CB here. All I can say is, thanks SO much to Cierah. This chapter would still be rotting in Lizzie's computer if not for her. So…thanks. A lot. And I'm sorry there are no line breaks, QuickEdit is being weird. Really big spaces like the one after this author's note are where line breaks are supposed to be. Okay? Okay.

The only thing heard in the library of Elrond's home was the scratching of a pen and the turning of pages. The twins sat across from each other at a large table, Elladan was hurriedly finishing homework he had neglected to do the night before, while Elrohir was deeply absorbed in a book.

Scratch scratch.

Flip.

Elrohir glanced at Elladan's work. He was finishing a mathematics worksheet. In his haste, he had made a mistake that threw off his whole problem. Elrohir tapped the edge of the paper. "You made a mistake."

Elladan looked at the problem. "'I did?"

"When you're dividing and you have numbers left over, you add a decimal and put zero behind it." Elrohir explained.

Elladan blinked. "Oh." He corrected the mistake. Elrohir went back to his book.

Scratch scratch.

Flip.

There was a creak as the door opened. Both boys looked up. Their mother stood in the doorway.

"There you two are! Were you not informed that your lessons were cancelled today? Your tutor is away." She told them.

"Yes!" Elladan leaped up. He stuffed his homework into his folder as Elrohir carefully put the book back on the shelf.

"Also, your father has given the both of you permission to do whatever you want for the rest of the day." Their mother continued.

Elrohir glanced out the window. A plan began to develop in his mind. He quickly, followed his brother out of the library. When their mother was out of earshot, he grabbed Elladan arm. "Let's explore the city!"

"Ada told us not to though." Elladan reminded him. "He said we would get lost, especially in the residents part."

The truth was that they had always lived in the part with the lords and ladies and their parents. So they had never really ventured out in to the rest of the city, and therefore got lost easily.

"No we won't! Besides we have good memories."

"We're going to get lost."

"No we're not! Come on, it'll be fun." Elrohir persisted.

Elladan sighed. "I'm going to regret this."

Elrohir ignored this comment and grabbed his brother's arm. "Come on, let's go!"

The first thing that Elladan noticed was that there were always lots more people walking around. The halls where he and Elrohir lived were always very quiet and empty. But here there were more people. Walking home, to their jobs, everywhere!

Several of them recognized the two younglings and nodded to them. Elladan nodded back, but Elrohir seemed to be lost in his own world and didn't notice. He also didn't notice that he was about to walk into a peddler's cart. Elladan pulled him out of the way before his brother and the cart collided.

Elrohir blinked and looked around. "What just happened?"

"You were about to run into me cart, young sir." The peddler came out from behind his cart. He was a strange looking Elf, dressed in bright colors instead of natural ones. His hair was stuffed up under a cap. He wore a strange form of wire and glass on his face. The twins had never seen anyone like him.

"Oh. Sorry." Elrohir stared curiously at him.

The peddler chuckled. "S'alright, no harm done."

Elladan examined the cart. "What do you sell?"

The peddler reached inside his cart and pulled out a red scarf. "Color." He handed the scarf to Elrohir.

Elrohir looked at the scarf. Red was only used at festival; it was not worn everyday. Only Elves that performed enjoyed bright colors, it made them stand out and be noticed. Normal Elves like natural colors, such as dark green, brown, gray, dark blue, and sometimes white. "How can you sell color?"

"Well, not color really. Colorful clothes. I like to brighten up these cities." The peddler shrugged and took the scarf back. "Red, orange, yellow, bright green, bright blue and purple. Occasionally pink."

Elladan nodded. "That sounds…interesting."

"May we walk with you?" Elrohir interrupted.

Elladan opened his mouth to say no, but the peddler beat him to it.

"I don't think, Master Elf, that yer father would want ye to walk with someone ye don't know. So maybe some other time." And before either of the twins could respond, he walked away.

"You scared him away!" Elrohir said stubbornly, pouting a little.

"Me? What did I do? You were the one who-"

"I wonder," Elrohir cut in thoughtfully, "Why he called us 'Master Elf'?"

"Because we're Elves?" Elladan supplied.

"Yes, but so is everyone else around here. What would make us so different?"

"Because you are two sneaky Elflings who do not listen to your Ada." A familiar voice said from behind them.

They turned around, thinking it was their father, but were surprised to find Glorfindel instead.

"Glorfindel!" they cried, relieved.

"And what are the two of you doing?" he asked, pulling them off to the side.

"Exploring!" Elrohir said eagerly before Elladan could stop him.

"I think I remember something about a certain father telling his two sons that they should not wander about the residents part by themselves." Glorfindel said pointedly.

