Orophin scurried up the next tree, hoping to find who he was looking for. Celebrian had suggested at breakfast a horseshoe tournament for the late morning, but unfortunately, no tournament would take place with only two siblings. And so, Orophin had set out to find his brothers, who had both oddly been absent from the morning table. It wasn’t unlike Rumil to leave early in the day and take with him some amount of food, but Haldir was quite fond of breakfast, though he’d never admit it.
“Ah, at last, I’ve found you!” Orophin climbed up to the branch his brothers were perched upon. “And how do my brothers fare-“ Orophin was silenced suddenly by a hand clamped over his mouth. Two pairs of eyes, one pair grey and one pair hazel narrowed. Orophin waited calmly until Haldir had removed his hand to continue. “Celebrian has suggested that we-“
“If you can not keep your lips together, I would be more than happy to gag you with my cloak.” Orophin scowled at Haldir best he could with his mouth covered. “Whatever Celebrian suggested, we are not interested.” Haldir released his hold, and returned his gaze to the forest.
All remained silent for some time, until Rumil asked, “What did Clebri suggest?” Haldir sucked in his breath and made a noise of great annoyance as he forced it back through his nostrils, but kept his eyes focused upon the spot he’d been watching.
“Horseshoe tournament. Winner gets some kind of forfeit from the losers, but she wouldn’t say what. Don’t much care, though, I’m game whatever it is,” Orophin said. “Shall we?”
“We’re busy,” answered Haldir. “Kindly stop back next week and we shall consider the offer.” Once again, silence found itself surrounding the trio, but not for long.
“What are we watching?” Orophin had given all of a minute to stare in the general direction of his brothers before getting bored by the tedium.
“Lunch,” whispered Rumil, careful not to make more noise than necessary. Haldir was literally emanating a desire to throttle Orophin and that could always get nasty when one was on the outermost end of the same branch.
“With the way we are going, it shall soon be dinner that we hunt,” Haldir growled. “Now, kindly silence yourself, Orophin.”
Orophin frowned, glancing over at Rumil, who had resumed his watch. He scanned the area himself, looking for anything suitable, but the area his brothers had chosen didn’t seem the best hunting grounds. If Orophin had had a say in things, he would have told them to hide behind a large rock near the river and wait for something to come to drink. He turned to voice this opinion, but Rumil and Haldir were both still as stone, unblinking as they watched for quarry. Orophin stared a bit at Rumil – sometimes he could get him to laugh merely by focusing his gaze in his little brother’s general direction. Rumil was around Haldir, though, and Haldir was a bit on the broad side of things, so it made the task a bit difficult. Though, Haldir was right next to him...
Orophin drew himself up to his full height, and stared right where Haldir’s eyes would meet his, had his older brother been facing him. Adapting the most calm, yet haughtily amused expression he could, he began to stare.
And stare.
And stare.
And stare.
And then, as he was about to give up, he saw the briefest shift in Haldir’s gaze, the warrior glancing to the right as he still faced forward. He returned to looking in front of himself for a few moments, until finally he could not stand the thought of being stared at for the next few hours. He whipped his head ‘round to face his brother. “What now, Orophin?” he demanded angrily.
Orophin opened his mouth to answer, then closed it and frowned. Truly, what now? He hadn’t thought it out that far in advance. Haldir closed his eyes for a moment, no doubt contemplating how best to remove Orophin from the tree.
And, that’s when it just happened. Orophin’s hands darted out and tickled Haldir’s side. Completely unprepared for the attack, Haldir’s eyes shot wide open in surprise. Reaching forward to stop this attack, the eldest could not compete with his loss of balance, fury, and the fact he was laughing like an idiot all at the same time. And so he fell off the tree.
Orophin now had a clear view of Rumil, who was looking straight down, grimacing, and then recoiling as a thump was heard from the ground. “Nana’s going to kill you if Hallidear doesn’t kill you first.”
There was a low moan from below, followed by a few choice Westron phrases that made even Orophin blush. “Have you broken anything?” called Rumil, poised to leap down through the branches.
“Not. Yet.” Orophin shivered a bit. Definitely some menace to that voice. He turned to Rumil, who had a look of...was it..pity?...on his face.
“Now’s a good time to run, I think.”
Orophin nodded, then below, another noise, something like a growl.
“Halli?” Rumil’s voice became one of concern as he leaned forward a bit.
From the ground, an eruption of profanities spewed forth. Though little could be discerned from the entirety of this seemingly black speech, two words were clearly heard by those in the tree: Kill Orophin. And something about a broken bow.
“Oh...you’re in deep mumak dung, Oro,” warned Rumil near the end of the rant. “Adar gave him that bow, used to belong to Gil-Galad or some other important dead elf. Better run.”
“Orophin Celebornion!” boomed the voice from below. “You might think to use your head start wisely, for I fear when I catch you, I shall send you directly to the Halls of Mandos! Or worse yet, Imladris!”
