Disclaimer- Yesh, we all know by now. Lintu does NOT own any LotR characters at all o.0 apart for the ones listed under 'my characters' below. Why do you have to distress me so? –Sobs-

Notes- Guess whos back, back again? Lintu's back, back, tell a friend xDDD Yep, my muse finally returned to me… On Caisha's birthday, no less Okay, so I'm a few months late. So sue me o

Pronunciation of my characters-
Caisha- Cay-sha
Ysan- Ee-san
Dyanai- Di-yan-ey
Illyra- Ill-aye-rar
Línarai- Lee-nar-ey
Bregedur- Bree-ga-door
Aerauth- Ey-er-ow-th

To my beloved reviewers- Wooo 3 Reviews. Everyone had milk and cookies! Yay. AN- Author was on a high at this point. Ignore her

Crecy- Bwuha. Scary sues indeed.

Faded Velvet- I'm sorry I stopped writing –cries- I won't do it again! Too often… Hopefully o.0

xkuroxshinobix- Lots of pink lace and pink hair xD Hehe

Kd7sov- Thank you very much Ill try adding an extra line in this time round x3.

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Chapter Six - Of Naked Elrond's, Britney's Teddy bears and Birthday Kisses

"I still don't think it was a good idea." A males voice; mature, sophisticated. Undoubtedly elvish- it had one of those 'Go-and-lick-my-big-toe' type of qualities. Worried. It was not the type of voice that should be talking to the second voice.
"Oh, don't be such a killjoy, sir." A girls voice; younger, slightly more prone to fun. The type of voice you'd hear in the back of your head going 'Oh, go on- no-one will know. They shouldn't have left the matches here in the first place, should they? Especially not with those oily rags just lying casually over in that corner… And look! Oh, someone just happened to leave a bottle of gasoline over here…' Amused
"I just don't think it was such a good idea… Maybe we went a tad too far?"
"I thought you were supposed to be a trouble maker?"
"I am!"
"You're not. You're just a killjoy."
"I'm not!"
"Are too, sir!" Elrohir had given up trying to correct her about the 'sir' thing in the hope she'd get bored of saying it. So far, it hasn't worked.
"Not!"
"Are too, sir!"
"Is this one of those moments where we get stuck in a repetitive cycle about something we won't even remember arguing about in a few days?"
"In a nutshell, sir? Yes, sir."
"Oh… Not!"
"Are too, sir!"
"Not!"
And so on, round and round in a never ending circle… The two voices belonged to the two rather young figures making their way out of the Rivendell house- well, I would suppose they could be called young. The girl certainly was, by mortal standards- and the male was young in the terms of oh, say- eternity? The girl was rough five foot seven or eight, fairly attractive with bright blue eyes that danced with the mischief of, well… mischief. She had only one apparent flaw –though it was a surprisingly big one, nevertheless- and that would be the fact she had bright, bubblegum pink hair.
Oh yes, you read right- bubblegum pink. As in pinkeh. As in pink and lace and Sues and dolls and prams and ribbons and S Club 7 and… pink o.0 Yep. Most definitely pink… She was walking a little bit strange, considering she had not yet got round to fixing the points of her brown hose and had fallen over three times in succession because of it- she was also still wearing the cream tunic and the black Nirvana tee, complete with the yellow x-eyed face that was traditional of Kurt Cobain and co, pulled over the top. Finishing it all was a beautiful silvery-white cloak that was pulled taunt about her shoulders, the hood pulled up over her head, casting her face into shadow for the most part.
The male was taller, breaching six foot in the least, with grey eyes that glittered with an inner fire- an inner cunning. Whilst the girl supplied the mischief, the male knew how to pull it off without getting caught… He had short hair for an elf, the chocolate bangs falling in slight waves to just under chin, his pointed ears protruding from the stands slightly. He wore a high-necked, forest green tunic and black hose, finishing in dark green boots that scuffed against the stone flooring of the house as they walked. He had on a deep green cloak fastened by a leaf-shaped brooch at his neck that snapped behind him as he walked- it was very impressive… Unlike their conversation.
"Not!"
"Are too, sir!"
"Not!"
"Are too, sir!"
"No--- did you hear that?"
The male elf's voice had been cut off by a rather high-pitched scream behind them. The two young ones exchanged a mischievous grin before they broke into a run, racing down the spiral staircase they'd been descending, taking the steps three at a time and trying not to break their necks on the unpredictable path.
They broke out into one of the many courtyards, Caisha skidding slightly at the sudden change of ground beneath her feet, grinning to herself still as she started off again- only to have Elrohir's arm snake about her waist and pull her sideways, into one of the alcoves of the courtyard, beneath the high arch-like cloisters. It was a narrow space, and she was freakishly aware of being pressed up against Elrohir's chest, his arm tight about her, her head resting on his collar, just beneath his chin… Somewhere in the back of her mind, something did a victory dance. She mentally prodded it into silence…
In fact, so involved was she with Elrohir's body that she barely noticed the tall figure of a naked elf, clearly ruffled, running past their little alcove at full speed, screaming in what he clearly thought was a blood-curdling fashion and waving something over his head. It caused mass confusion- true, it was only an hour or two after dawn, with the golden rays just beginning to melt into the bright, cloudless blue of the Middle-Earth sky, but elf upon elf was up and about- Caisha wondered, briefly, whether the elves actually slept at all, or if they had some special ability to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all the time…
