“I have some good news, and some bad news,” announced Elrond when Erestor and Glorfindel met him for lunch. “Haldir will not be able to return yet, however, Rumil is being sent in his stead. Galadriel seems confident that he can teach much better than Orophin can.”
“That is a relief. I am sure that Rumil will do whatever you ask of him,” ensured Erestor.
Glorfindel snickered. “You say that only because he is your son-in-law,” he said, referring to the fact that Rumil was married to Erestor’s adopted daughter, Nenniach.
Erestor shrugged. “Perhaps. But as my son-in-law, he WILL do whatever it is that Elrond asks of him, trust in that.”
Elrond closed his eyes and rubbed his tired lids. “As long as no permanent damage occurs, I—“ Elrond frowned.
“Something the matter?” Glorfindel had to turn around, for he was facing the direction opposite Elrond and Erestor, who were both moving their heads slowly as they watched something. Glorfindel found that the ‘something’ was Orophin whistling as he carried a wooden crate from one end of the room to the other, far from where they sat. It seemed his load was not a light one from the way he repositioned it twice before he left. “Well, that was odd,” mumbled Glorfindel as he turned back.
“That was one of the crates from the wine cellar,” noted Erestor. Elrond was already standing up.
Glorfindel wiped his hands on his napkin before depositing it onto the table. “It certainly is odd that he would have such a large quantity.”
“Have either of you seen Elladan or Elrohir today?” questioned Elrond as the trio walked toward the door Orophin had disappeared through. Both of his counselors shook their heads. “What did you say he was lecturing on today, Glorfindel?”
“Fractions and percentages. Maybe I should have posted a guard at the door.”
Down the hallway they went, following the faint sounds of the whistling. It stopped as they heard a door open, and Orophin announce, “Time for advanced lessons!”
- - -
“I am... truly and thoroughly disappointed,” scolded Elrond as he paced back and forth behind his desk. Orophin sat lazily in the chair before him, focusing more on some point on the wall than on the Elven-lord. “I should have expected some silliness and deviation, but nothing so stupid as this! Do you know, it is very possible those children could have alcohol poisoning?”
Orophin snorted, making Elrond stand up straight and cross his arms over his chest. “And just what amuses you so?”
“You keep calling them children, and yet, they are all above their majority. If we were in times of war, none of those ellyn would be sitting behind desks taking notes, they would be in armor on the front. Most of the ellyth would be married and either pregnant or caring for one child, maybe even two. None of them are children. A few drinks were not going to hurt them.”
“If you want to establish your own realm and come up with your own rules, Orophin, by all means do so, but do not wreak havoc in mine! I have never had to expel a student before, and I honestly never thought I would have a need to expel an instructor!”
“Well, obviously, you underestimated me! Furthermore, you cannot ‘expel’ me, for I quit!” Orophin stood up, sniffed as he turned his head and announced, “I shall leave this minute for Lothlorien, and return to a place where I am appreciated!”
Elrond barely had time to roll his eyes before the door was slammed shut. He sunk down into his chair and rubbed his sore head. After having to explain to twenty-six other parents that Orophin’s lesson went awry because he thought the bottles he was using were filled with water and juice (which was an utter lie, and Elrond hated to tell it over and over, but it was that or have everyone in an uproar – Orophin still was his brother-in-law, despite his lack of intelligence), Elrond had to see to his own sons. Elrohir was sitting on the couch giggling himself into fits of coughing, while Elladan he found curled up on the floor of the restroom, throwing up in the chamber pot. If it wasn’t so serious, Elrond might have found a little humor in it himself.
Instead, after getting Elrohir to drink a mug of coffee and settling them both on the couch with a warm fire in the hearth, Elrond turned to disciplining Orophin. He bowed his head onto his desk and let it rest there for a few minutes, thinking about how much easier it would be if only his wife was there to take care of their sons, and if Haldir was there to keep the incident from ever happening. In fact, the more that happened, the more Elrond was beginning to appreciate Haldir more than he had.
A sudden knock on the door made him raise his head. “Yes?”
Erestor opened the door slightly and peered in. “May I interrupt?”
Elrond nodded and motioned to the chair Orophin had previously been sitting in. After closing the door behind him, Erestor entered and sat fluidly down in the chair. “I spoke with the other instructors, and we agreed that instead of pausing the class that we will work a schedule of related topics and each take a day. Lindir will take the class tomorrow and discuss how math is related to the creation of musical compositions, Glorfindel will be the day after talking about the uses of math when it comes to being a military officer, both in battle and planning, and so on. We have a full schedule worked out for the next two weeks, and that should be enough time for Rumil to arrive and take over.”
A sheet was slid over the table from Erestor to Elrond, who looked it over briefly. His complete trust in Erestor meant he had little to worry about regarding the schedule. “I will be very happy when Haldir returns,” he admitted.
“He is reliable, but I think you will find that Rumil will fit in well until Haldir returns.”
“Yes, but Rumil is not much older than the students he will be teaching. I worry a little that after Orophin’s techniques, he will have difficulty controlling them.” Elrond sighed. “Even after all of that, as I was cleaning up the third round of ‘what did Elladan eat for breakfast’, my sons were both insisting I not send Orophin away! They still think him a better teacher than Haldir!”
With a nod, Erestor added, “I worry that Haldir may have the same trouble. Glorfindel and I have an idea on how we can get things back to normal.”
“Really?”
“We just need your permission.”
Elrond’s right brow rose in concern.
“Just so that you know what is going on.”
Nodding, Elrond settled back in his chair. “You have my full attention.”
