Chapter Nineteen: Pranks and Blackmail
Elladan slipped silently from the darkened room into the hall where his brother stood hovering inside the shadows. Elrohir winked and shrugged his shoulders at the lack of movement from within the halls. Soon the hall would be littered with elves returning from their daily duties, and scrambling to freshen up and change for the evening meal. Grinning impishly, Elrohir slunk further into the shadows, and slipped from his brother's sight.
Elladan frowned slightly at his brother's mischievous grin, and deepened when his brother slipped off into the shadows mysteriously. Warily, Elladan tiptoed to the shadow where his brother had been hiding and frowned even more when Elrohir was nowhere in sight. Suspiciously, Elladan wandered into the dark hall his brother had disappeared down and slowly inched his way towards the light at the other end. Narrowing his eyes, he kept all his senses on alert. He knew his brother's capabilities and sneaky pranks. However neither of them had ever pulled their pranks on one another before, so he couldn't see his twin doing something so rash. It would be an endless war between them, seeing as both were as cunning and imaginative with such things.
Entering the brightly lit hallway, Elladan glanced to his left then to his right catching no sign of his twin. Elrohir was up to something and didn't want him to know about it. Pursing his lips, Elladan stood still for a moment thinking rapidly on all the possibilities his brother would be up to. At a loss, Elladan shrugged and wandered towards the dining halls downstairs. Drinks and snacks would be placed on the tables by now. He was getting hungry.
Elladan stopped by a small fountain used to wash hands and freshen the face before entering the dining halls, and splashed his face with the cool water. He felt a hand on his shoulder causing him to jump startled letting out a small squeak. Turning around defensively, Elrohir grinned at him from ear to ear.
"You seem jumpy." Elrohir flashed a bright white smile at him.
Elladan smirked. "Where did you disappear to?"
Raising his eyebrow, Elrohir shook his head. "Why do you want to know?"
Taken aback, Elladan frowned. "You're acting rather sneaky, what do you have up your sleeves?"
Pulling his sleeves up, Elrohir shrugged. "Not a thing, Ella." He grinned mischievously.
Growling low in his throat, Elladan turned on his heels and walked into the dining hall, followed closely by his younger brother. Stepping on his heels, Elrohir grinned broadly, when Elladan spun around quickly annoyed. "Will you stop stepping on my feet?"
Chuckling, Elrohir stuck his tongue out. "Oh, Ella, relax will you?" Plopping himself into his usual chair, Elrohir reached across the table for a goblet and filled it with wine. Watching his elder brother closely, he knew Elladan suspected something; he could see it in his eyes. "What has gotten you so on edge?" He asked innocently.
Narrowing his eyes, Elladan slyly replied. "You're up to something, and that doesn't bode well in my books."
"Since when have you read books?" Elrohir mocked, taking a sip off his goblet.
"You only crack jokes when you are up to something. What have you done that you look so proud of?"
Putting on a mask of mock hurt, Elrohir opened his mouth in protest. "How could you say such a thing?"
Snorting unelven like, Elladan poured himself a glass of wine and sat down beside his smirking younger brother. Searching Elrohir's face was like looking for a needle in a pile of freshly cut hay. 'Oh yes, dear brother, I will find out what you have done soon enough.' He thought quietly to himself. Smiling to himself, Elladan reached his hand over and grabbed a danish off the table.
Elrohir wrinkled his nose cautiously. The doors opened and revealed a tall elven woman with blond hair. It was down, as it had been by the river, and caused Elrohir to stare for a moment. Shaking his head slightly, Elrohir tore his eyes away. He wasn't sure why he stared at her, but lately, his eyes had been following her around quite a bit. A chuckle caused him to glare at his brother. To his dismay, Elladan had also noticed this particular turn of events.
Smirking, Elladan leaned over and whispered softly to him. "Whatever prank you think you might pull on me, you had better rethink it carefully." Elladan glanced over his shoulder. "I know your little secret and you had better beware brother mine."
Horrified, Elrohir felt the colour drain from his face. His breathing became shallow and he put on a fake grin. Regaining his frame of mind was more difficult then he thought. "I am uncertain of which secret you speak of brother." Elrohir smiled widely. "Unbeknownst to you I have many little secrets you have yet to discover." Smiling more confident now, he struck a note with Elladan. "I also know a few of your secrets that you have yet to discover that I know."
Elladan sat back confused. "Stop sharing my dreams!" He frowned.
