The Paradise of Elves – Part 41:  Escort Duty

Legolas flicked amused eyes at Elrohir, whilst controlling the expression on his face so that he appeared the epitome of frowning disapproval.  ‘You have prisoners as well, my friend,’ he murmured.  ‘I wonder if Elladan has been as fortunate in his quest.’

Elrohir shepherded Elrin and Eleniel forward to join Galenthil and Aewlin with no more than a lift of his eyebrow and a flick of his finger.  ‘I would hope so,’ he sighed. ‘Although it remains for him to track down Nimloth.’

‘I cannot believe that they have chosen to behave so recklessly,’ Legolas said, inspecting the rather bedraggled quartet, who wisely refused to meet his eyes, but continued to pick their despondent way towards retribution.  ‘So soon after the last time, too.  Did they learn nothing?’

Stifling a chuckle, Elrohir remarked seriously, ‘Do you think we should take them in hand, my friend?  Perhaps we should give them some coaching in avoiding the results of their mischief.’

‘I believe that is not something in which you displayed too much skill in your youth,’ Legolas commented. ‘Not if the half of what I have heard is true.’

‘There you are!’  Elladan stepped out of the shadows, one hand firmly on Nimloth’s shoulder.  ‘Do not attempt to escape,’ he told the elleth firmly.  ‘If I have to chase you any further tonight, I shall be too annoyed to guarantee your safety – I might just tie you to a tree and leave you there.’

Nimloth scowled, but reluctantly joined the other elflings.  Aewlin glanced swiftly at her uncle and took her twin’s hand drawing her away from the irritated adult.

‘What did she do?’ Elrohir asked with trepidation.

‘She bit me!’  Elladan said indignantly.  ‘I could understand it – just – if I had come at her from behind, but she knew it was me.  Look!’  He stretched his hand out to his brother to display the neat imprint of tooth marks.  ‘She drew blood!’

Legolas felt his composure beginning to disintegrate.  ‘Clearly that is a serious wound,’ he said with gravity.  ‘I have never seen you suffer worse.’

Closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing, Elrohir managed to steady his voice. ‘It is shocking, Elladan,’ he said, aiming his censorious tone at the back of his daughter’s dishevelled head, but, finding his control slipping, he confined himself to the simple comment.

‘It is all very well for you two,’ Elladan complained quietly to his brother and friend.  ‘You were not attacked by your captives.’

Legolas moaned softly.  ‘Say nothing, my friends, or we will never get them home before we disgrace ourselves.  Just imagine what our wives will say if we escort our wanderers in while holding each other up and giggling.’

Elladan grinned reluctantly.  ‘Do you think our parents found it as hard to control their laughter as they disciplined us?’

His twin’s shoulders shook. ‘Do you mean on occasions such as the time we put a powdered green dye on Glorfindel’s hairbrushes?  Or when we convinced Baranion that we had lost our hearing while diving?  Or when we tricked Arwen into singing that song in the Hall of Fire?’

‘I can see what you mean,’ Elladan acknowledged, his own voice becoming unsteady. ‘Adar had more self-control than I seem to be able to muster.’

‘Enough,’ Legolas insisted.  ‘Concentrate.  We can do this.  Remember why we are out here in the middle of the night.  They are disobedient elflings careless of their safety.  It is our duty to point out their failings and do what we can to correct them.’

‘I recall one occasion,’ Elrohir said, ‘when Adar took us both to Lasgalen.  We were both adult by then – but you were not, and we arrived in the middle of a most impressive performance from Thranduil.  It had my knees knocking and I had not even been in Lasgalen when you committed whatever sin he was addressing.  I could not believe it when we saw your adar and ours later.  They had clearly been at the Dorwinion and they were in hysterics as they compared your pranks with ours – and boasted about a range of offences from their own early years that made my mouth drop open.’

Elladan smiled like a cat in the dairy.  ‘Fortunately, by the following day, they had little recollection of the evening.’ 

Legolas swallowed his glee.  ‘As soon as we have disposed of the elflings, you must tell me more,’ he requested eagerly.  ‘Adar is insistent that he was beautifully behaved as a youngster – I know he is attempting to deceive me, but I am acquainted with so few who remember him as an elfling.’

‘And most of those are probably reluctant to reveal anything he wishes to keep hidden,’ Elrohir nodded.  ‘We will send our little mischief makers to bathe and, once they are in bed, we can spend the remainder of the night telling stories.  The miscreants can wait until morning for judgment.’

‘H’mm,’ Elladan reflected.  ‘I suppose it was inevitable that our offspring would turn out to be – adventurous.’

Legolas grinned.  ‘And I am sure that all our parents would agree we are only reaping what we have sown.’

‘Just as they did,’ Elrohir agreed.