Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
A/N: Hey there people!
Thank you all so much for your reviews! I love each and everyone of
them. All right, yes, here is more fluff, but I promise, next chapter,
things start getting interestring. Interestred hmm? You'll have to read
on to find out! Hehe. All right then, many thanks to my beta enb2004
who has two fantastic HP stories that you have to read! Here is Chapter
Ten as promised. Enjoy!
Half an hour later found Elrond, Estel,
Glorfindel, and Erestor staring at the door that would lead them
outside with apprehension.
"Do you think that they are already out there Glorfindel?" Elrond asked in a whisper.
"Oh
aye, I would not doubt it for a second. I do believe that the first one
to peek his head out will be pelted with snowballs before they would
even have a chance to duck. Did you really expect otherwise?,"
Glorfindel asked dryly.
"Nay, but one can hope," Elrond said.
"I
think that you are both overlooking a very simple fact. We have
something that the twins and Legolas do not," Erestor said, a smug look
on his face.
"Oh, and what would that be mellon nin?" Elrond asked throwing his advisor a curious and exasperated look.
"Why,
your youngest Elrond. Surely the twins and Legolas would not dare pelt
Estel with full fledged snowballs so soon after his recovery?" Erestor
asked rhetorically.
Both Elrond and Glorfindel turned to Erestor in surprise and smiled widely at him.
"My
dear Erestor, I do believe that is one of the more brilliant plans you
have come up with these past few centuries," Glorfindel said teasingly.
"Be quiet Glorfindel, I'll get you for that later, but not right now. What do you think Elrond?" Erestor asked.
"I do believe that it is brilliant. Estel, would you to ride on my shoulders?," Elrond asked.
Estel
looked up at his father only to find that both Glorfy and Restor were
looking at him with odd expressions on their faces. Inwardly Estel
shrugged, why Glorfy and Restor cared if he rode on his Ada's shoulders
he didn't know and really didn't care.
"Yeah! That sounds like fun Ada," Estel said eagerly.
"Good,
now climb on. Erestor, Glorfindel, stand behind me, that way you won't
be pelted as well," Elrond said, barely reigning in on his excitement.
Erestor
and Glorfindel shared an amused glance and did as Elrond said. Within
seconds, Estel was riding on Elrond's back and they were behind Elrond
in a straight line.
With a deep breathe, Elrond opened the front door and they marched outside ready to do battle with the twins and Legolas.
"Look, the door's beginning to open," Legolas cried out excitedly.
"All
right, remember to go for my Ada, Glorfindel, and Erestor. Do not aim
for Estel, at least not with with large snowballs. I do not want to
incur Ada's wrath by hitting Estel to hard," Elrohir said.
"Aye,
we go for the rest of them, and do not hold back for they shall not
show us any mercy," Elladan said remembering the last snowball fight
that he had had. Perhaps his Ada might like a second snowball in his
mouth?
"Here they come!" Elrohir warned as the door opened fully.
Much to their shock however, they found that their Ada had Estel on his shoulders. Estel was grinning for ear to ear.
"ADA! That is very low!" Elladan exclaimed while lowering the snowball he had made particularly for his father.
Legolas and Elrohir exchanged disgusted looks while Elladan glared at the three older elves.
"By
the Valar, they knew they we wouldn't hit Estel and used him against
us!" Elladan exclaimed as the three older elves took shelter along with
Estel.
"Well, they do not have that advantage anymore," Legolas
said while ducking a well aimed snowball that had to have come from
Glorfindel.
With that, the snowball fight started in earnest,
the twins and Legolas taking extra care not to hit Estel very hard with
the snowballs. If any snowballs did hit Estel, they were very tiny ones
and were thrown very softly.
Estel didn't really noticed the
difference and when he was hit, he went after whoever had hit him with
a fierceness that surprised everyone.
"That one.... is going to
be.... an excellent warrior," Legolas said while gasping for breath.
Estel had just targeted and hit him with a snowball after a long chase
around the others. How Estel had the energy to do that was beyond
Legolas.
