Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord Of The Rings or any of its characters or places.
A/N: Chapter six is here! Thanks for the reviews!
Legolas' POV
I walk through the forest looking for the tree Haldir described to me earlier when he invited me to join him and his brothers for a meal. It is so good to be in the forest again, even if it is different from my home in Mirkwood. The trees of Lothlorien whisper to me making me feel more at home than I have since setting out from Imaldris. I reach out and stroke the bark of the nearest Mallorn 'welcome Prince of Greenwood' it whispers. I smile to myself and continue waking through the trees looking for the one the holds the talan where I will be meeting Haldir, Rumil and Orophin.
A few minutes later I spot the tree and am about to begin climbing it when I feel a knife being held to my throat. "What's this? A Mirkwood elf caught off his guard?" a familiar voice says.
"I think Thranduil would be highly disappointed don't you? His own son caught off guard. Very poor form." a second voice muses.
Grinning slightly to myself I quickly duck my head being careful to avoid the knife, run up a few rungs of the ladder and launch myself off backwards flipping in mid air and coming to land behind the two elves drawing my bow as I do so. "Elves of Mirkwood are never caught off their guard." I say nocking an arrow and aiming it at the elf holding the knife. "I would drop that if I was you."
"Show off." he says poking his tongue out at me but returning the knife to its sheath all the same.
"It is good to see you Mellon! You were in Imaldris so short a time we never had the chance to say hello." the second elf says.
"Yes I was there to bring news of Gollums escape to your father. Then he summoned me to the Council and now here I am." I say smiling at him and his brother.
"Your news caused quite a stir especially among the dwarves or so I have heard." Elladan says returning my smile.
"Yes, they were a little upset, but Lord Elrond managed to restore order easily enough." I say.
"So have you been invited to this little dinner party of Haldir's or are you gate-crashing again?" Elrohir asks.
"That happened one time! And if I recall correctly you were the one who told me I could attend." I protest.
"I will never forget the look on fathers face when you fell out of that tree and landed on the table in front of the delegation from Lake-town." Elladon chortles.
"Yeah well at least they saw the funny side of it." I say a slight blush colouring my cheeks, my father had some very stern words for me on my return to Mirkwood upon hearing of that incident.
"Oh look at that Elladan we made him blush." Elrohir says and he and his brother roar with laughter.
"You know my father never did find out who it was that replaced his favourite wine with water at Tarnin Austa a few years ago. Maybe it is time I informed him of who was responsible." I say.
"You wouldn't" Elladan say his face paling and eyes snapping to me.
"No, but you should see the look on your face mellon." I say chuckling at the look of horror that is slowly receding from his features.
"Your father scares me. I would not want to be on the receiving end of his wrath." he says and his brother nods in agreement.
"He's not so bad, not half as bad as everyone makes him out to be." I say a slight edge creeping into my voice. My father and I may not always agree but that does not mean I am happy that people assume he is cold hearted and cruel.
"Maybe not to his son, but to others he can be quite harsh."Elrohir says quietly.
"He had the rule of Greenwood thrust upon before his time when my grandfather was slain during battle of the Last Alliance. My mother was killed in Gundabad and for many years we have fought the darkness that has spread through our home poisoning the forest. I think he has a right to be protective of his lands and his people do you not?" I say.
"We did not know your mother was killed." Elladan says softly after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.
"Yes well we do not often speak of it." I say sadly "my father has not been the same since."
"I am sorry, we thought your mother had sailed to Valinor as ours did." Elrohir says.
"I wish it was so." I say wiping away a tear that has leaked from the corner of my eye.
"So shall we climb up and get this party started?" Elladan asks sounding a little uncertain.
"Yes, it is rude to keep the host waiting." I say pushing the memory of my mother to the back of my mind and forcing myself to smile.
"Race you too the top!" Elrohir says in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"You're on." I say a genuine smile replacing the forced one.
"On the count of three?" Elladan asks.
"Yep." I say.
"Okay...one...two...three!" we say in unison and instantly take off.
While the twins instantly go for the ladder I run to a neighbouring tree, jumping and catching hold of a low branch before swinging myself up onto it. I then proceed to jump from branch to branch until I spot the talan in the next tree. I run lightly to the edge of the branch I am standing on and leap the short distance to the talan landing silently and running to the opening just as the dark hair of the twins appears. "What took you so long?" I ask with a grin as the pull themselves through the hole.
"Where did you come from?" Elrohir asks.
"I climbed the next tree and jumped from that branch." I say pointing to the branch I was moments ago.
"You two should have known better than to challenge a wood-elf to a tree climbing race." Orophin says coming over to the three of us grinning broadly. "He didn't leave the ground till you were halfway up the ladder and still he beat you."
"Well I'd like to see you do better." Elrohir retorts in mock annoyance.
"Ahh you see that is where we differ young Elrohir. You see I would not challenge an elf of Greenwood to a tree-climbing race for I know that I am no match for them." Orophin says.
"But you live in the woods too, and you are older then Legolas." Elladan says.
"Yes. But Lothlorien has not faced the dangers that plague our kin in Greenwood." Haldir says wisely coming to join or little group with Rumil in tow.
"At home we have often had take refuge in the trees when a particularly large band of orcs or spiders cross our path unexpectedly. If we are too few to safely dispatch them we hide in the trees and wait for them to pass." I say softly.
"How is the battle going Legolas? Are you still managing to keep the darkness a bay?" Rumil asks.
