Note: I hope to start a series of stories with this one. Do not know if I succeed, but I guess it's worth a try. ))

Summary: The twins, Legolas, his elder brother and Glorfindel find themselves in a trouble when two Mirkwood princes are coming for a visit to Imladris. Or that's the original idea.

Disclaimer: I owe only those characters I've created.

Note2: Since there's no direct mentioning of Legolas' age or a detailed description of his family, I decided to use my imagination. It's a fanfiction story after all. That's why I decided to make Legolas slightly younger then the twins. His mother had died shortly after he was burn from a poisoned arrow. Since I doubt that king Thranduil would sent his only son and heir across the dangerous passage to break the news of Gollum's escape, especially at the dark times of coming war, I think it's safe to assume he had an older brother. I named him Henlaer and he's about the same age as twins are.

Just a small vocation…

Chapter 1. A peaceful life in Imladris

"Elladan! - the walls seemed to shake from that loud thunderous roar. – Elrohir!" – the ceiling trembled and a single black hairy spider, that had somehow managed to escape the servants' sharp eyes, fell into the floor with a loud slap, hurrying to reach a relatively safe cover as soon as his long legs touched the solid surface.

"Um… He sounds really mad", - there was a mixture of fear and amazement in the dark-haired elf's voice as he peered out of the room cautiously.

"I wonder why?" – an identical voice smirked as a second head stoke out of the room.

"It's not funny, Elladan, - the first elf said nervously, almost panicked. – Do you imagine what he would do once he catches us?"

"Thank you for reminding me", - Elladan snorted softly, shooting a short, rather annoyed look toward his twin.

Elrohir only smiled with a corner of his lips, his ears all but twitch in a strained attempt to indicate any sign of coming doom.

"Then again, we can let him catch up with us somewhere near father's study. And while father lecture's him about keeping his rich multilingual vocabulary under closer guard, we may try and escape".

"No, that didn't work the last time, - Elladan shook his head, deep in thought. – As well as about three times before. We need to think of something fresh".

"Well, it wasn't my idea, after all, - his twin shrugged nonchalantly, succeeding to pull a completely uncaring mask over his face. – I can always say it was all your fault".

"Traitor! – Elladan hissed, pretending to be fuming with anger, although he, off course, knew that his brother would bit his own arm off before betraying him. – But I'm not going down myself. You distracted him while I got into his room, so you are as guilty as I am".

"Good that you are not going to deny your guilt this time", - a cold voice behind them said, false friendliness dripping from it, as a pair of strong hands grabbed each of the twin by the collar.

Both Elladan and Elrohir felt as if someone poured a bucket of an icy-cold water over them. They were trying so hard to detect any signs of Glorfindel and he managed to sneak up on them anyway. The hands pulled them further into the room and turned the young elves around. If not for the spreading dread, Elladan would have chuckled at the look of usually so perfectly neat Glorfindel, who now stood with his hair drenched in a sticky substance of an unnaturally bright green color. But he kept his face strait. He was a sane person, after all, and he really didn't want to see what would happen if they push the fuming elf-lord even further. Elladan didn't want to die or watch his twin die over a misplaced smile.

"Um… we can explain?" – Elrohir suggested, gulping at the look of barely restrained rage that burned in the eyes of once golden-haired warrior.

"I'm sure I don't want to miss that tale", - Glorfindel smiled, looking definitely like a predator that found a particularly delicious and helpless prey.

"Before we do that, - Elladan swallowed a lump, escaping looking into the elder elf's eyes. – You would want to go wash your hair".

"Would I?" – Glorfindel raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"Um… Yes, - Elrohir nodded summoning all his courage. – If you still want to get rid of that… substance".

"You won't be able to in a while…" - his brother finished, expecting to be strangled right away.

Elladan's eyes grew wider as a hand that gripped his collar tightened, making it slightly harder to breath. For a long terrifying moment he thought that maybe, just maybe they had actually overdone it this time. Judging by the Elrohir's uneasy shifting beside him, his twin was thinking much in the same direction.

"Do not even try to escape", - Glorfindel growled, unclenching his fists with an obvious effort. It would be highly inappropriate if he strangles both son's of Elrond. He'll need to come up with something less permanent: "I'll be right back".

He turned toward the door and stormed out of the room in a fuming blur. It was both for the desire to get rid of whatever the twins got onto his hair and for a highly disturbing realization that he can actually try and kill one of them.

"At the moments like this, I'm ready to believe that he had killed that balrog with his bare hands and went to finish disturbed breakfast afterwards", - Elrohir rubbed his neck, his eyes still a bit widened from the shock.

"I know, - Elladan agreed, unconsciously mirroring his twin's movements. – He can be scary".

The two brothers stood in silence for a moment, but then they looked at each other and grinned widely. No matter what the consequences would be, the look on usually so well-guarded face of their father's friend and advisor was completely and utterly priceless.

"I wonder what happened to amuse you so much, my sons, - Elrond entered the room, calm and collected as ever, only one of his eyebrows raised a bit higher then usual. – Has it anything to do with a Glorfindel's… let's put it, somewhat strange appearance this morning?"

The twins lowered their heads, both to hide their growing smiles at the mentioning of the irate elf-lord and because they were really ashamed to be caught unaware twice in less then ten minutes, even if the persons who did that were their father and tutor.

"Yes, we saw him, father, - Elrohir answered in a completely innocent tone of voice as if he had nothing to do with the whole incident. – You wanted to speak to us?"

Elrond chuckled at the obvious attempt to change the topic. He'll let the matter slip for awhile. Glorfindel was a grown-up elf and knew how to take care of himself, after all. If one closed his eyes on the fact that he died once, off course. For whatever the twins did to him this time, they would pay sooner or later – his friend was rather creative if he put his mind to it. He would just need to keep an eye on the three of them before this little incident grew into something as serious as murder or destruction of Imladris.

