Folks, as I wrote Dragonfly, this story is just a bit of 'fluff'. In it, Anomen and the twins are young adults, but they prove every bit as capable of getting into trouble as they had been when they were elflings.

Oh, by the way (the author casually wrote): One of my stories has been nominated for an MPA (My Precious Award) for LOTR fanfiction excellence in the category of Best Animal based. The story is called "The Fellowship of the Reins." If you happen to be a member of ElvenLords (or want to join) you can vote. The address where the nominations are listed is www . elvenlords . net / MPA / MPA2005library . htm, and there is a link to the ElvenLords homepage at that site. (There are spaces in the address because if I don't put spaces in, the fanfiction software will strip out the address, I suppose so that there can be no linking from within stories. If you paste the address into your browser and delete the spaces, the address will work.) Voting takes place June 5th through June 24th.

Beta Reader: Dragonfly.

Vocabulary

Gwadur-nîn—'my brother'

Saes—'please'

"You are the smallest," argued Elrohir. "You can get in and out with the least chance of being spotted."

"But you are the one who shot the arrow," Anomen retorted. "I don't see why I must be the one to risk my neck."

"Saes, Anomen, gwadur-nîn," Elrohir pleaded. "Glorfindel is already angry at me because I interrupted him yesterday whilst he was dallying in the garden. If he should catch me, he will skin me—you know he will! But if he catches you, he will only threaten to skin you, for you have not done anything to annoy him—at least not lately."

"Very well," said Anomen grudgingly. "But you remember this the next time I desire something of you."

"Oh, I will," Elrohir swore, his face a picture of sincerity. Anomen, however, was not much impressed by Elrohir's promise. Still, Anomen was Elrohir's brother and was therefore honor bound to assist him—even if it meant rescuing him from his own stupidity. The young Elf leaped up and caught hold of a branch in the tree that grew alongside Glorfindel's chamber, which was situated on the second stage of the Hall.

"Whatever possessed you to shoot so wildly?" Elladan asked Elrohir as the twins watched Anomen ascend the tree.

"I was so glad to be free of that tiresome council," said Elrohir, "that I hastily shot my arrow at the first target I saw. Happens it was a goose that flew by between me and the Hall."

"But to shoot in the direction of a building—Elrohir, that simply isn't done! Why, the youngest novice knows better than that. It is amongst the first rules taught."

"I know," admitted Elrohir shamefacedly, "and that is why the arrow must be retrieved from Glorfindel's chamber. If he should find it, he would be furious that anyone should be so foolish as to shoot an arrow in at his window. And he will know from the markings on the arrow that the 'anyone' was me!"

By this time Anomen was level with said window, and he lightly leaped from limb to sill and disappeared within. Once inside, it did not take him long to find the errant arrow. There it was, stuck in the pillow upon Glorfindel's bed. Anomen carefully worked the point free of the pillow so that the rent in the cloth was enlarged as little as possible. Then he turned the pillow over to hide the damage and replaced it upon the bed. As he did so, his elven hearing heard a soft step outside the door, and he saw that the latch was being lifted. Clutching the arrow, he dove under the bed.

The door opened, and from under the bed Anomen saw a pair of boots enter the room. They were immediately followed by a second set of feet, smaller ones shod in the slippers of an elleth. Ai! Glorfindel had returned, and he had with him a maiden!

The boots came up to the edge of the bed and pivoted so they faced outward. The frame of the bed creaked slightly, and Anomen knew that Glorfindel was now sitting upon the bed. The slippers followed. Ellon and elleth were sitting side by side upon the bed.

Anomen considered his options. Glorfindel and his maiden were facing the window, so there was no exit that way, at least not until they assumed another position, and even then escape would be difficult because nothing stood between the bed and window that would screen him from the eyes of Glorfindel and the maiden. The door, on the other hand, was behind the headboard, so it seemed likelier that he could creep out that way. On the other hand, Anomen had heard the bolt shot, so, even if he made it to the door, he would have to draw back the bolt without making any sound. Then there would be the fact that he would have no way to replace the bolt. Well, perhaps Glorfindel would think he had not secured the door in the first place. Even if he realized that someone had been in the room, how would he possibly be able to deduce that it had been Anomen? All in all, the young Elf decided that his best bet was the door.

The maiden spoke.

"Glorfindel, I had thought your preferred sphere was the garden."

"True, but it has lately been overrun by meddlesome young Elves. We will find no sanctuary there."

One boot disappeared briefly and then reappeared as it was tossed upon the floor, the foot it had contained now resting bare upon the floor. The second boot followed. The slippers soon joined the boots. If Elves could sweat, then rivulets of moisture would have been running down Anomen's face. As it was, he was chewing his lip. 'I must make my escape before too much longer', he said to himself.

