Thank you to PackWolfLegolas, jennyalex8, Silrien45, nathalieAlice, joellamariah, jijifiji, and fateclaws for their sunshine-filled comments and votes to the previous chapter!

Thank you to Silrien45 for adding this story to their reading list! 

Are Christmas decorations up yet, if you celebrate? We are *thinking* about getting a tree this year. Elrond would approve . . . 

Thranduil used the corner of his robe to dry Legolas's cheeks before he released his son. As Legolas ran ahead to join Landion, Celebrian touched Thranduil's shoulder.

"I am sorry the ritual did not do what you hoped."

"I too am sorry," Thranduil said. "But we must learn to accept life as it comes, much like a boat adrift on the ocean's current."

Celebrian glanced at her husband, smiling with Arwen on his shoulders. Her eyes agreed with Elrond's: I do not know how he can say that with a straight face when his world is falling apart around him.

"Life is often not easy to bear," Thranduil admitted. "More so for those of us who live forever. I have seen worlds crumble yet every time it hurts the same."

"It is called empathy," Harune said, bumping Thranduil on the shoulder.

"Yes, or a random pain," Elladan teased. "There are times I would give anything not to have a heart."

"I doubt I could live without mine," Harune mused.

"Even after all this time?" Celebrian questioned.

"It is feeling that lets us know we live," Harune answered. "Without the bad, we would not appreciate happiness."

"Do you miss Sapphire?" Elrohir asked.

Elrond shot him a frown, displeased at his son's lack of sensitivity, and the elfling flinched. Harune caught the movement and turned to scold, "Really, Elrond, you will kill the child's curiosity with such looks. It is natural question and one no one should be ashamed to ask."

Celebrian moved ahead to join Thranduil. She did not miss the elf king's twinkling eyes and suppressed laughter as Elrond objected behind them.

"I do not know what you mean. Not everyone is happy to have their grief dug up by someone who does not know any better then to ask difficult questions. It is my job to teach him to be considerate."

" 'The child' is right here," Elrohir said loudly.

"You are right about your responsibility as a parent," Harune said. "But you do not teach consideracy but giving angry looks. Elrohir has the right, as do you, to ask if I miss my wife. How I respond is on me, not on him asking the question."

Elrohir kicked a pebble off the path as Arwen scrambled off Elrond's shoulders in disgust and demanded of her brother, "What is happening?"

Elrohir shrugged and tucked a half-open leaf into Arwen's hair.

Harune concluded, "I do not believe for a minute you are worried about Elrohir hurting me or embarrassing himself. You are worried because you do not want him to shame you."

Celebrian clasped her hands behind her back and nodded into Thranduil's eyes. "He is not foolish, your father."

Elrond cleared his throat. He cleared it again and artfully covered his flushed cheeks under the pretense of coughing.

Elladan grinned. "You are ashamed of us, ada, your own sons!"

Elrond felt a sigh building in his chest and pressed his lips together to contain it. He flung up his hands with a snort as Elrohir asked, "So, Harune, do you miss your wife?"

"I do," Harune replied. "But when you love someone enough, you never truly loose them."

"Might you marry again?" Elladan queried, enjoying Elrond's disease.

"I might," Harune agreed. "If I meet the right person."

"Would you imagine Sapphire cursing you from her heaven for throwing away her memory every time you were with your new wife?"

"Elrohir Elrondion!" Elrond cried. "What is the matter with you?"

"If I married again, I would imagine Sapphire's blessing for a person who loves you knows you may join in union again but will never forget or disrespect their memory," Harune answered.

By the time the party reached the palace, Elrond was muttering above the light conversation. After tea in the family room, he left Thranduil and Celebrian to bond over scones and summoned the twins to his bedchamber.

Standing by the window, he waited for his sons to come, catching their faint whispers as they hesitated outside the door.

"Do you think he will spank us?" Elrohir whispered.

Elrond's heart sank. They still feared him. It lifted an inch at the next words he heard.

Elladan said, "For once, I do not think so." But his words held only a sliver of conviction.

The door opened and the twins fell over each other to stand side by side on the red carpet, their fingers behind their backs.

