"Legolas? Elfling, come out, please!" Haldir called. He had woken up in the morning with no elfling, and now he and his brothers searched his house for the little troublesome prince.
"Maybe he left the house. If I have to go into that cellar of yours one more time Haldir I swear I will-
"Oh shut up Rumil or we will send you back down in the cellar." Orophin smirked. Rumil was afraid of the little spiders that lived in Haldir's cellar.
"I think you are right, Rumil. I think Legolas left. It's not that hard for him to do so, and I have no doubt that he's done it before. Come, we can search at nana's house, he knows the way there." Haldir said, grabbing his cloak.
The three brothers searched their parents' home and found no trace of the elfling. Haldir went to Lianna's home and found no elfling, Rumil and Orophin went to Orophin's home and found no elfling, and soon the three galadhrim had searched all around Lorien, and found no elfling. But, they had not seen Galadriel yet.
"Lady Galadriel must know, since she has those powers!" Rumil suddenly said. Rumil was hoping they could go to see Lady Galadriel, since when they searched outside Orophin usually shoved him into the prickly bushes to 'see if Legolas was in them'.
"It's worth a try. Thranduil will hate me if he finds out I lost his elfling." Haldir sighed.
"No, he would not, because he is not even aware that Legolas was with you! He is probably in Mirkwood right now, running around in circles in panic that his precious baby was eaten by a spider or captured by goblins." Orophin pointed out. Haldir nodded and the three went off in search of Lady Galadriel.
They found her with Celeborn in their gardens.
"My lady, we have lost prince Legolas, and we wondered if you would know where he is, since you have remarkable powers." Haldir said.
"I will use my powers to find him. This reminds me of the time Elrond was watching you three, whilst he was courting Celebrian. She talked about it for weeks." Galadriel said. Haldir smiled at the memory. Elrond and Thranduil had needed money to repay someone and their fathers would not give them any, so they had came to Lorien to try and earn some money. They had been hired to watch Haldir, Orophin and Rumil, and while they where watching them Elrond met Celebrian.
----------------------------------------------
"Thranduil, could you stop sitting around laughing at me and help? This thing is trying to eat me!" Elrond whined as Thranduil fell off his chair and began to laugh once again. Rumil was biting Elrond's shoe, Orophin was pulling Elrond's hair and Haldir was playing in the mud. They where outside.
"This is so much more fun than I imagined it to be!" Thranduil said between laughs. Elrond glared at his friend.
"If you don't get the little thing off my foot I will throw the muddy one at you and your tunic you love so much will be ruined!" Elrond sighed in relief when Thranduil staggered over to Elrond, still laughing hysterically, and pulled Rumil off his foot. Rumil then began to chew Thranduil's fingers.
"Thank you. Honestly, will you ever stop laughing? I'd love to see you handle your own elflings!" Elrond said, pulling Orophin out of his hair and onto his lap.
"Elflings? Why would I want elflings?" Thranduil asked, finally not laughing and now getting some milk into a bottle for the very hungry Rumil.
"I am certain that you will have elflings of your own one day." Elrond said. Thranduil laughed and shook his head.
"I do not want elflings. If I where to settle down and have elflings and a wife I would have no time to myself! When would I get to do archery or fight orcs?" Thranduil forced the bottle into Rumil's mouth, but Rumil spat it out. Thranduil tried again.
"If you had no elflings, who would be heir to the throne if you where to be king?" Elrond asked.
"I have no intentions on taking my father's throne. My father is an elf; he will always live, so he may always keep the throne. I do not want to be king, it's just too much." Thranduil groaned when Rumil sucked at the bottle and then spat the milk out onto his favorite tunic.
"Thranduil, stop shoving it into his mouse and let him take it when he's ready." Elrond sighed when Thranduil forced the bottle in Rumil's mouth again.
"Don't mind me. Shouldn't you be seeing to the muddy little bugger over there?" Thranduil pointed to Haldir, who rolled around in the mud, trying his best to get on his babysitters' nerves.
