Chapter 143: Nana's cookies

"Well then Cield, it seems you will be going alone..." Thranduil muttered. Cield seemed rather happy about that, but Elladan shot him a cold glare.

"But be warned Cield, if you lie at all to Elrond I will find out, and you be in a lot of trouble." Thranduil said. Cield nodded, embraced his father and left to go to Rivendell.

"And what will we do with you?" Thranduil looked down at Elladan, who shrugged.

"I can't walk, sir." Elladan said quietly.

"Well then where would you like to go?" Thranduil asked.

"I had been planning on going to relax in the gardens, sir, before Cield attacked me." Elladan gasped as Thranduil lifted him up and carried him out of the palace and into the gardens, with Elrohir and Illiendal following.

Thranduil laid the young elf on the wooden bench in the gardens. Elladan got comfortable and smiled.

"Thank you sir... But how will I get back in the palace?" Elladan asked.

"Your brother and Illiendal can carry you, but if they do not feel like it you will just have to stay there for a while." Thranduil smiled and turned to leave when Tonus came running to him, holding a furry black thing in his arms.

"Ada, when I brought Florien home his... adopted father... Bilbo... Invited me to stay and eat lunch... But... When, uh... Florien wanted to show me his dog, he found out it was sick. Could a healer see to his dog?" Tonus raised the lump of furry black, to show his father that it was the dog.

"Go find a healer... Go find Adan, he should know how to heal Florien's dog." Thranduil said, watching as Tonus ran to find Adan the healer.

Thranduil left to go see how Adan would heal the black dog. When Thranduil arrived to were Adan, Tonus and the dog where, he stood back and watched.

"He was fed something..." Adan looked up at Tonus.

"Will you be able to fix him?"

"Yes. Leave him with me for a day and he'll be better by the time you pick him up." Adan said to his prince. Tonus smiled.

"I will tell Florien to pick him up, it will make the boy happy."

Adan nodded and Tonus, with Thranduil following, left.

Rumil and Orophin stood still. Legolas had found some rope and was tying them together. Neither Rumil nor Orophin liked being forced against each other, as they certainly were not queer.

"Legolas, uh, mind untying us dear?" Rumil asked as he suddenly fell and brought Orophin down with him.

"Nah, don't feel like it." Legolas skipped away.

"Legolas, untie us now or I will tell my brother to strike you." Orophin snapped.

"No, he wouldn't do that."

"He would. He's my brother, I know him better than you do."

"He hit me before and then he was sad so he said sorry." Legolas smirked.

"Then I will strike you if you do not untie Rumil and I this instant!" Orophin yelled.

"You can't smack me if you are tied up, silly oatmeal."

Orophin glared at the elfling.

"Roll Rumil!" Orophin ordered. Rumil tried to roll but he was having trouble.

"Your... too... heavy!" Rumil said. Orophin sighed and began to roll, and soon Legolas was running as the two tied up elves came rolling after him.

Orophin rolled over a sharp rock, which snapped the ropes. Orophin stood up and chased Legolas, who ran inside as fast as he could. Orophin was right behind him so Legolas ran to Haldir and grabbed onto Haldir's robes. Haldir put down his bottle of dwarven ale and looked down to see the elfling holding his robes rightly. Both of the elfling's legs where being pulled at by Orophin, who tried to detach Legolas from Haldir so that he could smack the elfling like he said he would. Orophin was not exactly meant for children.

"Help Haldir!" Legolas screamed as one hand slipped, and he was only holding on by one hand now.

"Okay..." Haldir shrugged, pulling Legolas up into his arms and carrying him to the kitchen. Legolas noticed that Haldir was walking oddly... It must have been the ale.

Haldir sat Legolas down on the chair, and turned around to find the elfling some food when he noticed some chocolate cookies on the table. Haldir did not know how they got in his house, and even if he did he had had too much dwarven ale to remember how, so he reached out to eat one, when he fingers where slapped.

"Those are for the elfling!" A she-elf, who was much older then Haldir, snapped.

"Nana? How did you get in here?" Haldir's eyes widened. The dwarven ale effect was gone now.

"You gave me a key, remember? You where so excited to have your own house that you gave everyone a key." Haldir's mother said. Mallriel was her name.

"Here you go, I hope you like them. I just made them, when word reached my ear that there was an elfling staying at my boy's house." Mallriel handed Legolas a cookie. Legolas looked up at her, and did not take a bite. The cookie was warm though, so Legolas trusted that it was fresh.

"Who's your boy?" Legolas asked, and Mallriel patted Haldir on his shoulder.

"Haldir is. And so are Orophin and Rumil, who I expect are here as well, since they always turn up here." Mallriel watched as the elfling took a bite out of the cookie, then quickly nibbled the rest until it was gone.

"That was really, really good!" Legolas smiled.

"Well that's good, because I have plenty more... Haldir!" Mallriel smacked Haldir's wrist when she saw him shoving a cookie in his mouth.

"Honestly Haldir, you always eat everything sweet that you see. These are for the elfling, not you, unless you are an elfling, but you are far too big now Haldir." Mallriel took the cookies away from Haldir's reach and gave another to Legolas.

"Why don't I get a cookie nana?" Haldir asked sadly.

"Because, you are a grown man and these cookies where made for this little boy. What's your name, anyways?" Mallriel asked Legolas.

"Legolas." Legolas smiled as Mallriel handed him a third cookie.

