Disclaimer: All characters and places are property of the Tolkien estate. I am not making any money from this story.

Wow . . . I am so chuffed with the positive feedback so far, thank you! I only hope that the rest of the story lives up to expectations – please let me know what you think and leave your e-mail address if you want a response.

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The next morning dawned bright and clear. Legolas, accustomed since childhood to being up before sunrise, was already in the gardens, searching out the flower he wanted. It was there, the prince was sure – he had seen it yesterday, not too far from his window.

Finally Legolas spotted his goal, a bush with large oval leaves, covered by small pink flowers. Grinning triumphantly, he pulled the little brush and box that he had brought with him out of his pocket and scraped a generous amount of pollen from the flowers. His mission completed, the prince turned back.

The twins and Estel's rooms were both equipped with balconies, near which grew a conveniently situated oak tree. Nimbly, Legolas climbed the tree and easily reached the twins' balcony. He took a deep breath. This would be the difficult part.

Slowly and gently, Legolas tried the door connecting the balcony to the room. To his relief, it was unlocked and the wood elf slipped inside silently.

The room was large, almost twice the size of Legolas' guest room, with two beds and various cabinets, drawers and chairs. A small door led into a smart en-suite bathroom and a curtain was pulled across an unobtrusive alcove, which looked like it was used for storage.

Elladan was sprawled across one of the chairs, still wearing his clothes from the night before. Elrohir was in much the same state, although he had at least made it to the bed before losing consciousness. Judging by their deep and steady breathing, both elves slept soundly, which was ideal for Legolas' purposes.

The prince looked around. What clothes were the twins likely to wear today? Legolas had no idea. He assumed leggings and tunics, practical dress, but beyond that he was lost. In the end, Legolas simply dusted the pollen inside every visible piece of clothing, rubbing it in until the yellow colouring had disappeared.

Legolas worked quickly and he had almost finished when Elladan stirred, shifting in his chair. Swiftly the prince grabbed his things and left the way he had come, not wanting to be discovered.

It was only a short jump to Estel's balcony and the prince was pleased to find the human's door not only unlocked but also ajar. He walked in noiselessly and was surprised to find a relatively neat room. Legolas had assumed that Estel would be naturally untidy, though he had no real reason to think so.

The young man was still comatose. Legolas shook his head, remembering that alcohol always seemed to have a stronger effect on the mortal races. He watched Estel for a moment, wondering again at the way in which humans slept with their eyes closed, then turned to business.

The outfit that Estel was presumably going to wear was easy to locate. It was carefully laid out on a chair and Legolas guessed, correctly, that it was Gilraen's work rather than Estel's.

It took the prince only a few minutes to dust the pollen into Estel's clothes and then he retired to his own room to prepare for the day ahead. If his trick worked, Estel and the twins would soon learn that it was a mistake to challenge the Prince of Mirkwood.

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"Ah, there you are." Gilraen came and sat down at the table, next to Elrohir. "I've been looking for you three. I want to talk to you about Prince Legolas."

"The prince?" asked Elladan. "We have not seen him this morning."

"Glorfindel said he'd seen him going off for an early morning walk or something," explained Estel through a mouthful of porridge.

"How many times, Estel? Don't talk while you're eating," said Gilraen automatically."I wasn't going to ask his whereabouts. I merely wanted to know how you are all getting on."

The brothers exchanged glances. What to say? Finally Elrohir answered. "Fine, Gilraen. He is a bit full of himself, though."

"Fine," repeated Gilraen, nodding her head. "No problems at all?"

Estel eyed his mother suspiciously. What is she getting at? "No, not really. Why, Nana?"

Gilraen shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, I just wondered. So none of you three would know why Legolas found an apple pie bed in his room last night, then?"

Taken by surprise, Estel choked on the last of his porridge. Once Elrohir had finished banging him on the back – a little too enthusiastically for Estel's liking – the young man looked up.

"I am sorry?"

Gilraen was beginning to look irritated, bright spots of colour appearing on her cheeks. "Don't play innocent with me, Estel, I know you too well. Did you three make Legolas an apple pie bed yesterday?"

There was another pause. This time it was Elladan who responded. "Yes, we did."

Gilraen exhaled slowly. "I thought as much. Why, for goodness' sake?"

Hoping to redeem himself, Estel tried to explain. "It was only a joke, Nana; he is so serious all the time. We didn't mean any harm." He could not work out just how Gilraen knew about their trick.

His mother looked disbelieving, but she let it go. "It will not happen again, do you hear?" she said, looking at each of them in turn. "Prince Legolas is very charming and well-mannered and I will not have your childish japes upset his visit. That includes you two," she added, looking pointedly at the twins.

The three murmured their apologies and Gilraen got up, satisfied. "Go and get changed, then," she said. "And for pity's sake behave yourselves!"

After she had left, Estel pulled a face. "Fantastic. So now Nana has joined Legolas' little group of admirers."

Elrohir placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. "Do not worry, Estel. We have plenty of tricks still up our sleeves and our precious prince cannot go running to Gilraen every time."

Estel smiled, vaguely cheered. "Really?"

"Really," nodded Elladan. "Come on, move yourself. If we do not get changed soon, we will be late and that would upset Ada."

"I'll race you!"

The three careered off in the direction of their rooms and Legolas' carefully prepared plan.

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"We cannot accept this condition. We cannot be expected to cross the Misty Mountains every time we want to trade with Mirkwood, especially when we are buying rather than selling." Erestor's finger jabbed the map pointedly for emphasis.

