The twins could not help themselves from laughing at their friend's plight as he sat in one of the healers rooms, a large purple bruise over his right eyebrow. What was even more hilarious though was how the swelling had spread down to the eye making it shut and giving Aradwyn a sort of lopsided glare.

"I'm glad you two think this is funny," Aradwyn said crossly glaring at the twins as they waited for Elrond to come back.

"It's your fault," Elladan said. "You shouldn't have taken that book."

"I was just going to read it, it would have been back in Erestor's study before he noticed it was gone, if you two hadn't have told him." Aradwyn said annoyed.

He would have been able to put the book back, why had the twins told Erestor?

"Well he most certainly noticed it was gone," Elladan said.

"And besides, we couldn't have exactly just left it could we? Did you see how sharp his quill was, I'm telling you if Erestor had wanted to kill us in his rage he'd have had no problem. It was every man for himself." Elrohir said defensively.

"And you're older than us."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aradwyn asked getting more and more agitated by the second.

Elrohir was about to reply when Elrond came in carrying a bowl of ointment and a cloth. "So how did this happen again?" Elrond asked.

"He walked into a tree," Elladan said before Aradwyn could say anything.

Aradwyn glared at the younger elf as though he were trying to bore a hole into his head. The plain bluntness of the way Elladan had said that was making his already short temper even shorter.

"I see," Elrond said sitting down on the bed in front of Aradwyn and dabbing at the nasty welt on the younger elf's forehead making Aradwyn hiss and try to pull his head away. Elrond was surprised that the eldest and most well behaved prince of Mirkwood had managed to just walk into a tree, but he dared not question the Crown prince for fear that he had inherited his father's temper.

"I know it stings a bit, but it's for the best." Elrond said and Aradwyn nodded.

Elladan and Elrohir tried to stifle another fit of giggles as Aradwyn grimaced.

The older elf shot them a terrible look which would have probably frightened the twins if it wasn't for his humorous and swollen right eye. Aradwyn was even more annoyed (if annoyed was the word) however when Thranduil burst into the room making both twins jump in fright.

Elrond sat back a little more than annoyed, why couldn't his friend just knock? Thranduil looked at his son suspiciously and the purple bruise then walked over to Aradwyn.

"Can I speak to my son in private?" Thranduil asked stiffly, both the twins immediately scrambled for the door whilst Elrond stood up then nodded to the older elf and left.

Thranduil sat down in front of Aradwyn who immediately looked away trailing his finger in circles over the covers of the bed.

"I have been talking to Lord Erestor," Thranduil said. "And he says that you took one of his books with out permission."

Aradwyn paused then nodded. "Yes Ada."

"I don't understand, Aradwyn," Thranduil said. "I expect this from your brother's, but not you, why did you do it?"

"I... I don't know," Aradwyn said uselessly. "I said I was sorry."

"After you tried to run away with the book," Thranduil said raising an eyebrow.

Aradwyn was about to say that he hadn't finished reading it yet, but he shut his mouth quickly that would most certainly not help his case. "I'm sorry Ada and I'll say sorry to Lord Erestor too."

"Yes you had better. Now are you alright?" Thranduil asked studying his son's eye which was practically swollen shut.

"Yes, Lord Elrond has given me something for the swelling," Aradwyn said matter-of-factly.

Thranduil smiled; his normally perfect son was allowed to slip up once in a while, maybe he expected too much of Aradwyn. It was probably best that Aradwyn had taken the book anyway; he knew the value of books. If Rogir had taken it then all the pages would be dog eared and the binding ruined. And if Legolas had taken it he dared not think what would happen to it - he'd probably find the poor book on an archery field somewhere being used for target practice. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" Aradwyn asked thinking his father was laughing at the bruising around his eye.

"I was just thinking about what might happen if a book fell into the hands of one of your brothers." Thranduil said and Aradwyn smiled thinking along the same lines as his father.