"Yes, I received a message this morning. A party of elves from Mirkwood had crossed the mountains. They would be here in a few days".

Elrond's words were rewarded by the look of sheer hopefulness on both of the twins' faces. He expected no less, especially after few years of dealing with his son's regular requests to let them visit Mirkwood.

"Henlaer would come with them, right?" – Elrohir asked excitedly.

"'Cause he will, - Elladan replied. – He had promised, remember?"

"That would be great! I can't wait to see him!"

"If you survive until then, - only small mischievous sparkle deep in his wise ageless eyes indicated that the lord of Imladris was joking. – Glorfindel did seemed to be in an awful mood today".

The twins exchanged knowing looks. They had a couple of days to prepare an appropriate welcoming present for a Mirkwood prince. Off course, the vengeful elf-lord could make the task somewhat harder, but when had things like that scared them off?

"I know what the two of you are thinking, - Elrond's face became more serious as he moved his gaze from one twin to another and back, his voice implying that they'd better listen. – And I know that it is close to impossible to make you abandon whatever plan you have. But, remember that Henlaer isn't only your friend, but also son and hair of king Thranduil. Do not let your pranks grew into the diplomatic incident".

"We had never done something like that", - Elrohir's face looked positively hurt. Off course, many people had told them that they were behaving far too immature, playing those pranks and daring one another into almost every kind of troubles, but they had never let anyone get seriously hurt, right?

"No, - Elrond admitted. – But it had been a close thing once or twice. Especially when the head of Mirkwood delegation stumbled into your small trap instead of young prince and was scratching for three days from that poisonous ivy. Or the time when you tried to put some spiders into Henlaer's bed and ended breaking into the room of Arwen's friend who came to visit from Lorien. Should I really continue?"

"We promise, father, - Elladan said obediently as both he and Elrohir cast their gazes to the floor. – Nothing like that would happen".

Elrond just shook his head, noticing two small smiles that tugged at the twins' lips as they remembered all those plans that had gone wrong in the past. When would they grew up? Would they at all? And more important, did he really wanted them to grew up?

"Whatever made me hope you'll actually listen? – he asked with a sigh. – Be off you two, before Glorfindel is back to hunt you down. And remember never to make a promise you can't keep".

The twins smiled at him before rushing out of the room. He could hear their swift footsteps vanishing somewhere down the corridor. Elrond smiled. With this two around, Imladris would never be too quiet or too boring. He turned to leave himself, wondering if he should speak to Glorfindel and ask him not to kill his sons and heirs, or would it be better to leave everything as it is.

His thoughts were interrupted by the said golden-haired warrior, who was marching down the corridor, an expression of extreme fury on his face. Well, the description "golden-haired" may not be that accurate any more, for Glorfindel's hair were of a light green color. Elrond's lips twitched treacherously, betraying his true amusement.

"Good morning, my friend", - somehow he managed to hid all traces of mirth both from his voice and face. Inwardly Elrond decided that his sons may be many things, but unimaginative wasn't among them. Only they would notice the interesting effect of one of the new salves he and a couple of his master healers had come with lately. The herbal mixture was very useful against burns, but as an after-effect, it colored the areas, where it had been applied into a light green color.

"Does it look like a good morning to you?" – Glorfindel hissed and Elrond realized that he was actually expecting a stream of dark smoke to come out of the other elf's nostrils.

It was rare enough to see the stoic golden-haired lord in such a furious state. The last time Elrond saw him like that was during the battle with some goblins, who had been unfortunate enough to capture him, Elladan and Elrohir on their way back from Lorien. When Elrond himself and a troop of Imladris warriors came to their help, no goblins were left alive except for a few that had managed to escape from the fight. He still remembered the look on Glorfindel's face that promised death to any unfriendly creature that would try and come near one of his young charges. That look was something Elrond wouldn't forget soon.

"Well, I was just trying to be polite", - he said calmly, almost soothingly.

"Well, I'm in no mood to be polite, - Glorfindel retorted, forcefully calming himself down enough to be able to keep a civil talk for at least a couple of minutes. – I'm sorry to be this irrespective, my friend, but the two demons you claim to be your sons had just pushed me too far".

"So I see, - Elrond let a small smile onto his face, matching the teasing sparkle in his eyes. – Well, they are around here somewhere, I would guess, - he said in a completely indifferent tone of voice, as if those weren't his sons who were being hunted by his advisor. - Just make sure you do not actually kill them. I do not want to loose my sons and heirs over something as ridiculous, as a ruined hair".

Even before the last word left his mouth, Elrond had already been on his way to for his study, leaving stunned Glorfindel to fry in his fury. Even his sharp elven ears couldn't catch everything the upset elf muttered under his breath. Something concerning his noldor ancestors, the twins behavior, inappropriate to their status, and his, Elrond's fault in all of it. Well, Elladan and Elrohir were aware of the possible consequences when they pulled that particular prank. They always knew, after all. Maybe it would serve them right if they suffer some of those consequences at least once? Elrond shook his head, both in amusement and sadness. He sincerely doubted that. His sons were skilled enough to actually stay away from Glorfindel, before he calms down a bit, but even they wouldn't be able to stay that careful for a century or two. Elrond smirked, surprising a servant whom he was passing by. His golden-haired (or should he say "green-haired"?) advisor was as strange as that. Much like him, Glorfindel was hard to anger, but even harder to calm down.

"What an interesting summer we are going to have", - he said into the silence of his study when the door closed behind his back.

… TBC