She could feel Elrohir's chest shaking as he laughed uncontrollably- she tugged her thoughts reluctantly away from concentrating on his warmth to look up at him, eyebrow raised questioningly. He just grinned down at her, leaning out of the alcove to look after the elf- Caisha joined him. The screaming elf so far had fallen over twice, knocked down three fellow elves and jumped into the crisp river. Caisha joined Elrohir's laughter as she tugged herself out of the alcove- for a moment, she thought she saw a disappointed look cross over Elrohir's face, but when she looked again, he was his usual self… Well, that was something to ponder on, at least.
She was about to say something when a second voice behind them spoke out tiredly, as though this was an everyday occurrence- well, since Caisha had been with them, it was. She span around to look at another Elrohir- only, this one didn't quite make her heart beat faster when she looked at him… Besides, his grey eyes didn't look as warm and his chocolate hair was longer- the traditional elf style, which meant it was longer than Caisha's own. A few of the elven kin frowned on Elrohir for having cut his hair short- a few even blamed it on Caisha, but neither of the two younglings seemed to care… And anyway- this Elrohir was wearing a leaf jerkin and tunic, with pants and high boots. It was Elladan, clearly. He was looking at them with what could be mistaken for amusement, if you didn't know elves- they only showed what they wanted you to see,
"Tell me, my friends… Why did I just see my father run past me, naked?" he raised an eyebrow, questioningly, "Tithin Vanwa Min-" he looked at Caisha- she scowled, angrily, but let it pass. The twins had always been nice to her; they were the only ones allowed to call her what the wished, from Lady to Child, "-why do I get the strangest feeling this has something to do with you?"
"No idea, Elleena." The elf scowled- she just smiled brightly back, "why would it have something to do with me?"
Elrohir was laughing too hard to say anything helpful- the distant figure of the naked Elrond had scrabbled out of the river, a lily pad perched precariously on his head, and was hollering something dreadful and un-elf-like as he chased one of the loose horses across the plains. Elladan looked amused, though he tried to hide it behind a fierce look,
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, Caisha, but I did not know Elrond was accustomed to not only dying his hair green but shaving off half of it and plaiting the other side. Similarly, I didn't know he liked to take off all his clothes and draw obscenities on his body in black paste. Not to mention he appears to be waving a pink, lacy teddy bear about his head…"
"Maybe he just likes teddy bears?" Caisha muttered, glaring at Elladan accusingly- he was sucking the fun out of everything. She could hear Elrohir's laughter slowly dying away behind her…
Elladan gave an irritated sigh,
"Where did you get it all?"
Caisha, feeling rather nettled by this point, smiled mischievously,
"No-body kidnaps me and gets away with it, Elleena."
Elladan blinked in surprise,
"You stole their teddy bear?"
"And their hair dye, and a pair of scissors. I managed to get a few pillows as well- though I think Línarai stole them out of my room. And a few peculiar looking mushrooms we crushed into his night time drink…" She shifted under Elladan's disbelieving gaze, "What?" she muttered, indignantly, "They shouldn't leave their things lying around if they don't want them to be stolen, should they?" maybe it wasn't a good idea to mention the Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean posters she'd stashed away in Bregedur's saddle bags. No, definitely not a good idea… "It's not like Britney will miss them!" she glowered, stung by the implication she was a thief- she'd only borrowed them, right?
Elladan looked stunned, "You stole a teddy bear from the Leader of the Order of the Sue?"
Caisha shifted slightly under his look, "Don't look so shocked! S'only a teddy bear."
Elladan looked like he was about to say something else when Caisha felt Elrohir's arm curl about her waist. Inside, something did a little dance of glee,
"Leave her be, Elladan. It's her birthday. She's entitled to a bit of fun."
"Yeah!" Caisha grinned, her defiance restored. Elladan cast Elrohir a curious look, an almost playful look in his eyes- Caisha wondered, not for the first time, if they spoke telepathically. She'd have to investigate further. Elrohir continued,
"Besides, you've done worse, Elladan. What about the time we put mushrooms in Ysan's meal and convinced him there was a monster empire under his bed? He destroyed his room, climbed onto the roof and sat there singing cock-a-doodle-do every hour. Dyanai had to shoot him through the leg to get him down…"
There were collective snickerings from the three of them- Caisha looked at the two warily- it was obvious they had a powerful bond linking them, judging by the way they seemed to read what the other was thinking. She felt like a bit of a trespasser, but Elrohir's arm around her waist assured her that she belonged there. Elladan at least was smiling now, though he still eyeing Elrohir curiously… He changed the subject,
"It's your birthday, Caisha?"
She blinked at the sudden change in conversation, and gave a mute nod. Elladan grinned, certainly with his usual sense of mischief, "Alright. I think me and Elrohir need to have a little talk about this… Why don't you go and try to get my father back inside? Some robes might be nice, too."

