Chapter 4: Three elflings in a tub
Elladan ran through the kitchens gathering everything red and pink that would help make Thranduil's hair pink (or red). Every time Elladan found something he would throw it to Legolas who was in charge of juicing, then Elrohir would pour the liquid into a vile.
When Elladan was finally finished searching for fruits, and Elrohir and Legolas were done their parts, the three huddled together behind the counter, Elrohir pocketing the vile of red liquid.
"Tonight when Legolas' ada is sleeping, we all meet outside his woom. Then we can put the red stuff in his hair and he'll wake up a red-head!" Elladan said. Elladan and Elrohir were joyful, proud of this prank, but Legolas was feeling uneasy about this, still certain they would be caught and get into trouble.
"Why don't we go play while we wait for night?" Legolas suggested, trying to forget about the prank.
"Sure!" Both twins said, smiling. "Play what?" Elrohir asked.
"Um... We can play with... toy soldiers?" Legolas suggested.
"Okay! We brought with us some Imladris soldiers, so you can be from Mirkwood and we can be from Rivendell!"
"Okay."
The three ran to Legolas' room where Legolas took out handfuls of wooden green Mirkwood soldiers and the twins took handfuls of blue Imladris soldiers.
Legolas set up his Mirkwood guards around his bed, which represented Mirkwood, and even more guards where in 'Mirkwood' surrounding a pillow that represented the palace. Inside the palace Legolas had put his little wooden elven king (which Thranduil had made for Legolas since Legolas claimed that he could not play with his soldiers if he did not have a king). Then he also added the three princes (himself and his brothers Tonus and Cield), then the princess (his sister Illiendal).
The twins set up their guards around their beds that represented Rivendell, and inside Rivendell they placed wooden replicas of themselves, a wooden Elrond, a wooden Arwen and a Wooden Glorfindel (who was, for some 'strange' reason missing an arm).
"Pow." Elladan grinned as his wooden archer 'shot' one of Legolas' guards. "Come on Ro, bring some more archers so we can break into the palace!" Elladan commanded. The twins where much better at this game than Legolas, for whenever Legolas played his father, Thranduil would always let Legolas win, but the twins played which each other all the time.
Soon Legolas' entire toy guards where lying on the ground, dead. The twins took their archers and their Elrond and marched the toys into Mirkwood. The archers destroyed all of Legolas' guards so that all Legolas had left been the king and the princes and princess.
One of Elladan's guards grabbed the elven king and ran back to Imladris with him, where he threw the king in the blankets which where meant to be a dungeon. Elrohir raided the rest of Legolas' palace, and soon the twins had invaded the palace and none of Legolas' little green soldiers lived.
"We win! We took over Mirkwood!"
"Ya but not in real." Legolas said.
"Of course not in real."
"Now what can we do?" Elladan asked. Elrohir was looking out a window.
"Lets play in the mud!"
Elrohir pointed to a large area covered in mud outside.
"Lets go!" Legolas giggled, running out of the palace with the twins following.
Elladan and Elrohir jumped in the mud, fully dressed, Legolas already rolling around. Elrond heard that splash and knew it was not going to be good, so he ran out of the palace with Thranduil. The two-elven lords gasped as they saw the three children giggling and rolling in the mud. All the elflings appeared to have russet hair because of the drying mud on their heads and on their skin.
"Elladan! Elrohir!" Elrond managed to say sternly, the twins looking up in horror.
"LEGOLAS!" Thranduil said, much more fiercely than Elrond. Legolas whimpered quietly behind the twins.
Elrond took his two elflings and Thranduil took his elfling and the two elven lords brought the muddy children into the bath room where the butler, Galion, prepared the elflings bathes.
Elrond stripped the twins and put them in the large tub, and Thranduil stripped Legolas of his muddy clothes and placed him in the tub. Thranduil was amazed that three muddy, excited, hyper elflings could fit in one tub, but did not question the matter and instead took soap and washed Legolas' ears, Elrond doing the same with Elladan, then Elrohir.
After the three elflings where all clean, the elven lords let them play around in the bath. The twins and Legolas splashed each other and slid around in the bathtub.
Elladan then banged his head, and the elflings fell silent, for they knew he must be hurting.
"Elladan, are you alright?" Elrond asked, he and Thranduil approaching.
"I'm fine." Elladan sniffled quietly as his father brushed his wet hair out of the way to check his head for bumps. "Your going to have a nice bump there, Elladan." Elrond said, kissing Elladan on his cheek. "But you'll survive."
Elladan smiled, rubbing his eyes.
"You three should be a wee bit more careful in the bath." Thranduil said, taking a green towel and scooping Legolas into it.
"We know." The three elflings said quietly, Elrond taking Elladan out of the tub and then Elrohir. The three-elven lords took the elflings to Legolas' bedroom, where they dressed the children in their nightclothes.
Legolas cuddled against his father as the two lords sat down on Legolas' bed with their children.
"So, have you three been having fun this afternoon?" Elrond asked as his two sons began to play with Thranduil's golden hair.
"Ya."
"And have you two been behaving?" Elrond asked, looking at the twins.
"Ya."
"Good." Elrond smiled.
"Yes, but now we shall go eat. Come on." Thranduil said. When Thranduil had said 'come on' he meant for the elflings to follow him to the dinning halls, but instead the three elflings jumped on him: Legolas on Thranduil's back, Elladan on his right arm and Elrohir on his left arm. Thranduil could not help but smile, and walked to the dinning halls coated in little, hungry elflings.
To be continued
While I wrote this, on chat I was filling Lord of the Rings characters with Helium and letting them free... What?