"How fair our guests?"
Elrond looked up, smiling at Gandalf. "They appear to be settling in finally." He sent a pointed glance down to one of the many terraces, where Daniel was talking to a small group of elven children.
Gandalf smiled. "He is an avid student. Were he younger, I would take him as an apprentice."
Elrond raised a brow, "The Pilgrim finally settle in one spot? I never thought I would hear you say such a thing."
"Travel is weary, even for one of my kind." The wizard answered, moving away from the balcony. "And what of the others?"
"Jonathan is becoming interested in our music, while Samantha is attempting to puzzle out the causes of magic."
"And Teal'c?"
Another smile lifted the elf's features. "A favorite among our hobbit guests. They find his gruff manner enchanting, as he no doubt finds them," he sighed. "I do hear them speak of their home, but they have done so less and less as time goes on."
Gandalf nodded. "There is still no sign of the restinna?"
"Not so much as a whisper."
The wizard took a long draw off his pipe. "They may have to remain here, then. Will you take responsibility for them?"
"They may be of some use in the dark days ahead, if what is coming to pass is what we fear. They have fearsome weapons."
Gandalf nodded in agreement. Days ago the elf and wizard asked for a demonstration of the weapons they carried. What they saw went beyond their wildest fears. Both wondered at the world their guests came from, in which such fearsome weapons were needed. And if what Daniel and Jack told them was true, there were even more fearsome and destructive ones waiting to be used.
The sound of laughter drew their attention, and the two looked down again to where Jack, having found the small group, was carrying one of the children on his back.
"They come during a dark time, my friend." Elrond turned away, walking further into the house. "I fear they will be drawn into the rising conflict, whether they wish to be or not."
"Seriously?"
Jack frowned as the ring of children nodded solemnly. "You've never had ice cream before?"
The dark and light heads nodded again, and Jack sighed loudly. "Okay! That's it! Everybody follow me!"
Daniel smiled as the children began following the colonel, heading in the general direction of the kitchens. They passed elves that looked on with amusement as the small entourage made their way across Rivendell.
The kitchens were a large, single storied area, the designs and attention to detail just as intricate as those in the main house. There were several rooms connected by large archways, and was completely open to the outdoors. Huge ovens sat against one wall, lined up floor to ceiling. The center of the room was dominated by several long tables, currently loaded down with the makings of lunch. The staff moved efficiently, weaving around each other with the ease of long practice.
"Who's in charge, Danny?" Jack whispered, looking among the faces.
"Her."
Jack followed Daniel's gaze, settling on a large, blond woman talking to several of the staff. She was taller than everyone in the room by at least an inch, which meant she towered over the two humans.
Daniel snickered as he watched Jack put on his game face. This was going to be interesting. "Her name is Brialaw."
"Right." Jack smiled as he walked towards the elf, remembering to be polite. Not that he wouldn't be, he just needed the reminder. "Brialaw?"
He started when she looked up. Her eyes were gold. Not light brown, but a solid, piercing, gold. "Is there something you wanted Jeanathan?"
He cleared his throat. "Yeah, there is. I was wondering if I could get some ingredients and a place to work in here from you. Preferably somewhere cool."
The tall elf looked at him, then beyond him to where Daniel and the children were standing. "What do you wish to do?"
"I was kinda hopin' to teach the kids how to make ice cream. It's a kind of frozen cream dish, very good."
She nodded. "If you will follow me, I'm sure I can get you everything you need."
Jack waved, and the group moved towards him, following the elf into a small, almost secluded corner of the kitchens. It was cooler than the main rooms, and had a stairwell leading down to what he assumed was a basement.
"Okay, kids, you might wanna go back to your rooms and change into something a little more…disposable." When all he got were quizzical glances he looked to Brialaw. "Do you have any aprons they could borrow?"
At a word a young elf woman came into the room, bowing before heading back to find the aprons. "What else do you require?"
As Jack rattled off the list of things he wanted Daniel got an idea. "Jack, I'm gonna find Sam and Teal'c."
The slow smile that spread over the colonel's face was all the answer he needed. Finding Teal'c proved to be the easy part. All he had to do was follow the raucous laughter of the hobbits. The four were sitting in the Fire Hall, Merry and Pip deep in telling some tale.
"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c called. "Would you care to join us?"
"Yes, please, Mr. Daniel," Sam said, standing and walking to the archeologist. "It's almost Mr. Teal'c's turn to tell a tale."
Daniel shook his head. "Maybe tonight. I have something that might be a little more fun. How would you like to learn to make ice cream?"
The sight that greeted Elrond as he walked into the kitchen was one of utter chaos. Apparently, his guests had sequestered themselves in one of the smaller rooms, almost forbidding any adult to come in. In truth, he wouldn't be here if Brialaw hadn't found him and Gandalf in the gardens, almost choking with laughter, and asked them to look in on their guests.