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"Elrohir… Please tell me you are not falling for the little mortal."
The twins were walking steadily, side by side, down the inner passages ways of The Last Homely House. Elladan, being slightly taller of the two, was watching his brother out the corner of his eye. Elrohir had not yet noticed, because his grey eyes were focused on the distant figure of Caisha, who was wrestling the clothe-less Elrond to the floor with the aid of Línarai and Ysan. They had pried the pink and lacy teddy bear out of the elf lord's grip- the loose horse had stolen it, and appeared to be tearing it to shreds at the far end of the field. Dyanai was standing by, holding a loose mauve gown of fine silk he was trying to force onto the reluctant Elrond. Línarai was trying to force a hood on him, to hide his hair loss… Elrohir had a wry smile on his lips as he watched.
"Hmm?" he turned to look at his twin, who had a disapproving glare fixed on his face. "What? Caisha?" Elrohir gave a laugh. It was too loud to be real. "Don't be silly. She's a human!"
"You can't lie to your twin, you know."
Elrohir shifted uncomfortably, "I'm not lying!"
Elladan continued as though he hadn't heard him, "Father won't approve."
Elrohir pulled a face, "Father is currently running around naked with green hair. I don't think he'll notice for a while."
"Ah-hah! So you do?"
Elrohir frowned, "What?" he scowled, realizing he'd been tricked into this, "Damnit Elladan!"
His twin just grinned, and shrugged, "It's obvious… But, Mortal's don't love the same way we do, Elrohir. If she doesn't love you back… Well, we can die of broken hearts. Remember that."
Elrohir seemed alarmed, "Say for a minute that I am falling for her… You don't think she loves me back?"
Elladan sighed, tapping his elegant fingers against the stone walls they passed through, "Mortals find it difficult to distinguish between lust and love."
Elrohir was even more alarmed now, and it showed, his grey eyes wide with surprise, "But you don't think she loves me back at all?"
Elladan sighed again, "I don't know. It's hard to tell with her. Most of the time she's making a nuisance of herself- but sometimes, when you two are together… I don't know. Maybe she does… But maybe she's just homesick, and just needs comfort."
Elrohir frowned as he turned his gaze off the distant figures, who were trying to persuade Elrond his boots wouldn't eat his feet, and looked at the floor sullenly, "I don't know what I'm going to do. She's still a child, in regards to our age."
Elladan smirked, "So are we."
Elrohir shrugged, "But still… What am I going to do?"
"Well, first off, we're going to throw a birthday party."

