Author's Note:
I said Galadriel, didn't I? Her one-shot was getting so gloriously long that it might be more of a mini-story than a one-shot, so I decided to leave it be until I could work on it to reach my satisfaction.
Doriath,
First Age.
Celeborn swore loudly, flapping his arms as he sat atop his horse. Oropher roared laughing, as his kin tried hard to pull off the strange, foul-smelling brown substance in his hair. He looked down at it, stuck to his fingers in confusion before bringing it close to his nose to sniff at it gingerly. He made a disgusted sound and flicked his wrist, effectively getting off most of it from his fingers, though not all.
He glared up the trees.
"THRANDUIL OROPHERION!" Celeborn possessed a healthy pair of lungs, as he shouted at the grinning young ellon sitting on a branch high up in a tree. "WAIT TILL YOU GET DOWN FROM THERE AND I WILL TEACH YOU A LESSON!"
"Your silver hair needed a bit of color, lord Celeborn!" The cheeky ellon called down to him. he was broad-shouldered like his father, his features and general bone structure meeting his father's with a remarable resemblance. Oropher was still laughing, face buried in the mane of his horse, hands clutching his sides.
"And nothing like horse dung to color silver hair," Celeborn snapped, voice dripping with sarcasm. Thranduil widened his misty grey eyes innocently, an impudent smile still on his face.
"My lord! I thought you would never see my reasoning!"
Celeborn ground his teeth and growled low in his throat. Oropher's form had finally ceased shaking so violently and the father of only one child straightened, wiping tears from his cheeks, mouth still caught in a wide grin.
"You deserved it."
"Deserved it! Deserved it how?"
"My lord," Thranduil said solemnly. But Celeborn could see his eyes glittering in mischief. "It would be grievous indeed if you did not see the wrong in your ways and were punished nevertheless."
"Of course," Celeborn retorted, making sure his sarcasm was still pretty clear in his words.
"You see, my lord. My father and I caught wind of a certain pretty Noldo elleth catching your eye." Thranduil continued, returning his bow to his back. Celeborn glanced directly above him, grimacing as a large chunk of horse dung trickled on his back before falling with a flap on his horse. His mare tweaked her ears in mild annoyance. Sure enough, there was a leather satchel hung cleverly above him, sliced open by the arrow that was embedded on the tree that held it. "Now, we only heard this from the wardens who spied the exchange but not for you. Father and I agreed this was a terrible, terrible mistake on your part."
He turned to glare at his kin riding beside him, who immediately raised his hands in a show of innocence.
"I had nothing to with this." Oropher said hastily.
"Indeed."
"Honest," the fair-headed elf protested. Then he grinned, shook his head and laughed. "But I am happy Thranduil did it!"
"You make a terrible father." Celeborn muttered. He looked up at the ellon in the trees. "That is it! I am getting up there and I will beat you down, you insolent boy!"
"But there is another problem." Thranduil protested, shifting on his perch till his feet rested on the branch, ready to take flight. "Your mare doesn't care for smells."
It only took him a moment to understand what he meant. But that moment was far too late. Thranduil called the horse to drop Celeborn and drop him she did. Celeborn went sailing back from the mare's behind. She pranced around, whinnying in amusement. Celeborn groaned, Oropher laughed hard.
"THRANDUIL!"
It did not work. Thranduil was already fleeing. He heard Oropher dismount, and his kin's face loomed over him, golden hair flowing free, carefree.
"Valar deliver me from the house of Oropher." Celeborn said wearily, accepting Oropher's hand in helping him up. Oropher only chuckled in reply.
"Come," he said. "There's a stream where you can clean yourself. You will not be able to save that tunic though."
"You are enjoying this one far too much."
"Aye, I am!"
Oropher led him to a nearby stream, where Celeborn washed his hair before peeling off his tunic and shirt and wash it the best he could. Better to wear wet clothing and have wet hair in cool weather than to be covered in- Celeborn scowled.
"I am bribing your son's captain to assign him to more patrols."
"I wouldn't blame you." Oropher said, chuckling as he threw water at Celeborn. "Come, let us go."
They climbed back on their horses, intending to return to the city on a canter.
"So who is this Noldo?"
Author's Note:
I figured that the Sindarin welcomed the Noldorin partially because of their own curiosity of seeing their kind look so different and also for the fact that they lived in the peaceful realm. This is also connected with my one-shot "Celeborn At A Glance" if anyone want to know more about Celeborn.
Some might accuse me for being out of character here but I think Oropher and Celeborn were pretty close and there is not much of an age difference between Thranduil and Celeborn even. Oropher found his 'one' faster than Celeborn, and hence Thranduil was born much, much earlier than Celebrian. Also, here, they are still untouched by war, and Celeborn and Oropher both do not know who Galadriel is yet here (this takes place directly after the meeting between Celeborn and Galadriel in the one-shot I mentioned).
I never really felt that Oropher was the playing pranks type, I think he was lordly and composed even before becoming king. I think if anyone is capable, it is Thranduil, who bestowed these wonderful qualities on his son.
Keep in mind, this is youthful portrayals of the mentioned characters. The ones you have seen in LOTR, Silmarillion and other Tolkien works are of them when they witnessed kinslayings, Sauron's whisperings, War of Wrath, Doriath's downfall and so on. Here they are much more free.
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Smiley- Thank you. :)