Elrohir laughed, causing the tall elven maiden to turn around.
"Here comes lovely, Celoviel, Ro. Should I inform her of your almost apparent crush? Tsk, tsk, you should really learn to keep your own thoughts to yourself."
"Rather hard when you and I share practically everything." Elrohir muttered annoyed. "I do know about Shevrel, or perhaps that was suppose to be a secret. I do know her brother has yet to know, and dear brother, I am almost certain that your little escapade in the gardens would liven up a few things around here a tiny bit."
Elladan growled. "Ahh but you see Elrohir, Shevrel and I have made no attempts to hide our affections for one another. However, you still have yet to come to terms with your little crush as it may be. I am certain that no one besides myself know how you truly feel about her." Glancing over his shoulder once again, he noticed she had turned and was on her way towards them. "I assure you, I could inform her how you feel." Smirking, Elladan stood quickly.
"Don't you dare!" Elrohir pulled his brother down quickly. Glaring at his elder brother, Elrohir felt his face redden quickly. "Not a word." He hissed.
"I would rethink your little idea of pulling a prank of me then, little brother. For if you proceed with your trickery, I will surely inform her just how much you do like her, and for how long you have."
Elrohir caught his breath quickly. His mind started reeling with a way to put his ideas to a stop. Things were already in motion and he was uncertain how to stop them. He started to stand up but his brother gripped his arm in a vice grip.
"Not now, Ro. If you miss dinner then everyone will be suspicious. I suppose you will have to wait until later."
Elrohir pulled his brother's hand off his arm. If he waited, there would be no way to stop his pranks. Glaring at his brother, Elladan flashed a smile at Celoviel who placed a tray of cheese and bread in front of them.
"Thank you, milady." Elladan grinned.
Celoviel's face reddened. "Will there be anything else, milord's?" She asked softly.
Elladan glanced at his brother enjoying himself immensely. "I am uncertain. Elrohir, is there anything you would like to add?"
Shaking his head furiously, Elrohir felt the tips of his ears heat up.
Slightly uncomfortable, Celoviel quickly made a hasty retreat into the kitchens.
All throughout dinner, Elrohir was agitated; he kept squirming in his chair, waiting for the moment to dash quickly from the room in a dignified manner. If he left too quickly, his mother would become suspicious. However, if he left too late, then his plans would go through without him being able to stop them. If he left at the same moment as his brother, Elladan could follow him to see exactly what he had been up to.
As it stood, it was practically too late to stop his perfect prank as it was. Finishing off his plate, Elrohir stood, made a quick bow, and darted out of the room before his mother could protest. Elladan watched amused and slightly startled at how quickly, Elrohir had finished his dinner when he was usually the last one at the table.
Elrohir raced down the hall towards the chambers his brother used, and ran around the corner. He caught sight of a tray and before he could stop himself, he crashed into the poor soul knocking them both to the floor with a loud clang. Taking a deep breath, Elrohir glanced up and met the eyes of the last person he wanted to stumble into.
Muttering an apology, Elrohir pulled her to her feet, and handed Celoviel the small tray she had been carrying.
Smiling, bewildered she spoke softly, causing Elrohir's heart to stop in his chest briefly. "We really must stop running into each other, literally." She bent over and straightened out her dress.
Elrohir's face turned a nice shade of scarlet. "You have my apologies, milady."
Smiling, she walked to the window and glanced outside. "Why is it, when we meet in the halls you are always in such a rush?"
Shrugging confused, he stated. "Not enough hours in a day to get what I need accomplished, done?" He guessed, causing her to turn around laughing.
"You are Elrohir, are you not?" She asked, walking up to him.
Nodding at a loss of words, he watched her approach him warily.
"Now tell me, why your brother is never in such a rush?" She winked at him bending down to pick up the scattered utensils on the floor.
Swallowing hard, he shook his head, his face going a deeper shade of red.
Laughing, she looked up at him. "How are you feeling?"
Frowning, he tilted his head to the side.
"I heard about your injuries. Are you fully healed now?" She stood up and placed the tray on a small table.
Nodding, he watched her every move. "For the most part I am, yes."
She looked at him and back out the window.
Curiously, he opened his mouth to speak and found that no words came out. Stunned, he tried again and cleared his throat.
"Was there something you wished to say, milord?" She smiled amused.
He opened his mouth again and found he was speechless. He snapped his mouth shut and shook his head instead. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat again. "I must be on my way. There is something I need to take care of."
