Chapter 20: Figwit

"Nana, can you make ada not come back?" Florien asked as his mother looked at the red marks on her son's side, Florien making a face as she touched them.

"I cannot stop your father from visiting, for we are his family, but I can stop him from hurting you. But what you did was wrong, too. I am against how your father treated you, though. I don't know why he would shake you so harshly…" Yáviel said, kissing Florien on his brow.

"Now Florien, Locien, we don't have enough beds in the house, so one of you may sleep with me or I can make a bed on the floor for one of you, though that might be uncomfortable, or you could both sleep in my bed. Which do you choose?" Yáviel asked. Locien did not want to speak, he was too shy to sleep with Florien or Yáviel, but the floor was hard and he did not know what Florien would think if he asked to sleep alone.

"I want to sleep with you, nana." Florien said immediately. Florien loved to sleep with his mother, and if Locien slept with his nana he would be jealous.

"Are you alright with this, Locien?" Yáviel asked. Locien nodded his head.

-

Illiendal got up to get a drink of water, and Elladan joined her. Apparently he had been 'having trouble sleeping'. The two walked down to the kitchens, neither of them realising that they where holding hands until a knife was at Elladan's neck.

"What are you doing, peredhel?" Thranduil's voice said. Thranduil stepped out of the shadows, he being the wielder of the knife.

"Just getting a glass of water, sir, nothing more than that. Would you mind moving that knife? It looks rather sharp and dangerous." Elladan said. Thranduil frowned and with his knife pointed to Elladan's hand.

"Oh sir, don't be ridiculous! You know I would not do anything, why I am very tired and I do not have the strength to do anything!"

"You know what I told you when I saw you watching my daughter. Remember that." Thranduil put his knife in his boot and left.

"What did he tell you? And what where you watching me do?" Illiendal asked.

"I was not watching you do anything, as far as I can remember. And he told me, when I had grown out of my elfling habits and became erm… interested in she-elves instead of thinking of them as icky… That if I ever hurt you he would kill me. Of course I always thought he was joking but then he said that Sernaer had hurt you so he killed him then I got scared…"

"Elladan! You know Sernaer was shot!"

"But by who? You can't tell if it was your father, now can you?"

"It was an orc arrow. Two orc arrows, to be exact." Illiendal said. Elladan grumbled something unintelligible and poured her a glass of water, then pouring a glass of water for himself.

"Could you pour me a glass, please?" A quiet, timid voice asked. Elladan looked down and saw the only elfling who had came with them on the trip.

"Yes, I can." Elladan said, handing the elfling a glass of water.

"Thank you." The elfling whispered, turning around to leave.

"What is your name, elfling?" Elladan asked, for his name slipped his mind.

"Melpomaen." The child said in a hushed voice.

"Ah, Figwit!" Elladan smiled. Melpomaen nodded his head.

"That's what… some people call me." Melpomaen said softly.

"Who calls you Figwit?" Illiendal asked. Melpomaen gasped and bowed.

"Do not bow elfling, just answer my question."

"My nana and my sister." The elfling said in his soft voice.

"Don't you have a brother?" Elladan asked.

"And what does your father call you?" Illiendal asked. Melpomaen sighed.

"Yes I have a brother and an ada, but my ada is not around much and when he is he just calls me Melpomaen or Mel. My brother calls me other things." The elfling stated.

"Like what?" Elladan asked.

"It's not very nice, I don't want to say." The elfling whispered.

"There you are, runt! You had me worried. Get your little elfling-rear over here right now or else." An elf snapped, Melpomaen whimpered and lowered his head, walking over to the elf.

"I am sorry, princess, the little arrogant brat seems to enjoy strutting around the palace like he owns it, I am certain I can talk my parents into disciplining him when we return to imladris." The elf said, grabbing Melpomaen's wrist.

"Who are you?" Illiendal asked immediately.

"I am the brat's brother, he's only hear because I came and our mother did not want to look after the troublesome little-

"Be quiet! He's just a child, I am certain his mother had a reason for sending him here! He was not strutting, either, he was thirsty." Elladan snapped. Melpomaen kept his head down, afraid to look anyone in the eye since they all seemed so mad at him.

"Melpomaen, do you rather stay up a bit later with Elladan and I, or would you prefer to leave with your brother?" Illiendal asked. Melpomaen looked up shyly and let out a little gasp when his brother squeezed his wrist extra tight.

"I want to go with… Princess Illiendal and master Elladan." Melpomaen said softly, trying to pull away from his brother's grasp but failing.

"No. I am his caretaker whilst he is out of the borders of Imladris and I forbid him from leaving my side." The elf would have crossed his arms across his chest if he were not holding Figwit by his wrist.

"Well I believe it is very reasonable that the child remains with my son until we arrive at his home, and as for you Melimion that type of behaviour towards a young child, your own brother for that matter, could instantly take away your position as healer, which I would hate to do as you are one of the finest Rivendell has." Elrond said, entering the kitchens. Elladan snorted at that.

"When you where busy and I had to see the healers for whatever reason it was he shoved the needle into my arm, he's horrid!" Elladan exclaimed. Melimion, Melpomaen's brother, glared at Elladan and stormed off.

