Disclaimer: Tolkien's masterpiece. I'm just messing around with it.
Author's Notes:
Yay! Three pages longer! This is for those who reviewed! You keep me going. Fill up my gas tank!
Lady Light: Yup. I love Legolas, Elrond, the twins and Glorfindel. One big happy family…
Niniel28B: I don't know about getting a beta. The problem about that is that I am a very random person…I will consider it though…but I feel that it could slow the updating down because I have to send my chapter to them. The thing is that I write at around 12:00 to one-ish throughout the week whenever I have time. I think it would be hard for me to update faster. I will consider it but I'm just letting you know why I don't have one…Thanks for reviewing!
Maiden-of-Tears: Your suggestion really helped me. I'm still kinda stuck but I'm slowly working it out…well sorta…at least I got this done. Thanks a heap! Btw, regarding your suggestion of drama, I am afraid that there is still more cutsy stuff before the actual drama. I did plan it but the investigation will take a while. I have to admit Slave Prince was more of the hurt and Brave Prince was more of the comfort…but there is still more to come…
wolfwind: This chapter is really for you. I really like your review. Let me give you a very mild spoiler…I don't think that the investigation will work as expected…Mwahahaha…sorry that was really evil…
Spencer: I understand what you mean. I read fan fiction for like 4 hours every night. Too bad I didn't so as well in the Maths test though…I really dragged down my average.
Haldir's Heart and Soul: Thanks for understanding. It made me feel a lot better.
French Chipmunk: You are first to review again! I feel loved :) *hug*
Ithildiel, FRODO'S SWEETHEART, elfobssession2891 and anyone that I have missed: Thanks for adding me to your favourites list! It's really encouraging!
Elrond's reaction…Legolas' thoughts are in italics.
**In Imladris, Great Hall**
"Should we look for them? I am worried. It is dark…something might have happened to them," Elrond fretted.
"Or they might just be too concerned in their games that they forgot about the time again," Glorfindel suggested.
"But they have never been thirty minutes late. I already sent the servant to their rooms, just before dinner had started. They weren't there and neither was Legolas," Elrond said anxiously.
"Knowing the twins, they are definitely up to something. I think that they have messed with my diary in my room. I wrote all the dates of the meetings in it," Glorfindel said sourly.
The doors to the Great Hall opened then, to reveal Legolas, who was trying to hide behind the twins. The twins were soaking wet. There was silence in the room but most of the regular residents weren't surprised. Elrond motioned to the guests apologetically and everyone went back to eating.
"Where were you?" Elrond said calmly. "I was worried about all of you."
Legolas cringed. Elladan and Elrohir avoided their father's gaze.
"Don't worry Legolas, go and have dinner," Elrond smiled pleasantly. Turning to the twins he said firmly, "Come with me."
The twins exchanged their look and followed their father reluctantly.
Once they were in Elrond's room, the twins knew that they were in trouble. Elrond was not a cruel father, he said, "Go and change first then I want to have a talk with both of you."
Elladan and Elrohir nodded wordlessly. They both went off to their rooms and peeled off their wet clothing. Changing into dry clothes, they towelled dry their hair as fast as possible.
Elrond was sitting in his room thinking about what he should say to his sons when they were ready.
Elladan and Elrohir walked in together. "We are really sorry Ada. We didn't mean to be late to dinner."
When Elrond didn't say anything, they continued to explain.
"We were playing hide and seek with Legolas…" Elladan started.
"…Elladan found Legolas and then both of them went to look for me…" Elrohir continued.
"…but we couldn't find him and when we called him…"
"…I had fallen asleep so I didn't reply…"
"…until I started yelling…"
"…it was really late by then…"
"Can one of you talk instead of two? It makes things a lot more simple," Elrond interrupted.
"Sorry." Both of them said.
"I'll explain," Elladan proposed.
Elrohir nodded.
"As I said, it was really late by then. Elrohir got scared-"
"I did not!"
"Did so!"
"Did not!"
"Did so!"
"Did NOT!" Elrohir raised his voice.
"DID SO!" Elladan matched his brother.
"STOP IT!" Elrond yelled. "You two are already in trouble. I am losing my patience. If Elrohir said he wasn't scared, he wasn't okay? Just leave him alone, Elladan." Elrond looked tired. He had been very worried about his sons.
Elladan glared at Elrohir who glared back.
"Alright?" Elrond said authoritatively.
"Yes Ada." Both of them said.
"Shake hands," Elrond commanded. He had done this since they were young children.
"Father!" Elladan exclaimed. On seeing his father's gaze he quickly shook hands with his brother. "Sorry 'Ro and I mean it."
"Sorry 'Dan and I mean it too," Elrohir looked into his brother's eyes. They told the truth.
Elladan and Elrohir knew that they were in trouble and they really didn't want to make things worse but they did like to play with the boundaries sometimes. This drove Elrond crazy because he knew that his sons weren't bad kids.
