Hi, peeps. Sorry this is so late coming. I've been studying all day or I would have updated sooner. I'll try and update before I leave on Friday so that one's not late, too. Forgive me for not responding to reviews. I'm short on time with the end of school just two and a half weeks (and one of those doesn't even count 'cause it's finals week) and two papers to write. But a great big thanks to Leralonde, HarryEstel, Grumpy, and Bubble-Sheep for your lovely reviews. They make me smile. And I hope these last three chapters aren't disappointing.

Happy reading!

Chapter 4 – Friendship and Conflict

Elladan ignored the laughter of his twin and the wood-elf prince as he aimed for the target some thirty paces distant. It was a simple shot but the fact that he would catch hell for even the slightest mistake made him pause. That, and he needed the extra time to make sure he was not going to laugh. He held the bow out steady and pulled the string back to the corner of his mouth.

"Are you going to shoot today or tomorrow, Elrondion?"

"Tomorrow, if you don't hold your tongue, Thranduilion." The barest hint of a grin, wicked and predatory crossed his lips, his ears barely registering Legolas' reply. He released the string.

He blew a strand of hair from his face and dropped the bow to his side to regard his shot. Laughter and groans met with the result.

They had been at this for a dozen rotations already, the more or less disciplined alacrity disintegrating predictably into lazy camaraderie as the importance of the competition faded and they simply enjoyed each other's company. Mostly, that had to do with Legolas gaining and keeping a fairly comfortable lead that the twins had little to no hope of overcoming.

"And Elladan overtakes Elrohir for the first time in three rounds!" Legolas announced, laughing.

"You'll pay for that, brother," Elrohir added.

He snorted. "You're delusional, brother."

"You're up, Elrohir!" Legolas cut in before the younger twin could reply, pushing him towards the target.

Both Elladan and Elrohir shot him dirty glances, but the elder moved obligingly out of the way and they younger took up his spot. Raising his bow, he said, "If I didn't know any better, Legolas, I'd say you were trying to distract me."

"An interesting prospect," the blond elf answered. Elrohir's arrow struck the target outside the ring Elladan's arrow occupied. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was working."

Elrohir turned to scowl at him as Elladan laughed. "He's right, you know."

"Shut up, brother."

"It's not my fault you can't shoot."

"Neither of you can shoot," Legolas put in diplomatically though common sense might have argued he stay out of it.

Two dark heads swiveled his direction. "Excuse me?" the twins asked in unison, their voices blending into one. Both looked at him, darkly expectant, as if offering one last chance to back out of the situation without consequence.

Legolas was not impressed. "You're Noldor Elves," he elaborated. "It may be that your kind have more wisdom, but in the more physical aspects—such as archery—your people are . . . sorely lacking."

"Did he just say what I think he just said, El?"

"I believe he did, El."

"We can't allow that, can we?"

"We can't allow that at all."

Legolas' expression was bemused as he watched the identical dark-haired elves slowly advancing on him with matching evil grins. He had forgotten how demonic they could look, but his small steps backwards were unhurried. "You realize you can't kill me," he commented casually.

"Ada wouldn't mind," Elrohir answered.

"My father would be furious. It could shatter relations with Mirkwood, provoke war."

Elladan answered, "Not if no one knows we did it."

"You could have been attacked in the mountains by Orcs," Elrohir added.

"Except I wasn't," Legolas observed.

"But nobody knows that," Elladan countered.

"Ada doesn't even know you're here."

"That can change very fast," the wood-elf stated. The twin's smiles just widened. "It's almost time for lunch."

"Indeed, it is," Elladan answered.

"And you're not ready yet."

"Ready?" Legolas echoed uneasily, raising an eyebrow.

"Yet." Elrohir saw realization light in the prince's eyes. It brought the wood-elf's head up a fraction, and his smile deepened. "I think there's just enough time to dress you up."

Exactly what they were going to do, neither Elladan nor Elrohir had any idea but the prince did not know that. He had enough experience with them to expect such a thing and know it would be uncomfortable, and for now, that was sufficient. They only actually needed a plan if they caught him.

