-A/N Thank you for your reviews Annreader and AndurilofTolkien! Annreader, for you I deticated a character, have you already guessed who it might be? Enjoy!-
The Peredhel family.
"Are we all set?" Deawin asked as three young warriors stood just outside of the armoury. Hérion just came around the corner, fully in his elvish armour with a leather satchel over his shoulder. The three warriors nodded as they picked up their own satchels.
"Then we can go." Hérion nodded as they made their way to the stables. The stable master and his stable hand had prepared five horses for them. Both Hérion and Deawin had their own steed they cared for once in a while, while the young warriors had three 'normal' elvish horses. Their coats shone in the dawning light of a new day. They would go and meet the Noldor family probably at the beginning of this evening, but they had be quick if they wanted to be on time. They mounted and took the elven-path. The Greenwoods were not dangerous, but enough things could happen if you do not know the way. It was around noon that they took a small brake, letting the horses drink while they ate themselves. As they progressed slowly but steadily, they kept an eye out for possible trouble on the way back.
"Hest, do you see them?" Deawin asked as they passed the elf-gate.
"Nay, not yet." Hérion replied before he dismounted. They all walked next to their horses, away from the trees.
"I think I can see them." Deawin said after a while. With his elven-sight he could see a couple of small blobs on the edge of the horizon appear.
"I think I see them too. " One of the young warriors piped in as he shielded his eyes from the almost setting sun.
"Anor will be gone before they are here. Let's get back to the edge of the forest and set up camp." Hérion said as he turned on his heels and walked back to he edge of the forest. Soon enough the horses were grazing and a fire was going nicely.
"Mae govannen mellyn-nin." Deawin greeted with a small bow when the Noldor family had reached the camp.
"Mae govannen." Lord Elrond greeted with a nod before he slowly dismounted. The others of their fellowship dismounted and Glorfindel, the last living of Gondolin, took care of their horses while the others joined the welcoming fire.
"If I am not mistaking, there was a mention about elflings." Hérion asked with a frown when he did not see any little elves around. As Erestor and Elrond sat down in front of the fire, they undid their cloaks, revealing two sleeping elflings. Celebrían smiled at her sons before she showed the Mirkwood captain the little bundle she was carrying. Hérion's eyes flashed a moment before he smiled and gently caressed the rosy cheeks of the little elleth, cradled in her mother's arms. "I see, you have your arms full of elfling." He said with a chuckle. When Glorfindel returned, they all shared some fruit and lembas as meal.
"I will take the first watch." Deawin announced when they had all finished their meal. As they all lie down, soon enough all of them were soundly asleep. Deawin fed the fire twigs as he also kept an eye on the horses. All of the Mirkwood warriors took turns on their watch as soon enough Ithil disappeared and the first rays of the new day lightened the tops of the mountains.
As the animals of the forest slowly awoke, so did the elves. All of them had a small meal, before they cleared the campsite, leaving no trace. The horses were gathered, they mounted before they entered the forest. They walked on slowly but steadily, sometimes seeing small forest animals like a fox or a hare. They even managed to spot a doe and its fawn. They had travelled two third of the elf-path when they halted. Deawin handed out some fresh fruit while all of them stretched their legs. Soon enough they were on their way again. If they kept going on like this, they would reach the palace before dusk.
"Glo'findel will protect me." Elladan softly said to himself as they entered the most deepest part of Mirkwood. He pressed himself against Glorfindel's chest, tightly holding onto the arm that was wrapped around his middle.
"Ada will protect me." Elrohir said back to his brother.
"Glo'findel is ada's warrior." Elladan argued back.
"I know, but ada always protect us."
"Boys?" Elrond gently warned. "You do not need to worry. I think we are almost there. Besides, we have five warriors of Mirkwood with us. There is not anyone who knows these woods better than them." Deawin felt himself smile as he passed the visitors to go and ride at the front with Hérion.
"I think we will have out hands full on elfling." He mused softly. He had not met the children of lord Elrond yet, but he had heard stories about them and the trouble they could get their caun in.
"Well, I think it would be nice for our caun to have some of his age to play with." Hérion softly replied, while he eyes the bushes around him.
"Aye, as long as we do not have to dispatch search parties." Deawin replied, remembering a story Legolas had told his father that he had overheard. Playing hide and seek all over the Imladris valley.
"I can see the bridge." One of the warriors called back at the party who rode quite a bit in front of Hérion and Deawin.
"Are we there yet?" Elrohir asked with a frown, being done with the travelling.
"Are we there yet?" Elladan copied, not wanting to be in the forest a night.
"Are we there yet?" Elrohir asked again, turning as much as Elrond would allow him, to look at his ada.
"Are we there yet?" Elladan asked again while he tilted his head to get a look at the golden haired warrior and yanked his sleeve impatiently.
"After the bridge it is just a moments walk to the stables." Deawin gently supplied to the elflings.
"Are we there yet?" The twins asked in unison.
"Aye, we are there." Erestor said with a little sigh, not liking the yelling of the twins, not wanting to take a risk of attracting dangerous animals, even though the yelling would most likely scare them away first. Elrohir struggled in his father's arm, wanting to get of the horse.
"Not yet, ion-nin." Elrond gently said as he tightened his grip on his youngest son.
"But Erestor said we are there." Elrohir defended while he tried to loosen Elrond's fingers holding his side.
