Disclaimer – If I could write like that, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. They all belong to Tolkein.

Author's Note – I'm afraid this story didn't go where I wanted it to go, and it really isn't as good as some of the others I've written. But by the time I was done, I had spent so much time on it that I figured I would post it anyway. So apologies beforehand if it isn't that great. But reviews are welcome . . . especially with constructive criticism. That's what the friendly purple button at the bottom is for . . . smiles sweetly . . . Please?

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Elrond embraced his sons once more before mounting his horse. Twisting around in the saddle, he looked over his shoulder for Erestor. The counselor was standing off to one side with Glorfindel, gesticulating wildly. The Balrog Slayer was watching disinterestedly, an infuriating smirk adorning his face. This seemed to only irritate Erestor even more, who threw his hands into the air and thundered over to where Elrond was waiting.

Elrond did his best not to grin. Erestor had confided in him that he didn't think it was wise to leave Glorfindel in charge of Imladris; they might return to find their home in pieces.

The lord of Imladris reached down to tousle Elladan's hair, causing his son to scowl. Then he waved farewell to Glorfindel, and together with Erestor headed out the gates towards Mirkwood.

As they turned out of sight, Elrond could no longer contain his grin when he heard the wild whooping that could only be coming from the twins.

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As soon as their father had disappeared from sight, Elladan and Elrohir had let out a shout and run back into the building. Glorfindel shook his head and was about to go in after them, when he saw that Estel was still outside.

"Come on, tithen pen. It looks like it's going to rain, and you wouldn't want to get wet."

Estel looked up at the elf, worried. "Ada is going to come back, right?"

Glorfindel crouched down and picked up the small boy to carry him into the house. "Of course he is. He wouldn't leave you, Estel."

Estel wrapped his arms around Glorfindel's neck. "When is he coming back, Glorfy?"

Glorfindel grimaced at the use of this nickname. "In a couple of weeks. He went to go visit King Thranduil."

"Isn't that Legolas's Ada?"

"Yes."

"Why couldn't we come too? I want to see Legolas again."

"Because if we left, then there wouldn't be anyone to take care of Imladris."

"We could have left you."

Glorfindel pretended to be hurt. "Then I would be all alone."

"No you wouldn't. There are plenty of other elves who stayed."

"But I would miss you."

"Oh."

"And anyway, Legolas said he might come visit us here."

Estel wriggled in Glorfindel's arms. "Really? When?"

Glorfindel put the boy down. "In a couple of days. But you have to behave."

Estel grinned. "Ok. I'm going to tell the twins."

With that, he ran up the stairs after his foster brothers.

-----

Glorfindel leaned back into his chair, sinking into the cushions. He had never appreciated just how hard Elrond worked to keep Imladris running smoothly. Already, his desk was covered with paperwork, and it had only been two days. There were lists of herbs the healers needed, letters from a paranoid Erestor instructing him on what to do in the event of a fire, earthquake, or an attack by rabid bunnies. And then there was the growing pile of complaints from various elves who had fallen victim to the twins' pranks.

It was this last pile that was causing him the most grief. Elrond had always been the only elf able to keep the twins marginally well behaved. It was unfortunate that Glorfindel had participated in so many of their pranks; otherwise he might have been able to have better control over them. As it was, he was going to have to talk to them again. They would only get worse when Legolas arrived. The prince had been first introduced to practical jokes by the twins, and since then, he had become their most trusted ally. Together with Estel, they could easily drive Glorfindel insane.

Forcing himself out of the chair, Glorfindel went to find the twins. There must be a way to bribe them into behaving . . .

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Elladan and Elrohir sat perched on a low branch, just outside the entrance to Imladris. Clutched in Elladan's arms was a bag full of feathers, while his brother held a bucket of watered-down honey. They had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes for an elf to come out of the door when Glorfindel came tearing through the entrance beneath them. He was past them before they had time to react. Standing a safe distance from the tree, he looked up at them.

"You might as well give up. All of Imladris knows you're waiting there."