"Your king Thranduil's son, correct?" Mallriel asked as Legolas swallowed a mouthful of cookie.

"I'm my ada's son." Legolas said proudly, nibbling some more of his cookie.

"Of course you are." Mallriel smiled.

Legolas finished his third cookie. Haldir was eyeing the remaining three cookies.

"Would you like another, Legolas?" Mallriel asked. Legolas shook his head.

"Too full."

"Alright then." Mallriel smiled at the elfling, took a cloth and wiped away some crumbs from around his mouth.

"Here you go Haldir, now that there is some left overs, you can have one." Mallriel kissed Haldir on his cheek as she handed him one cookie.

"These two are going to your brothers, I'll be back soon." Mallriel left to go give Rumil and Orophin their share of her batch of cookies.

"I like your nana." Legolas smiled. "I wish I had a nana, who baked cookies. My nana's gone, and it's not the same baking cookies with Galion." Legolas sighed. Haldir pat Legolas on his head.

"You miss your nana, don't you?"

"Ya... Hey! I have an idea! You can give me your nana, since your too big to be her elfling, I can have her!" Legolas smiled, but Haldir chuckled.

"Legolas, I cannot give you my nana. I am not able to give my mother, just like you cannot give your ada or trade him for someone else. It does not work that way... You get who you get, and there is no way changing that." Haldir saw the elfling's sad face.

"Legolas, what's the matter?" Mallriel asked, coming into the room with Rumil and Orophin following. Rumil was no longer mad at Legolas and was actually very happy for him being there (else Orophin would not have even gotten a cookie).

"I don't have a nana. I want you to be my nana, but Haldir wont give you to me. He says he can't give you to me." Legolas sadly looked at the floor, and Orophin snorted at this.

"Trust me Legolas, you do not want our nana! The last time I had one of my mother's cookies was four hundred years ago! She's a witch once you get to know her-

"Orophin!" Mallriel shot him a very daunting look that kept his mouth shut for the rest of the day.

"Legolas, would you like to bake cookies with me? It will be fun." Mallriel smiled as the elfling's face light up.

"Yes, please!" Legolas jumped up.

"Nana, can I make cookies with you too?" Rumil asked. Mallriel smiled and nodded.

"Nana, I'm... Sorry about what I said, it's not true... Can I... Can... Can I help too?" Orophin asked quietly.

"Yes, you may, Orophin." Mallriel kissed Orophin on his cheek.

"Haldir, do you want to help too?"

"No, I'll... No, you three carry on without me."

"You certain brother? It will be like when we where elflings, plus Legolas!" Rumil smiled. Haldir sighed.

"I'll help too." Haldir smiled.

"Alright. My little boy Rumil, go get the ingredients, Haldir, go get some water, Orophin, go get some bowls and a tray."

"What do I do?" Legolas asked.

"You get the fun part of adding everything."

"That's the best part!" Legolas smiled. Soon Mallriel's three sons arrived back with ingredients and bowls.

Rumil measured some butter, and Legolas put it in the bowl. Haldir measured some water, and Legolas put it in the bowl. Orophin measured some milk, and Legolas put it in the bowl. Mallriel handed Legolas one egg, Haldir another, Rumil one and Orophin one.

"All of you break your eggs and put them in the bowls, try not to get the shell in the mixture... and Rumil, don't eat the yolk like last time." Rumil blushed and the four all broke the eggs and put them in the bowl. Legolas got a small piece of shell in the bowl, but Mallriel was not mad with the young elfling.

Once all the ingredients were in the bowl, Mallriel handed Legolas a wooden spoon.

"Stir it for a while. If you get tired, give the spoon to one of my sons. I will be back in a few minutes." Mallriel said, leaving the room.

"Legolas, you having fun?" Rumil asked.

"Ya... A lot of fun! Thanks for letting me play with your nana, I wish I had one..." Legolas said happily. "Do you have an ada?" Legolas asked.

"Yes, but he's probably at his home, where our nana and Rumil live with him."

"You live with your nana and ada, Rumil?" Legolas' eyes widened. "But you're a big elf!"

"Yes he is, but Rumil is the youngest in our family... Our nana still bathes him!" Orophin broke into a fit of laughter and Rumil began to turn red.

"Rumil you're turning into a tomato!" Legolas shrieked and began to laugh hysterically.

"Orophin, you did not have to say that." Rumil said angrily.

"Did I mention Rumil always gets put to bed by our parents, and when he has nightmares my mother kisses him and sings him lullabies." Orophin burst into giggles.

"I swear I will throw you into Galadriel's birdbath!"

"You mean her mirror?"

"Yes, that thing!" Rumil snapped.

"Ai, are you two fighting again?" Mallriel shook her head angrily. "Honestly, your father would not stand for that if he had came with me. You'd both have been smacked. At least Haldir behaves." Mallriel pat Haldir's shoulder gently.

"Sorry nana." Orophin looked at the floor.

"Ya, Sorry." Rumil muttered.

"Alright. I'll cook these cookies and you three- eh, four, sorry Legolas I forgot to count you I am so used to only having three boys with me... You four can go wait outside." Mallriel shooed them out of the house.

To be continued...

My computer crashed so I lost the original copy I had been typing of this, but this version came out so much better! By the way, Thranduil carries Legolas because Thranduil has no wife and Legolas is his little one, so Thranduil just does not want to stop holding him...