He walked around her quickly, heading towards Elladan's rooms, and felt a small hand stop him in mid stride. "Elrohir?" She asked.
Startled, Elrohir stopped and glanced down at her hand on his arm. He lifted his eyes and met hers. Raising an eyebrow he slowly smiled. "Yes?" He finally had found his voice, and it shook with uncertainty.
"Are you in so much of a hurry that a short stroll in the gardens is out of the question?" She asked.
Elrohir noticed the tips of her ears go pink, and her cheeks flushed. He realized that it had taken her a lot of courage to ask him such a question. Taking a deep breath, he glanced down the halls to his brother room and smiled. To his bewilderment, she was just as nervous as he was. He felt his face heat up again, and he looked down. Taking a deep breath again he shook his head, not sure if he trusted his voice as of yet.
She shyly smiled, and they walked towards the patio gates that covered the entrance to the gardens. He unlocked the latch and pushed them open slightly. Celoviel reached down and grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up to keep it out of the pile of leaves that littered the stairs.
Elrohir glanced down at her slight movement and caught sight of her ankles. His heart stopped, and he found that he couldn't step forward. Baffled and stunned, he found he didn't know forward or backwards. Closing his eyes he lifted his head and his grey eyes met her blue ones.
Looking away quickly, Elrohir stared straight ahead. He noticed her dress was a simple one, possibly one she used for working. It was a pale green colour, with silver threading. Small oak leaves embroidered onto the sleeves and neckline, accentuated her small frame. Shaking his head sharply, he couldn't believe he was noticing such details.
Clearing his throat, he whispered. "Shall we?"
Celoviel nodded and they both descended the stairs slowly.
They walked down the small dirt path. Celoviel, Elrohir noticed was looking at everything. She was taking in the sight of trees in moonlight, the small flowers that were reaching towards the sky. He realized just by watching her, that she loved simple things. Just like his mother did. Celoviel took pleasure out of things that grew, the smells of the gardens. Silently he wondered how often she came here when everyone else was enjoying their dinner.
"When do you get to eat, Celoviel?" He asked softly.
"Usually after everyone else has retired for the night." She glanced up at him and smiled. "I don't mind, really. I enjoy coming out here at night and sitting under the willow tree there." She pointed to a tree beside a small bench.
He nodded and guided her to the bench. Standing while she sat, Elrohir glanced around and saw the fireflies dancing around. "It is pretty out here." He commented. He walked over to the willow tree and placed his hand on the trunk. Listening to the faint song that the tree sang, Elrohir smiled.
"He likes your company." He grinned turning around and facing her. She held a faint look of awe.
"You can understand the songs of the trees?" She asked softly.
"Not usually, no." He shook his head. "Our great willow friend doesn't hide his songs." Elrohir glanced up and smiled. Turning away from the great tree, Elrohir walked to a lilac bush and pulled off a twig of flowers, turning around, he walked back to Celoviel and handed them to her.
To his amusement, she blushed again, causing him to chuckle softly.
"You find reward in my embarrassment?" She asked softly.
Shaking his head, he sat down next to her. "I only find amusement in the fact I also am flustered in such situations."
They sat there for sometime, neither of them speaking. Only listening to the sounds around them. The time had flown by so quickly, that Elrohir jumped to his feet quickly, when a loud spew of curses reached his ears.
"Oh sweet Elbereth!" Elrohir swore. "I had completely forgotten!"
Celoviel got up and stood beside him confused. "What is it?"
"Oh Valar, my brother is surely not going to be happy with me." Elrohir looked down and flashed her a smile. "I suppose I should go make amends for my idle behaviour."
Raising her eyebrow slightly, she smiled. "What have you done to your poor brother?"
"Poor?" He exclaimed. "I think not. He is not so innocent as he may proclaim, milady."
"Oh and you are?" She laughed. "I know all about you and your brother's antics, Elrohir. You two are the talk of the kitchens with your constant pranks and mischievousness."
Nodding slightly, Elrohir raised his eyebrows curiously. "Pray tell, Celoviel."
Shaking her head, she laughed. "No, I think not. I shall let you attempt to figure that one out on your own. I must be off however. I am sure we will run into each other again. Perhaps next time, not literally." With a dazzle smile, she danced off down the path, leaving a baffled Elrohir standing there contemplating her words, and thinking for a way to avoid his brother until he cooled off.