caught them making mischief. "No," he promised, "But if he asks us, then we won't deny it." He bent down to her with a serious face. "Ada has ways of finding out things," he whispered, "Things that no one else knows anything about."

Elladan controlled his need to laugh but joined in with the game. "Aye, pen tithen. He can see everything in Imladris, you know. He is very powerful!"

"A- Ada is not..."

"You don't believe us?" Elrohir broke in, "I saw him doing magic one night, you know. He waved his hands over the river and the fish began to sing! Just imagine that! At night, when everyone is asleep and no one knows what he does, he goes out to the forest and..."

"Ahem!"

Both twins jumped like a shot and turned guilty faces to their father. Glorfindel stayed in the doorway to indolently watch the scene. One look at Bronwe, however, made sure that the whole trick was not quite as humorous as the twins had intended. The elfling was terrified, not sure whether to run to her father to deny everything or to cling to her brothers to ask for protection.

Elrond was thinking the same thing, wondering if his ears could stand being screamed at for the best part of an hour. He sighed with relief when Glorfindel quietly took his daughter away and left him to glare his headstrong sons into submission.

"Magic, is it?" he asked pleasantly, arms folded as he deepened his glare.

Elladan and Elrohir squirmed uncomfortably. "We were just joking, Ada. We were going to tell her that," Elrohir protested.

"You told an innocent little elfling that her father was some kind of wizard who did magic at night," Elrond reflected, a finger tapping at his chin, "And what would you have said had I not interrupted?"

"We would have turned it into a joke," Elladan said quickly.

"A joke? She was scared, Elladan! How could you do something like that to your sister?"

"But we didn't..."

"No! Not another word! I want you both to go talk to her right now; tell her that you were joking, beg her pardon and then play with her until this mess is gone from her mind."

"But, Ada, we were going to..."

"No."

The twins hung their heads and growled in half-hearted mutiny beneath their breaths. With their ear-tips burning with embarrassment, they straggled their way to the door, obviously not looking forward to having their afternoon plans spoiled. After all, they had only just returned and there were friends to meet and greet!

Elrond watched them go with a smile on his lips. "Oh, and one more thing. When you are done with that, please return to my office with that- that book you feared Bronwe had seen? I would like a look at it myself."

The two shared a horrified look and then took off down the corridor before their father got any more mad ideas into his head.