“Running was an option, was it not?” asked Orophin, beginning his descent.
“Only if you want to be caught and strung up like an orc,” sighed Rumil as rustling below alerted them that someone was climbing the tree.
Orophin considered this, listened to Haldir’s attempt to slowly climb the trunk below, then gazed at Rumil, a wholeheartedly apologetic look in his eyes.
“What now, Orophin?” But before Rumil could give Orophin a sterner look, he had been shoved – not without a fight – from his perch, landing most ungracefully on the ground.
“Do not think pushing Rumil has stopped me from coming after you, little brother.”
Oh, bugger.
“In fact, you’ve just doubled the amount of elves who want your head on a pike, older brother!”
Double bugger.
Orophin leapt through the trees, stopping at the base of the Great Mallorn. There stood Glorfindel, slayer of balrogs, and hopefully-
“My dear Lord and friend Glorfindel!” shouted Orophin, panting as he approached, “I am being chased by two fearsome creatures and beg your assistance.”
Glorfindel withdrew his sword, taking up a solid battle stance as he scanned the horizon. “Worry not, Orophin. I shall defeat your pursuers.” Glorfindel squinted, looking past the young elf. “Do your brothers run from the same foe?”
“My brothers?!” Orophin whirled around, stamping the ground in desperation. “How did they catch up to me so fast?!”
Glorfindel took a look at Orophin, then went back to watching the approaching elves as he sheathed his sword. “Better get a move on. I shall stall them long as I can.”
“You are a true friend.” Orophin flew up the steps, taking them two at a time.
Glorfindel placed himself squarely in the middle of the path to the stairs, watching the eldest and youngest of Celeborn’s sons hobble forward. It was almost a blessing Elrond had accompanied Celebrian to the golden woods this season – a great amount of time would be spent by the Lorien brothers in the healing tree. All of the Lorien brothers, thought Glorfindel, as he saw the looks on the faces of Rumil and Haldir.
“Haldir! Rumil!” Glorfindel grinned as wide and brightly as he could, arms outstretched in greeting.
“Move!” growled the pair. Glorfindel pressed himself against the trunk, keeping clear of the them as they rushed past. Glorfindel waited until they’d made it up the first flight, then began his own ascent.
Orophin had by now reached the Great Mallorn’s main parlor. Celebrian sat near a window overlooking the woods, a look of amusement vanishing when Orophin entered. To her left upon the floor were Elrond and the twins, Elrohir sitting up and sucking his thumb peacefully as he watched his ada steady Elladan’s attempts at a few short steps. Spying the Lord and Lady playing some sort of Noldorian strategy game, he walked over, very much out of breath, yet attempting to hide the fact. “Hello, Ada. Hello, Nana. You look radiant today, Nana, more so than usual.”
“Tell Haldir he has to clean up whatever mess he makes,” answered Galadriel.
Orophin stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “I love you, Ada,” he tried, moving behind his father. “Came back from Rivendell early, as I missed you so, ‘member?”
Celeborn pushed him away lightly. “Not too close, son, I don’t need your brothers tearing my robes when they get here.”
Panicking, Orophin sought out the protection of his sister.
“Celebrian, dearest sister-“
“Only sister.”
“You know I have always loved you best of your brothers.”
“And I love you, too, Oro,” she answered. Her gaze fell upon the doorway, where two seething, bruised, and panting elves stood. “But...not this much,” she said, patting him on the cheek. Elrond caught the gist of what was happening, and though he made to hand Elladan to Celebrian, she placed a hand upon his shoulder to keep him from playing diplomat, the slightest of smirks upon her face.
Two very dirty, very outraged elves closed in on Orophin – slowly, he noted. Rumil had gained a slight limp, while Haldir cradled not only a broken bow, but his left arm. Behind them, Glorfindel appeared, shrugging sympathetically to Orophin. They had nearly backed him up to one of the large windows when Orophin sighed, and grasping the ledge, lifted himself upon it.
“Here, now, let me save you the trouble,” he told them, and looking around his shoulder to gage his fall, squeezed his eyes shut as he leaned backwards out the window.
“Interesting battle tactic,” remarked Celeborn. “Foolish. But very interesting.”
“Quite,” agreed Galadriel, neither of them looking up.
Haldir and Rumil had stumbled over to the window. Looking down, they saw a dazed and bruised Orophin picking himself gingerly up from the second landing of the stairs that encircled the tree. “Don’t think that’s all you’ve got coming to you!” shouted Haldir, shaking the fist of his good arm out the window.
“This is so much, much more amusing that horseshoes,” decided Celebrian as she watched Rumil walk to the doorway. Elrond opened his mouth as if to say something, found himself absolutely speechless, and made the decision that taking the twins outside for some fresh air and to get them out of the company of these eccentric relatives he had gained would be an absolutely wonderful idea as soon as he could do it without much commotion.
“Where’s Oro’s bow?” asked Rumil, limping around Glorfindel and out of the room.