"Aw, Glorfindel, you're not going to tell on us are you?" Elrohir put his most innocent-looking expression. Elladan snorted. He knew for a fact that when his brother did that it meant he was either trying to get out of some punishment or he wanted something. And Elladan also knew that "the look" always worked.

Glorfindel studied them both for a minute, knowing that who he was talking to was Elrohir. (Not many could tell the two apart, and sometimes even their parents couldn't.) He knew what "the look" was and how it worked. Usually it didn't work on him (though Elrond and Celebrian always fell for it), but he decided to indulge them today.

He sighed. "All right, fine. I have to get a few things first before we go back, all right?"

Two heads nodded.

"Stick close so we do not get separated." He looked at each of them in turn. "And no sneaking off, understood?"

"Yes, Glorfindel." They said in unison.

"Good." He nodded, satisfied. "Let us go."

So the three of them headed out into the throng of people, the twins keeping close to Glorfindel.

They stopped at a few shops, at all, of which Glorfindel talked to the owners for at least ten minutes. Perhaps, Elladan thought, this is his way of punishing us.

After leaving a shop where an unusually lengthy conversation had taken place, it was finally time to go home.

But Glorfindel had somehow gotten far ahead of them and, as much as the two small Elflings tried to keep up, they couldn't. So they decided to try and figure out where he had gone, and in doing so, got themselves decisively lost.

Deciding that it was better to at least try to find their way back then just sit and do nothing, they wandered the city. At one point, Elrohir started singing.

"Ninety-nine bottles of wine on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of wine. You take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of wine on the wall. Ninety-"

"Do you think they're looking for us?" Elladan asked.

"-Eight bottles of wine-"

"I mean, it's nearly dinner time-" Elladan sounded a bit worried.

"-You take one down-"

"They wouldn't forget about us, -"

"-Pass it around-"

"-Would they?"

Elrohir stopped. "My feet hurt." He said suddenly. "Can we sit down?"

So the two of them sat down in a corner, hugging and huddled together, trying to stay warm in the night's chill.

"Elrond?"

He glanced up from his work to see his wife standing in the doorway. "Yes?"

"It is nearly dinner time." She pointed out.

"Yes."

"And it is getting quiet dark out…"

"Yes…" he had the feeling she didn't want to tell him what came next.

"And…" she took a deep breath. "And the twins are missing."

"They are WHAT!" Elrond jumped from his desk, papers fluttering to the floor.

"I have not seen them since I told them their lessons were cancelled. I have looked everywhere; I cannot find them. They are gone." Celebrian choked on these last words, her eyes filled with tears.

There was the sudden sound of someone running towards Elrond's study. Celebrian stepped into the study and out of the path of Glorfindel, who raced past the study, realized he had past it, and ran to the doorway. He leaned in it, panting. "The twins…they are…"

"Missing." Celebrian and Elrond said in unison.

"In…the residents…district…" Glorfindel finished, nodding.

"The residents district?" Celebrian cried. "At night? With the cold?" Celebrian herself could not feel the cold, but knew her sons and husband could, being peredhil. The twins had had a problem with the cold before, and they had gotten sick. It had been very frightening, and Celebrian had been reminded that her sons were different from her. And that difference could . "We have to find them."

"I will organize a search party immediately, my Lord." Glorfindel hastily bowed and sprinted out of the study.

"We will find them." Elrond said, coming over to his wife and putting his arm around her. She clung tightly to him, sobbing. "We have to."

Elrohir was singing again. Elladan knew that this was not good. Elrohir only sang this stupid, nonsense song when he was nervous, or worried. And both of them were extremely worried that they would have to spend the entire night out here, alone, in the streets. It also disturbed Elladan's efforts to sleep. He knew falling asleep was not the brightest idea in the world, but he was so, so tired…

"Eighty-one bottles of wine on the wall, eighty-one bottles of wine…" Elrohir was shaking.

Elladan also felt the chill. The sun had sunk into the earth. The streets were empty; all the Elves walking upon them had gone home to their dinners. Everyone of course, except the twins. He looked up at the sky, suddenly aware of the black clouds. Soon it would rain.

"Take one down, pass it around, eighty bottles of wine on the wall…" Elrohir glanced to the left, and then did a double take. "I remember that street!"

Elladan followed his brother's gaze. There was a street turning right a few yards away from where they sat. Elladan vaguely remembered turning onto the street they were on, but he didn't know if that had been the one they had taken. However, walking would keep them warm, and if it made Elrohir stop singing, then he was all for taking that street. "Well, then, let's go."

