Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Note: The twins are now the equivalent of 8 1/2 year olds. Nadalle is a little older than eight years.

In this story, young elves have the appearance of their human equivalents, but they are two years more mature. I hope that answers any questions about the twins' ages.

Elladan sighed. He rubbed his aching back as he scrubbed the cobblestones in the garden. Erestor stood nearby, watching his every move. Even though Elladan was supposed to be working hard and seriously, he had to stifle a giggle each time he looked at the older elf. Despite a century of scrubbing and herbal remedies, Erestor still had traces of glue on different parts of his body and his hair was still bright pink. Nowadays, it was very hard for the elves of Imladris to take Erestor seriously.

"That's good enough for today, elfling." Erestor snapped. "Get to your next task."

Groaning, Elladan stood up and stumbled to the kitchens. He asked himself for the umpteenth time why he had dyed Erestor's hair. A week after the midnight escapade with Erestor, Elladan and Elrohir were finally "convicted" of the crime. Even though he and Elrohir had known that Elrond would give them a severe punishment, he hadn't expected it to last this long.

"A hundred years is but a blink of an eye in the life of an elf." he scoffed. In his case, a century of scrubbing floors, washing laundry, and cleaning outhouses felt like a million years, not a blink of an eye.

Elrohir, on the other hand, was enjoying his punishment immensely. He almost didn't mind the extra mountains of homework that Erestor piled on him. To Elrohir, the results of the mini-pranks he had pulled over the last century made up for any inconveniences. Because his ada had given him kitchen and stable duties, Elrohir had all the resources he needed for any past or future pranks. As he made his way to the kitchens, he chuckled as he remembered some of the pranks he had pulled.

Dyeing Asfaloth green.

Substituting the salt for the sugar in Arwen's birthday cake.

Faking a bloody, cut arm using cherry preserves to scare Arwen.

Scooping horse dung into Lindir's favorite shoes.

Pouring water on the kitchen fires.

Secretly blowing out the fire right after the servants try to relight it.

Pouring water on the fire again.

Sprinkling the wood with a fire-resistant powder.

Convincing Nadalle and Elladan to eat a meal he had prepared.

Convincing them to swallow an herb to make them stop throwing up.

Convincing them to drink a potion to help them sleep.

Elrohir laughed the hardest at the last one. Even though it hadn't seemed funny to Nadalle and Elladan, Elrohir had found it slightly amusing to see them running wildly around the Last Homely House, shouting at the top of their lungs and giggling madly for days on end. After two weeks, Vennelin had finally concocted a potion to rid them of the effects of Elrohir's strange creations.

As Elrohir neared the kitchens, he ran straight into Elladan. When the two collided, both of them found themselves staring at each other on the floor.

"I have a GREAT idea for a prank." Elladan stated.

Elrohir stared suspiciously at his twin. "Who are you and what have you done with 'Dan?" he demanded.

Elladan chuckled. "I found out how much fun it is to prank people."

"Ai Valar," Elrohir thought, "What have I done to him?"

"Anyway," Elladan continued, "Ada is having a banquet next week to celebrate Lindir's begetting day. I thought we could liven up the party a little."

"What are you thinking?" Elrohir asked, completely hooked on the idea. He helped his twin up from the floor.

"You'll see, brother. You'll see." replied Elladan, smiling mischievously.

MM MM MM MM MM

Five days later, the twins began to carry out their nefarious plan. They recruited Nadalle to help with some of the preparations, but didn't tell her their plans. Elladan collected vats of old honey from a forgotten kitchen closet and bedsheets. Elrohir managed to sneak several hay bales and bags of feathers into the twins' indoor hiding spot. Nadalle gave the twins five pots of gel-like glue, (real) sleeping potions, and two sticks of peppermint (as a special treat). Once the twins had most of their materials, they set to work with a will.

At dinner, Elrohir slipped the sleeping potion into the food and drink. To avoid accidentally eating or drinking the potion, the twins merely threw Arwen into the garden fountain and were subsequently sent to bed without dinner. Once the twins figured everyone was asleep, they crept to their hiding spot and drew out the giant sheet-bags they had made earlier. They filled one with honey, one with hay, one with feathers. Next, they dragged the bags to the Hall of Fire and prepared to hang the bags right above the giant chandelier, where they wouldn't be easily spotted. At that point, Elrohir discovered a problem.

"Um, 'Dan. How are we going to hang the bags?" he whispered.

"I have no idea..." Elladan replied.

Just then, someone grabbed their shoulders and spun them around. Barely restraining shrieks of fear, the twins looked up to see Glorfindel staring down at them.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. He looked over at the bags, then back at the twins. A devilish grin spread across his face. "Do you need help by any chance?"

The twins nodded.

"You're planning to crash Lindir's begetting day party, aren't you?"

The twins nodded.

"And you need help hanging some things."

The twins nodded.

"Good." Glorfindel rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I have been wanting to get revenge on Lindir for several thousand years."

The twins looked expectantly at Glorfindel for the story. The mighty blonde warrior cleared his throat several times.