"Oh aye, we know. Just imagine him full grown and with
a sword!" Elladan exclaimed while ducking yet another snowball form
Glorfindel. It seemed that the former Balrog slayer seemed to have it
out for them today as he was the one throwing most of the very hard
snowballs.
"That mellon nin, is a very scary thought and I for
one am glad to have him on our side," Legolas said while wiping snow
away from his face.
Suddenly, out of no where, a rather small something hit Legolas full force in the chest and sent him sprawling into the snow.
Legolas
blinked for a few seconds before coming to his senses and realizing
that Estel was sitting on his chest looking particularly gleeful.
"Yes! Glorfy said that would knock you down. I didn't believe him, but I guess he was right!" Estel chortled.
Legolas grunted in acknowledgment and gently lifted Estel off of him and put him back onto the snow.
"Leggie, will you show me how to make a snow elf? Arwen was going to teach me, but...." Estel said and trailed off.
Legolas
winced as he realized where Estel's thoughts were going. He could only
assume that the attack had happened before Arwen had ever gotten a
chance to teach Estel.
"Of course I'll teach you tithen pen. Wait one moment, while I stop the snow ball fight."
Legolas
motioned for the twins to put down the snowballs they were about to
throw and pointed to Estel. The twins looked confused but did what
Legolas said.
"Giving up already are you Legolas Thranduilion?" Glorfindel taunted.
"Nay
Glorfindel, but we shall settle this later. Estel wants to learn how to
make a snow elf. It seems that the Arwen had promised to teach him, but
something came up," Legolas said.
"Ah, I do remember that.
Indeed, we were all distracted slightly at that particular point in
time," Elrond said putting down his snowball and moving towards Estel.
"So, my tithen pen wants to learn how to make a snow elf?" Elrond said picking Estel up.
"Yeah! Can Leggie help too Ada?" Estel asked.
"I don't see why not. In fact, I think we'll all make snow elves," Elrond said looking pointedly at the twins.
"Of course Ada. Come on, let's get started!" Elladan exclaimed.
Legolas grinned as the twins paired off and as Elrond, Erestor, and Glorfindel argued over who would make what part of theirs.
"Leggie, how do we make a snow elf?" Estel asked.
"Ah,
see Estel, that is where the true fun begins. The whole point of making
a snow elf is to make it look like someone, generally, someone whom you
want to embarrass. I think I know exactly who we'll be making," Legolas
said with a devious grin. He only wished that Himband could be here to
see it.
"Who are we making?" Estel asked curiously.
"The
senior palace healer in Mirkwood. His name is Himband and he can be
quite annoying at times, particularly when I am his patient," Legolas
said grimacing at the memory of his last stay in the healers domain.
"Why would Himband be annoyed when you are his patient?" Estel asked while rolling up some more snow for the snow elf.
Legolas
grinned and turned to Estel. "You would not understand yet little one,
for that, I am grateful. However, I do believe that once you hit the
age of, oh, say sixteen, that your father will probably be starting to
get annoyed with you as his patient as well," he said, inwardly not
looking forward to that day in the slightest. He loved Estel as he was
right now. So innocent of the dangers that the world held. He wished
that Estel held onto that innocence for a long time yet.
Estel looked at Legolas curiously but did not comment. He was too young to understand everything that Legolas had said.
For another hour, the elves and the one young human worked on their snow elves until they were done to their satisfaction.
Legolas
burst out into laughter when he saw Elrond's, Glorfindel's, and
Erestor's. It looked like a combination of all three of them. The twins
was equally just a good. Somehow, they had made theirs look like a
combination of Elrond and Thranduil combined. A feat that Legolas had
not thought possible seeing as the two elf lords looked very different
from each other, with the exception of the look they seemed to reserve
for their offspring.
The twins burst out into laughter when they saw Estel's and Legolas's as well.
"Oh
mellon nin, that is priceless. I so wish that Himband was here to see
it," Elladan said while holding onto Elrohir as he laughed.
The
twins had been in Himband's care many times and the Mirkwood healer was
known for not being particularly gently with the twins when it came to
their injuries. His way of revenge for having to patch them up once
more Legolas supposed.