"I suppose so. Here, let Orophin play in your hair while I take care of that one." Elrond placed Orophin on Thranduil's lap. Thranduil moaned when Orophin began to tug at his braid.
"Ouch, elfling, stop!" Thranduil whined. Rumil had finally began to suck on the bottle, and he was not spitting it out.
Elrond walked over to the mud puddle that Haldir was in.
"Haldir, what happened to your clothes?" Elrond suddenly noticed that this elfling was naked. Haldir pointed to a pile of mud. Elrond went over to that pile and poked it with a stick. It was clothes, coated in a thick layer of mud.
"Ai, elfling. You seriously need a bath. Come on, I don't want to touch you." Elrond beckoned Haldir forwards, but Haldir did not obey. Instead, he shot a handful of mud at Elrond. Elrond sighed.
"He will not listen to you, you will have to get him yourself." A she-elf said. Elrond's head snapped up.
"I suppose you are right. Have we met before?" Elrond asked. The she-elf giggled and shook her head.
"Celebrian." The she-elf said, outstretching her arm. Elrond took her hand with his muddy hand and shook it.
"Elrond." Elrond said, quickly grabbing Haldir and smiling.
"I have never seen you around here before, Elrond."
Elrond groaned when Thranduil screamed.
"Elrond! He pulled my braid out!" Thranduil complained. Elrond looked over at Orophin, who was amusing himself with what looked very much like Thranduil's braid. Thranduil had one hand on his temple, where the braid used to be.
"I am not from here. I am from Rivendell, and my bigmouth friend here is from Greenwood." Elrond said. Elrond carried Haldir over to where Thranduil sat, and Celebrian followed.
"Would you like me to help you both?" Celebrian asked. Elrond nodded before Thranduil could protest.
Celebrian looked at Thranduil who was fuming and gasped.
"Are you prince Thranduil?" Celebrian asked.
"Yes, I am." Thranduil held in his giggles when Celebrian bowed.
"You don't need to bow, my lady, he is not as great as people say." Elrond said. Celebrian shrugged.
"And you are Lady Galadriel's daughter, aren't you?" Thranduil asked. Celebrian nodded and this time Elrond gasped.
"I cannot believe I did not realize that!" Elrond muttered. Celebrian laughed.
"It's alright. Now, how may I help?" Celebrian asked.
"Well, this elfling needs to be bathed. We can leave Thranduil; he should not have too much trouble with the younger ones, since they are just little babies." Elrond said. Celebrian followed Elrond into the bathing chambers in Haldir's home.
Elrond poured some bathwater and Celebrian held down Haldir. When Elrond was finished, he placed Legolas in the tub.
"Haldir, you have gotten mud on lady Celebrian's dress!" Elrond glared at Haldir who looked at him with big, confused eyes.
"Here, let me clean that…" Elrond took a cloth, Haldir's favorite cloth, and wiped the mud off of Celebrian's dress carefully. When he put down the cloth, he saw Haldir was glaring at him.
"My cloth." Haldir growled.
"What's the matter?"
"My cloth."
"Why are you upset?"
"My cloth."
"Yes, it's your cloth."
"You got mud on it."
"Well you got mud on lady Celebrian, and you dirtied her beautiful dress." Celebrian giggled at that.
"My cloth." Haldir growled again. It was his cloth and now it was muddy.
"Haldir, if that's all you plan to say than hush." Elrond scolded. Haldir splashed Elrond and Elrond glared at him again.
"I swear if you splash me with anything one more time I will put a switch to your rea-
Elrond saw the disgusted look Celebrian was giving him and shut his mouth, turning red with embarrassment.
"'Rond, you're blushing!" Haldir giggled happily, not even understanding what Elrond had been threatening to do to him.
"I was not really going to… Honest, Celebrian, I would not hurt an elfling like that…" Elrond mumbled.
Celebrian took Haldir's cloth and gently scrubbed Haldir's nose. Haldir smiled.
"Are you upset?" Elrond asked. Celebrian nodded her head.
"How can you even say you would hit him? He is not even your son!"