"Continue, Elrohir," Elrond sighed.
"Um…it was really dark by then and I was hiding in a hollow in the fountain. Elladan came up to get me. When we were going down, we slid right into the fountain and got wet," Elrohir said.
"Is this true, Elladan?" Elrond asked suspiciously.
"Yes," the elder twin replied truthfully.
"Do you know what the both of you did wrong?" Elrond sighed.
"We were late to dinner and we arrived in an…inappropriate fashion," Elrohir answered miserably. "I'm sorry father."
"We are really sorry," Elladan said sombrely. "We didn't mean to make you angry with us. We didn't go to dinner purposely late. The game was only mean to be a short game but then…"
"I am not angry with either of you," Elrond said.
"You aren't?" Elladan and Elrohir said in surprise.
"I am NOT angry but I AM disappointed in the both of you but I do understand that unexpected things do happen," Elrond looked at Elrohir. "I was really worried about you and Legolas. I thought that something bad might have happened. I know that you two like to play around but it really disappoints me that you don't listen to me. I know that you two play around with the rules but some are there for your safety. How would you feel if one of the three of you got hurt?"
The twins were shocked. "We never thought about that."
"This is what I mean," Elrond continued. "You two are old enough. You need to think about the consequences of your actions. It affects me too. What kind of Elven Lord do I look like if I can't even get my sons to dinner on time? I don't blame you for what other Elves might think…but I do think that you have a responsibility as sons of a Lord to act your place. I don't mean to be stiff and serious all the time but there are appropriate times where you do things. You might mean well but you must learn that timing is very important. You know this and it disappoints me that you deliberately disregard the results of your actions."
"I am truly sorry Ada," Elrohir said earnestly. He felt tears prickling behind his eyes his father's disappointment hurt more than his anger ever could, hated to let his father down. "I really am," Elrohir's voice said shakily. "I don't want you to hate us."
"I am sorry too Ada," Elladan said. "I really did not mean to disappoint you."
Seeing how his sons were upset, Elrond felt compassion for them. "It's alright. Elladan. Elrohir. Listen to me." Both of the twin's heads snapped up. "You know that the both of you could try anyone's patience with your pranks. They annoy me sometimes…" Elrond smiled fondly. "Maybe sometimes more than that but you two do bring a smile to everyone's face. Whatever you do, I will NEVER hate you. I always love you and I want you to know that ok? Just try to stay out of trouble for the next few days and be nice to Legolas. Don't worry me like that again. "
The twins grinned. "Yes Ada."
"I really appreciate you two playing with him today. Treat him like he is family."
"Why?" Elrohir asked curiously.
"Because I care about him," Elrond said softly.
"Why don't you play with us too Ada?" Elladan's eyes sparkled. "You could always take another day off."
"Elladan," Elrond gave his eldest son a knowing look. "It isn't that simple. I can't just take a day off every now and then. I have things to deal with. You will understand when you take my place one day."
Elladan looked at his father at a new perspective.
"Being an Elven Lord isn't just a title or a status. It has a lot of responsibility to it. If I could I would spend everyday playing with both of you but I can't. I have my duty and you two have yours. That is why I want you to go to your lessons."
Both of the twins nodded.
"Are you going to punish us like last time?" Elladan blurted out. They had to go to lessons for three full weeks or get totally grounded for a week. The twins had chosen that latter. Another time they had to do cleaning for four weekends. Like any Elfling, they hated to get punished but both of them knew that they deserved it. Elrond was fair and he always listened to his sons.
"No," Elrond said. "Not this time, while Legolas is here. This is your last warning. If you are late again, you two will be punished."
"Thanks Ada," the twins chorused. They were glad they were going to be let off with a serious lecture. The guilt still weighed down on them a little. "And Legolas?"
"What Legolas does not need is to be punished. It would not be good for him. He needs more confidence. What Legolas needs are friends around his age so all that I ask are you two to be there for him. I consider him as a son and I want him to be able to consider you two as brothers. It is a big responsibility but I know you two are ready for it." Elrond gave his sons a big hug.
"Thanks Ada, for trusting us. Legolas is a really nice person," Elrohir snuggled up to his father. "He is a bit shy but once you get to know him, he is a good friend."
"I'm glad you think so," Elrond approved. "Now how about we go to dinner?"
All three of them lumbered down the stairs to the Great Hall, the twins skipping merrily down the stairs dragging their father with them to the great surprise of the guests.
**In Mirkwood, Healing Rooms**
The statement had been finished. The pieces of parchment were rolled up and bound by several pieces of leather thread. It was sealed with wax to make sure that it was authentic and would not be tampered with during the course of the investigation. Meleris put it safely in one of the pouches on his belt, hidden under his robe.
Herendil was totally exhausted and fell asleep after he saw that the statement had been completed.