"Heh, right," Legolas drawled, the tone not quiet right. Then he bolted, the twins right on his heels. They rounded the house back towards the front porch with the wood-elf four paces ahead. When he reached the courtyard, that distance had not changed.

The blond elf passed the front walk without pause and continued towards the trees without hesitation. But Elrohir noticed the direction with a mental start, something flickering in the back of his mind, something he had forgotten. When he glanced to the side, he stumbled to a halt.

"Estel!" he exclaimed, surprised, as memory flooded back to him. Elladan halted near him and added, "You found us!"

Too late, it occurred to the twins that they were supposed to be in the forest, hiding while their little brother tracked them. They had not expected the boy would find them before they finished bathing, and neither had they expected to meet Legolas. Shame and guilt twisted through him as he realized they had neglected their baby brother and betrayed his trust.

The little boy in question stood atop the stairs by the marble railing with his hands resting atop it, almost like he was peeking out from hiding or getting ready to hide. His expression was hard to read, the blankness of a child not sure what to think or how to feel about something new. He glanced uncertainly towards Legolas, who had reluctantly come to a halt upon hearing the twins' startled exclamations. He looked between the brothers in confusion.

For their part, neither twin spoke. Elrohir waited in silence for Estel to respond, to accuse them of leaving him. But, slowly, the boy smiled. "I found you," he said, sneaky glee in his voice.

The twins exchanged startled glances. "You did!" Elladan responded, eager to avoid the fight they had expected. "You've gotten really good at tracking, tithen pen."

"Ada taught me."

"We thought Glorfindel was doing it," Elladan continued. "We should've known you'd be a pro if Ada was teaching you."

Pride brightened Estel's smile under his elder brother's praise. "I knew I could surprise you."

"You did," Elrohir agreed.

"Can we play again?" the boy asked. His eyes were wide and pleading, much as the first time, and something about his posture suggested he expected them to say no.

Elrohir smiled. "Of course we can," he answered. "Or we could play something else."

"But first," Elladan spoke up, "let us introduce you to a friend of ours. He hasn't been around in a while. Estel, this is Prince Legolas of the Woodland Realm." He gestured towards the fair-haired elf, and when silver eyes followed the gesture, Legolas inclined his head, a smile on his face. "Legolas, this is our little brother, Estel."

The little one's lips twitched in an approximation of a smile, but there was no joy in the boy's eyes, none of his customary curiosity that made meeting him such an enjoyable experience. In the blink of an eye, Estel had dismissed the other, focusing on his brothers and shunning the million questions they had imagined the other would ask their old friend. "Can we play now?"

"Let me, Elladan, and Legolas go put out stuff up—and you as well—and then they'll see what we can do until lunch. Okay?"

But Estel scowled. "Does he have to come?"

"Who?" A half-glance to the side told Elrohir and his brother who the boy meant. "Be nice, Estel."

"But I don't want him to play with us!"

"Why?" Elladan pressed, his tone reasonable. Elrohir could tell he was making an effort not to snap at the youth. He, himself, felt more puzzled than annoyed. Why would Legolas be any different than any of the other elves Estel had met? It could not be because he was from Mirkwood, surely. He tried to remember if either he or Elladan had ever mentioned the prince or wood-elves before, but could not think of it if they had. "Why don't you want him to play, Estel?"

But the young human would not answer. He just scowled harder and refused to look at either of them. Elladan moved closer to him. "Answer me, Estel."

"I just don't want him to." Anger hid behind the sulky rejoinder, and Elrohir frowned. What was going on? Estel never acted like this around strangers.

"Estel!" Elladan closed the distance between them and knelt so he was eye-level with the boy. His voice low, he said, "Legolas is a guest in this house. You will treat him with the respect he deserves or you will go to your room."

"But you said we could play," Estel objected dolefully.

Elladan shook his head. "Not unless you're willing to include Legolas." The eldest and youngest sons of Elrond stared into each other's eyes, looking for the slightest wavering that might signal their victory.