The two smiled at the upturned sleeves on the elven children as several were mixing something with their hands, giggling as red and purple fingers grasped for noses and ears, while Sam, just as red, laughed. They watched as several walked to a back wall, and heard the distinct sounds of something being poured into containers. Another group, lead by Teal'c, were walking into the lower caves, emerging moments later with bowls full of ice. Two more groups were against a wall; churning something in what were once overly large butter churns. The hobbits were helping, and everyone's faces were just as red and purple as their hands.
"I think we've discovered what has Brialaw almost in tears."
"We certainly have." As they watched an elf squealed as another managed to get some of the red substance on her ears.
"Hey, that's not how you do this!" Jack called, walking away from one of the churns.
Before anyone could move the perpetrators blond hair was turned a light pink as a handful of whatever was left in a bowl was smacked onto his head. "THIS is how you do it!"
Silence reigned in the room for only a moment, before a full-scale food fight was in progress. Sam and Teal'c took over the forgotten churns, laughing as the children ganged up on Jack, Daniel, and the three hobbits until the five were covered from head to foot in cream and fruit.
Sam spotted the wizard and the elf first, grabbing Pip mid-throw and turning him roughly. A quick tap alerted Merry, and it was their lack of participation that clued in Jack.
"Having fun?"
The loud words echoed through the kitchen, making everyone freeze.
Gandalf was the first to walk gingerly into the room, "And what, might I ask, are you doing?"
"Making ice cream?" Jack answered, wiping a small peach piece off his forehead.
Daniel stepped in at Elrond's raised eyebrow. "Actually, the finished product is in those four containers." He pointed to the churns. "It still has a few hours until it'll be ready."
Elrond nodded. "And what do you do with this ice cream?"
"Um, you eat it, sir." Sam piped in, her arms busy turning two churns.
A loud guffaw broke the silence as Gandalf finally exploded; laughing harder than Elrond had seen him do in ages. "And here I thought hobbits were trouble. I see we're going to have to watch you more carefully." With that he walked out, Elrond following with shaking shoulders.
Jack turned around, looking around the room. Guilt tore at him for a moment. He was sure they'd never be able to get the stains out. "I guess that means we should clean up." He looked to the churns. "We can keep those in the caves; we'll just need three people to keep turning them."
"Me!"
" Me!"
" I would be more than happy to assist, O'Neill."
He scowled at his friends. That's right, leave him with the cleanup duty. "Okay, kids. We have a lotta work to do. Let's start with getting all the bowls in once place."
Two hours later Jack breathed a sigh of relief. The last time he had to do a clean up job like this was after his abortive French cuisine fiasco. He was sure they managed to scrap off, wipe up, and eradicate every bit of cream, sugar, spices, and ice that managed to find its way out of the mixing bowls. Now they just needed to get clean.
"Done already?"
He turned to find Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam standing on the stairs, looking innocently at the sparkling kitchen. "Yeah. Everything all right down there?"
Daniel nodded, rubbing his shoulder. "Just needs to sit for an hour or so. We still have the whole afternoon before dinner."
Speaking of which. "Is there a place we can clean up all this?" Jack asked, sheepishly looking down at his once immaculate robes.
The group moved out of the kitchen, following a winding path through the gardens to a large, round structure almost completely separate from the house.
"Danny?"
The steam that hit them on entering left little doubt in his mind. "This is a bath house, Jack."
Without speaking, the girls dragged Sam away, leading her to another part of the large bathhouse, as they were lead further into it in the opposite direction.
"Okay, this is weird." Jack said as the boys began undressing, tossing their clothes into a basket. He turned and found Daniel and Teal'c doing the same.
"Come on, Jack. It's no different than showering on base."
Jack grumbled but complied, following the train of people until they came to a large room, almost filled with steam. There were three pools, and he followed them to one that disappeared beneath an outer wall.
The men and elves scrubbed down quickly, and Jack wondered if his hair would ever lose the purple tinge he was sure it had. A food fight was the last thing on his mind when he'd suggested making ice cream.
The hobbits were the first ones out, washing quickly and almost running out of the bathhouses, wearing little more than drying towels and grins. One by one, the elves climbed out after bathing and rinsing in what could only be described as an indoor waterfall, before picking up the squares of white cloth, which were piled along the walls. After drying off they pulled them over their heads, tying the loose material at the waist. The cloths had holes in their centers, forming makeshift robes for the young elves as they padded out.
"You can stay as long as you want," Serin said before he left. "The other two pools are for relaxation."