Elladan groaned. "Who gave us away this time?"

"No one. You're incredibly obvious, sitting in a tree with a bucket and a bag like that."

The twins looked at each other and laughed, climbing down from their perches.

Before they could come any nearer to him, Glorfindel backed away. "Put those down. I don't want them anywhere near me. Then I need to talk to you."

Elladan placed his bag beneath the tree, leaning it against the bucket that Elrohir had just put down. Together they followed Glorfindel inside.

Once they had reached the study, Glorfindel closed the door behind them. Elladan and Elrohir looked at him with what they clearly thought were innocent faces.

Glorfindel sighed. "Legolas will be here soon. I want you to promise that all of these pranks will stop now."

Elladan began, "Well, we can't exactly promise that, Legolas might have some particularly good ideas . . . "

Glorfindel glared.

Elrohir tried to salvage the situation. "But we'll do our best to restrain him."

"You had better restrain yourselves as well. Otherwise, you'll spend the next age with an entourage dedicated solely to making sure you behave yourselves."

"We will," they chorused.

Estel came tearing into the room, shrieking excitedly. "Legolas is here!"

"Can we go now?" Elladan asked.

Glorfindel nodded, and before he even had a chance to open his mouth and remind them of their promises, the three had gone.

-----

Legolas dismounted from his horse, only to be bowled over by a small explosion near his knees. Sitting in the mud, he was faintly surprised that it was shouting his name, rather than "boom!"

Elladan and Elrohir came tearing after the explosion, which Legolas had just recognized as Estel. Both of them stopped short at the sight of the prince of Mirkwood sitting in their stable yard. They doubled over laughing, while Legolas glowered at them. Estel calmed down sufficiently to notice the look on the elf's face.

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

Legolas turned his glare to the little human. Then he laughed and pulled the boy into a hug. "Of course I am."

This only made the twins laugh harder.

They were still laughing when Glorfindel came out to greet Legolas. Casting a puzzled glance at Elladan and Elrohir, he offered Legolas a hand and pulled him out of the mud.

"It's good to see you again, Legolas. No doubt you want to wash up . . . .?" Glorfindel looked at the prince's soiled tunic with amusement.

Legolas smiled stiffly. "Yes, I would like very much to wash up. Estel, will you help me carry my things up to my room?"

Estel nodded furiously. Together with Legolas, he picked up a saddlebag and began to carry it into the house.

Legolas paused for a moment beside the twins, then nudged Elladan in the ribs. "Watch your backs the next time you come to Mirkwood." The he winked and followed Estel up the stairs.

-----

It was late in the evening when Elladan and Elrohir were able to talk to Legolas. Throughout supper, Glorfindel had demanded news of Mirkwood, where orc raids seemed to be increasing. Now, though, the three friends had settled down in the study, sinking into armchairs before the fire.

Legolas grinned across the hearth. "I haven't heard a single thing about pranks since I got here. Are you getting tame in your old age?"

Elladan raised his eyebrows. "'Tame in our old age?' At least we aren't cheeky youths."

Elrohir rolled his eyes. "We promised Glorfindel we would cease our pranks, at least until Ada came home. I think we were driving him a little nuts."

"A little?" Legolas sounded skeptical.

"All right, he was ready to throw us out of Rivendell if we didn't desist."

"That sounds better."

"Legolas?"

All three turned to see Estel standing in his nightclothes, a stuffed bear dangling from one hand.

Legolas smiled at his young friend. "I though you had gone to bed. It's getting late."

Estel tried to clamber into his lap. "I was lonely. And I'm hungry now."

Legolas pulled the boy up onto his chair. "How could you be lonely? You had Morco with you."

Estel pouted. "I could hear you talking. Can I stay up with you?"

Elladan caught Legolas' eye and shook his head slightly. Legolas looked back down at the boy in his lap.

"We're not going to be up much longer, Estel. And if you were to stay up with us, you might sleep in late, and then you wouldn't see as much of me tomorrow."