Elrohir glanced toward Legolas and saw the blond elf about to object. He caught the other's eye and shook his head. Whether or not the prince wanted to play or even would play was not the issue. Estel had to learn that everything could not go precisely his way. The wood-elf subsided without saying a word.

The younger twin looked back at the boy in time to see his pout transform back into anger. "Fine!" he snapped. "I don't want to play with you anyway!" Then before Elladan could catch him, he turned and bolted back into the house.

"Estel!" the elder called, starting forward before stopping and turning back to his twin, a mixed expression on his face. "What was that about?"

Elrohir shrugged. That outburst made no more sense to him than it did his brother. Estel was usually such a calm, kind, and considerate boy. He had never objected to the necessities of a host before.

"Well, he is human," Legolas commented easily.

Both twins glared at their friend. "What do you mean by that?" Elladan demanded.

Incredulity at the question turned to anger in the fair-haired prince. "Surely you have not forgotten what his kind did? Men are selfish, greedy creatures. Whatever he was like, you must have known he would eventually turn out just like them!"

Elrohir grabbed Elladan's arm before he could stalk forward and attack the prince; It gave him something else to focus on instead of how much he would like to follow his older brother's example.

"Estel is my brother," the elder seethed. "Don't you ever speak of him like that again! Ever!" He wrenched out of Elrohir's grasp and stalked up the stairs.

The prince's gaze flickered to Elrohir but found no sympathy or apology only the same anger better controlled. "Estel is the sweetest, kindest, most generous soul you will ever meet." Elrohir's eyes were hard and uncompromising. "If you can't give him a chance and treat him with the respect he deserves, you would do best to leave now."

"What could possibly make you favor him over your own kind?" Legolas demanded after a moment, incredulous, his anger now mixed with confusion.

"I protect him because he's my brother," Elrohir answered. He glanced into the house, following the path his brothers had taken moments ago with his eyes. He could remember chasing Estel up the stairs, laughing, and the child's shrieks of glee as his fingers found the little one's sides. He remembered waking up in the middle of the night to crying when Estel suffered a nightmare, and all the odds and ends he had gotten over the years because the little human liked to share his treasures. "Perhaps if you give him a chance, you'll find out why I love him."

They stared at each other a moment, not moving, then Elrohir turned to head into the house, ascending the stairs slowly. Would Elladan have gone after Estel? Should he follow? What had gotten into the boy? But often though they had been compared to children in the past (and on occasion still were) he could not figure out what was going through his little brother's head.

"Where are you going?" Legolas asked from where he stood.

Elrohir looked back at him. He sighed, shook his head, looked back into the house, then returned to his friend. "I think we'd both better go give our greetings to Father," he answered finally.

Legolas nodded without comment.

o/o/o/o/o/o

Elladan wondered the halls of his father's house without direction. When he had started off, he was going after the human child he regarded as a brother, but that goal had been abandoned as soon as he was surrounded by the calm of the Last Homely House. He was too angry and emotional by half. If he confronted the child now, it would only make matters worse. He knew it.

And so he walked, aimlessly, railing at the beauty that surrounded him. His anger—at Legolas, at himself, at his brother—combined to make the elegant beauty of his home appear vulgar and ostentatious. Simple statues were flamboyant displays. Portraits he had loved as an elfling were ugly, gaudy pieces. The open hallways were too close. He railed at his home, and yet he never thought to leave.

Before his eyes, as clearly as if the child still stood before him, he could see the hurt—the pain—that darkened Estel's eyes before hard anger took its place. The anger he recognized; it was a reflex, a protection—he did it himself. The pain was what he could not abide. It tore at his heart with every repetition that passed before his eyes.

Estel had already suffered much, losing his parents at such a young age; did he really have to make it worse for the child? Did he have to make it harder? What should he do? He needed to talk to his youngest brother, he knew he did, but he was in no frame of mind to make right whatever was wrong. He was too angry. If he accidentally snapped at him, it would make things worse.

So he tangled his fingers in his hair, and he walked, the beauty of his surroundings lost to his conflicted mind. In his heart of hearts he wanted to leave this place and wander the forests—his love for his brother would not let him.