"I know, and I feel really bad about what I said." In truth, Elrond was still fuming with Haldir and would gladly spank him, but Celebrian was such a fair maiden he could not let her hate him over a silly threat.
Celebrian did not reply.
"He looks clean." Elrond said. Celebrian smiled and turned Haldir around, to reveal a back covered in mud.
"Oh." Elrond mumbled, taking another cloth and washing the mud off Haldir's back.
"Ow!" Haldir whimpered.
"What's the matter, elfling?"
"Scrub too hard!" Haldir complained. Haldir's back was turning red.
"Elfling, I am sorry." Elrond whispered, looking at Celebrian who was again giving him disapproving looks.
"It's okay." Haldir said. This was one of the only reasons Haldir liked this elfling: He always forgave.
"Come on, bath is over." Elrond took a towel and Haldir jumped into it. Elrond smiled, trying to be friendly. Elrond carried Haldir to Haldir's bedroom, Celebrian followed.
Elrond placed the elfling on his bed.
"What I did was shameful, lady Celebrian. I ask you to please, please forgive me." Elrond whispered, looking down at the floor shamefully.
"Hm, it's alright, but you better not threaten another elfling in your life, especially if you ever want elflings of your own."
"Do you want elflings of your own?" Elrond asked. Haldir was getting, for lack of better words, pissed that Elrond was taking so long.
"'Rond…"
"Well, perhaps. I would have to find the perfect husband though, one who will love me and the child." Celebrian said.
"Well, choose carefully, for you are so beautiful I am certain that many unworthy men will try to wed you, as well as many worthy men."
"So, which category do you fall in? Worthy man or unworthy man?" Celebrian asked.
"What do you speak of?"
"I have seen the looks you give me. You are trying to court me!"
Elrond blushed and looked at the floor.
"I fall into neither, for I am a half-elf, not a man." Elrond smiled.
"ROND!" Haldir screamed, grabbing on Elrond's leggings and tugging, trying to get Elrond's attention. He had not meant to rip Elrond's leggings off… It was an accident!
"Ai! Haldir!" Elrond gasped, trying to cover himself as best as he could with his hands. Celebrian turned around, saying, "I saw nothing!"
Elrond grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around his waist and peaked his head out the door.
"Thranduil, do you have any spare leggings?" Elrond asked. Thranduil smirked.
"Why?"
"Because… mine… ripped… off…" Elrond's face turned red. Thranduil burst into hysterical laughter.
"In… the closet… In my… Guest chamber!" Thranduil laughed. Orophin was asleep at Thranduil's foot, and Rumil was vomiting his milk on Thranduil's lap.
Elrond found the leggings and slid into them. They had royal designs on them, and Elrond almost felt shameful for wearing the prince's royal leggings. But perhaps Celebrian would find him more attractive in them!
Elrond returned to Haldir's room, where Celebrian looked at the floor, quite upset. Haldir was nowhere to be seen.
"What's wrong? Where is Haldir?"
"I'm sorry. Haldir asked where I lived, and so I showed him through the window where I lived. Haldir said he wanted to show me his favorite plant in his gardens, so I opened the door and he ran off! Thranduil did not catch me, and now there is a naked little elfling running loose in Lorien!" Celebrian sighed.
"Don't worry about it, my lady. I will find Haldir. I have a feeling he is trying to get to your home, since you did show him where it is!"
Celebrian nodded. "Come with me, I can lead you to my home." Celebrian said.
Celebrian brought Elrond to her home, where they where greeted by lady Galadriel. Elrond asked for the lady's help to find the lost elfling, and using her powers Galadriel located Haldir beneath her bed.
--------------------------
And, just like that time so many years ago when Haldir had been found beneath the bed, Galadriel located Legolas beneath the bed 'using her powers'. Galadriel never did tell anyone that she had not used her powers, for she enjoyed showing them off!
To be continued…
It's been so long, and I am so very sorry about that! Oh and if anyone has any suggestions about what Haldir did last month that Galadriel had not 'gotten back at him' for, please suggest!