Chapter 21: A Lesson Learnt

Yay, I edited it!

Thranduil strolled down to the room Rogir was in; his fists clenched and as Aradwyn watched him he could tell that Rogir was in for it. Thranduil suddenly turned and Aradwyn jumped back surprised.

"Aradwyn go to the wine store and get the two strongest bottles of mead you can find, if anyone asks, tell them that it is for me." Thranduil ordered.

"Alright Ada," Aradwyn said deciding that it was best not to argue.

"I will be in Rogir's room," Thranduil called as his son hurried off down the hall. Thranduil carried on walking until he reached Rogir's room and entered with out knocking.

The young elf was sitting on his bed with his back facing the door and his boot clad feet rested on the wooden floor. His head was bent and his hair hung in his face hiding him from his father. He visibly tensed though as Thranduil entered and immediately lowered his gaze to just right of his boots.

Thranduil sat on the opposite side of the bed slowly going through what he was going to say when his son let out a held back hiccup. Thranduil smiled a little before his expression hardened again and picked up a glass of water on the bedside table. He leant across the bed and tapped Rogir's shoulder gently with the glass.

"Thanks," Rogir said quietly and took the glass staring at it for a while before gulping it down.

"All gone?" Thranduil asked.

Rogir nodded as Thranduil moved over to his side of the bed and sat down next to him. "Now," Thranduil said carefully turning Rogir's head to face him and at the same time raising it so that they made eye contact. "I think there is something we need to discuss."

"Ada, I am sorry..."

"It is not me who you should apologize to." Thranduil said. "Although I am disappointed in you. You do remember what you did do you not?"

Rogir flicked his gaze down to the bed sheets unable to look his father in the eye. "Yes, I remembered a bit, and Aradwyn filled me in on the rest," Rogir looked up at his father again. "Ada you have to believe me, I did not mean to, I would not ever do something like that to him."

"But you and your brother don't have the best relationship." Thranduil said speaking the truth, Rogir and Legolas had never seen eye to eye and recently there had been fights, but nothing life threatening.

"No, but... I would never do something like that in my right mind." Rogir said. "You have to believe me."

"I do," Thranduil said. "But that brings us to our next matter. Why did you drink the mead and where did you get it from? Did you steal it?"

"No!" Rogir practically yelled.

"Did someone give it to you?" Thranduil asked and sighed wearily when his son stayed silent. "Please answer my question Rogir."

"Yes," the younger elf said quietly fiddling with the bed sheets.

"Who gave it to you?" Thranduil asked seriously. "Do you know them?"

Rogir still looked away ignoring his father.

"Look Rogir, I'm not leaving until you've told me everything so..." He paused eyeing his son suspiciously. He carefully reached out and pushed the elf's dark hair - which was loose and hanging in his face - behind his ear and gasped. There on the side of his head a little way behind and above his eye was a terrible purple bruise which was slowly spreading across the elf's face. "Who did this to you?" Thranduil asked crossly.

"No one," Rogir said letting his hair flop back down over his face. "I walked into a tree."

"That is a pack of lies, firstly unless you were walking sideways I find it hard to believe you actually managed to walk into a tree and the bruise appear on the side of your head. And secondly, there has been another incident today which makes me believe that someone did this to you. I want to know who and I want to know how, and you will not leave this room until you have answered me."

"But Ada..."

"No buts, I want to know."

Rogir sighed, it didn't look like he had a chance of keeping the truth from his father, after all if he didn't tell Thranduil, Aradwyn would. "It was Thelion and his friends." Rogir said slowly keeping his eyes on the bed sheets.

"And...?"

"And Thelion was the one who gave me the mead." Rogir finished.

"So why then?" Thranduil asked confused. "Why did you take it? You know not to drink unless I allow it, and you also know that the mead was too strong for you." He paused. "Did he force you to drink it? Rogir do not have any shame in the truth I will understand..."

"No!" Rogir paused, then calming himself spoke more quietly. "No, he did not force me to drink it, he said he was sorry for what he did to me and gave me the mead."

"Oh, alright then, I see." Thranduil said calmly before exploding. "You took mead from someone who attacked you and did that to you?" He sighed his voice quieting again. "Ai, I will never understand you children."

Rogir was relieved then as Aradwyn came in, but shivered as he saw what Aradwyn was carrying.

"Here you are Ada," Aradwyn said quickly and after handing Thranduil the mead was about to leave when Thranduil scooted over - away from Rogir - and patted the space between them. "Have a seat Aradwyn," Thranduil said slowly, he had a plan and intended to go through with it, his sons needed to learn. He knew that Aradwyn hadn't done anything, but how long would that be for the way his luck was going? And then there was Legolas...