A tunic landed beside the boots, and it was soon joined by a pair of leggings. Then a gown fluttered down upon the floor. Upon it a shift came to rest. Both sets of bare feet disappeared and the bed again creaked. Anomen knew that ellon and elleth were now lying down. Since their heads were now below the level of headboard, and guessing that they would now be sufficiently preoccupied, Anomen began to ease his way out from the bed, inching away from the discarded garments and toward the door, all the while keeping a tight grip upon the arrow. Behind him he heard soft laughter and giggles. Suddenly the maiden sneezed.

"Glorfindel—ah choo!—whence comes these—achoo!—feathers?"

Anomen tried to crawl faster. He heard Glorfindel's voice.

"They seem to be coming from underneath the pillow. Let me see—why, there is a hole in the pillow. Strange. The Housekeeper is usually so careful to see that everything is kept in good repair. It is not like her to put out a pillow with a hole in it."

"Perhaps it was—ah choo!—one of the younger maids."

"Perhaps, although they are usually well supervised. Here, let me pull the blanket over the pillow. There. Is that better?"

"Yes, but—ah choo!—what are we—achoo!—to do about the ones that are already flying about? AH CHOO!"

Anomen had reached the door, and under cover of the last sneeze, he drew back the bolt, eased the door open, and slipped out. Pausing only long enough to gently close the door, he shot through the corridor, down the stairs, and past the Door Warden. He made for the garden with all speed. Elladan and Elrohir still stood watching the window to Glorfindel's chamber. They were startled when Anomen suddenly materialized before them.

"Anomen, how did you—" began Elladan.

"Hush!" said Anomen urgently. "We must get out of sight of that window!"

The three dove behind the nearest bush. Peeking out from between the branches, Anomen saw a pillow come sailing out of Glorfindel's window. It hit the ground and exploded into a cloud of feathers. Glorfindel next appeared in the window, gazing down at the wreckage of the pillow. No one came to stand by his side, and he did not look happy. After a little while, he turned from the window and disappeared. The three young Elves crept out from behind the bush and ran from the garden as if they had a balrog on their tails.

That evening at supper Glorfindel was more than usually taciturn.

"Whatever is the matter with you?" asked Erestor after awhile.

"Hayfever," Glorfindel replied shortly.

"Nonsense!" replied Erestor. "I've known you for centuries. You've never suffered from hayfever!"

"I am suffering from it now," growled Glorfindel. "Elrond, I want my pillow and my bolster and my quilt and my mattress filled with cotton rather than down."

"If you insist," replied Elrond, "but your bedding will be neither as warm nor as soft as it would be if filled with down."

"Perhaps, but for my purposes, such bedding would be more serviceable."

"Very well. I will see that the Housekeeper is told of your wishes."

As luck would have it, just as Elrond spoke that personage came marching into the dining hall, bits of fluffy down swirling in her wake, for in her hand she brandished the remnants of the pillow. Glorfindel suddenly developed an interest in his plate that Elrond, looking on, thought very similar to the interest Anomen and the twins showed in their food whenever they were about to be called out for some transgression.

"Lord Elrond," spluttered the Housekeeper, "it is hard enough to keep everyone in bedding without it being abused. The Gardener found this pillow—well, it was a pillow once—in the garden. Now, I can only imagine what someone was doing with a pillow in the garden, but whoever it was had better do it someplace else, and a little less roughly, too, I might add."

All eyes were turned upon Glorfindel, who did have a reputation for 'doing it' in the garden.

"You needn't look at me," he said truculently. "I can honestly say that I never set foot in the garden today. I was in the garden yesterday. Elrohir can testify to that, as well as to the fact that I was not then in possession of that pillow."

"That's true," Elrohir agreed. "He had made a sort of pillow by rolling up his cloak. There wasn't a proper pillow in sight."

Erestor tried to suppress a snort, and it came out as a sort of a choking sound. Glorfindel glared at him, but Erestor was not cowed.

"Well, Elrond," he chortled, "don't you think we had better search all the rooms to see who is missing a pillow?"

"Yes," said Glorfindel suddenly. "Yes, I think that would be an excellent plan. Allow me to suggest that Anomen be the one to conduct the pillow census. With his excellent vision, I am sure he will not overlook even one feather out of place."

Now it was Anomen who bent his head over his plate, a fact that did not escape the notice of Elrond, nor the fact that Elladan and Elrohir also seemed intent upon their food. Still, the Lord of Imladris wasn't about to countenance a search of everyone's rooms on account of one pillow.

"I do not think that will be necessary," he said mildly.

"But I insist that he at least search my room," said Glorfindel, "as I have come under suspicion."

"If that is your desire," said Elrond.

"It is!"

"Very well. Anomen, after supper, go with Glorfindel to his room and see that his bed is indeed furnished with a pillow."