"Thanks." Jack said, climbing out of one pool and scrambling into another. He settled into the warmer water with a sigh
"Jack?"
"I can't believe this. All my life, I've been looking for paradise, and right when I decide I'm never gonna find it, it drops right into my lap. Literally."
"That is often the way of things."
"Holy…" Jack looked around. "Did you hear that?"
A movement across from him drew his attention. "I did not mean to startle you. I am Legolas of Mirkwood."
Jack watched the figure as it separated itself from the steam. Damn He thought. Is there at least one ugly elf in the whole place? "I haven't seen you around Rivendell."
The blond elf smiled. "No. I have only just arrived. Lord Elrond gave me leave to use the bathing rooms to wash away the dust of travel."
"Jack O'Neill. Most of the elves call me Jonathan." He extended his hand.
"Then you are the guests that Elrond spoke of." He clasped Jack's wrist, looking up as the other two entered the pool.
"I'm Daniel."
"And I am Teal'c."
Legolas nodded to them in turn. "It is an honor to meet friends of Lord Elrond and Gandalf. I'm afraid I have tarried here long enough, though I'm sure we will meet again tonight."
"Count on it," Jack said, watching as the elf swam to the other side of the pool and nimbly climbed out, completely unselfconscious. You wouldn't be either, with a body like that Jack, he said to himself, sinking into the warm water. He wasn't a slouch when it came to working out, but gravity eventually won.
Daniel had never been so red in his life.
News of the ice cream making had spread throughout Rivendell, and now all the elves wanted to know exactly what ice cream was, and when they would be able to taste it. Whoever said elves were mischievous was making an understatement. The moment Yalan found she could make him blush she did so at every opportunity, and had apparently shared the knowledge with several of her friends. He was sure his hair was smoking his ears were so hot.
To make things worse, there were more people there than there had been all week. He'd almost swallowed his tongue when Gandalf introduced him to a dwarf. A DWARF! A real live, mining, axe wielding dwarf named Gloin, together with his son Gimli and Gloin's advisors. He was glad the wizard had chosen to give them what seemed to be this world's common tongue, or else he wouldn't have been able to understand a word they were saying.
There was also another human there now. Boromir of Gondor, whose eyes held a quiet fascination as they roved over the designs of Rivendell. As well as Legolas and several other elves. Elrond told him that others would arrive as well over the next few days, and the thought made him uneasy. He knew a meeting of the joint chiefs when he saw one.
"You are worried, Daniel?"
Daniel turned. "I suppose I am. Why are so many people arriving from all over this land, Legolas?"
The elf looked at Elrond, who was standing across the dining hall. "Grave things are happening in Middle Earth. Things that require the participation of all who would live here, no matter the distance of their lands. Though I'm afraid I carried news graver than Lord Elrond would have wished."
Before Daniel could ask he was swept away by the dwarves, who wanted to learn everything he could tell them about naquadah and every other mineral he knew about. Beseeching looks to Sam and Teal'c went unanswered, and it was finally Gandalf who rescued him.
"You looked like a deer caught in a thunderstorm, Daniel." The wizard laughed as they sat down and prepared to eat.
"Felt like one, too."
Daniel laughed when Jack heartily drank his quilfara, wondering what the colonel was pushing at. His disappearance a week ago hadn't been missed, and here he was, back at square one. He sighed, wondering when he could slip away and present the ice cream.
"You really should eat, Frodo."
The concerned tones drew his attention further down the table, where the hobbits were gathered between Gandalf and Teal'c. Frodo was up today, an improvement from his status the past week. The dark haired hobbit smiled at Pip before taking a small drink of what Daniel assumed was water. Anything else and Gandalf would probably pitch a fit.
"I'm just not very hungry." He said quietly, his small voice almost lost in the talking around him. Bilbo was almost beside himself, looking like he was lost on what to do with his nephew. Daniel sighed in sympathy. He knew that feeling very well, usually after being brought back from the dead or something else just as strenuous, like explaining a joke to Teal'c. In those situations it was usually Jack looking like he needed assistance, and fast.
"Pipin is right, Frodo. You cannot hope to regain your strength if you do not give yourself nourishment."
Uh-oh. Daniel knew that tone. It was the same tone of you're-going-to-eat-if- I have-to-sit-on-you-but-it-really-is-for-your-own-good that Teal'c took with him when he skipped meals or refused to eat the food in the infirmary. No amount of wheedling, crying, or outright screaming could dissuade the jaffa when he was in mothering mode.
The archeologist let out a breath when Frodo picked up a piece of cheese and began nibbling on it. It wouldn't do to frighten the elves away from Teal'c.
"Teal'c has a way with hobbits, I see." Gandalf noted, watching the exchange.
Daniel smiled, "He just has a way of frightening people."
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