"Aye, but if you had listened, the guard told us we need to cross the bridge and go to the stables before we are truly there yet." Elrond glanced up to Erestor and Glorfindel. "Look, there is the bridge." He said and pointed forward giving Elrohir a little bit to move so he could see the bridge too.
"Oh, I see it." Elrohir replied happily. As they had crossed the bridge, they could see the stables and the stable master and two stable hands, ready to receive them.
"Mae govannen." The stable master greeted.
"Mae govannen." Lord Elrond greeted back, after he dismounted. He set Elrohir on his feet and handed the reins to one of the two stable hands. The others followed his example.
"I shall take you inside." Hérion said and motioned for the others to follow. Celebrían took both Elladan's and Elrohir's hand while Erestor cradled little Arwen in his arms as they made their way inside the palace. "Tegalad?" Hérion called when he caught sight of the scholar.
"Aye?" Tegalad asked when he approached the Mirkwood captain.
"Do you know where Thranduil is?"
"Our aran is in the dining room with our caun." Tegalad said with a glare at the improper addressing of their king.
"Hannon-le." Hérion said before he took the visitors into another corridor. He knocked twice before he opened the double wooden doors. "Aran-nin, caun-nin." He greeted with a bow. "Our first visitors have arrived." Elrond stepped inside, followed by the others.
"Mae govannen, Aran-nin, caun-nin." Elrond said with a bow. "I hope we do not interrupt anything?"
"Hîr Elrond." Thranduil gave a nod before he stood. "Nay, come all and join us. You must be hungry." He gave Elrond a brief hug, and kissed lady Celebrían's hand.
"Hi Legolas!" Elladan and Elrohir shouted when they caught eye of their friend.
"We are still in our travelling clothes." Erestor pointed out as he handed Arwen over to the care of her mother. "We are not fit to join your table." He wanted nothing better than have a long hot bath, finally being able to get rid of the leggings and tunic and welcome his nice and heavy robes.
"I do not mind for once. If you would like to excuse yourself, a servant will serve you some dinner in your room." Thranduil said eying the scholar.
"If you will excuse me?" Erestor said and disappeared through the door. Glorfindel let out a snort before he took place at the table.
"But ada…" Elladan pleaded.
"Nay. You will sit here." Elrond said with a stern look at his eldest. "Tomorrow you can go and play with Legolas. Now you will go and eat nicely. When we are done eating, we will go and bath and then to bed." Hérion disappeared through the servants door after servants brought new refreshments to the table. Legolas looked up to his father.
"That is the same for you, ion-nin." Thranduil gently said. Legolas gave a little nod and shyly looked around.
"Suilad, penneth." Celebrían smiled at the little ellon sitting opposite of her.
"Suilad." Legolas shyly smiled back.
"No need to be shy, Legolas." Celebrían chuckled softly before Thranduil engaged her in the conversation he was having with Elrond.
"Aran-nin?" Anameleth softly called the attention from Thranduil.
"Aye?"
"May I collect Legolas? Seeing the company and it is past his bed time."
"Legolas?" Thranduil gently called his son who was silently playing with his stuffed elk.
"Ada?" Legolas looked up to his father, seeing Anameleth standing next to him.
"Are you ready to go with Anameleth?" Legolas nodded and jumped from the chair.
"Good night, ada." Legolas said when he hugged his father.
"Sleep well, ion-nin." Thranduil said and placed a kiss on his son's brow. Celebrían waved at Legolas, who shyly waved back, before he took Anameleth's hand. When everyone was done eating, they all excused themselves.
"Do I need to?" Elrohir whined as Elrond gently pushed his sons forward.
"You did not have a bath in over a week. It is a wonder aran Thranduil did allow us to dine like this." Elrond followed a servant to the bathing rooms that were prepared for them. "Well what are you waiting for?" Elrond said as he kicked out his boots and undid the belt with his sword.
"Okay ada." Elladan and Elrohir huffed as they sat down on the stone tiles, and started to pull off their boots. "Let me help you." Elrond gently said as he had removed his own dusty tunic, helping both his sons out of theirs. Elrond lifted both his sons in the warm water, sitting on his knees next to the tub as he washed their hair and helped them wash themselves.
"Nana!" Both elflings called when Celebrían entered the bathing room, freshly washed herself. She helped her husband drying of their children.
"See, it was not that bad, was it?" Elrond asked as he stripped himself from his last garments. "I will come and say you a good night in a moment." Celebrían took both her sons and readied them for bed. Elrond relaxed a moment in the warm water before he scrubbed himself squeaky clean. When he was dry again, he pulled on his nightgown and put all the dirty or wet items in a corner for a maid to collect and wash. A little down the hall he entered the room now occupied by two drowsing elflings. He gave them both a good night kiss and wished them a good night.
"Good night, ada, nana." Elladan and Elrohir replied before their eyes glazed over in their elvish sleep.
"Do you think we have some time for ourselves?" Elrond asked as they left 'Dan and 'Ro's bedroom and entered the adjoining room. Celebrían checked the little crib before she joined Elrond on the bed.
"I think now we have." She smiled and kissed him.
Dictionary:
Hest - Captain
Anor - Sun
Mae govannen - Well met
Mellyn-nin - My friends
Caun - Prince
Aran - King
Hannon-le - Thank you
Hîr - Lord
Suilad - Hello
Penneth - Little one
Ion-nin - My son
Ellon - He-elf
Elleth - She-elf
Ithil - Moon
Ada/adar - Father
Nana/naneth - Mother