The little boy considered this. "If I stayed up, how much would I miss tomorrow?"

"At least all morning. Maybe all day."

"Oh. Well . . . I'm still hungry."

"If Elladan gives you a snack, will you go back to bed?"

"Yes."

Elladan looked as if he wanted to protest having to give Estel a snack, but changed his mind and led his foster brother down to the kitchens instead.

Elrohir looked admiringly at Legolas. "That was ingenious, telling him that he would sleep in and see less of you. 'Dan and I have never been able to get him to agree to going to bed that quickly."

Legolas grinned. "It's true though, isn't it?"

Elrohir laughed.

-----

In the kitchens, Estel couldn't decide what he wanted to eat. Elladan could feel his patience beginning to wear thin.

"Look, Estel, how about I make you a honey sandwich. You like those, don't you?"

Estel scowled. "Only Ada knows how to make them right."

"How could you know that? I've never made you one before."

The boy sighed. "Fine. But it won't be any good."

Unfortunately for Elladan, Estel's words seemed prophetic. First the slices of bread were too thick, then too thin, and then there was too much crust because the loaf of bread was nearing the end. Honey was kept on the top shelf, and when Elladan reached for it, the jar tipped upended and spilled all down his outstretched arm. Cursing, he tried to wipe it off, but only succeeded in smearing his tunic with the sticky substance as well. Finally, he managed to make something of a sandwich and watched anxiously as Estel ate it.

"It's alright. It's not as good as Ada's, though."

Elladan sagged against the counter. "Well, if you're done, can you go up to bed on your own."

"I'd like a story. Sometimes Ada tells me a story after he makes me a sandwich."

Remembering who had sent him down here to begin with, Elladan tried to nudge the boy towards the do? He must have some you've never heard."

"Alright."

"Make sure to tell them that I'll be back later, I had to go wash up."

Estel nodded, then turned and bounded off down the hall.

-----

"Legolas?" Estel's head was peeking around the study door again.

Elrohir rolled his eyes. "I though you had gone to bed."

"Elladan said to ask Legolas to tell me a story first. And that I should tell you that he's gone to wash up."

Legolas regretfully unfolded himself from the armchair. He had nearly fallen asleep talking to Elrohir, and didn't feel he would be able to withstand telling Estel a bedtime story.

Taking the boy by the hand, he began to lead him back towards his room. "How about you get in bed, and then I tell you the story?"

"Alright. What's the story about?"

"An elfling I used to know."

"What was his name?"

"Elladan."

Estel giggled. "Is it a silly story?"

"Very."

"What happens?"

"If I told you that, it would spoil the story, wouldn't it?"

-----

Elladan made his way back to the study, still slightly damp from the bath he had been forced to take. He was surprised to find that Legolas hadn't yet returned from putting Estel to bed.

Elrohir chuckled. "I think the story he was going to tell was a bit of a long one."

"Which story was that?"

"I'm not sure. But before Estel came in, we had been talking about the time when we were elflings, and Ada let us camp in the courtyard. Remember? Legolas convinced you that wargs were coming to eat us, and you ran screaming through . . ."

"No!"

"Yes!"

Elladan turned and tore up the stairs to Estel's room, Elrohir close on his heels, laughing furiously. He flung the door open, stopping short at the sight that greeted him.

Legolas, clearly worn out from his trip, had fallen asleep on Estel's bed, the little boy curled in his arms. Asleep this way, the two looked perfectly harmless.

Elladan turned to grin at his twin.

"Was he really going to tell that story?"

"I'm pretty sure."

-----

Legolas came down to breakfast the next morning with a kerchief tied round his chin. As difficult as this made eating, he refused to remove it.

Elrohir later made a point of telling him that this had happened to their Ada before, and that ink washes off eventually.

Glorfindel did his best not to laugh at the prince's new moustache, and reprimanded Elladan for misbehaving. He was beginning to feel that Elrond would never come home.

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Tithen pen – Little one

Morco –­­ (Name of Estel's teddy) Bear

Ada – Daddy