"You asked to speak to us, ada," Elrohir said breathlessly.

Elrond turned from the window and sat in the easy chair. "Yes, and if there is any doubt, it was not so I could spank you."

It cost him an effort to say; to speak words he never wanted to speak again but he said them for his sons' sake. Barely a second passed before the twins said together, "We know."

Elrond smiled. "I am glad. Come sit."

Once the elflings were settled at his feet, Elrond said, "I wanted to speak to you about what happened earlier today. Harune is right; I am the one who is ashamed when you ask questions I would be ashamed to ask of people. But that is not your fault. It is mine.

"My parents were ashamed of me when I asked awkward questions of the people we met. They scolded me with their eyes and with quick reprimands when we were in public and, at home afterwards, they lectured and sometimes punished to teach me respect; to teach me to feel like them when asking questions we should not be embarrassed to ask."

"They spanked you," Elladan said. It was not a question; he knew.

"Yes," Elrond said. "Sometimes. All I learned from my parents was to feel reluctant when asking certain questions. I learned to feel the same shame and unwillingness when asking things we ought not be afraid to ask and I thought it was normal. But Harune is right; we have the right to ask the question and the response we receive is on the answerer, not us.

"I am sorry I reprimanded you for asking Harune about his wife. It is hard for me not to feel uncomfortable when I should be proud I have sons who are not afraid to follow their curiosity. I am only ashamed because of how I was taught and it is not easy to learn something new. But I am trying and I promise not to snap or scold the next time you ask someone something I would be reluctant to voice."

Elrohir moved to speak but Elrond stopped him. "However, you do need to learn when it is alright to ask personal questions because there are times when it is unacceptable."

"The next time you give us a look, we will stop what we are doing because we will know you mean it," Elrohir said. "And you are not just trying to save yourself a blush."

Elrond ruffled Elrohir's hair. "I can do better then that. I will teach you how to judge the situation for yourself."

Elladan said thoughtfully, "It will also be nice knowing a look does not mean you will take us home and spank us."

Elrond bit his lip. A moment later Elladan said, "I am sorry, ada, I cannot help it sometimes."

"I am doing a lot to be a better father for you," Elrond said. "The least you can do is stop making me feel like swamp slime for what I used to do."

Elladan ducked his head, his ear tips flushing. "Okay."

"Thank you," Elrond said. He leaned down and hugged the twins to him. Their warmth felt good; it was real and pure, unlike the cold warmth of their embrace when he had comforted them after a spanking.

Elladan leaned closer and rested his head against Elrond's knee. Elrond waited for a request for play or cookies but the twins said nothing. They were happy where they were.

OoOoO

"Ada," Legolas said suddenly, sitting up in bed beside his father.

"Hmm?" Thranduil raised his eyebrows.

"What will happen to Ozorne?"

Thranduil put down his book and met his son's curious eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Are you going to banish her?" Legolas continued. "I know Oropher banished many people and humans execute traitors."

"No one will be executed," Thranduil said.

"I know that, ada. But what will you do with her? You have to do something."

"What would you do?" Thranduil asked.

"I do not know but locking someone in a dungeon for years does not seem to solve anything, does it?"

"No," Thranduil agreed. "But, you see, Legolas, deciding what to do with Ozorne is much the same thing as deciding what to do with you when you break a vase. And I would never do anything to another elf that I would not do to you. Locking someone away is only a bed for anger and resentment to grow on. Ozorne and her followers will not be imprisoned or banished. I have decided they will spend their time doing community service and, with hope, they will see the life and love they missed and turned into something evil."

Legolas tilted his head as he thought about Thranduil's reasoning and then nodded. "That sounds fair."

Thranduil reached out a hand to smooth Legolas's hair. "I am glad you think so; it is already done. Now go to sleep."

"I cannot sleep while you read," Legolas answered.

Thranduil's eyebrows shot up again. Legolas chuckled and turned onto his stomach, hiding his face in the pillow.

Always love a little light conversation where learning is included!

Was Ozorne's sentence too light?

Thank you ever so much for reading; I love the motivation and inspiration your wonderful comments bring me.

Next Chapter: The twins wish for home.