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It had been a party to remember, even by elf standards. Gimli got drunk and started making out with the Hall curtains; Legolas tried to explain the difference between a yew long bow and a yew short bow until Aragorn knocked him out with a plate of strategically positioned fruit, Pippin was caught stashing carrots under his vest and Merry, in his wild naivety, put them down his pants, making him look freakishly disfigured.
Gandalf set off a bunch of birthday fireworks inside the Hall of Fire that had the elves, usually so calm, pounding the tables for more, Elrond declared he was now officially a chipmunk and bounced off somewhere to hide his 'finds'- a half eaten apple core and a bottle of elven wine he'd discovered lying on the mantelpiece. Clearly, the effects of the mushroom had yet to wear off… Ysan had managed to tie the hood tightly around Elrond's head, so no-one would see his hair, but it was only a matter of time.
Boromir got everyone to line up and do the conga whilst singing 'Happy Birthday' (after Caisha had taught them the words. Eight times.) and Frodo stood in the corner feeling neglected because it wasn't his birthday and nobody was paying him any attention, except Sam, who was drooling over the bottom his master's robes.
Then there were the presents… She seemed to get something off everyone- she was amazed, as she hadn't been expecting a thing… From Elrond, she got a pile of chestnuts which, in his current state, was a rather generous present. Even his daughter, Arwen, who she had not yet got around to speaking to, gave her the gown that she'd worn, long ago, and said she could keep the hooded cloak.
Aragorn gave her a small ivory-hilted throwing dagger in a leather sheath, no longer than her middle finger, with a point so sharp she cut herself taking it out to look at it. The hilt had been carved with a variety of patterns showing scenes from long ago, and the blade itself was straight, silver and hungry for blood.
Gimli gave her a thick, strong leather belt to replace 'that damn flimsy white thing' she currently wore. It had small hooks and loops all around it to hold things in place, a belt buckle so tight she nearly broke her fingers prying it open, the buckle furnished with a fire and bone carved motif. It was heavy, and made her arms ache if she held it up for too long
From Boromir she got a large shield, a curved triangular shape with a black lion rearing against a white, wooden background. Someone had told him her arm length and width, as the straps were adjusted to fit her arm properly. She wondered how he'd managed to get it done in a few hours, but decided not to ask.
From the adorable little hobbits, she got a variety of things; firstly, the four of them had made her a cake. True, Pippin and Merry had stuffed carrots into the middle of it, but Sam had layered the thing in chocolate and Frodo had written 'Hapyy Birfdaay' on the top in white icing- it was so screwed up on account of the table having been above their heads when they were making it. Caisha just grinned, declared it was the best chocolate carrot cake in the world and promptly ate about half of it, surreptitiously avoiding the mound of carrots in the middle.
She also got, from them, a pouch, which, Pippin assured her, was for more than holding Longbottom leaf in; though Merry denied the idea furiously and they scuffled around about it, squashing the cake. Merry also gave her a small smoking pipe, which she pocketed with a grin. Frodo gave her a brace of wrist knives he'd discovered stashed away in the bottom of the armory room and Sam gave her a bridle, which puzzled her at first, considering she didn't have a horse, but she smiled ecstatically and hugged the small hobbit furiously anyway.
Gandalf gave her a small, ruby-shaped stone on a leather thong necklace, about the size of a fifty pence coin, amethyst in colour, which blazed with an inner fire. When she looked closely at it, a pearly white inferno was burning in the middle of the stone… Gandalf wouldn't tell her what it was for, he only smiled secretively as Elrohir helped her clip the present about her neck… The elf's hands lingered a tad longer than was necessary against her neck, making her skin shiver before he took them away.
From Legolas- yes, even the Lego-man, Prince of hissy-fits, had got her something – she got a gruff, dispassionate apology she graciously accepted and another dagger, longer than the one Aragorn had given her, yet not crafted as finely. Still, she was grateful for everything she got and actually gave the blonde haired Princeling a hug, to his disgust and everyone else's surprise.
Elladan, smiling smugly, gave her a beautiful beige-coloured burlywood bow, wrapped around at both ends by a thick, protective green thread. It was like the ones she'd been training with when she practiced with him and Elrohir, only much, much finer, carved with elven runes around the edge, and entirely new. She felt the string, testing its accuracy, and nailed Gimli to the wall by his beard, to a round of drunken applause. Elladan was rather embarrassed by his extravagant gift, even more so when Caisha kissed his cheek in gratitude ('I didn't get a kiss!' from Gimli) but he assured her he was going to give her one later anyway, before she left, so she may as well have it for her birthday.