Elladan squirmed uncomfortably and Elrond glanced at him warningly. The elf lord had hoped that his sons would be too polite to show their boredom so openly, but apparently he had been wrong. The twins and Estel had been fidgeting distractedly all morning and Elrond could swear he had even heard some grunts from Estel.

Legolas leaned forward, intent on the discussion. If he was feeling outnumbered by the Imladris elves, it did not show in his behaviour. "But we cannot spare the elves. Enemies plague us, orcs, spiders and wargs. You know this. We need everyone we have."

"With all due respect, Prince Legolas, Mirkwood is not the only realm with borders to defend."

The prince took a deep breath. Elrond could see that Legolas was coming very close to losing his temper and the elf lord hurriedly stepped in.

"Erestor does not mean to offend, Legolas. We fully recognise the extra burden that Mirkwood bears. But it is impractical for there to be only one trade route and to have only one party travelling along it."

"I understand your reservations, Lord Elrond. Nevertheless, my earlier point still stands. We do not have the number of elves neces-"

Legolas was cut short by a muffled yelp from Elrohir, who seemed positively unable to keep still. Elrond glared at the younger twin.

"Enough." The elf lord brought his hands down on to the table, his patience at an end. "I suggest that we break for an hour and then reconvene when our heads are cleared. Elladan, Elrohir and Estel, I want to speak to you for a moment, please."

The assembled councillors began to file out, Legolas among them. Elrond and his sons waited until they had all gone.

Once the four were alone, Elrond leaned back in his chair, feeling the beginnings of a headache. The elf lord had not been particularly impressed with his sons' performance so far and he intended to let them know it.

"Well? What is going on?"

Estel wriggled desperately. "We're sorry, Ada, we can't help it. It's our clothes – they are really itchy, it's unbearable."

"'Really itchy'?" repeated Elrond in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'really itchy'?"

"Estel is right, Ada," put in Elrohir. "There is something in our clothes, honestly. It has been getting worse all morning."

"I think Legolas has something to do with it," added Elladan darkly, ignoring his twin's warning nudge. "He grinned at me this morning and - "

"Stop this now, Elladan," said Elrond, rising to his feet. "Whatever it is that you have to say, I do not want to hear it. All I ask is that you show some common courtesy to our guest, instead of which you are all three of you behaving like spoilt children. Go and wash, change into clean clothes – I believe there are some in the laundry – and come back this afternoon prepared to conduct yourselves in an appropriate manner. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ada," said the twins and Estel simultaneously. Lowering their heads, they trooped out of the door.

Elrond sank back into his chair, rubbing his temples. He hated telling his sons off like that, but really there had been no other choice. Their behaviour was plainly unacceptable.

He groaned inwardly. Another two weeks of this . . .

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Legolas was lying against one of the smaller fountains, enjoying the beautiful weather. The sound of the fountain reminded him of the forest streams and if he closed his eyes the prince could almost imagine himself back home . . .

"Legolas!"

The prince sat up abruptly, jolted out of his reverie. Marching towards him were Estel and the twins and they did not look happy. Legolas stood, dusting down his tunic.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there is," said Elladan bluntly. "What did you do to our clothes?"

"Your clothes?" asked Legolas, feigning innocence. "Nothing, why?"

His hosts surrounded him, all scowling. "They itched," said Estel. "We couldn't stop scratching all morning!"

"That was what was wrong with you, was it?" said Legolas provocatively. "I thought it was some sort of custom peculiar to Imladris."

"Don't be ridiculous, Legolas," snarled Elrohir. "You know full well what you did."

Legolas was growing bored of the conversation. Moreover, the talks were due to start again any minute. "Look," he said, "think upon it as your penance for yesterday's antics. If you cannot take it, do not give it out."

Elladan stepped forward. "We take that as a challenge. This will mean war, you realise."

Legolas smiled lazily, enjoying himself. "Let the battle commence, then."

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Three days had passed since the declaring of hostilities and both sides had yet to make their move. Elrond was still keeping a watchful eye on Estel and the twins, while Legolas seemed happy enough to let things lie.

Meanwhile, the talks went on. Estel and the twins were bored to tears with the discussion of suitable trade routes, prices for the goods and all the various other details that had to be picked over. They did their best to hide their feelings, but Elrond could read his sons like a book. In truth, he felt some sympathy with them, knowing how much they longed to be roaming free in the grounds.

Which was why the elf lord allowed the three young ones, as he thought of them, a reprieve on the fourth day of the talks. As negotiations finished for the day, he called his sons and Legolas over.

"I think you have all been stuck indoors for too long. I am sure you would like a break from diplomacy, would you not?"

His three sons nodded their assent, while Legolas looked almost suspicious, as though it were some sort of trap. Elrond continued regardless.

"Why don't the four of you go out for a hunt together tomorrow? You can really show Legolas the grounds then."

The prince could not think of anything he would less rather do, given current relations between him and his hosts, but to refuse would surely cause offence. He could only agree helplessly.

The twins and Estel were altogether more enthusiastic. They knew the layout of Rivendell better than anyone – it would be easy to bamboozle Legolas in their own territory. They agreed with alacrity.

Elrond smiled. "Good. Stop by the kitchens and ask if they would provide some provisions. If I do not see you beforehand, enjoy yourselves!"

"We will, Ada," grinned Estel, while Legolas groaned silently. The prince was not so sure.

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