Aradwyn sat down slowly wondering why he had to stay.

"Take this," Thranduil said handing his eldest son a bottle of mead.

Aradwyn looked puzzled for a moment then reluctantly reached out a hand and took the bottle.

"Now uncork it." Thranduil said nodding slightly when his son looked at him quizzically. Aradwyn gripped the cork and slowly pulled it out wondering where this was going and not liking where his thoughts took him.

"And drink it."

"What?" Aradwyn asked just managing to stop himself from jumping up and storming out of the room. "Ada I cannot...!"

"You can," Thranduil said calmly. "You have more wine than Rogir, and far more regularly this should be easy for you."

"But Ada, this is stronger than what I normally have and I do not want..."

"It is alright," Thranduil said. "This is not a trick, I am sorry that it has to be you to do this, but I need Rogir to see this happen. I would do it myself, but you know I have a short enough temper as it is."

"But... but..."

"It is alright nothing bad will happen, take some comfort in the fact that I will be here to make sure that you do not do anything stupid." Thranduil said, and sighed, his son was looking at him like he was mad, but this was a good technique for solving this sort of problem - his father had once used it on him twice for both alcohol and bad words. Aradwyn nodded slowly swallowing dryly. Vaguely wondering how strong the stuff was he tipped the bottle back and consumed it within five minutes.

Rogir watched the whole time in slight horror thinking about the other bottle and wondering if he was next. He felt bad for Aradwyn after all it was his fault he should be the one having to drink the mead, not his brother.

Finally Aradwyn handed the bottle back to his father, hiccuping a little.

Rogir's eyes widened a little, but he didn't say anything, deciding that his father would say if there was something wrong.

Aradwyn then flopped down on the bed staring at the ceiling still hiccuping.

"You..." Thranduil broke off as his eldest son began to laugh at something which seemed to be on the ceiling and seemed to be incredibly funny. When the laughter finally stopped he began again. "Do you..." He stopped and rolled his eyes as Aradwyn broke into another fit of giggles. He sighed. "Aradwyn please."

"Sorry Ada," Aradwyn said through his giggles.

"Right then as I was saying," Thranduil said thinking that maybe the mead Aradwyn had found was too strong and that he shouldn't have made his son drink the whole bottle. "Do you see now what happens when you consume too much alcohol? And we are lucky Aradwyn is not the same as you, you are a mean drunk Rogir."

Rogir sighed. "You didn't have to make him drink all that." He looked down disdainfully at the older elf as Aradwyn reached out and played with his black hair twisting it about with his fingers and still sniggering about something.

"Yes I may have given him too much, but you needed to know what it is like." Thranduil said. "Now, it is you turn."

"My turn?" Rogir asked then yelled as Aradwyn pulled too hard on his hair. "Ow, Aradwyn!" Rogir slapped his brother's hands away which only succeeded in making the older elf go into hysterics laughing so hard that tears ran down his cheeks. "Uh... Ada, do you not think you should do something about him?"

"As soon as you've had this," Thranduil said shoving the bottle into his sons hands.

"Ada I cannot." Rogir said crossly.

"Drink it, Rogir."

"No." Rogir said crossly pushing the bottle back towards his father.

"Rogir do as I say." Thranduil said firmly.

"No, you cannot make me!" Rogir yelled and hurled the bottle across the room to where it smashed on the wall.

"That was not exactly the reaction I was hoping for," Thranduil said calmer than what Rogir had expected. Rogir looked at him quizzically and Thranduil smiled. "I did not want you to take it. It looks like this has worked."

"Oh, good," Rogir said relieved.

"Ada," Aradwyn moaned from where he lay on the bed. "I think I am going to..." He jumped up leaning forwards and Rogir leapt back as he emptied the contents of his stomach whilst Thranduil held his son's hair back thinking that maybe he had given Aradwyn just that little bit too much. Still, his technique for teaching his sons this valuable lesson had worked.

Ew...Poor Aradwyn...yes, getting Aradwyn drunk was MY idea...but Elven Hope liked it! lol

The part of getting some one else drunk to teach Rogir is something Elven Hope's friend's Dad did to them when they did it.

This idea came from when Hannah mentioned her friend and wut their Dad did when they got drunk. She said she would have done it to Thranduil,...but...yeah...he could have KILLED Rogir if he got drunk...so thats y i suggested Aradwyn. Y? I have NO clue, but it was funny! Wait...no it wasn't...AH!...lol!

You can expect that by the next chapter we'll most likely have Rogir looking for Admir. lol (DUH!)

Namarie

Shawna D.