Chapter 87: Messy elfling - Edited

Haldir cowered in the corner of the kitchen. The March warden was covered in eggs with Legolas standing in front of him, cornering him. Legolas held in his arms many more eggs, a broken bag of flour (therefore the flour coming out onto the elfling) and was aiming to hit Haldir with a flour-covered egg in his chest.

Legolas smiled and raised a floury hand to shoot the egg, but his wrist was grabbed and Legolas stopped. Looking up, Thranduil stood above him fiercely, and took the eggs from Legolas, and disposed of the flour, which was nearly empty, with all its contents on elfling and floor.

"Legolas, what where you doing?" Thranduil bent down beside his son. Legolas muttered something under his breath, so Thranduil took Legolas' small head into his hands.

"What where you doing with the eggs and the flour?"

"Throwing it at Haldiw..."

"Should you be throwing it at Haldir?"

"No..."

"What should you be doing with the eggs?"

"Making din din."

"Correct. So why where you not making dinner with the eggs?"

"Cause we finished making din din so I took the left-ove-r eggs and threw them at Hal."

Thranduil sighed and kissed Legolas on his cheek, as the little prince looked as if he was going to cry.

"I will deal with this misbehaviour later on Legolas, for now you... and Haldir... need a bath. But after your bath, I wish to have a word with you in private." Thranduil said. Legolas nodded his head sadly, and took Haldir's hand.

"Can I have my bathy with Hal?"

"Why?"

"Cause its funner with him."

"Funner is not a word sweetheart."

"But it should be. Can I ada?"

"Only if it is fine with Haldir."

Legolas looked up at Haldir with pleading eyes. Haldir smiled and gently pat his head.

"It is fine. I shall go prepare the bath."

Legolas smiled and kissed Haldir's hand as he pranced off behind the March warden, who poured water into the bath.

"I love you Hal."

"I love you too little one."

"Weally?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

Legolas held his babysitter's arm tightly as his poured warm water into the bath.

"Is this too hot for you?"

Legolas stuck a finger in the bath and yanked it out.

"Too cold!"

"Alright..."

"Now?"

Legolas stuck his finger in again, and smiled.

"Good. Buh can I have a bubbly bath?"

"Ask your father."

Legolas ran away and came back sadly.

"Ada says no, cause I have a rash." Legolas muttered. Though Legolas was always getting into trouble, and never truly behaved, Legolas was a good and truthful boy nearly always, and told the truth to Haldir.

"Its alright Legolas, maybe another time."

Haldir pulled Legolas into a warming embrace, then released him.

"Please turn around, as I'd like some privacy to get undressed."

"Okay."

Legolas turned around and shut his eyes as Haldir stripped himself of clothing. Haldir entered the bath and then pulled Legolas closer. Legolas turned around and watched as Haldir unbuttoned his tunic, and sadly for Legolas, Haldir wore no tunic to unbutton.

Whence Legolas' clothing was off him and lay in a heap beside Haldir's clothes, Legolas was carefully pulled into the bath beside Haldir.

Legolas splashed at Haldir, and Haldir back and soon Legolas and Haldir where (again) in a water fight, and Haldir took a bottle of soap and poured it all into Legolas' hair. Legolas grabbed the closest bottle to him and poured that into Haldir's hair. When Thranduil came in to clean Legolas off so Haldir could have some alone time in the bath, he saw the two, coated in soapy water.

"What happened here?" Thranduil asked.

"Legolas splashed me... so I put soap on him, and he put this soap on me."

Thranduil approached the two and took a lock of Haldir's hair into his hands and observed the soap.

"This is not soap. This is green hair dye from when Cield tried to scare Legolas. I had though I had confiscated this a while back..."

Haldir stiffened at these words, and looking at his hair noticed that it was indeed green.

"Will it come out?"

"Yes, in time. It took me almost three weeks of scrubbing Cield's head with all my might to get it out of his hair, and it still was a bit green after that."

Haldir moaned.

"Legolas, you realise that now I will definitely need to have a word with thou after your bath, so please come by my study."

Legolas did not like the sound of that, nor did he like it when Thranduil scrubbed at his scalp and hair roughly.

"Ada you is huwting me!"

"Sorry ion-nin, but I must get this soap into your hair. Put your head back."

Legolas barely put his head back, so Thranduil slid one hand beneath the child's head and another against his forehead, and gently pushed Legolas down, enough to rinse his hair but not enough to get soap or water hi his eyes.

Thranduil raised Legolas' head and took soap, lathering it all over the elfling's body, then again rinsed Legolas of the soap.

"All done Legolas." Thranduil muttered, ringing out Legolas' hair. Thranduil took a towel and pulled Legolas out of the tub and into the soft green towel, wrapping up his son with it and keeping him warm and snug.

"I will be out soon, my lord." Haldir said. Thranduil nodded as he carried the small bundle in his arms into his bedroom.

"Are you mad at me Ada?"

"No Legolas, just disappointed."

"Ada, do you still love me?"

"I will always love you Legolas, no matter what happens.

Thranduil took out Legolas' bedclothes and laid them beside Legolas' undergarments on his bed.

Thranduil took his naked son into his arms and slid his small undergarments onto him, followed by tunic. Since Legolas' bedtime was in some hours, Thranduil chose to dress his son for bed, and since Legolas was going to bed he did not need leggings.

"Come, for now I must speak with you in my study."

Legolas sighed and took his father by his hand and entered his study.

"Now little greenleaf, do you know why you are here?"

"No."

"Yes you do."

"Cause I put the green stuff in Hal's hair."

"And?"

"I shot eggs at Hal."

"Correct. Now, Legolas, I love you more than anything-

"Even more than nana and Illiendal and Key and Ton?"

"No, not more than them. I love you, Nana, Cield, Tonus and Illiendal more than anything in the world. But I must teach you when you are doing the wrong thing, and you have."

"I am sorry ada."

"I know you are, but still, I must punish you."

Legolas sighed and climbed up to Thranduil's lap, and lay himself upon his father's lap.

"Okay Ada. Punish me if you have to."

Legolas shut his eyes tightly, but Thranduil did nothing to hurt him. Thranduil gently raised his son's body into a sitting position, and gently ran a finger down Legolas' face.

"I am not going to hit you little one."

"You're not?"

"No."

"Then what is my punishment?"

"I am taking away your chewing cloth until you learn to behave better."

"No! Ada you can slap me, but don't take my chewy cloth, please! I love my chewy cloth! No! Don't take it! I'd rather be beaten!"

"I am sorry Legolas, but until you behave you will not be receiving the cloth." Thranduil took the chewing cloth from Legolas' pocket and placed the cloth high on the top of a bookshelf, where Legolas could not reach or climb.

Legolas began to cry and pound his small fists into his father's chest, and ran out of the room to his own room, passing Haldir who had just gotten dressed and was next to the study.

"Legolas, come back, supper is ready." Thranduil sighed. The elven king loved Legolas with all his heart, and doing this was hard but needed. Thranduil was about to go get Legolas when Haldir stopped him.

"Don't go sir I will get Legolas. Go begin eating supper, you have traveled many days and are weary and must hunger for food of Mirkwood."

"That is true. And Legolas seems to like you, so why not. Do tell him that his supper is getting cold."

"I will."

Thranduil headed for the dinning room, whilst Haldir knocked at Legolas' bedroom door.

To be Continued...

This chapter was missing a very important part so I edited it...