"We'll save that for another time. Anyway, let's get to work then. Elladan, you grab some ropes. Elrohir, grab me a ladder or two. And, oh, find me something that can be used as a hook. Thank the Valar I left the ring up there..." Glorfindel trailed off.

"When I was younger, I would get into trouble often. Once, I secretly installed a ring up on the roof above the chandelier so I could hang a rope or swing from it." he laughed. "Let's just say your ada was not very happy when I accidentally destroyed a very beautiful, very old, very expensive vase while swinging."

The twins stared.

Glorfindel sent them off on their tasks and inspected the materials. He gave a few grunts of surprise and approval. When the twins returned, Glorfindel set up the ladders immediately. Hauling a bag up the ladder, Glorfindel managed to climb up onto the chandelier after several minutes of hard work. Groaning, he pulled himself and the bag up the supporting rope of the chandelier and fixed the bag on his ring. With some extra twine, he even rigged a trigger mechanism to open the bag when someone pulled the string. After finishing, he climbed down and set up the two other bags.

"I have one more idea, my fellow conspirators." Glorfindel whispered, winking roguishly.

The twins stared.

"Spiders."

"Spiders?" Elladan echoed incredulously.

"Yes, spiders. Lindir is extremely afraid of spiders. Why don't we place another, smaller bag in here that's full of spiders?"

The twins stared.

"Sounds like a great idea!" Elrohir exclaimed, answering for them both.

Elladan sighed and rushed off. When he returned, he was carrying a jar of spiders.

"Is this enough?" he asked.

"Perfect." Glofindel replied. "Absolutely perfect."

MM MM MM MM MM

Lindir's begetting day approached. The twins were busier than ever preparing for the event. For two days, the house staff ordered them around, telling them to fetch things, clean floors, and get out of the way. Finally, the time of the banquet approached.

Before the guests arrived in the Hall of Fire, the twins painted the backs and seats of each chair with the glue Nadalle had given them. Right after they finished, heralds announced the arrival of the Lord and Lady of Imladris, their distinguished guests, and their guest of honor. Since the twins were not old enough to attend the party, the they ran out of the hall and into the garden. There, they planned to climb onto the roof and hide in a secret alcove above the Hall of Fire. From there, they could watch the party and also pull the hidden trigger wires.

To their surprise, they found Glorfindel hiding there already.

"I wasn't invited." Glorfindel stated serenely. He didn't look too unhappy about it.

"Shh." Elladan put a finger to his lips then pointed down at the gathering. Elrond was introducing his guest of honor, Lindir, and preparing to begin the meal. Once everyone was seated, the servants brought out the food. The guests began eating.

"When does the glue begin to set?" Elrohir asked. He noticed that several guests had gotten out of their seats and were walking around the room.

"Soon." Elladan replied. "The glue should set in about half an hour, which should happen around the time ada gives a speech for Lindir."

Half an hour later, Elrond stood to give his speech. Instead of see him gracefully rise to his feet, the guests saw him and his chair pitch forward into his wine. From their vantage point on the roof, the threesome could see that Elrond's best robe had torn in the process.

"When do I pull the honey rope?" Elrohir whispered to Elladan.

"Wait for it, wait for it" Elladan replied, staring intently at the scene below, "NOW!"

Elrohir tugged on the yellow-painted string to release the honey bedsheet-bag.

Below, the guests were treated to a rain shower of honey falling from the roof. Many of the indignant elves found themselves unable to free themselves from their chairs and were forced to hop feebly around the table in a pathetic attempt to escape.

Next, Elladan prepared to pull the blue painted string. He tugged it.

A cloud of feathers fell from the bag, coating the honey-covered elves. Several loud curses pierced through the hubbub of confused chattering. Lord Elrond's voice could be heard rebuking the speakers for their language. The hidden threesome could scarcely restrain their laughter.

After that, Elladan handed the green painted string to Glorfindel.

"Is this one for the spiders?" Glorfindel asked.

"No, it's for the hay."

"Can I do the spider string instead?"

"Alright." Elladan sighed.

Glorfindel handed the green string back to Elladan, who passed it to Elrohir. Shrugging, Elrohir pulled the string, releasing the hay.

By this time, chaos reigned in the Hall of Fire. Several unlucky servants who happened to be in the hall had also been hit by the storm of falling substances. Any servant who tried to help the unfortunate guests usually found themselves flat on their backs after slipping on the honey-slicked floor.

"Spider time!" Glorfindel chortled happily. He grabbed the red string and jerked it. All the spiders in the bag fell onto Lindir's head. His screams echoed through Imladris and deafened every wild animal in the vicinity.

"Our work here is done." Glorfindel smiled.

The twins stared.

"Glorfindel?" Elrohir said after a brief, silent period of gloating.

"What?" Glorfindel answered.

"You are my hero."

Finish

Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed this story. I will try to write and upload the sequel soon. The title will be The Terrible Troublemakers, instead of The Terrible Tricksters.

Review and rate! Flames are accepted. Thanks for reading!

~Kate