Elrohir leaped to his feet. Elladan got up slower, still tired. They headed towards the street and began walking down it. Elladan could barely keep his eyes open. He let his eyes close as he walked, following the sound of Elrohir's footsteps.

They walked for what seemed like hours. It was really only about a half-hour, but in Elladan's half-conscious state, time had no measurement. It was simply taking them too long. The chill had become worse, and the clouds above were about to burst. Sure enough, Elladan felt a raindrop on his nose. Then there was another on his shoulder, and another on his hair. Soon it was pouring.

Elrohir said something, but Elladan was so far out of it, he didn't understand. All he knew was that he was cold, wet, and desperately wanted to sleep. He could not fight it any longer. He stopped walking and was enveloped in well-welcomed sleep.

"Elladan? Did you hear me? I said we should find someplace dry!" Elrohir had to shout to be heard over the rain. "Elladan?"

He turned. Elladan lay in the middle of the street behind him, on his side. "Elladan!" He exclaimed, racing to his brother's side. He couldn't tell what was wrong. He felt his brother's hand and was startled by how cold it was.

Was Elladan sick? They had gotten sick before, and had spent three days drifting in and out of consciousness. Elladan had been worse then he. Elrohir knew that should either of them get sick again, it could be worse. He pulled his twin into his arms and held him close, trying to keep him warm. He looked up at the sky, blinking rain out of his eyes.

This was his fault. If he hadn't insisted that they go exploring, they wouldn't be here. He began to cry, for his brother and for himself.

He couldn't stop the scream from tearing out of his throat. "Help!" he cried. "Please, help!"

His cries echoed off of the stonewalls. "Help…" he sobbed, rocking back and forth.

"Eighty bottles of wine on the wall, eighty bottles of wine…"

At seventy-two bottles of wine, Elrohir became aware of a creaking sound. There was creaking, the sound of wood on the cobblestone street. And footsteps! Someone was coming!

Indeed, a figure began to appear in the rain. After a moment, Elrohir realized it was the peddler. The peddler stopped beside him and looked down at him. "So, Master Elf, we meet again. But it seems there is something wrong with yer double."

"He just collapsed." Elrohir tried to stop crying. Crying will not solve anything he remembered his mother telling him once. Trust him to remember some important advice after it happened.

The peddler knelt down next to him and peered at Elladan's face. "Well, I'm no healer, but it seems to me that yer brother's asleep."

Elrohir gaped at the peddler, than at Elladan's body. Indeed, he realized now that Elladan was in a deep sleep. He felt incredibly stupid.

The peddler picked Elladan up. "Still, ye two should definitely be home right now, especially in this weather. Would ye like an escort, Master Elf?" Elrohir nodded. "Good. Push me cart for me. I believe yer home is this way." They started walking.

It was a long time later that they heard footsteps. They had been walking for a good hour (the twins had gotten spectacularly lost) and Elrohir was also beginning to feel tired as he pushed the heavy cart. The peddler walked beside him, Elladan limp in his arms.

The footsteps grew louder, and there were a few shouts. The figures sharpened, and Elrohir could see it was a group of Elves, his father and Glorfindel at the head.

"Ada!" Elrohir cried, racing out from behind the cart and into his father's arms.

"Elrohir!" Elrond knelt and hugged his son tightly. "We were so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry, Ada. This was all my fault." Elrohir sniffled, about to cry again.

"Where is Elladan?" Glorfindel said, somewhere near by.

"Here." He heard the peddler reply. "He fell asleep."

Elrond stood, holding Elrohir. "How can I thank you, good Man?"

Man? Elrohir looked at the peddler. He had removed his hat, which had previously covered his ears. Elrohir now saw the peddler had round ears, not pointed. He's not an Elf!

The Man reached into his pocket and pulled out two scarves, one red, and one bright blue. "No need for thanks." He held the scarves out to Elrond. "Glad to help the younglings. These are for them."

Elrond took the scarves. "Thank you again." He started to walk away, Elrohir still in his arms. Glorfindel carried Elladan. The last thing Elrohir heard before sleep also claimed him was the wheels of the cart rolling away.

After sleeping by the fireside and a hot cup of tea, both twins were fine. Elladan had a runny nose for about a week, but that was the only side effect of their adventure. As for the scarves, Elrohir wore his, the red one, on his arm every day until he was fifteen. After that, the scarf had a permanent place on his arrow-holder. Elladan, however, put on his scarf whenever he was about to be dragged into one of Elrohir's crazy schemes, which was almost every day. At all other times, the scarf was tied around his bedpost, and is still there to this day.