Chapter 78: Locked Room

Haldir yelled Legolas' name, he called for Tavel, but no luck. Knocking at every door to the palace, hoping, hoping the children where behind one of them and never where they.

Finally, after searching for what seemed an hour, banging and yelling, Haldir was loosing his voice (he still is sick after all), and his fist red from the many palace doors. But Haldir could here the laughter of the two little children and quickly opened a door. It was not them behind the door, but a servant doing the March warden's laundry. Shutting the door, he walked to the next door, which was across from the King's bedroom. The door was locked, and though it would seem impossible to enter from the front of the door, his sharp elven ears where certain those two rascals where there.

Haldir knew he should be respecting Thranduil's privacy and not enter the locked room, but to loose the elflings would be worse. Haldir snuck around the palace, getting snow all over his nightclothes, and found the crack in the wall near Legolas' hiding spot. Peering through the hole, Haldir could spot the tiny elflings, and the locked door. Haldir knew it was no use squeezing through the crack as he did not fit and would surly get stuck, but the March Warden searched in his pocket and found a chain of keys left by Thranduil. Haldir re-entered the palace and began to try every key in the keyhole to the locked room.

Haldir's hands where red and tired, but at the last key came a click and the lock could be taken off. Opening the door, Haldir found the two adorable elflings huddled together in a stack of bears and dragon toys, smiling but hiding because 'war is upon us'.

"Hal! War is upon us!" Legolas giggled as the March Warden swooped him and his best friend up into the air.

"Indeed." Haldir smiled.

"You have a nose bleed Haldiw."

"I know, but It is healing now. I was so worried I had lost you!"

"We was just hiding fwom you and Cield's war."

Haldir smiled and gently brushed the hair from the faces of the elflings.

"I think we all need to change. My clothing is wet and you two are still in nightclothes as me." Haldir said, taking the elflings to his bedroom where their tunics lay on his bed as did his.

"Hal let me dress you!" Legolas begged, but then Galion came rushing into the room.

"Galion! Your suppose to be resting in bed."

"I know sir, but I could not help it, this is my job, and I heard a knock at the front door-

"Go back to bed, it must be Tavel's mother." Haldir smiled, quickly changing Tavel and getting the child's belongings as well as one of his own cloaks.

Haldir opened the door, and it was Tavel's mother as predicted. Tavel jumped out of Haldir's arms and landed in those of his mother's, kissing her face happily.

"Nana! I had lots of fun with Greenleaf and mister Haldir!"

"I'm glad you did sweetheart." Tavel's mother whispered, kissing her son on his forehead.

"Thank you for taking care of my Tavel. Did he behave?"

"Yes, Tavel was an excellent little elfling."

"Good... I see you two have just woken up?"

Haldir blushed as he looked at himself in bedclothes and looking over at Legolas in the nightclothes that where too big for him. Tavel's mother bent down and gently ran her fingers down Legolas' hair.

"Do you not find those night clothes too big for you, my little prince?"

"It's Haldiw's clothes." Legolas smiled.

Tavel's mother stood up, and before leaving Haldir gave her his cloak. "Give it to Tavel when it fits him." Haldir smiled.

Tavel's mother shook hands with Haldir and left. Legolas took Haldir's hand and skipped off to his bedroom.

"Now can I change you?"

"Well... I suppose... but, just into a tunic, not my leggings or anything else."

Legolas smiled as Haldir let him sit on his lap to undo all the buttons to his tunic, which took some time to finish doing, and Haldir expected Legolas to be putting one of the Lorien tunics on, but Haldir could not resist laughing when he was Legolas had plans for Haldir to wear one of the elfling's tunics.

Legolas struggled to shove his little green tunic over Haldir's head, not even bothering with the buttons, but his plans failed.

"Haldiw, you too fat! You can't fit in the clothes. You have to diet Hal."

Haldir chuckled and took the elfling into his arms.

"Well Legolas, that is because you are only a little elfling and I am a fully grown elf. You wear small clothes that fit you, but I where bigger clothes that fit me."

"So you are saying that you are fat." Legolas smiled.

"No. I have just finished growing."

"So you are saying that you are fat."

"No... look Legolas, I am taller than you,"

"Yef."

"Stronger than you with bigger muscles than you,"

"Yef."

"Faster than you,"

"Yef."

"And therefore with all my muscles and longer legs and arms than you, I need bigger clothes..." Haldir began calmly. "I AM NOT FAT!" The March warden then added, pouting. Legolas embraced the March warden and giggled.

"You are fat, you just don't want to admit it Hal. That's what Ada says. He says dwarves are fat, they just don't want to admit it!" Legolas smiled, taking Haldir' proper tunic and sliding it over his babysitter, then doing up the buttons.

"Whatever you say little blue leaf."

To be Continued