The party had lasted several hours. It was well into the night, so late that it was getting early, when Elrond, having gathered up some of the dregs of his sanity, informed everyone that, as the Fellowship was leaving tomorrow, or today as it were, to escort Frodo to Mount Doom, everyone should go to bed. It was a bit of a party kill, realizing you couldn't face down Sauron with a hangover.
Buzzing pleasantly with the effects of being just a tad tipsy, (as in, 'fall over my chair and claim it moved itself in front of me' tipsy) Caisha was about to leave with the rest of them when she felt someone's grip close, gently but firmly, around her wrist. Spinning around, she looked into Elrohir's glittering grey eyes curiously, obediently waiting until he released her. She was aware, in her pleasant state, that she hadn't got a present off him- she was rather hurt. She knew it was selfish, and she was very grateful for what she did get, no mistakes- she just would have thought that if anyone would give her a present, it would have been him…
But it wasn't until everyone had filed out, leaving them alone in the Halls of Fire, that he did release her, a sad smile on his face,
"You're definitely going, then?"
"'fraid so, sir!"
He couldn't help but smile slightly more cheerfully, "We'll miss you, around here- pranks won't be the same without you."
Caisha waved her hand dismissively, "I'll leave you the mushroom stash. It's under my mattress- but I think Línarai may have found it. She was acting weird. Sir."
"You mean, dancing on table tops /isn't/ normal?" Elrohir put on a look of mock surprise. Caisha shoved him slightly,
"Don't make fun of me! It's mean."
Elrohir laughed, and shook his head, "You're wondering why I didn't give you a present, aren't you?"
"Uhm… Not to be rude, I love what everyone got me, but… Yeah, I am."
Elrohir smiled, and moved over to the shadows of the Hall- he returned a moment later, something hidden behind his back. Caisha craned her neck to see it eagerly, grinning, before he shifted his arms and revealed it to her. Caisha was lost for words…
It was a sword. At first, it was concealed in a leather scabbard ingrained so intricately in elvish writing and symbols she could probably read them with her eyes closed… If she understood elvish, of course. Elrohir saw her looking curiously,
"It just says 'The blade within this sheath is marked by the elven kin.' It's a standard message." He gave a wry smile… Slowly, Caisha slid the sword from the scabbard.
The cross hilt was made of pure silver, the handgrip mounted by blue leather, creating the rivets she would need to use to keep a purchase on it- unaware of its weight, Caisha almost dropped it when she first took it, grabbing it at the last minute before it clattered onto the floor, giving Elrohir an apologetic smile, which he just grinned at. It slid perfectly into her grip- it had been designed for her, and her alone. Caisha presumed that Elrohir, like Elladan, had been going to give it to her before she left- no-one could have made such a fine weapon in a days notice. Then again, what did she know of making swords?
The blade itself was magnificent. It must have been three foot long at least, a steel forged blade with edges so sharp it could slice a single hair if you rested the hair strand on the edge- Caisha knew, because she tested it. Its point glittered and winked in the lighting, and she could feel the power humming through it. There were runes carved into the silver blade, deep and clear, hand-carved with a breath-taking fines. She stared at them for a while, before glancing at Elrohir,
"What do the runes say."
Elrohir grinned, "Tirith Nîn Tithin Vanwa Min Trí E Weths." Caisha blinked in bewilderment, "And in normal language?"
Elrohir shook his head, giving a vain little mock-sniff, as though amazed anyone could be so stupid. Caisha shoved him with her free hand, almost unbalancing herself, "Tell me!"
Elrohir actually seemed a tad embarrassed about it; "Guide My Little Lost One Through The Shadows."
Caisha grinned slightly, "Aww, that's sweet. C'mere, you!" she slid the sword back into its scabbard and placed it on the table, before curling her arms about Elrohir's broad chest and kissing his cheek lightly, as she had to Elladan, "Thank you!" she smiled, holding onto him perhaps a fraction too long… Elrohir's arms curled about her waist in response, pulling her closer,
"Happy birthday, Caisha." He whispered, and before she could say anything else she was cut off by his lips as they pressed softly to her own… She shut her eyes, hands tightening about him for a moment as the small little thought in the back of her mind let fireworks go off- but then he let go, and took a step back, looking confused. Caisha was slightly offended- she didn't think she was /that/ bad a kisser…
But something was stirring in Elrohir's mind and stomach that told him what he'd just done was very stupid. His inside selves fought momentarily over something, before he forced a smile onto his face, though it was clearly strained,
"I'm sorry…" he murmured, without looking at her, then promptly fled from the Halls of Fire.
Caisha stared after him, bewildered as to what was going on- she'd have to find out in the morning, if she got to him before they had to leave. She collected her things up and, staggering slightly under the weight of her birthday haul, made her way to her bedroom.

Happy birthday? Bah. Screw you.

To Be Continued- SOOOO Sorry I took forever xD But I'm back. Be happy. Yay I know you're all smiling really… Alright, so the Fellowship will leave in the next chapter, and who knows? Maybe Cay won't get to speak to Elrohir before she goes o! –dun dun dun- tune in some other time to find out x3