Anyone who knows me knows I cannot stay serious for long. I blame the prompt.

Prompt 58: Prank
Ficlet: Diplomatic Tensions
Rating: G
Minas Tirith, 9 FA

The friendship between Rohan and Gondor has always been strong and throughout the first years of the Fourth Age only continued to grow stronger. With the guiding hands of King Elessar and King Éomer the two countries only knew peace with one another. Despite any quarrels or differences the two nations had with each other, nothing threatened to break that peace.

Until now.

"Aragorn, you need to calm down."

"Calm down? Give me one good reason why I should calm down, Éomer."

"This is not uncommon with Elfwine and Fastred-"

"They dragged Eldarion into this!"

"He is old enough-"

"He is four years old. And your sons should be old enough to know better than this!"

"Elfwine is not yet nine, and Fastred is younger. You cannot expect anything else from boys their age."

"Mayhap in Rohan, but playing a game of 'hide and seek' and not coming out for two hours is not acceptable in Gondor!"

"Bema, Elessar, they are fine! You are beginning to sound like Lothíriel."

The arguments started anew. Beyond the doorway to the small parlor in the royal chambers sat the queens of Rohan and Gondor. Lothíriel was glancing at the closed door with bemusement.

"Should I be amused or offended that my husband compared yours to myself?" the woman asked her companion.

"Amused, of course," Arwen said as she glanced up from her embroidery at the door. "I suppose we should tell them that we can hear every word, but I am afraid that this conversation is simply too entertaining."

Lothíriel chuckled. "I am surprised King Elessar went to my husband rather than yourself on the location of our sons. Éomer is rather lenient when it comes to the boys and trusts me to look to their welfare."

The other shook her head. "Estel should have. I would have happily told him that they are down on the sixth circle and this whole situation could have been avoided."

"Indeed." A pause. "Do you plan on telling him?"

"I shall when he asks or when he begins to muster an army to search for the 'missing' children. Whichever comes first."

The two women chuckled as the nonsensical, heated conversation continued in the room next door.