Meleris was really tired. He wanted to sleep in a bed, but he did not like the idea of leaving Herendil.
The healer watched him from behind the door and decided to come in. She spoke very softly so that she wouldn't wake Herendil. "I know you don't want to leave him. A servant just told me that the King wants to see the both of you tomorrow," she frowned slightly. "I didn't want to disturb the both of you so I waited until now to tell you. The servant says that you were expecting this call anyway." The healer looked concerned and motioned for Meleris to follow her outside. "I know that this thing is not really my business and I do not want to pry into your matters. But…Herendil is my patient and I do not want him to be stressed. It would not be good for him. I have no authority against the King's orders, so I must let Herendil go. He would have wanted to come with you. Don't let him get too tired. The servants have heard that the King has been extremely moody lately. I worry that Herendil will get too tired. He is still not healed to his full health."
"Don't worry…" Meleris tried to give a convincing smile. "I thank you for not asking and for trusting me."
"I always trusted you, ever since you first carried your friend into the Healing Rooms. I knew that you would care for him. I can only do so much but you have done more than any healer can. I can see that his heart has been lightened. He smiles," the healer observed. She paused. "There is an empty healing room along the corridor. You can sleep there. I understand that you want to stay with your friend but the room is close by and I think that you would be more comfortable sleeping on a bed after sleeping for days in a bedside chair," the healer gave a smile. "Plus, you have a meeting tomorrow. You want to wake up energised in the morning. Young man, it is getting late. You need some rest." She put her hands on her hips for emphasis.
"Yes, Mother," Meleris, said as the healer escorted him to his room.
**In Imladris, Elrohir's Room**
Legolas knocked timidly on the door. I would have never dared to do this at Mirkwood. It is unthinkable to knock on someone's door after dinner…I hope Elrohir doesn't mind after what happened…
"Come in," Elrohir said clearly.
Legolas looked at his feet, his face was burning. How do I ask him?
"What do you need?" Elrohir asked nicely. He was confused about Legolas' embarrassment.
"I wanted to uh…ask you something," Legolas mumbled.
"Shoot away. Anything."
"Was he angry at you?" Legolas voice was barely audible.
Elrohir was confused. He? "Oh…you mean Ada?"
Legolas nodded. "If it's too private then I can just go…"
Elrohir smiled. "No. You can stay…Ada wasn't angry with us although he was disappointed. We shouldn't have gone to dinner late and we should have cleaned up before hand but he said that he understood that unexpected things happen. He asked us to think about the consequences to our actions."
Legolas then asked a question that surprised Elrohir. "Do you hate me for getting you into trouble?"
"Legolas," Elrohir said convincingly. "I don't blame you and neither does my brother. We got into trouble, you did nothing wrong. We should have known better."
"But…"
"We knew the rules," Elladan added. "He already warned us…"
Legolas eyes widened. "Did he punish you?"
"Luckily, no." Elrohir grinned. "This is the last warning though, Ada wants us to stay out of trouble."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. We should have though about it."
"Are we still friends?" Legolas asked apprehensively.
"Of course," Elrohir said. "I would never stop being friends just because I got into trouble. We'll stay together through thick and thin okay?"
"Hey! What's this about friends?" Elladan called out suddenly. His wet hair was wrapped in a towel.
"Nothing. You shouldn't listen in on us. Stop being such a nosy Elf Elladan," the younger twin teased.
"What did you say?" Elladan threw a pillow at his brother but it hit Legolas instead.
Legolas grinned and smacked Elrohir with it.
"Oy!" Elrohir grabbed a pillow and hit Elladan then he swung around to fight Legolas.
All three of them fought with the pillows. Both Elladan and Elrohir had to defend themselves as Legolas viciously attacked them with a fluffy blue pillow. When it was over they all collapsed on Elrohir's bed, catching their breath. Elladan managed to return to his room and Elrond tucked him in. Legolas, however, had fallen asleep on Elrohir's bed. After tucking his youngest son in, the Elven Lord delicately carried Legolas next door – he thought that Legolas would be more comfortable waking up in his own room. He smoothed out the wrinkles on the bedspread and gently kissed him goodnight.
**In Mirkwood, Healing Rooms**
Later on in the night, the healer checked to see that Herendil was sleeping soundly. She carefully tucked him in, not wanting to wake him. She walked quietly past Meleris' room but not before leaning against the doorframe of the room, listening to his soft breathing. From the faint light in the corridor she could just see his sleeping form. His chest was rising and falling rhythmically.
Please Review! Do you think that Elrond is a good father? Did you like this chapter…EIGHT PAGES in total! I do apologise for any spelling errors. I spent a long time trying to write it and I wanted to post it in time so I only proofread it briefly. Btw, what exactly IS a muse?
Next chapter will signal some bad vibes for all you pessimists out there…like me…