Unfortunately, I've been informed that replying to reviews contravenes the 'not using the review system as a message board' rule. #cries# Just want to say, though, that I appreciate each and every one of the reviews and treasure the lot!

But here's the next installment. Apologies for its lateness.

I still don't own any of the sons of Feanor, or their various relatives.

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"Leggy?" repeated Maedhros, unsure if he had heard correctly. "You want to know… if we know someone… called Leggy?"

"Yes!" the girl smiled up at him. "My big sister's got all these posters in her room of an elf, and she says he's not an elf that helps Santa, so I thought that as you were elves that don't help Santa, you might know him." She then added helpfully, "She kisses all the posters every night before she goes to bed and says 'Good night, Leggy-lu-lu," and says that he's going to marry her one day. Will he?"

Maedhros turned to his brothers. For once at a loss for words, he simply repeated, "Leggy!" Then, after a moment, elaborated to, "Well, I don't know anyone by that name, how about the rest of you?"

The answers were unanimously negative.

"And," added Curufin, "If the sister's half as strange as she sounds and this 'Leggy' has half the sense that Eru gave him, the answer to the last question is a resounding 'no'."

"No need to be like that." But his heart wasn't in it, for Maedhros was inclined to agree. He thought it over again.

"You won't know him," said a female voice. He turned to see the more sensible of the mortal women. "His real name is Legolas, son of Thranduil, son of Oropher. After your time."

"Thank you." Maedhros nodded. "I have heard the name Oropher, but not those of his kinsmen."

The mortal turned to the little girl. "Legolas is too young for them to know him, I'm afraid, Lily."

Not to be put off, Lily asked, "Do you know Elrond, then? He's really old!"

Now that was a name that rang a bell. Maedhros was about to say as much when Maglor smiled and told the girl that yes, he and Maedhros had known Elrond, and his brother Elros.

Maedhros frowned a little at the name Elros. He had spent several weeks nursing a bite from the little wretch.

"Little scritlings," he muttered. Maglor had been very fond of the peredhil, but Maedhros wasn't so sure. He had had quite enough of small children while his brothers were growing up.

"But Elrond's an elf lord!" protested the girl.

"He is not, he's a half-mortal scritling!" answered Maedhros crossly. "Only half Elven, and that half is Sindarin!"

The mortal woman opened her mouth to correct him as to the ancestry of Elrond's father in particular, then apparently thought better of it. He knew perfectly well that Eärendil was half Noldo, and didn't appreciate being reminded.

"And less of the 'really old'," he said. "Last time I saw him…" Maedhros measured a height on himself: just above his waist. "He was this tall."

"Well, Nelyo," said Curufin, "There are a sizable number of elves that are not much taller than that against you."

This was true, Maedhros reflected. He was not surnamed 'the tall' for nothing.

"Do you know the scary lady in the wood?" piped up yet another child.

"Who?"

"Do you mean the Dark-elf's wife? Melian?" asked Celegorm, speaking her name with slightly more respect in his tone than he had used for her consort's epithet. After all, she was of the Miar.

The child gaped at him. Apparently not.

"She had blonde hair and went all green and glowy and talked in a spooky voice," she said hesitantly.

Once again, the brothers looked at one another, out of their depth.

" 'Green and glowy and talked in a spooky voice'?" echoed Curufin, raising an eyebrow. "Is there anyone of that rather… unique description among our acquaintance?"

"She means Galadriel," came another translation from the sensible, if nameless as yet, mortal.

It took Maedhros a moment to recognize the Sindarin form of the name, and by that time Amras, who had picked up on these things a lot faster, had spoken.

"Oh, her!"

"She's our cousin," finished Amrod.

"Little tale-bearer!" That could only be Caranthir.

"Moryo," snapped Maedhros, "What have I told you about referring to the children of Finarfin as tale-bearers? Get into the habit now, and you'll be less tempted to do it to their faces!" Caranthir had caused a lot of bad feeling with that particular comment, and it had taken a lot of fast talking for Maedhros to get everyone involved even on speaking terms again, and that was with all of them up in Mithrim, separated from their kin. Even months later, Angaráto had wanted a formal apology from Caranthir, and had only been prepared to talk to a Feanorian at all through one of his brothers.

"Well they are! And she's the worst; she only ran off and married one of them!" Caranthir said the word 'them' like it was a curse, and Maedhros rolled his eyes again.

"She's not bothering you, then, is she? Drop it!" Maedhros had tried proper reasoning, but Caranthir just didn't listen!

'Holy Stars,' he thought, 'The fuss Moryo makes about Artanis' marriage to that Sinda, you'd think that he had desired her for his wife!'

……………………….

Angaráto: Angrod
Artanis: Galadriel