"For now yes, but I fear it is only a matter of time before it spreads over all the free lands of Adar." I say. "The trees are growing wary, and are less open to communication."
"That must be troubling." Haldir says.
"It is. The trees within our area of the forest are as yet un-effected by the darkness that infests the rest of it, but it is growing ever closer. We can only keep it at bay for so long before it infects our kingdom as well." I say.
"Well let's make tonight a night to remember the happier times in our lives and forget for a while the peril that threatens to overwhelm us." Haldir says.
"I would like that." I say smiling at him.
"Will anyone else be joining us? Where is Kieana? I have not seen her for a few decades now , is she well?" Elrohir asks.
"She is very well, she has to speak to the Lord and Lady but she is hoping to join us after that." Orophin says.
"That is well for I had hoped to visit with her while I am here." Elladan says.
"She will be here soon I am sure." Rumil says.
"How are your father and Arwen?" Haldir asks.
"Father is trying to convince Arwen to sail, but she is adamant that she wants to stay for Aragorn." Elrohir say.
"Sounds like Arwen. She never was one to be told what to do." I say. "Do you think she'll go?"
"If father gets his way then yes. But if Arwen gets hers then no, it's anyone's guess who will back down first." Elrohir says.
"How much longer are you staying in Lorien?" Haldir asks.
"We were just discussing that last night and Aragorn wants to stay for a few more days. So we'll probably set out sometime next week." I say.
"So we're stuck with you a few more days yet?" Rumil asks.
"I'm afraid so." I reply. "I hope that's not too much of an inconvenience for you."
"Well it is, but I'm sure I can manage. I am exceptionally patient after all." he says.
"If that is the way you speak to a guest in our home then I think your hosting skills leave a lot to be desired." a new voice says and we all turn to welcome the final member of or dinner party.
"Kieana! You're here!" Elrohir say standing up and pulling her into a hug.
"Yep the party can officially start." she says hugging him back briefly before pulling away and smiling around at us all. "Elladan, it's so good to see you it's been far too long! I only wish your sister could have joined you."
"She wanted to come but she is needed in Imaldris." Elladan says.
"Well I hope you had a pleasant journey." she says.
"It was un-eventful so I guess that's good." Elladan says.
"So the two of you didn't spend the entire trip pulling pranks on each other and turning everything into a competition?" she asks.
"Nope we just rode straight here, we left a day later than anticipated so we had to ride fast to get here on time." Elrohir says.
"They did race Legolas up the tree though so that sort of made up for it." Rumil says.
"Who won?" she asks.
"Legolas, by quite a lot and he did it by climbing the tree instead of the ladder." Orophin says.
"He had an unfair advantage." Elladan says.
"And what might that be?" I ask amusedly.
"You're a wood-elf." Elrohir says simply.
"And yet knowing that you challenged me to a race?" I ask.
"We thought you'd play fair." Elrohir says.
"Oh right because forgoing the ladder and climbing up the tree instead is really putting you at a disadvantage." I say.
"Well it does. You've spent your life climbing trees in Mirkwood meaning you've had more chance to practice than we have." Elladan says.
"Yes but the trees in Mirkwood are vastly different to the ones here and the two of you have spent considerably more time here than I have so one could argue that you are the ones with the advantage and not I." I say.
"We might have spent more time here than you have, but unlike you wood-elves we don't tend to run up and down trees all the time. We have more important things to do than play in the trees you see." Elrohir says.
"Oh yes because replacing your fathers horse with an unbroken stallion, swapping Arwens dress for one three sizes to small so that she thinks she's put on weight, hiding Aragorns sword so that he thinks he's lost it and forging a letter from your father allowing you to wonder beyond the borders of of Imaldris before coming of age are terribly important pastimes indeed." I say.
"You're one to talk, I seem to recall a certain blonde elfling stealing wine from his father's private cellar on the night of his coming of age and proceeding to drink the entire bottle by himself." Elladan says.
"You three are so immature it's a wonder we put up with you." Orophin says shaking his head at us.
"We're immature? Excuse me Mellon but did you just call us immature?" I ask.
"Why yes Legolas yes I did." Orophin replies. "Racing up trees, bickering like elflings you really are quite immature."
"Did you hear that brother? Orophin believes we bicker like elflings." Elrohir says.
"Yes I did hear that. How would you suggest we retaliate to such slights on our character?" Elladan asks.
"Perhaps we should tie them up and only release them when they take back their very hurtful words." I suggest.
"In order to tie us up you would first have to overpower us." Rumil says.
"Shouldn't be too hard." Elladan says with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I'd like to see you try." Orophin says.
"Well then today is your lucky day. Because it just so happens that I have in my possession a length of rope that I believe will be the perfect size with which to bind your hands and feet." Elrohir says.
"Come on then child stop talking about what you're going to do and just do it. Honestly it's a wonder you get anything done if you talk about it for so long." Rumil says.
The twins and I exchange a glance, silently agreeing on a plan of action before launching ourselves at Rumil and Orophin. Elladan tackles Rumil, while his brother goes for Orophin leaving me in charge of the rope, which is lying on the floor near were Elrohir was sitting just minutes before. Reaching out I snatch it up and run lightly over to the twins and am about to start binding Rumil and Orophins hands when Kieanas' voice interrupts our little scuffle.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked the chapter, please leave a review and let me know what you think! And fav/follow if you like the story.