"Dan, Ro, you really like it?" Estel asked happily.
"Of
course tithen pen. You know, I am willing to be that Himband will find
himself healing you one of these days as well as us and Legolas,"
Elrohir said thoughtfully.
"I hope for that everyone's sake that
is many many years in the future from now. There really is no need to
stress Himband out more than he already is," Elrond said.
"Indeed, it is a wonder that you have not made him sail for Valinor yet with all of your escapades," Glorfindel said.
"Glorfindel,
it is not our fault that trouble seems to find us and Legolas
everywhere. It is not as though we go looking for it," Elladan said.
At this, Elrond, Glorfindel, and Erestor snorted in disbelief.
"Forgive me, but you can not truly expect us to believe that?" Erestor asked incredulously.
The twins and Legolas looked at each other and then back at Erestor.
"Of course we expect you to believe it, why wouldn't you?" Legolas asked innocently.
Glorfindel rolled his eyes while sharing an exasperated look with Elrond and Erestor.
"You three...." he started to say but was cut of.
"All
right, that's enough out of all of you. Come here Estel. I think that
it is time for us to go inside," Elrond said noticing that Estel's
teeth were chattering.
Glorfindel noticed where Elrond's attention was and instantly agreed with him.
"Yes, I do believe that we could all use some nice hot cocoa and a warm bath," he said.
"All right Ada, we shall meet you in the kitchen," Elrohir said.
"We won't start without you and Estel," Elladan promised.
"Very well, we shall not be long, shall we Estel?" Elrond said.
"No
Ada, we won't be," Estel said knowing that there was no way he would
get out of a bath. He wouldn't tell anyone but he was actually quite
looking forward to a hot bath. He was really cold and the bath would
feel good.
"Good, we shall met you there in no less than half an
hour I would say," Elrond said while scooping Estel up and sharing his
body warmth with him.
Estel didn't resist as his Ada picked him up, instead he snuggled into his Ada and smiled as he felt his Ada's warmth.
Elrond
looked down with slight concern as Estel burrowed into him. He hoped
that he hadn't kept Estel out in the cold to long. Only time would tell
however. Hugging Estel more tightly to him, Elrond stepped back into
the house and immediately headed towards the bathroom.
As soon
as Elrond and Estel stepped into the house, Legolas turned towards the
twins, Erestor, and Glorfindel. "Where are they going?" he asked.
"Oh,
he is just going to give Estel his bath. Estel needs to be warmed up
before anything else least he should become ill," Glorfindel said.
Noticing
Legolas's confusion, the twins came to his rescue. "Legolas, humans,
particularly small children, feel the elements much more than we do.
Ada can explain to sickness you later, but Estel shall be fine. It is
just better to be cautious, that is all," Elrohir explained.
"Oh, all right. I did not realize," Legolas said.
"There
is nothing to be embarrassed about Legolas. We know that Mirkwood
doesn't get that many human visitors. Come, lets get changed out of
these wet clothes. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am eagerly
awaiting some of that hot chocolate," Erestor said.
"Me as well. Come on Legolas, the hot chocolate is even better than you remember it to be," Elladan said with a grin.
"I doubt that. Last one to the kitchen is a warg!" he exclaimed taking off for the house with a run.
"Hey!
No head starts!" Elladan and Elrohir said, taking off after Legolas
leaving Erestor and Glorfindel standing alone in the snow.
"Well,
I don't know about you mellon nin, but I for one an not going to be
called a warg for the rest of the night," Glorfindel said before taking
off at a run as well.
Erestor huffed and hurried after
Glorfindel, the twins, and Legolas. He hadn't been an Elrond's advisor
for many millennia without knowing a few of Imladris's shortcuts. Of
course, the twins and Legolas would know them as well. Glorfindel would
too come to think of it all. Oh by the Valar he would be last tonight.
Oh well, at least he still had his hot chocolate to look forward to.
Translations:
Ada: Dad/Daddy
Ion nin: My son
Mellon nin: My friend
Tithen pen: Little one
Tithen gwador: Little brother