"So I can trust you with little Melpomaen until we arrive in Imladris?" Elrond asked. Elladan nodded his head.

"Of course you can trust me." Elladan smirked.

Yàviel took the blankets and gently tucked in Locien. Locien sighed in content as he shut his eyes. Yàviel frowned at the fact that the elfling had shut his eyes, but decided to not ask the elfling about it and instead consult Tonus, who she had faith would one day become a wonderful healer. One day.

"Goodnight Locien, sleep well." Yàviel said softly, kissing the elfling on his brow.

"Goodnight…" The elfling yawned, turning on his side. Florien picked his sleeping tunic off the floor of his bedroom and Yàviel smiled.

"Good boy. Come on, let's change you in nana and ada's room." Yàviel offered Florien her hand which he held tightly as they walked to his room. Florien jumped on his mother's bed and raised his arms so his mother could slide his tunic off. Yàviel slid off the child's tunic and slid on his sleeping tunic. Florien unlaced his leggings for his mother and Yàviel pulled them off, putting on his sleeping leggings.

"How long will I be sleeping in here with you?" Florien asked and he crawled under the blankets. Yàviel slid under and shrugged.

"Until we can afford a bed for Locien, I suppose. Your father will help us. I know he will, I send him a letter." Yàviel said softly.

Tonus had left the room, the cleansing cream had been applied to Cield and all that was left to do was wait and see how he would fare. When Tonus entered his room a little bird was at his windowsill. Tonus stuck his hand under his bed and found a sack of sunflower seeds. At the sight, the bird started to hop around excitedly. Tonus put a sunflower on the sill and the bird dropped the letter he carried and ate the seed.

Tonus unrolled the letter and read it to himself:

Love,

Now that we have Locien we need a bed for the child. I have overlooked the money we have and it is not enough. Please Tonus, we need money. Please do your best to try and bring us the money we need to buy the child his own bed.

Yours truly,

Yàviel ♥

Tonus sighed and hid the letter with the rest of his letters he had received from Yàviel over the years, and got a piece of parchment, quill and ink. He wrote this:

Dearest, I am going to bring you the needed money. You will have it this week, I promise. I am sorry this letter seems so rushed but I need to write this quickly in order to be able to go and retrieve the money.

Your love,

Tonus Thranduilion

Tonus signed the letter and gave it to the bird, which bit his finger and rejected the letter. Tonus frowned and gave the bird a sunflower seed before attempting to give him the letter again. This time the bird took the letter and flew off. Tonus grunted something about evil birds taking over the world before leaving his room. He looked in his father's room. Thranduil was not there. That meant he was roaming the halls somewhere and he would have to be extremely quiet.

Tonus snuck down to the lower floors of the palace, where his father's treasures where kept. He recalled going down these halls as an elfling and getting lost. He took out his knife from his boot, just to be safe, for he knew that some poisonous spiders could be found down in these halls.

Tonus found the room he wanted, the room filled with gold. There was enough gold in the room to buy a bed for each elf in Mirkwood in that room. Tonus looked at the locks. They where hard to pick, but Tonus had a knack for lock picking, and growing up at the palace helped.

Once the locks were picked (Tonus had difficulty, but he was getting used to these types of locks) Tonus snuck inside. He stuffed his pockets with the gold until he had enough for a bed and just a bit extra for some food. Tonus turned to leave and gasped.

"So, you are the little culprit who has been stealing the gold? I am certain the king will be glad that we caught you, and he will deal you a… fair punishment." A guard said, pushing Tonus against the wall and binding his hands with rope. It was tight but it did not pain Tonus.

"But I-

"Listen lad, I have been in Lord Thranduil's service for some time now. I do not care what your name is or how poor your family is. Stealing is stealing. You will be punished, and it will be severe since I have a feeling you are the one who has been taking this gold for the past four years." The guard said.

"But I'm Prin-

"Silence! Now, I will be escorting you to your cell, where you will be questioned." The guard said, pushing Tonus out of the room and leading him to the dungeons…

To be continued…

Uh oh… Anyways, this chapter was dedicated to BBERRY06… She made me a bunch of nice drawings based on my stories, and she thinks that birds are out to get the elves…

Mistopurr: Yea, you do have to send me e-mail… Legolas and Florien having a friendship would be very good on Florien's behalf but Tonus is afraid that is Florien plays with Legolas, Thranduil will find out, see the elfling, and notice the resemblance or ask to see Florien's parents to get to know Legolas' new friend's family better.

Haldir's Heart and Soul: Didn't I just what? If you think you just read this chapter it's possible, because I had to post it twice… (Blushes) once I posted it under Haldir's Here instead of The King's Grandson!

Brazgirl: Well… He will be shocked, angry and happy, I'll tell you that much…

Here comes the hockey puck: KS3? What's that?

Aranna Undomiel: Finally, a suggestion! I think that will happen! Oh, poor Thranduil…

Lady of life: In my mind, none of the Thranduilions have it easy…

Karone Evertree: Yáviel is not as important… For some reason I don't like writing about female heroines, I think it's because in my mind they are all girly mary-sues, so all my lady characters play minor roles… Most of the time.