Without looking up, Anomen nodded.

"What is it that you say?" Elrond asked loudly, looking hard at the young Elf.

"I will of course do as you wish, Ada," Anomen mumbled.

After supper, Anomen silently walked by the side of Glorfindel as they made their way to the balrog-slayer's chamber. What could the elf-lord be about, insisting that his room be searched for a pillow? They reached Glorfindel's room, and the balrog-slayer gestured for Anomen to precede him into the room. Anomen at once looked toward the bed. There was of course no pillow upon it. He looked at Glorfindel and was alarmed to see the balrog-slayer grinning fiendishly.

"Anomen, do sit down upon the bed for a minute."

Nervously, the young Elf complied, his back to the headboard, for that position made him feel safest.

"Now, look at that wall over yonder."

Anomen complied and saw that a mirror hung upon the wall. Suddenly, to his horror, he realized that from where he sat he could see the door reflected in the mirror.

"Even lying down, you can see the door in that mirror," Glorfindel observed, grinning even more fiendishly. "I have never been taken unawares, nor ever will be. The window I can see with my own eyes; the door I can see reflected in the mirror. Now then, you are probably wondering what I mean to do with you."

Nervous, Anomen could only nod.

"Elrond," continued Glorfindel, "said just now that you were to see that my bed is indeed furnished with a pillow. It occurs to me that his phrasing admits of two interpretations."

Anomen relaxed and returned Glorfindel's grin.

"So you want me to see that your bed is furnished with a pillow, as in, you want me to procure you a pillow?"

"I think you will agree that it seems only just that you do so," Glorfindel replied. "By the way, was it you shot that hole in the pillow, or was it someone else?"

"I'd rather not say, Glorfindel."

"Then it was someone else. If it were you, you would own up to it. I am going to guess Elrohir, for Elladan is not usually so foolish. Well, I will deal with Elrohir at a time of my own choosing."

Anomen made a note to warn Elrohir that Glorfindel had deduced that he was the culprit. Then he arose.

"I am sure I can contrive to lay my hand upon a pillow, or even two if you wish."

"No, only one will be necessary. I don't coddle myself, I hope you know!"

Anomen nodded.

"Very well: one pillow it shall be. I shall return shortly."

Anomen went looking for Elladan and Elrohir. He found them in the stable brushing their horses very diligently, for they wanted an excuse to stay away from the Hall until they knew how things had turned out between Glorfindel and Anomen. They were immensely relieved to see him appear smiling before them.

"Elladan, Elrohir, I need you to decoy Erestor out of his room."

"How are we to do that, Anomen?"

"Nothing simpler. You will be patrolling the Dunland border next week. Erestor has but lately finished drawing up a new map of that region. Is it not needful that you consult it?"

"Why, so it is," grinned Elrohir.

A little while later Anomen saw Erestor bustling into the library in the company of the twins. At once the young Elf slipped into the vacated bedchamber to lay hold of one of the two pillows that lay upon Erestor's bed. With the pillow hidden under his cloak, he returned to Glorfindel's chamber.

"Ah, excellent," said Glorfindel. "Now, when the Housekeeper brings me a pillow stuffed with cotton, I will be able to give her a down-filled one in exchange for it, and she'll never be the wiser. But tell me, from where were you able to acquire this?"

"Erestor had two pillows; now he has only one."

"Better and better!" exulted Glorfindel. "I wish I could be on hand to hear him try to explain that to the Housekeeper!"

Indeed, the Housekeeper had much to say when she found that her stock of bedding had been reduced by yet another pillow.

"For shame, Lord Erestor," she scolded, "that an Elf of your eminence should be so careless of an object that has been entrusted to him. Well, it is lucky for you that I have made a pillow stuffed with cotton for the use of Lord Glorfindel. You may have his old pillow—although why you should require two pillows is beyond me."

Erestor was on the verge of saying indignantly that he did not want Glorfindel's cast-off pillow, but he really did like having two, so he held his tongue. And when the Housekeeper brought the pillow to Erestor, he was gratified to discover that it was just as comfortable as his old one had been.

Elrond had been right when he told Glorfindel that bedding stuffed with cotton would be neither as warm nor as soft as bedding stuffed with down, and after a few months Glorfindel tired of his new mattress and quilt and bolster and pillow. So it was that one day Elrohir discovered to his dismay that his fine set of down bedding had been mysteriously replaced with a set stuffed with cotton. But he held his tongue, for Anomen had advised him that Glorfindel knew that he had been the one to shoot the arrow into Glorfindel's chamber. He did develop a great interest in duck hunting, however, and the Housekeeper soon found herself well provided with down. It was not too long before Elrohir was once again sleeping in comfort, and so at last pillow parity was restored in Imladris.